You Never Walk Alone

Rainbow Dash fell. She was far too young for this—67—and as she was falling, she saw the storm raging around her, the world going black. This was more fitting than being in a retirement home or a rocking chair. If Spitfire could actually catch her… She was putting in a lot of effort to catch up, but being struck by lightning is probably still deadly in wild weather. Headlines will read Rainbow Dash Struck Down Saving Ponyville. Dash felt her heart start to slow down and closed her eyes as the last of her energy left her body. Yes, to die saving Equestria was far more interesting than sitting around an apple farm watching other ponies do all the work. Watching Applejack and Zap Apple, the last thought that Rainbow Dash had was wondering if Spitfire could see her crying.

After what felt to Dash like a few minutes, she opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on a cloud, the night clear, but she could still see the storm below her. Spitfire wasn’t there, but the rest of the Wonderbolts and the weather team from Ponyville and other towns were all helping. Dying a hero would have to be delayed—the storm seemed to be being taken care of.

Looking around, she saw in the distance a shadowy figure running or flying into buildings and bringing out ponies. Rainbow Dash tried to fly down, but something was wrong. She couldn’t feel the air in her mane, and while she was floating down, it didn’t feel like she was actually flying. She saw the figure look up at her and was blinded by a bright light for just a second. When she refocused, the pony was gone.

Seeing that pony gave her a feeling of dread that she couldn’t shake, and she suddenly had one thought: home. She wanted—no, needed—to get home. She flew fast, faster than she ever had before, faster than any pegasus had ever flown for any reason. The farm was in the distance, but not for long—it came closer and closer. The entire town seemed to be destroyed by the storm. As she flew by Fluttershy’s cottage, she paused for a second and looked around.

The cottage was not only undamaged, but it was completely sunny with all the animals playing happily. One of her animals ran towards the gate and, when it hit a barrier, it continued to run on the other side of the garden. Discord looked at her and waved. Dash rolled her eyes and flew in, but was blocked by the spell.

“Sorry, Dash, but you can’t come in.” Discord looked apologetic whether he meant it or not was up for debate.

“Why not?” Dash sounded indignant and folded her arms.

“My magic prevents order and you are now under the protection of her.” He pointed a talon behind Dash, and a chill ran down her spine as she actually focused on being watched for the first time. “I am sorry, Rainbow Dash but you are now truly harmonised.” Dash shivered and then ignored the feeling and continued the tirade as best she could.

“Why couldn’t you have done this”—she gestured vaguely at the sunny cottage—“over Ponyville?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Discord looked shocked at the very idea. “I know you now have time for a four-hour lecture on the ins and outs of chaos magic, but Applejack probably doesn’t, so the short version is: the storm is chaotic, and I’m using the chaos of the storm to create this.” He bowed, removing a hat he wasn’t wearing a second ago. “If it helps, this area is getting less powerful, which means your sacrifice was worth it.” The sky was clearing and the pegasi team led by the weather patrol was getting the worst of the storm cleared.

“Wait what sacrifice?”

Three copies of Discord appeared wearing cheerleader outfits and started cheering: “Hey, Dashie, you did fine! Because of you, a few survived! Go, Dashie, go, go, go GO!” Discord’s voice thundered louder than the storm and she realised that her family needed her.

She flew somehow she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed. She didn’t look back; she had no time. All she needed to do was get home. If she got home everything would be fine. When asked about it later a few Ponyville will describe a feeling of power and a glimpse of a rainbow heading straight for Sweet Apple Acres though few could explain what caused it. No one saw the shadow following her no one ever sees the shadow.

Abruptly Dash stopped just before she entered the farm, she glanced back to see what was following her for the first time. She saw it out of the corner of her eye, unwilling to look at it directly.

“I know who you are.” The shadow remained silent. “I am going to see my family.” Silence. “Do not enter this farm unless you are invited, agreed?”

“This is reasonable,” the voice seemed distant but calm. “However, it will not prevent the inevitable.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “I will do this favour for you, but no other, as their deaths must be guided.” Rainbow Dash turned to face the pony. Her coat was not white; it was more that she was light, almost blinding, yet she was covered in shadows that resembled a hooded cloak. However, the cloak couldn’t hide the truth—she was an alicorn, and Rainbow Dash was arguing with her.

“I want to see them, and then we can talk.” The alicorn nodded, and Dash flew away, leaving her guide to wait and watch from the entrance.

Dash flew in through the nearly closed door that led to the cellar. Big Mac and Applejack were trying to secure the door from the storm.

"Alright, Big Mac, hold it," Applejack said as the stallion braced the door with his back. She tied it closed and took a deep breath. "You alright, Mac?"

"Eeeyup," he responded, then laid down next to Sugar Belle who was sleeping wrapped in a blanket.

"Hey, Mum, where’s Dashie?" Zapp Apple called from the supply closet.

"If she’s smart, she’ll stay with Twilight tonight," AJ called back.

"And if she’s not smart?" Zapp Apple asked.

"We’ve got an emergency access point for pegasi with no common sense," Applejack said, pointing up to what looked like a chimney big enough to dive into but with the top secured.

"That’s clever," Applebloom admired the chimney as she carried a basket of fruit, mainly apples with some pears. "We’ve got enough supplies in there for a year of storms, but I reckon Dash will clear it up tonight."

Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack and watched her work, hiding her concern beneath a layer of busy activity. Could Applejack sense what was wrong, or did she always have that look in her eye when somepony she loved was in danger?

"I could watch over them. Zappy’s dating some stallions; maybe they’ll get married, and I can go to their wedding. Just watching them." Applejack looked into Rainbow’s eyes but seemed to gaze right past her.

It hit Dash like a piano falling from a delivery van—she couldn’t be seen. Applejack just looked straight through her, and Dash felt her heart break. Spitfire knew, but AJ wouldn’t know for a while, not until the storm passed.

"I can’t help them. I can’t talk to them. I… I want to help them in some way, but I can’t do that here."

Dash floated away from the wall back to the entrance, where she saw the alicorn watching her. The storm had been properly cleared, and it looked like sunrise was upon them, but no, it wasn’t time—it was something else. It was bright, and then a ring of fire exploded in the air, clearing all the clouds with the extreme force of the blast. A fire trail rushed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Spitfire and Rainbow Dash’s body. She knew clearing the storm was the most immediate priority, but now that it was clear, this was the most important thing. She landed with Dash secured to her and banged on the door.

“What in tar-nation is the point of the chimney if you’re just gonna—" Applejack swung the door open and froze. Seeing Spitfire was mildly surprising; seeing Rainbow Dash lifeless and burnt was the worst thing she could imagine.

Dash’s funeral was held in Ponyville on the farm. The Wonderbolts performed, and everypony Dash cared about was there. She was the first of the guardians’ bearers to die, and so, as they sat on a cloud watching the funeral quietly, not saying much, Dash decided to break the silence.

“What do you think will happen? I don’t want AJ to be sad forever—maybe for like a few months, a year tops.” Dash smiled and looked at the alicorn, who said nothing, just watching the funeral.

“You bear the Element of Loyalty, and as such, I can grant you a favour. So long as it is within my power.”

"Can you bring me back?" The alicorn faced the pegasus and thought of how to answer it
“Not the way you think, but in a way.” She trailed off.

"Well, it was worth a shot. I want AJ to be happy. I want to show her something, to let her know—to let all of them know—where I am, so I can be with her, so I can be… They’re my family." All of her friends were in the front row, along with Discord, who looked like he was trying to ignore them, while Applejack was sitting with her family.

Dash flew down, she saw her family—the Apple family. "What should I call you?" Dash didn’t look at the alicorn.

"You are a bearer of an element, so you may call me Harmony." She bowed, spreading her wings.

"Well, Harmony, I would like to let them know where I am. I want to leave behind something for them to follow."

"I can help with that. It would be simple for me to take something and keep it, but what would you like to leave behind?"

Dash smiled and took off. “Ah, of course.” The unicorn's horn began to glow, and Rainbow Dash felt it—the wind in her mane, the force over her body as she went faster and faster. Twilight was in the middle of the opening speech when—BOOM! Over all of them, for the last time in the history of Equestria, a sonic rainboom was seen, and Rainbow Dash was gone.

It is said that since that day, if a soul is lost but good and loyal, they will be guided by a rainbow to where they will be happy.