Prologue: At the End of all Things.
To say Rainbow Dash had never felt fear, would of course be a lie. Though her bravado suggested otherwise, she was still only a pony afterall. Even a young pony such as herself had been in many situations which had panicked, concerned and, though she were loathe to admit it, scared her.
So, if she was capable of being frightened, then why wasn’t she now? It occurred to her that this was the perfect time to be losing her mind in sheer panic. But she was calm. And that frightened her.
Here she lay, cold rock against her back, wings splayed beneath her. She was sure at least one of them was broken. Her mane and tail were cruel mockeries of their former glory, blood, dirt and Celestia knows what else dulling their once wonderous sheen. A quick glance down her chest revealed no fewer then 6 deep gashes and if by some miracle she were to make it out of here then…
“I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be you in the morning.”
Her tormentor made their presence known, just out of sight behind her. Rainbows muscles howled their protest as she attempted to turn. She had been taught early on that you never let an enemy out of your sight. But when she needed them most, her body and training both betrayed her. No small amount of time had been put into turning her into a soldier, and above all else, soldiers protect others and survive. She was about to fail at both. Spectacularly.
The figure now loomed over her, and though her sight was failing her, she had no doubts who it was. As always, they had the uncanny ability to read Dash’s mind.
“You never were one to do things by halves Rainbow Dash. When you fail, you fail spectacularly.”
“Honestly. I expected more from the great Rainbow Dash, leader of the Shadowbolts." mockery laced the already condescending voice, "But, then again this isn’t the first time you have disappointed me. But it is the last."
Pressure on her throat. That was new. Brain, going dull. Thoughts, sluggish.
Rainbow Dash had felt many emotions in her all too short life. Fear, hope, joy and even what she thought, hoped…knew had been love. But here, at the end, one emotion flooded her oxygen starved brain. One that was relatively new to the mare who had always strived to live life to the fullest. One final emotion that caused her more pain then all the crashes she had endured.
Rainbow Dash knew only regret.
