Nurse Redheart enjoyed her work. She'd go as far as to say she'd be proud of it. She never liked seeing anypony hurt or sick and made it her goal in life to help everypony around her. Her day had been peaceful at Ponyville hospital, quiet even. She made her rounds through each ward, checking on patients, and seeing if they wanted anything. Finally she arrived at the relaxation room, it had been a long day for Nurse Redheart and she decided to sit down for a minute. She moved through the room and found her favorite spot next to the window where she could watch as the sun started to set beyond the buildings. She agreed with herself once more, it was a simple and easy day. . . Baring one pony who she couldn't get rid of. She read the name off the file once more. 'John Smith'. What a weird name for somepony she thought, still every time she wanted to discharge him he had some small paper work saying otherwise. 'He said he needed to be there for a certain amount of time'. She pushed the thought away. "Some ponies, just weird" Nurse Redheart spoke turning away from the window.
Coffee, she thought. I need a good cup of coffee. She stood up and made her way back through the corridors towards reception to ask if anypony would want a cup. As she rounded the corner of the main reception she was about to move towards the desk when she felt a slight tremor beneath her hooves. Suddenly the tremor grew more violent as she looked around in horror. When suddenly she was blinded by a bright purple flash that engulfed the room. She looked around dazed as she rubbed her eyes with a hoof, that's when she caught sight of a dismayed and dizzy unicorn but it was what she stood next to that made her eyes widen with fear. For there lay a unconscious, blooded and broken Rainbow Dash. She couldn't look away as she starred in horror until finally interrupted by the purple unicorn.
"Please help!" Twilight cried as her voice found itself. "Get a doctor anypony please!" She looked around as a group of blurry figures ran into the room. Unable to focus, unable to concentrate. Exhaustion finally took it's toll on her as Twilight passed out onto the floor. "Help her." Was all she could repeat before she eventually lost the will to carry on and fell adrift in her own mind, retreating from the horrors which had just occurred before her. Hoping deep down, that all this could be a dream, a terrible nightmare. That she'd awake in her library and Rainbow will be okay. She'll be okay, this is Rainbow Dash after all. The fastest flyer in all of Equestria. But she couldn't help but feel even she was lying to herself.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, did she? She looked around but couldn't see anything. Rainbow looked down at her hooves that she could see, she stood out among the darkness, surrounded by a thick wall of mist. "Hello." She called out hoping to hear a reply. "Anypony there!" Rainbow Dash sat down onto the floor and began to think. The crash! She checked herself over, hoof to tail in shock. She couldn't find a single scratch, no sign of exertion, injury or anything. She tried to stretch out her wings and stood up. "Am I dead?" She questioned into the unknown. "Okay I'm talking to myself here." Rainbow walked around trying to see through the fog but to no avail. Isn't there suppose to be a bright light or something? Unless I'm not dead. Rainbow thought about everything in her mind that occurred the crash, her injuries, waking up here. Nothing. "This is making my head hurt" Dash moaned to herself. "If only Twilight was here, she's an egghead. She'd figure this out in seconds." She looked around once more confused and began to feel fear edge into her. How long will I be here? A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye as Rainbow Dash began to panic. "Wake up Rainbow! Come on wake up - wake up!" What was just a sparkle in the corner of her eye now turned into a group of tears fighting to fall. She forced herself not to cry, not to give in to fear. Dash swallowed any of her emotions she felt were holding her back as she settled and waited for herself to regain her composure.
She starred out into the fog, a solid wall of despair and sadness that acted as a canvas being painted off of her weakness. The fog that encased her and trapped her in this place hiding the world which she longed to return to. She closed her eyes, resting. Wanting to think of a way out of here. Until she heard a form of laughing. Rainbow looked up alert and now on all fours, wings akimbo ready for anything. Once more she heard the laughing, a menacing evil laugh she swore she heard before. "Show yourself!" Rainbow demanded at the top of her lungs.
"My my. Poor little Dashie, all lost and alone. . . I bet your scared, I can see you shaking in your little hooves." The voice replied through the fog.
Rainbow looked around trying to see anything but was met with nothing but fog. "Who are you!" She demanded this time.
"Don't you remember me. Ouch, I'm deeply offended Rainbow Dash," The voice mocked. "Or did your little performance crack that little loyal head of yours beyond repair?"
"Discord!?" Rainbow breathed in shock. "If I get my hooves on you I'll tear you apart! What did you do to me?"
"Now now Rainbow Dash, you did all the damage yourself. Mind you, your performance was. While entertaining I can say it was pathetic. Just like the loyalty you showed your friends when you betrayed them and when you sent them away. . . Ohhh how they pleaded and begged you to slow down. And now it brings you here." Discord teased as Rainbow was fighting to protest, to find anything to say. "You need to slow down. You'll hurt yourself" He mimicked at her. "You never were a smart pony Rainbow Dash, I'm going to enjoy watching all this as it unfolds."
Rainbow finally managed to find words that she desperately needed. "What do you mean?" She said hiding the sound of fear in her voice as best as she could.
"Well thanks to you and your friends if I can't create chaos I'll find chaos. And I just love to watch. And might I say Rainbow. You and I both are going to be in for one hell of a ride!" Discord yelled laughing as his voice echoed away slowly until it was nothing more than a whisper and finally gone all together.
Rainbow Dash looked around once more, fighting to speak but stopped by a lump in her throat. What did he mean ride. Enjoy watching this unfold, what was he talking about? She tried desperately to piece together what was happening, pushing her brain to think. Anything that could explain or guess what Discord was talking about. Not long after she came up empty, all she cared about was getting home, she missed her friends. How she wished she could see them again and tell them how sorry and wrong she was. Suddenly almost as she thought this a bright light appeared in front of her. A beautiful light, shining through the fog, offering a way out a way forward, out of the fog and into the unknown. As Rainbow took one step towards it's pull Discord's voice appeared once more, almost like a whisper in her ear.
"Listen closely Rainbow Dash and listen well." Discord noted. "Here's your choice, ahead lies peace and rest where you can be sane. Behind lies your friends, where struggles await and you must play the game." Discord riddled as he disappeared for one final time.
Dash looked into the light, as it's pull grew stronger, she knew soon it would consume her. Rainbow knew she had little time to think. She could be at peace and above all rest, she didn't want to entertain Discord with whatever he said his game was. But could she abandon her friends, like she did for that stupid cloud, and at the valley. She was the Element of Loyalty after all. No, She thought to herself. My friends come first. And nothing will stop me from seeing them, certainly not Discord! The pull of the light grew stronger as Dash turned and pulled away from the light. Rainbow broke into full flight as she sped away from the brightness that threatened to catch up with her. She pushed herself faster, wanting to escape the light following her. Once more she pushed faster and the void around her began to shake as it began to thicken with air. A layer of air began to part in front of her as the light edged closer. She pushed once more forcing her wings to do what to anypony else used to be impossible. The air parted even more as she pushed and pushed going faster, until finally she heard the explosion. The relief, freedom and liberation from the pull that once threatened to consume her, but now faded away behind her in a mix of colors as the Sonic Rainboom spread and echoed around her. A sense of freedom, she had been longing for since being trapped. She could feel the oncoming wall that separated her from reality, screaming at her to give up, to turn back. The wall that separated Rainbow Dash from her friends. She surged forwards with full force as thoughts of her friends filled her head, she flew as fast as she could until the impact was imminent, she braced as she felt herself tear through the wall as she was blinded by colors around her and deafened by a noise that surrounded her. And then once more there was nothing but darkness. And she felt a pain beyond what she could describe.
Rainbow Dash tried to open her eyes, but it was as if they were glued shut, she heard voices around her. Saying her name, asking things about her and what they were doing. Dash couldn't make any particular words out until she felt a soft hoof holding hers. Then she heard it. A voice that had more power than Celestia, Luna and Discord combined.
"Rainbow, please. . . Come back."