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// Chapter 1: losing my wings  
// Story: Losing myself (Rainbow Dash) 
// by Radpro 
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It was early in the morning when I woke up; Celestia’s sun had just come over the horizon. I hated this day every year, when I would be tested to see if I still had what it took to continue my job as a whether pony, but that wasn’t the problem, I know I have what it takes. The problem was that it took place so early in the morning. I got up and after getting ready and eating a quick breakfast, went to Cloudsdale. I got there just in time for me to go and show that I can still do my job. There was a turquoise Pegasus with a red-orange mane that reminds me of flames, holding a clipboard, that was calling “Rainbow Dash!”, and the way she had said it made it seem like she said it at least two times prior to this one. She looks familiar, but I don’t know where I knew her from, but it is too early for me to be thinking hard about anything. I flew over and groggily said “Don’t worry I’m right here.”

Set up in front of me were three different tasks that I had to complete. The first was just a simple clearing away the clouds. “Piece of cake” I said to no pony in particular. The second task was to make the next set of clouds rain without causing any lightning bolts to come from them. I said to the pony with the clipboard “Can you give me a challenge for once?”  The third task was different from the past few years I had to do this. We usually had to stop a downpour without getting rid of the clouds, but this year we have to maneuver through a thunderstorm, avoiding the bolts of lightning along the path.

I had easily cleared the clouds away, and I, as expected, was the first one done. I only needed one kick for each cloud, whereas most of the other Pegasi took two or three kicks to clear each cloud.

I didn’t even need to try hard to make it rain without causing any lightning. A little more than half the Pegasi had done the same, but the rest had caused at least one bolt of lightning. 

I have a cocky attitude going into the last part, and why shouldn’t I? I started out and was easily maneuvering through the course so I figured why not give a little show and try to beat my score from last year. I was too busy showing off to realize the sign of a lightning bolt about to come down right on top of me until it was too late to do anything about it.

The shock from the bolt had hit me right in my spine between my wings and I had caused them to go stiff. I started falling from Cloudsdale to the ground, frightened for my life, and was screaming “HEEEEEEEELP!”

I noticed that the turquoise Pegasus saw me and was coming towards me with incredible speed. I was thinking that the lightning hit me harder then I realized because I thought I saw a Mach Cone forming around her. Even at the speed she was going, I feared that she wouldn’t get to me before I hit the ground.

Then I heard something that told me what I saw was true, and that was the sound barrier being broken! I was in complete shock to see that her speed had doubled, and the fiery ring spreading out from where she was. “I thought I was the only one who could break the sound barrier” I said completely forgetting about falling to my doom. “D-Did she just do a Sonic Rainboom? No it’s not a rainbow, so what would it be then, A Sonic Flameboom?” I said still in shock, then the turquoise Pegasus slammed into me, and had tried to change direction before she hit the ground, but we still hit the ground, and were knocked unconscious.

I wake up in the hospital, aching everywhere, but mostly my back hurts. I look around and see my friends, all of them looking worried. I wondered why they looked so worried and I asked them “What happened?” they all looked at each other nervously. Twilight was the first to start speaking “Well when you were doing your test, you were hit by a lightning bolt and started falling, and the turquoise Pegasus – did anypony get her name?” they all shook their heads ”well anyway she tried to save you and did, but…” Twilight voice trailed off, obviously nervous about what she was about to say.

“What is it?” I asked starting to get nervous.

“Well,” Twilight continued “She wasn’t able to carry both of you, and crashed...” her voice trailing off again.

“Is she all right?” I asked in a panic.

“She’s fine,” Twilight replied “But you on the other hoof” she said debating on whether or not to tell her friend. “You landed on you back, and had both wings so badly damaged that they had to amputate them.”

“Amputate, w-what’s that mean?” Rainbow asked a little frightened, but was in too much pain to turn and look at her wings.

Twilight couldn’t bear to tell her friend, so Applejack stepped in “It means that they um had to cut ‘em off. I’m so sorry sugercube.”

Once applejack said this, I tried to move my wings and didn’t care how much it would hurt, but they weren’t there. I just looked at each of my friends in shock, tears filling my eyes. “I c-can’t believe this, I WON’T believe this” I said half screaming, half choking.

Then Fluttershy said in her quiet voice “I’m so sorry to tell you this, but um, what Applejack said is true, I’m so sorry”

“NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. They tried to comfort me, but it was pointless, and I asked them “can I get some time alone?”, and they left the room, allowing me to take this all in.

After about 15 minutes, somepony opened the door. I wasn’t looking at whoever it was because I didn’t want them to see me crying. When I did look, I was surprised to see that it was the Pegasus who had saved me!