A Rainbow's End

“Pinkie! Wait up!” Rainbow Dash yelled, as her pink pony friend bounced down the street.  She flapped her wings quickly as she chased after Pinkie Pie.  In a few seconds, she was flying next to her friend, who had never stopped bouncing.

“Oh, hey Dash! What’s going on?” Pinkie said in her usual cheery tone.

“Wanna come hang with Applejack and the rest of the gang?” Rainbow asked, hoping she would agree.  She loved all her friends, there was just something about Pinkie that made her feel great.

“Sure!”

“Awesome.  See you at Sweet Apple Acres in a few.” she said and flew up into the sky.  Rainbow swiftly flapped her wings, and smiled as the cool air rushed around her, and through her rainbow colored mane.  All her worries and fears went away whenever she was flying up in the clouds.

Soon, she spotted Sweet Apple Acres, and made a quick dive.  Rainbow could feel a sonic rainboom forming.  She flapped her wings harder, picking up even more speed.  About one hundred feet above Applejack’s barn, Rainbow broke the sound barrier.  The loudest boom ever occured, and she made a quick turn straight, trailing a rainbow behind her.  The biggest smile in a few weeks appeared on her face as she felt her frustration and sadness being left behind in the rainbow she was trailing.

Rainbow made a small loop, then turned around as the rainbow trail started to fade.  She could feel her sadness returning, but Rainbow couldn’t show it to her friends.  It had felt good to get rid of it for a little while at least.  She shook her head and straightened herself up as she approached her friends.

“Talk about makin’ an entrance,” Applejack exclaimed.  Rainbow smiled.

“Heheh, yeah, sorry. Got a little carried away with my flying.”

“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart.  It was very lovely.” Rarity said.

“It was so loud!  Was it the biggest sonic rainboom you’ve ever done?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Yeah, it might have been.  Pinkie here yet?” she wanted to change the subject before someone asked why she had been doing so many lately.

“Right here!” a blur of pink tackled Rainbow Dash in a hug.

“Woah, hey there Pinkie.” Rainbow smiled as she was tightly embraced by the pink earth pony.  Fluttershy sat quietly, looking a little shaken.

“You alright, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, looking a little concerned.

“Oh, yes, I’m fine.  The sonic rainboom just scared me,” she said quietly.

“Sorry about that,” Rainbow gave her a small ‘sorry’ smile.

“It’s okay.” she said.  The six friends went and made drinks, then all sat around the picnic table.  They laughed, made jokes, gossiped, and had a good time.  For once, Rainbow was feeling good, and didn’t have to fake her laugh.  She almost forgot about what was troubling her.  That is, until Applejack asked the question she had been dreading all her life.

“So, Rainbow, how come we haven’t met your parents? Or even heard about them?” Immediately, Rainbow’s face dropped, and she was sucked into a horrible flashback.

“Rainbow Dash. I love you.” Rainbow’s mom kissed her forehead, then hid her on a carriage filled with boxes full of things she never found out what.  The curtain hiding what was inside the carriage closed as Rainbow’s mom was quickly jerked from the back, giving Rainbow no time to say anything.

There was a horrible scream from outside.  Rainbow heard her dad inaudibly yell something, then there was more screaming.

“Mom! Dad!” she yelled.

The flashback ended there.  She found all her friend staring at her, waiting for an answer.  She wondered how long she had been out.

“Oh, heh, they’ve been busy.  I’ve never really thought to being them up.” Rainbow quickly pulled herself together.  But it was too late.  She could feel tears forming.  Rainbow acted like she suddenly remembered something she had to do.

“Oh man!  I forgot!  I gotta go you guys.  This has been fun.”

“Wait, Dash!  Where are you going?” Pinkie yelled after her friend, looking a little worried.  Rainbow flew up into the sky without answering, not wanting to stay longer in fear of more questions.  The other five exchanged worried looks.

Rainbow burst into her room, bawling.  Not caring about the state of cleanliness of her room, she picked up the nearest thing, which happened to be one of her Daring Do books, and threw it as hard as she could across the room.

Rainbow grabbed a few more things; a lamp, a Wonderbolts figurine, another Daring Do book, and her Element of Harmony necklace, and threw those around the room as well.

When she finally calmed down long enough to look around, she realized there were several cuts on her back leg.  She hadn’t even felt them.  Rainbow hung her head and walked over to her bed, still crying.  She sunk her face into a pillow, and let out the loudest scream she had ever done.  It released some frustration.

A few hours passed before Rainbow Dash finally lost enough energy from crying, and fell asleep.

Rainbow didn’t come out of her house for a week.  She ignored the pegasuses her friends sent to come get her.  Instead, she lay on her bed, not eating and not moving.  The depression that had been hanging around since she was a filly had finally taken over.

At the end of the week, Rainbow finally went into Ponyville again.  The first pony she came across was Scootaloo.  Rainbow rather liked Scootaloo.  She treated her like a sister she had always wanted.  She’d hate for anything to happen to her.

“Rainbow Dash!” the little filly yelled, seeing her loved friend. “Where have you been?” Scootaloo asked, running over and tackling her with a hug.

“I’ve just been sick.  I’m alright now.  It’s good to see you again.” Rainbow couldn’t help but smile as the orange filly wrapped her front legs around her tightly.

“I’m really glad you’re back.  I’ve missed you so much.” Scootaloo said, letting go of Rainbow Dash.

“Me too.” Rainbow ruffled the filly’s mane, then kept walking through the street.  She hadn’t seen any other of her friends yet, so she wondered if they were at Sugarcube Corner.

Sure enough, they were.  All five of them.  None noticed as the skinny, tired cyan pegasus walked through the door.

“Hey guys.” Rainbow said, walking up to them.  They all spun around to look at her, wide-eyed with disbelief.

“Rainbow! Darling, where have you been?” Rarity exclaimed, cringing a little at her appearance.  She wished she had thought to clean up before going out.

“I’ve been sick.” the lie slipped easily past her lips easily for the second time.

“Are you sure you’re alright now?  You look awfully skinny.” Twilight asked, looking a little suspicious.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Rainbow lied again.  This was what her life had become.  Lies and depression.

“If you say so, sugarcube.” Applejack still looked suspicious as well.  Rainbow put on her best fake smile.

“So, what’s everypony been up to?” she asked, trying to get off the subject.  They told her everything that had happened while she was gone.  It almost felt like Rainbow had never left.  She wondered what would happen if she left permanently.  It would be better for both sides.  She wouldn’t have to feel this pain anymore.

The group broke up after an hour, leaving only Twilight and Rainbow.

“So, Rainbow, what were you sick with?” Twilight asked.

“Uh, pony pox.” she said the first sickness that came to mind.

“No you weren’t.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you had that when you were younger.  Now, what were you really sick with?”

“I’m telling you, it was pony pox.”

“Was it depression?” Twilight wasn’t buying the pony pox.

“No.”

“It was something like it. Rainbow Dash, I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“I know that.”

“So what’s wrong?” Twilight wanted the truth, which was something Rainbow was still denying.

“Nothing is wrong.  Now, I’m still tired from the pony pox.  I should go get some sleep.  See ya later, Twi.” Rainbow headed towards the door, but couldn’t get out, as Twilight shut it with her magic.

“You aren’t leaving till you tell me what’s wrong.” she  teleported in front of Rainbow Dash.  Rainbow sighed, then sat down.

“You really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Well, me and my family were fine.  Until one day...

'“Mom! Get out here!” Filly Rainbow Dash yelled from outside.  There were black carriages pulling into town.

“What’s the matter, Dash?” her mom asked, walking outside.  She stopped dead when she saw the carriages.

“Who are they?” Rainbow asked, getting worried.

“Honey, get inside.”

“But why?”

“Just do as I say.” Rainbow followed her mom’s orders, but watched through the window as ponies dressed in black suits covering every inch of their body jumped out.

“Dash, get down from there.” her dad came from the kitchen.

“But who are they?” Rainbow demanded.

“No one, Dashie.” he said and shut the blinds, then joined her mom outside.  Rainbow waited impatiently inside.

She waited for what felt like hours.  There was inaudible yelling outside.

“Dashie, we have to go. Now.” her dad said as he burst back into the house.  Before Rainbow could ask any questions, her mom was pushing her after her dad, and the three flew out the back door.

“Where are we going?” Rainbow asked.  None of her parents bothered to answer.  They wondered where they were going too.  After what felt like a few miles of flying, the family settled down in the other side of Manehattan, where those black suited ponies hadn’t reached.

“We should be safe here for awhile.” Rainbow Dash’s mom said, looking around.

“Safe from what?  Who were those ponies?  What is going on?” Rainbow demanded to know.  Her mom and dad looked at each other, and a look of worry came across their faces.

“Your mother and I used to work for this company.  One that was very top secret.  That’s how we met.  We both fell in love and decided to get married, but it meant that we would have to leave that company.  And, the ponies that worked with us weren’t too happy.  We knew all of the company’s biggest secrets, and we had done some things that made us not very trustable with those secrets.

We both eventually escaped unharmed, and came here to Manehattan hoping to never be found again.  But, now they’ve found us and want to get rid of us forever before we can spill anything about them to the public.  I’m so sorry Dashie, but this may be the time you see us.” her dad was crying, and so was her mom.  Rainbow was too in shock to cry.

“But... what will happen to me?” she asked.

“We’ll send you with the next delivery to Ponyville.  You’ll be safe.  They don’t know you exist.” her dad explained, as Dashie’s mom hugs her tight.  Rainbow hugged back.

In a few hours, the black suited ponies started to come into sight.  Rainbow’s mom and dad quickly flew to the loading dock.

“I’m so sorry Dashie. This’ll be for the best.” her dad kissed her head.

“Rainbow Dash. I love you.” Rainbow’s mom kissed her head and hid her in the carriage.  She was quickly jerked back, and Rainbow heard screams from both parents.

“Mom! Dad!” Rainbow yelled, and peeked outside.  There were five black suited ponies, four holding down her parents.  The fifth one was holding a rather large knife.

Rainbow watched in horror as he plunged the knife into her dad’s chest, then dragging it down his stomach, cutting it open, then do the same thing with her mom."

Rainbow was crying harder than she had ever had done before. She couldn’t finish telling Twilight the story.  It was too much.  Twilight sat there in shock.

“Oh my Celestia... I’m sorry... I didn’t think it was that...” she tried to form sentences, but was too shocked.  Watching your parents die that way at that age was scarring.

“It’s alright.  Can I go home now?” Rainbow managed to choke throught her tears.

“Yeah, of course.” Twilight watched as her friend flew home, then went to tell the others what had happened.

Rainbow was still crying when she got to her room.  Telling Twilight the story and reliving it was the worst thing she had ever done.

She cried for twenty minutes.  She looked around at her still messy room, and saw some sharp glass.  Rainbow slumped out of bed and pulled herself across the floor towards it.

She picked it up and ran her hoof across it.  The glass stung a little as it cut, but the pain felt rather nice.  Rainbow cut deeper, and realized she could put an end to all her pain.  She could escape this world.

The glass brought her great amounts of pleasure.  She cut deep, four times on each leg.  Rainbow could feel the strength leaving her as she bled out.  She smiled at the thought of dying, something she used to cringe at.

“Rainbow, no!” she heard a pony yelled, and through half closed eyes, saw her five friends enter.  Fluttershy couldn’t take the sight of Rainbow Dash in a pool of blood, and left the house crying.  Twilight tried using her magic to fix it, but it was too late.

“I’ll be fine guys.  I won’t be in pain anymore.” Rainbow said weakly.  the friends still in the room were crying, knowing Dash was gone.

As Rainbow continued to bleed, the four said goodbye. Rainbow smiled, “I love you guys,” then slipped into blackness.