Grounded

by pneu

Grounded

Fire. The world was on fire and Spitfire was plunged deep into the blaze. She writhed in agony as hooves pushed and dragged her down further into the inferno. She struggled lamely to fight against them, but every twitch of a muscle sent waves of burning pain coursing through her body.

“Doctor, she’s waking up!”

“Get her another anesthetic!”

Anesthetic? Between the pain of white-hot fire tearing at her body, the pungent stench of iron broke through. What happened to her? She cracked her eyes open to watch a mare stand above her. She patted Spitfire’s foreleg in reassurance, searing her foreleg with fresh flames. Spitfire tried to bite back a scream scratching its way up her throat.

The mare’s ears drew back, a sheepish grimace on her face as she withdrew her hoof. “What… what’s going on?” The words dribbled from Spitfire’s mouth like sand as she watched the mare prepare a needle.

“You’re going to be just fine, Ms. Spitfire. We’re taking you to hospital right now. Just relax. Everything will be okay.” Her uneasy smile did nothing to reassure Spitfire. The needle slipped into Spitfire’s foreleg and the world rapidly faded to black.

---

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Spitfire woke to some incessant beeping. She reached her hoof over to whack the errant alarm clock. At least, she tried to.

She was unable to move her foreleg at all.

Her eyes snapped open and drew back into pinpricks when she saw the cast covering her leg. She traced her eyes across her body, covered head to hoof in bandaging. The steady beeping swelled to become fast and erratic. A heart monitor.

She was in the hospital.

“Ahh, you’re awake.” A mare trotted into the room. “I’m Doctor Feelgood. You’re—” Spitfire tried to listen to the mare’s explanation, but found the words slipped past her. She knew that she should have paid attention, but the weight of the situation pressed onto her mind, muffling the world around her.

An accident? Absurd. She couldn’t have had an accident. She had a team to lead, for Celestia’s sake. She couldn’t be here. She strained at her casts, urging her legs to move, but was halted by knives ripping at her nerves. Her breath hitched as a bolt of pain coursed its way through her body. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks. The doctor said something to her, but it didn’t matter.

She tried to hold her steady, but it didn’t make a difference.

She shouldn’t be here.

She can’t be here.

Not while ponies were relying on her.

She lay there and stared at the heart monitor, steadily beeping away while the doctor rushed in a tizzy about her.

She… was in the hospital. Wrapped like a mummy. Every movement restricted.

This…

This is nothing.

She’ll be out in no time. She’s recovered from way worse before.

---

Day faded into day while Spitfire lay there in that bed. Today was the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. There’s only so long a mare can trace the cracks in the ceiling before she burns them into her memory.

These four walls had become a familiar prison to her.

She can’t waste her time here! Spitfire would be out of here, soon enough.

These casts had become a familiar prison to her.

She can’t even remember the accident.

She would get back to leading her team. She can’t let them down. They were relying on her!

She couldn’t even read a book if she wanted to. All she could do was lay there and stare at the four walls around her.

They need her to lead the Wonderbolts. They told her as much.

Her mind raced in circles. A proper pegasus is not meant to be trapped like this. Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, is not meant to be trapped like this.

They need her.

A procession of ponies filtered in and out of her cell in a blur. Soarin was waiting for the day she would return to lead. He was always a good team player. Fleetfoot was missing her guidance. Of course, who else could lead the Wonderbolts? Everypony was waiting with bated breath for her to break out of her and to take command. There was nopony else that could replace her, after all.

Rainbow Dash always pretended not to tear up whenever she came to visit, but the matted fur beneath her eyes gave her away. Good rookie. She’ll make a fine leader someday. Sounds like she’s getting a head-start on that.

Taking command while Spitfire was stuck here.

She strained against her casts.

Her teammates needed her.

---

The endless parade of ponies fading in and out of her room slowed down to a trickle. Momentary lapses in the pure monotony became a scarce distraction to the ball of dread building in Spitfire’s gut.

They didn’t stop visiting her, of course. She was their leader, after all.

They needed her, of course.

It’s just… hard, knowing just how well they were able to get along without you. Dash has really been filling out the horseshoes Spitfire left behind.

Best Wonderbolts performance in ages, the papers say.

She’ll just have to show them all the kinda show she could really put on once she gets out of here.

If she can still fly.

But what do doctors know?

Sure, it has been months now, but any day…

And then what?

Everypony seems to agree that Rainbow Dash is sooo much better than she is. That the Wonderbolts are in such good hooves and not to worry.

Watching Rainbow Dash prattle on about how well things were — how well she was leading — only weighed down that murky black ball settling in Spitfire’s soul.

She hated herself for how much she hated Rainbow Dash in those moments.

---

Getting her casts removed was met with very little fanfare on Spitfire’s part. It was just the preamble to her miraculous recovery, after all.

Physical training — getting her four legs working properly again — was the real trial. Turns out not moving your legs for months really makes you weak. Not to mention breaking them. It was taxing — both physically and mentally — but she would not be reduced to a mewling foal.

She was strong. She was a Wonderbolt, for Celestia’s sake. She could work through a little bit of pain.

Those two useless things hanging limp in wraps tied around her barrel, though… that was a tougher pill to swallow.

She paid no heed to the blur of ponies flitting in and out of her existence. What was the point?

She bit back her tears. A Wonderbolt didn’t cry. They worked through their pain. Reveled in the struggle.

Sure, she couldn’t fly, but…

---

She was alone the day she was finally released. Her team — her former team — filled the backdrop while she dragged her hooves out of that hospital.

Her ears pulled back as she stepped out and stared at the beautiful, sunny sky hanging above her — now forever out of her reach.

She may not be trapped in that room anymore, she may be able to move her legs again, but she felt no less caged.

She looked back and said something to reassure the ponies there that she’d be fine. She was their… former captain — she still needed to put on a brave face and lead by example. Show just how strong she is. Whatever she said didn’t matter.

Well, the world was her oyster now. Plenty of opportunities for a flightless pegasus.

There’s no need to get stuck on a past you can’t change.

A pony just needs to keep moving forward. Put her hooves in front of one another.

Just move on.

A hoof rested on her withers, pulling her into a hug. She melted into that cyan coat, her tears staining the mare’s rainbow mane.

Another pony piled on. Then another. Soon she found herself suffocating underneath the love of her teammates.

“We’re not going to just kick you to the side.” Rainbow Dash said. She stroked Spitfire’s back.

“But… I’m useless like this.” She couldn’t believe that she was showing such weakness in front of her teammates. “I can’t lift a wing, Rainbow, much less fly. Besides, you’re a much better captain than I ever was. I can’t be with the Wonderbolts anymore...”

“No way!” Soarin said. “We are not just going to kick you out because of this.”

“Yeah, what Soarin said! Just because you can’t be captain, doesn’t mean you can’t do other things.” Fleetfoot added.

Rainbow Dash smiled. “There’s plenty of work that you can do yet, like training in new recruits. Plus, there’s some paperwork that’s kiiinda way behind schedule.” Rainbow averted her eyes bashfully.

Yeah, that sounds like her.

Spitfire’s eyes traced from one smiling, reassuring face to the next. Huh. Maybe she does still have a place in the Wonderbolts, after all.

Tears filled her eyes as she looked back upon her team — her family — and finally smiled for the first time in months.

Maybe… things might just turn out alright.

Comments

[Uz Naimat]

The feels. The feels.

That was beautiful. All of it. Into Heartstrings this goes!

[pneu]

11892913
Thank you for reading, glad you liked it!

[SparklingTwilight]

Watching Rainbow Dash prattle on about how well things were — how well she was leading — only weighed down that murky black ball settling in Spitfire’s soul.

Nicely evocative phrasing!

This story also had an interesting and appropriate outcome.