How Far Does Loyalty Go?

Chapters

They'll Shower Us with Diamonds
The Iron Horseshoes
You're Grounded
Wonderbolt Warfare
Perfection is Impossible
No Longer a Failure
Repeated Bad News
Flying Earth Ponies
Rainbow's Last Flight

They'll Shower Us with Diamonds

I could not believe that this day had finally come! Staring into the mirror, I saw the dark blue of my uniform make my rainbow-colored mane look even brighter than it normally was. The yellow-colored lightning bolts entwined my hooves and as I pranced in place I could already hear the thunder that would come from those bolts of lightning. My rose irises were hidden in my reflection which made me swell with pride because what I saw staring back at me were my new and shiny goggles. I had at last become a Wonderbolt.

“You make that uniform look good!” I turned my head to see the unexpected visitor and blushed underneath the privacy of the hooded uniform. Soarin’ emerged from the shadows, his emerald eyes twinkling with affection and excitement. He pranced over and placed a gentle hoof on my shoulder. I returned his gaze even though I knew he could not see the affection reflecting back at him.

“Thanks, Soarin’.” Was all that I could say to him. He smiled knowingly and placed his hoof back down on the ground.

"Nervous?” he asked.

“Not really.” My anticipation mounted as I remembered what I would have to do today. The initiation that introduces new members into the Wonderbolts team was not an easy one to pull off. However, I rested in the fact that the Sonic Rainboom was the last stunt that I would perform. No matter how badly I could mess up before hand, the Sonic Rainboom would save me in the end.

Suddenly, the trumpets announcing the princess’ arrival sounded and both Soarin’ and I jumped at the noise. We both chuckled at our apprehension until the trumpets stopped sounding.

“Presenting our most divine rules in all of Equestria: Princess Celestia!” The crowd’s screams were deafening as the princess of the sun stood to acknowledge her presence. Numerous flags were raised that showed her cutie mark, the ever-glowing sun. “Princess Luna!” the crowd lost it again as the princess of the moon stood beside her sister. Both princesses exchanged a small hug and then waved to the crowd. “And finally, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” My eyes welled up with tears of pride as I saw one of my best friends stand with the princesses. Her flowing pink, gold, and white dress massaged the clouds and her sparkling golden crown lit up the sky. I cheered with the crowd until Soarin’ covered my mouth with his hoof.

“Rainbow, you’re going to ruin the initiation.” He teased. Then I remembered. New members of the Wonderbolts were not allowed to speak after the trumpet blast until they had finished their initiation. I closed my lips tightly which made Soarin’ chuckle.

“See you out there,” he said softly. Then he kissed my cheek ever so slightly and flew off. Thank goodness my uniform covered my whole body! If it hadn't the whole crowd could’ve seen my body go utterly red.

After the crowd had settled down, I sneaked one more peak at Twilight. Her face was covered in excitement and then I noticed the flag near her side. It had my cutie mark sewn onto it, no doubt the work of the professional. I looked around for Rarity and my other friends, but I couldn’t see them in the hullabaloo.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” the announcer began. “You have come here today to witness the initiation of the newest member of the Wonderbolts!” the crowd went crazy much to the announcer’s dismay. I swelled with pride when I saw a young filly leap and bound all over the stadium.

“Alright, Rainbow Dash!” she called out, her pink mane fluttering in the wind. The bouncy orange filly then settled down as the announcer cleared his throat to continue.

“Oh, Scootaloo,” I chuckled.

“She has proved to Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts, that she is ready to be welcomed into the group as its newest member!” I prepared myself for my entrance. “I now present to you…” I opened my wings and took in a deep breath. The stadium was in complete and utter silence. The only sound that I could hear was the pounding of my own heart in my ears. I closed my eyes and waited. “Rainbow Dash!”

I couldn’t even feel myself take off with the speed that I was flying. My eyes quickly opened to see the crowd gasping in amazement at my beginning stunt which was, of course, to catch them off guard with my stealth and speed. I glanced over to Spitfire who nodded her approval. Step two, the dizatron. I flew in a loop-de-loop as fast as my wings would allow me until I could hear Spitfire’s voice shouting in my head, “Release!” I shot off into the sky, leaving a brilliant streak of colors behind me. I then turned back around and gracefully skidded on the fluffy clouds, spraying bits and pieces of them on unexpecting fans who laughed when the clouds bounced off of them.

“Yee-haw! Get ‘em, Rainbow!” I quickly looked to my left and saw Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy cheering me on. However, there would be time to talk to them later. Right now, I had a show to put on for all of Equestria!

The Iron Horseshoes

Why does she get all of this? I thought to myself as I slowly made my way through the adoring crowd. I sniveled with spite as one of them bumped a flag into my face portraying the cutie mark of the one who made me who I am. I glared at the brilliant blue, red, and yellow colors of the lightning bolt and then I glared at the pony holding it. I instantly recognized her to be one of Rainbow Dash’s friends. She was an earth pony with a brown cowgirl hat and three apples for a cutie mark. I scoffed at the pathetic waste of space. What kind of a talent was harvesting apples?

I proceeded onwards, my iron horseshoes making no noise on the soft clouds. I glanced down at them and smiled at the excellent craftsmanship. Only Scorched Shoe could make a fine piece of art like this. I quickly snapped back to attention as the crowd held their breath in anticipation. I glanced up at the sky to see Rainbow Dash perform her famous “10 Seconds Flat” routine which started in her lowly town of Ponyville.

“You’re so awesome!” I heard somepony shout. I slowly looked over to see a small orange Pegasus filly waving one of the despicable flags. I growled underneath my breath. That filly should be looking up to me! I complained. I then shook myself out of my daydream to continue what I was here for.

I trotted up to the barricade that blocked the audience from going out onto the stage. Three royal guards stood there along with their stupidity. Many of the ponies wouldn’t even approach the guards due to their large and supposedly dominant stature, but any smart pony could see in two seconds that their brawn was more evident than their brains. Two of the guards extended their wings as I got too close to the barricade.

“Nopony is allowed to enter past this gate!” One hollered, causing the pegasi who were close by to take a few steps back in fear. The loud shouting of the guard caught the attention of the Pegasus who I loathed secondly on my scale, Rainbow Dash being the first. Her yellow coat and flame-like mane flowed gently in the soft breeze as she fluttered over to where I was standing. She removed her sunglasses and glared at my golden eyes with her orange ones.

“Lightning Dust,” she growled. The guards gasped once she said my name out loud as if they suddenly realized who I was in the first place. I rolled my eyes, annoyed at their slowness.

“Spitfire,” I replied with the same tone, but with a slight grin on my face.

“Why are you here?” she asked me, extending her wings to the fullest extent.

“You know darn well why I’m here, Spitfire,” I copied her action and raised my wings as well. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized that what she feared was true.

“I will not allow you to do it,” she said determinedly, but I could hear the confusion and fear in her voice.

“Then you’ll have to be a casualty,” and with that, I leaped at her, stretching out my hooves and aiming for her chest. She leaped as well, her eyes burning with rage and hatred. I smiled at her naivety and then my hooves met their target. The hard iron ran into her ribcage, not hard enough to break any bones but certainly hard enough to bruise. Spitfire gasped in agony, but couldn’t let out a scream as she fell backwards onto the clouds. I would eventually do more, but she wasn’t what I was focused on right then and there. I spread my wings and took off quickly into the sky, leaving a streak of light green and gold following my every move. All three of the royal guards began to pursue me, but they were no match for my speed. I searched the sky for Rainbow Dash, preparing to use the iron horseshoes once more to complete my job. Suddenly, I saw her… and not a second too soon.

You're Grounded

I suddenly heard a loud wail arise from the crowd. I smiled in pride. Obviously they think I’m going to hurt myself! Just wait and see! I then flew up to the highest that I’ve ever been and shot downwards. My wings flapped with such speed that they melted into a blur in my vision. My goggles heated up with the extreme heat from the friction that I had to rip them off in order to see. I could feel the sound barrier about to be breached and I extended my hooves. The final step was about to be performed and I was officially going to become a Wonderbolt!

Suddenly, I heard a shout of warning from the audience.

“Rainbow Dash! Look out!” I looked to my right and saw her. Lightning Dust?! I thought in terror. She was coming straight at me! I tried to stop, but I was going way too fast in order to do that safely. She was getting closer! I started to panic when I saw something at the end of her hooves glimmer in the sun. Then I heard her shout, “WHERE’S YOUR LOYALTY NOW, RAINBOW DASH?!” Then she hit me. I couldn’t even describe the horrible pain that coursed through my body as her hooves hit me right in the side. My wings gave way and we started to tumble out of the sky, leaving a trail of rainbow mixed with my blood. She cackled as we fell like a mad pony and she continued to hammer me in the side with her metal hooves. Only when we were 20 feet from the ground did she open up her wings to save herself from the crash, but I had no time to open mine. My body slammed into the earth and I let out a weak and pain-stricken groan.

“Loyalty saved you with Nightmare Moon,” Lightning Dust ranted. “Loyalty saved you with the Shadow Bolts, loyalty saved you with Discord, loyalty saved you with Chrysalis, loyalty saved you with Sombra,” she paused in order to take a breath. “But it won’t save you now!”

I tried to sit up, but my wing that had been hit screamed in refusal and I lay limp on the ground. She smiled at my weakness and menacingly trotted towards me.

“You took away my future!” she screamed insanely. I winced as another jolt of pain streaked through my body. “Now I’m going to take away yours!” She then leaped on me, striking me all across my body with her metal hooves. I screamed in protest and pure pain, but she continued to hit me. I could feel and hear my bones cracking and I could taste the blood that poured into my mouth, but more than anything, I could feel my wings being brutally attacked. With one final blow to my head, I finally lost consciousness and slept in my own blood.

“Is she going to be OK, doctor?” I heard somepony ask.

“I’m not sure,” another responded. My vision was slowly coming back to me as I saw a brown and purple silhouette start to form. I slowly turned my head and saw more shadows of different colors: white, pink, yellow, and two different shades of orange.

“Look, y’all! She’s wakin’ up!” the shadows got closer to look at me.

“Rainbow Dash?” My vision was getting better as I made out their faces.

“Twi-Twilight?” I asked. Finally they faded into view and I saw all of my friends gathered around my bed. I could hear the beeping of the IV near me and I saw the doctor scribble something down on his clipboard. Pinkie Pie’s mane was flat against her neck and her eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

“Dashie, are you alive?” she asked me with sorrow in her voice.

“Yeah, Pinkie, I’m fine.” Her mane did not return to normal, but she did manage a smile. Everypony around me then sighed with relief and all reached down to hug me gently. I winced at their touch, but I didn’t want them to see that I was in pain.

“Alright, everypony, get back! I won’t have you making Rainbow Dash’s injuries any worse than they already are. Now everypony out!” the doctor shooed them out of the room with one final goodbye from each of them. Then another pony trotted in.

“I’m sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over,” the doctor stated.

“Please, doctor, I have to see her!” the visitor pleaded. I recognized him instantly.

“Soarin’!” I shouted for him and extended my forelegs out to him to the best of my ability. I wanted to hold him and to feel his strength and courage. Soarin’ shoved past the doctor and embraced me. The pain was unbearable, but I was so happy to see him. Then I felt him shudder in my grasp and I could hear him gasp in despair. I released my hold of him and looked into his eyes which were now wet with tears.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him. I naturally expected him to be sad for me since I was in a hospital, but it was something else. Something in his eyes told me that something wasn’t right. He got up from my bed and wrenched his gaze away from me and to the doctor.

“Are the rumors true, doctor?” I heard him try to whisper. His sobs only magnified his words so that I was able to hear their private conversation. Then I saw the doctor give a slight and sad nod of his head. Soarin’ then gasped in horror and collapsed onto the floor in heaving sobs. I tried to raise my head up to see him, but immediately stopped.

“Soarin’!” I called out to him, straining to see. “What’s wrong?” The doctor then helped Soarin’ to his hooves and escorted him out of the room. “Soarin’?” I called after him. The doctor then closed the door and remained behind so now it was just him and me. He sighed and ran one hoof through his tattered mane. Then he slowly walked over to my bedside and held my hoof with sympathy.

“Rainbow Dash, I don’t know how to tell you this, but your injuries were very severe.” I removed my hoof from underneath his and glared at him with confusion and annoyance.

“You think I don’t know that?!” I immediately wanted to take back my words, but then realized that they were well deserved.

“Rainbow, your injuries will heal, but not enough to repair your wings,” his eyes clouded with emotion and I removed my gaze from him. What was he saying? I then looked down at my side and saw my wing covered in blood-stained bandages. I took the bandages in my hooves and slowly untwined the covering. What I saw below made me gag and I quickly re-covered it. I refused to let tears come into my eyes! I would not let
him see my panic!

Then I dared to ask him, “What do you mean, doc?” The silence in that moment was deathly and I could even hear the slight wind blowing outside my window.

“You’re grounded, Rainbow Dash,” his words pierced my soul. “You’re grounded.” He repeated those terrible words and then he left the room leaving me in my own agony and despair. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore; they cascaded down my face and soaked my bed sheets and pillow. My stitches re-opened as I writhed in my bed out of pure rage and misery, staining what was left of my beautifully blue coat. I slammed my hooves repeatedly into the sides of my bed and hollered insanely. The door to my room opened again and numerous doctors barged in, securing my hooves down onto my bed and injecting me with a needle. The last sight that I saw before I lost consciousness, was the victorious face of Lightning Dust cheering me towards the gates of hell.

Wonderbolt Warfare

I sighed and placed my head on my brand new oak desk. I could barely stomach the news I had just heard. Soarin’ had zoomed out of the door the second I hung up the phone, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. I heaved sobs of sorrow, making my chest twinge in pain. Lightning Dust had certainly hit me pretty hard with those iron horse shoes. But I don’t know anypony capable of making shoes like that. It was strange and suspicious. Who was helping Lightning Dust? Who had helped her to ground Rainbow Dash? Grounded? How could she, my star student, be grounded? It made no sense!

“I should’ve known that Lightning Dust would be there!” I scolded myself. “She’s selfish, arrogant, reckless…” I stopped myself when I realized that I was getting too loud. Rapid Fire had entered the room, a concerned look on his face.

“Ma’am, is everything alright?” I placed my head in my hooves and sighed one last time before finally addressing him.

“No, everything is not alright!” I slammed my hooves onto the ground and menacingly trotted over to him. The poor stallion quivered where he stood and his pupils shrinked up until they were two little black dots against his eyes. I knew that he didn’t deserve my rage, but I could no longer control it.

“Have you found Lightning Dust yet?” I hollered at him.

“No, ma’am, not yet,” I growled under my breath and started pacing the room like a maniac. No trace of her? No hoof print? No clue? Nothing? I sat down and rubbed my aching head.

Suddenly, the alarm trumpet blasted. Fleetfoot must have spotted an unidentified pony flying up towards the academy. Rapid Fire immediately took off, as for the protocol, but I followed more slowly. It was probably just another trainee coming to ask how Rainbow Dash was doing… or maybe it wasn’t. I quickened my pace.

“How dare you show your face at the Wonderbolts Academy?” I scoffed at the stallion’s tone and approached him threateningly.

“Excuse me, Rapid Fire, but I’m not here to talk to you!” he snorted in rage and advanced towards me. I laughed. “Do you really think that you can take me on?” I loudly smashed my iron hoof into the ground, causing it to crack under the pressure. Many of the nearby trainees took several steps back and warily eyed my hooves. I smiled with glee, but then my smile vanished when I saw Spitfire come streaking towards me. She landed quickly, but quite loudly, on the ground, wings erect and nostrils flaring.

“You are wanted for attempted murder and treachery, Lightning Dust!” She accused me. I paused for a slight second and looked at all of the pathetic excuses for Wonderbolts… and I smiled.

“Attempted murder?” I repeated. “Is that what you think I was trying to do? You thought that I was trying to kill her?” Spitfire took a step back in shock at the words I was speaking which made me laugh even harder than I already was. “I was just trying to make her suffer! Like she made me suffer!” I advanced towards Spitfire, stomping my hooves into the ground so loudly that all of the Wonderbolts flinched.

“She didn’t make you suffer!” Spitfire retorted. “You brought your misery on yourself! You almost killed five ponies!” Spitfire then advanced on me. This was it. I was finally going to do it this time.

“Oh, yeah?” I questioned. “Well now, I’m going to almost kill six ponies!” I lunged at her, hooves stretched out to their maximum. I could still see the sores from her chest from where I had hit her last and they would soon prove to be an advantage. Spitfire then leaped out of the way and struck me in the side with her hoof, sending me bowling over close to the edge of the academy where there is nothing but a huge cliff. I jumped back onto my hooves and charged her again, using my wings for extra speed. She lashed out at me with her hoof again, but I quickly dodged it and landed a blow on her back, feeling the bone slightly give way beneath my hoof. Spitfire howled in rage and pain, but quickly turned on me and grabbed my ear in her mouth. I screamed as she pulled on the flesh, blood starting to pour into my eyes and blinding me. I aimed for her gut and struck out, successfully hitting my target. She gasped and tried to regain her breath, but I was already on top of her. I kicked and punched and looked around me as the other Wonderbolts stood in horror at their captain being pummeled.

Suddenly, a brilliant streak of light blue and dark blue knocked into my side, sending me flying off of Spitfire. I hit the ground hard, getting the wind knocked out of me, and then I turned to see who it was.

“Soarin’,” I acknowledge him as he tried to help his teacher onto her hooves. “I should’ve known you would come to save the day!” He glared at me with his emerald eyes and extended his wings in defense. “How’s Rainbow Dash doing?” With that question, he charged me.

“You’re going down!” He shouted, baring his teeth. As he got closer, I stretched out my hoof; tripping him and making him face plant onto the ground. I didn’t want to fight him now. My main focus was Spitfire. I quickly hit him behind the head with my hoof, making him pass out for only a slight second, but that second was plenty of time to apply my final touches to Spitfire.

Unfortunately, the other members of the Wonderbolts blocked my path, all sneering at me and growling under their breath. I snickered at them and then pressed my lips together to whistle as loud as I possibly could. Then I saw them. I saw all of them, flying towards the Wonderbolts, iron hooves outstretched and giving a loud battle cry. Near the front of the pack was my second in command, Thunderlane. The black stallion had been living in Rainbow Dash’s shadow for years, so naturally he wanted in on the action to destroy her life.

As my brigade collided with the Wonderbolts, I advanced on Spitfire who was still breathing heavily on the ground. She attempted to get up and face me, but to no avail. I then pinned her body down with my hooves and stared into her un-flinching eyes.

“You are the one who needs to die, Spitfire,” I whispered into her ear. “With you in the equation, I can’t fulfill my promise.”

“Promise to whom?” she questioned. I laughed.

“A personal friend,” then I slammed my front hooves into her wings, crunching the bones inside of them. She, however, refused to scream even though I saw in her eyes how much she wanted to. I pushed them harder into the ground and spread my legs in opposite directions, dragging the wings with them. She gritted her teeth so hard that they started to crack. She was determined not to give me pleasure in this. Then, before I knew it, I was done. Both of her wings had been removed from her body. Her eyelids twitched as she fell in and out of consciousness.

“NO!” I heard somepony shout. I turned to see Soarin’ come charging at me once more, but was then pinned down by Thunderlane.

“Going somewhere, lover pony?” Thunderlane taunted. Soarin’ struggled underneath the larger stallion’s weight, but soon relaxed his muscles and resolved to snort in rage. I gazed down once more at Spitfire who was gagging in her own blood.

“Time to take your final flight, Spitfire,” then I rolled her across the academy towards the edge and I pushed her over.

“NO!” Soarin’ shouted again as he saw his captain go tumbling over. I watched as her body became smaller and smaller until the clouds blocked my vision. At first, the battlefield was quiet. The Wonderbolts stared at me with terror and some even tried to fly after Spitfire, but the rest of my brigade held their ground. I continued to watch over the cliff, waiting for the mighty Spitfire to come floating back to her kingdom, but nothing happened. Thunderlane then approached me since Soarin’ could not move because of his shock. I looked over to Thunderlane and gave him a slight nod.

“She’s gone!” Thunderlane shouted triumphantly. Everypony in my brigade cheered and shouted in joy at our victory and the Wonderbolts lay on the ground, eyes opened wide in shock. I then opened my wings and flew up to a large boulder in the ground and I perched myself on top of it.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts,” I announced. “Spitfire is dead, Rainbow Dash is gone, and now I am your new leader!” My brigade cheered even louder as the Wonderbolts booed and hissed. “Now we must prepare for what lies ahead!” And with those words, I dismounted the boulder and starting happily trotting towards Spitfire’s old office… now my office. Soarin’ blocked my path.

“And what does ‘lie ahead’, Lightning Dust?” he asked me with spite.

“Revolution,”

“I won’t do what you ask,”

“Very well, you don’t have to. I don’t need you anyway. You’ll be a weakness! Thunderlane!” my second in command approached me. “Shackle him,” Thunderlane nodded and pinned Soarin’ to the ground. This time, Soarin’ didn’t even bother to struggle. “Make sure he will never see his precious Rainbow Dash… again,” Soarin’ allowed a single tear to slide down his cheek, but then he spoke up.

“Mark my words, Lightning Dust, you’ll regret this,”

“Will I?”

“Rainbow Dash may be grounded, but she will always have one thing that you will never have!”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

“She has friends!” Thunderlane then proceeded to drag Soarin’ away as I contemplated his words. The only pony that I did feel threatened by who was Rainbow Dash’s friend was Princess Twilight Sparkle, but the other ponies… wait! The other ponies! I did, after all, need a plan ‘B’ if Rainbow Dash ever decided to show her face here again. And I had the perfect plan…

Perfection is Impossible

I was taking my daily walk again. Ever since I had been released from the hospital, I decided to take one in order to get some peace and quiet from the everyday life I had stumbled into. Now, everypony came to my house bringing flowers or ‘get well’ cards. Then they would say, “I hope you feel better.” And leave. They all disgusted me! At least my real friends had enough respect for me to leave me alone. Suddenly I realized… I spoke too soon.

“Hey, Rainbow!” I saw Twilight happily prancing over to me with a fake smile on her face. I gave her a little nod, but continued with my walk. “Pinkie Pie’s having another party for Gummy. It’s his half birthday now!” She cracked up laughing and I gave a small smile. “Want to come?” I considered it.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” I responded. Twilight was taken aback.

“Why not?”

“I don’t feel like it yet, Twilight. I’m still trying to get used to this.”

“Rainbow, you haven’t been spending any time with your friends! This is hard on us too!” I became enraged at this point.

“Hard on you?! How could this be ‘hard on you’?! You don’t know what it’s like to have your future ripped away from you by a crazy pony!” I snorted loudly and stomped my hoof into the ground.

“Your future is whatever you decide it to be,” Twilight said calmly.

“I’m getting sick of you lecturing me, Twilight!” I saw her face after I said that and I quickly wanted to take back what I said, but I just… couldn’t! I took off running. Faster. Faster. Faster! I was far enough away now to stop and catch my breath. In fact, I had run all the way to the edge of the Everfree Forest. There I collapsed onto the ground and I finally allowed the tears I had been holding back to come. I felt like a baby the way I sobbed, but every time I looked at my wings (which had been unwrapped for about a day now and were still covered with stitches and crusted blood) more tears cascaded down my face. I wanted my friends and I wanted Soarin’, but I couldn’t let them see me like this. I couldn’t allow them to see me as a weakling.

“Drat! I almost had it!” I lifted my head as I heard somepony behind me panting heavily. I turned around and saw a young Pegasus colt that was flying high in the air. I recognized him as Thunderlane’s other brother Twister Clap. Thunderlane was the oldest, then Twister Clap, and then Rumble Nuzzle. Twister Clap was attempting to perform a trick, but I had no idea which one it was.

“Floral, are you watching?” I heard him call out. I lowered my head to see the young filly named Floral Whisper watching in awe as one of her best friends zipped through the clouds.

“Yay,” she cheered pitifully. She had been spending way too much time with Fluttershy since Floral’s other best friend, Perfect, was Fluttershy’s adopted daughter. I hadn’t seen much of Perfect, mainly because she was a cripple and never hung out in the skies.

“I’m going to do it this time!” I converted my attention to the skies to watch Twister Clap do several loop-de-loops in the sky. It looked like he was attempting ‘the dizatron’, but his form was way off. I was about to call out to him to tell him what to do, but then I heard a loud hum of electricity. Floral Whisper gasped in amazement and my mouth dropped wide open. Twister Clap continued to flap his wings harder and harder until literal bolts of lightning shot out from his trick. Then, he released. A loud thunder clap sounded, making me have to cover my ears. Twister had shot into the sky, leaving thousands of lightning bolts shooting in every direction… including mine! I quickly leaped out of the way as the bolt hit the ground, burning the grass that I was previously standing on. I heard Floral Whisper scream and I saw her dive for cover. It was all over in seconds, but what I had seen made it feel like hours!

“Floral! I did it!” Twister hovered down from the sky and gently landed next to Floral who was cowering in the bushes. Twister laughed and pulled his friend out from under them. She shook out her mane that was covered in leaves and then gaped in amazement at Twister’s flank.

“Twister, look!” He turned his head and cheered.

“My cutie mark!” I looked at it as well. It was a spiral that wrapped around at least five times and then exploded into four lightning bolts. “I finally did it! Woo ho-!” he immediately stopped his cheer when he saw me staring at him. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Nice job, kid,” I congratulated him. He blushed… which really did nothing since his coat was already a natural red.

“Thanks! I’ve been practicing that move for weeks!” Twister flexed out his wings in pride, but then quickly folded them back down after he remembered what had happened to me. I looked at him harshly.

“You don’t need to hide your wings! You should be quite proud of them!” he seemed a little scared at my sudden change of tone, but then he outstretched his wings again and smiled. I gave him a smile back and then heard another pony approaching.

“Twister, Floral, are you two OK?” Perfect had come cantering out onto the field and gasped in horror. The grass had been burned in multiple spots and I just now realized that Twister had set a tree on fire, but it was nothing serious. Perfect approached her two friends and quickly looked them over until she was satisfied. All the while, I stared at her. If anypony had the right to be depressed, it was her. She had been born a cripple. Her mother abandoned her a few days after she was born and Fluttershy had taken her into her home and raised her. Perfect was born without her left wing and her right wing was seriously misshapen. The poor filly. She would never live up to her full potential.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” she called out. I looked into her eyes and paused for a second. There was no remorse. No depression. No anger. No unhappiness. How could she be this happy knowing that she was a Pegasus who would never be able to fly?

“Hi, Perfect,” I answered back. Then the three friends all began to converse amongst themselves. They weren’t trying to be rude or anything, but I understood that they wanted some time to revel in the fact that Twister Clap had finally received his cutie mark. So I walked to the edge of the Everfree forest and sat down, waiting patiently for them to leave so that I could get back into my own thoughts. One by one they eventually flew off, leaving just me… and Perfect. She trotted over and sat down next to me.

“How do you do it, kid?” I decided to ask her. She gazed over at me with her light green eyes and sighed.

“I’ve accepted my future, Rainbow Dash. I know I’ll never be able to fly, so I’ve decided to move on and see what I can do,”

“But I can’t do anything besides flying fast and doing amazingly awesome tricks! I’m not good at anything else! My talent was flying!” I buried my face in my hooves, ashamed that I was venting to a filly! Then I felt her place her hoof on my shoulder.

“But now you can start anew!” I looked into her eyes again. They seemed elderly… wise even. This pony knew more about life than I ever would. She then brushed her hoof against my flank and we both looked down on my cutie mark. “Your talent on the outside might be flying fast and performing,” she began. “But your true talent is what lies on the inside,” Her hoof moved from my cutie mark to my chest as she motioned to my heart. Then we both heard Fluttershy calling out Perfect’s name.

“I’ve got to go, Rainbow Dash, but if I were you, maybe you can try to turn this tragedy into something beautiful,” Then she trotted off, her crippled right wing fluttering uselessly in the breeze. I sighed and gazed up longingly into the sky. Turn this tragedy into something beautiful. But how? I gazed down at my wings and then thought of Perfect’s. We were both useless to the pegasi race… then it hit me.

“I know what to do!” I shouted out loud to myself. I dashed down the street, looking around for any sign of Perfect and then I spotted her talking with a small green filly whose wing had been permanently dislocated after falling out of a tree. Fluttershy was standing nearby, smiling proudly as Perfect reached out to the young filly. Perfect, in fact, didn’t get out much since that brat Diamond Tiara had made fun of her on the first day of school, so merely seeing her outside was a miracle in itself. I trotted up to them and draped my wing over Perfect’s shoulder.

“I know what to do, kid, and you’re going to help me!” She looked up at me… and then she beamed.

No Longer a Failure

All of my friends had helped me put my class together, actually most credit goes to Twilight for her amazing organization skills, but all in all everypony helped out! Applejack was just applying the finishing touches to the class sign which read, “DISABLED PEGASI, YOU DO HAVE A PURPOSE”. I smiled at the genius of the words, them being mine of course! I watched in amazement as pegasi from across Equestria filed in to my class, including Fluttershy’s daughter, Perfect. She glanced over at me and beamed from ear to ear at how many ponies had shown up and I returned the smile. Applejack raised a hoof in the air and I gave it a whole-hearted slap with my hoof. She smiled and then trotted over to help Rarity and Pinkie Pie hook up the audio system. It was funny to watch the poor ponies fumble around with the equipment, but Vinyl Scratch was late, so we would have to do with what we had.

Then a young colt approached me. I noticed that one wing was missing two of the main feathers and that the other was just a little stump on the side of his body. He didn’t say a single word to me, but he looked deep into my eyes as if he wanted to say something. Then I saw his eyes tear up and he gave me a half of a smile. Then he sat back down where he was before. At first, I was confused by this sudden display of emotion. I gazed around at all of the other young fillies and colts who had assembled and all of them were hugging one another and allowing only a few tears to slide down their faces. Each one of them glanced over at me and gave me a smile which I soon returned.

“Am I doing the right thing?” I had asked myself earlier that day. Turns out that every foal in the audience had answered my question right then and there.

Suddenly, feedback blared over the speakers and everypony covered up their ears and exclaimed in surprise. I looked over at Applejack who solved the problem by unplugging almost every wire that was possible to unplug and apologetically waving her hoof in the air. I groaned and trotted over.

“What happened?” I asked the three ponies who were all breathing heavily. Rarity had to straighten up her tangled mane before she could answer.

“Well, the microphone won’t work,” she bluntly stated.

“No! Really?” She rolled her eyes at my sarcasm, but then Pinkie Pie blocked my view of her by shoving herself into my face.

“If only Vinyl Scratch was here! We’d have this done in a jiffy!” She said enthusiastically.

“Yeah, but she’s not here, Pinkie! We’re going to have to make do for now!” I stomped my hoof on the ground in frustration.

“Then I guess you’re just going to have to yell, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. I growled under my breath and approached the podium, kicking the microphone out of the way and clearing my throat. I took in a deep breath.

“DISABLED PEGASI, YOU DO HAVE A PURPOSE!” I screamed. The crowd responded by cheering loudly and several foals prancing about in place. I rubbed my throat and coughed slightly at the attempt that I just made to shout out loud. Rarity grinned playfully and then stepped aside to show me that Vinyl Scratch had been there the whole time! I muttered something that I shouldn’t have under my breath and allowed Vinyl to hook up the audio system. With a slight nod of her head, she placed a microphone in front of me and gave me a slap on the back with her hoof. I nodded my appreciation and then began to speak once more.

“A few weeks ago, I was about to become a Wonderbolt,” the audience fell into a silent stare, all of the foals gazing up at me with awestruck eyes. “But then somepony came, attacked me, and left me unable to fly any longer,” I looked down at my cutie mark. “When I got my cutie mark, I was flying. It appeared because I was flying and because I was flying fast!” Some foals were starting to tear up and look at their own cutie marks. One filly even cried out when she looked at hers: a lightning bolt entwined with leaves. Her mother tried to hush her, but to no avail. “But I’M not worthless!”

“Amen!” shouted Applejack. She waved her hat in the air and gave a country whoop of approval which made the foals in the audience smile.

“I still have a purpose in this world! And even though I don’t know what it is yet, I knew that THIS was the right thing to do!” I paused to take a breath, but a young colt raised his hoof. “Yes?”

“What is the right thing you’re doing?”

“I’m here to encourage you! Prove to you that you aren’t a waste of space! You can do something to help your fellow ponies!”

“But what?” He asked again.

“It’s different for everypony. You, for example,” I pointed to a filly with a pale grey coat and two broken wings. “You could become a doctor!” The filly smiled. I then pointed back to the questioning colt. “And you could even become mayor of Ponyville!”

He looked confused, but he smiled all the same. The foals all began to dry their tears and smile up at me. Applejack even shed a tear and gave another whoop of joy. I cleared my throat to continue, but I took one more look around me at all of the foals I was inspiring. That’s when I realized… that I actually WAS worth something!

Repeated Bad News

“WHAT?! She’s WHAT?!” I slammed my hooves into my desk and snorted in rage. The iron horse shoes splintered the newly sanded wood and I grumbled a small complaint to myself. Thunderlane cowered as bits of wood went shooting out at him, some of them even penetrated his coat, but he did not cry out. I smoothed down my mane with my hoof and tried to remain calm. “What did you say that she’s doing?” I repeated.

“She’s made a… therapy group, if you want to call it that,” Thunderlane replied. “Apparently, she’s taking in disabled pegasi from across Equestria and saying that they’re still worth something,” I snickered at their naivety.

“A ‘therapy group’? For disabled pegasi, you say?” Thunderlane slowly nodded his head, afraid that I might lash out again. I sighed and placed my head in my hooves, directing my elbows to the places of the desk that weren’t splintered. I tried to think about the situation at hoof, but so many things were distracting me! Spitfire’s captain jacket felt large on my body and made me hotter than I already was in that stuffy little office. I glanced at the walls which were covered in Wonderbolts portraits, including Rainbow Dash’s picture. I picked up a paper weight on the desk that was shaped like a lightning bolt, paused for a moment, and then threw it at Rainbow Dash’s portrait, making it shatter and fall to the floor in a thousand pieces. I then took of Spitfire’s jacket, sighed once more, and stood from my desk.

“What do you suggest we do, Thunderlane?” I asked him.

“Nothing, ma’am,” I snorted at his ridiculous answer.

“’Nothing’?” I advanced on him, making him tuck his tail between his legs and take in a gulp of fear. “I wanted Rainbow Dash to be grounded for life!” He quivered in my shadow and took in another gulp.

“But she is grounded for life, ma’am!” He protested.

“Not just physically! Emotionally as well! I don’t want her to feel any joy, any happiness; I don’t want her to feel anything!” I slammed my hoof into the ground so hard that it sent jolts of pain up my own leg! I grimaced at the sensation, but then pushed it out of my mind for now.

“You’re getting distracted from the big mission, ma’am,” Thunderlane tried to remind me. “He just wanted Rainbow Dash out of the way. She was the most likely pony who could stop us. I’m starting to feel like this is all personal to you now!”

I ignored him. “What can we do to stop her? What can we do to make sure that she doesn’t do anything like this ever again?” I started to sound like a rambling, insane pony and I could even feel my heart began to pound heavily in my chest.

“Kill her,” Thunderlane said in a frustrated tone.

“That is an option, but it wouldn’t make me feel better. I want her to be dead in life!” Thunderlane looked confused, so I stopped consulting him all together. “I could maim her again until she can’t even walk… no. That’s stupid.”

“Maybe you could take one of her-“

“Shut up!” I interrupted as Thunderlane attempted to speak. But then he gave me an idea. “Maybe I could take one of her… friends…” Thunderlane looked even more confused now, but he didn’t speak which was fortunate for him.

“Who is Rainbow Dash’s best friend?” I demanded him to answer. He looked flummoxed and he shifted his gaze from right to left as he tried to figure it out.

“She has five best friends,” He answered.

“I know! But who is her best friend! Even in a large group of friends, there is always one that stands out above the rest!” Thunderlane did not reply. “Who does she spend the most time with?” His head shot up and a smile was etched on his face. Clearly he still wanted a piece in destroying Rainbow Dash’s life even when it wasn’t supposed to be our focus now.

“Applejack and Pinkie Pie,” He chuckled under his breath.

“What? What about them?” I asked him.

“They’re both earth ponies!” He chuckled maniacally once more.

“You’re point being?” I was becoming frustrated.

“If you can’t kill Rainbow Dash, then why not kill one of them?”

“What would that do?”

“Crush her spirit… for good,” I paused for a moment, taking in this new plan. Thunderlane continued to cackle to himself as I paced the floor, sweat began to drip down my brow as I thought long and hard.

“Crush her spirit, you say?” I repeat.

“Yes,”

“Kill one of them, you say?”

“Why just one?”

“How would she find out?”

“She’d see it with her own eyes!” Thunderlane extended his wings in pleasure at the thought of his idea. He even pranced about the room for a good solid 10 seconds flat.

“You mean we’d kill both of her friends and have her watch?” I pondered the notion in my head and then smiled. “I like it,” Thunderlane beamed with pride and got ready to take off into the air to fulfill his mission. “Oh, and one more thing,” He looked back at me, still beaming. “Make sure that Rainbow Dash sees you taking them away. I want her to hear their cries of horror!” With those words, Thunderlane took off into the sky, calling three other ponies to assist him.

I slowly walked back over to my desk and sat back down in my chair. I felt… light. Like a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I looked back at the wall behind me and smiled with pride. Spitfire’s wings were mounted on my wall and soon there would be two more souvenirs to add to my collection. I flapped my wings gently to hover up to the disembodied wings and I gently stroked the soft feathers.

“You were the first to go, Spitfire,” I said to the prize. “And now Rainbow Dash will truly be grounded!” I let out a stereotypical evil laugh, but it was all that I could do not to control it! It felt good to be bad! Good to be insane! Good to be a murderer! And it sure felt good to be the cause of another pony’s drop into insanity as well!

Flying Earth Ponies

My class was over. All of the foals began to file out and to casually walk back home, a few of them tried to get pictures with me and get my autograph which I gladly accepted. All of my friends had trotted back home as well since they all had lives to get on with as well as I did, but Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy remained. All three approached me and gave me a big group hug. I looked at their faces and saw that they were desperately trying to hold back their tears until Fluttershy was literally shaking with the effort. They released their hold on me and sniffled a little bit.

“That was one hot diggity of a hoe down, Rainbow!” Applejack slapped my shoulder and gave another whoop of joy.

“That was totally terrify-rific!” Pinkie Pie squealed, performing cartwheels around me until she fell on her rump and took in a deep breath. I blushed at their compliments and massaged the sore spot that was beginning to form on my shoulder from where Applejack had slapped me.

“It was amazing, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy whispered.

“Thanks, guys, but I couldn’t have done it without you,” They all beamed happily at my words until Pinkie Pie jumped in.

“You couldn’t have done it without Vinyl Scratch either, silly willy!” Pinkie Pie then started to bounce off to Sugar Cube Corner. “I’ve got to run! The Cakes want me to watch the foals again!” She then froze in mid air and gulped in terror. “Anypony have a steel cage I can borrow?” We all stared at her, not saying a word. “No? That’s OK! I’ll just have to lock them in the closet!” She then continued to bounce off before any of us could stop her.

Then another familiar face came stampeding down the road.

“Angel!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily, scooping up the frantic bunny in her hooves and giving him a little snuggle. But he would have none of it. He thumped his foot against her hoof impatiently and pulled out his very oversized pocket watch. Fluttershy gasped. “Oh, no! I’m late for his grooming session!” Fluttershy looked over at me apologetically and I gave her a little wave goodbye. “Oh, thank you, Rainbow!” And with that, she flew off as quickly as her wings, which had 2.3 wing power, could allow. All who were left were Applejack and I.

“I have to get goin’ too, partner,” Applejack said sadly. “The West Orchard is still filled up with them pesky fruit bats an’ Granny Smith wants ‘em taken care of so that we can use the field again,”

“No need to explain, Applejack,” I gave her a slap on the shoulder as hard as I could, but she didn’t even flinch. She was one strong pony!

“Thanks, Rainbow!” She started to trot off, but then quickly turned back around. “See ya tomorrow?” I nodded in response. She smiled and then continued to walk back home, singing a happy tune as she did so.

I sighed in exhaustion and slumped down to the ground, allowing my crippled wings to relax from their folded position against my side. I got a huge thank you from them as the air seeped into the sore feathers and massaged the healing bones.

“That went better than planned!” I congratulated myself. I then sat up and looked around at Ponyville which had become dead quiet. The evening sky was darkening more by the minute as Princess Luna began to raise the moon and stars. Time for me to be getting home. I stood up and began to lumber back home.

Suddenly, I heard somepony scream.

“Get yer hooves off ah me!” Another scream followed. A painful scream. I galloped toward the sound and froze in my tracks. A large Pegasus, fully covered in a cape, was trying to grab Applejack from the ground, but she was giving him an awful run for his bits!

“Let go ah me, ya big-“ before she could finish, he pulled a dagger out from under his cape and stabbed it into Applejack’s side. She cried out only for a minute as he covered her mouth with his hoof. She then slumped over as if all of her muscles had just given out, but then I saw the cloth in his hoof and I knew instantly what it was.

“Chloroform!” I yelled. He heard me. As quickly as he could, he pulled Applejack higher into the air, straining with the effort. “Give her back!” I shouted, leaping as high as I could and flailing my hooves around to grab her. They were out of reach. The stallion flew off into the night sky carrying the unconscious Applejack with him. “NO!”

Then I heard another pony scream.

“Hey, I have to foal-sit tonight, buddy!”

“PINKIE!” I galloped towards her voice at full speed, ignoring the pain of my wings flapping uselessly against my side. Then I saw another pony, this time it was a mare, holding Pinkie’s body high in the air. Pinkie’s mane had gone flat and a small trickle of blood flowed from an open wound on her chest. “LET HER GO!” The strange mare then took off her hood and I gasped in recognition.

“Be at the Wonderbolts Academy tonight at 9, or they die!” It was Lightning Dust. My heart was beating faster than anything and I felt perspiration forming on my head. Then I felt my eyebrows furrow in hatred and I slammed my hooves into the ground.

“This is between YOU and ME! Leave them out of this!”

“I’d say that they have as much to do with this as YOU do, Rainbow Dash.” Then Lightning Dust began to fly off with Pinkie Pie groaning in pain. “Tonight. 9 o’clock.” And with that, she flew off, taking one of my best friends away from me.

“NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!” I screamed through my tears. “PINKIE PIE! APPLEJACK!” I collapsed onto the ground, covering my face in my hooves. I sobbed for a long time until I finally got control of myself. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!” I screamed at her, thrusting my hoof into the air. I galloped towards the center of town and saw that Cherry Berry’s hot air balloon was still tethered to a peg in the ground. I quickly untied the knot and jumped inside, trying to remember all of the things that Twilight had taught me about handling it. The balloon started to rise.

“Rainbow, what are you doing?” I turned my head to see Twilight hovering next to the levitating balloon and gasping in exhaustion.

“Lightning Dust! It’s Lightning Dust! Something’s wrong! She took Applejack and Pinkie Pie!”

“WHAT?!”

“I’m going after her and nopony can stop me!”

“Rainbow, we need a plan!”

“There’s no TIME for a plan, Twilight! We need to get there now!”

Twilight then surrounded the balloon with her magic and refused to let me go.

“Twilight, STOP IT!”

“I’m not going to let you rush into this without thinking! I-“ Before she could say another word, I reached my hoof through the magic field and flicked Twilight’s horn, making the magic spell waver.

“OW!” Twilight exclaimed, rubbing her horn. I took my chance. I added more hot air to the balloon, making it rise into the air faster and faster. I knew that I couldn’t out-fly Twilight, but I could at least out-distance her.

“Rainbow, STOP!” Then she raced towards me and snatched me out of the basket of the balloon, bruising my wings even more in the process.

“OUCH! Twilight that HURTS!” She didn’t seem to hear me as she lowered me to the ground and let the balloon keep flying higher and higher until it disappeared behind the clouds.

“Look, Rainbow, I know that you’re scared, but rushing off without thinking is not the way to go about this! We need an elaborate plan!”

“Twilight, if I don’t get there by 9 o’clock TONIGHT, then Lightning Dust will KILL them! I can’t take the chance of…” I stopped to think. “What time is it?” Twilight glanced around until she saw the clock tower and gasped.

“It’s 8:30.”

“NO!” I screamed and I started to gallop. I left Twilight in the dust. If I can’t fly there, I’ll gallop there! So I ran. The Wonderbolts Academy was about a 20 minute flight from here and I was about to break that record by galloping!

Rainbow's Last Flight

“What do ya need me fer?” Applejack questioned me. I looked over at her and saw a sneer etched onto her face, but I ignored her. “I said-“

“I heard what you said, you dumb hick!” That seemed to shut her up, but the sneer turned into a scowl. Then I saw the pink earth pony stir from her unconsciousness.

“Wha-what happened?” She asked as she rubbed her sore head, but then she grimaced and placed her hoof back down. She looked at her chest and whimpered as she saw the numerous bandages around it soaked with blood. What can I say? She was struggling, I was holding the knife, she knocked into it. Her fault, not mine! I approached her and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder.

“You’re going to be OK,” I said quietly.

“Getchyer hoof off of me!” She screamed, slapping my hoof away but then wincing once more and sinking lower onto the ground.

“You’d better mind your manners, earth pony, before I do something less than friendly!” She began to cry, but I just rolled my eyes in disgust and walked away from her. Thunderlane chuckled as I dragged my hoof across my throat in aggravation.

“Y’all leave her alone!” Applejack screamed and then she charged me. She smashed her head into my side, throwing me onto the ground with a loud ‘thud!’ Then she tried to turn around and kick me with her ‘hooves of steel’ as the Ponyville folk always called them, but Thunderlane tackled her to the ground. “Get off ah me!” She struggled as Thunderlane tied her front and rear hooves together with a rough rope. When he was finished, he punched his hoof across her face, making her cry out for only a brief second. I smiled as he returned to my side and stood at attention.

“How DARE you?!” I turned around to see an exhausted, yet determined, Rainbow Dash. “How DARE you hurt her?!”

Lightning Dust didn’t seem to respond to my questions which made me become even more enraged. I wiped sweat from my forehead and advanced towards her which seemed to make her smile.

“Rainbow Dash, good to see you… again,” She chuckled and then trotted over to Applejack. “Your friends have been quite a handful,” She patted Applejack’s head even after she loudly protested.

“Get yer blood-stained, soulless hooves off ah me!” She struggled in her bindings, but still managed to give Lightning Dust a decent kick from her back legs. Lightning Dust stumbled away from her much to my pleasure. Then she gave Applejack a kick of her own. The iron shoes slammed into Applejack’s side, making her gasp, and the impact sent her dangerously close to the edge of the Academy. Then I saw a blood stain not much farther away from where Applejack now laid. A blood stain and a yellow feather.

“No,” I whispered, refusing to believe it. Lightning Dust followed my gaze and laughed triumphantly.

“Yes! That was quite an event, was it not?”

“You killed Spitfire,” I said.

“Yes,”

I shook my head.

“How much more of a monster can you be, you demon?” I questioned.

“Oh, I can do so many more things, Rainbow,” She advanced towards Applejack. “I expected you to not do anything heroic, Rainbow Dash, after I broke your wings. But I was wrong. You just had to start that cute little therapy group for disabled pegasi.”

“How did you know about that?”

“I have my sources,” She glanced over to Thunderlane who smirked. “Oh, Thunderlane, bring out the other prisoner as well,”

“Other prisoner?” I asked as Thunderlane flew off.

“Yes, he’s been quite a hoof-full these past few weeks, but a few chains and a few cracks from the whip did him some good,” Thunderlane returned with a pegasus that I hardly recognized. The scars were all over his body and his mane was in patches of dark blue. Dark blue.

“Soarin’,” I choked. His emerald eyes opened briefly and lit up the second he saw me, but they immediately closed again as Thunderlane dropped him to the ground making his body slam on the concrete. He grimaced in pain and then opened his eyes again.

“R-r-rainbow Dash,” He said with difficulty.

“I’m here, Soarin’,” I tried to approach him, but Thunderlane blocked my path.

“He’s going to watch you fall, Rainbow Dash,” Lightning Dust said.

“I thought you didn’t want to kill me,” I accused.

“I don’t. He’s going to watch your spirit fall,” She got closer to Applejack who was still groaning in pain from the iron horse shoes. My eyes widened as I realized what she was going to do. She placed one hoof on Applejack and scooted her closer to the edge. Applejack whimpered in terror and closed her eyes tightly.

Then Lightning Dust spoke.

“See ya later, partner,” She readied her muscles for the shove, but she never got the chance. I charged her, knocking her over the edge of the Academy. I smashed my hooves as hard as I could into her wings until I felt the bones give way beneath them. She cried out in agony and fell over the edge, trying hard to flap her wings and fly off. With every flap came a flow of blood and every try came a blood-curdling howl. I fell with her, hearing every scream and feeling every drop of blood. I looked down, not being able to see the earth beneath me and then I looked up and saw Applejack.

“RAINBOW!” She called out, reaching her hoof down towards me and trying to catch me. It was too late for that. I continued to fall, not even bothering to try to fly. The wind whipped through my mane and a trail of tears emerged from my eyes. I watched Applejack’s sobs and I heard Soarin’ calling out to me.

“NO! RAINBOW! FLY, RAINBOW, FLY!” I couldn’t. I fell. Applejack became smaller, as did Soarin’s cries. At that instant I knew what loyalty truly meant. It wasn’t just sticking next to your friends, but risking your life for them as well.

My loyalty went until the end of my days, so how far will your loyalty go?

END OF PART 1