Rainbow Dash was falling. She was falling through the air, her mane flying around her face. Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed, but Rainbow was still falling. She heard terrified screams of ponies, and two cries stood out to her.
"Rainbow! RAINBOW! YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU JUST CAN'T!"
It was Twilight Sparkle, hysterical, sobbing. She didn't want Rainbow Dash to die. Heck, Rainbow didn't want to die either, but her wings refused to move. The second shout was as loud as Twilight's, and almost as hysterical.
"Rainbow! YA CAN'T DIE! YA GOTTA FIGHT! FLY! FLY!"
It was Applejack, whose normally calm and collected exterior was shattered as she saw her friend plummeting towards her death. She had said to fly…fly? Rainbow couldn't fly…her wings were locked in place as she fell.
She felt a tingling sensation, and she knew in a heartbeat it was Twilight, trying to slow her descent. However, the sensation soon faded, and all that was left that was a Pegasus as broken as her heart.
"I can't get a grip on her!" Twilight was crying. "She's going too fast!" Applejack was screaming, Twilight was screaming…it all blurred together.
What happened to me?
Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt, the performer, the showstopper, was now about to stop the show…one final time. And this time, ponies weren't going to be applauding. In the back of her mind, something in her told her to fight, to fly. Did she want to know that in her final moments, she could have done something to save herself, and she didn't? That she could have spared Twilight and Applejack the grief.
Rainbow's wings flared, and the wind tore at them viciously. She fought hard, battling against the wind, and flipped herself over. Lightning flashed next to her, but she didn't waver. She was falling now, but it was almost under control…just adjust her right wing and…
Time stopped.
Rainbow hit the ground hard. A sickening crunch sounded from the moment she made impact, and she lay, in a broken heap on the ground. Her mane was streaked with blood, and tears. Her wings were crumpled, and two of her legs were broken upon hitting the ground.
She was vaguely aware of ponies crowding around her, and vaguely aware of Twilight Sparkle and Applejack pushing through the crowd. She had to be strong…if not for herself, then for them. They deserved it. Rainbow lifted her head weakly, ignoring the searing pain that coursed through her entire body as she did so.
"H..he…hey…" she choked out, coughing up blood. "Se..seems that…m..my tricks…f…finall…finally…go…got…m…me…You..a…always…us..used…t…to wa…warn…m...me…ab...ou…about…that…eg…egghead…"
Twilight's nickname brought the slightest of smiles to her face, even though her tears were falling heavier then the pouring rain. "Don't say that R…Rainbow…" she stammered. "Y…you'll be back to your o…old self in n…no time!"
All three of them knew it was a lie, but it somehow made them feel a little bit better. Rainbow coughed again, hiding the blood, wanting to be strong for her friends. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe, but she would hold on for as long as possible. "Someone called the poniemedics. They'll be here soon!" Twilight said softly.
"Sugarcube, ya gotta hold on tight. An' if ya go, then say hi to the others for us…will ya?" Applejack asked, tears shining in her green eyes. They trickled down her face, knowing, like Twilight and Rainbow, that Rainbow Dash would die that day.
"I…I…w…i…ill…" Stammered Rainbow, forcing a smile onto her face, despite the grueling pain she was in. The edges of her vision where going blurry, and she could see blackness creep in upon her brain, like a fog rolling through in the morning.
She saw all her friends, welcoming her with open hooves, and she knew it was her time to go. "I…l…o…ve….y…o….u…" Rainbow Dash managed to stammer out before she took her last shuddering breath, and lay still on the ground.
"We love you too Rainbow Dash…" Twilight Sparkle and Applejack said in unison. "We love you too." The crowd slowly dispersed, giving the last two ponies some much needed time with their friend.
Twilight looked at Applejack with fear in her eyes as they mourned over Rainbow Dash, the rain cascading down around them, causing them to shiver. "Applejack…we're the only ones left." She said slowly, as if saying it would somehow make it go away.
"Yep. I reckon we are." Applejack sniffled, tears dripping down from her face onto the cyan coat of the motionless Pegasus in front of her. "I plan on being here a long time." She said, determination filling her gaze. "I want to spend every moment I can with one of my best friends."
Twilight nodded. Raising her head to look at the darkening sky, she realized that the clouds were parting, to reveal a full moon. Stars dotted the sky, and Twilight could easily pick out all the constellations. "Princess Luna sure did a great job tonight…" she murmured. "Like always…"
Just then, Twilight spotted a star pattern she had never seen before. Upon closer inspection she gasped. "Applejack!" she choked out, getting a lump in her throat. "It's Rainbow's cutie mark!" She pointed to the stars, tracing an invisible line with her hoof.
"Gosh darnit, I reckon it is!" Applejack exclaimed, her eyes filled with wonder and astonishment as the two ponies, unicorn and earth, looked at the new constellation that represented a cloud with a lighting bolt coming out of it.
It represented a pony who was loyal to the death, and even when dying, would still try to be strong for her friends. A pony who would die for somepony else, even if they weren't willing to do the same. It represented a mare of loyalty, and Element of Harmony. It represented the mare Rainbow Dash.
As Twilight and Applejack continued to stare up at the night sky, a mixture of awe and admiration in their gaze, they could almost hear Rainbow Dash's voice echo around them.
"It needs to be about 20% cooler."