Chapters The Devastation of a Lifetime
“FOR CELESTIA’S SAKE, HELP ME!” Rainbow Dash screamed as she felt her hoof hold begin to loosen. What was supposed to be a beautiful experience with her beloved mate had turned into a complete disaster. Not even Nightmare Moon herself could have concocted the insane situation that the blue Pegasus found herself in. Her life flashed before her eyes as she hung from the side of the tallest cliff in all Equestria. It covered everything, from the time she was born, to the time she met and fell in love with the pony who was doing all in her power to save her: Pinkie Pie. It also covered the tragic accident that had left both of her wings useless and forced an early retirement from the Wonderbolts.
Crossing the streets of Ponyville was normally a very simple task. Then again, there weren’t normally three carts filled with wanted ponies on the run from the police. They crashed right into Rainbow, and the resulting injuries had forced the amputation of both of her beloved pinions. She found herself flightless, and had to turn in her resignation. She had done so with many tears, and the team had surrounded her, wishing her luck and telling her that she would always be a Wonderbolt.
But even with all of the support, she fell into an incredibly deep depression. She would sulk around the home she shared with Pinkie, and the party planner became worried for her wife’s life. Even though she constantly catered to every whim and need Dash had, the former flyer fell still deeper. Sometimes, Pinkie would simply walk in the room and her mate would begin crying. Her embrace seemed to ebb the pain a little bit, but as soon as she let go, Dash would begin weeping all over again. It was truly a terrible time for the once very happy couple.
Dash had asked Pinkie to marry her via a grand Wonderbolts display, so the fact that she would never be able to fly again seemed to grind Pinkie’s spirit into dust. She used to be jovial and bouncy, but now she found that Dash’s sadness was eating her alive. So, she turned to her other friends for their help in this crisis. She got a mixture of responses, but Rarity’s was the most heartbreaking: divorce.
“You can’t change Dash, darling,” the fashionista had told her, “for your own sake, you should leave her.”
“But I can’t do that!” Pinkie squeaked defiantly, “I love Dash, and I wanna help her!”
“I know, sweetness, and I do as well,” Rarity said, “but let’s face the facts: you aren’t happy with her anymore. All she does is sulk and mope, and you need to get out of that environment. For Celestia’s sake, Pinkie, you can’t even get that silly frizz back in your mane! It’s flat all the time, and I, for one, cannot stand to see you like this!”
Pinkie pondered Rarity’s statement for a moment, then put on a determined face. “No,” she said, “I’m not gonna leave her. I don’t care about the frizz in my mane, or even if I never get to plan another party again. Dash isn’t just my mate, she’s my best friend, and I’m not gonna leave her in this time of hardship. We’ll get through it.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing…” Rarity said.
“Oh, Dashie…” Pinkie sang out when she arrived home that evening.
“What do you want?” Dash grumbled. She seemed to be in an even worse attitude than before, and Pinkie’s newfound joviality certainly didn’t help matters. The one bright eyed and tomboyish Pegasus sat in her typical chair with a red blanket wrapped around her. On one side of her sat a pitcher of Sweet Apple Acres Cider. On the other, a cup of coffee. Her mane was unkempt, and she had not bathed in a couple of days.
“Oh, nothing…just to show you this!”
Pinkie produced a flyer declaring that the Canterlot Zeppelin Corporation was offering airborne cruises at a very low rate. With the money that Pinkie had saved up working two jobs, they could take one of them. “Dash, our anniversary is coming up, and I wanted to give you the experience of flying again! Maybe that would take your mind off things! Look, it says it goes by all the major Equestrian landmarks: Neighagra Falls, Pony Peaks, the Hoofalayan Mountains, and even Catastrophic Cliff!”
At the mention of the final location, Dash’s ears perked up. “You mean, the tallest cliff in all of Equestria?”
“Yeah! Won’t that be fun?”
Dash suddenly rose to her hooves and turned to face her wife. “Pinkie,” she said, “it sounds like an absolute blast. Count me in!”
“Wow,” Pinkie said, “you sure came around quickly. I thought I was gonna have to beg and plead with you to go.”
“Beg and plead? To go to Catastrophic Cliff?” Dash asked rhetorically, “are you kidding, Pink? Listen, baby, I’m gonna be the first pony ever to climb that summitt!”
“WHAT?!” Pinkie shouted, “but…it’s Catastrophic Cliff! Everypony who’s ever tried to scale it has suffered a horrific death! There’s no way you’re doing that!”
Rainbow gave her mate a look. “Oh, yes, I am, and there’s nothing you, or anypony else can do to stop me! I’ll finally have my mojo back! I’ll be put on the front page of every newspaper from Canterlot to Applewood! I’ll finally be back in my spotlight! YES!”
There was nothing Pinkie could say that would change her mate’s mind, and though neither of them knew it, her words would ring devastatingly true. They would pack their things, leave on their trip, and only one of them would make a return. The trip itself was a wonderful experience, but when they got to Catastrophic Cliff, Dash was insistent on climbing the entire thing.
Pinkie begged and pled with her to reconsider her decision, but she stood firm. She managed to borrow some climbing equipment from another pony and began her ascent while the rest of the zeppelin’s crew and passengers watched with baited breath. She had bragged to everypony about her attempt, and they were all nervous on her behalf. They had never wanted a pony to successfully scale a rock face so badly. Hour after hour passed, and still they waited and watched as the tiny blue speck got closer and closer to their position on the top of the cliff.
Their pensive faces soon broke into smiles as Dash edged ever closer to her goal. She carefully placed each hoof, looking for solidified areas where she might keep them. Her muscles screamed at her, but she pressed forward. Finally, fate itself intervened and some of the rocks that she thought were safe tumbled away, crashing thousands of feet into the Luna Ocean below. She was hanging by a hoof, on a part of the cliff where there were no other holds to grab onto. To make matters worse, the equipment she had borrowed was old and unstable, and the rope was beginning to fray. With time running out, she screamed bloody murder and the ponies of the cruise rushed to help her.
“DAMN IT, HELP ME!” Dash shrieked as the rope holding her on began to snap. Every single second felt like an eternity as the Pegasus screamed for assistance. The ponies on top of the cliff were trying desperately to find something to haul her up, but time was not on their side. In fact, the clock was their mortal enemy, and the sword with which to slay this mighty dragon was not so easily found.
“We’re doing our best, Dash!” Pinkie shouted, “please, hang on! We’ll get you up!”
“I can’t, Pinkie!” Dash cried as unimaginable fear overtook her mind, “I’m gonna fall!”
“No, you’re not!” Pinkie said, “you’re gonna live! We’re gonna make it through this! We’ve always made it through everything! DAMN IT, WILL SOMEPONY FIND ME A CELESTIA DAMNED ROPE?!”
Suddenly, a devastating snap was heard as the old rope holding Dash in place finally gave way, leaving her hanging by her hooves. Her muscles were aching, and she knew that her time was very short. So, she made peace with the inevitable. She began breathing deeply, and found comfort in the memory of her friends and of Pinkie. She looked up at the desperate blue eyes that brimmed with tears.
“Pinkie,” she said, “the rope’s gone, and they’re not gonna find another one in time. I’m going to die today.”
“NO!” Pinkie screamed, “YOU’RE NOT!”
“Yes, I am, my love,” Dash said calmly, “but I’m okay with it. I’ve had a wonderful life, and I’ve gotten to spend so much of it with you. All I ask is that you let me go.”
“No!” Pinkie shouted, “I’ll never let you go! I’ll fall with you!”
“No, Pinkie!” Dash said sharply, “you’ve got your entire life to live back in Ponyville. Please, just let me go…and tell the others I love them.”
Pinkie’s mouth shook. “I…love you, Rainbow Dash.”
“I love you too, Pinkie Pie,” Dash responded, a smile forming amidst the pain.
With those words, Dash’s muscles gave out and she fell thousands of feet into the ocean below.
The Devastation of a Lifetime
The room was cold. Well, perhaps not cold, but cold in spirit. Even though the warm sunshine of springtime streamed through the various windows of the small parlor, the atmosphere was one of ice. It was the thickest ice anypony had ever known, and their hearts seemed to leech off of it. The frozen quality of that day was all internal, and they knew it. There was nothing that the beauteous weather could do to reverse the frowns and tears that decorated their faces. What was worse, the entire reason that they were all gathered was missing, for the rescuers had not discovered Rainbow Dash’s corpse. They had searched and searched, but had come up empty hooved.
But Pinkie had watched her beloved crumble downwards under the sheer weight of the water. She knew that her wife had not survived the devastating fall, and she had spent an hour hanging over the cliff, wailing her grief to the heavens. Nopony tried to stop her, for they all understood the immense pain that forced its way into her heart. Her emotions had all lost their expendability, and she experienced every single one of them. The spectrum from grief to anger back to grief had been a hell of a roller coaster, and she felt completely alone.
In the two weeks since Rainbow had disappeared beneath the waves forever, Pinkie had been visited by her dutiful friends. They had each attempted to cheer the formerly ecstatic pony up, but their efforts had been met with a mixture of negative emotions. Sometimes, Pinkie would simply burst into tears and collapse into their embrace. Other times, she would become hot tempered and drive them away. In her agony, her mind had become clouded. All thoughts of parties and streamers and friendship had gone by the wayside, replaced by a dark and rather frightening version of the pony they loved so much.
Now, they all sat in front of an array of flowers, ranging in color to form a rainbow. The words “we miss you, Rainbow Dash,” adorned a banner that hung in a respectful, honorable spot above the small stage. They each had a part to play in this memorial service, and it was Twilight’s job to begin the proceedings. The princess’s heart was broken, both for the memory of one friend, and for the sharp swap in attitude of another. In a way, she felt she was attending two funerals. But she had a duty to her friends, and to all Ponyville, so she slowly got up and managed to drag herself to the microphone.
Her flanks shook as she tried to maintain some semblance of composure. “My dear friends,” she began as the tears came, “I…am honored to be here to remember and celebrate the life of somepony who was like a sister to me.” She gulped and continued. “Rainbow Dash was the best of us. She was somepony that you could always count on to be there. She was loyal to a fault, and that sense of…almost rebellious allegiance permeated everything she ever did. She was a good mare, a friendly mare, and, above all, an Equestrian mare. She knew and honored everything that Princesses Celestia and Luna strove to teach us. No, she was not perfect, but she was…if you’ll pardon the expression…a damn good pony. She must be remembered as such. Now, I’d like to invite each of my friends to say a few words.”
Every member of Twilight’s original group came forward and delivered heartfelt, touching tributes to the departed. Fluttershy spoke of how Rainbow would often help her with the animals in her sanctuary. Rarity, who had to be helped off the stage due to excessive weeping, spoke on how Dash would often act as a model, even when she didn’t want to. Applejack talked at length about her many competitive events with Rainbow, and how much she enjoyed having her as a friend and confidante.
Finally, it was Pinkie’s turn to eulogize her mate. As she slowly rose from her seat next to Twilight, the black trane of her gown fell to the floor and drug along behind her. She managed to put one hoof in front of the other and reach the podium. She silently dug out a small piece of paper that she had tucked away and opened it. Tears splashed onto the page as she read aloud, and afterwards, everypony’s heart was completely smashed. This is what she had to say:
“My beloved Rainbow Dash was much more than just the pony I planned to spend my entire life with. She was the epitome of what a good friend should be. I like to think that she didn’t just represent one Element of Harmony, but she had components of all six within her. Yes, she might have worn the badge of loyalty with pride, but she was also kind, generous, honest, a great source of laughter, and, indeed, very magical. I treasure every single moment I had to spend with her. The good times, and the bad times were all made simply magnificent as long as she was by my side.
As you all know, we had been going through a very rough patch. When Rainbow lost her wings, she lost everything that made her who she was. She had such a rough time dealing with it, that she lost a bit of her friendly nature. I had to deal with that, but I would gladly go through it all again if it meant she were back among us. The moment she fell from Catastrophic Cliff, I knew that the time for us to part was here, and it shattered my soul. In turn, it put me into a mood that I had never experienced before. I do not deserve the wonderful friends who have worked tirelessly to try and make my life better these last couple of weeks. I have treated them with disdain, and for that, I am deeply sorry.
I’ve never had to say goodbye to somepony forever before, and the grief is almost overwhelming. But I know that Rainbow would want me to continue on in life, just as she would all of you. I feel that the best way we can honor her legacy is by showing everypony just what kind of a friend she was. If we do this, we shall keep her memory alive forever.”
The Devastation of a Lifetime
Pinkie Pie sniffed as she looked at the memorial that the town had erected for Rainbow Dash, complete with a statue of the Pegasus in mid-flight. Everything in her little world had come crashing down around her, and she didn’t know who to turn to. She didn’t think that her friends, who had never been married before, would understand her plight. She thought that they would put on an overly sweet and saccharine façade while, inside, they judged her severely. The very thought of her dear companions being so cruel drove her to tears all over again. She loved them, and she wanted to believe that they loved her enough to be truthful with her.
But she had attended Equestrian funerals before, and had seen the inner workings of those ponies who would seem to give comfort, but actually shook their heads behind a veil of propriety. They seemed to be inoculated against true sadness and pain, and they refused the sickness. She felt sick, and she wanted so much for somepony to understand this disease. She needed a metaphorical doctor, but felt that nopony qualified for the position. So, she cried, alone in her darkness. The storm clouds of life had decided that she would be their next target. She didn’t do anything irrational or outrageous. Her grief was real, and she felt every bitter claw that tore at her soul.
Suddenly, she felt a new presence behind her. It seemed to be warm and inviting, but the pink mare could not be sure. The aura was right, but did the actual pony fit the bill? Was she as advertised? Could Pinkie trust this new presence to comfort her in her grave hour? She silently begged some unknown force to answer all of those questions in the affirmative, then slowly turned around to see Twilight standing there. No, she told herself, not you. Anypony but you. You’ll just tell me things I already know!
“Pinkie,” Twilight said softly, wiping tears from her eyes, “I…I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, don’t start that with me, Twilight,” Pinkie growled as her grief took hold, “you’re not sorry! You’re just here to silently judge me for weeping so much!”
“That’s not true, and you know it,” Twilight said, putting a hoof on Pinkie’s shoulder, “I’m here to comfort you. It’s what friends do in the wake of such tragedies.”
Pinkie ripped her shoulder away. “I have no friends!” She wailed in distress, “I used to, but then they all got taken away from me in the space of one mare’s fall into the sea! I’m…alone. Do you know how that feels, Twilight Sparkle? To be absolutely and unbearably alone? I don’t think you do. You’re the ruler of Equestria. How the hell could you possibly understand?!”
“Damn it, Pinkie, I’ve lost ponies, too!” Twilight yelled, a bit louder than she meant to. She didn’t want to harm her friend, but she also wanted to get her point across. Pinkie felt that, because she was displaying a very real and very natural sadness, she had nopony to help her through this crisis. She felt what every single pony had felt ever since the dawn of time: guilt. She was blaming herself for Dash’s death, even though she didn’t openly admit it.
“Don’t you yell at me, Princess,” Pinkie said darkly, and with a sarcastic grit accentuating Twilight’s title.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie,” Twilight said, “I didn’t mean to be that harsh with you. You’re one of my best friends, and I must remember that. But all the same, you can’t think that nopony understands the way you’re feeling right now. Remember, Rainbow Dash was our friend, too.”
“But you weren’t married to her,” Pinkie said, “you didn’t love her like I did. You weren’t there every single day, watching her spiral into a dark depression from which she never recovered! You weren’t in our home, trying your best to create an atmosphere of happiness and love when all she wanted to do was cry! You weren’t in bed with us at night, trying desperately to find some sense of togetherness, when all she did was turn away! YOU WEREN’T THERE!”
Pinkie couldn’t hold her emotions in and collapsed into Twilight’s embrace. A flood of tears pushed their way out of her eyes and matted the princess’s shoulder. Twilight bent her head around Pinkie’s neck and used one of her wings to gently stroke her flank. But Pinkie continued to wail, and it broke Twilight’s heart. The amount of love and devotion that the pink mare had for her deceased lover was as high as the cliff that had taken Rainbow, and even higher than that. It showed in every salty expulsion that carried its way down her cheeks. It showed in every little vocal strain that both caressed and strangled Twilight’s ears. It was real.
Twilight pulled back and looked Pinkie square in the face. “No,” she said, “I wasn’t there. You’re right. I couldn’t possibly stand on the same emotional pedestal as you are. But I can at least rise to that level. Pinkie, my brother died last year.”
“But you weren’t married to him,” the pink one said abruptly.
“No, I wasn’t,” Twilight responded calmly, choosing to ignore Pinkie’s rudeness, “but I was his sister, and I was devastated. Do you remember that I locked myself in the castle in Canterlot for days?”
Pinkie sniffed and nodded. “I remember. You wouldn’t eat anything, and we were all so worried about you.”
“That’s just it,” Twilight said as a small smile crossed her lips, “I was doing the same thing you’re doing, and I had friends to help me through it.”
“What do you mean, the same thing I’m doing?”
“You’re blaming yourself,” Twilight said gently, “when you don’t need to blame anything or anypony. What happened was a pure accident, and while the tragedy is palpable, your friends are even more so. Turn to them in this time, and they’ll help you.”
Pinkie looked deep into Twilight’s purple gaze and saw a sense of honesty that she had not seen in other funeral attendees. Perhaps she had been quick to jump to conclusions, and she should follow the ruler’s sound advice. She embraced Twilight once again and silently thanked Celestia for causing the two of them to meet in the first place. She knew that she had somepony to turn to in this crisis, and she felt peace settle into her heart. Everything’s gonna be alright, she told herself, I should never have forgotten the amazing nature of my friends. They’ll stick by me, no matter what.
