"...And then I'm going to do a triple loop-de-loop and whisk those clouds out of the air, just like what Daring Do did in The Griffon's Goblet!" Rainbow Dash said proudly.
"Y'all think this here's a good idea, Dash?", an orange earth pony remarked.
"Well, duh, AJ! You think the awesomest pony in Ponyville can't pull off a minor trick like that?! Remember the time I did the Sonic Rainboom last year?!"
"Well, ah believe in ya, Rainbow, but doesn't this seem, ah dunno, a little risky? Ah swear ah saw a lightnin' spark in one of of 'em."
"Really, Applejack? Really?! I'm the chief weather pony of Ponyville! I've done this kind of thing my entire life!" The Pegasus exclaimed.
"Fine, then. Suit yarself. But if anythin' goes wrong, ah swear you can count on me to catch ya." Applejack rolled her eyes as Dash glared at her.
"But it's obviously not gonna happen."
"OF COURSE it's not gonna happen! I am Rainbow Dash, after all." The proud pony puffed out her chest.
"Now let's do this!" Rainbow Dash shot up into the sky and stretched her wings. It was a pretty cloudy day, but that didn't matter. She started off with her usual warm-ups - some dives and flips - and eventually moved to her more advanced tricks.
********************
With the wind blowing in her mane, Rainbow Dash felt like she was in heaven. She loved that feeling, it made her feel oh-so-free!
All right, she thought, Let's show those clouds who's boss!
She was attempting a dive, and was getting pretty close to the ground, when she shot straight up like a bullet, narrowly missing a couple tall trees. The light-blue pegasus then spun into the sky at breakneck speeds, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. Rainbow Dash catapulted into the air and did a couple flips, followed by a triple loop-de-loop.
Showtime...
Rainbow Dash dashed (save the pun) into the sky and directed herself at the group of clouds. She extended both hooves and charged towards the stubborn columbuses at full speed.
The clouds were coming closer and closer by the millisecond. Just before Rainbow collided with them, she saw a very distinctive spark...er... spark from the biggest one!
Oh manure...
Rainbow crashed into the electric clouds, and immediately regretted it.
She was flying through a mound of black fluff, with the occasional flash of electricity.
"Gotta get outta here..."
Rainbow Dash!
The sky-blue pegasus turned around, puzzled.
"That's funny, I thought I heard my name! The only pony watching me is Applejack...
"Oh manure."
A bolt of lightning narrowly missed RD, but managed to graze her tail.
"What the..."
Where the bolt struck suddenly started smoking, then burst into flames! (DUN DUN DUUUUUUNNN)
"HOLY CELESTIA!!!"
Rainbow Dash's tail suddenly became a unquenchable flame, consuming steadily. The pony dived into the cloud, but had no effect. This cloud was like no other, purely consisting of electricity.
That's it... I'm gonna die...
Tears were streaming down her face as the fire grew.
"Wait, what am I saying?! I'M RAINBOW DASH, FOR LUNA'S SAKE! I'M GONNA LIVE!!"
With that, Dash shot through the cloud, and within a matter of seconds she managed to escape from it. But the fire still lingered, and it's tongues were licking her legs, thighs and finally up to her flank, burning them.
The last thing she saw before blacking out was an orange earth pony shouting at her in front of a lake.
*******************************************
"What th' hay is she doin?" Applejack squinted at a unmistakable rainbow blur.
"What's th't on her tail? It looks like..." The orange pony's face turned white.
"Oh horseapples. Is that fire?!" The earth pony frantically looked around and shouted at Rainbow Dash's direction.
She's comin' awfully fast...
"RAINBOW!! RAINBOW DASH!!! CAN YA HEAR ME?! DON'T WORRY! I'MMA CATCH YOU, JUST LIKE AH SAID!!"
Applejack stood up on her hind legs and positioned herself for Rainbow's 'landing'. A promise is a promise, after all.
She braced herself and waited for the worst.
*******************************************
"OW! DAMMIT! That friggin' HURTS!!!"
Rainbow Dash tried to get up, but collapsed on her back legs.
"Aaaahhhh!"
Her legs had snapped, and one of her wings was surely broken. The rainbow maned pegasus tried to open her bad wing, but with no success. She was dripping wet, and a nasty cut bloomed on her forehead.
Thank the Princesses I'm not a unicorn...
Rainbow sighed in agony, and prepared to limp her way to the Ponyville hospital, when she remembered Applejack.
Dash turned around (as best as she could) and let out a gasp. Her best friend was lying on the ground, motionless. A big bruise blossomed on the orange mare's stomach, and she had a big red welt on her head.
"Oh sweet mother of Luna..."
Rainbow rushed (again, as best as she could) to Applejack, and struggled as she tried to slide the earth pony on her back, resulting in more cries of pain. Dash flipped her over, examining Applejack's injuries.
"AACK!!"
A big crack ran through AJ's motionless head, and bits of skull were showing.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!! AJ! Wake up!! C'mon, let's get you to the hospital!!
Rainbow fell on her haunches and started crying. Crying for her friend, crying for her friend's family, crying for her friend's friends.
After a while, Dash wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up with all the strength she could muster.
"WHY!? WHY IS MY BEST FRIEND DEAD!?!? TAKE ME INSTEAD OF HER!! I BEG YOU!!! IF YOU DON'T I'LL...."
Rainbow continued to sob. "Just... just take me. Take me instead of her. Pegasi don't live that long, anyways... just.. please."
"Is that what you want?", a mysterious voice said.
Dash looked up instantly.
"Yeah. I want that!"
"Are you sure? This is your life we are talking about..."
"YES I AM SURE!!"
"All right then. See you two soon!"
"Huh?" was all Rainbow Dash could say before she was engulfed in darkness.
**************AUTHOR'S NOTE************************
Thank you so much you guys for reading and tracking! I would also like to apologize for the big gap... curse you, homework!
Anyways, I would also really appreciate taking suggestions from you! Don't be shy to comment! Cya! -ARD