2: Last RainboomView OnlineThe Rainboom2: Last RainboomA couple of months later, Dash was sitting between his mother and Princess Twilight at a Wonderbolts show. They were told that this one would be extra special - what did Rainbow have planned? “And now, for the finale!” the announcer said into the microphone. That’s my cue, Rainbow Dash thought as she began to race up, up, up. She knew exactly what she had to do - oh, everypony she knew would be mad, but there was nothing they could do about it. Unless they could break the sound barrier. Nope - that was her, and only her, who had ever done that. By now, the cyan pegasus had flown so high that the Ponyville stadium was but a speck on the ground. What ground? She could hardly see Canterlot, even. It was far below her and off to the side. “One last gift I give to you, my fans, my friends, my family.” And then she was gone. No, not gone. Rainbow was flying down, fast as only she could go. 72 years old, I’ve still got it, she thought. I’ll miss you. “She... surely she’s not...” Cider said, as he saw the signature cone form around his mother-in-law. “She hasn’t done one in years!” Belle nodded, agreeing with her husband. What was that mare thinking? At his mother’s side, Dash watched his grandmother, green eyes wide. ... The sound barrier broke. A brilliant rainbow circle exploded around the stadium, dazzling all inside - and many not. When it faded away, something was left. Everypony around gaped at the sight before them. Many had never expected to see a sonic rainboom (or one again), much less this. All throughout Equestria and the lands beyond, thousands of glittering rainbow raindrops hung suspended in the air. Nopony moved. It was breathtaking. Then, after a long moment, raindrops shot towards to center of the stadium, where Rainbow Dash would undoubtedly be. Before anything else could happen, however, the spectacle continued. The raindrops reached the center, before exploding outwards, covering the sky in a rainbow blanket. You couldn’t see the sky behind it, but didn’t really want to. Whether you bought tickets to the show or were in the farthest corners of the world, you saw a rainbow in the sky, before it disappeared. That is, it disappeared to everycreature - with a few exceptions. Only one was in the stadium. Princess Twilight watched as the rainbow above left to the eyes of many - not to those who were clairvoyant. She saw the shift, and followed one last trailing streak of rainbow through the air. To her surprise, it entered a pony. Twilight leaned down to look at the infant beside her. Looking back, she saw brilliant rainbow eyes.
3: Cutie MarkView OnlineThe Rainboom3: Cutie MarkThe day Dash got his cutie Mark was the day he decided that he wanted to follow in his grandmother’s hoofsteps. Dash lay in his bed at his family’s private house at Sweet Apple Acres. Working on the farm was fun, but he wanted to do something with his life. The Royal Guard didn’t appeal to him as it did to his mother, so he thought back to his first memory - a magnificent rainbow in the sky, ponies marveling at it, and the realization that the mare that caused it was dead. “Don’t think of it as suicide,” a note found on her bed had read, “think of it as me going out doing what I loved. Stay loyal, everypony.” A fitting end for one such as Rainbow Dash. Dash. Dash. Dash. Rainbow Dash, Dash Smith. Dash knew he was named after his grandmother because of his overly large wings, but there was something that pulled him towards her, even from that old memory. Then an idea came to him. He could become a Wonderbolt! Hay, why not? He was already the best at flying in the Ponyville school, and Cloudsdale Flight Camp, last he went there. I’ll make you proud, Grandma, thought Dash, as he drifted off to sleep. Someday. It wouldn’t be until the next morning when he noticed the rainboom cutie mark on his flank.
5: Why and HowView OnlineThe Rainboom5: Why and HowAfter dealing with the disbelief, congratulations, etc from the ponies gathered to watch, the sun had already set. Only one pony remained to be seen. “Princess Twilight,” Dash said, bowing. “Dash, I went over this with your mother. Please, call me Twilight,” the mare responded. “O-Of course,” Dash said. The pair began to walk, Twilight leading the stallion in one direction. “Is... is there something you wanted, Twilight?” “Dash, do you know what color your eyes are?” This question caught Dash off guard. He had been told that his eyes were green when he was born, but now... “No, I don’t.” “That’s what I thought,” Twilight replied. “Tell me, how did you do the sonic rainboom? Rainbow Dash is the only other pony to have done one - ever.” “Well, this is going to sound crazy, but-“ Was Dash really going to tell her this? Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ruler of Equestria? “-but I... I hear a voice when I’m doing it. It just... it’s kinda like a mentor, I guess.” “Ah. And tell me, does the voice sound anything like this?” Twilight’s horn glowed, and a moment later, Dash heard the exact voice he had been hearing. “-20 percent cooler.” Dash gaped. “How- how did you-“ “That voice,” Twilight said. “Was none other than Rainbow Dash herself.” “So my grandmother has been... giving me advice from the dead?” “I don’t think so. You see, I have reason to believe - which I will tell you shortly - that your grandmother became the spirit of the rainboom. Even I don’t know how it works, but I still firmly believe this.” Dash thought for a moment. It did make sense, didn’t it? Maybe. Then what- “You said that you had ‘reason to believe’ this. What was that reason?” Twilight smiled. “Right on time.” Dash turned forwards, and realized that they were beside Ponyville’s lake. “Tell me, Dash - what color are your eyes?” Dash blinked for a moment, staring at the moonlit water. He slowly walked towards it, and when he reached he edge, looked down. Staring back at him was a young stallion with a messy mane and shocking rainbow eyes. “W... What?” Dash said, confused. “Why...” “This is my reasoning.” The Princess’s voice coming up behind him made Dash jump. “When the element of loyalty did her... last rainboom, the rainbow in the sky disappeared to most. Being clairvoyant, I was able to see where it really went.” Twilight turned towards Dash and laid a hoof on his chest. “It entered you, Dash Smith. The spirit of the rainboom, and Rainbow Dash, became a part of you - and took its form in the color of your eyes.”
6: SpiritView OnlineThe Rainboom6: SpiritI am Dashed Sky Smith, son of Belle Skies and Sparkling Cider, grandson of the elements of honesty and loyalty. I can proudly say that I am the second pony in history to have done a sonic rainboom. My grandmother, former captain of the Wonderbolts and bearer to the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash, was the first pony to do such a feat. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ruler of Equestria, has deduced that at my grandmother’s last sonic rainboom, its spirit found me. I am my own pony, but I am also the new host for the sonic rainboom. I don’t know what the future may bring, but I give this scroll to Friendship Ambassador Spike for safekeeping. I hope that when I die (likely going out the same way as my grandmother), someone clairvoyant is there to find where the spirit of the rainboom goes next.
1: DashView OnlineThe Rainboom1: Dash“He’s amazing,” a brown pegasus mare said. “He’s perfect,” a yellow unicorn added, bringing his wife and newborn son in close. “What should we call him?” “I’m not sure,” the mare said, running a hoof through her red mane. “What do you think?” The stallion chuckled. “Belle, I don’t know - why didn’t we talk about this before?” Belle swatted at him, but just missed his dark yellow mane. “Sparkling Cider, how dare you accuse me of being the reason our son doesn’t have a name? Every time I brought it up, you said ‘Oh no, we can name them when they’re born.’ Do you remember that, dah-ling?” she said, using her godmother’s accent. “Oh... oh, you’re right, I did say that,” Cider said. “Well... we can’t leave our son nameless, now, can we? Look, we’re already calling him ‘our son’ for Celestia’s sake!” “Well... your great-grandmother just passed on last month, right? Why don’t we name him after her?” “Smith? Heh, Granny sure was fun to be around, and perfectly ancient. Anyway, hay, why not?” Belle smiled, and she and her husband looked down at their son. He was going to be strong, that one. His wings were big, too. Belle looked at his off-white feathers, and an idea came to her. “Dash,” she whispered. “What?” Cider asked. “Belle, what did you say?” “Dash. Dash Smith. That’s what we’ll call him.” Cider instantly knew it was the right name. Granny was important in both he and his wife’s lives, and the foal’s wings were bigger than average - why shouldn’t he be named after two of his grandmothers? Well, one grandmother and one great-great-grandmother. Dash’s windswept brown mane was messy, and would probably stay that way most of his life. His eyes were an emerald green, right between his parents’. “Oh, look at him!” Rarity said. “What’s the darling’s name?” “Dashed Sky Smith,” Cider replied; they had just settled on the full name. Rainbow Dash smiled. “Belle...” “Yeah, we named him after you, Mom. And Granny Smith.” “Who will the godparents be?” Rainbow Dash asked. “W-well...” Belle started, and turned toward Princess Twilight. “Princess, if you would...” Twilight smiled. “Belle, two things. One, of course I’ll be the godmother. Two, you can just call me Twilight.” “Yeah, Belle, call her Twilight! Our moms are both elements, and don’t call her by any title - you should too! I do,” Cider teased. Belle rolled her eyes. “Dash Smith, welcome to the world.”
4: Rainboom, V2.0View OnlineThe Rainboom4: Rainboom, V2.0“Alright. You can do this,” Dash, now a young stallion, muttered to himself. “You know you can.” Dash glanced at the bleachers behind him. It was here, nearly 20 years ago, that his grandmother had performed her last rainboom - her best rainboom, as some (okay, many) would argue. Dash looked up. He knew he’d placed a cloud up there, and nopony in their right mind would fly that high, but he still wanted a place to prepare for... it. Dash walked over to the bleachers, one section of the stadium filled. Filled with his friends, family, and family’s friends and friends’ family. “Okay... everypony,” the pegasus said, addressing the ponies there. Scootaloo, now an old mare, his parents, beginning to age, friends he’d made over the few short years he’d lived. And the Princess, mane flowing regally. “I... I’ve been preparing for this for a while, and, well... I hope you like it.” Sweet Celestia, he was bad at that. Thankfully he had something else to keep his mind on now. Rocketing up into the sky, Dash glanced down for a moment. All eyes were on him, and he was about to achieve his dream. Unless, you know, something went horribly wrong. Reaching the cloud he had prepared, Dash set down and paused for a moment. Everything that could go wrong, everything that had gone wrong during his practices, his body a broken and bloodied heap on the ground far bellow - No. There’s no time for that. Only time for flying. Dash jumped off the cloud. Don’t beat your wings too fast, you won’t catch any air. He angled downward and started flapping. The ground is gone. The ponies below you are gone. The sky is gone. Dash began to flap faster. You are the only thing here. The signature cone began to form around his outstretched legs. Soon you’ll become The cone stretched out farther. One with The cone began to strain. The Just a little more... Air. And the sound barrier broke. An explosion of color rang out from the sky. Something that hadn’t been seen in 20 years. Only this one was dotted with lines of white, crackling like lightning. Dash cried out in joy. All that practice had paid off. Second pony in history - but that didn’t matter. Thank you, Grandmother Rainbow, he thought. Somewhere far below, a lavender alicorn smiled.
