Rainbow Dash woke up, she was sore and her body felt like she had been ran over by a stampede. She noticed that she had bandages in several places and in fact this was not her bed but an hospital bed.
“Hello sleepyhead” said a country voice Rainbow could recognize everywhere. She moved her head slightly to see Applejack staring at her with a kind smile.
“Hey Applejack, what’s up? Is morning already?” asked Rainbow with a smile.
“Seven in the morning to be precise” said Applejack with a kind smile.
“I woke up early” joked Rainbow Dash.
Applejack’s eyes suddenly looked down and the smile vanished.
“Was it longer?” asked Rainbow.
Applejack sighted, she could not lie about this.
“Two and a half days, give or take” answered Applejack.
“What!” said Rainbow in an attempt to sit but her body was to weak and sore for any sudden movements. “Ow.”
“Take it easy sugar cube! You are in no condition to do anything” said Applejack as she tried to calm down her friend.
Rainbow tried to move a bit. She felt a tingly feeling as she tried to move and her body was far more unresponsive than when she usually was sore and tired. She also felt difficulty to move and feel properly, especially on her left leg.
“I feel like a sack of rocks” complained Rainbow Dash.
“You were anesthetized and sedated Rainbow, you need to wait until it wears off” said Applejack.
“Well, that’s annoying” said Rainbow Dash as she went back to being still. Applejack smiled at Rainbow and she smiled back. “Thanks for watching over me Applejack.”
“We all have been watching over you, well everyone except Fluttershy. We have been taking turns every eight hours” said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash smiled happily, it was so good to have such great friends. Immediately a thought popped in her train of thoughts. No Fluttershy? She is usually the first two volunteer for that kind of things.
“There is one filly that stayed with you all this time though” continued Applejack as she turned to reveal a dead-tired Scootaloo sleeping on the armchair.
Rainbow Dash looked at Scootaloo with watery eyes. She knew that the young filly was her number 1 fan, but this was far beyond fandom, this was true love. Rainbow smiled until she remembered the previous thought.
“Wait, why Fluttershy hasn’t been here?” asked Rainbow.
Applejack looked at her wounded friend worried. “Don’t you remember? You and Fluttershy where in an accident in the Everfree Forest.”
The memories suddenly flushed into Rainbow Dash’s mind. Like a torrent she remembered helping Fluttershy rounding up some animals near the mountains due to the risk of avalanches. Fluttershy went down to pick a stranded mouse when a rock avalanche came. Rainbow rushed to save Fluttershy, pushing her out of the way. Then all went black.
“How is she!? Did she got hurt!?” asked Rainbow Dash with manic worry as she tried to move again, only for her body to hurt and fail. There was again a strange reaction from her lower half but she ignored it in favor of Fluttershy.
Applejack calmed her friend down. -She is okay sugar cube. She sustained some pretty nasty injuries and is sedated in the next room but she should make a quick recovery… at least her body will- said Applejack, unable to hide the worry for Fluttershy.
“Welp, I want to see her non the less, make sure she is okay” said Rainbow as she tried to make her unresponsive body move. She was getting the hang of it as the anesthesia burned away.
“Look sugar cube, you have your own problems too. You did not get out very well from that accident… and I am using the term loosely” said Applejack as words began to slowly fail her and her face was covered in worry.
Rainbow Dash saw Applejack’s face and tears cumulated in her eyes, there were bad news ahead and there was one that Rainbow dreaded the most.
“Something happened to my wings?” asked Rainbow with a trembling voice.
Applejack negated slowly. “No sugar cube, they are in perfect working order.”
Rainbow made an effort and her wings sprang from behind looking very healthy, though the feathers where very mangled they would grow back.
“You almost made me think that something was really wrong Applejack” said Rainbow with a smile.
“There might be something wrong Rainbow” said Applejack as she felt dirty dancing around the truth.
Rainbow Dash ignored the worry in Applejack’s face, she felt her energy coming back, and with it her optimistic view of the world. “There is a long distance between “might” and “be” Applejack. Lets just go check Fluttershy, okay?”
“Look Rainbow…” tried to say Applejack as the words stopped in her throat.
“Lets go!” said Rainbow Dash optimistically as she managed to make her body move to attempt a sitting position. As she did Rainbow Dash noticed her body suddenly inclined to the left. “Guess my left leg is still asleep.” added Rainbow Dash as she grabbed the sheets to move them aside and do the job of moving her left leg manually.
“Wait! You need to hear this first!” said Applejack as she tried to top Rainbow from lifting the bedsheets, but it was too late. Rainbow lifted the bedsheets and her eyes open wide and her pupils dilated in horror at the scene.
The place where Rainbow Dash’s left leg was turned into a ‘should have been’. Instead of her left leg Rainbow saw an empty segment of the bed and heavy bandaging in the place where her thigh should begin. Rainbow froze in place, staring to the empty space.
Applejack’s cheeks became cascades of tears as she pushed the words out of her mouth. “Rainbow, they had to amputate your leg. I am so sorry.”
Rainbow heard what Applejack said as if it was a distant murmur, her brain was barely able to process what she was seeing. When it finally happened it was expressed in a horrifying scream that echoed through the entire hospital and was so powerful and terrifying even ponies in a coma woke up.
“MY LEG!!!!!!!”
Rainbow Dash tapped maniacally the spot where her left leg should have been, as if she unconsciously believed that doing so would make her leg appear.
“My Leg! My Leg” screamed Rainbow Dash in desperation.
“Calm down sugar cube!” said Applejack in a vain attempt to calm her desperate friend.
The door was slammed open, in bursted a purple Alicorn mad with worry at the sound of the terrifying screams.
“Applejack! What’s going on!?” asked Twilight as she was greeted by a heartbreaking scene: Applejack was desperately hugging Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo crying by her side. Rainbow’s head was surrounded by Applejack’s hooves and her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing as tears rolled down her cheeks. Twilight did not know to be told what happened, the fact that the bedsheets where on the floor and that Rainbow’s hooves rested over what remained of her left thigh was enough to tell her what happened.
Tears rolled off Twilight cheeks. “Oh Rainbow, I am so sorry.”
Tears would have not stop rolling if not for Nurse Red Heart storming inside the room.
“What happened!?” asked the nurse.
“Is okay nurse, just the shock of the news” said Applejack as she tried to stop her tears. Rainbow Dash remained motionless between Applejack’s hooves.
“Still, I will give her a sedative. After that scream I don’t think any doctor would allow her to be awake without proper medication or monitoring” said the nurse.
“Don’t worry, we will be here to help” said Twilight as she wiped off the tears from her cheeks.
Under normal circumstances Nurse Redheart would have smiled gently in joy at the sight of such strong friendship. Instead she stared at Twilight with worry.
“Twilight!? Who is with Fluttershy!?” exclaimed the nurse worried.
“Oh no! Fluttershy!” said Twilight as she rushed out of the room followed by nurse Redheart.
Applejack kept Rainbow Dash around her hoofs and quietly rocked her while Scootaloo stared with eyes heavy with tears and worry at the face of the gentle mare that tried to keep her hero from breaking even more than what life had managed to do so far.
———
Rainbow woke up again and recognized the place. -So it wasn't a nightmare- thought the mare as she saw the same hospital bed she recalled as the place where she had a mental breakdown after discovering her leg was gone.
“My leg” tried to say Rainbow Dash but discovered she was too weak to talk. She tried to move but barely was able to make her head turn slightly into a general direction, there she could see Rarity sitting on a chair, knitting. The sight of Rarity knitting was strange, not because of the knitting itself but for the fact that Rarity seemed more engrossed in the act itself than in the result of her work: Woolen scarfs, hats and boots were piled until they were knee high and an expression that made Rarity look ages older.
Putting all the strength she could muster Rainbow Dash emitted an audible “Rarity” that immediately caught the attention of the mare bearing that name. Rarity rose her head and there she met the barely open eyes of Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash” said Rarity as she immediately put her knitting aside and stood besides her friend. “Are you feeling okay sweetie?” said the purple-haired mare with her kind, sweet voice.
Rainbow tried to speak but she found herself very lacking in energy and her movements only added worry to the face of her quite shaken friend.
“Don’t try to move darling, you must be very weak for all the time you spent asleep” said Rarity.
Rainbow’s eyes filled with tears, not only she had lost her leg but for how longer she must have been asleep now? How many days could she have lost? It could have been years judging by Rarity’s face. Rainbow wanted to cry but she barely managed to push some tears out.
“Please don’t cry sweetie, it wasn’t that long, just eight hours” said Rarity as she used her magic to grab a handkerchief and gently use it to dry Rainbow’s cheeks and then her’s.
Rainbow felt a sudden burst of relief and the remaining tears rolled down as her expression turned into a sturdier smile.
Rarity smiled back. “Now give me a minute to call the nurse said Rarity.
Rainbow managed to make her hoofs obey and grabbed her friend. “Please, help me sit” asked Rainbow this time with a audible, if still weak, voice.
Rarity reacted nervously at the petition. “Rainbow, there is something that the nurse needs to tell you first.”
“I know that is gone, I don’t mind. I just don’t want to fall asleep again” said Rainbow Dash.
Rarity nodded and helped her friend sit. Just the action made Rainbow Dash feel stronger, in control.
“Do you feel okay sweetie? Do you need anything?” asked Rarity.
“No, thanks Rarity” weakly replied Rainbow.
“Okay then, give me a minute and I will go get the nurse” explained Rarity as she went for the door.
Before Rarity could do anything Nurse Readheart bursted in and grabbed Rarity.
“Good! You are still here! We need any unicorn who can help us! That mare friend of yours is going crazy again! We need help restraining her!” said the nurse desperate.
Rainbow could see Rarity’s face age with the news. Rarity was about to cry but kept herself together.
“Rainbow, I will be back in a minute!” said Rarity as she ran out of the room followed by Nurse Redheart.
Rainbow stared at the seen and could only buy worry. She knew who they were talking about, she remembered that part of her dream even though she thought of it had been a distant event yet somehow was in first seat in the list of things to remember.
“Fluttershy” said Rainbow as she inclined forward only to be reminded of her missing limb.
Rainbow looked at the sheets and grabbed her stump, her expression then changed from worry to anger.
“Fluttershy.”
