//------------------------------// // Her Last Thoughts // Story: Even Rainbows Fade // by Pracca //------------------------------// BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG “APPLEJACK! OPENUPOPENUP HURRY!” The comfortable sleep that Applejack was enjoying was interrupted by the shrieking voice of Pinkie Pie, the pony prepared to completely smash down her front door. Her head bolted upright from the pillow, looking around in a daze as the crazed sounds continued. To her right, Whooves snored all the while; nothing, and she meant nothing, would wake that colt before he was good and ready. The old mare tried to hurry getting up, but she was groggy and more than little sore; a lifetime spent bucking apple trees was about as good for her spine as anypony would have guessed. She quickly trotted out from her bedroom and into the living room, where the front door and the sounds of a very panicked old mare were coming. “I’m comin’, sugarcube, hold yourself!” the old farm pony cried. Pinkie didn’t hear her, and her nigh-shrieks of excitement and terror were still coming. A few locks unlocked later, and the door opened—for a pair of pink hooves to rush down and clop Applejack square in the face. “OW!” “Oops!” Pinkie squeaked, retracting her limbs. “Sorry, I was just… we need to talk! All of us!” Applejack, still rubbing her aching forehead, opened her eyes to see that Pinkie was not alone; Fluttershy and Rarity floated and stood beside her, and all of them looked like they were in a panic. “What in tarnation? Girls, what the hay’s goin’ on?” “Oh, darling, it’s AWFUL!” Rarity cried. “You were right about everything, and now Rainbow Dash has disappeared!” “What?!” “It’s true!” Fluttershy declared. “Shiverwing saw her coming out of the Everfree Forest last night, so, er, he brought her inside and we talked for awhile. She was very angry, and she was crying a lot. I tried to help, but, um, she got very depressed and… and she left.” “Right!” Pinkie agreed, waving her hooves about frantically as she spoke. “And then, I had been thinking about what we were talking about yesterday in the library, about throwing Dash a party! So, I snuck out in my Mare-Do-Well costume and secretly invited her! But when she got there, she had this HUGE freak-out, because I guess other ponies don’t like those kinds of parties?! A-and then when I tried to cheer her up, she said she can’t fly anymore!” “Can’t fly?..” Applejack asked, bewildered and feeling more than a little crushed for her friend. Rainbow Dash’s disappearance was a bombshell that nearly broke the old farm pony’s heart. But this, on top of that, made her feel a level of sympathy that she figured would probably insult the old mare. “And after she left there, I caught her walking past my house!” Rarity continued on. “I brought her inside, and I thought I’d managed to calm her down some. I put her to bed so she could get some rest; the next morning, I just don’t understand! She started screaming like Nightmare Moon herself was after her and just—just charged out to Celestia-knows-where! We haven’t seen the poor girl since!” Applejack felt a sort of numb shock settling in as all of this information was relayed to her. She tried to speak, but was cut off by Pinkie Pie smooshing her face between her front hooves. “But it gets worse! WORSE! Super-extra QUINTILLION. TIMES. WORSE! When Rainbow Dash was telling me about her wings, and she got really, really sad, I froze up and I got the biggest, superset Pinkie Sense EVER. EVERRRR! Even worse than the one from last week! Something really, mega-double-impossibly bad is about to happen, and I don’t even know what it is!” Applejack felt that her jaw had dropped some time ago, and her eyes were bugged out as far as they could be. “Girls, Ah… oh, horseapples, we’ve gotta find her!” “I hate to be the bearer of such bad news, But your time is shorter than you know by these clues!” All four of the mares gathered at Applejack’s front door swiveled around to hear the new voice, and saw Zecora of all ponies slowly hobbling down the path towards them. They didn’t let her do it, and instead all quickly galloped to her and surrounded the old zebra. “Zecora, what are you doin’ here? What do you mean by that??” Applejack asked, desperate for any hints on where Rainbow Dash might be. “I’m afraid that last night I was visited first By the grieving Rainbow Dash; I saw her at her worst. Then I looked to the future taught to me by our friend Twilight Sparkle, and I saw… the Rainbow’s end.” A horrible, nauseating feeling permeated through the group of ponies as they tried not to process that thought. Applejack was gripped by absolute horror, and fully understood the meaning of Zecora’s words of short time. “Zecora, you’ve gotta tell us what happened! Where is she?” Zecora shook her head, and took in a deep breath. “Her exact location I do not know, For the place she races for is where I often do not go. But in this vision, a high place did I see, And a smoking mountain I spied clearly. Applejack, this is not fate but a choice. One that can be overridden by a single voice— YOURS. It is up to you to find our friend, And halt, for this moment, the Rainbow’s end.” The other ponies stared at Applejack as she pondered. Her mind was simple, as far as book-taught intelligence went, but common sense was something that she had in abundance. A high place, in view of a mountain, that was smoking. If Rainbow was—was going to do that, then it would have been somewhere important to her, fresh in her— Oh. Oh no. “Oh Celestia, Ah know where she’s headed!” Her friends tried to ask where Rainbow was headed, or for any sort of information, but Applejack did not hear them. She was overcome by a gripping need to catch up to her friend as fast as she could. Like a bolt of lightning, she galloped away from the others and struck off towards the Canterlot-ward side of Ponyville. The other mares were left with Zecora, as the earth pony disappeared in the blink of an eye. They contemplated following, but they already knew their old bones couldn’t hope to keep up with the farmer. Resigned, Fluttershy turned toward Zecora. “Um, Zecora… did your spell tell you if Applejack makes it in time?” Zecora sighed again, obviously knowing something she had not yet told. She pulled her hood up over her eyes to hide the sorrowful expression she bore. “Alas, I couldn’t bear to tell Applejack that she was too late, I learned the actions of others have sealed Rainbow’s fate. Though I know not the specifics of where the lots are cast, I fear it will end in tragedy.” The other ponies looked down to the ground, unsure of how to respond to such depressing news. Then it hit them. “Um, Zecora… that didn’t rhyme.” “I know, Fluttershy. I do not HAVE to rhyme, Every time.” “Well, why do you, then?” Rarity asked, bewildered. The old zebra flashed a mischievous smile. “A mare living out in the woods alone needs some kind of entertainment.” At the far edge of Ponyville, the last of the buildings gave was to rolling hills and patches of forests. At the very edge of all of this, then, was a small clearing from the clusters of trees. This clearing was, in fact, a particularly high cliff, easily the height of a five or six-story building. Normally, this place looked out onto a serene vista, rolling hills of flowers of various species all in a verdant landscape all the way up to the chain of mountains that led up to Canterlot itself. But not anymore. Now, it was a charred, broken landscape for the several miles from the base of the mountain to only several hundred feet out. And looking at it now, letting teardrops fall down the side of the cliff, was an old pegasus in the throes of her memories. This was it, Rainbow Dash thought. It had taken her all day and night, but she’d finally come back to where it had all begun. She could see the exact spot, just below, where she had lost everything four days ago. Celestia, it was still so fresh in her mind… COCK-A-DOODLE-D—D’OH! The sound of a crowing rooster was blotted out by a rock tossed by the library’s resident assistant librarian and giant purple dragon. As quick as the response time was, it had still roused an old blue pegasus from her slumber. The light was shining in from her single window quite brightly; if there was one thing she regretted about her underground home more than anything, it was that she hadn’t been able to convince her wife that an artificial light spell to simulate daytime lighting in accordance with the actual sun’s patterns wasn’t necessary. The rest, though, was actually pretty awesome. Not least of which was the soft mare that she was holding so tightly at the moment. Rainbow Dash listened carefully to the sound of Twilight’s soft, even breaths. She was still asleep. As much as she hated to wake her wife when she was being so adorable, she leaned forward a bit and whispered “Morning, Twi.” into her ear. “…Mmm. Good morning, Dash…” Twilight replied, rousing from her sleep. She began to shift and twist a bit, and Rainbow reluctantly let go of her to stand up on her own. Turning away from the window, the old pegasus let out a trademark yawn and stretched her wings; they felt stiff, and hardly moved despite her best efforts. As happy as she was for her pleasant awakening, Dash couldn’t help but feel a little crestfallen whenever that happened. That feeling melted as she felt Twilight nuzzle up next to her. “So, should we head upstairs? Spike should have breakfast done by now.” “Sounds awesome.” Rainbow replied, stifling another yawn—barely—as she followed the purple unicorn up through their replica of the old library, and the couple’s original home. Dash let herself glance around at all the pictures scattered about the place, and wondered if Twi had managed to hang up a few more while the pegasus was sleeping. There were no new images to be seen, at least this time. They began to ascend the staircase as Twilight started up conversation again. “So, I wonder if our letter will be coming today?” “What letter?” Rainbow asked, wondering if there were some vital appointment she’d completely forgotten about. Twilight just giggled at her. “Our letter from Opal Dart, you silly filly! The Wonderbolt show in Manehattan was last weekend, so I wrote her to check in. Remember?” “Oh. Yeah, I remember…” Rainbow replied, lowering her head and sulking a bit. Twilight gave her that analytical stare of hers. The pegasus wilted under its mighty power. “Rainbow Dash, are you still upset about this?” “Frankly, I’m a little concerned you aren’t!” Rainbow replied. “You know Opal isn’t sending you any letters. She’s the big, famous captain of the Wonderbolts, riding a fresh wave of fame for killing that Gargoyle king over on the western border—what time could she ever have for two doddering old mares in some backwoods village?” “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, scolding her wife as they ascended to the top floor. Spike, who was currently setting a few bowls of oatmeal down for them to eat, looked over to see what the fuss was about. “Need I remind you we’re talking about our daughter here? You know as well as I do that she would NEVER abandon family like that. Right?” She looked over, and Rainbow bowed her head. Twilight just giggled and cupped a hoof under her chin, pulling Rainbow’s face up to give her a quick kiss. “She’s busy, protecting Equestria and living her dream. Isn’t that what we always wanted? To give her a chance at success in life?” Rainbow sighed, and smiled. “Yeah, it was. I’m sorry, Twi, it’s just—I miss her, y’know? She could come visit once in a while, is all.” The couple sat down at the table, Spike greeting them both with a wave and pressing his massive form against the wall behind them to devour his own bowl. “Well,” Twilight began as she picked up the morning’s newspaper. “our wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of months. If she hasn’t visited by then, we can just send out Fluttershy’s clan to drag her here, all right?” “Ha! All right, sounds good.” Rainbow replied, digging into her bowl. She half-chewed a bite, and looked over at her wife. “So, what’s on the schedule today, Twi? I was wondering if we could get out of the house for a while—I can’t take artificial sunlight for two days straight.” “Actually…” Twilight began, nodding over to Spike. He saluted, the loyal assistant as always, and retrieved a pair of items from behind him: a checkered blanket and a woven basket stuffed with food. Twilight thanked him and took the items up with her magic, bringing them to rest on the table. “I planned a picnic today!” “Huh, really?” Rainbow asked, in the middle of yet another bite of oatmeal. “So, what, in the park?” Twi shook her head. “Eh, not quite. I found this beautiful spot at the edge of town on my last walk with Applejack. You can see the mountain range from it and everything.” “Sounds pretty awesome.” her wife replied, oatmeal flying from her mouth in every direction. Spike held back an urge to gag. “So, when are we leaving?” “Now, if you’d like!” Twilight put on her sweetest smile, and Rainbow immediately felt a rush of nostalgia. The mare before her was as beautiful as ever, but her more, how could she put it? Her “stuffier” image these days, what with the glasses and all, was replaced by the wide-eyed mare that had walked into Ponyville for the first time something like fifty years ago by that point. Rainbow sighed, thinking about that number to herself. Had it already been that long? Twilight stood up and trotted for the door, leaving Rainbow at the table, seeing that neither she or her wife had even touched the orange juice glasses Spike had set out. She shrugged, lifted both the glasses, and clinked them together in a toast. “Here’s to another fifty years.” she said to nopony in particular. In two massive gulps, both the drinks were downed, and she took off after Twi as fast as her hooves could take her. Ponyville was bustling with activity as the old couple took their time strolling through. The town square bustled with activity, the mayor fruitlessly trying to inform a few citizens of upcoming events over the racket some nearby foals were making playing “Cowcolts and Buffalos”. Fuji Apple and her nephew Russet had taken charge of the Sweet Apple Acres stand for the day; Whooves and Applejack were spending the day teaching the newest generation the finer details of apple bucking, in preparation for next year’s harvest. Ol’ Cranky Doodle was trying to collect his groceries and get home before Pinkie broke into her daily song. Everypony was out and about, it seemed, but nonetheless gathered around town. Perfect for the happy old couple to get some time alone on the border. Twilight led Rainbow Dash down the pathway into some old clusters of trees; she didn’t think she’d ever been this way before, though she’d probably flown over it many times. She just didn’t… recognize it on the ground. The walk was pleasant, to say the least. Not just because of the mare in front of Dash, who against all odds had managed to keep her looks well into old age. Not to say it wasn’t a contributing factor, but, mostly the peace of it all. The smell of flowers was faintly touching the old mare’s nostrils, and in the midst of Autumn the forest was a brilliant array of warm hues mingling with the fading greens of Summer. “It’s just up this next hill.” Twilight assured her companion; the two of them pressed on with a bit more urgency then, and were rewarded when they came to the top. The trees broke away, and they found themselves at the top of a large cliff. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe how high up they’d gotten, but the imagery below was what really got her attention. For what seemed like miles, rolling hills stretched out beneath them. Blooming flowers, the last of the year, were brilliantly arrayed in wild and uncontrolled patterns beneath them, a striking cornucopia of whites, blues, and violets with the reds and browns of the scattered trees. It ran all the way up to the base of the mountain range, the tops of which were capped with tons upon tons of snow. “Wow.” Rainbow said. Her eyes went wide as she took it all in; Twilight took that opportunity to set up the blanket and basket, and carefully lower her wife to lay down on it. “It really is beautiful…” “Did you ever doubt me?” Twilight asked rhetorically, fishing a sandwich out of the basket. She offered it to Rainbow, but she refused. “I’m not hungry yet.” Twi shrugged and partook of the fresh food herself, leaving Rainbow Dash to ponder, as she often did lately. “Hey, Twi?” “Yeah?” “…Has it really been fifty years already?” “Yes, I’m fairly certain.” Her own eyes went wide, realizing the same thing as Rainbow had before. “That’s… certainly a very long time, isn’t it?” “It is.” Rainbow thought about it a bit more, and nodded to herself. She reached over and placed her hoof on her wife’s. “I, er, I just wanted to say thanks. For getting to spend all this time with you, y’know?” “I should be thanking you,” Twilight responded. “not the other way around. When I came to Ponyville, I never imagined what was in store. It’s really been quite the journey, hasn’t it? Friends made, foals raised, enemies defeated… and it’s not even over yet, is it?” she ended with a bit of a giggle. Rainbow returned the gesture, and stole a quick kiss from the other mare. “I hope it’s never over.” The pegasus said. “Or, at least, not for a while yet… Twi?” “Yeah, Rainbow?” “I love you.” Twilight’s face lit up like a star, the same way it did every time Rainbow Dash said those words to her. “I love you too, Rain—“ KRAKOOM “—bow?..” The two ponies looked at each other in bewilderment, as they heard the horrible booming noises. KRAKOOM It happened again, and both of them bolted to their feet, looking around for the source. Twilight was the first to spot it. “Oh, Celestia. What the hay is that?!” She pointed her hoof off to the mountain. Rising from behind its peak was a thick cloud of smoke. A lot of smoke. It rose up in torrents, like a valve had been turned on, and the choking liquid chugged into the sky above them. Blue sky turned to gray, as the booming, cracking noises continued. Twilight and Rainbow shared a glance, and quickly moved to the edge of the cliff. Twilight’s horn lit up in violet light, and the two were swept up by a magical aura. The pair were lowered down the side of the cliff, safely landing at the bottom together. They could see figures off in the field; other ponies had already arrived, and a crowd was quickly forming. Rainbow and Twilight approached them, to see much of Ponyville was converging on that spot, the highest hill in the meadows, to observe the unnerving spectacle. Voices chattered amongst themselves. “What the blazes is going on up there?” “It’s gonna blot out the sun!” “The end is nigh!” All the while, the smoke advanced. The sun, high in the sky, was powerless to stop the spread of the horrible haze, and soon enough it disappeared completely behind the blockage in the air. Darkness descended on Ponyville, and as more and more ponies galloped in from every direction, the growing crowd watched the mountain that seemed to spew the smoke anxiously. “Applejack! Fluttershy! Anypony, you out here?!” Rainbow called out into the crowd. Sure enough, a pale yellow hoof waved at them, and the old mare couple weaved through the crowd to find all of their friends gathered together in a clump with their families. “Girls, w-what’s happening?” Fluttershy asked, horrified by the events around her. “I don’t know, Fluttershy, but we’ll find out soon.” Twilight assured her. “Where’s Spike?” “Spikey’s still at the library.” Rarity informed them. “He wouldn’t say what he was doing, but he said it was important, and he’d be here shortly.” “Well, he’d better hurry up!” Rainbow shouted. “We’re gonna need everypony here to deal with whatever’s going on behind that—“ SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOONK Every pony for miles stopped their chattering. In one collective motion, their trembling heads followed the sound to the top of the mountain. And then, it came. In a single swoop, a dreadful silhouette that must have been the size of the town square rose over the peak, a claw scraping across the snow as it screeched into the heavens. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOONK It descended, gliding down the side of the mountain with a single flap of its massive, tattered wings. Wild, red eyes scanned the landscape with bestial fury. A dragon, larger than any ever seen in Equestria was bearing down on Ponyville. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOONK As it reached the base of the mountain, its mouth opened. Out of it poured a gout of fire as wide as the largest barn. Fields of grass and groves of trees were caught in the searing fires, as animals fled in every direction. For a single, horrible moment, a hush fell on the crowd. Then, as one, they screamed. They hollered, and they shouted for their Princesses. The ponies all around them descended into a mass panic. Some ran back to the village, others in any direction they could pick that was NOT in the direction of that… that beast. Even now they could see its ragged bronze scales reflecting the light of its fires. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other, horrified, and saw their friends. Applejack and Whooves were shouting, arguing over what to do. Neither of them knew what a “tartis” was, but apparently there was room in for the family, and one of them. Each was demanding that the other of the pair take that spot. Pinkie Pie was in tears, shouting hoarsely for her family to get out of the path of the dragon as fast as their hooves could take them. Rarity’s mouth hung open as a thousand regrets poured through her mind. Fluttershy said nothing, and only held her littlest foals as tightly as she could on the ground. Rainbow Dash turned back towards the beast. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOONK It was horrifying. But she had to do something. She tried to take a step forward, and stretch her wings; “YOWCH!” She felt them cramp. A pit in her stomach reminded her coldly: she was useless. Try as she might, she was no longer the hero that she remembered herself being. She was just a tired, old mare, who could only watch her family and friends be roasted by a rampaging dragon. A tear welled up in her eye, but dispersed as a hoof placed itself on her shoulder. She looked over, and saw Twilight staring at her with a curious smile on her face. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” The old pegasus sniffled to suppress another tear. “I… I love you too, Twi. S-so… so much for another fifty years… huh?” “Oh, I wouldn’t say that just yet.” Rainbow Dash questioned her with an arch of her eyebrow, as the monster screeched again. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOO— GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH! The crowd gathered in the meadow felt a gust of wind like a tornado pass over them, along with a huge shadow that nearly went unnoticed in the darkness of the smoke-choked sky. They looked up as one, to see a purple dragon take to the skies, in a straight line towards the oncoming dragon. The silence fell on them again, until one pony finally screamed, “RIP HIM TO SHREDS, SPIKEY!” Everyone around turned their heads to see Rarity screaming at the top of her lungs, as the little dragon that Twilight had hatched all those years ago now flew out to war. His claws freshly sharpened, and a fire in his eyes. THWACK Spike soared down on the bronze dragon, a monster nearly twice his size, and struck first as he roared as best as his lungs could permit. His spikes raked across the elder dragon’s face, drawing blood that spilled to the meadow below by the gallon. The awful think shrieked once more, and stopped its trail of destruction only a few hundred meters before the crowd of ponies. As the flames crackled beneath them, it snapped at the purple dragon with its gnarled teeth. The purple dragon weaved away, Spike’s nimble wings maneuvering him for a dive straight into the elder’s stomach. Thrashing away, ripping away soft underbelly flesh, the both of them careened into the ground below. Now everypony was cheering. Scattered at first, their voices joined together as one, chanting the name of their hero. The Princesses and the Elements of Harmony far away in Canterlot, and the Wonderbolts nearly on the other end of the country, they cheered as loudly as they could for their hero: little Spikey-Wikey. “SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE!” The assistant librarian, as odd as it was to call him such, was spurred on by all of his friends calling his name. Now on the ground, he grappled with the elder dragon and let loose all of his natural fury. With sharp teeth, he bit at the massive thing’s throat, letting blood gush out as he began to pierce skin. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOONK The monster felt awful pain, and went into a death roll. The movement caught Spike off-guard, and nearly crushed him under the sheer weight of the beast. But he survived, and came out from underneath its belly thrashing about. He opened his mouth and let out a torrent of green fire, scorching the brown scales of the beast. It hissed at him, and tried a gout of its own flame. Spike let loose more of his viridian fire, and the blasts collided. The flames danced around each other, licking their fellow fires as they clashed. But the color of red was the superior heat, and after a few precious moments broke through. Spike was caught in the blast, eliciting a collective gasp from his beloved ponies. But as the smoke cleared, he charged out, charred though still in the fight. He tacked the dragon and clawed at him furiously, but the massive thing’s tail whipped around and wrapped itself around his waist. Spike roared, and shouted a few taunts not fit for the ears of foals at the thing, but it did not care. With a forceful swing, Spike was smashed face-first into the charred ground. Then again. And again, and again, and again. The purple dragon was tossed about like a ragdoll, barely able to do more than groan in agony against the massive beast. “SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE! SPIKE!” The other ponies cheered and chanted with all their might. But it was no longer out of hope. They had all slowly realized as the fight dragged on, and their hero took more and more brutal beatings for their sake, that he could only delay the abomination aiming for their village, for reason unknown to them. He would give his life for them, but they would shortly follow. As Rainbow Dash and her friends watched the onslaught unfold, a somber mood replaced their initial fervor. Pinkie Pie comforted Rarity as she tried to hold back a sobbing fit, and the other mares were gathered together, legs wrapped around one another in a hug. All save Twilight, who still watched her student, and in many ways her little brother fighting for his life. “Ah can’t say Ah ever thought it would end this way…” Applejack told her dearest friends. “But Ah have’ta say… Ah’m glad that if it does have’ta end, it’s right beside all of you.” “I’m sorry, girls. I wish I wasn’t so… so useless.” Rainbow admitted. “D-don’t blame yourself, Dash.” Fluttershy insisted. “It’s not worth getting upset over me. I’ve lived a year longer than the rest of you, I, well, I just wish you could get that extra year.” Rainbow looked away from the collection of mares to Twilight, eyes fixated on the battle. Spike had freed himself, and now grappled up in the air with the behemoth. He was the one on the offensive. For the moment. “Twi?” she asked. “Could you… could you come here a second? I need one more hug before this is all over.” Twilight turned around to face the five other mares. All of them saw something that they lacked at the moment in her eyes: hope. And a smile on her face. “Girls, calm down.” she said cheerily. “None of you are dying today!” “What? Sugarcube, Ah appreciate the motivation, but… how in Equestria do ya figure that?” Twilight nodded at Applejack’s question and locked eyes with Rainbow. “Rainbow Dash, do you remember all those years ago, when we fought that cave bear? The spell I told you I was working on?” “Y-yeah?” “I finally found a use for it.” she said, furrowing her eyebrows and mentally psyching herself up. She approached the four mares, minus Dash, and addressed them. “Girls, I should tell you all this before I go… I want to thank you, so much, for everything you’ve done for me over the years. You’re the best friends any pony could ever ask for, and I hope you cherish your memories of me as much as I do of you. Tell all your families that I love them, and I love you all too.” She held her forelegs out and embraced all of them. “I’m gonna miss you.” All at once, the four of them realized what was about to happen. They wanted to protest, to say something. But all they could do was cry, and fake a smile to wish their friend luck. Rainbow Dash understood Twilight’s words, but a block in her mind stopped them from progressing. She couldn’t mean that she was going to..? Her question was answered when Twilight came to her, to talk with her in private. She placed a hoof behind Rainbow’s head and brought her in for a kiss. That familiar, sweet taste was on her lips, and Rainbow’s mind drifted back to their wedding day. A grim thought entered her mind as they separated: that taste, that kiss marked both the beginning of her life with Twilight Sparkle, and the end. “I want to thank you most of all, Dashie. The time we’ve shared means more to me than you could ever know. I smack myself every day for thinking that, if I hadn’t come to Ponyville like Princess Celestia forced me to, I’d have never met you, and I’d have never had all this. The years with you were the best of my life, and I’ll cherish them forever.” She hugged her wife, close, and Rainbow felt a shocking sensation as water dripped down her skin. It was Twilight that was crying. “I’ll miss you.” A dull shock hit Rainbow Dash, and she couldn’t resist as Twilight slowly separated from her, and starting walking in the direction of the chaotic duel of the dragons. Her horn glowed, and the burning flames separated as she passed by them. All of Ponyville watched with baited breath as Twilight approached the scene, until she stood almost directly beneath them. In a quick lull, Spike caught sight of her, and stopped fighting for a brief moment. His body dripped blood profusely, his flesh ripped open in dozens of areas, and the rest of his skin seemed covered in burns. He panted heavily, on his last leg. “Twilight? What are you doing?! Run away, I can’t—oof!” he took a tail to the abdomen, and responded with a gout of fire. “I can’t hold this guy off much longer!” “Spike, it’s time!” Twilight shouted up at him. “Spell #50! You ready?!” The purple dragon looked down at her, shocked, but it quickly gave way to the determined, eager look a pony’s assistant should sport. He saluted her, and in the fire it was nearly impossible to notice the tears streaming down his face. “Aye-aye!” The colossal bronze dragon lunged at Spike in the air, but the nimble little dragon had enough energy for one last trick. He rolled in his side, letting the dragon pass underneath him in time to deliver a brutal strike right onto its spine. The monster lurched downward, crashing into the dirt with a SMACK to be heard for miles around. Spike retreated back to the crowd, where unicorns quickly dug up their healing spells to treat his worst wounds, leaving Twilight alone with the beast. She was hardly the size of its eye, let alone the rest of its awful form, and the thing knew this. A deep, throaty sound that might have been a laugh of all things escaped its throat as it examined Twilight. But the little pony smiled. “Don’t laugh.” she warned the thing. “I’ve got the most powerful being in all of Equestria to look up to; I’m bound to pick up a few tricks!” Then, it happened. Her horn lit up, not the violet aura others were used to. This was intense, and it was white as snow. Her eyes followed, as the little unicorn crackled with magical power. As the aura engulfed her, Twilight Sparkle was lifted off of her feet and rose into the air, channeling all the magic she could muster into her horn, which by now looked like a star in its own right. The dragon saw this, and opened its mouth, still too pained to fly. The flames burst forth like a wave, crashing towards the little unicorn. All of Ponyville’s inhabitants shrieked with terror as it collided with Twilight… then, they felt themselves shrink in awe as a circle of white light pushed the flames away. She was unharmed. Her horn glowed brighter and brighter, until at last it could hold the energy no more. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHZIIIIIIIIP An indescribable zapping noise pierced everyone’s ears as the white beam of light shot out with speed too fast to follow. The puny flames of the dragon were cast aside like wisps of cloud as the fantastic ray bore its way through to the dragon itself. The thing stood, attempting to take to the skies. All of its effort was too late. The beam struck the thing square in its stomach, immediately piercing it and launching a geyser of blood out from the wound. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOONK The abomination of a dragon lurched and shrieked in indescribable pain as the white light poured through every inch of its body, every vein as it sought out any inch of the creature to destroy. Twilight’s horn glowed brighter then, and the force of it sent a wave of air pressure out. All the ponies watching were pushed back a step by the raw power they were witnessing. Twilight’s eyes flickered, as she desperately tried to hold onto the spell for just a few moments longer. Her efforts paid off, at last, as the still-shrieking dragon was lifted off its feet by the force of the beam sent against it. The spell pushed it higher, and higher into the air. Farther, and farther. Back the way it came, it went hurtling at nearly the speed of sound. It was practically nothing but a black blotch on the horizon when at last it collided with the mountain itself. Rock splintered, and dust shot into the air visibly even from where they stood to watch. A hole was drilled into the mountain, the dragon serving as the diamond bit. The beast was forced deeper and deeper into the rock, until at last, the cruel and powerful beam flickered out. Loose stones tumbled down, sliding into place as a door to lock the remains of the dragon away in the heart of the mountain forevermore. All the ponies were silent, a third time, as they watched results of Twilight Sparkle’s efforts. And one again, they cheered, louder than ever. Some of them claimed that ponies in Manehattan were woken from their sleep by the sound of it. In that single, brief moment, they all realized that none of them were going to die. Just once, everypony lives. Rainbow Dash felt herself swept up into a vicelike hug by Spike, gathering together herself and four other mares in a moment of bliss. “She did it!” he yelled in a voice far too cheery and full of glee to ever be coming from a dragon. “She really, really did it!” Over the screaming cheers of Rarity and, of all ponies, Fluttershy, Rainbow let out a few hollers of her own. The excitement rushing through her was unbelievable. Just the thrill that she was still alive. They were ALL still alive. As Spike released her, she turned around to charge over to Twilight as fast as she could and— “A-ah… W-wha…” Rainbow Dash had expected Twilight to be halfway back to her by now. But the only sign of her wife was a battered purple body lying some distance away. “T-Twilight? Twi!” Rainbow sprinted towards the little purple speck, and as she went the cheering died down. All the ponies present began to realize something was wrong. Dash got close, and very nearly wished she hadn’t. The body was Twilight’s, to be sure. But the sight was nauseating. Her eyes were clamped shut, and her mouth drawn taught, frozen in terrible pain. Her horn, once bright and fresh as they day she was born, was snapped off cleanly at the base before it completely shattered; a few of the fragments were strewn about the charred ground around her. Applejack ran as fast as her old hooves could move her body, and came to the scene of a broken old pegasus lying in the dirt, cradling the body of her wife as she wept. “T-Twi! Come on, wake up! Please, just wake up! Fifty more years, right? D-don’t back… back out on me!” Applejack sat down next to Rainbow Dash, and put a hoof on her shoulder. But she looked away; she couldn’t bear to see the scene playing out as her other friends slowly drew in around them. “C-come on, Twi… please just wake up… d-don’t l-leave me…” Fresh tears had nearly reduced the ground beneath Rainbow’s hooves to mud. She stared out at the ground below her up on that cliff. If she jumped, right then, there was nothing to save her. No Wonderbolts to catch her, no branches to grab. Her own wings were too useless to even try using. It was a sure thing. And if she timed the jump just right… she wouldn’t be too far from where her wife died. “I-I guess… in a way, we’d be together, right?” Rainbow took a deep breath, and a few steps away from the cliff. This was it. No second chances. She hoped her friends would be okay without her… she wondered if maybe she should have left a note. But there was no time for it now. “Here goes nothing…” She took off at a gallop, charging for the side of the cliff. But she didn’t make it more than three steps before a voice rang in her ears. “Rainbow Dash, what the hay do you think you’re doing?!” The pegasus stopped dead in her tracks, and twisted her head around to find source of that voice. She KNEW that voice. But it couldn’t be… “T-Twilight?!”