The air lightly caressed the soft and poofy pink mane as it danced freely in the void known as the wind. Her large and glowing orbs shimmered a bright ocean blue. Her coat, a lighter pink fur, glowed in the sunlight. A gentle smile flashed across the small snout of the pony as she looked up into the sky. The rainbow almost seemed to last forever. It felt like time froze, but before long, she snapped back to reality. Pinkie stood at her window in Sugarcube Corner. T[he rainbow she admired had nearly faded now, and she could do nothing but admire the creation her friend, Rainbow Dash, used to create. Suddenly, she frowned. The happiness she had seemed to fade right out of her. Rainbow Dash had been deceased for a year now. Pinkie's only memory she can still clearly see is the rainbows that rarely appear. Sure, pranks and baking and typical Pinkie Pie flair cheered her up somewhat, but her heart lay heavy every single time Rainbow came to her mind. A few tears formed and escaped her eyes. Almost, in an instant, she fell onto her bed and began drowning the world out in her tears.
The sun beamed down harshly as the five ponies, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all waved their friend off and said temporary good-byes to Rainbow Dash. RD decided it was time for a short trip to Cloudsdale, her home in the sky. Old memories and old friends awaited her, she hoped. As the last good-byes were had, Pinkie had latched herself to the pegasus.
"Woah, easy Pinkie. I won't be gone that long."
"I'll... Miss you, Dashie..."
"...I hope you'll be okay."
"...Please... Come back..."
Twilight and Rarity pulled Pinkie from the pegasus and they all giggled a bit, except Pinkie. Her eyes held that same dead look they had when she assumed the five ponies around her stopped liking her, and she had begun talking to household products. Despite the giggles and happy feelings floating about, Pinkie Pie couldn't shake the feeling that she would regret allowing Rainbow to leave. Finally, after the good-byes and words of encourage, Rainbow Dash had taken off. She soared and ripped through the air as she shot like a bullet towards her home-town, Cloudsdale, the glorious city in the skies.
Pinkie Pie, stuck on the ground, practically had waterfalls pouring from her eyes. The other four supporting her along the way had grown heavily suspicious, wondering if it were even Pinkie Pie they were supporting. Eventually, they had to simply stop, given that Pinkie had stopped trying. They gently laid her down. Fluttershy and Twilight stroked her mane, attempting to make her feel better as they soothingly spoke to her. Rarity and Applejack had got themselves caught up in a small argument over where or not there was too much dirt on the pathway back to town.
"Is too!"
"Is not."
"Is too!"
"Is not."
Pinkie curled up tightly, sniffling and bawling more than Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake combined. Twilight had finally given up trying to cheer up her friend.
"This is ridiculous. How could she be so upset about a simple trip? Just last week, Rainbow went to see the Wonderbolts in Manehattan alone and she was fine! Now look at her! I just... I don't understand this mare at all..."
Fluttershy interjected. "Twilight, maybe you should relax... Pinkie may be feeling something we aren't... She does that, you know, and it's saved ponies before... Maybe we all should just relax for the day..."
Rarity's ears perked up at Fluttershy's words. She obtained a wide grin.
"All of us. At the spa in ten. See you girls there!"
In that instant, Rarity was gone. Applejack smiled and gave her usual shake of her head. Twilight and Fluttershy helped Pinkie back up, who had miraculously calmed down, mostly due to Fluttershy's natural ability to soothe. Pinkie was finally able to walk on her own, but the entire time, her head had remained down. She didn't look up. She didn't even look side ways. She stared at the dirt path beneath her. And slowly, quietly, miserably walked. She walked and walked. The group had finally caught up with Rarity at the spa. Fluttershy, Twilight, and Applejack all went inside with Rarity. But Pinkie Pie managed to slip by them. She kept walking. She was now looking ahead of her. Her eyes no longer held their beautiful crystal vibrance. They only held emotionlessness. Despair. Death.
"...Da-Shie..."
Pinkie whispered this and only this as she walked. She turned by any other ponies who were in the way, walked around buildings, and the usual. But she always remained in one direction. She found herself at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, before she knew it. She stopped at the entrance. She stared into it. She felt nothing. She quietly and soullessly started walking along into the dark and menacing forest that threatened to swallow her whole... Where she was going, she didn't know. 'Nor, did she care. She just wanted to find somewhere to be. She wanted to find the only thing that mattered to her at that moment. Her spectrum to defeat the darkness. Her best friend she's ever known. Pinkie Pie wanted Rainbow Dash to come home.
"...Giggle... At the... Ghosties..."
"Guffaw... At the... Grossly..."
The deadpan voice made Pinkie almost monotonous. She couldn't seem to find anything to sustain or suppress her intense depression. She stopped singing shortly after she started, and began repeating her scratchy cry for Rainbow once again.
Rainbow Dash laughed loudly, almost obnoxiously, as she sat at the table in the town shoppe. She had been catching up with some old colleagues she knew from Flight Camp, and a few friends from more than secretive purposes. She was pushed lightly, taking that as a challenge, she pounced the pony who nudged her. The two tussled a for a few minutes on the floor, before they made up and went back to talking about days before they graduated.
It happened faster than anypony had predicted. It wasn't anything like a Sonic Rainboom, fast, but spectacular. It was too quick to predict, but it seemed like time had slowed down. Pinkie had found a perch to sit upon, a small cliff-like area with a waterfall near it, and a small pool, or pond-like, area. She stared down at the pond, her heart weighing heavier with each passing moment. Then, it happened, a loud scream pierced the silence, followed by an explosion of water and fear. Pinkie stared at the pond, no longer in silence, but in a deafening attempt, she jumped into the pond. She swam as if she'd never come back from the rescue. Rainbow, a bloody and beaten stature, sunk, lifeless, towards the bottom. Pinkie swam through the tears and blood, and eventually, managed to re-surface the pegasus. She laid the pony on the shore-line near her, then, immediately got on land and attempted to revive her. Rainbow coughed, and Pinkie's eyes almost lit up with the same glow they used to hold. Then, Rainbow reached a slow, shaky hoof towards Pinkie's cheek.
"...Dashie...?"
"H-Hey.. Pinkie Pie.."
"Dashie! You're okay! R-Right...?"
"..You.. Know it.."
Rainbow coughed a second time, but this time, a small puddle of blood had spilled onto the grass, staining it. Pinkie stared in horror, before she wrapped her forelegs around the Pegasus desperately.
"You can't leave me, Dashie, you can't! Can't, can't, can't!"
"...It's.. Okay, Pinkie.. I'm always.. Gonna be there..."
Pinkie sobbed loudly, her snout buried into Rainbow's neck. Rainbow gave her a weak nuzzle. This only added to Pinkie's desperation, as she had started to shake. The two laid like this for some time, but it felt like only seconds. Rainbow Dash gave her friend a weak hug, and in that instance, Pinkie had looked down at her and actually studied her face. She looked weak and scared, but a smile that almost seemed comfortable was plastered in the gory image. In that instance, Rainbow Dash pulled the pink mare down. She pressed the gentlest kiss she could muster against her, then Pinkie felt the life slip away. She held the body for a few more moments, before she built a grave for the pony. She cut some of her tail off, and in a very shaky attempt, she decorated the grave with her tail.
The pink pony trudged out of the Everfree Forest, her thoughts in a thousand places at once. What happened to Rainbow Dash? Who did it? Why? She wanted to know all of these, and more, but she didn't know where to start, if anywhere at all. She decided the first place to go would be Twilight. She always knew what to do in these moments. With an air of finality, and a load of guilt heavier than any cake she'll ever bake, she started on her way to Twilight's library.
Fluttershy giggled softly as she trotted up to the door of the library. She moved to knock on the door, but a split second before she did, the door swung open. Fluttershy shrieked in surprise to see her friend, Pinkie Pie, standing in the doorway. Her mane appeared to be in a tangled and twisted mess, draping down over her face. Her eyes were still visible, with a slight red tint indicating she'd been crying. Her snout wasn't plastered with a usual happy smile, but haunting, with a frown larger than she thought was even possible for Pinkie Pie.
"Oh.. Um.. Hello, Pinkie Pie.."
".....Hey Fluttershy...."
Fluttershy felt awkward, seeing her party friend like this. She tilted her head slowly, her peach mane shifting with each movement.
"..Um.. Is there something.. Bothering you..?"
The pegasus knew her question was downright foolish. But still, she hoped that the notion would at least make her friend realize she wasn't alone. Pinkie Pie looked up into the blue eyes of the pegasus, and Fluttershy stared back into Pinkie's. For a moment, Pinkie Pie cracked an innocent smile, as if she were oblivious to the disasters of life, as if the pain and sorrow didn't affect the pink mare. But immediately, Pinkie turned away, a tear escaping.
"Pinkie? Why's the door still-"
Twilight poked her head through the doorframe, blinking at the sight of Fluttershy standing there. Pinkie gave a quiet sigh and stepped out of the way. Fluttershy glanced at Pinkie with a confused and questioning look.
"Go on in. That's what you're here for, right?"
"Well, um... Yes, sort of... Twilight, can I talk to you for a moment... Um... In private?"
Twilight glanced at Pinkie Pie, and the two gave each other a quizzical look. Pinkie looked away, tears brimming at her eyes. She wanted to get this over with. All this pain and sorrow, it was too much for the party pony. Her glance remained towards the ground. Fluttershy looked like she may cry herself, but before she could burst into tears, Twilight dragged her in the library, shutting the door lightly.
"What do you need, Fluttershy? I need to get to helping Pinkie."
"...Twilight... Pinkie... She's becoming... Um... A problem..."
"What do you mean 'a problem'? She's just... Distraught... Like the rest of us..."
"...I..."
Fluttershy looked away, unsure of what to say. Did she miss Rainbow Dash? She thought she did. The rainbow pegasus had been there for her since flight camp during their filly days.
