“We have to get out of this storm!” Yelled Rainbow Dash over the howling wind to Fluttershy, who she could barely see right now beside her nodding in confirmation whilst driving their hooves into the wet, icy ground. As they fought against the wind of the freezing north to find some sort of shelter, finally, after almost a furlong, they finally stumbled upon an entrance to a cave. As they squeezed inside the crumbling ruin, Rainbow Dash looked around, finding its low-ceilinged roof came into view as their eyes finally adjusted and both collapsed inside. As they both shook the snow and ice off themselves, Rainbow said, “That's one heck of a storm out there; where'd it even come from? It seemed to come out of nowhere.”
“Storms like this are always popping up around here; I'm just glad you found this cave; hopefully we can make it the rest of the way to Yakyakistan tomorrow and see what the letter from Yona was all about.” Fluttershy told her, Rainbow nodded and began to unpack her heavy backpack which Twilight had graciously packed full to nearly overflowing with essentials for them including non-perishable food and powdered drink mixes, medical supplies, a small two person tent as well as two “thermal blankets” which Twilight said would keep them warm, which Rainbow laughed at, due to the fact they were so thin that she couldn't believe it could keep anyone warm especially in the frozen north (which Fluttershy lost along with her backpack in the gale force winds of the storm) among other camping supplies just in case they got lost or got caught in a storm, Rainbow told Twilight the chances of either of those things happening were pretty slim but Twilight insisted and Rainbow begrudgingly took the supplies and thank goodness she did as it was only four hours into the half a days trek to Yakyakistan when a freak snowstorm popped up and forced them to find shelter in the cave they were now in
“I'm just glad nothing is living here, at least not right now anyway." Rainbow said lighting the small camp stove as well as grabbing a small aluminum pot and some fresh snow to melt for water; after all, a cup of coffee would definitely help warm them both up, and by the time they both finished changing into new clothes (as the ones they were wearing were soaked with sweat).
and snow), the water was boiling, and the coffee was done soon after. Hours went by with no end to the storm. “I guess we're going to have to spend the night in here,” Fluttershy said.
“Looks like it." Rainbow replied, unpacking the bedding and setting it out. “As we lost the quote, unquote "blankets,” we'll have to find another way to keep warm tonight.”
“We could always keep each other warm." Fluttershy thought out loud
“You mean huddling together? That'll work for tonight at least, but tomorrow we have to get to Yakyakistan." Rainbow told her as she lay down, with Fluttershy laying down behind her soon after, covering her friend with one of her large fluffy wings, Rainbow fairly quickly fell asleep, with Fluttershy nodding off soon after. Rainbow woke up the next morning cold, achy, and hungry, leaving Fluttershy to sleep. Rainbow quickly noticed that the entrance to the cave was completely covered in snow but thought to herself, Once Fluttershy gets up, we can remove the snow together and get to Yakyakistan probably within a few hours. So she prepared a breakfast of brown sugar cinnamon oatmeal and a powdered orange beverage, both made with melted snow After eating her portion and waiting over an hour for Fluttershy to wake up naturally, she decided to personally wake her up, but to her horror, her skin was ice cold and her body was limp.
No, she can't be… She thought to herself horrified, but it was true her best friend was dead, she had frozen to death sometime during the night, Rainbow completely broke down crying before eventually crying herself dry and burying Fluttershy underneath a pile of snow at the back of the cave, the prism haired mare turned back to the cave entrance and started to dig away at the snow, unbeknownst to her an avalanche had completely covered the cave entrance with large ice chunks and stones during the night making escape impossible from the inside, she was stuck in a cave somewhere in the frozen north with no way of knowing when or if she'd be rescued with only about half a week of supplies at best “don't worry Fluttershy I'll make sure someone finds us i promise” she whispered to herself glancing and the impromptu grave she made for her friend. The supplies managed to last a full week afterwards she had to resort to melting snow and drinking the water, another week passed and Rainbow Dash was officially starving, though the darker part of her mind told her there was food available she refused to even entertain the thought but after another three days she gave in to her darker thoughts and unburied Fluttershy, if I'm going to live I need to eat, she thought to herself, after undressing her she started having second thoughts but forced herself to remove Fluttershy’s left breast (as Fluttershy's breasts were both the size of a muskmelon and fairly perky as well as all natural, courtesy of her family's incredible genetics) with the Bowie knife Twilight had packed after cubing it and pan frying it she forced herself to eat a piece it was soft, with an odd texture and a sweet flavor which she didn't like, Rainbow cried as she chewed as at this point it finally sank in that her best friend was gone forever and she was eating her flesh.
Several more weeks passed when finally she heard voices and barking outside the cave, she quickly are-buried what was left of Fluttershy (which wasn't much, the only parts she refused to eat was her beautiful face, her gentle heart, her brain and a couple of other organs) in a snow pile and started shouting to try and get there attention as well as banging on one the metal pots with a spoon, thankfully she was heard and after several hours the cave entrance was open again courtesy of four winter survivalists who happened to be resting their sled dogs nearby, stepping out of the cave was a challenge as she had scurvy from not getting any sun, she was severely underweight, fatigued and had joint pain but alive (and severely depressed) and it took over an hour for her eyes to adjust to the sun, but once she finally stepped outside, the dog sledders immediately recognized her. “You're—you're Rainbow Dash, aren't you?” one asked
Rainbow managed to nod and inquire
“How long was I in there?”
“approximately a month and a half, you and Fluttershy both were assumed dead by princess Twilight as the search party she organized searched for nearly two weeks but they never came this far east trust me I was one of the searchers, you're a long ways from home and we’re more than happy to get you back to the Crystal Empire and go ahead and hop on the sled it's a lot easier than walking” another dog sledder told her as another went inside the cave to retrieve her backpack and what was left of her supplies, rainbow managed to hobble into the sled and 650 miles and a little over a week later (having nightmares about what happened whenever she slept) they reached the Crystal Empire where Rainbow was admitted to the the local hospital for scurvy and malnutrition, princess cadence showed up less than an hour later to talk to her but was turned away by the doctors telling her the Rainbow needed her rest and to come back the next day, the next morning princess Cadence went back to the hospital to try and see Rainbow Dash, thankfully the let her this time,as she walked to Rainbow's room with another doctor, Rainbow was having a breakfast of a fruit mix made up of orange slices, strawberries blackberries and kiwi, she immediately perked up when the doctor told her princess Cadence was here to see her and smiled when she walked in “hey princess long time no see” the prism haired Pegasus said princess Cadence chuckled and asked “how are you feeling?”
“A lot better than yesterday,” Rainbow told her. “The doctor said I can be released in a few days after I get my strength back. I just need to eat a lot of fruit, especially oranges and strawberries, for a few weeks to help get rid of my scurvy.”
“The dog sledders told me what happened after you were admitted to the hospital yesterday. I tried to see you, but they said you needed your rest. They also showed me where you were found and that you were alone in the cave. What happened?” Cadence inquired
“We encountered a freak snowstorm while traveling to Yakyakistan; we ended up separated, so I'm not sure where Fluttershy is." Rainbow told her
“Surely there's more to what happened than that?” Cadence asked
Rainbow sighed and said, “There's really not much to tell. When the snowstorm hit, we got separated, and I managed to find the cave. Overnight, an avalanche must have happened because when I woke up the next day, the cave entrance was blocked and it was pitch black in the cave. Thankfully, I had some of the supplies that Twilight had packed for us in a backpack, including LED flashlight, food and drink mixes, a small camp stove, pots, pans and other cooking utensils for said stove, as well as a Bowie knife and pistol with ammo, To tell you the truth, I did consider taking the easy way out near the end, but what kept me going was the will to see my daughter Scootaloo again as well as my friends.”
Cadence nodded. “I'll let you get back to your breakfast, and I'll let Twilight know you're alive. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again." she told the blue Pegasus, who just smiled and said
“I feel the same way” Rainbow said, after three days (it took a week to get to the Crystal Empire by train from Ponyville) Rainbow had regained enough strength to leave the hospital, after taking a well needed shower she was personally escorted to the train station by cadence’s husband and Twilight’s big brother Shining Armor, to make sure no one bothered her he payed for a private sleeper car for her, Rainbow protested but Shining Armor told her it was the least he could do, Rainbow entered the train shortly after and collapsed on the bed falling into a fitful sleep as the nightmares returned but it wasn't the same nightmare each night when she first left the cave the nightmares were bad but over time got worse her first few nightmares were the same, she was back in the cave about to remove Fluttershy’s left breast with the Bowie knife after making the first cut at the base of her breast Fluttershy’s eyes snapped open, looking Rainbow straight in the eyes and whimpered, “stop, it hurts,” and “why are you doing this?” repeating the phrases again and again as the prism haired Pegasus’s hand moved of its own accord removing the butter yellow Pegasi’s left breast followed by the right before starting to slice chunks from her thighs eating small pieces of raw flesh she cut from them, after around five minutes she would without fail involuntarily slit Fluttershy’s throat or would stab her in the heart before twisting the knife rupturing it, blood pouring and or spraying everywhere, but the nightmares always ended the same way her covered in Fluttershy's blood, before grabbing the pistol, loading it, putting it to her head then pulling the trigger, she would then wake up, needless to say Rainbow got very little sleep on the train or anywhere else for that matter as Fluttershy had begun to be replaced with her other friends and even herself a couple times, and it seemed even medication was no match for them, so Rainbow forced herself to sleep as little as possible. After a week, the train finally pulled into Ponyville station, Once she stepped off the train into the cool autumn air, Twilight was standing on the train station platform She ran up and embraced her good friend, saying, “I can't believe you're alive We looked for weeks but couldn't find you on so glad your ok." Twilight said, crying tears of joy, “Cadence sent me a letter telling me everything and I sent a copy to Celestia so she knows your okay; some dog sledders found you? i couldn't believe it but here you are. i'm just so glad." Twilight told her, and Rainbow simply smiled and asked, “what about the others, Pinkie, Rarity, AJ, Scootaloo, Spike, where are they?”
“My place, I told them I had a surprise for them; why don't we go and say hi?” Twilight asked
“Sounds good to me, and why don't we fly there? I haven't been truly able to stretch my wings since before the storm me and Fluttershy got caught in." Rainbow suggested
"Sure,” Twilight chuckled, taking off with her friend behind her. After several minutes, they reached Twilight's castle and went inside, but before they entered the map room, where the other elements plus Scootaloo and Spike were waiting. Twilight told Rainbow, “Don't come in until I say, "I have someone special I'd like you to meet,” ok?” Rainbow smiled and nodded, making sure she couldn't be seen. Once Twilight opened the door to the map room and entered it, Rainbow listened for her cue, “Hey girls, remember I told you that I had a surprise for you?” She heard Twilight say, “I have someone special I'd like you to meet.” it was that moment Rainbow walked into the room Every jaw in the room dropped as the room went silent, Scootaloo was the one who first broke the silence by crying out “mom” and ran up and embraced her tightly “I thought you were gone forever.”
Rainbow held her close, looked her in the eyes, and said, "Your the reason I'm here at all; I survived a month and a half by thinking of coming home to see you, seeing you grow up, finding your special someone, walking you down the aisle, and watching your children grow up; in essence, I didn't want you to grow up without a mother; that's why I survived; my love for you was strong enough to keep me going." She finished starting to cry herself as she held her daughter close; the others couldn't believe it was Rainbow Dash alive. Twilight then set everyone down and told them everything she knew. Then Rainbow told her modified version of the story where she and Fluttershy got separated; she hated lying, but she felt like she had no choice as the truth would paint her as a monster, and that was the last thing she wanted; even if it was to survive, she just couldn't move on; no one could know the truth, and that was that after Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack had left, Rainbow asked Twilight, “If I was assumed dead, who's been taking care of Scootaloo?”
“Me and the other elements have, and I'm sure you're wondering, and the answer is yes, you do still have a place to live. Your house was turned into a memorial/museum. We just need to go to Mayor Mare's, and as Princess, I can rescind your death certificate, which would get you back. Your house was turned into a memorial/museum. We just need to go to Mayor Mare's, and as Princess, I can rescind your death certificate, which would get you back your house and property, as when a death certificate is signed, the property of the deceased can be distributed to the heirs, which in this case was Scootaloo as she's your sole heir. As for any cards such as credit, debit, and medical insurance, they will have to be reissued, which I can help you with if need be.”
“Really, getting my stuff back is that easy? And as for the cards, I didn't have any credit or debit cards, but I will need help with getting my medical card redone." Rainbow told her
“Unfortunately today is Sunday, so Mayor Mare won't be working in the office today. You can crash in one of my spare rooms tonight, and tomorrow I can rescind your death certificate. How about that?” asked Twilight
“Sounds good to me; I will want a separate room from Scootaloo though,” Rainbow said. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I've been having some nightmares, alright,” she finished
Well, I can temporarily fix that, as I happen to know a low-level spell that, when placed on a pillow, will give the one laying on it a dreamless sleep; it only lasts a week though." the lavender-coated alicorn explained
"Really, you can do that; I would really appreciate it." Rainbow said, trying to hide her excitement
“Ok then,” Twilight told her, “why don't you and Scootaloo hang out until your ready to get some sleep?”
“And do what exactly? it's getting a bit too late to do anything outside,” asked the blue-coated Pegasus
“Well I have the neighstation two as well as well as a few other consoles in my gaming room I also have a bunch of co-op capable games like “We love katamari” which is a game where you control a character rolling a ball of sticky stuff around seeing how much stuff you can get to stick to it, the more you roll it over small stuff the bigger the ball would get enabling bigger and bigger stuff to be able to stick to it as well, the object of the game was to create the biggest ball of stuff within a certain time limit, it was one of Fluttershy's favorite games she claimed it relaxed her she also enjoyed war games surprisingly, she would say killing bad guys relieved some of her pent up stress, war games are one of my weaknesses as well, my personal favorite is a strategy game where you learn about, build armies and control soldiers in the somba/celestial war which happened over 1000 years ago which ended with him being banished or if you decided to fight for him take over Equestria and rule it with an iron fist, as well as your basic shoot em up war games, some racing games as well as a couple wrestling games so I have a fairly large collection” Twilight explained
“Cool, that sounds fun; why not play a few games before bed?” Rainbow asked her daughter
“Really, I've never played any neighborhood games before, just some games on Button Mash's game console,” Scootaloo said excitedly
“Don't get used to it; video games can be addictive, as well as a major time waster It's better to be exploring, hanging out, and having adventures with the other crusaders than sitting in the house all day moving nothing but your fingers. Trust me, too much gaming can ruin your life I had a friend from highschool named Luke Longfeather who ended up dropping out to focus on video game testing, The money was good for the first several years but the company that tested the games ended up firing around half of its testers in an effort to save money He happened to be one of the unlucky ones and got fired, with no more money coming in and having little real-world experience No one would hire him as he was a high school dropout. He and his wife ended up divorcing due to the fact he couldn't get a job. He lost his house and had to move back in with his parents in Manehattan, losing what little dignity he had left. After a freak accident killed his parents, he ended up homeless and on the streets; to my knowledge, he's still on the streets to this day, begging for change from passerbys." Rainbow told her, “But video games are okay in moderation." She finished. Scootaloo just nodded, shocked that playing too many videogames could ruin a person's life like that. Twilight led her to her gaming room, where not only there was the Nintendo 2 but several other consoles as well. After hooking up and showing Rainbow how to work the Nintendo 2, She finished, and Scootaloo just nodded, shocked that playing too many video games could ruin a person's life like that. Twilight led to her gaming room, where not only there was the neighstation 2, but several other consoles as well. After hooking up and showing Rainbow how to work the neighstation 2, she said “have fun” to them and left the room to enchant Rainbow's pillow. The two of them played games from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. when they finally decided to call it a night as they were both exhausted from playing so long. Once Rainbow’s head hit the pillow, she fell into a dreamless sleep, which lasted until morning. The next day she got up feeling rested for the first time in weeks after the three of them had breakfast they all traveled to Mayor mare’s office and a little paperwork later Rainbow and Scootaloo’s home and property were given back to them after calling a town meeting the three of them went to the main square where Twilight announced to everyone that while their favorite cloud buster was back Fluttershy was still missing as well as telling the townspeople to not bother Rainbow Dash or her daughter as Rainbow just got back and to just go back about their day, the meeting ended soon after and everyone dispersed “thanks Twi for everything you've done for me and especially for helping care for my daughter” the prism haired pegasus told her friend
“No problem, I'm happy to help After all, it's not every day a good friend comes back from the dead. Oh, and I have one more surprise for you: me and the other girls are going to get yours and your daughter's home liveable again so you two can sleep in your own beds tonight." Twilight chirped
“I can't ask you to do that,” said Rainbow
“It's a welcome back gift from me and the girls, so I won't take no for an answer and as for the two of you, just enjoy each other's company for today, hang out, go for a fly, get some treats from Sugarcube corner just reconnect with your daughter, she really missed you” the plum colored mare told them, Rainbow embraced Twilight and thanked her, she and Rainbow parted soon after and just like Twilight asked the mother and daughter duo hung out the entire day going for flights together as well as introducing her daughter to the joy of catch and release fishing, the day went by like a blur and before either of them knew it, it was getting late, flying with her daughter to their ground home felt strangely surreal to her, she had been trapped in that cursed cave for a month and a half and out of it for a little over two weeks so the idea of actually going home felt strange to her, but yet she was happy as well, knowing she had not only her freedom back but her daughter as well, and that's what mattered most. A note on the door said, “Welcome home, Rainbow. Sorry we can't be here in person, but everything is done, and the enchanted pillow is on your bed.” The inside of her ground home was exactly as she remembered it, and the kitchen cupboards as well as the pantry were stocked with non-parishable food; even the fridge was full of food! Rainbow smiled knowing her friends had come through for her again, and after making her daughter dinner, Scootaloo asked, “Can I sleep in your room tonight?”
"Sorry, squirt, your going to have to sleep in your own room tonight." Rainbow said firmly
“Ok, mom,” her daughter said, sounding dejected, but she did as she was told. A week passed when Twilight was surprised to have Scootaloo come to her castle looking on edge. “what's wrong?” she asked
“I'm worried about Mom; she isn't acting like herself; she hasn't been sleeping. I usually wake up around three in the morning to go to the bathroom, and mom is up punching the punching bag. After I go back to bed, i can hear her working out from my room for hours at a time, She's been drinking a lot more hard cider than normal and going to bed drunk I've been having to cook my own breakfast and dinner nearly every day this week as she's still in bed either drunk or hungover, she barely even eats anymore and since her room is next to mine, I've heard her crying, saying, “I could have saved her and it should have been me, why wasn't it me? A few minutes later I heard her punching the punching bag, but what I'm really worried about is that she's been hurting herself I've seen her do it multiple times but she doesn't know, I know." Scootaloo said, misty-eyed
Twilight's eyes went wide in shock. “hurting herself, how?” she asked
“She's been cutting her arms with some sort of small knife,” the young Pegasus told her before completely breaking down. Twilight embraced her and gently rubbed her back up and down, saying, “It's okay, it's okay, it's all going to be okay,” until she eventually stopped crying. ”Go to Sugarcube Corner and buy yourself something to eat,” she said, giving Scootaloo a small bag of bits. “I'll talk to your mom, and we'll get it all sorted out. You were very brave to tell someone that your mother is in trouble. I do need a favor from you, though if you're willing, that is, I'm going to need proof of what you said. I happen to have a spell that allows a person to see another person's memories; I can see what you saw, and using those memories, I can confront her,” she told Scootaloo, who said, “If you think it will help my mom, I'll try anything. I just want my old mom back. The memories she saw broke her heart. There was definitely something wrong with her good friend. After twenty minutes, she had the memories she saw break her heart There was definitely something wrong with her good friend after twenty minutes; she had the memories she needed “Thank you; these will definitely help me,” she told the young Pegasi. “I promise I'll do everything within my power to help your mother.” They both stood there awkwardly for a minute before Twilight repeated, “Go to Sugarcube Corner and buy yourself something to eat; it'll be okay," she said, escorting Scootaloo to the entrance of the castle. “I really hope you can help her,” she said before leaving Rainbow. Cutting, she thought to herself as she stepped outside into the cool air. That definitely was something that had to be addressed, and now the crying and hours of working out, her not eating, and the heavy drinking are all symptoms of something bigger. What does she mean by the words “it should have been me; why wasn't it me?" Twilight flew around and after a while found her target in the park wearing a dark long sleeve shirt, which was par for the course as it was mid-autumn, but still, landing softly nearby and calling Rainbow Dash over to her before asking her, “Can we talk? Preferably in private.”
"Sure, where do you want to talk?” she asked
“Either your place or mine, it doesn't matter to me." Twilight replied
“I guess your place then." Rainbow said, launching herself into the air and starting to fly towards Twilight's castle with her flying just ahead of her. Rainbow asked, "What is this about anyway?" Twilight said nothing until they were both in the map room alone. “what's going on, Rainbow Dash?” she started
“I don't know what your talking about,” Rainbow replied
“Your daughter came to me earlier today worried about you,” Twilight told her
“Worried about me, how?” she asked
“She said a bunch of things, like you weren't eating much, that you were drinking heavily, that you woke up multiple times crying, saying, “It should have been me; why wasn't it me,” and that you've been cutting your arms as well. Tell me the truth, Rainbow, is what your daughter said true?” Twilight inquired,
Rainbow merely sighed and nodded. “I guess it's time to tell you the truth about what REALLY happened,” it was, then Rainbow told the whole truth as gruesome as it was. By the end of Rainbow's tale, Twilight was speechless; and the silence of the room was deafening for about thirty seconds “I never wanted to lie to anyone; it's just if everyone knew the truth about what happened, I would be labeled as a monster and possibly a psychopath for eating another Pegasi’s flesh, even if it was a life-or-death scenario and that was the last thing I wanted,” Rainbow finally answered
“I'll have to have the yaks retrieve Fluttershy's remains and bring them to the Crystal Empire to be shipped via train to here, and I'll have to come up with a convincing story on how her body became so mangled; a closed casket funeral will be necessary, but it shouldn't be that big of a lie to let Equestria believe that you two were separated in a freak snowstorm and she ended up freezing to death in another cave and a bear got to her remains before we did.”
“Why would you lie for me to all of Equestria?” Rainbow Dash asked
You do realize that I'm going to have to tell the other princesses right. They should know the real story of what happened to you, and you do realize that Celestia will probably offer you a royal pardon, and for your nightmares, I'm sure Luna has a more potent dreamless sleep spell. I would be surprised if she couldn't find a way to help you. As for the cannibalism, in your shoes, I would have done the same thing to survive. I can understand where you're coming from emotionally. I can understand being afraid of losing friends as well as the respect of others If everyone knew the truth, I also knew that what's going on between you and your daughter is borderline neglect. You do understand that if the heavy drinking, cutting, and basically not being there for her continue, I will have no choice but to take her away from you as well as charge you with neglect, do you understand?” Rainbow nodded as Twilight continued, “As for the nightmares, your feelings of guilt over surviving when Fluttershy didn't, as well as your loss of appetite, are all common systems of the disorder known as survivor's guilt; it's a type of PTSD; it would make sense given the circumstances of what happened and what you were forced to do to survive. There are several ways to combat survivors guilt, including allowing yourself to grieve, emotional support, which me and Applejack can give you if you allow me to tell her the truth, meditation, and doing positive things for others. I've even heard that writing a letter to the deceased helps as well.”
I'll definitely do some of those, especially writing a letter, and I trust Applejack with my secret. You can tell her the truth, but why only Applejack? What about Rarity and Pinkie?” Rainbow asked
“To put it bluntly, Rarity loves to gossip, and you know that Pinkie has the gift of gab as well, if you know what I mean?” Twilight asked
"Yeah, it's probably not that great of an idea to trust the two most talkative people in town with this kind of secret,” Rainbow replied
“And as for everyone else and your secret, like Discord once said, “when all the truth does is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take.” Twilight said with a small smile
The end