In the cool sky above Ponyville, tuffs of clouds were gathering in small bundles. They melded together, forming shapes even more exotic then they had been previously. They were as light and feathery as they had always been, gently passing over the small town, and providing little droplets of shade to the earth below. They glided along, bending to the whim and dance of the cool autumn wind. It was this same wind that plucked a dead leaf from the once lusciously green forest that bordered along Ponyville. The leaf followed the beckoning of the air and trailed after it like a young pup would to its mother.
The leaf reached the end of its short journey when it came to rest atop the nose of a sleeping pegasus. The equine in question cracked open a sleepy eye before lazily blowing the leaf away. While it slowly fell back down to the earth, she stretched her limbs as far they could go. Her unkempt rainbow mane toyed with her patience as it dangled in front of her eyes. When she tried to finally get her bearings, she ended up rolling off of the side of the cloud. Her quick descent was halted when the startled mare swiftly unfolded her wings and caught the air. She hovered there momentarily before rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“Oh man… this is gonna be one of those days… ”
Rainbow Dash let her wings glide her all the way down to the Ponyville soil. She bounced quickly on her hooves to get the blood flowing through them again. She could slowly feel the warmth coming back to her, and it wasn’t long before the mare was charged up and ready to take on the part of her day that had not been already consumed by her nap.
With her alertness having returned to her, Rainbow Dash wasted no time in immediately taking back to the skies. Her body felt light under the gentle breeze, and above her, the sun glistened off of the remaining droplets of ice that remained on Dash’s wings. She gradually gained altitude and soon matched the height of the clouds. Her blue body was camouflaged with the neatly painted sky behind her, and made it seem as if this magnificent sky was a giant puzzle, and she was but a single piece to be relocated.
Dash began to quickly pick up speed. She angled her wings, and began slicing through the clouds with a surreal razor like quickness. The air felt icy and constricting, like a cold snake, but she was too quick to be ensnared for long. She dove into a fast descending corkscrew until she flared out her wings above the tallest trees. She couldn’t help but feel so alive. The freedom was absolutely intoxicating. Her ruby eyes narrowed down a clearing in the trees. With extraordinary agility, she piloted herself in between the trees. She didn’t let a single branch touch her. Loose leaves of red and orange trailed after her in a spiraling vortex, making it appear as if she was leaving a path of clinquant fire in her wake.
When she arrived at the large clearing, her instinctive reflexes allowed her to violently plant her hooves in the ground and skid to a stop within the grass and dirt. She recomposed herself and gave a good look to her surroundings. Despite the approaching cold, the sounds of wildlife were ever prevalent. The few remaining birds were chirping their farewell goodbyes, while the deer scattered at the sudden approach of the rainbow maned mare.
Dash began her stride over to the other side of the clearing. The blades of grass that did not bend under her weight rubbed against the bottom of her hooves. The soil was solid and compact, allowing her to just faintly hear her steps above the ambience of the world around her. As she continued walking, she focused on clearing her mind. All of the bad thoughts and harsh words, gone. For now, just now, she wanted silence…
The wind was cool, not freezing but enough to keep one’s mind from wondering. But she wouldn’t have let it wonder anyway. She was too focused. Her heart was racing, but she couldn’t see anything, the clouds were much too thick, and the multitude of bodies in front of her wasn’t of any help. She quickly turned to her left and climbed the form of a stallion next to her.
“Oof. Whatcha doing kiddo?” he asked.
“I can’t see!” she whined.
The stallion smiled and hoisted the filly atop his back. She lightly scampered onto his head and peered over the chattering crowd. Her view was better, but the thick grey thunderclouds still obscured any real view. She squinted, but to no avail.
“Do you see her yet?” she asked impatiently.
“I can’t see anymore than you can kiddo,” he replied. “In fact, I think your hooves are starting to block MY view,” he finished with a chuckle.
“Oh hush,” the filly retorted, using her front hooves to push down on his nose and close his mouth. “Why can’t we just fly up and see?” she pouted.
“Sorry sweetheart but we aren’t allowed to be up and about when the show is going on, especially in this weather.”
The filly laid down across the stallion’s head and neck. The hairs on their rainbow manes intertwined, mixing the six colors in a vibrant fashion. The two remained silent while the crowd around them continued to converse and chat amongst themselves. It wasn’t until the filly spotted a form shoot through one of the clouds that she let loose an adorable roar.
“THERE SHE IS!”
The crowd went ballistic. They erupted into a chorus of cheers and chants that nearly knocked the filly off of her perch. The form sailed effortlessly through the clouds, splitting one of the dark cotton balls in half with nothing but her sheer speed. She spiraled down in a large tornado, taking droplets of rain with her. Her face was hidden behind a pair of reflective goggles, but her suit was embroidered with the unmistakable design of the Wonderbolts. She turned her weight around and used the momentum to catapult into a series of summersaults. She then quickly tucked her forelegs down and did a front tumble so that her rear hooves now carried the forward momentum into a focused point. She used this intense energy to propel herself off of one of the massive thunderclouds. Huge bursts of lightning escaped through the bottom, and rain soon followed suit.
Her moves were unlike anything the filly had ever seen; she couldn’t help but use her little wings to propel herself just a bit higher in the air. When the stallion below her no longer felt the filly’s weight on his head, he reached up and lightly bit the multicolored hairs on the filly’s tail. He pulled her back down until she rested on his back again.
“Dash, I told you–”
“Yeah yeah…”
By now the Wonderbolt was significantly closer. She sailed over the crowd, haphazardly engaging in games of cat and mouse with the lightning. The sizzling and popping of the thunder was deafening, but Dash wasn’t afraid. She was too busy being mesmerized by the most spectacular display of aerobatics her young eyes had ever experienced.
The Wonderbolt was undoubtedly preparing for her grand finale. She swung her body up and soared as fast as she could into the dismal sky. Her speed was monstrous. With her goggles shielding her eyes from the wind and water, she continued to gather this speed. The air around her began to chill rapidly, and there was less of it to breathe, the sky darkened even in the presence of the sun, and she felt her limbs chill to the bone. When she reached her limit, she simply drew her wings in. The mare’s body was carried up a bit more by the excess momentum of her initial climb until that too disappeared. She let gravity consume her body once again and drag her back down. She angled herself to a neat point but continued to keep her wings in. The dark sky vanished and the air slowly became more breathable. As she reached terminal velocity, she flared her wings out and propelled herself down as fast as she could. The blast of air spread the clouds apart like a hot knife through butter. A large beam of light from the gleaming sun punched through and illuminated the crowd, which subsequently cried out in excitement.
The Wonderbolt swooped down above the crowd and landed on the other side. The crowd rushed over to greet their champion hero; however, private security stopped their advances. This didn’t stop a certain filly from abandoning her perch and sneaking through the hooves of the larger ponies, though her father was none too pleased.
“Dash! Rainbow Dash! Come back!” he tried to yell over the crowd, but it was no use. The shouts were drowned out by the entirety of the cheering pegasi. The nimble filly dodged and weaved her way through the crowd and slipped past security in the confusion. With the guards preoccupied, Dash approached the Wonderbolt. She looked monolithic in her suit, but nevertheless the filly kept going. When she finally approached her, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated, but it wasn’t long before she pounced on the mare in a tight embrace.
“That. Was. AWESOME!” she shouted.
The mare under the mask chuckled and set Dash down in front of her. She slid the goggles off her face, revealing a set of beautiful ruby eyes. The mask quickly followed suit, exposing a flowing waterfall of colors. The front of her long mane rested against her left cheek while the rest coated her shoulders in a false blanket of silk.
“Ya think so?” the Wonderbolt giggled.
“Are you kidding me? That was insane! First, you were like WOOSH! Then, you were like BAM BAM! Oh momma, thanks so much for letting me come watch you!”
“Well, I figured you’re old enough now as long as your father came with you.”
“Hey, hey! Kid! What do you think you’re doing?” one of the security guards shouted, “I’m gonna have to ask you to step back in with everyone else.” He began to march over to take the child away.
“It’s quite alright,” the mare said, raising a hoof. “I believe I can make an exception for my own daughter.”
The security guard stumbled back a bit, feeling silly, perhaps from the fact that he failed to notice the obvious similarities between the two. He simply nodded and turned back to tend to the crowd. The two ponies enjoyed their embrace for a bit longer before separating. “Oh, your father, where is he?” she asked impatiently.
“Right here, my love,” he said, approaching the mare from her side. He nuzzled his wife’s cheek, which she graciously accepted and returned. Dash was none too pleased. Ewww, get a room you two. Wait, dad, how did you get past security?” she suddenly asked.
The stallion smirked and pulled out a plastic card hanging around his neck. On it was a picture of his face along with the words “VIP PASS (Family): Mustang”. He smiled and shrugged. “Told you to wait.”
Dash scoffed but wasted no time in dragging her father into a hug. This wasn’t meant to last, however as the anxious group of fans was not to be kept waiting.
“Come on!”
“Where’s our autographs?”
“Yeah!”
“We want to meet her! Let us through!”
“Please, please everyone calm down,” one of the guards shouted. “Rainbow Paradise is currently with family. As always, she will not be conducting any autograph signings as is her policy.”
The crowd seemed to have mixed feelings about the announcement. Some were notably disappointed, but most had expected this. Paradise would always put on a marvelous show, even when she wasn’t aided by her fellow Wonderbolts, but for some reason, she never personally signed out autographs. It upset the crowd at first, but after a while, it became rather routine. But this didn’t always necessarily stop them from trying.
“Momma, why don’t you sign autographs?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.
Rainbow Paradise smiled and nuzzled her daughter’s cheek lovingly. “Because there are much more important things in life than fame, Dash.”
“Like what?”
“Like family, putting smiles on ponies faces, and being a role model that others should strive after,” answered Paradise.
“Pssh are you crazy?! I want my name in lights!” She broke free of her mother’s embrace and held up one hoof as if reading from a large sign. “Rainbow Dash! Wonderbolt extraordinaire and fastest pegasus alive!” She snickered at the thought.
Her parents laughed aloud. “Well you only have a year left before you’re old enough to join the academy. Pass flight school and there’s no telling what you could accomplish.” Mustang spoke proudly.
“A whole year? Ugh!” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Too long, I need my fame and fortune,” she laughed. It was a contagious laugh, and soon, the whole family was enjoying the heartfelt moment…
With the spectators having left the viewing area, Rainbow Dash’s family was free to make their way home. Their house did not reflect that of a wealthy Wonderbolt. They lived peacefully on the upper section of Cloudsdale. Paradise had always said that she loved for her house to touch the sky, but felt that a mansion was unnecessary. After all, it was just her, her husband, and her daughter.
Dash loved the house for a different reason. It was directly above her mother’s training ground which was actually very close to land. Her mother had once told her that every once in a while, she preferred to pull her head out of the clouds. It was one of Rainbow’s favorite places to visit, despite her mother’s forbiddance to do so. Of course, this failed to stop her. The land below was often an alien world to her, considering how much time she spent in Cloudsdale. She would love to feel the solid earth under her hooves and every once in a while, she would catch her mom practicing her trademark moves. She never really had to worry about her father catching her. As a diplomat between Cloudsdale and the Griffin Provinces, his work kept him fairly busy. With her dad away and her mom snoozing soundly back at home, Rainbow Dash took it upon herself to make a little journey down to the training field.
It didn’t take long for Dash to scuttle her way down Cloudsdale. Before she knew it, she was at the city limits, and then past the Cloudsdale boundaries. She used her tiny wings to bounce from cloud to cloud, but she was careful of which ones to step on. The storm clouds from yesterday’s performance had not yet vanished, so there was still some danger involved. Nevertheless, she nimbly made her way down until her wings could glide her all the way to the ground.
She couldn’t help but giggle upon feeling the dirt beneath her. The land felt so foreign to her; it was like a whole other world. She paraded around in the grass, pouncing on insects and exploring the local foliage. The grounds were quiet and out of the way, meaning she could be as loud and obnoxious as she wanted to be.
It wasn’t long before the storm clouds rolled over the sky in an ominous haze. Dash watched as the clouds loomed overhead, bringing with them quick bursts of hot plasma. The loud pops of thunder made her cringe and she ultimately came to the decision that it was time to wrap things up and head on home.
With a bit of difficult, Rainbow used her little wings to lift herself off the ground. It was slow going at first, but she was eventually picking up altitude rather quickly. Emulating the courage displayed by her mother, Dash dove into one of the cumulonimbus clouds at her full speed. She twisted and rolled through the dark matter until her little body escaped to the other side. She took in a deep breath, and tried her best to ignore the very loud crashes of thunder around her. As the clouds began to overlap and surround the young pegasus, she quickly found herself disoriented and lost in the ferocious winds of the violent sky. She shielded her eyes from the rain and headed in what she presumed was an upward direction, fighting the force of both the winds and the sheer terror of the thunder and lightning.
“Oh man, oh man,” she said repeatedly under her breath as she continued to press on. But it wasn’t until a series of bolts struck the air directly in front of the scared filly that she knew things had really taken a turn for the worst. The initial blast nearly blinded her, forcing her to cover her face in a vain attempt to stop the barrage light while the echoing cacophony of the thunder caused her wings to instinctively retract to her sides. She plummeted, erasing all of the progress she had managed to make during her ascent. She desperately tried to open her wings, but to no avail, so instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs. She continued falling through cloud after cloud until suddenly; she felt a pair of soft forelegs curl around her body. She opened her eyes, only to catch fleeting glimpses of a beautiful mare with a beautiful rainbow mane.
“Momma?” she tried to yell above the confusion.
“Just hold onto me honey!”
“Momma I’m sorry!” she tried to plead, but the furious rage of the thunderstorm was not to be ignored. Even though Rainbow Paradise had made perilous treks like this in the past, never once had she had to worry about the safety of another, and her daughter no less. No matter how she went about it, the storm was winning.
Dash clutched onto her only salvation in the hostile sky. She had lost all since of direction, and was counting entirely on her mother to see them through. Her eyes were thick with tears of fear, which were seeking to dampen whatever patches of fur that had not already been drenched by the rain. The sky shouted in its mightiest of voices, and sent strike after strike of lightning after the pegasi. Suddenly, Dash felt her whole body shake and jerk uncontrollably. She was scared only for a fraction of a second, before darkness consumed her thoughts and her mind…
When Rainbow Dash finally opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was the pitter patter of water on the ground around her. It was hitting her as well, but at the moment, she couldn’t feel anything. She groaned loudly and rolled over on her stomach. The motion of the roll suddenly sent shockwaves of pain throughout her body. She screamed, and part of her head dropped into a muddy puddle below her. She pushed as hard as she could, but felt her hooves give out as she fell belly first back into the puddle. She simply laid there, letting the cold and wet feeling of the rain replace the numbness in her body.
Dash let out a weak whimper and used her hooves to forcibly drag herself out of the puddle, but when she raised her head to get her bearings, it was her heart that sank back down.
“Momma?”
Rainbow Paradise laid just a stone’s throw away from her daughter. Her normally immaculate blue coat was singed and blackened in spots. This was especially true for her back, which bore a deathly black, star shaped mark that consumed almost all of her back and neck. She had taken a direct hit.
“MOMMA!” Rainbow Dash screamed has she dragged herself through the mud. Her body was in excruciating pain, but nonetheless she continued to inch closer to her mother. Tears ran down the already moistened cheeks of the young filly. She continued to call out to her, hoping she would turn to comfort her only daughter with her loving ruby eyes. Dash pulled her body against her mother’s, listening for any signs of life. To her astonishment, she could just faintly hear her mother’s weakened breath.
“Momma! Momma wake up! Please don’t go!” she vigorously shook her mother, hoping to get a response from the weak mare. Hanging within an inch of her life, Rainbow Paradise just barely opened her eyes, yet she said no words.
“Come on momma! You have to get up!” She pushed as hard as she could against her mother’s body in a vain attempt to lift her. Paradise’s breaths became increasingly shallow, and her eyes closed once again.
“No momma don’t go! I’m so sorry! Please get up!”
Rainbow Dash watched as the vibrant colors of her mother’s beautiful mane gradually faded into a cold gray, matching the sorrowful sky above them. By this time, her mother had stopped breathing. Paradise had fallen into paradise.
“No, no don’t go gray mommy no! Please don’t go gray! I’m sorry, please wake up…” she sobbed.
No matter how much she cried her pleas fell on deaf ears. Rainbow Dash clutched her mother’s body, screaming for someone, for anyone to come wake her up from her nightmare.
But no one came. No one came to wake the little filly up in her bed. No one came to hold her and tell her that it was all just a bad dream and that her mommy would always be by to sing her her favorite song to help her fall back asleep. In this empty and dismal clearing, she was truly alone.
Dash huddled next to her mother’s body for hours, desperately trying to feel the warmth of her mother and to hide herself from the rain. She sobbed endlessly, crying for what was most precious to her to come back. She was far too little to be the only rainbow in the sky. She needed her big rainbow back. She needed her mother…
It was a full day and a half before a search and rescue was conducted for the young filly and her mother. When Paradise had unexpectedly failed to show for a scheduled meeting for an upcoming show, a single Wonderbolt had been sent to her home. He told them of the house’s vacancy and that it seemed that whoever had left the house last had left in a hurry. With fears of a possible kidnapping looming over their heads, the Wonderbolts issued a search to find their missing member and her daughter. They looked for hours, scouring every inch of Cloudsdale until finally, the team increased their search range. From there, it was another two hours before one of the members spotted what looked like a pony in a forest clearing about a mile under Cloudsdale. The Wonderbolts quickly converged on the location, only to discover a scene of horror.
Rainbow Dash was still clutched under her mother’s body. She was shivering from the cold and a lack of food. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her stare was as empty as the clearing. The Wonderbolts slowly approached their fallen comrade, which caused the young filly to wail and conceal her head in her mother’s matted fur. It took a seemingly endless amount of coaxing to draw the filly even an inch away from her mother. And once she realized they were attempting to take her mother back to Cloudsdale, she screamed and tried to run back to her, only to be stopped by one of the Wonderbolts.
“No! No! Let me go! She didn’t accept my apology! She’s still mad at me! Mommy help!” she yelled as the Wonderbolts carried their teammate and her heartbroken daughter back to Cloudsdale…
Rainbow Dash continued her slow paced walk through the clearing. The wind whistled a harmonious tune that nature was quick to respond to. The warm sun tried its hardest to coat the forest in a blanket of heat, but was ultimately outdone by the cool autumn chill.
It wasn’t long before Dash reached the end of the clearing. She made her way over to a single tree which shaded a small headstone in the ground below it. Rainbow peered down, and brushed off the dead leaves that had collected there.
Rainbow Paradise: Teammate, friend, lover, mother. Rest easy and thank you for everything you have done for us.
It seemed like such a small thing to say for all the good she had brought to the world. It didn’t do her justice to try and cram a pitiful “thank you” onto her grave. Even so, Dash bowed her head before her mother’s grave. She let the beating of her own heart take her in before she finally spoke.
“I made a promise to myself, mom. A promise that I wouldn’t be scared anymore, that I would never make another pony watch out for me. I figured that that would have made you happy; if I never put myself or anypony else in that situation again. But, I don’t think that’s what you would have wanted; at least, I don’t think it is. I’ve found some friends that care for me and look out for me like you did. They always tell me they admire my loyalty, but I’ve never had the heart to tell them that I get it from you. Seems like I’ve spent a whole lotta time asking you to forgive me for being so careless, but the truth is, I don’t think you were ever mad in the first place. I think, maybe it’s time I learn to forgive myself. It won’t be easy, but maybe with the help of my friends, I’ll get there. I love you momma, and I miss you so much…”
