Rainforest Dash

by LeoFalsetto

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Other, Adventure
Length: 11870

Rainbow Dash wants to follow in the steps of her favorite hero, Daring Do. Little does she know that the rainforests of Equestria are not as forgiving as they appear in the books, and neither are the ponies that inhabit them.

Rainbow Dash wants to be just like Daring Do, and she'd travel to the ends of Equestria to make it so. Little does she know, however, that the rainforests of Equestria aren't nearly as forgiving as they appear in her books, and neither are the ponies that inhabit them...

(Cover image [lovingly] ripped from MysticAlpha on deviantart. I won't tell if you won't...)

Published 2012-12-18 14:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-23 10:16:02 UTC

Chapter 1 : The Adventure Begins (Re-Write)

Daring Do stood on a cliff-side, catching her breath. She could hear the roars of Ahuizotl's ferocious feline army as they drew ever closer. Daring peered over the side of the cliff.

“Hmmm...” She whispered to herself, “There's a river down there, but I don't know how deep it is.” Daring turned back and saw the foliage behind her begin to rustle. The beasts were upon her, and she had to act fast.

“Here goes nothing!” She exclaimed as she jumped from the cliff. The jungle cats stopped at the edge, not daring to follow after. Daring Do could do nothing but hope for the best. Suddenly, she hit the river with a loud 'SPLASH!'

The felines looked down the cliff for a moment before retreating, knowing that a fall like that was not survivable.

Daring Do surfaced from the river and took in a deep breath. To her own surprise, she had survived the fall. She grabbed a hanging vine and pulled herself from the river. Daring removed her hat and looked upon the regal ruby relic she had swiped from Ahuizotl's clutches. Daring Do let out a slight chuckle as she walked triumphantly into the sunset, ready and willing to outsmart Ahuizotl whenever the challenge arrives!

Rainbow Dash closed the book and sighed in relief, all the while her face holding a joyous smile. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel relieved. She always knows in the back of her mind that Daring Do is going to be victorious, but it's the way the books are that always keep her on the edge of her seat. Rainbow Dash gently tossed her beloved book to the side, landing it softly on the cloud table beside her bed, upon which she was laying.

Rainbow reached for the next book in the pile opposite her, but she withdrew her hoof just before touching it.

"Wait a minute..." She spoke to herself, "Daring Do always has such amazing adventures, and all I do is lay here and read them... I could do what she does. I could do it way better than her too!"

Rainbow Dash jumped from her bed and hovered above it, speaking her determined monologue to herself.

"I've read all of the books, and I'm the best flier in Ponyville, maybe even in all of Equestria!" She was steadily hatching an idea. "Y'know what? I'm sick of reading about the adventures! I need to live one!" Rainbow donned her saddlebags took off from her sky bound home, the idea in her mind not yet fully formed.

Rainbow stopped by her friend's homes to tell them of her idea. She decided to first visit Twilight's library.

"I'm not sure that this is the greatest idea, Rainbow..." Twilight said cautiously, Rainbow having just told her of her to-be adventure. "It just doesn't seem safe, and Daring Do is only a fictional character, with fictional adventures."

"I can handle anything my adventure can throw at me!" Rainbow said, almost insulted by Twilight's disbelief in her abilities.

"I'm sure you can, but reading a book is much different that actually trying to go and have an adventure yourself." Twilight said, trying to dissuade her friend.

"You might be right, but how will I know if I never try?" Rainbow said, offering a falsified sad face to Twilight, instantly striking her with guilt.

"If you really want to do this, I suppose I can't stop you..." Twilight said, offering a small smile. "But I can give you some advice. Go and talk to Zecora before you leave. She might be able to help you find a place to go."

"Thanks Twilight." Rainbow said, instantly perking up. "Don't worry, I'll be back in just a week or so."

"Yeah. Bye Rainbow." Twilight said, falsifying a smile.

"Bye Twi!" Rainbow shouted as she bolted from the library. The conversations were about the same through the remainder of her friends, save for Fluttershy, who cried loudly when Rainbow said she was going away. Having her goodbyes done, Rainbow set off for the marketplace.

Rainbow Dash quickly reached the market section of Ponyville, her saddlebags primed with bits to purchase anything she needed for her journey. She decided upon buying a box of matches, an outfit made for survivalists, and a machete. She figured that anything else she'd need she had at home, or could find along her travels.

With her gear fully prepared, and her mind set for an adventure, Rainbow stopped by Zecora's and asked for her help. Zecora, just like her other friends, told her how bad of an idea this was. Zecora, however, eventually buckled and gave Rainbow Dash the location of a mostly unknown rainforest, hoping to keep her as safe as possible.

Rainbow Dash thanked Zecora before departing once more, finally getting her own adventure under way. She had a goal set for herself. She wanted to survive for one week in a rainforest, with limited use of her wings. Though she was still understandable nervous, she knew that she still had her wings to get her out of harms way, in case of an emergency.

After about an hour of flight, Rainbow squealed in excitement as the rainforest that Zecora told her about came into view. Rainbow Dash sped toward the dense jungle, flying over it, looking for a clearing to land.

"What the hell is that?" A zebra asked, addressing a light red pony standing next to him, also watching the sky.

"I don't bucking know, man! Shoot it the hell down!" The red pony said angrily, motioning his head toward the airborne pegasus with the rainbow streak. The zebra nodded and moved toward a primed catapult, armed with numerous fair sized stones. As the zebra pulled the release cord, the loud sound it emitted caught Rainbow's attention, as she stopped and looked around. She suddenly saw a few large stones speeding her way. She couldn't get out of the way in time, as the stones collided with her side, crushing one of her wings and sending her hurdling toward the ground below.

Rainbow slammed into a sturdy branch, cracking it, and at least two of her ribs. She screamed in pain and fear as she fell. Numerous other branches intercepted the falling pony, as she slammed into them, one after another. In a clear section of her fall, Rainbow thought fast and spread her wings to try and steady her fall. The branches caught up to her all to quickly however, snagging her already broken wing. Rainbow's momentum carried her forward, stretching and cracking the bones within her caught wing. She screamed in utter pain before the branch snapped, sending Rainbow directly toward the ground. She hit the ground with a great intensity, landing on her back. She was knocked out cold, yet surprisingly still alive.

Two zebras approached the downed pegasus and dragged her unconscious body away.

Rainbow Dash woke up a few hours later. She looked around frantically, finding herself in a bamboo cage, her fore-hooves tied behind her back and to the cage wall. She struggled to free herself, but to no avail. She looked to the sky and saw that night had fallen. Gazing about her surroundings, Rainbow saw a table nearby with her saddlebags on them. they still appeared to have all of her possessions in them. There was a makeshift shack a few feet meters from the cage, and a path to beside the shack was outlined with a few torches.

Rainbow struggled to free herself again, but this time, she was interrupted by a rather intimidating zebra approaching from the path beside the shack. He stopped next to her cage and looked in at her, his face filled with spiteful rage.

"Who the hell are you?" The zebra asked, a thick, unidentifiable accent on his breath.

"Where am I?" Rainbow asked frantically. She felt herself beginning to sweat. The zebra pounded on the side of the cage, cracking the bamboo slightly.

"I ask the damned questions!" He shouted. The anger in his voice made Rainbow shudder in fright. "Who. Are. You?" He repeated.

"R-Rainbow Dash! My name is Rainbow Dash..." She choked out. She gulped as the zebra backed away from the cage slightly. He suddenly lunged forward, striking the cage again, causing the bamboo to crack audibly. A voice called out from beyond the shack.

"Faru! Stop toying with the hostage!" The word 'hostage' churned in Dash's mind, causing her all sorts of feelings of unease and terror. The zebra backed up from the cage once more, turning to face the path.

"Fine! I think Tarik needed my help with something anyway..." The zebra shot Rainbow Dash one more malicious, bone-chilling smile before departing down the path once more.

Rainbow Dash needed to act fast. She tilted her body, pivoting on her tied fore-hooves, and kicked the cracked bamboo with her hind legs. With one powerful thrust, the side of the cage shattered. The noise was enough to worry Rainbow as to whether any of her captors had heard it. She bent down and picked up a sharp shard of bamboo in her teeth and grasped it with her one good wing, the other having been previously crushed by some skyward boulders.

She carefully handled the bamboo shard and cut her binds, freeing her mobility. She quickly stood and retrieved her belongings before preparing to run away as fast as possible.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" A thickly accented voice asked.

Author's Note

So I decided to take some time on this one and actually break it up into chapters. Not entirely sure where i want to go with this yet, but I know where it'll eventually lead. It's the story in the middle that I need to work on. Rest assured, though, I'll upload them as soon as I make them.

This chapter was re-written, due to the fact that I hadn't much enjoyed the first iteration of it, and I had rather rushed it, so this time around, I decided to give it the time it deserves, and re-detail a few things.

As always, comments/concerns are greatly appreciated, threats, however, not so much. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2: The Escape

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" A thickly accented voice asked.

Rainbow Dash froze in fear, before slowly turning to face the source of the voice. There, staring back at her, was a light red pony with a tan mane and tail. He bore a slight smile, rife with a feeling of internal malice and mental insanity. He had a satchel across his back, which appeared to hold some sort of machete or instrument of the sort.

He would look not unlike any other intimidating pony, were it not for his eyes. Large, bloodshot spheres, each holding a dark grey iris. His left eye was slightly closed, and had a very noticeable scar adorning it, leading from the base of his mane to the tip of his nostril. His eyes, unfaltering, stared at Rainbow Dash, causing her very soul to shiver.

"I-I..." Rainbow Dash couldn't form her words properly, as the sight of this pony halted her mind.

"You really think that you're just going to be able to grab your things and leave? Hmm?" The pony asked, his voice holding a seemingly caring nature to it, yet still frightfully intimidating.

"I-I just wanted to--"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The pony screamed. The sudden change in tone startled Rainbow as she felt herself adopt a defensive pose. "You really think that we're just going to let you leave, after we went through all the trouble of catching you in the first place?"

Rainbow Dash noticed his tone change back, and she went for her opening.

"The trouble of catching me? You hit me with a rock and put me in a cage!" She protested, refusing to be forced down out of intimidation. "Everything you did to catch me you did while I was unconscious!"

The red pony's eyes narrowed, and his frightful smile faded. Rainbow Dash held her defensive stance as she awaited his rebuttal.

"What's the matter? Got nothing to say?" She added, trying to get her captor to slip up in some way.

"No. I have nothing to say. You think that since you're a captive, that I need you." He pointed out. He was right. Rainbow Dash had counted on the fact that he wouldn't hurt her as long as he needed her.

"That's it then?" She asked, not sure of how she wanted him to respond.

"Let me tell you a little something... I don't need you. You are a luxury to me. If I have you, I can milk anyone who wants you back for money, but I have enough money as it is. Tell you what..." The pony paused. He motioned to a zebra standing a few meters from him that Rainbow Dash had failed to notice. "Let me show you a little something..."

The red pony reached his head back to his satchel and with one swift motion brought forth a blade, and swung it at the zebra. He re sheathed the blade, leaving Rainbow Dash slightly intimidated. Immediately afterward, she noticed a crimson liquid begin to taint the white stripes of the zebra's coat. He gripped at his neck, illuminating a large gash across it. His legs gave out as he fell to the ground, a puddle of the unfamiliar liquid beginning to form around him.

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide, and she felt herself holding back tears and vomit as the zebra bled out before her.

"THAT IS WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU, IF YOU DON'T GET BACK INTO THAT DAMN CAGE! I DON'T NEED YOU, AND NEITHER DOES THIS PLANET!" The red pony screamed, his voice echoing within Dash's mind. She couldn't move her gaze from the zebra, and the sight stayed her legs from movement. "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME!?" The pony screamed again, this time much louder, commanding Rainbow Dash's attention. She shivered in fright as she backed herself into the cage.

"Good." The pony said, his voice holding a tone of displeasure and anger. He approached the cage and removed some rope from his satchel. He tied her fore hooves above her head and to the back of the cage. "Don't think I didn't see how you got out last time. You used this... You're good wing. Let's keep that from happening again."

The red stallion pulled Dash's wing through the cage wall and picked up a large stone from the ground.

"You're other wing didn't do to good when we hit it with a rock. Let's see if this one does any better!" The stallion slammed the rock into Rainbow Dash's functioning wing repeatedly. Breaking bone and cutting skin, the stallion relentlessly battered her wing with malicious blows. Rainbow cried out in pain as each attack hit.

The stallion finished his assault and backed away, breathing heavily, his breaths sounding almost relieved. Rainbow's blue wing was stained a red, darker than the red in her mane. Rainbow openly sobbed as the stallion departed, leaving her once working wing nothing more than an erratic mess of feather, bone, and blood. Rainbow Dash tried to hold her tears of pain back, but to no avail. After a few minutes of the most painful experience of her life, she passed out.

Rainbow awoke several hours later, still in the cage. It was daytime now, and she knew that if she was going to survive, she had to find a way out of this hell. Rainbow thrashed her hind legs a bit, testing to find if anypony nearby could hear her. No one approached, so she knew she was in the clear. Quickly checking her surroundings to verify, she tried to pull her fore legs forward. Thankfully, the cage was still cracked from the zebra's intimidation the previous night, and the section of the cage secured to the rope binds broke off seamlessly.

As she leaned forward, her wing caught a bar in the cage frame, sending a jolt of sharp pain through her body. She quickly moved her still bound hooves to her mouth, muffling the screams of pain that tried to escape. Rainbow gritted her teeth and pulled forth from the cage, freeing her wing.

She clumsily stumbled to the table holding her gear, her fore hooves still bound. She quickly checked her inventory and verified that nothing was removed. She threw the saddlebags over her back, wincing in pain as they touched her wings. She removed the machete from her bag and carefully cut her binds free.

Her movement now unhindered, Rainbow began her escape. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of her captors were either passed out outside, or asleep inside. The corpse of the zebra was still laying just at the entrance to the path. Rainbow gulped, yet pushed back her emotion as she stepped over the body.

Sticking to the foliage as she moved, and avoiding the still conscious guards, Rainbow Dash found her way out of the camp, and was soon standing at the gate between two hells: The camp, and the rainforest. Rainbow Dash gulped as she trotted carefully into the jungle before her, when suddenly, a familiar color caught her eye.

Rainbow turned her gaze to the left, to see none other than the red stallion who had crushed her wing and murdered in front of her, passed out at the entrance to the camp. She felt a pulse of hatred and spite strike her body, as it moved without her total consent. She reached into her bag and silently withdrew the machete.

She held the blade in her mouth as she reared her head back, never once breaking visual contact with this deplorable excuse for pony-kind.

Just as she was about to bring her head back with deadly force, the red stallion's eyes shot open, looking directly at Rainbow Dash.

"Surprise, bitch!" The stallion bucked his hind legs, nailing Dash in the chest. She clenched her teeth as she winced in pain, refusing to part with her weapon. The stallion leaped to his feet, standing mere feet from Dash. Neither one wanted to be the first to make a move.

Rainbow Dash's impatience got the better of her as she lunged at her unarmed opponent. The stallion dodged her attack flawlessly, swinging a hind leg at Dash's, causing her to lose her balance. Rainbow quickly recovered and swung her head at the stallion once more. This time, the stallion reared his hind legs and kicked the blade, sending a jolt of force through Rainbow's head. The machete shattered, leaving Dash holding only the bottom half of her machete. Taking the momentum he had forced at her, Dash swung back, catching her opponent off guard, and landing a slice horizontally across his left eye.

The stallion fell to the ground and clutched his face as blood began to flow from behind his shut eyelid. Taking her chance, Rainbow Dash bolted off into the depths of the rainforest, leaving her wounded opponent behind.

"YOU BETTER RUN, BITCH!" The stallion screamed, waking the others in the camp, "REMEMBER THE NAME TARIK, BECAUSE IT'LL BE THE LAST ONE YOU EVER HEAR!"

Author's Note

So this was one of my first attempts at writing in an actual fight scene, short as it may have been. Let me know how I did in the comments, and feel free to include any concerns you may have. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3: Survival

Rainbow Dash breathed loudly as she slid into a thick patch of foliage. She fell onto her side, trying desperately to catch her breath. The broken machete fell from her mouth as she panted heavily.

She had never experienced anything like this before. She had never even believed that something like this could happen to her. Her mind raced, recalling everything that had just happened. All of the pain, damaging her wing to near beyond repair, the murder that occurred right in front of her, and that name: Tarik, branded into her mind forever. The name seemed to echo within her ears.

Tarik.

Tarik.

Tarik.

The name haunted her, not because of the name itself, but because of the way this monster revealed it to her; That it would be the last name she'd ever hear...

Rainbow became overwhelmed by the events that had happened, and the realization of what events were to come. She felt a tear forming in her eye. She slammed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth.

"No..." She spoke to herself, "If I'm going to make it through this, I'm going to need to stay strong." Rainbow opened her eyes, letting out a sigh. She sat up, feeling a stabbing pain on her back. Rainbow turned her attention to her wings, both of which were badly damaged, the left much more than the right. As she recalled, her right wing was crushed by some rocks that were flung at her while she was flying, inevitably leading to her capture. Her left wing, however, was brutally mangled by that bastard, Tarik.

Rainbow caught herself as she thought that. She had never come into contact with another pony to whom she would associate such a title. Bastard... Then again, she had never encountered another being willing to cause her so much pain, and completely disregard her life as being utterly worthless. Rainbow identified the burning sensation she felt in her mind associated with the name Tarik. It was hatred. Pure, uncut hatred. The thought of him made her blood boil, and her muscles tense.

She caught herself stomping at the ground in anger. She ceased her mind, taking in a deep, calming breath, shuddering as it released. Turning her attention to her wings, Rainbow realized that she had to find some way to bandage these, and fast. Rainbow dropped her saddlebags, wincing as they brushed her wings.

"No... No, no, no!" She said out loud as she found that she didn't have any medical bandages packed. Hastily, she removed all of the medical supplies. Rainbow looked over what she had at her disposal. Disinfectant, medical tape, bug repellent, anti-venom, a small towel, and assorted adhesive bandages.

Rainbow gulped as she realized just how unprepared she really was for this experience. Looking around frantically, Rainbow's eyes focused on a plant comprised of large, thick leaves. Rainbow reasoned that these would have to work as a substitute for gauze. Picking up the machete in her mouth, Rainbow cut a few leaves from the plant and brought them back over to her other supplies.

Rainbow thought over the steps she would need to take to bandage her wing. She picked up the bottle of liquid disinfectant and applied it to her towel. She gulped as she reached back and prepared to rub her wing. Rainbow clenched her teeth as she tended her injuries with the disinfectant, feeling the cleansing liquid flow over her wounds, sending a stinging sensation throughout her entire body. Once the treatment was complete, Rainbow let out a sigh of relief, followed by another sigh, this one more aggravated. She remembered that she couldn't just bandage her wing as it is now. The bones were broken and out of place. She would need to set the bone before bandaging.

Rainbow gulped as she picked up her machete, straining her jaw as she bit down hard on the handle. She moved her hooves back to her wings, grasping two halves of a bone. She counted to three in her head.

1

2

3

*CRACK*

Rainbow released a muffled cry as her bone snapped back into place. She uncomfortably repeated the process for the other damaged bones in her wings. Once the process was complete, Rainbow wrapped the leaves around her wings and secured them with the medical tape.

"At least..." Rainbow said, out of breath, "That's over with." Rainbow looked out into her surroundings. Despite her pain, Rainbow gasped in awe at the sight before her. The entire jungle, this place that she had begun to spite, was absolutely beautiful. The jade leaves and plants, associated ever so subtly with the varying browns of the trees, only accentuated by the cobalt stones and boulders riddling the earth. A film of green moss seemed to overtake everything, giving it all a hint of sage green.

Rainbow could form no words. She couldn't tell if it was because of the pain, but the sight of this landscape was relaxingly divine. Her thought process was suddenly overtaken by a growling sound coming from her gut.

"Hungry..." She said silently to herself. She checked her saddlebags, only to find that her previous captors had drained her food supply. Though depressed, she wasn't necessarily surprised. There was no shortage of vegetation for her to eat, but she wasn't sure which were safe, and she had no way of telling. Before she could think of a solution, she heard a loud stomping sound approaching her position.

Rainbow gasped as she jumped back into the bushes, hiding herself. To her surprise, what passed her was not a search party arranged by her captors, but a group of wild deer. Her mind moved at a thousand miles per hour, quickly settling on the fact that these deer would probably lead her to something she could eat.

She was about to leap from the bushes and join their herd, but she remembered that these weren't ponies. These were wild deer, and if she startled them, they would scatter, and she may never find anything to eat, so she had to follow them without being noticed. On any other day, she would have taken to the skies and silently stalked her target, yet due to her unfortunate recent occurrences, she was forced to resolve to sticking to the bushes.

Silently following the herd of deer, Rainbow followed as they led to a small clearing in the trees. Within the clearing was a watering hole and various plants that the deer began eating, telling Rainbow that those plants weren't dangerous.

Rainbow began waiting patiently for the deer to leave before she emerged and took her fill, however, after what felt like ages, the deer still hadn't left. rainbow realized that if she was going to have any chance of surviving, she would need to assert herself over her surroundings. She leaped from the bushes and stomped around, effectively scaring the herd of deer. The herd scattered, leaving the clearing, and leaving Rainbow Dash to the plants and water.

After eating and drinking her fill, Rainbow filled her canteen and took some of the plants for later. She looked to the sky, seeing that the moon had risen.

"I need to find someplace safe to sleep..." She spoke to herself, looking around. She noticed a large branch near the top of a tree. She figured that she could sleep on that as long as she secured herself. Reaching into her saddlebags, Rainbow pulled out a cut of rope. She made her way over to the tree and wrapped the rope around it, securing both ends to her hooves. She lifted the rope, and used the tension as it gripped the tree to pull herself up.

Rainbow soon reached the branch and climbed out onto it. She wrapped the roe around the branch, and secured it around herself as well.

As Rainbow tried to sleep, she felt her mind begin to drift through everything that had happened over the last two days. She felt tears beginning to fill her eyes as the reality of her situation overwhelmed her. She was lost and stranded, but not alone. Unfortunately, the only company she had in this savage wilderness wanted her dead. Rainbow focused all of her strength into forcing her thoughts back. She would have to deal with them when they came back around, but for now, she needed to sleep to sustain her energy.

Rainbow's eyes went heavy, and her breathing slowed as she drifted out of consciousness.

Author's Note

Not much action in this one. Mostly survival stuff, hence the title of the chapter. Don't worry though, the return of the tough-as-nails Rainbow is just around the corner! As always, comments/concerns are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4: The Dream

Rainbow Dash faded into semi-consciousness, floating in the air above a crystal-clear river. The only obstructions in the river were ripples from the strong current. Rainbow looked back to find that her wings were still bandaged. As she looked back, she was shocked to see that the river was flowing in the opposite direction of a waterfall. She moved her legs, and found herself standing upon some invisible surface, existing only a few feet above the river.

Rainbow looked around, completely unsure of what to do. Her surroundings, save for the river, were pitch black. There was nothing here other than the river and herself. One end of the river stretched off into a waterfall, from which the water was strangely flowing the opposite direction, and the other rain off into the darkness before her.

"This has to be a dream... There's no way this place is real!" Rainbow said to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. She looked down, to the river. The direction of the current was obvious, but she didn't know what to do.

Follow the flow...

"Huh?" Rainbow asked, turning around frantically. As far as she saw, there was no one else in this place besides her. "Follow the flow..." She repeated. She looked to the river, the words in her mind suddenly making what little sense there was to be had.

Rainbow cautiously moved a hoof forward. She sighed in relief as it contacted this invisible walkway she was on. She followed the river, following the flow. She was eventually led to the front of a large, mossy temple. As she approached, the large stone doors swung open. A stiff, very cold wind brushed past Rainbow, halting her movement. A bright light shone from within the temple. Rainbow moved a fore leg to her eyes to shield from the blinding illumination.

When she lowered her hoof, she saw, existing before her, a pair of large, menacing, familiar eyes. They were the eyes of Tarik, undoubtedly. Rainbow took a step back in defense and fear as the eyes focused on her, narrowing in anger.

Suddenly, the eyes closed, sending a wave of relief through Rainbow's body. A breeze of soft, warm, relaxing air followed, blowing past Dash as a separate set of eyes opened in the same place as Tarik's eyes had been. These eyes, they were unfamiliar to Rainbow, yet they seemed to calm her, making her feel safe. The eyes had large, jade green irises.

Rainbow watched as the eyes closed, taking away all of the light around her, what little there was. Rainbow was left in a realm of immense darkness. Just as she was about to try walking, a blinding flare of light brought her out of that realm and back into hers, snapping her back into consciousness.

"It was only a dream..." She spoke to herself, realizing that she was still tied to the tree branch upon which she had slept the previous night. Looking to the sky, she saw the sun above. "Good. It's day."

Rainbow untied the rope and climbed down the tree. Upon reaching the ground, Rainbow's ears perked to a sound that she had overlooked the previous day. The sound of a flowing river. The entirety of Rainbow's dream flooded into her mind.

"It's the only lead I have to finding any help..." Rainbow said.

Rainbow Dash began making her way through the dense foliage, in search of the river that she hoped would lead her to safety, and hopefully, a way back home.

Author's Note

Since this is a pretty short chapter, I decided to just pump it out right after the previous one. As always, comments/concerns are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 5: The Plan

Rainbow Dash ran toward the sound of the river. Pushing and cutting her way through countless bushes and plants, she was determined to find it, having received new hope from her dream last night.

"This had really better be worth it..." She said to herself. After cutting through one final, very thick patch of leaves, Rainbow found herself face to face with a wide, raging river.

The area around the river was cleared out, most likely naturally. Rainbow had seen rivers around Ponyville. She had seen the Cloudy River of Neighagara Falls, and she had even seen the Great Lava River in the land of the dragons. None of them were quite as powerful, or quite as breathtaking as this sight. Whether it was truly that marvelous, or if it was just the fact that it was the first sign of hope she'd received in days, Rainbow would never know, but all that mattered now was following the flow.

Rainbow wasted no time in following the current of the mighty river. Dashing beside it, she had no trouble with foliage, thanks to the clearing around it. Rainbow felt as light as air, having found the first ray of hope in this unforgiving rainforest.

"Y'know..." Rainbow said to herself as she ran, "For a rainforest, this place doesn't get much--"

Rainbow was interrupted by a loud crash of thunder, halting her movement. She looked around frantically, when suddenly, it began to rain furiously.

"Oh..."

The rain brought with it a thick layering of fog. Rainbow could hardly see five feet in front of her, as she struggled to continue on. She felt good, at least, in that this fog would make it difficult for any hostile search parties to find her.

Rainbow could hear a loud sound of large quantities of water hitting the ground. She continued to run forward at top speed, writing it off as the rain increasing in volume.

Rainbow gasped as she dug her hooves into the ground. She slid for about a foot before stopping, teetering on the edge of a massive cliff. Her eyes went wide as sweat added to the moisture on her body. The river completely dropped off at a waterfall at this cliff. Rainbow let out a sigh of relief, having just stopped herself short of falling off of it, probably fatally.

As she was catching her breath, Rainbow heard a rustling across the river. The fog was too thick to allow her vision that far, however, the river was suddenly hatched across by a flimsy wooden bridge. She turned tail to run before being halted by the voice. She had never heard it before, but in a strange way, it almost sounded friendly.

"Hey, wait!" The voice called out, "Who are you?"

Rainbow turned to see a group of three zebras and one pony. They looked genuinely concerned for her. She watched as the pony took a step back and folded up the flimsy bridge, securing it to his back.

"I-I'm Rainbow Dash..." She said, noticeably shaky about her company. "Who are you?"

"I am Etine." Said one of the zebras. "And these are T'kraf, Jideo, and Y'tieq." He said, pointing to the other two zebras and the pony, respectively.

"What are you doing out here?" Asked the Y'tieq, the pony. "You don't really look like you belong here..."

"I was out here adventuring, until I was captured by some horrible ponies..." Rainbow recalled. There was a noticeable hint of distress in her voice.

"Were they Tarik's men?" One of the zebras, Jideo, asked.

"Yeah." Rainbow confirmed, "How did you know that?"

"He's been giving us a lot of trouble ever since..." Etine paused. His face held a look of anger and sadness. He changed the subject. "Your wings, they are damaged. Tarik's doing?"

"Yeah. He shot me out of the sky..." Rainbow wiggled her right wing, "And crushed my other wing with a rock." She wiggled her left wing. T'kraf turned to Etine and whispered something. Rainbow couldn't tell what it was he said. Etine turned to Rainbow.

"Tarik cannot be allowed to continue to harm ponies, especially not outsiders such as yourself." Etine said, his face holding a look of steadfast determination. "We have been attempting to defeat him for ages now, however, I believe that you may be just what we need to bring him down once and for all. Will you join us?" Etine reached out a hoof to Rainbow, looking into her eyes. She hesitated for a moment.

"Yes. I will" Rainbow said, shaking Etine's hoof, offering a smirk.

"Excellent!" Y'tieq said. "You should come with us then. We're on out way back to the camp."

"Camp?" Dash asked.

"Yes. Follow us and you will see." Etine said. He and the others began walking off. Rainbow hesitated before following. She had just met these ponies. What if they were just Tarik's soldiers, and this was a trap. What if they were taking her as a sacrifice or something? Or what if they were just going to capture her again and hold her hostage? Rainbow contemplated turning tail and running, until a single, solitary phrase began to echo within her mind.

Follow the flow...

Rainbow nodded to herself before taking off after the others. She quickly caught up and began walking behind them. As they walked, rainbow found time to get a look at her new allies.

Etine was a visibly strong male zebra. She noted that he acted as the leader of their little company. He had large, burnt orange eyes, and a long, chiseled snout. He wore large jade earrings and a gold bracelet on his front right hoof. His mane was dressed in a short mohawk, yet it was brought to an angle along the top.

T'kraf was the tallest of the group. He had small facial features, including a short, slightly rounded snout and small eyes. His eyes were a deep blue. Rainbow noticed that he seemed to hold a constant frown. He had only a golden ring around his neck. His mane was completely shaved, leaving only his black and white scalp atop his head.

Jideo, she noticed, looked strikingly similar to Zecora, including all of the jewelery in all of the same places, the only difference being that his jewelery was made of silver instead of gold. His eyes were a jade green, similar to those she had seen in her dream, and his mane was styled in the same way as Zecora's. She couldn't help but wonder if they were related in any way.

Y'tieq had a light green coat. Though Etine appeared as the strongest overall, Y'tieq seemed to have the strongest back of the group, as he seemed to have no trouble at all carrying the collapsible wooden bridge. He had a wide but fairly short snout, yet large, expressive eyes, which were colored a deep magenta. Deeper than Rainbow's eyes. He wore a single jade necklace and a jade bracelet on each of his fore legs. His mane was a burnt orange, similar to the color of Etine's eyes. He had his mane spike forward. He seemed to have a scar across his right eye, in the same location as Tarik had on his left, causing Y'tieq to hold his right eye slightly closed. Being the only pony, he had a cutie mark. Rainbow noticed, however, that his flank was so badly scarred, that it was no longer visible.

The group soon reached a small, weathered camp. There were five large tents, each looking more like hastily crafted shacks than tents, and a fire pit beneath a small makeshift awning. Four of the tents were opened save for one, which appeared to have something in it.

"How long have you guys been staying here?" Rainbow asked, finally speaking up.

"One month as of today." Etine replied. "We used to live in a small village about a mile from here." Etine pointed in a direction before walking off into one of the shacks.

"But Tarik's pirates burned the entire village down." Jideo continued, "We were the only survivors..." He let out a small disgruntled sigh.

"And that is why Tarik must pay." Y'tieq finished, "Each of us lost so much that day. T'kraf has only spoken to Etine since then. He was probably hurt the most out of any of us." He looked over at T'kraf, with sadness in his eyes. T'kraf was looking away. Jideo nodded in agreement with Y'tieq.

"Night is falling." Etine interrupted, returning to the group. "We will take action tomorrow. Miss Dash, you are welcome to stay with Jideo. His shack has a spare bed."

"Thanks." Rainbow said, nodding to Etine, and then to Jideo, who nodded back. It seemed clear to her that these four didn't often communicate with words as much as gestures.

The others departed into their respective shacks. Rainbow followed Jideo into his. He directed her to the spare bed as he laid down in his. The quarters were cramped, and Rainbow wasn't necessarily comfortable sleeping so close to somepony she barely knew. She was at least thankful, however, to have a roof over her head tonight, no matter how flimsy.

Rainbow settled into the bed quickly. Her mind was racing, but this was the first time she'd had in a while to actually rest in a controlled environment. She fell asleep in what felt like no time.

Rainbow awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed than she had ever felt in her life. While she stretched, she looked to see that Jideo had departed. Standing from the bed, she exited the shack and found him and the rest of the group outside. The four looked very disgruntled. She thne noticed a line of blood across Etine's side, and a new scar on T'kraf's face.

"What happened!?" Rainbow asked frantically.

"Tarik's men attacked. A small group of five pirates. We dispatched them no problem, but..." Etine said, a look of concern in his eyes as he turned toward Rainbow.

"What's the issue?" Rainbow asked, almost dreading the answer.

"They were looking for you." Y'tieq answered, breathing heavily.

Rainbow felt disoriented by this news. Her throat went dry and her eyes went wide. She knew that Tarik would want to be after her after she escaped and left him with a new scar, but actually knowing that they were actively searching for her. This was entirely different. She looked to the ground, breathing heavily. The group noticed her distress.

"Rest assured, we will protect you." Jideo said, trying to reassure Rainbow.

"Yes. We will not allow another to fall by way of Tarik. We have already lost so much, and we will lose no more." Etine said, looking toward the river.

Rainbow's eyes darted around, trying to make sense of anything anymore. She looked up, facing the group, a new found look of determination in her eyes.

"I'm not going to just lie down and let Tarik defeat me. I was alone before, but now that I have help, there's no way he can stop me!" Rainbow raised a hoof to her chest and stood determinedly, proving to the others, and to herself that she was prepared to go to any means to stop Tarik. The others followed suit and raised their weapons to the sky, cheering. Rainbow wore a large smile as she turned to the group. "So, what's the plan?"

"We have disposed of all of the bodies of the search party, except for one." Jideo said. We will place that one along the trail of their search with evidence of your death. Faked, of course." He nodded to Dash.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking confusedly at the group.

"You no doubt know that in order to achieve one's goals, sacrifices are required..." Etine said. Rainbow nodded sheepishly, "We must remove the hair of your tail, and place it with the dispatched pirates. Rainbow perked up.

"That's all? Alright then, shave away!" Etine picked up his machete in his mouth and nodded, approaching Dash. He carefully removed the rainbow hair from her tail, being careful not to cut her flesh. She noticed that Jideo had departed into the fifth shack.

"I hope you will forgive me for this..." Etine said. he quickly reached up and yanked a small amount of Rainbow's feathers sticking out from her makeshift bandaging.

"Ow!" Rainbow yelped. "It's fine. That didn't hurt too bad..."

"That was not what I wanted you to forgive me for." Etine said, raising the machete. He brought it down with force, severing the top of Rainbow's left ear.

"AHHHH!" She screamed as blood began to flow from the severed ear piece. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?" She yelled at him.

"Tarik will not believe that we would go to these lengths to protect you. Only through this sacrifice will he truly believe in your demise." Etine said, looking apologetically at Rainbow. Jideo returned from the shack to see Dash glaring furiously at Etine, holding the top of her left ear as it bled freely. He was holding a bottle of a strange glowing pink liquid. he approached Rainbow.

"I know that it hurts, but this will heal you." He said, handing the flask to her. "This will repair your ear, as well as your wings, each in due time, of course. This is alchemy, not magic. Results are far from instantaneous." He continued speaking as Rainbow sniffed and then downed the mixture. She coughed as she finished it, releasing a slight pink light from her throat.

"That stuff tastes horrible!" She exclaimed, her face contorting into a look of internal disgust. "Where did you learn to make that!?"

"My sister taught me this recipe as a cure-all. She told me that she once experimented with it to heal a small filly's tooth and cure some mares of poison-joke." He recalled, smiling slightly.

"Now," Etine said, changing topic, "T'kraf, take these bits of evidence and the pirate's corpse and place them near the river." T'kraf nodded before departing behind the fifth shack. Rainbow shuddered as she watched him drag a body away with pieces of her on his back.

While he was gone, Rainbow and the others sat around the fire pit as Jideo fiddled with it. He quickly got a controlled fire blaring in it. He walked over to Rainbow and looked at her wings.

"We should get you some real bandages on these while they heal." Jideo said. Rainbow nodded. "How is your ear, by the way?" Rainbow reached up and felt her ear to find that it had healed completely, leaving her with two completely intact ears.

"It's fixed!" She said happily. Etine smiled.

"Excellent!" Jideo said, "It'll take a while more for your wings to heal. Simple flesh of an ear is one thing, but complex bone, flesh, and feathers of two wings are more difficult for the solution I gave you earlier to heal." He departed into the fifth shack and returned shortly with actual medical supplies. He fixed her up in no time, bandaging her wings comfortably.

"Thanks." She said, smiling at him.

"Not a problem." He replied, returning her smile.

T'kraf returned shortly. he walked over to Etine and whispered into his ear.

"The bait has been set. Now we may begin the next phase of our final assault on Tarik." Etine said, addressing the group. "We must move our cam closer to Tarik. Once we are sure he has given up the search, we may begin our attack."

Y'tieq doused the fire with a nearby bucket of water and entered his shack to begin packing. Etine addressed Jideo and T'kraf

"You both know the drill. Pack your essentials. This will be our final effort." He said. The two departed, leaving Etine and Rainbow Dash outside. "When we find him... Tarik... What do you want to do with him?" He asked Dash.

"It sounds like he's done more to all of you than to me. Why would you ask me this?" She asked back.

"He drove us from our home, and took everything from us, but you... He captured and tortured you. Given more time, he may have forced you to give up everything, including your own life. You deserve revenge more than us." Etine said, looking into Rainbow's eyes. She looked down.

The others soon emerged from their shacks, each wearing a pair of saddlebags. Etine departed into his shack and instantly returned, having apparently pre-packed his bags. Rainbow still had hers over her back.

"We are prepared..." Etine said. "Are you, Miss Dash?"

"Yes." She replied, "And from now on... Call me Rainbow."

The group trotted off, ready to observe Tarik, awaiting their perfect moment to strike.

Author's Note

Sorry about those last two chapters being kinda slow, but at least in this one, we're getting back into the swing of things, and with actual dialogue and everything too! Not just Rainbow talking to herself! Anyway, comments/concerns are always welcome. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 6: The End

Rainbow Dash followed her allies as they trekked toward Tarik's camp, to once and for all end their struggle.

Rainbow followed their lead, as they weaved around dangerous routes, avoiding known habitats of dangerous jungle cats, and the trails of Tarik's recon groups.

"Everything is going well so far..." Etine whispered to the group, "At this pace, we will arrive by day's en--" He halted his voice, his ears perking to a nearby rustling.

"Down!" Y'tieq commanded. Etine, T'kraf, and Y'tieq quikly dove into some nearby foliage. Jideo placed his hoof on Rainbow's back and gestured his head toward a nearby bush. The two quickly leaped into the brush. Rainbow watched in silence as a group of six furious looking zebras walked past their hiding place, no doubt searching for the lost company, with which, Rainbow remembered, they would find false evidence of her death. Etine gestured to the group once the search party was far enough away.

"We need to arrive at Tarik's camp before news of your death reaches him." Etine said, looking away. "Which means that we have precious little time, so we need to move now." Etine started off, and the others followed. About an hour later, Y'tieq stopped the group.

"We need food. Etine and I will go off from the path to search." Y'tieq said. "Jideo, T'kraf. You both know how this works. If we don't return in ten minutes, you continue without us." Jideo and T'kraf nodded as Etine and Y'tieq departed.

"So I guess we have a few minutes to talk then." Rainbow said, turning to her two remaining allies.

"Yes." Jideo confirmed, "So Rainbow... I've been meaning to ask. Where will you go after we're done here... If we win..." His ears drooped and he looked down as he said the last part.

"I'm going to go back to Ponyville. And Jideo... I promise, we will win." She said, taking Jideo's chin in her hoof and lifting it, bringing his eyes to hers. She gave him a smile. He returned it.

"Ponyville?" Jideo asked. Rainbow nodded. "My sister lives near there, in a forest. You might know her."

"Zecora?" Rainbow asked, her head tilting to one side.

"Yes!" Jideo confirmed, perking up. "You do know her!" Rainbow smiled wider. The two of them turned their heads toward T'kraf, to find that he was looking away, his constant frown adorning his face.

"T'kraf..." Rainbow spoke up. T'kraf's ears perked and he turned toward her, though he said nothing. "I've been meaning to ask, and, I hope you don't find it too intrusive, but... What did Tarik do that caused you such pain?" Rainbow looked sympathetically into his eyes. He opened his mouth. Jideo looked over, having not heard T'kraf speak in months.

"I-I... He..." T'kraf started, his voice low and raspy, "He burned my house to the ground, and killed my wife and children right in front of me..." His voice trailed off, returning to nothing as he closed his eyes and looked away. Rainbow watched a tear roll down his cheek as his face held a look of deeper sadness than Rainbow had ever seen before.

"I'm... So sorry..." Rainbow said, feeling tears begin to swell in her eyes as well.

"You did nothing. Tarik is the only one to blame, and for it, we will make him pay." T'kraf said, wiping his face of tears as he looked off into the distance. He seemed to force back his emotions, leaving him with only hatred for Tarik. Perhaps that was exactly what they needed at that point, however.

Rainbow looked at T'kraf questioningly, not sure what to think of his supposed control of his emotions. She was about to speak up, yet was stopped by Jideo, who reached a hoof out and touched her shoulder. She looked to him as he shook his head.

"Rainbow..." Jideo said as Rainbow looked at him. "When this is over... Would I be able to come with you?"

"Back to Ponyville?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. I miss my sister so much, and she tells me all the time of how nice it is there. So much different from the rainforest. So much better." Jideo said, looking down, yet bearing a smile on his face.

"How exactly do you and Zecora talk?" Rainbow asked first.

"Two enchanted stones. Each of us has one, and we can speak to each other through them. I left mine back at the camp, though." Jideo explained. Rainbow nodded. "Do you think you could do it though? Could you bring me back to Ponyville with you?"

"I'll try." Rainbow said, looking into Jideo's eyes and smiling. Jideo smiled back.

"Rainbow..." Jideo spoke up, "May I... May I kiss you?" His ears drooped as he blushed. Rainbow blushed as well.

"Yes. You may." She said. They closed their eyes as their heads drifted ever closer, their lips pursed, prepared to embrace on another.

"Flirt on your own time you two!" Y'tieq called out as he and Etine emerged from the brush. Rainbow and Jideo leaped back in shock, each blushing as they avoided eye contact. "Here." He threw a small portion of greens to Jideo, T'kraf, and Rainbow. They each quickly downed their rations and started on the path again.

The group reached the outskirts of Tarik's camp after about two more hours of walking. They rested within some bushes just overlooking the camp. Y'tieq addressed the group.

"Alright. Now we just need to wait for that recon company we saw earlier to return with evidence of Rainbow's death. We'll go from there once that happens." Y'tieq said. His tone suddenly dropped, "You may want to say your goodbyes now. We won't have much time after we begin."

Jideo looked at Rainbow, and she returned his gaze.

"Rainbow... In case this goes south... I just want you to know that I--" Jideo was cut off as Rainbow moved her hoof to his mouth.

"I know, Jideo. You healed my wounds, and you were a real friend to me in my worst time of need. Ineed you to know that I feel the same way." Rainbow said, smiling at Jideo. He smiled back at her. Once more, their heads drifted ever closer, their eyes closed, their lips pursed , each prepared to feel one another, to feel each other in ways that--

"Hostiles spotted!" Etine said loudly, snapping Rainbow and Jideo out of their action. Etine was watching the camp diligently through a pair of binoculars. He observed carefully as a group of six zebras ran into the camp, carrying the evidence left on the corpse. He saw as the zebras approached Tarik and presented him with the evidence.

Tarik took the bits of Rainbow Dash in his hooves and looked at them questioningly. He nodded to his pirates before departing into a shack behind him.

"I think he bought it." Etine said, turning to the group. "Now we must only wait until night, so we may begin the attack. Rainbow..." He turned to Dash.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"When we go in there, there will be a lot of death, and a lot of blood. I need you to be ready for that." Etine said, looking deep into Rainbow's eyes. She took in a deep breath.

"I think I can handle it." She replied after a brief pause.

"Think, or know." Y'tieq questioned, his voice very stern.

"Think." Rainbow replied, turning to Y'tieq, standing her ground. Y'tieq sighed, annoyed, and turned his gaze toward the camp. She turned to Jideo for reassurance.

"Listen." Jideo spoke up, "Tarik is the one we're after. Let's try to keep casualties to a minimum, alright?" His voice was very steadfast and determined.

"He's right." T'kraf said, shocking the entire group, "Tarik must pay. Not his soldiers. Him." T'kraf was looking angrily and determinedly toward the camp. Etine nodded in agreement.

"Rainbow." Jideo said, drawing her attention. "I brought this with me. You should take it." Jideo withdrew a decorative blade from his saddlebags. The handle of the blade was decorated to look like fire, spewing forth from the hilt, which was shaped like a dragon head. Te blade itself appeared to be a sharpened dragon scale, brought to a point at the end, as well as sharpened on both edges.

Rainbow shuddered as she took the blade in her hoof. The realization of what was about to happen began to set in as she looked at Jideo, a vision of fear in her eyes. He looked back at her reassuringly.

"We all must make sacrifices to attain our goals..." Jideo said, looking deeply into Rainbow's eyes. "When things start to get crazy in there, just remember to stick with us, and follow the flow." He held a stern look on his face.

Rainbow felt that phrase bounce around in her mind...

Follow the flow...

She looked deeply into Jideo's eyes, and then she recognized them. They were the exact jade green eyes from her dream. Rainbow smiled widely as she embraced Jideo in a hug. He jumped slightly at her sudden embrace, before calming himself and hugging her back. She looked up, and saw the blue cored moon rising above them.

"It it time." Etine said to the group. "Leave your bags here. Take only your blade." He instructed.

Rainbow picked up the decorative blade that Jideo had given her. Jideo picked up her broken machete from the ground and approached her back. He used it to knot the back of her mane around.

"In case you need it." Jideo said. "How are your wings?"

"I can feel them getting better. Shouldn't be too long now." She replied, not turning her gaze from the camp in the distance.

"We must move now." Y'tieq commanded. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, as they silently descended the hillside and approached the encampment. "From here on out, no speech unless it is a direct emergency." He said. The others nodded.

The group silently made their way from cover to cover, avoiding being sighted by Tarik's pirates. Soone enough, however, they encountered a pirate they could not pass. His back was to them, and he was unaware of their presence, but there was only one way around him...

"I am sorry, Rainbow..." Etine whispered into Dash's ear. He silently drove his knife into the pirate's neck, holding a hoof over his mouth. The pirate released muffled screams as he bled from his neck. He soon fell down and began to spasm for a moment before going entirely limp. His eyes were open and empty. Rainbow shuddered in fear as Etine dragged the body back and hid it behind them. Rainbow approached the body and brushed her hoof over his eyes, closing them. Etine nodded apologetically.

The group pressed on, quickly yet silently approaching Tarik's shack. They stacked up beside the door, each of them holding their blades. Etine nodded to the group and silently opened the door. The five slowly crept into the shack and saw Tarik sitting in a chair, his back to the door, and to them.

The group was watching Etine carefully, awaiting his command. Just as he was about to signal Rainbow Dash to dispatch him, a blade flew from Tarik's position and caught Etine in the neck. He grasped at it, gasping for air. As he clawed at the blade, he dragged it down, opening the wound further. As his last gasps of air escaped, and his blood flowed freely both into and out of his neck, his eyes rolled back into his skull as he fell to the ground and ceased movement. They all looked toward Tarik, who had turned around in his chair and had a line of numerous pirates behind him.

"You really thought this plan would work, didn't you!?" Tarik asked, his voice just as mocking and cynical as Rainbow remembered.

Tarik's left eye was nearly entirely closed, there now being two scars going vertically and horizontally across it. All that was visible within the socket was a deep black orb. He held a look of disgruntled aggravation on his face as the looked at the remaining members of the group.

"You. The rainbow one. Come forward." Tarik commanded. Rainbow hesitated. Three pirates apprehended Jideo, T'kraf, and Y'tieq. "Do as I say or they all die."

Rainbow sheepishly approached Tarik.

"I see you've found my fan club." Tarik said, winking at T'kraf, who shot him a menacing look. Tarik pouted. "I must say... It was quite clever, trying to fake your own death to fool me. I wouldn't have thought of doing that myself. How are your wings, by the way?"

"Better. You're lucky I can't use them right now." Rainbow said, looking angrily into Tarik's eyes.

"Careful now... Don't say something you'll regret." Tarik said, pointing toward Jideo, T'kraf, and Y'tieq.

As soon as Tarik returned his gaze to Rainbow, Y'tieq sprung into action. He quickly flipped the pirate holding him, taking his weapon. He threw the blade at T'kraf's captor, dispatching him, and quickly spun around and kicked Jideo's captor frightfully hard in the head. Y'tieq picked up the final captor's blade and charged at the line of pirate's behind Tarik. He killed all of them in a blur of a moment, standing triumphantly over the final victim. He looked at Tarik and began to charge. Once he reached Tarik, Tarik quickly leaped from his chair, causing Y'tieq to land face first in it. Tarik spun around bucked hard at the back of Y'tieq's head, crushing in the back of his skull, and causing a spurt of blood to fly at Rainbow, splattering across her face. Rainbow looked on in terror before she felt her sanity slipping.

Rainbow jumped at Tarik, catching him off guard as she pinned him against the wall. She moved her hoof back toward Jideo, who promptly threw the decorative blade to her. She caught it and moved it to her mouth, glaring at Tarik the entire time. Tarik, for the first time since Rainbow had known him, held a genuine look of controlled fear in his eyes.

Tarik moved a fore hoof to his back, gripping a blade. Rainbow saw him do this, and promptly sliced up his leg with her blade.

"AAAAHHHH!" Tarik shouted as he began to bleed from his wound. He dropped his blade to the ground, leaving him unarmed and incapacitated. Rainbow stared furiously into his eyes, which for once looked truly afraid and in pain.

"Do it, Rainbow!" T'kraf yelled, "Finish this!"

Rainbow stared at Tarik, their eyes locking. Rainbow clenched the blade within her teeth, letting out an audible crack from the handle. She raised her head as the blade shined in the light from the one torch in the room, bearing Tarik's reflection within it. He closed his eyes tightly, awaiting the end. Rainbow glared at him once more, before...

*Cha-clang*

The blade audibly hit the ground as Rainbow looked into Tarik's opening eyes.

"I'm done. No more blood. No more killing. No more death." She declared, afterwards turning to face Jideo and T'kraf, who was looking at her furiously. Tarik looked at her thankfully and apologetically, breathing heavily. Rainbow released Tarik from her grasp and walked over to Jideo, embracing him.

"NO!" T'kraf exclaimed, tearing the broken machete from the back of Rainbow's mane. It released flawlessly, slicing through her mane. He charged at Tarik, who defensively picked up Rainbow's blade from the ground in front of him. Tarik tilted his head completely sideways, and trusted upward as T'kraf leaped at him. T'kraf drove his blade downward into Tarik's back. T'kraf severed Tarik's spine with his blade, causing death near instantly, while T'kraf had a blade driven through his gut.

T'kraf began bleeding out quickly atop the dead Tarik, their blades still deep within one another.. T'kraf looked up.

"I-I'm sorry..." He choked out. He coughed up a fair amount of blood before going completely limp atop Tarik.

Rainbow embraced Jideo tightly. The two of them just stood there, holding each other tightly among the remains of their friends and enemies. Everything around them was death, but they had survived. They had made it. They were alive.

Chapter 7: Goodbyes

Rainbow Dash and Jideo emerged from Tarik's shack. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, yet the light was obstructed by a small, airborne object. Rainbow looked at it confusedly, as did Jideo. As it drew closer, Rainbow began to recognize it. It was a purple hot air balloon, with many familiar colors visible in the undercarriage.

Rainbow looked on in disbelief. Her friends had found her, and they were coming to save her. She turned to Jideo.

"My friends are here!" She said, very happily. "We can go!"

"We?" Jideo asked.

"Yes. I promised that I would try to bring you back to Ponyville with me, and I intend to keep that promise." Rainbow said, smiling at Jideo. He smiled back. The two embraced once more.

The balloon sped toward the duo. Rainbow confirmed that Tiwlight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, Zecora, and Spike were there. The undercarriage looked rather packed, but Rainbow didn't notice. She was too busy rejoicing at her rescue. It soon reached them.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie exclaimed, leaping from the basket and embracing Rainbow in a hug. The rest of the group followed suit, excluding Zecora, who instantly approached her brother and embraced him.

"It has been too long, brother." Zecora said, smiling happily.

"It has, Zeco... It sure has..." Jideo hugged his sister back.

"We missed you so much, Rainbow!" Twilight said, hugging her friend tightly. The others exclaimed their happiness to see her again, hugging her tightly. "Come on, Rainbow, let's get you home." Twilight said, starting back toward the balloon.

"I can't wait!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Excellent! We made sure to save enough room for one more pony. You!" Twilight said, turning toward her friend.

"Wait..." Rainbow said, her face changing from happiness to concern. "Only for one?"

"Yeah, why, is there a problem?" Twilight asked, rather concerned. Rainbow looked to Jideo, who held a fairly neutral look about him as he looked back at her.

"If Jideo can't come, then I'm not going anywhere." Rainbow said. She audibly choked out those words, bringing her great pain as she declined her friends. "I can't leave him, and I won't leave him."

"Rainbow... I'm sorry, but Fluttershy isn't strong enough to make the flight back, and it's too far for me to teleport. There's only room for you." Twilight said, her eyes holding a look of sadness.

"Well then I can't go." Rainbow said.

"No, Rainbow." Jideo said, catching her attention. "Rainbow... I truly appreciate your sacrifice for me, but you don't belong here." He was looking into her eyes. She knew he was being sincere, and that he cared for her, and wanted her to be safe.

"What?" Rainbow asked, a look of sadness in her eyes.

"The jungle is my home. This is where I should be. You should be with your friends." Jideo said. He was visibly hurt to say this.To abandon Rainbow.

"Are you sure?" She asked, approaching him and hugging him.

"Yes, Rainbow." He said. "Listen, no matter how far apart we are, I will always love you." He embraced her tightly as a tear escaped her eyes.

"I love you too." She said, holding back her tears. She turned to her friends. "I'm ready. Let's go." Her friends offered small smiles, feeling sympathetic toward their friend's pain.

Rainbow looked back to Jideo, and quickly moved her face to his. Their lips embraced, feeling one another, and loving one another. Jideo hugged her tightly as they kissed, and Rainbow hugged him back. After a minute, Rainbow withdrew her head and looked deeply into Jideo's eyes, both of them smiling happily.

"Finally." Rainbow said.

"Yeah..." Jideo said, grinning clumsily. Rainbow giggled.

"Goodbye, Jideo..." Rainbow said, still slightly smiling.

"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash." Jideo replied. He leaned in to her and hugged her tightly. "Love you." He whispered.

"Love you too." She replied.

Rainbow turned and approached her friends. She entered the hot air balloon basket and her friends followed. She waved to Jideo as the balloon lifted from the ground and departed over the horizon.

Rainbow flew over to Zecora's hut within the Everfree Forest. She knocked on the door and was instantly greeted by Zecora herself.

"Hey Zecora!" Rainbow said.

"Greetings, Rainbow Dash." Zecora replied.

"When I was in the rainforest, Jideo told me about a way you two would communicate over this distance." Rainbow said. Zecora nodded. She led Rainbow over to the shelf where she kept the enchanted stone with which she would communicate with her brother. "Would you mind if I used it?"

"Please." Zecora said, handing the stone to Rainbow.

Rainbow picked up the stone and held it close to her mouth. She spoke into the stone.

"Jideo? ... Jideo, are you there?" Rainbow asked.

There was no response.

"Jideo..." Rainbow held the stone, just speaking his name into it repeatedly for about an hour, hoping for some response... any response.

"Nothing..." Rainbow said, a tear rolling up in her eye. She placed the stone back on the shelf and hugged Zecora, beginning to cry. Zecora held her friend close, feeling her pain. Rainbow backed up from her friend and made her way toward the door, crying the entire way.

...

...

"Rainbow...?"

Author's Note

IT'S DONE! I hope that you have enjoyed reading the story, however many of you have made it this far. To be honest, it was really fun writing this story, mostly because it was the first one that I've actually written in real-time, as the other two stories I have uploaded as of now (Dec. 23, 2012) I had written before even making this account. At any rate, comments/concerns are greatly appreciated, and thanks for reading!