//------------------------------// // Wounded Wonderbolt // Story: Dashed Hopes and Reformed Dreams // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Wounded Wonderbolt The sounds of her screaming tore at Wind Cutter’s heart. When he first brought her in, he was screaming out her name, trying to get her help. And now she was screaming his, wanting his help. When they put her in the room, they tried to force him away, saying that Rainbow needed immediate treatment. He looked the doctor in the eye as he said that, and his protest withered away. Wind knew that he should stay away and let the doctor’s do their work, but he couldn’t leave Rainbow alone with them. After the doctor’s finished their work, they turned to him. They looked tired, but satisfied with their spells. The head doctor that tried to force him away placed a hoof on his shoulder. “You did good getting her here son. Another few minutes, and we wouldn’t have been able to do anything.” Wind shuddered at that thought as the doctor went on to explain about the different kinds of spells that they used on her. Disinterested, Wind only half-listened as he looked at Rainbow lying on the bed. She was lying on her stomach with her broken wing in a support brace. Her mane was specked with her blood, the red mixing in with the other colors. Her cyan coat was still coated with red on her right side where her wing had bled. Following his gaze, the doctor tapped him firmly on the shoulder. “You’ve got to wait for her to wake up Wind. She needs her rest this time.” The doctor said it in the tone that he expected his orders followed. Wind sighed as the doctor walked away, sticking his tongue out at the doctor’s back. The doctor looked out the door, and mumbled something to somepony or another. Dismissing the doctor, Wind looked back at Rainbow. She looked so adorable when she slept. She would have slapped him or bopped him with a wing if he said it out loud, but it was true. He heard a few ponies enter the room behind him, but he had eyes only for Rainbow. “Hey, that was pretty cool what you did there.” 000 Chuckling to herself, Spitfire watched as the grey pegasus spun around to face her, mouth gaping. She looked past him at Rainbow Dash lying on her bed. She was pretty gruesome with all those red splatters on her. Her wing was slung up in a brace, apparently fixed. The doctors here really knew their stuff. Spitfire thought admirably, Back in Cloudsdale, Rainbow would have had to eat some rainbows and clouds to recover like this. Shuddering at the recalled taste of rainbows, she looked up from Rainbow to the grey pegasus who took her here. Her face grew to a smile again as she noticed that he hadn’t moved from where he had stood. Closing his mouth, the pegasus looked around desperately for something to say. She laughed and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I know, it’s not every day you get to meet a Wonderbolt huh?” He seemed to almost faint as he shook his head. “I…I am just wondering why you are here!” He shook with excitement. “I thought Rainbow would have blown it for sure after running off like that!” She glanced at Soarin, who was still staring at Rainbow Dash. Nudging him, she cleared her throat and nodded toward his saddlebag, where the Wonderbolt suit was still at. After Soarin pulled it out, she placed it on the table next to the bed. She wondered what Rainbow’s reaction would be when she woke up. The pegasus who was obviously Rainbow’s friend walked up to admire the suit and mouthed a “wow”. Curiosity getting the better of her Spitfire spoke up, startling him. “Who exactly are you?” The pegasus practically jumped to the ceiling at the sound of her voice pulling him from his admiration of the suit. She smiled to herself again. So he’s a jumpy pegasus… That will be fun later on, She thought mischievously. “Well…Well… I’m Rainbow’s…friend. I’m Wind Cutter.” The way he said the last word made Spitfire perk her ears up a little. Maybe there had been some romance between these two, she thought to herself. “We met back in Flight School. We don’t hang out as much since then, but we do get together sometimes to race and stuff, although it’s no real contest who will win.” He went on, talking about his past. He had a really nice sounding voice, almost like thunder rolling before a storm. “We have always looked out for each other, ever since we had met in Flight School.” He looked embarrassed at the attention that he was being given by the two famous pegasi. “We still do.” Soarin walked up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. “Well, now you just saved our newest member’s life!” Hoof around the pegasus, Soarin led them to the window, “You’ll be getting a reward, maybe I’ll get some pies to celebrate!” Shaking her head, she walked up to the pegasi. “Wait just a second! I… I don’t want any reward!” The sudden refusal shocked Soarin into choking off his laugh. The grey pegasus slipped from under Soarin’s hoof. “I don’t want to get paid for rescuing somepony else, especially a friend!” Placing a hoof on the alarmed pegasus’ wing, Spitfire pulled him down to the floor. “All right then, relax Wind.” She couldn’t help but admire how strongly he struggled against her hoof, most other pegasi had a tough time of trying to outmatch her in strength. “We won’t do anything like that. However, you will get something for this.” When he opened his mouth to protest, she promptly stuck her hoof against it. “Let me finish. You have been given our respect. It takes a lot to earn that Wind, so don’t lose it.” Wind looked as if he could faint any minute, so Spitfire backed away from him and looked back at Rainbow snoozing gently on the bed, oblivious to the world around her. “I’m sure you’ve gained more standing with her.” She smiled as she turned back to Wind. “You’ll find being friends with a Wonderbolt to be a nice thing. You’ll get tickets to our shows, and pretty much be invited wherever we go.” Looking back down at Rainbow Dash, she continued, “I’m sure this one would be sad if her savior didn’t show up to cheer her on.” Almost as if she heard her, Rainbow Dash muttered out something unintelligible. Noticing the time with a gasp, Soarin poked her in the side with a hoof. “Spit, we gotta get going! The team’s gonna be mad if we miss another practice for this!” Shaking her head, she flashed another smile at Wind. “Looks like we have to go now. Keep an eye on our rookie for us?” Spitfire smiled wider at the eager nod that Wind gave her as she walked out of the room with Soarin. They took off into the evening, bumping into each other playfully as they headed back to their team. 000 Rainbow felt like she had been beaten by a stampede of hooves. Every throb of her heart sent a dull pain flaring through her body. The last thing she remembered was crying into Wind’s mane. Well, I WAS bleeding a lot… Maybe I passed out or something. The thought came to her head slowly, as if held down by weights. She groaned. Thinking was painful. She heard the noise of a pony’s hooves walking on tiles accompanied the by brush of feathers on her face. Feathers? Tiles? Where the hay am I? Cracking open an eye, she was almost blinded by the bright lights overhead. Cloudsdale? It’s always sunny this time of year there. She tried to turn over in her bed, but the most her bonds allowed her to do was turn her head to the side. She saw the familiar and smiling face of Wind Cutter inches from her own. “Gah! Don’t DO that to me Cuts!” Catching her breath, Rainbow looked around to see if anypony else is in the room, but there was nopony there but him. After she gained her breath back, she turned angrily on Cuts. “What are you smiling at huh? I break my wing, my dreams are ruined, and I’m in the hospital!” Her voice began cracking like it always did when she got angry. “What’s so funny!?” Wind shook his head, silent to her anger. He pointed with a hoof to the other side of her bed. Just what could be so important that he doesn-, the thought cut off as she saw what was on her bedside table; a suit of sky-blue with yellow streaks running through it. Emotions ran through her head, all mixing together. Confusion at what it was doing there, hurt at the possibility of a cruel joke, anger at Wind for not telling her sooner, but above all was the sheer joy of having the suit and what it meant. She felt Wind’s hoof on her shoulder, jolting her out of her emotional tidal wave. “Spitfire gave me a message for you Dash.” He leaned to her ear and his voice fell to a whisper, “Welcome to the Wonderbolts.”