The doctor stood before her. He stood like a vulture, looking grim, his face drawn into lines and creases. He was not a gorgeous creature, not at all like her Rainbow Dash. No, she could even smell it from him - the smell of sterilizing solvents, latex gloves, and morphine sulphate. He was a pony whom you never wanted to meet. For all his white and an attempt at looking approachable, he may as well to her have been robbed in black and carrying a scythe.

Rarity could hardly speak. Her throat felt dry, as if choked by dust still from the cave. But still, she tried her best. "I-is she going to be alright?"

The doctor remained grim. "Miss Rarity," he began dryly, slowly, like a mosquito buzzing lazily up to get a suck of blood, "Rainbow Dash has been severely injured. Now, you must understand that we have done the best we can."

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Miss Rarity..."

"Is she going to be alright!?"

The doctor sighed, "You must understand..."

"Will. She. Be. Alright?"

The doctor shook his head. "Miss Rarity, Rainbow Dash was severely injured, but we did save her life."

Rarity collapsed onto a chair, spend. "Oh, heavens to Celestia, thank you, doctor!"

She didn't notice he wasn't smiling. "However, we can only do so much, and given the extent of the damage, she is lucky just to be as she is."

Rarity looked up. "Wh-what do you mean? She's going to fly again, right?"

"She will never fly again."

"Oh, noooo... I- but, a life on the ground isn-"

"Miss Rarity, Miss Dash will never be able to move herself again."

"No."

"Please understand that it was all we could do to save her life. It was like trying to reconstruct a chicken tender into a breast again."

"Nooo..."

"She will live, but will never walk or move again for the rest of her days."

"No!" Rarity screamed, overcome. And then she fainted. The last thing she heard was her friend's voices asking something at first in hushed tones before screaming in horror.

Pain. That was all Rainbow Dash could really notice in the darkness. It was pain. Oddly enough, it was just in her head and neck. Everywhere else was actually fine, or so it seemed, even though she could not bring herself to believe it.

How had she done it? How under Celestia's sun had she possibly survived that nightmare in the cave? She shuddered. She had bad feelings leading up; she had always had a danger sense and knew when things were going to be bad - it was a trait that had saved her numerous times during both her service with the Wonderbolts, and in other daring adventures. A sixth sense had hung around her, giving her just the inkling she needed to be spared every time she danced just two steps from death. Had it indeed managed somehow to do so again? She had tried to save Rarity when the cave-in began; she would never have allowed her marefriend to come to harm. She knew she had been struck more than once by rocks, but she had gotten Rarity out of the way of worse. In her mind, that was what had mattered most of all. She was indeed loyal to the end.

Rainbow dash felt and itch on her ear, just a little itch. She tried to scratch it. She willed her wing to move, but it wouldn't. She remained still. She couldn't make her appendage go. Her pulse began to quicken. Okay, no biggie, she had others. She tried to move her leg to get at it. But nothing happened. What the hell? Why couldn't she move!?

Her pulse darted high. She opened her eyes - maybe she was still stuck? She found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was she? Her breathing sped. Okay okay, she had this. She just had to move her... only her neck could move! She was trapped here!

Her pulse pounded. She couldn't breathe. Oh, sweet Celestia, she couldn't breathe! Help! Rarity! Anypony!

But nopony came to help her. She was all alone. Alone with all her fear and panic.

And there was nothing to do but wait. And wait. And wait. Rainbow Dash did not know for how long exactly she waited, but eventually the panic did pass. If she could feel her limbs, she would have described them as being like jelly. Curiously they did not. She didn't know what to think of that.

Boredom returned. There was nothing to do but sit and wait. And wait. And wait. And wait.

This abject monotony was interrupted by the door suddenly swinging open. Rainbow Dash could just barely shift her field of vision. There were the sounds of many hoofsteps approaching her. Another small spike of fear emerged. Her military background instantly gave her the desire to face the newcomers and evaluate them as threats; she could not afford to be unaware in her vulnerable state.

Wait, was that a bouncing noise?

The hoofsteps drew nearer. As did that strange rhythm.

Yes, it was! That could only mean…

"HIYA, DASHIE!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"Ha-hem." Dash's blood froze. That was not a friend's voice, nor one promising good things. It was male, dry, and uncaring.

Twilight said, "You wait; princess's orders." She stepped deliberately into Rainbow's field of view. "So, Dash, how are you feeling?"

"Great, just great," the pegasus lied. "Never better. Say, has Spitfire come around asking for me."

Rarity interrupted, "Why yes, she has, darling. She's glad you're alright." Her gaze fell. Her words trailed off. It was that look that always preceded something Rainbow knew she was not going to like hearing. "It's just that..."

The doctor had to finish for her. "Miss Dash, it is a miracle you are alive. However, I'm afraid there is some bad news."

Dash gulped. "What kind of bad news?"

"Your organs are okay; you will not need machines to live. However, your neck was shattered by falling rocks. You will never walk again."

"I... I can fly again, right?"

"Nay," said the doctor.

Rainbow burst into tears. It was an ugly sight. Rarity immediately went to comfort her, nuzzing her face. "I got you, Dashie, it's going to be okay. It's going to be okay."

"N-no it won't! I'm never going to fly again, I'm not going to walk again, I can't even feel you hugging me!"

"Dash!"

"No, I can't do this, Rarity! I'm paralyzed - my life is over!"

Rarity wept too, "It's all my fault. I'm sorry."

Dash said, "It can't be your fault, Rarity, you didn't ask for this to happen."

The fashionista explained, "But I tempted fate, Rainbow Dash. I took you deep in the cave without having had Maud first explore it. I just wanted to show you something special."

Rainbow sighed, "It was pretty, Rarity, really. If only it wasn't quite so literally breathtaking."

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Twilight interrupted, "Don't beat yourself up, Rarity, you didn't know." She tried to put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder.

Rarity wince and ducked it off. "Ouch. Now, Twilight, it really is my fault, all of it. I got Rainbow Dash into her situation. Without me, Rainbow would not be in her current predicament. The only fitting thing, therefore, is to make me the guilty party at fault here."

"Rarity, being in an accident isn't a crime..."

Rainbow said, "Girls, enough, it's cool. I'll be out of here like... eventually... and Twilight can make some magic to make me right again, right?"

Five friendly faces looked at her and smiled just a little too wide. "Yeah, sure," they all said.

The doctor then turned to them and said, "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to have a conversation with Miss Dash alone."

"But-" they all objected.

He asked, "Are any of you immediate or close family - spouses, sister, mothers?" They all answered with various forms of denial. "In that case, protocol dictates that you be absent from the room during medical counseling. You may reenter for the rest of visiting hours after I am done talking to her. Now go on, out, get."

"Can't they be here with me? Do you really gotta kick them out, Doc?" Rainbow Dash half whined?

"I am afraid so, Miss Dash, this information is confidential, and so I am required by law to disclose it to you and you alone in private."

"Okay. So what's the news?"

The doctor shook his head sadly. "It's just as bad as you feared, Miss Dash. Your neck was broken in the accident, breaking your spine between your third and fourth vertebrae.

Fortunately, your autonomic nervous system was not impacted. You will not need assistance to run your heart and lungs. However, your motor functions have been significantly impacted. You are right, you will never walk or fly again. With the exception of those, you will make a full recovery with no chronic pain or organ damage, and ought to be free to leave in about a week. But your disability doesn't have to mean your life is over. Many patients with your condition go on to live long, full lives. And with modifications, they can resume activities they enjoyed as well as find new ones. Equestria has a law about accommodating disability, and..." He stopped there. Rainbow Dash was looking right through him.

"Doc, I've heard enough..."

"I shall leave you be, then. I will be back tomorrow to discuss treatment and living options."

"Thank you."

And so he left her alone.

The next seven days were hell for Rainbow. She wasn't sure what was worse, being awake and unable to move. or being asleep and dreaming that she could. Her friends, Rarity included, came to visit her every single day. Scootaloo visited a few times, to her immense shame. The saddest part wasn't seeing Scootaloo's distress at her condition, it was now realizing just how she'd made scootaloo feel by waving in her face something she'd never have. Even Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts had come around and she had thrown her a quick party before the nurses through them out for getting to raucous. The good news was that she wasn't off the team - she'd been given an honorary permanent spot on the team and access to future shows. The bad news was she'd never fly again with them.

But when all these friends weren't around, Rainbow Dash was alone with her thoughts. She didn't like that, not one bit. And after a lifetime of running as fast as possible to be engaged, she didn't know how to just be alone with them.

She didn't like how they made her feel. Even worse, she didn't like how they made her think.

But there was no escape. She was alone most of the time for the next week.

Rarity asked, "Are you comfortable, Darling? Can I get you anything? More cushions? A blanket? Something to read."

Rainbow sulked, but she answered, "No, nothing, it's fine. Everything's fine. Let's just go home."

The pegasus was bristling after a week. She was sitting in her wheelchair, or as she was starting to consider it, her mobile prison.

"As you wish, Darling." Rarity said as she wheeled her paralyzed marefriend out of the hospital and toward there home.