Gray… everything was gray when Rainbow opened her eyes, finding herself resting on a cloud. A gray sky, a gray sun, a gray field far down below. All around her, a soft melody seemed to echo in the gentle breeze.
“Where… am I?” Rainbow wondered aloud, rubbing the back of her head as she looked around. Her friends, the volcano caves, nowhere to be found; but where she’d awoken looked oddly familiar.
A few clouds up ahead, Rainbow noticed a familiar cloud house, though it seemed impossible as the rest of Cloudsdale was not surrounding it. She didn’t know why, but she felt compelled to fly closer. Despite the colorless world around her, nothing seemed hostile but rather very serene, like an old film or even some lost memory. Spreading her wings and flying towards the cloud house she had lived in for much of her young life, the pegasus reached the door and pushed it open.
“Hello?” she asked, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. Everything looked familiar; the furnature and rooms, the bookshelf in the corner, and the photograph sitting above the mantle. Approaching it, Rainbow took the photo and looked it over.
In the frame was a picture of a mare, maybe a few years older then herself, in a Wonderbolt uniform and smiling at the camera. Captain Firefly, one of the most renowned Wonderbolts that had ever lived, named after the squad's founding general, the fastest flier in Equestria in her day, and Rainbow Dash’s mother.
The mother she’d not seen in years…
“Isn’t she beautiful?” a female voice asked from upstairs.
“Just like you, sweetie!” a male voice replied.
Glancing towards the stairs, Rainbow quietly put down the photo and walked over to the stairs, going up to the second floor.
“She’s got her father’s mane!” the female voice giggled.
“Well, I think it looks great on her!” the male voice replied with a laugh as Rainbow cautiously reached the end of a hallway and cracked open the door, peering through.
Two ponies she knew all too well, even with the world devoid of its color, stood there, peering into a small crib that the mare rocked gently while the stallion nudged his hoof in, prompting a soft giggle from within. Neither seemed to be aware of her presence, as though she were watching a memory from outside.
Suddenly, the crib’s occupant flew out at incredible speed, the stallion catching a tiny pegasus foal.
“Wow! Did you see that?” the stallion asked his wife with a big smile. “I’d say she’s got her mom’s speed, wouldn’t you?”
The mare chuckled softly and joined her husband. The foal reached its forelegs out and attempted to hug both her parents, snuggling up to them.
“Rainbow Dash was a perfect name for her,” The mare said with a smile, looking down lovingly at her foal.
“Look at that! Am I right suspecting we’ll have another Wonderbolt in the family?” the father joked as the foal stared at a poster on the wall and giggled again.
“Maybe? I guess we’ll see,” The mother replied with a playful smirk not much different from Rainbow’s own. “Whatever she decides she wants to be in life, what matters most is that she grows to be a good, loyal pony,” she said, rocking the foal gently in her forehooves, and she hummed a familiar melody that caused the foal to slowly close her eyes and snuggle up in her mother’s embrace.
That song… Rainbow thought to herself, she could remember it now, where she’d first heard it. Before she could draw any closer, however, everything faded into whiteness again.
~
Rainbow awoke to strange, quirky music around her. Opening her eyes, she found herself on a large cloud resembling an island of some kind. Stranger still, were large apples growing out of the cloud, and daisies swaying back and forth. Beyond the cloud was a vast blue sky that spanned in every direction.
“Ah, I see you’re awake,” a voice said next to her. Rainbow turned and saw what appeared to be Princess Luna looking down at her.
“Princess Luna?” Rainbow asked. “Where am I? Why does it look like Discord messed around with the clouds?”
“This is the dreamscape realm of Magicant,” Luna said, looking around. “I had spoken of a trial you would have to overcome once you had awoken the power of the sanctuaries.”
“Magi-what?” Rainbow asked. “Trial?”
“That you will find out for yourself, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied. "This is a world created from your own mind. Your thoughts, your dreams, your fantasies, your wishes… all brought to life.”
“So it’s like my ideal world?” Rainbow asked, wondering how the abstract design could have possibly been that.
“Not exactly. It is not those things come true, rather it reflects those things. But there is another part of it, Rainbow Dash. One you must find courage and inner strength to face.”
“Where’s that?” Rainbow asked, looking around again.
“You’ll find that out for yourself in good time,” Luna said. “For now, I must leave you. I wish you luck, Rainbow Dash. Take your time and look around, you may learn things about yourself that way,” the Princess said, vanishing before the pegasus’ eyes.
Getting up and wandering about, Rainbow passed a few cloud homes and decided to check them out. Peering in, she was taken by surprise at who was inside.
“Heya, Dash! ‘Sup?” Gilda asked, reclining in a chair alongside Lightning Dust, the reckless cadet from Wonderbolts Academy.
“Whoa, Gilda? You’re here? And Lightning Dust?” Rainbow asked, staring in disbelief.
“What’d you expect, Father Hearth’s Warming?” Gilda asked, laughing and bumping a fist with Lightning Dust’s hoof. “Look, I’m… lousy with apologies but I think somewhere in my mind I know what I did back there was totally lame of me. I hope we can be friends again someday, Dash,” the griffon said, the look on her face absent of any arrogance but rather a hopefulness Rainbow would not have expected from her former friend.
“Me, too… do you think I’ll ever get Spitfire’s forgiveness?” Lightning Dust asked sadly. “I can change, can’t I?”
“Uhhh… sure, whatever,” Rainbow said, not having expected this out of her former partner at the academy.
“I really hope so,” Lightning Dust said, looking downcast as she, Gilda, and the cloud house faded away and the odd, cloud-island itself became a dull blue color.
“Okay, that was weird,” Rainbow muttered to herself as she wandered off. It was strange… very strange to hear those words. Still, somewhere in her mind, she had hoped Gilda would one day come around, and that Lightning Dust could learn from her mistakes. Was that what that strange encounter was all about? She soon found herself in front of another cloud home, where she saw Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot exercising.
“Hey, cadet!” Spitfire said with a salute. “I’m betting you had a lot of excitement lately since you left Ponyville!”
“Yeah, you could say that!” Rainbow said sheepishly.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, cadet,” Spitfire replied. “At this rate, I’m almost wondering if I’ll run out of things to teach you before you’re done!”
“Thanks, ma’am,” Rainbow responded, smirking. “Believe me, there’s no way somepony like me can take that long to make the team, right?” she asked, only to discover the room was now empty, and before long, the cloud house faded away and the island became a soft pastel yellow color. Up ahead, Rainbow’s eyes widened when she saw her father, laying on a couch on a picnic blanket. Next to him was Tank and Scootaloo.
“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said with a big smile as she rushed over and hugged her surrogate sister as she approached. “How’ve you been? You look like you’ve been through a lot!”
“I’m fine, squirt… fine as I can be in a weird place like this!” Rainbow replied.
“How can it be weird? It’s your world!” Scootaloo asked, confused. “Well, why don’t you hang around here a bit?”
“Sure, why not?” Rainbow answered, walking over to the couch. Her father looked over at her and smiled.
“Dashie! I’ve missed you!” Rainbow Blitz said, giving his daughter a hug.
“Hey, dad!” Rainbow said, blushing in embarrassment as Scootaloo giggled.
“This couch brings back the memories, doesn’t it?” Blitz asked, gesturing to the luxurious cloud sofa behind him. “I know your mom would be so proud of you with all you’ve managed to do, Dashie.”
Rainbow’s ears drooped a little, but she managed a smile. “Yeah, I guess.”
“I know it’s not an easy thing to think about, Dashie. It isn’t for me, either,” her father said sadly as he sat on the couch, joined by his daughter. Rainbow froze in place as a sudden flash of a memory invaded her mind.
Mommy! Mommy! I’m right here! Can’t you hear me?
Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head frantically, fighting back tears as the cloud and sky around her darkened a little.
“You’re a brave, strong mare, Dashie. I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Her father said with a warm smile. “And I promise we’re gonna get to see the Equestria Games the next time they come.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow replied softly, hugging her dad tightly. “Whether I’m watching ‘em or better yet competing in ‘em, I want you to be there!” Rainbow said.
“That’s a promise, Dashie!” Blitz replied. “Now why don’t you go do some more exploring. I think somepony is waiting for you further down,” he said, giving her a friendly shooing gesture. Giving a nod and a hoofbump to her father and Scootaloo, Rainbow turned and noticed a new path had appeared on the clouds. Walking along she found herself in what appeared to be a long bridge of clouds.
Suddenly, the Smooze rose up in front of her, the large, gelatinous being looming over her for a moment before curling up and sulking.
“You stopped me… you ponies stopped the Smooze! How?” he asked in a sad tone.
“’Cause we’re just that awesome, pal!” Rainbow said with a small, cocky smirk, walking past the giant purple ooze as it remained where it sat.
“Query. Do you think me and Sister Unit dream, too?” the Sweetie Bot asked, suddenly walking beside her. Rainbow nearly jumped from her sudden arrival.
“I… I dunno? Do robots dream of robotic sheep?” Rainbow asked.
“Error. Uncertain of response. Locating Sister Unit for consultation,” The Sweetie Bot said, wandering off and the clouds took on a lighter shade.
“I say, brother of mine, take a look at her, will ya?” Flim asked, suddenly appearing in front of the pegasus, causing her to pause.
“Oh I am, brother of mine!” Flam said. “But for what reason?”
“Quite simple! She reminds me of us in our colthood! Daring, bold, and ready to face the world with determination!” Flim said, before adopting a sly smirk. “Or IS she?”
“I guess we don’t know for sure, brother!” Flam said, never losing his peppy tone.
“Oh well, but I guess there’s nothing we can do for her now!” Flim said with a shrug.
“Do for me?!” Rainbow asked. “You mean aside from ripping me off and using me to help save your flanks?”
The brothers turned and talked amongst themselves, then looked back at her.
“Wellllllll…. Sure! We can go with that!” Flim said with a smile. “At any rate, at least we’re totally up-front about who we are, right?” he asked, grinning.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Ohhhh, maybe you’ll see!” Flam said with a smirk, and the two vanished, the cloud path turning a magenta color while the sky turned a darker blue shade.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Rainbow continued onward, finding herself at what looked like a playground of some sort, an odd blend of Ponyville’s and Cloudsdale’s schools. Fillies and colts of all kinds ran about, playing games together, and many of them she recognized from her fillyhood, along with, strangely enough, many of the younger ponies she knew back home today, including the Crusaders and their classmates. A ball suddenly rolled towards her, and a small blue filly with a rainbow mane and tail approached. “Wow! Are you me?” she asked, looking up at her with matching eyes full of awe.
“Yup, sounds about right, kiddo!” Rainbow said with a smile. “How’ve you been?”
“Oh, just playing with the other fillies, trying to get Fluttershy over there to just catch a pass already,” the filly version of her said, gesturing to a yellow pegasus filly who just seemed to hide her face behind her mane as best she could.
“Hey, c’mon! You gonna get that ball already?” a filly version of Cloudchaser asked eagerly, her sister Flitter standing next to her.
“Hang on!” the filly Rainbow called over with an eyeroll. “Well it’s been so cool meeting you, knowing I’m gonna look so awesome when I grow up!” she said, taking the ball in her hooves and fluttering over to rejoin the other ponies.
“Heh… imagine that,” Rainbow said with an amused smirk. Seconds later, however, she thought she heard a soft crying. Approaching a tree growing out of the clouds, Rainbow found the source; a small blue unicorn filly with a mane and tail that were an almost white shade. Even though the pony was a filly, Rainbow recognized her right away.
“Trixie…” Rainbow's expression grew cold. The filly squeaked and turned, cowering from Rainbow’s harsh tone.
“W-what d-do you w-want with me?” the filly asked, before attempting a brave face. “S-stay back! I-I’m the Gweat and Powaful Twixie! I’ll… I’ll do magic on you if you try to hurt me!” she protested as she began to back away but ended up tripping over her cape and falling on her back, and immediately began crying again.
Needless to say, it was odd to see the normally arrogant showmare looking so helpless and… vulnerable, especially after all her recent run-ins with her. “What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked curtly.
The filly started crying more, curling up next to the tree. “Nopony likes me! Nopony ever liked me! I-I try to play with the others, t-try to impress them hoping they will, b-but…” Her voice continued trembling as she fought tears. “They just keep laughing at me! I-I just… I just wish I could become a gweat and powaful magician that everypony could love and want to see… and maybe…” She sniffled, curling up tighter. “M-maybe then I can finally have friends… b-but how long will that take? What if I never make any friends?”
Rainbow never would have imagined that in some way, she and Trixie had common ground. Both put on a brave, cool persona to be accepted and admired, though Trixie took it too far… then again her friends did occasionally feel she showed off too much. The whole Mare Do Well incident was proof of that. Was this what she saw Trixie as, deep down? A lonely, insecure pony who just wanted friends, and may not have had any growing up?
I was just like that in flight school… Fluttershy was the only one who had it worse… she thought to herself, remembering how Fluttershy suffering the same bullies that pushed her around had prompted her to stand up for her. This wasn’t the Trixie she knew, this poor filly needed somepony to be there for her.
“Listen, kid,” Rainbow said, gently brushing away the filly Trixie’s tears. “You gotta be more confident. Follow your dreams and don’t give up, alright?” she asked. “Here…” She put her hoof around the filly and let her cry into her chest. After a few moments, the young unicorn looked up at her.
“Thanks… for being so nice,” the filly Trixie said. “Twixie doesn’t… I don’t… know if I deserve it, but…” She looked away for a second, then back up at her. “Will… will you be Twixie’s friend?” she asked, fear in her voice out of worry of being rejected.
“Sure I will, kid!” Rainbow said with a smile, giving the filly a small nudge. “If you promise me you’ll go try one more time with those ponies. Just have a little more confidence, okay?” she asked.
“I will!” the filly said, her face lighting up with a smile. “Thanks so much!” she said, hugging Rainbow and grabbing up her hat, rushing over to go play with the others. As Rainbow watched, she smiled in satisfaction as this time, the young Trixie was accepted in and soon began having fun with the others.
As heartwarming as it felt for the pegasus to have been there to comfort a young Trixie, she felt a knot in her stomach knowing that the one she knew was far less friendly or eager for friendship, and it made Rainbow wonder for a moment, if she could have ended up the same way, without the support of friends, or friends she could be there to support. She didn’t want to admit it to anypony, but sometimes deep down, she felt as though her self-esteem was hardly any higher then Fluttershy’s; that all her bravado really was just a cover.
Memories of the Best Young Fliers’ competition came to mind, when she’d been overwhelmed by fear of failure and humiliation. She hated to lose, because she hated failure, and she hated failure because…
Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!
Rainbow collapsed on the soft cloud beneath her, curling up as that hated insult rang through her mind and she no longer felt as awesome as she usually did. Now she just felt like she was just doing what she realized now she had done her whole life; try to impress everypony and try to prove everypony who laughed at her was wrong.
“That was very sweet what you did for that little filly, Rainbow. You’re as loyal a pony as I could ever ask for,” a female voice Rainbow had not heard in person for so long but knew right away said behind her as the odd music faded into a more somber melody. Turning, Rainbow saw a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail, a pair of blue lightning bolts adorning her flank.
“…Mom?” Rainbow asked. “Mom!” She immediately flew over and wrapped her hooves around the other pegasus, hoping to Celestia that this wasn’t an illusion. Fresh tears formed in Rainbow’s eyes as she felt her mother return the embrace.
“I missed you so much!” Rainbow said, sobbing as she continued to hold onto her mother tight, her tears flowing down her cheeks as all her emotions she’d held inside her for so many years spilled out.
“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Her mother asked with a warm smile. “And look at how much you’ve grown! Your dad and I knew you’d become a very pretty mare when you grew up!”
“I guess,” Rainbow said, blushing as she attempted to wipe away her tears. “A-and… it has… dad misses you, too. He doesn’t say it but I know he does. I-I...” She tried to hold back any more tears. “I… I still remember… when I… when I lost you.”
It had been the worst moment of her life… she’d been just a small filly. The storm… her mother rushing out to help stop it… missing for two days… then the hospital…
The sky dimmed, as though an unseen sun were setting.
“Rainbow, do you know why I’m here with you, now?” her mother asked. The pegasus shook her head. “Because you’ve always remembered me. Because I’m always with you, even if I’m not there to touch, or hold you. You’ve always remembered me, and on that night, I went out there because I loved you more then anything in the world. I quitted the Wonderbolts because I had you, because you and your father were the two most wonderful things in my life. More then anything I ever did as a Wonderbolt,” she explained, nuzzling her daughter.
“W-what are you… saying, mom?” Rainbow asked, scared she could lose her again.
“Rainbow, there’s more to this world then just your happiest memories, or the dreams you want. There’s a darker part of this world… and it’s just down that path,” she said, gesturing to a path of clouds that seemed to grow darker and darker the further it went, spiraling downward. Within, a maelstrom of black clouds churned at the center.
“What is that?” Rainbow asked.
“That’s the path to the darker parts of Magicant, your sorrow you’ve kept buried all this time… and your fears… they’re represented by that storm. At its center is a dark part of your own mind that you’ve never been able to confront before. The nightmares that have haunted you all these years.”
“And… I have to go in there?” Rainbow asked.
“…Yes,” her mother answered. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I cannot follow. It’s something only you can overcome.”
“Why do I have to?” Rainbow asked, hugging her mother again. “Why can’t I have you back? Why do I have to lose you again?” She protested, tears forming again. Emotion overcame the normally brash pegasus again as she held her mother once more, crying into her chest. “I don’t want to leave you!” she pleaded. “Not when I just got you back!”
“Oh, Rainbow…” Firefly held her daughter close. “You’ll never lose me. No matter what you face, no matter what happens, always remember that. Your friends are waiting for you, too. You need to wake up from this dream and be the good, loyal friend to them again, the kind of pony I’d always hoped you’d be. You’ve always been there for them in the past… let them be there for you when you need them, too.”
After a few moments, Rainbow was able to calm down, and nuzzled her mother gently. “Okay,” she said softly. “But… before I go, can you please… one more time, the song you’d sing me when I was a filly?”
“Of course, Rainbow,” her mother replied with a smile, holding Rainbow and she began humming the melody, one last time for her daughter as they sat down together on the clouds.
~
After several moments, Rainbow heard her mother’s lullaby reach its end, and they stood up, facing one-another.
“Good luck, Rainbow,” her mother said, giving Rainbow one last doting nuzzle.
“Thanks, mom,” Rainbow said with a sad smile.
“Even though I can’t follow you, here’s somepony who can. She may not look it, but she’s going to help you stay strong,” her mother said, turning as a small, dark blue filly came over.
“...Princess Luna?” Rainbow asked, surprised.
“Yup! I’m Woona! I’ll be your courage!” the filly manifestation of the alicorn princess said with a big, friendly smile. “I think my big sister woulda wanted it this way,” she said, looking over at a cloud house where a small tombstone over a very tiny grave sat. “She sacrificed everything to set you on this journey, so now you gotta finish it.”
“Uh, okay,” Rainbow said. “I guess I’ll… let you come along, then.”
“Yay!” the filly cheered, offering a hoofbump to the pegasus, who sheepishly returned it. “Well let’s get going, then!”
“Okay, okay, coming,” Rainbow said, turning one last time to smile back at her mother and give her a wave. Smiling, her mother returned the gesture, and Rainbow spread her wings, flying down the swirling cumulous path, accompanied by the small alicorn filly princess as she approached the dark, foreboding storm that lay ahead in the distance.
~
The sky grew darker the closer they got, the rest of Magicant had faded into the distance as they drew closer to the vast, black maelstrom that the trail of cumulous spiraled into. Crackling, purple bolts of lightning surged about within the clouds continuously, providing some light as the two ponies flew closer.
“Wow! This is pretty intense!” ‘Woona’ said as she held on tight around Rainbow’s neck.
“Just the way I like it, kiddo!” Rainbow said. “Let these challenge the fastest flier in Equestria!” she declared. As she said this, however, the clouds took on frightening new shapes resembling tall, slender pegasi with glowing eyes similar to Sombra’s. Thunder and lightning crashed all around them as the dark beings let out terrifying whinnies and charged in the air at them.
“I got this!” The filly shouted, charging up her horn and firing a blast of magic at it, causing it to dissipate.
“What are those things?” Rainbow asked.
“Nightmares! But don’t worry! I got your back!” the filly said, firing another magic blast at another advancing nightmare and vaporizing it instantly.
Storms… Rainbow never feared them, she even made more then her fair share of them. But something about this one was terrifyingly familiar to her. Her eyes widened as she saw phantom images of several pegasi trying in vain to get it under control. On closer inspection as one of the gray, translucent figures flew past her, she recognized them to be Wonderbolts.
“Is this…?” Rainbow asked, glancing down and seeing the top of the Everfree Forest down below the dark clouds.
“Yes… it is, Rainbow,” the filly said. “This is the storm that took your mother…”
A sense of dread overcame the pegasus. She struggled to drown it out by getting closer to the top, knowing she’d have to enter it, but the closer she got, the more afraid she suddenly felt. A look of horror came upon her face when she saw a Wonderbolt mare circling around it, attempting to get close enough to find a way to tame the storm before it could destroy Cloudsdale.
“Mom!” Rainbow cried out as she saw the phantom of her mother suddenly get pulled into the storm’s strong winds and sucked into the vortex. “NO!” She cried out, flying towards it as fast as she could.
“Rainbow! Stop! You have to get yourself under control!” the alicorn filly pleaded. “Your fears! They're making this real!” she explained as she hurriedly fired another magic blast to dispel another nightmare, but now they seemed to be only growing in numbers.
“My mom! I have to help her!” Rainbow protested.
“It’s not real, Rainbow! This is your grief, making you see something you didn’t in the worst way!” the filly shouted, hugging Rainbow tightly. “You have to listen to me! Be strong! Be brave!”
Rainbow took several deep breaths, trying to get what she saw out of her mind as best she could. The nightmares froze in place as the pegasus stared them down, glaring at them defiantly. “Let. Me. THROUGH.” she said sternly, and the dark creatures broke apart into black clouds and vanished. “Hold on tight, kiddo!” Rainbow said.
“Wait, Rainbow!” the filly shouted, and they flew straight at the storm and into the top of the vortex, down into a black abyss within.
~
“What the…?” Rainbow asked, looking around and finding herself in a dark hallway, devoid of color again and her companion nowhere to be found. “What is this place?” she asked, and slowly the sounds of soft murmurs were heard, and the galloping of small hooves was heard at the other end.
“I’m coming mom! I’m coming!” a small filly Rainbow recognized to be herself at a young age shouted desperately as she flew towards Rainbow, and right through her like a ghost.
“No… no, no, no, no!” Rainbow pleaded. She knew this day. How could she ever forget it? She didn’t want to be here! She’d rather spend a day in Tartarus then be here! “Kid! Stop! Don’t go in there!” she cried out, rushing after the filly but the hospital hallway seemed to go on and on.
“Mom! I’m here!” the filly’s voice said excitedly from a distant room as Rainbow was suddenly able to catch up, and stopped herself as she reached that door, the one she wished she’d never been so foolish as to open.
“Mom?” the filly version of herself asked, nudging the motionless mare on the hospital bed. “Mom! Wake up! I’m here! I was so happy when we heard they found you! I was scared I’d never see you again!” she said as she nuzzled her mother’s forehoof, but got no response.
“Mom?” the filly asked, waiting for a response, but Rainbow, watching, knew it wasn’t going to happen.
“Mom?” the filly asked again. “Mommy! Mommy!” she cried out. “I’m right here! Can’t you hear me?”
Rainbow hung her head, struggling not to cry but it was no use. She knew Firefly would never wake again. She was gone right before she could see her again…
“I’m sorry,” a doctor said as he entered the room, followed by her father. “She was barely alive when they found her in the forest. I guess it was too much for her…”
Rainbow’s heart sank as she saw her father collapse to his haunches, covering his face with his hoof. The filly that was her shook her head.
“No! My mommy, she… she can’t be!” the filly protested, rushing over and nudging her mother’s body. “Mommy! Please! Please! You can’t be gone! You can’t be!” She cried, collapsing to the floor, heartbroken as she struggled to hold back the tears that flowed down her cheeks. “Y-you promised you’d come home… you promised!” she sobbed as her father slowly came over and held her tightly, trying his hardest to stay strong in front of her.
Rainbow curled up, unable to hold back her tears either as the painful memory slowly faded away, and a thunderstorm began to brew around her. In a flash of lightning, she found herself in a cemetery, a tombstone stood before her, greeting her with a painful message.
Firefly
Beloved Wife, Beloved Mother
Esteemed Wonderbolt
In another flash of lightning, Rainbow saw the tombstone looked different now. It was darker, more rigid, with the words Lost Forever scratched across it, and atop it was the Alicorn Statue she’d long since destroyed back in Manehattan, glaring down at her with its glowing eyes.
“We lost her,” a voice that sounded just like hers said within the fierce rain that poured around her.
“Who are you?” Rainbow asked, looking up and realizing the Alicorn Statue had been the one who spoke to her.
“You know who I am!” the statue said, cracks beginning to form around it. “I am that dark, evil part of your mind! The arrogance, the resentment… the self-loathing you have deep inside for yourself because you couldn’t do anything to save your mother!” Pieces of it began to crumble away, revealing a form underneath that spread out its wings. Rainbow stared agape at the being that rose from the rubble; it looked just like her, only with a slightly darker coat and color scheme. Its eyes, however, were a blood red instead of Rainbow’s rose-color, and filled with a cruel malice.
“You can’t beat me…. Because you’re the one who forced me into being!” The double sneered, lunging at Rainbow and pinning her down, a wicked smile on its face and its red eyes briefly glowing green, purple smoke trailing from them.
“All that show, all that ‘pure awesome’ you boast about? You have so many ponies fooled, don’t you?” the nightmarish twin mocked. “But we know better, right?” It asked, winking.
“Stop it!” Rainbow hissed, struggling to push the doppelganger off of her but its strength was far greater then hers.
“We both know it’s all just that. A show! A show to hide what an insecure pony you really are!” the double taunted, grabbing Rainbow with her forehooves and flinging her at the tombstone. “Under that fragile ego, imagine how ashamed Scootaloo would feel if she knew what her hero really was underneath that act!”
“Or dad,” the double continued, lunging again and swinging its hoof at Rainbow, striking her in the chest. “Or your friends…” The nightmarish twin said with another swing. “Or especially mom!”
Rainbow slumped against the tombstone, the rain beating down on her and the thunder rumbling around her up above.
I’m not strong enough… she thought to herself, barely able to move from the pain of the sinister doppelganger’s attack. I’m sorry mom… I’m sorry… girls… Scootaloo… everypony… I’m… sorry…
NO!
In the midst of the painful thoughts that invaded her mind when failure seemed so possible, new, more positive thoughts came in their place.
I just wanted you to hang out with me and see how cool I was so you'd take me under your wing, teach me everything you know, and become like my big sister!
Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction. You've shown that you're capable of doing just that. You're no wingpony, Rainbow Dash. You're a leader.
You’re a brave, strong mare, Dashie. I couldn’t be more proud of you!
You’ll never lose me. No matter what you face, no matter what happens, always remember that.
Rainbow’s eyes snapped open, and a look of cold determination set itself on her face.
“Oh, what’s this? Hungry for more, Failure?” her twin asked with a smug smirk.
“I’m no failure,” Rainbow said, a cocky smirk spreading on her face as she suddenly flew forward at full speed, slamming into her nightmarish double with tremendous force and sending it tumbling across the wet grass. Before the wicked twin could even stand, Rainbow was already flying circles around it, bringing them both higher and higher into the sky before Rainbow flew right at her double, punching it over and over and over again.
“My mom’s not gone!” Rainbow said firmly, flinging the double out of the small cyclone she’d created and flying straight after it again, punching it into the ground but catching it once more. “I remember how much she cared about me, and why she risked her life!” she said, her tone becoming more vicious as she beat the other pegasus in a frenzy, flinging her twin up into the air again.
“I have friends who believe in me! I have my dreams! I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt one day, just like my mom!” she shouted, her strength increasing with every hit as the dark double was defenseless against her. “And sure, Scootaloo’s a little reckless sometimes, but hey, so am I! I’m not perfect, but if she thinks I’m worthy of being her big sister and her hero, well, there’s no way I’m gonna let her down!” the pegasus cried out. “Because I’m Rainbow Dash! Fastest flier around, and all-around most awesome pony alive!” she said with a grin as she flung the other pegasus at the tombstone. “Something you obviously are NOT!” she declared, swinging her forehoof as hard as she could and smashing it into her double’s face. As soon as she hit, cracks of light formed around the malevolent twin’s body. The nightmare version of her let out a scream as it exploded in a burst of light.
The storm suddenly stopped, and the clouds began to break apart as sunlight began to shine through them. The tombstone dissolved away into dust, and Rainbow found herself in an open field on a hilltop overlooking Ponyville.
“Great job, Rainbow Dash!” the filly Luna’s voice suddenly cried out, and Rainbow was immediately hugged from behind by the small alicorn. “You passed the trial, and overcame the thing holding you back. You’re ready to fight at your full potential now!”
“Heh… thanks for the support, ‘Woona’,” Rainbow said with a small smirk, prompting a giggle from the filly.
“A loss like that...” The filly's tone became more serious and mature. “…Is not something so easily overcome. I think, in time and if you trust in your friends to be there for you like you are for them, everything will turn out alright,” she explained.
“Fancy talk from a little filly,” Rainbow joked, nudging the small alicorn.
“Now… it’s time to leave this dream behind, Rainbow Dash...” The filly now spoke in her adult counterpart’s voice. “…and fight with all you’ve got.” She said, glowing brightly as she approached Rainbow and upon touching her, vanished in a flash of light.
Rainbow felt a surge of strength and confidence flow through her. She knew now, she could face Sombra.
…And she would win…
“Thanks, all of you… I’ve got this! I never leave anypony hanging!” she said with a grin as the world around her again faded to white, preparing to wake up again.
~
“Hey, I think she’s coming to!” the blurred figure of Twilight said as Rainbow’s eyes slowly opened.
“Oh my goodness! I hope she’s alright!” Rarity’s voice said as Rainbow’s sight came into focus.
“Hey, Dash! Ya took quite a spill there! Ya alright?” Applejack asked.
“Hey, girls!” Rainbow said, looking up at her friends as she slowly sat herself up and found they were still in the volcanic Fire Ruby Grave.
“You okay?” Applejack asked.
“Yeah, I’m better then okay!” Rainbow said.
“What in the world happened, Rainbow?” Rarity asked. “You were out for awhile, we were worried about you!”
“Was this that… trial… that Luna spoke of?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, it was. I promise I’ll tell you everything about it later, alright?” Rainbow answered with her familiar, proud smirk back in place, only with more confidence then ever before in it. “Now let’s get outta here already and meet with the others! I’m way more then ready to trash King Sombra for good!”
“Well, we probably shouldn’t keep the princesses waiting,” Twilight said. “Let’s go get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and we can be off to the Crystal Empire right away!”