She stood at the top of the mountain, surveying the scene before her. Hundreds of ponies were fleeing from the approaching attackers in the night. Some were not able to escape and fell to the deadly claws and teeth. The sight was gruesome. The mare stomped her hoof, her teeth grinding together in rage. She felt so helpless. She wanted so badly to jump into action and to save the ponies below.
“Hurry up Rainbow Dash! We don’t have much time!”
The light blue pegasus turned her head only slightly at the sound of her name. Her rainbow colored mane covered her eyes, where angry tears threatened to escape.
“Why? Why can’t we help them?” she asked through her gritted teeth. An orange hoof reached over and rested on her shoulder.
“Ya know why. Twilight wants us to get these young’uns to safety.”
Behind her stood a group of little fillies and colts, quivering and crying. Some of them stared down the mountain with their eyes wide. Others refused to look, their eyes shut tight as tears streamed down their faces.
“I know, but…”
“Please Dashie,” another quiet voice said, and Rainbow Dash looked over to see Fluttershy walking from the head of the group back towards her companions. She stopped just a few feet away, pleading with her friend without saying a word. The Stare was nothing compared to this look, and Rainbow Dash had to look away. She stared at the ground, kicking a small rock off the cliff. It bounced down the mountain and bumped into other rocks, sending them all careening towards the chaos below.
“Just…give me a minute,” Rainbow Dash managed. Applejack was about to protest, but Fluttershy placed her hoof on her shoulder to stop her. The two stared at their multicolored friend a moment longer before rejoining the younger ponies. Rainbow Dash looked over at them, her eyes darting between each of the fillies. They were so young, far too young to be seeing an event as horrible as this. They should be running around and playing, their voices filling the air with laughter instead of sobs.
Rainbow Dash turned away from the group to hide the newly forming tears. Visions of a little orange filly flashed in her mind. She could still see that goofy smile she gave her whenever she showed off her newest moves. The humming of her little wings still rang in her ears. Those bright eyes, so full of wonder and hope for her future.
Now that little light was gone from this world. When the attack had begun she had been lost in the crowds and the fire. Rainbow Dash had searched as long as she could, but the flames had made it hard for her to stay air born, and with the attackers getting closer…
She stomped her hoof again as the tears began to roll down her face. Her body began to shake with anguish and anger. If only she could have done more.
Why can’t you do more? What’s stopping you?
The voice in the back of her mind made her pause. She looked back up slowly, her stare drawn to the flames below once more. They reflected in her eyes like the fire now building inside her chest. The hot wind from the valley below rustled her rainbow mane, and a few strands waved in front of her eyes. The tear stains on her face looked like dark war paint.
A surge of courage swept over her entire being. She stood tall on top of the mountain, her chest puffed out not in her usual show-off manner but now in determination. Her wings shot out from her sides, the wind catching them and ruffling her feathers.
She breathed in deeply.
With one powerful flap of her wings she was off like a rocket down the face of the mountain. A rainbow trail followed her descent, waving and curving in the heated air behind her. The vague sounds of her friends screaming behind her snuck through the wind whipping past her ears. She would have to apologize to them later, but for now she had to focus on the town. Her heart pounded in her chest as the adrenaline coursed through her veins. A cone of air began to form in front of her, tightening around her extended front legs. The familiar feeling of being stretched came, and she smirked just before the barrier was broken.
“My turn.”
She was accelerated forwards as the sound and color barriers broke, and a ring of rainbow expanded outwards behind her. With one swift flap she turned herself ninety degrees, avoiding a collision with the ground by mere inches. She flew low and fast, zipping past the fleeing ponies. They all stopped in their tracks, turning to watch the rainbow streak fly closer and closer to the attackers.
The aggressors, on the other hoof, stopped dead in their tracks when they say the Sonic Rainboom light up the sky. The streak was approaching their position fast, and they steadied themselves for the coming blows.
Rainbow Dash never slowed. Her targets were within range. Just before she made contact she let out a loud battle cry that came from the depths of her very being.
Her front hooves collided with the chins of the beasts and they were sent flying into nearby buildings and trees. The rest of the army began to jump out of her way as fast as they could. Few were able to react quickly enough. She zipped left and right, turning at sharp angles to take out as many of the attackers as she could. Blood began to seep from Rainbow Dash’s hooves and legs where they impacted the creatures. The pain of the injuries was doubled thanks to the incredible speed, but she gritted her teeth against the pain.
Soon, however, she realized that for every creature she took out, another five took its place. These things were coming out of nowhere. Rainbow Dash felt her body begin to slow and she directed herself straight up into the sky. The rainbow streak faded behind her as she came to a halt. She hovered above the army, her eyes wide. She had barely left a scratch on their numbers! The army paced and growled below her, wanting to desperately end her little uprising.
Rainbow Dash racked her brain, trying to think of some way to take down these monsters.
“Come on Dash, what would Twilight do?”
She paused mid thought, realizing exactly what her friend would do: analyze the situation. She gazed back down at the army, examining them as closely as she could from this height. They looked like the Timberwolves in appearance, but their bodies were covered in fire. The red and orange licks of flame waved like hairs in the wind, and from their mouths a bright white liquid oozed. Their yellow eyes looked up at her in burning fury.
Ok, so she could tell that they were made of fire and maybe lava. What else? Every time one was destroyed, more spawned from the flames that were strewn over the ground. So brute force attacks weren’t going to do it. She wished she had figured that out before launching her assault. Her hooves were covered in bloody burns and they stung.
She shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to think. What could she do to stop these things?
What puts out fire?
Rainbow Dash’s eyes shot wide open. Of course! She knew exactly what to do.
“Hey hot heads!” she called out in a mocking voice. “Is that the best you got?” She stuck out her tongue at the army below, and the red and orange flames turned to yellow and white as the growls turned into snarls. Rainbow smirked at them before dashing off to the south. She looked beneath her, and sure enough the entire army was now following her.
Good. Now she just had to figure out the next part of her plan. She looked back up into the darkness of the night, her mind racing. The outline of Ghastly Gorge was barely visible through the smoke. That was her destination. But what was she going to do when she got there?
An idea popped into her mind, and for a moment her pace slowed. The thought was mind numbing, and she wanted to forget it. But as she focused on it, she began to realize that this might be her only chance at saving the others.
The gorge opened wide beneath her, and the flickering of the beasts behind her reassured her that they were still in pursuit. She flapped her wings to steady herself above the chasm. The steep walls looked back up at her, dark and threatening in the glow of the army. They were drawing closer and were just about to reach the edge. Her time was running short. She could only keep them there for so long before they went back to attack the town.
Silence took over her mind. Not a silence of fear or uncertainty, but one of resolution and peace. She knew what she had to do, but for the first time in her life she felt truly scared. Her eyes shut, and behind them flashed images of her friends. Doing this was going to hurt them, she knew that, but the image of a little orange filly reaffirmed her decision. She had to do it for her…her little adopted sister.
A powerful blast of wind was left in her wake as she rocketed straight up into the heavens. The smoke was thick and made her eyes burn. Tears fell from them, but whether they were caused by the smoke or by her emotions she could not tell. Suddenly she burst through the blackness and was met with the glory of the night sky. The stars shone brightly above the chaos below.
Funny, she thought. All this grief, and yet the world still manages to maintain some amount of beauty. Twilight would be proud of her poetic little moment. She wished she could have shared it with her.
She looked back down at the smoke below, and the light orange spot shining through set her course. She gulped, allowing herself one last moment to feel the night breeze flow through her mane. Finally she folded her wings to her sides and began to plummet towards the earth.
The army below looked up into the smoke, trying to find where their prey had gone. Some of them were about to turn back when a rainbow streak shot through the blackness. They howled and snarled, their flaming white teeth gnashing in anticipation. To them it looked like she was falling from the sky.
In reality, she was streamlining towards her target. The rocky cliffs were still illuminated, shifting and swaying in the fire’s light. These were the very same walls that had crumbled on top of her during her race with the pets. Hopefully they were still brittle enough to be broken off. The cone of air began to form once more around her shaking hooves. The world was silent around Rainbow Dash as she came closer to the rocks. Her life began to flash before her eyes. She saw visions of her early years at flight school. Her first day as head weather pony for Ponyville. Meeting her friends. Reaffirming old friendships and gaining new ones. Becoming the Element of Loyalty. Defeating Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changelings, King Sombra. Chatting with her friends. Laughing. Smiling. Feeling truly happy.
“Thank you,” she whispered to herself, her eyes closing as a smile spread across her face. The cone tightened to its tightest shape, and with a resounding boom the bright rainbow circle shot outwards right as she collided with the cliff side. The rocks shattered upon impact and began to fall into the gorge. The army had no time to react as they lost their footing, and one by one they fell into the river below. Wisps of white smoke floated upwards from where they were snuffed out. The boulders fell into the river as well, ensuring that the beasts could not escape their watery deaths.
After what seemed like an eternity of collapsing rocks and painful shrieks, the air finally became still. The remnants of the Sonic Rainboom shot through Ponyville, the sheer power of the blast blowing out many of the flames. As it faded into the night, the cheers of the ponies filled the air. At last they were safe.
Her friends were never able to find her body amongst the rubble. For all they knew she was washed away down the river. As the news spread across Equestria, thousands of ponies came to the sight to pay their respects. Even the princesses made an appearance. They called Rainbow Dash a true hero, and had a marker placed near the sight in order to remember her.
Years later, a lone pony flew over the gorge. She squinted her eyes into the now overgrown forest at the canyon’s edge. It took some time, but at last she found what she was looking for. She flapped her wings gently as she made her final descent.
She looked up through her purple mane and smiled at the memorial sitting before her. A large square base sat among a tangle of tree roots and brush, the writing no longer visible. The statue that resided atop this stone, however, was still very much in tact. The details were worn, but the lightning bolt cutie mark and the cocky look of her eyes were still visible. The mare smiled to herself. They had definitely gotten her personality right.
The pony untied a small bouquet of flowers from her front hoof and placed them at the base of the statue. She sat back and allowed herself a moment to rest. Flying was getting difficult now. Age was finally catching up to her it seemed. Had it not been for the stone mare staring down at her now, however, she never would have lived to see this day.
“Thanks Rainbow Dash,” she spoke quietly. She stood slowly, allowing herself one last moment to admire the statue before taking off. The air around the memorial grew still once more, disturbed by nothing, save for one orange feather falling from the sky.