The news came as a shock to me - sure, Rainbow Dash had been in plenty of crashes, but nopony ever thought they'd really amount to much. She was strong and daring - what could go wrong?
I was in the kitchen with Apple Bloom, telling her off for giving Granny Smith a rash. Apparently, the Cutie Mark Crusaders decided to become make up artists and practised on Granny Smith while she was napping. 'Course, they didn't know Granny Smith had sensitive skin. They soon found out.
I heard a knock on the door and opened it to see Twilight Sparkle, with a growing look of concern on her face. Twi was always worrying, but usually for good reason.
"Hey, Twi. Uh, are you okay? You don't look too good t' me." I asked. Twilight shook her head, her eyes nervous.
"I think you'd better sit down, Applejack." whispered Twilight, her voice shaky. I beckoned her in and had a seat on the warm couch Big Mac had bought recently. Apple Bloom stared at me, her eyes wide.
"Ah, uh, suppose you can go, Apple Bloom... but no more face paintin', ya hear?" I told Apple Bloom reluctantly, as she bounded off, saying thank you over and over again.
"So, what's goin' on?" I asked Twilight, frowning. Twilight fidgeted for a moment, tears rising to her eyes.
"Well, Rainbow Dash has had... an accident." she began, her voice cracking.
My eyes widened and I rubbed the back of my neck.
"But she's okay, right? Rainbow's never hurt fer long, is she?" I asked uncertainly.
Twilight wouldn't make eye contact, her breathing heavy.
"What's wrong with her, Twilight? Tell me." I asked softly, a knot forming in my chest.
"I... there was a... magical accident... Rarity won't stop crying... Rainbow Dash is in a Magical Support State." Twilight choked, tears spilling down her cheeks.
I frowned, tilting my head. Not being as book-smart as some, the words 'Magical Support State' meant nothing.
"A... a what-now?" I asked, the knot tightening. Twilight looked away, her face crinkling up. Tears kept flowing.
"I... I'm trying so hard not to cry right now." whispered Twilight, looking down at the floor.
"What is it?" I asked, trying not to think of the endless, fatal possibilities that Rainbow might be facing.
"It's...” she began. Twilight swallowed and tried again. “A Magical Support State is unlike anything I've ever heard of... I did a little research earlier, and I found out that... oh, Celestia, have mercy...”
Twilight breathed deeply, steeling herself for what she was about to say. “The crash was very serious.” she started, her voice resignedly quiet. “Rainbow Dash is only even alive because magic from the explosion is sustaining her.” Twilight choked up. “I don't want to say it, because then it will seem real..." Twilight wept, trying to stay calm but failing.
"What is it? Tell me!" I begged. The knot grew tighter and tighter.
"She only has a week to live. Then, the magic supporting her will run out." Twilight whispered, her eyes sad and terrified.
"A... a week?" I stuttered, the world spinning around me. The words wouldn't sink in. It just didn't make sense.
"I'm so sorry. Do... do you want to go to the hospital?" asked Twilight, tears freely flowing out of her eyes. Finally, as I realized the meaning of her words, the knot in my chest tightened so much that it snapped. Tears filled my eyes and flew out, staining my cheeks as I struggled to breathe.
"Come on..." whispered Twilight, leading me out of the door. I collapsed on the ground as soon as we left the house, crying and hyperventilating. I just didn't care about my pride or staying strong any more.
"I'm so sorry..."
An hour later, we knocked on the door to Rainbow's room. Somehow, I had managed to stand up and stumble my way to the hospital. We stood outside the door, fearing the worst. The door was slowly opened by a cream coloured unicorn nurse with a yellow mane. She smiled and allowed us in, showing us the way.
"You must be friends of Rainbow Dash. She won't stop asking for you." smiled the nurse, leading us to Rainbow Dash's bed and pulling back the curtain around it. I saw a pale Rainbow Dash, tucked up in bed, her wings crooked and a large bruise on her head. Her eyes were peacefully closed and her mouth was slightly open.
"I'll wake her up for you." the nurse said, nudging Rainbow a little.
I felt tears rising in my throat and the knot re-tightened itself.
"Miss Dash, you have visitors." said the nurse, gently shaking the peaceful, cyan pony.
Rainbow groaned a little and rubbed her eyes before turning to face us. I sharply drew in breath, blinking my eyes rapidly so she wouldn't see my tears.
"Hey, you guys." smiled Rainbow Dash, her voice a weak version of what it once was. Twilight gave her a watery smile. I couldn't even manage that.
"What happened?" was all I could ask, sitting down on a chair next to Rainbow, my eyes steaming up with tears. Rainbow smiled a little.
"Had an accident. Guess I'll never fly again, huh, nursey?" she chuckled weakly. Her face said she was okay, but... her eyes were so devastatingly sad, full of regrets, sorrow, tears and defeat.
"No, Miss Dash. I'm sorry." said the nurse, leaving to attend to another patient. A single tear rolled down my cheek.
"So... I guess you know... how long I'll be sticking around, huh?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking down at her sheets.
"Y-yeah, Ah do." I whispered, peering around the room, fearing that if I looked in Rainbow's eyes again, I'd start bawling again.
"Well, I want to make the most of it. I'm not going to just lie here! These are the last days of my life - I'm not wasting any time!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash boldly, trying to put on a brave face. For her sake, Twilight and I smiled.
"What do you want to do?" I asked, smiling as tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Anything. Anything at all." whispered Rainbow, wiping her misty eyes.
I woke up with a start in the chair, my eyes snapping open. I looked through the window - it was still dark outside. I sighed, remembering the previous night. Rainbow Dash had asked us to stay, to keep her company. 'Course, we had to. Her voice showed so much longing for company.
I stared into the starry sky, thinking. Soon, Rainbow would be up there, among the stars, watching down on us. It pained me thinking of that - knowing she'd be there, but not being able to talk.
I remembered something Granny Smith told me once when I was a filly. She said, "Applejack, there will be a time when Ah won't be here any more."
"Where will ya go?" I asked, not understanding.
"Ah'll go to the heavens and Ah'll be a star, watchin' down on you." she replied.
I thought of that time as I sat there, gazing up at the stars, a tear making it's way down my face. My eyes heavy, I shut them and thought of the stars, and that one day, there would be a Rainbow Dash star, one which I'd see from a million miles away.
I woke, my eyes straining to open. I saw Rarity and Fluttershy sitting in their own chairs, gazing tiredly at the sleeping Rainbow Dash. When Rarity saw me, she looked away, her teary eyes full of guilt.
I put a hoof on her shoulder, giving her a weak smile of encouragement.
Twilight had explained to me that Rarity had been performing a magic trick for Sweetie Belle, and as Rainbow Dash plummeted towards the ground, trying to perform a stunt, a large magic explosion hit Rainbow, leaving her unconscious.
A nurse entered the room, offering us tea. Fluttershy and I accepted. Rarity just looked away, sniffing as she shook her head. The nurse set down a tray next to Rainbow Dash's bed, smiled faintly at us and left.
I heard a soft, groaning noise come from Rainbow as she opened her eyes a little, her face tired and strained. Rarity gasped and whispered 'Darling, you're awake!'
"Morning. What... what time is it?" murmured Rainbow Dash, yawning. I stared at Rainbow Dash, taking in how tired she was. As Twilight and I hit the hay, so to speak, Rainbow said she had something to do before she went to sleep.
"It's half past nine, sugar cube." I told her, looking at the round clock above her bed. The clock taunted me - every tick was one second away from Rainbow's short life, one second closer to her death.
Rainbow Dash interrupted my thoughts, gasping.
"Seriously? Already? I'm losing time!" she complained, hurriedly shovelling her oatmeal into her mouth.
"Uh, Rainbow Dash, you probably, um, shouldn't be eating so quickly, if you don't mind, that is..." mumbled Fluttershy, flapping her wings a little.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and ate a little slower, still shovelling.
"So, girls, what are we going to do today?" asked Rainbow Dash, setting her finished bowl of oatmeal on her tray.
"Actually, Pinkie said she might come round for, um, a party." replied Fluttershy, smiling a little. We all tried smiling - Pinkie always threw the best parties. If something would cheer Rainbow up, it'd be Pinkie and her crazy parties. None of our hearts were in it, though, least of all mine.
"Awesome!" grinned Rainbow Dash, her voice full of enthusiasm. I squinted and looked into her eyes, frowning a little. While her face was a mask of sheer joy, her eyes told a different story. They were as sad and strained as they were last night. Nopony can fool me, but for her own sake, I didn't say anything.
"Yeah... Ah can't wait..." I said, trying to sound a little cheery. I knew I didn't, but I tried. We all tried.
Hours later, we all lay around the room, stuffed and exhausted. Pinkie had arrived, full of limitless energy. We could see that Pinkie was a little down - the spark that was usually there in her eyes was gone, but she was otherwise as bouncy as usual - she couldn't be too sad, not if it meant a party was involved. Pinkie managed to bring the whole of Ponyville, some ponies from Cloudsdale and even Princess Celestia herself.
"Are you ready to PAR-TAYY?" shrieked Pinkie Pie, bouncing on the walls. Literally jumping on them. Plates and platters of food took up every table in the large room. Rainbow smiled and laughed the whole night, and for her sake, we all danced, socialized and ate until we were about to burst.
"Wooh, this is one sweet party!" smiled Rainbow tiredly as she lay in her bed, eating one of Sugar Cube Corner's Deluxe Rainbow Cupcakes. I sat next to her in my chair the whole time, only taking food if somepony offered it to me, only dancing if Rainbow told me to. As I sat next to her, I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. Silence was enough. I took in her personality, her voice, her smile, for I knew that in less than a week, I would never see or hear them again.
We all knew we were fooling ourselves - nopony was really in the mood for partying. It didn't seem like this was a party-worthy event. Heh. Event.
"Uuuggghh, I'm so full I could explode." commented Spike, patting his distended stomach. We all nodded in agreement, burping a little.
Almost everypony had long gone, leaving just Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, Pinkie, Spike and myself alone with Rainbow.
Pinkie was helping herself to more donuts – she always had room to spare, somehow.
"Thanks, you guys. Especially you, Pinks. That was one awesome party." murmured Rainbow Dash, her eyes drooping a little.
"I... I just wanted to say... I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash. I didn't mean to... you know. It's all my fault." Rarity attempted, her voice cracking a little.
Rainbow waved her hoof a little, smiling.
"It doesn't matter, Rarity. Something like this was bound to happen one day." replied Rainbow Dash. I knew somewhere deep inside her, Rainbow was hurting. It really was Rarity's fault, and Rainbow knew it. We all knew it.
"I think everypony should go - Miss Dash needs her rest." said a nurse who was clearing up some of the mess.
Everypony stood up slowly and said a sad goodbye to Rainbow, leaving. I waited behind a little, my eyes darting around the room. After everypony left except the nurse, I plucked up the courage to ask the nurse.
"Can Ah, uh, stay the night? As a guest?" I asked, feeling a little scared. The nurse thought it over for a while before nodding.
"But remember - lights out in ten minutes, and no talking. Miss Dash needs sleep, is that understood?" the nurse reminded me before leaving.
I nodded and sat down in my chair. As the door closed, an empty silence filled the space between us, until I heard Rainbow Dash begin to breathe slower and snore a little. Now was my chance.
"Rainbow Dash... Ah know ya can't hear me right now, being asleep, but that's what Ah need. Ah need to say it out loud." I began, clearing my throat. My reply was a snore and slow breaths.
"Ah'm puttin' on a brave face, here, sugar cube. Ah think we all are. Even you. Ah can see it in yer eyes. They're so sad and lonely, and Ah want to help, but Ah know Ah can't. Ah'm gonna miss you a lot. More than ya know. Ah'll never hear yer voice again or see you smile. Ah'll never be pranked by you again. And Ah want ya to know, even if you don't hear this, that Ah'll never forget you. Nopony ever will.”
I paused, my voice cracking slightly, as emotion welled up.
"Also, even though ya can be a little rude at times, you always stick up for yer friends. Yer always loyal, and ya don't know how much that means to me. To everypony." I told the sleeping pegasus, tears stinging my eyes and soaking my face. I sat in silence for a while - longer than I realized.
Before I knew it, the lights flickered off. Lights out time. Sighing, I leaned over to Rainbow Dash, pulled up her blanket and whispered 'Goodnight, Rainbow' before sinking into my chair and slowly falling to sleep.
The rest of the week passed by in a blur. Even though I willed time to slow down, it kept going.
Before I knew it, it was Rainbow's final day. All of Rainbow's closest friends and a couple of nurses surrounded her as she lay weakly in her bed.
"So... I guess this is it." said Rainbow Dash, all of her spunk and strength gone. I nodded as tears rushed to my eyes. I took off my hat and held it close to my heart.
"I just want to say that this past week has been one of the best I've ever had. My friends have always been around me, everypony has been making an effort to make me smile. It worked, so thanks. Even though I'll be... you know... going, I'll still be here with you. You guys are the best friends I've ever had, and I want to thank you for that." Rainbow said, sniffing a little.
Tears stained my cheeks and rolled off my chin. I didn't try to stop them flowing.
"Here: I've got a letter for each of you. They all say different things. Don't open them 'till... after I'm gone." continued Rainbow Dash, giving us each a letter sealed in an envelope. More tears crept out of my eyes.
"I... I think it's time." whispered Rainbow Dash, giving us a watery smile as pearly tears rolled down her face. A nurse leaped to her side, holding her hoof to feel her pulse.
"Goodbye, everypony. Thank you... I'll be in the stars." whispered Rainbow Dash as she breathed her last.
----
EPILOGUE
I sit in my house, rereading the letter again and again as tears spill down my cheeks. The only thing I have of Rainbow left now lies in my shaking hooves.
Dear Applejack,
Thanks for being such a great friend. Even though we've had some tough competitions against each other (being awesome, I totally won them all), we've always stuck together. I heard you that night, when you asked the nurse if you could stay on your own. I heard every word. And... I know it was hard for all of you, and I'm so sorry.
You were right, AJ. About the eyes, I mean - I wish I could have lived longer, done more. Maybe even have done another Sonic Rainboom!
I just want to say how much you meant to me. You were such an awesome friend. Thanks for being there.
- Rainbow Dash
I sit here now, remembering the last time I saw her. In my mind, I imagined her smiling, so that she was only sleeping. I had looked up to the night sky, and saw a bright, shooting star. I had smiled as tears crept into my eyes. Rainbow Dash really was with the stars.
I place the letter down on my bed and walk down the stairs and out of the house. I feel the sunlight on my face, the grass on my hooves. I look up to the sky and a rainbow sparkles above me. I feel something inside of me smiling. A small part of Rainbow Dash. So, I smile too.
Like I said, Rainbows Never Fade.