Rainbow Dash Around the World

by MagicS

A Million Lights

Flying.

North.

A blank expression on her face.

Going much more slowly than usual.

The jungle, the world below her, was ignored. She flew on and on with her eyes glued to the north.

Waiting until she saw her.

She knew the pony would be impossible to miss. Somehow she could just feel it. Heartless would want to be seen after all. She wanted Rainbow Dash to find her, to come to her. Rainbow didn’t know how it ended up this way, but Heartless was no longer the hunter. And Rainbow Dash could no longer avoid her. Ignore her. Put her out of her head.

They were going to meet again.

Up ahead the jungle mostly gave way to rocky orange mountains, not entirely, but mostly. Beyond those was Equestria proper. She hoped Heartless hadn’t gone that far. She hoped she was waiting closer. That pony had already done enough.

Please don’t be waiting at her home.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and slowly exhaled before opening them again. There was no reason to get pessimistic or afraid like that. She had to stay strong, stay confident, and be ready for anything. She had to stay like herself or things would never turn out good. It was always when she was at her best—her most positive and optimistic—that she was able to do anything and overcome anyone else. She had beaten Heartless before, or at least stopped her, she could do it again.

Right?

It felt different though.

Rainbow Dash had to admit that things felt different this time.

She quickly reached the mountain range, now with the jungle only existing in the valleys and gaps between the various mountains and rock formations. Her wings were still flapping relatively slowly. Casually, as she went over the land. Now she kept her eyes open wide as she searched around for the one waiting for her. There was no point thinking about anything else.

Going and going. Unable to fly away anymore. Having to deal with something she probably should’ve dealt with for real a long time ago. But she had been afraid. She was still afraid—in a way none of the other villains and monsters she had faced on this journey made her feel. She hated finally outright admitting that to herself. Now that everything was pulled aside she had to though. There was just something about Heartless different from everyone else. And yet she still had to gather her courage and stop her, because if she didn’t who else would?

That thought actually reassured her a little bit. She would just have to do what she always did, what she had resolutely stated she would do ever since leaving Pinetree Warren.

As Rainbow Dash.

She scanned the mountains below her, none of them high enough to have snow on them, especially not with the weather so nice and warm. There were a few scattered rivers and streams going through the mountains and the jungles between them, nothing big though. She didn’t hear any birds or hear any animals. The world was still and quiet.

Rainbow Dash lifted her magenta eyes and looked at a cliff in the middle of the mountain range—situated between two jungled valleys on either side of it.

A deep, lingering, breath came out of her mouth as she emptied her lungs.

There she was. Just sitting there on the edge of the cliff. A pink pony looking north, just like Rainbow Dash had been not long ago. She didn’t turn to look up at Rainbow Dash even though she obviously knew she was there and had been coming for a long time. Heartless just continued to gaze north.

It was noon. The sun directly over both of them.

The sky was blue.

White clouds that you could lay back and look at and imagine them as any number of things floated by.

It was a beautiful day.

Rainbow Dash landed next to her—only a few feet away—and sat down. She too looked from atop the cliff and could see the mountains disappearing into the landscape that made up the south of Equestria beyond. Letting out another sigh, she finally turned her head and looked over at Heartless. The mare was still sitting there as if Rainbow Dash hadn’t at last reached her, she was looking with her sparkling blue eyes, not blinking, ahead. A small smile on her face. Her Cutie Mark the same as it always was.

“Hi, Heartless,” Rainbow said.

“Hi, Rainbow Dash,” Heartless finally acknowledged her. She turned her head to look Rainbow in the eyes as well. “I’m good at waiting, you know? I never had to be anywhere, or ever cared about where I was going, so I never really needed to be in a hurry for anything. So I just figured I’d wait here for you again. Since I had the chance.”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, and Heartless returned to looking north.

“It’s incredible. It’s so, so, amazing. I’ve been to soooo many places in the world now but I’ve never been somewhere like this. I can see so many lights—and they’re all so much warmer and brighter than most of the lights in the rest of the world. None quite like you I don’t think, but it’s still so amazing. I just feel so special, so warm, looking at it,” Heartless said and glanced out the corner of her eyes to Rainbow Dash. “This is where you’re from, isn’t it?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, that’s my home. It’s called Equestria.”

Heartless beamed, her smile growing even wider. “It’s magical! I think… ever since I felt you coming, I always thought I’d finally be satisfied, finally feel fulfilled, if I could only have the light and warmth from your life. But if I don’t—I know where I’m going next.”

“You know I’m not just going to let you do that, right?” Rainbow said to her, a sad frown on her face.

“Oh I know,” Heartless nodded repeatedly. “And I know, even though I don’t get why, that you aren’t just going to let me finish things with you right now. Are you? If you came down here… you’re not going to just try and run away, but I don’t think you’ll give me what I want either.”

Rainbow Dash sighed and stood up, also giving the pink pony a solemn nod. “Yeah. If you still want to take my life, you’re going to have to work for it. I don’t quit.”

Heartless also stood up and faced her. “That just proves how special you are. That just makes me know you’re full of life! It’s going to be like nothing I’ve ever experienced when I take all that warmth from you. And all those thousands and thousands of lights in Equestria, they’ll be shining and calling out for me too.”

A humorless grin twitched up a corner of Rainbow Dash’s lips. “That’s where you’re wrong. Those lights are shining for me.”

Comments

[RoboRed]

Y'know, it's a funny thing, kinda like with Godfrey...Once stuff has quieted down, the hostilities have been turned down, and the characters just sit down and talk openly, you kinda wish things had turned out a little different.
I guess it's something about Heartless's childlike demeanor in this scene. I don't know anything about Heartless's origins or purpose, only that there's there's a trail of death in her wake and a constant desire to consume. But there's still that bit that doesn't exactly seem to indicate a knowledge of right from wrong.

...Oh well, moment's passed. She can't be allowed to get to Equestria at any cost. This has to end now.

[redmar]

Heartless has to be stopped to keep her from killing even more beings than she already has.