Rainbows only ever shine brighter...
They said she’d never fly again, Spitfire mused as she wrote down various notes from her desk, on occasion glancing out the window to view the newest Wonderbolts recruits going through the obstacle course outside. Things had changed over the years, and despite ponies urging Spitfire to retire as the years passed and her mane got a little more grayer as time flew by, she’d never budge in her stance. This was her life, and she’d never give it up for anything.
New recruits had flocked in over the years, and not just ponies anymore. Changelings, Griffons, anyone who could fly really. Right now, a familiar blue feathered form was just barely keeping pace with an orange-furred, purple maned winged wonder almost as fast as her near legendary mentor.
Nearby, atop a trophy case with a good number of gold trophies and various other awards -almost displayed in a position of pride at first glance- was a framed newspaper blaring the headline: Famed Wonderbolts Member Rainbow Dash Narrowly Meets Her End in Devastating Crash!
It was true, Rainbow barely survived that crash and it was touch and go for a while. A wing had been severed, and a lot of blood had been lost. It’d been a freak accident, really, nopony could have predicted it.
A nasty storm from the Everfree suddenly blew up without warning during the middle of a Wonderbolts show over Ponyville. But Rainbow was stubborn, despite the warnings for her and the rest of the Bolts to stop the show at once due to the danger level and she ordered the team to press on, never one wanting to disappoint her fans. What happened next, Spitfire nor anyone else could have ever predicted. Hard rain and hail came down like a torrent, and slashing winds and a bolt of lightning that came up like an out of control firework on New Year’s Eve practically threw Rainbow into Soarin’ during a passing maneuver.
The crowd of Ponyvillians below could only watch in stunned horror as sprays of blood lit up the skies that day, and teal blue feathers flew as a scene that would probably go down in both Ponyville and Wonderbolts history played itself out.
Spitfire, she was the first to land next to her fallen angel of sorts, and she didn’t let anyone near her, not even her closest friends. Of course, Spitfire had thanked whatever deity was watching that day (After cursing them several times that this had happened in the first place) that a certain Princess of Friendship was so damn stubborn and knew enough about medical spells to keep Dash from bleeding out before she got to the hospital, and that a lot of pegasi were masters of clearing the clouds. Hell, she had to give credit to Derpy Hooves, of all ponies, as her unusual eyes allowed her to spot weaknesses in a storm nopony else could.
The storm was quickly destroyed, and battered into oblivion, thanks to Derpy and a furious Fluttershy leading the charge with the Weather Team quickly taking the storm apart piece by piece, as if in avenging their fallen comrade. They cut clean through the storm wall, and sliced the storm in half, before ripping apart what remained. It would possibly go down in history as the Weather Team’s finest hour, racing to tear apart this storm even as it brought down chaos upon Ponyville. Spitfire, afterwards, swore to make them honorary Wonderbolts upon the spot, and she also swore to get Princess Celestia herself to bestow medals of honor on them all.
In a horrified stupor of a spectacle that one simply couldn’t look away from no matter how hard you wanted to or tried, ponies had watched as Rainbow was raced off the nearest hospital. Spitfire would have followed, but she had to get the now in chaos Wonderbolts team back under control with her second in command Soarin’ completely unconscious from the sheer head-on collision. In a way, she was sorta thankful he went under as soon as Rainbow hit him, so he didn’t have to see what happened next.
Celestia knew Soarin’ had been nursing a crush on Rainbow for Celestia knew how long, but never had the courage to speak up to her about it.
Spitfire however, as soon as she got her squad reorganized. (And attended to a certain little filly she knew Rainbow had taken on as a little sister figure, reassuring her that in her own words: “Rainbow’s going to be alright, she’s one of the toughest. She’ll pull through, just you watch kid.” even if Spitfire admitted to herself right at the moment those words sounded hollow. Just empty promises.) set about that task of seeing Rainbow in the hospital.
Of course, when she finally got to see Rainbow, Spitfire wished she hadn’t really. An ugly set of scars and burns ran up along Rainbow’s left side, where fur had been hit by that fateful lightning strike, the one that had ripped Rainbow’s left wing clean off. In its place, sat an ugly metal mockery of it. A genius piece of magitech to be sure, but it was obvious things would never be the same for her.
And then the Doctor broke the news. “I’m so, I’m so sorry,” he whispered mournfully. “But I’d wager Rainbow would be lucky if she even achieved low flight. Best we could do…” he continued, while looking away in shame.
Spitfire snarled, and nearly punched a wall in frustration and rage. Best they could do? Lucky to achieve low flight? Not if she had anything to say about it…
And so, as soon as the nurses and doctors said Rainbow was cleared to fly, Spitfire set about the long and loathsome task of getting her friend back up in the sky where she belonged. It was going to be a long, and difficult road to be sure, as Rainbow was terrified of ever flying again, or being seen in public with her prosthetic and talked about like she was some sort of freak show.
One day, Spitfire had come to meet up with Rainbow at her new house down in Ponyville’s suburbs, and once again she winced, remembering the days when she saw Rainbow’s Cloudiminium hanging high above Ponyville. Sadly, with Rainbow believing she’d never get that high again, she’d sold it, had it decommissioned, and moved down to a more tamer altitude.
When the Captain of the Wonderbolts met Rainbow again, she was in for a shock. No Wonderbolts memorabilia covered the darkened house’s walls as she remembered. Then, Spitfire smacked herself in the face with a hoof. Why would there be any? Why would Rainbow want to remind herself of that horrific accident?
In the back of the room, sat Rainbow in an armchair looking through old newspaper clippings of her past glories. “Hey, Captain...” She mumbled, barely acknowledging Spitfire’s presence.
“So, this is what the Rainbow Dash has come to…” Spitfire muttered. “Wallowing in self-pity.”
“No, I call it facing the truth. They, the public quit on me. When I finally got put together, I ignored those doctors and nurses, and I went back expecting a big welcome. Y'know what they said? “You're history, Dash!” Moved right on to the next up and comer high flier standing in line... There was still a lot left in me. I just never got a chance to show 'em…” She whispered, tears training the edges of the newspapers. “How the whims of the populace are so quick to change eh? (Here, she’d let out a bitter chuckle) And look at them now, you hear them whisper don’t you? Rainbow, the one with the metal wing. Everywhere I go, I can hear them. Even if I… I try and block out the rest of the world to shut them up, the fact remains, it’s still all true…”
“And you know what, they’re all wrong,” Spitfire snarled. “You do have a lot left in you, and I’m going to give you the chance to show them all!”
“Pah, that’s a good joke Captain, but I doubt-”
But Spitfire would have none of it. Rainbow had always loved the glory and the thrill of flying high, seeing her murking about in her home grumbling to herself about how she’d never fly again didn’t suit her in the slightest. She knew she had to do this. Not just because she wanted her favorite Bolt back, but because she was Rainbow’s friend and seeing her so drastically changed, it honestly made Spitfire want to break down and cry. She caused that accident, by not reigning in Rainbow when she had the chance, so now she had to work with what she had, and fix her own mistake.
“Rainbow, I promise you, no matter what those ponies, or those half-assed doctors and nurses say, you will fly again.” Spitfire said firmly.
“R-Really?” Rainbow asked, and when Spitfire nodded, she saw something she hadn’t seen in Rainbow’s eyes for a long time. The faintest glimmer of hope.
"Alright, stretch those wings of yours!" Spitfire had barked out in full drill sergeant mode at Rainbow as they stood in an empty field somewhere outside Ponyville with the famed Captain ready to begin getting Rainbow back where she belonged. Both ponies cringed as Rainbow’s metal wing creaked, but Spitfire blew the whistle and Rainbow broke off into a gallop with Spitfire insulting her all the while as she tried to get Rainbow higher and higher. Spitfire honestly hated doing this, but she knew one emotion had to give way to another. Fear and self-loathing, to anger towards something else. Her, if need be.
Eventually, it paid off in dividends as the days dragged on, and one day, after a particularly harsh insult, (Something along the lines of how Scootaloo would be disgusted seeing her now) Rainbow snarled and rocketed skywards, and only realized how high above Ponyville she was after the sonic boom hit her ears, and the cheering of crowds followed. There Spitfire stood, smiling in pride as Ponyville flocked from their homes, and saw their prized flyer back where she belonged.
“W-Well,” the Doctor had laughed gleefully. “I… I have been wrong before!”
Time flew by, and ponies did question why Spitfire always had that newspaper cut-out placed amongst trophies in a seeming point of pride, and she only smirked as she gestured to Rainbow teaching the newest generation of Bolts.
They said Rainbow was broken, and that she’d never fly again.
Rainbow had proved them all wrong.
FIN
Author's Note
Okay, I admit, this is probably one of the darkest one-shot's I've ever done, but it was a challenge to be sure, and I do like my challenges. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if Spitfire's "Break You Down To Build You Up" method as it's called was the proper method she should have used here, but...
Anyways, comments, thoughts, and critique are greatly appreciated.
