Rainbow Dash, Please Describe Red

by x Silver Tongue x

Rating: everyone
Tags: Wonderbolts, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Nurse Redheart, Rainbow Dash, Comedy, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Random
Length: 7960

Rainbow Dash finds out she is colorblind. Everyone in Ponyville cracks up at the irony.

Rainbow Dash has never been to the eye-doctor. One afternoon Twilight takes her to the clinic to check her eyes after a minor flight accident. They end up finding out something that makes no sense whatsoever to any pony in Ponyville.

Woke up this morning to see that my random story that was published for no reason got featured 2/28/14. I'm not complaining, but it isn't a work of art :P. I guess anything a teenager writes about multicolored ponies amuses you.

Published 2014-02-28 05:50:07 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-01 19:54:55 UTC

An Ironic Diagnosis

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle sat nonchalantly in the waiting room of the Ponyville Clinic. Various ponies present in the room eyed them briefly, completely disinterested by their presence on this particular day. It wasn't unusual to see them around, anyways. Someone in their band of six ponies always seemed to get injured every. Single. Week. However, most ponies could tolerate walking in and seeing yet another one of Twilight's friends in some sort of state of disarray.

It was an average Saturday, like any other. The mare at the front desk was pleased to see rays of sunshine seeping through the window for a change. She was the only hospital authority in the room, but this wasn't unusual. Fillies and Colts getting their regular check-ups crawled playfully on the floor, toying with the building blocks the medical facility had arranged for youth. The mothers of these children flipped violently through skyscraper-tall stack of newspapers informing them of the latest Canterlot news. There didn't appear to be anyone in the room carrying out a conversation, besides Twilight and Rainbow. However, whatever pointless information they were discussing had drowned out, and Rainbow's boredom level rose accordingly. It wasn't until Pinkie Pie burst through the transitional door that connected the casual room to the actual hospital did anyone pay any attention to their surroundings.

Rainbow Spoke up. "Pinkie Pie, you work here too?" she uttered, knowing that Pinkie worked several jobs already.

"DUH!," Shouted the gregarious mare, who inched her way towards Rainbow Dash. "How else do I pay for all my parties? Sheesh, it's not like I spit money out of my hair. What are you, crazy?"

"Well...," started Twilight, conjuring an argument that may demonstrate how Pinkie is very unpredictable, and could potentially do so. However, Pinkie Pie was thinking two steps ahead of her, silencing her words and opening up a new topic.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here, anyways? You both look pretty healthy, but I'm not a doctor, so there's no telling...,"

"But," began Rainbow Dash, completely perplexed by what Pinkie just uttered. However, she simply sighed. There was no telling with Pinkie. "Oh, never mind."

"Anyways," shouted the mare with great positivity," you still haven't answered my question!"

"It's nothing life-threatening," reassured Twilight. "Rainbow Dash was simply practicing her newest flight routine, but failed to complete a move and injured herself. She claims she's alright, but technically we are supposed to check key abilities of her body to make sure certain motor skills are still intact."

"Twilight," contradicted Rainbow Dash, "Why do I have do be here? If my motor skills were defective, I don't think I would've been able to get over to the hospital,"

"Well, clearly there's something wrong with your brain," retorted Twilight. "Anyone with common sense would care about their health!"

"Girl's, calm dowwwn," interrupted Pinkie. "Just deal with it."

"Fine,"

The mare at the front desk flipped amicably through her files, completely oblivious to the conversation. Coincidentally, as their conversation came to a close, it came time for Dash's appointment. The mare stood up, walked reflexively to the podium in which she announced the names of patients, and read in a calming tone, "Rainbow Dash, please come to the front desk for your appointment. Rainbow Dash,"

"Well, that's our cue," said Twilight, who quickly ushered Rainbow to get up on her hooves. "Have a nice day, Pinkie,"

"Will do!" Exclaimed Pinkie, in her usual cheerful mood.

The two mares trotted over to the front desk in a timely manner, and checked in for the final time for confirmation of their presence. The desk mare signed them off, and then accompanied them to the door, and into the hospital.

The smell of medicinal products fluctuated in the atmosphere of the hallway, which was lined in an array of identical rooms stocked equally with similar products. The walls were adorned with various pieces of art donated to the clinic by the Ponyville Community Center. The facility itself was painted a dim white, and the width of the lengthy hallway was enough to make anypony claustrophobic. Few nurses ambled through the halls, but ironically, the hospital had a record number of patients that day. The incoming crowd was so extensive that Twilight and Rainbow had to walk at least two-hundred meters to arrive at the next available room.

When they finally arrived at their specific room, #345, they were pleasantly surprised to see that Nurse Redheart was working a shift and was elected as Rainbow Dash's nurse. She shared a welcoming smile, dismissed the desk mare back to the waiting room, and allowed both mares to enter the room.

Twilight was the first to speak. "Pleased to see you, Redheart! We haven't seen you since the last incident."

Nurse Redheart nodded in understanding. "Yes, I remember. Let's keep that odd visit to ourselves, though. I'm still trying to forget the details." She stiffened up into her professional posture. "Anyways, let me guess what it is this time..."

Twilight sat there sarcastically, as if the nurse should know by now.

"Flying accident?"

"Yep,"

"Crashed into a tree?"

"Yep,"

"New move?"

"Yep,"

"Did she really think it through?"

"Nope,"

"Motor skills check-up?"

"Bingo," Twilight concluded.

"I thought so," affirmed Nurse Redheart, who trotted towards her desk to retrieve supplies from the upper cabinet suspended directly above her muzzle. She quickly retrieved a mechanical hearing machine, color pallets with various numbers printed on them in multi-sized circles, an eye-chart, and a reflex hammer. "I'm going to start with the basics before going any deeper into diagnosis. If her sight, hearing, and mobility/reflexes are intact, and she isn't experiencing any physical pain, I can insure you she will need no further inspection."

Rainbow rolled her eyes in disinterest as Nurse Redheart expanded upon the details of her visit. Twilight simply rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sure Rainbow Dash will be delighted to know if she is healthy or not. She takes great care of her health."

"Hey what's up with all the emphasis on your words?" Questioned Rainbow. "No need to be sarcastic. You're bad at sarcasm."

"It's mean, but it's kinda true," added Redheart.

Twilight gave both of them a you-better-shut-up-or-i'm-going-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep face. Both mares immediately muted themselves. "Well, I guess we might as well begin Rainbow Dash's brief check-up. Something tells me if she sits in this room any longer, she's going to explode."

"Oh don't worry, only Pinkie Pie does that,"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing,"

Nurse Redheart retrieved her first piece of equipment, filled out some paperwork, and then lifted her head from concentration. "Twilight, will you please leave the room? Patients need to be alone so that they can accomplish every task asked of them to the best of their ability."

"No problem," agreed Twilight. I understand that you want some privacy." She turned to Rainbow Dash. "I'll be in the lobby when you're done. Don't do anything stupid."

"Twilight," asked Dash, "Do you really think I would misbehave during a doctor's visit?"

"..."

"Don't answer that question,"

Twilight excused herself from the room, ambling out the door with a bemused expression painted on her face. Clearly the mechanics of how the hospital worked fascinated her. She hadn't visited the place ever in her life, as it was unusual for Twilight to get sick when she washed her hooves for 30 minutes straight after every meal. Once Twilight was a good twenty meters down the hallway in which they entered, Nurse Redheart broke the silence. "Ok Rainbow Dash," she started. "I'm going to start with several eye tests. I'm not in the mood to start with the expensive, laborious task of setting you up in the machine that alters magnification, so I'm going to start with color-blindness tests. Though one can't receive colorblindness from an accident, as it is a genetic trait, I understand that you have never seen an eye doctor, so we might as well test you now."

Rainbow Dash watched as she carefully selected a stack of papers with randomly sized dots across their surface. She lifted them up with her hooves, and placed them in Dash's lap. "Now Rainbow, this is very simple," she began. "All you must do is state what numbers you see on each color palette with spots, if any. You must then recite to me what number you see? Simple?"

Dash was perplexed. She saw no numbers on the first palette. However, she never admitted confusion or failure. "Yes," she responded, leaving it as that.

"Good," confirmed Nurse Redheart. She swiped the first page of the stack from its place, much to Rainbow Dash's relief. However, a new problem awaited her on the next page, which once again bore no numbers. "What number do you see?" asked Redheart.

Perhaps it is a trick question, thought Dash. Confidently, she reflexively responded back. "Funny, Nurse Redheart. I'm not stupid. I know there are no numbers on this page."

Redheart gave her an odd look. "Perhaps that was just a misconception," she muttered to herself, as she revealed the page under the previous one. Dash lifted an eyebrow. This one was more obscure than the first one. All she could possibly make out was a long grayish line that ran down the page. "Um, the number is one?"

At this moment, Nurse Redheart started to grow concerned. "No, the number was 34," she responded. Without thinking, she threw the stack of papers at the ground, which then scattered across the floor. "Um, forget this exercise...," She said hesitantly, looking around the room for ideas. An idea popped into her head. "Rainbow Dash," she announced, leading into a question. "How would you describe the color red, in your own terms?"

Rainbow Dash contemplated this question carefully. After several moments of thought, she spoke, "Oh, I don't know. I guess I could say dull. Damp. Boring. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Nurse Heartheart was not pleased with this peculiar answer, addressed to such a rich, vibrant color such as red. She immediately came up with an alternative question. "Point to something in the room that you think is red, and then to something else that is also red. At least, in your interpretation of the color."

Rainbow rose from her seat, and slowly trotted over to the wall mirroring the one her chair sat against. With her hoof, she gestured towards a navy blue flower bouquet arranged in a bowl. Then she pointed to one of the cabinets, in which were painted a vibrant shade of yellow. Nurse Redheart's expression made her appear as if she was dying inside, and was paralyzed with shock. Uneasily, she walked slowly over to her desk, which supported nothing but a black landline-style phone. She dialed several numbers, and then held the device up close to her ear. The voice that came out the other end was that of the mare at the front desk. "Ask Twilight Sparkle to return to room #345 as soon as possible. I have a diagnosis for her friend."

"Already? It's only been what, fifteen minutes? You can't seriously be done with everything."

"I don't really need to check anything else on this one, Tracie," answered Redheart, "I discovered something early on that, well, doesn't make any sense at all to me, and probably won't to you either."

"I don't care, tell me!"

"Well, I don't know how to say this...," she took a deep breath. "But, does it make sense to you that a pony with a rainbow mane and a rainbow-based cutie mark is colorblind?"

Author's Note

For those who like this fic: Well, keep liking it :P I can't stop you!

For those who DON'T: Excuse any typos please. This is incomplete: keep that In mind. If it isn't FANTASTIC, excuse that too. I didn't intend on this getting so many views; it is simply a children's-level fic written by a teenager.

Also, thank you for the criticism on the open end question that follows the end of this chapter. I thought it was a good way to end the chapter,
but it leaves too many questions out there about technicalities of the situation that people figure will not be answered in later date. The next chapter is an explanation chapter.

Seeking Answers

Author's Note

I FINALLY have my mac repaired! Sorry for the long delay. Thank you for all the approval that I have received on this story; it really baffles me how an amateur teenage writer can get 8000 views for a mediocre story :P

-There are mistakes. Deal. I can't stress enough how I am not Megan McCarthy. Just sayin'

Seeking Answers

The voice on the other end took a long, hesitant pause. "Um, no, that doesn't exactly sound probable,"

"I can't even fathom the concept," Nurse Redheart began, " I mean, as a medical instructor, I know that technically speaking your outside appearance has little to do with your internal anatomy. However, the irony will eat me alive if further tests prove her colorblind positive."

" I'll collapse in my chair and explode in hysteric laughter. The ponies in the lobby will think I need to go to a mental hospital!"

Redheart grinned. " Luckily you'll already be in a hospital."

"Ok, enough with our impractical jokes," The desk mare chirped. "As much as I'd love to purchase a bag of popcorn and watch the show, she's still a patient, and we're still employees. Do you want me to inform her entourage or not?"

"Feel free to inform Miss Twilight. Don't send her up, though, until I confirm this obscurity." Nurse Redheart answered.

Nurse Redheart placed the landline back in its respectable position, and then shifted her attention to Rainbow Dash. By the looks of it, Rainbow had witnessed the entirety of her brief conversation, as her pupils were fixed on the mare's face when she turned around. However, it was not a face of anger, hate, depression, anything emoting negativity. On the contrary, she appeared, well, oblivious. No reaction was painted across her forehead, not a hint of expression. Nurse Redheart was perplexed. However, before she could announce the following test, Rainbow raised her voice.

"What's colorblindness?"

...

...

...

"WHAT'S COLORBLINDNESS!"

How she didn't know, Nurse Redheart could not comprehend: even if her life depended on it. One of the most basic concepts in the book, one that fillies ten years younger than her understand, yet she hadn't the slightest clue. All hope is lost, she said to herself. This is a lost cause.

"I mean, ahem, I apologize. I only overreacted because it really is a topic you should've learned in your early educational years. Did you not learn this as a filly?"

"Pssh, no," replied Rainbow Dash. "Back in my day, the only thing we studied was why Pegasi have a need for speed! Well, and all the exciting classes necessary for performing the responsibilities of a pegasi; we've got art, weather science, physical education, and animal science. That's about it."

"Right," remembered Redheart. " Cloudsdale's educational committee only updated their educational system five years ago, because they assumed pegasi had no real need to be informed on topics that would not influence their profession in adulthood." A thought quickly entered her cranium. "Wait, did you say art?"

"Um, yeah, did you not hear me the first time around?" Retorted Rainbow angrily.

"I was kinda focused on the fact that you have not a clue what colorblindness is."

"Speaking of which, you haven't answered my question about that!" She said demandingly.

"I'm the doctor, I'll tell you in a second if you can utilize a bit of patience." grunted Redheart. Why am I doing this to myself? she questioned herself. Patients like this made her want to snap her leg off and beat the patient to death with that leg. She took a deep breath. That would be violent she thought. "As I was saying, we were on the topic of art. I mean, it was an art class. In art, they inform you about all the colors consisted in the rainbow, in order for you to excel in illustrating accurate pictures. Clearly, since you are colorblind, the colors that you used were incorrect. I find it impossible to think that your teachers did not sense any possible defect in your sight if your colors were different from that of everybody else."

"Please," argued Rainbow. "At the school I went to, the art class was an easy A. They didn't pay a single molecule of attention on what you drew on your piece of paper; as long as something was there, you got a stamp. Simple as that. At least when you were a filly, that is. Art class seemed to complicate as the years progressed, and it had absolutely nothing to do with colors. You actually had to know how to draw. In that moment, I was like, nope, nope, nope, not doing this, so I dropped out of art and filled up the gap with ISPE for flying. And people wonder how I was this good. I got plenty of practice time to help me advance in skill, obviously."

"Ok, I guess that makes sense, but..."

"But what?"

Nurse Redheart facehoofed. " It's just because, I don't know, YOU ARE A RAINBOW PONY!"

"I know I'm a rainbow pony, Redheart, I'm not an idiot," responded Rainbow. "In fact, despite what your stupid tests say, even if they are 100% proven and have applied to most people, it, well, doesn't mean anything! I know exactly what colors are in my mane.."

"Thank god, for a second I thought I was going to have to take another..."

"THEY ARE THE COLORS OF DARING DO!"

"... I, beg your pardon?"

"Oh, don't be silly, it's clear to me that the colors of our manes are the same," announced Rainbow. "Besides, why else would everybody in Ponyville tell me that I look exactly like the mare on the cover? Our colors are the only thing that I can see that are similar."

"Rainbow, the only difference between you and Daring Do are your colors," objected Nurse Redheart. She rolled her eyes. Without giving it a second thought, he trotted over to a corner lined with an array of complex machinery, consisting of tools of all shapes and sizes unfamiliar to Rainbow. "Now, Miss Rainbow Dash, you need to cooperate with me for the next few minutes. We need to conduct several more tests."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight began to feel impatient. She had been slouched in an uncomfortable seat for near 45 minutes, without receiving any sufficient results, if any. She started to worry. What was taking Rainbow Dash so long? Is there a major issue at play? She wanted to stay calm and controlled, but she couldn't expel her nervous sweating and anxious twisting of her hind legs into tight, flexible knots. She was on the verge of losing it. She needed something, anything to do that would keep her mind off of the situation at hand.

Five minutes passed. The clock on the wall seemed to tick menacingly, louder and louder as it advanced past each inch-sized gap between lines. The sound seemed to pierce her eardrums at a magnified vibration, as if the clock itself was taunting her, saying, "Hey, another minute has passed, one that you will never get back!" There came a time where she almost considered ripping it off the wall, smashing it into pieces as she threw it on the floor. But she was mature. She was calm. She was controlled. At least for a while. She made many attempts to pass the the time; once she went through a stack of magazines without overlooking anything of interest. She re-memorized the Periodic Table of Elements that had been plastered on the wall above the entrance door. No luck. Deciding that her best option was to go home and collect a book to read, she lifted from her seat, and began to amble towards the door. However, she heard a piercing announcement.

"Twilight Sparkle, please come to the front desk. Immediately."

Twilight wasted no time in working her way through the minor crowd , trying to reach the pony at the front desk. She was almost certain that she would receive news regarding Rainbow Dash, as there really wasn't any other relevant explanation. She approached the mare, who was flipping through a wall adorned with medical files. Upon pulling one out, Twilight realized that the corner of the file was labeled with Rainbow Dash's initials.

She spoke up. "Um, I'm guessing this is regarding my friend?"

The mare seated behind the table reflexively turned around, as if she had already rehearsed how she would respond. "Oh, trust me Twilight, if you thought that Rainbow Dash being one of the best fliers in Equestria was ironic when she crashes 24/7, hold on to your hats. The irony has hit a whole new level here." She laughed hysterically, like a mad mare who had an overdose of Pinkie Pie's cupcakes, and was now sugar high. Obviously whatever diagnosis ailed Rainbow was something extremely out-of the-ordinary, but for some reason that didn't seem to matter anymore. She only knew one thing.

That pony needed to be put it a mental hospital if her laughter could break the sound barrier like it just did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight felt a definite feeling of deja-vu as she was re-aquainted with with the bland atmosphere of the hospital hallways. She was accompanied this time by the desk-mare, Tracie was her name, who seemed to have a map of the building taped to the back of her cerebrum. She found an efficient route to room #345 without even second guessing her pathways that she followed, and Twilight could only follow blindly. Sure, she was usually an expert when it came to memorization, but every single hallway was identical to the next; there was no way she could take photographic memory of the buildup of the building.

When the duo arrived at the door, the energy inside Nurse Redheart's office was high in tension. Though Rainbow looked virtually unalarmed, Redheart's nerves were on a high rise. One second she was scribbling down notes at a feverish pace, the next galloping frantically across the room to fax information. Her mind was fully focused on whatever task it was that she was performing, as it took the mare five minutes to notice that Twilight and Tracy had arrived.

Nurse Redheart dropped all of her supplies and made for the door. "Oh, thank celestia you're here! I cannot stand one more second alone in this room with, her."

"What has Rainbow Dash done to you?" Asked Twilight, seeking some sort of answer after all the uncertainty.

"Things you wouldn''t BELIEVE!" she screeched. "She is uncooperative, repulsive, makes awful puns..."

"Oh please, my puns are the bomb.com!" Contradicted Rainbow. "Hey, why was the painter hospitalized?"

"I don't know, why?"

"HE HAD TOO MANY STROKES!"

*ba dum tss*

"..."

"..."

"..."

"No."

"OH COME ON!" She yelled, "CAN'T ANYONE APPRECIATE A GOOD PUN?"

"That was a bad pun, Rainbow, stop trying."

"Ugh, fine."

"On another note," Nurse Redheart broke the silence. "Tracie, I need your help, I cannot take this anyone!"

"Redheart, is there something..."

"Yes, Tracie, something is terribly wrong," She interrupted. " I tested her with everything; I've reviewed her with both Ishihara and Pseudoisochromatic plates, at least five times I have repeated the exercise. I even went to the extent of whipping out our most complex anomaloscope, with no positive results. She can't match colors, she is even deficient in differentiating shades! I didn't want to be the one to make this declaration, but there is no doubt in my mind that Rainbow Dash, is, in fact, colorblind."

At those last words, Twilight's eyeballs became paralyzed, and her hooves went numb. "Wait, WHAT?!" she chirped.

Somehow Nurse Redheart did not expect such a response. "Tracie, I thought you told Twilight this downstairs!" she questioned.

"Don't yell at me!" Tracie deflected. "I was only trying to build up suspense so that this announcement at the climax would be dramatic."

"The cli-what?" rebutted Rainbow Dash, finally throwing her voice into the conversation.

A clear expression of disbelief engulfed Twilight's face. "How do you not know what a climax is, Rainbow Dash? They should've taught you that in school." Criticized Twilight.

"They should've taught her a lot in school, like what colorblindness is." Claimed Nurse Redheart. " But THEY DIDN'T! Cursed Cloudsdale educational systems..."

Her attention quickly shifted from Rainbow Dash to Redheart. "I beg your pardon, I happen to know many collegues from Cloudsdale that were Valevictorians at Celestia's School for Gifted Pegasi."

"Don't start a cat fight, because the educational level of pegasi isn't our number one concern right know," exclaimed Tracie. "What is is the fact that Rainbow Dash here is colorblind. Now, Redheart, you can't just claim that Rainbow Dash has color defects and not explain to me what type. Explain to me what you know or are assuming is her specific type."

"I'm actually not sure, I haven't had a second to make calculations or inferences," responded Nurse Redheart. "However, when her visit first began, she was unable to differentiate the colors of blue and yellow."

"Hmm, that's strange, as far as I'm concerned there is no such thing as being unable to differentiate those two colors.." said Twilight. She immediately buried herself in thought, trying to find an explanation to the perplexing predicament.

All of the sudden, a rambunctious ruckus was heard outside, alongside the ironically steady pulse of hooves pounding against the tile hallway floor. Then, out of nowhere, the sound that seemed distant approached the door at a rapid pace. The sound was suddenly matched with a figure, one that looked way to bright to match the solemn feeling of the situation at hand.

"HEY TWILIGHT!"

It was Pinkie Pie.

The mare scuttled clumsily into the room, tripping over objects that had been placed on the floor as she slowly but spontaneously trampled through them. She wore a white nurses outfit, similar to that of Nurse Redheart's, except it has three inflated balloons replacing the medical symbol on her hat. "Sorry for coming in on such short notice! I couldn't help but overhear from the bottom floor that Twilight was confused about something! When that happens, I simply can't miss out. Once and a lifetime opportunity, if I do say so myself."

"Pinkie Pie, don't you have somewhere to be? Somewhere that you have been assigned at this hour?" Asked Tracie, a look of annoyance characterizing her expression. "You work here to work, not invade our privacy."

"Well, I did have somewhere to be," Pinkie croaked. "I was assigned to room #189, to do a kidney surgery. NO clue how I got that job. I had no idea what I was doing! I just picked up a pointy thingy and took it out. The kidney sure is a weird organ; four chambers, really muscular and sensitive too! It was connected to a bunch of red tubes, I think they were medical tubes, so I cut them off! I figured my job was done, so I've been wandering the hallway for fifteen minutes!"

Everybody in the room suddenly tensed up. "You did, WHAT?" Yelled Nurse Redheart.

"Relax, I gave the patient candy!"

"This is bad," Thought Tracie. She quickly recollected her thoughts. "No matter. We have bigger issues to discuss. Well, stranger ones would fit the term better. You see, Rainbow Dash here is colorblind."

"Well that's certainly ironic."

"Yes, clearly," Twilight answered. A light bulb went off in her head, at the sight of Pinkie's customized attire. "Nurse Redheart," she began, "Pinkie's customized hat has her Cutie mark stitched onto it. For me and you, the colors are obviously blue and yellow. Am I wrong?

"No, not at all," was her response.

"Well," she claimed, "If you say that Rainbow cannot differentiate between those two colors, than I really do need to see for myself." She tore the hat off of Pinkie's wide head, and quickly traveled over to a chair at which Rainbow sat ignorantly. "Rainbow Dash, this image is of Pinkie Pie's cutie mark. You see it most everyday. What colors come to mind?"

Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes in focus and concentration, processing the two colors before her in her mind. What were they? All she saw was a color of blandness and staleness. She shook her head, as if she was overcomplicating things. "I, sincerely don't know."

Twilight's expression flipped to utter misunderstanding. "But, I thought that before you said that these colors looked red when nurse Redheart asked you to identify red objects scattered about the room."

"Well, I don't know, everything pretty much looks the same, so I just assumed by process of elimination that everything I saw was red." Justified Rainbow.

Twilight seemed confused. "That's peculiar," she thought. "I don't know of any equine colorblindness classifications that make a pony unable to differentiate blue from yellow."

"Twilight..." Pinkie smirked, as if Twilight was missing something blaintly obvious.

"Um, am I missing something?"

"Of course you're missing something!" responded Pinkie. "No human colorblindness cannot differentiate between blue and yellow! Since we horses have dichromatic vision, and have two different types of cones, our colorblindness is an entirely different story! Though, it is kinda similar to a human's trichromic vision, you can't compare them silly filly!"

"Right, I'm mixing up my knowledge of human colorblindness with that of ponies," Twilight corrected herself. "Wait..." She thought. "How do you know about human colorblindness? The only way to the human world is through the portal in the crystal empire, and you didn't travel through with me when I had to retrieve my crown!"

"Hehe..... that's confidential information...." Pinkie backed away.

"Pinkie, is there something you want to tell us?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Um, uh, I have somewhere to be!" She shouted. "I, uh, have to check up on the patients!" WIthout a second to spare, she sprinted out the door and banged her hooves on the elevator. When it finally arrived on the floor, she quickly slipped into the compartment and feverishly clicked the button labeled #1 until the door finally closed.

"That was... odd," Thought Tracie.

"Well, it's just Pinkie, you get used to it after a while," reassured Rainbow.

Twilight allowed the party to share their experiences with Pinkie while she searched vigorously for Nurse Redheart's notes from the previous hour. She found them scattered on the floor, dirty and tattered from Pinkie's significant entrance. She bent over to pick them up with her teeth, and them brought them over to Redheart's mahogany desk, where she studied the material for five minutes before interrupting her friend's consistent complaints about Pinkie Pie.

"Ok, I've taken a glance at all of Nurse Redheart's notes, and my best guess as far as the yellow-blue color similarity goes is that she is missing cones that reflect yellow/blue color. Since those are the two major cone colonies in equine eyes, it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. however, your notes also depict deficiencies of pretty much all colors present in the spectrum, so there is a possibility that I am missing a figure somewhere."

"Do you think that she has full color blindness of each and every color?" Questioned Nurse Redheart. "It's an assumption I would certainly make."

"I did consider that as a possibility, which led me to my second theory; she has less rods than she should, so shades mesh together enough for her to call them the same color." Explained Twilight.

"I'll take that into consideration," Nurse Redheart seemed to have progressively eased herself out of confusion, finally retaining her professional composure. "I'm going to go ahead and fax our conclusions to both town hall and addresses of dwellings associated with Rainbow Dash. Today has certainly been an odd day for the medical field, and I'm sure they'll want to know. You ponies will be released in a couple minutes. Sorry for the delay."

"No need to apologize."

Somehow, in all the activity, Rainbow Dash grew oblivious to a much-needed question that was lurking on the back of her skull for quite some time now. So many developments had been discovered, yet throughout it she never had a chance to get the question answered after asking it.

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Rainbow?"

...

...

...

...

...

"What's colorblindness?"

~A LONG Awaited Referral~

Author's Note

Pun Intended, of course.
For those of you who tolerated me seventy some weeks ago for a chapter about mentally unstable Pinkies and an attempt to be a scientist, here's an extension of the plot you've requested so that I may not burden you with the "Incomplete Tag" any longer. Thanks for still watching :rainbowdetermined2:

~A LONG Awaited Referral~

Rainbow had been completely oblivious to the conversation between Twilight and Nurse Redheart for multiple reasons, all of which she thought were relatively valid. First of all, it was well outside of her particular interests about the situation; science, of course, was not her forte. Her incessant questioning regarding the logistics of colorblindness were her futile efforts to seem engrossed in their conversation, while more pressing matters loomed inside of her head.

She was, in all honesty, confused. Twilight Sparkle's entire life was shaped around the tiny, powerful sparkles that were magic, not to mention the Element of Magic, which she managed to harness to defeat evils. Who would Twilight be if she couldn't identify with the image that rested on her flank? This question was one Rainbow traced back to herself. Rainbow Dash, according to he medical experts uncomfortably huddling round her , had not the slightest understanding of what a rainbow was, yet her identity was shaped around her ability to spontaneously create a sonic boom showcasing such colors. Though she wasn't all that inclined to break into another rendition of "What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me," the very idea that she could not live up to her destiny sent chills up her vertebra once again.

Though, from the outside, everyone still assumed rainbow horse was simply being rainbow horse.

She attempted once again to appear at all interested. "Twilight," she articulated, "what's colorblindness?"

The frantic purple pony was negligent to address the unproductive comment. "Rainbow," she began irritably. "You have to be joking. Have you been listening to us at all?" Her mane was frazzled, sticking up in a firm position of unrest.

"Frankly no mam," she responded comically, her reflective attitude far behind her.

Twilight resisted the urge to go completely bananas. Instead, she ignored the pegasus and immediately questioned Nurse Redheart, whom wasn't far from where the two were standing. "So, what does this mean for Rainbow Dash, exactly? Besides completely killing her future ambition of being an artist or something?"

"I don't imagine much," she answered, fiddling with her ruby ballpoint pen as she scribbled some numbers on a notepad. "There isn't much I myself can advise against. You'll figure out what you can and can't do in due time as ponies reveal it to you. Though, I can expect you won't be flaunting your whole rainbow reputation for a while." She tore the page that she was sketching upon from its binding and handed it to Twilight. "Here's Rainbow's sign off to leave. Just meet with the front desk, pay the check up fee, and you can head out the door."

Twilight scanned over the list expeditiously before handing it to Rainbow Dash. "I'm really hoping that's an accumulative bill for the year, and not just this month. Nevertheless, you're paying for it."

Rainbow reviewed the list, having a similar traumatic reaction before handing it back to Twilight, who held it in her hoof. "This year, thankfully."

"Anyways..." Twilight began, beginning to trot towards the hallway to exit the office. "Thank you very much Nurse Redheart, we appreciate your time and energy. Speaking of time, you might want to check on Pinkie's patient right now, assuming you're free."

"That might be best," she agreed, suddenly anxious. "Thank you for coming to South Ponyville's Medical Office. Have a great day."

"You too," chirped Rainbow. "Also, I love your pen! Grey, how original!"

"Just kidding. Get out."

Twilight and Rainbow, exhausted from the afternoon's events, knew exactly where they wanted to retreat after the overwhelming diagnosis- somewhere they could eat their troubles away, preferably with friends. Though Pinkie was somehow still working her medical shift, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity were eager to rendezvous at Sugarcube Corner for a hayburger and several pastries. Within minutes, the trio arrived at the establishment, where Rainbow and Twilight had already been seated, talking about likely topics.

Applejack was the first to sit down, inspired to take shots at Rainbow Dash. "So Dash, got in another flying accident, didn't ya? How did that turn out?"

Rainbow was visibly flustered, whether by the secrecy she would have to uphold, or Applejack's newest attempt to take shots at her overblown ego. "Who's asking? Or are you just eager to laugh in other's misery after you completely bombed your lasso round at the rodeo and went head first into the closest apple tree?" In Rainbow Dash's imagination, a quiet, monotone hum of shots fired could be heard in the distance.

"Oh, no need to be brash," interrupted Rarity, who squeezed her head into the conversation. "It probably turned out as all thirty-seven of her recent accidents went: without drastic damage. Besides, we have more important matters to discuss. Everypony should sit down, for I have some exciting news to discuss with all of you!"

Once everybody, including Fluttershy, had found a seat, Rarity preceded to exclaim her revelation. "Today, I was invited to showcase a garment in the most prestigious fashion showcase in all of Equestria! Yes, I, Rarity, have been welcomed to the Las Pegasus Artistry Gala!"

Many impressed oohs and ahhs could be heard from the ponies circling the table, a telling sign to Rarity that she could continue revealing the big news. "Thank you girls. Since you are all so supportive of me, it was my first instinct to ask you all to critique my first sketch for the outfit I want to present." she whipped out a pasteboard from behind her, which had gone unnoticed to the ponies upon their arrival to the restaurant. On the large landscape, a flirtatious, airy garment had been traced in pencil, accompanied by meticulously outlined shading. More positive gestures were seen from the crowd, except for Rainbow Dash. Rarity looked slightly disappointed. "What, too much layering?"

The dress was undeniably fabulous, Rainbow had assumed, but her expression was not one of distaste. It was worrisome. What color was the dress? All she saw was grey, but could it also be red? Or blue? Had she been mixing up her colors all this time? Perhaps if she had listened more intently to the conversation between Twilight and Nurse Redheart, she would be able to accurately choose a color, but instead she had only a 33% chance of escaping the situation unscathed, without revealing any symptoms of her colorblindness. Concerned as to how she could best respond to the garment, she tried her best to seem struck by detail. "Well," she said frantically, "I just really don't identify with the, colors?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What colors?"

Rainbow suddenly felt vulnerable, questioning her actions. It must've been the color white, or black, or any sort of shade or hue that was foreign to her. "W-wh- wha-what do you mean?"

Twilight nudged Rainbow, attempting to offer clarification. "Rainbow Dash, it's a sketch. It doesn't have any color."

Rainbow Dash got the hint and was immediately regretful of her comment. "Oh hahahahahahaa," Rainbow stated shamefully, feverishly eyeing the ponies around her. "I knew that, of course. Just me, old Rainbow, critiquing fashion because I think fashion is overrated! Not your fashion though. But I mean when have I ever even liked fashion! I don't even wear clothes. Daring Do wears a hat. Hey do you think I should get a hat? Maybe the outfit should have a hat. Sherlock Hooves had a hat and he was a good mystery solver, kinda like Daring Do. When's the next book coming out Twilight? maybe we should get a book about fashion and-"

Rainbow paused when she noticed the four beady pairs of eyes awkwardly eyeing her down from across the table. Fluttershy was the first to break the ice. "Rainbow Dash, " she shyly spoke, "are you ok? You're making me worried."

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be! Why would you ever think something was wrong?! I'm completely fine, don't question me!"

"Are you sure darling?" inquired Rarity. "You aren't usually like this. Did I do something to offend you? Or did something happen at the doctors office-"

"Squirrel!"

Everybody turned synchronously towards the window of Sugarcube Corner in search of a rodent, Fluttershy in particular concerned about the possibility that once of her animals had gone astray. However, when all of the ponies took their gaze off of the glass barrier, Rainbow Dash had disappeared. They all gave each other looks off confusion, which were returned with likewise expressions. Twilight unwillingly explained the disappearance. "You'll have to excuse her girls; she's had a pretty rough day."

The inevitable question made an appearance. "What happened to get her so flustered?" asked Applejack.

Twilight sighed, not wanting to be the person to share the news, but equally obligated to reveal it to her best friends. "It's kinda complicated. In fact, I'm not sure I quite have a grasp on it yet..." She took a sip of her raspberry iced tea she had ordered earlier, and took a deep breath. "So today, as you know, Rainbow Dash got in a flying accident, so it is mandatory for her to have a checkup at over at South Ponyville to insure all of her senses are intact, since a loss of sight or hearing could be a huge handicap."

"Of course, she's done this many times before," responded Rarity. "However, she looks perfectly fine with her motor skills and such, and she's never been embarrassed or disappointed by any of her minor injuries in the past. What makes this trip any different?"

"Did she loose her flying abilities maybe?" added Fluttershy. "That would be sad."

"No, she can still fly," answered Twilight, slowly leading up to the reveal. "In fact, she hasn't been damaged at all due to the accident. By now, she's probably built up an immunity to injury. She learned something else about herself that she isn't so inclined to believe yet."

"Oh, do tell," Applejack requested, seeking blackmail after Rainbow's embarrassing explanation of her rodeo accident. Twilight and Rarity showed her disapproving eyes.

"I will, but no using it against her AJ," reprimanded Twilight. She took a deep breath, not wanting to stretch the suspense any longer, since the answer was somewhat anticlimactic. "When they were checking her sight, Nurse Redheart learned that Rainbow Dash was colorblind. Yes my friends, rainbow horse can't see the rainbow."

Just as Twilight and Rainbow Dash had responded when hearing the news for the first time, nobody was laughing, nor was anybody spazzing out. The room itself basked in an atmosphere of confusion, submerged in an analytical silence. Everypony's face was deep in thought for a whopping five seconds.

Rarity was the first to intervene. "So what you're saying is, somebody who literally has rainbow in her genes also has a gene that prevents her from seeing it?"

"I mean, I guess that's what the situation is," Twilight noted uneasily.

"How does that even work?" questioned Applejack. "Isn't that like against the rules of reality or somethin'?"

"Nope, not technically," Twilight explained, " but its against the rules of what logically makes sense if you ask me."

"Well that's certainly ironic."

Everybody turned towards each other, wondering who the blunt one was, eventually turning to Fluttershy, who was cramped up against the wall of the Sugarcube Corner booth. She presented a nervous and embarrassed smile. "I mean, should we go check up on her?"

"Nah, give her some time to tend to her bruised ego," Applejack suggested, indifferent on the situation. "Besides based on the responses we've given, we won't be much help."

"Agreed," added Twilight, who dropped the subject as soon as possible. "On a totally unrelated note, does anybody know how Pinkie Pie got a medical license?"

Rainbow, drowned in a melancholy state, flew over the streets of Ponyville with her head angled down, vigilantly eyeing for any ponies she felt inclined to avoid. After pretty much blowing her plan of not telling her friends about the day's ordeal, she would have to do everything in her power to keep this a secret from every pony else, without exception. News of her colorblindness would be pretty irrelevant in any other pony's case, but the Foal Free Press could make a killing off of Rainbow Dash's small handicap if they got a hold on the information; besides, after getting her photo taken while getting a hooficure at the spa, she didn't need any more negative public attention. With that in mind, what color did she paint her hooves? Blue? Green? Eh, doesn't really matter; it was still embarrassing either way in her mind. The only public attention she would tolerate was that of her passionate fan club, and the 5% of Equestria that cared about the Elements of Harmony.

As Rainbow neared her house, where she planned to stay until the hysteria of the day died down, she noticed something clinging timorously to her mailbox, about to be carried away on an endless wind current. Concerned as to what it was, she speedily flew over to redeem the random piece of paper. She sprinted trough the air feverishly, ripping the note from its position as she zoomed past it at electric speed. When the letter was in her possession, she immediately ripped it open to see what was inside. However, when she opened it up, the note inside seemed to be empty. Nothing was written on it as she saw it through her eyes, simply a blank page.

"Great, there's nothing on here, as usual," she grunted, tossing the note off the side of her cloud home so that it might land on the bottom, next to the other two hundred notes she had discarded from earlier years. "I always get this at the same time of year; I must be getting pranked- again."

Upon tossing it off the cloud, the note situated itself face up. On it a message was scribbled in bright red ink.

Dear Wonderbolt Applicants for our 130th flight season,

Hello applicants! We, the admissions office for the Wonderbolts, are glad to inform you that you have met the qualifications to move on to the next stage of the admissions process! In order for your application to be furthered, all accepted applicants must pass the official Wonderbolt history exam, flight behavioral exam, and hearing/sight testing. Those applicants who fulfill these necessary requirements with flying colors (forgive our puns) will be subject to further review on their application. Those who perform poorly will be rejected by admissions. However, we wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors as you study and prepare for these exams. We believe all of you have the potential to succeed in this portion of the application process! Please complete these exams and document your scores within five weeks.

Best Regards,

Comet Cluster, Wonderbolt Admissions.