The Rainbow's End

by ShootingRainbowStar13

Rating: everyone
Tags: Mare Do Well, Scootaloo, Adventure, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Sad
Length: 11257

The Mare-do-well incident brings Rainbow Dash to slowly tire beneath the treatment of her friends and begins to question her loyalty.

She is Loyalty. She will be the last one standing by her friends, in peril, torture and death.

This is what everyone believes. This is what Twilight and the other Spirits of Harmony, Rainbow's friends, believe. And they took it entirely for granted. After the Mare-do-well incident, Rainbow Dash's Loyalty began to falter. She still felt the terrible sorrow of being deserted by everypony, to be forgotten in the shadow of a greater hero.

Over time sorrow grew to anger. As the powerful bond of friendship crumbles as Rainbow begins to drift away, The others discover just how powerful the Element of Loyalty is, and how its absence might have caused the downfall of the greatest heroes Equestria has ever known.

Published 2013-10-31 08:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-24 12:06:20 UTC

Neglected

The Rainbow's End

By ShootingRainbowStar13

Neglected

Read this chapter listening to this, just to set the scene.

The crowd murmured excitedly. Banners displaying intricate pictures of Mare-do-well were held ready, some ponies were even wearing costumes. They were all waiting in front of a white stage. Multicolored balloons were tied to the stage, and empty stand stood ready on the corner of the platform, and the backing of the stage displayed a large but thin canvas with a painting of Mare-do-well on the front.

It was Mare-do-well's thank you parade, and everypony in town had come.

Finally the Mare appeared, and walked across the stage to the empty stand. She tapped the surface of the stand to gather the attention of the crowd, who immediately became silent. The Mare smiled, and began to speak.

"Welcome to Ponyville's first, but surely not last, "Thank-you" parade in honour of our city's greatest hero..."

She paused slightly for effect, and the crowd leaned forward eagerly.

"...THE MYSTERIOUS MARE-DO-WELL!!"

The canvas was torn as Mare-do-well herself jumped through and stood on the stage, standing proudly and letting her cape flow and flap in the wind.

The crowd went wild, screaming and waving banners, shouting her name over and over. Then suddenly...

From the crowd flew a familiar blue pegasus, facing the hero and glaring at her in the eye. "The Mysterious Mare-do-well, huh?!"

The crowd gave a shocked gasp. It was Rainbow Dash, the former hero of the town.

"Well, let's see just how mysterious you are WITHOUT THAT MASK!!!" She snapped her jaws shut, attempting to grab the mask off her face, but Mare-do-well stepped back. She turned and fled, Rainbow Dash in hot pursuit.

She ran the length of the street, turning at the end and disappearing around the corner. Grinning, Rainbow turned and flew the other way, expecting to catch her at the end of the street. But to her suprise, there was nopony there. Looking around, she noticed Mare-do-well run through the shadows, and flew after her, wearing a determined scowl.

Mare-do-well turned another corner and ran to the end. Rainbow Dash flew after her, but noticed something moving behind her. She turned and saw Mare-do-well run past the spot where she had been. She flew back, baffled, but the same happened at the other end. She flew back and forth, completely confused, and when she thought she had lost her she heard a sharp, taunting whistle and turned to see Mare-do-well run further into the maze of buildings.

"What the hay?" cried Rainbow, and flew like a bullet after the vanishing figure.

Rainbow came to a dead end, looking up to see the figure leaping off the top of the wall. She growled with frustration.

Mare-do-well ran down a flight of steps. Rainbow followed. She was almost on her when she heard the same taunting whistle behind her. She turned and saw Mare-do-well vanish back the way they came. Rainbow looked back and saw another dead end. She snarled furiously and flew even faster after Mare-do-well.

She soared down the street, but she did a double take as she passed a ladder. Deciding to be discreet, she flew up and hid in the hay-built rooftop. She looked down into the street below and saw Mare-do-well trotting by, off her guard.

"I GOT YOU NOW!!" She flew from her hiding place and mercilessly tackled the pony to the ground. They landed in a heap, but Rainbow Dash had Mare-do-well pinned down on the cobblestone floor.

"ALRIGHT miss mysterious!" She cried triumphantly. "MYSTERY - " She paused to tear the mask from the face. " - SOLVED!!"

She gasped.

Pinkie Pie smiled sheepishly up at her.

"PINKIE?!" Rainbow cried in disbelief. "Wha-du-du..huh-du..HUH?"

A hoof clopped down on the cobbles. Rainbow looked up to see yet another Mare-do-well standing in front of her. Stunned with surprise, she could say nothing as the figure smiled serenely at her, before taking off her own mask.

"TWILIGHT?!"

Behind her, another Mare-do-well walked out from the shadows. It pulled off its mask as well.

"APPLEJACK?!"

As her friends approached, all she could think to say was "There were three of you??"

"Yep!" Twilight said smugly. "We all played Mare-do-well at different times."

"AH stopped the carriage with these babies." Applejack proudly showed off her strong hind legs. "Bucky Mcgoody-gully and Kick-smuggey."

"I saved the construction workers with my Pinkie sense!" As Pinkie tilted her head smartly upwards she suddenly quivered violently, and shoved herself into Dash just in time to avoid a falling plant pot.

"Sorry!" called one of the flower ponies.

"It's alright!" Pinkie called back.

"And I used my magic to fix the dam!" Twilight removed her hat with her magic to show off her glowing horn, winking at Rainbow. She was cut off by Fluttershy, who excitedly said, "Ooh, OOH! And I did the.. FLYBY afterwards!"

"I made the costumes. FAA-bulous if I do say so myself!" boasted Rarity.

Rainbow stared at her, reeling as she tried to take it all in. She was shattered, shocked and slightly sad, and she wanted one question answered. Just one question. She walked past with a sigh, saying "I don't understand..."

She stopped a couple of feet away. She turned to her friends, the ponies who she thought she could trust.

She said it. "Why? Don't you want me to be a hero?"

"Of course we want you to be a hero!!" Twilight exclaimed.

"But a real hero doesn't BRAG." Applejack winked at her.

Rainbow felt a strange little tug in her gut.

"Uh.. I guess I started to brag.. a little.."

"A LITTLE??" All her friends cried in unison. Dash fell backwards, away from the angry faces.

She stared, surprised, before replying "Okay, a lot."

"Celebrating one's accomplishments is natural, but.." started Twilight.

".. Rubbin' them in everypony's face in nowt." finished Applejack.

There it was again. Her gut tugged again, slightly more insistently.

"Yeah, the only thing that should be rubbed in anypony's face is chocolate cake!" Pinkie began very realistically licking her face, slurping rudely and drooling everywhere.

Everypony stared at her. "Ah think we're getting off topic here." said Applejack.

"What we're trying to say is, it's great to be really good at something, but it's important to act with grace and humility." Twilight said.

For a moment, Rainbow looked confused.

The twinge in her gut wasn't going away. If anything it just grew stronger, like a knife gradually being pushed into her side. She decided to ignore it.

She perked up, partly understanding. "Ohhh... that makes much more sense!"

She flew up, above the rooftops, and said, "Yeah. I guess I should also act with grace and humility when others outshine me. Like... Mare-do-well."

The knife in her gut twisted painfully as she said this. Her heart ached, and she didn't know why. She saw her friends smile at each other, as if to say, 'We sure did!'

"It looks like you've got a letter to write to Princess Celestia!" Twilight winked again, smiling happily.

Another lesson learnt. Another problem fixed. Another letter to the Princess.

Twilight thought she could just let it go into the massive collection of other lessons she had learnt. She saw it as just another neatly wrapped scroll to be put away peacefully.

It was her downfall.

"Thanks Twi!" Rainbow took the latest Daring Do book, Daring Do and the Ivory Phoenix, from Twilight's hooves and grinned. "Oh mane, I've been waiting for this book forever!"

Twilight smiled. "Glad to see you like it!"

Dash sighed and hugged the book to her chest, grinning and spinning into the air. Then she opened her eyes.

"If only I had the mini-sequel, How to Survive The Wild. But I heard you didn't have that book in the library so far." She came back down onto the wooden library floor, slipping the book into her saddlebag. "Thanks anyway!"

She turned to go, but Twilight said "Wait! I think I have a copy of my own somewhere, I'm pretty sure I found it last week." She muttered to herself as she walked to the stairs. She turned back just to say, "Just wait here for a while, okay? How about you look around, choose some new books?"

Then she vanished into the upper room.

Rainbow wandered around the shelves. Although Daring Do was her favorite, she liked Dragonmight, a trilogy of the tales of an earth pony who could transform into a dragon. She slid Dragonmight II: The Moonlit Hunt from its place on the shelf.

She walked to the far corner, reading and waiting for Twilight to return, but she was taking an awfully long time. Dash leaned absently against the wall, flicking her tail at a fly against the bookcase.

Windracer lent against the cave's cool stone wall and closed his eyes, wearily wrapping his long dragon tail around himself. How long would this continue?

The strange pale white dragon, known to some as 'Night Avenger', was slowly but surely stealing the spotlight for himself. Windracer was ashamed that he thought so selfishly about his reputation, but the more he ran from the fogmonsters the faster 'Night Avenger' was drawing all the attention and respect to himself.

Why had everyone deserted him? Had he changed? He opened an eye and glanced down at himself. The same sharp spines. The same gorgeous pale green scales. The same gleaming talons. No, he was still Windracer.

But then why was he so alone? He hated being all alone.

Rainbow sharply drew in a breath and snapped the book shut. She had heard those words before.

"Rainbow! I found it!"

Twilight trotted back down the steps, carrying a book with her magic. Rainbow flew over and took the book, thanking Twilight for going in to the trouble of finding it for her.

Twilight eyed the book tucked under Rainbow's wing. She smiled. "Dragonmight is an excellent series! Do you want to borrow this book?"

Rainbow thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I'll borrow it after I finish Daring Do and the Ivory Phoenix and How to Survive The Wild.

"Alright then. See you soon!" Twilight waved as Rainbow left the library, the books in her saddlebag. She took off and flew in the direction of Cloudsdale. The air was brisk and cool as autumn approached its prime. It was, in fact, almost Nightmare Night.

Rainbow would have liked to finish Dragonmight, but she already had a grim idea of how it would end.

Rainbow was lying in bed, reading The Ivory Phoenix, when she heard the school chariot pull up outside the house. A moment later there was a knock on the door.

Rainbow swooped down the stairs and opened the door to Scootaloo. As she ushered the filly into the living room, she burst into excited chatter.

"Oh Rainbow Dash, next week we're gonna do a speech on our role model or hero and we get to wear costumes and stuff and bring in posters and flags it's gonna be so fun Diamond Tiara doesn't want to do it the other crusaders are - "

"SLOW DOWN, SQUIRT!!!" Scootaloo abruptly stopped and smiled up into Rainbow's face.

"Do you wanna hear who I'm doing it on?" she said.

"Duh!"

"Well, I thought about doing Mare-do-well for a while, she was so awesome, but after that I obviously chose you! You're my hero, Rain - Rainbow Dash? Where are you going?"

There was no reply as Rainbow Dash turned tail and disappeared upstairs.

Mare-do-well.

Rainbow collapsed on her bed, ignoring the fact her book fell to the floor.

The hero was gone, but her memory lingered like a ghost. Everywhere Rainbow went, it was there. Haunting her. Rainbow remembered the way Scootaloo ran happily with her friends, her costume's cape rippling in the wind. She remembered flying over the CMC clubhouse and finding the Rainbow banners gone, replaced by posters of Mare-do-well.

It had been months since the incident. But suddenly the knife was back, digging into her side.

My friends.

They told her they did it to stop her boasting. They did it to teach her a lesson. But it didn't change the fact that it hurt.

The door creaked open. "Rainbow Dash?"

Scootaloo stood in the doorway, looking concerned. "Why did you just fly off like that?"

Rainbow sighed. "C'mon over here, squirt."

Scootaloo closed the door and quietly fluttered onto the bed. She looked expectantly at Rainbow Dash.

"Mare-do-well was not just one pony, she was five. My friends. They wanted to stop me from boasting about being a hero, and it worked, but..." She sighed. "Did they intend to make me feel like an outcast? Did they know I sat on thunderclouds and watched ponies forget about me?"

Scootaloo snuggled up to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow put a wing over the tiny filly.

"I don't see how it matters anymore, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo looked up at her. "You're still my number one hero."

"Thanks, squirt."

The next day...

Rainbow was flying over the Everfree Forest when she heard the shrill cry.

"Help! HELP!!"

Instantly adrenalin began pulsing through her bloodstream. She scanned the ground, flying lower and lower. She spotted something running on the edge of the forest, and flew towards it. As she came closer she could see it was a mare, and she was being chased by timberwolves. What on earth was she doing there?

She folded her wings and dove towards her. The timberwolves were gaining on the mare, and her cries for help were growing higher and more panicked as she began to tire.

Just as the leading timberwolf lunged for the pony, Rainbow's hoof slammed into the top of his head and crumpled it like a tin can. The wolf fell, hindering the others. Before they could reach their prey Rainbow latched her hooves under the mare's arms and flew off, landing safely in front of Fluttershy's cottage.

"Rainbow Dash?" It was Roseluck.

Rainbow released Roseluck onto the lawn. She looked up, expecting to see at least a few ponies to look back at her and cheer.

But there was nopony there.

"Way to go, Rainbow Dash. Woo-hooo."

She turned to see Fluttershy standing on the doorstep, smiling at her. "I saw the whole thing from my window. You were so brave, saving Roseluck from the timberwolves."

Rainbow turned back, seeing Roseluck smile at her. "You saved my life. Thank you."

Rainbow sighed. "Anytime."

She took off, shooting through the clouds.

Only one cheer. Fluttershy's cheer.

Woo-hooo.

Rarity applied pink ribbon to her latest dress. It was important, and she wanted it perfect. She admired the result, and reached out with her magic for more ribbon. But there was none left in the box.

'No worries!' she thought to herself. 'There's more in the chest.'

She clopped over to the pink chest she kept for storing colored thread and ribbons. Inside was blue ribbon and gold ribbon and red ribbon, but there was no pink ribbon.

Rarity felt a twinge of annoyance, but dismissed it instantly. 'I shall have to look in the basement. I must have more pink ribbon.'

She trotted to the back of the boutique and opened the door to the basement.

The air inside was warm, although the rest of the boutique was nice and cool and smelled slightly of roses. Old dresses stood on mannequins around the room. When Rarity turned on the lights she could see some small cobwebs. To other ponies it wouldn't matter but to Rarity they were unacceptable. 'I will have to clean out this room at some stage. But first things first...'

She clopped to the back of the room. A few lonely boxes and drawers stood against the wall. A full size ancient mirror was grandly positioned nearby. Rarity opened a box and sorted through it, and to her delight she found the pink ribbon. She was about to close the box when something else caught her eye.

It was only the pointed tip of a purple hat, but Rarity recognised it immediately. She pulled it out with her magic and dusted it off, reaching back into the box for the matching cape, bodice and mask. She found them and brought them out.

It was one of the Mare-do-well costumes. She must have stored it there after the incident. She tried on the hat just to see if it would fit, and to her delight it did. She draped the cape lightly over her shoulders and looked into the mirror. As she admired her handiwork a brilliant idea came to her.

'It's almost Nightmare Night! I could wear this to the party... or even better, I could find the other costumes and give them around to the others! We could bring back Mare-do-well one last time, just for fun! And - oh..'

She stopped for a moment and thought about Rainbow Dash. 'Should I include her too? Oh wait, she already finished her costume, I saw to that. It would ruin the whole mysterious effect anyway. I'm sure she won't mind if the rest of us go as Mare-do-well.' She carelessly banished the thought as she gathered the purple cloth.

Rarity let out a little giggle of excitement as she took the costume upstairs, forgetting all about the pink ribbon.

It was the night before Nightmare Night.

Rainbow Dash was helping Scootaloo put the finishing touches to her costume. Scootaloo was going as a Wonderbolt that year, as she was beginning to gain Rainbow's passion for the celebrity flyers. Rainbow's own costume was waiting upstairs.

She was going as a Shadowbolt again this year. She had improved last year's costume and it was near pure perfection. The group had intrigued her, even though they were only the ethereal smoke of Nightmare Moon. She was more than ready to prank some ponies.

Rainbow put a last lick of yellow to the neck piece and stood back to admire the result. Even if she was an athlete she wasn't such a bad artist.

Scootaloo eagerly put it on, carefully slotting her wings through the holes and slipping the goggles onto her face. Instantly she looked like the smallest Wonderbolt in Equestria.

"Well, does it look okay?" She asked.

"It's awesome!" Rainbow replied.

The filly slipped her goggles onto her forehead, revealing her sparkling violet eyes. She grinned. "Do you think I can join the Wonderbolt Academy someday?"

"I'm sure you will. You're a lot like me when I was your age."

Scootaloo experimentally opened out her little wings and gave them a flap. Rainbow Dash had taught her not to buzz her wings like a hummingbird but flap them in a paced tempo. She found that it helped a lot and she could actually get a full metre off the ground.

She pouted a little bit. "When you were my age you performed the impossible; a sonic rainboom."

"That may be true, but you sure act like me." She winked at her and gave her a playful noogie. "I was just as tough and fearless as you are."

"Yeah, but... A SONIC RAINBOOM."

"That's how fate would have it. You know the story, you spent a full day trying to learn it."

Scootaloo nodded. "You stood up for Fluttershy and raced for her honor. You wanted to win so bad that you shot past your contestants and broke the sound barrier, making the sonic rainboom, which gave all your friends their cutie marks and bonded you guys all together." She paused.

"But... wouldn't that make you the most important of them all?"

The words impacted like a bolt of lightning, and Rainbow knew exactly how that felt. It sent her reeling.

She did play the essential role in their friendship... why, without her sonic rainboom...

Applejack would still be living in Manehattan, missing her home. Rarity would have disappointedly given up on fashion. Pinkie Pie would still be farming rocks, unsmiling and unhappy. Fluttershy would still be in cloudsdale, oblivious of the wonderful world below.

And Twilight Sparkle would have failed her entrance exam into Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns, which meant she would have never been Celestia's star student, which meant she would have never been sent to Ponyville to stop the rise of Nightmare Moon, which meant that Equestria could be suffering eternal night.

She would have never met any of the other five ponies. She would never have learnt about the Magic of Friendship.

That rainboom sealed all six of their fates.

"Yeah, squirt... you could say that."

The next day passed in a blur. Rainbow Dash helped out on the decorations in the town square, putting up streamers and balloons too out of reach for earth ponies. She stuck Nightmare Moon symbols on the walls, remembering the monster Princess Luna had once been.

Soon the sun slipped behind the mountains and the stars began twinking in the beautiful coolness of night. Little fillies trotted through the night, empty bags in mouths, sending out resonating cries of "NIGHTMARE NIGHT, WHAT A FRIGHT, GIVE US SOMETHING SWEET TO BITE!!"

Ponies began to gather in the heart of the town, bobbing for apples and buying candy from stalls and commenting on costumes. They laughed and chattered, taking in the full thrill of the best night of the year.

Soon the obsidian chariot carrying Princess Luna arrived, and this year she was heartily greeted by majestic bows from everypony. She joined a group of trick or treaters and vanished into the crowd.

Rainbow Dash flew silently on a storm cloud over Luna's group of ponies, determined to get the princess back for last year's final prank. She raised her hooves and was about to stomp down when she froze in horror.

No. It can't be.

Was she hallucinating? Was she seeing a mirage induced by her recent thoughts of her? She didn't know. But she was there, slipping about on the edge of town.

It was Mare-do-well.

She pulled herself together. It was probably just a lingering fan wearing the costume for Nightmare Night. But as she left the thundercloud and flew closer, the pony noticed her and waved. It pulled back its mask to reveal a fountain of elegant purple curls. Rarity.

When Rainbow landed on the ground and flipped her Shadowbolt goggles back, four other Mare-do-wells slinked out from between the buildings. They each pulled off their masks and smiled at her. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Twilight.

Rainbow smiled weakly. "Hey guys. Nice costumes."

Rarity giggled. "I found this one in the basement." She gestured at her costume. "I had the brilliant idea of bringing back Mare-do-well just one last time!"

"We all agreed to the idea, so we each wore a suit. But don't worry, we're not going to go and save the day!" Twilight winked.

"Uh... okay... that's cool. Uh I... I have to go." She flipped her goggles back down and flew back into the sky, landing on her thundercloud and flying away.

"Nice costume, by the way!" shouted Pinkie.

Rainbow had had enough of pranking ponies, she just didn't find it funny anymore.

She had joined the party, trotted around, beat everypony at the party games. She finished the last of her candy. She watched as the fillies went off to see Zecora's little play of Nightmare Moon, aided by Princess Luna. It was probably the best Nightmare Night show ever held in Ponyville. She let herself forget about Mare-do-well.

Now Rainbow flew absently and low over the town, looking at the party in full swing below her. It was surreal, with the moonlight framing the valley and the stars twinkling above. She could fly on all night if she wanted to.

She was too distracted to notice the sly figures creeping towards the town, disappearing into the shadows and waiting for a chance to get close. Nopony noticed until it was too late.

There was a sudden scream, echoing through the peaceful atmosphere and shattering it. It was joined by multiple other screams, and the thundering of hooves brought terrified ponies racing out of the streets.

There were timberwolves loose in Ponyville.

Ponies began panicking and running as four, five, six timberwolves ran though the town square, ripping through stalls and howling with pleasure. They were giving chase, they were loping effortlessly after the frightened townsfolk.

Rainbow Dash snapped into full focus, everything becoming sharper. Why were timberwolves in ponyville, when they only stayed in the Everfree? Perhaps it was the noise and tantalizing smells that wafted out of the village that attracted them, or perhaps it was the loss of their prey, Roseluck, a few days before.

Whatever it was, it didn't matter. She had to stop them. Rainbow Dash shot towards the majority of the wolves, folding her wings and diving like a hawk. If she crushed the leader, then she could surprise and confuse the others and bring them down fairly easily -

She was about to strike when a blur of purple whizzed past and swiped the leading timberwolf away. Surprised, Rainbow accidently slammed head first into the street. Dazed, she rolled over onto her back and shook the stars from her eyes.

When she could see again, she saw the purple figure viciously bucking one wolf and sending it crashing into another. They both fell into a pile of twigs. They quivered and attempted to reform, but the figure bounced on top of them and crushed them to bits, scattering them to the wind.

No... a different figure. There were four of them. It was Mare-do-well.

Another two wolves were swept into a wall by a sparkling wave of magic, and as they crumbled the magic surrounded them and mercilessly smashed them to kindling. The final wolf backed wisely away, until one of the Mare-do-wells turned a furious gaze on it. It froze for a moment, then turned and ran, whimpering, back to the Everfree.

It all happened so fast, and Rainbow head was spinning. These were her friends, they had saved the town from the timberwolves on impulse, which was exactly what Rainbow was going to do. Was this good or bad? Rainbow was only beginning to rise when one of the figures leapt on top of her, pinning her arms to the concrete.

Her goggles fell off and clattered away onto the stone floor. The hooves dug unyieldingly into her forelegs, cutting into her costume.

Rainbow's mind overloaded. She fell limply to the concrete and stared in shocked silence at the mask falling away, revealing the cruel face, clouded with stern justice and anger... of Twilight Sparkle.

And the ponies came back and saw Mare-do-well, the old hero, vanquish the timberwolves. They saw her attack this dark figure lying on the ground, and momentarily thought it was the bad guy.

And they cheered.

The malice died from Twilight's when she saw it was not a monster she was pinning down but her friend Rainbow Dash. Shock and horror replaced it. She immediately released her, gasping a hasty apology.

"Oh good Celestia, I'm so sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't realise..."

Rainbow Dash stood slowly, shakily. She stared, thunderstruck at Twilight. She stared at her other friends standing like statues behind her. She stared around at the crowd around her, their cheering quickly fading but all to slow for Rainbow. She realised this was the same street where she had first discovered who Mare-do-well really was.

She began to quiver. She stared right into Twilight's wide ashen eyes, her own magenta ones filled with brimming tears and the yearning question of 'Why?'

She stared into them, unable to understand.

"Rainbow..." Twilight's voice was soft and unsure.

Rainbow Dash quietly stumbled away from the unicorn, away from her friends, away from the now silent crowd. Without a word she whipped out her wings and turned away, taking off and leaving her goggles lying in the center of the street for all to see.

She flew away at top speed, tears streaming down her cheeks, the cheering still ringing in her ears.

She flew for as long as she could. Hours could have passed, decades even. She didn't care. She flew away from Ponyville, away from Canterlot, towards the mountains in the west.

She finally stopped, completely worn out, and landed on a cloud. She broke shamelessly down and sobbed into the puffy surface of the cloud. Her tears seeped so endlessly into the thing that it began to rain lightly.

She was still wearing her shadowbolt costume.

The knife that had nipped at her for so long had sunken deeply home, never to be removed again.

It was a knife of jealously, of neglect. Perhaps it was just pride. Perhaps Rainbow was just a big selfish foal, being moody and crying about her friends stealing the limelight.

Or perhaps it was underestimation. She didn't need Applejack to honestly tell her that she had the talents of a true hero.

Rainbow was worthy of being a Wonderbolt, more than worthy. She could break the sound barrier, performing a feat that ponies considered legendary. That alone was a superpower.

That superpower brought Twilight and the others together, forming the new Elements of Harmony. When she was A FILLY. Rainbow Dash was the key of the most powerful beings in Equestria.

She was worthy of being a princess.

But she was kicked out of Cloudsdale College. She spent her days bucking clouds and flying about, looked upon by most as a regular pony, seen by her friends and fellow Spirits of Harmony as a regular pony. It wasn't enough for her.

If her friends saw her as a normal pony, then fine. They weren't her real friends. She didn't need them.

Rainbow Dash was coming to terms with the emotions that had been building up within her throughout her whole life. The cold, cold knife began dissolving her powerful barriers of trust in her friends, of her belief it would all be alright, of her pure, pure Loyalty.

Trembling, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes.

You are more than this.

I know.

You can be more than this.

I know I can.

You don't have to wear a mere necklace.

You can wear the crown.

Far away, in Twilight's library, the red thunderbolt of the Element of Loyalty began to dim in color. The ruby red faded to a pinkish grey, somehow sending a blast of cold wind across the other Elements. But no more than that.

Rainbow Dash stopped shaking. She opened her eyes, newly filled with fresh determination.

She lifted her head and looked upon the horizon, where the first rays of sunlight were appearing over the mountain. The sun was beginning to rise.

She was no longer restricted by her Loyalty to her friends. She had let it all go and unleashed her full powers. She could cast out her full light and shine like the sun.

And like the rising sun before her, it was only the beginning.

Author's Note

Sorry to the guys reading my other fanfic. I'm so scatterbrained. Maybe you could just read this one, and wait for the other chapters to be finished?

I'm gonna work on the other one, but I'm mostly gonna pay attention to this one. Sorry...

..but to the casual obsever, please enjoy! Don't go away, part two is yet to come!

Wanted

The Rainbow's End

By ShootingRainbowStar13

Wanted

"Twilight, darling? It's Rarity here... Twilight, will you answer me?"

"Give it a rest, sugarcube. She hasn't come out o' there or answered anyone since last night."

"But Applejack - "

"Believe me, Rarity."

Rarity ceased knocking and stepped back from the door. She sighed unhappily.

Behind her stood Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. They all stood silently, unsure of what to do.

The night before, after Rainbow Dash had flown off, Twilight just stood quietly and watched her vanish into the night. Then she had picked up the fallen goggles and pocketed them. She turned, her face expressionless but her eyes full of pain, and walked back to the library. She didn't say a word to anyone, and didn't come out when her friends asked for her. They had no choice but to go to bed, worried sick.

Rainbow Dash still hadn't returned. What exactly had happened to make her leave was unclear. She wouldn't have just bolted off because Twilight attacked her by mistake. All the others knew was that they had done something wrong. They had hurt her, but didn't know how. They didn't know when she would come back.

If she would ever come back.

There was a moment of silence as Rarity just stared uncertainly at the door of Golden Oaks Library. Then a wavering cry rose up behind them.

"Oh buck it all!" Fluttershy rushed past them and knocked loudly on the door, calling desperately for Twilight's name.

"Did she just..." stuttered Pinkie Pie, staring at the usually sweet pegasus.

"Fluttershy, don't bother, she won't -" started Applejack.

The door swung open, surprising them all. Twilight walked purposefully out, despite the fact that she looked terrible. Her face was gaunt and her hair was unbrushed, and bags hung under her bloodshot eyes. Spike waddled silently out behind her, looking tired and worried.

"Twiligh'..." said Applejack.

"Girls..." Twilight swallowed painfully. "Look."

She held something out.

The gold glinted in the morning sunlight, almost as a sick joke that something so beautiful could be so terrible. The once sparkling red lightning bolt was grey and dull, helplessly displayed an ugly crack.

The Element of Loyalty.

The others gaped at it, letting what it meant sink in. Not a single word was spoken.

That steadfast, speedy and loyal pegasus, the one that would never leave their side...

Twilight's knees gave way. Rarity and Fluttershy surged forward as she tumbled, catching her and carrying her into the library. Applejack held the darkened Element of Loyalty, gingerly setting it down next to the horse statuette. The other two sat Twilight down against a bookcase, unable to carry her further.

Twilight's eyelashes fluttered. She muttered, "All my fault... I hurt her the most..."

"Stop that crazy talk, darling. It wasn't your fault." Rarity carefully smoothed down her messy mane.

Twilight just shook her head. She tried to stand, but she fell back, groaning slightly.

"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Fluttershy.

"Did you even get any sleep last night?" fretted Pinkie Pie.

"I'm... I'm fine." Twilight tried again, and this time struggled to her hooves.

She lifted her weary head and looked at the glass case holding the Elements of Harmony. The other five elements looked normal, but she knew they felt ice cold. The crown held no power at all, just a crown and nothing more.

"We... we have to do something. It's only a matter of time until a force of evil tries to attack. We need Loyalty. We have to find Rainbow Dash."

"Then we convince her to come back? Maybe we can use your memory spell?" asked Rarity.

Twilight sighed. "The memory spell was used when Discord removed all the things that made us US. All the spell did was bring them back. And Rainbow chose this of her own free will."

A sudden shadow passed the window, blocking the morning sunlight. Fluttershy whimpered and backed away.

"What was that?" Rarity cantered to the window and looked out. But the figure was gone.

Then it was back. This time, as it whipped by the window, it was clear it was a pegasus. A very fast one.

"No pegasus goes that fast except fo' - " A huge lump of ice slid into Applejack's stomach as the realisation struck her. "But she isn't that color! It couldn't be - "

CRAAACK!!!!

A blast of thunder rumbled the building. The air flashed bright white. Fluttershy and Rarity both screamed.

"That's IT!!!" Even level-headed Applejack snapped at this. She charged for the door and thrust it open, disappearing outside, leaving no choice for the others but to follow.

She dashed through the street, already falling behind the shadow even though she was at top speed. She strained to go faster, gritting her teeth and straining. She turned a corner, almost falling over when she slipped slightly in a puddle.

The whole scene seemed strangely familiar.

The figure glanced back, moving her head only slightly. But it was still enough to reveal two magenta eyes, glittering as hard as rubies.

"Applejack, wait!" Rarity was calling after her, unable to keep up. Applejack wanted to stop, to fall back and help her, but she knew she would lose the figure. Flutttershy and Pinkie were already far behind, hampered by Twilight, and gradually even Rarity's cries faded away. Only Applejack was athletic enough to stay in check.

She was alone. Yet she was determined to catch the figure.

Miraculously, Applejack could still follow the pegasus even though she was falling back. She realised it was taunting her, lagging behind enough for her to keep up, just barely. She snarled in anger.

As she ran, she was vaguely aware that the buildings and pavements were being replaced with grass and hills. She was being coaxed away from Ponyville. Yet she raced on stubbornly, refusing to give in.

The figure suddenly changed direction, flying straight up. Applejack faltered in surprise. She didn't realise what was going on until it was too late. Something slammed into her back, sending her flying. She crashed hard to the ground, face first. Her hat went flying. There was a metallic taste in her mouth.

Then she was turned over, pinned down by the purple and black figure. She was still wearing her Shadowbolt costume. Applejack struggled, glaring past that rainbow mane and into those magenta eyes.

"It IS you. Rainbow Dash."

That mouth curved into a bitter smile. "Yeah, maybe it's me."

"And maybe it ain't." Applejack began to work on the next step.

But she wasn't doing it solely because it was for the fate of Equestria. It was to save her friend.

"The Rainbow Ah knew would never leave Ponyville hangin'. She would never leave her friends hangin'. But the pegasus holding me down, talking to me now, has."

Rainbow's grin faltered slightly. "What do you mean?"

"The Element of Loyalty is broken, 'cause the Spirit of Loyalty is broken." She poured all her influence and her Honesty into those words. "You've left us, in flesh an' in spirit."

Rainbow paused. "I... I -"

For a moment, it seemed like she would give in.

Then her smile returned, slowly but surely. It wasn't the leer of a maniac, but it wasn't the cocky grin of Rainbow Dash either. Applejack stiffened up, watching it spread.

"Nice try, Applejack. But you were never a match for me."

Perhaps it was because she had failed. Perhaps it was simply her competitive flair. But just for a moment, her own self-composition collapsed and let her natural instinct of accepting a challenge overcome her. Fury flushed through her veins, and anger boiled in her chest.

She lunged forward, fueled with new energy. She took Rainbow Dash by surprise, making her loosen her grip. Taking the chance, she knocked the slackened hooves from her shoulders and thrust her own as hard as she could into Rainbow's chest.

Dash flew backwards with a cry of shock. She fell hard on her back, tumbling across the dirt. Applejack leapt after her, roaring furiously. Before Rainbow could recover, she grabbed her wings and yanked them back.

Rainbow let out a strangled yell of pain. She twisted her leg around and bucked the orange pony sharply in the stomach. As she doubled over, Rainbow flipped herself free and landed on all four hooves, skidding slightly and sending up a small cloud of dust.

"How... DARE... you." She spat.

The Element of Loyalty, still sitting in the library, rang with dark energy. The grey bolt faded a touch more. The tiny crack grew slightly.

Applejack shook off her pain and swiped viciously at Rainbow, refusing to back down. Rainbow dodged easily. She ducked as Applejack leapt at her head, and gripped her tail in her teeth, causing her to land face-first in the dirt.

"Whoah there, nelly." she said, mocking the expression so often used by the orange earth pony.

Hot tears pricked into Applejack's eyes. She shot to her hooves and leapt at Rainbow, ready to pin her down even by force.

She slammed into the ground. All that was pinned under her hooves was a single blue feather. Rainbow disappeared into the sunlight, leaving only fading laughter.

"Applejack!! APPLEJACK!!!"

The others broke out of the town and into the meadow, out of breath. They found Applejack sitting on the ground, slumped over slightly. She was staring over the mountains, at the horizon. Her hat lay crumpled and forlorn nearby.

"Applejack!"

She wouldn't respond as Rarity ran over. She continued to stare vacantly. The blue feather was still tucked under her hooves.

"Applejack, what happened?"

Applejack mumbled something.

"What HAPPENED?"

The orange pony stood. She clopped over to her hat. She picked it up and dusted it off, planting it on her head. She glanced back at her friends. Twilight gasped when she saw the scuffs and scratches on her face.

"I was too slow. I was just too slow."

She staggered silently between them, going back towards Ponyville. They watched her go. Then they followed her, saying nothing.

Rainbow Dash landed on a cloud. She winced, tucking in her slightly sore wings.

I have to go back.

No. Never go back.

I went back to see my friends!!! It was fine!!

You were seen. Going back means being seen.

What if I wanna be seen?

You can't. They'll be ready this time around.

Rainbow paused, realizing she was arguing with herself. Why was she arguing with herself? It was unnatural, as if she was talking to another Rainbow Dash inside her head.

I need one thing.

What?

Scootaloo.

The other voice went silent.

If she was going to leave Ponyville, then she at least needed to tell her little filly friend. Or even bring her with her.

Oh Celestia. Leaving Ponyville.

Being Loyalty meant staying by her friends. If Applejack was really telling the truth (what kind of a question was that?) and the Element of Loyalty was broken, then how could she stay with them?

But....

Cloudsdale was the place she was born. She had been brought up there, only by her Father. Mother died giving birth to her.

All she could remember happened in Ponyville, in Cloudsdale. Her years of attending Junior Speedsters Academy. Her Sonic Rainboom. Getting her cutie mark. Being a hero.

Meeting her friends. Defeating Nightmare Moon. Defeating Discord. Laughing and playing together.

Storms. Arguing with Applejack. Teased by Pinkie Pie. Stomped on by Fluttershy. Upstaged by Rarity. Insulted by Twilight. Looked down at by everypony.

Written off as a failure by Mare-do-well.

Too many bad things wrecked the good. She would return just once to retrieve things she needed. To see Scootaloo, even for the last time.

Then she would never go back.

Scootaloo stood on the balcony of the CMC clubhouse. She looked out across the meadow. It was cold now, with the trees turning orange and yellow, ready for the Running of the Leaves.

There was a sack of candy on the railing. Scootaloo ignored it. She wasn't in the mood for sweet things.

Rainbow Dash. Where are you?

She closed her eyes for a moment and drifted back to the day before.

***

"Rainbow Dash!!"

Scootaloo galloped through the dark streets, attempting to keep up with the purple figure. "Wait!! Rainbow Dash!!"

She flapped her wings, trying to get off the ground, but it was no use. She fell behind, unable to keep up.

She stopped, panting as she watched Rainbow Dash vanish. Why did she leave? Twilight made a mistake, surely it wasn't all about that...

But she knew with terrible certainty that something was about to change, something for the better or the worse. And Scootaloo needed her hero.

Her bottom lip quivered. She shut her eyes tight, telling herself she wouldn't cry just because of a hunch. She slumped down in the middle of the road, head down.

"Stupid, useless wings."

***

She had heard rumors that Rainbow was seen earlier that day, and that Applejack returned with a bruised rib and multiple small injuries from fighting with her.

Even if she only came back to hurt her friends, she came back. There was hope, for a moment. But then she left.

Scootaloo finally let a tear run down her cheek. Everyone told her it would be fine, which meant it wasn't. She told herself it was fine, and failed. She just wanted her big sister back.

She hadn't even said goodbye.

She heard hooves clop on the wooden boards behind her. Applebloom joined her on the balcony. There was only silence for a moment.

"Why ya moping around so much? It's ma sister who's bruised up."

Scootaloo sighed. "It's Rainbow Dash."

"Naw, I'm sure she's fine."

"But she attacked your big sis. The Dash I knew wouldn't do that. And she never said anything to me when she left. Where is she now? What is she doing? Will I see her again?"

"Ah wish Ah knew. Nopony will tell me anything about it."

"Same here."

Applebloom turned to go back inside. "Well, jus' don't spend all day starin' into space, ya hear?" She said as she trotted away.

Scootaloo sighed and looked back into the clouds. She imagined opening her wings and soaring up there, all on her own. To spin and weave, to duck and dive. To burst through clouds, to glide like a bird. She closed her eyes and just imagined it.

Only half considering what she was doing, she slowly let her wings unfold. She stretched them out as far as they could go. She crouched, looking up at the sky, the place she most wanted to be. And she jumped.

She suddenly snapped into focus, reality filling the situation. Her head whipped down, and she saw the ground, so far away, but approaching at an alarming rate. Her wings stopped working, and they were useless as she fell, screaming.

WHOOSH

Scootaloo uncovered her eyes. The ground was no longer rushing up to meet her, it was rapidly disappearing instead. Her wings were still frozen in shock. That was when her mind registered that there were powerful hooves gripping her little body, and the beat of wings overhead. She looked up, and gasped in surprise.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Although she was still wearing the shadowbolt suit, the clear magenta eyes and flapping rainbow mane belonged to Rainbow Dash. But she didn't answer Scootaloo, she didn't even smile. She just stared straight ahead, flying away from the clubhouse and up into the sky.

Scootaloo glanced down. She saw the tiny figure of Applebloom rushing back out onto the clubhouse balcony. She was too far away for Scoot to make out any shouts, but clearly she was alarmed. The last Scoot saw of her was her running away through the trees, going in the direction of her farmhouse.

Then they rose above the cloud layer. All Scootaloo could think of now was how white the clouds were, the flapping of Rainbow's wings and the pounding of her own heart.

Rainbow Dash didn't know why she continued to fly away from Ponyville with Scootaloo. She told herself that she would just say goodbye, but when she saw her fall from the treehouse she just grabbed her and kept on flying on impulse. Maybe it was because she realized Scootaloo would be lost without her hero.

A ray of sunlight penetrated the dense cavern of Rainbow's broken heart. There was someone who would always, always, always be loyal to her after all.

As the mountains passed underneath, she began to consider the consequences of taking Scootaloo with her. Wherever she was going, Scootaloo might slow her down. She might be in danger. But Rainbow was ready to train her more, to teach her to fly properly, so one day she could follow in her hoofsteps. What she was really worried about was what would happen in Ponyville.

She had already hurt somepony who was once her best friend. She didn't know how much she was injured, but if it was serious then it could count as a crime. And now she had stolen a filly without any warning. What would the Mayor think? What would her friends think?

Slowly, Rainbow Dash began to land. There was a huge patch of cloud up ahead, and Rainbow Dash smoothly glided to a stop. She let Scootaloo go, and she turned to look up at her. Her eyes were filled with confusion. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I'm not staying in Ponyville again, Scoot." Rainbow replied. "I can't stay somewhere where I've betrayed everypony I know, and they've betrayed me. And... it's completely your choice..." She fumbled off.

"What is it?" asked Scootaloo.

"Will you come with me?"

Scootaloo stared at her in surprise. For a heart stopping moment, she was silent. And then she nuzzled up to Rainbow, saying, "I'll go wherever you go. You're my family now."

Twilight sat on the floor, head down. Tears dripped onto the parchment poster she held, dampening the paper and smudging the letters.

Her saddlebags sat nearby, packed and ready for the search. The library was clean and tidy, Twilight having assigned Owlicious and Spike to look after it while she was gone. Everything was in great shape.

But now, instead of a quest, a search for Rainbow Dash that would restore harmony... Twilight felt like they were going on a hunt for a wild animal, or a monster.

All over town, signs were being plastered on the walls, assigned and approved by the Mayor. Ponies stopped and stared at them, unable to believe their eyes. Twilight held one in her hooves now, after tearing it off the side of the town hall.

There was a picture on the front, taken just before the Mare-do-well incident. A lean and athletic pegasus grinned devilishly on the front, posing for the camera. Beneath the picture were these words, smudged by Twilight's tears:

WANTED: RAINBOW DASH

Hunted

The Rainbow's End

By ShootingRainbowStar13

Hunted

The faded Element of Loyalty glinted dully in the sunshine as the five ponies trotted up the mountains. Nopony said a word. Everypony's head was hung low. Even Pinkie wasn't bouncing, although she was half heartedly attempting to smile.

Last seen, Rainbow Dash had flown towards the mountains with Scootaloo in her hooves. Applebloom had run to the farmhouse to tell Applejack, who had told the Mayor in anger and disbelief. What came after made her regret her choice.

The wanted poster was wrapped up in Twilight's saddlebags.

'Why did she hurt me?' Applejack asked herself for the billionth time. 'Why did she steal Scootaloo? And why is she still in that ridiculous Shadowbolt costume?'

She looked up and squinted to the top of the mountain they were climbing. By some wild hope she wished that she could see her friend. But there were nothing but clouds. She winced as her cuts stung and the bandage on her gut throbbed. She had insisted on coming, even though Twilight wanted her to stay at the farmhouse. She was coming to find Rainbow, no matter what.

Her hooves squished in mud. She looked down again with a small sigh, to see where she was going.

But they weren't finding her. They were hunting her down. What kind of friends would do that? And what would they do when they found her? She had Scootaloo with her as well. If Rainbow was locked up, or worse, the little filly wouldn't be able to survive. She was her only family.

Applejack wanted to cry.

She pulled herself together and told herself otherwise. She had to be strong, and take things step by step.

Ironically, right then her hoof slipped and she fell with a cry of "Whoah!"

Pinkie Pie managed to catch her, but she accidentally grabbed her wounded sides. Applejack leapt forward with a yelp of pain.

"Oh Applejack, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to - "

"Why don't ya WATCH where ya put your hooves?!" The orange earth pony snapped, out of bitterness and shock.

Pinkie's hair fell, flattening out into a straight pink mass. Her brows furrowed. "I said I didn't mean to!!" she snarled, putting her snout right up to Applejack's face. "Do you want me to say it again?!"

"Pinkie Pie! Applejack! Stop that!"

Twilight was looking at them, angry and upset. "We can't fight among each other just because Rainbow is gone! You have to stop bickering!"

She gasped as she realized what she had said. Because one of them was gone, the team was falling apart. The harmony was unravelling.

"Just..." Twilight sighed. "Just stop arguing."

She turned and continued to trudge on.

'Oh Rainbow... why did you ever have to leave?'

Scootaloo was curled up at the back of a cave. She and Rainbow Dash were staying there for a while as Rainbow figured out where they were going to go. It dawned on the both of them that the fact that Rainbow and the others had saved the world a couple of times meant it was going to be hard to live in civilization without being recognized.

Rainbow had gone to find food. At least that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Equestria was chosen by the ancient leaders of the past because of its plentiful fields and rich soil. They should be able to find food without too much trouble, and without having to steal.

Scootaloo was happy and miserable at the same time.

She was flying away on a daring adventure with no end, with her hero Rainbow Dash. But she was also flying away without looking back at the place she had called home throughout her whole life.

She lifted her head and looked out the entrance of the cave. The scenery was breathtaking, with rolling meadows and high purple mountains. Would they live there, just darting among the moors and hilltops, occasionally sighted by peasant farmers and turned into legends? That would be an exciting life.

But... Ponyville.

There was the noise of beating wings. Rainbow Dash returned with several branches balanced on her back and held in her mouth, each one drooping with the weight of fat, juicy berries.

"Lunch." She said.

She gave a branch to Scootaloo, who began ripping off berries and shoving them into her mouth. Only then did she realize how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten last night's dinner nor this morning's breakfast out of worry for Rainbow Dash. She hadn't even eaten her Nightmare Night candy.

The berries were sweet and tangy, and they quickly disappeared from the pile. Soon there were only bare branches left.

Scootaloo wiped her mouth and smiled at Rainbow Dash. She faltered though, when she saw that Rainbow didn't respond, and just looked out across the view.

In her deep purple and black outfit, lined with golden lightning bolts, her reddish eyes stormy and slightly sad, she looked powerful and intimidating. She almost looked like a superhero.

"Rainbow Dash... what's the real reason you're wearing that costume?"

At first, Rainbow remained motionless and stared straight ahead. Then after a moment, she replied.

"This costume is why Twilight attacked me. She thought I was some sort of monster." She turned her head slightly to look at Scootaloo.

"By leaving Ponyville, I've broken my Loyalty. I'm not one of the Elements anymore. I'm not Rainbow Dash."

Scootaloo's eyes widened.

"But I am still Rainbow Dash, if you can understand that. The Rainbow who was steadfastly loyal is gone. Maybe she'll return. But this Rainbow, the one you're talking to, is the one who's been locked inside the Loyalty I used to possess. Get that?"

Scootaloo didn't get it, but she nodded anyway.

"Now I'm free." She looked down at her costume, and smiled a bit. "I'm the one who Twilight attacked. I'm the one who will follow this destiny emblazoned on my flank."

She looked fully at Scootaloo, meeting her gaze and holding it.

"I'm still Rainbow Dash. But now I'm a Shadowbolt."

Scootaloo gasped. "But they were evil!"

"They were only images created out of mist that Nightmare Moon manipulated. If you think about it, they were never actually evil. They were trying to break my Loyalty, so I wouldn't be able to unite with my friends and defeat Nightmare Moon. Now my Loyalty is broken. It's sorta symbolic, you know?"

Scootaloo continued to look doubtful, but then smiled. "Yeah. That's actually kind of cool."

She got up and, just for a laugh, struck a pose. "Rainbow Dash the Shadowbolt, avenging hero!"

Ranbow Dash laughed. "Exactly. I'm not sure about the hero part, though."

Scootaloo broke her pose. "But you are a hero!"

Rainbow lost her smile, and a look of gloom came over her face. "I'm not sure if I'm the hero or the villain, Scoot. I'm just not sure anymore."

Twilight knew that the quest was about to go downhill when she saw the vast landscape before her.

The mountains stretched on the edges of her vision endlessly. The earth was covered in trees and bushes and wild things. Rocky ridges jutted out into great cliffs of stone, and caves dotted the mountainsides.

Twilight groaned. "How are we going to - "

"Twilight? Can't you just... use a tracking spell?" Asked Fluttershy.

The purple unicorn froze. Then she slapped her hoof against her forehead.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

She turned to the others. "Do we have anything that Rainbow Dash has been in close contact with? An object or something?"

Even before the words left her mouth she already knew what the reply would be.

"The Element of Loyalty. Of course."

She levitated the broken Element out of her saddlebag, pushing down the pang of pain she felt when she saw that ugly crack. She focused her magic into it, feeling for traces of Rainbow Dash.

She found the Element still filled with Dash's memories and essence from when she was wearing it, but they seemed faded somehow. Yet there was still enough for Twilight to create a tracking spell out of it.

"Well?" asked Rarity.

Twilight turned back towards the landscape, still holding the Element of Loyalty aloft. She trained the rest of her magic into the area before her, and the air grew heavy with power.

For a moment, there was nothing. And then a beam of red light shot from the scarlet bolt on the necklace. It shot towards the mountains, into a cave, and lit up a sillhouette of a pegasus.

"I've found her!" Twilight cried with delight, relief and pride filling her. "Come on, let's follow the beam of light!"

The others were silent, looks of confusion on their faces. "What beam of light?" asked Pinkie.

Twilight realised the others probably couldn't see the tracking spell. Only she would be able to.

"Alright." She sighed. "My magic tells me Rainbow is this way."

And she began to walk down the mountain, towards the sillhouette.

Rainbow sat in the cave, next to a napping Scootaloo, feeling slightly sorry for herself.

She had no idea where to go. She had nothing, nothing to survive on except the wild berries and mountain water. Worse still, she had a little filly with her. It was her responsibility to care for her, protect her, and keep her by her side. If she lost Scootaloo, there was no way she'd stay sane.

But she was busy building a vague idea of what she would do. She would somehow scrounge together a shelter, using whatever she could find, make fire and find food. She would protect her little sister, her Scootaloo, at all costs. And if her friends found her... she would move somewhere else.

She would be like a shadow, flitting from here to there. Maybe even let ponies catch a glimpse of her. She would become a legend. The Mysterious Shadowb -

No. No. There was no way she would be like that fake hero. No way would she try to resemble it.

But... was she ready? Sure, she had always dreamed of living an adventure, but this wasn't a dream. This was real life.

She might even be searched for. Her friends might be tracking her now. Could she stand being caught, dragged back to Ponyville in shame? Forced to be something she couldn't be, at least not anymore?

No. She couldn't.

She suddenly felt angry at herself. She cursed herself for not just taking Twilight's attack as an accident and continuing to live in Ponyville. Then none of this would have happened. There was no other who could bear the Element of Loyalty. It had chosen her, and her alone. Another generation must pass before it could be harnessed by somepony as loyal as Rainbow was.

But now, because of her mistakes, it was broken. Like her future, possibly Applejack's ribs, and her heart.

Twilight's pulse quickened as they neared the cave Rainbow Dash was in.

"We're almost there." She said. She ignored her horn, aching from maintaining the tracking spell, and continued to trot bravely on.

Everypony was still sullen and sad. They acknowledged Twilight's remark with mere grunts.

But for that moment in time, Twilight didn't care. They were so close.

Twenty feet. Ten feet.

Then a deep purple figure shot out of the cave. Twilight's heart sank as it turned its angry eyes on them.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"Rainbow Dash! You have to trust us! We're here to - "

"Oh, I know what you're here to do. Drag me home and pretend none of this ever happened!"

"Rainbow - "

"Well stop pretending to care about me and my dreams! I know you only keep me so that you can use my Element! Because Harmony doesn't work like that!!"

Twilight reeled in shock, staring at the angry pegasus.

There was suddenly the sound of rustling canvas behind them as somepony opened their saddlebag.

"Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. But, seeing your attitude, ya leave me no choice."

"Applejack, there's still a ch - APPLEJACK, NO!!"

A lasso flared through the air. Rainbow dodged it, swooping back in surprise.

"AH WANT A REMATCH!" Applejack shouted, swinging the lasso above her head. "I WANT PAYBACK FOR WHAT YA DID!"

She threw the lasso again, and Rainbow dodged again.

Twilight spotted her sneakily taking something else out of her bag. Her blood ran cold when she saw what it was. It was a whip.

"Applejack!" pleaded Twilight.

But the orange earth pony's pride was too wounded to compromise. She threw the lasso one more time, and as Rainbow swerved to avoid it, she cracked the whip.

"AAGH!" Rainbow yelled in pain. Twilight gasped in horror as a crimson arc of blood spattered the cruel rope.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo's voice rang out from the cave, filled with fear.

Something went off in Twilight's brain. "Rarity! Pinkie! Anypony listening! Get Scootaloo out of there at all costs!"

She might not get her friend back. She wasn't sure anymore. But she was determined to get that little filly home.

But Rainbow had other ideas.

"NO!" she screamed, knocking down Twilight as she ran towards the cave. She fell heavily on her side, but she found that she wasn't hurt. Rainbow had only shoved her.

But as she looked up, she saw Rainbow shoot into the cave and reappeared a second later with Scootaloo in her grasp.

"Rainbow! What are you doing?! That filly has a home in Ponyville, she doesn't need to travel with you!"

Rainbow hovered still for a moment. Then she said, "Scootaloo, you answer her. Do you want to go home? Because if you do, I won't stop you."

Everypony stopped and stared at the filly. Scootaloo stared back, from the ponies below to the pegasus holding her.

"Well?" asked Twilight.

"I - I chose Rainbow Dash."

"Rainbow." Twilight said, attempting to sound firm. "Look at this." She reached into her saddlebag with her magic and brought out the wanted poster. Rainbow stared in shock at her own grinning face.

"You're wanted for injuring Applejack and foalnapping Scootaloo." She said. She was determined to get that filly at all costs. "If you give her back peacefully, we can take down some of the charges against you. You just have to come home."

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but Scootaloo spoke before she could.

"No." She said. "I'm staying with Rainbow, no matter what."

WHOOSH.

Applejack's lasso landed square around Rainbow's hip while she was distracted, tightening around both pegasus and filly.

"What the - ?" Rainbow shouted in shock.

Applejack began to pull Rainbow to the ground. "Ah got her, Twilight!" She shouted. "Ah got her!"

Rainbow. Dash. Snapped.

Blood roared in her ears as she let out a blood-curdling scream, making the filly in her grasp freeze in surprise.

'How DARE Applejack speak of me like I'm some sort of wild beast?' Her mind roared. She wasn't sure if it was even her own voice. She didn't care.

All she felt was unbridled rage, all she cared about was ripping Applejack's tongue out through her teeth.

She flew straight down, down to Applejack, watching her expression turn from determination to surprise to pure fear.

And she bucked the pony in the cheek as hard as she could.

Twilight screamed as Applejack shot through the air. She landed with a jaw-rattling thump against the side of the mountain and stayed there, head down. She didn't move. Blood began to drip from somewhere on her face.

The others stared in open-mouthed horror at Rainbow Dash. She was breathing hard, her teeth bared and her eyes wild. The lasso had fallen from her hip now, and lay on the stone floor. Scootaloo was limp in her grip, looking up at her hero in utter astonishment.

Rainbow reared back again, ready to strike. and everypony flinched, cantering backwards and away from her, from the anger-crazed creature that had been their friend.

Rainbow paused, seeing this reaction. Some of the fury faded from her eyes.

She looked at her raised hoof. It was spattered with blood. She looked down at her back hoof, the one that had kicked Applejack. It was even more stained crimson.

She began to shudder. Choked sobs rose in her throat.

"No..." she croaked, wings drooping. She dropped gently to the floor. "No... what have I done?"

She stared at Applejack's broken form, the blood seeping from her face and into her chest, turning it red.

"What have I done?" she whispered.

She stared around at her friends, at the filly in her arms. They were all staring at her, like she really was a wild beast.

She stumbled backwards, in much the same way she had done on Nightmare Night, away from her former friends. Just before she could fall off the cliff, she opened her wings and took to the air.

Only now did she turn, turn away from the shocked faces, and fly away.