Catcher in the Clouds

Chapter 1: Stuck in the Infirmary
“Who even cares about school when you’re fast?”

I wouldn’t exactly say this is my story. This could be whatever story my mind has fabricated, because it sure as Tartarus could be just as boring as any pony’s week could be. But I’m sure if you were that interested in hearing it, then you’re also interested in my parents, my race, how I made friends on the first day of flight school -- okay, so I guess you know my race, big whoop -- and all of that random filly crap that every person needs to ask when questioning me for their ‘friendship.’ That’s right, research. Honestly, I’d rather not even discuss that stuff, or tell you about my little life away from all that in books and actual work. Secondly, if I give away too much of my own information, I’m sure Blitz, my dad, would have his sprinkles all in a wrinkle, especially if I mentioned them. They’re not exactly trustworthy of the people I like to chill with, especially since I’m deemed the ‘fastest flyer in Equestria,’ and lots of ponies would just love to see me up close, as my parents say. It’s not that they’re protectiveor anything -- I would never accuse them of such a thing. It’s just that they don’t like me leaving the house but for silly competition and school. Last time I tried making any ‘friends,’ I went way out of my path to impress some filly, that crazy one that can’t even fly, and I ended up crashing into a few pillars, big deal. Ever since, with all the nicknames, my parents have been itching to keep me around for as long as possible.

Still, I wouldn’t want to tell you every moment of my life, from the excruciating details of my birth -- I’m told I was a heavy filly for the storks, but c’mon. Storks aren’t real, it’s common knowledge -- to my first day of flight school. I guess I could tell you that crazy little thing that happened last winter season, around Hearth’s Warming Eve, when I totally went through the clouds and defied my parents, because I was feeling pretty downcast that time around. That’s really all I’ve told anypony about, especially that weird doctor I go into for my checkups, Redheart. She’s from this town, Canterlot, and she’s this big pony there, also my most trusted confidant. The only thing odd about her is that she’s always going into the closet to find things, and I hear this weird noise, but I’ve never wanted to check. I was at least raised to respect privacy, even for ponies stretching to the top shelves to get things -- at least, that’s what I assumed was happening back then. I’m much more clever now. I still have to visit her nearly every other week for regular health checkups, because my parents insist on me being in top condition for flying. She promised me a tour of Canterlot once, but I’ve been waiting at least a year for that now, and I know for sure she isn’t going to get that done.

From what I can tell, she used to be some small doctor who worked with a zebra -- can you believe it? -- in a forest, but ever since she healed some little colt that scraped his knee with the resources around her, she’s been the talk of Equestria. Ponies everywhere came for her, and eventually she was confined to Canterlot. I won’t say she’s bad at it. In fact, she’s the best nurse around, but she shouldn’t be putting herself in such a big position for bits, it’s almost pointless. So now she’s being some bit beggar in Canterlot, but I still like seeing her sometimes. She gives me candy, at least -- honey candy.

So, moving on, my story actually starts in Canterlot after one particular race where I got injured and had spent the remainder of the big race for Celestia in the Lazarus Barracks. The Barracks was a group of conjoined rooms where they kept all these weird bags of fluid and each room had one bed with a bouncy ball for what they called ‘entertainment.’ I mean, you’d have to be living under a rock not to have heard of this place, it’s in literally every newspaper across Equestria, to my knowledge, and anypony who’s anypony reads the print. They usually just take some perfectly fine pony and give him a light green shade of paint, make him put on some dumb fake grin and say, for the records: “Lazarus has helped me be a better pony” or some dumb thing like that.

The last thing I saw in those places was smiles, lest our racing team kicked some serious butt against our opponents, which we usually did.

In fact, I don’t think they've ever done a sugarcube’s lick of help for anypony once, let alone made anypony a better pony. Only Nurse Redheart really did anything, and she was too busy tending to others most of the time to notice little ol’ me, along with plenty of others.

Anyhow, we had just gone up against our rivals, the Canterlot Crusaders. It was some big game or something because the Princess of the Sun, Celestia, was supposed to be watching. The winning team got this big chance to see none other than the Wonderbolts in action. I’m not saying they’re cool or anything, but it has been my lifelong dream to see them in action and join their ranks, rather than just stare out my window at them performing every month or so. The losing team had this obligation to banish themselves or something, to Tartarus, I wasn’t really sure. Point is, it was a big game.

From the Barracks you couldn’t see much, but you could at least see the scores from the announcer ponies, they had it on scorecards, the number of laps you went around the track. It was hidden behind the group of fans, and the racing ponies weren’t very visible, but I could hear the cheers, and only the Crusaders got cheers. We were in Canterlot. But they weren’t really cheering, it was all kind of just pushed and fake. Since the ponies were in Canterlot, they probably felt the odd compulsion to cheer for the Canterlot team, and it made me sick to my snoot, it did.

I had broken my wing earlier participating in that same race -- it was a wonder the race was still ongoing, probably because they had to find a replacement for me, which I feel is kind of hard to do, especially when the fans love speed. Now I’m trying not to stereotype anypony, but the majority of the people who even watched us race were colts probably trying to get a thrill from the rush of wind by their manes. You never saw a greater spectacle in your life that wasn’t some stallion reaching out and falling through the crowds trying to get close to us. Cadence -- princess of love -- came to the races quite often, and seemed to enjoy them. Aside from rooting for my team, the Cloudsdale Gliders, at all of the games, she seemed to have a knack for bringing ponies together. Love is an icky thing, but I guess it could be cute, sometimes. I’d never met her personally, but honestly, I’m afraid to meet her.

I had only broken my wing because some colt who refused to cooperate with anypony thought it would be funny to playfully “bump” me near Celestia’s booth. Even more, I still didn’t get a clear look, so I couldn’t even be sure she was even there, but she probably wasn’t. Celestia didn’t do much for Equestria, but she did raise the sun, so I guess that’s good for something.

I also wasn’t at the game because I pretended to be hurt. I don’t hate the sport, and I couldn't really care less about the ponies I was with -- I was always the fastest -- but it seemed unfair that we should see the Wonderbolts for my work. It seemed a bit dishonest, if you want my opinion on it all, letting them get credit for everything I did.

The third reason I pretended to hurt my wing to get kicked from the game was for Nurse Redheart. She had told me before the game, as I was getting a checkup, that she wanted to see me and speak to me about something before the season ended. After this game, we would be off for three months before training, and I didn’t have to practice nor get checkups in that time, and a good thing that is too. Canterlot was full of snobs.

And Nurse Redheart knew this would be my last year at my prestigious flight school.

No, I wasn’t getting kicked out and I definitely didn’t quit. I was just good at flying, and my teachers didn’t think I needed to study anything, whether it be aerodynamics or the art of speed. I mean, I was frequently bad at any work, and my grades had plummeted in the last year, which would really send my parents into a frenzy, so I guess I did get kind of kicked out. I could’ve studied as a teacher pony’s aid for a year, helping other ponies, but my grades just wouldn’t allow it. I was basically failing everything that wasn’t physically-challenging to my body.

By now, it was pretty empty in the room, and it seemed the noise outside had quieted down, so I figured it was probably better that I get up and wander until the usual stream of jock ponies came rushing through in a matter of time, confining me back to my bedridden state. I was wearing a few bandages and a racing jersey but not much more than that. I would’ve had on my Wonderbolts scarf, but Ditzy Doo, the derpy, kind of loco in the head pony, took it from me to make a bird’s nest or whatever she said. As much as I resisted her stealing it, she was pretty tough, ‘especially for a pony with wall-eyes. She wasn’t a crook, though.

We had plenty of those around, though. Often enough had my name preceded me, and not in a good way. Apparently many ponies who were actually there when I did it, still do not believe I did a sonic rainboom, even though I clearly did, and that’s why I have the cutie mark for fast flyer, and not them.

Maybe I just hadn’t left earlier because I felt compelled to talk to Nurse Redheart. I didn’t have to stick around for her, but I felt like it was my obligation after everything she’d done for me. Sure, she never meant it when she said “get better.” She had plenty of other things to worry about that weren’t me. Still, I felt like we had grown closer in the time we had known each other. I might not even stay in Canterlot, so she deserved some kind of goodbye. I’d never really left a pony before, she was naturally the longest “friendship” I’d ever had, so I guess it was logical I was still there. I’d hate to make her sad after going to the trouble of putting that note together, even though it probably wasn’t all that much work.

I began to think out loud. I started talking about some odd time back near Hearts and Hooves Day where I tried to set up Misty Dawn with Red Skies. I went so far as to order five-thousand valentines in Red’s name to be delivered to Misty, until my teacher, Primrose, found out about it and made me apologize to the entire class for the two people I planned to pull the joke on. They weren’t bad ponies, they were just like every other pony was: liars. They claimed they knew all about love and everything, when I didn’t think they could hold a steady acquaintanceship with their teachers if they tried. Either way, that Hearts and Hooves Day I was stuck with five-thousand valentines all addressed to somepony I don’t think I’d ever even held a full conversation with.

So I went over to the door and stood next to it so it wouldn’t hit me in the chest or my wing -- that would cause some serious trouble -- and made this weird noise when Nurse Redheart walked in, a noise half between a squeak and a snort, to try and scare her. It worked, and she dropped her tray of needles and other things, much to her dismay. For a second, she seemed angry at me, you could see the tomato-red color rushing to her cheeks, but then she stopped and started to laugh. “C-Celestia, Rainbow Dash, have you grown a few inches since I last saw you?”

And that was about the dumbest thing she could ask me. I felt sorry for her, she couldn’t even process what just happened, or at least that’s how she tried to pass it off. I couldn’t contain my laughter and in a matter of seconds I was on the floor in tears, which got some serious looks from the nurse, as I was on the side of my “broken” wing.

It might’ve been true, though. Every time I came in, I seemed to get a little bit taller. I first saw her when I was a little filly, and now I was a teen mare, so I had to have grown some. I also put my growth on these drinks I’d grown accustomed to, called “Zippy Rainbows.” Their slogan was “These drinks will make you 20% faster and 20% cooler” -- lame, I know, but they tasted absolutely amazing, even though they gave me a hardcore crash after a few hours. I also didn’t take them before races, when I could help it.

But as soon as I regained a bit of breath, I tried standing, failing on my first time, as I spoke to her. “Well of course, nurse, I’m the best, I need to be my tallest,” I said to her, nearly jokingly. Man, when I got around to joking, I really got a kick out of it.

“Next time, maybe you need to slow down, then! If you go through life as fast as you are, you’ll end up breaking everything, or worse, you’ll get old like me!” She exclaimed. “And you wouldn’t want that.”

I didn’t think she was that old, and I wasn’t growing up any quicker than the average pony was. I did have to stop to let her take off my bandages, though. From the speed she used to take them off, it was obvious she saw right through my lie.

“Now then,” she started. “Let’s talk about flight school.”

I groaned, but thought myself lucky when I saw the whole of the racing teams come bursting through the doors, all crowding up to Nurse Redheart. I was pushed out of the way, but I didn’t much care, as long as I didn’t have to talk about that damned place.

“Maybe later!” I heard her shout over the blistering noises. I didn’t pay much attention, though.

I was already out the doors before Red Skies, the last pony of the team to follow the rest, was coming by.