The Angst in My Veins

Rainbow tracked down her friends one at a time. Everything she told them was the same as her explanation to Twilight with slight variations in wording. Just as she had done with Twilight and her family, Rainbow stayed each night with the others. Before Rainbow could return home, she visited Twilight one more time. One question was still burning in the back of the princess's mind.

"How come you never told us Fluttershy was suffering?"

"I didn't think anyone would believe me, and if they did, they wouldn't care."

"Why would you think that?"

"That's the kind of world we've created, Twi. We think everything can be fixed by positive thinking. Sometimes, it can't."

"How can we change that?"

"The only thing I can think to do is use Fluttershy's death as the ultimate example. Even then, there's no guarantee it'll make any lasting difference."

"Does this mean a perfect world is impossible?"

"Probably. Let's hope a better one's not."

Rainbow was flying home while going over her experiences in Ponyville. It all seemed so surreal. The years since her departure had warped her perception into something unrecognizable. She wasn't the outgoing, cheerful pony she once used to be. Intently focused on her own mending spirit, she failed to hear the crumbling noise above her. A mountaintop had begun to fall apart. The stony edge collapsed, falling dead center on Rainbow's back. More rocks continued to pile up after she hit the ground until she could no longer sustain the weight. The internal hemorrhaging killed her within seconds...