Remember the Spectrum

Rainbow Dash woke up in a hospital bed, a faint beeping in her ear. She was on life support, and she knew it; but after the events that had unfolded, she was lucky to even be waking up. Pinkie sat next to Dash's bed, with her hair droopy and straight, the way it was when she picked her up for her surprise birthday party. Her eyes lit up seeing Rainbow Dash moving, even if it was only slightly. She shot up and hugged the cyan pagasus, sending shockwaves of pain throughout her body.

"Oh Dashie! They said you would never wake up! They said you didn't stand a chance of survival! I'm so so so so so so glad that all of them were wrong!" tears were rolling out of the pink mares eyes. Her fear that Dash might not remember her.

Dash slightly sat up, "Pinkie Pie... You are so," she coughed violently; blood coming from the cough, "...random..." she finally managed to get out. She was wracked with unreal amounts of pain, but she had a full recollection of the events that had taken place. "I should've listened..." she left out another violent cough, "...to Fluttershy. She knew the forest was dangerous..." she coughed again, spewing blood onto the stunned Pinkie's face. "I never listen, and that will probably be the death of me..." she said grimly, but managed a half-hearted smile. "So how're Fluttershy, and Gilda?"

Pinkie looked grimly down, "F-Fluttershy..." she said tears rolling from her eyes steadily, "Sh-She passed away a few days ago, her body could no longer take the stress of it all. We're holding the funeral next week, i'm sorry Dashie... We know how much you liked her... Even though you didn't show it... We know it wasn't your fault." Pinkie sat down, wiping her tears, only to be greeted by more spewing out her eyes like a waterfall.

Rainbow Dash froze, Fluttershy... Dead from her actions. Though Pinkie said i wasn't Dash's fault, Rainbow Dash knew, it really was all her fault! One of her closest friends, dead; taken unmistakingly, but on accident, by the cyan pagasus. "No... I-It can't be! F-Fluttershy, can't have died! I-I never got a chance to say I'm sorry!" Dash's eyes filled with tears, as she weep heavily, starting a noticable sob. "I never even got to say good by-y-yeeeeee!" she said her tears spewing into the room, the atmosphere changing to a melencholy tone.

Pinkie didn't like it just as much as her friend didn't, "I'm sorry Dashie, it's true... She told me to tell you, she forgives you. You were one of her favorites... She also told me to tell you, if you pulled through, to take care of Angel for her. Sucha  gentle creature, and Fluttershy even in death, expressed her love for others, other than selfishness. She said it was nice to see something as beautiful as a sonic rainboom in her final moments." Pinkie's eyes closed, shaking the horror out of her mind. Hoping to forget what happened and hope Dash survived. "Ar-Are you hurting badly?" Pinkie asked, her eyes still teary.

Rainbow's smile receeded, "More than you would believe Pinkie..." a string of violent coughs, shot blood into the room. Tainting the very air with the fresh blood coming from most likely an internal injury. "But i'll be fine, I-I've been through worse y'know," Dash said, obviously lying to make the sensitive mare more comfortable. "So, i-is Gilda okay? I-I don't think I could live with myself if my recklessness took two of my friends lives." Fighting back tears, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, even her very breaths hurt her immensly. Each breath raspy, and jittery, as if she was shivering cold.

Pinkie smiled, "She's still comatose, she hasn't woken up. Doctors say she won't pull through, but they said she had a better chance than you, and Here you are! Me and you talking, just like old times," then Pinkie frowned, it wasn't like old times; Fluttershy was dead, and Dash was seriously injured. Life was unfair, Pinkie wanted the way life was before, when all her friends were alive and well. Pinkie started bawling, tears harshly streaming themselves down her face. "I-I'm sorry Dash, b-but I miss Fluttershy, we all d-do... And we miss you too Dashie, please pull through... For us..." the pink mare's undereyes were red from crying, her face contorted with sadness.

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but lower her head, saddned by her usually peppy friend, now having an emotional breakdown right in front of her. "Pinkie, If I don't pull through, I'll meet with Fluttershy in the afterlife. And we'll patiently wait, for the day our friends come to join us." Rainbow's eyes began to water, and so did Pinkie's. "Go get the girls, I ought to tell you girls the story. For the sake so you know what heppened to Fluttershy, how my neglegence for anypony's life got her brutally killed." Rainbow Dash frowned, closing her eyes, softly letting out tears for her fallen friend. You were my favorite too Fluttershy...

A nurse pony came in, "I'm sorry, visiting hours are over. You'll need to leave now, come back during visiting hours tomorrow." Pinkie looked at the nurse, and nodded, trotting to the door.

"Dashie..."

"What Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie blushed and looked at the broken flier, "Please don't leave me..." she said then being escorted out by a nurse.

Rainbow dash cried, Pinkie's words swimming around in her mind, festering; taking over her thoughts, she decided to rest for a bit. She closed her eyes and felt a warm embrace....

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rainbow Dash was oawoken by a sudden surge of electricity, she jolted awake. "O-Ow... W-What's going on?" She asked confused on why they had a defibilator on her breasts.

"Your heart stopped, we had to keep you alive. At least for you to attend your friend's funeral. It's the least we could do, given the circumstances," a doctor explained

Rainbow Dash slouched back, "I-...I died?" she asked them confused, dumbfounded so to speak.

"So to speak, yes. Your friends came in an notice you'd stopped breathing, we're hooking you up to a heart moniter. It will warn us if so ever, your heart stops again." a nurse said letting the friends in, who proceeded to run up and hug their wonderful cyan friend.

"Oh Rainbow Dash! You're alive! Thank Celestia you're okay!" rarity said, her voice shaky. Hugging her broken friend, afraid to let go.

Rainbow Dash smiled, "Thanks guys... For being here for me... And Fluttershy... in..." she started crying knowing the extent of emotional damage she'd done to her friends, "Final moments." Rainbow Dash was crying, a weeping sort of wail, which she stopped because it reminded her of the cry she'd done when Fluttershy was with her in the Best young fliers competition.

Twilight smiled, "What else could we do, what are friends for?" hugging Dash tightly, hurting her a bit.

A raspy voice, noticable as still Gilda's came from behind the curtain in the same room. "Dash, we don't blame you. Nopony could've predicted what your sonic rainboom would do..." Gilda let out a violent cough, chilling Rainbow's blood; making her feel cold. "I won't be around much longer Dash... The rockslide trapped me, and gravel got pushed down my throat, hence this dreadful raspy voice. It tore up my insides, I'm on artificial life right now. Living on Borrowed time, the machine is only set to keep me aline until after Fluttershy's Funeral to be help in the town square. Then... they'll have to pull the plug on me." Gilda's coughing made Rainbow cringe, she could see the gravel come out of her mouth alongside blood. "Just remember the good times, all the great adventures we had; together." Gilda said, and then laughed, "I guess you could say my voice truly is gravelly." she said letting out another cough.

Rainbow Dash sobbed, "Please Gilda, not you too! I can't live with two of my friends dying! Please pull through!" Dash's thoughts were that if Gilda died, she hoped she would too. "Please don't leave me-he-he!" her voice whiny.

Gilda stopped laughing, "Dash, you're stronger than this. Which I why you're pulling through so well. We were weak Dash, and it's showing now. I'll join Fluttershy in the afterlife, and we'll happily, and patiently wait for your arrival." Gilda said, then colsing her eyes and going back to sleep.

Applejack saw the despair in Dash's eyes, "Aw, Dash. It ain't yer fault, please don't take it to hard." Her words did not soothe Rainbow Dash, they actually made her more grim.

"I called all of you here to tell you what happened. I thought you girls should know how my selfish ways signed the death warrent of my best friends." She sighed, and then began her tale.

We were in the Everfree Forest, for some truly awesome high-stakes flying lessons. It was a spntaneous idea of mine, I should've listened to Fluttershy's warnings. Maybe... she'd still be alive right now.

"Come on Dash, your tricktionary is seriously *outdated," Gilda said jokingly.*

"Is not! I'll prove it to ya'! I'll do a sonic rainboom in the middle of the forest!" Rainbow Dash retalliated to Gilda's comment, "Just you watch!" With that Rainbow Dash took to the air, soaring high before turning down into a nose dive. "Come on... Come on!" she gained momentum, and a rainbow bursted from nothingness, she'd done it!

Gilda was flabbergasted, "Whoa! That legendary move takes some serious skills!" Gilda congratulated her friend, until a low rumbling sound started to engulf their hearing.

Fluttershy screamed, which was uncommon, "A-AVALANCHE!" she bagan to run, but was quckly crushed under tons of boulders, and trees.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash ran, but seeing Fluttershy get trapped under the rocks, made her turn around to help her, she tried to pull the crushed yellow pegasus from the rubble, until she was crushed by the very same rocks. And her world went cold, and black...

Rainbow Dash finished, "I-I tried to help her... But I couldn't get her out... And I suffered the same crushing feeling, she felt... And ultimately died from..." Dash's face changed, her grim look now turned bleak, emotionless. All of the muse she had in life, were cursed to die; and from her actions.

All of her friends were crying at the short but devastating story, wiping each other's eyes in reaction to it.

Rarity spoke, "At least you t-tried dear... It's all that really matters after all," lying to keep Dash from losing it.

All of her friends grouped in for a hug, and said their goodnights, as Rainbow Dash lie her weary, and guilt driven head, to rest...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ It was the day of Fluttershy's funeral, everypony in Ponyville, and even Zacora was there, wiping tears from her eyes from the fallen mare. "We are all gathered here today to remember Fluttershy. Though very shy, she would talk and help us in our times of need, and fix our animals when they were sick. She was a great friend, and a wonderful pegasus. Everypony will remember her fondly." the mayor finished.

Zacora was first to speak, "I knew Fluttershy quite fondly, she had done just wonderful things for me. I will miss her shy persona, but to know her at all, was quite the honor." She stepped down crying softly and placing a single rose on the casket. Everypony proceeded to talk about Fluttershy, and when it was all over, the mayor talked about Gilda.

"Though me may not know her well, he is on artificial life, and will die today. We will remember her, for she was the friend of Rainbow Dash. May they have a wonderful afterlife." the mayor finished. Crying at the large picture of Fluttershy, and walking away.

Rainbow Dash approached the coffin. "Well Fluttershy, I finally screwed up... It got you killed, words cannot express the agonizing guilt I feel. I really wish we could've talked more. You were always kind, and I always brushed you off. But you were my best of friends, you understood me. There's so many words left unsaid, so many things you'll never hear... I-...I love you Fluttershy..." She started to cry, when a pain struck her body. Causing her to jerk slightly, her knees felt weak, and she felt a pain from her chest.

The stitches holding her heart together, had ruptured. She fell to the ground, with a thud as eveypony took notice and ran to the scene. Rainbow Dash lastly managed to say, "T-Tell the girls... I'm sorry..." and she let out one last breath, and then lie limp in the mayor's arms.

"WE NEED A DOCTOR!" she yelled, but it was too late. Rainbow Dash... Was gone...

"It'd g-great to see you again Dash..."

"Yeah, we've got a lot of flying to do here..."