Crystals Grow on Rainbows

Events of the night before didn't come back to Rainbow Dash immediately as she woke up that morning. Expecting to be in her cloudy bed, she was in fact lying on an actual mattress, inside a quiet room. A few flicks of her head as Rarity's room set in around her didn't create the most appealing image. Greyed out from the overcast morning, shadows were abundant, and the bright colours were washed out.

"I notified the hospital a few hours ago, they'll be coming over to see if you need to be moved." Rarity already had a breakfast tray carefully balanced on her back, sliding it onto the drawers for Rainbow Dash to get when she was ready. "I'm limited in how much I can do with my magic for the time being, but don't hesitate to ask in the meantime."

Dash was hesitant to eat at first, it did make sense that Rarity would put so much effort into helping out, being the Generous one and all. But how would it look if she just started eating what Rarity gave her all the time? And worse, what if Rarity started giving her more than food? It took a lot of self-convincing that it was only food, very good food at that. It was one reason to stay at Rarity's instead of going to the hospital.

Rarity went about her usual routine in the meantime; Rainbow Dash clearly needed her rest, and did make a point about not getting any ideas. She was merely caring for a poorly friend, no reason to distract from her work. But then, she didn't actually have any commissions to work on. And with the rain continuing on, it would be unlikely that anypony would be stopping by soon. Such a shame that an ideal subject for free design was stuck in bed.

As she turned to watch out the window in pondering for a new idea, Dash settled back down to sleep again when something she had forgotten struck back hard. The photos were still in the mask. Funny as the reaction would be, she wanted to see it from a safe distance, not right beside her. And Rarity didn't seem to have anything to do, what if she decided to sleep? It seemed that would become the case, until a knock on the door downstairs came as her rescue.

"Oh, I do believe that is them at the door, don't go anywhere!" Rarity was down the stairs in a mere few seconds, leaving the pegasus to exhale heavily. Don't go anywhere, oh if only you knew Rarity... Taking the chance, Dash began sliding herself closer towards the mask. A tiny window of opportunity she couldn't afford to miss. Within hoof's reach of it, she shuffled back into her original position as Rarity returned. So close.

The doctor approached at that point, removing the blanket to expose Rainbow Dash's bruised side and wing. It had darkened overnight, the compensation being a reduction in the pain. That didn't matter too much; she wanted to escape Rarity's clutches, especially the sort that she was thinking of in particular. A loud wince came as her wing was lifted up. "Oww, mind taking it a bit easy? This sort of injury isn't supposed to happen y'know."

Her frustration was pushed out as her wing was pushed back in. Pain from the bruise was pale in comparison to what happened at that moment. "I'm sorry that it had to hurt so much, but we are short on beds and medication at the hospital for the time being, Rarity has agreed to let you stay here in the meantime." Dash flew into a panic at that moment. She hadn't actually expected to stay with Rarity. That was supposed to be an alternative that wouldn't be needed! Burying her face into the pillow under the guise of pain was little relief from the downhill path of her situation.

"Don't worry dear, I haven't got any major works coming up, so I'll be able to attend to your needs without fail." The doctor left a small amount of pain relief with Rarity to take care of before departing. "Now, if there's anything that you..." A very loud yell from the bed caused her ears to ring, and teeth to chatter. Rainbow Dash was screaming her lungs out at the ceiling for whatever reason that escaped her.

A sore feeling had developed all along her throat by the time the pegasus coughed heavily from lack of air. "Rarity, I appreciate that you're doing all this, but it's downright freaky! Especially after you made such a big deal about wanting a pegasus partner to have a princess with! Don't you see how creepy this all looks?" It was a strain on her already sore throat from the release of stress to say that much.

Rarity was taken aback, literally edging back towards the window in worry. Well, she had considered the possibility for a brief moment the night before, but had she really made it seem like that she was trying to get comfortable with her? "I, but I... I guess it did cross my mind, but you're my friend! And you were rather miserable the last time you were in hospital, I assumed you'd prefer having somepony to talk with. It seems I was mistaken..."

Retreating into silence, she promptly left the room. Anything more said would be excessive, best to keep her point short and simple. And yet, the moment she closed the door brought on what felt like a panic attack. Not only had she just committed herself to spending time with one pegasus alone, she would also be neglecting other pegasi. And what would happen if other ponies learned that Rainbow Dash was staying there to recover?

Dash maintained her stance as Rarity left the room. No pony could make her feel guilty enough to go running and apologize. It was just too weird; staying over at Pinkie Pie's would be more comfortable for that matter. The circumstances were just rather bad, maybe if the unicorn weren't on that particular task it would be okay. Getting hit by the branch was uncool enough.

She owed Rarity a decent apology. That much was clear. Getting out of bed proved to be a challenge in itself, as her wing began to move again, it brought pain back to her shoulder. While the medication wasn't too far away, it didn't seem worth waiting for it to take effect. If Rarity decided to move on downstairs, then she'd be in real trouble. Struggling for the door handle almost caused her to trip through into another fall.

Pulling herself up again before anypony noticed, she approached her carefully. "Rarity, I really do appreciate you going to all this effort to take care of me. But, can you see how weird it is, for me at least?" For once, she didn't have to force herself to speak calmly. "I know that this is a big thing for you, and I guess I was wrong to assume you were trying to hook up with me, but other ponies might not get that. I'm just saving both of us from embarrassment “Finding herself beginning to wobble again, Dash timidly made her way over to sit beside the unicorn.

Silence followed for a few moments, broken only by the faint sound of the fading rain outside. Rarity hadn't expected such an apology, but she definitely felt more understanding about Rainbow Dash's view. "You're right; I was becoming a little too eager to help you. But, I do promise that I never intended to make you uncomfortable, you know that right?" Ironically, she couldn't resist hugging the injured pegasus for a brief moment, leaning back again more to avoid aggravating her injury again.

Dash wasn't upset by the hug; it was relieving enough to know that they could have a very simple understanding about each other's feelings and situations. A brief glance at the open bedroom reminded her of what Rarity had ahead of her. Well uh, I guess I'll get back to bed. I'll head back to the hospital when there's space, wouldn't wanna intrude and all. But I just wanted to make sure you were okay, being upset on a rainy day is definitely not cool."

Rarity was quick to give her support again, helping her back up and walking to the bed gradually. "Of course Dashie. I'll just keep busy downstairs in the meantime, give you peace to rest." Tucking Dash into the bed again, her hoof rested on the edge of the bed in a lingering moment, smiling softly at her friend. "I'll ask Fluttershy to bring some of your items over in the meantime, sleep tight."

End of Part One.