The End of the Rainbow

by Charles Spratt

Chapter 5: 6 Shades of Superstition

Chapter 5: 6 Shades of Superstition

It was just 3 days after the funeral. Everypony was helping rebuild the town, as the battle with the lurodea had left the town looking more or less like it had gotten crushed with a giant weed wacker. Rainbow and Fluttershy were assigned to fixing the weather that the beast screwed up, which was pretty difficult, considering the clouds the lurodea had grabbed were multiplying by the second. This work may have seemed endless, but it did give the duo a lot of time to think about things. Fluttershy’s thoughts were centered around Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was really taking the loss of Twilight hard. Sure, Fluttershy was taking it hard as well, but Rainbow Dash was taking it to an almost obscene level of difficulty. In other words, she had practically become a mute, very rarely talking to any pony about anything. Rainbow barely even talked with Fluttershy anymore. Not to mention, Rainbow had been keeping her distance from others recently. It was something that Fluttershy decided she needed to ask Rainbow about. Rainbow was also thinking about her friends, although in her case, she was more interested in looking for a pattern in these deaths. Rainbow, on the belief that the death of 7 ponies who are close to you all happening in one year cannot be pure coincidence, tried to look for what all of the incidents had in common. Suddenly, it hit her. The one thing that all of these incidents had in common… was her. In every single death instance, Rainbow Dash was there. Sure, the deaths themselves weren’t her fault, but she was the only one who was there for all of them. She was the only one with Pinkie Pie when Pinkie met her end. She was the one who tried and failed to save Rarity during their mountain picnic. She was helping AppleJack with the harvest when she came down with that illness. And finally, she was one of the fighters in the battle against the lurodea. When she realized that she was basically a bad luck charm, her heart sank into her stomach as she looked at Fluttershy. Fluttershy was a great pony. She may be socially incompatible, and have borderline pantophobia, but she was still one of the kindest things in Equestria. She could see the good in any creature, she could stop even the most dangerous creatures without resorting to violence, and she was able to make anyone’s heart melt with one of her squee’s. Rainbow couldn’t let Fluttershy die because of her. She just couldn’t. From then on, Rainbow Dash made a vow to try to stay as far away from Fluttershy as possible, as to insure that Fluttershy doesn’t die an early death.

After they finished fixing the clouds, Fluttershy raised her voice to ask Rainbow why she was avoiding others so much. Before she could spit out the words, however, Rainbow soared off, without so much as a “see you later”. Fluttershy chased after her, but was unable to get her to slow down. After about three miles, she lost track of her. Unfazed, she decided to try to talk to her tomorrow.

The next few days, however, proceeded about the same way. Every time Rainbow saw Fluttershy, she dashed away as fast as she could, despite Fluttershy's attempts to get her to stop. The more this happened, the more confused Fluttershy became. She even wondered if Rainbow didn't want any friends anymore, just out of the fear of losing them. After a few days of failed attempts, she realized that she needed some serious help if she was going to catch Rainbow and ask what was wrong. She knew of only one group of ponies that Rainbow wouldn't flee at the first sign of. She needed the Wonderbolts.

Fluttershy flew to the Wonderbolts Academy, going as fast as her wings could carry her. She hoped that she could get there without Rainbow seeing her, because if Rainbow saw Fluttershy at the academy, she’d no doubt get suspicious. Fortunately, she made it without a hitch. Upon getting there, she snuck into the main building and peeked into the main office. Inside was Spitfire, who was wearing a military uniform and was busy stamping a large stack of papers. Fluttershy took a deep breath and walked in. Upon entrance, Spitfire started to say, "What is it this time, Thunder La…" before looking up and seeing that the pegasus at her door was not Thunder Lane, or even a recruit for that matter. She raised her eyebrow and flew in close, in order to take a good long look at the familiar looking pony who had just entered. Throughout the whole inspection, Fluttershy tried to remain at attention, so that Spitfire wouldn't kick her out. After taking her look, Spitfire said, "You're... Fluttershy, right?"

"Yes, that's me." said Fluttershy, who had just now started breathing again

"Alright, why are you here? Are you looking to join the ranks?" asked Spitfire

"Umm, no. I need your help."

Spitfire raised an eyebrow and took off her shades. She put them on the desk, and sat down, all while giving a stare that said that she wasn't going to take any crap from Fluttershy.

"What do you need help with, Fluttershy?" asked Spitfire, while still glaring at Fluttershy, “And make it quick; I have a lot of paperwork to fill out.”

"W-w-well, it's about R-rainbow Dash." said Flutttershy, who was clearly freaked out by Spitfire's constant glaring

Spitfire dropped the glare, and gave a look that suggested that this was something that she noticed as well. “What's wrong with her?" asked Spitfire

"She hasn't been herself recently. She's been avoiding everypony like the plague unless contact is absolutely necessary, and even then she keeps it as brief as possible before fleeing as fast as she can. I've tried to ask her about it, but I can't keep up." said Fluttershy, clearly releaved that she was no longer getting glared at.

"Hmmm... so it's not just at the academy..." Spitfire said to herself

"She's been acting oddly here too??"

"Sure has. She has not been flying anywhere near her best on the timed courses, and only flies fast when one of the other cadets asks about it. I've called her in here a couple times to ask about what's going on, but whenever I do, she insists that she's fine. Obviously, that's a lie." Spitfire explained

"Oh my..." Fluttershy quietly exclaimed.

"So, what exactly is your plan, and where do the Wonderbolts come in?" Spitfire asked

"You mean you'll do it?" Fluttershy exclaimed, as a big smile began creeping onto her face.

"I never said that. I just want to know what your idea is. Maybe we'll help you out with it, maybe we won't."

"Oh okay. Well, here's the plan..." said Fluttershy, as she got in close to Spitfire and whispered the plan to her. Upon finishing, Spitfire said, "Really? That's your whole plan?"

"Y-you don't like it?" asked Fluttershy, who gave a look that suggested she was about to cry

"Again, I never said that. I just think that your plan is kind of... well... simple." Spitfire replied

"It doesn't need to be complex." Fluttershy retorted. Spitfire put her head in her hooves, clearly thinking hard about the whole thing. After a few minutes of this, Spitfire finally looked up at Fluttershy and said, “Alright, I’ve decided to help you out with this. I’ll get the other Wonderbolts in on it too.”

"REALLY???? OH THANK YOU SPITFIRE!!!!!!" Fluttershy yelled, as she rushed over to Spitfire. When she got to her, she gave her a hug so tight, that it almost broke Spitfire's ribcage. Spitfire tried to say something in response, but was unable to, as Fluttershy was hugging her too hard. When Fluttershy finally let go, Spitfire flew back to the desk to get her breath back. She gave a nod to Fluttershy, then cleared her throat and yelled, "NOW GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!" Fluttershy jumped back in panic and flew out at top speed, rushing home to get what she needed.

The next day, during the ‘C’ class cadets’ training day, Fluttershy and Spitfire set their plan into motion. During the warm up that day, Spitfire told everypony to do 200 laps around the academy. They all complied and began do their laps. After the pack had flown 5 laps, Spitfire flew into the circle and chased after Rainbow. Rainbow was only going about half her normal speed, so Spitfire was easily able to catch up to her. Once Spitfire got in close, she tackled Rainbow Dash, sending both of them to the ground. The duo landed on the grass just left of the runway, and as a result, neither suffered any injuries. "Oww, Spitfire, what did you do that for?" Rainbow asked

"IS THAT ANY WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER?!?!?!" Spitfire yelled back. Rainbow Dash was shocked, as Spitfire was never this loud or angry. Rainbow got into the position of attention and said in her voice of attention, "No Ma'am!"

"NOW TRY AGAIN!!" yelled Spitfire

"Ma'am, why did you bring me to the ground, Ma'am?" said Rainbow, who was shivering slightly at this loud Spitfire.

"That's better. I forgot to tell you something, Rainbow Dash." said Spitfire, reverting back to her normal military voice

"What might that be, Ma'am?" replied Rainbow Dash, who had eased up a bit upon hearing the regular voice, but was still pretty tense.

"You're getting a promotion, Ms. Dash." said Spitfire

"Really????? Does that mean I'm a Wonderbolt now????" Said Rainbow Dash, who was trying her hardest not to jump up and down in excitement. Once she heard that, Spitfire laughed and said, "No, you're not a Wonderbolt yet. It just means that you're being bumped up to the next level of recruits. Your aerial abilities really stand out from the other 'C' level cadets. As a result, you're being promoted to 'B' squad! In that squad, the uniforms are different and the training is much tougher. Can you handle it?"

"OMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSH, YES, EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" squealed Rainbow Dash. Spitfire started to glare at her, and Rainbow immediately snapped back into attention, saying, "I mean, Yes Ma'am!" Spitfire stopped glaring and said, "In that case, head over into the C squad locker room, and get your things out from there. Once you're done, talk to me, and I'll give you the key to the B squad lockers, as well as the key to your locker number. Understood?"

"Ma'am yes Ma'am!" Said Rainbow Dash

"THEN GET GOING!!!!" Spitfire yelled before heading back to the training course. Once Spitfire left, Rainbow started fangirling to herself, clearly ecstatic that she was one step closer to her dream. She headed to her locker and piled everything inside into her arms, not taking any care to look at it. After finishing that, she slammed the locker shut, and went to Spitfire. Spitfire took one look at the mess of assorted junk in Rainbow's arms, and immediately called for a suitcase to hold it in. Once the suitcase was brought in and packed in an orderly way, Spitfire put a card key and a regular key in Rainbow's saddlebag, as well as handing her a Wonderbolt ‘B’ cadet uniform and pointed her toward the locker room. Rainbow flew over and tried to open the door, but to no avail. She went back to Spitfire and complained that the key wasn't working. Spitfire simply rolled her eyes and told Soarin to help Rainbow open it. The duo flew back to the door, where Rainbow tried and failed to open the door. "See? It's broken!" said Rainbow

Soarin rolled his eyes, grabbed her key, and slid it through, causing the door to open. "Why did it work for you?" asked Rainbow

"Because you were holding it upside down" Replied Soarin, to which Rainbow turned red from embarrassment.

Rainbow entered the room, letting the door close behind her. In it was just a hall to another room. The only thing of interest in here was that there was a mirror in the hall. Rainbow decided that, before she would do anything, she’d try on her new outfit. She unfurled the outfit and looked at it. It had a similar look to her Shadow Bolt costume, complete with gold thunderbolts and a slick black outside. The only difference was that the yellow eyes were switched out for regular eyeholes. Rainbow put on the outfit and examined herself in the mirror. The suit really went well with Rainbow’s blue fur, surprisingly enough. Rainbow turned to the side and saw that this outfit even had her cutie mark on it! Which was strange, considering when she was handed the outfit, it had nothing on the flank area. Rainbow took it off and saw the rainbow thunderbolt disappear from the costume. She placed it back on, and back came the thunderbolt. Apparently, this suit ended up adding the cutie mark of the pony wearing it! That really impressed Rainbow, who stood for another minute admiring herself. After that little detour, Rainbow entered the door on the other side and found that the room it led to was pitch black. Rainbow immediately started feeling around for a light switch. After a few minutes, she finally found it. When the lights flipped on, she had to stop and stare for a moment. This locker room was much bigger than the ‘C’ one, and it came complete with a showering spot with stalls (as opposed to the stall free C showers), several benches, and the addition of actually being clean (The C locker room was kind of smelly, and always full of sweat and debris.) After she finished taking the environment in, she started searching for locker 1136. After a moment, she found it, opened it with her key, and placed her things inside. In it went a couple trophies, some old wrappers (most of her old wrappers were thrown away by Spitfire, apparently), a spare saddlebag and a pair of photos. She took out the photos and looked at them. The first one was of her and her father, watching the Wonderbolts for the first time. “I promised you I’d be one someday, and now I’m closer to that than ever before. I’ll get there someday soon, Dad” Said Rainbow Dash, as if her father were standing right beside her. She taped it up and looked at the second one, which showed the Mane six together for a photo. She looked at the picture and sighed deeply. She really missed the old days, back when everything seemed so simple. Back when friendship was unstoppable. Back when they were all together. She held the photo close to her for a moment, than taped the picture next to the other one. “I miss you guys…” Rainbow said in a forlorn tone.

“I miss them too, Rainbow” said a voice from behind her. Rainbow recognized that voice, and it made her heart stop. She slowly turned around and saw Fluttershy, sitting on a bench. She immediately rushed for the door, but when she tried to open it, she found that it wouldn't budge.

"You're not going to get out that way, Rainbow. Soarin is holding the door from the other side." Fluttershy said calmly. Rainbow was not about to let that stop her. She shoved on the door as hard as she could, constantly slamming into it in the hope that she could break it down. Fluttershy sighed and sat down, waiting patiently for Rainbow to finish. After about 20 minutes, Rainbow got tired and fell to the floor. After seeing that, Fluttershy said, "Rainbow, we need to talk."

"No! Y-you have to stay away from me!!" yelled Rainbow Dash, who was backing away from Fluttershy.

"Rainbow, what's going on?" asked Fluttershy, as she walked toward Rainbow.

"S-stay back! I'm dangerous!!" yelled Rainbow, who had backed herself into a corner.

"No you're not Rainbow. Why would you say something like that?" said Fluttershy, who sat down in front of Rainbow, who was cowering in a small ball in the corner. After a few minutes, Rainbow stopped shaking and opened an eye. She saw that Fluttershy was just sitting there with a look of genuine concern on her face. She looked around the locker room, but couldn't find any other exits aside from the one she entered in. She looked at Fluttershy, then at the door, then deeply sighed. "Fine, I'll talk" Said Rainbow in a defeated voice.

Fluttershy released a sigh of relief and said, "Ok then, Rainbow, what's been going on? You have been isolating yourself from everyone as much as possible, and you've barely been trying in your Wonderbolt training. Why?"

"It's because... I'm a bad luck charm." said Rainbow, bowing her head. Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion, and asked, "Why in all of Equestria would you think something like that?"

"Simple logic, Fluttershy. For each and every one of our deceased friend's deaths, I was there when the major issue came up. I was there with Pinkie when she passed away. I was on that picnic when that wind blew Rarity off the cliff. I was helping AppleJack with the bucking when she came down with that disease. And most recently, I was there when the lurodea attacked. For each and every death, I was with the pony on the chopping block when it began."

"Rainbow, how does that prove anything? I was there for all of those events. How are you so sure it's not me who's the bad luck charm."

"Fluttershy, you weren't there for all the events. You weren't with AppleJack when she came down with that disease, remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

"Everytime these deaths started, I was there. I couldn't have you suffer the same fate, so I kept you as far away from me as possible. I had to abandon you; if I didn't you would've ended up dying too!"

Fluttershy thought about what Rainbow said for a moment, then said, "Rainbow, the thought of you being a bad luck charm is outrageous! Just because you were there for each one doesn't mean you caused the deaths to happen! It was pure coincidence!"

Rainbow let off a weak laugh and said, "Fluttershy, is that really all that likely? I mean, having seven ponies who are close to us all dying in the same year, and for vastly different reasons? That just doesn't seem likely. There's a reason for everything, and the only logical conclusion I can come up with is that my presence is what is causing these deaths in the first place! I couldn't let that happen to you too!"

"Rainbow, even if your superstition is true, what is your avoiding me like I’m still a Flutterbat actually doing?"

"Huh?"

"Rainbow, listen to me. Although I appreciate you doing this to try to save my life, I would honestly rather be dead then be alive with four friends dead and one friend trying to avoid me. I would rather live my final days to their fullest with my final friend then live longer all alone." said Fluttershy, tearing up slightly as she said it. Rainbow looked down and to the side, clearly thinking about everything.

"Please, Rainbow Dash…" said Fluttershy between tears, "I need you..."

Rainbow looked up, and stared straight into Fluttershy's eyes. After a moment, she started bawling like a baby, and rushed over to hug Fluttershy. She gave a full hug and said between tears, "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry... I had no idea that I was hurting you this much..."

"It's okay, Rainbow Dash. You were doing what you thought you had to. I honestly can't blame you for trying to do that for me. Still, I forgive you." said Fluttershy, returning the hug. The duo sat in that lockerroom for a few minutes, and promised each other that they would make every moment from here on out count. They wouldn't let any superstition get in the way of their friendship, of that they promised each other. They walked out together, knowing that they could face anything the world threw at them if they took it on together. All but one thing, that is...

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

Because I've gotten several questions about this, yes, this chapter and the next one were originally going to be one and the same. However, I wanted to keep the chapters at a length that would be reasonable for one sitting (i.e.:under 6000 words) Hope you enjoyed this chapter all the same.