"RAINBOW DASH!" My scream was almost completely drowned out by the rushing waterfall I was standing next to.
I couldn't be sure what it'd been, maybe some animal, a bird? Or maybe a piece of debris that came from Celestia knew where. Whatever it was, it'd come out of nowhere and caught Rainbow Dash completely off guard.
As she plummeted motionlessly to the bottom of the falls, directly toward the jagged rocks below, I lamented my weakness. That was the problem, wasn't it? I was the issue. Any other real pegasus would've been able to quickly leap to her rescue without thinking.
I, on the other hoof...
It wasn't my fault. Sure, we were out here because she was trying to comfort me, because I was feeling particularly depressed after my parents...
But It's not like I picked this place or anything like that. It wasn't my choice to come up here and now there was nothing I could do. My wings...
Because I was different, because I was a freak, I was forced to watch my hero fall to her death...
No.
NO!
I couldn't. It didn't matter if I could fly. It didn't matter if I was scared. It didn't even matter if I died. How could I live with myself if I just stood by and watched anyway?
I jumped, flapping my useless wings as hard as I could as I fell headlong down the falls towards the cyan pegasus. I prayed for some miracle to give me what I'd lacked my entire life. If I could just fly I should be able to...
I did the best I could. I used them to guide my body, to turn, bank, and rotate as needed. It wasn't flying, but falling just so wasn't easy to do either. Catching up to her though, that was a piece of cake.
"DASH!" I wrapped my forelegs around her midsection, our descent not slowing in the slightest. Her only reply was a pained groan. She was almost completely unconscious. It was up to me. Whatever was gonna happen, I would be the one who'd have to see it through.
So looking down was a terrible idea. The swiftly approaching plunge pool would definitely be our final resting place if I didn't do something soon. If I could just fly...
Why was my life like this? Why couldn't I have what everypony else did? My parents were never around when I was little and now they... And to top it all off, I couldn't even do the basic thing that every pegasus could. It was so unfair.
I cried. I don't really know why. Maybe because I was about to die... or maybe it was just a combination of all the misfortune I'd been given. I closed my eyes, resigned to my terrible fate.
"Squirt..." Rainbow Dash's whisper followed by her weak embrace revitalized me. I'd jumped for her, after all. I opened my eyes and flapped my wings as hard as I could. I knew some stupid plot twist wasn't coming. My life had never been a glorious story. If I did nothing, then nothing would get done. I would die. Rainbow Dash would die.
I didn't need to fly. I'd gotten this far without being able to. I had friends. I had a career. I had hobbies. I was happy, even if everything didn't always go my way. Even if I'd never be able to...
While my wings couldn't carry me, they could still be used to help. They always had. I'd always hated them because they could never do exactly what I wished, but since I was a filly they'd done the best they could for my sake.
I'd never be able to ride a scooter like I did without them. Shoot, even fully trained, expert fliers couldn't compete with me on a scooter. I'd taken them for granted. All that flapping I'd done since I was little had made a difference. They were strong, even if they couldn't get me airborne... and so was I.
The pressure of my efforts slowly, but surely shifted our trajectory. As we drew near the grassy knoll I thanked Celestia with all my heart that there weren't rock formations there too.
I closed my eyes tightly. This was gonna hurt, but at least we'd live... I think. That fall was a lot higher than it looked now that I think about i-
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I opened my eyes to a slow beeping sound. I wasn't intimate with them, but I knew a hospital room when I was in one. Heck I was a pro rider, proud to say I'd never been seriously hurt, so it was quite a shock when I tried to sit up only to have a wave of fresh pain pass through me.
"Yep, there's definitely some stuff broken." I laid back down and took in my surroundings. It was a standard hospital room... except the small basket of fruits marked with a "C.M.C. forever" sticky note. I loved those girls... I always would.
A light tapping at the door drew me out of my reverie.
"Come in!" I called out, despite not knowing who it was.
"Hey... Squirt, how're you doing?" My eyes lit up at how... okay Dash looked. She had a cast... probably a broken shoulder, but she was walking. Had I really done it? I felt tears stinging at the corners of my eyes. "WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!" she trotted to my side. "What's with the waterworks, kiddo!?"
"S- sorry, I just... I'm so happy," I smiled in spite of the tears as she ruffled my mane with her hoof. I did it. I really had. Without flying.
"Thanks, Squirt... I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you..."
For the first time in my life, I realized something. I didn't need to fly. I never would. My friends, my big sister, my life... they were all amazing already and flight or lack thereof would never change that.
