Have you ever done something so drastic, so horrible, so terrifying that it was the right thing to do? When all else fails, and the only thing left to do is the thing that takes away who you are? Because I have. And now I am just a shell of the mare I used to be. This isn't a story of sacrificing for the greater good, or death that saved you and the people around you, this is a story of reality. Of being who we are, and having that corrupt our true selves. My name is Rainbow Dash, and this is my story, the story of the never ending, lifeless sand.

I wake up in my bed, refreshed and ready. It has been a long and hard week of practicing, my wings are pretty tired, but it like it like that. It makes me feel like iv been doing something right. I look down from my window in Cloudsdale, and see Applejack walking by. "Hey AJ!" I yell. I fly down and in front of her. But for some reason, she doesn't even glance up. "Hey AJ, are you ok?" No response. She just walks on by. She probably has somewhere to be. I fly into the sky, cleaning up the rain clouds from earlier. Once that is done, (which took about an hour) I go to visit Fluttershy. "Hey Fluttershy, what's up?" I ask, letting myself in. She isn't there. Her stupid bunny Angle is sleeping in her bed upstairs though. So I just walk out.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight yells from behind the hill. She trots up to me.

"Hey Twilight."

"Rainbow Dash, you have to come quick, there's an issue in the center of Ponyville." Twilight says. I immediately fly over to where she said the issue was. However, what I expected wasn't the truth. Not at all. There was a filly. An Earth Pony filly, with green eyes, purple skin, a red mane and red tail. It's tail was cut off however, as it was trapped under a collapsing building.

"How did this happen?" I ask, thinking of what to do.

"The mayor said she wanted to make a new mayors office, but in order for that to happen, this one needs to come down. But they didn't see Velvet Rose under there. Nopony can do anything. We tried to pull her out from under, but we can't, she is pinned under there. Our magic isn't helping because the office is too heavy. It measured at forty-tons at the finished time of construction." Twilight explains to me. I want to say egghead, but now is not the time. I look at the building. A support beam Is holding up the rest of the building, but the other half that is down is on top of Velvet Rose. I figure if I manage to fly fast enough, I can create a sonic rainboom inside of the building, vaporizing only the wood so the filly can get out. I fly as far away as I can get. I fly forward as fast as I can, aiming for a window in the office. But the past week of training made my wings stiff up. I hurdle towards earth at about the speed that it takes to create a sonic rainboom, and I hit the support beam. It begins to crack, and I can not get up. I look forward.

I see the green eyes of Velvet Rose. "It's ok, I still love you Rainbow Dash."

"Rainbow Dash, wait!" The building falls.

My eyes slowly open, staring up at a white ceiling. Am I dead? I look to my left, and see a heart beat sensor. At least, that's what the unicorns call it. I look at myself. My skin is scratched and bruised, my hooves have deep cuts, my mane and tail are short and messy, (not that I care) and my wings are bent out of shape. I'd try to get up, but I know how much that would hurt. So I just lay there, thinking. I remember the building. Velvet Rose, I think the filly name was. If I survived, I think she did. But then again, I'm fully grown and tuff. It was just a filly, already hurt. I may be able to take rejection from the Wonder Bolts, and I may be able to stand up for my friends when I need to, but this feeling. This feeling of, defeat, failure, and obvious empty hope was, different. I didn't like it, is this what others feel when they do something wrong? The door begins to slowly open, and in walks Rarity. "Hello?"

"Hi Rarity." I say. My voice is very rough.

"No, don't talk darling, it's completely fine. Listen, I know you may not remember the-"

"Building?" I ask, finishing her sentence for her.

"Y-yes, the building. So you surly remember the filly Velvet Rose?" In nod my head in agreement. "Well, she um, she didn't make it." This hangs in the air for a while. Tears begin to swell up in my eyes. "She had a, peaceful, passing though. She died in the hospital during her sleep. She died of a serious brain injury. I'm here to tell you to not blame yourself. You tried, and you did your best. Sure, you messed up, but we all do my dear. It's what makes us who we are. So don't beat yourself up over this, nopony is mad at you, they are just sad for the filly." I nod slowly, and she walks out of the room. I, I made a filly die. I practically killed a filly. I should have been more careful, I should done a better job, I should have-

"Hey RD." Applejack interrupts my thoughts when she walks into the room.

"Hey AJ. Are you here to tell me not to be upset too?" I ask.

"No, no I'm not. But you shouldn't be, it's not your fault. But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to say sorry for yesterday. I kept walking past you, I was just in deep thinking." She says. I can tell she wants to talk about it.

"Ok, tell me what's up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I can tell you want to talk about it. So, lay it on me." I say, finally convincing her.

"Well, you see, it's uh, I, I don't want to talk about it." She says, blushing and looking away.

"Oh come on now." I say, getting up. Walking hurts, terribly, but it's the only way to get her to talk. "You have something to say, and as a friend, I'm all ears."

"But, but I don't think it's something you-" She cuts herself off. "Fine. You see, I was thinking of asking Fluttershy out on a date." My heart jumps, and my breathing becomes erratic. I hope I miss heard her.

"What did you say?" I ask, pretending like I didn't hear her.

"I, I was thinking of asking Fluttershy out on a date." I did hear her correctly. And I hate it. It's not the fact of me not liking two mares together, acctually it's the opposite. The issue is that I was going to ask her myself. It was a good two minutes before either of us spoke.

"Well, you uh, you do what you want. I'll be support for you all the way." I say, trying not to show my anger.

"Really? Oh, thank you RD." She says, hugging me. She lets go, relizing she was putting me in pain. "Oh, hehe, sorry. Are ya ready to leave?" She asks.

"Yea, I should be fine." I say. We walk out the door, to meet an overly excited PinkiePie.

"Dashie!" She runs up and hugs me. All of this hugging, the pain! "Dashie I missed you I thought you died well actually no I knew you died but you didn't because your right here and I can't believe it well I believe it because your right here but I still can't believe it and I'm sorry to hear about the filly but you did your best and I'm proud of you and I am so happy that you are alive like so so so so so so so so soooo happy if you died it wouldn't be the same and-" Applejack puts her hoof on PinkiePie's mouth. She keeps talking but in mumbles.

"Hey Rainbow, glad to see your ok." Twilight says, walking up to the three of us.

"As am I." Rarity says, also walking up.

"Hey look, we are all here." PinkiePie says. "All six of us. One two three four five, hey, wait, where's Fluttershy?"

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