//-------------------------------------------------------// 127 Pets -by SpitFlame- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// On Your Own //-------------------------------------------------------// On Your Own "Hello everypony, the fastest mare in Equestria here. It's been roughly a few weeks since I got the coolest pet in the whole world. Tank, an awesome tortoise for an awesome pony like myself. Anyways, he's in Fluttershy's cottage for some, um, special training with the other critters that mare has. I remember how he helped me that one time. I was trapped in Ghastly Gorge and there he was, lifting me up to my friends. I'm really grateful for that, though something has been on my mind. That place is like super dangerous and I never really explored the whole place. So that's where this starts. I plan on exploring the caves there for a day or two. I should get ready though. Bring some snacks and water. I hope Tank is okay, but now, it's time to get my adventure on!" -- SpitFlame Presents: 127 Pets Based on the movie "127 hours", a true story on actual survival -- The cyan pegasus zoomed around the cloud house, getting ready for the big adventure. She made sure to bring a full bottle of water and a granola bar for any snacks. She trotted to the kitchen, scanning around the shelves. She quickly opened up the top ones, revealing her equipment. The space was really deep, so rainbow stood at the bottom, blindly throwing her hoofs in. Once she felt the objects she needed, she grabbed them, storing it in her trusty bag pack. She made a quick check through to see if anything was in place. "Wait a minute." She stopped her tracks, remembering something was forgotten. She stuck her hoof back in the shelf, wondering it around in there, until she felt a metal object. "Here it is." She gave a smile, pulling out a small single-edged knife. "Better keep it for emergencies." She rolled her eyes at the thought. Why would the coolest mare in Equestria need knives in danger. Rainbow applied her trusty cap. It was grey and had "6/5 C" written on the front. It was a gift she got at a market one time. She zipped up her bag, applying it on her back. "Well, I won't be seeing this place for a while. So I guess it's time to dash." Her arrogance spoke for itself as she opened her wings. Rainbow blasted through the front door, already causing wind to rush in her face. She decided to pull off a few tricks. Licking her lips, she dramatically flew in huge circles across the sky, leaving a trail of her rainbow speed for a second. The weight of her bag back also differed as gravity affected her. She loved this part. "Man, I can't wait to see those eels' faces once I race past them." Her thoughts entered, wondering what would happen. She sped through the white clouds, looking down on Ponyville. Around the small town were miles of land and trees. Her wings started to beat faster, wanting to increase in velocity. It was like heaven to her to be flying so high up. Even her grey cap stayed put as she dropped down. Rainbow started to get a glimpse of the rocky canyons. She put on a huge smile, her wings beaded even faster. Last time the pegasus was there, she got her wing injured and ended up doubting her escape. That's when Tank came in, saving the day. Although Rainbow Dash learned a lesson back then, that didn't stop the dare devil from going back. After all, danger was her middle name. Rainbow's magenta eyes locked on the horizon. Clouds swished past her as her ears began to perk. The terrain beneath her stopped being grassy and lush, and started to look more rocky and dry. Rainbow looked behind her, curious to see how much speed she had obtained in those few seconds of flying. Ponyville was barely visible. With that thought in mind, she turned around, shifting her eyes. Ghastly Gorge was still the same as before. A very dim mist could be seen wandering through the bottom of the canyon. Rainbow's speed began to decrease. Her wings' flaps slowed down. In one quick motion, she landed on the terrain, sliding carefully and finally coming to a full stop, all the mean while her wings were spread out, balancing herself. Rainbow shifted her head from left and right, putting her wings down. She took a breath in, the dry air felt all too familiar. "WOOHOO," She gave a loud scream, her voice echoed through the large canyon. "I wonder what my first activity will be." She held a hoof to her chin, thinking. "Oh, I know." Rainbow reached out for her grey bag, slowly pulling it off her back. With one hoof she unzipped the lower zipper, with the other hoof she reached in. Rainbow stuck her tongue out as her eyes drifted to the sky. She struggled a little bit, but in one pull finally took out a piece of paper. "Here we go." She carefully read the black ink. -Land in the canyon - Explore the East side -Mess with the giant eels -Take a rest... "Yata, yata, yata." Rainbow finished the rest of the list with boring mumbles. She was mainly focused on the present. She plunged the paper back in the bag and zipped it up. Placing it back on her back, she spread her wings. She looked up, seeing the top of her cap blocking the sun. Her body suddenly felt warm. She stayed still for a few moments, taking it all in. Then in an instance, Rainbow blasted her wings upwards, speeding through the sky and on her way through the rocky walls of Ghastly Gorge. "I can't wait to try out my new tricks. They're gonna be so awesome." Her mind screamed the possibilities. She officially entered the canyon walls, zig zagging from left to right. Few hills and trees stood in her way, though she easily avoided them. Rainbow began to get higher. She felt wait on her lower back, though ignored the discomfort. While she flew through the canyon, something popped up in her mind, her favorite song to whistle. She instantly turned her back, head facing the opposite way she flew. "Let's see if I still have the skills." She encouraged. Rainbow then started to whistle. As she practically hummed the melody, her body flew around the hills and started to get higher. She learned from last time to never fly into another wall. Minutes flew by and she kept whistling backwards. Once she had enough, Rainbow turned around to her original flying position. As soon as her eyes opened, she saw a tree getting rapidly big. "Whoa," She yelled, pulling off near ninety degree turn. Her hind legs hit a large branch, making her go off course. "Slow down, slow down, slow down," She told herself, trying to regain control. Once the pegasus' wings straightened, Rainbow gave a sigh of relief. "Damn, that was a close one." She flew high up, looking down at the path between the rocky walls. She felt her grey cap slowly rubbing off her head. As soon as she reached her hooves up to grab it, the cap completely fell off her head, free falling into the canyon. "Hey, come back here!" Rainbow chased her grey cap, which was blown by light winds and caused it to shift directions. The speeding pegasus drew closer to her head wear. She wore an expression of determination. All the meanwhile, Rainbow was too caught up in getting her cap to notice she was flying dangerously low. At the last second, she grabbed the cap with her teeth, though still kept flying down. She turned around to fly backwards again without even noticing and pulled a ninety degree turn. Rainbow whipped the cap back onto her multicolored mane. "Phew," She gave a short breath, being glad that she saved her only head wear to protect her from the hot sun. "Did you really think you could escape, GAH!" Her little monologue was cut short as a huge dull pain hit her back. Both her wings bashed straight against the rocky surface of the canyon, causing them to go numb for the moment. An enormous rumbling sound shook the entire area. Rainbow slid her back down the tough wall. Her back started to ache. Cracks formed on the wall, and soon, entire chunks of rocks and boulders started to rain down the pegasus. "Come on wings, don't fail me now." She started to go off course. Rainbow desperately tried to flap her wings, though that only caused sharp pains up her spine. "Oh no, avalanche!" Rainbow began to glide down to the ground while avoiding the rocks. All of a sudden, a huge weight crashed down on one of her wings, ripping her to the ground. Rainbow landed with a painful thud. She smacked face first on the dirty ground while dust washed over the area. Rainbow gave a loud grunt, all of her four hooves her shaking. Her vision became blurred, and her mind felt like an earthquake. Seconds past and the loud noise of nature finally calmed. Rainbow's right legs used their elbows to support her body. As soon as she got up by an inch, a sharp pain shot through her left wing. "Gah," She yelped, her body crashed back down. The pegasus slowly shifted her head to meet the pain. She froze; slowly trying to sit up, once she came to about sitting on her rump, her injured wing nearly brought her back down. "Damn it," She swore under her breath, placing a hoof on top of the huge boulder which covered her wing. Rainbow sat in an extremely uncomfortable position, already started to feel pains on her sides. The shocked Rainbow Dash looked straight up. All the walls seemed to close in on her, leaving a very narrow opening with a dim light coming through. Many other smaller rocks surrounded the restrained pegasus. A terrifying memory kicked in Rainbow's mind immediately. "Oh no, no, no, no, NO!" Her head shifted from side to side, finding no light. To both her sides were like hall ways. No light was on top of them and they expanded for what seemed like miles. The rocky walls closing in on her made the fastest way out going up. She tried to move, though pains came back to her flanks. Rainbow began to breathe rapidly. With both of her hooves and all her strength, she tried to move the boulder off her wing, though it remained still. "Grrr," Rainbow grunted. "Come on, come on damn it." After minutes of pushing, she came to a rest, falling on her haunches. Her arms felt like they were burning, like the nerves in them were being stretched. Rainbow started to pant heavily. Beads of sweat shout out of her forehead. "HEEEEEEELP," Rainbow screamed to the world, hoping to get some aid. No response. For the last time Rainbow tried to lowly get up. Her pinned wing said otherwise, bringing her back down with pain. "Damn it, stupid boulder won't budge." This time, Rainbow put both of hooves to try and lift the boulder. After minutes of trying, she gave up, collapsing on her sides with another dull pain. "It's okay Rainbow Dash," She tried to calm herself down, rubbing her head. "Any second now somepony will come by and get me out of here. Just like before." //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 1 The bright and heavy sun shone hard throughout the rocky canyon; in the center of it all stood Rainbow Dash. It's been an hour since she got her wing stuck and it was starting to look purple from the weight of the boulder. The cyan pegasus felt nearly dead. The bones in her flank hurt like hell and her free wing was useless. Without much choice at all, she decided to take action. Rainbow used her hoof to take out her bag. She tried to go fast but that ended with pain on the shoulders. She dropped the bag. "Alright, let's see what we've got here." She unzipped the larger part, sticking a hoof inside. Rainbow sweated as she struggled. Being in her situation would really drain strength. Rainbow pulled a full bottle of water, a granola bar, a few pieces papers Twilight gave, and a small metal knife, its handle being made entirely out of dry wood. Rainbow kept her eyes concentrated the entire time. "Nothing much here to use," She opened the lid to the water bottle, immediately hydrating herself. Rainbow gave loud gulps for the moment before finally stopping. She put the bottle down, panting quietly. "Better save up for later." Rainbow realized saving up would do well. With only half the bottle left, she placed the lid back on and through the heavy bottle back into the grey bag back. "What else do we have here?" Rainbow took the knife, holding it close to her face. She examined the sharpness of the dull blade. Getting a cold feeling, Rainbow grabbed a piece of paper, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Once she through the drenched paper aside, Rainbow remained motionless for a moment. She blankly stared to the sky. Few birds shot through the wind, causing the trapped pegasus to clench her teeth. She became slightly annoyed with being grounded for such a long time. It started to get really depressing. Ghastly Gorge was one of the few places ponies never went to. She was the only one to visit in years. Rainbow's ears dropped down, giving a downed look at her pinned wing. Just then, a large shadow flew over the pegasus. Rainbow's attention immediately came back. Her head shot up, noticing a pony like figure in the distance. Rainbow's eyes went wide in desperation. "HEY," She screamed at the top of her lungs. "OVER HERE! SOMEPONY PLEASE HELP ME! I'M TRAPPED!" Her last word was extended to the point where she was out of breathing. Panting rapidly, Rainbow shot her eyes across the now dim sky. She could have sworn a pony came by. "IS THERE ANYPONY THERE," Rainbow continued to yell, hoping to get some response. "HELP, I'M TRAPPED!!!!" Her yelling for aid was in vein. After minutes of screaming, Rainbow came to a rest. Her throat felt like it was on fire, and her brain became foggy. With such a small space on top of her, the sun didn't offer much brightness. After a few minutes of silence, Rainbow's brain kicked in. She knew she would be there for a while, and some form of action had to be taken. Rainbow roughly went through her supplies, pulling out the knife. She ran a hoof on the edge. It was pretty small, about three inches long. The blade itself didn't surprise much. It felt dull and blunt. Rainbow held the wooden handle with her mouth. The taste wasn't pleasant, though she was able to tolerate it. She bent down, slowly hovered her head over her shoulder. It ached, but that wasn't important. She reached out and started pecking away at the boulder. The tip of the dull knife rapidly bashed against the rock. She repeated the motion, moving her head up and down, chipping away at the huge boulder. Every few minutes she would have to stop and stretch her neck. Pecking away at the rock and constantly moving her head gave a pain on the neck. When she stopped, she would spend a few seconds moving her head back and forth, until going back to work. After an hour of hard working, Rainbow decided to take a rest. She gently placed the knife on top of the boulder, letting it stay there. Rainbow gazed around the canyon out of boredom. The walls collapsed on each other so she was left in a pretty claustrophobic position. Rainbow's ears perked as a sliding noise was heard. She quickly turned around to see her knife falling off the boulder's side. "Oh no," She tried to grab the tool, though she missed. The knife fell off the boulder, bounced off another nearby rock and landed on the ground, out of her reach. "Damn it," Rainbow cursed under her breath. Out of instinct, she reached out with a hoof, ignoring the pain in her shoulders and flank. "Grrrr, come on," Rainbow grunted in frustration. Her arm shook as the tip of her hoof was just an inch from the fallen knife. After the first attempt, she pulled back, shaking her shoulders. "There must be something here for me to use." Rainbow darted her head back at the bag. A light bulb appeared on top of her head as she dug her hooves in the grey bag. Rainbow pulled out a new piece of paper. With the idea in mind, she rolled it up into a scroll. Rainbow licked her lips as she stretched out again, the rolled up paper in her hoof. She blinked rapidly, sweating while trying to be very careful. The scroll washed over the knife, sliding it closer to her. When it was close enough, Rainbow put the paper back in her bag and out stretched the same hoof. She smiled as her hoof picked up the knife, placing it next to her. "Haha, sweet," Rainbow felt relaxed. She let out a breathe she didn't know she was holding. The pegasus stared blankly at the ground for a second, losing contact with the world. After Rainbow snapped back to reality, she shook her head in exhaustion. She picked up the knife. Her eyes narrowed to her pinned wind. With the knife in her mouth, her head drew closer to her wing. She started to lightly poke the feathers and skin, and even used the base of the blade to tap. She could barely feel anything. After hours in the same position, her wing had gone completely numb. Rainbow noticed how much dust was on her wing. It was dirty and smelled bad. After wiping sweat off her brow, she gave a harsh blow, shooting out the dust. It quickly floated off her trapped wing, spreading out to the ground. Without much option, Rainbow grabbed the knife in her mouth and started to once again chip away at the heavy rock. -- The night was dark in Ghastly Gorge. There was the pinned pegasus, still pecking away at the boulder. Rainbow had been doing this all day, up till the moon rose. Luna's bright orb rested in the middle of the sky, indicating it was near midnight. Rainbow's neck felt awful. She had been chipping rock for nearly ten hours. She finally took a rest, placing the knife down and backing up to examine the heavy boulder. She couldn't tell what changed since it was so dark. Rainbow narrowed her eyes, sniffing in the dry night air, and then gave a violent cough. Rainbow held a hoof to her mouth as her eyes were clenched shut. She quickly reached for the bottle. Her throat felt extremely dry and sticky. She popped open the lid and sipped the water. The cold liquid ran threw her throat, making it feel much better. She stopped immediately though, drinking about only one fifth of the water. As she removed the bottle from her mouth, a thin saliva strand was left between. "Gotta remember to save up," She reminded herself, slowly sliding the lid back on. She examined the writings on the side of the bottle. The letters were a bit blurry but still readable. "Only 400 ml of water left." Those words left the pegasus feel cold. Her ears dropped down. She was nearly on the verge of crying. After a few seconds of thinking, Rainbow regained her thoughts. She felt very sleepy, slowly lowering herself down to the floor. She was left to rest on her side so any actual sleep would be difficult. Thoughts of that pet race flashed through her mind. How she wanted a pet but made them compete against each other. How they went through all those challenges, and finally the race. That race where she to competed, flying through the canyon and all those dangers. Even when she got trapped, Tank came in and helped her. He was the perfect pet all along, but now she was alone. After leaving and not telling anyone where she was, it caused things to become a lot grimmer. Rainbow slowly closed her eyes, the muscles in her body, while having trouble, finally relaxed. She rested her head on the boulder, hoping to wake up to a bright and shining morning. //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 2 The next day wasn't as unique like the previous one. Things did feel much warmer as the entire canyon baked under Celestia's sun. It had been a few minutes since the grounded pegasus had awoken, and she was now currently hitting the boulder with her blunt knife, her eyes locked on the part under her wing, a little bit of determination was still on her mind. Rainbow stopped to take a break. Putting the knife down, the pegasus looked up into the bright sky. For the most part, it was dark down where she was and the sun wasn't visible at all, just the dim light. Suddenly a black bird swooped down from above. Rainbow's eyes watched with soft expressions. "Hey," She whispered, nearly calling out to the bird. After being there for so long, the pegasus really started to miss company. After seconds of staring at the sky, she looked back down. Her eyes shifted behind her, seeing the long hall ahead. Her mouth nearly hit the floor as things seemed to get brighter. The sun had finally reached her. With foggy eyes, Rainbow out stretched her hind legs towards the incoming light. The sun's brightness washed over her. Tears came down her eyes as she moaned, feeling the warmness over her. Her entire body now covered in the sun. After so long without the sun's light, it just felt lonely. Rainbow leaned her head on the boulder, sliding her hoof against it. One of her eyes was closed, while the other remained half opened. Rainbow just laid there, feeling relaxed all over again. Flash backs shot through her memories of when she used to be just a filly. Her dad always took her to the beach. The sand always felt soft, and the sun was as bright as ever. It was one of the most memorable moments in Rainbow's young life. After a few minutes of having teary eyes, the light started to vanish. The sun's brightness started to walk away. The entire area became washed in darkness again. On the last second, Rainbow breathed in the warm air before it turned cold again. Then it happened, she was left there by the sun, only having the dim light over her with a wing under an 800 pound rock. -- After a few minutes of chipping away at rock, then resting, Rainbow Dash finally realized there was a middle zipper on her grey bag. "Can't believe I missed this," She opened up the middle part of the bag. She stuck her hoof in, spreading them. Her eyes went wide as she felt something hard, made of plastic. She slowly lifted her hoof, holding a camera. "That's right." Her voice was huskier than usual. "I always keep this camera here." An idea quickly came by. Rainbow turned on the camera, placing it on the boulder with the lenses facing her. In one crafty motion, she clicked the record button. The recording device made a light buzzing noise as the lenses slightly lid up in the middle. Rainbow was now being recorded, since she was there, might as well make a video diary. She bit her lower lip; her eyes looked straight at the camera which looked back at her. "Um, hi," She cleared her throat. "So telling from the position of the sun I'm guessing, it should be a bit past midday." Her voice sounded low and raspier. "It's Sunday, April third, and right now marks 24 hours since I've been stuck in Ghastly Gorge." Rainbow moved her eyes around the area, telling the imaginary audience where she was. "My name is Rainbow Dash, my friends' names are Twilight, rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and FlutterShy. I'm just recording here so... so please try and get in touch with any of them, I appreciate it." Rainbow inhaled, and then exhaled. She used a free hoof to wipe any dirt off her forehead, letting out a sigh. "I've been flying through Ghastly Gorge, this canyon here yesterday. Um, then this stone fell on my wing." As she spoke, she used a hoof to turn the camera around, filming her wing under the heavy boulder. Dry blood could be seen at the bottom. "Now it's stuck, and, um, my wing is now this grey, purple color," She turned the camera back around, placing it back on the boulder as it started to film her face once again. Rainbow gave a pause, looking at her wing, then back at the camera. She wiped a dry tear off her cheek. "So um, I've been like this for 24 hours so far, and yeah." She gave a heavy sigh. "I'm low on food," She took the water bottle, shaking it to the camera. "That's about 400 ml." Rainbow put the bottle back down. "And that's it for water." She looked straight at the camera, her eyes seemed droopy, and tears could be seen on the sides. Just then, another noise was heard from above. Rainbow shot her head straight up, seeing specks of rock fall on her. "HEY, IS ANYPONY THERE? PLEASE!!!!! I'M IN THE CANYON!!! HEEEEEEEELP!!!! Rainbow screamed louder than she had ever screamed in her life. Minutes went by and only silence could be heard. Rainbow looked back at the camera, the device still filmed her. She remained silent for the next minute, letting tears fall down her face as the camera was still recording. After the moment, Rainbow took the device, pressing the button to stop recording. She replayed the last bit. On the screen, she saw a filthy cyan pegasus screaming at the sky with the camera tipping over. She closed her eyes, licking her lips. "Rainbow Dash," She whispered to herself. "Do not lose it." -- The day seemed to go by faster than it usually did. Things also got a lot colder. With the moon high in the sky, Rainbow had a plan to get better sleep. She emptied out her bag, leaving all the supplies on the ground. Rainbow placed the bag over her head. Her rainbow mane touched the top of the grey fabric. All she saw was the inside of the bag. She placed the camera inside as well, filming her face. The device saw Rainbow's face up close inside a bag. With a much better feeling, the pegasus slightly smiled. She looked around, only seeing darkness but the light of the camera. She breathed in, swallowing down her saliva to clean her dry throat. "Alright, this is a little better," Her words were barely audible. She took out her granola bar, holding it up inside the bag. With her teeth, she ripped open the wrapper, revealing an old cereal bar. "This will be my lunch for today." She took a bite out of the bar, instantly breathing in the aroma. She was very hungry, so her gulping down the food was very loud. "Aw yeah, that's good," She whispered while taking bites out of the granola bar. While she ate, something kicked in her mind. While eating the cereal bar, Rainbow started humming that song. The same one she whistled while racing backwards against all those pets. Time went by fast as she ate while playing the song in her head. Before she knew it, Rainbow had finished her lunch. She paused, swirling her tongue around her mouth. Rainbow took the bag off her head, throwing the wrapper away. The granola bar left a salty feeling in her throat, and she had gone all day without drinking. Without much thinking, she reached out for her water bottle, popping off the lid. Her eyes drifted off into the sky as she slowly began to sip. Once again, the water washed her throat for the moment. After that second, she removed her mouth from the plastic, leaving about 300 ml left of water. Rainbow licked her lips, they remained dry. She still felt very thirsty. She just stared at the bottle. Rainbow shook her head, forcing herself to not jug the whole the bottle. She slid the lid back on, placing the bottle besides her. For some reason, she didn't feel all that tired. Rainbow reached for her supplies, grabbing the map she had. She rested her face on the cold boulder, slowly scanning her eyes on the map. She could see every part of Ghastly Gorge. Her hoof ran across the ink filled paper, her eyes, while a bit wet from tears, slowly drifted off to sleep. She remembered the day she got the map; Twilight lone her copy from the library. The unicorn asked where she was going, and rainbow replied with "I don't know yet." In a thought, Rainbow was fast asleep. She did turn off the camera before doing so, resting her head on the rock which covered her numb wing with the bag over her head. It was a much better sleep than the previous day. //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 3 The sun's rays along the canyon awoke the sleeping pegasus. She whimpered, feeling a tickle along her chin. With a free hoof, she tried to push off the unknown feeling. After a few misses, she finally flicked away the disturbance, sending it to the ground. Her eyes shifted open; she flicked an ant to the floor. Her blurry eyes watched as the insect crawled away into some nearby rocks. After being fully awake, Rainbow dash stretched her shoulder, sitting up on her flank. After chipping away at the boulder for so long, Rainbow tried an experiment. She placed both of her hooves under the rock, and with all her might tried to push it up. Since it lost a bit of mass due to her pecking at it with a knife, she assumed it would move easier. "GRRRRRRR, Calm on, move you stupid rock," she started to use her entire body to push the boulder. It just laid there, unfazed by the pegasus' force. "HAAAAAAAAAA"!!!! Rainbow gave one final scream to boost her strength. After a few minutes of grunting and screaming to move the heavy rock, Rainbow finally called quits. Her arms went limp as she nearly fell to her back, panting heavily. "This is INSANE", she cursed in anger. Realizing her words would never hurt the rock, Rainbow rested her head on it. Her mind became foggy as the pegasus began to think back to Ponyville, her mind teleported to the small town, seeing all the ponies just minding their own business. She thought of inside her cloud house. It was still the same before she left. Suddenly, Rainbow started to think about water; she gulped down in thirst. Her breathing became silent as she let her eyes wonder around the cave. Her thoughts finally went to her five best friends. She remembered one memory in mind. Her mind flashed to her last birthday party. It took place in Twilight's library, being just a month ago. They did so many things back then; something Rainbow remembered was the drinks. They had sodas and punch. Just thinking of the cold drinks made Rainbow curl back her tongue. She brought a hoof to her lips, lightly rubbing them. Her saliva was starting to become sticky and dry, and her lips were turning white. She glanced at the water filled bottle besides her. Rainbow quickly picked it up, popping off the lid, slowly taking a sip. Her eyes were concentrated. After a few seconds of slow drinking, they went wide as she took the bottle off her mouth. Rainbow gave a cough, drooped her eyes towards the bottle. Not much water was left, being only 100 ml left. Rainbow quickly slid the lid back on, placing the bottle to her side. She glanced back at her wing; her eyebrows went down, still seeing her tools of flight practically smashed by the heavy boulder. Rainbow shook her head, scavenging through her grey bag. She pulled out a camera, carefully placing it on the boulder, the lenses facing her. In a flick of a switch, she turned on the camera. It let out a light buzzing noise as the lenses lit up. "It's been a bummer all day," She started, giving an audible breath. "I've been hitting this rock all day, although, um, nothing much has happened," Her eyes kept its sleepy look. She now constantly had tears in them, though they weren't a bother. "This boulder is too heavy," She looked downwards. "And the friction here isn't really helping". There was a pause; Rainbow kept looking at the camera. "What I could really use is some kind of hammer." Rainbow lifted a hoof to the camera, holding an imaginary hammer as she pretended to hit the boulder. "That way I could... I-I could break this thing." Rainbow lightly nodded her head. "That should just about do it." Her tone of voice became quieter, almost whispering. She picked up the bottle, showing it to the camera. For a few seconds, Rainbow glanced between the water and the device filming her. "I have about 100 ml of water left, which should keep me alive till tomorrow night, if I'm lucky... If I'm lucky," She took a pause, breathing out. "Sorry I um, sorry I repeated that twice, um, yeah." She looked down towards her stomach; suddenly her voice became slightly higher. "I'm pretty hungry you know? But doesn't matter, my entire body has been acting pretty weird." On the last phase, Rainbow gave a light chuckle, making the tender moment last for a few extra seconds. "It's been really bad, but um, I'm sure it'll pass soon", She narrowed her eyes towards the camera, giving a worried smile. "Just got to be chill you know." While she spoke, a lizard just a few meters away crawled on the nearby rocks. The animal's eyes narrowed at the fallen pegasus. "I should disappoint my insect friends". Rainbow thought back to that ant she through on the ground. "I just have to wait," She looked around the rocky walls, seeing no way out. "Just got to wait and see what happens." Rainbow had been there for so long without company that she started to make unnecessary conversations with the camera. It got lonely, so she had to do something to pass the time. Rainbow looked up to the sky, seeing that same black bird from before. "There's this raven that comes every morning." Her mouth hung open, watching the bird fly by. After a few seconds had gone by, Rainbow looked back at the camera. "It comes all the time." She thought back the last day of when she had those few minutes of the sun shine down on her. "I get about fifteen minutes of sunlight per day." Her eyes went back to her wing under the boulder. "As you know, I've been chipping away at the rock. Though I think my wing is supporting this rock, so I chip a little bit, and it settles more." Her mind then flash backed to something she had tried earlier. "I had found a new way to break free." -- Rainbow carefully pulled a rubber string she had brought to the trip. Using both of her hooves, she tied it around her grounded wing. She wrapped it around the feathers and skin, pulling very tightly. "Oh, yeah heh," Rainbow gave a smile of pain, feeling the tightness on her wing. She kept pulling on the rubber string until she couldn't any more. Quickly, Rainbow grabbed the knife in her mouth. She bent over, her teeth clenched on the wooden handle. That's when Rainbow started to move the blade back and forth, sliding the edge over her wing repeatedly. Seconds went by, and Rainbow sucked on her teeth. "Grrrrrr," She gave a grunt as sweat came down on her face. The knife wasn't doing anything. It was too dull to cut even skin. It was pretty much a butter knife, and the only injury it caused were a few scratches on the skin of her wing. After a few minutes of trying, Rainbow stopped. She let out a breath she had been holding, panting quietly. -- Rainbow held the camera up, its lenses pointing straight at her wing. It had a few scratches and bruises on it, and a few feathers were torn off. "It hasn't been very useful," She put the camera back on the boulder, giving a light smile. "Here's a lesson, don't buy cheap knives. They really do suck," She shook her head in denial. "I should have brought my good knife, and my flashlight, but the flashlight is a piece of crap too." Rainbow looked straight at the camera, her smile died down as her eyes became teary. "I don't blame you girls; my friends. You could never have known I would get trapped in this situation." Rainbow finally thought back to all the adventures she and her friends had been through. It was always a fun time as they each learned lessons throughout the times. "Way to go girls," She gave one final phrase of encouragement, before shutting off the camera. -- A few hours later The sun's light lowered under the horizon, and not a single cloud could be seen in the sky at the moment. Rainbow rested her head on the boulder. She wasn't sleeping, just doing nothing out of boredom. She tried turning her body, though her ears perked as she hit something, knocking it down. Rainbow went in shock as she turned around to meet the unknown object. Her bottle laid on its side, the water was slowly seeping out. With quick thinking, Rainbow grabbed the bottle, lifting it back up so gravity forced the water down. She carefully examined the bottle; about half of the water left was gone. "Damn it," She cursed, her voice having much more emotion than before. Tears began to fall down her cheeks as Rainbow began to rapidly sniff. "It's not fair," She smacked her head against the boulder, crying. Her tears came crashing to the dirty ground, it being washed away by the dryness of the canyon. A few minutes had passed; Rainbow stared blindly at her bottle. She couldn't cry anymore after being dehydrated for so long. After snapping back to reality, Rainbow slid the lid back on the bottle, placing it to the side. Her face still looked terrible. Her breathing became louder as her teeth clenched. After a few minutes of grief, Rainbow finally let herself sleep as the moon lit up the sky. //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 4 "PLEASE!!!! PLEASE," Rainbow begged in her sleep, sweating under the bag which covered her head. She painfully gritted her teeth, giving sharp and loud breathes. Water enveloped in Rainbow's eyes as she shot tears down her cheeks; the drops splashing at the bottom of the bag. The tip of her muzzle was drenched in sweat; her eyes clenched shut as her brain felt foggy. "PLEASE!!!!" For the last time, she screamed in her mind, before quieting down. Asking to be released from the boulder in sleep wouldn't help... ever. -- The Next Day The bright shine beamed from the horizon, waking up everything in its path. Rainbow made sure to wake up early; she watched as the sun's light began to cover the deserted canyon. The grounded pegasus wore a smile for an odd reason. She planned some kind of event, though only she would know. Rainbow held the camera, placing it on the boulder with the lenses facing her. She ducked, leaving the device's peripheral vision. With a sneaky hoof, she turned the camera on while behind the boulder. The device gave its usual buzzing noise at it started to film down the rocky walls, Rainbow was nowhere in sight. After a few seconds of waiting, the rainbow pegasus shot out of cover, coming right in front of the camera, wearing a professional smile. Her eyes lit up as she licked her lips. "Good morning everypony," she looked up, spotting the direction of the sun's light. "It's about morning here in Ghastly Gorge, and this morning, on the boulder," she spoke the last phrase while tilting her head. "We have a very special guest, self-proclaimed Equestrian superhero, Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow looked away, viewing the imaginary crowd that surrounded her. "Come on boys and girls, let's hear it for Rainbow Dash," her head nodded as she heard the fake applause emitting from the canyon. After the crowd died down from their clapping and cheering, Rainbow looked back at the camera with soft eyes. "H-Hey, Hi, oh gosh, it's-it's a real pleasure to be here, thank you." The cheering in Rainbow's head continued. She gave a sheepish smile. "Hehe, yeah, thank you," she spoke while giving a light chuckle. After looking around the walls, rainbow looked back at the camera. "Hey, um, can I say hi to all my friends?" Suddenly, her entire facial expression changed to a more confident look. She narrowed her eyes, smiling. "Your friends, mustn't forget your friends right Rainbow?" She shifted back to her softer look. "Yeah that's right, um-" she took a pause. "Hey girls, I'm really sorry I didn't get to see you the other night. If I had, I would tell you where I was going," she shook her head. "Well I probably wouldn't be here right now." She went back to her announcer voice. "That's for sure." More imaginary laughter could be heard. "But like I always say, your supreme selfishness is our gain," she motioned a hoof to herself. "Thank you Rainbow Dash! Is there anypony else you would like to say hi to?" "Um, my co-workers at work," she thought of all the pegasi she worked with on managing the weather in Ponyville. "Hey guys, sorry I probably won't be coming in for work today." More made up laughter from all around the canyon screamed to the pegasus. "Haha, get a load of this mare-oh wait, hold on," she held a hoof to her ear, pretending to be wearing an earphone. "We have a question coming in from another Rainbow Dash in Ghastly Loser Gorge, the canyon for losers." More laughter could be heard. "Rainbow asks: Am I right in thinking that even if my co-workers from work notify the guards, they would be putting a 24 hour hold on me, which means I would only be considered missing until tomorrow morning at the earliest?" "Um yeah, you're right on the dot Rainbow Dash, heh." "Which means?" she started to whisper. "I'll probably be dead by then." Another burst of laughter could be heard. "Wow Rainbow Dash, how do you know so much?" Rainbow took another pause, breathing out. "Well, I'll tell you why I know so much. I volunteered for the rescue service." Rainbow went wide eyed, being at full attention with her other self. "You see, I'm something of a, uh," her eyes rolled in thought. "Something of a big bucking hard hero, and I can do everything on my own...you see?" Rainbow squinted her eyes, looking straight into the buzzing camera. "I do see." More clapping was heard. "Now tell me, is it true, that despite, or maybe because you're a big bucking hard hero," Her voice became more playful, before switching back to a sad tone. "You didn't tell anypony where you were going?" "Um, yeah, that's absolutely correct." Rainbow's announcing side narrowed her, giving a confused look. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Anypony?" She shook her head as a light laughter came from the imaginary audience. "Anypony," she confirmed. Rainbow leaned in, opening her mouth wide. As she closed them, only one word came out. "Oops." The laughing got louder. She leaned back, looking down at her wing. The crowd died down along with her happiness. "Oops," her voice became barely audible. She kept nodded her head, before finally looking up to the lenses. "Oops." The conversation she just had with herself didn't even feel memorable, just plain and empty. Rainbow gave a gulp, breathing out, she started. "Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, I just want to take this time to tell you that the times we've spent together has been something very important to me," she took a pause, tears were visible on the edges of her eyes. "And I haven't appreciated you in my heart enough because I know that I've could." Rainbow laid her hooves on the boulder, looking closely. She sucked on her tongue as she continued. "I love you girls, and I'll always be with you," she gave a light nod in agreement before slowly shutting the camera off. On the press of a switch, the buzzing stopped and Rainbow was left alone again. -- Many Hours Later Rainbow took out her water bottle, looking closely to see the 50 ml left inside. She slowly opened it, flipping it over towards her mouth, "Mph, mph." Rainbow gave muffled moans as the last bit of water seeped down her throat. She began to suck on the lid, sucking in any droplets of water that were missed. She stuck her dry tongue in, absorbing anything around the bottle. Seconds went by and Rainbow finally took the bottle off her dehydrated mouth. She licked her lips in desperation, making sure to not miss anything. She rubbed her face, looking around the walls to see nothing but darkness approach. Suddenly, Rainbow felt a pain in her chest. She held a hoof to it, eyebrows tilting down. Her heart rate was increasing dramatically. Rainbow's breath became loud and short. Sweat dripped down her forehead as the pain in her chest continued. Each second that passed by, Rainbow's breathing became sharper. Her hoof found its way to the knife. She slowly picked it up, looking at it with grief. Her teeth gritted as her heart nearly ripped out of her chest. Suddenly, with all her strength and courage, Rainbow stabbed her wing. The metal blade ripped a few inches deep through her cyan skin and feathers. Rainbow grunted loudly as dark blood dripping out of her pinned wing. The red fluid came out where the knife met the wing, though it wasn't as painful as she thought it would be. Rainbow removed her hoof from the blunt knife, leaving her wing with a metal tool sticking out of it, as drops of blood continued to spill, a light air sound shot through her body. Her breathing became quieter as she stretched her neck. "Grr, oh, oh," she grunted while looking back down to her knife impaled wing. She slowly tightened the rubber string around her wing, dulling the pain more. She leaned her head closer as her hoof found its way back to the knife. She started to twirl the knife around, feeling the tip scratch against something hard. Whatever it was, it created a crackling noise. "Bone," she slowly whispered to herself. After a few seconds of scratching her wing bone, Rainbow ripped the knife out, leaving a flesh wound on her skin with blood lightly seeping out. She rubbed a free hoof against the stab wound, sinking the tip inside. Rainbow licked her lips as she pulled out, witnessing blood on the tip of her hoof. Without much thinking, she through her hoof into her mouth, sucking off the blood. It tasted like metal, though she would do anything to have something relatively close to water. She lay there, motionless. After stabbing your wing and sucking some blood off of it, it would leave you quite in shock. Her eyes were too dry for tears, so she laid her head on the boulder, leaving a stab wound right in her wing. -- A Few Hours Later By now, it was nightfall. The moon hung in the middle of the sky, illuminating the dark canyon. Rainbow had the bag over her head again. This time, the camera was filming. In a flick of a switch, she turned it on, presenting the fake audience with a sad gaze. Her breathing was ragged; she licked her dry lips. "Hey, um, so I'm finally out of water. That means I'll probably stay alive till tomorrow, and I guess that's it," she took a painful pause, guiding her hoof to the off switch. "I love you all, and I'm sorry for getting myself into this." As she spoke her last words, she turned off the camera. Rainbow through the bag off her head; placing the camera aside, having a look of anger, Rainbow quickly picked up the blunt knife. She immediately started to roughly grind the blade along the boulder, scratching lines behind the knife. Hours passed and Rainbow kept this motion running. After the ache in her shoulder was too much, she finally came to a rest. Rainbow's eyes stared blankly at knife. It looked sharp after sliding it against the rock for so long. She blew the dust off it, examining her new tool. "Looks like useful things can be made out of cheap knives," she spoke, her voice extremely raspy. Suddenly, a quite crash shot through behind Rainbow. She quickly turned around, darting her eyes back and forth through the rocky hall. She would scream for help, but she couldn't. Her voice was too weak now to do anything but whisper. Rainbow turned back, placing the knife down and resting her head on the boulder after going so long without any sleep. She closed her eyes, trying to dream of her friends back in Ponyville. Instead, she only dreamed of stillness as her muscles relaxed. //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 5 //-------------------------------------------------------// Day 5 The next morning, many hours later Rainbow sat motionless, her eyes round, though her face emotionless. Her ghostly face glared at the grounded wing. A dark, dry trace of blood could be seen on the side. Few flies buzzed around the rotting feathered body part; she didn't mind. Rainbow was too caught up in dying; she couldn't concentrate, on anything. Moving her shaky hoof, Rainbow turned on the camera. "Hello," her face kept twitching. "Time is moving really slowly, and my heart is going really fast. I swear like...its beating like three times as fast as it should be." Rainbow's breathing became ragged; she kept shaking like ants were crawling up her body. The hot sun beamed own, her thought became lighter. She remembered all the video diaries. Rainbow imagined her friends finding her, though those thoughts quickly vanished once she came back to reality. Rainbow looked behind her, seeing all of her five friends looking at her; they each wore warm smiles. Rainbow to smiled, showing her yellow teeth. "H-hey girls, how's it going?" The questions never reached them. Rainbow witnesses each of her friends vanish, all but Twilight. The purple unicorn walked up to Rainbow, whispering in her ear. "We'll be waiting for you Rainbow Dash." that last phrase stretched on as Twilight faded away. -- Rainbow shook her head, giving a gasp she looked around. She was still alone, nothing was there. Rainbow gritted her teeth as tears came down. Suddenly, she started to rapidly punch the boulder. "THIS ROCK! THIS STUPID BUCKING ROCK! THIS STUPID ROCK! After minutes have passed, Rainbow left a spot of blood on the boulder. The hoof she used to punch it felt dead, covered in dry blood. She began to breath rapidly again. -- Later that night The camera was dead, and Rainbow felt exhausted. She finally decided to take a rest. Tomorrow would be the day she died. She was out of water and food. Her knife wasn't much use. She was done. Rainbow slowly closed her eyes, feeling her heart burn as she drifted off to a miserable sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// Final 7 hours //-------------------------------------------------------// Final 7 hours The next day Rainbow hadn't slept at all. She's been awake all night, too dehydrated or too in pain for sleep. This was it; she was just mere hours from death. Rainbow stared down at the boulder, her wing purple and her face pale. Whenever she would move around, her muscles would only cause late responses. Rainbow's lower body was figuratively dead, and the ache in her neck wouldn't stop. But after such a long wait, after being pinned down in the depths of Ghastly Gorge for over five days, something in her foggy brain kicked in. There was nothing more powerful than the will to live. Rainbow shakily grabbed the strong, rubber rope. She tied it tightly to the upper part of her dead wing. So tight till she felt the numbness in her muscles and she couldn't pull anymore. Rainbow got up, bending her body to one side as her wing bend the opposite way. Her breaths became short and low as she put pressure on her wing, twisting it with most of the strength she had left. In a lightning fast second, a painful snap whipped through her body. Rainbow fell over, panting heavily. She lay there for a few agonizing seconds, before getting back up. Rainbow slowly felt her wing; it felt like mush. After clearing her eyes, Rainbow shook her head. She had just broken a bone, but only one out of the two. Rainbow, while struggling, went back to her twisting position. Putting pressure on her grounded wing, Rainbow pulled. She gritted her teeth, putting all of her might into it. This last bone was harder than the previous one. "Grrrrr," she began grunting quietly. After the painful moment, another even more painful moment snapped. The last bone in her wing broke, causing a ringing feel through her flanks. Rainbow shook her head violently. "GAH, HAHA, HAHAHAHA," she screamed, trying to substitute the pain with laughter. Only half of it worked. After feeling her wing, Rainbow grabbed the now sharp knife. She placed the wooden handle of the tool in her mouth, ignoring the mucus which accumulated in her saliva. She brought the blade close to the rotten flesh of her wing, the tip just touching it. She turned the knife, roughly sliding it across the skin, causing a thin, red opening. Rainbow sucked on her teeth, letting out moans of disturbance. All Rainbow could do was mumble to herself, every once in a while clenching her eyes close. She buried the knife into the wing, feeling the strings of muscle being wounded. She lightly whipped out the blade, a small puddle of dark blood formed underneath the wing. "Oh, come on." Rainbow had blood on her mouth, sucking some of it off her wing to keep hydration. Minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like days. Rainbow just stayed there, cutting away at the dull skin and feather of her pinned wing. Every few minutes, she would dig her muzzle at the growing wound, pulling out pieces of flesh that hung loosely. While it felt like her wings were burning, she learned to ease down the pain. A mixture of blood and drool dripped down her chin, digging her hooves in to remove any dead string of muscle. Noticing her wing was getting lighter, Rainbow reached for the rubber string, pulling on it even tighter than before. After a few more minutes of digging deep, Rainbow noticed a white, thin string visible inside her wing. It looked like dental floss, though a bit darker. She brought the tip of her knife close to the thin strand of possible flesh. The moment the metal of the blade hit the white string, an extremely loud buzzing noise shot through Rainbow's ears, almost causing her to go deaf. She flung back, nearly dropping the knife as she screamed in pain. Rainbow had just touched a nerve, a very sensitive part of the body. Her teeth clenched together so tightly, they looked as if they were about to break. With weak eyes, Rainbow lowered a hoof back to the thin nerve. The moment she pulled on it, her entire body gave a short spasm. The buzzing in her ears was just as loud as before and it lasted several seconds longer. Time seemed to slow down as Rainbow tried again to pull off the nerve. It was the only way to cut through the rest of the skin. Minutes upon minutes went by, Rainbow nearly passing out after each try. She screamed, and whimpered, and almost gave up. She brought her shaky knife back to the undamaged nerve. Sweat shot out of the back of her neck. Her breathing was too ragged to be normal, and in one quick swoop. Rainbow brought the blade down hard. The knife slashed through the nerve, and Rainbow screamed louder than she has ever had in her life. The constant buzzing in her head nearly killed her. Everything seemed to get darker. Rainbow had a terrible expression. Drool kept pouring out of her mouth as black blood stained her teeth. The moment she was about to pass about, she slapped herself hard, trying to stay awake. If she dropped now, she would die. Rainbow began to cry, though without any actual tears coming through her eyes. Her breathing became desperate as she slowly got back up. With a hint of courage left in her, Rainbow growled. She went back to cutting through the skin. "Don't pass out Rainbow Dash. Do not pass out." Only she could encourage herself to keep going. Many more horrible minutes flew by. Rainbow yelled, grunted, growled, begged and at some points, nearly stopped breathing. All she did was stab and jab, cutting and slicing. Every strand of muscle ripped to the side, blood dried up everywhere in the area. After a few more moments of pain, Rainbow gave one final cut, ripping her wing off completely. Rainbow fell back, breathing heavily as she looked up to the sky. Her head slowly looked forward, seeing a boulder on top of a dead piece of feathery flesh. She made her way to the grey bag, wrapping it around her amputated area. Rainbow grabbed all of her stuff, though this process took a few more minutes. Then, she walked out of the crevice. With a wrapped up stub on her side and only walking on three weak legs, Rainbow wasn't sure if she was going to make it very far. -- Eventually, she made it out of the collapsed walls. Standing on a rocky hill, Rainbow looked beyond the setting sun. She hadn't seen it for so long, her mouth was shaking. The dehydrated pegasus found a dirty puddle of water on the ground. Being in her state, Rainbow dug her face in it, absorbing the filthy water down her throat. After many stumbles, she finally tries to make it back to Ponyville. //-------------------------------------------------------// End //-------------------------------------------------------// End In a green, sprawling field in the wilderness stood a picnic. The traditional red and white cloth lay flat on the wet grass with sandwiches, fruits and vegetables covering it. Five specific ponies were eating together talking about their day. Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy, they haven't seen Rainbow in over five days. They were used to it though; Rainbow always left to go on some crazy adventure for a week or two. "Have any of y'all seen Rainbow Dash lately?" Applejack finally asked. They all shrugged; Twilight responded. "I'm afraid not. In fact, Rainbow hasn't been around in over five days. Should we be worried?" "A reckon she's on some crazy adventure. She'll be back in a jiffy," Applejack reassured. "If I might bring something up," Rarity started, "She never told us where she was going, should we send her a letter?" "You know what I think," Pinkie blurted out, jumping in front of the picnic format. "I think she's planning a big, super, duper surprise party for us. It's gonna be funna fun fun." They all rolled her eyes, remembering Pinkie's usual hyper active behavior. Fluttershy was the last to speak. "Well I bet she's having a great time right now." They all agreed. After a few more minutes passed by, an odd shape became noticeable in the distance. Twilight was the first to see this, narrowing her eyes down the grassy horizon. It was some kind of figure, and it seemed to be getting bigger. "Um, girls," Twilight got her friends' attention, who all looked at her general direction. For a few more seconds, they kept looking at the figure in the distance. As it got closer, they noticed how horrid it looked. It was dragging itself, possibly sick or injured and just gave them a sad, cold feeling. Fluttershy was the first to notice. It was...Rainbow Dash. -- They all watched in confusion and shock, with a bit of horror. Their pegasus friend looked horrible, like she had just fought an entire army of timberwoles. She also had some kind of grey cloth wrapped over her left wing. It was dark red, dried with blood. She had bags under her eyes, purple and red from pain and exhaustion. Eventually Rainbow fell flat on her face. "Rainbow!!" Twilight yelled; she and her friends rushed to the fallen pegasus. They all gathered around Rainbow, Fluttershy helping her up. They couldn't believe the state she was in. It was awful. Each and every one of them developed tears in their eyes. "Rainbow Dash," Rarity started in a voice full of emotion. "What in Equestria has happened to you?" Rainbow's mouth was shaking, all she saw were colorful blurs on top of her. "Please," she begged in a desperate tone, "Water." Upon hearing this, Pinkie took out a bottle of water, popped off the lid and gave it to Rainbow. "Please, drink quick." They all noticed how dehydrated she was. The almost dying pegasus quickly took the bottle, and poured all the cold liquid down her throat. This lasted for a few audible seconds, only the sound of loud gulping could be heard. After, Rainbow dropped the bottle to her side. All her friends had rays of water down their cheeks. Rainbow simply closed her eyes, still having grief upon her face. Although, she gave a very light smile, knowing that her friends were there. In that moment, Rainbow's heart stopped beating. She lay motionless. "R-R-Rainbow D-Dash?" Fluttershy asked between chokes. Applejack held a ear to Rainbow's chest. After many painfully long seconds, she stood back. Applejack took off her hat, her eyes drooping down with tears. "A'm sorry y'all." That was it. Rainbow just didn't move. To much stress to her heart and brain killed her. Her coat became darker as grey cloud swirled in the sky. They all sobbed over their friend as the sky grew darker. Rainbow finally died. This was the last 127 hours of her life. 5 days full of misery and grief... and just... just tears. It was now over. The End -- The Theme Song: Comes from the actual movie Youtube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVQ6pACISMY) //-------------------------------------------------------// Alternate Ending (Because so many people asked) //-------------------------------------------------------// Alternate Ending (Because so many people asked) In a green, sprawling field in the wilderness stood a picnic. The traditional red and white cloth lay flat on the wet grass with sandwiches, fruits and vegetables covering it. Five specific ponies were eating together talking about their day. Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack and Fluttershy, they haven't seen Rainbow in over five days. They were used to it though; Rainbow always left to go on some crazy adventure for a week or two. "Have any of y'all seen Rainbow Dash lately?" Applejack finally asked. They all shrugged; Twilight responded. "I'm afraid not. In fact, Rainbow hasn't been around in over five days. Should we be worried?" "A reckon she's on some crazy adventure. She'll be back in a jiffy," Applejack reassured. "If I might bring something up," Rarity started, "She never told us where she was going, should we send her a letter?" "You know what I think," Pinkie blurted out, jumping in front of the picnic format. "I think she's planning a big, super, duper surprise party for us. It's gonna be funna fun fun." They all rolled her eyes, remembering Pinkie's usual hyper active behavior. Fluttershy was the last to speak. "Well I bet she's having a great time right now." They all agreed. After a few more minutes passed by, an odd shape became noticeable in the distance. Twilight was the first to see this, narrowing her eyes down the grassy horizon. It was some kind of figure, and it seemed to be getting bigger. "Um, girls," Twilight got her friends' attention, who all looked at her general direction. For a few more seconds, they kept looking at the figure in the distance. As it got closer, they noticed how horrid it looked. It was dragging itself, possibly sick or injured and just gave them a sad, cold feeling. Fluttershy was the first to notice. It was...Rainbow Dash. -- They all watched in confusion and shock, with a bit of horror. Their pegasus friend looked horrible, like she had just fought an entire army of timberwoles. She also had some kind of grey cloth wrapped over her left wing. It was dark red, dried with blood. She had bags under her eyes, purple and red from pain and exhaustion. Eventually Rainbow fell flat on her face. "Rainbow!!" Twilight yelled; she and her friends rushed to the fallen pegasus. They all gathered around Rainbow, Fluttershy helping her up. They couldn't believe the state she was in. It was awful. Each and every one of them developed tears in their eyes. "Rainbow Dash," Rarity started in a voice full of emotion. "What in Equestria has happened to you?" Rainbow's mouth was shaking, all she saw were colorful blurs on top of her. "Please," she begged in a desperate tone, "Water." Upon hearing this, Pinkie took out a bottle of water, popped off the lid and gave it to Rainbow. "Please, drink quick." They all noticed how dehydrated she was. The almost dying pegasus quickly took the bottle, and poured all the cold liquid down her throat. This lasted for a few audible seconds, only the sound of loud gulping could be heard. After, Rainbow dropped the bottle to her side. All her friends had rays of water down their cheeks. Rainbow simply closed her eyes, still having grief upon her face. Although, she gave a very light smile, knowing that her friends were there. Rainbow finally passed out, having a very weak heart rate. "Quick!!" Twilight yelled. "We need to get her some help! Anything!" They all nodded, quickly picking her up and taking her to the Ponyville Hospital. -- Rainbow's eyes slowly opened, noticing many colorful blurs watching. Shaking her head lightly, Rainbow made out who were the mysterious shapes. "She perfectly fine now. I'll you girls to talk to her," said the nurse pony as she exited through the front door. Rainbow simply looked at her friends; they were all crying. Rainbow herself cried. "H-Hey girls." she said in a weak voice. They all hugged her at once, lightly sobbing on the white sheets. After pulling out, Twilight was the first to ask. "Rainbow, please tell us what happened." Rainbow took a breathe in. "I've been trapped in Ghastly Gorge for over 5 days...yeah." she kept nodding her head. She told them everything. About how she had to amputate her own wing, and how she made all those video diaries. After she was done talking, they shared one final group hug. Right before Rainbow fell asleep due to exhaustion. Rainbow Dash was saved. The End -- The Theme Song: Comes from the actual movie Youtube Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVQ6pACISMY)