Rainbow Dash absorbed the words of the letter as her eyes passed slowly from line to line, carefully scanning its delicately worded message. Ponyville was abnormally quiet, lacking the ponies that usually bring joyful life to the small town. Rainbow Dash was alone. Clouds blanketed the skies and blocked the sun’s warm rays. A cool sensation brushed across Rainbow Dash’s cheek as her mane blew in the gentle breeze. An orange hair dangled in front of her eye, however Rainbow Dash was in no mood to do anything about it.
Her eyes moved from one side of the paper to the other, top to bottom. She read it time and time again, the message slowly sinking in. Rainbow Dash felt a lone drop of water make its way down her cheek and fall onto the bench below. A quick glance into the sky confirmed it was not raining – yet. Her mind was in a chaotic flux, playing various memories from the past day in a seemingly random order. She sniffed her nose as snot tried to drip out of her nostrils.
The past events still hadn’t properly sunk into her mind yet. All she could feel was an immense, hollow feeling of guilt. It ate away at her body, her mind, her soul. She wasn’t quite sure why as of yet, the past events were still a blur. Another drop of liquid made it down her cheek, this time landing on the delicate paper of the note. Rainbow Dash tried to forget the events that happened. The letter remained burned into Rainbow Dash’s vision despite her squeezing her eyes shut. It didn’t seem real to her, it was as if she was having a terrible dream. But deep down, she knew this was real. This was very real. More real than Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense.
This letter meant the world to Rainbow, as if it held her very life force. She must protect it with her life, or what very little remained of it. It had instructions, but Rainbow could not decipher what they were telling her to do. As much as she tried to read it, her guilt and sorrow clouded her ability to think and reason. While her other thoughts spun wildly in her head, one particular thought managed to stay in focus. What will Celestia do?
The sound of a door shutting echoed across the walls of the many buildings in Ponyville, originating from the far end of town. Rainbow Dash could not look up. There was only one pony whom that could be, the last pony Rainbow Dash wanted to talk to. Rainbow laid down on the uncomfortable, old wooden bench. More tears streamed from her eyes as irregular sobs began to break from her throat. Rainbow Dash no longer felt like a pony.
Her fear was confirmed as her eyes opened for a split second, revealing the enormous shape of Princess Celestia slowly approaching. Her face bore a somber expression, the very life of Her Royal Highness seemed absent from her sullen figure. She was not as majestic or graceful as usual, instead looking like a depressed commoner. Not even that, she looked like she was dead. Dead on the inside, but still walking outside.
“Rainbow Dash,” Celestia whispered softly as she approached said mare. Rainbow Dash was expecting a harsh, accusing yell to pierce her ears. Instead, the most kind and compassionate voice she had ever heard came from Celestia’s regal mouth. Celestia herself sniffed her nose, and climbed onto the bench next to Rainbow Dash. Her enormous figure hung awkwardly over the edge, but Celestia paid no mind to such a minor inconvenience.
“I…I didn’t do it! I swear! It wasn’t m-“ Rainbow Dash began to bawl, in desolate fear of her imminent punishment. Celestia then levitated a warm blanket around Rainbow Dash’s cold and naked body, silencing the distraught pegasus. Rainbow seemed to understand what Celestia meant by this gesture, her emotions becoming slightly calmer. One great weight lifted from Rainbow Dash’s shoulders, but the much heavier weights of guilt and remorse remained eating away at her soul.
The two ponies stared into each other’s eyes for what seemed like an eternity, pegasus to alicorn. Mortal to immortal. Commoner to royalty. Celestia’s eyes had lost their majestic sparkle, instead deep and empty pits of sorrow and longing. There was no anger or fear in Celestia’s eyes, only sadness. Sadness for sacred things that have flown away, never to return. Sadness for the flowers of memory that had wilted with age.
Celestia looked out at the roads of the quiet town. A small tinkling sound rang from somepony’s chimes as the wind blew, and the leaves of plants rustled softly. Buildings bordered the single road which stretched down through the center of town. Twilight’s library was all the way on the opposite side of town, out of sight. Rainbow Dash could not even bear to look in its direction.
“How did it happen?” Celestia finally asked, breaking the everlasting silence. Rainbow Dash took a deep, long breath, and exhaled to calm her inner emotions. She allowed her feelings to calm down until she was capable of thinking. Celestia kindly waited for her to collect enough strength to tell the story.
“It all started…yesterday morning…on a normal day,” Rainbow Dash began, pausing between words to take breaths. She was still not quite in the condition to talk, and began to sob furiously. Celestia wrapped her wing around Rainbow Dash.
“Hush now, little one. I will see that everything is okay,” Celestia whispered. Rainbow Dash’s crying continued until a soft melody flowed from the Princess’s mouth. Her inner struggle seemed to resolve itself as the beautiful song entered her ears. Her mind became more focused, her body less stiff. It was the most beautiful song Rainbow Dash had ever heard.
And so, under the protection of Her Royal Highness, Rainbow Dash told the story of what happened the previous day. The story of the strange green pegasus who ended her life as she knew it.
Rainbow Dash trotted happily through the town of Ponyville. Laughter echoed from young fillies and colts playing in the grass, and the many voices of Ponyville’s inhabitants conversed excitedly. Pleasant warmth covered Rainbow Dash as the sun made its way back from its hiding place behind a cloud. Birds chirped happily as they flew across the sky. Her hooves stepped rhythmically as she trotted down the center road of Ponyville. It felt as if today was going to be a really good day.
Rainbow was heading for Ghastly Gorge to practice her flying techniques. Rainbow Dash was enjoying the beautiful scenery on the way, in no rush to get there. It seemed the entire town wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather. A cool sensation flowed through Rainbow Dash as she inhaled the crisp, clean air. An even more delightful feeling spread throughout her body as that same air was slowly exhaled. Rainbow Dash felt like a new pony.
The walk to the gorge was blissfully long, and there was plenty to look at on the walk there. Fluttershy must be really happy today, Rainbow Dash thought. She wouldn’t miss a day like this!
After an hour of walking and sightseeing had passed, Rainbow Dash could finally see the gorge ahead. Her wings opened up as she prepared for takeoff. Her body lowered to the ground, bracing for a high-speed flight through the gorge. Just as she was about to lift off, a strange nasally voice entered her ears from behind.
“I...um, I- I need to talk,” said a peculiar lime green pegasus, standing in a small patch of dying grass. His mane was a tangled mess of purple, tied in knots and covered in grime. Dried mud covered his skinny body, and his tail looked like it had been sheared off at the base.
“NO!” he yelled to the sky. “I want to talk...yes, want. Want...” Rainbow Dash grew uncomfortable standing near this creepy pony, finding it difficult to make eye contact.
“I need a question,” he said as his left eye twitched. “NO, NO!” he yelled again, grinding his teeth and shaking. “ASK a question! I need ask a...no! I need to ask you question!” His ears fell to the sides of his distorted face. A deep scar ran from the corner of his lip to just beside his right eye, it looked infected.
Rainbow Dash started to feel extremely insecure in this situation. “What do you want?” she asked, growing impatient and uncomfortable.
The green pony abruptly stopped moving, and looked Rainbow Dash directly in the eyes. His body became completely still. “I remember...” he said quietly, trailing off. His eyes diverted to point at the sky behind Rainbow Dash.
“Remember what?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to figure out what he was looking at. “Do you want to race or what?”
The bizarre pony suddenly let out an ear-piercing, blood-curdling screech which echoed throughout the gorge. “RACE!” he screamed, shuffling frantically as if he were looking for something in the grass. His hooves seemed to stomp on random patches of the grass, sending many withered blades flying into the air. “Gotta find...gotta find...here!” he said as he pulled up a dying flower in his hooves. He took the flower and smeared the roots across his cheeks, leaving odd streaks of dirt. One of them overlapped his scar, his right eye twitching.
Without any warning, he took off at full speed into the gorge. Rainbow Dash watched for a few seconds, coming to the realization that the race had apparently started. She took off herself, sending a prismatic glow trailing behind her. She dipped down into the gorge, narrowly avoiding crashing into a rocky ledge. Gotta be more careful! The green pegasus flew a distance ahead, moving at a speed equal to that of Rainbow Dash’s.
He’s fast! she thought. Her body slowly picked up speed as she flapped her wings, increasing the speed by the second. The pegasus looked over his shoulder, seeing Rainbow Dash steadily approaching. The expression on his face turned to fear, and he sped up himself.
How is he so fast? Rainbow Dash asked herself. And where exactly is the finish line? The pegasus turned straight to the left, heading for an unstable-looking, cracked section of the gorge’s walls.
Oh Celestia, not this again, Rainbow Dash prayed. She knew where this was going. The green pegasus hurled his entire body into the lowest section of the cracked rock, sending some boulders tumbling down into the gorge below. He returned to his forward direction, flying at a more normal speed. He acted a little less concerned now that he’d done that. Rainbow Dash knew what was coming. She charged ahead at full speed, pushing her limits. She wouldn’t let the same thing happen to her a second time.
The cliff face began to rumble. Rocks and pebbles began breaking from the wall and falling into the gorge. Rainbow Dash had to speed up, and fast. She slowly became exhausted as her wings flapped frantically, struggling to keep up a speed significant enough to avoid the horrible fate. The crumbling cliff-face still loomed ahead of her, taunting her as a single boulder fell. The danger zone was approaching, coming closer by the second. Two more boulders tumbled into the depths below. Rainbow Dash just had to keep going.
Rainbow Dash finally reached the danger zone. The wall began to collapse, sending many boulders tumbling directly at Rainbow Dash. A cone of wind began to form around her as she flew as fast as she could possibly push herself, doing anything she could to avoid being struck by a falling boulder. The cone narrowed, and the boulders fell even closer. Time seemed to stand still, the boulders hovering over Rainbow Dash as she tried to evade them. The cone surrounding Rainbow Dash narrowed even further. Her body slowly became a glowing white figure, and Rainbow Dash felt that familiar, awesome sensation she loved so much.
The magical energy of a rainbow exploded out from Rainbow Dash’s body, sending her speeding straight ahead after the mysterious green pony. Wind blew fiercely through the gorge as an enormous, prismatic disc exploded outwards from Rainbow Dash. Small pebbles and dust flew everywhere as the boulders were vaporized by the rainbow explosion. The green pony was sent spiraling out of control as Rainbow Dash passed him, falling to the wall of the gorge and slamming into it. Rainbow Dash flew at record speed until she reached the end of the gorge, turning upward at a right angle.
The sonic rainboom began to fade as she turned upward. Rainbow Dash steadily slowed down as the enormous rainbow trail behind her dissipated. She looked downward at the gorge as she came to a stop. Immense joy filled Rainbow Dash thanks to her wondrous feat. Air pumped in and out of her lungs, she was exhausted from the effort. As soon as she had enough oxygen, she began to laugh triumphantly. Her hooves finally landed at the edge of the gorge after a short descent from the skies. The green pegasus eventually crawled his way to the same place Rainbow Dash was standing, causing her to laugh even more.
His body was even more of a mess than before, covered in scrapes, scratches and dust. His face was scrunched into a hostile glare, looking directly at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash forced herself to stop laughing.
“Oh. My. Gosh. Wasn’t that AWESOME?” she asked the pony, grinning from ear to ear. “I’m sure everypony in Ponyville saw that!” The green pony merely snorted in disapproval.
“What’s wrong with you?” Rainbow Dash asked, the joy from her accomplishment slowly calming down. “Got your feathers in a knot?” The pony began slowly approaching Rainbow Dash, gritting his teeth. Rainbow Dash began growing worried. She felt herself slowly backing up as the pony approached, but he only picked up speed. Rainbow Dash realized that something was off, and spun around backwards to try and take off.
Just as she was lifting from the ground, something grabbed onto her rear hooves and yanked her back down. Dust and grass flew into the air as the two ponies rolled and tumbled across the ground, ending with Rainbow Dash pinned down by the green stallion.
“Get...OFF!” Rainbow Dash yelled, trying to pull herself free of his weight. He remained on top of her, holding her still.
“WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!” he yelled directly into her ear, a headache beginning inside Rainbow’s head thanks to the volume.
“I WILL FUCKING END YOU!” His hoof raised, swiping across Rainbow’s face in an excruciatingly painful slap.
“YOU. WILL. PAY!” He shoved his weight onto Rainbow’s body with each word.
“I WILL GET REVENGE! YOU ARE GOING. TO. BREAK!” he screamed, the horrible sound piercing Rainbow Dash’s ears like nothing ever before. A terrified scream broke from Rainbow Dash’s own throat as the stallion attacked her.
“YOU HEAR ME? YOUR LIFE IS OVER!” With the final word, he shoved Rainbow Dash to the side and took off flying, heading in the direction of the Everfree Forest.
Rainbow Dash breathed heavily, her body now covered in scrapes and scratches much like those covering the strange pony. She could only lay there and breathe, thinking about what just happened. Her body was in terrible pain after being abused by this unknown pegasus. She simply lay there, dumbfounded by the recent events.
“Insane,” Rainbow Dash muttered simply. Her body slowly lifted off the ground as she pulled herself onto her hooves. “Mentally insane.”
Rainbow Dash set out to return to her home in Cloudsdale to clean up and rest for a while. I hope I have enough bandages, she thought.
Applejack’s hooves stepped rhythmically as the orange pony headed for her zebra friend Zecora’s hut, located in the Everfree Forest. A whimsical melody passed her lips as she whistled, joined by the joyful singing of colorful birds in the trees around her. She knew the birds would leave as she entered the forest. Applejack was apprehensive herself, she never enjoyed entering the place alone. Two saddlebags hung across her back, filled with a variety of apple-themed cuisine.
“Ah sure hope Zecora has those spices,” Applejack muttered to herself. “I need ‘em for that tasty apple pie.” She trotted into the dark and dismal forest. The cheerful birds abandoned Applejack in fear of what lie inside, just as she had predicted. “Ah dunno why Zecora insists on livin’ in such a creepy place,” she whispered as she looked around. The sky seemed to darken the further she traveled into the forest, until there was no visible sky remaining. A small, rarely-trodden path showed the way to Zecora’s hut. It had faded with time, gradually becoming harder to follow as years passed.
A rustling sound filled Applejack’s ears, causing her to spring upward in a frightened jump. “I wish nuthin’ would scare me like that...” She continued down the scarcely-lit path, regretting her decision not to bring a candle. Strange squeaking noises echoed as bats flew across Applejack’s path, and a faint, distant buzzing could be heard. Applejack grew tense, frightened by the hostile scenery. Another bush rustled behind her, sending chills racing down her spine.
Zecora’s hut was still a good distance away, and Applejack was already terrified. She began to pray for somepony to accompany her, somepony to share her fear with. Another bush rustled, this time directly in front of Applejack. She jumped once again, but quickly felt a torrent of alleviation as she saw another pony step from the bushes.
“Thank you, Celestia,” she muttered with relief. Her muscles relaxed, her hooves sprinting towards this equine silhouette. “Hello?” she called towards the pony. The figure quickly spun to face her, and approached until Applejack could distinguish his features. He was a lime green pegasus covered in various scars and grime. His purple mane appeared tangled and knotted, and he showed an expression of anger. The eyelid of his left eye twitched, diminishing the relief Applejack had experienced.
“Are you, uh...okay?” she asked, her left eyebrow raised.
“Why, yes...no. Yes, yes I am not, I am,” he stuttered. His body suddenly dropped as one of his rear hooves buckled, but he quickly regained his posture.
“Are ya hurt?” Applejack asked, concerned for the poor pegasus.
His bloodshot eyes pointed directly at Applejack’s face as he inhaled deeply. “No...I am. I am very not hurt.” The twitching of his left eye intensified, his lip beginning to curl. The deep scar across his face became distorted.
“I don’t think yer okay, sugarcube. Lemme get you to Zecora’s, she’ll know what to do,” Applejack kindly offered, extending a hoof.
“I...fine...no...I NEED HELP!” he screamed at Applejack, drops of saliva spraying all over her face. “Wait, no...fuck. I don’t need...but I do need...but...talk! We’ll talk!”
Applejack’s hoof raised to her face and wiped off the spit. “Um...that’s fine sugarcube, but I’d appreciate it if ya tone down the language a little.”
“Yes! Yes. That is acceptabliculablatious!” he quickly responded. Applejack gave him a quizzical look, uncertain as to whether that was actually a word. The thought quickly escaped her mind, replaced by the desire to reach Zecora’s as fast as possible. She began to walk towards Zecora’s again, now followed by the unknown green pegasus. She almost felt even more frightened than before.
“So what’s yer name?” Applejack asked over her shoulder as the pony followed closely behind her.
“Erm... I don’t... Ja- no. My name... is not... it is-” he stuttered awkwardly.
“Okay, that doesn’t matter,” Applejack interrupted, not wanting to deal with whatever that would have led to. “I’m Applejack.” She refused to look behind her, perhaps fearing what the pony would do.
“Good... good. Who are... friends? Your friends?” he questioned, his language beginning to stabilize. His right eye started to twitch.
“I have a lot o’ friends. There’s Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash-” Applejack began.
“R- Rainbow Dash. Tell me about her,” the mysterious pony interrupted.
“Well, uh, she’s a pegasus... she flies really fast, she can be a might pushy sometimes-” Applejack began. Her feeling of security and privacy, or what little remained of it, began leaving her tense body.
“No. Wrong. How do you think her... about her? How do you think she is?”
“Um... I’d say she’s like family, just not... family, you know? She’s a great friend, we’ve had loads of fun times together.”
The pony took another deep breath, the air gradually filling his lungs. It came back out as a rough, hacking cough. Both of his eyes began twitching. He continued his interrogation. “But it’s not...perfect? It has faults?”
Applejack became uncomfortable and her mane started to itch. “Well, uh...if ‘it’ is supposed to mean Rainbow, she absolutely has flaws. Everypony doe-”
“Even you? Yourself has flaws?” he interrupted again.
“Yeah, everypony does.” she repeated. Her mane began to itch.
“You are an honest, my adorable filly.” he slowly pointed out. His ear subtly twitched.
“I’m not a... Where are ya goin’ with this, exactly?” Applejack dared to ask, worriedly looking over her shoulder. The pony halted, right eye twitching furiously. His mouth stretched into a psychotic smile, distorting his scar again. Cracked, rigid teeth were exposed under his fleshy lips.
“Rainbow Dash is dead! DEAD!” he roared. A hollow chasm opened up inside Applejack, her jaw dropping into a horrified grimace.
“No... she can’t be!” Applejack exclaimed in horror. “She’s not dead!” Applejack felt a crucial part of her soul torn from her.
The green pony felt an exhilarating sensation. He felt as if his very being, his soul, his essence, was contradicting Applejack. Everything he was doing contrasted Applejack, as if he were the night taking over Applejack’s day. The darkness to Applejack’s light. The chaos to Applejack’s order. The feeling invigorated him, stirred new emotions within him. He felt as if dishonesty was a power under his total control.
“Yes, my dear... she died... earlier. Crushed by boulders,” he began, his stomach fluttering with excitement. Applejack’s grimace reformed, slowly filling with more anger. She gritted her teeth, and returned the green pony’s stare.
“Know who killed her?” he asked, his right eye twitching like never before. Applejack’s anger took over her fear and horror, washing out any emotion or thought other than anger.
“Me.”
Applejack charged, lowering her head in a desperate attempt to headbutt him. He swiftly launched into the air, dodging Applejack’s carefully aimed attack. Eyes darting quickly, Applejack spotted the pony hovering directly above her. Applejack crouched down to gather enough strength for a backflip. She sprang into the air, harsh, cold wind blowing against her spinning body. Her hoof extended, aiming to strike the pony. He was already gone.
Just as Applejack began to make her descent back from the air, an enormously powerful force slammed into her side. Applejack was flung directly into a tree, her body falling limp. Her hooves quickly sprang back to a standing position as she searched for the culprit. She did not feel any pain, only anger. Anger and the desire for revenge.
Leaves rustled wildly as the green pony darted towards the exit. Applejack's figure raced behind him, not allowing him to get away. Maniacal laughs flowed from the green pony's mouth, he was keeping ahead just enough so he wouldn't lose Applejack. Despite Applejack's desperate attempts to reach him, he remained several feet ahead. The two ponies weaved expertly around trees and bushes, jumping over roots or other obstacles with agility. The chase stretched on for what seemed like an eternity, neither pony separating nor coming any closer to each other. Applejack didn't care how long it took, she was going to kill that sadistic murderer.
The cover of trees grew thinner, exposing the bright sky above. Leaves flew everywhere as the two ponies charged straight through a bush, cutting a deep gash across Applejack's cheek. The chase continued past the border of the Everfree Forest, leading directly into the Apple family orchard. Trees covered the field to the horizon, dotted with shiny red spheres. These spheres sent new ideas through the mind of the green pony.
The pegasus swerved upward, shooting through the many fields of apple trees. Apples were plucked from the leaves with expert skill until a pile apples was stacked in his hooves. Applejack quickly regained her sense of direction after the lime pegasus’ sudden turn, spotting him above. His hoof was behind him, aiming an apple directly at her. Her hooves skidded to a stop directly below the lime green pony, as she tried to gallop away from the danger. Her attempts were in vain, and several apples impacted sensitive locations on her body and head.
Pain exploded from Applejack’s left eye, sending a deafening scream from her lips. This only amplified her fury, her body swiftly returning to the chase. The green pony landed on rear hooves in Applejack’s path, his upper body lifted by the force of his wings. Psychotic laughs were still overflowing from his jaws, eating into Applejack’s soul. She charged at him, staring into his enormous bloodshot eyes. The pony gave one final smile, waiting for Applejack to approach him to headbutt. Applejack’s head lowered, preparing for impact.
The green pony instantly hopped to the side, evading Applejack’s attack and landing swiftly on all fours. Applejack’s body hurled itself directly into the tree trunk the pony had been standing in front of, an enormous crack echoing around the entire orchard.
The orange body flopped onto the ground below, Applejack’s face a broken, bloody mess. Irregular gasps for air broke from her throat, hanging on to the last fibers of life. The green pony laughed even harder, a most exhilarating feeling intoxicating him. He approached the broken figure, sending a glob of spit flying directly into her mangled face. The amusement was neverending.
“Ah... Ah...” Applejack gasped, trying to speak. Her mouth proved difficult to use, many teeth shattered and her nose bent oddly. Blood dripped into Applejack’s throat, causing her to choke. She could not see, her eyes had been crushed and bloodied by the impact. All of the anger which had overtaken her body was replaced by an intense pain. The most intense pain Applejack had ever experienced. Pain and sadness.
“Puh- Please,” Applejack wheezed. “Tell mah... friends... that ah...” a loud crack erupted from the tree trunk. “Ah...”
The tree cracked again, slowly bending towards Applejack’s limp body. “Ah...”
Several more cracks were heard, the tree beginning to tilt further downward. “Ah...”
The tree separated from its trunk, falling in slow motion. A roaring cackle exploded from the green pony, he could not wait. A lone, bloody tear streamed from what had once been Applejack’s eye.
“Love them.”
The tree crushed Applejack’s body, letting off one loud, final snap.
