“And then, there is the nightmare of loneliness”
“Hello?” Rainbow Dash shouted, looking up from the cavern floor. The only sound that greeted her was the faint echo of her voice and a cold blast of wind. Stepping forward, she began to scan across the wide chasm for any sign of her companion. While on the path, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but take note of how the chasm, or cave, was neatly arranged. Just big enough for two ponies to walk in side by side and lined with reflective crystal.
“There you are!” called out Lighting Dust from above as she landed next to Dash.
Rainbow let out a growl as she watched Dust land next to her, “Where did you go, and what were you doing?”
“I was up there,” Lighting Dust pointed up above their heads, “trying to see if this was a cave or not and where the buck those walls end. Strangely, they don’t.”
“That’s impossible, they can’t just... end! They have got to stop at some point,” Rainbow argued, looking above her head.
“Trust me, I flew as high as I could go,” Lighting Dust turned her yellow eyes to the skies, “They don’t end.”
“That’s just... weird.” Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head before taking a step forward. “Come on, maybe Twilight is down this path.” she commanded, turning away from Lighting Dust and making her way down the path. As the two pegasi walked, a cold breeze blew down the hallway, making both ponies shudder from the cold.
“H-H-hey, is it getting cold here, or is it just me?” Dust asked, trying to shake off the cold.
“No, it’s getting really cold,” Rainbow Dash said, blowing out a puff of air and watching it form out of her mouth. “Weird, it wasn’t this cold when we landed and-”
go away!
“What was that?” Rainbow asked, twitching her ear at the sound of the noise.
“What was what?” Lighting Dust asked, already walking a few steps ahead of her blue partner.
“I just heard-”
GO AWAY! LEAVE!
“There it is again,” Rainbow Dash said, looking around from all directions.
Lighting Dust tapped a hoof against her head, “You’re letting the cold get to you, it’s nothing!”
“No! I’m positive I he-”
GO AWAY!
Rainbow Dash held her foreleg over her eyes to block against the cold, “Now, I know you heard that!”
“No,” Dust said, walking forward, as the ground and walls around them began to shake. “But I sure felt that.”
As Dust finished her exclamation, Rainbow’s magenta eyes opened up in utter horror, before taking flight, “Look out!”
GO AWAY!!!!!
Lighting Dust turned her head to look at an incoming black spike from the wall and leapt before it could impale her. From behind, two more spike erupted from the wall and at the two pegasi. Moving with a quick pace, the two fliers swooped under the spikes and over two more that appeared from the other wall. Moving forward with a speed of a squall, the ponies began to fly under, over, and around several spikes of various widths. Rainbow Dash managed to dodge three spikes by flying in a quick S shape, while Dust flew above three that slammed hard in a vertical line. After several minutes of flying, the two found a spot on one of the black spikes to land on and catch their breath, “Ok, just what on Celestia’s given earth was all this?” asked Dust, holding her side with her hooves as she panted.
“W-w-wait, d-d-didn’t Luna say that there were dreams of loneliness? I wonder, if,” Dash stopped herself as she panted a little more to catch her breath, “ all of this, isn’t just her loneliness?”
“And how would you know that?” Dust asked, getting back up.
Narrowing her eyes, Rainbow muttered, “I know.” shen then turned to look down the path that they had been traveling down, “Twilight? Can you hear me? I promise ya, we’ll never leave you! We’ll be right by your side always.”
LIAR!!!! LEAVE ME BE!
At these words, the chasm came to life with a flurry of images before stopping on a particular scene. A scene that stop Dash’s heart cold, “Oh, no. Not this one, anything but-”
“Come on y’all, the princess needs us.”
“You have a lot to think about,”
Rainbow Dash took a step back, her hoof to her mouth in utter horror as the images of that day played before her, “Twilight, we-we,” she was interrupted by another repeat of that day, but this time it was followed by other more disturbing images.
The bearers of the elements out in the reception while Twilight Sparkle laid in the caves beneath the town. Forgotten, unloved.
Twilight, proven wrong about Cadence, is banished to lands beyond Equestria. Friendless, replaced.
The bearers, too focused on the party to see Twilight leave. Get attacked, but do not care to look for her.
Each one of bearers walk away from a broken Twilight at the reception, forgetting all about her.
“Twilight, please stop,” Rainbow Dash said, feeling the burning tears flooding her eyes as she slammed her hoof onto the black spike. She let out a few choked sobs as she whispered, “We talked about this. We never- We would never-We couldn’t.”
Rainbow Dash was taken out of her sobs by the low chuckling from her partner, “Well, look at the hypocrite. All this talk about loyalty and friendship is nothing but utter bullshit!”
Getting back up, Rainbow’s magenta eyes narrowed in rage as she demanded with a growl, “Say that again.”
“Fine,” Lighting said, with a cocky grin.
“Lighting, Trixie wouldn’t,” Trixie’s ghost form said, watching as Rainbow Dash slowly turned to face her fellow pegasus.
“You guys only pretend to be friends with Twilight, but in reality” Dust coked her head to the side with a smile,” You will abandon her the moment something better comes along.”
At that, Rainbow Dash let out an animalistic roar and charged at Lightning Dust, pushing the surprised pegasus against the wall with her foreleg against Dust’s throat. Thought she tried her best, Lighting could not pull the hoof away from her vulnerable throat. The blonde pegasus began to let out chokes and gasps for air as Rainbow Dash pushed a little further into the throat, “Rainbow, stop!” Trixie shouted, watching the pegasus continue to gasp for air. “You’re going to kill her!”
If Rainbow Dash heard her, she didn’t show it as she pulled back her left foreleg with a desire to punch Dust. The blonde pegasus could see the murderous intent in Dash’s eyes and closed hers in response, trembling in fear as the cyan mare brought her hoof down hard at Lighting’s head.
At the sound of a loud thunk, Lighting dared to open her eyes once more to see Rainbow’s hoof buried deep into the wall next to her. Collapsing to the ground after Dash let her go and putting her hoof to her heart to see if it was still beating, Dust looked up to Rainbow Dash as she panted to catch some air or her burning lungs, “You-you-you could've...”
“Don’t talk like you know us,” Rainbow Dash said with a calm anger. “We had a long talk with Twilight after the reception was done. We were never really angry with her, mad sure, but not angry. We have been through hell together, do you really think we would hate her after all that? DO YOU?!”
“Well-”
“You know what I saw when I saw her storm in that day? I saw my best friend, who I thought was smarter than I was, one who I could trust to do the right thing, attack and accuse an innocent mare of being evil for the simple crime of being a Bridlezilla! That Twilight wasn’t the one I knew, that was a little baby who was so enveloped by jealousy that she couldn’t stand losing her precious BBBFF. The Twilight I knew would’ve got off her rump and came back with some solid evidence, not ‘Oh, I saw her eyes glow green, though nopony else did.’” Rainbow Dash stepped further towards Dust, a fury building in her eyes. “But, we still cared enough for her. We still loved her, and you know what we were going to do, after she had her cry and went to her room. We would’ve found her, talked to her, and forgave each other. We would’ve hugged and had a good long cry about it, like friends do!”
Rainbow Dash backed her partner up against the wall, and pointed a hoof against her chest, “And even if that didn’t happen, even if Twilight never came back to the castle with the real Cadence and we found her room empty?”
“Y-Y,” Trembling Lighting tried to get out a sentence, but was stopped by Dash.
“NO! You don’t get to talk,” Rainbow growled as she glared daggers into Dust’s eyes. “I will tell you what we would’ve done! If we found her gone, we would’ve turned that damned city upside down hunting for her. And, for Pinkie Pie? That would be a literal upside down. Rarity would use whatever connections she had, Applejack would be interrogating ponies on the ground, and me? Well, I would’ve been practicing how fast I could catch falling ponies. And if Celestia tried to stop us or said ‘she’s been replaced’? I would’ve-”
“Punched her in the face?” Dust asked.
“Oh no, because Applejack would have dibs on that, I’d be punching her in the vag hard,” Rainbow Dash said, smirking and turned away. “See, she’s our friend, we aren’t going to turn away from that just because of an argument. If she was in real trouble, we would fight Celestia herself to save her. Maybe you would abandon her for something that petty, but I think that says a lot more about you than me.” Unfurling her wings, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and gave herself a few good flaps before taking off.
Trixie let out a sigh as she watched the prismatic blur go off, “Maybe Luna was wrong. Maybe this was a bad team, and maybe I should. Wait,” Trixie paused as she watched Lighting Dust fly off, “where are you going?”
“Look, I’m her wingpony and I am going to stand with her,” Lightning Dust said, narrowing her eyes and taking off.
“Tenacious, aren’t you?” Trixie said as she watched Lighting fly away. As she began to fade, her mind began to go over the past few dreams she had been in, “Patience, Happiness, Wisdom, Life, and Tenacity. Virtues just like them, I wonder, did you plan this Luna?”
Far away from Trixie’s body, Rainbow Dash kept flying over and past every spike that came at her. Occasionally, she would look behind her to see Lighting Dust trying to catch up, “Ok, you want to play it that way, Dusty. We’ll play!” and with a few more flaps of her wings, the cyan pegasus flew faster, using her stunt tricks to effortlessly dodge each spike that came at her. Giving one more look to her rival, her eyes opened in shock as a spike began to near Dust, “Look out!” she screamed and noticed that Lighting seemed to just hover in the air for a few moments. With a quick turn, she banked to the let and pushed Lighting Dust away from the incoming spike.
“Thanks,” Lighting said, smiling as she got up.
“Ok, what was that all about?” asked Rainbow Dash, her forelegs crossed.
Lighting Dust chuckled, “What was what?”
“You could’ve dodged that spike easily, why didn’t you,” Rainbow then took a step back in horror as it hit her. “You wanted to let that thing to hit you, didn’t you?”
“So?” Lightning Dust said, trying to walk away, but was stopped by Rainbow stepping on her tail.
“So?! You’re telling me that this is a suicide run for you! That you are going out here trying to get yourself killed, why!?” Dash asked, glaring daggers into Dust’s soul.
“Why? You want to know why?” Dust asked, pulling her tail away from the cyan pegasus grip and jabbed a hoof against the chest. “Because ponies like you and Spitfire took everything from me. I have nothing left!”
Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side in confusion, “What about the Shadowbolts? Trixie said that was what she used to convince you to join.”
“Oh sure,” Dust rolled her eyes. “Join a team of Wonderbolt wannabes that have the sole purpose of just making the other, better team work harder. What a prize.” Turning away, Lighting Dust looked into the dark void that was overhead, letting out a regretful sigh. “And you’ve just told me why I have no place on a team with other ponies.”
“Well, I just- when I said that I was-” Rainbow Dash stammered.
“No, you’re right. I stink being a part of a team, and I know that if I had been in your spot, I would’ve abandoned Twilight, and not even try to save her. I get it, I do...” Lighting Dust began to nudge a rock in circles with her hoof. “When I was a filly, I admired the Wonderbolts, who didn’t at that age right? I saw just how awesome they were and what they could do! So, I trained and trained. Pushing myself day by day to my limits and beyond. Then, I got into the academy and met you, a pony who was like me. But, then I made that tornado and I saw that you weren’t like me,” Dust sighed, and shook her head, “you were my better.”
“Better?” Dash asked as she stepped a little closer to Dust.
“Yeah! My better, I could see it in just the way those five acted when they saw you, how happy they were when they were near you. I always try to better myself and push my limits just for me, because I wanted to be better just because I wanted to prove myself. But you, you were different, you trained so you could be the best for others. You like to inspire other ponies to be the best and you push yourself to the limits because you love flying, not because you want to be better than anypony else.”
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to argue, but held back, “Because I like being there for the ones I care about and I love the art of flying.”
“That’s what I am talking about! Me, I just saw how reckless I was being, that if I was on a team? I would get somepony killed, and I couldn’t live with that,” a shudder came from the blue pegasus as she let out a sob. “So, I left. I began to realize that there was no place for me and that I could never really achieve my dream. So, I gave up, but I was not going to let myself die all alone in some Manehatten apartment. No, I was going to let myself die like a winner and be remembered like that! So, when Trixie offered me that position, I saw my way to go out like how I’ve always wanted.”
“That is a stupid way to die!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Suicide is a gutless and coward’s way out. Dieing like that means nothing, and all it does is make you look like a coward for doing it! You’re just hurting others like that!”
“What do you suggest, Rainbow Dash? I don’t anything to live for anymore! My dreams are crushed, my family’s gone, and I have nothing to go back to!” Lighting Dust screamed, pressing her nose against Dash’s.
In response, the cyan mare reached into her wings and pulled out a photo, “This filly’s name is Scootaloo.”
Lighting Dust looked at the photo of the young orange pegasus jumping in the air, “Who is she?”
“My adoptive-no, she’s my little sister. Even if she isn’t blood, she’s my little sis and I would do anything for her,” Rainbow sigh and put away the photo. “Did you know she can’t fly? Weird huh? And I can’t even figure it out, and one day I saw her feeling so bad about it that she was starting to act like you, suicidal. She was ready to throw it all away because she couldn’t fly. I told her that maybe one day she’ll fly and maybe she won’t, but she is still the most awesome pony I met.”
“Was that supposed to make her feel better,” Dust asked with a scoff.
“No, it was supposed to give her something to live for,” Dash said, walking to Lighting’s side. “ See, I told her that even if she couldn’t be the best flier, she still had me beat on that scooter of hers. Who needs to fly when you can beat everypony with those skills!? I was trying to show that there are other things worth living for and that is what you need. There is always something worth living for, even if you can’t find it!”
“Like what,” Dust asked, turning her head away.
Rainbow Dash put a hoof onto her rival’s shoulder, “Me.”
“Whoa, I’m not gay,” Lightning Dust said, backing away a little.
Dash rolled her eyes, “Not like that. I mean, live to beat me. You already said that you think I’m better than you and that I beat you! Well, prove yourself wrong. Lead this little team of yours to new heights and make the Wonderbolts look like chumps, beat me in speed, do whatever you feel like it takes to make me a loser. Just start living to become my rival and my better.”
“You mean, make you my limit?” Dust asked.
“Yeah! If you think I am so much better than you, then beat me! Keep making yourself better until you can finally win,” Dash smiled. “I would love to have a rival like you, keeping me on my toes and making me strive to keep my title as the best. But,” she then held out her hoof,” I am not going to stand here and have a quitter as my rival, got it? I want only the best there is.”
Dust smiled and then hit her hoof against Dash’s outstretched one, “Fine, just remember that I will always be there to beat you, so don’t you quit either!”
“No problem,” Rainbow Dash chuckled, giving a sly wink to her rival. Then, when she took a glance over the shoulder of Dust and let out a gasp at the sight, “Lighting, look!”
Turning around to look behind her, past Rainbow’s outstretched hoof, Dust’s eyes opened wide at the sight of a large glowing white orb in the distance at the end of chasm. Putting a hoof to her chin, Dust began to think, “That must be where the princess is.”
“Hey!” Rainbow exclaimed, before setting herself into a launching position. “Her friends call her Twilight.”
Lighting smiled at this, and got into a launching position herself, “Right. Lets go see Twilight.” and then launched herself into the air, with Rainbow following close behind. Her early lead did not last long, however, as Rainbow Dash quickly caught up with her. Looking to her side to watch her chosen rival match her speed, Lighting nodded and began to try and speed up, dodging the incoming spikes all the while.
No longer were the two streaks separate, now the two pegasi flew as one unit, matching each others rhythm with perfect timing. Their contrails now a mix of Rainbow’s rainbow plus Lighting’s electric yellow, and each pegasi moving in a speed that could not be matched by any black spike or incoming drill. At times, a spike would almost hit them, but was quickly dodged by one or the other’s quick timing and thinking. This pace continued until they reached the end of the chasm and landed just at the entrance of the large circular entrance. As their hooves touched the ground, they were blown back by a mighty gust of air.
GET OUT!!!!!!!!!
“No way, Twi!” Rainbow Dash shouted, taking a step beyond the ring of ice that encircled the room. “We’re not leaving without yo-AHHHHHHH!” A sharp pain shot through her hoof as it touched the floor, and when she pulled it back, the pegasus saw it covered in ice.
“Dash! Are you ok?” Dust asked, watching as the ice melted off her hoof.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash panted, looking back to the orb in the middle of the room. “Hang on, Twilight, we’re coming in!”
“No! You’ll just abandon me! Like the wedding!” screeched the howling winds as the currents began to pick up.
Rainbow Dash gave a shrug as she took another step forward “That again, Twilight? We’ve been through this, we-AHHHHH!” she screamed as her hoof hit the floor, the foreleg freezing at just below the knee.
“Come on Rainbow Dash! You’ve walked with a broken foreleg before, you can walk through this,” Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she took a few more steps forward, her foreleg freezing completely. “Remember Twilight? We came to you and apologized or what we did. We told you that we’d never abandon you, remember? That we would always be your friends.”
“Lies, Lies, Lies, LIES!!! You will abandon me again as soon as I mess up.”
“That is a load o manure and you know it. AHHHHHHH!” Dash screamed in pain as sht wind blew again, forming ice on her sides. Looking at her wings, she noticed that the blue tips had begun to collect ice.
“She isn’t buying it!” Dust said from outside the room. “Come on! Get out of here and we can fly over.”
“NO!” Rainbow Dash shouted over the howling wind. “ The wind’s too strong for either one of us.” Then she turned and began to walk slowly towards the orb, her limbs freezing over one by one. “Twilight, d-don’t you remember? The first thing I told you when you said you were worried that Celestia might banish you or exile you? I said that we would be there too, no matter what. T-t-that she would banish us too, after what we did to her. I would be the first one to punch her in the gut for even thinking of exiling you, with Applejack close behind me. Rarity and Pinkie would have the back and Flutters...well, you don’t want to see her mad.” She chuckled before slipping on her frozen leg and collapsing to the ground.
The voice’s tone changed, now carrying a bit of worry on it “Lies! Now leave, you are starting to freeze!”
Panting, Rainbow Dash struggled to get up. The ice now covering her wings and trailing up her back, “D-D-Don’t you get it Twilight?” she said, her voice strained as the ice encased her body. “Snow, demons, gods, or even Celestia herself, it doesn’t matter who. There is nothing that will stop us from coming to you. So what if we fight? So what if there are times when we get mad at you? That’s life! But, le-ahhhh” she screamed, feeling a crack forming on her leg, “let me tell you something. If you are in trouble, you can bet that I’ll be there to stand by you the first thing. We all would!”
“Stop it! Go away!”
Rainbow Dash was about to say something else, but felt a warm body on her side, helping her up, “L-l-lighting Dust.”
“Hey, I can’t let my rival die right? I got to make sure she’s alive,” the blue pegasus smirked as she began to walk with Rainbow Dash across the ground.
A rainbow shine seemed to flash in Rainbow Dash’s eyes as she smiled, before turning around and continuing her walk, “And you know what? I think under all that doubt and fear. You know it too. That,” Dash grunted as sht two neared the howling orb, “We have been through too much just to let it end, because you had a little temper tantrum. That you could separate us by death or just a thousand miles, but you will not keep us apart for long. We would go through hell for you Twilight. And if you don’t believe me after all this,” she said, feeling the ice coming over her as her hoof reached the ob. “Then just let me freeze.” and her hoof reached the orb.
In a blinding flash, the two pegasi found themselves sitting on the cold floor, their bodies restored. Before Rainbow Dash could say anything, she found herself in the forelegs of Twilight Sparkle, how puller her into a tight hug, “I am so sorry Rainbow Dash! It was the memories and nightmares. They kept reminding me of-”
“No, I’m sorry for ever making you think that about us Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, hugging her friend back and crying into her shoulder.
“No, I’m sorry. I should’ve remember what you said and took it to heart,” Twilight cried.
“No, I’m sorry, I-”
“Hey!” Dust interrupted, “Can’t you both just admit that you both made mistakes, but you forgive and forget, so lets just go home? I’m kind of cold.”
The two mares looked at each other, before giggling as Twilight turned into a shard and flew into Dash’s hoof, “Now, it's all up to Trixie.” the cyan pegasus whispered.