Broken Rainbows

by AstonMartinLover

The Proud Fall

Chapter 5: The Proud Fall

"So are we gonna do this the hard way, or are you just gonna fly back home?" Rainbow asked.

Chrysalis frowned. "Do I know you?"

Rainbow's ears went back. "Yeah! The wedding? The royal wedding? I was the rainbow one."

The giant changeling shook her head. "Nope. Don't remember you."

Rainbow shrugged. "Your memory must not be too good."

"My memory is limitless my pegasus friend. You must just not be very memorable."

Rainbow let out a low growl. "Oh you'll remember me cheese legs. I'm a force of nature."

"Very well mortal. Fight me. But do so at your own risk."

Rainbow Dash felt a wave of fatigue rush over her. The flight up to the cloud had drained even more from her. She couldn't help herself. She slumped over.

She realized what a bad impression she was making. Here she was, trying to be her usual intimidating self, and she couldn't even catch her breath.

"Um...are you okay?" Chrysalis asked, stifling a laugh.

Rainbow laughed like the fool she was. "I just...I need a second."

"My fight is not with you foolish peasant. My fight is with Twilight Sparkle. She will die at my hoof. Your blood need not be spilled."

Rainbow looked up at her, the motive for the attack becoming clear.

Twilight. She had foiled the plan in Canterlot. Of course, she wanted retribution. The invasion was just a front.

"Twilight's a friend. In order to get to her, you're gonna have to get through me." Rainbow snarled, forcing energy she didn't have into her aching muscles.

The changeling queen smiled. "Oh. Are you the only one?"

"I'm the best in Equestria. Nopony else needed. Get ready to feel the pain." Rainbow lunged at the queen.

The changeling known as Shadow continued darting through the streets. He could not recognize his changeling brethren. All were disguised as ponies now.

He could not shake the image of the pegasus from his mind.

She had been beautiful. Possibly the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen. A shame she was the enemy. She had to die for his nation's dreams to live. The queen demanded it.

She demanded the deaths of all these innocent, but it was not his job to judge. His job was to follow orders.

Thunderspark and the other six were barricaded in Carousel Boutique. He smirked. The Changelings were a much smaller force than he envisioned. The ponies were winning the battle on the ground. The changelings had even started to retreat. As for the queen, he could not tell. They were pinned in the fashion headquarters.

"Thunderspark! Is there any way out?" Twilight asked.

Thunderspark looked out the window. The changelings had surrounded the building.

"Nope. There's a build up of changelings around the boutique. They won't last much longer. Hopefully." He looked up at the sky. "And the elements are less than useless at this point. I hope Rainbow Dash doesn't need any help."

Cloud. It was soft and fluffy. A perfect texture for a bed, or recliner. Extremely comfortable.

But as for the taste? Not so good. Like lint with a bitter aftertaste.

Rainbow Dash was tasting cloud. She lifted up her head. Another hole-filled leg stomped down on her.

She grunted. "I'm a...force of nature."

The queen was amused. She sat back and watched the pegasus get up.

"You're not a force of nature. You're a slow, stupid, uncoordinated little foal!"

Rainbow got up on her hooves. "I'll make you eat those words." She charged. Her hooves flailed at the queen. Chrysalis was right.

She was slow. She was uncoordinated. She was tired.

She didn't have the energy for this. This was like her last fight all over again.

Her last real fight had also been against a changeling. This changeling had used intimate knowledge of her inner mind to beat her. She'd actually killed her, though a mystical force had somehow brought her back.

This fight was worse. Rainbow couldn't land a hoof. Chrysalis was too quick. Rainbow was too sluggish.

She swung at the queen. She was starting to see in double vision.

Chrysalis sidestepped, then slammed her head into the cloud again. She kicked her in the stomach, nearly causing the pegasus to upchuck her dinner from the night before.

Rainbow sat on the cloud, trying to get her head on straight. She felt something dripping from her mouth. She touched it with her hoof. Blood. This had been a bad idea. But Rainbow Dash was never one to run away.

So she got up and began throwing punches. Chrysalis swung around and kicked her in the side of the head.

Her world was a swirl of colors now. The queen seemed to be repeatedly swimming across her field of vision. She took a few, pointless swipes. Then she fell down again.

"I lied before. When I said I hadn't heard of you. Everypony in Equestria and beyond has heard of the great Rainbow Dash. And this? This is what all the fuss was about? Talk about a letdown."

As she tried to get up, Chrysalis stomped down on her wing. She heard a crunch. She yelled as loud as she could, the pain shooting through her body.

"You...come here you b-"

She swung her hooves again. The queen was already several moves ahead. She kicked her in the nose. Blood poured from her muzzle.

"Is this all? Do you have anything else to show me?" She asked, tauntingly.

Rainbow Dash wiped the blood from her face. "I...am not losing...Not now, not ever."

She got up and charged. Her head hit Chrysalis in the midsection. She was knocked backwards. But this was not a strategic move. It was a move of desperation.

Chrysalis smacked her hoof down on the head of the pegasus.

Rainbow's world seemed to slow down. She was dizzy. She could feel herself collapsing. Everything became dark.

Chrysalis smiled. "Pathetic. Just pathetic."

She grabbed the barely conscious pegasi's tail. She dragged her to the edge of the cloud. Then she lifted her up in her hooves.

Thunderspark bucked, sending the last changeling flying. He grinned in satisfaction. The ground attack had failed. And Ponyville had suffered little damage.

There came a laughter from above. He froze in place.

It was a horrible, twisted laughter.

"No. C'mon Celestia, get here!" Thunderspark murmured.

Scootaloo galloped up to him. "What happened?"

Thunderspark raised a shaking hoof to the sky.

Chrysalis came into view now. She hoisted the bleeding, limp Rainbow Dash over her head.

"Is this the best you have Equestria? Is this the famous Rainbow Dash?" She paused to laugh. "What can be said of a nation that rely's on the protection of such a weak creature?"

The others looked in shock. Rainbow Dash was perfectly still. A few spasms, but no consciousness.

Twilight spoke up, a tear streaking down her muzzle. "CHRYSALIS!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

Chrysalis looked down, trying to make out the ponies beneath her.

"CHRYSALIS! LET HER GO! YOU'RE HERE FOR ME!"

Chrysalis's eyes widened with recognition. She grinned a devious grin. "Ah Twilight Sparkle! Long time no see! Very well! I shall let her go!"

Without hesitation she reared back and hurled Rainbow Dash towards the ground.

The pegasus came to consciousness in the air. She could see only the sky passing her by. She let out a slight moan as she felt the wind tearing at her blood soaked coat.

All that pride. All that confidence. All that skill. Useless. Absolutely useless. Fate waited beneath her, ready to claim her soul and take it to the afterlife. She wondered whether her parents would be waiting for her.

Then it came. She hit the hard ground. Her whole body jolted. She felt a horrible crunch in her back. Then she felt nothing. A horrible numbness. Her eyelids flickered, then closed.

"You're next Twilight Sparkle!" Chrysalis shouted. She extended her fly-like wings.

There was a flash. Then a loud flapping. Royalty had arrived.

The two princesses came tearing towards the cloud.

"You'll leave now Chrysalis." Celestia growled.

Chrysalis scowled. Her horn fired a green blast at the Princess. She countered with a blue one. They exchanged fire.

Luna charged. She brought up her hoof and landed it squarely on Chrysalis's jaw. The queen was driven back. The sisters continued firing their horns.

Chrysalis continued backtracking. This had not been part of the plan. She anticipated Celestia being dead. To deal with both princesses was not going to work. A retreat was in order.

"This isn't over yet Equestrians! I will return to claim what is mine!" She shouted.

The changeling knew he was alone now. Shadow. A loyal soldier. That is what Chrysalis had called her. Yet, as he watched her fly away, he knew he had been abandoned. He stomped his hoof on the ground in frustration.

He was still young. And while he had seen many battles, this one had him scared. He was stranded, deep in enemy territory. These ponies would surely kill him, he thought. He would be the lone scapegoat for this attack.

So escape was a necessity.

He ducked around buildings. He had to admit, this town had it's frills. It was a nice little place to live. Very quiet. Very subtle and rustic. But every adorable building was a shelter of hostiles now. He had to be on his toes.

A sound ahead. A slight groaning. He froze. Ponies. He imagined the horrible death they had planned for him, as payback for his invasion.

He looked down on the ground. Blood. Pony blood. Flowing on the grass. He frowned.

Had there been casualties? The fight had seemed pretty one sided in the ponies favor. And ponies rarely killed others in battle, so he had been told. It was when you surrendered that they killed you. From the mouth of the Queen herself.

But as he rounded the corner, he shuddered.

The rainbow pegasus. She lay on the ground, perfectly still.

Blood was seeping from various wounds on her body.

He considered leaving. Getting closer to examine the pegasus would increase his chances of being captured.

But this pony had saved his life. She had spared him a slow, painful death from suffocation.

And now here she lay. Dead. It seemed unfair, even to the warrior changeling.

He gently reached down and felt the ponies chest. He gasped.

Her heart was still beating. Barely. Somehow, this pony had survived. He felt her chest again. It was steadily, slowly rising and falling. She was still breathing.

He listened to her breathing. It was a wheeze. She probably had a collapsed lung.

He backed off and marveled at the tenacity of the pegasus. How in Equestria could she possibly still be hanging on?

He paused a moment, then felt the pegasi's unkempt mane. His species had done this. They must have. He had seen many fallen ponies in battle, but this was different. Such a beautiful creature. Brutalized, beaten near death. Many believed that changelings were monsters, incapable of feeling guilt. Shadow, however, had become wrought with guilt.

He could see an exit. A small alleyway between Sugar Cube Corner and another building. It led right up to the bridge out of town, and on into the Everfree Forest.

A part of him wanted to go. But he looked down at the pegasus. He couldn't leave. He had to stay, and make sure she didn't fade away.

There was a slight hacking sound. She could not open her eyes. But she made motions as though conscious. Barely.

"Do not worry. Help is coming." The changeling said. He eyed some pegasi approaching from the distance.

Whatever amount of consciousness she had, left as they arrived.

"Hey! Back off!"

The changeling obliged. Thunderspark tackled him to the ground.

"Don't move you freak!" He snarled. He turned around. "SHE'S OVER HERE!"

Princess Celestia strode in, followed by the mane six. They all gasped.

"She...she killed her. That evil horrible..." Twilight trailed off. She collapsed next to the body of her friend.

Fluttershy knelt down. "Not again. Please. Not again."

Applejack threw her hat away. "You...you stupid...arrogant...foal!"

Celestia slowly approached the still form of her greatest flyer. She ever so gently lifted the cyan pegasus.

A princess was not supposed to show emotion in front of subjects. But now, she was finding it difficult. A tear ran down her royal muzzle.

She could feel the pegasi's body. She was broken. That was the only word for it. Broken.

Luna watched from a distance. She slowly trotted forward. Rainbow Dash. They had been together, laughing, and putting on a show in the interrogation chamber only hours earlier.

To see her now, still as a corpse, shocked the dark princess. She gently rubbed the immobile pegasi's mane. Sorrow rapidly built up in her chest. She grasped her crown and hurled it to the ground.

The others all turned, surprised at the ferocity of the act. Luna let out an agonized roar, tears streaming down her face. She knew that a princess was not supposed to show emotion. But she could care less at a time like this.

Celestia, who would normally discipline her younger sister for treating her crown in such a way, walked over and lay her wing on the shoulder of the blue alicorn.

"Calm yourself Luna." She said gently. "Put your crown back on. We can't fall apart. Not even now."

Luna shook her head. "No. This is my fault. If I hadn't had so taken so long getting out of bed this morning...we could've arrived so much quicker. And she'd be okay..." She trailed off, her sobs overcoming her.

Celestia held her sister close. In many ways, her sister was not but a child. She needed support now, more than ever.

"She lives." A rough voice muttered.

They all turned. The changeling.

"Who is this changeling dog?" A royal guard demanded.

"She's still alive. I checked her breathing. She has a pulse. If you can get her to a hospital, she may live." The changeling explained.

Celestia gestured to the guards. They dragged the changeling away. He did not resist.

"Get her to a hospital. Now."

The medical technicians brought out a stretcher, and gently lay the pegasi's broken body upon it. As they were strapping her down, her eyes opened.

She began coughing uncontrollably. The six rushed to her side. She was coughing up blood. They shuddered at the sight.

"Oh Rainbow..." Scootaloo said grimacing.

Luna rushed to her side and wiped the blood away from her muzzle. "Rainbow Dash? Hang on kiddo, we're gonna take care of you, okay?"

Rainbow Dash muttered something.

"No. Don't try to talk." Fluttershy said as gently as she could without crying. "Just calm down. It'll all be okay."

Rainbow Dash looked up at her friends who stood around the stretcher. And somehow, as if to calm every one of them down, she managed her trademark smirk.

Moments later she slipped back out of consciousness.

The doctors wheeled the gurney through Ponyville general hospital's crowded corridors.

Many had been injured in the changeling attack. But this was the most severe. And the best doctor in the hospital was quickly at her side.

They placed an oxygen mask over her muzzle, desperate to pump air through her damaged lungs. Now was the most important time. The time when it would become clear whether the pegasus lived or died.

The mane six paced around nervously outside the room while the doctors worked. They were finally allowed in.

The doctor looked up grimly.

"Friends or family?" He asked.

"Family." Twilight replied. "Will she live?"

The doctor took a deep breath. "We had to induce a coma. She just kept wavering in and out of consciousness.Her left lung is collapsed. Her ribcage is shattered. And most importantly her spine, it's..." He paused, clearly looking for a gentle way to put it.

"It's what?" Pinkie Pie asked loudly.

"Well...it's...damaged."

"What do you mean damaged?" Applejack demanded.

"Well...it's broken. She's paralyzed."

The five were rendered speechless. "Well...how could you know that?" Rarity asked. "She's in a coma. She couldn't tell you whether she's paralyzed or not. I mean, if she was awake, she could probably just fly on out of here, right? Wake her up!"

She knew her words made no sense. But it didn't matter. Words had to make this injury go away. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Well actually, we can demonstrate." The doctor said a little too proudly.

He pulled out a pin. He poked Rainbow's hoof repeatedly. No reaction.

Fluttershy was tearing up. "Stop it! You're hurting her!"

"No." The doctor said sadly. "I'm not. She feels nothing. Her body is no longer connected with her brain." He sighed. "Her body is a prison."

"Well...can't you fix it?" Twilight asked desperately.

The doctor shook his head. "No. We don't have the medicine. Not for this. In cases of spinal injury, it is likely...the victim..." He took another long pause as he looked at their horrified faces."...Will never fly, or walk for that matter, ever again."

Comments

[Steben]

The idea that because Dash broke his wing, he's no longer worthy of the element of loyalty... that's like saying your car doesn't work because the radio died. (Remember kids, it's whats inside that counts)

For the note, I only read the summary. If this wasn't the message you were trying to say, then you might want to change your summary.

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

Yay! The chapter we've all been waiting for! For once it's not "dash broke her wings" its "dash broke everything" though giving her a spinal injury is kinda mean. I wonder if ponies have stem cell treatments?

[tubaguy]

811783 maybe since she's a stunt flyer, she gets to be like one of those moto guys that paralyse themselves, say do-over or some shit to the doctor and then they're okay in a few months.

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

I guess this is a literal example of "the pride cometh before the fall."

[mrmayortheiv]

Yowch, this doesn't look great for Rainbow... the story is great so far, but I gotta say I am insanely curious about everything in the past you keep alluding to, I suppose all will be explained in time... or enough rather

[Autumn Jade]

Wow this story is FANTASTIC so far! The plot is good and the whole storyline it great! You really know imagery. I can feel everyone's pain!

[Jonny Bench]

Pass me the spare ammo, we're going in after them