"Grandma, why are you sick?" a four-year-old blonde girl asked.

The child was coloring with her sick grandmother while her two younger sisters were asleep in the large bed between them. The girl's mother was downstairs doing housework.

"Well, I've been sick for a while now, honey."

"What do you have?"

"I have a 'magical' sickness in my body." answered the sick grandmother as she weakly petted her granddaughter's head.

"Magic?"

"Yes. Magic."

The young child's eyes lit up with wonder. "What kind of magic is that? Is it a fairy princess? Did she curse you, Grandma?"

The sick woman chuckled at the girl's innocence.

"No, it's nothing like that, sweetheart. Also, I will never see it as a curse because your real grandmother gave it to me as a present. She never knew the damage it could cause to my body, and to be fair, I was overusing it over the years. If anyone is to blame, it's me."

"But why would you use a magical sickness, Grandma? You could hurt yourself!"

The woman sighed, then continued.

"Because it gave me magical powers, sweetheart. Just like my pony counterpart, Twilight Sparkle. However, unlike her, I cannot cast any spells unless I become a human pony hybrid of her."

The girl started to think and smiled. "Like ponying up!? Like Sunny always says, when mommy becomes the superhero, Rainbow Comet?"

"Exactly, honey, but unlike me, your mother is a part pony and sli-" she suddenly started coughing violently. The child became frightened and got up.

"Mommy! Mommy, come quick!"

The woman placed her arm over the child and pulled her in for a hug. "Sweetheart, I'm fine, really."

"No, you're not!" cried the child, looking up at her with tears. "Grandma are...are you going to die?"

The woman looked at her granddaughter and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Those sad eyes, you remind me of 'her'."
The child became confused. "Her?"

"Your other grandmother. She also worried about me..." The child could see her grandmother crying, making her feel worse. "Sweetheart, every story has an ending, but it's not sad. I may not be with you physically, but I'll be here." She placed her hand over the child's heart. "And always will be."

The child shook her head, refusing to let her grandma die. "No, no, no! No one's going to die!" She hugged her tight. "I'll save you, grandma! I promise! I'll become super smart like you and find a cure!"

"My little rainbow prism, you always were so loyal and stubborn. It's a trait that comes from 'her'." She hugged her back, closing her eyes and enjoying the moment.

"Grandma..."

The grandmother looked down at her. "Yes?"

The child looked up at her, tears still in her eyes. "Is that why I'm named after 'her'? My other grandma?"

The grandma's expression became happy, with hurt in her eyes. She stroked her granddaughter's head. "Yes, your mother wanted to name you after her because..." Her voice became filled with sadness. "She was taken away from us, taken away by Fayth."

"Fate?"

"Yes, honey, Fayth."

The child became mad and raised her arm in the air.

"Then I'll beat fate! I won't let you die, grandma! I'll make my other grandma proud as I carry her name!" She started punching the air and slowly waking her younger sisters as they turned and pushed each other in their sleep.

The woman smiled, knowing she was a spitting image of 'her.'

"Thank you, ...Dashie."

"I promise you, Grandma. I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else. I'll save you!"

The girl smiled...

Two Years Later

A knocking could be heard from the bedroom door.

"Dashie, please open this door." said an older woman.

Across the room and sitting at her desk was Dashie. She was on the computer, doing tests as chemicals in a flask bubbled on a heating plate.

"I can't! I can't waste any time, Mom!" shouted Dashie as she returned to the screen. "Grandma's not doing well, and I'm getting closer to finding the cure. I know I am! I can't stop now."

"Sweetie...please come out and see her. She's not-"

"SHUT UP!"

"...Dashie, you have to say your goodbyes. She won't be with us for long."

"Don't say that!" cried Dashie.

She put her face in her hands and started sobbing. As she sobbed, the crack between the door was suddenly filled with a black slime. The slime slowly reached the lock and undid it. It returned wherever it came from, and the door opened. Dashie's mother stepped into the room and spoke.

"I know it's hard, Dashie, but you must accept that your grandmother will not make it through the night. She's getting worse."

Dashie turned and looked at her, surprised at how she got in. Was it magic, like when she became the Rainbow Comet? If so. "Mom! You can save grandma, right!? You have magic powers! You can-"

Her mother cut her off. "My powers aren't magic..." She got closer and removed the safety goggles from Dashie's head. "Dashie, what I am...is hard to explain, but I'm not magical...unlike my sisters."

Dashie's eyes widened in shock as her hope disappeared.

"So, you're saying...you can't save her, Mom?"

Her mother nodded her head.

"That means...that I'm all out of options."

Her mother was going to say something, but she was caught off guard as Dashie took her computer keyboard and tossed it against the wall, breaking it.

"I'M A FAILURE! I COULDN'T KEEP MY PROMISE TO GRANDMA!" she shouted, then collapsed onto the ground.

"Sweetheart, I know it's hard, but-"

Dashie was no longer listening. All she could hear was the sound of her own voice and her sobbing.
"I promised her...and now...she's...going..."

Her mother kneeled and picked her up. She then hugged her, making Dashie's eyes widen.

"Mommy...?"

"Dashie...please, go see her. Your sisters already had, and the others did too."

Dashie could see her mother crying, but her voice sounded strong.

"Go, sweetie. Say goodbye. You will regret it if you don't. I don't want you to make the same mistake I did with your other grandmother. The day she died, I fought with her and said something awful to her. I can't even say sorry to her, and now she's gone forever. Please don't end up like me."

Dashie sniffed. She was afraid to lose her, but it was time to accept the truth if her mother was this confident.

"Alright, Mom. I'll see her."

Her mother hugged her tight and then released her. Dashie turned to the door, and she could see her other mother. Dashie had her mother's hair color. She had tears in her eyes, too, and stepped aside.

"Go, my little rainbow. She's waiting."

Dashie stepped into the hallway, and her other mother closed the door behind her as she wanted to comfort her wife. She was all alone now, but she wasn't going to cry—not yet, at least. She headed down the hallway. She walked past an open door to the guestroom and saw her half-sisters crying and being held by their mothers. Her sisters almost looked like their mothers.

"I want grandma to stay!" cried the black-and-red-headed girl as she tried to get out of her mother's arms.

"Sol, please calm down! Grandma has to go! There's nothing we can do to stop it! She's been sick for a long time, and she needs to go somewhere else," said the mother, who looked a lot like her daughter, just with long hair and yellow stripes rather than black ones.

On the side was her very quiet sister, who was weeping in her mother's chest. Her dark black-greenish bangs covered her eyes, and her hair was long, just like her mother's. The two said nothing, only crying as the mother rocked her daughter back and forth.

Dashie stood there until both mothers saw her and sadly smiled at her. They told her to see her grandmother before it was too late. Dashie turned and did just that.

She approached a closed door in the master bedroom. The door was painted the same color as the jacket that her mom gave her. Her grandma loved purple. It was her favorite color.

She was shaking in fear as she opened the door. She saw her grandma in bed. Her grandmother's chest was slowly rising and falling, but she didn't look good. Dashie stepped inside and closed the door. She could hear the TV in the room playing an episode of a cartoon her grandmother had created. She walked closer and saw the small dragon robot, S.P.I.K.E, monitoring her vital signs.

"How is she, S.P.I.K.E.?" asked Dashie.

"I'm afraid she's not well, Dashie. She doesn't have long," the small robot replied.

Dashie sat on the chair beside her and could hear her weak breathing. She held her hand and looked at her sleeping face.

"Grandma, are you awake?"

Her grandmother slowly opened her eyes and turned to her granddaughter. She was happy to see her, and she knew this would be her last time.

"Dashie, my little rainbow prism."

Dashie was struggling to hold back her tears.

"I'm glad that you could make it. I wanted to spend my last few minutes with you."

"Grandma, don't say that! Please! You'll make it through the night!" She held her hands, not wanting to let go. "I know I'm close to finding a cure! I'm not giving up!"

"Dashie, please understand..." She coughed a little. "I've been using my magical powers over the years to where I am now. My body can't take it anymore."

Dashie refused to believe her. "No, Grandma! Don't say that! I'm going to save you! You will be saved, Grandma!"

Her grandmother's eyes closed as she sighed. "Sweetie, there is no cure. I know because my friend, Twilight Sparkle, and her daughter and your aunt, Braver, tried to find one when I was in their universe. They couldn't, and not even your other aunt, Spark, couldn't remove the sickness with her power of overcoming things."

Dashie started crying, unable to keep it in anymore.

"I'M NOT LIKE THEM! I'LL FIND THE CURE! I'M MORE SMARTER THAN THEM! I'M LIKE YOU IN BEING SMART, GRANDMA! I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SAVE YOU!"

"Sweetheart, no..." she started to cry as she could see her old love within Dashie. "Just like her, you know that? Always too loyal and stubborn."

"You're talking about my other grandma. Dashiell, right?" asked Dashie, calming down.

Her grandma nodded and tapped the bed, wanting her to lay with her.

"Come here."

Dashie wiped her tears and got in the bed. Her grandma's weak arms wrapped around her, holding her tight.

"I've lost so much, sweetie. I'm not ready to leave everyone, especially my daughter and her family."

"Why is it always so sad, grandma?"

"Because life isn't full of happy moments. There's always bad times and even sad endings."

"But why?"

"I wish I knew, but I'm afraid no one does. I know that life isn't perfect. There will always be a struggle, but if you don't give up, there will always be hope." she slowly placed her hand over Dashie's chest. "Just keep your spark alive, no matter what. Never let it burn out; I'll see you again one day. That I can promise you, I wish...Dashiell was here to watch you grow up...I want to see you grow into the wonderful woman I saw..."

"Grandma?" whispered Dashie, not understanding what she was talking about.

"Dashie, whatever you go in life, know this," she smiled. "I'm always proud of..."

Dashie was going to cry again, but she felt her grandmother's hand drop and look at her. Her eyes were closed, and her face was peaceful.

"Grandma, are you..."

"She's gone, Dashie." said the robot, who had watched everything. "Her heart stopped."

Dashie shook her head in disbelief. "No...no! GRANDMA!" She tried to wake her up. "WAKE UP! WAKE UP, GRANDMA!"

She hugged her as the door opened, and her mother came in.

"Sweetie, what's-"

She saw the state of her mother and then saw her heart monitor.

"...mom." cried Dashie's mom as she dropped to her knees and started crying.

"Blitz!?" said all three women as they walked into the room and hugged Blitz, trying to comfort her.

Dashie's sisters ran into the room, crying for their grandmother. They joined their sister and hugged her.

"Big sis! Big sis! Is Grandma gone!?" asked Sol, who was sobbing.

"Yes..."

"Nooooo!" cried the both young girls, hugging her harder.

Dashie continued crying, looking at her grandma's peaceful face.

"I'm sorry, grandma...I'm sorry." She lowered her head in shame. "I'll keep your legacy alive! Not just yours but my other grandma, too! I'll make you two proud! Proud that I carry your names!"

As the room was filled with sadness, the TV continued to play the cartoon. A cartoon of the retelling of Twilight and her friend's life. This episode was one where Twilight and Dash watched a Rainbow Comet in the night sky and went to an impact site of a fallen shard from the comet. There, they will meet Dashiell and...Twilah...

Author's Note

Hello everyone! Readers of my fic series, "Your Name," hope you enjoy this spin-off like the others. Yes, we followed a version of Twilight(which you can find here ), and now we are following a version of this EQG Dash.
Those who are new, I hope you enjoy this alt-universe of EQG
You might be wondering by the date this was punished, while "Their Names" is only halfway done. Well, I got the cover art done by the awesome @_Baph_omet on Twitter and just had to write the Prologue.
I'll be pushing this fic closer and writing it between writing "Their Names" and the other two fics I'll be writing soon after.
It will be a slice of life as we find Dashie here, trying to live up to her grandmother's name and learning about friendship as three new teen girls join the school.
Wacky, funny, romance and sad stuff will happen, and I hope to match the show's tone! While doing weeb tropes lol