Chapter 8 - Head Rest
CHAPTER 8
Head Rest
It took many tries for Dash to regain some semblance of consciousness. She had little memory of prior attempts by the time she could form complete thoughts. All that she could piece together was that she was in a bed.
The pillow was particularly soft and comfortable.
That made it easy to sleep.
———
"You've been in a coma for eight days, though we think the last two were more like normal sleep. Well, as normal as anything in your condition."
The doctor was paying more attention to the clipboard floating in front of her than to Dash, which was particularly annoying because Dash had been trying to get some answers all morning. The doctor seemed distracted and was rushing through the visit without being particularly helpful.
When Dash had fully wakened, the nurses wouldn't let her out of bed—though she wasn't sure she could get out of it on her own—and they refused to answer any of her questions until the doctor came to check on her.
Her repeated attempts to get some information had sapped what little strength she'd recovered, so she was startled from an unwanted sleep by the doctor's eventual arrival.
It was embarrassing to feel so helpless and tired.
She felt anger building inside her chest. "But what about the hurricane? Did it hit Manehatten? What happened to the train from Ponyville? My friends were on it and—"
The flood of worries poured from her in a rush, but the doctor was already leaving and never once looked up from her clipboard.
Dash tried to sit up, but she didn't have the strength. She dropped back in a heap against the pillows, the cast on her foreleg banging into the bruises on her side. She looked up at the white ceiling and groaned in frustration.
The nurse following the doctor paused at the door, looking back at Dash with concern. After a quick glance into the hallway, she said quietly, "Somepony's been asking to see you. You aren't supposed to have visitors, but..." She seemed to be torn between duty and compassion. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I'll bring her up as soon as I can." She quickly slipped out the door.
Her? Her who? Twilight? Applejack? Not knowing who to expect made the wait that followed unbearable.
———
A soft knock woke her.
Asleep again? Gah! She pounded the bed in frustration with her good foreleg—or tried to, but she didn't even have the strength for that. It barely made a sound and was unnoticed by the new arrivals—for it wasn't just one visitor.
Spitfire entered the room first, impressive in her immaculate officer's jacket, nodding politely to the nurse that had brought them. Soarin was close behind her, also in his dress uniform and carrying a bouquet of flowers.
Spitfire came right to Dash's bedside and removed her sunglasses, her amber eyes surveying the extent of the damage with practiced skill.
Dash felt very aware of just how many bandages she sported. Embarrassed by her ragged condition, her cheeks flushed with color—which she hoped was hidden by all the gauze and tape stuck there.
Soarin had placed the bouquet in an empty vase on the table at the end of her bed, and was focusing all of his attention on adjusting the position of each blossom.
Dash felt a smile form as she thought of Soarin the florist. When she looked back at Spitfire's stern stare, however, Dash's smile melted away, leaving her face blank and her mind worried. Am I in trouble?
The fear that she had done something horribly wrong only grew as the moment stretched out without any change in Spitfire's expression. Dash wanted to squirm under her covers. She glanced over at Soarin, but he was patently ignoring them and still fussing with the flowers. His unnecessary adjustments knocked petals loose to rain slowly onto the table.
Dash was suddenly startled by Spitfire's gentle touch on her unbandaged forehead. Looking back up at Spitfire's face, she found a much softer expression of compassion, and perhaps a touch of moisture in the captain's eyes.
"Yes. I can tell you are going to be just fine, Rainbow Dash," said Spitfire softly with the conviction of a veteran performance flyer.
Dash closed her own eyes and felt tears forming, her next breath coming in a shudder. What's wrong with me? Spitfire's words, or her touch, had released something pent up inside her, something she now struggled to control.
The thought of crying in front of the captain of the Wonderbolts horrified her, and she scrunched her eyes up tighter, but she couldn't stop the tears. Her chest trembled and she held her breath to stop the next from becoming a sob.
Dash felt Spitfire's hoof move to wipe away one of her tears, smearing the stream and cooling her cheek.
She immediately struggled to sit up in her bed, using her good foreleg to forcefully wipe her tears away, almost dislodging several bandages in the process. She felt Spitfire's hoof withdraw.
When Dash had brushed away the majority of her shame, she opened her eyes, at first not looking at the captain out of embarrassment. She saw Soarin's back as he studiously examined a small sign on the opposite wall that listed visiting hours and the emergency exits to use in case of fire.
When she did look back at Spitfire, the captain was sitting next to the bed, a more neutral but still kind expression on her face.
Dash let herself breathe but kept firm control of each rise and fall of her chest. She wiped away the last of the sudden tears and felt herself regaining control of her emotions even as she sagged back against the pillows, more exhausted than ever.
What just happened? She couldn't understand that flood of emotion at all. She couldn't even tell what emotion it was! All she knew was that it was fast and strong and had left her utterly drained.
Spitfire was calmly watching her. Dash looked into her eyes and, as exhaustion overtook her, she realized something else.
She felt better.
Dash's eyes closed, and she slept.
———
Dash must have jarred her leg in her sleep, because she woke up with it throbbing. She looked at the cast with mild annoyance and tapped on it, hearing the familiar sound of a plaster-wrapped limb. She'd had too many of these.
A soft sound caught her attention, and she looked around the room for its source. Soarin was sitting up on a low cushion by the wall, his head leaning against the side of a cabinet, eyes closed and mouth hanging open. That was where the noise was coming from—Soarin's snores.
He's Snoarin! Dash sniggered and then took a deep breath. She felt more awake now, even if her visitor wasn't. Perhaps she had finally gotten all of the sleep out of her system.
She considered getting out of bed, for she felt capable of it now, but decided to err on the side of caution and remain where she was.
Besides, she didn't want to wake Soarin.
She sat up and adjusted her pillows, as best she could with only one hoof, so that she could remain in a more upright position. She'd had enough of sleeping for a while.
Of course, she didn't have much else to do. It was dark outside, and though she didn't know the time, she guessed from the silence that it was quite late at night.
She looked all around the room but found nothing else of much interest. She eventually found herself just watching Soarin sleep, slightly disappointed he didn't drool.
On second thought, she was grateful that he didn't.
Watching Soarin reminded her of Spitfire's visit and her own strange reaction to the captain's words. Dash now thought she understood what had happened.
When she had first woken up in the hospital, her only thoughts and concerns were for others—her friends, the train's passengers, the citizens of Manehatten. She never asked if she was all right, if she was going to recover, or—Dash shuddered at the thought—if she was ever going to fly again.
She hadn't even let herself think those questions, but they were still inside her, waiting to be answered.
When Spitfire had said the words that Dash so needed to hear, even if she hadn't known it, it had come as such a relief that—I nearly sobbed like a little foal.
As Dash sat there thinking about it, she decided that there was no reason to be embarrassed. Spitfire hadn't reacted badly to her loss of control—she hadn't even looked surprised. She might have even expected such a result. As captain of the Wonderbolts, she must have seen her fair share of accidents and injuries, and she probably knew exactly what she was doing.
There was no way to know, but since it was all over and done with, Dash wouldn't let it bother her. She was going to be okay, after all. She had it from a high authority! She chuckled softly.
Her good humor lasted for a while, but eventually it was overcome by the ennui of the bedridden. There was absolutely nothing to do. If she could sleep, she would, but she was wide-awake now. She glanced over at the sleeping Soarin.
Dash let out a bored sigh, with a bit more force than necessary. When that got no reaction, she tried again, louder still. Soarin's ear twitched—but his snores continued unabated. She gave up and let out a real sigh.
Another wistful scan of the room and her eyes landed on the bedside table drawer. It was on the same side as her cast, but she curiously reached across with her other hoof and cracked it open anyway.
Inside was a book.
She quickly yanked open the drawer and pulled the book out, excitedly bringing it close to read the title. However, she was disappointed to find that it wasn't a Daring Do book as she had hoped, or even an adventure story.
She stared at the thick book in her lap, disheartened. However, with nothing better to do, she opened it and began to read.
———
A gentle shake brought Dash out of a dream that faded to nothingness before she was awake enough to remember it fully. She was left with only the vague impression of an unending barren landscape of light brown.
She shook her head to clear it and found Twilight leaning over her. "Sorry to wake you, Rainbow Dash, but our train will be leaving soon and we didn't want to go without getting to talk to you."
"Twilight!" Her relief to see her friend here and healthy, after so much worry, exploded inside of Dash. She threw her hooves around Twilight's neck to pull her into a tight embrace—bashing Twilight's head with her cast in the process.
"Ow!"
Dash yanked her hooves back. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Twilight!"
"Oh my! Are you all right, dear?" Rarity cried. She and Fluttershy rushed to either side of Twilight, who was squinting one eye and rubbing her forehead.
"Do you need to lie down? Are you dizzy?" asked Fluttershy as she looked around the room in a panic. "I'm sure they have a bed here you can use."
"I'm fine. It was just a little bump. No harm done," insisted Twilight as she brushed away Rarity's attempts to examine the point of impact.
Dash's initial chagrin at accidentally thwacking her friend in the head was turning into annoyance at all the fuss being made over it. She was the one with all the injuries, after all.
Applejack must have read her thoughts from her expression, because she explained the commotion. "Twilight just got out of the hospital in Manehatten yesterday, and she's still a little under the weather. We're finally on our way back to Ponyville. She and some other patients were given spots on the first train to make the trip since the storm, with us as escorts."
"Oh." Dash was a bit embarrassed now to have felt annoyed, and even more sorry she hadn't remembered about her cast—which was throbbing again, but she wasn't going to mention it.
Pinkie Pie suddenly had Dash in a crushing hug. "Don't worry! You'll be better soon too, then we can all have a big welcome home... PARTY!" As she shouted the word, confetti and streamers flew into the air.
A passing nurse paused at the open door, scowling in at the noise. Pinkie let go of Dash, pursed her lips, and played innocent until the nurse moved on with a harrumph, then she gave Dash a big conspiratorial wink and a grin.
Dash smiled back as she tried to shift her position to minimize the aching of her over-hugged bruises. When she pulled the blankets up, the book she had been reading fell onto the floor at Twilight's hooves.
"What's this?" Twilight asked, picking it up and reading the cover. "Beige to Beige: A Historie of Colour in the Textiles Industrie. Were you reading this?"
Dash rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "I was booooored!" She looked at Twilight, "You know, I think they keep that book in here to be used as a sedative."
Twilight giggled softly. "Here. I think you'll like this more." She reached towards her back, but stopped and looked confused.
"I've got yer saddlebag, Twilight," said Applejack, turning around so Twilight could see it.
"Oh, yes. I forgot." Twilight's horn started to glow, but Rarity quickly stepped in front of her.
"No, no. The doctor said you weren't to use magic for a few days. Allow me." Rarity's own horn glowed, and a book floated from the saddlebags into Dash's lap.
Dash looked at the cover. "A Daring Do book! It's been ages since I read this one, too. Thanks, Twilight!"
Twilight laughed softly again, her voice slightly shaky. "No problem. I finished that one in the hospital, and I have something else to read while we're heading back to Ponyville."
She seems so tired. Dash remembered how Twilight looked lying unconscious on the train floor. Magic must be harder than I thought. I'm glad she's up and around again, at least. Then she remembered Twilight's greeting. "Wait... you're leaving already? But you just got here!"
"There won't be another train for a while," said Applejack. "They aren't really running passenger service yet. If we miss getting back on this one, we'll be stuck here for—well, until the next one, which could be weeks."
Dash gave half a shrug and hopeful grin. "Would that be so bad?"
Rarity came up next to Twilight and put a protective hoof over her shoulder. "We simply must get Twilight home as soon as possible. She needs her rest." When Twilight opened her mouth to protest, Rarity held up her hoof and said, "Doctor's orders."
"We're all needed back home," said Applejack. "The storm may not have hit Ponyville directly, but they got a lot of wind and rain there too."
Dash was crestfallen, and didn't try to hide it, but she was also hungry for news and now it seemed that she had little time left to get it all.
"Okay, but you've got to tell me what happened on the train. And Manehatten." Dash threw her hooves up in the air in exasperation. "Nopony is telling me anything around here!"
"Ya haven't heard?" asked Applejack. Dash shook her head emphatically. "Well, after you left, the storm got a little worse for a spell and then, amazingly, it started lettin' up! The wind died down enough that the railroad folk that were helping us before came back and started getting everypony off the train."
Applejack moved closer to Dash's side as she continued the tale. "Another train was sent out to take us up to Manehatten, and by the time we got there, it wasn't even rainin' anymore. We were really worried about you though, sugarcube, and we made sure everypony knew you were missing."
"Every-pony!" chimed in Pinky, nodding vigorously from where she sat perched at the end of the bed, bouncing a little.
"Yeah," said Applejack, "but with all the hubbub over the storm suddenly changing course away from Manehatten like it did, we didn't get anywhere until we ran into one of the Wonderbolts. Lightning-something—"
"Lightning Streak," said Dash absently, but she was mesmerized by the news that the storm had changed direction. Could I have possibly—She was becoming excited. The storm changed course. Did I actually save everypony after all? Did I change the path of the hurricane? She began to smile uncontrollably.
"Streak. Yeah, that was him. Funny accent. He organized every pegasus he could round up into a huge search party and—Well, they found you... eventually." Applejack frowned.
Rarity stepped up and placed a hoof on Dash's. "I don't think they wanted to worry us, but it sounded like you were in such an awful state. They didn't bring you back to Manehatten. They took you here, to the closest hospital, instead."
Dash was chomping at the bit to tell them what she had done, but Rarity's words popped a new question into her head. "Um, where exactly is here, anyway? Not Manehatten?"
Applejack shook her head. "No. This here's Fillydelphia."
Dash's eyes went wide. I must have been blown way off course by the winds.
Twilight looked around the room. "They must have been pretty quick in getting you here once they found you, for you to have a private room. What with all the injured, this hospital is pretty full."
"Injured? Here? Why?" Dash's smile faltered.
"When the hurricane changed course away from Manehatten," said Applejack, "it came here instead."
Dash's chest became suddenly tight.
Rarity added, "We saw ever-so-much damage, just from the train—trees down, houses broken. Oh, such an awful mess. It will take them such a long time to clean it all up again."
"You said it," said Applejack. "That storm really packed a wallop!"
The smile was completely gone from Dash's face now. The enormity of it all was just starting to sink in. I did that. It's my fault.
"We're so glad they found you, Dash, and got you to safety," said Twilight, wobbling slightly. "Everypony was so worried."
Rarity looked at Twilight and gasped, "Oh, my dear! You're pale as a sheet. We must get you back to the train immediately!"
"No, really, I'm—" Twilight staggered as her knees buckled, but Rarity and Fluttershy supported her and kept her from falling. "Well... Perhaps I could use a bit of a rest."
Goodbyes were regretfully said and hugs were exchanged—carefully—but through it all, Dash had only one thought running through her mind.
When her friends finally made their way out of Dash's room—Pinkie last, mouthing "big welcome home party" and winking at her—Dash was left alone in a room that seemed to fill with her guilt.
I threw a hurricane at Fillydelphia. Every single injury, every bit of damage and destruction here—is all because of me!
It's my fault.
———
Dash spent her remaining time in the hospital in a depressed gloom. She took no active part in her own recovery, distressing the nurses with how little she ate and how disinterested she was in building back her strength. She did her exercises only as long as she was being prompted to do so, including her flying therapy in the hospital's gymnasium.
The rest of the time Dash spent alone in her room, sleeping. She didn't smile and barely talked. She read the Daring Do novel cover to cover twice, but derived no enjoyment from it.
The head nurse told her that if the hospital didn't need her bed for other patients so badly, she wouldn't let Dash leave yet. She thought Dash needed more time to recover, but it was out of her hooves.
Dash found her Wonderbolt uniform, or what was left of it, as she was packing up her things. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at it. When not stretched over her body, the uniform was much smaller, and with all the rips and tears it had sustained, it seemed so pathetic in her hooves. It looked like she felt.
She finished packing what little she had and waited.
When a nurse arrived with a wheelchair, Dash shook her head. "I don't need that." She waved her cast. "This doesn't matter, I'll just fly."
"Hospital rules," the nurse replied sternly. "We have to bring you by wheelchair to the door and you have to have somepony to escort you home."
Dash didn't argue. She just got into the wheelchair with her saddlebag on her lap and let the nurse push her down the hallway, a faint rhythmic squeaking coming from one wheel.
For a while, Dash rode in silence, then she said, "And I don't have anypony here to meet me. All my friends are back in Ponyville."
"There's somepony here to collect you, or you wouldn't have been discharged" was the nurse's curt answer.
They passed the guard at the front desk, who nodded cordially to them, but Dash didn't respond. The nurse parked the wheelchair just outside the front doors in the shade of an awning.
It was a warm day with bright sunshine flooding the expansive lawn in front of the hospital. Dash could see an iron gate at the far end of the long driveway, which was the only break in the line of tall hedges that surrounded the property. Wide flower gardens flanked the driveway on either side, and a gardener was tending to them and whistling.
It was a sunny and cheerful scene—completely at odds with her mood.
The nurse stepped inside to turn in some paperwork, leaving Dash alone in the shade of the awning. Turning her gaze away from the light and greenery, Dash scrunched down in her chair, her face expressionless.
Suddenly the wheelchair rocketed forward. Dash, startled, grabbed at the arm of the chair. The bright light blinded her as she burst out from under the awning. She tried to block the glare with her injured foreleg, but her saddlebag almost slipped off her lap and she had to pin it down with her cast.
Squinting as she hurtled down the driveway, she turned to look behind her, but her own flowing mane got in the way. She shook her head to flip it to the side and was almost thrown from the chair as it swerved to avoid a tray of seedlings left on the side of the road.
Bracing against the sides of the chair, she again turned to look behind her, only to see herself staring back with an alarmed expression. She pulled her head away in surprise and then saw that it was a reflection in a pair of smoked glass goggles above a wide and toothy grin.
"Soarin?"
He winked at her from behind the glass. She opened her mouth to say more, but a hard jolt made her look forward. They were about to hit the closed iron gate. "Hold on," Soarin shouted over the shriek of the overstressed axle. "Hard aport!"
Dash gritted her teeth as she struggled to keep herself in her seat. The chair went up on one wheel, almost throwing her into the air as it made first one sharp turn, then another, so that it was racing back up the driveway towards the hospital.
Dash yelled, "What are you doing?" as the gardener dived out of their path, landing face-first in the pogonias.
"You looked like you needed some wind in your mane!" he shouted back happily, but Dash's eyes were going wide and all her attention was on the fast-approaching building—and the startled nurse that stood frozen in their way.
Dash hollered, "You've got to stop!" and looked back over her shoulder, but Soarin was gone. She gulped.
Pinning her bag between her knees, she reached down and flipped up the tire locks. The wheels seized and the chair shimmied left and right, though still aimed directly at the petrified nurse. Dash thought it was going to flip. She pulled her legs up and held on as tight as she could.
The chair stopped inches away from the nurse's hooves in a cloud of dust and pungent rubber smoke.
There was a heartbeat's pause, and then the nurse exploded. "What do you think you are doing? This is a hospital!"
Dash quickly struggled to explain. "It wasn't me! It was—" She looked and gestured behind her, but there was still nopony there. When she turned back, the nurse was galloping inside and calling for the security guard behind the front desk. But it wasn't my fault the chair took off!
"Psst!"
Dash looked towards the sound and saw a hoof reaching out to her from the edge of the awning, Soarin's grinning face behind it, upside down. "Quick!"
She looked back inside the hospital entrance and saw the nurse agitatedly speaking with the guard, waving a hoof in Dash's direction. The guard looked out at her and started forward with a frown.
Faced with the choice between trying to explain her mad ride and just flying away with Soarin, it took Dash only a moment to make her decision. Grabbing her bag, she reached out for the proffered hoof.
A moment later, the two of them were hiding behind a narrow spire on the hospital's roof, as the guard, nurse, and gardener peered up into the sky looking for her.
Soarin watched from their hiding spot, giggling like a schoolcolt.
The adrenaline rush from her wild ride had given Dash a familiar fluttering feeling in her chest that she hadn't felt for a long time. It felt good, and as she stood there looking at the cheerful Wonderbolt next to her, she could imagine Soarin as the precocious troublemaker that he must have been in his youth.
And still is now.
His enthusiasm was infectious, and when he turned to her with a twinkle in his eye and a big, satisfied smile on his face, Dash couldn't help but return it.
Something broke loose inside her as their eyes met and she remembered that haughty nurse's shocked expression as the wheelchair came rushing towards her. Dash's smile became a chuckle, and the chuckle became a laugh, and a moment later she was lying on her back gasping for breath between body-shaking guffaws.
She couldn't stop laughing.
Again and again her mind played back her ride, and every time it just got funnier and funnier.
When her need for air finally reigned in the laughter, she looked up to see Soarin sitting there, a big goofy grin on his face. That grin! She shook her head and chuckled as she got to her hooves. She peeked around the spire, but didn't see any sign of their pursuers.
"They're gone," said Soarin, reaching out to take her saddlebags and toss them over his own back. "Ready to go yourself?"
She cocked her head at him. "I guess you're supposed to be my responsible escort home?"
Soarin flourished a quite elegant bow in her direction. "At your service! And we best get going." He straightened the saddlebags and stretched his wings wide in preparation for flight. "We have a long way to go. There are still no trains running passenger service through Fillydelphia. We're flying!"
Wings outstretched, he waited for her to take the lead.
Dash stretched her own stiff wing muscles. She hadn't done much more than glide around the gym since starting her physical therapy. She hoped she was up to it. Here goes. She leapt off the roof and ascended into the sky with Soarin close behind her.
As they gained some altitude, she looked back down at the hospital and was startled by how small it was. "It looks more like a school."
Soarin turned to follow her gaze. "That's because it is. It's a teaching hospital. Spitfire wanted you to have the very best doctors, and all the very best doctors teach at that school."
Dash thought back to the few doctors she had met during her stay. She hadn't been too impressed. "They didn't seem all that good to me."
"Those were probably the students," said Soarin as they turned away from the building and struck out in the direction of Ponyville. "But when you got there, you definitely had the best of the best looking after you." He glanced at her with a serious expression. "You needed them. What did you do to get yourself in such a state, anyway?"
His question brought back all the memories and emotions that she had been struggling with for days. Shame flooded through her as she again faced the destruction she had caused, the harm she had done to the citizens of Fillydelphia. The dark depression slid over her once more. She was responsible.
Soarin looked over at her with concern when she didn't answer.
Dash wanted to tell him, to reach out for his help, but she didn't deserve any help—not from him, not from anypony.
She thought of his reaction—of everypony's reaction—if her blunder became known, and she was more scared than she could ever remember being.
Afraid, helpless to make amends, and feeling lower than she had ever felt before, Dash couldn't stand to be inside her own head. She wanted to scream.
Then she remembered echoes of another scream and the sinister shapes in the darkness of her mind that had retreated from it. Dash remembered waking up in the center of the storm and finding a calmness, both around her and inside her. She remembered that her emotions, good and bad, were hers—hers to control.
She was guilty. She was scared. She was filled with remorse for her actions, but she could look those feelings in the eye and set them aside and make her decisions calmly, correctly.
Dash could be wise.
As she and Soarin glided through the cloudless sky, she spoke.
———
The welcome home party was in full swing with everypony laughing, playing games, and having a wonderful time.
Even Rainbow Dash.
Twilight was fully recovered, and she was hosting the party in the library. Banners welcoming each of them home were stretched across the shelves, hiding most of the books from sight. Balloons and bunting decorated every corner, and many small tables of delectable snacks were scattered about the room.
Her friends had postponed the party until Dash was back in Ponyville, and she loved them dearly for that. They wouldn't have had it any other way, and the delay had made the party all the more spectacular.
It seemed everypony in town was there at some point, all with hugs and smiles and joy to see her once more. Dash had never felt so at home.
When she found herself standing alone on a balcony, staring up at the stars, the sounds of the party still going on below her, she knew it wasn't because she was unhappy. Dash's chest was bursting with the joy of being home with her friends. She couldn't stop smiling, even now.
But something was incomplete. There was no neat little bow wrapping up the events of the past few weeks. Something was still missing.
Soarin hadn't stayed for the party after getting her home safely. He had wanted to head back to Manehatten as soon as possible to speak with Spitfire about all that Dash had told him. Soarin had made sure to alleviate some of her worries beforehand, however.
He had told her how he and the other Wonderbolts had taken on cleanup duties throughout Fillydelphia and the surrounding towns and homesteads after the storm. It was his long trips out into the countryside that had kept him from visiting her more often while she was recovering.
The Wonderbolts had done much to repair the damage from the hurricane, and he could tell her from his own firsthand experience that the destruction was not as bad as it could have been. Even though Fillydelphia hadn't expected to get hit, it had been better prepared than Manehatten for the aftermath.
Because Fillydelphia was much farther inland, the storm was weaker by the time it got there than it would have been for coastal Manehatten, meaning far less wind and rain. Manehatten would have suffered more in comparison.
Contrary to expectations, there had been very few injuries. Her hospital had been full only because it was small and everypony wanted to be treated there due to the excellence of its doctors.
Soarin told her that if what she had done to the hurricane had changed its course, then even though damage was done, there had been far less of it as a result. She had done good. She had helped.
Of course, they couldn't be sure that she had made any difference at all. That would take time and expertise to determine, and Soarin was keen to get that process started.
As he was preparing to depart, he had given her a long hug, saying, "If you turn out to be the hero I know you are, and we can show all of Equestria what you have done, then we will have a party like you've never seen!"
Dash turned and went back down to rejoin the others. Laughter and joyous conversation surrounded her once more, and she was hauled over in front of a camera where all of her friends were waiting for her, smiling at her, pulling her close and holding her tight.
As the flash went off, Rainbow Dash's thoughts were clear and bright and warm.
She needed no party other than this one. She needed no resolution. Whatever else came her way, Dash knew one thing for sure.
She had done her best.
———
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This story. I like it. ANOTHER!
But seriously. Sequel, soon.
2343698
I don't know if there's the makings of sequel in this story, but I plan to keep writing. Right now, I'm just happy I got to finish this one. :)
I like it. Now, a sequel. I demand it. This instant.
2343710
The ending has sequel written all over it, come on! The potential is just there, waiting to be tapped. Think about it for a bit.
There were a bunch of perspective and tense shifts in this chapter. Other than that, it was a satisfying conclusion.
2343719
Thanks for the tip-off! The formatting didn't all make it over from GDocs where I was writing it. All the italics for thoughts were missing!
It should be fixed now.
2343732
It is indeed fixed, and it reads much better now!
Sequel, Sequel, Sequel, Sequel!!
That was a bit anticlimactic...
Nicely done! great story, some of the best Dash writing I've seen.
We the fans demand a sequel NOW
Bravo.
There isn't much else to say. I remember following this when I believe you first posted the few chapters, and I also remember the feeling when you put it on an indefinite hiatus. I was so glad when you started writing again, and now that this is complete... I am at a loss. I am extremely pleased at the end result and am so glad you saw this story to completion. While you indeed leave the ending open enough for a possible follow-up. I respect the story enough to state that if you indeed end as such. I am still highly impressed and wish to thank you for making this story available and that to say this will be in my top 5 list for quite some time.. if not permanent.
Thanks for the story.
Perfect ending, but yeah, sequel. Now.
Nice ending... VERY nice ending.
I can't help but wonder whether or not she DID manage to change the course... But... I'ma gonna assume she did.
I'll be re-reading this. You can count on it. (Whilst in my Wonderbolt hoodie, no less)
~Skeeter The Lurker
i'd love to read a followup to this story, maybe a nice chapter of what happened after this
2381852
Glad you are enjoying it, and I really like this Soarin too. He's so easy for me to write. Hmmm.. If I can come up with a good plot for him, I might write something where he's the main character.
2382222
I am sure that you will be able to come up with something to write about him. I loved this story! It is one of very few non-romantic stories that I have read and it still blows away most of the 200 stories that I have read. This story needs more viewers, it needs some love! You have written at the calibre that I enjoy most. Gramatical errors, very few. Misspellings, non-existant. This story was captivating from the very beginning and it held my attention all throughout it, even managing to draw me in more. I don't know if you have ever thought of making a sequel to this story but, I don't even know where it would go. I know that you would be able to come up with something great for it. This story has easily earned its place as one of the best stories that I have ever read. I look forward to reading more from you in the future. Keep up the great writing!
Author of "Words Failed Her"? MUST READ!
My GOD.
That was amazing.
You took the classic "Rainbow Joins the Wonderbolts" trope and ran with it in a completely new direction, shattering all expectations I have for this subset of the fandom. That was wonderful work, sir. Good job.
2397735
SO glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for your comment. Made my day!
It's looking like getting this story onto EQD didn't do much for the readership numbers, probably because it went up mid-Sunday and was on the front page for less than 24 hours—most of that overnight. I have no idea on how to get word out there about it other than that, though. Even though it seems to be a hit with a few people, I think it's going to remain a sleeper.
I'm pretty sure it's a case of my expectations being too high because of Words Failed Her.
2399338
To speak cynically: Most likely people are reading the description on EQD and going "Rainbow's only a Wonderbolt for One Day? Laaaaaaaame" before clicking away.
To speak optimistically: It's probably just a fluke. Wait a bit, it'll probably pick up eventually.
Absolutely fantastic! Emotional roller-coaster, sure, but in a good way.
2449412
You made comment #123 very special to me. Thank you.
And its finished. Well, its been one heck of a ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks for a very engaging read - and if it took a bit longer to get finished, well, it just means that the readers got longer to enjoy it. So yeah, thanks again, and if you whip up another story I'll be sure to check it out
Re-read complete! And what a ride it was.
First and foremost: thanks for completing this after all. I had given up on the story.
The monologue in the eye of the hurricane was really, really good and I liked how RD first tried to go against it before she got to thinking. Props for that.
But the last chapter felt a bit rushed. The questions about where and when we are, what has happened to the train, to Manehattan, to the hurricane. How severe are RD's injuries? Why did Soarin stay and then leave without saying anything? How bad was the hurricane in Fillydelphia?
There are so many questions and while you did answer all of them, I got a bit overwhelmed with it. Another thing is that we only get these answers as "second hand information" from Soarin, quite a difference after all the intense hoofs-on action.
I actually read this a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just now commenting. Oops?
Anyway, as a coming-of-age story for Rainbow Dash, I think this story works wonderfully. Dash is very well-characterized, and her emotional growth through the story feels smooth and natural despite the short and drama-packed timeframe over which it occurs. That's something I know I'm sensitive to as a reader, so kudos there.
I also liked the way the ending de-emphasized the storm itself, instead focusing on Dash's revelation that it doesn't matter, so far as she's concerned, whether her actions made things better or worse, or even if they made any difference at all. It was incredibly frustrating, but in the kind of way that makes you think--something all too rare in fanfics. Thanks for sharing this story, I know I enjoyed it.
Well, after reading this all I can say it's...
static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SoCoolItsAwesome-betternsmaller_4254.jpg
This type of fic remind me why Rainbow Dash is my fav pony
.
I think that, back when I joined the site, this was one of the first stories I tracked. I do that on description alone, but I found myself searching for this one from time to time, just to see if it had somehow magically missed the notification updates.
You can imagine my surprise when, one day, it suddenly updated, and about a week later, was completed. I was going to say I read it all in one go, but I had to get sleep somewhere.
Let's just say that I had immensely high expectations on this story, and it didn't disappoint. It really is a fantastic read.
Thank you for writing this inspiring gem of a story. Its been sitting in my favorites list to be read for too long and I just got to it today. It was great!
This is just me, but I would have liked to see an epilogue that wrapped some things up. LIke what did their investigation into the storm reveal? Maybe another reveal that sets a more definitive path for RD to get into the bolts? ( Maybe an actual RD + Spitfire conversation, or a friendly visit from Soarin, or something) That's just me I guess, I like finality and this cuts off just before my normal "comfort level" with that.
Now only if I could use your lessons to inspire my own life..
This was interesting. While the overall effect was positive, it was a hard story to get through. There are parts I absolutely adore, and others I despise, with little middle ground.
My favourite thing is that, despite this being about very large things, it is a very small and personal story, about RD and her insecurities, but that also never loses sight of those big things. That helps a lot. Since the odds are so against her, the threat is so big, her personal feelings are able to shine through. In the end, it is less about a hero doing things, and more of what a pony in the position of a hero feels. It builds up until the climax, when RD in finally able to ignore her doubts and insecurities, to finally be able to do something that helps the situation (even if not in the way she would have wanted).
There is also some great inner conflict, shown by how her thoughts tend to clash with her statements. It helps that her inner voice is remarkable. For a great instance of that, I'd point to the scene with the train braking, where she acts brashly but inside is sure that everyone there is gonna die.
However, specially In later chapters, her self doubting gets too grating, too angsty. I feel the problem is that you do a great job of showing how she is feeling, but then you stop the story to have Rainbow spell that out in great detail. It gets repetitive and brings the whole story down. One of the worst instances of that is when she is visited by Spitfire on the hospital, and says that "She hadn't even let herself think those questions, but they were inside her, waiting to be answered", which is completely superfluous when the whole chapter so far had been exactly about RD doing that. In fact, the whole last chapter suffers from these issues much more clearly than the others, being just a long, angsty denouement that shows very little of the character growth that RD had during the rest of the fic, bringing the whole thing down a notch.
In the end, I believe there is enough to like here, but my problems with it bring the whole thing down. A fun read nonetheless.
OBS: I downloaded this fic to read a few weeks back, so sorry if there was a later revision, and some of my comments are no longer pertinent.
This story is amazing, loved the detail in it, it had such an awesome atmosphere
I really hope there's some sort of sequel 
OH MAI FREAKIN GOSH THIS WAS THE BEST STORY EVER!!!!!!! I LOVED it!
pretty good keep it up
Two words.
FRIGGIN GOLD
2343714 You want a sequel now? This instant?
That's unreasonable... there should have been a sequel yesterday!
Joking aside, this was really good.
Exelent sotire, thanks for sharing
That was epic. A lot of stories with the "adventure" tag use it to mean "stuff happens." This was a proper adventure, with excitement and suspense. I liked it. A lot.
Fave.
Okay, this is a great, great story! Definitly deserve much more love and recognition! Very good!
6108407 Thanks, Anon. It was my first story in many, many years, and it took me a bit to get in the swing of things. I've actually been working on finishing a new, full-length Celestia story over the past few days. Hopefully it will be completed and edited soon! :)
554213
I always liked this synopsis the best. It doesn't really capture the full story the way the current one does, but... I dunno, I just like it better.
Well, this has been a read. A good read. An intense read.
Very well written. Good idea, well executed. Perhaps a tad too long for such a short story...but I think it is an acceptable and very minor nickpick.
As I said before, it was a rollercoaster to read.
I only ran into this story recently, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Great job!
Rainbow Dash vs Hurricane Katrina
I just re-read this story in the past three hours, and it was just as enjoyable and intense as I remembered from way back when. I actually squeed when I found this again. I had nothing but fond memories of this, and justly so. You are an amazing writer!
8422024
Well thanks for saying that! Makes me want to get back to my in-progress story right this minute—if only to see if I can do better. :)
This fanfic is truely a masterpiece. The writing, the characterization, the tension, the suspense, the emotion, the danger of the weakening bridge, and the train on it, the hurricane, ...
All of it makes this a grand fanfic. Favourited!
Nonsanity, you did it wonderfully.
8879509
Thank you for that! But it was my first story and, even after trashing and re-writing the first chapter and a half, it has some major structural flaws. It has some very satisfying moments, though! :)
My second story to be completed did much better, showing an old pony can learn new tricks. I only hope the next is better still—whichever of the three or four projects I’ve started that finishes first, that is. But, without interactions with others about my writing, I tend to wander off and leave it sitting for months—neigh, years—at a time. Someday I’ll finish one. Maybe I need to find new pre-readers to motivate me.
Absolutely amazing fic, i LOVED it
Amazing story, mate. This may well be one of the best RD stories I ever read.
Definetly going on my favorite list. :)