//------------------------------//
// Chapter ???: And all the colors died with her. 
// Story: Explorers of Equestira 
// by RarityEQM 
//------------------------------//

Explorers of Equestira: And all the colors died with her.

“RAINBOW DASH!!!”

Twilight’s voice. Rainbow Dash could recognize it anywhere, and even though it was choked with terror, and the broad crackles of thunder that danced overhead drowned it out, it was still enough to bring Rainbow Dash out of her daze. It all came tumbling back to her; all of it, in looping, dizzying, spinning lunges- but it all came back. The ship, the storm, the popping lighting and surges of thunder and…

And that’s when Rainbow Dash hurled herself off the bow of the ship, racing in long galloping strides to pitch herself into the dark, ominous sky. She hated to leave Twilight and the others, but there was no pony else who could move like she could. No pony else that could fly like she could. It was all up to her, and as much as she hated to admit to it- hated to see herself do it: she had to put everything else into Twilight’s hooves. Twilight would figure out what was happening, what went wrong, where the storm came from and how no pony noticed it until it was too late. All Rainbow had to do, was fly. 

The airship became a tiny brown dot behind her as she plummeted towards the ground below. Her wings flared and she opened up her every sense to the world around her, the sky blossoming into an impossible stream of information, feeding each of her nine senses something different. 

She could taste the wind and the fleeting droplets of rain that pierced her tongue from the raging storm above her. She could hear a plethora of sounds, but it was all wind, and all screaming into her ears and filling her head with noise. She couldn't process the information, but it didn't matter. It wasn't helping her. She ignored it. She couldn't see- the wind took care of that. It was tearing at her eyes, forcing them shut, but she didn't need to see. She knew what she was after. She knew where her target was. She could feel the currents of air rippling around her at this speed. A strange sort of echo location, she had explained once, to Twilight- something elite fliers were equipped with. Wind Radar, she called it. The area directly in front of her should have had smooth air currents- but they were choppy, and disturbed. Not a natural effect at all- something had very recently passed by here. Her sense of temperature and pressure told her the storm wasn't a natural storm. Something had –made- that storm that tore through the airship her friends were riding on. It wasn't something the weather factory would have allowed. Not something natural…it was created for a very specific purpose. That much lightning in a cloud was way beyond regulation- but she shelved that thought to the back of her mind. Her sense of elevation and direction were feeding her warnings. No, they were screaming her warnings. She ignored it. Every pegasus automatically knew which direction they were facing- and a measured distance from air to ground. Rainbow Dash could even translate it into seconds. It was a natural process. Something they did whether conscious or not and according to her feedback, she had some eight seconds before she was a colorful blue splatter across the ground, and that is when she felt it. She knew exactly where it was, and didn't need to see- she was sure of it. In front of her was a light orange flailing pegasus. Her target. Her friend. Scootaloo. 

Mathematics was never Rainbow Dash’s strong suit, but calculations began to blur through her head like she blurred through the sky. Eight seconds before hitting the ground. That was eight seconds to catch Scootaloo. That was eight seconds to crack the speed barrier. Eight seconds to perform a Sonic Rainboom. And even as Rainbow Dash threw her wings into over drive, and stretched her arms out in front of her, using her senses to feel for Scootaloo, and drive back the fear in her heart, she knew it was impossible to perform a Sonic Rainboom this close to the ground. 

Rainbow Dash gave into Speed; the cruel, and unforgiving mistress that showed no mercy and demanded everything in return. Speed sucked every last breath from Rainbow’s lungs and still begged for more- demanded more, even though Rainbow had given Speed all that she had. It wasn't enough. Scootaloo was still falling. Rainbow threw herself forward, pumping her wings wildly, and begging for just an inch more- a fraction more, but Speed wasn’t satisfied. Rainbow wasn’t fast enough. For a hideous, heart wrenching moment, she wondered what would happen if she didn't catch Scootaloo. Flying was all Rainbow had. All Rainbow did. All she knew how to do, and if flying couldn't be used to save someone- couldn't be used to help ponies…what was the point? What was the point if it were all washed away if she couldn't wrap her arms around Scootaloo in the next six seconds? What did it all mean? And then Rainbow found herself begging. It didn't matter who was listening, she just begged. Twilight had put all her faith in Celestia, the alicorn, the raiser of the sun and ruler of Equestira- but Rainbow wasn't IN, Equestira, so that was right out. No, if there was something out there, anything out there, that was listening, and wanted a follower- a believer, now was the time. Now was the only time it mattered. This was it. 

Rainbow pumped her wings and kicked in the hyper drive. The nitro. The boosts. EVERYTHING. Her lungs burned, and her body screamed at her, but she didn't care. Scootaloo was so close- too close to give up now. She was going to catch the chicken, or die trying. Three seconds and it was all over. The ground was rushing up to meet them too fast! Too soon! No time to turn!! It happened all at once. Rainbow couldn't see, of course, the wind was still blinding her, but she felt the warm, squeezing body of Scootaloo in her arms. Her wings snapped open with a sickening crack and she banked for Scootaloo’s life. It was the hardest turn she’d ever made and everything was suddenly on fire. Her muscles, her body, every fiber and ever inch, but she was ALIVE! Something snagged against her hoof. It was unavoidable- with it being so low to the ground. A vine, perhaps, maybe a rock? Outside of the sky, the ground was a place pegasi relied on their eyes for information, and Rainbow was still going way to fast to see. Whatever she hit, had thrown her off kilter, and then she was tumbling. Crashing, and bouncing and smashing into grass and rocks and dirt. And when it all came to an end, and Speed had released Rainbow from her vice like grip, the pegasus lay very, very still on the ground, with Scootaloo screaming into her ears. The world had turned to ash, the skies had turned to gray- and for Scootaloo, weeping over the body of Rainbow Dash, all the colors died along with her.