//------------------------------// // Supersonic // Story: Even Rainbows Fade // by Pracca //------------------------------// KRAKOOM The sound of rock crunching, or the sound of their hearts and minds shattering. Whichever it was, Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s eyes were immediately drawn to the only possible source of that horrible noise. The mountain closest to them was being gutted from within; the hole that Twilight’s spell had made, sealed with rock, was leaking smoke in massive quantities, all of it slowly rising up into the air and pooling into a single massive cloud above the peak. The old farm pony’s mind blanked, as she resisted taking in that image. “N-no… no, that can’t be right! Twilight killed it! Right, Rainbow?” She turned, and the old pegasus wasn’t paying attention to a single word her friend told her. Her rose-colored eyes, the shine that had so briefly returned replaced by dead shock, were fixed on the pile of rocks. Applejack followed her gaze, and felt her entire body droop as she saw the rocks begin to shake. It was small, hard to notice from such a vast distance at first. Then it became worse. Shaking with greater fervor and intensity, the barrier to the inside of the mountain began to shiver like bits of paper being blown upon by a gentle breeze. SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOONK And in a single moment, they were launched from their place with the force of a cannon. The dragon’s grand head burst through the pile, screeching and groaning as its disturbing body snaked out of the opening with it. Both mares watched, transfixed, and waited for it to spread its wings and descend. But it didn’t; it did not move towards Ponyville. It did not even spread its wings. With shaky, jerking movements, the dragon adjusted itself and began to move upwards. Applejack felt a brief shot of confusion within the tumult of fear. “W-what’s it doin’? Why ain’t it comin’ down this way?” She expected no answer from the silent pegasus, which made her all the more shocked when she received one. “It’s dying.” Applejack felt her head wrench to the side to gape at Rainbow. “What?” “I remember now.” Dash replied. Her eyes went wide as memories of some past event came rushing back to her. “Twilight made me read through a bestiary on dragons with her; she was trying to figure out what kind of dragon Spike was. That one, up there!” she said, pointing with a hoof. “It’s called a chromatic fireheart. When they feel themselves dying, on instinct they ascend to the highest point that they can reach. And then they—they…” Applejack watched her friend’s expression change, slowly sinking into complete horror. The pegasus began to shiver as Applejack tried to snap her out of it. “Sugarcube? What’s wrong?! It’s dyin’, right, aren’t we safe?!” “NO!” Rainbow screeched back. She jolted from her still position and grabbed the other pony by both shoulders. She shook the earth pony violently as she explained, “Chromatic firehearts aren’t LIKE other dragons! They don’t just use magic, they are literally magic. Their hearts are made of a magically-constructed ball of fire! And-and when they die, all the heat that they have built up in their chest gets released! And he’s gonna do it—“ “On top of a mountain!” Applejack finished for the other mare. “Right! And that mountain has got more snow piled up on it than the weather station dumps on Ponyville in a decade! It’s all gonna melt, and it’s all coming down STRAIGHT ON PONYVILLE!” SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE— The ponies turned their eyes back to the mountain. As they’d talked, the dragon had continued its steady ascent, before it finally reached the summit. Now, it stood on its hind legs, with wings unfurled as it raised its head and gave one last hellraising cry. Even from where they stood, the Ponies could see its bronze scaled turn red as rising heat seared it from within. Its chest cavity grew brighter and brighter, first yellow and then blue, until finally a single blazing-hot white point marked its chest. And then, its scream was silenced. A dull thud came with the release of heat, so intense that even the mares on the cliff could feel the temperature rise a few degrees. The light was too bright to dare look at, but the mountain around could be watched clearly. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water were released from their icy prison by the sweet embrace of warmth; the dragon’s final parting gift to nature, and its last curse to Ponyville. They trickled, at first, the little water droplets unsure of what to do with their newfound freedom; but gravity beckoned them, and they found themselves among millions of their brethren. As one, they pooled their efforts and streamed down the side of the mountain. Then they rushed, and roared, as inertia and force of malevolent draconic will worked in their favor. After a few moments of uncertainty, a thunderous tsunami crashed down the side of the mountain; just as Rainbow predicted, heading straight for the two mares, and Ponyville. In the cacophonic din of oncoming water, only a scream could have been heard between the two old ponies, as they shared one last look at each other’s eyes. Though their faces were plagued with worry and fear, their eyes told them everything they needed to hear from each other. Rainbow Dash raised up her hoof, and Applejack brought her own to bump against it. Friends to the end. Then they watched. There was nothing more they could do; they weren’t fast enough to warn the village, certainly not enough to get themselves out of the way now. The water reached the base of the mountain, and began to wash over the devastated land that the dragon had scarred in its own strafe. A feeling hit the both of them like an anvil; this was it. No time to say goodbye to their friends, no soothing words of family to wish them off. All they could hear was the rising crescendo of the coming waves. That and… At the same time, the two old mares turned to face each other, and their eyes shared the same question: “Is that thunder I’m hearing?” ZZZZAP In the blink of an eye, a pegasus shot overhead, faster than either of them could turn to watch; they were followed closely by another. Then another, and more still, until dozens of uniformed ponies were forming up into wings and flights above them, all leaving the same black cloud trail, framed by crackling lightning. The pair’s jaws dropped; the Wonderbolts had arrived. But that triggered something in Dash’s mind. If the rest of the Wonderbolts were here, that meant… “GO! GO! GO!” The hoarse voice of a shouting pony could be heard clear as crystal, even over the veritable orchestra of noises brought against her. Dash and Applejack looked up in shock, and watched Captain Opal Dart streak past them towards her team. The ponies on the cliff watched as what must have been forty or fifty Wonderbolts all gathered around their Captain. Though they couldn’t hear her from this distance, it was still amazing to watch her work. With a face as set and determined as steel, the Captain shouted out commands to her team, gesturing hooves in every direction, ordering them to various places. One by one, the pegasi saluted and shot off to their assigned areas. Rainbow’s eyes went wide as she watched; her daughter was good at this. She looked over at Applejack, who was staring at the scene in confusion. “They’re splitting up into teams!” Rainbow Dash yelled at her, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard. “She’s splitting them into groups of five ponies each, and they’re gonna be placed at intervals!” Sure enough, as she explained the Wonderbolts moved to their positions in groups of five every two hundred feet. “Then, I think they’re gonna try and send the water up over the top of the mountain, and let it crash down the other side, since there’s nopony living over there!” Applejack stared at her in confounded shock. “How in Equestria’re they gonna manage that?!” Rainbow Dash grinned and turned her eyes back to her daughter; she was eager to see if she pulled this off. “Just watch!” The water was close now, no more than five or six hundred feet out; but the Wonderbolts were in position. They LIVED for moments like this. Each one waited, fidgeting in the air as they silently begged for the go-ahead from their Captain. As it came within twenty feet of their line, the voice of Opal Dart rose about the chaos. “NOW, SPIN!” In perfect unison, every Wonderbolt team moved as one. In circular formation, they spun as fast as their wings could possibly take them. The ponies watching were hardly able to see more than cyclones of black thunderclouds when they got up to maximum velocity. As the water roared in and passed beneath them, rather than continuing to crash forward, it shot straight up into the vacuums they had made. Their Captain shouting encouragements from above, each and every Wonderbolt flapped with all of their might. The tornados, maybe the size of a house at first, grew steadily in size as their efforts doubled and redoubled. The water began to rise, each spout a mirror of the ones beside it. Rainbow Dash watched as the twisters finally came towering above them, and the water coming from behind was slowly running out. The oncoming volley of floodwater slowly died down, as the Wonderbolts continued their spins. After a full minute of onrushing doom, the last drops of water were sucked into the vacuums. Applejack tossed her hat into the air and cheered as loud as her old lungs let her, whooping and hollering as the twisters hung there in the air. She turned around to throw her hooves around Rainbow Dash; but she stopped. The look of elation she had was not shared by the old pegasus. She looked more like she was devastated. “S-sugarcube, why’re ya lookin’ like that? What’s going on?” “Look.” Rainbow commanded. Applejack complied, and saw the tornados the Wonderbolts were conjuring, still spinning around the water they’d captured, still at approximately the same height they’d been at a minute ag—oh. Oh, no. She looked back at Rainbow, who was shaking her head. “They’re not strong enough fliers to get the rest of the way. All they can do is hold it there until they tire out.” “Oh, Celestia. Rainbow, what’re we gonna—“ “Hehehehe…” AJ found herself watching Rainbow Dash laughing, once again. It wasn’t that same cheerful guffaw she’d had earlier; it was subdued, almost melancholy, and her smile was hardly there. A cold feeling gripped her chest as the earth pony asked, “What’s wrong?” “…Nothing.” Rainbow replied, her smile growing a bit, but letting her eyes close as she took in a breath. “It’s just kinda funny, y’know? I go through all this trouble trying to get over losing Twilight. And now, right at the end, when I feel like everything’s going to work out… there’s one last thing stopping me.” The pegasus took a few steps forward, to the edge of the cliff. Applejack watched on in silence, wary of any sudden motions to jump. “I know what I’ve gotta do now, Applejack. It’s not what I wanted; what Twilight wanted; but we’re here, and it has to happen this way.” Applejack looked on, dumbfounded. “Dash, Ah don’t get what you’re tryin’ to say…” The old mare looked back, and the smile on her face was genuine. “What I’m trying to say is, I’ve always been a hero; and a hero doesn’t get the luxury of sitting on the sidelines when somepony’s in danger.” The realization hit Applejack like a ton of bricks. “Dash, are you crazy?!” she asked, trotting to her side. “Ya can’t even fly anymore!” “Maybe, maybe not. But I have to try, right?” The old orange mare stared at Rainbow Dash and pleaded with her expression. She couldn’t bring herself to glare. Her lips quivered as she tried to find something to say to change her friend’s mind; but the motion stopped as she saw the look of determination in Rainbow’s eyes. The spark was back. A blue hoof came square to rest on Applejack’s shoulder, and Rainbow Dash told her, “I’m sorry it had to be this way, but it does. If there’s even a chance I can save all of you I’ve gotta do it. Element of Loyalty, remember?” She drew Applejack into a hug—Applejack stopped, and corrected herself in her mind. A last hug. “Wish me luck, all right?” “A-all right. Good luck, Dash.” Applejack sniffed back a tear and backed away; the old mare would need space for this. As the Wonderbolts in the distance struggled against the water, growing heavier on them as the seconds passed, Rainbow Dash crouched. Years of experience and training came back to her, encouraging her in her mind. Her stance was right, as hard as it was on her old bones; her timing would have to be perfect, with so little ground to use as a takeoff point. For her, though? That was nothing. This would work; this would definitely work. It had to work. A final breath, and she was as ready as she would be. Her thoughts reached out for her wife in the last moment. “Sorry I couldn’t keep my promise, Twi.” And in a push, she was off. Her frame launched with all the force she could muster with a flap of her wings. She took off up and over the cliff like an arrow; and by Celestia, did it hurt. Her wings felt ready to snap off just after that first effort, so cramped and injured from years of underuse. She began to drop from the sky. NO. She grit her teeth and flapped again, and again, and again. The pain hit her fresh each time, but she fought against it; she would not give up just like that. She kept up the motion, and as the moments passed the pain faded. Or at least it was so constant that she was growing used to it. It only then occurred to her that her eyes had been closed the entire time; tentatively, she opened them. The ground below her stretched out in every direction. It hit her then: she was flying again. Really, truly flying. An influx of emotions she could never describe came to her then, and she couldn’t possibly have been more ecstatic. An entire sense of self she’d felt lost came back then. She had never stopped being Rainbow Dash; but now she felt like it. Courage welled up in her. Fearlessness, even. If she could do this, in the condition she was in, what else could she do? Below, Applejack watched in a mixture of shock, awe, and joy as her friend left a rainbow streak behind her, taking off in the direction of her daughter. “COME ON, KEEP IT UP YA COLTS!” Opal Dart shouted, eyes frantically shifting right to left as she examined her troops. They were the best of the best, but they could only do so much; they were on their last legs, and in a moment the water would come crashing back down to Ponyville. She had nothing left up her sleeves; she’d need a miracle to salvage this— “Hey, Squirt!” “Bwa—“ She spun around mid-air only to get caught in the embrace, of all ponies, of her mother. Her jaw dropped as she examined the elderly pony, defying the news she herself had told the Wonderbolt so many years ago. “M-m… Mom?!” They hung in the air for a moment in silence, and Rainbow saw Opal start to cry. “Mom, I’m sorry!” She buried her head in Rainbow’s shoulder and began to sob. The old mare smiled and stroked her daughter’s mane, just like she’d done when she was just a little teal filly afraid of the dark. “I-I got the news a few days ago, and we’ve been flying here as fast as we could!” Rainbow shushed her and nuzzled the side of Opal’s face. “It’s okay, squirt.” “No, it’s not!” the little mare said—not little, Rainbow thought. She must have been middle-aged by now. “How is it okay that I missed my own mother’s funeral?! I should have been there… I hadn’t talked to her in over a year, that’s not right. She probably hated me…” “Opal, seriously.” Rainbow pushed her daugher’s head up to look her in the eye. She was never the best at these parental talks, but she had to try. “Twilight couldn’t hate anyone, least of all you. She was just happy that you were living your dream.” She pulled her back into the hug. “And so am I. Now then, we can save the rest of the sappy talk for later, okay? Why don’t’cha tell this old mare what’s going on here?” Opal Dart pulled away from her mother’s embrace, and slowly nodded. The Captain’s face hardened as she returned to her duties, surveying her team. “We can only get the water up this high, and it takes all our concentration to do it, so we can’t move it off in the distance. We’re almost out of energy, too; if we let go now my team will need a minute that we don’t have to recover.” Dash nodded, smiling a bit to herself. She had been afraid that was the case. Only one thing left to do then. “Order your ponies to drop the water all at once. I’ll pick up the slack until you’re rested.” Opal looked at her mom like she was insane, and vocalized as much. All the old pegasus did was stare back at her. The younger mare took a moment, but relented. If there was one time her mom wouldn’t overestimate herself, it was when lives were on the line. “You’re sure about this, mom? You shouldn’t even be flying.” “When have I been unsure about anything, squirt?” she asked, smirking. Opal nodded, and couldn’t help but smile a bit herself. By the time she’d entered the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash had already retired. Though she wouldn’t tell a soul, she was just glad to finally work alongside her hero. Opal Dart flew up and down the line of waterspouts, relaying her orders, while Rainbow Dash calculated her route in her head. If she swung about to the right, and came around, she should be able to pull it off. She’d find out in a moment, anyway. “ON MY MARK!” Opal shouted. “3… 2… 1… MARK!” Once again, in unison, the Wonderbolts halted their spin, and in a blur of rainbow bright as the sun the fastest flyer in Equestria took off. She went to her right, arcing back around to the left end of the line in the span of a couple seconds. Then again, and again, and again, speeding up with every rotation. The water had enough time to reach land again, but as the madpony spun about on her own, the impossible was made reality. The water began to follow her movements, circling around into a single pool. Then, trickling, it began to follow her up and off the ground. As each droplet went, it caught two more to bring along with it. This pattern continued, until the entirety of the torrent was gathered up into a single, massive spout; and spinning faster than the eye could follow at its rim was Rainbow Dash. She felt herself getting dizzy as she went, but that feeling was overcome by unabashed giddiness. This was amazing! This would be it, the glorious final flight of Rainbow Dash, and it’d be one for the history books. It was all on the line: no more fears, no more reason to hold back a single ounce of energy. It all came out here. As the Wonderbolts came to ground, panting and tucking their wings away, they watched the colossal mass of water raise above them. Their jaws dropped as it hit the same height that all of their individual masses of liquid had reached. Their jaws went further down as it went further up, past their record height. Up on the cliff, Applejack could find no words. Was that really her old pal out there, pulling off what the entire Wonderbolt’s couldn’t? She felt an urge to shout build up. “COME ON RAINBOW, AH KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! WOO!” The Wonderbolts cheered in turn, hearing the earth pony vocally upstaging them. The team rookie, an icy-blue stallion, watched his Captain stare up at the sight in the same way a little filly might react to seeing her favorite movie. He saw her mutter two words to herself: “So awesome!” Up above them all, Rainbow’s mind was not so free to revel. She was focused like a needle on her target, down to a pinpoint. The pegasus sported a daredevil’s grin as the font of water rose; she was two thirds of the way to the peak of the mountain now, and getting closer every moment. This was it. She could do this, on her own even! Pride was the word of the day, as she felt the joy of victory creep ever closer— thumpTHUMP Her eyes shot open, as pain pierced through her chest, and the spout began to waver. “Oh, no.” thumpTHUMPthump-thumpthumpTHUMP-THUMPthumpTHUMP Her heart began to pound in irregular, agonizing rhythms as the strain of flight forced itself down on Rainbow’s body. She hadn’t trained in so long; she wasn’t ready for this. “No, no, no!” she pleaded. “I’m so close! I can’t go yet! Gotta—gotta!” THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP—thump-THUMP. thump-THUMP. As she felt ready to fall, a pair of hooves caught her. She looked up, and saw Opal Dart gripping her tightly, flying round and round the waterspout. She looked around, and saw the entirety of the Wonderbolts surrounding them. They fell into the formation, and as a unit tore into the water. With renewed vigor, the group carried their load all the way to the top. Rainbow Dash looked at the mountain as she passed it each time, and saw the empty landscape on the other side. Once they were over there, it’d be over. The water rose a bit further, just a bit further… “C-crap!” Rainbow Dash looked up at her daughter, to see her face contorted in effort as her and the other Wonderbolts struggled to maintain their altitude. Without Rainbow’s help, they were stuck in the same situation as before. The pegasus wracked her brain. Her heart was still beating irregularly, if more softly. If she was going to do anything, it’d have to be in one swoop; she just didn’t have the time to last that horizontal trip. Then it hit her. Her namesake and her cutie mark stood clearly in her mind. She grinned, and wrestled away from her daughter’s grip. Then she rose, high up into the sky. She thought about something Soarin had taught her back when she first joined the team; his words rang clear. “Hey, wanna know a secret, Dash? You’ve gotta save your best stuff ‘til the encore! One last hurrah to really win the crowd, so awesome it’s like the whole performance has just been leading up to the last trick!” Airhead or not, that pegasus knew his showmanship. She was high up now, far above the clouds. She’d have to time this just right or it would never work. One last hurrah; the encore to end all encores. “Here goes everything!” She dove. Like a hawk diving out of the sky, she plummeted at maximum speed. Bits of color shot off of her like sparks as hers peed came closer and closer to that sweet spot; she broke through the clouds, and below were the Wonderbolts struggling with that massive waterspout. She’d have to hit it JUST right, and even then it’d be a long shot. But nothing else to do. As she went, her heart revolted; the old ticker went faster and faster, tripping over itself and losing its rhythm as her speed built. She’d only get one shot for sure. She’d make it count. THUMPTHUMPthumpTHUMPthumpTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPthumpthumpthumpTHUMP She was screaming through the air now, the time was right. The Wonderbolts and their target came closer, closer, closer. Aim it, time it… In a single millisecond of time, the waterspout passed by just to her left. And then, Rainbow pulled up. KRAKOOM A Sonic Rainboom, perfectly timed, swept past the Wonderbolts, knocking them aside and colliding head-on with the waterspout. Any force it might have carried was nothing against such a legendary force, and the torrent was swept away in the multicolored sweep. With a final crescendo, it was tossed headlong over the top of the mountain, barreling down the other side and into uninhabited wilderness. “WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—“ The Wonderbolts erupted into a chorus of cheers, hoots, and hollers as they saw their burden disappear in a single, climactic eruption. They were all so young, only their Captain had ever seen the legendary Sonic Rainboom personally. To call them awestruck was an understatement. Opal Dart herself was spinning about in every direction, gushing praise as she screamed to her ponies just how amazing that was. “That’s my MOM, suckers!” As she gloated, Applejack below’s eyes lit up as the threat to Ponyville passed in a single miraculous motion. She prepared to cheer herself. Then she caught sight of Rainbow’s silhouette, lingering in the air, apart from the others. The old mare clutched at her chest as her heart spun out of control. Everything was blurry, fading in and out. Color was draining from her sight. Her wings felt pained, slowing their beats with every second. She gasped for breath, but her lungs would not fill. As her energy sapped out from her, Rainbow Dash looked up. No water. Just a brilliant rainbow, congratulating her on a job well done. Through the horrible sensations gripping her, Dash smiled. She did it. She had one breath left; how would she spend it? She chose to laugh, and whisper to herself, “Beat that, squirt.” Rainbow Dash’s eyes closed, and she dropped from the sky. As the body plummeted, a teal streak plucked it out of the sky to carry her to ground. Applejack sprinted, galloping as fast as her hooves could take her, and then yet faster. Her entire body shook and threatened to drop there, but she wouldn’t let it. She had to get there. “Not again. Not again.” she repeated. As her tired old body raced to the throng of Wonderbolts gathered in the field, the crowd parted to allow the old farmer entry. At the center, Opal Dart cradled her mother’s body, quietly sobbing as barely-healed wounds re-opened. The scene was so familiar to Applejack; she felt sick. “No, no, no… sugarcube, ya can’t…” “Please…” Opal whispered. “…please wake up…” Four days later Fresh rain lightly sprinkled the Ponyville Cemetary, as its solitary visitor paid her respects. The afternoon was chillier than most, but the old mare had braved the weather for their sakes. She looked down at the epitaph written on the stone at her hooves. Here lies Twilight Sparkle Beloved Wife, Sister and Mother Friendship is Forever Applejack sighed, and placed down her delivery. A fresh bouquet of flowers, picked from the garden her daughter had been growing in Sweet Apple Acres. Then, her eyes drifted to the stone next to the first. Here lies Rainbow Dash A Hero to All, Beloved to Her Family Loyal to the End She’d written that one herself. It felt proper. An unabashed stream of tears was dripping to the wet earth below, and a cold wind blew through the tombstones. The old mare bowed her head, understanding the signal to head home soon. Then, she smiled. “Ah’m sure gonna miss the both of ya.” she said, trying to keep her composure. “But, it ain’t all bad. You’re together now, up there. An’ someday… someday we’re all gonna be up there with ya. Ah don’t plan on it for… for quite some time. But someday. An’ then, it’ll be just like ya never left. Friendship’s somethin’ that lasts forever, so we’ll get to pick up right where we left off. Until then…” Applejack nodded, unsure of what else to say. “Goodbye, girls. ‘Til next time.” She turned and walked away from the cemetery. Everypony was waiting for her at the library; she needed to get back before she worried them all to death. A chapter had closed on their lives, but the old farm pony knew the book wasn’t finished just yet. They’d go on living; after everything those two had sacrificed so they could, they were owed that much.