Rain pounded on the sullen dirt path that cut through the Everfree Forest as Rainbow Dash galloped through the dense grove. Her heart was pounding against her chest as it attempted to keep up with the adrenaline that coursed through her veins. Hoof after hoof met with cold wet ground as she tried to keep her delirious self from slipping. Pain seared through her right wing. Her vision was dulled and blurry, and the rain only made matters worse.
Quick flashes of bright white light followed by ear-shattering booms illuminated the trees that seemed to swallow her whole. Yet the lightning didn’t frighten her; instead, it gave her a clear view of her destination.
If only I could fly outta here...
She took a sharp right into the underbrush, hopping over fallen trees and darting through thick bushes. As the lightning flashed through the small openings between the leaves, the tall oaks grinned menacingly at her, reaching out with slender arms to bring her into their embrace. The more she progressed through the forest, the more dense it became. Sticks and thorns clawed at her like rabid beasts.
A great roar burst out over the downpour as she approached an opening up ahead. She slowed to a halt and gazed up at the enormous cliff before her. She turned back, squinting to see if it was still far enough away. The darkness of the forest only allowed her to see a few feet in.
Carefully, she scaled the rocky cliffside with as much strength as her weary disposition could output. The jagged rocks that offered the only viable way up seemed to grow more slippery the greater she exerted herself. With one last push, she lifted herself up to her destination: an inlet within the cliffside that provided at least some manner of protection from the elements. She collapsed onto the ground in sheer exhaustion.
Think, Rainbow Dash, think! she became flustered. You gotta keep it together!
Dash peered over the edge of the cliff down towards the brooding forest below. Yet the lightning illuminated only the tops of the trees, barely breaking through the thick leaves. The ground remained out of her sight. Was she safe at last? She couldn’t be sure, but her body had reached its limit as she leaned back against the cave wall, closing her eyes for a few moments. She sighed.
I’m... I’m safe, for—
An ear-piercing roar burst out from the forest below, snapping her out of her delirium. It rang in her ears for a few seconds after as she curled up on the floor trying desperately to cover them. A few minutes had passed, and she released them. Had it left? She peered over the edge once again, spotting the same dark emptiness of the forest below.
Dash leaned back against the wall once again. The dark inlet made her a bit uneasy, but she set that feeling aside and examined the place. It was rather empty despite a few leaves a couple twigs and rocks scattered here and there across the floor. The back seemed to stretch on into darkness, yet for how far she dared not find out.
She shivered as a sudden burst of wind flowed into her shelter. Her body was soaking wet from the storm, and without warmth she figured she wouldn’t last very long.
As quickly as her fragile mental state could take, she hastily constructed a small fire pit. After what seemed like an eternity, a small fire flickered against the wind, its warm orange glow cast upon the walls of the cave. She sat as close to it as she could and laid her head down onto the floor. In a matter of moments, her overwhelming exhaustion caught up with her. She closed her eyes as the fire’s subtle warmth lulled her to sleep.
Rainbow Dash...
Rainbow Dash...
Dash slowly opened her eyes to a bright white light that seemed to engulf her. She tried to shield her eyes from the light, yet found that she couldn’t move her legs. She tried again.
Nothing.
Something was wrong. She looked down. Her eyes widened as she came upon the sight: her legs were shackled to the floor, large iron chains keeping her in place. She glanced around, looking for somepony else that had to be there.
Yet there was nopony else but her.
Bones were placed around her in a perfect circle. She tried to scream, yet no sound came out. She began to struggle in the restraints, but they wouldn’t give an inch of leeway, keeping her relatively still.
Don’t be scared, Rainbow Dash. I’m here for you...
Dash glanced in the direction of the voice and spotted a skull sitting directly in front of her, it’s dead eyes piercing through her like knives.
I’ll always be here, Rainbow Dash...
A loud roar filled the void of silence, reverberating off of invisible walls that surrounded her. It was here, somewhere. Yet the light gave nothing but the skull and bones away. She turned her head in all directions, but could find nothing.
A static drone echoed through the air, intensifying by the second. Her ears began to sting as it grew louder. A massive headache ravaged her thoughts, clearing away any sense of rational thought. Was this all real?
Why are you scared, Rainbow Dash? I’m here for you...
The floor gave out beneath her, the shackles releasing as she fell into a black eternity.
I’ll always be with you, Rainbow Dash. Always...
Dash snapped awake, springing up from the uneven ground in a cold sweat. She gasped, glancing around at the inlet for a bit. The rain had stopped by now, but the veil of night had yet to allow the sun upon the sky. The fire was nearing pitiful embers, and the light had all but died out.
Just a bad dream, she reassured herself. Just a bad dream.
An ear-piercing scream broke the almost-perfect silence, making her jump. Yet it seemed familiar. She shook her head. You’re just imagining things. Keep it together.
The scream echoed once again from the depths of the inlet she had not seen before. “Pinkie?” Dash looked deeper into the cave, yet was met with undisturbed darkness. The inlet was a lot deeper than she had initially found it to be, for she wasn’t able to see past a few feet into it.
Before the final embers met their fate, Dash stirred up the firepit, causing the unexposed kindling to glow brightly. Taking a medium-length stick from her small pile of leftover firestarter, she patiently waited as the end caught on fire before venturing further down into the cave.
The jagged walls glistened against the torch’s soft glow. The sound of water dripping onto the floor was the only noise that accompanied the crackling of embers. Dash constantly looked to the slippery floor, trying to find her hoofing as it slowly descended to a place unknown.
“Pinkie!” she called out. “You there?”
Nothing but a foreboding echo answered her. She sighed. I hope you’re not down here, Pinkie. Not with that... thing around. Dash’s ears shot up as a giggle rang out through the relative silence of the cave. Her eyes widened as she turned around to see who it was. Nothing but darkness.
She took a deep breath and continued down the dark path. Pillars of rock separated her from a rushing stream. Come on, Rainbow Dash. Keep it together.
Rustling came from behind her, the noise echoing over the flowing water. She quickly snapped back, nearly putting out the torch. Still nothing.
You’re just imagining things, Dash. She shook her head slightly and continued on as the passageway began to turn slightly to the left. The cascading noise of rushing water intensified as she approached what awaited her below.
The antechamber opened up to a massive cathedral, rays of soft moonlight coming in through a porthole embedded into the ceiling. She gazed around at the ancient brick walls that seemed to be shadowed by humongous stalactites, looming over a rushing stream that flowed around the central platform. A particular smell floated in the air, one that stung her nostrils.
What is this place?
Making her way across a worn stone bridge that extended onto the platform, she examined the various marking across the walls. From what she could tell, they were depicting a battle of sorts, a great many years of war, and a large figure that was long since faded. There appeared to be writing that accompanied the pictures, written in a language that she assumed was dead.
There was a small pit in the center of the platform, and upon looking down, Dash’s eyes widened. It was a black abyss, deeper than what she could ever hope to see. She scurried back a bit, kicking up something that was laying upon the ground. It fell into the rushing stream with a plop.
Looking down to the floor, she recoiled in horror at the sight. Bones were scattered around the pit, yet the one that caught her attention the most was a skull that sat near the edge of the platform. It’s dead eyes brought the memory of the nightmare back. She shook her head.
Wha—What’s going on?
A rogue shadow ran along the walls, kicking up dark clouds of dust as it scurried by. “Who’s there?” Her voice was trembling. She turned her head in all directions, yet found nothing.
Shuffling echoed from behind her, followed by a familiar giggle. “Pinkie? If that’s you, this isn’t funny anymore.”
Another giggle.
“Pinkie! Please stop!”
The shadow danced beyond the flickering light of her torch.
“Stop!”
Rainbow Dash whipped around in all directions, trying to find the perpetrator. As the noises intensified, she dropped to her flank, the torch falling out of her mouth. She stared at the sight before her, trembling. A cage was embedded into the wall. It was easily twice her height and thrice her size, with iron bars that looked strong as ever.
Except that half of them were torn to shreds.
The giggling and motion climaxed as she sprang to her hooves and galloped back the way she came. She stumbled a bit on the jagged pathway as she struggled to keep herself steady. The creature was fast approaching, leaving her without any time to spare.
Her mind went blank as the adrenaline kicked in again, her eyes bloodshot and her muscles tense. The moonlight broke through the darkness ahead as she came upon the cave entrance. She smiled, her eyes tearing up as the wind brushed past her.
In mere moments, she had spread her wings and had taken off. Looking back towards the cave, all she could see was the darkness of its opening. And the longing eyes that stared back.
Her wing began to feel sore again, and then her memories returned to her. Before she could even begin to panic, it froze up, sending her tumbling through the air. Her eyes widened as she descended into the forest below, spiraling out of control.
She attempted to use her good wing to lessen the impact, but the speed made it near impossible. The trees engulfed her, yet they did nothing to dampen her fall. She slammed into the ground as darkness overcame her. She heaved a pained breath.
Don’t be afraid, Rainbow Dash. I'll always be with you...
Rainbow Dash awoke in a nervous sweat, shooting up out of the hospital bed with such ferocity that the medical patches were nearly ripped off of her. Her friends jumped at the sudden rush of movement.
Dash gasped for air a few times as pain seared its way through her body. She collapsed back onto the bed, delirious from the medicine that was being pumped through the IV. An erratic beeping slowed down to a steady rhythm as she breathed in and out in a concise pattern.
“Dash, you’re awake!” Pinkie Pie wrapped her hooves around her, squeezing tightly. “Ooh, we were so worried about you! I mean, you disappeared last night and none of us could even begin to look! We thought that you got lost like the others! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Pinkie, let her go!” Twilight giggled a bit. “She needs her rest.”
Pinkie dropped her back down and returned to her side. “Sorry.”
“How’re ya feelin’, RD?” Applejack leaned in a bit, a concerned smile spreading across her face.
“Like I slammed headfirst into a brick wall,” Rainbow Dash replied groggily. She put a hoof to her head as a massive headache brushed away the memories. “What happened last night?”
“You mean you don’t remember?” Fluttershy spoke up, tilting her head to the side.
Rainbow Dash forced herself to dig deeper into her memories, sifting past what she could find about the previous day. Yet nothing turned up past the events in the cave. She shivered slightly, unwilling to let her friends see her apparent fear. “I can remember bits and pieces, but not a lot.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore,” Rarity said. She smiled. “So long as you’re fine, darling. That’s all that matters.”
Rainbow Dash stared outside the window towards the mountains in the distance, recounting the events of the night as she could see them. The monster, the noises, the cave—was it all just a dream or was it reality? Her broken wing provided her all the truth she needed to know: the cave was real. The remains were real. The monster was real. All of it.
An awkward silence ensued. Dash gazed out of the window towards the mountains of the Everfree, trying to find the massive cliff that held her would-be grave.
“Sorry, girls. Visiting hours are over.”
They all turned around to see the nurse in the doorway before she turned back into the hallway. Twilight sighed. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I guess we have to go.” She turned and headed for the door. “I hope you feel better.”
As each pony left, they said their quick goodbyes before disappearing into the hallway outside. Yet before Pinkie Pie could follow suit, Dash called out, “Hey, Pinkie. Can you come here a sec. I need to ask you something.”
The pink mare turned around. “Yes?”
“What you did in that cave was way too over-the-top.” Pinkie cocked her head to one side, but Rainbow continued. “You nearly scared me to death! And how did you manage to build that entire thing by yourself? Did you have help, or—”
“What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about a cave.”
Rainbow paused. “You don’t?”
Pinkie giggled. “No, silly! Boy, you must’ve hit your head really hard.”
Dash managed a nervous laugh. “Yeah...”
“Bye, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie slipped out into the hallway, leaving Rainbow Dash in relative silence. As the beeping of the heart-rate monitor continued, she found herself looking back out at the mountains. The dark mounds that protruded from the Everfree Forest seemed to stretch into the infinite sky above, blocking out the sun as the day winded down. And somewhere among them was the cave.
