//------------------------------//
// She's Gone. 
// Story: Loss 
// by Hodd 
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Loss




Chapter 1; She's Gone


It was a Saturday, a day usually reserved for frolic and play. Today was not one of those days. A foggy haze had drifted into Ponyville, adding to the solemnity that had overcome the quaint town. 


The service was one of utter sorrow, small sniffs could be heard rising above the silence. At the front of the service was a coffin, black and simple, roses and other assorted gifts adorning the lid of the lower half, as if to beckon the spirit back. Inside it was a turquoise-blue figure, with the unmistakable flashes of red, orange, yellow, green, and blue. It was Rainbow dash. The brightly colored pegasus that had always been active and moving was now motionless. Her chest that once rose and fell with her breathing now remained still. Twilight was the first to speak. She felt a lump form in her throat, and finally managed to choke out a few sentences. “Rainbow Dash was one of the best friends a pony could ask for. She had always been there if you needed her, and always looked out for us.” A tear rolled down her lavender coat, and she paused to regain her composure. “Without her Equestria would be much different from what it is now, and now that she's gone, it will never be the same.” Twilight stepped down slowly, tears flowing openly from her eyes. Next was Pinkie Pie. The normally energetic party pony who was usually a ball of sunshine, seemed to take the loss particularly severely. She had always kind of looked up to Rainbow Dash, and always wanted to hang out with her and share a laugh. The party pony now held a look of anguish and almost longing, an emptiness filled her, and now she simply stared, as tears streamed from her eyes. Once at the podium, Pinkie fell apart. All she managed to choke out between fits of sobs was, “I should have been there for you, Dash,” a bout of tears interrupted her, “I should have been there for you...” That was all she was able to get out before she was once again overtaken with sorrow. The rest of the service was filled with almost everypony in the town giving their final goodbyes to one of the most well known ponies in town. Even the normally sullen Gilda came, her usual face of arrogance replaced by dread and sadness. A single tear rolled down beside her beak as she said goodbye to her oldest friend, “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash... I'm so sorry.”


It was a shock to everypony. She went in the night, peacefully, but in sorrow. She had seen the Wonderbolts perform a certain trick flawlessly. She felt the sudden urge to try it, and in true Rainbow dash fashion, decided to perform it herself. Everything had gone according to plan, until a wild updraft threw her off balance and sent her careening into a mountainside. The crash resulted in a fractured wing, and several bruised ribs, but nothing permanent. She had shown signs of promise, she had gained strength, walked, even flown for short distances. She was released from the hospital, and returned home with only a slight limp in her walk and was nearly able to fly at full strength. She was on the road to recovery, as far as anypony could tell. That is, until, she got wind of what happened to Scootaloo. 


The news struck her like a speeding train. Rainbow Dash was never one to take the loss of someone well. She had been in a deep depression for days, barely finding the energy or even willingness to walk across town. Her friends had become worried at the pitiful state of their best friend. “It's not your fault,” was all that Applejack could offer. “None of us could have seen it coming.” “Why didn't I see it?” Rainbow Dash asked, seemingly ignoring Applejack's sincere consolation. “Why didn't I ask her?” Several sobs broke out from Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Rarity also shed a tear, feeling for Dash. Her friends had never seen her in such a state. She had always seemed so strong, but now, the independent pony they had known for so long had broken. She didn't try to conceal her sorrow, letting tears flow down her face. Her friends huddled in close, allowing sobs and tears to erupt, sharing the anguish of losing someone close to them. “It's my fault,” Rainbow Dash managed to choke out. “I never asked her what was wrong, I never bothered to figure out. It was so obvious. It's my fault.” “No it's not, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. “None of us knew about it. Don't blame yourself.” Her consolation seemed to have no effect on Rainbow Dash. Instead of replying, she simply pushed her friends out of the way, flew away slowly towards her clouded domain. Applejack was taken back at the sudden gesture. "Fine, then leave, we were only trying to help!" She regretted that statement as soon as it escaped her mouth. Rainbow kept flying, tears falling to the ground behind her. Soon she disappeared into the mirky night, her colors no longer visible.


A few days passed, and, always being the thoughtful one, Fluttershy decided to check up on her. When she entered the blue pegasus' fluffy white cloud-home, the sight she witnessed was one of complete surprise and shock. Rainbow Dash was laying in the middle of the floor, motionless and seemingly catatonic. The only sign of life, the occasional lazy movement of her head. Her frame was slender, and her breathing was weak. Panic overtook Fluttershy. Complex sentences came out as panicked gasps and yelps, with the occasional “oh no” or “stay with me.”  She held Rainbow Dash in her arms and made several feeble attempts to drag her out of her home. She had finally been able to find a pegasus flying by and called her over. Rainbow Dash lulled in and out of consciousness as they flew across the sky. She looked up at the sky, noticing the clouds. "I'm sorry, Scoots," she thought. She could tell Fluttershy was talking to her, but she couldn't make out what she was saying. Words and sentences were but murmurs, and her vision was failing. She didn't care. She had taken the death of her little admirer completely to heart and truly believed it was her fault. Tears rolled down her face as the hospital came into view. The last thing she saw was the white hospital lights passing over her, lighting up the darkness that slowly crept into the sides of her vision. "I'm sorry," was the last though she had before it all went black.


Doctors were unable to treat her. She had slipped into a deep coma without any signs of recovery. She had neither eaten nor drank anything for days, and her body was rejecting the supplements that were being pumped in via the clear IV tube. She was deteriorating, and fast. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy stood at the foot of her bed, tear filled eyes observing their beloved friend slip deeper into darkness. "I'm so sorry girls," Nurse Redheart forced through the lump in her throat. "She is in a deep coma, and isn't improving. She's getting thinner and I don't believe she has much time. I'm so sorry," she repeated. That was what hit Pinkie Pie the hardest, the news that her best friend was deteriorating before her eyes. She broke, simply laying down and sobbing. This was more than enough to break down the other ponies. Tears erupted from each of them. Now with both Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash gone, their lives would never be the same. They stayed in the white, plain hospital room for hours, reminiscing on their old adventures, remembering their favorite memories with her. 


It was 1:47. Most of them had fallen asleep, but Applejack and Pinkie Pie had remained awake, their minds fixated on their friend, hoping that somehow she'd come back and everything would be alright. The silence was broken by a single ringing tone. It was the heart monitor. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy woke up with a jolt. At that moment, hospital staff flooded in. The clamor of the doctors and nurses crowding around her close friend was too much for Fluttershy. Completely hysterical, she huddled in the corner and openly let tears of bitterness and remorse flow down her face, as her cries of sorrow were lost in the commotion of the room. Pinkie Pie simply sat there staring, a complete emptiness filled her, a continuos flow of tears outlining her features. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity simply held each other. They had never felt so alone. Seconds passed, and then minutes. Slowly the clamor of the staff subsided, and a single doctor stepped out from the crowd. "I'm so sorry," he said, "She's gone."