Unlikely?

by WillowWing

Chapter 5 - "...You Don't Get It, Do You?"

A soft noise from above their heads shook Rarity and Rainbow Dash out of their stunned silence. The forest, already murky from the overhanging boughs, was darkening slowly around them, making the owl hooting in the distance that much creepier. It was then they realized how long they must have been in the forest; it was still morning when they had entered, and twilight was already upon them. Dash was once again the first to speak, putting on a brave face as the saw the expression of shock lingering on Rarity’s.

“Well…for right now…I say we go after him!” Rainbow, who had sat down amid the confusion of Pinkie’s disappearance, jumped up suddenly and shoved herself into the air, hovering a foot or so above the other mare. Striking what she hoped was a heroic pose, she looked down at Rarity. “Yeah… That’s a great idea! We have to keep going and help right now…!” She sounded slightly uncertain, but took off through the trees anyway, leaving the unicorn alone. Rarity blanched.

“Rainbow Dash! You get back here right now!” The owl screeched for a second time as she took off after the sky-blue pegasus. Rainbow slowed and glanced back but didn’t stop, choosing instead to yell back at the other mare.

“We have to! Didn’t you hear me? It’s the only-”

“You’re being completely idiotic! We can’t go after that…that beast! Can’t you hear yourself?” Rarity’s voice cracked as she ran, and she breathed a ragged sigh of relief as Rainbow locked her wings and floated to the ground. This breath caught in her throat, however, as the pegasus turned on her, rage flaring in her magenta eyes.

“You don’t get it, do you? Our friends could die, Rarity! Die!” Dash’s nostrils were flared and her pupils dilated as she yelled, completely overcome with emotion. She was panicking inside, and remained completely unaware of the terror leaking out through her tough exterior; Rarity cowered and backed away from the pegasus’s momentary madness, but regained her composure as the other mare stopped screaming. Her face contorted into an ugly scowl, and she began advancing on Rainbow Dash.

“You are the most reckless…stupid…arrogant mare I’ve ever met.” Her voice was a low hiss, and the little creases on the bridge of her nose between her eyebrows were twitching slightly. “Do you honestly think you could defeat that creature? That’s suicide! You’ll get yourself killed!”

Rainbow bristled at this statement and whipped around, her tail whipping past just inches in front of the unicorn’s nose. Her voice was steady and composed when she spoke, but the passion beneath was unmistakable.

“I can’t just stay here. You’re not…you can’t… You can’t understand how important this is if you really think we should give up!”

“Dash, we can’t do anyth-”

“You would let them die! You don’t care! Just go, run away, back to your little, safe, froufrou life!” Rainbow didn’t turn again before jumping back into the air and speeding away, weaving through the trees with her extraordinary trademark precision. Rarity screamed inanely after her and began galloping in the direction she had gone. Though she knew she could never catch up, knew they needed to work and plan together, there was nothing she wanted more than to slap the rainbow-maned pegasus as hard as she possibly could.

“Rainbow Dash, you conceited, discourteous lout! I swear when I get my hooves on you I’ll-” Rarity’s horn was glowing and shooting sparks as she burst out of the trees into a small clearing. Regaining control of her momentum just in time, she looked down at the river raging just below her hooves. After quickly backpedaling several steps, she looked around for her companion, the embers flying from her forehead blazing bright purple against the deepening blue-black of the forest serving as a backdrop behind her. She gazed blankly across the river, but Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen.

“Rainbow, get back here! We have to stay together! Rainbow Dash!” Her voice broke once again as he shrieked across the black water, her horn fading steadily as she realized she was abandoned, alone in the Everfree forest. Dread began to envelop her, wrapping shadowy fingers around her throat as the last glimmer left her horn and she was left in the moonless night, gasping for breath and on the verge of a panic attack.

“Rarity! Where are you?!”

Rarity’s head snapped up as she heard Rainbow’s voice somewhere to her left. She ran towards it, still gathering the strength to call back.

“Answer me please, Rarity!”

“I’m…I’m here! Dash!” The yell was hoarse and choked; Rarity could no longer tell exactly where the pegasus’s voice was coming from, and Dash’s second call had seemed further away. The icy claws of fear began to worm their way around her once again. She didn’t think of using her magic for light or as a signal; her panic-stricken brain was focused solely on Rainbow’s voice, causing her not to hear the dull roar of the river directly in front of her.

“Rainbow Da-” A bloodcurdling scream rent the night as Rarity plunged over the river’s bank, her breath whooshing out of her as she hit the frigid water. She was dragged under immediately and slammed against the bank; her back legs kicked out instinctively and pushed her away, only to be swept downstream instantly by the powerful current closer to the middle of the water. Her head broke the surface for a split-second, which she used to grab a quick breath; unfortunately, about half of it was liquid, and the current was getting stronger. Using the last reserves of her strength as the river swept her farther and farther away from the point she had fallen, she sent a flare of purple magic up out of the water. She didn’t see the brilliant sparks shower down from where she had sent up her missile, acting as a signal of her location for miles around; she was once again under the water, consciousness slowly slipping away as breaths became less and less frequent.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was living up to her name, sending a brilliant rainbow slicing through the night behind her as she raced towards Rarity’s signal. Her anger at the other pony had been completely forgotten when she heard the splash and Rarity’s first scream; the chilling shriek had made the multi-colored hairs on the back of her neck stand completely on end. Unable to locate where the unicorn had fell in the dark water, she had begun flying downstream a full speed. As fast as she was, faster than probably any known pegasus in Equestria, the sparks were still fifty yards away, and the river wasn’t slowing.

A flash of white in the water caught Rainbow’s attention and she yelled, executing a magnificent flipping turn as she flew towards it. It was swallowed by darkness and swirling water almost immediately, and she was unable to identify it as Rarity or something else; what other creatures of the deep lurked in the river Dash didn’t know, and they certain weren’t forefront in her mind as she turned again, now completely disorientated. A thick mist had been creeping unnoticed at her heels, obscuring the stars and ruining her sense of direction. Slowing considerably, the pegasus began to look around, panting and grunting with the strain of flying so fast for so long. She could feel the fog on her tongue and wings as it soaked and weighed down her feathers.

“Rainbow…Dash!” The call was very faint and muffled, but it sent Dash into a tizzy as she forgot her exhaustion and screwed her face into a snarl before zooming off in the direction she thought the cry had come from. She had miscalculated however, and tried to slow down way too late as she slammed into the raging water below her at almost full speed. Stars flashed before her still open eyes as she plunged all the way to the bottom; she realized dimly that she must be near one of the shores. This comprehension was cut short as her head slammed against a rock on the riverbed and she blacked out, letting her imagination carry her away to safer shores as the river swept her limp body away.

Comments

[WillowWing]

Sorry for the short chapters... I could probably combine a few of them, but I'm not going to bother at this point.

[That-One-Brony]

This is getting worse and worse! ...The situation in the story, of course.
The story itself is pretty suspenseful.

[WillowWing]

1163511
I guess it is kind of suspenseful... :D Not exactly what I was going for, but it works!
Thanks so much for the continued support~ It means a lot!

[WiseLlama]

I should have checked the date of the last updated chapter before reading this...