Today's the big day.
Rainbow Dash sucked in her gut and struck a pose for the mirror.
Nervous? No.
Afraid? Not at all. If anything, she was excited.
Only the ponies back in flight school had seen her legendary act before, but if she succeeded once again, all the pegasi in Cloudsdale would witness it, including the Wonderbolts.
If she succeeded? The cyan pegasus snickered. When she succeeded. Her confidence was indomitable.
She looked into the crisp, blue morning sky, adorned with enough thin clouds to shield Cloudsdale from the heat of the sun while still letting the light sneak in, and some pegasi had already arrived in order to ensure good seats to the show. Rainbow was suited up and ready to go with still a few minutes left before they began calling out contestants for the competition.
She peeked out of the curtains and scanned the audience for her friends, eager to see if they were already in their seats. Where was Rarity? Rainbow thought to herself as she continued to look around, before remembering that Rarity was in her dressing room, preparing to compete against her.
"One more minute contestants!" A high-pitched voice shouted. As she headed to her dressing room to pump herself up once more before her big moment. Rainbow heard the voice call again from outside the door.
"Numbah 15 you're up!"
Number 15? She looked at the number taped to her flank, and noticed that she had been too carried away in self-encouragement to realize it was already her turn. Rainbow Dash burst out of the dressing room so fast, unaware of the white unicorn walking towards the curtains, slamming into her and almost knocking her over.
"Rarity! What in the hay are you doing here? Your number already passed!" Rainbow Dash demanded.
"Oh Rainbow Dash, I haven't gone yet! I-"
A squeaky voice interrupted. "What are you both doing here? Listen, I don't know what to tell you two, there's only time for one more contestant, so if you both wanna go you'll have to compete together!"
"Well, Rainbow Dash? Shall we?" Rarity said, fluttering her eyelashes.
Bring it.
Wind rushed through Rainbow's mane, pulling it away from her face to reveal the gigantic grin she wore as she soared straight up into the sky. As the blue sky surrounded her and the crisp air whistled through her ears, Rainbow took a deep breath, savoring the freedom of flying she so loved. The adrenaline that thundered throughout her body was almost unreal.
Before she knew it, it was time for phase 3, the Sonic Rainboom. Rainbow Dash took off like a bullet into the sky, ready to dive for her life. Before she even had the chance to start, a high-pitched scream broke her focus. It sounded like...Rarity.
The pegasus looked down to see a now wingless Rarity flailing her forelegs in every direction while plummeting to the ground, followed by the Wonderbolts; unconscious due to Rarity's hoof-thrashing. She watched them in horror, trying and failing to take in what she was seeing.
No. There was no time for that. The cyan pegasus dove down, flying as fast as she could, making use of the adrenaline that continued to surge through her body. Her expression transitioned from horror to determination.
Rainbow was flying faster than she ever had before, heart thumping so strong that it felt like a drum beating inside of her. THIS was the big moment. The closer the she came to the falling ponies, the harder she gnashed her teeth together, the faster her heart beat. A translucent cone began forming around her hooves, slightly blurring her view of Rarity and the Wonderbolts. Tears welled up and out of her eyes as her speed increased and increased, until the cone around her hooves was no longer translucent, but a blinding shield of light.
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. All she could hear now was her heartbeat. She no longer cared about impressing Cloudsdale, or impressing the Wonderbolts, all she wanted was to save her friends' lives.
The cyan pegasus began to feel numb. She pushed her forelegs further in front as her wings pounded with incredible power. The pressure around her hooves became so intense it was almost unbearable. She could feel her heart beat throbbing inside of her head, but this only encouraged her to try harder. She was not ready to give up, flying faster and faster, grinding her teeth even harder, thrashing her head back and forth, when suddenly...
Rainbow opened her eyes. The cone of light around her hooves shattered, erupting into a rainbow-colored ring that shot from her body out into the air. Her speed doubled, and tripled, and without a thought she grabbed hold of the Wonderbolts and Rarity. They were only about 20 feet from the ground when she caught them and arched back up.
After a few seconds, Rainbow Dash became incredibly lightheaded. She shook her head and rapidly blinked her eyes in an attempt to snap out of it. She slowed down in order to collect herself, but she continued to feel incredible discomfort.
This is weird. Rainbow thought to herself. What's happe-
Everything went black.
"R-Rainbow Dash?" a gentle, calm voice said.
Fluttershy? She thought. Rainbow moaned in reply. She slowly opened her eyes.
"Is her face gonna stay like-" Applejack quickly shoved her hoof in front of the pink pony's mouth and smiled at Rainbow Dash.
"Quiet, Pinkie" Said Twilight Sparkle. "How are you feeling?" Once Rainbow had fully regained consciousness, she noticed a sharp pain in her neck. She tried to lift her head, but the brace held it in place.
"Ow" She groaned quietly.
"We're so glad you're finally awake. Do you have any idea how long you've been out cold?" Rainbow Dash completely ignored Twilight's question. She looked around the room and noticed that it looked exactly like the one she had stayed in when she broke her wing. Looking back at her friends, she also noticed that one of them was missing..
"Where's Rarity?"
"U-um.. she's.." Fluttershy squeaked.
"She had to go meet with an important client." Twilight finished.
Rainbow Dash huffed. "Oh, so I guess she thought her client was more important than seeing me after.. after.." She looked around the room once more searching for a calender, or something that could tell her what month it was.
"It's been two months." Twilight said. She continued, "You fractured your spine and broke a few ribs, not to mention going into a coma."
Before Twilight could talk any more, the doctor walked in, wearing a huge smile on his face. "Rainbow Dash! How ya doing?" said the doctor.
"I-"
"Good, great! Listen, we're checking you out of the hospital tomorrow. Get ready to be up and active again!"
Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stood in the back of the room with worried expressions.
"Oh no, this is not good." Fluttershy whispered.
"What do y'all suggest we do?"
"Meet me in the library in an hour." Said Twilight, already walking out the door.
The weather was ominous. Droopy grey clouds coated the sky, and it seemed as if the atmosphere itself was grey as well. Although Twilight's large tree was no refuge from the miserable feeling, it did provide some warmth.
Inside, the four ponies discussed. "We can't just let her go home tomorrow, she might hurt herself again." Twilight said sternly.
"Well we can't just stop her from leaving the hospital!" Exclaimed Pinkie.
"We have to tell her the truth."
"We can't." Applejack said, lowering her head. "We just can't."
"Applejack, she needs to know what happened that day."
"What happened what day?" Spike climbed down the stairs, walking towards the center of the room. The ponies jumped.
"Spike, what are you doing? You're supposed to be finishing your chores." Twilight frowned.
"Already finished them. What are you guys talking about?"
"Ah don't mean to sound rude but shouldn't you be in bed by now?"
"It's only 5 p.m!"
"Well you are a baby dragon, aren't you? Ah still think you should be in bed."
"Oh come on guys, tell me!"
Twilight sighed deeply. "I guess it's time for him to know." She walked towards a bookshelf, levitated a thick spellbook up, and began flipping through the pages. "I remember studying a spell that allows you to go back in time to watch events happen, not to alter anything, just be able to witness what's going on."
"So you become a ghost?" Spike asked.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Cooool!" He said enthusiastically before hopping on Twilight's back.
"I think I could do this, but it's too complex to bring more than two ponies. Looks like Spike and I will have to go alone."
"Be careful." Said Applejack.
Twilight nodded.
The crisp, blue morning sky, was adorned with enough thin clouds to shield Cloudsdale from the heat of the sun, while still letting some light sneak in. Some pegasi had already arrived in order to ensure good seats to the show.
"Listen closely, Spike," Twilight whispered, "We can only watch. Although no one can hear or see us, they can feel our presence here."
"So that's what happened that one time I was in the shower.."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
Twilight raised her eyebrows, then shook her head, dismissing the thought. "Just pay attention. Oh, look, there she is!"
Rainbow Dash flew out from the curtains, with a heavily-dressed Rarity. She was shaking, wearing a terrified expression as a bead of sweat rolled down her brow. Twilight and Spike watched silently as Rainbow progressed through the first 2 phases, fumbling on each. She took a deep breath and flew straight up, closing her eyes and concentrating hard. If she didn't concentrate, her wings would surely give up on her.
A shrill scream broke through the air. "Huh?" Rainbow turned around, then realized the noise was coming from below. She looked down and saw a now wingless Rarity waving her forelegs in every direction, followed by the Wonderbolts; unconscious due to Rarity's hoof-thrashing. She dove down in an instant, in an attempt to save them.
Rainbow panicked. The nervous energy pumping through her body was the only thing keeping her from crashing to the ground. She found it extremely difficult to keep her wings going.
Faces flashed through her mind's eye, mocking her.
"Look, it's Rainbow Crash!" She winced.
Hey Rainbow Crash, forget about the Sonic Rainboom, you're too weak!
She wasn't good enough. Rainbow knew it. Everyone knew it. They had all been telling her since she was small. She just wasn't good enough.
Rainbow snapped back into reality, realizing she had only a few more seconds before it was all over. As the distance closed between her friends and the ground, she knew she was too late. Her wings ceased thrashing. Her body refused to keep going. I'm a failure, were the last thoughts before she fainted, and there was silence.
Twilight performed the time spell again, bringing her and Spike to the following morning. The saw Rainbow Dash in a hospital bed, with nothing but an ice pack on her head. She slowly opened her eyes, still fatigued from the previous day. Though shortly after awakening, she sat up so quickly the ice pack flew straight off of her head, almost hitting the nurse in her face. Rainbow's eyes widened to an incredible size.
"What happened? Where are they? Can I see them?" She exclaimed.
From the back of the room, Spike, who had been in tears for almost an hour, whispered to Twilight. "Twilight, can we please go?" He sniffled, clearing his eyes by blinking.
"Of course, Spike." Twilight replied.
When they returned home, it was quite late. As Twilight put the spellbook back in its place, she felt a gentle tug on her tail. "Twilight, why did you tell me Rarity was on vacation?" She sighed before turning around and facing the disconsolate purple dragon.
"Have a seat, Spike." Both of them walked towards the table in the center of the library, and sat down. "Life is a very valuable thing. It can be given, and in a matter of seconds, it can be taken away." Twilight paused for a moment. "Have you noticed that for the past two and a half months, I've barely been letting you go outside alone, or letting you watch TV? And how you haven't seen any newspapers? It's because I've been hiding them. I didn't think you were ready to handle the truth." Spike was sobbing in his arms.
"Oh, Spike. I'm so sorry. Come here, everything's going to be okay." Twilight hugged him, even though he was without a doubt inconsolable.
"It's not going to be okay, Twilight. Why aren't you crying? Do you even care?"
"We've started to move on."
"So, everyone knew about this but me?"
"Yes."
He began to sob even more. "Wh-what happened to Rainbow Dash?"
Twilight thought for a second. "After she got checked out of the hospital, she wasn't doing well. Pinkie, Applejack, Fluttershy and I would go over to her house some days to check on her, only to find her directly below it, on the ground sleeping. One night, we hid a few feet away from the cloud she slept on, to see what was happening. She walked in her sleep, ran in her sleep, One thing, though, we noticed happening every night, was flying in her sleep." She sighed.
"The patterns she flew in were familiar, and they would always end with her flying straight into the ground."
Spike sniffed, and wiped away a tear. "Well, why did she fly into the ground?"
"I can only assume that was her way to cope, Spike. She.. She blamed herself. Now every night she lives in this fantasy where.." Twilight had to pause in order to keep herself together. "-Where she was able to save them." She looked at the floor. "I think it's time for you to go to bed now."
She scooped Spike onto her back and brought him to his bed, where she tucked him in and gingerly kissed his forehead.
"Goodnight."
The following morning, Twilight called her friends over, immediately after waking up. "I'm going to the hospital to pick up Rainbow Dash. We have to tell her the truth."
"I'm telling you Twilight, it isn't a good idea." Applejack said.
"Look, two months ago, she fractured her spine and broke her ribs from diving into the ground, thinking she was performing a sonic rainboom. She's lost her mind, Applejack. She believes she saved them, but she's living in a fantasy that isn't true. We have to tell her so she can move on."
Fluttershy was in tears, and even Pinkie Pie wore a frown, in addition to her slightly deflated hair.
"Well.. if you say so. But Ah'm tellin' you, it'll only destroy her even more."
Twilight didn't hear her.
The sun was nowhere to be seen. Dark clouds covered the grey sky, instantly putting everypony in a bad mood. Twilight approached the hospital with flowers, taking a deep breath before entering. She walked down the empty hallway, thinking about what she would say. Slowly opening the door, she peeked her head in and looked at the cyan pegasus, who was tossing a ball back and forth with the wall.
"Hey Rainbow, brought you some flowers."
"Sweet, thanks!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Ready to go?"
"Can we go see Rarity first?"
"Yes. But she's not in the hospital."
Rainbow Dash looked confused. "Why not?"
"I'll show you." Twilight replied.
Rainbow's neck brace had been removed, like it should have been a month ago. The doctors were too afraid her spine wasn't healed enough, so they had left it on her neck an extra month. Twilight gently helped her into a wheelchair, and started to push her. Rainbow turned around, looked at the lavender mare, and smiled. Twilight's face fell quickly, and tears had started to well up in her eyes at the thought of what she was about to show the oblivious pegasus. She pulled herself together, fake smiling back at Rainbow Dash. They left the bedroom, walking slowly to the exit of the hospital.
"Uh, Twilight? Rarity's boutique is that way."
Twilight said nothing.
They arrived at a vast space with silent stillness hanging over it like a dark cloud. Grey obelisks were scattered everywhere, once intact, but now had started to crumble.
"T-Twi?"
Twilight pushed Rainbow's squeaky wheelchair up to a somewhat new headstone, still not saying a word.
"You're freakin' me out Twilight." She paused, waiting for a reply. "Twilight!"
Rainbow Dash angrily turned around in her chair to see why the purple unicorn wasn't speaking. Twilight lifted a hoof up to cover her face, but wasn't quick enough. Rainbow had already seen her eyes, red and glassy, with tears streaming from them. She looked at her in utter confusion. Turning back around, she read the name on the headstone. Here lies..
Rarity.
Rainbow gasped, falling back in her chair. Her heart fell to her stomach.
She remembered.
It hit her like a train going full speed. Images and flashbacks shot through her head, and she knew what had actually happened that day. She hadn't done it, she had given up. She had been weak. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and clenched her hooves. It couldn't be true, it couldn't. She could remember performing the Sonic Rainboom, she could remember saving them. Or could she? The more she thought about how it wasn't true, the more real it became. Every single bone in her body ached with chagrin. She couldn't believe it. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. It was true.
"Rainbow?" Twilight said, her voice shaking. "I think you should come stay with me for a while. I'll explain everything."
Rainbow stared at the headstone icily.
"I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash." said the unicorn, almost beginning to cry again. "Take as much time as you need."
She continued to stare, not moving an inch. "Let's go."
Twilight looked at her in confusion. She wasn't sure if Rainbow had understood what happened.
Rainbow Dash turned around with her wheelchair, with bitterness in heart, and left.
She didn't look back.
