Chapter 1

Ghastly Gorge. The most treacherous, creepy, darkest, deepest, and ugliest place in all of Equestria. Rainbow Dash, however, had a much different perspective. She saw it as: fun, fast, jubilant, and adventurous. She was determined to beat her score of one minute through the gorge.

Though she had flown through many times, something didn't seem right this time. She felt an odd twitch in her left wing. She brushed it off and began to limber up. Her friends were miles away at the finish waiting for her to reach them.

If one was to yell loud enough, the sound waves would bounce off the cliffs to the other side. Although they could use this scientific trick to start off Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie brought a huge megaphone and an hour of vocal prep.

"ARE YOU READY, DASHIE?" yelled Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash heard, but did not know the scientific method to respond.

"I'LL TAKE YOUR DISTURBING SILENCE AS A TERRIBLE WAY OF SAYING YES! YOU REALLY NEED TO WORK ON YOUR PEOPLE SKILLS! I MEAN Y—OWWW! WHY DID YOU HIT ME, TWILIGHT? WHAT? POUNCE DOWN ON DASHIE? OOOOOOH! COUNT DOWN FOR DASHIE! ALRIGHT, GET READY DASHIE!"

Pinkie Pie was always this way. That's why Rainbow Dash loved her.

"3!" Pinkie announces. Rainbow gets in position.

"2!" Rainbow flares up her wings and impatiently awaits the start.

"1!" Rainbow feel like she is going to explode in suspense. She almost begins to feel nauseous.

"GOOOOO!" Rainbow zips as she hears the soft G sound of the word. The sound of the G was soft, but the volume was hard.

Rainbow first goes through the wind tunnel in fifteen seconds; two seconds faster than her previous time. Dashing through, she reaches the quarry eels and narrowly dodges them in seven seconds. Next up, the thicket. Rainbow evades vine after vine, but gets through one second later than her last time: eleven seconds.

"WOO HOO! GO DASHIE! 34 SECONDS! YOU MADE A SONIC RAINBOOM AROUND 50 SECONDS LAST TIME!"

Dashie was in the final stretch at 45 seconds! However, Pinkie yelling caused a rockslide! Rainbow sped up and dodged, but was tired from all the speed earlier. She could see the final turn. She began to bank and increase speed until she felt a sharp pain on her left wing and was forced down. She fell to the ground and broke her front right leg. She saw a myriad of rocks fall around her. They were too small to kill, but big enough to puncture her skin.

"DASHIE! IT'S TEN SECONDS OVER A MINUTE! HURRY UP!" announced Pinkie, disappointed.

Rainbow felt physical and emotional pain. Rocks the size of her head pelted her, and her friends would be disappointed in her because she didn't beat her time. She couldn't move her left wing.

"What the – AGGGGGGHHHHHH!" Rainbow's wing was fully crushed under the rock. Blood was everywhere and it was hanging on by torn flesh, fur, and a broken bone.

"MY WING! IT'S CRUSHED! ROCK SLIDE! HELP!" she was just close enough to the finish that her friends heard her call of distress. However, Rainbow Dash yelled so loud that her throat began to hurt.

"DASHIE! WE'RE COMING! HANG ON!" proclaimed Pinkie.

Rainbow was in so much pain, and she had lost so much blood. She began to whimper a little and tear up. After a while, she couldn't endure the pain and blacked out.