Lonely Ocean

In all her life, Rainbow Dash had never seen a more beautiful dusk. She inhaled slowly as an absolutely perfect breeze tossed the colorful hairs of her mane. Night was drawing tantalizingly close, but at that moment the deep orange sunset still cast a faint, beautiful glow on Equestria’s picturesque landscape.

Gazing toward the sky, Rainbow’s relaxed thoughts turned to daydreams. Streaks of cloud began to morph into trails of flight as a vision slowly took shape. Rainbow saw herself appear among the wispy clouds with the Wonderbolts flying in from either side. They dashed and dove, psychedelic streams of color lingering in the paths of their maneuvers. The pegasi interweaved in the sky like strands of a spider’s web, geometric patterns of neon light rapidly forming and vanishing in their midst. Suddenly, the brilliant burst of a Sonic Rainboom illuminated the entire horizon, a blinding glow that took several seconds to dissipate.

Rainbow Dash blinked, snapping out of her fantasy. The faint image of a rainbow still lingered in her mind’s eye. “Someday,” she promised herself, resting her head on a cloud which she had set aside for herself earlier that day. The tired mare’s eyes slowly closed as the world blurred into darkness, and in a moment she was fast asleep.

This is it, she thought unconsciously. This is everything you’ve worked for, everything you’ve dreamed of, everything you were made to do. You’re going to prove yourself right now. You’re going to join the Wonderbolts.

Rainbow Dash rolled over in her sleep, coming dangerously close to the edge of her cloud. She muttered something incomprehensible as a fantasy was beginning to take form. Cloudsdale materialized slowly, being spurred into existence by subconscious desire. In Rainbow’s mind, a pristine palace of cloud and stone was now reality. She hovered amid the magnificent architecture, transfixed by its beauty. The sky loomed above her, and it was screaming of opportunity.

Dash turned her head to see three Wonderbolts gazing back at her from a distance, perched on a cloud. Each of them had an undeniably expectant expression; this was not the first time they had encountered Rainbow Dash. The colorful mare was unable to make out all the Wonderbolts’ identities from so far away, but one of them was definitely Soarin, that she could tell for sure.

I’ve always had a bit of a crush on him, Rainbow admitted to herself, though she didn’t know why. She’d never made much conversation with him, and his affinity for pie was borderline creepy. In any case, crushes weren’t characteristic of a brave Wonderbolt, and if he were to find out it would probably make things awkward.

One of the other Wonderbolts subtly motioned to the sky. Rainbow blinked once and then realized that it would be a good idea to get started with her routine.

Let’s do this, she thought.

The cyan pegasus lifted off, prepared to dazzle. One of the observing Wonderbolts smiled at her enthusiasm. This was clearly going to be a good show.

Don’t hesitate. Just go!

Rainbow Dash instantaneously became a light blue blur as she bolted straight up, nearly disappearing from sight within seconds. Then, executing a razor-sharp 180, she dove back down. Several clouds were strewn arbitrarily along the general area below her and Rainbow pierced each one with agility and speed, incorporating stylish moves at appropriate times. The sky was soon nothing but blue.

Ten seconds flat, she thought with a smile. If Twilight were here, her jaw would've hit the floor. She glanced at the Wonderbolts briefly, and it was apparent that they were fairly impressed with her demonstration so far. “Impressed,” however, wasn’t what Rainbow Dash was going for. “Dumbfounded” was more her style.

She leveled off as she reached the approximate height of the Wonderbolts’ cloud. Losing no momentum whatsoever, she executed a smooth banked turn and continued in a broad helix motion until the entire area was engulfed by a hurricane-force wind. The astonished Wonderbolts had little time to react as their cloud was swept away from beneath them, disappearing into Rainbow’s spectacular cyclone.

Rainbow Dash ceased her revolution abruptly and allowed the air to grow calm once more. After the clouds had cleared and the sky was still, she could see three very surprised Wonderbolts hovering where their cloud used to be. She smirked, and there was a bit of mischief in her expression.

Phase 3. What other way to end such a spectacular performance than with a Sonic Rainboom? This time, however, it would be a little different.

With a skillful twist, Rainbow Dash oriented herself toward the midday sun and took off. She’d done Rainbooms before, but this one was going to be pretty tough. She was already fatigued from the sheer speed and intensity of the first two phases, and now she was about to attempt a Sonic Rainboom at ninety degrees—completely vertical. Even her Rainboom at the Royal Wedding, when she was at full strength, had been done at a little bit of a slant. To attempt this stunt against the pull of gravity, given her current physical state, was almost foolish.

But I’ve gotta do what it takes, she thought. There was no possibility of looking back to see if the Wonderbolts fully registered the scale of the maneuver she was about to attempt. She had to keep focused. Rainbow began to feel the tug of wind resisting her, as if she were flying through an extremely thick mist. Soon her muscles began to burn; she was nearing the end of her second wind of energy. It struck her that what she was attempting might indeed be impossible under these circumstances.

Oh well. Rainbow Dash accelerated even faster, her mane buzzing from the vibration of the wind. She had to be doing several hundred miles per hour already, but she needed to go faster, and fast. Soon she’d have nothing left to go on.

Feeling nearly out of control from exhaustion, Rainbow Dash emptied the very last reserves of strength she had into her ascent. The sound of wind battering against her was now deafening. She doubted if she’d even hear the sonic boom when she made it. Her speed was now reaching its peak; in only a few moments she would either burst through the sound barrier in an explosion of brilliant color, or fail at attaining her lifelong dream. In feverish exertion Rainbow Dash let out a scream, just as she reached the absolute limit of her ability. Then she began to fall.

* * *

Typically a rush of air and a falling sensation isn’t a good way to wake up. This is especially true if you had been sleeping about twenty feet off the ground. You'd have enough time to wake up, but not much left to react.

Rainbow opened her wings as quickly as she could, which was unfortunately a little too late to do much of any good. She slapped against the ground with a grunt, an impact that would doubtless leave somewhat of a bruise on her ribs. Dusting herself off, Rainbow stood, only to come face to face with Pinkie Pie.

“Hi!” Pinkie exclaimed, causing Rainbow to jump.

“Hey, Pinkie,” she replied with a sigh. Pinkie Pie was sipping a mug of what looked like either hot chocolate or coffee, and Rainbow Dash didn’t really want to think about what either of those beverages would do to a mare who was so excitable and hyper in the first place. Pinkie was also sporting her ridiculous workout attire, and Rainbow Dash could easily guess what that meant. Rainbow didn’t really have the heart to tell Pinkie that she’d rather train on her own, so she just smiled awkwardly.

“I know you’re excited about auditioning for the Wonderbolts later this week,” Pinkie said, “so I figured we could be workout buddies! Plus, I don’t get to wear these very often.” Pinkie motioned to her athletic clothing.

“Yeah, that’s great,” Rainbow started. “You look—”

At that precise moment Pinkie fumbled with her beverage and it spilled all over her friend.

“—hot!” Rainbow yelped, trying frantically to wipe the beverage off with her hooves. Pinkie was confused.

“I look hot?”

“No!” Rainbow shouted, then added, “I mean, well, not that you’re not, I just didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay, Dashie, I get it,” Pinkie said with a smile, but she still looked a little confused. Rainbow suspected that Pinkie actually had very little idea what was going on.

"Sooo..." Pinkie continued, breaking the silence, "do you want to get started?"

"Sure, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash sighed. Might as well humor her.

"Alright!" Pinkie cheered. Then, some vague emotion flashed briefly across her face. "You know I don't want to annoy you, right?" Pinkie asked, a slight frown playing at the corners her mouth. Rainbow suddenly felt transparent. She kicked a hoof nervously.

"Of course I know that, Pinkie," she said, looking down. "I just..."

Pinkie shifted uncomfortably. "You just what?"

"Nothing." Rainbow Dash averted her eyes again. "So, are we gonna train or what?" She asked, hoping the enthusiasm in her voice didn’t sound forced.

"Yeah," Pinkie said, without emotion. The two mares made eye contact for a moment. As they began jogging away, Pinkie lagged behind for a moment.

"It's not nothing," she whispered to herself.

It wasn't long before the two mares arrived at their intended training location: the Everfree Forest. For a moment they both marveled at the spectacle before them. Lush foliage and massive trees loomed in the gaping path ahead. As one looked deeper into the trail it became more sinister; the flora grew steadily darker and the scenery was eventually rendered invisible by fog.

It was beautiful. Rainbow Dash briefly wondered if Pinkie would be able to keep up, and then recalled a time when she’d tried to evade Pinkie in the past. That silly mare defied logic.

"You ready?" Rainbow asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Bring it!" Pinkie replied, with unmistakable confidence. But if Rainbow wasn't mistaken, there was still a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Then let's go!" Rainbow shouted. The two dashed off into the forest on foot. It was vital to build up strength and endurance in her entire body, so Rainbow Dash would save flying for a little later. Her wings were shut tightly against her sides, making her highly aerodynamic. The breeze whipped through her brilliant mane as she ran, making it a blur of color.

Pinkie was not hopping as per usual but rather galloping swiftly to keep pace with her friend. Her expression was intensely focused and far more stoic than Rainbow Dash could ever remember seeing her. She's actually taking this seriously, Rainbow noted.

Dust and foliage alike were swept into the air as the two mares sped down the forest path. The scenery around them became a blur of earthy tones and brilliant autumn leaves, and the sounds of the woods were drowned out by the rush of wind. After a few solid minutes of running, neither Pinkie Pie nor Rainbow Dash seemed the slightest bit fatigued. The winding path they were navigating began to open up at the shore of a vast river. Its water appeared perfectly still, like a plane of glass reflecting clearly the gorgeous morning sun. One would never guess there was a deadly undertow right beneath the surface.

Huge, jagged rocks were conveniently positioned across the expanse of the river which made for a swift albeit dangerous means of crossing. Rainbow Dash took the lead, wings still folded, and made a massive jump to the first rock. Pinkie soon followed and the two traversed the width of the river expertly, navigating over the stones with precision and skill. In a show of expertise, Rainbow executed a flawless frontflip while making the final leap to the opposite shore. Pinkie Pie proceeded to mimic Rainbow Dash, except with a full-twisting frontflip, which was a decidedly more difficult maneuver.

They pressed onward, hooves never faltering, through the thick of the Everfree Forest. As the terrain grew tougher they moved faster, dodging branches and fallen trees with impressive agility. Pinkie’s demonstration of athletic prowess while still sporting her green and yellow workout duds was truly a sight to behold.

In a matter of seconds their surroundings changed from dense forest to a massive clearing, which was somehow mysterious even in the light of day. Tall, golden grass waved in the light breeze, and there was an audible whistle of wind in a canyon far away. The two friends slowed to a stop and took a rest.

“You really can run,” Rainbow realized, panting. “I can’t think of anyone else who could’ve kept up with me. Well, besides Applejack, I guess.”

Pinkie Pie smiled.

“Good friends do their best, Dashie.” As far as Rainbow Dash could tell, Pinkie’s smile was completely genuine. Maybe she wasn’t that sad after all.

One less thing to worry about, the multicolored mare thought.

For a few pleasant minutes the two relaxed in the tall grass of the clearing, staring up at the sky and making light conversation—which was quite a feat, considering Pinkie Pie was one of the participants. However, the usually hyper mare seemed almost calm and collected for once. It was a very welcome change of pace for Rainbow Dash.

Eventually their conversation died down and they simply sat in silence, relishing both the spectacle of nature around them and each other's company.

* * *

Meanwhile, Twilight was frantic. Admittedly, that was a state she found herself in relatively often. This time, however, it was for a very good reason. If her suspicions were correct, Equestria could be on the verge of a disaster akin to the return of Nightmare Moon or Discord.

Or worse, Twilight thought, skimming her various shelves of books.

Constants, contentment, convolution, convulsions, cosines… ah! Cosmic Events. Twilight flipped the book open, a purple glow enveloping it. Skimming the table of contents, she quickly located her desired page and immediately turned there. She only had to read a few sentences before reality sunk in.

“Well, that’s not good,” Twilight mused.

* * *

“So, what’s next?” Pinkie Pie asked, offering a hoof to help Rainbow Dash up. Rainbow took the hoof and stood, yawning.

“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I’m sort of…”

Tired? No, that would sound weak…

“…In the mood to just hang out.” Dash finished her own sentence without thinking, and it took a few seconds for her to realize that it was the honest truth.

Pinkie beamed. “You mean that, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, Pinkie,” Rainbow replied, smiling back. “I mean it.”

In that moment all Pinkie wanted to do was rave about how excited she was that Rainbow Dash actually wanted to hang out with her, and how super-duper happy she felt that Dashie actually didn’t find her annoying and really wanted to spend time together as best friends. Somehow the words didn’t come out. Maybe she was too concerned about acting completely over-the-top and immature in front of Rainbow Dash, or maybe her response was stifled by her emotions. In any case, Pinkie’s rebuttal was simple.

“Yay,” she squeaked.

* * *

“An angel comet is a magically-charged ball of dust and gas flying through space,” Twilight explained to Spike, while at the same time penning a letter to Princess Celestia. “If it lands or even passes too closely to Equestria, the results could be catastrophic.”

“I thought you said it was only as big as an apple,” Spike recalled, contemplating. “How could that hurt anyone?”

“Well, typically a comet that size wouldn’t even survive the entry into our atmosphere. It would dissolve far before touching down. But this sort of comet is held together by magic,” Twilight clarified, still writing furiously.

“Also,” she continued, “even if this comet doesn’t hit us, it could still cause a disaster. My books say that angel comets are known to produce temporary magical powers in both pegasi and earth ponies.”

“So Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash will become magical,” Spike observed. “Cool! Where’s the danger in that?”

“Besides the fact that Pinkie Pie is on that list,” Twilight commented, putting the finishing touches on her end-of-the-world letter to Celestia, “the magic that angel comets produce is corrupted. There’s no telling what sort of damage could be done with power like that.”

“I see,” Spike said, though he still didn’t understand what the big deal was.

“Corrupted magic can kill its host if used too frequently,” Twilight added, giving Spike her letter to send.

“Oh,” Spike said. “That could be bad.” He inhaled deeply and blew the letter away with a burst of green fire.

* * *

Two mares strolled calmly through a trail that they’d recently blazed in the Everfree Forest, enjoying the wonderful scenery as they walked. Sunlight shone through the green canopy above them and fallen leaves rustled underhoof. The air had a crisp, undeniably autumn-like feel to it. A pony couldn’t ask for a better day to go for a walk with a friend.

For no apparent cause, a brief and utterly ridiculous thought flashed through Rainbow Dash’s head. She accidentally laughed. It was barely audible, but against all odds Pinkie noticed.

“What’s so funny, Dashie?” she inquired, leaning her head toward her friend in question.

“Oh, nothing,” Rainbow said. She looked away, a subconscious effort to redirect Pinkie’s attention. The pink mare was undeterred.

“It isn’t nothing,” Pinkie insisted. “That’s the second time you’ve claimed that there was a nothing today when there was really a something!”

“But…”

“Nope! No buts!”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” she conceded. Pinkie smiled victoriously.

“I was just wondering if it might be practical to do a Sonic Rainboom with some… extra cargo,” Rainbow said.

“Cargo?” Pinkie raised her eyebrows slightly. “What kind of cargo?”

“Well…” Rainbow Dash hesitated, looking at the ground as she tried to formulate the right words. Eventually she just gave up, and turned to Pinkie with a mischievous smile on her face.

“…You.” With that, Rainbow opened her wings and swept Pinkie off the ground.

* * *

Twilight paced nervously. Spike watched her trot back and forth throughout the library while he calmly sipped a Sweet Apple Acres juice box. He had to admit that he was more than a little concerned about everything, but at the same time he’d grown somewhat accustomed to Twilight’s incessant worrying over the years. Sometimes it turned out that she was just overreacting. Spike earnestly hoped that this situation would not turn out to be as serious as Twilight had said.

He took another sip of apple juice and almost choked. The formation of an unexpected magical burp was preventing him from swallowing. With an explosive belch, he coughed up not only a letter but a good amount of apple juice and saliva as well.

“That’s gross,” Twilight noted, though more interested in the letter itself than its soggy condition. With a purple flash, she grabbed the letter magically and started reading.

“My faithful student…” she skimmed, “this is indeed a cause for concern… immediate action… most spells would be ineffective… last resort… diversion spell number three.” Twilight paused. Diversion spell number three?

Oh boy.

* * *

It would probably take several hundred pages of words to write out all of Pinkie Pie’s overexcited thoughts as she was quite literally dashing across the sky on that beautiful morning. Without a doubt, “ohmygosh,” “flying,” and “Rainbow Dash” would each occur dozens of times on that list.

Rainbow was holding the pink mare tightly, fighting vicious wind and cruising at barely subsonic speeds. She felt totally confident that she could break the sound barrier at any point if she wanted to, so for a few brief moments she hesitated. Right now Rainbow Dash wanted to savor the unbelievably crazy nature of what she was doing. For the first time in a while, she felt wild and free. There were no Wonderbolts or falling Rarities to save, nothing to ruin the excitement of the moment.

“So… radical!” she cried, but it was totally drowned out by the deafening wind.

Several hundred meters ahead, there was a faint crackling and sparkling of white energy proceeding an incoming magical comet. The comet itself was still a considerable distance away, but the magic that now coursed through the clouds before them was just as potent as the celestial body itself. Soon the two mares began to pass through the magic, completely unaware.

* * *

Spike made a thoughtful observation. “Why does Celestia always seem to leave everything up to you when the fate of Equestria lies in the balance?”

“I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight admitted, “but I’m not going to let her down.”

Diversion spell number three was very difficult. It essentially produced a massive magical explosion that repelled any magical energy outside of a living being.

So, in essence, the comet and any magical corruption that had already entered the atmosphere would be done away with instantly. Anypony infected with the magic would have to be dealt with separately. The big question at the moment was whether or not Twilight could actually execute the spell in the first place.

“Well, here goes nothing,” she mused, dropping a book whose text she had been memorizing only moments before. Twilight took a wide stance and crouched, focusing every drop of her magical energy on the task at hand. Starting on her horn, a glowing, crystal-like sphere blossomed and expanding slowly, changing in color from green to blue to violet. It continued to grow in size until it filled the entire space of the room. Then, grunting, Twilight used the last of her energy to ignite the explosion. With a massive whoosh the magic vanished from sight, shooting outward at thousands of miles per hour, taking the comet and any corrupted magic in the air with it.

* * *

As Rainbow Dash broke the speed of sound, there was no Sonic Rainboom. There wasn’t a burst of brilliant color or a rainbow trail in her wake. Instead, there was a detonation of magic that was white as snow. Sparks of light wrapped around both ponies, temporarily causing their manes and fur to glow white with magical energy.

The light slowly faded but the power from the magic remained. Somehow, this mysterious magic was making Rainbow Dash go even faster than ever before.

Too fast, Rainbow thought. With an unforgiving wind battering her relentlessly, Dash struggled to regain control for several agonizing minutes.

The magic pushed the poor mare beyond her physical limits, and suddenly her wings simply stopped moving. Her pegasus wings were paralyzed, and she was unable to speak in shock. Pinkie Pie was silent as well, but that was probably because she was unconscious. The mare hung limply in Rainbow’s hooves, head drooping, eyes closed. Rainbow couldn’t control her arms, but somehow they were still holding on to Pinkie. Somehow she knew they wouldn’t let go.

Blackness and static began to play at the edges of Rainbow Dash’s eyes, and she immediately panicked. She was going unconscious, and that wasn’t an option. Dash forced her eyes wide open, and strained with all her might to make her wings move. If she could just overcome the paralysis of this strange magic…

It occurred to Rainbow Dash that maybe she could use the magic. She acted on instinct, not knowing the slightest thing about magic or how to employ it. Surprisingly, whatever she was doing seemed to be working. Her wings begin to tingle with an electric sensation, and they began to glow a brilliant cyan just like the color of her fur.

Wasn’t the magic white before? she wondered. Either way, Rainbow was slowly regaining control over her wings. They sparkled blue and began to move, soon buzzing with practiced speed.

Just as she was growing accustomed to this unique magical flight, unconsciousness started tugging at the pegasus once more. This time she wasn’t sure if she could fight it. Acting quickly, Rainbow took a sharp dive and tried to decrease the distance between them and the ground as much as possible.

A hundred feet, seventy five, fifty, forty…

You’re going to have to level off before you pass out, Rainbow told herself.

As the last remnants of light faded from Rainbow’s sight, she abruptly righted herself and attempted to slow down in her half-conscious state. In a split-second flash of thought before her mind shut down completely, Rainbow Dash wondered just how far they had to fall.