Rainbow's Letter

by Silver Moon

Alternate Ending

A/N:
Well, you demanded it so here it is. The alternate ending. The first part is the same so skip to a few lines before the line of stars if you don’t feel like re-reading most of the last chapter.

Slowly, Twilight lowered the letter. Fighting tears, she looked at the four ponies in front of her. Fluttershy was weeping in the corner, hooves over her ears in a feeble attempt to drown out the letter she had already read. Applejack had removed her hat out of respect at some point and sat with her head bowed, dry eyes closed. She was not one for tears, but it was still clear she was upset. Rarity’s eyes lacked the farm pony’s dryness; tears slid down her face, smudging her perfect makeup. Yet the fashionista made no attempt to clean herself up, she just stared as Twilight slowly rolled up the letter and placed it on the ground before her. Pinkie Pie sat uncharacteristically still, wide eyes dry. Her head, cocked to one side, portrayed her confusion: the party pony could not understand what the letter meant. Twilight sat down before her legs could fail her, allowing her tears to fall freely. She looked at her friends as the silence stretched on. Slowly, Fluttershy stopped weeping. She uncovered her head and sat up. After looking hard each of her friends, lost in their own pain, she broke the stillness of the air.

“I killed her,” she said. It was a statement, not a question. Four heads snapped to face her, four sets of lungs tried to regain the air stolen by the sudden words. Fluttershy blinked slowly and took a deep gulp of air. “I killed her,” she repeated, louder, as if daring her friends to contradict her. But there was no response, so Fluttershy nodded her head mutely. She stood up and turned to the door to leave, but she was stopped by Twilight.

“Fluttershy, wait.” The Pegasus stopped, her hoof on the door to open it, but did not turn. She waited stiffly for Twilight’s next words. “You didn’t kill Rainb-”

“Didn’t I?” Fluttershy softly cut across her friend, still facing the exit. She had stopped crying, but when the tears had left her, they had taken all of her emotions with them. The Pegasus spoke in a low monotone as she continued. “I was her oldest friend, I should have seen this was bothering her. I was the one that told her about the Hydra. I-”

“Would you let me finish?” Twilight burst out, reclaiming her place as the speaker in the conversation. Fluttershy said nothing as she turned to face her remaining friends. “Good,” Twilight continued, momentarily using her usual brisk manner before returning to one of grief. “Now, as I was saying, you did not kill Rainbow. We- we all did.” Twilight waited, expecting one of her friends to say something. This time it was Applejack that spoke.

“You’re wrong, Twi,” the farm mare said. “We didn’t. Mare Do Well did.” Applejack looked at the ponies around her, wishing for one of them to make a move, to break the silence. She slowly turned back to Fluttershy as the Pegasus took another step to the door. She stood there for a moment, her head bowed and eyes closed, before speaking once more.

“Isn’t that the same thing?” she asked. Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door. Nopony stopped her as she took to the air and flew out of sight.

As Fluttershy flew, she could feel the tears sneaking upon her again, but only in the physical sense. She felt no pain inside, no sorrow, no anger. She felt nothing. Empty. But still the tears fell from her eyes as the ground fell away beneath her. The yellow Pegasus made no move to stop the tears, or even acknowledge them. Fluttershy flew silently and quickly, but seemed unaware of the distance she was traveling. Although she had no particular destination in mind, her wings lead her to Froggy Bottom Bog. Silent other than the soft panting of her breath and the pounding of her heart, Fluttershy landed and started walking to where the Hydra had lived. {Lived}, she thought to herself,{ as in past tense? I think so, Rainbow must have succeeded. Or the Hydra would have attacked by now. But then that would mean that she really is- No. I-I don’t believe it. Maybe Rainbow is still OK, maybe she just got hurt and can’t fly and, and}, Fluttershy broke her thoughts off as she drew closer to where the Hydra once lived. The stench of rotting flesh and dead fish hung heavy in the air, accented by another, less familiar sent. {No!} Fluttershy screamed internally as she recognised the smell. She had known that this was the scent she would find but she hadn’t wanted to admit it. The smell that seeped through the air was the scent of death. Death and blood and fear and sorrow. Fluttershy let out a soft whimper, wanting nothing more than to flee the scene. But she had to know for sure. Slowly, painfully, she sloshed through the bog to where the scent came from. {I have to know,} she told herself every time her body tried to flinch away. {I have to know. I just have to.}

It took an eternity in the space of a second for Fluttershy to round the corner and push past the cattails that swayed in the soft breeze. The scent, greatly intensified, hit her like a wall, causing her to stumble back through the plants. The pain, the sorrow, came back but she pushed forward once more, her eyes closed against the tears. {I have to know,} she told herself once more as she forced her eyes open. What she saw made her cry out in shock.

The Hydra lay still in the murky water, its body laced with bruises and cuts. There was little blood: the rest had been washed away by the soft flow of the bog. The many heads lay in ways not possible had it been alive. Twisted and bent at wrong angles, their dead eyes gazing at nothing but still full of rage. Two heads had been tied together and one had its tongue in the bog. But the massive beast was not what stolen Fluttershy’s breath. No, the cry had been caused by the tuft of rainbow mane that hung from one of the dead Hydra’s many mouths.

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” breathed the mare as she crept closer to the splash of colour. “Oh my goodness, Rainbow? Rainbow Dash? Are you there?” she asked softly, desperately, hopefully. Only the breeze dancing in her ears replied to her question. Shivering despite the warm sun on her back, Fluttershy reached forward a trembling hoof and picked up the patch of mane. It was Rainbow’s, no doubt. Although one end was stained a dull brown by dried blood, enough colour shone through to make it clear whose it was. Tears slid down her face as the mare tried to fly away in fright. {I don’t want to know! No, no!} Fluttershy told herself as she tried to make her wings work. But her limbs would not cooperate and she was as flightless as an Earth Pony.

The wind blew softly in her ears, wordlessly whispering to her. The Pegasus shook her head against the noise as she tried to make up her mind. Would she run away from her fears and her pain? Or would she be brave and find her friend? She wanted to be brave. Oh, how she longed to be brave, brave like-

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy called out gently. She had heard something. It sounded like a cough and it came from somewhere to her left. Turning away from the Hydra, the yellow mare called her friend’s name once more, a little louder. When no response came, Fluttershy made up her mind. Steeling her nerve as much as she could, she started walking to where the sound had come from. She called out again and again but the only noise was the pounding of her own heart in her ears. She pushed her way past a curtain of vines and let out another cry of pain as she felt ice stab her heart. Her eyes worked furiously to try and get the scene before them to Fluttershy’s brain. Slowly, she managed to get a good look at the small clearing. The space before her was about as big as the picnic blanket the girls often use and about three quarters of the ground was covered by bog. On Fluttershy’s right, spilling out into the centre, was a small chunk of solid land. Lying there, half in and half out of the water, was a blue lump. Rainbow Dash lay still, ignorant of the weeds that had started to creep over her unmoving body. Most of her tail had been torn clear off and where her cutie mark once was had become a bloody clot. Only the tip of one ear, most of which had been ripped off, was out of the water. The rest of the brash mare’s head was completely under the gently lapping waves. Fluttershy cried loudly and painfully as the realization hit her. She had wanted to believe that her friend was still alive when she found the letter. She had believed that Rainbow was still alive when she had heard the cough. But now Fluttershy cried as she pieced together what had made the sound.

It was the wind. It was the wind pushing past the vines and teaming up with her hopeful, over-active imagination. She had wanted, had needed, Rainbow to still be alive. But it was clear, as the living Pegasus splashed over to the dead one, that Rainbow could not have coughed. With her head almost completely submerged, the Pegasus would have been able to make a sound, had she even been alive. As Fluttershy drew closer it was clear that the blue mare had been dead for a while. The blood that stained her fur was too much and no living creature would allow plants to grow on and over them. No; Fluttershy had come too late. Perhaps, had she found the letter sooner, she would have been able to save Rainbow. But she hadn’t and it was too late.

For the second time that day, Fluttershy felt her emotions flee her. In a dream, she reached under the water and pulled her friend out. She was vaguely aware of tears falling and her breath coming in weeping gasps as she placed the other Pegasus on the solid ground. The weeds tugged at the body, reluctant to let go but Fluttershy ignored them. They broke and the yellow mare brushed them away gently, as if afraid to wake Rainbow. Looking down at her friend’s face, Fluttershy felt a soft smile form on her lips despite the tears that fell. Although the water had already set to work on decomposing Rainbow’s face, it was still clear what her final thoughts had been.
Although she was dead, Rainbow did not look sad. The still and stiff pony held a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes that even death could not take away. Rainbow’s face, although slightly scrunched up against the pain of her final moments, was that of a happy pony. She had the face of a foal who had gotten the Hearth’s Warming Eve gift that she had asked for, longed for, {begged} for. And, in a way, she was that foal. She had known that she was dying but that pain had given her joy. It had told her something. As Fluttershy gazed down at her friend, she felt like she knew why the blue Pegasus looked so happy. It was simple, really.

Rainbow Dash had died knowing that her last dream had finally come true.

Author's Note:

So, here is the “more” that you demanded. Maybe not what you had in mind, but you know what? I like it. It even has (my version of) a happy ending.
Now, the indirect sequel I mentioned will take a long time to come out. Partly because I just don’t feel like writing it yet, but mostly because I’m not letting myself post any new stories until I have finished all the ones I currently have up, other than Sad Short Stories which I have no plans of ever “finishing.” Anyway, when I do finish it and post it, I will add a “chapter” to this story that will only be the link to the story. I’m still going to mark this as “complete” because it is not an actual chapter I will be adding.

OK then. That’s it.
So, as always, if you see any mistakes, please let me know. I would also love to know what you think of this ending.

Comments

[Darksonickiller]

I like this ending alot better I feel like it gives closure.
P.S. If you did a bonus chapter with the fight sense between Rainbow Dash and the Hydra that would make this story 20% cooler.

[Rainbooms]

Oh god, the feels!

[Slate the Pegasus]

I love it so much

[thehitman4u]

Bravo,
When I saw this title in my update box I was surprised and had to read it right away. I believe you did a wonderful job on this ending and agree with you about the fact that it is indeed a happy ending in the sense of the story.

I cannot wait for the time when that update to sequel chapter will be gracing the inbox's as well.
Thank you for the alternate ending and hope you have great stories for the future.

I do not see a derpy pony,
I see Derpy, a pony.
One day I will figure out how to put a sig in fimfiction.

[Flying-Claw]

Right in the feels ! Very, very, very well written !

[Writer12577]

Oh my, a chapter! And lookies, it's a second one in three days! Splendid!

This feels much like a reward, you know. I must admit that I had been waiting for this. More than usual, that is. And now it's here. .

Oh boy, that was something. Something, as in ohmyCelestiaandLunathatwasamazing! I'm repeating what the other people above me have said, but this was really well-written. And on top of that, sad and slight gore. Bravo, absolutely brilliant!

Now, much to my disappointment, I have to skip proofreading this chapter, as I'm going to have to get online on Skype and get working. The only thing I found when reading the story was this:

Oh, how she longed to be rave, brave like-

Shouldn't there be a "b" in front of the "rave". It doesn't seem to make much sense right now.

That was all and this seems to be my cue to get out of here. I'll be there when your next story gets updated (or when you make a blog post. I really have no idea when I'll get to disturb you again).

Have a fuzzy Pinkie !

[Silver Moon]

2497639 Thank you! I'm happy that you like it.

2497646 Personally, I prefer the other ending but I know that many will disagree and I'm glad you like it. As for the fight scene, I think I'm going to leave that to my readers' imaginations. Go crazy!

2498033 I'm glad! I really enjoy it when I get comments like this. It makes me feel good.

2498222 Thank you for the lovely comment. Comments like yours make me feel special. The fact that someone has taken the time to write out something longer than a single sentence or two (and with proper grammar no less!) makes me feel like people really care about my stories and enjoy them. So again, thank you. By the way, I love your sig.

2499957 Well, I was aiming at the "feels." I guess I have good aim. Thank you for the compliment.

2500425 Hello again, my friend! I have been writing a lot these past few days, haven't I? Well, I just got over a writer's block that was plaguing me for over a month so now I have a month's worth of writing energy and ohcrapdidIjustjinxthat? OhcrapIthinkIdid! NowIwon'tbeabletowriteforamonthagain! NO! Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap! KNOCK ON WOOD! KNOCK ON WOOD! *knocks on wood*
My brain: You could have just deleted that part of the comment...
Me: What's the fun in that?
My brain:
Anyway...
I'm pleased that you enjoyed this as much as your comment says you did.
I fixed the typo. My fingers couldn't move at the speed my brain was sending out letters so I think they thought that the "b" just wasn't important enough. Yup, that is exactly what happened.
Well, farewell for now, my friend. I shall see you again when one of us posts something that notifies the other.

Let me return the favor.

[Writer12577]

2500545

And now, a reply. My day just officially got good!

Yes, you have been writing a lot. And I also see that you have one of those rational brain. That's good. Hello, Silver Moon's brain!

A good read is a good read, no matter if you serve it on a silver plate or roll it in grease and tell me to fetch it from the dumpster. And I generally find your stories to belong to this category of "good reads".

Yup, that tends to happen. Those silly brains, first they try to be sooo rational and then they just go all silly and fool your muscles. And now my brain is ranting about other brains. And now my brain hurt itself by thinking about things that are beyond its capacity. Ow.

Same to you from here, I will be around and lurking and such, so it should not take long for our paths to cross again!

[Slate the Pegasus]

2500545 um sliver moon cool name

[flimbee]

You fiend! You made me pull my hand out of my amazing pocket that comes with my pj's, but all in all; good stuff.

[Hash1996]

Really nice short story

[Mega-Diancie]

Those who were Mare-Do-Well...Twilight....Applejack.....Pinkie....Rarity....and Fluttershy...

They purposely tried to make Rainbow Dash feel bad, depressed and lonely all because they wanted to teach her a lesson..They never tried to speak with her and get to know the real her. As a result, Rainbow Dash's feelings and desires to be more then a face in the crowd found a way to kill her and punish the others for their cruelty and ignorance, with the news of the Hydra. As a result, Loyalty is dead and she went with a smile on her face, knowing she fulfilled the wish she had in her heart, a wish her friends never got to know until it was too late.

All are punished....ALL ARE PUNISHED!!

(I know I should like Shakesphere and it was a happy end for Rainbow Dash, but it didn't change the fact the tradgey of this story could had been easily prevented.)

[Silver Moon]

4802032 While that episode is what gave me the idea of using the Hydra, it did not attack Ponyville. The Hydra itself was canon but its alleged attack on the town was my idea.

[Silent Wings31]

...I should really stop reading Rainbow Dash death fics when I start tearing my own heart apart.

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

DO NOT LIKE RAINBOW DYING AT ALL

[MyCutieMarkIsTellingMe1]

Dayummmm

[PastelKitty]

I've just been reading to many sad RD fics lately. Honestly, I liked both endings, tho the alternate one is really good. :) Nice job, not many [or any] mistakes so, yay!

[denneylaw]

Loses a teeny bit of impact since we now know Rainbows parents are canonically still alive though.

[Pete100]

I wouldn’t say this is an alternate ending. It’s more of a continuation of the last chapter except rainstorm isn’t there.

[SuperUltimateBrony]

I hate you for this. It was written beautifully and the letter was spectacular and full of feels. I hate you for making this so dark. The mane six having killed one of their best friends and Rainbow Dash never knowing her closest allies were her assists in suicide.

Dear Celestia this was fucking dark.