One Bolt, Spreading Harmony

by Boltsinger

A Nurse Nightmare

Speed.

It’s what she lived for. The world around her practically standing still as she unfurled her wings and took to the air. The only thing that was better was being with friends. Sharing in an experience that would never be forgotten. It was simply the best thing in the world she could think of.

And that's what made being a Wonderbolt so special.

Rainbow Dash trotted out of the barracks in the Wonderbolts' signature blue flight suit with yellow lightning trim, a pair of flight goggles strapped to her head and a smile on her face. The new Wonderbolts tour was set to begin soon, right after the Wonderbolt Derby in Canterlot, and she was more than ready to really stretch her wings for the first time in a while. She looked around with an almost giddy grin at her fellow Wonderbolts, lining up alongside them as Spitfire stepped forward.

"Ready…?" The fiery-colored mare started.

"MA'AM! YES MA'AM!" The Wonderbolts unanimously answered.

Spitfire smirked, spreading her wings and lowering her goggles. “Then let’s fly!”

With that, the team was off. Seven streaks of blue and yellow filled the sky in a spinning circular formation, aiming themselves at a rather large cloud. They started into a rapid aileron roll, holding their hooves together to make something of a drill shape as they bored into the cloud, leaving behind a perfect star. As the spinning stopped, the loop began, with the flyers taking positions in a horizontal line that slowly but surely separated. When the loop was complete, the team went into an immelmann turn, each veering off into a different direction. With a trail of electrical smoke, they slammed into the cloud once more, busting it into wisps and leaving a pattern in the same star shape. Finally, Rainbow Dash looped around toward the center of the star while the rest of the team flew at an angle on either side in sets of three. The Wonderbolts created a wing pattern in the air as the cyan mare plowed through the star with a flourishing spin. The star burst apart, reshaping itself into the Wonderbolts' signature lightning bolt and lingering in the air. The aerialists came to a stop, convening in front of the insignia with satisfied grins on their faces.

“That was awesome!” Fleetfoot cheered. “I think that was our best run so far!”

“Aww, definitely!" Soarin confirmed, giving the white-maned Pegasus a solid hoof bump. He turned towards Rainbow Dash, letting his smile noticeably widen at the sight of her. "You held up that center like a pro, Dash!"

Rainbow struck a confident pose, brushing her chest with her hoof. "I was pretty awesome, wasn't I?" She set her eyes on the green-eyed stallion, finding herself glad that her flight suit covered so much of her now-warm face. "But I couldn't have pulled it off without you."

Soarin's face grew equally red as he waved his dismissive hoof to her. "Nah. You can do anything on those wings."

"You think so?" Rainbow wondered, starting to inch closer as that warmth she was growing familiar with resurfaced once more. She averted her eyes, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof. "Well… I mean…"

"Alright, lovebirds! That's enough!" Spitfire interjected, forcing the pair back into reality. The now viciously red Pegasi reared away from one another, looking around as the rest of the team burst into laughter. "As adorable as you two are, we're not even close to done! Let's do it again!" She sped forward, passing between the flustered flyers with a force that sent Rainbow Dash spinning out.

As the other Wonderbolts followed their leader, Soarin rushed forward, catching the spinning mare by her shoulders. Her head wobbled with the continued momentum, finally stopping with her eyes directed at her boyfriend's. "You okay, Rainbow Dash?"

The cyan mare’s focus returned to her with a vengeance, sending a powerful warmth into her chest as her wings began to flap again. “Y-yeah! Totally fine.” She moved out from his forelegs, looking back at him with a smile. “Thanks, Clipper.”

“No problem, Dash.” He said, turning back towards the other Pegasi. “I’ll always be there to catch you.”

Rainbow’s smile grew a little dopier at the declaration, causing a slight falter in her wings as she followed suit.

“Okay! One more time!” The commander shouted. A new cloud was brought into place, and once again the seven streaks filled the sky.

As the routine began, Rainbow found her favorite stallion’s words repeating themselves in her head, filling her with confidence and increasing the rhythm of her flapping. They plowed through the cloud, moving into their upward arc as the rainbow streak showed up behind the Bearer of Loyalty. The assurance continued to echo with the pounding of her heart, further inciting her wings to keep pace. As the gray star appeared in the sky, she looked at Soarin's place in the formation, finding him occupying the whole of her thoughts when she plowed through. She knew exactly what she was feeling, and it felt better than a…

BOOM.

Sonic Rainboom, like the one that exploded out behind her as she rocketed forward. The other Wonderbolts looked at the feat in awe, ever-impressed at the display of sheer speed. The prismatic mare closed her eyes, letting her mind wander. She could have sworn she heard Soarin's voice even clearer in that moment. Like he was calling out to her.

"RAINBOW DASH! WATCH OUT!!!" He shouted. His voice seemed to sound more panicked than reassuring this time. She opened her eyes, looking back to see him trailing after her with his foreleg extended. She looked ahead to find the dark blue wall of the barracks rapidly approaching and raised her forelegs, bracing for…

SLAM.

Impact. First on her left foreleg, then on her wings. In that moment, everything went black.

---

Rainbow Dash’s mind finally began to stir from the dark, a calm voice seeming to grab at her attention. “... here, here, and here. Not to mention the fracture in her foreleg.”

Fracture? What does she mean fracture? She wondered, opening her eyes to see the infirmary walls all around her. Hanging from those walls were a set of x-ray results, showing a hoof and two wings, cracks running through each of them. She moved her foreleg to support herself, but found herself stopped by a sharp, intense pain that sent a yelp from her mouth.

The sudden noise made the other ponies in the room jump. Soarin and the doctor each rushed to the blue mare's side, one tending to her foreleg while the other held her up. "You okay, Dash?" Soarin asked, putting his hoof on hers.

Rainbow Dash responded with a pained groan, chancing a look at her foreleg. As expected, it was in a splint, reminding her of what had happened to put her in that situation. Her ears and wings drooped at the sight, with the stiffness on her feathered appendages letting her know that they were likewise out of commission. "No…"

"I hope you know that you won't be able to tour in this condition." Spitfire informed her, putting her hoof on the bed. The injured mare slowly nodded in understanding, refusing to open her eyes. "What the heck were you thinking with that Rainboom, anyway?"

"I…" She looked at the stallion holding her, remembering the words that echoed through her mind in the moments before the impact. "I wasn't…"

Spitfire growled under her breath, gritting her teeth for a moment. "You… You just heal up, okay?" She scoffed, making her way to the door. "Can't believe I've gotta bring in two reserves for this…"

“Two reserves?” Rainbow repeated. She put her good hoof on the bed, sitting up to look at the commander. “I didn’t hurt anypony else, did I?”

Spitfire sighed, taking a cursory glance back and pointing to Soarin. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Rainbow’s eyes returned to the green-eyed Pegasus, one of her eyebrows raising curiously. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, it’s no big deal.” Soarin dismissed, waving to the departing Wonderbolt. “I’m just staying with you to help you recover.”

“WHAT?!” Rainbow replied, wincing as her recoil strained her wings. “Why would you do that? The ‘Bolts need you!”

“Not as much as you need me.” He retorted, booping her nose. “Spitfire can handle things leading the formation, and it’s not like we don’t have some talented reservists. But you need somepony with you, otherwise you can’t even go home. And you know I’ll always catch you. Now, more than ever.”

“What do you mean? I can totally handle myself like this!” She boasted, moving to get up from the bed. “You see? I feel great!"

The doctor behind her cleared her throat, causing Rainbow to tense up. "That may be for now, but I would feel better if you were taken care of." She brought her clipboard up to her face, reading through the available information. "It says here that you have family in Cloudsdale. If you're not comfortable having Soarin care for you, you could always go there."

"I'll take Soarin!" She immediately exclaimed, pulling the stallion close. As opposed as she was to having her boyfriend play nursemaid, having her parents baby her was a nightmare to just think about.

“Very well, then.” The doctor said, turning to the white stallion. “Soarin, I leave Rainbow Dash in your hooves.”

Soarin stood confidently, performing a salute with his hoof. “You can count on me!”

---

Rainbow had never ascended to her house by way of balloon before. It was an experience she’d much rather have avoided, but so was the overall injury that led her there. She looked out at Ponyville from the basket, resting her head on her hoof with a sigh. The stallion next to her pored over a number of documents all the while, mumbling the instructions to himself. With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow turned her head to him. “Do you really have to stay with me the whole time? I can take care of myself, you know.”

“I just wanna make sure. This list has a lot of things we’ve gotta do, and some of these aren’t things you’re currently…” He motioned to the foreleg that hung in a sling. “... capable of.”

"Hey, I can do just fine on my own!" She spat, stomping her hoof and facing him properly. "You of all ponies know just how 'capable' I am!"

Soarin rose to his hind legs, raising his hooves in mock defeat. “Okay, okay, you’re right.” He tucked the list under his wing, making to level the balloon and land. "I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"I know… And I really appreciate that. But I know how to get around my own house just fine." She assured, moving back to the basket's edge. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious Daring Do to catch up on." She hopped into the air, moving like she always did when exiting a balloon, save for the fact that she didn't actually leave the basket. Her hooves touched down not even half a second later as she winced in pain. "Oh yeah… Broken wings." She stepped up to the short wall again, taking a deep breath. With a half-hop, her foreleg left the floor again, reaching the lip of the basket. She strained for a moment, bringing herself up some more to have the wall support half of her body weight as she let herself rest a little.

"You okay babe?" Soarin asked, taking a step closer. "Need any help?"

"Nah!" She replied, wiping her brow. "I'm good!" After all, if other ponies made this look so easy, it should be a cinch for her! She strained a little more, lifting her foreleg up to move over the wall. After a few seconds, she pulled her rump up, sitting on the edge of the basket. With a confident smirk, she looked at her boyfriend. "You see? I've totally got the hang of thi-- AHH!!!" She squeaked, falling off of the side toward her house. Soarin jumped, running to the edge and looking out to find Rainbow on the side of her un-broken foreleg, where she looked up at him, her cocky smirk just a little bit crooked. "I'm good!"

---

The next morning, Rainbow Dash sat in her bed with a book on her lap. She had tried all evening yesterday to get it into a position where she could read comfortably, but thus far it was to no avail. She stared at the cover, seeing Daring Do's face almost glare back at her. "You never let a few broken bones get you down, do you? Never let anypony see you broken…" She looked back at her wings, still in their stiff splints. She pulled the book toward her, opening her mouth next to a corner as the doorbell rang. She hung her head, letting her wings droop as a growl made its way out. "Come on in…"

"RAINBOW DASH!" Cried a raspy-voiced filly as she almost instantly made her way from the door to the bed. Scootaloo's head and hooves appeared at the edge of the mattress, her face fraught with worry. “I came as soon as I could! Are you okay?”

At the sight of her honorary little sister, Rainbow couldn't help but smile. She patted the bed next to her, letting her know it was safe to approach. "I'm fine, squirt. Just a little banged up."

“But… Your wings!” Scootaloo stressed, climbing onto the bed. “How can you get around without them?”

“It’s okay, Scootaloo.” A contralto replied from the hall. Rainbow’s ear twitched at the voice, finding her favorite Princess entering the room with a smile and a brightly lit horn. "It's not like this is the first time she's been hurt." Twilight stepped up to the bed, putting her hoof on the blanket. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better." Rainbow confirmed, pulling the Crusader into a hug. "All day yesterday, Soarin was poking his head in, asking if I needed anything, like, every five seconds!" Twilight chuckled to herself, remembering similar situations concerning another Pegasus stallion she knew. "I'm just glad he decided to ease up today. I haven't seen him since breakfast!"

"We didn't see him on the way in, either." Scootaloo mentioned.

"That's because he's at the castle." The Alicorn informed them. "He went to the library. Last I saw him he was asking Bolt for advice on how best to preen someone else's feathers." At the mention of the idea, a sheepish blush adorned her muzzle that she quickly hid with her hoof. "I should probably help him out with that… Bolt's never been very good where feather preening is concerned…"

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow, zeroing in on her royal friend's flush. "What do you mean by that?"

Twilight stepped back, waving her hoof dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing! Nothing at all!"

"Uh-huh, nothing." Rainbow repeated. She kept her gaze firm, imitating Applejack as best she could. "Why would a Pegasus like Bolt have issues with feathers?"

"Well, I mean, he can't do it for himself, for one thing." She blurted, her eyes going wide as she let out a short, shrill whinny and brought her wings over her mouth.

Rainbow leaned forward, scooting her way out of her blanket. Twilight stepped further back, met with the playful glare of a cyan Wonderbolt. "Details. Now."

Twilight's eyes began to dart around the room, looking for something she could use to change the subject. Eventually, her gaze turned up to see the light that came from her horn. "Oh! I brought you something!" She exclaimed, focusing her magic to float in a lap table with a slanted surface. "I figured you'd need something to read on, since you're gonna be sitting around so much and you only have the one hoof to work with! What do you think?”

Rainbow pushed the reading surface aside, scooting closer. "Yeah yeah it's nice. So what's this about Bolt?"

"Oh, it's no big deal, really!" Twilight dismissed. "Nothing worth worrying about!"

"Come on! Pleeeeeease? I’ve already been cooped up in here for a whole day! I’ll go crazy if I don’t hear at least something about the outside world!" The Wonderbolt pleaded, raising her good hoof and looking at the Alicorn with big, sparkling eyes. "For your poor, injured friend?"

Twilight’s ears lowered, reminded of the most persuasive little Alicorns she knew. She directed her eyes to Scootaloo, who simply shrugged. "Oh…" She tried to turn away from Rainbow Dash, but found the feat impossible as she hung her head. "Okay, fine. But it can never leave this room, got it?"

"Yes!" Rainbow exclaimed, pumping her hoof. "I promise!"

"Okay…" The Princess of Friendship breathed deep, taking a nervous look back at the door. "Bolt's feathers tend to have a bit of residual static from when the lightning comes out. And when something fine, like a brush or teeth or… other things… get into his fletching, it disrupts that little discharge and… He describes it as a big jolt through his whole body. It makes him..." She tilted her head for a moment, searching for the right word to use. "... flop."

"Flop?" Rainbow repeated.

"Flop." Twilight confirmed. "He just goes limp! So, I usually have to help him out. He's really self-conscious about it, though, so we try to keep it secret."

"Yeah, I can't blame him." Rainbow stated, scooting back next to Scootaloo. "I would be too if I had to rely on somepony else to…" Her eyes widened for a moment, slowly turning to catch a look at her bandaged wings. "... handle… my…" She rose to her hooves again, rushing up to Twilight. "What was it Soarin was trying to get again?"

"Advice on preening for another pony. Why?"

"Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh...!" She sat on the floor, looking at her hanging foreleg with a sense of dread. "He's gonna be… my wings… I gotta…" Her face turned a darker shade of red than the one found in her mane as the world began to spin around her. She shook her head free of the dizziness, planting her hoof on the floor and looking up at Twilight. “You don’t know any spells that can heal injuries, do you?”

Twilight recoiled a moment. “Uh… No. Those kinds of spells don’t really exist. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason.” She said, looking around. “Just thought I’d give it a shot.”

“Oooookay… You want me to get you anything?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, I’m good.” She sat back on the bed, pulling her honorary sister into a brief embrace. “Thanks for coming, you two. I think I’ll be fine for now.”

“Are you sure?” Scootaloo wondered, giving the Wonderbolt a doe-eyed stare.

“I’m sure, squirt.” She assured, patting the filly’s head. “Now you go do your Crusading! I know you’ve got a whole line of ponies waiting for you.”

Scootaloo’s hoof rose to her chin as she considered the suggestion, almost managing to mirror her mother’s typical ponder. “We have been pretty busy… Okay.” She rose to her hooves, putting her hoof on Rainbow’s chest. “But I’m coming back right after we’re done, okay?”

With a soft smile, Rainbow put her hoof on the little one pressed against her. “Okay, kid. I’ll see you later.” She scooted back under her blanket, watching and waving as her guests took their leave. Once the sound of their flapping had faded, the mare tensed up, jumping out of bed and looking around the room. “Okay… I gotta do something… anything before he gets back!”

---

The door to the house opened, letting Soarin inside at a leisurely pace. After a long and… oddly revealing… conversation with Boltsinger about feathers and how to clean them, he'd finally gotten the information he sought. He was ready to do what was required to make sure his Rainbow Dash was well taken care of!

Now he just had to get the job done.

He trotted through the house, listening for any signs of activity. It didn't take very long for something to ring in his ears. A loud clanging and a thud was heard from the kitchen, sending the Wonderbolt stallion into near-immediate panic. With the help of his ever-trusty wings, he was in the kitchen in an instant, looking at his favorite mare standing over Tank, who was covered in chocolate ice cream. He stared at the scene in disbelief, moving to get a better look at the tortoise. "What the heck happened here?"

"I was trying to get a bowl of ice cream, but it's hard to do with just one hoof." Rainbow explained, letting her rump hit the floor as she petted her tenacious companion. "You think you could give him a bath? I'd do it myself, but…" She gestured to her splinted foreleg, giving him a simple simper.

A soft grin of his own appeared as he looked back at Tank. He put his forelegs around the reptile, lifting him up as he slowly tried to no avail at getting a scoop of ice cream that had hit the floor. "I'll have him cleaned up in no time, babe. Just leave it to me!"

"Thanks, Clipper." She said, turning her simper to a smile as he exited the room. When the door closed, the smile became a smirk. She waited a few seconds, inching closer to the door and listening for hoofsteps to fade into the background. When the coast was clear, she slowly opened the door, silently stepping through the hall toward the front door. With a sinister chortle, she worked her way outside, looking down from the porch at the ground below. "Okay… Just gotta get down from here and then I'm home free." She glanced back at the house for a moment. "Well, free, at least." She leaned further over, searching for a potential descent option. The balloon was out of the question, as the basket had already proved an issue. Moving just a bit closer to the edge, her least favorite option became a reality. Her forehoof began to slip sliding off the edge, taking the rest of her body with it while a shrill scream escaped her. Her instincts told her to spread her wings, but a sharp pain from the extremities reminded her that it wasn't that good of an idea. She began flailing her legs as she fell, ending up cut short by a small cloud that crossed her path. It cushioned her descent, but her momentum caused her to fall through onto another. Then another. Then a third one. Finally, she was nearing the ground, bracing for an impact that would surely send her back to the hospital.

Except there was none.

"Hi Rainbow Dash!" Exclaimed a squeaky soprano.

Rainbow opened her eyes, finding a frosting and crumb-covered Pinkie Pie smiling at her from above. "Hi Pinkie…" She looked at herself for a moment, finding that the same bits of cake covered her almost entirely. "What's with the cake?"

Pinkie reached into the remnants of the would-be dessert, pulling her friend out. "Well, I was just on my way to see you! I figured it was suuuuper boring to just be sitting by yourself in your room with nothing to do and nothing to eat and then I thought, 'Well, why don't you give her something to eat, silly?' And I asked what it should be. Definitely not pie, am I right? But do you know what's just as good as pie that Rainbow Dash does like? Cake! So I made the biggest, bestest, most Rainbow-riffic cake I could and brought it over! But I couldn't figure out how to get up there, but that doesn't matter anymore because you're here!"

Rainbow quickly nodded, turning her head to see the house above. “Great! Good to see you, Pinkie. Now, hide me!”

“Ooh! Playing hide and seek?” The party pony wondered. “Can I play, too?”

“Uh… yeah, sure!”

"Great! Who's 'it'? Where are we playing? How badly do you wanna be found?"

"Soarin, everywhere, and not at all!"

“Got it! Come with me!” The poofy pony stated, taking the Pegasus and holding her tight. “I have the best hiding place EVER!” And in a streak of rainbow and pink, the ponies were off.

---

Pinkie Pie definitely had a point. The place the mares had gone was definitely one of the best hiding places in all of Ponyville. And the most colorful, as was typical of the party planning cave. Rainbow breathed a deep, relieved sigh as she poked a nearby balloon. “Thanks for the help, Pinkie. You really saved my hide back there.”

“You’re welcome!” The frizzy friend replied, bouncing by behind her. At the arc of her next jump, she stopped in the air, looking back to her fastest friend. “Wait. What did I save you from?”

“Soarin.” She answered, knocking the balloon into the air.

Pinkie’s hooves returned to the floor as her head tilted to the side. “Wait, so we aren’t playing hide and seek? You’re just… hiding?”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Rainbow confirmed, turning to face her.

“But why?”

“It’s… complicated.”

“How complicated are we talking?” Pinkie inquired, taking a seat next to the prismatic mare. “‘Cause I can handle some pretty complicated things!”

“I don’t doubt it.” She assured, sending a quickly fading smile Pinkie’s way. “It’s… It’s a Pegasus thing. I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

Pinkie scooted a little closer, reaching one hoof toward her. “You sure?”

“Yeah.”

The blue-eyed mare squinted for a second, trying to figure out what the issue could be, but found herself relenting. It didn't seem like this line of questions was very fun for Rainbow Dash, after all. "Oooookay then. I'll go look around to make sure Soarin isn't--"

"Here!" Cried the one voice they weren't hoping to hear. A mechanism sounded in the ceiling, causing a yelp from the stallion as the cave’s entrances did their usual thing.

Pinkie tensed up, knowing full well what was going on with the yelping. She grabbed hold of Rainbow Dash, tossing her into a pile of streamers that conveniently consisted of every single color found on her body. "Hide!" She put a pair of hot pink balloons in front of the Pegasus' face, turning around with an unusually large grin. "Hi, Soarin!"

"Hey, Pinkie." The stallion greeted, rubbing his rump from the previous slide. "Have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?"

"Uh…" Pinkie took a glance so quick to the streamer pile that all Soarin could perceive was a momentary blur. "Nope! Why?"

"She wasn't at home, and she seemed a little freaked about something." He explained, rubbing his neck with his hoof. "She talks about how good you are at hiding stuff, so I figured she came to you for help."

"Well, she would do that…" The Pie confirmed. "Buuuuut I haven't seen her!” She kept her smile wide as Soarin’s gaze turned scrutinous, leaning forward with a squint in his eyes. “Want me to help you look?”

“I think I’ve got this.” He informed her, taking a step back. He took one last look around the room, steadily spreading his wings to take his leave. “I’m gonna check Fluttershy’s cottage. I’m pretty sure that’s where she’d go next if not here.”

“Great!” She put her hoof around him, leading him to the same slide he had entered from. “Always great to see you and I’ll let you know if I see Rainbow Dash, okay?”

"All right. I'll be back soon to check, okay?"

“Okay great bye!” She gave him a shove, sending the stallion sliding up in a way that seemed to defy the very idea of gravity. She held her hoof over her eyes for a moment to make sure of his departure, then turned back to Rainbow. “You miiiight wanna hide somewhere else for now. Doesn’t look like he’s gonna be convinced for long.”

“You’re probably right.” The Wonderbolt said, climbing her way out of the pile. “And he even guessed where I was gonna go next, too!”

“He knows you pretty well, huh?” Pinkie guessed, quirking her eyebrows.

“Yeah… I suppose I do talk with him a lot these days.” She breathed a sigh, looking around the cave. “So… How do you get out of here?”

---

The afternoon sun shined high above Sweet Apple Acres, sending a bead of sweat down Applejack’s brow as she trotted toward the animal enclosures. She may have had the day off from teaching, but those animals weren’t gonna feed themselves, and there was something a little funny about how the pigs had been acting for the past hour. She leaned against the fence, looking in at the little oinkers as they squealed with excitement. Finally, she pulled up the bucket of slop for the pigs to eat, pouring it into the trough as it became surrounded by a flurry of mud-covered pink rumps.

“Wait a minute…” She began, giving the pigsty another scrutinous squint. One of those rumps wasn’t quite so pink. And she was fairly certain there was a little bit extra going on with its back. She cocked a curious eyebrow, stepping closer to the rump in question. ”When did we get a blue pig?”

The smallest of the rumps around the trough tightened up, its long and decidedly un-curly tail pointing straight out as some of the mud fell off. The pony among the pigs finally raised her mud-covered head, revealing her telltale pink eyes with a weak smile. “Oh… Hey, Applejack! Didn’t know you were gonna be here!”

Applejack crossed her forelegs, letting the moment linger a little while Rainbow Dash let her statement sink in. “Dash, I do this job every day, remember?”

Rainbow stepped back with a look of clearly-feigned ignorance, averting her eyes. “You do? Hm. Must’ve forgotten.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” She replied, putting her forelegs back on the ground. “What the hay’re ya doin’ in the pigsty anyway?”

“I just… wanted to spend some quality time with my favorite pigs!” The Wonderbolt declared, standing as proudly as a mud-soaked mare could.

“Riiiight.” The orange Earth Pony rolled her eyes, opening the gate to let her friend out. “An’ the fact that yer boyfriend’s been searchin’ all over town for ya ain’t got anythin’ ta do with it?”

“He’s been looking for me?” Rainbow repeated, letting her eyes dart anywhere but on Applejack. “Why would he be doing that?”

“Probably ‘cause yer not home an’ ‘e’s worried about ya." The farm mare deadpanned. "Speakin' of, why ain't you home?"

"I just… wanted to get out for a while." She stated, finally exiting the pigsty. "It got way too stuffy in there." Applejack's gaze grew stern as she began tapping her hoof. "You know how hot a small room can get! Especially with these casts on!" The tapping stopped, quickly replaced with stepping as the Earth Pony shortened the gap between them. "And I knew Soarin wouldn't want me to overdo it so… I…" Rainbow finally got a look at Applejack's face, noticing a distinctly raised eyebrow over the emerald orbs, and with its ascent, Rainbow felt her resolve falter. She looked back at her bandaged, crumb-covered, mud-soaked wings, finding herself cursed with pangs of guilt. “I.. was…” She let out a growl of pure frustration, hanging her head and lowering her ears. “I was running away from Soarin, okay?!”

“An’ why’re ya doin’ that?” Applejack wondered.

“Yeah, Dash, why are you running from me?” Came the voice of the stallion in question. Rainbow froze in place, slowly turning her eyes up to the sky as Soarin came in for a landing. “Do you know how worried I’ve been? I understand you get restless, but you’re injured! If you wanted to go out, you should have just told me!”

"Soarin… I--"

"I even went to the castle just so that I can learn how to help you with all the things you're gonna need help with!" He continued, stepping closer to the muddy mare.

"But I don't want to be helped!" She shouted, stomping her good hoof with an attempted flare of her wings. She winced at the sudden pain, dropping her rump to the dirt as she turned away. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to have your wings messed with by somepony else? How embarrassing it is to be so helpless in front of your loved ones?"

Soarin's sternness significantly softened at his favorite pony's sheer candidness. He walked over to her, breathing a sigh. “I know exactly how you feel, Dash. It’s why I went to Bolt about how to help you out. I was asking him what I might expect when the time came to… well, you know… And he’s the only Pegasus I know that has to have somepony else help him with that.”

“Yeah, I guess…” Rainbow affirmed. “Wait…” She tilted her head curiously, finally meeting his gaze. “How do you know about the flop thing?”

“Know about what?” Applejack wondered.

"You ever see how crazy it gets during Guy's Night sometimes?" The stallion asked, giving her a dorky grin. "A few weeks ago, one of those skeleton things bit down on Bolt's wing and he just fell over. Spike explained what was going on, and Bolt made us promise to keep our mouths shut." He paused for a moment, raising his hoof. "But today he said I could tell you since you're dealing with wing issues."

Rainbow looked down at her bandaged foreleg, still brown and wet and covered with crumbs. "I guess I did overreact a little, huh?"

"A little?" Applejack echoed. "I think you went crazier than a firefly come Hearth’s Warmin’!”

“Yeah, you were kinda out there.” Soarin agreed. “But I can’t really blame you. I’m the same way.”

“You are?” Rainbow wondered, cocking her eyebrow.

“Of course!” He continued, spreading his wings for emphasis. “I know how important your wings are to you. It’s the same with any flyer. Especially Wonderbolts. Only ponies I let touch my wings are my parents, the doctor, and you.”

The prismatic mare’s eyes went wide at the Soarin’s final example, forcing a slight skip in her heartbeat. “Me? Why do you trust me with your wings?”

“Uh… ‘cause I love you?” He told her, widening his grin exponentially. “I know you’ll always do it right. I mean, I’ve seen the way your wings almost shine when you’re in the air. It’s only natural you’d do the same for somepony you care about.” He chuckled softly to himself, sending Rainbow a smile. “You know, I was gonna wait a couple more days to even talk about working on your wings, too, but…” He put his hoof on Rainbow’s cheek, wiping away some of the mud. “I don’t think we can wait that long.”

“I guess so…” She said, putting her good hoof on his. She breathed a sigh, wiggling her splinted up wings in an attempt to shake off some of the mud. “Can we at least... make it quick?”

With a nod from Soarin, the Pegasi stood up, walking to the farm’s exit. All the while, an orange Earth Pony sat by the pigsty with an inquisitive look on her face. “Wait a sec… What the hay d’ya mean by ‘flop’?”

Author's Note:

I apologize for the massive delay. This past month has had me in a flurry of different emotions that have kept me distracted from writing in a multitude of ways. There were some days where I could barely get a single sentence out! Even now my confidence isn't at its highest, and I'm not sure how many of you will actually like this chapter. I really do hope you enjoy it, though. I've got something interesting planned for the next one, and I should hopefully get back to being more regular soon!
...
Hopefully.

Comments

[Hoofclid]

Really great chapter. I loved the whole Pinkie segment. Being able to slide *another* pony up the slide really made me laugh. And Dash is adorable when flustered.

[Dxinsider]

Love this story so much.

[SethFilms]

Hey what happened to the uploads

[Boltsinger]

9813769
It's been taking me longer to get chapters done and released due to various things happening on the life end of things. I still write every single day, but longer chapters on average, which takes more of my time.