The air was still. Bits of morning frost hung from the tree limbs, making them smooth and slippery. The meadow all around was blanketed in white, the first of the winter snow dusting the dead grass, filling in the cracks in the earth.
It was the perfect spot for foals to play. Many a snowball fights to be waged, or snowponies to roll up, assemble, and eventually knock over. The morning sun peeking out from behind the curtain of clouds painted the land with light, warming over everything. It was like a watercolor painting had bled into reality.
The old Pegasus dared not touch hoof down on the snow, lest she ruin the otherwise perfect image. No, she came this far. Not going to let those tired old bones botch it up now. She fluttered over to the barren tree. The ground underneath it was at least partially rid of snow. She folded her wings, settling down as her muscles began to ebb.
Darned, useless old wings!
The elderly mare huffed, tossing her grey mane out of her ruby eyes while she sat.
There, there now. I can sit here and watch the sunrise.
The mare sighed, her breath crystallizing in the air. She frowned slightly. The clouds were in the way of the sun. She felt the strong urge to go up there and kick them out of the way, but she knew her ticker just might stop if she tried. It didn't seem so long ago that she could clear the sky in ten seconds flat.
The Pegasus cast a look at her flank. While her cyan blue coat had faded to a pale shade, her rainbow lightning bolt cutie mark remained as vibrant as ever. Yes, it really had been a long time, Rainbow Dash realized.
Rainbow felt a tickling on her hoof. She looked down, discovering a stranger joining her vigil.
"Well, hello there."
Rainbow Dash lifted her hoof up to eye level, examining the butterfly that had landed so gracefully on it. Its wings were a soft yellow color (which made Rainbow Dash smile), and it seemed to silently shiver from the cold.
"...Ponies underestimate you. They think you're weak, clueless little things. But look at you: out braving the cold all on your own." Rainbow Dash smiled. "...It's your time, isn't it? You get the sense when it is. It's mine, too. That's why I came out here. To my little slice of heaven."
She paused again.
"...Thank you for coming. I don't think I had the strength to do this alone. Mmm, I've already said my goodbyes. My family left me a long time ago. But it's okay. I'll be saying hello to them pretty soon, right?"
Rainbow Dash lowered her hoof, no longer possessing the energy to keep it up.
"You're like me, aren't you? Not so long ago, I feared what was coming. Now... I think I'm ready." Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Well, I think."
She leaned the back of her head against the cool wood.
"You know, this is a special spot. It's not far from where I was born. My parents raised me in a small town that used to be just over the hill... I remember I was so sad when we moved to the city. As soon as I was old enough, I packed my bags and hightailed it back.
"But when I returned, my home was just... gone. Nopony was around. I came here, right beneath this tree, and I started to cry. But I'm tough, like you. So I got up, and I started flying. I vowed that I would raise my foals in the field where I played. Give them a happy life full of love and pride.
"Of course, I didn't plan on actually having kids. You know. It was just a dream, back then. Anyway, I moved to Ponyville, about the closest thing to home I could imagine. I met some very dear friends, and... that was that."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "What am I doing? You don't want to hear me crow about my life story. It's about time that we got ready, wouldn't you say?"
Rainbow Dash crossed her eyes to look at the butterfly, which had nestled onto her muzzle sometime while she was talking.
"Yeah, I feel it, too. The cold is making me pretty stiff, as well. But don't worry. We won't need these leathery old things where we're going. We'll be able to fly for miles and miles, and who's gonna stop us?"
Rainbow Dash yawned, curling up. "I am so tired. Really, it would feel just like falling asleep, wouldn't it? I wouldn't mind that."
Small tears formed in the corners of Rainbow's eyes as she pictured her life leading up to that point. She had led a good life. A fulfilling life. The slideshow was interrupted, however, by a bright light. Rainbow Dash felt the cold wash away.
"Honestly," Rainbow Dash coughed. "A sunset would be more appropriate, don't you think?"
Rainbow Dash felt nothing. She heard nothing. The whisper of the wind was only an echo in her memory. The poking of frozen dirt was taken away. She was cloaked in nothingness.
Feeling disheartened, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes.
"I guess this is it. I'll meet you there."
Rainbow Dash shuddered. Then she exhaled. Then, her body was still.
I'm ready.
"Yes. Yes you are."
Rainbow Dash felt the warm sensation of a hoof massaging her back. She looked up fluidly, the crippling pain in her spine vanished. She smiled at the pony who emerged from the light. Just beyond it was a meadow not unlike the one Rainbow just left, full of familiar faces. With a glint in her eyes and an old squeak in her raspy voice, Rainbow Dash pulled the pony into a tight hug.
"Well, that was fast. Did I already say thank you?" Rainbow Dash felt hot tears running down her cheek as a hoof stroked her now full and brightly-colored mane.
"...I missed you."
