Rainbow Dash was alone: something that she hated. No, feared. For as long as she could remember, she had her friends by her side, always steadfast and loyal, ready to help at the drop of a hat. They said that they would be there through any storm, anything. Anything...
Anything...
The sobbing mare lay curled up tightly on her bed in her cloudhouse as the rain thundered outside, relentlessly pounding the walls. Lightning flashed here and there as she succumbed to another wave of overpowering emotion. Shunned from Ponyville and a disgrace to all of Equestria, the only solace she could find was in her own home, away from the public's hateful eyes. Months ago, she had been cause of the resident human's death in Ponyville. Humans in Equestria were a new thing at the time, and nopony fully understood them yet. Some were scared, others felt threatened. Others felt aggression, and others were interested. The princesses were included were curious
After the funeral, Rainbow remained in denial for some time, clinging to her friends for some form of comfort. Sadly, she found none there. One after another, her friends pushed her away, cutting her out of their lives and completely forgetting that she even existed. Their words were too painful for her to revisit, pushing them far back into her mind. Harsh, harsh words. Words spoke without quarter or remorse, words that cut to the bone. The monochrome mare's life slowly fell apart over the span of a few months; first came her friends, then her job, then her dreams. The ultimate punishment aside from public execution was having your Element of Harmony revoked, and that's exactly what happened to Rainbow. Done publicly by the Princesses themselves without any pity, she was thrown out of the spotlight like yesterday's spoiled milk, forced to survive by herself.
She had lost so much weight, her mane and coat had faded into dull, dark contrasts of what they used to be. Her front legs littered with scars, some new some old, torturing herself for her own actions. She had no one to cry to now, no one to hold her and tell that it was all right. There was no one left to stop her from hurting herself. She was a ghost of her former self, not even touching her beloved Daring Do books for weeks.
She was alone.
Thunder shook her house to the core, rattling her bed and and dresser. All pictures of the times with her friends were either smashed, burned or destroyed beyond recovery. She hadn't left her home in three days, and no one had come to see if she was all right. Not that she expected anyone to.
The broken mare slowly made her way to her bedside window, resting a hoof on the windowsill. The sun was starting to rise, gently peeking over the distant mountains, chasing away the night's warm embrace. She wiped the tears from her eyes, turning away from the window towards the middle of her room, lazily scanning the spread out room, looking for something. Anything to ease her pain.
With every step she took, the pain from the cuts made itself known, making her wince. Pawing through the top drawer of her dresser, she found what she was looking for. Her flight camp uniform. The one thing that had been close to a Wonderbolts uniform. The silky fabric felt good against the fur of her hooves, causing her to break out into tears again, collapsing to the floor once again, sadness racking her body. The sunlight gently shone through the open window with its curtains drawn. An idea crept into the mare's mind, an idea that just might work.
She put the pristine uniform back into the drawer and closing it, she drew in a breath of stale air before closing her eyes and walking towards the front door, closing it behind her. The wind bit at her mane and coat, her tears streaking across her face.
Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She'd finally have some peace of mind. The sunrise was coming up slowly, casting its rays across Equestria. The wind whipped through her mane. She stood there for a long while, contemplating whether this was truly the way to end this. She reflected back on the events that had transpired in the last few months, bringing new emotions and old tears to her eyes. They clouded her judgement, making the options only seem more enticing.
Finally making up her mind, she closed her eyes again, and jumping off the clouds that once held her up so high.
Her mind flashed back to the Pegasus flight exams that she had aced so many years ago, performing a sonic rainboom to save rarity's life, and all the other life events that made her who she was today.
She smiled as all went black, finally letting her mind be at peace.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The calm fall day gently nipped at Twilight's nose as she walked along the dirt path next to Whitetail Wood. Her pink and white scarf whipped gently in the breeze, the rustling of falling leaves broke the silence that surrounded her. She ruffled her wings, drawing them in closer to her body, trying to keep some warmth. The clear sky was filled with flying pegasi, each with their own agenda and places to be. She had just finished visiting Rarity for some new winter clothes for the impending winter ahead and was taking the long scenic route towards Sweet Apple Acres. No ill thoughts plagued her mind and no troubles were seen in the future. Spreading her wings, she trotted then ascended into the air with grace, flying comfortably through the wind on her way to Applejack's. A rainbow shown in the sky for a split second in Twilight's peripheral vision, arcing in the sky with huge beauty, but only for a split second before it vanished without a trace. The alicorn continued to fly onward to her old friend's home. As she landed at the farm, white picket fence on her right, a thought flashed through her sub conscious, causing her to stop for a second. Shaking her head, she trotted off towards the red barn of the farm.
