Rainbow Dash was my friend. Rainbow Dash was the fastest flier in all of Equestria. Rainbow Dash was The Element Of Loyalty.
And what does it matter to the world?
I'll tell you what. Nothing.
The world doesn't care about you. The world doesn't care about what you love. The world doesn't care about who you are or what you mean to your friends. It just takes something from you and moves on.
Celestia says death is a natural thing. She says that it will happen to all of us eventually.
But she was taken away so early...
So what is the meaning of life? If you're just sent here to live to death?
One of life's greatest mysteries, one mystery that cannot be solved with any kind of scientific investigation. No matter how hard anypony tries, they can't find out why we die when we do.
Fate and Destiny is something I have never believed in. If Destiny was real, was it her destiny to die? Was it her destiny to crash like that?
Was it her destiny to die in my arms?
I could have gotten to the hospital faster. I could have saved her if I had just ran a bit quicker. I know it.
It was my fault. All my fault.
Even if my friends won't say it, they know it was all me. I was the one who had her go pick something up for me.
It was the last Daring Do novel, the only one she wouldn't be able to read.
Why couldn't I just go? It was only a few miles away, I could have easily walked there alone. Maybe she would be okay If I had, maybe she would still be here with me in the Library, reading the book with me. Or maybe we could be with our friends, having another crazy adventure that we always seemed to get in.
I remember when we stopped Discord together, Rainbow Dash, the others and I. Same with Nightmare Moon, and the Changelings.
I remember how nervous she was when she pulled off her second Sonic Rainboom in Cloudsdale. I had wrote a letter to the Princess about her that day.
But I would never do something like that again, Rainbow Dash was gone. Out of my life forever.
I thought of that mare like a sister, same with the others, they were the first real friends I had made for myself.
Rainbow had run into me and pushed me into a mud puddle, then she tried to clean me, and only made it worse.
I can still remember how much of a mess my mane had been after that. Rarity had gone bezerk.
Rarity was the first one who found out about Rainbow Dash, I had sprinted to her boutique in the rain, barging into her store in a muddy mess. At first she had argued with me about the mess I made, but after she saw the tears that had been flowing from my eyes she stopped.
"Darling, what's making you cry?" She had asked.
"R- Rainbow Dash... she..." I tried, covering my eyes.
Rarity harrumphed. "Did that mare go and hurt her wing again?" She asked.
I began to cry loudly and she asked again.
"Twilight, what happen-"
"Rainbow's dead!" I sobbed, gripping Rarity as if she was Celestia herself.
The fashionista stopped and her face went paler than her normal marshmallow white color.
I saw her expression change but no tears emerged from her eyes.
"You best tell the others." She said, pain laced her voice but she tried to hide it.
When I let go she turned around and hid her face, so I opened the door.
The moment I left Carousel Boutique I heard something break, but didn't turn around as I heard numerous more crashes.
I trudged on towards Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was celebrating Pound Cake's first Birthday when I arrived, moving to a loud musical beat.
When she saw me at her door her expression twisted in confusion.
"Twilight! You're soaked!" She said in a cheery voice. "Come inside!"
"No Pinkie, I can't come in right now." I said, afraid that I might ruin the party.
"Okie Dokie." Pinkie said, stepping outside in the rain and closing the door behind her. "I guess I'll come out here with you!"
I managed not to cry when I told her, she thought I was joking at first, pulling some kind of practical joke on her, which only made it harder on me. She eventually figured out that I wasn't kidding and completely broke down in tears, trying to convince herself that she was dreaming, or imagining things. I had tried to do that as well, but knew now.
After a few minutes I tried to convince Pinkie to go back inside and lay down, but she wouldn't, she wanted to see her friend.
She agreed to come with me to get the others as well.
Sweet Apple Acres was next.
Applejack acted like her apple orchards had gone up in flames, she beated at the ground as she wept asking nopony in particular questions like, 'Why?' or 'What did she do?' Pinkie cried with her, and eventually I joined in, trying to keep back tears without succession.
We all had to explain what happened to her to Big Mac, Applebloom and Granny Smith when they found us crying in front of the barn in the rain. Applebloom didn't seem to understand, Granny Smith did some kind of prayer and Big Mac left to the orchards to blow off some steam.
The worst was yet to come, Applejack and Pinkie Pie didn't want to tell Fluttershy, but knew it was only right. My body began to feel numb, not from the cold rain, but from all of the tears and emotions.
We knocked on Fluttershy's door once, and she opened with a warm smile, like each of us knew she would.
"No." Fluttershy said.
"I'm sorry Fluttershy." I said.
Fluttershy dropped the cup of tea that she had poured for herself before we had came and let it shatter on the ground, splashing sharp shards of the cup and hot tea onto her hooves, which she didn't even seem to notice. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to drip onto the carpet, but Fluttershy kept still, letting the warm tears run down her cheeks, it pained all of us to see Fluttershy like this, but we all knew it had been inevitable.
Angel, her pet bunny had hopped onto her back and tried to pet her mane with his paw to comfort her, but only made her cry more.
Fluttershy's knees shook then she fell into the tea and porcelain shards beneath her. Her mane fell over her face and she silently cried into it.
We tried to comfort her for a long time, rubbing her back and patting her head and telling her everything would be alright.
Even though it wouldn't be alright, it would never be the same without Rainbow Dash.
We eventually got her out of the house and practically dragged her to the hospital after picking up Rarity, who had completely trashed her store.
We all wanted to see our friend one last time.
When we arrived her body had just been cleaned, she looked like she was sleeping, she looked peaceful. The worst thing was that I couldn't just wake her up, she wouldn't wake up ever again. I closed my eyes, trying to block out that image.
I remembered, even though I didn't want to.
I walked along the outskirts of Ponyville, where my Rainbow friend would always pull off crazy stunts and tricks. Today had been a special occasion, today was the day she would be able to finish the Daring Do series, the book had just arrived in a town a couple of miles away, I wanted Rainbow to go grab it so she could finish it where she picked it up. I thought it would be a pleasant surprise for the mare.
I had finally spotted her, the mare I had been looking for, Rainbow Dash.
"Hey Rainbow!" I tried, calling out for the mare who looked like she was in the middle of a stunt.
She continued moving around in the air, she probably hadn't heard me when I called, so I tried again, a little louder.
"HEY RAINBOW DASH!!!" I shouted.
The mare turned around in mid air and spotted me, flying towards me quickly.
"Oh, hey Twilight, did you come to check out my awesome stunts?" She asked, smiling at her bragging.
"Not exactly." I said with a laugh. "I wanted you to pick something up for me."
"I dunno if I can, Twilight." Rainbow said, back paddling in mid air. "I'm pretty busy today."
I knew she was just making excuses for something she didn't want to do. So I decided to tell her what exactly it was.
"Are you busy enough for the new Daring Do novel?" I asked with a grin.
Rainbow's jaw dropped and she flew at me so fast I thought she would pull off a Sonic Rainboom right there.
"There's a new one?!" She asked with giddiness.
"Indeed there is, but it's in a town over that way." I said, pointing off towards a town that nopony could see without some kind of telescope.
"I'll be back in ten seconds flat!" Rainbow said, taking off in that direction.
"Wait! I didn't give you the directions!" I said hurriedly, even though she was pretty much a mile away. "Oh well, she'll find it."
I waited for about five minutes patiently waiting for her to get back, I eventually saw her flying back with the book in hoof and a giant smile on her face.
Then a huge bird flew in the direction she came from, the Rainbow mare turned around to see it and didn't pay attention to her altitude and brushed her wing across the ground by accident.
It all happened so fast, her body went limp and she rolled across the ground at high speed towards me, flailing her hooves and dropping the book in the process. When she eventually stopped she was only a few yards away, I sprinted over to her and expected to see her laughing it off, but she wasn't, right when I touched her she screamed in agony, I didn't think she could know so many curses. I really knew something was wrong when she began to cry and blood poured out of her back into a pool around her.
I rushed to the hospital with her in a bubble above me, trying to block out the screams and cries of pain emanating from one of my closest friends.
I held her the whole time, not letting the nurses take her away from me.
She died ten minutes after I got her in, there was nothing they could do within that amount of time.
So here we are. Looking at one of our best friends that lay peacefully on the hospital bed.
"I'm sorry girls." Nurse Redheart said.
Nopony spoke. Nopony even moved except for Pinkie Pie.
The pink party pony walked to the side of the bed and put her hoof in her puffy mane, taking out a pair of silly glasses that they had pulled pranks in together. She set them on the bed next to her.
"See ya later Rainbow." She said.
Rarity came next, laying Rainbow's Gala dress at the foot of her bed and placing a tender kiss on Rainbow's forehead.
"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash" She said with teary eyes.
Rarity walked slowly from the room, trying to keep her composure.
Applejack moved to Rainbow's side and placed a plaque by her side with an engraving labeled,
"The Iron Pony"
Applejack smiled and laid her head on Rainbow's chest, letting tears run down her face onto Rainbow Dash.
"Goodbye, sugarcube." She said, leaving the room.
Fluttershy flew to Rainbow's side and placed her pet turtle, Tank, next to her, who laid his pair of goggles next to her and jumped back into Fluttershy's arms.
After Fluttershy put tank down, she went to Rainbow Dash and lifted her head up, locking a golden necklace with a red lightning bolt around her neck. Then hugging her warmly.
"I hope you know we care about you." Fluttershy said. "Forever and ever."
After Fluttershy left I felt unprepared, What did I have to give? What could she possibly need other than-
The answer clicked in my mind.
I used my magic to open Rainbow's saddlebag that I had stored on my back after she had crashed.
I pulled out Daring Do and The Battle For The Goblin's Egg.
I tucked the book next to Rainbow Dash, under her covers but peeking out just so anypony could see it.
I remembered Rainbow Dash's last wish.
"Don't forget about me Twilight." The Rainbow mare said in agonizing pain.
I repeated what I had told her out loud as I walked out of the room where my friend lay.
"Never."
