“The Weeping Mare”
They say that when the moon is full and the stars glisten on the River of the Two Sisters, you will hear a wail that pierces the ears and shatters your soul. Ask any colt or filly what the noise is and they will say that it is the cries of the Weeping Mare. The Weeping Mare is as old as the river itself and her lament tears at the fear and anxiety of every child.
Long ago there was a beautiful mare that fell in love with a powerful and rich duke. Although she was beautiful she was a pauper and had two starving foals with her but she did not let her status stop her from pursuing her love. The duke and the mare began having a romantic relationship. He promised her all the riches she could ever dream of and a lifetime of eternal happiness; a life that was an impossible fantasy for someone like her. The duke however despised her children and told her to get rid of them. Only then would they ever be together.
The mare was torn. She could not bear to give up her children to the cruelties of the world which would lash at them with a lifetime of hardship, misery and pain. Without a mother in their lives, they would surely die. Yet she believed the duke’s words of prosperity and love. ‘Only once in a lifetime,’ she thought, ‘would love seek me and deliver me from my suffering.’
With a heavy heart, she took her two foals while they were asleep to the edge of the city. Beyond the city lies the River of the Two Sisters. Cliffs overlooked the river ominously casting a dark shadow as black as the night on the waters below. The mare climbed the tallest cliff and walked towards the ledge and looked up to the sky. She prayed to the gods that they would forgive her for what she was about to do. The mare believed that her children would find no comfort in this horrible world. ‘Don’t worry my babies,’ she whispered to the two sleeping foals, ‘this world was not meant for two precious angels like you.’ She looked up to the sky on last time. The stars glimmered in the dim moonlight. ‘Soon you will be stars in the heavens above. No pain, no suffering. I love you both so very much.’ As she finished her goodbyes tears began to build up in her eyes. She gave her two children one last kiss and threw them both to the darkness below. Only the music of the river comforted her.
The next day the mare visited the duke to tell him that her children were gone and they could finally be happy together. But before she could tell the duke anything he told her to leave him at once. He found another mare to be with; one who was more beautiful than she was and who never had any children. He told her that he never wanted to see her again.
The mare was devastated. She lost everything. She lost her only chance for love and her only children. She was now alone; filled with guilt and grief. She could not live with herself for murdering her only children for a loveless relationship. Her heart ached with remorse and depression.
The curtain of the night fell as the lone mare walked to her children’s resting place. The shadow of the cliff was now darker than ever, the waters raging; calling her name. The mare wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at the sky just like she did that fateful night. The stars were dim and pale. The moon seemed to have lost its sheen as well. Why would they shine for her? She killed her children for a love that she couldn’t even see as false. She believed that when she looked at the sky that dreadful night she felt that everything would be okay. Fate would be with her and everything would work out. Her faith that things would get better kept her warm through the horrible nights she spent in the slums of the city. Now she felt cold.
‘I’m sorry.’ She whispered to the wind hoping her children would hear. With that she walked off the ledge and plummeted to the darkness with her children.
They say that when the moon is dull and the stars are barely visible, you could hear the mare howl along the river, crying for her children. Legend has it that she is now cursed to walk along the banks of the river searching for her two children for eternity. Mothers would tell their children to never play or ever go near the river at night for if the Weeping Mare would to ever see you, she would drag you down to the bottom of the river believing that you are one of her children. Until the day the river stops moving, the Weeping Mare will continue to cry.
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“Hah! Found another one!” Twilight surrounded a sapling with her magical aurora. She levitated it into her saddlebag which had various plants and roots. “Just a few more herbs and we are finished for the day.”
“Ugghh” groaned an annoyed pegasus, “come on Twilight! We’ve been out here for hours! Can’t you hurry up? I’m getting really bored out here.”
“Rainbow, you were the one who volunteered to help me in the first place.”
“Yeah but the way you made this trip sound I thought it was going to be cool. Not looking at twigs and leaves for three hours straight.”
“I told you I needed help gathering ingredients for an extremely difficult experiment that if it is done properly could open a world of new possibilities for ponies to unlock their inner magical grid allowing them to tap into new abilities that surpass their natural born talents. Rarity would be able to find every gem within a 25 mile radius. Applejack could become the greatest athlete in all of Equestria. Even you! Just imagine being able to fly faster than what can do now!”
“See? That sounds cool! But wandering in the forest like this isn’t. Why couldn’t you wait till Zecora came back from her trip to get these ingredients?”
Twilight closed her saddlebag and looked up at Rainbow who was hovering nearby. “I already asked her before she left. All the plants she gathers have medicinal purposes and in no way affect mana in a pony’s body.” Twilight looked around. The forest was quiet except for the light rustling of freshly fallen leaves. Fall was coming and the leaves had turned shades of orange, yellow and brown that glistened in the glowing sunlight. “I will admit I was surprised that she didn’t have any of the ingredients. It would have saved me some time for the experiment. Gathering the ingredients is the most tedious part of the experiment. Even after today, I still have quite a few ingredients to gather and it will take a few more days of foraging.”
Rainbow sighed. “Okay can you just hurry up it’s starting to get dark.”
An hour had past and the sun was beginning to glow a dark orange which symbolized the end of the day. The shadows of the trees elongated to the length of giants casting a blanket of darkness over the land. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were in the heart of the forest roaming in and out of groves of trees. The patience between the two began to wear.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE’RE LOST?!” Rainbow exclaimed.
“Rainbow, I said I was sorry!” Twilight responded just as annoyed as the pegasus was. “I was too busy concentrating on finding the remaining herbs, to pay attention to our location. If I didn’t collect the last plant on the list, it would put further behind on my schedule.” Twilight looked up to the pegasus and saw that she did not assuaged by her explanation. Twilight sighed. “Look, arguing is not going to get us anywhere. We have to work together get back to Ponyville.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Fine. I’m still pretty upset at you for getting us in this situation in the first place.”
“When we get back to Ponyville, you can be mad at me as much as you want.” Twilight responded with a smirk. “Let’s see. I can’t ask you to go back to Ponyville since we don’t know exactly where we are so if you leave it would make finding me more difficult and forget about trying to carry me; I’m too heavy for you to carry on your own.” Twilight thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea. “Now fly up and see if you can scout out our location.”
Rainbow smiled. “Gotcha.” Rainbow at a moment’s pace launched herself into the air leaving her iconic rainbow trail. She stopped about 10 feet above the tree line and yelled back down to Twilight. “Hey Twi, what am I suppose to be looking for?”
“Look for anything significant geographical landmark; like a mountain or something.” Twilight replied.
Rainbow scanned the area looking for anything that Twilight could use to find their location but she saw was trees as far as the eye could see.
“Do you see anything?” Twilight called out to Rainbow.
“No. Just trees.” Rainbow lowered her head in defeat and closed her eyes. Suddenly her ears perked up. It was faint but definite sound. “Hey Twilight,” Rainbow shouted, “I think I could hear something.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know.” Rainbow closed her eyes again and focused on the sound. “It kind of sounds like running water; like a stream.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up. Her horn glowed around her saddlebag and she pulled out a map of the forest. She looked at the map and saw that there was a river that flowed through the forest. Using that, Twilight figured out that they were on the northern side of the forest. “Rainbow, which direction is the sound coming from?”
"Uh…that way.” Rainbow pointed toward her left.
“Great! Let’s get going.”
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Celestia’s sun faded away and Luna’s moon appeared. Even though it was bright, it gave no light to the forest. The light breeze of the day subsided and gave way to an unnatural silence. The only noise was the sound of Twilight and Rainbow walking on the soft grass heading towards a lively river. The river was blacker than the night surrounding it. It was surrounded by trees that drooped as if they were mourning a death. The banks of the river bore no vegetation but instead were bare and covered in sharp jagged rocks. The air around the river was heavy and humid.
Twilight and Rainbow slowly walked towards the river. Twilight was surveying the area. Rainbow, however, seemed uneasy. Anxiety began to overcome her causing her to freeze in her tracks. She peered into the blackness of the water. The eerie darkness called out to her trapping her into an endless gaze into nothingness. Her stomach became heavy and her breathing deepened. Adrenaline pumped through her veins leaving her on edge; ready to jump out of her skin in any second. The air had so much pressure it felt as if the weight of the celestial bodies were crushing her to the ground. Her legs became weak and fragile. The air was muffled as if she was submerged in the black water she was staring at.
“Rainbow…” a faint voice called out to her. She didn’t respond. The water beckoned, enticing her with a song with no melody almost like a song a mother would sing to her foal. “Rainbow…” the voice was louder. The song continued increasing in tempo. Her gaze deepened. She inched her way towards the water “Rainbow…” the voice was clearer. The song’s grandiose climax was near. Rainbow was powerless against the river. Soon the lullaby will be over
“Rainbow!” All of a sudden, as if a light was turned on, Rainbow Dash looked up from the water. She was dazed and for a second, and did not know where she was. She quickly turned to her left to see a worried Twilight. “Rainbow, what in the world were you looking at?” Rainbow glared back at the water. The only sound that pierced the air was the raging water.
“I…” Rainbow stumbled. She wasn’t sure if she could even describe what she felt. She thought back to that vibe. Her heart raced just at the memory of it. She shuddered as she breathed the damp air. “…don’t know…” she finished saying. ‘What just happened?’ she thought. ‘I felt as if I was drowning.’ The memory made her sick to her stomach. Just then, Rainbow collapsed on to the river bank, holding her stomach in pain.
“Rainbow!” Twilight rushed over to her friend. “What’s wrong?” she asked the cringing pegasus. “I’m fine.” Rainbow replied. She tried to stand up but couldn’t. Her front legs were too weak. Twilight helped Rainbow get and got her to a nearby tree so that she could rest. Once Rainbow was settled, Twilight pulled out a map to check their location.
“Okay we headed north from our previous location so that would put us in this general area.” Twilight glanced at the map intently. “It says here that this river is known as the ‘River of the Two Sisters.’ It’s an old river that runs all the way from Canterlot. If we follow it downstream we should be able to find our way back to Ponyville.” Twilight looked backed at Rainbow. “It should take us a few hours to get back… home”
Rainbow glared at Twilight with empty eyes. She looked pale and began to shiver violently. She painfully got on her hooves, propping herself against the tree’s bark. She was breathing was colored by shudders and panic. “Twilight, we need to go back into the forest.” Twilight looked at Rainbow as if she had lost her mind. “Why? We have a clear path to Ponyville! If we go back into the forest, who knows when we'll get out of this forest; what has gotten into you?”
“Twilight, please listen to me.” Rainbow’s voice shook violently and was weak. “We have to get far from this river; it’s for our own good.” Twilight was deeply concerned and confused by Rainbow’s actions. “Rainbow, what is going on?! You’re acting strange. It’s like you are scared or something.” Rainbow flinched. “Wait a minute,” Twilight put the pieces together. “You are scared.” Twilight stated with a grin on her face. She snickered then burst into laughter.
“Twilight…” Rainbow tried to interrupt Twilight’s laughter but the fear in the voice kept her from speaking out. Her face was flushed. She hated being laughed at but the truth was she was scared. She hated to admit it but she was frightened beyond belief by the river and what it contained. “Twilight please…”
Twilight began to calm down, teary eyed from laughter. “I’m sorry but that was too rich.” Twilight chuckled wiping tears from her eyes. “I’ve never seen you scared before. I’ve seen you nervous and even cautious before, but never like this. You’re usually so brash and bombastic about adventures and things like that. You truly are terrified of something aren’t you?” Twilight looked back at Rainbow. Rainbow bit her lip and gazed back into the forest as if she was looking for something in a big panic. Twilight now felt horrible for laughing at her friend. Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. Just please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Just trust me. We need to head back to the forest.” Rainbow did not want to tell Twilight what was scaring her. It seemed so silly yet, just being in the same place as it struck such a violent chord with her that she could not help but be horrified by the river. “You know you can tell me if there is anything wrong. “ Twilight said trying to comfort her worried friend. “I am your friend I am here to help you.”
Rainbow felt defeated. She sighed. It looked like the only way to get far away from this forsaken river was to tell Twilight. “I…” finding the right words was difficult. Rainbow tried to put her irrational fear into coherent thoughts. “…am afraid of the river.”
Twilight looked extremely puzzled and confused. She thought ‘Could this really be what is frightening her?’ “Is that all?” Twilight asked in a sympathetic manner. “I never knew you were afraid of water.”
“I’m not afraid of water…” Rainbow interrupted. She was still shuddering from the thought. “…just this river.” Twilight became more bewildered by her friend’s sudden behavior. This was nothing like Rainbow Dash, the once proud and over confident pegasus. Hearing that she was afraid of a simple river was perplexing. “Why?” Twilight questioned. “Is there something special about this river or…?”
Rainbow gulped. She could not keep the reason for her fear a secret from Twilight any longer. “You said this was ‘The River of the Two Sisters’, right? That means…” Rainbow paused with words stuck in her throat. “…she’s here.” Twilight beginning to get impatient with Rainbow’s vague answers, “Who’s here? Just spit it out already!” Rainbow cringed. She didn’t want to say anything but she knew it was no use avoiding trying to avoid an answer. Rainbow whispered quietly, “The Weeping Mare.”
Silence between the two followed. The sound of the river raging droned in the background. The next sound to be heard was one of snickering. Then all of a sudden Twilight burst into laughter a second time rolling on the ground. Rainbow could not help but feel embarrassed. Still, she felt the same level of anxiety and desperately wanted to leave the river. “Twilight, stop!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I told you why, now can we please get out of here.” Twilight’s laughing dimmed down to a chuckle; then began to apologize once again. “I’m sorry but I can’t believe you are afraid of a silly old mare’s tale, but no. We can’t go back into the forest. It will just waste more time.”
“What!” Rainbow yelled. “You said we could leave this river if I told you why I was scared.” Twilight began walking down the river bank following the river current. “I never said we were going back into the forest. I said that I would help you. If it was an actual phobia like the fear of water, I might of considered finding another path, but giving up a clear shot of getting back home because of a silly urban legend just doesn’t make sense.”
“But she is not an urban legend!” Rainbow cried. “She’s real!” Twilight stopped walking and turned back towards Rainbow. Twilight was starting to get annoyed by the thought that Rainbow believed that ‘The Weeping Mare’ was real. “Just like how you and the others thought that Zecora was evil?” Twilight called out. Rainbow was hesitant to respond at first but did so moments later. “That… that was different,” Rainbow stuttered. “You’re right.” Twilight responded. “Zecora is real.” Twilight turned towards the river surveying the area looking at the sky, the trees and the water itself. “The Weeping Mare is just a children’s story told by parents so that kids would not sneak out and play in rivers at night.”
Twilight faced Rainbow Dash again and pointed towards the river. “When I was younger I used to believe in the legend as well. My parents told me if I ever went to the river alone, The Weeping Mare would drag me down to the bottom of the River and I will never be seen again. Of course I was scared but when I did some research on the story, I found out that the only city near the river is Canterlot. It did make sense since in the story the mare threw her children off a cliff. Yet I find it difficult to believe there was ever a duke in Canterlot. Look around.” Twilight pointed her hoof towards the surrounding forest. “There are no cliffs around. You said so earlier and the map shows that there aren’t any along the river.”
“I don’t care what your research says!” Rainbow exclaimed. Her shouts came to a surprise to the unicorn. Everything her friend said up to this point had been soft and frail. Rainbow’s eyes weren’t full hate but disbelief. Her eyes began to water, glistening in the moonlight. “When I was in flight school, before I met Fluttershy, I had a friend who didn’t believe in the legend. On Nightmare Night, a group of kids from class went to the river to prove The Weeping Mare didn’t exist. My friend was part of the group. The next morning they didn’t come back.” Rainbow spoke in between sobs. “They made a search party but could not find any of them. Eventually they gave up and assumed the worse.”
Twilight felt worse than she did before. She had no idea Rainbow had such a history. Usually the pegasus talked more about herself rather than her past. “Rainbow, I’m so sorry.” Twilight said trying to comfort her friend. “But that doesn’t mean the legend is true. Maybe your friend just got lost or something.”
Rainbow wiped tears from her eyes. “No. He was a strong flyer. He could have found his way back to Cloudsdale. I know it was this damn river. She got him, Twilight, it’s the only reason why he didn’t come back!” Rainbow’s hoof struck the ground with a powerful blow; her anger and sadness directed towards the river in front of her. “I should have come with him!” Rainbow began sobbing again “I could have saved him but I was too afraid!”
Twilight walked back to Rainbow and helped her up. “Rainbow, I won’t keep you here any longer. At least we know where we are. Come on. We’ll go back into the forest.” Rainbow looked up to her friend and gave her a smile. Back on her hooves, Rainbow followed Twilight back into the forest.
The river watched them disappear to the trees. The waves were still restless and moaned as waves hit the banks of the river. The moon still shined with a dim light giving the trees unsettling shadows. Darkness veiled everything…including a pair sobbing eyes …
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“If we keep heading east we should be able to find a dirt road that should lead us straight to Ponyville.” Twilight spoke trying to break the silence that had fallen between the two. Twilight and Rainbow had been walking for about an hour taking a longer path through the forest. The path was darker than the river but thanks to an enchantment Twilight was able to emit a light from her horn. The trees gave off twisted and elongated shadows once the light hit them. The shadows danced, coiled together, and then dissipated into the darkness which it was born. For an hour, the shadows danced to the music of leaves rustling under hooves.
Silence continued after Twilight talked. No response from her friend. There was tension between the two ever since they left the river. Not being able to stand it any more, Twilight let out a sigh. “Rainbow, I’m sorry for what happened earlier.” Rainbow picked up her head and from the slouch it was in and looked over at Twilight. “I should have taken your feelings seriously.”
“It’s okay.” Rainbow replied quietly. “Just being around that place brings back bad memories.” They continued to walk more a moment but then Rainbow stopped. “Could you promise not to tell the others about what happened?” Twilight paused as well. “I don’t want them to think that I’m all sappy and such.” Rainbow said jokingly with a weak laugh trying to break the tension between the two. Twilight smiled. “I promise.” They continued to walk down their chosen path
“Uh, Twilight?” Rainbow asked. “Yes?” Twilight responded. “How much longer till we reach this road?” Twilight used her magic to take out the map and studied it. “It has been a while since we had left the river, so that would but us around this area. We should be there in another half hour or so.” “Cool.” Rainbow yawned. “I’m getting really tired all of a sudden. I’m just glad this adventure is almost over.” “Yeah, me too.”
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“This isn’t...right.” Twilight mumbled as she gazed at the violent river that stood in front of her. “Twilight I thought you said we were going away from the river! Why are we here again?!” Rainbow shouted at her friend thinking that it was some sort of prank. “Rainbow, I swear to you the direction we were going should not have met the river anytime soon.” Twilight pulled out the map using her magic. Just like before the air was heavy and murky but there was still enough light to read the map. “The maps says the river does not enclose any area and our path’s direction actually takes away from the river. This doesn’t make sense!”
“I don’t care if it doesn’t make sense. I just want to get away from this river.” Rainbow replied trying her best to remain calm; being around the river again caused her to feel the same anxiety as before. Her stomach grew heavy and the strength in her legs began to fade. Twilight sensing the worry in her voice looked around to see if there were any significant landmarks to map out their location. She looked at the trees, the ground and even the sky. What frighten Twilight was that this was the exact spot where Rainbow and she left the forest.
‘This doesn’t make any sense!’ Twilight thought rapidly. ‘It defies all sense of logic and reason!’ Twilight made a second sweep of their location trying to find any new detail that would assuage her fears; anything. Nothing. Everything was the same. There were even hoof prints from where they walked back into the forest. Rainbow didn’t seem to notice. ‘Could we have been walking in circles? No, that can’t be the answer. I was careful to keep as straight of a path as I could. Even so, that doesn’t explain why we are in the very same spot. Not wanting to frighten her friend further, she had to come up with an explanation. Twilight pulled out the map and pretended to study it again. “Oh! It seems that we accidentally took a wrong turn at this fork we past.” ‘That was a lame excuse.’ Twilight thought. ‘We didn’t even encounter a fork in the road. I just hope she will buy it.’
Rainbow had a puzzled look on her face but then quickly shrugged off any idea thought she may have had. “Whatever, can we just go already?” Rainbow replied trying her best not let her voice quiver. Twilight obliged and quickly walked back into the forest with Rainbow right behind her. Twilight couldn’t keep her mind off of what just happened. ‘There was absolutely no way they could have made a complete circle and returned to that spot.’ She didn’t know what was going or what was causing it but deep down in back of her mind she knew they had to get out of the forest soon.
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‘This is impossible!’ Once again the two were faced with the river and all its raw, dark energy. It looked like it grew in strength the last time they saw it. The water lashed out onto the banks of the river, sweeping away anything that had the misfortune to be there at the moment. The noise created by the current was almost unbearable and drowned any sound the forest surrounding it could have made. The black water was restless and seemed to call out to the two. Twilight again searched the area and sure enough, it was the same spot. It frightened the unircorn.
However Rainbow seemed to be more upset than terrified. “Twilight, why are we here again?! I’m really getting sick of this joke!” Twilight snapped back “It’s not a joke!” Rainbow recoiled from Twilight’s shout. “Rainbow, I would never do anything to hurt you!” Twilight paused to giver her time to catch her breath. “I don’t know why we are back here. I did everything to make sure we were never going to see this place ever again.” Twilight finished and Rainbow became silent again. Minutes passed before Rainbow said something. “I’m sorry, Twilight.” Rainbow said softly. “I’m just…” Rainbow paused trying to hold back her tears. “I’m just really scared right now. I know you’re trying your best to get us home, but…” Rainbow’s next thought sent a feeling of despair and hopeless down into her soul. Visions of the lives ruined, friendships torn, and misery flooded her mind. It would all come true if they never make out of the forest…alive. She dared not say it out loud. “…but what?” Twilight asked curiously. Rainbow shook the cursed images out of her head. “Never mind.” Rainbow quickly responded. “We have to get out of here as soon as possible, Twi.”
Twilight sighed. She knew of only one other way to get out of the forest but it was one that she knew Rainbow would hate. “It looks like the only other option we have is to walk along river and hope to find some way to back to Ponyville.” Just as Twilight suspected, Rainbow did not approve. Her face showed discontent and pure terror. Twilight knew her friend’s mental state was at risk as well. “I know you’re scared,” Twilight said while looking towards the river, “and you are not bound to the earth like I am. You can fly from Rainbow. Go back to Ponyville without me. I’ll be fine here. I can make it home by myself.” Rainbow wanted to go back home and be far from the river more than anything in the world. But she could not do it. Not if it meant leaving Twilight.
“I’m not going to leave you, Twilight.” Rainbow said trying her best to remain calm, “not if it means losing another friend to this river. I would never forgive myself.” Twilight could not help but smile. It was times like these which made her glad to have friends like Rainbow. She was still stranded in the forest but at least she wasn’t alone.
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The river overflowed with the dark water, gushing out the sides and spilling onto the river banks. Because of this Twilight and Rainbow had to keep a safe distance. Following the river proved uneventful. No obstacles were met and the path was clear. It almost seemed as if something or somepony wanted them to take this path in the first place.
The further they went, the heavier the air became. The pressure around them became almost insufferable. Moisture filled the air giving the feeling of drowning on land. The river itself became wilder and more out control. Despite these anomalies Twilight and Rainbow pressed forward.
The river itself seemed to stretch on forever. If you were to look towards the horizon, the darkness of the water would mesh with the black of the sky giving the illusion of endless abyss. The stars retreated and all was left in the sky was the dim moon. The forest surrounding the river became darker and the shadows seem to retreat from the river hiding in the comfort of their own darkness.
Twilight and Rainbow were silent for most of their journey. There was no reason why. Talking just ceased between the two. Twilight was deep in thought. Even though she was with Rainbow, she could not help but feel alone. The isolation was maddening. It seemed that she was in her own world and Rainbow was in her own. The two were together but far apart. Yet she did nothing to stop it. She was lost in her surroundings. Ever since they decided to walk down the river Twilight became enveloped by the forest around her. She could not help but have an interest in it. Something about it seemed off, aside from the fact that it sent Rainbow and her to the same location twice. It was odd to say but she had a feeling that the trees around her seemed to change. It was irrational to think that trees were sentient and could move on their own, but that what it seemed to be. The trees themselves seemed to change shape and width to create a barrier cutting them off from the rest of the forest; kind of like two sheep trapped in a pin waiting to be sheared. ‘This had to be an illusion’ she thought. ‘There is absolutely no way this could be happening.’
Her trance was broken by a sound that pierced the air cutting through the sound of the river. It was a sound of pain and anguish; a kind of sound that only the dead could recite. The sound sent a shock through Rainbow and Twilight’s body paralyzing them with fear. Twilight’s heart raced and jumped up to her throat. In her ears she heard the pounding of her heart beating against her chest; so desperate to get out.
‘What was that?’ Twilight thought. She was too terrified to talk. She had never heard such a cry like that. It sounded as if somepony’s soul was being torn to shreds. But she wasn’t so much concerned by what the sound was but rather what made the sound. She didn’t know if it was somepony in trouble or some sort of unknown beast. All she knew was she needed to move; fast. She turned around to face Rainbow, but what she saw or what she didn’t see scared her more than the sound: Rainbow Dash was gone.
Not seeing her friend there gave Twilight anxiety and caused her hooves to shake. Her heart pounded faster than ever and adrenaline ran through her veins. Her breathing became shallow and quivered with each breath. Worst yet: the darkness. The darkness of the river: water and all oozed into the atmosphere like a great black mist blocking out the moon and chocking the petrified unicorn. It became hard to breathe and her energy began to drain. It felt like this would be the end.
All hope was lost, but then a spark let up inside, Twilight. In her mind flashed images of her life in Ponyville: the day she met her friends, the good times and adventures they had together, her brother, her parents and the princesses. All of them would be gone. ‘No!’ Twilight shouted in her head. ‘This is not the end.’ It took every ounce of energy she had left but Twilight managed to cast a spell repelling the darkness away giving her an opening to escape. As soon as the darkness let go of her she sprinted away from the black mist, running down stream. The only thought she had in mind was finding Rainbow.
Twilight ran as fast as she could looking everywhere for her missing friend. The trees were the same as she left them; blocking her from entering the forest. She knew Rainbow could have not exited there. Even if she did, Twilight knew Rainbow would never abandon her. That meant that there was only one other possibility. ‘Could that black have captured her?’ Twilight thought. She continued to run along the bank searching for any sign of her friend.
For what seemed like an eternity, Twilight stopped running in order to catch her breath. As she picked up her head, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat. On the muddy bank being bombarded by the harsh waves of the river was the Rainbow Dash; lying motionless. Twilight rushed quickly to her friend’s body. Her body was cold from the river, her mane a mess from the mud and the feathers on her wings ruffled. Twilight held her ear to her mouth. She was not breathing. Without missing a second Twilight used her magic to take out as much water as she could out of Rainbow’s lungs. She still was not breathing and her heart was silent. Not giving up. Twilight put her hooves on her friend’s chest and began performing CPR. “Rainbow,” Twilight cried, “don’t give up on me! The Rainbow Dash I know never gives up!” Twilight tried her best to hold back her sobs but her eyes became too watery for her to see. Tears fell on Rainbow’s blue coat while Twilight continued with the compressions. Twilight ceased within moments realizing her efforts were for naught. Rainbow Dash was gone; stricken with grief, Twilight collapse on top of her departed friend. She mourned her friend holding her in her hooves. Twilight’s tears fell on her friend clearing off the dirt on her coat. “It’s all my fault.” Twilight said in between sobs. “If it wasn’t for me, she would still be alive. Rainbow, why didn’t you leave?” She broke down and continued crying never leaving her friends side. Twilight’s cries echoed in the night but weren’t the only sound in the forest.
Twilight’s cry subsided, when out of the forest, she heard a song with no melody. It was soft and delicate and calmed Twilight down. She followed the melody leaving Rainbow’s body behind. The song led her to the edge of the river. The song turned into a lullaby; one that a mother would sing to her foal. From the lullaby spawned the black mist. Once again Twilight was engulfed in darkness. Twilight was still listening to the lullaby. It calmed her and assuaged her from her trouble. The darkness grabbed Twilight and met no resistance. Twilight stood there, mesmerized by the lullaby. The air became thick once more and Twilight was met with the same chocking sensation. She was raised into the air, being hanged by her neck. Her windpipe was being crushed by the pressure from the blackness and her air deprived lungs burned, making her body cold. The lullaby crescendo into its finale; it grandiose, its final movement. As the lullaby increased so did Twilight’s suffering. Her body began to shut down. The lullaby was almost over. Twilight let out one last breath and the darkness let go over her. She fell into the river and began to sink to the bottom. As the lullaby struck its last chord, Twilight saw the moon fade beneath the calm waves of the river. The lullaby is over.
Twilight and Rainbow are both gone, never to be seen again. Alone in the darkness of the forest, a lone mare weeps for her children.
The End.