my version of rd is a little dipshit

(tw bad injuries? is that correct?)

in my headworld, working in the cloudsdale weather factory for a while makes your coat and mane colors a lil brighter! it’s a property of the rainbow magic used to create, well, rainbows. long term effects of rainbow magic hadn’t really been observed, but strange illnesses would be commonly reported from long-time workers that directly processed the rainbows.

It was “Take Your Foal to Work Day” at the Weather Factory where Rainbow’s life would change forever. Bow Hothoof, an employee of the Rainbows Department for countless moons now, held the hoof of his daughter as they headed toward the center of factory. Despite her father’s demands to not fly around the factory floor, Rainbow Dash was way too excited to see where Equestria’s weather came from. The two were walking among a guided tour group, but when the steel doors opened to the main chamber of the factory, Rainbow couldn’t help herself. She fluttered her wings and took off, much to the horror of her father. All she wanted to do was see the rainbows up close. It may have been her wings not being agile enough, or it could have been that Rainbow noticed it too late, but nothing could prepare the ponies watching for what happened next.

She collided head-first with one of the iron dispensers. Bow saw his daughter fall into the prismatic pool below, her blood mixing with all the colors of the rainbow. He tried to dive into the pool himself, but some other factory workers pulled him back. It took heavy machinery to scoop Rainbow Dash out and dump her limp body onto the floor. She went straight to the hospital, where she was resuscitated and cleaned up. The feathers on her wings, as well as her mane and tail, had been burned away. A gash went across Rainbow’s head down to her right eye. She would ultimately recover from this, but this event changed her body and her life forever.

When her fur and feathers grew back, everypony was shocked to see her brilliant rainbow colors. The right eye, though impacted in sight, shined an array of hues. Her tail never grew back, but it was replaced by tail feathers resembling a swift’s. Around this young age, only a few dark spots were seen along her wings and face.

Some ponies say that Rainbow’s visual handicap actually aided her along the way. She grew to rely not on sight, but on how the world felt around her wings. Rainbow Dash was so in touch with the skies that she could fly with her eyes closed, allowing the movement of the winds to guide her safely. Rainbow’s stunted growth and thin bone structure seemed to work in her favor as well. Being lighter and more aerodynamic than other pegasi, she glided through flight school with ease. Her excellent performance in school made her the target of multiple talent agencies, beginning a life for Rainbow Dash where her finances would never be in her control.

The agency that had recruited her as a teen was also the one responsible for shoehorning her into the Wonderbolts as an adult. As the youngest-ever member to join the A-team right away, she had some quirks; her athletic ability was incredible, but her immaturity and arrogance tended to spark situations between her and the other cadets. Regardless, she found her place in the Wonderbolts, and soon became a kind of pop celebrity all across Equestria.

When Rainbow Dash was not performing, however, she struggled with her physical illnesses. She was much sicklier than the public had seen; proneness to broken bones, a poor immune system, and neurological dysfunction sometimes pulled her out of service for weeks. Rainbow didn’t want to be seen as a pitiful case, because she believed these issues were the reason why she succeeded. Even in moments where Rainbow Dash’s illnesses were clearly exploited for the sake of performance and fans, she believed that it was all worth it.

Rainbow largely hid her conditions from the public, but her friends often joined her in her many appointments. Over time, her treatments became less effective and more painful. Regardless, she remained optimistic and continued to do aerial shows with the Wonderbolts even through physical agony.

Unfortunately, in my headworld, RD is dead!!! :, ) Applejack was Rainbow Dash’s caretaker when her illnesses ultimately became terminal. A monster attack in Ponyville would have normally been no match for the two, but Rainbow’s vulnerability made it too much. They were the first of the Mane Six to pass away.