Disclaimer: All characters are owned by their respective owners.
Warnings: Major Character Death
It hadn't been a particular good day. Nor a good week to be precisely.
And now she would die.
She closed her eyes, the pressure of the water becoming more and more unbearable with every passing second, while she was diving deeper and deeper in the depth of the sea.
A small smile appeared on her face.
It hadn't been a particular good day. Ponyville was a mess, rainy and muddy and more than one pony had spent their day grumbling about whoever was responsible for the weather.
''Rainbow Dash!'' Twilight Sparkle had been one of them. Around four o'clock and with more holes then she could count in her roof ruining, besides Spike's efforts to save them, a number of expensive books she in fact had counted, she had enough.
''I thought it was supposed to be a sunny day!'' She had tried to calm herself down on the way to Rainbow Dash.
Seeing her lazily lying under a tree brought the anger back almost immediately.
''Relax, I have everything under control.'' Rainbow Dash mumbled, not looking up.
''Under control? You call that having everything under control?'' Somewhere in the distance a loud yelp could be heard, just seconds after an alarming close peal of thunder.
''Rainbow Dash you have to do something. The storm will reach Ponyville in a few minutes!''
Rainbow Dash snorted.
''Oh Twilight, you're just overreacting again. Like I said I have everything under...''
A lightning bolt, the sudden howling of thunder around them and the world lost its color, its sounds
broke into two pieces, with someone, something, feeling the crack, feeling for the hole, finding, and reaching.
And it was over again as soon as it started.
''Huh.'' Rainbow Dash said, blinking a few times, trying to shake off the odd feeling that had suddenly overcome her. ''That was … odd.''
''You think?'' Twilight asked. She was gazing into space, her eyes wide with terror and fear.
''That was magic.'' She mumbled. ''Powerful and old. I have never felt something like that before.'' Startled she looked up. ''I have to... I have to contact Princess Celestia.'' She ran away.
Rainbow Dash looked after her, slightly confused, before rolling her eyes and lying down again.
''Not like it's my problem...'' she thought dimly, before falling asleep again.
''Rainbow!'' She was woken up by the outraged voice of Applejack. ''What are ya doing?''
''Sleeping before you woke me up.'' Rainbow Dash grumbled before looking up. After a short moment of shock she started laughing wildly.
''What happened to you?'' she managed to gasp out between uncontrolled laughter.
Applejack glowered at her, her wet mane hanging over her eyes.
''That was all your doing!'' she said. ''Big Mac and I wanted to bring in the crop and now it's ruined!''
''You look ridiculous!'' Rainbow Dash giggled.
Applejack's eyes narrowed.
''Rainbow Dash it's your responsibility to look after the weather and...''
''Mmmh excuse me.'' She was interrupted by Fluttershy. ''Rainbow Dash the animals they are slightly afraid of the storm and if it's not too much work could you please make it stop?'' she asked.
Applejack rolled her eyes.
''No need to be polite sugar cube it's her job to make it stop.''
''Hey has no one of you ever heard about free time?'' Rainbow Dash asked angrily.
Seeing the disapproving expressions on Applejack's face and the pleading look on Fluttershy's she sighed.
''Yeah, yeah sure I'll do it.'' Without another word she flew away, leaving Applejack and Fluttershy staring after her.
It took her hours to clean the sky. The clouds were heavy, unevenly and when she finally landed she could feel an ache in her wings.
''They better be thankful for that.'' She grumbled as she made her way towards Twilight's house.
''Rainbow Dash! Everybody is searching for you!'' A small smile appeared on her face. That better meant that they had decided to throw her a thank-you party for her good job.
''You have to come with me to Twilight's house immediately!'' Rarity said, the terrified tone in her voice sounding serious for once.
''What?'' asked Rainbow Dash suspiciously. ''Something terrible happened!'' ''Oh, no, no, no.'' Rainbow Dash stopped walking abruptly. ''I spent the whole day cleaning the sky! I deserve a pause!''
Rarity's eyes widened. ''But it's an emergency! We need the power of the Elements of Harmony and well, you're loyalty!''
Rainbow Dash eyes narrowed. ''Then be loyal to me for once and let me get some rest!''
Ignoring the pain in her wings she raised herself into the air.
The Everfree Forest was still terrifying. But it was silent and the last place they would come to look for her.
Rainbow Dash flew around a bit, before landing at a clearing, that seemed less likely the home to some terrifying monster than the rest of the forest.
She lied there for hours, first grumbling angrily about her friends and, as the time passes, more and more trying to ignore the small guilty voice inside of her.
It had become late and through the leaves of the tress she could see part of the deep black, starry sky over her.
She sighed and
a hitch in the world, a ripping, a tearing, reality breaking, while something made its way into this world, one constant thought pounding through its mind: hunger, hunger, hunger and then as eyes were forced open a rush of pure and wrong primal delight over the sudden realization: Food.
Rainbow Dash gasped for air.
Her eyes were wide open, her whole body was shaking violently and in front of her inner eye she could still see the, the thing reaching through the hole into their world.
''What are you waiting still for here?'' She twitched around seeing Zecora at the other side of the clearing.
Her breathing was still jerkily and she stared at the ground, too afraid to say something, before letting herself fall on the ground and burying her face under her hoofs, whimpering quietly.
She didn't hear the soft clacking as Zecora made her way over to her.
''Oh I see now, it is fear.''
''You've seen the thing?'' she whispered.
''Though familiar with the Old Ones I am, not one of the Chosen Ones or I'd see ever better than.''
''Chosen ones?''
''You and your friends a task you have, fail and it will be all our death.''
''I don't want to! It is, it is..''
Old, she wanted to say, old and mighty and hungry, so hungry, and it wasn'tfrom this world it was never meant to pass but it did and now it would
devour, feast, feed on this world,
until there was nothing left.
Part of her, small and important wondered why she knew that. The other part was too busy whimpering in fear.
''Escaping our fate we cannot do. Once chosen we have to follow through. Your friends... they need you.''
And a sudden wave of outright terror as images of her friends appeared.
They were screaming at her, begging her to help her and she was just standing there and watched them dying, as It devoured them, their power meaningless without her, and they died alone and in the knowledge that she left them and she and she...
''Won't let that happen!'' Leaves around her and vaguely she noticed that she was flying, pain and fear forgotten.
It took her ten minutes to be back in Ponyville something she only noticed with weak astonishment.
She landed in front of Twilight's house and stormed into it without knocking.
The house was empty.
''What...'' ''Rainbow Dash! You're back! I know it!'' Someone leaped at her and she flinched back before she recognized the voice. ''Spike?'' she said. ''Where are the others?''
''Princess Celestia sent a message. She said It's coming from the sea. She told Twilight and the other's to go there.'' ''But the sea is miles away.'' ''Twilight will try a teleportation spell. They went to the market square since Twilight said she needed more place and that they couldn't wait anymore for you and that I should wait...'' He stopped mid sentence, realizing that Rainbow Dash was gone already.
''Good luck.'' he mumbled.
''Step a bit back Pinkie Pie. Yes, like that. And stay that way, any changes in the constellation and it can go wrong!''
The spell was complicated. The spell was the most complicated thing she had ever done.
Her stomach turned at the thought of what would expect them at the sea.
''Repair the hole.'' had the end of the messages from Princess Celestia been. ''Repair it now!''
No further explanations. Just orders. And the grim determination and unshakable feeling of pure panic.
If she hadn't been with her friends during the vision, Twilight thought, she wouldn't have the courage to go.
''Okay time for the spell. Don't forget once there I will cast the spell to focus our energy to repair the … hole. I hope the energy of the Elements of Harmony and my magic will be enough.''
''What about Rainbow Dash?'' Pinkie Pie asked.
Silence. They hadn't found here.
''We just … we have to try without her.'' Twilight mumbled, ignoring the part in her that whispered that it would never work without all the Elements of Harmony and an other, deeper, meaner, part that bitterly mumbled ''Traitor.'' when thinking about Rainbow Dash.
''It's time.'' She said loudly. A searching look at her friends. She could see the fear in her eyes.
She wished there would be another way.
Then she started casting the spell.
She could see them from the distance, standing in an odd circle. She screamed but they didn't hear them.
She doubled her efforts. Her wings were burning and she could almost feel the tingle in them that came whenever she was close enough to reach the speed necessary for a Sonic Rainboom.
She had be faster. She had to reached them. She just had to!
A light, so bright it was blinding and despair came over her. Too late, she thought, too late and then she reached the light and the world around here twisted and twitched and suddenly disappeared.
''How did she get her?'' ''Is she okay?'' When Rainbow Dash opened her eyes she saw her friends and blue. For a moment she stared at it, hypnotized.
The sea was almost endless, a deep blue and the most horrifying thing she had ever seen.
The color wasn't right. In some places it was too blue, in others it seemed like there was nothing at all.
It was almost like reality had shifted, being too much at one place and not enough at others.
Quickly she turned back to her friends.
And saw Twilight.
''Twilight?''
She was lying on the ground, her eyes unfocused, shaking violently.
''What happened?'' she asked desperately.
''Too much... too much magic.'' She mumbled. ''Constellation disturbed. Won't be able to cast spell. I'm … sorry.'' Her head felt down, her breathing heavy and unevenly.
''Twilight come on you can do!'' Panic spread through Rainbow Dash. ''We still have the Elements of Harmony!''
''Need spell to get energy to hole. Too far away. Need to be closer, need to focus energy, can't...'' Twilight stopped speaking, her face twisting with pain.
''Someone would have to get down there.'' Applejack mumbled, staring at the sea.
''Down there?'' Dread filled Rainbow Dash at the thought of it. Imagines of what was down there shot through her head and she felt her heart beating painfully faster.
Then she turned back to Twilight, still jerking with pain.
''I'll do it.'' She said.
''What? No Rainbow you weren't even supposed to be here...''
''Exactly. It's my fault.'' She looked up seeing the rest of them staring at her.
''Also I'm the fastest one.'' She forced herself to smile.
''It's only logical.'' They looked at her. No one said a word.
Rainbow Dash leaned down to Twilight.
''Twilight you know what to do right?''
Slowly her eyes opened.
''Can't do it Rainbow Dash.'' she mumbled. ''Focusing the energy through you … would kill you.''
A tear rolled down her face.
''Can't kill a friend.''
Slowly Rainbow Dash breathe in.
''Do it.'' she then said. ''Do it in two minutes. It's enough time for me to get...'' A quick look to the sea, where shadows had started to move. ''Down there.''
She turned away. ''Force her if she don't want to do it.'' She said silently. And after a moment of hesitation she added quietly.
''I'm sorry.''
And she raised herself into the air.
She didn't know how. She shouldn't be able to. High enough in the air, for the blue of the sea to, almost, look normal, she stopped.
The air was thin. Her wings were aching. And she felt a power inside of her she had never felt before.
And she dived down.
It was more falling then flying. The wind was hissing around her, the blue of the sea mixing with the blue of the sky, everything blue and she in the middle of it.
She imagined the impact to be painful. It was. But the pain was irrelevant. What mattered was under her, what mattered was inside of her, what mattered was the energy shooting through her.
What mattered were her friends.
Under her she saw something moving. Something reaching for her.
Ancient hunger searching for satisfaction.
She closed her eyes, the pressure of the water becoming more and more unbearable with every passing second, while she was diving deeper and deeper in the depth of the sea.
A small smile appeared on her face.
Her last thoughts before she was swallowed by darkness itself becoming tangible were:
''Goodbye my friends.''
The explosion was big. It screamed. It fought. It lost.
The hole was closed.
And five ponies stood at the shore of the sea and watched as reality restored itself, waiting for somebody they know would not come.
''Goodbye Rainbow Dash.'' Twilight mumbled quietly.