Newbie Dash (Alternative)

Rainbow spends most of the next few days asleep in bed. The moulting process was taking “ages” — as Dash complained.

The itching was only getting worse as more and more new feathers broke through the skin, so Twilight tried everything she could think of to help her, but nothing seemed to really do the trick.

In the end, the alicorn decided to use a spell that allowed the tormented pegasus to sleep through most of it, only waking her up for meals and bathroom breaks every few hours.

Unbeknownst to Twilight, this regime was beginning to take a toll on the pegasus. All Dash knows is either dreaming, or eating and that agonising itchiness. Obviously she started preferring sleep over waking, and after a few days, she started asking Twilight if she couldn’t just keep her asleep until her wings were finally complete and her magic strong enough to be able to fly again (as she’s been doing constantly in her dreams, thanks to Luna’s continued help).

“I can’t just put you into a coma!” The alicorn shrieked at the idea. “Besides, your new feathers should be done in two or three days.” She points out. Twilight has been checking the progress daily, to make sure that nothing was going wrong.

A pleasant (for Twilight) and majorly unpleasant (for Rainbow) side effect of their current routine, is that Dash is regaining her lost weight much quicker now, from her lack of movement. While Twilight is glad to see her friend almost back to normal again (finally), the first time Dash looks, really looks, into a mirror, the pegasus nearly vomits.

She requests once again to be put to sleep uninterruptedly, feeling unable to face reality. But of course Twilight wouldn’t allow that.

The alicorn hadn’t fully realised yet that Dash was edging close to a full on mental breakdown, until the next time she woke her up for a meal.

The pegasus breaks down into sobs and tears when the plate is in front of her and she’d caught sight of a distorted reflection of herself on her glass of water. She couldn’t do this anymore. She wishes that Celestia or Luna or Twilight could just banish this devil in her head to Tartarus, because as long as she’s living with it, she’s the one living there.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asks, feeling utterly lost. Rainbow has been doing so well for the past two months, and now this. At the very least, Dash doesn’t run off again and instead stays on her bed.

Spike pats her on the back, throwing the alicorn a worried look.

When she could get enough air, the pegasus manages to give her friends a brief look before squeezing her eyes shut. “I can’t do this anymore.” She croaks, voice hoarse and strained.

“Can’t do what?” Twilight asks her softly, still refraining from hugging her, in fear that she’ll irritate her sore and itchy wings again.

Dash sighs. “This.” She points to her untouched food. “This.” She points to herself, then groans. “THIS!” She points to her head with both fore hooves. “All of it!”

The others share a worried look.

“But.. you’ve been doing so well.” Twilight thinks out loud. She’d honestly assumed that they had pretty much beaten this disease, or most of it, anyways.

Rainbow makes eye contact with her tear-filled eyes. “I told you I was afraid I was going to disappoint you.” She rasps.

“You are not disappointing anyone.” Twilight says softly but truthfully. “This is just a setback, a blip. Princess Celestia said that-”

“No, Twilight.”

The alicorn shuts up.

Rainbow continues. “No matter what I do and how hard I try to ignore it, it’s always there, always telling me that what I’m doing is wrong, that I’m fat and no pony could ever like me, and nothing is making it go away.”

Spike’s comforting hand/claw stills in shock. Twilight’s brain basically short-circuits before rebooting.

She teleports a large and wide mirror to them. Rainbow immediately gasps and tries to escape, but Twilight holds her in place before positioning the pegasus next to herself in front of the mirror.

The pegasus stubbornly keeps her eyes closed, so Twilight commands, “look! You are not fat! You’re still a lot skinnier than me!”

At those words, she carefully opens her eyes, then practically stares at their reflections in surprise. Due to the mirror not only showing her own reflection, Dash is able to see the difference immediately. She stares, frozen in shock and mouth agape.

“Do you see?” Twilight asks urgently.

Since Twilight has her wings open, to really show Rainbow all of herself, the pegasus opens her own as well, inspecting her new feathers for a moment, thanks to the better view. Her wings look almost ready to fly.

Rainbow turns on the spot so she’s standing sideways in front of the mirror, and Twilight copies her, both ponies looking at their reflections.

“I don’t understand… why can I see myself normally now, but when it’s just me, I…” Dash trails off, looking away. She swallows thickly. “Why can’t I get it into my brain that THIS is how I look?! How I really look!”

Twilight frowns sadly. “It’s going to take time…”

Rainbow sighs, shutting her eyes. “I’m never going to beat this thing…”

“Rainbow, you already got this far. Don’t give up now.” Twilight points out, though her voice betrays how concerned she is. She levitates one of the broccolis from Dash’s plate over to the pegasus, who only turns her head away. “Come on.. you love broccoli.”

Dash makes no move to grab or eat it. She’s thinking for a moment, then suddenly turns to the alicorn dead serious. “Promise me you’ll tell me when I’m really getting fat.”

“..What?”

“I cannot trust what I see, my own reflection. When I ask you how I look, — actually look — I want you to promise me that you will be honest and tell me when I’m becoming too big.” The pegasus elaborates. “No lies.”

Twilight frowns for a moment, but then realises that she’s never even seen Rainbow the least bit fat. In other words: she’s positive that it will never come to this, to what Rainbow is afraid of.

The alicorn nods confidently. “I promise.”

They hold eye contact until Dash is sure that Twilight means it. Reassured, she gives the mirror one last glance before determindedly accepting the broccoli.