The mountains stood dark and tall against the Equestrian sky, snowcast top’s gone with the milk white clouds, drifting lazily, slowly. Up and down the west face, grey and grey beyond depression rocks floundered in clusters, inanimate crowds, waiting. The lake was center in the two reverse grooves, surrounded by pony worn paths, and a great deal of vast space.
It had been a rather cool day, in the minus area of thermometers. Rainbow hadn’t given that much thought, the forecast had described sun and warmth, and she was regretting it.
The lake, for the day.
Why?
The voice came and went; it didn’t bother her in the least way. It came years ago, and was around for certain things.
Conversations had been ruined, friendships destroyed.
Maybe it was her, it had to be.
~~~
The boat had been left there by other’s a few days earlier, and with no one in sight, she decided to put it out. It was worn down skiff, planks that had once been white and grey were nothing now, all the color faded and scratched.
It wasn’t hard, Rainbow had been on many rides on river and reservoirs. With the sun at about noon, she was almost in the middle.
The wind had picked up, tossing the little boat up and down with the squalls, the blue water swished and splashed, from blue to white to blue again.
Rainbow shivered, how long would she be out there?
She stopped thinking about it. There was plenty of time. She could wait.
She had brought Tank along, he stood on the prow, like a captain discovering new waters.
Rainbow loved Tank. They did everything, well almost everything, under the sun together.
It had been so hard to wait for him to wake from hibernation, but she pulled through. With the help of her…
No. Not anymore.
There was a sudden squall, so fast and furious, causing the tortoise to teeter back and forth on the prow.
“Tank!”
Rainbow dove towards the bow, not fast enough. Tank fell into the water.
“Tank? Tank!” She felt a panic build in her chest.
Fortunately, Tank reappeared on the surface. The knot of panic melted.
“Oh. Good.”
She felt silly for being scared. Tortoises were swimmers!
Tank smiled and began a series of small counter clock wise circles.
Rainbow looked across the water, for nothing in particular.
She noticed a patch of something on the water. What was that?
It seemed to moving! Was it alive?
“Hey! Tank! I think it’s time to come back!” Rainbow called out.
The tortoise turned, smiled and started a slow paddle towards the boat.
The thing seemed to pick up speed, nothing could move that fast! Could it?
It was heading straight for Tank.
Rainbow reached out with her hoof, trying get a hold of Tank, almost.
“Ta-“
Tank began to thrash, fast.
The thing, was pink. It surrounded the tortoise.
“Tank!”
The tortoise looked at Rainbow, in terror and pain.
“What’s happening?”
She could see now, the pink thing was pulling him under!
“NO!”
She reached out both hooves and tried pulling him up, it was like trying to pull a tree up with its roots.
The water turned red, bright red.
Tank thrashing became slower, he let out a groan of pain.
Rainbow saw. The pink was eating him!
“Tank, no!”
Her hooves slipped, and Tank disappeared under a film of blood and pink.
Rainbow watched the water.
She bit her lip.
Bad dream, please.
She opened her eyes, still the same.
She looked at the water.
“No…no…Tank!”
She fell on her stomach, tears flowing.
Her sobs carried through the air.
~~~
Her head slowly rose.
Asleep, I was asleep. She thought.
Do you love?
I…don’t know.
You do, you do love me.
The boat shuddered, the form of pink appeared on the surface. It was beautiful.
Rainbow felt herself drawn, she reached out, foreleg extended. The pink shimmered, among the blue and white waves.
They’re pretty!
Rainbow blinked, and brought her hoof up, it struck her snout and a stream of blood flowed.
The boat rocked and shuddered.
The color, loopy. They made me loopy!
Do you love me?
I…no.
It was her! It was her!
Stay. Please.
Why?
I don’t know if I can.
LOVE.
I LOVE!
I LOVE!
Rainbow Dash screamed. She screamed. And then, She screamed some more.
Hours after, the sun began to sink beneath the clouds and horizon. A few hours later, loons began their calling.
The moon rose, white and scarred.
~~~
That night was forever.
The sky began to lighten in the east around a quarter to five, and Rainbow felt a rise in her spirit. It was momentary. She stood on the boards, eyes half closed, and her chin on her chest. She had been sitting on the boards until an hour ago, and had been suddenly awakened—without even knowing until then that she had fallen asleep, that was the scary part—by that unspeakable hissing sound.
She leaped to her hooves bare seconds before the pink began to suck for her underneath the boards. Her breath came in and out; she bit at her lip, making it bleed.
Asleep, you were asleep, you idiot!
The thing had moved out from under again half an hour later, but she hadn’t sat down again. Rainbow was afraid to sit down, afraid she would go to sleep and that this time her mind wouldn’t wake in time. Her hooves were still planted on the boards as light, real dawn this time, filled the sky and the birds began to sing their songs.
The sun came up, and by six o’clock the day was bright enough for her to be able to see the beach.
Do you love?
Yes, I love.
She looked left and there it was, pink, round as a checker, floating lightly. It began to swirl in on itself and she looked away quickly.
“Go home.” Rainbow croaked.
Rainbow Dash fell into a stroke of thoughts: I am reported missing.
The search spreads outward from Ponyville. A roadkeeper remembers being passed by a pegasus “going like a bat out of hell.” The search centers in the lake area. Others volunteer to do a quick aerial search, and a pony is found…
She caught herself on the edge of toppling over the side and brought her hoof into her snout, screaming at the pain.
The pink came at the boat immediately and squeezed underneath—it could hear, perhaps, or sense...or something.
Rainbow waited.
This time it was forty-five minutes before it came out.
Her mind slowly orbited in the growing light.
Yes, I love her.
I love. Do you love?
So hot. The sun is like a burning glass. It’s the light I remember best. The light, the summer light.
I remember her. I loved her, but she left me. She left me.
I remember her fur, her poofy mane.
I remember the love, her tongue against my clitoris. The ring.
I remember asking her to marry me. She left me.
Left me!
LEFT ME!
She left me…
Left me…alone.
I can’t get her back…
~~~
Rainbow Dash was crying.
She was crying because something new had been added now—every time she tried to sit down, the pink slid under the boards. It wasn’t entirely stupid, it had either sensed or figured out that it could get at her while she was sitting down.
“Go away,” Rainbow wept at the pink floating on the water.
“Go away, please, go anywhere, but leave me alone. I don’t love you.”
The thing didn’t move. The pink began to swirl across its surface.
You do, you do love me!
Rainbow tore her eyes away and looked at the beach, looked for rescue, but there was nopony there, no one at all.
She stood on the boat.
The sun went down.
Hours later, the moon came up.
Not long after that, the loons began to call.
Do you? Do you? Do you love?
She looked for it and it was there, floating, riding the waves.
The pink began to curl and twist.
This time she did not look away.
Rainbow Dash whispered, “Do you love?”
Somewhere, far across the empty lake, a loon called.