Chapter 5: Wounded Pride

“So then I had to shut the whole place down. It’s crazy what some ponies think they can get away with.” Windlancer chatters away to the other guard on duty at the front gate, shaking his head.

Ruby hooves shakes her head in response, chuckling. “Tell me about it. Noble’s have been getting real uppity lately. Think they forget who keeps their precious ‘status’ intact.”

“Uh, hold up. Hooves, do you see that?” Windlancer points a hoof at a flying object coming gradually closer as the two stand at attention.

Ruby Hooves gapes up at the sky, holding a leg over her eyes to shade them. “Is ... Is that what I think it is?” The two guards watch in surprise as the shape of the wounded pegasus comes fully into view. “Lancer, go get a doctor. They look hurt.” Ruby Hooves orders, prompting Windlancer to salute quickly and then dash inside the palace.

That leaves only Ruby Hooves standing guard as the wounded prismatic pegasus soars down to the landing in front of the palace, landing with a fierce expression somewhere between “Agony” and “Bursting with fighting spirit”.

“I’m here to ... See ... The princess!” The filly hisses out between clenched teeth, presenting, to Ruby’s surprise, a royal signet hoofring ... Just before promptly collapsing on the spot.

“Lemme up! I need to see the princess!” Rainbow Dash shouts from the bed where she is currently restrained. The restraints in question were not there when she arrived—They had been placed afterwards, on account of the pegasus’s persistent attempts to get up despite her injuries.

“You are in no position to go anywhere, much less a royal audience.” The doctor on duty—An odd looking earth pony, with greyish stripes over an ashen coat, named Bonezaw—lectures, harshly. “I have no idea what you’ve been through on your way here, but it’s a miracle you’re in one piece. What did you do, pick a fight with a cloud sprite?”

“Yes.” Rainbow Dash responds bluntly, not recognizing the doctors sarcastic tone. “Three of them. Well, they picked a fight with me, and I was too tired to outfly them, so...”

Bonezaw looks at the filly incredulously. “Why is a filly like you out flying on your own and picking fights with cloud sprites?”

Rainbow Dash puts her chin in the air, fiercely. “I’m here to see the princess.” She states, stubbornly.

The doctor shakes his head, groaning. A good bedside manner is really not his strong point, given that his job mostly consists of helping guards who get injured in training accidents or out on patrol. Dealing with a stubborn filly like this is kind of outside of his wheelhouse. “Well I’m sure the Princess would rather see you properly rested and bandaged than wearing battle wounds like you just got out of a skirmish. So if you’d just sit still and let me patch you up before you do any permanent damage to yourself, I’m sure you’ll see them that much sooner.”

Rainbow Dash reluctantly settles in at that, suppressing the occasional grunts of pain as Bonezaw applies poultices to her wounds. He does not work gently, but efficiently; And though that does mean it hurts more, Rainbow Dash finds herself thankful for that, as it means the experience won’t last as long.

“Ok, now. Drink this, and I’ll be out of your mane.” The doctor offers the filly a tonic, which Rainbow Dash stares at dubiously.

“What ... Is it?” She asks, warily.

“Electricity suppressant. It’ll neutralize the Cloud Sprite magic residue and allow your lightning burns to heal easier.” The medic states, directly.

Rainbow Dash eyes the tonic warily, but eventually relents to downing its contents. After all, she is inside the palace of the Princess of the Sun themself ... If she can’t trust the ponies here, she can’t trust anypony. The tonic is bitter, a bit salty, as it goes down, and Rainbow Dash makes a disgusted face but resists complaining.

“Now, if you could just expl-” Before Bonezaw can finish his sentence, he is interrupted by the door being bucked open by a thunderous kick.

“Where is she?” An imperious voice demands from the other side of the room, and the doctors belligerent tone instantly disappears as he slams down to the ground and lowers his head.

“P-Princess! She’s right over here!” The doctor stammers out, momentarily taken aback before regaining his cool. “She’s been asking to see you ever since she got here.”

Rainbow Dash picks out the clatter of hooves on tile for just a moment before the princess themself wheels around the curtain beside her. The filly tries to force a weak smile at them, but the Princess is apparently not ready to focus on her just yet.

“What is her condition? Is she safe?” Celestia demands, a certain ferocity entering their voice which Rainbow Dash had not heard at all when the princess had visited her in Cloudsdale.

Bonezaw cringes at the forcefulness of the demand. “I-I’ve patched her up as well as able. She had electricity burns but her pegasus magic was able to keep them from damaging her nervous system, so she should make a full recovery, other than some scars. Some of her veins popped and there was some severe swelling as well as cracked skin, so I gave her a poultice and electricity neutralizer to prevent further damage. She’s in rough shape, but I’ve seen much worse.”