Rainbow Dash awoke to a hailstorm.
Her eyes fluttered open, and as soon as her lids moved—she realized that she wasn't being pelted with stones at all. It was just her skin being her skin.
Pain knifed her from every conceivable angle. The bruises from her haphazard attempts at galloping had turned into a shroud of agony that clung to her every curve. As soon as she moved, her muscles screamed.
She greeted this with a jolt to her heart. Feeling something was better than nothing. And despite the grim nature of the situation, it filled her with hope.
Struggling, Rainbow Dash forced herself to sit up. The pain this summoned from her spine was excrutiating, but she weathered it the best she could. She sat in place, collecting her breath, cracking the joints loose and wincing from each exclamatory burst through her nervous system. After the fog of pain faded, she took notice of a rising sun towards the east.
It was morning. Dew clung to the grass and her coat with equal vigor. The cooling moisture was slightly invigorating—at least in the patches of flesh that she still had the full faculty to feel with.
Soon, Rainbow Dash was standing up. She teetered slightly, but managed to keep herself up straight. Instantly, her wings stretched... but she resisted the urge to flap them. If she was going to move about, Rainbow Dash only wanted to do so with the use of her hooves.
It took a long time for her to move about. Nevertheless, with persistent steps, she made her way across a flat stretch of wet grass between trees. Birds chirped in the air, and she heard the first buzz of cicadas waking for the day.
At last, Rainbow Dash found the hilltop where she had began her exercises. Thankfully, her two saddlebags—her only possessions—lay in open view, including the alicorn goblet. Rainbow's eyes settled on the glinting surface of the ancient chalice. The notion of coming so close to losing the only things she possessed was very... humbling. She felt tiny, fragile, and more than a little bit stupid.
It was in somber silence that she trotted up the hill. It hurt her hooves to approach such an angle, which is why she did it anyway. After five minutes of baby steps, Rainbow reached the top. She put the saddlebags on, wincing from the weight. They could have been made of thorns for all she knew.
Nevertheless, she was soon carrying everything that she was. Her tummy rumbled, and she realized that there was no point proceeding on an empty stomach.
So, with humble vigor, she turned around and trotted—more like limped—into the heart of Ponyville under a rising sun.