//------------------------------// // The Tale of First Loss // Story: The Lonely Princess // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, am alone. Granted I have subjects now, I have my sister princesses, I have worshipers and Spike, but I all my friends, the ones who taught me about friendship and aided me in so many adventures, are gone. And now I know one of the terrible secrets the celestial sisters had to experience. I watched as all my friends passed from this world, one by one. Their children lived on and had children of their own, but they lived their own lives, now I'm known as a princess that was there when an adventure happened. Discord, King Sombra, Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, Canterlot High, all victories that we won with each other and now stories, legends and myths are all that remain. I remember how each of them passed too in so much detail, as a princess I found the ability to see and watch all my friends in my mind whenever I wanted to or needed to, the magic often took a life of its own. Rainbow Dash was the first, it was a terrible accident that took her from us. Rainbow Dash woke up to her child jumping on her bed, Rainbow turned over and pulled the covers over her head, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, it's time for breakfast, get up, daddy wants to give you breakfast, why are you so slow slow-poke, c'mon," the little one said as she began to nudge Rainbow in the back until she groaned. "Daring Do Dash, you know I'm the fastest Pegasus in Equestria, I just don't like to move when I'm asleep," Rainbow said looking at Daring. Daring was a beautiful filly with a grey coat and yellow mane with the most beautiful brown eyes I had seen before or since. "Mommy, daddy has food ready, let's go eat." Groan, "Okay, let's get some of daddys famous food," she said as she sat up in bed. The mirror on her dresser reflected a gloomy sight of a cyan mare with a tangled and frizzy mane, sleepy eyes and obvious drool on her cheek. Wiping her mouth she got to up and shook her mane, That'll do for a start, race you to the table," Rainbow Dash said as she flew through the door at her usual pace, Daring right behind her mother. Slowing her pace slightly so Daring would pass her she smiled as the filly made it to the table first, "I win again mommy, now I'm the fastest in Equestria, but I still love you mommy," Daring said as she took a bite of her morning oats. "Good morning, Sweetie, I have your coffee ready and the table is set," Soarin said as he kissed Rainbow on the cheek and passed her a hot mug of coffee, "Enjoy breakfast, I'll be right there." Sitting down Rainbow began to eat as Soarin joined her, a mug of hot tea sat in his spot, "Why do you drink tea? You're a wonderbolt, you need all the energy you can get," Rainbow said as she raised the mug to her lips then took several swallows nearly emptying it in one shot with a sigh of relief. "Mommy, can we go see Fluttershy today? I want to see animals and feed them because they're so much more fun the birds only," Daring asked with a mouthful. "Now, Daring, don't talk with a full mouth because it makes a mess and isn't very lady-like. Also, I don't see why not, what do you think sweetie?" Soarin asked Rainbow Dash. "I'm down with the ground and Fluttershy always likes help. Wanna go after morning exercises?" "You bet," he replied as he sipped his tea, gingerly garnering a snicker from Rainbow Dash. The morning exercise went great for Soarin and Rainbow, they went through their obstacle course in a heated race in the clouds as Daring watched hovering and zipping left and right as often as she could to get her own workout in as she cheered on her parents. Rainbow won and landed by Daring followed closely by Soarin, all of them breathing heavily. "Mommy, can I have some Ice Cream before we go see the ground, I want vanilla rainbow cloud flavor, pleasepleaseplease?" Daring begged with those puppy dog eyes as she began to fly around them. "Oh, okay okay. Let's go to the shop and get some, it's been a few days and you've been a very very good little filly," Soarin smiled as Rainbow nodded. "Wow that was really good, maybe the best ice cream I've ever had, I could die happy right now," Rainbow joked as she picked up Daring and did a loop, "now, let's get going to Fluttershys place." Flying back to Soarin and Rainbows house they gathered a couple toys and snacks for the trip, loaded them into a cart and placed Daring in as well with a couple straps to make sure she was safe and then securing the cart to Soarin they left. Taking to the sky side by side they flew together and talked as they kept a nice pace, not too fast but definitely not too slow as they enjoyed the wind in their manes and listened to Daring giggle and play in the cart behind them. "Auntie Fluttershy, I'm here and so is mommy and daddy," Daring called into the cottage as she flew to the door. There was no answer so Rainbow took to the sky and looked for Fluttershy. Seeing Fluttershy in the distance she called to her family and pointed in her direction, then flew ahead. "Fluttershy, what's up, how's the critters?" Rainbow asked as she flew in. Fluttershy smiled and waved, scattering the seeds she had in her hoof around as birds surrounded her to get some. Flying above the torrent of birds Fluttershy met Rainbow in the air, "It's so good to see you again, it's been a week since I last saw you, is Daring here too?" Fluttershy asked with a hopeful smile then a squeal as Rainbow nodded. Having become a much stronger flyer at her middle age she flew as fast as she could and met Daring as she was making her way a few feet off the ground in Rainbow Dashes direction with Soarin just above her. "Auntie, auntie, I missed you so much," Daring called as Fluttershy flew into to embrace her, "auntie, you smell like critter poop." Laughing she excused herself for being so close to the animals that day and guided them all to her cottage where she quickly washed in the shower then joined them in her living room. "I am so happy to see you all again, and I appreciate your honesty, Daring, I do need a rinse after spending a day with my little friends," Fluttershy said as she sat on a chair opposite Soarin and Rainbow Dash while Daring played with a group of squirrels that lived inside the walls, playing hide and seek with her. "It's so good to see you again, Fluttershy, I imagine you're doing well, as are your critters," Soarin asked casually. "Oh, yes, three little ones died two days ago, but they were very old and it was their time. Their memorial was short but a lot of their friends came to pay their respects. Other than that everything has been very good, how about all of you?" "Well," Rainbow Dash started with a long story about how she won a few races and was practicing a new move with a double sonic rainboom and how it was almost ready. "Oh, I know you've been practicing something, there have been a dozen of your sonic rainbooms this week, I hope you make it," Fluttershy said with a casual smile as she watched Daring play tag with a few birds, "Daring is so adorable, I wish I could have one but, well you know." Fluttershy lowered her head briefly as she remembered having a two year relationship with a great stallion before finding out she was barren. She winced and began to sniffle as she remembered the pain of him leaving her early one morning since she couldn't bare him a child. "Fluttershy, I'm sorry he left you, he was a jerk and didn't deserve you at all," Rainbow Dash reassured her as she got up and hugged Fluttershy until she felt the golden mare calming down, "Fluttershy, you're an awesome pony and caregiver and the best friend any pony could ask for, don't ever forget that. Now, let's get over this and I'll show you my new trick, well, as much of it as I have." "Oh, okay, that would make me feel a lot better, I love rainbows. I'll just need to tell my little friends to get ready for the noise," Fluttershy said as she hopped up and went talking to her critters, then went outside to tell the others and to pass on the word. Twilight began to sob as the memories began to flood back of that moment as she watched with her own eyes what happened from the castle. She didn't think she needed to be anywhere near the trick to see the double rainboom in action, or at least the attempt. Flying high and fast Rainbow Dash began her tricks and reforming clouds as she wowed her onlookers feeling her confidence soar. She prepared herself for the final trick, the double rainboom. "Now, watch Daring, I bet this time mommy does it and it will be the magnificent. It'll be something you'll tell your children about," Soarin said while holding Daring under his body, shielding her from the sound waves that would hit them. Here I go, time to do this right and make history again, no one will ever forget me after this." Rainbow Dash thought climbing higher and higher. Diving at nearly her top speeds she performed a sonic rainboom just like she had nearly a hundred times since she was a teenager at that fateful race. She sped off on a slightly higher than horizontal tangent and sped up again, the second rainboom worked, she sped faster and faster, then it happened. The force was too great for her body to handle and her wings snapped, then both shock waves struck her, shattering many of her bones including her legs and fracturing her neck, also deafening her and making her lose all coordination. She fell almost to the ground before Soarin caught her and flew her straight to the Ponyville hospital where Fluttershy and Daring arrived a few minutes after. Rainbow was already in a room with a team of doctors and nurses casting spells, giving her medication and trying to assess her condition. After three hours the doctors and nurses came out of her room with their heads low, I knew it had to be bad news, but this was Rainbow Dash we're talking about, she's the toughest pony in Equestria. Give her a month and she'll be back on her hooves acting like this was nothing. Scootaloo and I also made it to the hospital and were anxiously waiting for the news on her recovery while doing our best to console Soarin and Daring. "Princess Twilight," the doctor bowed to me, then addressed us all, "I'm terribly sorry, but her injuries are too severe, she has been broken beyond anything we can repair in time, she won't make it through to Lunas night, she's not going to wake up." We all looked at him in shock and disbelief, how can this be, how could this happen, why couldn't they do more, maybe there is a spell they don't know of yet, maybe she can be put into stasis. There has to be a way. I thought of everything I could while I tried to find humor in his words, maybe it's a prank by Rainbow Dash, I thought as Daring spoke finally. She's such a strong filly, but so young she didn't understand, "Can I see mommy now, I wanna tell her how cool that was and I wanna do it too." All of us began to cry right then; How can we ever explain to her what was going to happen. She would never hear her mothers voice again, she would never show her mother so many things and her mother, the great Rainbow Dash, would never see her daughter grow up into the great mare she would become. As inconsolable as we were we took turns saying our goodbyes to Rainbow Dash, then we all stayed by her until she passed. The doctors were right, she didn't make it until sunset. Never had I known the pain of loss and it never got easier.