Chapter 23
Rainbow Dash
"Indeed it is." Rainbow said, nodding slowly at Heaven, before looking back at The Teacher. "You told me that Sunset Shimmer was a non-issue. Who else is hiding there Teacher?"
"The Watcher."
"The who?" Everypony said, almost in unison.
"The Drakyl, have an interesting naming style for their elders." The Teacher said, smiling a bit softly at the ponies in front of her. "They give them titles, and only refer to them as such. For instance, my name. The Teacher. I doubt you ponies actually thought that was..."
"We know you're me from a different Timeline Teacher." Rainbow Dash said, glaring a bit. "Get to the point."
"Oh, you already know my point."
"There's a Drakyl hiding in the human world?"
"Yes, A drakyl who was around during the time when Equestria was ruled over by the Ravenwood Empire." The Teacher said, nodding slowly. "She goes by The Watcher, and is most likely the strongest magical being in existence."
"Even stronger then..." Cloudchaser began, looking over at Rainbow Dash.
"Yes, even stronger then The Guardian." The Teacher said, sighing a bit softly as she spoke. "
"So you sent your army to the human world to capture and or kill this Watcher?"
"Indeed I did." The Teacher said, nodding slowly.
Rainbow Dash sighed a bit softly, shaking her head a bit. "Not sure how to accept all that The Teacher just told us?" Shinze then asked, approaching her from behind. "Or, not sure how to take it in, with what you already know."
"We've been doing this, all of this. "Rainbow said, waving her hoof about, as if it showed what she was talking about. "To stop a crazy madpony from destroying our world." She continued, sighing, resting her head against one of Shinze's shoulders. "Then I find out that madpony is me, from another dimension... We then later on find out that, she might not be a mad pony, as she's been fighting Somepony else for countless years."
Shinze laughed a bit, nodding slowly at her. "Such a predicament." He said, agreeing with her. "We certainly have stumbled on something rather peculiar haven't we."
"Indeed." Rainbow said, softly, smiling at him. "Times have certainly changed."
"They certainly have." Shinze sighed, looking around a bit. "They've grown a bit grim." He added, before Rainbow suddenly pushed him onto his back.
"They have, but I can think of something... that can bring a bit of happiness back into our lives."
"Oh?"
"What exactly is this school called?" Discord asked, eyeing Sunset with suspicion.
"Ravenwood Aca..."
"Ravenwood Academy?" Discord said, interrupting Sunset as she spoke. "You... You got accepted into THE Ravenwood Academy?"
"Um... Yes?"
"The Arch-duchess, is she there?"
"With her strange ever watching eyes? Yes." Sunset said, a confused look on her face as Discord laughed. This caused the rest of them to look at him confused as well.
"I don't get it..." Twilight said, blinking slightly. "Why would where she went to school matter?"
"Don't you get it? Ravenwood Academy, it's the answer." Discord said, smiling a bit softly as he spoke. "The difference isn't in that Sunset is involved. It's that she's studied at Ravenwood Academy. The birthplace of The Guardians."
"The birthplace..." Twilight said, repeating Discord's words. "The Birthplace of The Guardians?"
"Indeed it is." Discord said, nodding slowly at them again. "Oh yes, their order spreads across dozens of dimensions, but it is there. At Ravenwood Academy, where their order began. Under the watchful eyes of The Arch-duchess, known more commonly as... The Watcher."
"The Watcher?"
"A being of unimaginable power and age." Sunset said, sighing a bit. "The Watcher was around back even before the Ravenwood Empire left Equestria." She continued, looking over at Twilight. "I take it you know of what I'm talking about Twilight?"
"You're talking about The Thousand Year war, aren't you?" Twilight asked, blinking a bit. "When the three pony races were deep in their hatred of each other, and the Alicorns left Equestria... But, that was so long ago that... It can only be myth, right?"
"My dear Twilight, weren't both I and Lunamaria myths before you used the elements on us?" Discord asked, a smile on his face. "And our tales are much younger then that of the Empire."
"The elements were a myth too ya know..." Applejack said, nodding slowly.
"They were," Rarity said, nodding a bit as well. "I mean, I heard of them, being a Unicorn and all, but I didn't think they exist."
"Lots of things we've faced were thought to be myths." Pinkie said, giggling.
"True... Now that I think about it." Twilight said, nodding as well now. "How can I not believe in myths, when we're in the making of one now..."
"What are you talking about dearie?" Rarity asked, blinking a bit. "I've been out of the loopy for a while now."
"You're talking about that voice? Rainbow Dash's from the future, right?" Sunset asked, looking at Twilight again. "Discord told me." She then added, after everyone looked at her.
"I did."
"Yes, I am..." Twilight said, sighing. "If... If what Discord said is right..."
"It is."
"If what he said is right," Twilight began again, glaring at Discord. "Then that means what we do here... it becomes myth, a dark one, but a myth regardless."
"A dark myth? Why ever for Twilight?" Rarity asked, a look of worry on her face.
"We all die." Twilight said, bowing her head a bit, in shame. "Not just us six though, I mean everypony here, the whole of the Lunar Republic dies, after The Teacher... Rainbow, kills me and the Princesses, her and The Teacher continue on, their army marching across the land, killing anypony and any thing in their wake."
"Oh... oh my." Fluttershy said, blinking a bit in fear. "Everything?"
"Everything." Twilight repeated. "The issue is though, is that in every piece of literature I could find, be it oral tradition, pictographs, or in scrolls and books... They all allude to The Teacher being some mysterious, almost other worldly, being."
"From what I can tell," Sunset said, before looking around the rest of the group. "With the little info we have on The Teacher, she's originally from a previous cycle of time, much like... Rourke." She said, looking away from the others for a bit, before coughing. "From what he's told me, he was able to get into this cycle, by hijacking the him of this one's body. Slowly taking it over." Sunset said, sighing. "And, from what I could tell, how that happens, solely depends on the type of pony they are."
"So... are you saying, that The Teacher... She took over her previous self's body?" Rarity asked, blinking in shock. "Or... at least, is?"
"Yes."
"Do we know who the poor mare is?"
"No."
Twilight sighed as she looked out the mirror near her desk. The desk used to belong to Luna, but with her death Twilight had to take the reigns while the citizens voted on a new leader. After the news of both Luna and Celestia's deaths reached the general populace, a few groups of ponies had turned to Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony, to ask for permission to found a new town, a bit away from where Lunar City was. After hearing their reasoning, that is they feared for their lives, and thought settling elsewhere would increase their chance of survival, Twilight agreed to give the ponies permission.
At the time, she didn't know where they were settling, but she did know that it was further inland, away from the Crystal Forest, which was where The Teacher, and Umbra, were to be found. "Worried?" Applejack asked, smiling a bit as she leaned against the door. "Of course you are, you're you after all."
"I know Applejack..." Twilight said, sighing again. "I'm worried about the ponies that left, I'm worried about the ponies still here, most of all... I'm worried about Rainbow."
"We all are Twi, we all are."
Rainbow Dash groaned as she woke up, sighing a bit as she stretched. She then looked around her room, before noticing something was missing from her room. "Shinze?" She said, with silence answering her back. "Oh, great..." She mumbled a bit to herself as she got out of the bed. As she did, she looked around the room, for any sign to when Shinze had left. She found none. "It's not even morning yet... Where could he have gone..." She mumbled softly to herself, shaking her head a bit as she continued looking.
After searching for a few more minutes, she quickly grew bored, and hungry. So, she moved on towards the kitchens. "I wonder how long I was asleep for..." She mumbled a bit, as she nodded towards the few guard ponies, who The Teacher had stationed there, most likely to keep an eye on Rainbow Dash.
"Ah, hello Rainbow, you're up rather early." Trixie said, smiling softly at Rainbow Dash as she walked into the kitchens. At the time, it appeared that Trixie was working on some experiment, that used quite a few bottles and beakers. "May I kindly ask what woke you?"
"Shin... er, I was hungry." Rainbow said, shaking her head a bit softly, as she slowly headed towards one of the cupboards. "What all do we have here? Or am I going to have to send Shinze somewhere to get more food?"
"Well, you might... But I doubt the Colony is going to approve of Shinze being there, especially after we went and joined up with The Teacher, who wants to..."
"I get it Trixie..." Rainbow said, sighing a bit as she took a half empty bag of crackers out of the cupboard. "The Colony doesn't like The Teacher, and stopping them should probably be our top priority, but Trixie..."
"Yes?"
"I know what I'm doing." Rainbow said, sighing.
"Do you?"