Shattered Wings

by CleverlyDmented

Fangirl Blues

Morning had come far too quickly. The warm air blew through the guest wing as trumpets sounded through it's halls. Princess Celestia stood tall in the commons area as the girls dragged themselves in.

"Good morning, girls. Today begins your journey to Draconia, the land of the dragons. The path ahead of you will be a dangerous one," she looks at each girl as they wipe the remainder of sleep from their eyes. "But don't give up, no matter what the cost. It would be a shame to go so far just to give up, and it would be a major dishonor to Rainbow Dash." She motioned for a few servants to bring the girls saddlebags out to the Pegacoach.

"Don't worry, Princess," Twilight said, her eyes dry for the first time since the night before. "We'll do everything in our power to bring the Dragon Pearl back. You have my word."

"Very good, my most faithful student. Remember, as long as you all work as a team, you can accomplish anything."

Hoping to begin as soon as possible, the girls tore through breakfast. A few eggs and toast was enough to hold Fluttershy over until later that night. She wasn't a big eater. The others chowed down on eggs, biscuits, haysh browns, and a few sweet pastries. With energy revived, the girls gathered what few possessions they had brought with them, and followed Princess Celestia out onto the terrace. The Pegacoach rested on the edge.

"Remember, girls. You have someone very important waiting here for you, and you have a little filly that's standing by her side as we speak. Everypony is counting on you five." She looked down on her subjects with an almost motherly admiration.

"No worries, yer majesty. We're gonna find that pearl and be back here lickity-split. Ain't no doubt in my mind." AJ stood proudly, puffing her chest out. She knew that nopony believed it though. They all felt the exact same as she did. Alone, weak, and scared. Could she offer enough to honestly be of use on this quest?

Fluttershy stepped forward to the Princess, bowing deeply. "Your Highness, I just want you to know that...if I don't come back...tell Dashie that I did it for her." A small smile cracked at her lips as she spoke.

"Of course. Now then," she directed her attention to the drivers. "No playing around. There is a life hanging in the balance here, and there must be no time wasted. Do you understand?" The drivers nodded, returning their focus to the long path of clouds before them. "Good." She motioned for the girls to enter the large carriage. "This is the doorway to your journey. Don't let me down, girls."

With heartfelt waves and tears, the girls stepped into the carriage, shutting the door behind them. Celestia watched as the pegasus drivers stretched their wings, preparing to bolt out of sight. "Good luck girls." She spoke with absolute feeling, knowing what fate lay ahead of the girls. She wiped away a small tear as the carriage shot off towards the horizon, disappearing from sight within the clouds.

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The little filly squirmed on the uncomfortable couch. The constant beep of the heart monitor was the only sound echoing through the room. That, and the pained whimpers coming from little Scootaloo. Grasped in the painful world between dream and memory, she was being forced to relive the horrors that plagued her past.

The sky was horribly grey, just as it had been all day. Young Scootaloo played outside, making up games with the fictitous characters in her mind. Being a shut-in, she was never really able to make real friends. Her parents were very secretive ponies, and rarely left the house unless absolutely necessary.

"Hello, Mr. Daffodil!" Scootaloo skipped around a small, wilted flower in the back yard. The small plant was the only one that could see the large bruise on her otherwise perfect face. It was the only half-living thing that would ever see the tears that feel from her eyes as she pretended that everything in life was perfect.

But she knew that it wasn't. Scootaloo knew that as soon as she went inside, it would go back to the same routine. She would step through the door and her mom would start yelling at her about something stupid, most of the time something that a neighbor did, or that her mother couldn't do. Everything was always warped to be her fault.

"If it weren't for you, your father and I would be happy. We could be out of this dump and living the high life. We should've gotten rid of you when you were a foal. You're just useless."

And then, after dinner, the real horror would begin. Her father would be heavily salted at that point. And when he was salted, he was violent. Her father was a unicorn, so he could easily torment her with magic. Sometimes, he would hurl rocks at her for fun, or beat her senseless with a crude stick. One time, he threw a knife at her, cutting her cheek. He never yelled, barely spoke to her, but when he did, she knew what it meant.

"You little piece of trash, that was your mothers favorite vase. You're in for it now." That was the day that she had slipped down the stairs and knocked over a priceless vase that her mother won in a bet. She cowered in the corner while her mom yelled, and then once her dad got home, all hell broke loose.

That night, she was rushed to a hospital. He had fractured her back right leg and given her a major concussion. She didn't remember any of it, other than the horrible, cruel look in his eyes. The look that scared her the most. In his eyes were absolute hatred, and a severe wish that she would just die.

She finally found some solice on that fateful day. She was with her mom in town, drug around to do errands, when a small filly fell from a building. Scootaloo watched in terror as the filly neared the ground. That's when it happened. At first, it was just a flash of light and colors, of a rainbow. But then, holding the filly up from the ground, stood a beautiful and proud mare. She set the filly down as the parents ran out to thank her. "Name's Rainbow Dash, soon-to-be Wonderbolt. No need to thank me." She gave a cocky but adorable smile and flew off, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.

"See, why can't you be useful, like her?" Scootaloo's mom admonished her for her failure as a daughter, and as a pony in general. That was the day that little Scootaloo vowed to be as great as that mare. To be as awesome as Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo endured nearly 4 years of this torment. Finally, it all ended. Her parents were at a race track in Cloudsdale. They had locked her in her room, telling her that if she left, they'd kill her. She didn't move an inch for the five hours they were gone. She spent the time staring at the small picture of Rainbow Dash that she kept hidden under her mattress. It was the only solice she had to remain sane.

The click of the lock on her door shocked her back to reality. She quickly stuffed the picture under her bed, sitting perfectly still. He father walked in, his eyes bloodshot. He was salted. That was never a good thing.

"You're mom says that you wanna be like that Rainbow Dash girl. Well let me tell you something. You're a worthless, weak filly that will never amount to anything. You'll be lucky if you survive to be half her age." He spit on the ground, glaring at the small filly. "Besides, why would you wanna be like her? She's just as worthless as you. She's a waste of perfect pony space, and would be better off in the bottom of a lake."

That flipped a switch in Scootaloo's mind. She had finally had enough. "Okay, you listen up. I'm sick and tired of you treating me like manure. I'm a pony, flesh and blood like you. What makes you any better? And don't ever talk about Rainbow Dash like that. She's three times the pony you could ever HOPE to be." She panted heavily, glaring at her father with intense hatred.

"How dare you, you little brat." Clouded by the salt, he charged at her. She jumped out of the way and he tripped over the bed. The window behind it shattered as he blew through it, plummeting to the ground. There was no Rainbow Dash to save him. He hit the ground with a sickening SPLAT.

"What the hay is going on?" Her mother walked in just then, taking in the shattered window and the shocked Scootaloo. "You little..." She didn't have time to finish before she jumped at Scootaloo. The little filly freaked out, grabbing her bedside lamp and throwing it. SMACK. The lamp struck dead between her eyes, sending her body into shock and shutting down her organs. Blood ran from her unmoving mouth, pooling around Scootaloo.

For the first time, she was free. Her oppressors were dead, never to hurt her or torment her again. But....she was absolutely alone. She didn't know anypony. No friends, no family. She had absolutely nowhere to go. So there she sat in her mothers blood for hours, crying, clenching the picture of Rainbow Dash for dear life.

The funeral service was short. There weren't very many that showed up, other than the mayor and the medics that had found Scootaloo three days later, still sitting in her mother's dried blood. She stared at the ground as her parents bodies were lowered into the earth. She wanted to say Good riddance. She wanted to be happy that they were dead, that they would never hurt her again...but at the same time, she wanted them back. At least then....she wouldn't be alone.

Beep....beep.....

The sound of the heart monitor brought Scootaloo back into the waking world. She looked around, realizing that it was now early in the morning. Shaking the horrors from her mind, she looked through the window. In the distance, a pegasus-drawn carriage flew over the horizon.

"Please get back in time.....please"

She looked back at her idol, who had given her hope when she needed it most. It broke her heart to see Rainbow Dash like this. So broken. So helpless. When would she wake up?

Beep.....beep....

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Cloudsdale was by no means a small city. The streets were often packed with pegasi, and very rarely did anything go unnoticed by at least somepony. That's why it was a surprise when, on a cold winter night, a small bundle was found in front of the Best Wings Orphanage.

Mrs. Brightwing was awoken late into the night by a loud knock. Having to keep track of 5 young colts and fillies on her own, she was always exhausted. Temptation said to stay in bed, ignore it, and get some sleep. But something in her head was beating against her brain, telling her that it was important. Call it mother's intuition?

She stretched her wings as she walked to the front door. Who could possibly need her at such a late hour? Oh well. It was her aim to please everypony. That was often considered her biggest flaw, but she didn't care. She opened the door, expecting to see somepony.

Instead, there was nothing but darkness. Maybe she had imagined the knocking? She was about to turn around and close the door, when a slight sound caught her ear. It was familiar, one she had heard so many times before. Resigned to the truth of how cruel some ponies could be, she turned to look down. It was always the same thing, a small basket, filled with a plump blanket, and no note. But something about this one was different. She pulled the blanket from over the small foals head, and she was amazed.

Never before had she seen such a beautiful mane. It was striped with different colors, each one that of a rainbow. The foal was a sky blue pegasus with the cutest smile. Her face was nearly perfect, not a single flaw to be found. She was nestled comforatbly in the thick wool blanket, unaware of what was going on. As Mrs. Brightwing lifted the basket, the small foal opened her eyes. They reflected a beautiful shade of red. She smiled up at the stranger.

"I guess you don't have a name, do you sweetheart?" She gave the little foal a kind and warm smile. "Let's call you...Rainbow Dash." The foal looked up at her with those beautiful red eyes and smiled. She liked the name.

And so, little Rainbow Dash became a resident of the Best Wings Orphanage.

7 years passed. Rainbow Dash had become a part of the family in Mrs. Brightwing's eyes. The same couldn't be said for the 5 others that she shared the home with.

"What a blank-flank. You're the only one here without a cutie mark. Maybe we should kick you out!" Moonheart was the oldest out of all of them, also being the first to get his cutie mark, which was a small set of ivory clouds. Out of all of them, he was the only one who could manipulate the weather. "I bet even momma Brightwing doesn't want you."

Dashie never outwardly showed her feelings, because she knew that the others would make fun of her. But when she was alone, she cried. She knew that she was weak. She knew that she couldn't compete with the others. And she was stuck with the perpetual fear that she would be a blank-flank forever. Her only comfort came from momma Brightwing.

"Don't let the others get to you, Dashie. I'm willing to bet that you're destined to be more than any of them could hope to be." She always spoke with a smile, very rarely even raising her voice. "Just give it time. You'll find your purpose."

The comfort that Rainbow Dash had didn't last long. On her eighth birthday, Dashie had to watch as Momma Brightwing collapsed in the kitchen. She had suffered a major heart attack, and died on the spot. It was so sudden, so unexpected, that Dashie couldn't comprehend it. Her mind refused to register the fact that her mother was dead.

The funeral came, and the orphans were placed in special care. The others blamed Rainbow Dash, saying that she could've saved the only mother that any of them had ever known. The words stung her like a thousand needles. But Rainbow Dash refused to let them get to her anymore. Momma Brightwing's words still lingered in her head. Maybe she was right...maybe Dashie would be something great in life. Until that time came, she would have to put up with the idiots that she had grown to see as her family.

Her chance came nearly 7 months after they were all placed in a new foster home in Cloudsdale. The place didn't have a name. It was a secondary place where the most unfortunate foals went. There was no Momma Brightwing there to comfort them. Only the cold and strict Mistress Silver. She didn't tolerate nonsense.

One day, while playing outside, an older colt watched as Rainbow Dash flew through the air. Over the course of the year, she had taken a large interest in flying, and began to develop her own tricks to impress the other orphans. She had slowly become popular in the house, even impressing Mistress Silver at one point. Now, the old colt walked up to the door, knocking loudly.

The door opened to show Mistress Silver's usual sneer. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Yes ma'am. My name is Nightwing. I am the owner of the Cloudsdale Flight Academy. I was passing by and couldn't help but notice a young filly flying around here. Would she happen to be yours?"

"If you mean Rainbow Dash, then yes. She is in my care. Might I ask why you are asking about her?"

"Of course. She has such raw talent as a flier. I would like to accept her into my academy, that way she can hone her skills. I think she may have a future ahead of her."

Mistress Silver smirked slightly. "That's all good and well, but we don't just give away our foals here. Unless she were to be adopted by somepony, there's no way we could just release her to you."

He thought about it for a second, quickly making up his mind. "Of course. This isn't an opportunity I can pass up though. I will adopt her myself, if it's all the same to you." He spoke with finality, the calmness of a stallion who knew what he wanted.

Dashie was introduced to her new adoptive father, and as he explained why he wanted her, her little eyes grew wide. She couldn't contain the smile that spread across her face. The other orphans envied her, and even Moonheart was stunned. She quickly hugged his leg, absolutely ecstatic.

The two of them left the orphanage, and Dashie went off to her new life.

Suddenly, pain erupted through her body as she was brought back into conciousness. She looked around desperately, only to realize that she was still comatose. Nothing but darkness. If she focused, she could hear the constant beep of a heart monitor. She was still in the hospital, still alive. But she was also still in major pain.

Somewhere, through the veil of darkness, she could hear something. It was a faint sound, like someone sighing. Or..was it crying? She listened harder.

"Please...please don't let her die....she's all I've got in this world." The voice was soft...broken. It took Dashie a moment to recognize it. Scootaloo. "Please....She's the closest to a mom I have anymore...." She spoke through heavy sobs. Her words made every cell in Rainbow Dash's body cringe with regret. She had yelled at this little filly just...how long ago? She didn't even know what day it was. She pushed the thought aside, thinking about the filly crying next to her.

I promise, Scootaloo. If i make it out of this, you'll never be alone again. I should've been there for you sooner...

She rested on thinking about the future, until she faded into blackness once again.

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Fluttershy looked through the small side window of the carriage. They had been traveling for nearly 5 hours now. It was nearing 2:00, and they still had ground to cover. She was beginning to wonder if they could make it to the border before nightfall.

The other girls decided to rest, thinking it best to conserve their energy. Fluttershy was too wound up to be able to sleep. She had spent the time shuffling through her memories of Dashie. She wanted every bit of motivation that she could get that would push her through the trials ahead.

As she lay her head back, she was hit with a sudden headache. It went away fast enough, but the pain it caused was nearly unbearable. She bit her lip to stop the tears. What could that have been? She fought back the fear that flooded her mind.

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Doctors buzzed around the hospital room, surroung the convulsing mare. Scootaloo stood far off into the corner, crying. She had heard of this sort of thing before. It was called a seizure, and from the looks of things, it was bad.

"Please, Momma Brightwing...if you're watching over me...please...give me a miracle" She let the tears pelt her fur as doctors stuck needles and such inside of Rainbow Dash. Her eye looked sunken as perspiration coated her body.

No one could ever know the pain that Dashie felt right now. She was lucky enough to be unconcious, but she was on the brink of death. Her body convulsed horribly as her heart skipped several beats. The poison was getting worse, eating away her entire internal system. Time was running out.

Comments

[GTPGuy]

Dammit fluttershy nooooooooo

Loving the story though ~~

[Talow]

wait a minute... sacrifice and death... and success.... hmm... *Closes eyes* I wonder... but it never said whom would die, just that success will be made at a great...sacrifice.... hmm.. i wonder if death is actually life-changing. anyway, good story.

[N.R.Living]

Feverishly awaiting the next chapter to this. Man, got me biting my nails.

[CleverlyDmented]

Lovin the praise guys, Thanks for the support. Just remember, not every prediction should be taken for face value ;3

[ArcaneTrex]

YES
THIS
IS
WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aporath25]

Great chapter. Keep up the good work.