I'm in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of orifices I didn't know I had. Why am I there? Why is Rainbow Dash sitting in the corner? Why is she crying?
I'm in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of orifices I didn't know I had. Why am I there? Why is Rainbow Dash sitting in the corner?
The quiet beep, beep, beep of a heart monitor rouses me from my slumber. At first, my eyelids are too heavy to open, and instead, I try to take a mental checklist of myself. Emphasis on try; it's hard to feel anything. I'm pretty sure I have a sickeningly large tube shoved down my windpipe, though.
It doesn't take long for my addled mind to realize I'm in a hospital of some sort, but I can't remember how I got here. The last thing I remember is checking in to my hotel in Las Pegasus. I was here for... something. A Wonderbolts performance! Yes, that was it. How did I get from a hotel to the hospital? Was there a fire? I decide to figure that out later, and instead make a second attempt at opening my eyes.
A soft light washes over me. I'm in a clean, white room, with yellow sunlight filtering through a single window. A lone potted plant sits in the corner, accompanied by a chair currently occupied by a cyan pegasus with a striking rainbow-colored mane.
Rainbow Dash.
The name floats into my conciousness, unbidden. I don't know where it came from, because I can't remember meeting whoever this is, or even seeing them at all. Yet, something about her tingles the depths of my memory, teasing me with meaningless tendrils of recognition. That same rainbow colored mane whipping across her face as she flies by me. Her magenta eyes, staring into mine...
Wait a minute, she's had her head in her hooves this entire time. I've never seen her eyes before now. What's going on? Is this a dream? Where did she come from?
...and why is she crying?
It was hard to hear, before, but as I swivel my ear in her direction, quiet sniffles make themselves known over the soft beeping of the heart monitor. Did she mistake me for somepony else? Is she some long lost relative I never knew I had?
I try to shift my position, but my limbs feel like lead. I can hear my heartbeat slowly start to rise as the beeps happen faster and faster. Ok, I'm in a hospital. This is bad. Then again, I'm not dead, which is good. I struggle to ignore the giant tube shoved down my throat. Just... deep breaths, deep breaths...
"Oh thank Celestia, you're awake!" Rainbow Dash, assuming that really was her name, flew over to my side. "The doctors... didn't know if you'd ever wake up. I—I—" She stumbled over her words, then lapsed into silence. I was terribly confused. Why was this mare I didn't know so concerned about my well-being? Not that it wasn't appreciated, but...
"C-crap man, I-I'm so sorry." She finally managed to choke out. She sounded awfully close to bursting into tears again. "I just... I didn't know. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry!" The dam finally broke, but she had no tears left. She simply started sobbing pitifully, her hooves dangling over the bed protector, her head lying against my side.
Jeez, what was she crying about? I was here, now, right? It couldn't have been that ba—
A surge of adrenaline rips through me, and my heart hammers against my chest. The heart monitor begins beeping frantically as I start counting my limbs.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
One...
Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep
Two...
Beep Beep Beep Beep
Three...
BeepBeepBeepBeep
Four...
beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep
No! My eyes widen. I struggle to cry out, but I'm being suffocated by this tube. I try to lift my hooves, try to get the tube out of me, but I can't lift them. I look over to the side of the bed, but Rainbow Dash has already left. Left me alone to die in this hospital bed, trapped in bandages. The world begins to fall away as I struggle to move limbs I can't feel, trying to look underneath me, trying to ignore the hot tears that are forming in my eyes.
One thought reverberates through my head, over and over, roaring in my ears. I can't hear anything anymore. Terror grips my heart. I barely notice Rainbow Dash return with a small army of nurseponies, barely notice as they stab a disturbingly long needle into my hind leg. There is only fear and confusion. Even as the beeping of the heart monitor begins to slow, and I feel myself being pulled back into the darkness, the thought echoes through my rapidly fading conciousness...
My head feels like somepony shattered it into tiny pieces and put them back together in the wrong order. Pain drags me out of the darkness and sets me in a familiar soft bed. As I slowly regain cognitive function, I notice I no longer have a tube in my windpipe. My throat is also drier than an Appeloosan summer day. The room smells clean and sterile, but not unpleasantly so. Hushed voices argue with each other to my right. The heart monitor beeps at me from my left, and very faintly, the hustle and bustle of the hospital can be heard much farther away.
With no small amount of effort, I crack open my eyes. The room from yesterday is gone, and I find myself in a smaller room with a window on the right side instead of the left. It's dark outside, and another potted plant bravely guards the window. There's a counter to my right, lit with a soft light that fills the room with a pleasant, dim glow. Farther down, near the foot of my bed, Rainbow Dash is talking to a unicorn with a stethoscope around his neck.
Rainbow Dash notices me first. She inhales sharply, then nods her head in my direction. The doctor looks towards me with a raised eyebrow. "I did not expect you to recover so soon, my friend."
The doctor trots over to the side of the bed, and starts looking at various readings from the fancy machines I'm plugged into. "Hmmm, everything seems to be stable."
I try to wet my lips, but I can't seem to summon any saliva. I open my mouth to request a drink, only to find a small paper cup already levitating near my lips.
"I take it you're thirsty, hmmm? Here you go, drink up."
I never knew water could taste so good. Mana from heaven dribbles down my parched throat, bringing my vocal chords back to life. After downing the entire cup in one go, I immediately request another. The doctor patiently refills the cup for me, and then again, until I nod my head. "Thanks."
"It's the least I can do. Are you feeling well? We've been trying to wean you off the morphine, but you've still got a cocktail of painkillers in you. I hope they're working."
I try to shift around, only to wince. "It's fine if I don't move."
The doctor nods. "Good, good. Hmmm, well, your vitals are mostly fine, and you've taken the blood transfusion well." He paused, pursing his lips before continuing. "You lost a lot of blood. You'll need to drink lots of fluids and increase your salt intake to recover blood volume, but your blood pressure has mostly recovered. That, however, is not why we're here."
The unicorn looks over at Rainbow Dash, who suddenly decides that floor tiles are fascinating. "Miss Dash, I believe you wanted to personally inform him? Pegasi usually take this better when it comes from a friend."
"But I don't know her," I blurt out, and Rainbow Dash looks up. Her eyes are full of surprise, and pain, and grief. "I'm... sorry?" I add.
"It's not your fault," says the doctor, "your heart stopped on the way to the hospital. The medics spent ten minutes bringing you back to life. You'll have trouble remembering the past three days for a while. I'm sorry to say that the 24 hours before the accident will likely never come back."
Trotting up next to me, Rainbow Dash hangs her forelegs over the bedside barrier again. "Do... do you remember my name?" she asks, hesitant and uncertain. For some reason, this strikes me as uncharacteristic of her, even though we've supposedly never met. Then again, I have no idea how I know her name, either.
"...Rainbow Dash?" I venture.
Instantly, her eyes are filled with relief, but it quickly turns to guilt. "Oh thank Celestia, you do remember. Maybe... maybe you'll remember most of it, eventually." She looks away. "I'm... sorry. I... I don't know what I was thinking, I just—"
"Rainbow Dash," interrupted the doctor, "he doesn't know what you're talking about."
Flinching, Rainbow Dash nodded. "Right, um, maybe I should start from the beginning? I'm sure you have lots of questions."
I do have lots of questions, but as my heart begins to pound against my chest, one in particular stands out from the rest. One that I want answered more than anything else in the world, yet never want to discover. A question I wish I could run away from, but couldn't. I had to know.
"W-why can't I feel my wings?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Rainbow Dash swallows a lump in her throat, looking over to the unicorn. He nods, his face completely unreadable. She turns back to me, gazing into my eyes. She takes a hoof and places it on my shoulder, before her mouth opens. Then it closes again. Then it opens once more.
For some reason, I expect to dramatically burst into tears and pitiful sobbing. Perhaps I watch too many movies. Instead, I just stare at the rainbow-maned pegasus in front of me with trembling lips, and then slowly return my gaze to the wall in front of my bed.
"...Amputated?" I ask in a small voice, filled with fear.
My companions are silent. Rainbow Dash nuzzles my cheek. The doctor begins fiddling with various things over by the counter as I just stare at the wall in shock. I feel like I should be crying, but all I can feel is disbelief. These kinds of things happened to other ponies, not to me. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't.
"W-why?" I eventually croak, looking back over to Rainbow Dash.
She hesitates. "Well, I should really start at the beginning, but..."
"I don't want you two to go over that until tomorrow," finishes the doctor. "I want to give you some more time to try and remember yourself. Memories are best discovered ourselves, hmm?"
"But—" I protest, only for the doctor to cut me off.
"I can tell you how you looked when you were rushed into the ER, if you like. I can explain why we had to amputate your wings to save your life. What I can't do is tell you why you ended up in my emergency room. That is something for you two to discuss tomorrow." He pauses and picks up a clipboard with his magic. "Would you like me to go over your injuries?"
Nervous feelings hold an icy grip around my heart, and I take a deep, shuddering breath to calm my nerves before answering. "...Yes, please."
The unicorn uses his magic to flip through several pages on the clipboard. He frowns, and seems to be reading something. I bite my lip, trying to keep my limbs from quaking. The tension is agonizing.
"When the medics found you, you had suffered serious injuries to almost every portion of your body. You had deep lacerations across your chest, barrel, face, and forelegs. Your right foreleg was dislocated, and you'll be missing a chunk of your left ear for the rest of your life."
I subconsciously flick my bandaged left ear. What on earth happened to me? What could have caused this kind of a crash? Celestia, he hasn't even gotten to my wings, yet.
"A shallow puncture wound narrowly missed your lungs, but it injured your liver. We're hoping that doesn't cause any serious complications later. The muscle on your right hind leg was almost completely severed, but our surgeons were able to save most of it. You'll have to stay off that for a while." The unicorn doctor paused to take a deep breath, and my chest tightened in anticipation. "Your left wing was almost completely torn off. There wasn't much to amputate. Your right wing was there, but the bones were shattered, and the muscles were shredded to ribbons. I know we have fairly advanced healing magic, but... there wasn't anything left to heal. It was just... pieces of muscle hanging off splintered bone. There was nothing we could do. I'm sorry."
I swallow a lump in my throat. I focus on my breathing. In and out, in and out, nice and slowly.
"I'll leave you two alone. Rainbow Dash, visiting hours end at midnight." Rainbow Dash nods to the unicorn as he trots out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
It is silent, save for the quiet beeping of a heart monitor, and my own nervous breathing. I stare straight ahead, trying to calm the whirlwind of thoughts going through my head. My lip trembles, and I quietly sniff. A tear escapes my eye, and dribbles down the fur on my cheek. "Why did this happen to me?" I whisper to no one in particular. Rainbow Dash nuzzles my cheek again, and gently lays a hoof across my chest. It is an odd feeling to have a stranger comforting me, but I am grateful for it all the same, even if something must have happened in those three days I couldn't remember.
We stay like that for a while. I never burst into tears. I simply lay there, quietly sniffing and swallowing the occasional sob. It is the kind of sadness that is so all encompassing that crying doesn't seem to do it justice. Rainbow Dash never says anything. There isn't anything to be said. Nothing could be said. My life has simply ended. It's over. I had toyed with fate one too many times, and now it has taken everything from me. What's the point? I don't cry myself to sleep, but I get pretty close. It's more like, sniffling and making indistinct whines of grief until the world finally falls away.
My mind floats through the blackness, blind to reality. Muffled voices fade in and out of my awareness, as my brain slowly begins to turn itself back on. The quiet movement of ponies teases my ears and tickles my mind. I hear the soft clip-clop of hooves against a polished floor. The bitter tang of coffee wafts past my muzzle, and I stir. Dragging my uncooperative eyelids open, I'm greeted by the blue light of morning decorating the floor beneath the window. The door to my room is ajar, and a familiar cyan pegasus is sleeping on a pillow in the corner. My thoughts are jumbled, and it seems like half my brain knows it's in a hospital and the other half thinks it should be back home in Cloudsdale. For a moment, I don't move at all, and simply try to synchronize my addled conciousness. I try to approximate some sort of morning stretch with my limited mobility, only for a spike of pain to shoot through my withers.
No wings.
The events of last night come crashing down on me, and I let out a pathetic whimper. My mood is strapped to a lead brick and dumped into a black, unforgiving well. Whatever was nice about this morning is drowned in the all consuming depression of hopelessness and defeat.
No wings.
All my hopes and dreams, gone in an instant. All I had struggled to achieve, ruined. My entire life's dedication destroyed by an accident I couldn't even remember. Suddenly, I felt angry. Why did it have to be me? Why did life hate me so much? Why couldn't this happen to some other pegasus, somepony who didn't need their wings for literally everything they ever did in their life?!
I turned my fury towards the sleeping mare, but my animosity wavered. Even if this was somehow her fault, and I still didn't know what exactly happened, it had clearly torn her to pieces. She had been by my side ever since I came to, and I know she couldn't have known who I was until three days ago. I decided I didn't know if I liked her or not. Besides, she was the only one I had to talk to right now, and... I really needed someone to talk to. I'd rather talk to the mare who indirectly ruined my life than to be locked in a room, alone. Unable to move. Unable to fly.
No wings.
I try to think about something else, but the problem with being in a hospital is you can't do anything. You have to just sit there, waiting, staring at the wall. It's boring beyond belief. I would have been ok if I could move my forelegs around, but I couldn't move anything. I was wrapped up in bandages, and both my right legs were in slings.
No wings.
I try to look out the window, try to distract myself from the horrible reality, but—
No wings.
I just can't—
No wings.
But I—
No wings!
It's too much. Something inside me breaks, and all of a sudden I'm crying, my tears matting the fur on my cheeks and wetting the bandages around my face. I can't curl up, or hug my tail, or hide under my wings—
No wings!
Too much, too much, pain everywhere, sadness, anguish, misery, sorrow, grief, gloom, woe—
"Huh?"
A surprised voice jolts me out of my downward spiral. My vision is blurry from the tears, and I couldn't move my hooves to wipe my eyes, but an indistinct figure is clearly walking towards me.
"Oh, jeez, crap, uh..." The voice falters, and I hear hooves shuffling through clattering objects, looking for something. It doesn't take long for tissue to blot out my vision. A hoof is gently wiping away my tears, and I struggle to rein in the sobs that wrack my already injured body. Soon, my vision has mostly cleared, and I find myself looking into the concerned face of Rainbow Dash once again.
"Hey, dude, are you ok?"
I swallow the remains of my tears and glare at her.
"Ok, stupid question." Rainbow Dash sighs. "Look, um, is there anything in particular you wanted to do, today? I mean, we can try to see how much you remember before the... accident."
"What else can I do?" I mumble, looking down at the foot of my bed.
She winces, then gives me a nuzzle. I want to turn it away, to reject her and make her earn my trust again, but I just... I can't. I need someone to talk to. I need to be with someone.
I don't want to be alone.
I squeeze my eyes shut and nuzzle her back. I can almost feel the tension evaporate from her body. She wraps a foreleg around me and gives me the best approximation of a hug she can offer. I avoid leaning in to it, but savor the feeling anyway. Suddenly, I almost don't care what she did.
I just want someone to care about me.
We stay like that for a while, and I don't protest. Eventually, she pulls away, and lays her head on the side of the bed. "So, where do we start? Do you remember when you got to Manehatten?"
Normally, memories come to me on command, and it doesn't take much to summon them. Now, however, I have to scrunch up my muzzle, and drag them out of the sticky goo of my conciousness. With no small amount of effort, I manage to locate a memory of a rather spiffy looking hotel, and simultaneously remember reflecting on the fact that being a weatherpony sure paid well.
A flash of grief darts across my face, but Rainbow Dash either missed it, or doesn't say anything. "Y-yeah, I think so."
She gently rubs one of the few places on my stomach not covered in bandages. "Maybe we can start there? Just explain as much as you can of what happened, and I'll try to fill in the blanks."
I nod, and take a deep breath...
"Whoa," I whisper to nopony in particular. My annoyance at the hotel not having an open balcony, and forcing me to take the elevator instead of just fly to my room is banished by the impressive furnishings. There's a living room, a bathroom, and a whole separate room for the bed. This place is nice.
"Totally worth the bits." I drag my bags inside and shut the door behind me. Briefly abandoning my belongings, I trot over to the north wall of my room, which is actually just one enormous window. The sun is high in the sky, and the view is spectacular. Letting out a low whistle, I let my gaze sweep across the cityscape below me. Skyscrapers tower over a grid of roads crisscrossing the landscape, dotted with trees and carts and ponies. A scant few clouds grace the blue expanse above, and I can just make out the ocean through the maze of buildings, with sunlight dancing off it's surface.
With one last glance out the window, I trot into the bathroom. A cyan pegasus with a white mane tinged with blue walks in on the other side of the mirror. I take a moment to stretch out my wings and admire myself. Teal eyes look back at me from behind the glass.
"One day," I whisper to myself, "one day I'll show them even a weatherpony can be a Wonderbolt too."
I could barely manage to keep myself on the ground long enough to unpack my goggles before I was going down the elevator again, and practically launching myself out of the hotel. Warm air whips through my mane and tickles my primaries with each flap of my wings. I soar over the city, weaving in between buildings, and let out a cry of joy as I make a hairpin turn around one particular skyscraper. This was being alive. The open sky, and the wind rushing past me, and the speed. I go into a dive and straighten out just ten meters above the ground, rocketing past a musician playing a cello on the street.
Despite the fun I'm having, there's a purpose behind my flight. Before every Wonderbolts show, all the stunt fliers in the city gather for practice sessions. A little impromptu Wonderbolts camp, you might call it. Manehatten was a big city, so there were quite a few gatherings going on. I was headed towards the one near the west side of town, over a large park.
Naturally, it didn't take long to get there. I must've been going almost two hundred kilometers an hour, and I was grinning the whole way. I was not, however, greeted by the sight I expected. Instead, the pegasi were in a semicircle around a mare with nearly the same coat color as me, except her mane was a brilliant rainbow. As I drew in closer, I could make out her voice.
"... so then Princess Celestia herself congratulated me. Yeah, I'm just that awesome. And I'm the fastest flier in Equestria."
Wow, really? Who was this, the grand narcissist of Manehatten? Somepony should wipe that smug grin right off her face. Not that it wasn't expected. Stunt fliers tended to be brash and outspoken ponies. You get that many egos in one place and things like this happen. What I always liked about stunt flying, though, was that arguments were easy to settle. Whoever goes the fastest, wins.
"So why aren't you a Wonderbolt yet?" calls out a pegasus from the crowd.
"I'll be a Wonderbolt!" she shouts. "Just you wait and see! I'll be Rainbow Dash, the fastest and most awesome Wonderbolt anypony has ever seen!" She flies up to the front of the crowd. "You wanna have a go at it? Huh? Huh?"
"How about you show us, big shot!" I call out to this 'Rainbow Dash', swooping in above the crowd. "You and me, and whoever else wants in, we'll race you all the way to the docks on the other side of town."
A wide, almost manic grin spreads across Rainbow Dash's face. "Your funeral, pal!" She turns to the rest of the pegasus. "You heard the colt, I'll race you all to the other side of the docks. First one to reach the water's edge at any altitude wins." She gives her wings a powerful flap and sweeps her gaze over the assembled pegasi. "If you can't keep up, don't step up, you'll just lose."
With that, she points herself towards the water's edge, her wings precisely perpendicular to her body, marking out the starting line. The other pegasi line up beside her, a few of them whispering amongst themselves, many of them far too confident for their own good. Then again, every stunt flier was too confident for their own good... including myself. I just hadn't realized it yet.
"Three!" she calls out.
I take my place next to Rainbow Dash and straighten my back.
A few pegasi who aren't participating shout "Go!" while hovering around us, but their words are lost in a thundering roar as several hundred pegasi launch into the air at blistering speeds. Had I not undergone training, my jaw probably would have dropped when I saw Rainbow Dash take off. Five seconds into the race and she was already twice as far as everypony else. She was flying impossibly fast. I grit my teeth and focus on my wings. If I'm lucky, she's just a sprinter, and she'll lose momentum before she reaches the docks. I hope.
I quickly locate an errant tailwind and beat my wings off it, accelerating quickly. As the breeze fades, I spread my wings out and concentrate. Another favorable jetstream brushes past my feathers, and I roll into it, my powerful wings driving me forward fast enough to overtake the head of the pack. Before I know it, I'm back inside the city, dodging skyscrapers with ease and feverishly flapping my wings. I haven't lost track of Rainbow Dash yet, but she's still pulling ahead. It's insane. I'm trading wind with three other pegasi who have pulled ahead of the pack, desperately trying to stay ahead of them so their turbulence doesn't throw me off.
There's nothing quite like a stunt flier race across town. Hundreds of pegasi tear through the sky, weaving in and out of the buildings, braiding the air behind them in a magnificent display of skill and grace. The hobbyists are easy to pick out, trailing behind at only a hundred or so kilometers an hour. The serious ones scream through the air like missiles, leaving the rest behind as they accelerate to over 300 km/h.
Then there was Rainbow Dash, who made the rest of us look like flying bricks. She must have been going nearly 700 km/h, and she wasn't slowing down. I growled, and focused on flying through a straight gap between skyscrapers. I put everything I had into flapping my wings, focusing on minute adjustments to maximize my gains on whatever breezes I could find rushing between the buildings. I angled slightly downward, and continued the acceleration for a while before straightening out and maintaining speed. Wind tore across my wings, threatening to rip my feathers out. Buildings and windows flashed by me in a blur, and I was certain I had almost reached my top speed of 450 km/h.
What had once been an attempt to show Rainbow Dash what a real stuntpony could do had now turned into an embarrassing attempt to simply get to her before anypony else. I couldn't see any other pegasi around me, but I couldn't afford to look backwards. Only amateurs looked backwards. Or Rainbow Dash, who was apparently the goddess of speed and could do whatever the hell she wanted. I think I saw her doing a few loop-de-loops, just to piss us off. Sweet Celestia, is she already at the docks?!
My wings burn in protest, and every flap sends another jolt of pain through my body. I don't care. The street has turned into a grey blur, and the streetlamps have turned into elongated blobs. Up ahead I can see the sandy beach approaching, but I resist the urge to flap harder. I had to sustain this speed all the way there.
Five more seconds.
My wings are on fire.
Four seconds.
I angle slightly upwards and increase my wing beats to get over the last building.
Three seconds
I swear my wings are going to fall off, but I keep going.
Two.
I've almost reached the beach.
One.
The beach rushes past me in a flash of white, and I straighten my wings. Throbbing pain burns my joints, but at least gliding doesn't make it any worse. I rocket past the edge of the water, and immediately begin banking wide. I circle around to about where Rainbow Dash has been hovering in the air, and promptly collapse on the ground.
I can barely breath. My lungs are on fire, and my wings hang uselessly at my sides. I don't think I've ever flown that fast in my life before. I manage to lift my head far enough off the ground to realize that I've successfully beaten the rest of the pegasi to Rainbow Dash by a significant margin. Gasping for breath, I almost don't notice Rainbow Dash landing next to me.
"Still not as fast as me, but that was pretty slick." Suddenly, instead of being angry at her for being so full of herself, I'm grateful for the compliment. If she can fly that fast, then she can say whatever the hell she wants to as far as I'm concerned. She didn't even sound out of breath! What was this girl made of?!
"How, *gasp*, the fuck, *gasp* are you *gasp* that fast?!" I ask her, panting like a dog, still unable to move my wings, which were threatening to cramp up on me.
She grinned. "I'm Rainbow Dash."
I flop over on my side, desperately trying to catch my breath. Celestia, I could barely move after that, and here she was, having gone twice as fast as any of us, and she'd barely broken a sweat. "I, *huff*, concede." My entire body is screaming in protest. Is this what dying feels like? Is that the light? Am I heading towards the light?
Oh wait, no, that's the sun.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash giggles as I flop over, and sits down beside me. "Don't feel bad, I've never seen anyone catch up to me that quickly. It's pretty impressive, honestly. What's your name?" she asks.
"I'm, *huff* Prism Glider," I reply, trying my best not to wheeze.
"Prism Glider, huh?"
"Prism Glider?"
"Prism Glider?"
"Prism Glider!"
I snap out of my reverie to find Rainbow Dash looking at me with a raised eyebrow, next to a white nursepony holding another clipboard with a hoof. "Sorry, Mr. Prism Glider," the nurse apologizes, "but now that you're awake and thinking clearly, I need you to answer some questions. First of all, we need contact information for your immediate family. Can you tell us how to reach them?"
At the mention of my family, my blood runs cold. I try to sink into the pillow, away from the expectant gaze of the nurse. Almost immediately, concern flashes across her eyes, and she turns to Rainbow Dash. "Miss Dash, could you please step outside for a moment?"
"Nuh uh, I'm—"
The nurse glares at Rainbow Dash. "This is a private conversation, Miss Dash, and you will respect physician–patient privilege. Is that clear?"
Rainbow Dash seems to shrink a whole two inches under the nurse's glare and slinks outside.
The nurse looks back to me with a small smile. "It's okay," she says in a soft voice, "nothing will leave this room without your permission. We need to let somepony know, but we don't have to contact your parents. Is there somepony else you'd like to talk to? A sibling, or an uncle, perhaps?"
I avoid her gaze. "Can't you just... tell a few of my close friends, instead?"
"I'm sorry if there's been a... problem, Mister Glider, but we need at least one close relative as your next of kin." She delicately places a hoof on my withers. "If you like, we can omit any details you want to speak to them privately about. Would that make you feel better?"
Her answer is a tiny nod from me, and I breathe in and out, wincing slightly. If only Uncle Gem Clover was still alive... I could tell my cousins, but, ugh, they aren't much better. I let out a groan. "Can you just... tell them it's because of... an injury? Without mentioning my wings?"
"Certainly," says the nurse, scribbling some things down on her clipboard.
"In that case, tell... Tell Madame Belle her son is in the hospital."
The nurse frowns. "Belle Ball? Head of Belle house in Canterlot?"
I nod silently.
"But they don't have a s—" Her eyes widen, and she looks back at me with her mouth hanging open.
My withers do their best impression of a shrug. "They weren't too enthusiastic about a pegasus colt."
The nurse stares at me for a fraction of a second longer before clearing her throat and attempting to salvage what was left of her professionalism. "Well, um, I'll be sure to inform Miss Belle of the situation." Her pencil scritches across the clipboard. "If there's, uh, a problem, we can tell her you aren't taking visitors."
I sigh. "I'll give her one chance. One."
The nurse nods sympathetically. "I'll be sure to warn you in advance." She makes a few more notes on the clipboard, checks a few monitors, takes my pulse, and finally lets Rainbow Dash back in.
"Hey there, champ." Rainbow Dash wastes no time in zipping up next to my bed. "How're you doing?"
"Mostly the same as I was doing five minutes earlier." I let my head fall to the side, the soft, feathery pillow enveloping me in a fluffy embrace.
A snort disturbs my attempt to travel to the world of pillows. "Five minutes earlier I had to snap you out of some sort of storytelling coma."
"Good point," I concede, then lapse into an awkward silence.
"Sooooo..." Rainbow Dash begins, "what are you in the mood to do? Want to take a break from memory surfing?"
I groan incoherently. "I dunno... I guess I am a little hungry." My stomach growls in protest. "Okay, a lot hungry. I don't suppose I'm allowed to eat solid food yet?"
Rainbow Dash pats my good foreleg. "I'll go check, be back soon!" And with that, she’s gone.
Left to my own devices, my eyes wander towards the window. I can see bits and pieces of buildings, far away. It looks like I'm fairly high up, certainly at least on the tenth floor. A shadow blinks across the window, momentarily blotting out the light filtering through it. A bird, flying in front of the sun, or perhaps a fellow pegasus soaring through the air, free from the demands of the ground beneath him?
My eyes are tearing up again. I silently curse myself, not wanting to garner the pity of Rainbow Dash, but upon reflection, I have every reason to cry. A dark hole lives in my heart now, a piece of me lost forever. Never again would I be able to escape the material world, forever banished from the wonderful emptiness of the sky above.
A life, shattered.
"Hey, Prism!" Rainbow Dash's enthusiastic voice punches through my introspection. "So, I've got good news and ba—oh man, did something happen? Are you okay?"
My attempt to blink away my tears has evidently failed, as Rainbow Dash sets a tray on the counter and immediately goes to fetch more tissues. I whimper, ashamed of my weakness, as she once again dabs away my tears.
"It's alright, dude," she whispers, "you can cry as much as you need to, kay?" She turns her gaze towards the window. "I'd be crying too."
Something inside me breaks. A waterfall of grief washes over me, and suddenly I'm sobbing against the pillow. Rainbow Dash says nothing, simply wrapping her hooves around me, and I cry all the harder. The full, unmitigated reality of my life is open before me, and all I can see is an unforgiving plain of bleakness, devoid of hope.
Rainbow Dash stays with me the entire time, holding me as best she can in a warm embrace, softly cooing and nuzzling my mane. Even as my sadness drains me of tears, I get the feeling that Rainbow Dash doesn't show this kind of compassion for anypony except her closest, most treasured companions. She certainly didn't seem the type to get all sappy unless dire circumstances were involved.
For whatever reason, this realization lights a spark of hope within me. A hope that, perhaps even after losing my most beloved asset, I had found something to replace it with. Slowly, my sobbing subsides, and I nuzzle her back, grateful for the quiet moment. A moment wherein I can simply lay my head against hers and have my tears dried.
Then I remember that she, supposedly, did this to me, and I am stricken with conflict. I desperately want to hang on to this tiny spot of hope, but at the same time, I am wary of the mare for whom it is for. Do I treasure companionship over my ability to fly? What is important to me? Has it changed, now that my old life has been forever destroyed? Must I start anew?
Eventually, I come to the conclusion that I can decide whether or not to hate her some other time. My desire for companionship trumps the doubts lingering in the back of my mind, at least for now. I don't know what happened on the fateful day that I lost my wings. I don't know how Rainbow Dash was involved, or why she blames herself for what happened. For now, this truce will have to do.
I look up at Rainbow Dash. "So, uh, did you have something for me?"
"Wha...?" She seems momentarily disoriented. "Oh, yeah! Um, the nurse said you can't have any solid foods yet, but they gave me this really tasty-looking banana-kiwi smoothie, and a bowl of strawberry jello." She extends the legs on the tray and gingerly sets it on the bed, over my stomach. "Um, the milkshake has a straw, but the jello might be a bit tricky..."
It turns out that eating without using your wings to grab things is quite challenging. I'm not entirely sure how earth ponies manage it—then again, most earth ponies probably aren't incapacitated while lying on a hospital bed, either. Still, I manage to drink the smoothie using a comically long straw without too much difficulty. The cool drink is like liquid heaven flowing down my throat, and I slurp it happily.
"So, where did you grow up?" I ask, looking to give her something to talk about while I drink this delicious smoothie.
Rainbow Dash pulls up a pillow by the side of the bed and sits down. "Well, I grew up in Cloudsdale, like you'd expect. Went to elementary school, then raced a couple of bullies and went so fast I caused a Sonic Rainboom." She smirks. "You know, normal stuff."
"I suppose you were a shoo-in for Flight Academy, then."
Her ears droop, and she averts her gaze. "I was... actually... kind of kicked out of Flight School. I never even got a chance at Flight Academy."
I almost do a spit take with my banana smoothie, but instead manage to send myself into a coughing fit. "Kicked out? Why?! You're the best flyer I've ever seen!"
Sighing, Rainbow Dash leans her head on the small banister surrounding the bed. "After I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom, the teachers didn't like me very much. Instead of going to class, I'd be outside napping on a cloud. Instead of doing homework, I'd be practicing tricks and playing with my friends. But when the tests came around, I always passed them with flying colors, so they couldn't throw me out.
"I became obsessed with the Wonderbolts, and every night I dreamed of becoming the youngest Wonderbolt in history. In my enthusiasm, I started a stunt club at school. It was perfectly safe, and I always kept an eye on all the other pegasi and taught them proper safety procedures. Then a colt got a little overexcited about the whole thing, and did something really stupid.
"Deciding that our weekly meetups in the playground weren't enough, he attempted to do a Sonic Rainboom himself and wasn't looking where he was going. Smashed straight into another pegasus. Both of them were in serious condition for a few weeks. It had nothing to do with my stunt club, but his parents wanted to blame somepony, and my teachers were all too happy to throw me under the bus." She ends her recollection with her ears folded back and a bitter grimace on her face.
"Jeez, that sucks. What did you do? What did your parents think?"
An amused snort comes out of the cyan pegasus. "My parents are great. They're also kind of... loaded. They said it wasn't my fault and that flight school wasn't really for a mare like myself anyway. They hired a tutor to homeschool me and would take me to a huge park outside Cloudsdale to practice stunts all day. My father said he didn't care what I wanted to do when I graduated, he'd always be there for me, no matter what."
Her words are like a needle driven into my heart. Rainbow Dash must have noticed my slight frown. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. Are your parents...?"
The question was unspoken, but given what she'd heard before the nurse kicked her out, I already know what she’s asking. "Unfortunately, my parents are alive and well."
She scrunches up her muzzle. "Unfortunately?"
I sigh. "My parents were... less than supportive. Honestly, I think they wish I'd never been born. Not as a pegasus, anyway." I glare at the smoothie sitting in front of me, suddenly feeling angry. "They're just a bunch of stuck up Canterlot nobles who're only useful for whining about everything. They wanted a proper little unicorn stallion who could prance around like a bitch and go to all their stupid parties and take over the family business." I snort in annoyance. "Instead, they got me. Their ‘annoying little daredevil’, they liked to call me. Embarrassed by living proof they weren't purebloods, they kept my existence under wraps, until one day I declared I was going to be a Wonderbolt, and they disowned me entirely."
Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to gape at me. "Seriously? Jeez dude, your parents are awful. No offense."
Taking another sip of the banana smoothie, I continue. "So, yeah, I moved out of Canterlot, got a job at the weather factory in Cloudsdale, and practiced my stunt flying all day long." The thought of flying makes my ears droop again. "Guess I won't be doing that ever again, huh?"
I look up to see that Rainbow Dash has tears in her eyes again. "S-shit dude, I'm s-so sorry. Celestia, now I feel even worse about this."
Part of me wants to reassure her, but I stay silent. My life is kind of completely ruined forever now. Neither of us speaks for a while, but eventually I get sick of all the silence. I used to like the silence, back when I filled it with dreams of flying in the Wonderbolts. Now it is only filled with sadness. "So, what'd you do instead of going to Flight Academy?"
Rainbow Dash's ears perk up, and she lifts her head. "Well, my parents were willing to let me mooch off them forever, but I wanted to be my own mare. Unfortunately, it was Cloudsdale, all the jobs were taken by pegasi with degrees from the academy and stuff. My dad offered to give me a job where he worked, but... that would have ruined the whole point. So, once I took the test and got my general education degree, I got a job as a weatherpony in Ponyville. Now, normally a weather team probably wouldn't have taken a homeschooled pegasus, but Ponyville was an earth pony town, and they could barely find enough pegasi to fill the team! I gotta wonder what they did before they had a weather team. It's so close to the Everfree forest, y'know? Imagine if they just had to let the weather do whatever it wanted!"
The various egregious sucking noises produced by my attempt to finish off the banana smoothie momentarily halt. "You're eating my jello," I casually point out.
"Wha— Fuck!" While she was talking, Rainbow Dash had absent mindedly picked up a spoon and had gotten through half the jello. Sputtering and apologizing, she starts trying to salvage the rest of it as I laugh hard enough to send needles of pain through my chest.
Waving a hoof, I try to catch my breath. "Girl, don't worry about it, I don't give a crap about the jello. Go ahead and finish it."
"But—"
I gesture at the wibbly-wobbly dessert in front of me. "It's jello."
"Guh, fine," she said, reluctantly returning to nibble on the jello again. "So, as I was saying, I got a job on the Ponyville weather team, but I didn't have anywhere to live. So, uh, my dad got me a... birthday present."
Rainbow Dash pauses, as if expecting the inevitable rhetorical question. "...Birthday present?"
"He bought me a house," she blurts out, and then immediately turns away, hiding behind her wing, blushing furiously. "It's huge, I don't even know what to do with all the rooms."
I raised an eyebrow in the most incredulous expression I could manage while covered in bandages. "Your Dad bought you a house for your birthday? Are you a princess or something?" I pause. "Then again, I'm the unwanted foal of two Canterlot nobles... Does that make me the long lost prince of Belle house?"
Rainbow Dash giggled. "Well, you can be my prince."
I stare at her for a full five seconds before she realizes what she said. She runs out of the room in embarrassment, with my hysterical laughter hot on her hooves.
I'm pretty sure she doesn't normally say things like that.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash's concern draws her back to my bedside. She is quiet, still recovering from contracting a particularly nasty case of hoof-in-mouth disease. I realize that I'm staring at her mane, entranced by its multicolored hues. Such a vibrant display of color. Even under the sterile light of the hospital, it seems more real than anything else. The colors of the room fade away, until the only thing left is Rainbow Dash's mane, shifting ever so slightly in the still air of the room.
"...Are you okay?"
Her voice snaps me out of my trance. "Wha—Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Really."
Rainbow Dash looks at me with a half-smile. "...There something wrong with my mane, dude?"
Now it's my turn to blush. "It's just... mesmerizing. It's like your mane is the only thing that's real, and everything else is just a drab gray in comparison. Even the sun and the sky are just pale forgeries of the vivid colors that fly with you."
It’s only after the words leave my mouth that I realize how… romantic they sound. Still, I expect her to respond with brash confidence, bashfulness, an attempt at modesty, shyness, or even flustered speech. All of those would have been perfectly reasonable reactions.
Instead, she practically chokes on her own saliva.
"Oh jeez, are you okay?” I ask, “Was it something I said? I'm sorry!"
It takes a moment for Rainbow Dash to collect herself. "You said the same thing—cough—those same words, when we were in the restaurant—cough—and I just... I just..." She looks up at me with eyes so full of grief my heart practically breaks in two. "I wish I was there again, so I could have one more night with you." She turns away, her ears flattening against her mane. "...before I ruined everything."
"...We were in a restaurant?" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. This is not how you're supposed to comfort a grief-stricken mare.
"Yeah," she mumbles glumly, "Two, actually. We haven't gotten that far yet."
I lean back onto my pillow, giving Rainbow Dash some time to collect herself. Questions race through my mind, but my memory is still muddy. I can remember most of the day I had met Rainbow Dash, but the day after was like a giant puzzle I only had a few scattered pieces to. Tilting my head towards the window, I stare at the water in the distance, barely visible through a crack between the skyscrapers.
"Well," I sigh, "there's no time like the present."
One of Rainbow Dash's ears perks up. "Do you wanna keep going?" she asked, quietly. I'm surprised by how delicate and sensitive her voice sounds when she's quiet. I would never have expected this from the bombastic Rainbow Dash in my memories.
As more and more of my memories return, I feel something tighten in my chest. The Rainbow Dash sitting by my bedside is... different. Her loud, aggressive voice is gone. Her wit is still there, but it’s buried beneath a blanket of sadness, and the whole of her being seems subdued. There is a sadness in her eyes that never seems to go away, and it leaves me wondering... What happened?
My mind starts trying to stitch things together, but there are too many missing pieces. I'm missing something, I know I am, some critical piece of the puzzle. Unfortunately, all I have are my shattered memories. I have nothing left to do but go through them.
At length, I finally reply. "Yeah, let's keep going."
"Prism Glider, huh?" Rainbow Dash replies, seemingly oblivious to my wheezing. "Pretty cool name, if you ask me."
I manage to blindly nod in thanks as I slowly get my breathing under control.
"I'm planning on getting a hayburger over at Frosty Skies after this is all over," she continues, "You should head on over there with me. Waddaya say?"
"I-I, uh, th-th-thanks, I'll b-be there." I try to pretend that my stuttering is because I'm still out of breath and not because the fastest pegasus I've ever seen in my life just asked me to hang out with her. I'm lucky I didn't get a wingboner right then and there.
Thankfully, by this point, a number of other pegasi have reached the finish line, and are starting to congregate around us. Most of them are limping around with wings that have been worked to exhaustion. Another burly pegasus starts up a conversation with Rainbow Dash, and I take the opportunity to collapse onto the sandy beach. My wings are sore beyond belief, and if I couldn't see them with my own eyes I'd be convinced they had fallen off.
Winged ponies wander around me. I hear whispers as they speak in hushed tones about the one pegasus who had flown faster than all the rest. Had he overexerted himself? Why was he lying on the sand, barely moving? Could he even still fly after that? Their questions drift in and out of earshot, but I pay them no heed. Unfocused eyes stare off along the yellow beach, as multi-colored hooves trot across the surface, criss-crossing between each other.
"Are you gonna be ok there?" Rainbow Dash's voice lifts me out of my daydreams, and I look up just as a flash of concern leaves her face.
I barely manage to get back on to my haunches. "Oh, don't worry about me," I assure her, "I'll be fine."
Blatant lies. She looks like she knows, too, but she seems content to leave me be. "Whatever you say, dude."
She takes off, presumably back towards the stunt flier gathering spot, and a wave of pegasi follows. I watch them with blurry eyes, as a hundred different hues fly back into the sky and curve across the city in a huge, majestic arc of beating wings. In stark contrast to the race before, each pegasus now lazily flaps their wings at a comfortable pace. It's a mesmerizing sight, at least until I remember how much my wings hurt.
"Celestia, I can't move," I moan, now that everypony else is out of earshot. It takes another five minutes for me to recover enough to tuck my wings into my sides, and start the long trek back to the park.
Rainbow Dash owned the stunt fliers gathering after that race. If she had flown straight into a hurricane, we probably would have followed. She was bombarded with questions about her flying techniques, and she answered every single one of them. She was loving this, and she knew none of us had a leaf's chance in a cyclone of catching her. She could fly faster than us while upside down and backwards. She could probably eat a sandwich while beating us in a race, then finish off dessert before lapping us.
I arrived at the park a while ago, after a half hour's trek across the city, and now I'm relaxing on a low hanging cloud. The other pegasi are practicing hairpin banking techniques. Quite a few are simply trying to keep up with Rainbow Dash, who seems to enjoy toying with them. She'd let them barely catch her tailwind before leaving them in a rainbow-colored wake.
I really can't believe how bucking fast this mare is. She doesn't seem to rely on catching tailwinds like most stunt fliers did for extra speed. Instead, she simply tears straight through the air currents. I'm pretty sure her incredible acceleration forms some kind of mach cone around her, which probably helps her slice through the turbulence. I also notice that her flying technique is subtly tweaked to maximize the amount of atmosphere she has behind her wings. She tilts her wings slightly forwards when retracting from a full extension, which enables the wind she's flying into to fill the lowfall behind her wing, ensuring she's always pumping as much air as possible.
I'm also pretty sure she has pegasus magic pouring out of her ears. The girl probably has more flight magic powering her wings than half the stunt fliers here—combined. She is just unreal.
Several pegasi have flown laps around my cloud by the time I pick myself up. Standing tall on my little piece of sky, I start stretching out my wings, and heads start to turn. Stunt flying is about skill. You demonstrate skill, you get respect. Rainbow Dash might have gotten the griffon's share of the attention, but everypony there recognized me as "the guy who got to Rainbow Dash first". I haven't even taken off yet, and a dozen pegasi are already circling around me, eager to see what I can do.
I feel my muzzle curl into a grin. Oh, the things I would show them. With a lightning fast buck, I launch off of my cloud and roar into the air. My rejuvenated wings spread out beside me, and I soar through the sky, catching an updraft that launches me over a thousand meters up.
I am catching wind like nopony else could. I curve around in a huge half circle, then come screaming down towards the ground in a classic Rocket Wing maneuver. I roll out from my death defying drop into an upside-down glide, before corkscrewing into a vertical spin. I do a short 90 degree flip to get me moving horizontally, then start speeding up towards the crowd of pegasi.
For the first time, I notice that almost the entire gathering has stopped dead just to watch my stunt flying. I'd have indulged in a fair amount of feeling awesome, but I'm hurtling at them like a missile, and the trick I'm about to perform is exceedingly difficult. I break into a glide a couple hundred meters from the group, before abruptly pulling my wings back in and dropping like a rock. Momentum carries me just underneath the gathering, as I flare my wings out and do a barrel roll to bleed speed, followed by a hairpin 180. I rocket out in the opposite direction, an eruption of applause and shouting fading behind me as I complete my stunt flight.
I am rocking this party.
"So then I stumble into this guy in the gym, and I'm like, buddy, what are you doing? And he tells me he's shredding!"
The table erupts in laughter, with various pegasi pounding their hooves on the table in mirth. Rainbow Dash, several other stunt fliers, and I are at Frosty Skies for what I'd call an early dinner, and one of the more burly stunt pegasi is in the middle of describing his friend’s ill-fated attempt at improving his speed by building muscle mass.
"I can't believe it! You don't get fast at flying by getting ripped, you'll just get weighed down!" He pauses. "Unless you want a job as a wrecking ball, that is."
More laughter. I chuckle along, but my stomach grumbles, and I'm honestly more interested in where the food is than the current conversation. Couldn't they hurry it up back there?
"Seriously though, you look at all the top flyers, and they're all lean muscle, toned to perfection. Stunt flying is a game of agility, and being Bulk Biceps won't do you any favors. I mean, just look at Ms. Dash over there. She doesn't have a lick of fat on those sexy flanks and she's whipping our tails like it's yesterday morning!"
Rainbow Dash is sitting next to me at the table, and she's doing her usual cool act. "Aww, you guys are too nice." I spot her eyes flicking towards the kitchen area, and I wonder if she's just as hungry as I am.
"Don't you know it," says the burly one with a wink. Several of the mares at the table roll their eyes. "So, I tell my friend that a metric ton of muscle ain't gonna do shit for him, but he totally blows me off, and I'm like, your funeral, pal!"
The burly pegasus is too self-absorbed to notice, but Rainbow Dash's stoic face slips for just a moment, and lets a grimace slip through. She clearly does not like this stallion. The next thought to pass through my mind is, does that give me a better chance? I'm tempted to slap myself thinking like that, but at just that moment, our food arrives, and I am grateful for the short respite from socializing it brings me.
"Now, everypony knows that not a single pegasus here can raise a wing against Rainbow Dash. She is just unreal. But I gotta say," he adds, turning towards me, "I saw you catching tail back there like nopony I've ever seen. I was trading wind with you for a good tenth of a mile, but you kept riding thermals like a madpony. Those wings of yours have some magic in them, hotshot."
I'm caught off guard by his compliment. I was expecting him to downplay my skills in a ploy to woo Rainbow Dash away from me, but perhaps he doesn't quite realize we're—wait a minute. Rainbow Dash just invited me over for lunch. She hasn't said a single thing. Why am I suddenly assuming I'm with her? I'm just as bad as him.
Confused and embarrassed by both his compliment and my out of control mating urge, I blush. "I-it's nothing, really," I manage to squeak out in voice that was far too high-pitched for a stallion.
I can almost feel him giving me a predatory grin. That was a trick question. I realize, too late, that he was testing the waters to see what the competition was, and now I'd painted myself as a wanting target. He'd try to tear me apart now just to get at Rainbow Dash. Her warm smile at my admittedly stupid answer only further cemented his impression that I needed to be taken down.
He lets out a chuckle. "Come on, boy, you can't go around talking like that or mares'll think you've got a dud under the hood!"
"Don't tell me flying is the only thing you know how to do?" A smaller stallion pipes up, but a glare from Rainbow Dash is sufficient to shut him up. Sadly, the same can't be said for the burly one.
"Man, wouldn't that be a bummer?" he adds. "No mare wants a pegasus who finishes in bed just as fast as he finishes a race."
Come on, Prism Glider, I think, trying to dredge a retort from my addled brain, defend yourself! “Well, I—”
He completely ignores me. “I mean, kicking clouds is nice, but if that’s the only thing you’re good for, that’s kinda sad.”
“But, that’s not—” I try to formulate a defense, only to get cut off again.
“And really, this whole conversation you’ve just been sitting there awkwardly, like a—”
“Shut up!” Rainbow Dash’s voice echoed through the diner. I spare a peek at the other diners, and several of them are unsuccessfully attempting to pretend they aren’t staring at us. If I hadn’t felt uncomfortable before, I sure do now.
The burly pegasus is taken aback by Rainbow Dash’s sudden outburst. “Whoa, miss, what’s got your tail in a knot? Surely you aren’t defending that guy?” He jabs a hoof in my direction, like he’s pointing out a pile of manure.
Rainbow Dash snarls, and her wings fan outwards. “Yeah, well, last time I checked, you couldn’t even keep up with that guy.”
There is a noticeable shift in weight as the burly pegasus stands up and puts his hooves on the table. “You take that back.”
Rainbow Dash leans forward, pushing her muzzle straight against his. “Make me.”
For a moment, I think it might come to blows. My gaze flickers over to the other pegasi at the table, searching for some kind of reaction, but all of them seem to be reaching for the metaphorical popcorn instead. I look back towards Rainbow Dash, and she has a fire in her eyes I’ve never seen before. It’s obvious that she wouldn’t hesitate to beat the feathers off this guy. He seems to realize it too, because he eventually relents.
“Well, we wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt the queen of speed, now would we?” The burly pegasus sits down with a smirk on his face, but the angry glance tells me that it’s just another ploy, another attempt to save face.
Rainbow Dash is having none of it. “If I’m the queen of speed, you’re not even a prince.” She leaps out of her seat and flicks her tail at him. “We’re leaving,” she says. It isn’t a request, or an order, it’s simply a statement of fact. I quietly follow her out the door, sparing only a single glance at the pegasus glaring at me from the table. We walk a couple blocks before Rainbow Dash finally breaks the silence.
"Ugh, stallions," she mutters. "Always thinking with the thing between their legs instead of the thing between their ears."
I let out a quiet cough, and her gaze turns to me.
"Well, except you," she adds with a smile.
I nervously swallow a large lump of irony. Or maybe I’m just better at hiding it, I think to myself. My cheeks burn with shame, but she mistakes it for flattery.
“No, really,” she insists. “You’re not like those other assholes, you don’t treat this like some kind of dating game. You’re all about the flying. You’re doing this because you love it, not because you’re just trying to get laid.”
“Uh, thanks.” I awkwardly scratch the back of my neck with a hoof.
“And even if you are trying to get laid, at least you’re not a dick about it.”
I almost trip over my own hooves.
The sun is setting, and I’m idly flying around the city with Rainbow Dash. We’re weaving through the skyscrapers and chatting about flying techniques when a thought occurs to me.
“Just how fast can you go?” I ask.
Rainbow Dash giggles. “Well, for that race I was doing about 19 wingpower, but I can go a lot faster. Normally I can’t do more than 30 wingpower.”
I blink. “But… but that’s Mach 1! Are you saying you can’t fly faster because you hit the sound barrier?!”
Rainbow Dash grins, and it is the most lovably manic grin I’ve seen on her for a while. “Oh no, I just said that normally I can’t fly faster because of the sound barrier.” She tosses her mane in the wind. “Until I break it.”
At this point, something finally connects in my brain, and my jaw drops. “You’re the filly they were talking about all those years ago! The one that did a Sonic Rainboom!”
“The one and only,” she boasts, clearly delighted by my revelation. We take a sharp turn around the narrow peak of a skyscraper and start riding a thermal down towards the roof of another.
Naturally, there is only one question I could possibly ask next. “So… can you do one now?”
She hesitates. Somewhere behind the glint of the setting sun in her eyes, I see a flash of uncertainty. “Weeeeeeeeell, maybe. I didn’t say it was easy, I just said I could do one.”
I nod. “Can you... try?”
She takes a deep breath and starts flapping her way out of the thermal. “Alright, just for you, I’ll try to do a Rocket Dive from the cloud layer, and I should be able to accelerate fast enough to pull it off. Keep out of the way, though, I honestly don’t know what happens when a pony is near me and it goes off.”
“I’ll wait here,” I call out, letting the thermal gently deposit me on the roof of some fancy hotel. I gallop towards the other edge and eagerly watch Rainbow Dash’s quickly diminishing form vanish into the clouds.
For a moment, nothing happens. Then, I spot a rainbow blur rocket out of the clouds at speeds that simply should not have been possible. Rainbow Dash isn’t flying through the air so much as she’s tearing through it. A bright tail of rainbow light trails her form as she accelerates faster and faster. A mach cone is already developing around her, but it doesn’t last long enough to fully materialize.
There is a sudden flash of light, followed by a slightly delayed crack of thunder I can feel in my bones. A huge, mind-blowing shockwave made out of every color imaginable ripples outwards over the city, soaring over me like some kind of aerial aurora, leaving shimmering wisps of scintillating cloud in its wake.
My jaw is still hanging open a few moments later as Rainbow Dash zooms over to my vantage point. “Come on! I know that was probably the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen in your life, but we gotta get out of here!” she shouts at me, hovering in the air.
It’s at this point that I notice the faint shimmer of broken glass slowly falling from several buildings near the epicenter of the blast. A huge gathering of pegasi are flying towards the disturbance, and I could just make out several of them gesturing towards our location.
“What did you do?!” I shout back, leaping up into the air beside her.
“Oh I just performed an extremely powerful sonic boom right above the city and shattered a few hundred windows,” she responds, casually shrugging her shoulders. “Now come on, we gotta lose ‘em!”
I look back and spot two entire squads of pegasus guards barreling down on us. “Those are guards, you crazy bitch!”
“Yeah, so?” she grins, not missing a beat, “We’re the two fastest pegasi in the entire city right now. Besides, this was all your idea!”
I don’t have time to hover and sputter, as Rainbow Dash rockets off at mind-blowing speeds and the police draw closer with every passing second. I spare a glance backwards and note that the guards are now the least of our worries, as practically every stunt flier in the city is trying to catch the pegasus who just pulled off the first sonic rainboom over Manehatten in recorded history.
I turn tail and fly, racing after the rainbow blur that was the cause of this giant mess. At first, I figure there is no way I could possibly keep up, but I notice that Rainbow Dash seems to be slowing down. It takes every ounce of wingpower I have, but I manage to catch up with her. We dive straight down the side of the skyscraper, the square glass windows nothing more than grey stripes painting a runway into the ground. Ten stories up, we pull out of the dive and bank right, ripping through the Manehatten streets. Ponies point and gasp, mothers sweep up their foals, and it seems as though every eye on the street is on the pair of suicidal stunt fliers currently making hairpin turns at incredibly unsafe speeds.
Part of me wonders why I had to ask Rainbow Dash to do a Sonic Rainboom in the middle of a city. The other part is too busy having fun to care. I won’t readily admit it, but I don’t really like the guards much. The triumphant feeling of having done something totally awesome and being too fast for the guards to actually catch awakens a childish joy in my heart as we whip around another corner.
Even with Rainbow Dash slowing down so I could keep up, we outrun all the other pegasi with ease. They simply couldn’t pin down our location long enough to close any distance. Eventually, we sail clean out of the city, flying towards a small hill with a single tree. Rainbow Dash calmly sits down beside it, and I practically fall out of the sky, panting in exertion simply from the effort of trying to keep up with her. It takes several minutes for me to catch my breath, but Rainbow Dash seems willing to wait until my wings have stopped trembling to ask me a question.
“So, how fast do you think we were going back there?”
I’m so exhausted its hard for my brain to string together coherent words. “I… I… I don’t know, probably 15 wingpower? That’s my max speed, I think. Thanks for slowing down, by the way,” I add.
She looks at me with a smirk. “I didn’t.”
The words take a moment to register. “W-what? No way. No way I was pulling 19 wingpower.”
She tilts her head a bit. “Weeeeell, maybe I slowed down a little, but it was more like 17 wingpower. Something I’d do in an easy race. Still,” she says, wrapping a wing around me, “you’re a lot faster than you think, dude.”
For a moment, I’m still too stunned by the revelation that I had just broken my record speed by 2 wingpower to notice her wing giving me a sidelong hug. Like a true stallion, I immediately blush and start stumbling over my words. “B-b-buh, w-w-w-w-well, you s-see, I—”
She gives me a peck on the cheek.
I stare at her. “Am I dead? Are you for real?”
She bursts out laughing. “Hell yeah, I’m real! I’m as real as it gets! And no, you’re not dead,” she adds. “You can’t be dead, because then I couldn’t go see the Wonderbolt opening ceremonies with you tomorrow.”
“W-w-what?!” I blink. “Won’t you get arrested after that?”
“Pfffft, nah, I’m friends with Princess Twilight, I’ll just write her a letter tonight. Trust me, by tomorrow, everything will be smooth as silk.” She pokes my chest with a hoof. “And I expect to see you in the park at noon, sharp!”
She takes off, leaving me alone under the tree. I stare into the last sliver of sun as it slips beneath the mountains, barely able to process the day’s events. So much is happening, I can’t keep up with it all. My mind is running circles around itself, but one thought keeps returning to the surface.
"Guess I kinda left you hanging there, huh?" says Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of food.
It's late, and we're having dinner together by the hospital bed. Or rather, Rainbow Dash is. I'm sucking a slurry of questionable origin through a straw, leaning back against the pillow and trying to ignore a dull ache in my bruised and broken limbs. At my request, the doctors had agreed to lower my pain medication as much as they could while still keeping me comfortable. I like being able to actually feel things against my fur, and the sooner I'm off whatever potent brew of chemicals they have flowing through me, the better. I haven't asked yet, but given my condition, they probably still have me on some hardcore narcotic, like morphine or aurora. Those kinds of drugs can really screw you up.
Honestly, I'd expected Rainbow Dash to agree with me, but she seemed very reluctant to let me off the painkillers. She kept asking pointed questions about what they could do if the pain suddenly got worse. Only after the doctors assured her that they could quickly adjust the dosage as needed did she relent.
"So, are you still feeling ok?" asks Rainbow Dash after swallowing her hayfries. She keeps asking me that same question and I can't help but think it's got something to do with the guilty look in her eyes. She'd never do this to anypony else. She'd tell them to suck it up and work through the pain like a mare. I mean, I'm grateful that she cares about me, and I always did want ponies to care about me, but... not like this. Not like some kind of cripple.
"...Yeah," I eventually reply. "Yeah, I'm ok."
She raises an eyebrow. "You hesitated. Are you sure you're ok?"
"What do you want me to say?" I shoot back, "Oh sure, I'm feeling just dandy after having my wings torn off! Everything's just bucking peachy!"
Rainbow Dash winces and begins examining the floor with great interest. "I'm... I'm sorry," she croaks, "I just don't want this to be any worse than it already is."
I let out a huff. "Treating me like a foal isn't going to change the fact that my life is ruined."
"You're right, I'm sorry, I just…” She sighs. “I don't know what to do. There's nothing I can do. I'll just... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She starts moving towards the doorway. Part of me wants to reach out, to stop her, to bring back the one pony I can share my pain with. Another part is sick of pretending that everything is going to be okay now. Nothing's going to be okay. Nothing will ever be okay for the rest of my life. A tinge of guilt colors my mood, making me wonder if, perhaps, I shouldn't have snapped at her. I remind myself that, in the sum total of my entire life's experiences, right now is the one time being in a bad mood is entirely reasonable.
I let her leave, never saying a word. My head turns to the darkness outside the window, not quite having chased off the remnants of the sun's glory. Picking my way through my memories was not helping my mood in the slightest. All it did was remind me of how close I had come to having a fairy tale ending, of having the life I had always wanted.
Now I have nothing but the darkness lingering in my soul, growing ever darker as the days roll by, just as the dying remnants of light are overtaken by Luna's blanket.
They had turned on the TV for me, but I wasn't paying attention. Something about an assassination attempt by a crazed mare who tried to blow up the Night Court, then blasted some poor bystander with an amnesia spell. It sounds like a tragedy, but I don't care.
I have my own tragedy to deal with.
It was almost noon when Rainbow Dash finally returned. At first I thought I had scared her off, but I could sense a disturbance in the hospital. A commotion somewhere in the ICU, trickling through the hallways and down the stairs. Nurses trotted slightly faster, and there was a sense of tension in the air that always seemed just out of reach. I was wondering if it had something to do with what I'd seen on TV last night when Rainbow Dash walked in.
"Hey," she says, a touch of annoyance coloring her words. At first, I fear they are meant for me, but her gaze flickers back towards the door, and I relax. Whatever it was, it wasn't me, though I still feel a bit guilty for snapping at her yesterday.
"Something keep you?" I ask, shifting around on my bed. It’s both an unspoken acknowledgement that she is late, and an invitation for her to vent her frustration at whatever had impaired her progress.
Her tail flicks, and she slowly makes her way to my side. "Some kinda commotion in the lobby. Looks like somepony pretty important got beat up. The whole hospital is on the fritz."
For a moment, I hear the old Rainbow Dash, peeking through the mask of despondency. I feel like a pony stranded in the desert, desperate for water, finding a precious few drops beneath an overhang. It is like the spring's sweetest nectar, warm and rich and sweet and real.
Then, it is gone, and Rainbow Dash is drooping again, her entire form sagging like an old bookshelf with too many stories. The weight of the world is too much, and she buckles under its load, until the only thing left is a sad pegasus, full of regret.
"Huh," I say. It is an empty, worthless statement. It's almost as worthless as I feel. For a moment, nothing is said, and the only conversation comes from the quiet beeping of my heart monitor. Between us, our grand adventures are forgotten. Our daring tricks and wild flights fade into a dull gray void, buried underneath the inevitable passage of time. We are two lost souls with dying sparks, devoid of life. We are homunculi, drudging through every minute of every hour with no reason or purpose.
With a start, I realize the implications of this. The two of us are now forever connected, tied together by a tragedy that took something from both of us. I pause and ask myself, What did Rainbow Dash lose? Why does it feel like something is now missing from her? I'm the one whose life had ended. I lost my wings, my hopes, my dreams. I lost everything. She is still Rainbow Dash. She is still the fastest pegasus anypony had ever seen. She is still the Element of Loyalty.
Is it possible that this is not why she remains by my side? Is it possible that she's not staying with me out of loyalty, but because she is desperately searching for something she has lost?
"So, uh, what's up?" asks Rainbow Dash.
I realize I had been staring at my bedsheets intently, having thoroughly lost myself in thought. "U-uh, n-n-nothing," I stutter, leaning back into my pillow. "Just... thinking. About stuff," I add.
She nods. "Been doing a lot of that myself, honestly. Got a lotta stuff to think about..." Her ears droop again.
I'm quiet again. I lean back and stare at the ceiling for a minute or so before the silence becomes unbearable.
"So, the day of the opening ceremonies was pretty rad, if I remember correctly."
Rainbow Dash's ears perk up, and I feel a warm rush flow through me. "Heh, yeah, it was pretty awesome." Her voice cracks, but there is a glimmer in her eyes.
I sit up...
I didn't sleep much last night.
It's surprising how hard it is to sleep when the mare of your dreams wants to see the Wonderbolt opening ceremonies with you after lunch. My mind is more hyper than an over-caffeinated squirrel on crack. My heart is hammering in my chest as I think about the two of us flying into the stands. It flutters as I wonder just how far into the night that impromptu date will go, and if she has any plans after the ceremony. How long will that magical moment last?
I can barely brush my teeth in the morning, and breakfast is nothing more than a fleeting moment. I gleefully gallop out the doors of my hotel and launch myself into the air, letting a warm breeze carry me away into the city to drift amongst the steel spires of the metropolis. An uncountable multitude of little glass squares rocket past me as I dance through the streets. One hard turn later, I catch a thermal’s gust, and spiral up towards the heavens, slicing my way through the air to visit the crown of the world.
A thousand feet above the earth, the clouds are scarce, with only a few lonely vagrants roaming the skies. Coasting gently on the air currents, I find an island of vapor to call my own. Settling down, I peer over the side, towards the concrete jungle beneath me. Neat little grids criss-cross the landscape, and tall brick spires burst from the ground in tiny boxes.
Far too neat and orderly for my tastes.
I scan the skies for other pegasi, and spot a few pairs of wings that seem familiar. Sadly, none have the magical rainbow I’m looking for, that incomprehensible eruption of color that trails behind the one pegasus mare I want to see. Huffing in annoyance, I leap off my miniature cloud and dive towards the ground. A roaring gale tears at my face, but I pay it no heed. I want to go faster.
Faster!
A scant few heartbeats before I crash into the street, I flare my wings out to their full extent, and redirect my momentum. G-forces pull at my guts, and a thousand pounds of force slam into my feathers. For the briefest of moments, I’m not sure if I’ll survive, or if my wings will buckle under the strain. My heart skips a beat, and the one second between me and the ground turns into an eternity, an endless moment where I feel suspended in time, free to look at the frozen scene in front of me, a snapshot of everyday life. A mother and her foal trotting down the street, an old stallion reading a newspaper, a guardspony looking in my direction with a disapproving glare.
But my wings hold, just like they always do, and soon my brush with death is forgotten as I hurtle through the streets like a bullet, already thirsting for another death-defying stunt. Curving towards the blue dome above me, I twist around, narrowly dodging a sign. My wings cry out in protest, but I am merciless. I do a 180, curving back on my own cloud trail. I spot a bell tower in the distance, and a ghost of a smile plays across my lips.
Turning towards it, I approach from slightly below, curving upwards. As I near the top of the tower, I give one more powerful flap and snap my wings to my sides, sending myself hurtling through the stone structure. I feel the cold stone tickle my fur, and once again, time screeches to a halt. I am floating past an enormous brass knocker suspended beneath the bell, a hairsbreadth away from smashing into it. A bird is looking curiously at the strange object speeding by it. A few distant pegasi dance through the air.
Then I’m through, and my heart remembers to beat again. I laugh with glee, spiraling down towards the buildings below, once again forgetting my near-miss. Beating my wings, I spend the rest of the time until lunch terrorizing the air currents and dancing through thermal pillars rising into the stratosphere.
Before long, I realize the sun has almost reached its zenith. I figure now is as good a time as any to head over to the park, and bank to the left. In a matter of minutes, I’m hovering over the large clearing where the stunt fliers had gathered yesterday, peering through the masses of pegasi flying around. Sadly, there is no sign of the multicolored mare I’m looking for, and I resign myself to laying on a nearby cloud, peering down every now and then at the new arrivals.
I’d passed a large clock on my way here, and I’m pretty sure it’s at least ten past noon by now. Then again, Rainbow Dash doesn’t exactly seem like the type to be on time, so this really isn’t all that surprising. Still, I’m a tad disappointed, given how eager I am to see her again. Another uneventful five minutes pass by, and I’m lying on the cloud, staring up at the sky, when my ears perk up.
“O-oh, hey! Uh, yeah, I’m Rainbow Dash! The most awesome flier around! At least until the Wonderbolts show up, of course. Anyway, I’m looking for somepony right now, so... maybe later?”
I scramble to the edge of the cloud and look down. Sitting in the center of a crowd of gaggling pegasi with a brilliant rainbow mane shimmering in the sunlight, Rainbow Dash is impossible to miss. Normally, she’d probably be basking in all the attention, but today, she seems a bit distracted.
Even… nervous?
My heart hammers against my chest as I try in vain to keep my cool. She is totally asking me out! She’s actually nervous because she’s taking me on a date! Holy crap holy crap holy crap holy cra— I slap myself. Snap out of it and fly over there already!
I take a deep breath and leap off the cloud, trying my best to glide over to Rainbow Dash as gracefully as possible. I come to a stop just slightly above her and flash her a smile. “Is somepony looking for me?”
Her eyes immediately light up. “There you are!” she says, pretending to be frustrated. “Where were you five minutes ago?”
I blink, my brain momentarily caught off guard by her nonsensical demand. “I, uh, I was, uh, j-just over th—”
“It was a rhetorical question, you doofus!” she interrupts, earning scattered bits of laughter from the crowd. I scratch the back of my head and look sheepish, because if a girl thinks you’re a doofus, then you’re a doofus, no matter how little sense they’re actually making. “Now, come on, I’ve got a date with the sky and I don’t plan on missing it!”
I am momentarily disoriented by what can only be described as an explosion of air, as Rainbow Dash shoots upwards faster than any pegasus I’ve ever seen. Have I mentioned that she is unimaginably fast? Because she is unimaginably fast. Really. I take a moment to orient myself, only to realize that the entire crowd is now staring at me. I’m now the second most important pony on this side of Manehatten, and if I’m going to survive the next few days with my dignity intact, I’ll have to earn it.
“See you fillies later,” I say, giving them a curt salute, before launching myself towards the sky. My wings burn and my eyes water, but I keep pumping my feathers for all they’re worth. As I near the clouds, I spare a look back and realize that I’ve done a fairly good job of emulating Rainbow Dash.
Then, I nearly run into her.
“Whoa!” yelps Rainbow Dash, tumbling backwards as I smash through the cloud. I immediately start to brake, and eventually manage to land next to her. “Getting a little excited there, are we?” she asks, dusting herself off.
“U-uh, sorry,” I mumble.
“Sorry about that show I put on down there.”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay, I’m not sorry,” she admits, “but I am sorry for putting you on the spot; s’not what I usually do. I like the spotlight on me, instead.”
“Gee, I didn’t notice,” I quip, walking towards the edge of the cloud alongside her.
Turning to face me, Rainbow Dash bats her eyelashes at me. “You know me too well, and we only just met. What lovely things are you going to do to this innocent little filly?”
I stop at the cloudy precipice and stare blankly at her.
She bursts out laughing. “Hahahaha, the look on your face!” She wipes the tears from her eyes and spreads her wings, flashing a smile at me. “Now get your fat flank behind me and try to keep up!”
Rainbow Dash takes off, and I gleefully follow. We tumble through the sky like a pair of doves, spiraling around each other, giggling and laughing and riding the thermals down towards the streets below. It almost seems like we might crash into the concrete floor, but I flare my wings at the last moment, and glide to a graceful landing, right next to Rainbow Dash, who manages an even more graceful landing.
“So, uh, what were you planning to do for lunch?” I ask, folding my wings to my side and following Rainbow Dash down a nearby sidewalk.
“Errrrrr…” Rainbow Dash slows down and gives me a sheepish look. “I kind of… already ate. I thought we’d be trying to get some early seats for the Wonderbolt performance. Sorry.”
I blink. Part of me is surprised, since she did say to meet her at noon. The other part of me isn’t surprised at all, because she’s Rainbow Dash. “Oh, well, uh, I can just pick something up on the way there.” I offer, and look around the street. “I think I spot some tofu dogs up there.”
“O-oh, yeah. Yeah! Um, we can go get some tofu dogs!” Rainbow Dash starts trotting towards the stand at a rather brisk pace. “I mean, you can get a tofu dog, because I totally already ate. Yeah.”
The thankfully short walk to the tofu stand is spent in an awkward silence, which is interrupted by a bombastic greeting given by the salesmare behind the stand.
“Ahoy there, partners! Lookin’ to buy some tofu dogs for the each of yah?”
“Ah, no, just uh, one for him, actually.” She glances at me. “You just want one, right?”
I barely have time to start nodding before the salesmare starts preparing a bun. “Alrighty then, one tofu dog for the coltfriend, coming right up!”
Almost immediately, Rainbow Dash makes a noise that can only be described as a cross between gasping and choking.
“N-n-no!” she protests, “we’re not, uh, together, yet. I mean,” Rainbow Dash is tripping over her own words. “No, wait, I don’t mean—! We’re just, friends! And, um, we’re seeing, uh…”
“Ohhh~ I see,” says the salesmare with a wink. “It’s just gonna be a lil’ romp in the hay then, eh?”
My snickering abruptly turns into a “What?!”, and I join Rainbow Dash in an attempt to not turn into a tomato. We are not particularly successful.
“Errrr, I don’t think—” I begin, only to have a tofu dog thrust in front of my muzzle.
“There you go, sir, have a nice evening!” The salespony gives us a cheerful wave, and I mutter an unintelligible thanks before shuffling off to a nearby table.
“Well, heh, that was awkward,” observes Rainbow Dash. I let out a snort and bite into my tofu dog. Despite the emotional wrangling I had been subjected to by the salesmare, it’s a really good tofu dog. The conversation lapses into another awkward silence as I scarf down my tofu dog. Not because I’m starving, but rather because I just want to put this whole thing behind me as quickly as possible.
I inhale the last shred of the tofu dog and wave a hoof in the general direction of the stadium. “So—” I am interrupted by a loud burp from my rebellious stomach. “Uh, are we headed to the stadium now? I’m sure you want some good seats.”
“Oh? Oh yeah! Yeah. Definitely. Line. We should get in it. Yeah.” Rainbow Dash grabs hold of the conversational liferaft in a heroic attempt to forget what just transpired. “So, what about those Wonderbolts?”
I eagerly follow her, glad to have anything else to talk about, even if we’ve talked about how awesome Spitfire is three times already. By the time we get to the stadium, the line is already three blocks long. We double check that we have our tickets and sit down at the end.
“I’m soooooo booooooooooored~” moans Rainbow Dash. It’s been almost an hour since we got in line, which now stretches all the way around the stadium walls, at least 12 blocks in total. Thankfully, I notice that the very front of the line has just started moving.
“Hey,” I say, pointing a hoof towards the front, “I think they’re finally moving.”
“Oh thank Celestia!” Rainbow Dash rolls over and looks towards the head of the line. “...That’s not moving very fast.”
It takes another ten minutes, but we eventually reach the entrance of the stadium, where two enormous obsidian doors tower above us. I take out a golden ticket and show it to the inspector, who nods and waves me through. I pause until Rainbow Dash is through, and together we trot through the massive gates into the Manehatten Stadium. Enormous stands spiral towards the ceiling, supported by massive pillars made of magically reinforced marble. Rainbow Dash walks beside me, giggling like a schoolfilly in a candy store.
"Come on, come on!" she urges, pulling me towards one end of the stadium after leaping into the air. I snicker and take off after her, gliding across the field to the stands on the other side. Rainbow Dash starts examining seat rows with fanatical precision, until finally settling on one just between the middle and the front. She plops down in the center of the row and waves me over.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" she squeals in delight and anticipation, and I start to wonder if she's going to explode from excitement.
"This is going to be awesome, huh?" I ask with a playful nudge.
"Awesome?" asks Rainbow Dash, who suddenly has a deathly serious look on her face. "This is going to be unreal! This is going to be the most super impossibly amazing awesome-est thing ever to happen in the history of forever!"
I am momentarily taken aback. "I, uh, y-yeah...?"
She bursts out laughing. "Come on, man, put some feeling into it! We're gonna see the Wonderbolts!"
"Well, in twenty minutes, after the rest of the stadium fills up," I point out.
"Pshaw," she gives me a light knock on the shoulder, "I was waiting weeks for this. Twenty minutes is nothing."
I roll my eyes. "Says the mare who can't sit still."
"Since when can I ever sit still?!"
"Touché."
As we banter back and forth, the stadium slowly begins to fill with ponies. Lots of pegasi, but quite a few unicorns and earth ponies too. Several pegasi are trying to catch a free show from above the stadium, but mostly they’re just playing catch-me-if-you-can with half a dozen pegasus guardsponies. Given that most of the freeloaders are also aspiring stunt fliers, the guards are not having a very good time.
"Fillies and gentlecolts!” announces a magically amplified voice. "I'm Top Box, and I'll be your announcer for this afternoon! And what a show I have in store for you!"
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash is clopping her hooves together with anticipation, but my eyes are staring at the gates towards the far end of the stadium.
"Straight from the cerulean skies of Cloudsdale, coming in with the force of a hurricane, allow me to introduce... THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONDERBOLTS!"
The stadium erupts in a deafening roar as the crowd screams its approval. The great sapphire gates on the opposite end of the field begin to creak open, followed by a series of yellow and blue blurs hurtling out. The Wonderbolts tear through the stadium at speeds I had only ever seen Rainbow Dash pull off, holding a neat formation as they approach the opposite end and bank upwards.
They scream past the stands, splitting apart, and four uniformed pegasi twist away from Spitfire, looping up in a huge array of half circles. The two farthest Wonderbolts corkscrew inwards at the crest of their loop, as do Soarin and Fleetfoot, until all five pegasi are once again in a neat formation, rushing towards the opposite end of the field.
Right before they reach the end, they make a hairpin turn and start circling around the very edge of the stadium. Several begin waving to the screaming crowd below before preparing for their next trick…
"... And then Soarin was like whoosh and Fleetfoot flipped right over him and it was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash squeals with glee while hovering several feet in the air, her wings buzzing with excitement.
“Totally,” I agree, not quite matching her display of enthusiasm for the past two hours, but still attempting to quell my racing heart. I let Rainbow Dash babble on about the performance for several minutes while trotting away from the stadium. We make it to a small bridge overlooking a river by the time her endless torrent of words finally hits a lull. There’s a quartet of owls perched on the other balcony whistling a cute song, and it makes the moment seem almost romantic.
“So, what did you have in mind for the rest of today?” I ask, sitting down in the center of the bridge.
“The rest of today?” Rainbow Dash sits down beside me, looking momentarily caught off-guard. “I, er, well… I do have reservations at the Neigh de Aplomb tonight,” she offers, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
I am taken aback by the romantic moment I seem to be sharing, made even more apparent by the serendipitous singing of the owls on the other side of the bridge. Was there another side to Rainbow Dash? Was this truly the start of a wonderfully romantic evening, filled with wine and proper food?
“Oh, that sounds great! What are we doing until then?” I ask.
She flashes a mischievous grin at me. “We race, and you lose.”
Before I can blink, she launches herself into the air, creating such an explosion of air the poor owls are knocked off the banister. Silly me, I think, kicking off the bridge in an ill-fated attempt to catch up to the mare I had fallen for, she’s Rainbow Dash—she doesn’t do romantic.
Rainbow Dash is waiting for me near a lone white cloud. We take off towards the center of town, laughing and reveling in the joy of being far above the world, of being voyagers into the infinite blue, of being free.
I stretch my wings, and soar. I don’t know what I’d do without my wings.
I don’t know what I’d do without my wings…
“Prism? Prism?!”
Rainbow’s words seem distant, indistinct. I can’t focus. Hot tears spill down my cheeks, and I realize I’m sobbing, half my face buried in my pillow, unable to curl up.
“Please, Prism, it’s going to be okay, I promise! I’m here for you, okay? Prism?”
Warm cyan fur drapes across my cheek. A hoof slides across my chest, and I feel Rainbow Dash nuzzling me, whispering reassurances in my ear.
“Can’t C-Celestia fix this?” I choke out. “C-c-can’t she just c-cast a spell and f-fix my wings?”
I felt Rainbow Dash tense up. “I… no, Prism, it doesn’t work that way, I’m sorry, I just—”
“Why not?!” I cry out, trying to choke back my sobs long enough to speak. “W-why can’t she just fix everything?! I-is it because I’m a bad pony? I’ll be different now, I swear, I’ll never do another stunt again, just please give me my wings back!”
I dissolve into tears once again, and Rainbow Dash’s mouth is half-open. She seems conflicted, like she doesn’t know what to say. Eventually, after I’ve progressed into quiet sniffling, she speaks.
“You and I both know that no spell in the world can regrow a limb,” says Rainbow Dash. She says it with conviction, as though she were explaining that the sky is blue. Her statement is simply, undeniably true, and it hurts. “Not even Princess Celestia can heal something that isn’t there.”
“Please!” I beg, “p-please, I just want to fly again. There has to be a way, there has to be! I’ll do anything! J-just let me f-fly again…”
This time, Rainbow Dash does not respond. Instead, she wraps me in a warm hug, and I hold on to her tightly with one hoof. We stay like that for a while, until she finally speaks up again. “I’m going to go get some dinner, ok?”
I node mutely, and watch her leave the room. All I want is to be able to fly again. I would trade anything for it. Anything!
Would you trade Rainbow Dash?
I feel conflicted and confused when I can’t bring myself to answer. Why do I hesitate? What could possibly be more important to me than flying?
My thoughts are interrupted by Rainbow Dash returning with a banana-strawberry smoothie that immediately makes my mouth water, and I decide that, right now, that banana-strawberry smoothie is the most important thing in the universe.
I feel better after dinner. Still hopelessly depressed and lost and broken with a ruined life, but still a bit better. Better enough that I can keep going.
“We can always do this tomorrow,” insists Rainbow Dash, but I shake my head.
“No, I’m getting closer. I want to know. I have to know. I need to know… what happened.”
Rainbow Dash’s ears fall back, and she returns to staring at the floor. Figuring this is as good a time as any, I dredge up the rest of my memories...
“So, where is this?”
Rainbow Dash shoots me a look. “You really don’t know where the Neigh de Aplomb is?”
“Come on, girl, it’s not like I live here.” I flap my wings until we’re flying right next to each other.
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash banks hard to the left. “Excuses, excuses. Anyway, it’s just over here.”
Once again, I find myself trailing behind her. We gently land on the sidewalk in front of a large and very fancy looking restaurant.
I let out a low whistle. “Boy, this is fancy.”
Rainbow Dash snerks. “I hope it isn’t too fancy for a vagrant like you.”
“How dare you suggest that I am a reckless stunt flier! I’ll have you know I almost killed myself three times today!”
She laughs, and I trot up the steps towards an entryway carved out of ancient mahogany wood. My hoof reaches for the door—
My mouth freezes, half open.
"Is something wrong?" asks Rainbow Dash.
I find my voice again. "That's it. It's over. It's gone. There's nothing else."
Rainbow Dash frowns. "Waddya mean?"
I shake my head. "I mean, I can't remember anything else. We walk into the cafe and then I wake up in a hospital bed. It's just gone."
Rainbow Dash stares at me, and I see a look of horror slowly overtake her features. "...What? What?! Are you serious?!"
"The accident," I blurt out, "when did it happen? The next day?"
Rainbow Dash sucks in a breath through clenched teeth. "It was late in the afternoon, so maybe... 20 hours?"
My heart skips a beat. "The doc, he said..."
"...that you'd never remember the last 24 hours before the accident," finishes Rainbow Dash. She stares at me as though I were a ghost.
"No,” she whispers.
"What?"
"No no no no no nononononoNO!" She stomps a hoof on the ground with surprising force. “No nonoNONONO!”
Then she falls to the floor and starts crying. “No... n-no, no—no... n-no,” she mumbles, choking and hiccuping between sobs.
I’m too stunned to have a proper reaction. I just stare at the despondent pegasus on the floor, wondering what could possibly be so terrible. What have I forgotten? Why is she so upset about it? Surely she could just tell me about whatever I’ve forgotten, right? What on earth could have happened she couldn’t simply tell me abo—
My heart seizes. Something is beeping rapidly by my bed, but I don’t notice. My mind is blank, except for one thought, one all-encompassing notion swirling around my head.
Rainbow Dash sits in a corner, sniffling. The noise of the hospital is nothing more than a low drone, emanating from a crack beneath the door. I lie in bed, still immobilized, still processing the implications of my lost memories.
There are no fragments. No dreams. No bits and pieces to mull over. Just a blank emptiness, a void, a rift in my memories. I had stepped through the door, and then I woke up in a hospital bed. I know something must have happened, but I can't find even the slightest trace of it. It was just gone.
"M-maybe we should pick this up in the morning," I stammer, looking towards the mare in the corner.
She sniffs, and nods. "Y-yeah, I'll, uh, I-I'll see you t-tomorrow." She sluggishly walks out of the hospital room, depression and sadness evident in every limb she drags along, leaving me alone again. My only company for the rest of the night is the soft white light over the sink, and the quiet beeping of my heart monitor.
Sleep does not come easy these days.
The morning is bland, served with bland food and a smattering of bland nurses in bland outfits saying bland things. The world is dull and monochrome, a muted yellow caused by the last rays of the morning sun pouring through the window. Once again, Rainbow Dash doesn't show up when I thought she would. This time, however, there is no accompanying commotion.
It's nearly lunch when my world is finally released from it's existential boredom by her arrival. Her existence is muted, and low-key, but it does nothing to impede the incredible gamut of colors flowing behind her.
"Hi," I mumble.
"Hey," she replies, sitting down next to the bed. A long silence follows. Eventually, she speaks again. "So, uh, what's up?"
I grimace. "Amnesia, apparently."
"Can you eat solid food yet?"
"Well," I consider, "The nurses said I might be able to start eating some bread and maybe a small daisy sandwich soon."
Rainbow Dash taps her chin with a hoof, and then turns towards the door. "I'll be right back."
A few minutes later, I'm enjoying the first daisy sandwich I've had in over a week, if you count the days I was out cold. Rainbow Dash is finishing off a helping of hayfries she managed to procure from the cafeteria. It's nice to eat solid food again, even if I only have one hoof to eat it with. It's almost enough to make me forget about how miserable I am.
Almost.
"So…" I begin, swallowing my food, "Did the nurses say when I'd be able to, y'know, move again?"
My inquiry is met with a sigh. "They've got screws holding your broken leg together, so those will take a couple months to heal by themselves. The last time I broke something major, they had me in physical therapy pretty quick, but you had a lot of internal damage, so I think they're just waiting for the rest of you to finish healing before they let you move around."
I groan, and Rainbow Dash looks at me with concern. "Oh, don't mind me, I'm just looking forward to being bored out of my mind."
She giggles. "Yeah, I know how that feels. I guess we don't have much else to do except talk then, huh?"
Finishing off the last of my sandwich, I lean back. "Well, I've run out of things to talk about. Unless you could fill me in, that is."
She raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well," I continue, "you were with me at the restaurant, right? You might as well just pick up where I left off with what you remember."
"Hmmmm…" Rainbow Dash taps her chin with a hoof. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, should I try to explain what happened to you?"
I shake my head. "Nah, just talk about what you were doing, from your perspective. You aren't me, so don't try to be. But maybe I can piece together what happened from your memories."
"Well… that makes sense, I guess," she says, "Just uh, stop me if I start rambling, okay?"
I snicker in response, and Rainbow Dash clears her throat to begin...
Prism Glider graciously holds the door open for me with a wing, and we steps into the establishment. I've been here before, to make the reservation, but it still strikes me how… high-class the whole thing was. I gulp, and hope I haven't completely jumped the horn with this. This was not what I normally did. In fact, I don't think I'd ever taken a stallion on a proper date, not even back in Ponyville. Usually, I'm too preoccupied with trying to figure out if they're actually worth banging.
The problem with being a girl looking for a warm body to share is that a lot of stallions will knock you up and hang you out to dry. Gotta be careful about those guys. Better to go for the nice ones, the ones who actually respect you and are willing to humor a couple fantasies of yours instead of just using you like some kind of toy.
Now, Prism Glider, he's pretty hot. He's fast too, which really turns me on. But he also makes my heart flutter in ways I don't understand. That flutter keeps me grounded. It keeps me from leaving. It makes me do things I don't understand. What is it?
My goal at any stunt flyer meetup is to get laid. That is the whole point, my modus operandi. Fly around, impress ponies, have fun, go to a party, get drunk, get laid, wake up with a hangover, then go home. It's simple, it's fun, and I'm good at it. So why am I taking him on a date to a fancy restaurant? Why am I inside a cafe, trying to romance a nice stallion? Why do I feel so drawn to him?
We're seated on the second floor, near the balcony. There is a pleasant breeze that just barely reaches us, bringing the warm scent of the setting sun with it. Words come out of my mouth. He responds in kind. Our lips are moving, but I'm not paying attention. Instead, my gaze is drawn to his pale mane, a wispy bundle of unkempt hair that seems lighter than air, draped over his shoulders. Then, my gaze moves to his wings, snuggled up against his sides, with delicately preened feathers reflecting a few errant rays of sunlight.
Then, I look at his eyes. Those wonderful wells of shimmering blue, portals into a caring soul that craves adventure and speed. Eager and excited and thrilled and nervous and maybe slightly confused—
"Rainbow Dash?" asks Prism Glider, knocking me out of my reverie. Apparently, at some point, I had forgotten to actually speak.
"Oh! Uh, heh, um, what'd you just say?" I fiddle with my hooves, trying desperately to hide how flustered I was. Cool ponies don't get flustered. "I was uh, distracted. Yeah. Sorry." I lean against my hoof, trying to look casual. Then I remember I was in a fancy restaurant and putting the knee of your foreleg on the table is bad manners, so I go back to just sitting there, looking awkward.
Prism Glider smiles, and I want to melt into a puddle. "I was just asking what you were planning on getting."
I silently curse at myself. I'm Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash doesn't get flustered like this! "O-oh! Right, um, I was going for the Hayseed Manehattan Salad, with, uh… dressing on the side."
"Mmmmm," he nods, "I was probably just going to get a fried turnip with a steamed roll. You think that sounds good?"
I hate turnips. "Um, yeah, totally!"
"Well then," he continues, setting his menu down on the table, "I guess we've got food out of the way. Do you have any new tricks you've been working on recently?"
The conversation quickly falls into familiar territory, as we trade ideas and thoughts on various stunt ideas, pausing only to let the waiter take our orders. The food came and went, and I eventually find myself prodding at an empty plate. There is only a faint red glow on the horizon, now, a shadow of Celestia's sun finishing the last legs of its arc across the sky.
I take a deep breath. If I'm going to push this further, I need to make my move now.
"So," I begin, leaning forward, "care for a few drinks on the balcony?"
This time, Prism Glider is the one trying in vain to hide a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. "Uhm, now?"
I raise an eyebrow, and it almost kills the whole seductive mood I've been trying to set. "Well, yeah, what else are we gonna do? Besides, the bar is up there and I want cider."
Prism Glider blinks. "Oh, uh, yeah, of course, haha!" He gets out of his seat and takes a moment to stretch his wings. I steal a look at his sleek, well-toned muscles, and those beautiful feathers decorating his wing—
"So… we were going then?" Prism Glider is waiting patiently for me by the door. I let out a small squeak and start heading towards him.
I don't know what compelled me to invite him up to the balcony. As I trot towards the open doors, a klaxon blares in my mind: Reaching dangerous levels of mushy! Sappiness rising to critical levels! This is all ridiculously uncool, but the object of my affection doesn't seem to mind. Is he actually enjoying himself, or is he just eager to get under my tail? Does he notice how much I want him under my tail? I shake the errant thoughts out of my head as I ascend the short staircase outside the doors, leading up to a delicately lit platform suspended above the cool evening air.
The cider was sharp and rich, leaving a faint burning sensation as it trickled down my throat. I didn't always trust expensive places with actually having high quality spirits, but so far my friend's recommendation has paid off in spades. The night dissolved into a blur of cocktails and cider, and some awful form of dancing I'm glad I can't remember clearly. An hour or two later, Prism and I are giggling and cuddling in a corner, having had far too much to drink.
Gazing up at the stars, a blunt question bubbles up inside me, and the alcohol in my system lets it slip out into the open, naked and exposed.
"Why do you like me?" I ask.
He ponders the question for a moment. "You just seem so… real. Everything feels more alive with you. It's like the rest of the world is just a dull, boring gray, and you're this brilliant explosion of color. Even the sun and the sky are just pale forgeries of the vivid colors that fly with you."
I giggle and set down my wine glass, gazing into those wonderful eyes of his. "You were practicing that one, weren't you?"
He smiles sheepishly. "Well, y'know, maybe a little bit."
I am just tipsy enough to grab his hoof, just tipsy enough to lean in under the star-studded sky, just tipsy enough to close my eyes. Our lips meet, under a silent moon, nestled softly against each other. It was everything I had ever dreamed of. It is every silly fantasy I'd had about falling in love come true, here, on this one night.
It is perfect.
The door to the hotel room flies open and two pegasi stumble through it, wrapped in a drunken embrace. Our lips meet in a passionate kiss as our tongues entwine, turning the bedroom into a scene so sappy it'd make any schoolyard colt gag in disgust. It probably would have made me gag too, but I am too drunk to care.
I let him spin me towards the bed, landing on top of it with a soft thwump. The impact makes the pillows jump around, as if they know what was coming next. I could already feel something pressed against my belly, and I know I want it. The small part of my rational mind still working was too drunk to object to what we were about to do.
We share another sloppy kiss, and as our lips part, I look down at his throbbing—
"Uhhhhhh", I blurt out, interrupting Rainbow Dash's tale.
"Oh, uh, sorry," she replies, blushing. Her wings are stiff, and she seems quite flustered. "I was really into whole story telling thing."
I raise an eyebrow. "It sounded more like I was in you."
Rainbow Dash fiddles with her hooves. "There was, uh, definitely a sequence of events along those lines."
I bite my lip. To say that this is awkward would be like saying Princess Celestia enjoyed the occasional sip of tea. What was supposed to be a precious, intimate moment shared between us is now a description of two strangers going at it like drunk rabbits. It's like being trapped on the other side of a window, forced to watch scenes from a different life play out in front of me. It was a lifetime that has been stolen away from me, lost forever.
"Uh... was I... was I any good?" I ask after a long pause.
"Oh yeah, you were great, first we—"
"No details, please," I interrupt, coughing nervously. "This is weird enough already, describing it only makes it worse."
"Well, um," Rainbow Dash fidgets. "Things happened, and then we fell asleep..."
I wake up first. We're lying side-by-side, and his forehoof is across my chest. I've woken up like this dozens of times before, but for some reason, this time feels... different. Before I let myself get sucked into mushy-mushy land, I shake off the feeling and get out of bed. I stumble over to the bathroom, rubbing my forehead and wishing I could rub the hangover away.
Closing the door, I hit the shower, the clean white room quickly filling with steam. I gingerly step under the rush of water and let the warm liquid cascade over my face. My head still hurts, but the pain has been washed away, reduced to a dull throb I barely notice as I pick up some fur conditioner.
I'm not like Rarity, I don't actually care about keeping up appearances, but it's a really bad idea to do death-defying stunts when there's dirt stuck in your wings. Being a Wonderbolt means having complete and total control over every stray feather in your wings. Letting them fill up with grime is a surefire way to throw off your aim by a hair, and that makes a lot of difference when you're a hairsbreadth away from the ground.
My mind wanders in the warm wetness of the shower. The things we did last night. The love we shared. I'd gotten laid plenty of times before, but something about this feels so much more... real. Like I'd been flying through a huge storm cloud for my whole life, only to burst out the other side and finally glimpse the sun rising above.
I sigh and turn off the water. Another ten minutes are spent drying off my coat and mane. By the time I get out of the bathroom, I half expect Prism to be up and about already. Or, well, maybe just up, considering how plastered he was last night. However, the room is still silent upon my return. My eyes wander over to the doorway.
He's still asleep.
I could do what I usually do and just leave. It's easier that way. They know it was a one night stand and they don't usually bother me again. I get laid and they get to tell their friends they boned the fastest mare in Equestria.
I never wanted a clingy stallion, anyway.
My hooves trot mechanically towards the door and I reach for the doorknob, but freeze. For a long time, my hoof hovers there, and a thousand confused thoughts rush through my mind. Eventually, I lower my foreleg, and realize something.
I… I don't want to leave.
Something draws me back. Something keeps me in that room, doing stretches until he wakes up. He smiles, happy to see me, and my chest tightens. Even though he is clearly hungover, the first thing he does is look for me. How close did I come to making a terrible mistake? Is this a mistake?
What the hell am I doing?
"Shower's free," I mention. He wordlessly stumbles out of bed and wobbles his way into the bathroom. The hiss of water follows quickly, and I occupy myself with wing-ups. Alright, Rainbow Dash, I think, you're not in Ponyville anymore. What're you going to do with this guy? Eight... Nine... Ten... This wasn't in the plan. You gotta think of something to do. Fifteen... Sixteen... Seventeen... I wonder if there are any stunt groups still practicing? Maybe way out in the forest, without any ponies to bother them. Yeah, that sounds good.
A short while later, Prism Glider trots out of the bathroom, still padding droplets of water off his wings.
"Hey, wazzup?" He flashes a grin at me, followed by a grimace, as he holds a hoof to his head.
"Well," I say, smirking at him, "I guess that hangover is still hanging around, eh?"
"Oh Celestia," he moans, "that pun was so bad it made my head feel even worse."
I triumphantly trot over to him and drape a wing over his back. "All in a day's work, colt. Now let's go get some breakfast and flush that headache out of your system. Can't fly very well with a hangover, now can we?"
"Fly?" he asks, "we get sloshed and rut like rabbits and the next morning you want to fly again?!"
Rolling my eyes, I lead him over to the door. "Come on, stop whining. I thought you were a real stunt flyer."
He chucks his towel to the floor and snorts. "Okay, Wind Princess, you're on."
Breakfast is quick, and before long, we take to the skies, heading west towards the majestic Redhoof forest.
Wind tears through my mane and roars in my ears, its turbulent flow battering my wings. I've lost track of how far up I am a while ago, but given how thin the air is getting, I'm probably somewhere near the stratosphere. Up here, far beyond the reaches of gravity, I can dance above the tallest of cumulonimbus clouds.
Oxygen is becoming scarce, and temperatures have plummeted to below freezing. A special layer of fur dissipates the wind chill and keeps me from freezing to death. Still, flying this high takes much more effort, even with lungs that adapted to high altitudes eons ago. An earth pony or a unicorn would need an oxygen mask and a really big jacket if they managed to get up this high. Most are content to leave the outer fringes of the atmosphere to the children of the sky.
I am not alone. A light blue pegasus with a white mane trails behind me, struggling to keep up. Even with his pegasus lungs, Prism Glider is gasping for air, the low-oxygen environment transforming a difficult flight into an impossible one. He's already started leveling out, far below where I am, unable to follow my relentless climb. Normally I'd keep going, relishing the freedom of being alone in the stratosphere, higher than any other pegasus dared to go.
This time, however, I feel something pulling me back, pleading with me to slow down. I slowly turn around and let my wings carry me down a steep descent, until I join him. Poor guy is still trying to catch his breath.
"How do you… fly that high?" he asks. "I can't even … breathe up here!"
"Practice!" I call out, tumbling out of the sky as I snap my wings to my barrel and dive straight down. He attempts to follow, albeit at a more leisurely pace, and together we loop and roll our way to the clouds below.
My wings flutter as I gently settle on to the soft cloudbank, and I hear Prism Glider land beside me. The skies are abandoned here, filled with empty clouds that silently float on the trade winds. There isn't another pair of wings for as far as the eye can see—at least, not on this cloud layer. I take advantage of my opportunity and settle down next to Prism Glider as he continues trying to catch his breath, leaning against him and nuzzling his neck in a rare display of affection.
If he is surprised, he doesn't show it, but I can feel his heart pounding in his chest, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down nearly as quickly as his breathing. We lie there together for a while, letting fate carry us across the sky, until I finally get bored of being sappy and give him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Ready for another round?" I ask, grinning at him.
Prism Glider groans and rolls his eyes. "Again? Girl, you are just unreal. We've been at this for almost two hours!" He pauses and looks down at his hooves. "...Besides, I like it up here."
"Aw, come on man," I tease, grinning at him, challenging him, daring him to refuse.
"Just one last trick."
For a moment, he hesitates. The universe teeters on a pin, suspended in a moment of indecision. Finally, he nods, and a future I will never see turns to dust.
"Yeah, sure, but just one more, alright? I'm pretty beat."
I laugh and smack him on the shoulder. "Alright, alright, just one more, but I go first!" He doesn't get a chance to respond before I flip off the cloud and plummet towards the ground. I corkscrew in midair, catching a thermal and looping around before throwing myself towards the trees below, only to U-turn back up at the last moment.
Hovering halfway between the clouds and the forest canopy, I wave to Prism Glider, who leaps off the cloud. He's pretty far away at this point, so it's hard to see what's going on, but he seems to be doing a classic rocket dive, similar to what I had ended with. He hurtles towards the ground, faster and faster, slicing through the air like a winged bullet. Only when he's a few hundred feet above the ground does he flare his wings.
My breath catches in my throat. I can't quite place it, but something seems off about his approach. I squint, the distance between us straining even my superior pegasus eyesight, trying to pinpoint what's making me feel so uncomfortable.
Then, I see it. His wings aren't properly extended, jutting out from his sides at a strange half-angle, wholly insufficient to do a full reversal, or even to land properly. A single heartbeat thuds in my chest, and in that moment, a terrible thought flits through my consciousness. There could be only one reason his wings were at such an odd angle.
He's going too fast.
The thought barely has time to register before my wings are open, and in a fraction of a second, I'm hurtling towards the ground faster than I've ever gone before. Prism Glider is performing a textbook rendition of the emergency brake maneuver, desperately trying to slow himself as much as possible without ripping his own wings off. Wind whips through my mane, and my wings burn, but I can't feel them. All I can feel is an empty hole in my heart, growing larger with each passing second.
I made a mistake.
Prism Glider is coming in way too steep, plummeting towards the forest below. Time slows to a crawl, and the air struggles to get out of my way. I punch through it with my forehooves, ripping through it like a razor blade. I feel an electric charge lick at my fur, and an enormous burst of color momentarily blinds my vision. A Sonic Rainboom ripples out behind me, but I keep accelerating, keep trying to go faster.
I'm not going to make it.
He's only moments away from smashing into the canopy, his wings straining behind him in a last, desperate attempt to pull up. I'm much too far away, and there's no room for me to swoop underneath him. I'd need several extra seconds to pull that off. Seconds that I don't have.
What have I done?
I try to catch him anyway. In that moment, I probably broke every air speed record in Equestrian history, but it doesn't matter. I have all the talent in the world, and it still isn't enough. Three seconds later, he clips the edge of a tree and is thrown to the side, smashing through countless branches as he tumbles through the air. He crashes into another tree before dropping out of sight.
My heart skips a beat, and an incoherent scream of anguish escapes from my throat. I pull up, knowing that I can't catch a pegasus cartwheeling through a forest without smashing into them and killing us both. He is gone. I can't save him.
I've failed.
For a few precious seconds, I curve around the crash sight, my mind blank. I'm completely incapable of forming any coherent thought. Instead, my mind is a furious jumble of shock and despair. Angrily, I shake my head and barrel towards the canopy, trying to calculate his trajectory.
He isn't dead yet.
Expertly flitting through the branches, I land on a soft patch of grass, but he's nowhere in sight. My chest is pounding, and I know that with every passing moment, the stallion that took my heart gets closer to losing his own. No pegasus can walk away from a crash like that, not even me.
I lock my gaze on to the broken tree branch he ran into, then mentally carve out a trajectory through the forest. I spot a few broken branches along the way, and use them as anchor points for my imaginary arc. If my gut is right, he should be right over here… I leap over a large bush and flap my wings, gliding towards the edge of a nearby clearing. My hooves land on pine needles and moss, as I quickly scan the area for—
Is that…?
I scream. There are no letters in the Equish alphabet that can accurately describe the shriek that echoes through the forest. It is a noise forged from anguish and despair, the sound of a pegasus whose life has been torn apart.
Laying motionless on the forest floor is Prism Glider, crumpled into a bloody heap. His left wing has been completely torn off, and there are small red spurts coming out of the stump. His right wing is a ruined mess of broken bone and torn muscle. As I gallop towards the body, I notice blood flowing down one of his hind legs.
Without thinking, I stomp a hind leg on the wing stump to staunch the bleeding. For a few precious seconds, I stare at his mangled body in a daze, making incoherent sounds of disbelief, before the rational part of my brain kicks in, imploring me to do something.
"H-help! Help! Somepony Help! A-anypony! Help!" My cries for help reverberate through a silent forest, oblivious to the dying pegasus beside me. For a few crushing moments, I wonder if anypony else can even hear me. What do I do? Who do I call?
"Hello?" Another voice carries over the forest floor, bouncing off the tree trunks and into my ears. "Where are you?!"
My head snaps towards the sound. "Over here! Come quick! Please! He needs to go to the hospital!"
"I'm coming!" A few moments later a light purple pegasus with a yellow mane bursts into the clearing, and a second dark blue pegasus follows closely behind. The moment the first pegasus lays eyes on Prism Glider, she turns to her companion. "You're faster than me. Get to the clinic and call for an ambulance."
Without a word, the dark blue pegasus nods and rockets into the air at speeds that would have impressed me had I been paying attention. The other pegasus hurries over and starts giving me instructions.
"Okay, keep your hoof where it is, and don't move him. If you see something sharp embedded in him, don't take it out." She starts circling around the downed pegasus, inspecting him. "One of his legs looks dislocated, and—shit!" She ducks down and starts fiddling with something.
Meanwhile, a pool of blood is growing beneath Prism's body, soaking the dirt beneath my hooves. "F-fuck, there's so much blood. There's so much blood!"
"I'm—I'm trying to stem the bleeding, just… just hold on!" the other mare calls out.
"Celestia there's so much blood… so much blood… so much..." Tears stream down my cheeks, and I realize I'm crying. I see the other mare slowly pick herself back up, holding her hooves against something. "Is h-he gonna m-make it?" I ask, my voice cracking.
She looks at me, and her eyes are filled with terror. "I-I don't... I don't know."
The floor almost drops out from under me, and I lean over Prism Glider's broken body, running a tender hoof through his bloody mane. "S-stay with me, buddy," I half-whisper, half-sob, "stay w-with me. Y-you just gotta… k-keep going for a little bit longer, o-okay? The ambulance'll be here s-soon, just stay w-with me."
He doesn't respond. He's out cold and probably bleeding to death. Instead, I nuzzle his cheek and listen to his shallow, ragged breathing. I can almost hear his heart, weakly trying to pump blood through his battered body. It seems to be getting weaker.
I try not to think about it.
I stay there for what seems like hours, pressing my cheek against his as though I might be able to ward off death itself with my presence alone. In reality, it's probably only a few minutes before I hear an approaching carriage. There is a flash of light, and suddenly I'm standing on a bare patch of dirt. Every square inch of foliage has been vaporized in a fifteen foot circle around me, and an emergency carriage barrels down from above.
It lands a few feet away from me in the newly created clearing, and a white earth pony mare with a pale brown mane hops out of the back, followed by a jade unicorn mare with a green mane. I start to move away, to give the medics room to work, but I am interrupted by a frantic shout.
"Don't let go of that wing stump or he'll bleed to death!" orders the white earth pony, as she grabs a tourniquet in her mouth and leans down to the wing stump I'm still standing on. Only after she has securely fastened the band around the stump does she give me a nod, and I gingerly lift my hind leg.
Meanwhile, the unicorn is applying what look like cauterization spells to various small cuts, and applying a bandage of some sort to Prism Glider's forehead to stem the bleeding. I'm so focused on the unicorn's healing spells I almost don't notice that the earth pony has finished applying the tourniquets and is now taking aim at Prism Glider's right shoulder.
Before I can react, the earth pony lands a powerful buck right on his dislocated foreleg. It snaps back into place with a sickening pop that sounds like it would have been excruciatingly painful if he had been conscious.
"Is there any more immediate cauterization required?" asks the unicorn.
The earth pony pokes him with a hoof a few more times before cursing. "Damn it, we have to get him to the hospital. Cancel immediate first aid, we'll do it in the carriage. Get him in there and get over to the hospital now!"
Without a word, the unicorn expertly immobilizes Prism Glider and levitates his body into the waiting carriage, and both medics quickly follow.
I dash up to the open doors and barely manage to open my mouth. "Wai—"
"Are you a friend or relative?" interrupts the earth pony.
I start to nod. "Y—"
"Get in here right now or I'll leave without you."
I wordlessly obey, scrambling into the side of the ambulance as the doors slam shut behind me.
The earth pony is already on the other side of the cabin, speaking through a small opening. "Get us off the ground! Full speed!"
I feel a lurch as the carriage lifts off the ground, and then—nothing. A faint blue shimmer seems to sweep across the carriage, and I notice that the unicorn's horn is glowing.
"Gravitic stabilization field enabled, do we need—"
"Yes! Clear the skies from here all the way to Manehattan!"
The unicorn hesitates and looks over at her partner. "Manehattan?"
The earth pony grimaces. "You heard me right."
The unicorn nods, and levitates a magical crystal out from the wall. "Emergency flight alert! This is a code 220 incident! Rapid response carriage designation Niner Bravo Bravo carrying a critically injured pegasus! We are traveling at maximum speed and cannot deviate from our flight course! Repeat! This is a code 220 incident!"
As the unicorn hangs up the crystal, the earth pony starts talking while applying a bandage to the stallion's hoof. "Give me a full body scan, highlighting all trauma with a severity greater than four."
The lights are dimmed, and the unicorn begins to weave an extremely complex looking spell matrix in front of her horn. A few moments later, a shimmering light envelops Prism Glider's body, and a wave of magic washes over him. Slowly, an incredibly detailed hologram of Prism Glider floats upwards, hovering above his prone body. Various internal organs are visible through the translucent material, and a glowing yellow hovers around his right foreleg, his right hind leg, and his wings. A fainter orange glow is also visible in other areas.
"Luna's tits," whispers the unicorn, staring at the hologram she just summoned.
What particularly stands out is his remaining wing. The entire limb is glowing an angry yellow.
"It's... It's just shattered bone and shredded muscle. I don't think we can fix this."
"Buck, I was right. We can't deal with this kind of trauma at the clinic. We have to go to Manehattan General Hospital." The medic steps towards the head of the carriage again. "Highlight all trauma above level three and start cataloguing injuries."
The unicorn nods, and her horn glows once again. The yellow fades to a dull white, and the faint orange glow intensifies. The unicorn levitates a clipboard in front of her and starts scribbling on it as she calls out injuries to her partner as the earth pony shouts through the window again.
"His blood pressure is dropping way too fast, he has three fractured ribs, his right hind leg muscle has been almost completely severed, his right foreleg has a small fracture and suffered trauma to the ligament from being dislocated, his left hoof has a large bar crack, he has two puncture wounds near his stomach, and a foreign object has partially perforated his liver. Internal bleeding is minimal, but his internal organs have been subjected significant blunt trauma. We need an IV ASAP."
An involuntary shudder runs down my spine as I listen to the nurse rattle off Prism Glider's injuries. Please don't die, I think, staring at the motionless pegasus laid out in front of me. Please, please don't die…
The earth pony has already inserted an IV into Prism Glider's foreleg, and begins patching up his injuries with antiseptic and gauze. Things seem to quiet down for a moment, and I slowly manage to work up the courage to ask the medics something.
"I-is it much farther to the hospital?" I squeak, almost sounding like Fluttershy. "The one in Manehattan, I mean."
The earth pony flashes me a rare smile. "It's an extra fifteen minutes, but I think we've got your friend stabilized. If we can just make it to the—" She freezes, and her smile vanishes, almost taking my heart with it. A hoof that had been pressed against Prism Glider's neck is now moving around frantically. "Jade? Jade?! I don't have a pulse! I don't have a pulse!"
A split second later, the hologram starts pulsing an angry red. "He's lost too much blood! His blood pressure's gone off a cliff! The minute we are on the ground this stallion needs a blood transfusion!" cries out the unicorn, grabbing a mask from a nearby cabinet and attaching it to Prism Glider's muzzle.
"Tell me that when his heart's beating, Jade!" The earth pony has already started CPR, straddling the stallion faster than I can blink, pumping his chest with her forehooves. "Come on, buddy, stay with me, stay with me. Are you ready?!"
Jade is sitting perfectly still with her eyes closed, and a bright light emanates from her horn. "Ready!"
The earth pony immediately gets off Prism Glider and holds up a hoof. "Clear!"
A magical aura surrounds the stallion, and a split second later his entire body convulses as an electrical charge surges through it. The earth pony immediately checks for a pulse. "Nothing. We'll try again in three. Is that oxygen mask secure?"
Jade re-adjusts the mask as the other medic quickly straddles Prism Glider again and continues doing chest compressions. I'm still staring at the scene in shock, my battered heart so bruised and beaten that it doesn't know what to feel anymore.
"Hey, miss? Miss?"
I almost don't notice the earth pony start talking to me. "Hu-wha? What is it?"
She huffs, still doing impeccably timed chest compressions with expert precision as she talks to me. "This is your friend, right?"
I nod vigorously, desperately hoping what comes after won't involve the words next-of-kin.
"Then talk to him. Keep talking to him. It doesn't matter what you say, just talk to him and maybe he'll wake up."
I blink and look at her, confused. "You really think that'll work?"
Without missing a beat, the medic looks straight into my eyes. "Miss, when somepony's heart has stopped, I start believing in miracles."
I shudder, and shakily nod my head. "I… um… hey Prism Glider? It's me, Rainbow Dash. If you can hear me, please don't let go. Don't give up. You never gave up before, so don't start now. I know I've only known you for a few days, but it feels like weeks. I know you're a fighter, Prism Glider, I know you don't roll over and let ponies step all over you. Your heart is bigger than that. Stronger than that. So wake the hell up already and stop making me worry, alright?!
"You're a stuntpony! Stuntponies don't let life pass them by and they sure as hell don't give up on it! We have a code! No stuntpony ever has to practice alone! No stuntpony is ever left behind! So—so… so don't leave me behind. Don't make me fly home alone. Don't give up on me. I can't do that, Prism Glider. I can't fly home from this hospital without you. I won't! I won't let you die on me, not now, not ever!
"We—we're gonna become Wonderbolts together, okay? We're gonna perform stunts together in the Royal Canterlot stadium, and hang out with all the other Wonderbolts, and ponies will come from all over to get our autographs. We'll fly from here to the Crystal Empire, just the two of us, riding on thermals and twirling through the clouds. We'll fly across the whole continent and set a new airspeed record, and not once will we leave each other behind. You hear me? We'll always be together! Don't you dare leave me now!"
I pause when I notice the earth pony dismounting Prism Glider again. She holds up another hoof and looks over at the unicorn, who nods. "Clear!" she shouts, and another lance of electricity is sent through Prism Glider.
I hold my breath as the medic checks his pulse, hoping that the angry red glare of the hologram is somehow wrong, or delayed. The medic shakes her head and starts doing chest compressions again, and I am left to my own thoughts. What if they can't restart his heart? Did I ever tell him how I felt? How many of our days spent together had I taken for granted?
I'd become so absorbed in my own thoughts, I forgot I was supposed to be talking until the earth pony finally spoke up again. "Keep talking, girl, you're doing great."
I give her a tiny nod, trying to pull myself together. Tears threaten to escape from the corners of my eyes, and every shove the earth pony makes is like another punch to my gut. Slowly, my mind starts to realize the very real possibility that the last thing Prism Glider will have ever heard was me saying "I go first!" As I start going backwards through my memories of the past few days, I realize that I never once told him that I loved him.
"I… I love you, Prism Glider," I choke out, trying desperately not to cry. "I never got a chance to tell you, but I love you. You see? You can't die, not like this, not now. You gotta wake up. You gotta wake up so I can tell you. Please, just wake up! Please don't die! Don't leave me like this! Don't make me fly alone again!"
Tears are streaming down my cheeks now as I lean on the bedside with my forehooves, staring desperately into Prism Glider's closed eyes as his body shudders from the impact of each chest compression. "Please wake up! W-wake up Prism Glider! Come back to me! I'm s-sorry about everything! I'll d-do anything to get you back! A-anything! I just want to be with you! I don't want to be alone again!"
Like clockwork, the earth pony gets off Prism Glider again. "Clear!" she shouts, and a third jolt of electricity is sent through his body. I wait with bated breath, but the hologram remains a stubborn crimson.
The earth pony begins chest compressions again, and I feel like somepony has stabbed me in the chest. He might not make it to the hospital. I might never get to see his eyes ever again.
I blink through my tears and start begging Prism Glider to come back to life. "D-don't leave me! Don't d-die on me! Please come back! C-c-come baaaa—ha—ha—aaack…"
It's no use, and my words dissolve into incoherent sobbing as I slump to the floor, weeping. My life is falling apart, like a castle of glass slowly collapsing all around me.
"Come on girl, keep it together!" says the earth pony, never seeming to tire from the constant chest compressions. "I've seen ponies walk away from worse than this! We are not giving up on him, even if I have to keep pumping his heart all the way to the goddamn hospital!"
Her words are like a lifesaver, thrown into an endless ocean of despair. A silk thread ties it to a raft, braving the harsh waves of reality that threaten to sink it. Upon that thin strand of hope, I hoist myself up, and stare at the limp pegasus as his chest is wracked by compression. I look at him with wretched eyes, and let out a quiet prayer.
“Are we almost ready?” The earth pony’s voice washes over me, the words blurring together. I watch Prism Glider in stony silence, tears still dripping from my cheeks.
“Alright, let’s give it another go.” The earth pony finishes a few more compressions before quickly dismounting Prism Glider. Time slows to a crawl as I stare at the closed eyelids of my coltfriend, wishing for it all to end. Hoping against hope that the ragged, burning hole in my chest could be soothed.
Just give him back to me, Celestia, I pray, take away his wings, take away my dreams, just give the stallion I love back to me for one more day.
“Clear!”
Jade’s voice echoes in my head, bouncing around my consciousness as her horn slowly begins to glow. I never noticed the intricacies of unicorn magic as it begins flowing through their horn. Slowly, a light curls around the spiral until it reaches the tip, where a flash of light sends a ripple of magical energy flowing back down, and then another flash completes the familiar ethereal glow of an active spell.
Slowly, Prism Glider rises from his bed. My lungs begin to protest, and I become dimly aware of the fact that I’ve been holding my breath. His body spasms, briefly writhing in place as electricity courses through him. My eyes look up at the red hologram floating above his body. A second passes. Two seconds. Three. My lungs burn, but I am frozen in terror, unable to move as the earth pony reaches her hoof out. I close my eyes and turn my ears towards her, waiting for the verdict. Waiting for the words my heart aches for.
“Yes!”
My eyes snap open, and I see a beautiful blue hologram above me. I can scarcely believe my ears as the earth pony confirms what I had so desperately hoped.
“I got it! I got it I got it I got it! Current pulse is...” As the earth pony measures the newly restored heartrate, I fall backwards on to the floor, clutching my chest. I gasp, half from oxygen deprivation, half from an explosion of relief. He’s not dead, I think to myself. You still have a chance. He’s not dead. I think I’m crying again, but I don’t care anymore.
“How much farther to the hospital?” I ask, after I finally catch my breath.
Still bandaging Prism Glider, the earth pony replies without missing a beat. “Five minutes, tops. Jade, how’s our blood pressure stabilization going?”
I leave the medics to their work and drag myself up from the floor once more, sitting next to Prism Glider’s head. “Stay with me,” I whisper to him, delicately stroking his bloody mane, “Stay with me…”
I sit in quiet contemplation the rest of the way, staring up at the blue hologram, watching Prism Glider’s heartbeat and willing it to keep going. My silence is broken only by an occasional reassurance that I whisper in his ear.
Da-dub, da-dub, da-dub.
I’m not sure if I’m reassuring Prism Glider or myself. Either way, eventually the carriage lands on the ground with a thud, and I notice a very slight change in my sense of direction as the gravitic stabilization field is dispelled. I barely have time to register any of this before the doors are flung open and Prism Glider is levitated onto a stretcher. A small army of nurseponies and medics immediately begin rushing him up a ramp and through a set of sliding doors. Strange medical terms and frightening words are flung through the air, but one word in particular stands out to me.
“... for an amputation immediately! Coming in through loading dock C ...”
Amputation.
Amputation.
I walk out of the carriage in a daze. I really should’ve known it was coming, given that he was already missing a limb, but somehow, hearing those words in the hospital makes it real. They solidify my error, my mistake. They trap me in the binds of my worst nightmares. They make it impossible to escape with the foolish hope that Prism Glider would fly again.
I’ve ruined everything.
I spend a good two minutes wandering aimlessly around the loading dock before a nursepony leads me to the receptionist’s desk. She whispers a few short words to the mare behind it before trotting off. I am dimly aware of the receptionist asking me about something.
“I, uh… I don’t—” I sputter, not really knowing what’s going on anymore.
She smiles and gently taps my withers with a hoof. “Come along honey, let’s get you washed off.”
I am in a washroom.
I have told myself that I am in a washroom approximately eight times in the past two minutes, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Maybe I just need to say it again.
…
I am in a washroom.
Slowly, haltingly, I reach out and turn the faucet on. Cold water tumbles out of the nozzle, splashing and churning around the sink before swirling down the drain.
It was an apt description of how my stomach felt, at least. I sigh, and lift my hooves to the porcelain rim. I nearly let out a shriek when I see that they are dripping with bright red blood. Thick rivulets of angry crimson trickle down the edge of the sink from where I put my hooves.
It’s all my fault.
Trying desperately to suppress my sniffling with the shredded remains of my pride, I frantically start scrubbing my hooves off. The sink turns into a red sea, its frothing waves filled with my guilt. I scrub and scrub, but the angry red pool refuses to lighten.
“Why won’t it come off?!” I sob, “Why w-won’t it c-come off?!”
I sat in front of the sink with tears streaming down my cheeks, washing my hooves for ages. Five minutes, ten minutes, I didn’t know anymore, but eventually I am granted a reprieve.
“Miss?” a voice calls through the door. “Miss, are you alright?”
I jump, having completely forgotten that the receptionist was still outside, my eyes darting towards the door. Thankfully it was still closed, but when my eyes return to the sink, it is clean. An innocent stream of clear water swirls into the drain, and my hooves have been washed clean, scrubbed as raw as my heart.
Shivering, I wonder how long they had been that way.
I walk out of the washroom and am greeted with a concerned look from the receptionist.
“Is there anything I can get you?” she asks, adjusting her glasses with a hoof.
“Do… do you know where Prism Glider is?” I croak, still staring at the floor.
Unfortunately, the receptionist shakes her head. “He’ll be in surgery all night, hun. I suggest you get comfortable.” She waves a hoof towards a sitting area just as a small bell echoes down the corridor. She gives me a curt nod before trotting off to deal with whatever catastrophe had shown up in front of the hospital.
I slowly make my way towards the couch, my whole body numb from shock. It’s late, and the setting sun paints the sky a deep purple. I stare through the glass ceiling of the lounge, wondering how everything could have gone so wrong so quickly. One moment, I was living the dream, and now I’m in a nightmare. With nothing else to distract me, my mind quickly spirals out of control, fretting about every dark and terrible thing imaginable. What if he never makes it out of surgery? What if he never wakes up? Would I have to tell them to pull the plug? Could I? Would I have to attend his funeral? What would I say? What would his family say? Would they blame it on me? Would I go to jail? Do I deserve to go to jail? Would they even let me into the funeral at all?
My thoughts turn to my grandmother’s funeral. It had happened a few years ago, but I never really felt… sad. I mostly just felt awkward. She had simply been there, a distant figure who occasionally came up in conversation. I only really ever saw her at Hearth’s Warming, and she simply dissolved into the mass of other distant relatives. My mom had been bawling at the funeral, and my grandfather struggled to get through his speech. At the time, I wondered if I should’ve felt more sad about the whole mess, but it all just seemed so surreal. Years later, I barely notice she’s gone.
Now I know what it must have felt like for my grandfather, to have the one you loved torn away from you. To have your emotional connection severed and lost forever.
Eventually, I can’t take it anymore. I get up and start trotting aimlessly around the hospital, desperate to keep my mind off Prism Glider. It’s late evening, and the whole place seems eerily quiet. The clip-clopping of my hooves echoes around the dark hallways and polished marble floors. I have no real idea where I’m going, but eventually I hear somepony playing piano. Following my ears, I stumble on a huge room with a glass ceiling that seems to stretch skywards forever. Perhaps it was intended for large meetings of some sort, but at the moment all it has is a solitary piano in its center, with somepony playing a particularly melancholy song.
I almost walk up to say hello, but I don’t want to disturb them and risk losing the soothing music they’re playing. Instead, I lie down on a nearby couch and stare up at the dark sky, until the echoing tones of the piano carry me off to sleep.
When I wake up, it takes me a few moments to remember where I am. Once I do, however, I’m instantly on my hooves. It’s early morning, but the hospital is already buzzing with activity. I start navigating my way through the crowd only to realize I have no idea where I am. I hadn’t exactly been paying attention to where I was going last night as I wandered around the hospital, and the throngs of ponies crowding the halls aren’t helping. Eventually, I manage to find the receptionist’s desk and ask where I can find Prism Glider.
“Hmmmm,” says the receptionist, “let me get a nurse down here.”
Terror creeps into my bones as I sit on the cold floor, trying not to tremble as I wait for the nurse. Special cases were never good news in a hospital.
“Miss… Rainbow Dash?” I’m jolted from my musings by a soft voice. “I need to you come with me.”
I follow the nurse in silence as she leads me down a twisting maze of hallways, past the surgery rooms, the maternal ward, the trauma ward and the long term care units. I gulp as I walk past a sign that reads Intensive Care Unit. Heart monitors beep around me, barely audible above the hustle and bustle of doctors and nurses tending to patients.
We stop outside of a room tucked away in a corner of the ICU, and the nurse flips through her notebook. “Alright, from our records, you accompanied Prism Glider in the ambulance, but we don’t know if you are a family member or not.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m his uh… marefriend.”
“Do you know any of his family members? His next of kin? Any information about who we might contact in case he is unable to make medical decisions on his own?”
I continue shaking my head. I hadn’t thought about how little I actually know about Prism Glider. I knew he had a job as a weatherpony, somewhere, but that was it. No family, no hometown, not even any other friends, as far as I could tell. He had come to Manehattan alone, and left his past behind him.
The nurse sighs. “Alright, well, since we have nothing else to go on, I’ll let you inside, but you need to understand that he’s had his wings amputated, and the doctors aren’t sure if he’s ever going to wake up. If he is indeed comatose, we will have to find a family member to make medical decisions for him.”
I nod, trying to keep myself from breaking down in tears. Never wake up? The nurse opens the door. I hesitate for a brief moment, hoping against hope that this is a nightmare. Eventually, I drag myself through the doorway and into a dark room, lit only by a single small window. A chair sits by a single potted plant, opposite a large bed occupied by a dark figure. An involuntary gasp leaves my throat as I realize the pony I’m looking at is actually Prism Glider.
He is absolutely covered in bandages, and his wings are clearly gone. Tubes and IV lines hang off of his body, connecting him to a terrifying array of beeping machines keeping him alive.
“He’s in pretty bad shape,” whispers the nurse. I don’t reply, and eventually she closes the door and leaves me with him. I drag myself towards the chair, and quietly break down in tears. No one is there to comfort me as I sit down, alone with the pegasus who had stolen my heart.
Alone with my mistakes.
The next 48 hours pass quickly. Sometimes I forget to eat. Sometimes the nurses send me home, saying visitor hours have ended. I simply come back as soon as they’ll let me. When I tell the hotel I need to extend my stay indefinitely, the whole story slips out, and they let me stay free of charge for as long as I need. Instead of making me feel better, it just makes me feel worse. They keep saying it was a terrible accident.
I know better.
“You woke up the next day, and, well, you know the rest,” says Rainbow Dash, curled up on a pillow. Days have passed since she began her side of the story. I’d spent several nights pondering her words, and still have no idea how to react. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling, unsure of what to do. So I do nothing.
“I’ll just… let you sleep now,” mumbles Rainbow Dash, as she gets up off her pillow and starts towards the door. By now, she knows when I just want to be alone, to process everything that had happened. Of course, visiting hours weren’t over quite yet. I could still stop her and put all this behind us. I could still bring her back.
Rainbow Dash falters and turns around, opening her mouth but saying nothing. After a moment of hesitation, she closes her mouth and looks at me with a pained expression. All I had to do was say something. Just a few words, and all would be forgiven, and we could live happily ever after... Except my wings are gone and my dreams have been taken from me.
I awake in the same, empty hospital room I’ve woken up in for the past two weeks. Rainbow Dash is nowhere to be seen, and I am both relieved and disappointed. Relieved, because I still don’t know what to think about the part she played in the accident. Disappointed, because it’s really, really boring lying in bed all day with nopony to talk to.
My mind returns to my uncertain relationship with Rainbow Dash. On one hoof, I badly want to blame her for everything—an experienced flyer should’ve known better! The problem is that I should’ve known better, too. Why didn’t I pull up? What was I thinking? With my short-term memory obliterated, I’ll never know what led to me making that crucial mistake. Maybe I was so smitten with Rainbow Dash that my desire to impress her overrode my common sense. That was… probably exactly what happened, to be honest. I feel myself blushing, despite being alone. They weren’t kidding about love being blind.
This, however, raises a more relevant question: Am I still in love with Rainbow Dash? I can remember meeting her, and thinking she was hot, but that magical moment where I really fell in love with her was lost. Sometime during that fateful night, I realized that I wanted to be with Rainbow Dash for the rest of my life, and I’ve forgotten all of it. The date, the conversation, the kiss. I’ve been reset to day one, except now I’m a completely different pony—one without wings. Rainbow Dash can try her best to relay that night from her perspective, but it feels alien to me, like she is describing a stranger. We’d have to start over from square one. The perfect, storybook ending we both wanted has been torn away from us, a casualty of our own stupid choices.
The hard truth is that I am no longer the pony that fell in love with Rainbow Dash. We had admired each other, we were both driven towards our mutual goal of becoming Wonderbolts. We had connected over our shared love for stunt flying, and now I have no wings. If I were to rekindle our romance, I wouldn’t know where to start. This is uncharted territory, and my knowledge of how things went before won’t help me. Now I’m nothing more than a cripple, a useless weight holding Rainbow Dash back from her dreams. No matter how guilty Rainbow Dash feels, it seems impossible for this to work.
I am shaken from my musings when I realize that it’s past mid-afternoon and Rainbow Dash still hasn’t shown up.
She always shows up.
My morose feelings quickly give way to concern, which gradually turns to alarm as the shadows on the floor grow longer. I remember last night, and how depressed she had been by the end of it, and how I had said nothing. Alarm turns into terror as my overactive imagination starts thinking of all the stupid things Rainbow Dash might have done. With a trembling hoof, I push the nurse call button and try to steady my breathing. Less than a minute later, I hear the doorknob turn, and Nurse Pleasant Heart walks in.
“Is everything alright, Mr. Glider?” She asks, wandering up to examine the various medical instruments I’m still plugged into.
“W-well, sort of,” I stammer, unsure of how to phrase my question. “I was, u-uh, wondering if Rainbow Dash stopped by today? Y’know, maybe when I was asleep, o-or something.”
“Hmmmm...” Pleasant Heart looks concerned. “I don’t actually know, I’ll have to check with the front desk. I’ll be back in a bit, alright?”
I nod and watch her leave. I try to stare out the window in an effort to calm my nerves, but the only thing I can see is the occasional pegasus flying between the buildings, once again reminding me of my missing limbs. I let out a long sigh and return to staring at the floor instead. Being a cripple was terribly boring, I muse. It’s even worse when I’m anxiously waiting for something. I want to get up and fly, but even pacing around would be better. Moving at all would be better. I quickly begin to long for the day I can use my legs again, as that would be infinitely better than being stuck in a bed for the rest of my life.
The minutes inch by at a painfully slow pace. If I didn’t know better I would blame Celestia for slowing the sun down. I feel like a colt again, waiting in agonizing boredom for the school bell to ring and release me from my hell. But here, there was no bell, no certainty, no schedule. Just an endless slog that could drag on for 5 more minutes or 50 more minutes.
“Hello again, Prism Glider!” ...Or 5 more seconds, as Nurse Pleasant Heart trots in at just that moment. “Apparently the front desk received a letter from Rainbow Dash that was to be delivered to you later today, but I guess somepony just misplaced it or… something.” Pleasant Heart giggles. “It can get kind of busy here, you know. Anyway, here’s the note, is there anything else you need?”
I begin shaking my head, before I realize that without wings, or even a working pair of forelegs, reading that note was going to be very difficult. “Uh, could you hold it up for me while I read it?”
“Oh, of course, Mr. Glider. I need to check your medication anyway, we’re hoping to wean you off of some of the opioids soon.”
I nod, and turn my attention to the letter floating in front of me...
Hey Prism Glider!
So, Princess Celestia has called all the Elements to Canterlot, effective immediately. The reason is like, super top secret or something, but I know it has something to do with that assassination attempt on Princess Luna. I think so, anyway.
But yeah, I know this is kind of really awful timing, and I even told Princess Celestia that! Unfortunately Celestia was adamant that we all show up in Canterlot for… reasons, and uh, there may have been a small argument about… things. And I might have called our immortal, all-powerful ruler of everything a “stupid bitch”.
So, long story short, I’m in Canterlot now. I tried to visit you in the morning, after I had finished packing my stuff, but the nurses really didn’t want me to wake you up while you were sleeping. I tried to argue with them—really!—but they wouldn’t budge, so now I’m just writing you a letter.
I just wanted to say that I’m sorry for everything… again. I mean I’ve probably told you I’m sorry like a million times and I know it doesn’t make anything better but before I leave I just have to let you know that I’m really fucking sorry and I’ve never been this sorry in my whole life and I just don’t know what else to say and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible and I gotta go now so bye!
— Rainbow Dash
I admit that the part about calling Celestia a “stupid bitch” got a chuckle out of me. Mostly I’m simply relieved there is a reason Rainbow Dash didn’t show up today, and that reason isn’t me or because something happened to her. I’m still bummed that she won’t be showing up again for a week, or however long that “investigation” takes. It’ll probably involve saving Equestria from certain destruction, again.
I ask the nurse to leave the letter on the table next to my bed, and since she’s already here I also ask for some dinner, which ends up being more mediocre hospital food. Munching away on a flower sandwich, I wonder what I’m going to spend my days doing now that Rainbow Dash is off on a mission to save Equestria. To be honest, I’m sick and tired of this hospital room. I just wish something would change. Of course, you know what they say.
