Mach I

Ponies from all around Canterlot gathered around the point of impact where we had struck the dragon down. Around the dead beast was a massive crater that spanned almost two blocks. The force of two ponies doing two forms of sonic booms at the same time and the same place was devastating. Anything within a two block range was destroyed and reduced to dust. Thankfully, no ponies were dumb enough to get near the dragon, so the only collateral damage was a block or so of buildings. All of the dust and smoke began to settle around where the dragon was slain. Some curious ponies slowly crept over to the epicenter and saw two motionless pegasi. Us. I woke up with a startle. Where am I? What is going on? Oh wait, the dragon! Did we kill it? I noticed the ponies around me and stopped for a moment as they stared in awe at me. To my left, Rainbow Dash laid, unmoving and bloody. I tried my best to regain my strength, ignoring the ponies staring at me. I put my arms under Rainbow and lifted her up. I threw her over my back, and then began to fly upwards.

Each wing flap was agony, but ever so slowly, I got above the site of destruction that the dragon had created. There was a hospital on the other side of Canterlot, standing out in the ruins. I flew hurriedly to the oasis and was greeted by hospital personnel staring at me in shock. "Please." I said, panting and gasping for air from my long flight. "Take care of-" Before I could finish, I passed out from exhaustion.

***

I opened my eyes slightly. I had regained consciousness a few moments ago, definitely. Nothing in my head was making sense. My surrounding were blurry, so i blinked a few times to get moisture back to my eyes. I was in a white room. There was a beeping sound coming from my left and I heard the occasional cough. I realized quick enough, I was in the hospital.

"Inferno?" A familiar voice said.

I tried to open my eyes wider to get a clear view and was almost blinded by the lights above me.

"Take it easy, I don't expect you to be able to do much after what you did." The voice same familiar voice spoke. "And, thanks. If it wasn't for what you did, I probably wouldn't be here if you hadn't."

There was a small silence, and then it broke when something soft touched my cheek. The sensation went away with the sound of lips smacking. Wait a second, did somepony just- Who... I realized I knew the answer to all of my questions, and then drifted back off to sleep.

"Ugh, PLEASE wake up Inferno." Twilight's voice said from my left. I began to open my eyes and was greeted by Twilight.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed.

"Where am I?" I asked, barely audible.

"The East Canterlot Hospital. The doctors told me you brought Rainbow here and it seems as though you might have needed some medical attention too. They also said you will probably make a full recovery." She responded.

"What's wrong with me anyways? I feel pretty fine, just a little sore." I said.

"That's probably just the pain killers, Inferno. You broke your left-back leg, one of your wings, and three ribs in the impact, plus a lot fractures and a few sprains."

I realized what this meant for not just me, so I asked frantically, "What about Rainbow? Is she okay?!"

"Yes, yes. She's fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. You saved her after all." Twilight said.

"What? I saved her? When?"

Twilight spoke up again. "Don't you remember? Rainbow sure does. At the last second you must have realized that the impact would be too serious, so you moved in Front of Rainbow to soften the blow. You hit the the dragon and Rainbow, while she hit you instead of the hard, sharp scales of the dragon."

It all flooded back to me in an instant. I could see the scene like I was there again. Rainbow was flying next to me in the electrified sonic cone, barely able to stand up to the winds like I was. The dragon appeared for an instant through the cracks that appeared and I saw a scale glimmer in the almost-clouded out sun. I realized that impacting the dragon would be like hitting a stone wall covered in large spikes. I quickly flew to the front of Rainbow at the last second and took the full force of the impact. The next thing I could remember was waking up in the crater.

The door in the hospital room crept open and a cyan head popped through the door. "Oh, uh, hey Twilight." Rainbow said. Twilight looked at me, then back to Rainbow. I was happy to see that Rainbow was in pretty good shape, considering that she was up and walking.

"I'll just let you two be alone." She said, and then walked out the door. Well now, that doesn't make this awkward at all, does it? I thought, sarcastically. Rainbow walked over to my bedside and smiled.

"So, um. Are you feeling better?" She asked, looking down at her hooves.

"Yeah." I responded. "I'm starting to feel the pain killers wearing off, but the doctors say I will be fine soon."

She looked back up at me and said "That's great! Anyways, Twilight and the rest of us have agreed to stay in Canterlot until you and Neon recover."

"Oh my god, Neon. Is he alright?" I asked frantically.

"Yeah, he's not doing as bad as you, though."

I smiled and said "Thanks.", sarcastically.

Out of nowhere, Rainbow leaned in and hugged me. My face turned a slightly purple color, but I returned the embrace. "I'm glad you're alright, Inferno." She said.

"I'm glad you're alright, too, Rainbow." I spoke softly.

I felt my consciousness begin to drift away. No! why now? I shouted at my brain. My arms slumped down to my sides and everything faded black again.