It was a bright and sunny day in equestria, the flowers were in full bloom, the birds were singing, there wasnt a cloud in sight. It was one of the sunniest days ponyville had seen in months, all was quiet... 7:40 AM: THUD! Rainbow dash woke up with a start. She lifted her head and observed her suroundings "This isnt where i went to sleep is it?" she took another look around and exclaimed "Oh! thats what happened! i must of fallen out of my bed! thats what must of woke me up so earlie..." She got up and lifted her bed covers up with her teeth and splayed them out on her bed in a chaotic fasion and slid underneath them, she slowly started to drift off to sleep again when she suddenly remembered that she had to do the tie-braking challenge for who would be her pet!. she fell out her bed, scampered to her hooves and ran out her door. She looked down off the edge of her "Cloud-house" "whoa" she gasped as she nearly tumbled off the edge in the hurry "oops, almost forgot!". She hurryed into her house again and ran back out as quick as a flash, brandishing a pair of Binoculars, looking through the binoculars she said relieved " well well well, looks like im right on time". She could see fluttershy flying over to twilight sparkles house " i guess i have enough time to wait a bit longer..." she lay'ed down and looked again through the binoculars. Now fluttershy and twilight sparkle were carrying cages that seemed to be filled with birds. "Those must be my competition" she said happily as she observed again. Now flutter shy and twilight sparkle were making there way to sugar cube corner, it was only then did Rainbow dash notice Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie pie waiting by the side of it. "well looks like its time". She said cheerily as she flew into her house once more, this time exiting with a wistle, " Pinkie will need this". She mutterd to herself as she took flight to go join her friends.

"Have you got all of them Twilight?" Fluttershy said quietly "yes Fluttershy, and yes dont worry they're fine, and yes they have been fed and YES they aren't scared" sighed Twilight sparkle "Oh good , i just wanted to check on them, its the first time they haven't been in my company in there lives" sighed fluttershy. " It was a bit unfair how Rainbow dash treated that Tortoise yesterday don't ya think Pinkie?" said Applejack to Pinkie pie " yeah, there was no need to force him out the competition even though the only way to complete it is to fly" siged Pinkie pie, "well i guess it was for the best, she didnt want a non-flying pet anyway" "OH OH! LOOK HERE SHE COMES!" squeeled Pinkie as she saw Rainbow dash glide towards them. "Right are you all ready?" said Rainbow dash "YEEEESSSSS!!!" Pinkie squeeled in exitement as she hopped towards her "lets go then" said Rainbow dash as the all started to move south.

9:00 AM "Phew! we've arrived!" gasped Applejack "*pant* even that walk tired me out! and im the fittest of all ya!" Applejack said in one big exhale "uuuhhrr" everone else murred in agreement. "Fluttershy, open the cages and let them out" said Rainbow dash "ok" wispered flutter shy as she went round all the cages unlocking them, one by one the doors swung open and an animal apeared out of them, one Hawk, one Eagle, one Bat, and an Owl. "Perfect! you guys all ready for the challange of your life!, are you ready to face the last obstacle in becoming my pet?" exclaimed Rainbow dash, there was a hoot of agreement within the small crowd of animals. "Looks like your all in good shape for this last test.... which is!" she paused for a moment and relished at the cliff hanger. " a race against... ME!" she shouted! "in ghastly gorge!" she moved aside at that instant to reveal a huge terrifying fissure in the ground that must of spanned for miles!. She walked up to them all and said " actually ghastly gorge isnt that scary, i for one have flown through it a gazillion times!" she said boastfully "so obviously i'll be at the front of the pack!" "but whoever crosses the finish line with me will have proven your worth, and will have earned the honour and privilege and glory of being my pet!". She dashed up to the side of the monstrous gorge, as did all of the animals. and said "ready?? SET-GO!" instantaneously she flew up and darted ahead, as did the hawk and eagle, the bat slowly opend his wings and flapped toward her, the owl spread his wings and took a huge swoop off the edge, and glided after the bat. "WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU RAINBOW AT THE END OF THE COURSE! GOOOD LUUUUCK!" screamed pinkie pie after them, "well" said Applejack "off we go to the finish line" everypony glared at Applejack"ok ok, i guess we could stay here and rest for a little while!" everypony let out a sigh of relief and layed down.

Rainbow dash was zooming along the winding gorge, twisting and turning to avoid crashing, she effortlessly ducked underneath thorned tendrils that have grown on the gorge side and wizzed passes flying birds nearby. "Ha ha, those birds must be miles behind me!" she looked ahead and stopped in mid air... thinking for a second she turned round to see the other animals racing up to her "oh i forgot to tell you!" she called out to the crowd approaching her. "Watch out for these Quarray eels, they dont like it when you get too close to thier nest! like this!!" suddenly she flew infront of one and dived down, as she did that a huge monstrous and blood red eel like creature zoomed out in an attempt to eat her. She ducked, she dove, she swung out of thier way, one by one, "easy peasy one two threesy! right you guys?" as she said that she turned round and smacked hard against the side of the crevice, wincing in pain she heard a huge cracking sound she scratched her head and looked up to see a boulder the size of a small car flying toward her. "AVALANCHE!!!" she screamed as she frantically tried to avoid the falling debris. While avoiding the debris a flash of brown caught her eye, she was been beat by the eagle! "HEY" she shouted after him as a huge door sized rock hit her causing her to loose flight and plummeted to the ground...then everything went black.

She woke up with a jolt observing her surroundings, "phew at least i escaped unscaved!". She smiled flapped her wing and flew off... only to be grabbed by a invisible hand and brough crashing down to earth, "what the..?" she stopped half way through her sentence. Her eyes say a huge boulder placed next to her, she slowly scanned the boulder and all the colour drained from her face, as she looked down at the bottom of it and saw that had her wing firmly trapped in place, about 60cm of it was underneath it. She stared at it for a moment wimpering, "AHHHHH!" she screamed as the pain got to her, her legs buckled underneath her as the pain seared through her wing. gasping for breath from the intense pain she started to inspect the wing, it had started to bleed, part of her wing-bone was jutting out of the side of it "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOOOOOD!". She screamed as she tried to pull it free, however it was locked in place, she soon realised that she was going no-where.

11:30 AM rainbow dash was crying, she knew the race wasn't over yet, and that no-one knew what had happened, and where she was in the gorge. The tears washed down her cheeks as she wallowed in she stupidiy. "I...i should of stayed clear as soon as i saw the first rock fall *sniff* i should've been focusing on the race, not gloating...

1:30PM she had started to observe the rock, examining its contours and shape, looking for a way to lift it up. after moments of thinking she murmured to herself "hmmm i could put one hoof thier and another here... and...". She turned round *wincing at the pain of her wings flesh twisting and stretching, she slowly put a hoof on the side of the rock, and then her other hoof. then she pushed with all her might... nothing. The rock didn't move a inch, after all it must of weighed at least a ton,... she gave out a big sigh, "ohhh i wish Applejack was here, or big Macintosh would be better, Rainbow dash continued to cry, she layed down and cuddled up to her injured wing and tried to ease it out... "easy now... eeaassyy now!". She was doing it! she was getting her wing out! she kept wriggling it for about 3 hours, "oh its no use!" she gasped, its been ages and iv only wriggled about a inch of it free. She sat down and miserably looked at the rock.

4:45PM She stood up and looked at the rock again, next to it she noticed a rock about the size of a book, she grabbed it eagerly with both hoofes and inspected it. "AHA! this'll help!" she started to smash the side of it against the rock *hmmm mabye i can use this as a tool to get my self free!* thought raibow dash as she swooped it against the rock.

7:55 PM *Pant pant* "uhhhrrr this ISNT WORKING!!" Rainbow dash screamed as she missed the rock and smacked her hoof with it by accedent for the 10th time, "face it dash your going to be stuck here forever" suddenly she stood up and double hoof kicked the rock in anger. To her suprise, the rock moved about a inch or so... partly ripping the flesh of rainbow dash's wing with it too, she screamed in agony to the unexpected pain, then blacked out.

4:30AM Rainbow dash slowly opened her dust caked eyes, she looked up and immediately smacked here head on the ground "awwww nooooo! it wasnt a dream!!! what am i going to do!". Suddenly she was interrupted by a load noise *grrrrrr* in curiosity she looked around *grrrrrr* *there it is again* she though, as she looked down, she realised it was her stomach, "hmmm im gunna have to eat something soon.. but what?" Rainbow dash looked around for a minute and a little green plant caught her eye "ohhh this'l do!" she said hungrily!. She immediately ran to it, forgetting her wing was still under the rock she caught some resistance and the cut that was made earlier by her kicking the rock re-opened and ripped another 10 cm's "AH!" she gasped looked back and saw the huge horrible red and bloody gash "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FFFFFFUUUUU-" she holted herself from swearing at the intense burning agony and instead slowly started to grind her teeth together in order to cope with the pain. She made another quick dash for the plant and just grabbed it by the skin of her teeth!, only to be met with more pain as the flesh ripped more, as soon as she ate the plant she blacked out from the immense pain

6:00AM "IV'E HAD ENOUGH" screamed Applejack "Rainbow dash has been missing almost a whole day now, i know she is in that gorge somewhere, scared and helpless, WE HAVE TO HELP HER!" exclaimed Applejack, "ohhh" said Pinkie "maybe she found a gold mine and is too distracted mining gold!" as soon as Pinkie said that Rarity piped up "GOLD! awww the colour, the look, the PRICE!" *everypony rolls thier eyes* "we simply must go look for Rainbow dash! i can imagine it now....". *Rarity has a fantasy of Rainbow dash finding gold and Rarity finding her and rainbow dash giving her a TON! of gold* "RARITY!" snapped Twilight "if Rainbow dash did find a gold mine, she would of come and found us imediatly and told us... she's good like that". *Sigh*"i guess your right twilight" sighed rarity. "any who, we need to go find Rainbow dash fast!".

11:AM Rainbow dash gained consciousness again, "ohhhh my head!" she wailed "why does it hurt so much?" she put a hoof on her head, and she looked at it, it was covered in blood! gasping, rainbow dash looked around and saw a blood stained rock. "That must be where i passed out getting that plant, i must of hit my head" she said, CRACK!!! rainbow dash jumped out of her skin and looked up to see a bolt of lightning hit nearby, it slowly started to rain, just at that moment rainbow dash though of how thirsty she was. So she opend her mouth and let it rain.

2:30PM "Pinkie pie, you have the food?" commanded Applejack "yes sir!... i mean madam... i mean miss... i mean commander!" "good" said Applejack. "Twilight, you go to Canterlot and tell the princess Dash is missing! and we need help!" "ok Applejack" said Twilight as she trotted off to Canterlot "Rarity.. i need you to... wha, what are y'all doing?" sighed Applejack "trying not to get this dress dirty! i dont want to look like a squimp when we find that gol... err i mean Rainbow dash!" Applejack sighed and said "Rarity stay here and set up camp, make a few fires so we can make our way back OK? *she threw her a bag with a tent and some supplies in* "wait for us here" applejack said firmly. "Right, so... Fluttershy you fly above us, so you can tell us of anything odd, Pinkie, you hear out for screams ok?" "ohkaydokay!" said Pinkie pie". "Right then... off we go..." Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy descended into the gorge.

7:30pm "phew!" sighed Rainbow dash, i needed that rain! im fully refreshed..." her happy mood was suddenly destroyed when she looked at her wing, it had started to go dark grey, the blood had started to clot and it hasnt had any circulation for days. Rainbow dash curled up and started to cry at the thought of her never flying again....

2:30AM "AHHH-PUUUUHHLLL JJJAAAKKKK"! can we have a rest now?" whined Pinkie "we've been going for hours we need to set up camp!" just as she said that fluttershy collapsed to the ground from exhaustion. "Alright i guess y'all need a rest" applejack sat down and opened her tent kit bag and started putting it up...

8:30AM Rainbow dash started to talk to herself "Dash! you stupid stupid pony! this could of all been avoided!" "i know but i had to try my best to win the race" said dash miserably to herself. "You could of tried harder!, you know! not goofed off when you were ahead!" said the rainbowdash in the puddle next to her "IM SORRY!" wailed rainbowdash "I TRIED!" Rainbow dashes sadness soon turned to hate, as she picked up a rock and threw it at the puddle next to her! "oh im sorry rainbow dash" said the puddle Rainbow dash. "I should of been more sympathetic... well at least its not the end of the world... for me anyway". rainbow dash looked up and stared at the puddle rainbow dash who was now brandishing a twisted smile and chuckling to herself. "LOOK, YOU! I DONT HAVE TO TAKE THIS!" she started to whack the puddle until it was just a brown muddy crater, she sat down and sighed and said "im never going to get free from here. This rock was meant for me, its been waiting here my entire life, just sat in the cliff... waiting to fall on my wing" she started to cry again, this time she couldnt though. it felt like she was dehydrated... She looked at her wing and almost screamed, blood was flowing out of her wing like a miniscule river!, she soon realised, she was going to die if she didnt do something to get free.

"UP!, UP I SAY UP!" said Applejack "what do you want Applejack im *yawn* tired" said Pinkie, "*sigh* Rainbow dash..." said Applejack, Pinkie jolted out of bed and screamed OH MY GOD! RAINBOW DASH I FORGOT!". She scampered out her bed and packed up here things back into Applejacks bag "Fluttershy.. you need to get up now honey" said Applejack softly, "oh hold on a second..." Fluttershy got up and neatly folded her covers into Applejacks bag "ok, hop to it gals! we gotta friend to save!" all 3 started to set out once again through the crevice.

8:30PM "Wait till ya see this!" shouted Rainbow dash as she clopped her hooves against the ground. "Betcha cant do better than that??" "oh i can" said Applejack... "Wait a minute... Applejack how did you get here??" asked rainbow dash "oh iv'e been here all along, iv'e always wanted to watch you die Rainbow, iv'e hated your guts out ever since i first laid my eyes on you" said the demented vision Rainbow dash was seeing. "No its not true! Applejack its not true! screamed Rainbow dash. "then why am i leaving you to die? i haven't come for you yet... and i never will! muhahahaahha!" the demented Applejack screeched and turned into Pinkie pie, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy. They all just looked at Rainbow dash. "well help me guys?! what are you all doing??" none of them were responding, then they all said in a synthetic demonic voice. "Oh i hated that rainbow dash she is annoying, fat and such a slow flyer... i cant belive that she was even friends with us well, at least she is missing, after all... we all hate her". That was the final straw for rainbow dash, she sat down and started crying, hoping that when she fell asleep this time... it would be the last time she ever fell asleep...

11:AM "C'mon! were almost half way!" shouted Applejack "Applejack i...i i cant go on... we've been walking for a day and a half with no sleep! WE MUST REST!" "ok, Fluttershy lets set up camp here then, were pretty close i can feel it!" they set up camp and once again slept.
7:30PM "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!!!!" Rainbow dash had woke up and started to kick the rock, causing her pain and releasing stress. "I HATE THIS FUCKING ROCK!!! GET OFF MEEE!" as soo as she said that her hoof chipped a bit of rock, and it flew infront of her... rainbow dash was desperate, she knew if she didnt get out NOW she would starve to death, she picked up the rock chip and stared hungrily at it... it was a triangular shape.. it also seemed to have a sharp side. With a sad frown on her face... she knew what she had to do, she turned round and look at her blotchy red, and black wing, she sniffed and started to cry as she thought of not flying. Then said "oookk dash if you do this, you'll never fly again... but you'll live.." with all her might she closed her eyes, and made her decision. She turned around and stabbed the rock splint at her wing, odly enough she didnt feel it... "the wing must already be dead, even if i escaped with the wing i still wouldn't be able to fly". She stabbed again, and again, and again and again and again, and on the 24th swing her wing detached from her body.. she gasped as a warm trickle went down her rump... blood. Then she ran, faster than she ever did, she ran for hours and hours, it was like even death want holding her back, she ran and ran and ran....

6:00AM *Yawn* "c'mon Pinkie time to go again" said Applejack as she packed her things, "i think she's just round here!""i know it!" said Applejack!! "you said that yesterday" said Pinkie, "its true" said fluttershy "awww shoot, we aint never gunna find her".
At that same moment, Rainbow dash was walking... slowly she almost collapsed when WHOOSH! something flew over her "what was that??" she said to herself, she saw nothing "must of been my imagination.."said rainbow dash
"WHOOSH!" "what in blue blazes was that??" Applejack looked up to see the wonderbolts descending above them, with them they had twilight who had harnessed herself to the belt of one of them "we've come to help!" twilight exclaimed, "as soon as i told the princess, she requested the Wonder-bolts come quicken our search" shouted twilight "good! we'd almost given up hope!" gasped Applejack. "Not to worry madam! we'll find your friend in no time!" as soon as they said that they wooshed off into the distance scanning the gorge. Withing minutes they came back saying "madam! we have found her... its not looking good!, this way!", they gestured toward a huge rock slide in the distance and started to fly there again.

7:00AM "You'll find civilization soon Rainbow, you will, im sure" said Rainbow dash quietly to herself, suddenly her head jolted up as she heard a faint *very faint* RRAAAIIIHHHNNN BBBOOOHHHWWW DDDAAAYYYSSSHHH!!, suddenly she started running to where the sound came from hoping to see a glimps of Applejack or Pinkie pie, or Rairity, a hazy figure was in the distance, but before she could get a better look, she collapsed.

5:00AM (the next day) Rainbow dash strained her eyelid, it did not open... she tried again... still a failure... once more! and it swung open to reveal she was in a hospital bed. Around the bed were Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie pie, Fluttershy and Twilight all asleep next to her in chairs. *Whoa* she thought to herself *they really must care about me... it must of just been my deceptive mind that show'd them not caring*. She suddenly remembered her wing! she gasped and looked to her wing... half of it was jaggadly missing, bandaged off from a doctor, she sighed in relief, she knew she was in safe hands. "Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Flutt..." she was cut off by the immediate hug that ensued. Everypony had woke up when she said there names and hugged her immediately "oh Rainbow dash we've been looking for you for days! how have you been?? what happand with your wing? tells us Dash tell us!" "ok", said Rainbow dash! "it all started when..."

The end Epilogue Rainbow dash, despite been immensely dehydrated and malnourished, survived her ordeal, stunning doctors with the will of pony survival, and showing the limits one would have to break for survival. however doctors said she would never fly again... but she shocked them and sent a wave through medical science as she could fly again, but not as good as before