Broken Rainbows

by AstonMartinLover

Changeling Blood

Chapter 7: Changeling Blood

"You must be Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, addressing the scruffy looking, rainbow maned pegasus.

"The one and only." Rainbow declared proudly. "Why? You heard of me?"

"I heard you were supposed to be keeping the skies clear." Twilight snapped. It had been a long day. But this was not the fault of the pegasus. She eased up a bit and smiled. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the princess sent me to check on the weather."

Rainbow flew back up to her private cloud and began to lounge. "Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap. I'll do it in a jiffy. Just as soon as I'm done practicing."

"Practicing for what?" Twilight asked, arching an eyebrow.

"The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow declared proudly, pointing at a poster on a wall. "They're gonna perform at the celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show em my stuff!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "The Wonderbolts?"

"Yep!"

"The most talented flight team in all of Equestria?"

"That's them." Rainbow confirmed, closing her eyes to enjoy her little moment of relaxation. As if she hadn't been doing it all morning.

"Please. They'd never accept a pegasus who can't keep the sky clear for one measly day!"

Rainbow Dash got up. Twilight had ticked a nerve.

"Hey. I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat." She declared.

"Prove it." Twilight challenged confidently.

Rainbow Dash gave her a look of frustrated determination. Then she blasted off.

She was a blur. Twilight could see clouds being kicked out of the way, the sun's rays intensifying on the Earth. She felt gusts of wind as Rainbow tore past her repeatedly.

"Loop the loop around and wham!" She smacked the last cloud apart. "What'd I say? Ten seconds flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging."

Twilight looked at her in awe. She could not manage words.

This pony may have been a bit thick-skulled. But she was something special.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes. Another dream. She looked around. She was still in the hospital room. She was accompanied only by the steady beep of Rainbow's life support unit, and the soft breathing of Scootaloo, who was sound asleep.

Good girl, Twilight thought. Taking after her surrogate sister. Sleep had always been her favorite activity. Fluttershy was also asleep on the other side of the room.

She thought of her dream. Most dreams tended to fade away as you woke up. But this one stuck. She could remember that youthful optimism. That undying self confidence.

And she knew that THAT was what had gotten her here. In a bed, with tubes pumping necessary fluids into her body, a machine forcing oxygen into her damaged lungs.

And she was still young. Only 27. Far too young to be crippled.

"Oh Dash. You...you really were something special." She said, tears filling her eyes. "And...if you do decide to go...everypony in Equestria will be at your funeral." She sniffled. "And Princess Celestia, and Luna, they'll definitely be there. And Titan, and Sparky, and everypony else will be there too. To honor you. And you'll go someplace nice. You'll get to see your mom and dad again. And...and we'll never, ever forget you."

She reached out and poked the pony's hoof. There was no reaction. Her ears went back.

Her words were agonizing to say. But they had to be empty. Rainbow Dash could not die. It was not possible. That somepony so alive could just die. And she wished now, with all her heart that Rainbow would jump up off this bed, her wings flapping, her eyes filled with that determined fire.

But she lay still. These optimistic thoughts could change nothing. Magic could change nothing. Rainbow was a soul trapped in a ruined body.

The next day, talk had spread of removing Rainbow from life support. The six were, of course, staunchly opposed.

"You can't just let her die!" Applejack shouted. "At least, not without her say so!"

"Well how do you propose we GET her say so? She's a vegetable!" The doctor argued.

"SHE IS NOT A VEGETABLE!" Fluttershy shouted. She clapped her hoof over her mouth. "Sorry. Was that too loud?"

"We must have a say in this!" Rarity said, stomping her hoof. "We're practically family!"

"Yeah, well 'practically' doesn't cut it. I'm sorry. But she's suffering. It will be better if she dies quietly, and peacefully." He looked at all of them. "Preferably surrounded by her friends."

The others looked at each other sorrowfully. The doctor was right. What was the point of Rainbow Dash's continued existence if she just lay there, slowly rotting away?

A door slammed behind them. Two royal guards entered. They brought with them a captive.

The changeling. Shadow. He was shackled, and they roughly dragged him forward. Celestia and Luna landed behind them. The doctors and nurses bowed.

"Return to your work dear life savers." Celestia said, offering them a weak smile.

The guards threw the scruffy looking changeling forward. His chains banged against the tile floor of the room.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked.

"This creature has begged us to let him see your friend. He claims he can help her."

The six looked down at him.

"But...he's a changeling." Scootaloo pointed out, dumbfounded.

The changeling hissed and clanked his chains. "I...have come to repay a debt." He snarled.

Twilight arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean? What debt?"

He lifted his chained hooves and pointed them at the crippled pegasus.

"That one. The rainbow colored one. I can save her."

"Why do you want to?" Rarity demanded. "What do you care?"

The changeling sighed. "She...she saved me. A tree landed on me during the invasion. It was crushing my throat. She lifted it off of me. She spared me my miserable existence. And for this I guess I'm...kind of grateful."

The five turned to Scootaloo. She sighed then nodded. "He's telling the truth. I was there when she saved him."

"So...what can you do then?" Applejack asked.

The changeling took a deep breath. "We Changelings are fragile creatures. Our bones...they are weak. They break easily. It is why we travel in such large numbers. With the exception of our queen of course..."

"What does this have to do with RD?" Applejack demanded.

"Be patient orange one. We are fragile. However nature has paid us due compensation. Our immune system is built differently from yours. A toxin, which flows in our blood, accelerates the healing process. Bones that take weeks or months, or even years for ponies, can be healed in a matter of days for a changeling."

Twilight frowned. "Not quite sure what you're getting at." She had an idea.

Shadow cleared his throat. "Look. In my blood, flows an advanced healing agent. Your pegasus...her spine is broken. She cannot move. My blood contains a toxin which could very well repair her bones. All of them in fact. Not just the spine."

The six looked at each other, speechless. "Are you saying you would donate your blood? To save...a pony?" Twilight asked incredulously.

The changeling nodded. "A debt must be repaid. Take as much of my blood as is necessary. If it fails, then feel free to kill me by any method your imagination can come up with."

Fluttershy was the first to react. A single tear rolled down her cheek. The changeling put on his best poker face. He knew not to show genuine emotion in front of the enemy.

"Thank you." Scootaloo said softly.

The changeling shook his head. "Don't thank me. I am still your enemy."

"Hold on. We can't allow this." The doctor protested. "It's very unsafe. We have no idea what changeling blood could do to her."

Luna stepped forward. "Doctor, she's on her deathbed. It seems any option is better than this one."

The doctor opened his mouth to protest, then shrugged. "I suppose if we figured out a way to separate the toxin from the blood, we could inject it into her. But this is a spinal injury. It's a long shot."

Princess Celestia turned to her student. "Twilight Sparkle, please, go to your library. Look for anything related to the healing effects of changeling blood. Make haste."

While Twilight was gone, Luna remained with the changeling.

"Why do you really want to give her your blood?"

"I told you. She saved my life. I wish to give her back hers."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me if I'm not ready to trust you."

Shadow nodded. "It's only natural not to trust ones enemies."

Luna fidgeted with her hoof nervously. "So, do you think this will work?"

Shadow looked up and frowned. "You wish to hear my opinion?"

"Yes."

"I was broken. My legs. My back. I was immobile. I recovered in a matter of days. With a pony's metabolism, it might work even faster."

Luna's eyes widened. "How do you know of a pony's metabolism?"

"Well...we have had prisoners. They were somewhat...dissected."

Luna lifted the changeling up off the ground and held him there. "Dissected? You dissected my subjects?"

"No. Not I myself. But I have read the findings of the doctors that do. And I am somewhat aware of a pony's physiology. The nerve endings of the spine could reconnect within a matter of minutes. A full physical recovery would take weeks. Full...mental recovery could take months. Or years."

"Mental recovery?"

Shadow looked down at the irritated princess, only somewhat frightened. "Spinal damage has lasting effects. She may still be unable to walk for months. It all depends on her mental state."

Twilight charged back into the hospital, levitating a book with her horn. Luna roughly dropped the changeling to the floor.

"It could work!" Twilight shouted.

Celestia took a look at the book. "How do you know?"

Twilight paused to take a breath. "Because, it doesn't say it won't."

Celestia frowned. "It doesn't say...it won't work?"

"Exactly."

Luna strode over to her. "But just to be clear, it doesn't say it WILL work?"

Twilight sighed. "No. But look. It doesn't say anywhere that this won't work. And the only other choice we all have is disconnecting her from life support. I say we give it a try."

"You will be commended for your bravery changeling." Celestia declared. A couple days had passed while the technicalities of everything had worked out.

"If I survive you mean." The changeling grumbled. "And please keep your sister as far away from me as possible during this procedure, if you could?"

Celestia nodded. She turned and trotted over to Rainbow's bed. She whispered something to Luna. Luna rolled her eyes and glared at the changeling. Then she trotted to the farthest end of the room.

"Is it ready?"

"Yes." The doctor said. He pulled out a syringe.

The mane five, plus Scootaloo had all crowded into the room. Soarin and Spitfire were there as well. They had each come individually at different times, but today they arrived as a unit. This day was of grave importance.

He jabbed the syringe into the changelings arm. Shadow punched the wall next to him, blocking out the pain. The doctor extracted the blood and placed it into a large synthesizer.

The changeling frowned. "What? Is that it?"

"Yes." The princess said gently. "Thank you once again."

Soarin paced nervously as the synthesizer separated the rebuilding toxin from the blood.

The doctor took a new syringe and filled it with the toxin. It was a dark green liquid. The ponies in the room shuddered. That was to be injected into their friend. The thought was borderline horrifying.

"This would hurt normally." The doctor said. The nurses lifted Rainbow from her bed. The doctor slid the needle into the back of her neck, sliding it into the spine, and pushed the plunger.

Her body jolted as soon as the needle was out. Everypony in the room, including the changeling, jumped.

Now there was dead silence. Nopony wanted to break it. They all stared at the still breathing body of Rainbow Dash. They watched as her cyan blue chest rose and fell. She was still alive. That was the good news.

The doctor turned to the changeling. "How long does it take for the preliminary effects to show?"

The changeling shook his head. "Not long. Wait a moment longer now."

Rainbow lay still. Shadow watched her intently.

"C'mon. Move. Do something." He said. "You are strong, rainbow warrior. You cannot be felled by such a simple injury."

"Simple injury?!" Rarity shouted. The others shushed her.

The silence was deafening now. Rainbow remained still. The changeling continued to watch intently.

He suddenly began making wild gestures.

"What?" The doctor asked.

"That. There." He pointed to the pin on her bedside table. The doctor picked it up.

"Test her." The changeling commanded.

The doctor sighed, then jabbed the pony's hoof with the pin.

There was no response. The hearts of everypony in the room fell.

The doctor poked her again. Still no response. Her hooves remained still.

He sighed, then put down the pin. "I'm so sorry everypony."

Luna let out a breath. She was determined not to cry in front of her subjects again. So she turned and looked away.

Shadow continued staring intently at her body. He noticed something. A twitch.

He nearly broke his forehoove pointing at the pin. "Again! Do it again!"

The doctor hesitantly picked up the pin. He looked at the others. They nodded desperately.

"Very well." He jabbed her again. This time, there was undeniable movement.

The changeling grinned. "Again."

The doctor jabbed her again. Her forehoove twitched.

"One more time." Twilight said breathlessly.

He poked her with the pin again. Her arm violently flung out, knocking the pin out of the doctors hoof.

Everypony collectively stared at the pin on the floor. Then one by one, they looked back at Rainbow Dash's shaking hoof.

The changeling smirked. "The rainbow warrior will walk again."

The doctor made them leave so he could take an x-ray. He was baffled by the results.

"Remarkable. I've never seen any bone rebuild itself this quickly, much less something as integral as a spine."

The six breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luna looked like she was ready to collapse.

Applejack took off her hat. "I gotta hand it to you um...what's your name?"

"Shadow." The changeling replied.

"Right. Shadow. Thanks. Really. You...made a whole town very happy."

"Yeah. Sorry if I...rustled you up earlier." Luna offered, not sounding apologetic at all.

Applejack looked around. "Hey hold on a sec. Where's Sparky gotten off to?"

Comments

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

Great chapter....but I still hate you for killing sparky.

[tubaguy]

Well holy shit, I predicted it. I knew there would be some insane cure that would un-paralyse her.

[Roxazlum]

811252 That is a horrible lesson in friendship.

: Dear Princess Celestia

Today, Rainbow Dash broke every bone in her body and is now in the hospital.
Me and the others have decided to completely abandon her as a friend because who needs a trashed up broken down Pegasus who can't even walk?

I personally took it as my responsibility to tell Fluttershy and Rarity that if they lose their wings or horn nobody will care about them either; because if you are a non-earthpony with some form of disability, you are the scum of the earth and deserve to die alone.

From, Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

[Autumn Jade]

WOW.....we need that cure.........like in the real world.

[Jonny Bench]

Could've used this as a plot for magical mystery cure instead