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Chapter One-Friends6,341 words
Chapter Two-Outcasts5,452 words
Chapter Three-Confidence4,925 words
Chapter Four-Broken5,003 words
Chapter Five-Heroes5,296 words
Chapter Six-Fall5,715 words
Chapter Seven-Determination5,380 words
Chapter Eight-Loyalty4,759 words
Chapter Nine-Life5,596 words
Chapter Ten-Pieces4,329 words
Chapter Eleven-Family5,321 words
Epilogue-Legacy2,764 words
Author's Notes1,065 words

Chapter Three-Confidence

Broken: Chapter Three, Confidence

Applejack and Twilight stood outside Rainbow Dash’s room, not able to see anything through the window but a drawn curtain. The earth pony slumped to the floor against the wall, taking off her Stetson. Twilight sat on her haunches next to her, not looking in her direction. What had happened? Earlier Applebloom had ran up to her, spouting something about Twilight picking up an unconscious Rainbow Dash and running towards the hospital. But when she charged into her room, the pegasus saw Applejack and…the look on her face was that of pure fear. The doctor said something about another attack. Attack? Another attack? What attack? Why did her friend look so afraid to see her? What did she do to Dash that made her so panicked?

“What happened Twi’?” asked Applejack, looking at the unicorn. Twilight didn’t look at her when she replied:

“She had heart palpitations.”

“Heart…What?! What caused that?”

“I can’t tell you,” said Twilight simply. Applejack frowned.

“Whaddya mean ya’ can’t tell me?!” the farmpony exclaimed, throwing up a hoof for emphasis. “Our friend had an attack when she saw me, and ya’ll said to trust ya’ when ya’ told me to get out! What did Ah do to her to make her so afraid o’ me?”

“I can’t tell you,” Twilight repeated. “I’m sorry, but I can’t say a word.”
Applejack stood up and stamped a hoof to the floor in sudden anger. Twilight flinched and looked up to her.

“Twilight Sparkle! Our friend is in the hospital after a week without water’, sleepin or eatin and is now havin’ heart palpitations?! She’s mah best friend and Ah need to know what’s causin’ it!”

“NO YOU DON’T!” Twilight stood up and bellowed back, her voice echoing throughout the hallway. Applejack took a step back, her guard completely shattered. She had never heard the bookish unicorn yell before, and it was frightening. “If I told you Rainbow would be in much worse condition. I know you’re her friend and you’re worried about her but this is for her health! She will tell you when she’s ready, and only then!”

Applejack took another step backward, once again falling against the wall and inevitably to the floor. Twilight exhaled, her anger leaving her face as she took her place beside the farmpony.

“I’m sorry AJ,” said the unicorn, placing an apologetic hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “Please just trust me.”

“Well if me knowin’ what’s goin’ on would only hurt Rainbow…Ah guess Ah can’t force it,” said Applejack.

“It’s for the best AJ. Thank you for understanding.”
Applejack couldn’t even feel curious anymore. She worried about Rainbow, but decided that she had to do nothing but trust the unicorn, regardless of how she felt. It hurt not knowing what was happening, but she knew that she had to simply wait.

“I’m a might sorry fer yellin’ Twi’,” she said finally. “But if this is what Ah have to do fer Rainbow to get better, than Ah’ll do it Ah guess.”

“I’m sorry too.”

“So are ya’ll gonna stay here fer her?” asked the farmpony. Twilight nodded solemnly.

“Yes. I’m her confidant so I’ll be here when she wakes up. I don’t know how long she’ll be recovering after…that. No offense.”

“None taken,” Applejack sighed. “Ah guess there’s no point in me stayin’ if Ah’m only gonna hurt her more.”

Applejack stood up, Twilight following suit. The unicorn wrapped her forelegs around her neck, and the farmer returned the favor.

“Just know that you didn’t do anything to hurt her. None of this is your fault,” whispered Twilight. “Don’t worry about her, she’ll be completely fine. Please just…try and keep your distance from her until she comes to you.”

“Ah guess Ah can,” Applejack replied, letting her friend go before placing her hat atop her head and walking away from the door, towards the exit.
-=-

Rainbow Dash awoke for the second time that day, immediately looking out the window to see the sun setting. Her chest still hurt, but the heart monitor indicated that her pulse was normal once again. This time it wasn’t just Twilight in the room, but also Doctor Stable and, to her surprise, Scootaloo. Rainbow bucked her head against the pillow, frustrated at her weakness in front of her number one fan.

“Dash! Are you okay?” asked Scootaloo with excitement, bouncing up to her right side.

“Y-Yeah squirt. Dash is alright,” said Rainbow, patting the filly on the head. Scootaloo smiled brightly at that. Doctor Stable brushed his brown mane from his forehead, walking over to the end of her bed. Twilight stuck behind, flashing an assuring wink. She must have been implying that she never spoke a word of her secret, and she smiled back.

“Rainbow Dash, you gave us quite a scare there. I hope you don’t mind but this young pegasus insisted that she saw you,” said Stable, indicating Scootaloo.

“No problem Doc,” Rainbow smiled weakly. “I’m feeling better already with my number one fan here.”
Rainbow patted her on the head again.

“Well that’s good to hear,” he replied. “Although there are some things we need to discuss about your condition. Alone.”

Twilight and Scootaloo took the hint, saying that they would both be right back. Doctor Stable thanked them and closed the door. When he turned back to Rainbow, his expression wasn’t as delighted as it once was.

“Now Miss Dash, I’m going to be frank with you,” he started. “You had another attack, but this one really took a toll on you. Your heart beat so erratically that it tore a muscle in your chest. We had to operate immediately.”

“Operate? Surgery?!” Dash exclaimed, crestfallen.

“I’m afraid so, but I assure you, it was necessary,” Stable replied, adjusting his glasses. “The muscle has been fixed, and your heartbeat is stabilized. But this means that you’ll be here a little longer, so we can keep an eye on you.”

“But-But…I can’t afford this. I couldn’t afford coming here in the first place,” Rainbow said.

“You couldn’t afford not coming here,” Doctor Stable replied with his good old attitude. “I’m sorry, but it’s what needs to happen. When you are released from this hospital I have a few demands regarding your health. One; again, you are to take it easy, but after what happened, you cannot fly for a week. That muscle may have been fixed, but it needs time to heal. And two; you need to go to Sweet Apple Acres and tell Applejack how you feel.”
What.
What?!

“Now don’t worry, nopony told me. I figured it out myself. It’s obvious that she is why you’re stressed, and if you keep this bottled inside you, you will have another attack. I know that I’m not a therapist, but I don’t have to be one to see that your feelings for her are what’s causing this. Do you understand me?”

Rainbow Dash blinked, unsure of how to respond. After a moment of silence, Doctor Stable sighed and wore a more accepting expression.

“If she’s really your friend then she will accept you. I can’t tell you how she feels, but know that she won’t dismiss you as her friend.”
Rainbow looked up to Stable with a pained smile on her face.

“Thanks Doc. I really needed that.”

Once the doctor left, he let Twilight and Scootaloo back in. The orange filly bounced back over to Dash’s right side, smiling brightly. Twilight simply stood back, finding a magazine and flipping through it. Rainbow felt that being happy in front of the little filly would be easier now with Stable’s advice.

“So how’ve you been kid? Practicing I hope,” asked Rainbow. Scootaloo nodded excitedly.

“Yup! I was in the air for ten whole seconds today! Sweetie Bell bet that I couldn’t so I had to prove her wrong! It was awesome! I even landed perfectly!”

“Awesome!” Rainbow cheered with a hoof bump to the little pegasus. “I’ll have to show you some maneuvers pretty soon. If you keep this up, you’ll be doing your own Sonic Rainboom in a couple of years!”
Scootaloo’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

“Really?!” she gasped, jittering with glee. She then jumped up and hugged her idol. “I won’t disappoint you Dash! I’m gonna do my best!”
Scootaloo looked out the window and gasped when she saw the sunset.

“Oh no! I’m supposed to be home by now! I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but I gotta get home!” she cried.

“Get going then. Fly high Scoot!” Rainbow cheered. The orange filly nodded and bolted out the door. Twilight looked up and laughed to herself. Rainbow found herself laughing as well, relieved to feel even the slightest bit of happiness. Twilight took the seat to the left of the bed.

“She’s adorable,” she commented.

“Yeah, that little filly’s got a bright future ahead of her.”

“How do you know?”

“’Cause she has The Drive,” said Dash matter-of-factly. “She has the want, no, the need to fly. I wouldn’t waste my time with her if she didn’t have it.”

“But don’t you think you’re…over-encouraging her a little bit? I mean a Sonic Rainboom in a couple of years? I understand being helpful but-”
Rainbow held up a hoof to stop her.

“I’m not over-encouraging her. I truly believe that she can do it. She’s just like I was when I was her age. Granted, this awesome pegasus already had her cutie mark and performed the world’s first Sonic Rainboom by then, but not everypony is as cool as me,” she explained smugly. “Scootaloo’s a fast learner, and has the build needed for high-velocity flight. Mark my words; she’ll be the second pony to perform the Rainboom.”
Twilight smiled. “Well you seem to be feeling better, especially after surgery.”
Rainbow Dash’s heart sank.

“Oh yeah…I forgot about that,” she sighed. Rainbow tried to remove her hospital gown without over-exerting herself. Twilight saw her struggling and grabbed a hold of the gown and helped her remove it with her teeth. Dash hadn’t expected that, and felt her cheeks grow hot. Her wings twitched underneath her, but she ignored it. Twilight laughed but said nothing of it. Thankful, Dash looked down to find a long vertical scar across her chest, stitched up under her cyan coat.

“Bummer,” she whispered, remembering her monetary dilemma. “I’m gonna have to do a lot of overtime to pay for this.”

Twilight said nothing, but simply tried to give a reassuring smile.

“Thanks for being here for me Twilight. I don’t know where I’d be without you today,” Rainbow said, hugging her friend.

“That’s what I’m here for Dash.”

When they broke apart, Rainbow Dash recalled her conversation with Doctor Stable. Twilight wasn’t too shocked to hear that the doctor was keen enough to see what had been causing her stress.

“What do you think Twi’? What should I do?” asked Rainbow, almost pleadingly.

“I think he’s right,” she answered immediately. Rainbow had both felt relieved and crestfallen to hear those words. She knew that it was what her heart and her body absolutely needed her to do, but at the same time she was still afraid to confess her love to Applejack. “You need to tell her.”

“Yeah I know,” Dash sighed. Then she perked her head up. “Hey maybe you can-”
She was cut off by Twilight’s disapproving glare.

“Fiiiiiiine.”

For the next few days Rainbow Dash was as patient as she could be, walking around her room and sometimes the hallways to pass as much time as possible. Once a day the cyan pegasus secluded herself in the bathroom to shamefully practice her confession in the mirror. At first Rainbow couldn’t even do it to her own reflection, which subconsciously brought pain to her chest. Even her body was starting to cheer her on, depending on her confidence. On the third day she found it, having no problem whatsoever saying it to the mirror. Unfortunately her reflection wasn’t Applejack, but it was the only kind of practice she had.

Thankfully once Twilight had left the hospital, she instructed the rest of their friends not to visit her, telling them that it was the doctor’s orders. Rainbow needed the solitude to build her confidence, and the unicorn understood this. Not to mention the fact that Rainbow couldn’t bring herself to deal with Pinkie Pie’s energy. She felt like she was training for the Wonderbolts or something, doing everything she could to quell her anxiety of the coming day.

Finally Saturday evening had come, the time that she was scheduled to leave the hospital. Rainbow Dash watched the sun draw near the horizon. She gave the vista a challenging look, drums beating in her heart. The time was coming, and she was ready to face it. She looked to the door as Doctor Stable walked through it, wearing an unreadable expression. Rainbow Dash narrowed her determined eyes at him, a smug smile lining her face.

“I hope you’re as ready as you look Miss Dash,” he said. Rainbow merely laughed.

“I’m ready.”

“Good, then you’ll be happy to hear that I’m waving the fee for your stay, as well as the record. It’ll be like you were never here,” Stable smirked. Rainbow’s jaw dropped, her heart in her throat.

“Wh-What?! Why?”

“Hmmhmm. Because you are here due to the fact that your heart couldn’t take the immense amount of love you feel for Applejack. How could I charge you for that?” Doctor Stable explained sincerely. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. She then felt more happiness and gratitude than she ever had in her entire life. She felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes, and her lips trembled. Rainbow leapt from the bed and wrapped her forehooves around Stable’s neck. He chuckled lightly, returning the favor.

“Th-Thank you s-so much Doc. You have n-no idea what this means to me,” she stuttered. She let go of the doctor then, standing before him.

“You’re welcome Rainbow Dash. Now you have no reason to be worried. But remember that no matter what happens tonight, you are still strong. Nothing can break you; the greatest flier in Equestria.”

Rainbow thanked him again, her pride too dense to be broken now. Doctor Stable led her out, waving goodbye as Dash ran off towards Sweet Apple Acres. She had never run faster, even when she raced in the Running of the Leaves. Dash galloped at full speed, only slowing down when she reached the outermost fence of the farm. She stopped to catch her breath, realizing how bad of an idea it was to run after surgery on her pectoral muscle. Her chest roared in pain, her lungs heaving with exhaustion. She was thankful for the gauze bandaged over her scar, hoping that it wouldn’t be needed to absorb any blood. Rainbow composed herself before walking down the dirt path to the barn. She never focused on the fluttering of her heart, but on the determination that was fueling her legs to push forward. Nothing was going to stop her. She was Rainbow Dash for pete’s sake! The drums had beaten faster with every step. It reminded her of when she performed in the Cloudiseum for the Best Young Fliers Competition.

She arrived at the front door of the barn sooner than she had thought, and raised a hoof before knocking as loud as she could.
-=-

Applejack sat down at the dinner table across from her older brother, but otherwise alone. Granny Smith had taken Applebloom out to the market for the night, leaving the two siblings to cook dinner themselves. The big red stallion looked her sister over with a puzzled expression. She hadn’t taken a bite for several minutes, but merely gazed at her plate, her face in her hooves.

“Still worried ‘bout Dash?” he asked. Applejack nodded.

“Ah know that it’s best fer me not to know what’s been eatin’ at her lately, but Ah can’t help but worry. She’s mah best friend Big Macintosh,” she answered. Big Mac had listened to her sister’s story at least half a dozen times now, and each time he patiently listened. He was a good brother like that.

“Ya’ know AJ, don’t take this the wrong way, but Ah’m startin’ to think tha’ ya’ll are developing a crush on that pegasus,” said Big Mac. Applejack normally would have responded to that jibe with anger, but this time she simply gave her older brother a pained look.

“Please Big Mac, I’m not in the mood fer jokes.”

“Who’s jokin’?”

Applejack groaned and pushed her plate aside, letting her forehead take its place on the table. She mentally brushed the comment aside, not giving it any thought. She didn’t want to argue, she didn’t want to worry. The orange earth pony just wanted to know that her friend was okay, and why she was causing the pegasus so much pain.

She flinched as a knock rapped on the door. Applejack didn’t raise her head, but just asked her brother to get the door, even though she was closer. Big Mac nodded wordlessly, getting up and walking to the door.
-=-

Rainbow Dash waited impatiently as she heard hoofsteps coming closer to the door. She feared that the longer somepony took to answer the door, the more her confidence wavered. Come on, come on, she thought to herself, tapping a hoof on the old wood porch. Finally the door opened, revealing Big Macintosh, his eyebrows rising at the sight of her.

“H-Hey Mac, is AJ here?” she asked, doing everything she could to keep herself together. The stallion nodded.

“Eeyup,” he said, turning his head towards the interior of the barn. “AJ, ya’ got a visitor.”

“Wha?” Rainbow heard Applejack ask. She hadn’t heard the farmpony’s voice in what felt like weeks, forgetting how sweet it sounded. “Who could it be at this time o’ day?”

Rainbow’s heart fluttered when she saw her. Suddenly her confidence and determination was gone. It was just gone, like it never existed. Applejack had to blink a few times before realizing who it was. Big Macintosh silently left the threshold, disappearing into the home.

“Rainbow?” she gasped. Dash tried her best to smile, but didn’t know what it ended up looking like. Applejack stepped out of the doorway and closed it behind her. “Are ya’ alright? Ah wanted to come by and see what happened, but Twilight said Ah couldn’t be there so Ah had to leave. My stars Ah’ve been so worried! What happened?”

The farmpony spoke quickly; her face concerned but excited to see her out of the hospital. Dash found herself taking a second to look her over. Her bright green eyes looked dark and tired. Her mane was more unkempt than usual, bangs hanging lazily over her eyes. She hadn’t slept well recently, this was evident. The worst part was that she caused her love’s discomfort. Rainbow took a minute to find her voice:

“Don’t worry, I’ll get to that. Can we go somewhere and talk?” she asked, her confidence building up again.

“Of course, lead the way,” the farmer replied, indicating her words with a hoof.

Rainbow Dash quickly led her friend to the highest hill on the farm, in perfect view of the sunset. The clouds had turned a burning, beautiful orange, casting a similar glow across the orchard. Rainbow sat on her haunches, gazing at the vista. Applejack paused before doing the same, a few feet to her left.

“You know, I’m usually asleep when the sun rises and sets, so when I do see it, it’s beautiful,” Dash said. “Now I know you want an explanation, and I’m sorry for keeping you worried. You see this all started with a dream, one that made me realize something.”

“Realize what?” asked Applejack impatiently.

“Please AJ, let me just do this my way,” Rainbow continued. “After the dream I couldn’t sleep for fear of having it again. I couldn’t keep food down, and I couldn’t bring myself to go to work. The pain it brought was just too much. That’s why when you came to my house I was in such bad shape. After I left your farm the next day I was still exhausted. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I started to think about the dream again and I started to panic and get anxious. That’s when I had the first heart palpitation. Twilight took me to the hospital, and once we were alone I told her what was going on. I asked her not to tell anypony. Not just you, but at the same time especially not you.”

“Ah still don’t get it Dash,” said Applejack. “How could a dream put ya’ in the hospital? Why couldn’t Ah see you without ya’ havin’ a dang fit?”

“Again, because of what the dream made me realize,” Dash replied, knowing that she couldn’t delay this much longer. “It was why I couldn’t look you in the eye, why I couldn’t eat or sleep and why I panicked when you came to visit me in the hospital. The doctors had to sew up my chest muscles after that last attack, because I waited so long to say this. The stress of it all brought me to physical injury, so just…just please don’t hate me for telling you this. I know what you’re going to say but I can’t afford to keep it inside anymore.”

“Then say it,” said Applejack in a quiet, comforting tone. Rainbow Dash took a moment to look her in the eye before looking back to the sunset. She sighed before starting the inevitable:

“The dream made me realize…it’s been because…I love you.”

Rainbow clamped her eyes shut, cowering from the silence that her long-awaited confession followed. She didn’t know what Applejack’s face looked like, but she imagined shock.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed in little more than a whimper. “Ever since I met you I’ve at least liked you, but I was able to push those feelings away until a week ago. I realized the next day that my feelings for you weren’t going to go away, and that I was in love with you.”
Still, silence.

Rainbow slowly opened her eyes and carefully cast her gaze to her friend. Applejack didn’t look like she could change the look of surprise on her face. Finally the farmpony blinked a few times.

“You’re in…that’s why you’ve…been havin’ these attacks?” she asked, horrified. “Rainbow Ah…Ah don’ know what to say…Ah didn’t even know ya’ll liked mares that way…let alone me.”

“I’m sorry. I just needed to get it off my chest-”

“No Rainbow, Ah get it,” said Applejack. The orange earth pony sighed and looked to the ground between them. “But…”

Oh no…thought Rainbow.

“But Ah can’t tell ya’ that Ah feel the same way. You’re a great friend Rainbow but Ah just don’t like mares that way. I feel terrible fer causin’ ya’ so much pain-”

“No…” Rainbow Dash interrupted, feeling her heart slow down to a dangerously low rate. She had to stop Applejack from speaking, for every word she said was a heavy-hooved stomp on her heart. She started to shake, not from panic this time, but to keep herself from sobbing uncontrollably. “It’s not y-your fault. I knew what I was g-getting into. If I didn’t t-tell you I would be back in the hospital. I’ll leave you alone now.”

Dash stood up and walked away, not able to look back. She couldn’t listen to Applejack call after her. She couldn’t let her see the tears spilling down her face like a waterfall. She couldn’t bring herself to look back into those beautiful emerald eyes.

Rainbow Dash felt like she had been walking for days once she reached the ground under her cloud house. Giving in to her sorrow, the cyan pegasus fell to her side, burying her soaked face into the lush green grass. She knew what would happen. She knew exactly what the farmpony was going to say, but Dash didn’t realize until she was rejected that she was holding on to a small glimmer of hope in the back of her mind. She desperately wanted Applejack to feel the same way, even if it was just a little bit of confusion, anything. However, realistically Dash knew for a fact that Applejack was undoubtedly…well, normal. She liked stallions, and that was it. Somehow Rainbow Dash still found some sort of hope, legitimate or not.

The sun had set past the horizon, but there was still a brilliant glow. It faded fast, and the pegasus mused with how it so perfectly resembled the state of her heart: light fading into darkness quick enough for the eye to see. Rainbow rested her head on the grass, her eyes unfocused in the direction of the long-set sun.

Suddenly something awoke in Rainbow Dash's heart like a phoenix bursting forth from its ashes. The hatred she had for her recent weakness was now all that occupied her mind. Dash couldn't live like this, wallowing in self-pity and heartache over some mare. Her pride had never been so prominent in her being before, and now it was giving her the fuel to stand on all four hooves, facing the end of the sunset in a similar fashion to when she left the hospital. The vista characterized her sorrow so perfectly, that she needed to finish the statement. She needed to bring light to the oncoming darkness.

Rainbow Dash threw aside all care for the stitching on her chest. Doctor Stable knew that even through his warnings, she would still fly. It was sort of a mutual understanding between them. So he couldn't let her go without sewing her up extra-carefully, right? Right. The cyan pegasus spread her wings to their maximum height and drove them down as hard as she could, catapulting her into the cool, evening sky. The feeling had been a long time coming, and now that it was finally here, Dash felt her old adrenaline rushing back to her soul. It was like seeing somepony for the first time in ten years. She gracefully accepted the elation as she soared upward into the sky, stopping only when she found herself hundreds of feet above the cloud layer. Rainbow looked down to find that the gauze was still dry, even if it was screaming in pain.

The ground was far enough below for her to bring the light that her heart so desperately needed. With one last powerful flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash plummeted to the ground below. The air whipped through her coat as she accelerated, her eyes watering as the wind rushed in her ears. Once Dash reached the half-way point, the pressure of the air doubled as the distinctive mach cone surrounded her. The drums beat in her ears this time, as if an orchestra had been waiting for the crescendo to finally arrive. She could hear the excited gasps of a crowd, awaiting the main event. Dash couldn't let her fans down, even if they weren't there. The mach cone darted into a sharp arrow, multicolored bolts of electricity zapping all around her. Once she felt the pressure of the sound barrier, Rainbow Dash threw both hooves out and shattered it with ease.
BOOM!

The Rainboom roared behind her, and Dash quivered with delight as she drew up right before she hit the ground. She slowed herself before skidding across the grass, looking up as fast as she could towards the sight that she needed to see. Never before had Rainbow been able to see this much of the Sonic Rainboom, especially from the ground. The prismatic shockwave spread across the starlit sky, illuminating all of Ponyville in a rainbow light. Her friends had described once before how Dash's first Sonic Rainboom had brought such an overwhelming happiness to them, eventually leading to the discovery of each of their cutie marks. Now Rainbow Dash understood what they had meant, watching the full effect of the shockwave as it faded away into the darkness. That was just what she needed. Rainbow Dash stood proudly, laughing triumphantly at the sight.

"You hear me Equestria?! I am the fastest, most agile flier! I am the strongest pegasus to come out of Cloudsdale! I am the first pony to perform the Sonic Rainboom! I am Rainbow Dash!"

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