Author's Note

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy this little story.

The Accident

Rainbow Dash. Blue coat. Red eyes. Mane and tail the colours of the rainbow. Loyal. Fast flier.
Rainbow Dash. One of the fastest pegasi in Equestria. Known for her ability to create Sonic Rainbooms. About to join the Wonderbolts.
Rainbow Dash. Leaping from the edge of the cliff. Spreading her wings. Flapping them. The left one twisting to one side.
Rainbow Dash. Twisting and breaking her wing. Falling. Crashing into the cliff once, twice, thrice. Her wing bleeding and hanging off at an angle.
Rainbow Dash. Unconscious. At the bottom of the cliff. Her wing broken in several places. Blood. Both dried and fresh. Covering her wing.
Rainbow Dash. At Ponyville General Hospital. In the operating theatre. Her wing damaged beyond repair. The doctors removing it. They have no choice. It will save her life.
Rainbow Dash. Waking in the hospital bed. Spreading only one wing. Confused. Scared. Panicking. Staring at the scar where her wing should be.
Rainbow Dash. Listening to the doctor. Tears streaming from her red eyes. Nodding. Hopeless.
Rainbow Dash. With only one wing.

Rainbow Dash reread the poem, tears stinging her eyes, before throwing it across the room into the wastepaper basket. She had written it in a futile attempt to rid herself of this new wave of something that might have been depression. She had had her whole life ahead of her. She was about to join Equestria's best flying group, the Wonderbolts, when the accident happened. She had twisted her left wing mid-flight, and been thrown into the cliff that she was flying above several times. Her left wing was so badly broken that it had to be removed. She still had the joint there, just no bones to move. There was a dip, a scar, the emotional scarring and the memories. That was all that was remained of her wing.

Being flightless was a new sensation. She was unable to access her home in the clouds, so it had gone up for sale, and sold quickly. The bits sat in her bank account. She was going to buy a house when she had recovered from the accident. For now, she was staying in one of the rooms in Twilight's castle.

She turned over in her bed, onto her right side. She ignored Twilight's knocking and calling. She was not coping with the loss of flight. She had lost her job with the weather service. She was unable to be a Wonderbolt. She had no future. What was the point in getting up.

"Rainbow. Please. Let me in or I'm blasting the door down," Twilight begged.

"Fine, Twilight. This had better be worthwhile or you can go and live in Tartarus," she muttered, climbing out of bed. She walked over to the door, unlocked it and threw it open with more force than she had meant to use. It hit the doorstop and swung back round, hitting Twilight's flank.

"Ouch! Bad door! I own this castle, which means I own you. No hurting your mistress!"

"It's hardly the door's fault," Rainbow said dryly.

"Listen, I know that you are really upset about the accident, and that you aren't open to new ideas yet..."

"Save your breath, Twilight. I'm not going anywhere or doing anything. I might as well stay here. Or maybe I should go live out my days of misery in the Canterlot Dungeons. I'd be no less comfortable."

"Clearly, you're too upset. I'll cancel your appointment with Doctor Whooves."

"Did you say that you booked an appointment for me with Doctor Whooves?!" shrieked the pegasus. "I'm not going crazy! Or maybe I am. I don't know any more. I think I am."

"I think that talking to him could help you in more than one way. Not only will it be good for your recovery, but also..." She trailed off.

"What is it? Tell me! Please???" Rainbow dilated her pupils and bit her lip. The result was a really cute sad face that even Twilight could not resist.

"Well, it's a surprise, but I think you'll like it. Many pegasi have lost their wings over the years, and he wants to help those who have."

Two hours later, Rainbow Dash knocked on the door to Doctor Whooves's house on the edge of Ponyville. Doctor Whooves was known for his eccentricity, artwork and inventions. He could make anypony laugh and help them with their lives. Currently, he mainly worked as a therapist and psychiatrist, but when a pegasus mare with a dull yellow coat, a messy greyish mane and a beige jacket welcomed them into the building, it was clear that he was far from finished with his strange machinery: framed sketches, paintings and photographs were hung on the cream walls of the reception room. There were sofas and armchairs pushed against almost every stretch of wall, and the warm lighting gave the place a homely feel. There was also a bookshelf. Rainbow Dash did not care for any of this. Her gaze was fixated on the pegasus mare.

"Daring Do!" She shouted with glee. Having been a fan since the explorer first became famous, Rainbow had cut her mane in the same style as Daring's and kept it that way since fillyhood. The two had met a couple of times, but never at Doctor Whooves's place.

"Hi, Rainbow, how are..." The yellow pegasus trailed off, noticing that Rainbow Dash had only one wing and a scar. "No. Oh no. You can't have! You're one of the fastest fliers in Equestria," she muttered in disbelief.

"Are you talking about me losing my wing?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry! I can't believe that I didn't hear. Then again, news doesn't travel that far in the middle of the jungle." The two pegasi chuckled, then hugged. "So, how's the Princess of Friendship?"

"Um," Twilight said, a little starstruck, "okay. I mean, we're all devastated that Rainbow can't fly now, but I guess we're trying to move forward. I haven't seen my other friends in a few days, but we'll be meeting up tomorrow. No friendship problems as of this morning." Twilight became confused. "What brings you to Doctor Whooves's?"

"Says that he's working on a gadget that can be used for long-distance communication. I've just been talking to him." She looked at the clock in the waiting room. "Sorry, have to head to Sweet Apple Acres, ol' Braeburn's expecting me to pop by." She saluted and flew off.

"Rainbow Dash," a stallion called. It was Doctor Whooves. Twilight walked in first, beckoning Rainbow to follow. It was curiosity that made her walk inside and shut the front door. They headed through the next door and into a room marked, "Consultation Room."