Chapters 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."
Anxiously, Rainbow tiptoed into the room after Twilight. All of a sudden this did not seem like a promising idea. Why, she did not know.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash," said Doctor Whooves. They shook hooves and Rainbow sat on one of the chairs. Twilight sat next to her. "So, how are you after losing your wing?"
"Deeply miserable," she muttered, looking at the floor. She had not realised that she would feel this awkward when Twilight first mentioned the idea. "Perked up a bit when Twilight told me there was something you could do to help me."
"There are, but we will talk about that in a little while," he promised. "So you felt better when you heard about it?"
The pegasus looked up. "Yeah. I mean, flying is my life. Love it. If there's something that you can do to help me fly again, I'll risk anything for it."
"It will cost a few thousand bits. It could be risky, and it might not work, but it's an idea that I have been working on, and it is better than nothing. Let me take you into another room, so that I can show you my idea." All three of them stood up and trotted out of the room. He led them to the Invention Room.
It was surprisingly bright, despite all the gadgets and gizmos that were littered everywhere. They passed three rows of shelves and came to a large open area. An antique desk was hidden in the corner of the room. The Doctor led them to this desk and pulled a folder out of the single drawer, turned on the desk lamp, and opened the folder.
The first page was a drawing; the back of a pair of normal pegasus wings. There were various notes scribbled around them. The second page was the front view. The third page however, showed a fake wing, a mechanical wing, in an open position. There were four blades and a joint that would allow the wing to close. The next page showed the wing when it was closed. Every tiny detail was included. Every tiny bolt. He had thought of everything.
"Wow," Rainbow breathed. "You can... make me a new wing?!"
"I can," Doctor Whooves answered.
He continued to turn the pages, which showed other wing designs. Some were like actual pegasus wings, others were more like those of a Griffin or hippogriff. He then showed Rainbow and Twilight a drawing of a cylinder.
"Hold on, what is this?" Rainbow questioned him.
"Well," Twilight explained, "Doctor Whooves was talking about you having just one mechanical wing. His plan was to surgically implant your favourite wing out of his designs. However, I thought that it would be better if you could have more than one wing. You know, maybe an everyday wing and a racing wing. This drawing is mine. Through surgery, it would be placed where you scar is. There would also be a metal plate there to hold it in place. A small bit of metal would jut outwards, and that's how the wing would be attached to your body. You could remove it at night, and have some kind of cover so that it doesn't wake you up. What do you think?"
"It. Is. AWESOME!" She shouted. She could have wings. She could fly again! She had been told at Ponyville General Hospital that she would never fly, but they were wrong!
"Glad you like it," Doctor Whooves chuckled. "It will take a lot of committment, and I don't actually know if it will work. However, I have spoken to Princess Twilight, who believes that it will work, and I have spoken to a few other scientists and doctors who specialise in pegasus wings, who also believe that it will work. Remember, if you go for the several wing option, this will probably cost more than ten thousand bits, and I guess that you are going to be buying a new house closer to the ground. You should speak to your friends Spitfire and Soarin and see if they want to pool some bits together, to help you afford everything."
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, I'll ask them. They visited me in hospital, a few days before the rally that I was supposed to join them in. Hopefully, they'll help me gather some bits. If they endorse in me, then I'll have the two-wing option."
"Good to hear. I hope to see you soon. Drop in once you've talked to the Wonderbolts." He shook hooves with Rainbow first, then Twilight, and he trotted with them to the waiting room. He watched them leave. He watched his patient jumping up and down with sheer delight at the very thought of being able to regain the ability to fly. He had missed the beautiful rainbow streaks in the sky above Ponyville. Ponyville without its famous flier would not be the same, which was why he was so devoted to helping her. He still had to work out how she would control the wings, how she would spread them like normal pegasus wings and actually fly with them.
He had heard about a mare who had been paralysed because her spinal chord and back were broken, and an electrician had found that the nerve signal could still travel as long as it had a new wire to travel through. A new spinal chord had been made out of metal and plastic, the mare had had back surgery to fit it and fix the damaged spine. When she woke, she could walk again, and the stallion who conceived the idea became a millionaire.
The Doctor smiled now that he knew what had to be done. If he could find some genius way to include an electrical wire in his current wing designs, Rainbow could control the wings in the same way as her real one: mere thought. That would be quite a feat, but it was worth it.
His next patient knocked on the front door and he greeted them with his cheery, "Hello, how are you?"
No rest for the wicked.
Author's Note
There are two things that I would like to say.
The tale about the electrician curing someone's paralysis is a true story. Feel free to Google it.
Boeing-787, thanks so much for editing this (and reminding me not to use Lavender Unicorn Syndrome - I didn't even notice!). I know that everyone makes mistakes, but it feels good when someone points them out because it teaches you how to do it right.
A True Wonderbolt and Friend
Rainbow wrote a letter to the Wonderbolts as soon as she arrived back at Twilight's castle. Once the alicorn had proofread it, Spike enveloped it in his flames and it was sent to the Wonderbolts via Princess Celestia. A reply came within 5 minutes; it was short and concise, but got the message across. All of the Wonderbolts' writing was like that. Will be at Princess Twilight's castle in ten minutes. Rainbow nodded and began to wait. It felt like the longest ten minutes of her life. She almost lost hope in them when there was a knock on the door and a sound of paparazzi.
Twilight let them in, and Rainbow was immediately engulfed in a group hug. Twilight laughed at them as they messed around like foals. Spitfire, Soarin, Blaze, Surprise and High Winds were hugging her and talking nearly as quickly as they could fly, so that Rainbow could only hear a few phrases.
"Woah, Rainbow!"
"Woah, woah!" Rainbow giggled. "Can't exactly hear you all when you talk like that." The group hug broke up, and Spitfire said, "We brought the bosses," nodding to a pair of pegasus stallions stood behind them. Fast Clip and Whiplash.
"Rainbow Dash," said Fast Clip. "We heard that there is a new development. I can see that you still only have one wing, so enlighten us: how do you plan to fly again?"
"I can have..." She stalled, racking her brains for the right words. "I guess you would call it a prosthetic wing. It's never been tried before, but the inventor, Doctor Whooves, has spoken to a load of other doctors, and they all seem to think that I could actually use it to fly." The five Wonderbolts cheered, then looked to Fast Clip and Whiplash.
"Can Rainbow come back if it works?" Spitfire asked eagerly.
"Interesting, Rainbow," Whiplash said, both to himself, the other pegasi and Twilight. "While it sounds risky, and there is a chance that you may not be able to fly with this prosthetic wing, I think that you would be allowed to rejoin if it does work. There is only one reason why you may not. Speed."
"If you cannot keep up with the other Wonderbolts, then you will not be the right pegasus for the role," Whiplash continued.
"However, if you can, then you may join us again, like a true Wonderbolt and friend," Soarin finished.
Rainbow had tears in her eyes. "Thank you, all of you," she told them. "And you Twilight." She and the Wonderbolts formed another group hug, but this time Twilight, Fast Clip and Whiplash joined in.
"So, how will we get enough bits to pay for this?" Rainbow asked once the group hug broke up.
"Maybe we could hold a fundraising event, and ask ponies and other creatures to donate," Twilight suggested hopefully.
"We're free in two weeks' time on Sunday," Fast Clip told them. "That's the... Fourteenth of June. That's just enough time to prepare something. Hooves crossed; Mayor Mare will agree."
Mayor Mare. They had stalled. She had grown frantic and ill-tempered over the last few months, and was now a regular visitor to Doctor Whooves's clinic. When the new Mayor was elected in August, it was likely that she would be replaced. Until then, they had to walk on eggshells around her. Still, she had little reason to turn down a fundraising event.
"Will she say no?" Rainbow questioned, panic evident in her voice.
"Hem hem," Twilight cleared her throat. "I'm a Princess. I have a higher position of authority. I will go there and tell her that there will be a fundraiser on the fourteenth of June. There is nothing that she can do to stop me. If I am killed by an insane Earth Pony mare who spends most of her time in an office and does very little exercise, let alone boxing, then Princess Celestia herself will have failed in teaching me, and shall be banished to the sun to be burned by its eternal fires in shame."
Everypony looked at her, stunned. Rainbow gasped, "You didn't say that. You did not say that. You are a rebel, Twilight Sparkle."
"I did say that, and I only said it for my friend. I would live in Tartarus for life if it could help you get your flight back. Fortunately, it won't, so I get to stay here." The princess smiled with mischievous glee.
A few hours later, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Soarin were in Mayor Mare's office, trying to get her to allow the fundraising event to be held. Or, at least, trying to convince her to do things the uncomplicated way. Things were not going well: Mayor Mare was already drunk, and was doing everything she could do to stop them. Of course, Twilight had not pulled out her wild card yet; that was a last-resort option.
"No. I will not allow you to hold a fundraising event," Mayor Mare slurred.
"Mayor Mare-" Spitfire began, but was cut off mid-setence.
"We are not holding a fundraising event on my granddaughter's birthday, thank you. The door is behind you. Leave me alone. I have to convince Princess Celestia that taxes need to be at least ten percent higher so that I can get a better wage. This job isn't easy, you know." Spitfire and Soarin made to leave, but Twilight and Rainbow remained seated.
"Please, Mayor," Rainbow Dash begged. "Surely you could take your granddaughter to the event? That way, you could spend some time together and help me raise some bits for my cause. Pleeaaassse?" She pulled her cute face again.
"Begging like a child is so unlike the old Rainbow Dash I used to know," the mayor spat. She pulled open a drawer under her desk, and carefully used her hooves to lift out a bottle of red wine, topping up the empty glass on the desk. She spilled a lot, and began to lap it up. The other ponies in the room recoiled at her disgusting manners.
"Ahem. Miss Mare," Twilight coughed.
"Get out, Sparkle. Clear off. Your celebrity status doesn't let you overrule me!"
"Actually, it does. As a princess of Equestria, under Equestrian law, I am allowed to overrule other ponies in positions of authority, even those who are married to other members of the Equestrian royal family. As you are a mayor, and not Princess Celestia, I am able to - and will - overrule you. I'm really sorry that it came down to this, Mayor, but my friend needs help."
The mayor groaned, "Sing Happy Birthday to my granddaughter on the day then. Her name is Silver Spoon. Now get out before I have you all thrown in the Canterlot Dungeons." Everypony except Mayor Mare left the office, and trotted out of the building.
The moment they were out, Spitfire burst into hysterical laughter, and was soon joined by the others, and Pinkie Pie, who had no idea what they were laughing about but happened to be passing at the right moment.
When the laughter died down, Pinkie asked, "So, why are we all laughing our tails off?"
"Pinkie, on the fourteenth of June, we're holding a fundraiser so that I can get a metal wing. It's never been done before, but the doctors want to try. We might need a party planner, though."
Legend says that Pinkie's scream of delight could be heard in Saddle Arabia.
