//------------------------------// // For My Sake // Story: Remnant // by Tofazz //------------------------------// For My Sake   Dash took a heavy breath, she had to stay calm, no way the Wonderbolts would accept a nervous wreck. They would probably scoff at her if she showed up in this condition; she rubbed her chest as she felt her heart rate increase rapidly. Leaving the entrance hall, she followed the sound of relaxing music, as the sound grew stronger she felt her pulse slow down. The sound of her hooves hitting the velvet carpet started to sound in tact with the rhythm of the music that pulsated through the castle. Drawing closer to the door, she felt it ripple through her gown, forcing it to weave back and forth. Lit torches hung on the wall releasing a orange flickering light, passing by each torch she felt the warmth of the flames embracing her, softly caressing her cheeks. The gate towered up into an arch over her with bright light shooting out from the room behind it, illuminating the hallway she walked in. She felt a pang of hunger as she was met with a barrage of delicious smells. She squinted as the fully lit room leaned over her, offering a display of majestic subtlety and comfort. She had been here many times before but the castle never ceased to amaze her; the support columns stretched up bending into an arch near the roof, while the bottom was encased by a rock sleeve which had engravings of the kingdoms history on them. Floating around the room, small orbs of light danced in tact with the rhythm of the castle orchestra, lighting up the room while flickering with a soothing warmth. The walls were adorned with huge banners of the ruling sisters, each in the color palette of the princesses. Near the back wall a table leaned, ladened with delicious food from all corners of Equestria. Feeling a ripple in her stomach, Dash made her way towards the vast selection of food, almost crashing into several couples that danced together. After reaching the table, she realized that they were dancing together in a gentle embrace having eyes for nopony else than their significant other. Dash’ eyes glanced over the table. A bite to eat will calm me down for sure. Chewing on a bite of creamed hay from the ever exclusive Manehattan, she let her eyes wander over the sea of ponies in front of her. At the other end of the room she spotted Octavia sitting in front of the orchestra leading them on with the tunes of her own creation. Dash watched as her grey hooves wandered over her cello, and for a short time, she felt that time stood still as she listened. Octavia opened her violet eyes and smiled as she saw everypony dancing and enjoying her music, before she closed them again and led the gala into an illusion made from her tunes. As she swallowed the last bite of her creamed hay, she felt her throat getting rasped. Spying a crystal bowl filled to the brim with light red liquid she picked up a glass and dipped it. Taking a sip, Dash smirked, today she would become a Bolt, she was sure of it. “Rainbow?” Dash choked on the drink and started coughing violently. Heaving for air she turned around staring right into Twilight’s eyes. Twilight smiled towards her. “Everything alright, Dash? You seem a bit... jumpy.” Pounding her chest she smiled back. “Yeah! Nothing to worry about! You just scared me a bit.” Twilight arched her brow up looking at Dash. “If you say so...” Twilight’s head turned towards the dance floor staring at it mesmerized by how all the ponies danced in tact with the tunes, making it seem like from above that the floor was moving. “Did you know, Dash, that they say if two ponies dance together and they are meant to be together, their hearts will form a bond forever making them inseparable.” Dash smirked as she took another sip, swallowing before she turned to Twilight. “Do you really believe that, Twi? I mean, I would expect something like that from Fluttershy, but I didn’t expect you to be so gullible.” She shook her head. “No, I don’t believe it... but it is a nice thought, isn’t it?” “So... uhm...” Scraping her hoof along the floor Twilight stared down.  ”Do you want to try?” “Try... what exactly?” A tint of red emerged in Twilights cheeks. “To dance...” Dash sputtered out the newly taken sip and stared at Twilight. “You do realize who you’re asking right? I don’t dance, Twi.” She bit her lip as she glanced over at her friend, before letting go of a sigh. “Look, I’m sorry; I was just surprised at the question.” Dash laid her hooves on Twilight’s shoulders and smiled warmly at her. “I’m sure however, that any stallion in this room would be overjoyed to dance with you.” Twilight flopped her ears back and muttered. “But I don’t want to dance...” Tilting her head to the side, Dash strained to hear what her friend was saying. “Can you speak louder? I can’t hear you over the music.” Twilight took a deep breath before she continued. “I don’t want to dance with anypony else than you, Dash. P-please, will you dance with me tonight?” “Twilight... I don’t dance.” “Just this once Dash, for me?” Lifting her hoof up she let go of a sigh. “Fine! But I have something to do first, I’ll come back here and give you one dance, that’s all, one dance.” Dash felt a small tug in her stomach as Twilight’s eyes beamed up at her. She smiled before turning away. Looking back at Twilight she softly spoke. “I’ll be back soon, Twi.” She felt her hooves getting heavier with each step walked over the tiles, each one sending a ripple to her very core. The music in the room faded away like white noise being heard from behind an invisible wall. She gently stroked her chest, feeling as if her heart would jump out any second, tugging her down in an overwhelming darkness. The gate leading to the balcony towered over her, bidding her welcome to the other side. She halted and stared through the arching hole in the wall, her eyes failing to recognize the alien shapes that walked outside. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself. Come on Dash! Through that gate, your biggest dream can come true, you gotta bring your A-game. A small gust nipped at her body, tufting her mane to the side as she stepped through. Her hooves slid over the soft velvet fabric that had been laid on top of the tiles, stretching over every corner of the balcony. Waiters rushed past each other with trained precision, nodding quickly to one another. She stopped as she spotted a group of ponies standing near the edge of the balcony, something about them seemed familiar. They were dressed in their finest clothing adorned with delicate details of high quality; they seemed young in their behavior, yet old in their appearance. She felt a short stab in her stomach as she saw one of them break into tears, moving a little closer she heard him say with a wavering voice. “She’s my mother! Isn’t there anything I can do? There must be something!” One of the older ponies in the group laid a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m afraid we can’t do anything other than keeping her comfortable, I’m sorry.” A mare stood outside of the group, with tears running down her cheek while she looked at the scene unfolding in front of her. Dash locked her eyes onto her, something was very familiar with this elderly mare, the palette of colors sat eerily in her mind. Shaking her head, she moved further away, distancing herself from the sight. The banners on the walls flapped together with the flicker of light from the torches as a gust of wind swept over the balcony. Dash smiled as her mind wandered off to her last training session, the feeling of the wind tugging her mane, shifting it from side to side. She watched as ponies grabbed a hold of their belongings while making their way to a still place. She took a deep breath, she never understood why ponies hid from the wind, it was so refreshing, it made her feel alive. Making her way towards the conference room she felt her body pulsating faster as the gate towered over her; inside she spotted the Wonderbolts surrounded by a throng of fans. Soarin’ and Spitfire took the lead in greeting the crowd, giving the members that were less accustomed to the attention some slack. They smiled warmly to anypony that greeted them, giving the average pony something to smile about that night. She swallowed as she tried to figure out what to say, it wasn’t just to walk up and challenge her, was it? Her eyes furrowed, what did she worry about? She had saved them before, they could at least give her a chance to prove herself. Right? Dash pushed aside ponies as she pried her way towards Spitfire. Upon reaching the front of the crowd of fans she waved, desperately trying to get her attention. The leader smiled towards her, indicating for her to come through the ropes separating the Bolts from the crowd. Dash swallowed, Spitfire herself had acknowledged her presence, and wanted to talk. Spitfire stopped as they reached a small white round table adorned with blue Wonderbolt markings, encircled by tiny stools with matching details. The sound of the crowd was dampened around the sitting group; Spitfire’s face tugged back to a grin as she turned to face Dash. “So... you want to be a Wonderbolt, eh?” Met with the prospect of the situation, Dash merely managed to fumble forth small clunks of a sentence. “Ehm... y- yeah... very... how...?” The mare in front of her let go of a high pitched laugh as she sat down on one of the stools, her deep blue gown slid down behind her laying itself softly on the floor. She lifted a hoof, adjusting the blue ring that embraced her golden braided mane, before she indicated for Dash to sit down next to her. Pouring a drink from a mug that stood in the middle of the table, she turned to face Dash. “You’re wondering how I knew? Except for the obvious?” Taking a sip of her drink she reached her hoof behind the lightning brooch which prided her chest, drawing forth a folded piece of paper. “You have an admirer, I received this two nights before the gala.” Sliding it over the table towards Dash, she smiled. “Here, take a read, I think you might find it quite interesting.” Her eyes rested on the folded note before she slowly opened it, reading loudly in her head. Dear Spitfire.                 At this years gala, a mare with a rainbow colored mane will approach you with the desire to join the Wonderbolts. You know her, this mare, Rainbow Dash, has saved your life before, along with some of the other Wonderbolts. I will not force you to accept her into the Wonderbolts, but considering what she have done for you and the team, you at least owe her a chance to make a tryout. And I believe it is in your best interest to grant her this request. Best regards, Twilight Sparkle, faithful student of Princess Celestia. Folding the note together, Dash shook her head. “What’s gotten into that mare’s head?” As she put the note back in her gown, Spitfire smirked. “What did you do to this poor mare, Rainbow? Promise to show her the world?” “N-no... we’re... we’re just friends… that’s all” Leaning back, Spitfire stared at Dash. “Look, I’m certain that Princess Celestia would not appreciate her student trying to use her influence like th-” Dash rose up waving her hooves towards Spitfire.“No! No need to tell Celestia about this, I’ll ta-” “Sit down!” Leaning forward, she hissed. “I don’t like being threatened, especially by a so called protégée that thinks being a student of the crown gives her the right to do whatever she pleases.” Filling up the glasses on the table, she indicated for Dash to take a drink, before her mouth tugged back to a devious grin. “However... I find it amusing, Twilight is known for being rather humble and for her to try to use her influence like this is unheard of. Now... we do have an interesting situation on our hooves, don’t we?” Dash stared at the mare that sat in front of her, feeling her body pulse with every second that went by. She saw images of her dream shattering in front of her, her only chance to become a Wonderbolt slowly fading away. Time seemed indifferent as she sat there, staring emptily through the room. Letting go of a chuckle, Spitfire placed her hoof down on the table and grinned. “I don’t see why not, I’ll let you have a tryout next week.” Dash snapped her head back towards Spitfire and blurted out. “Really?!” Her brows furrowed as she bored her orange eyes into Dash. “Yes, but keep this in mind, I’m doing this for my own amusement.” Dash readjusted herself on the chair, leaning onto the table as she cocked her brows up. “Thank you... I guess?” Letting go of a rattling laugh, Spitfire waved Dash away. “No need to thank me, there is a certain stallion in my team who has had his eyes on you ever since you saved a couple of Wonderbolts in the competition. I imagine that he will be quite dumbfounded once I tell him that you will come around next week. Now go and have fun, if you actually make it in the tryouts, you will rarely have time for such things.” As she moved away, she took a deep breath. She wanted to let out a scream of joy, she had a shot, a possibility to get into the Wonderbolts. Before the air escaped her lungs, she felt a knot tying itself in her chest followed by thoughts weighing heavily in her mind. Why would Twilight risk so much in an attempt to get me into the Bolts? She shook her head while a grin manifested itself upon her lips. Rising up on her hind legs, she took a deep breath before she bellowed from the top of her lungs. “Yes! Gonna have a tryout for the Wonderbolts!” She flew up, circling around one of the columns before taking a loop, crashing down on all four legs in a mirage of rainbows. “Aaaaw yeah!” Trotting around in circles, smiling, she stopped as she opened her eyes. The murmuring of the room had stopped, a shade of red sprung to her face as she felt every set of eyes in the room resting on her figure. Bowing her head as she hastily moved away, she squeaked. “S-sorry.” Sliding across the floor she took in the details of the room while she felt her heart racing in her chest. The support columns towered over her, arching up near the roof. Between the columns the cherry red carpet continued, stretching further into the castle. Along the wall hung banners in the same fashion as the ballroom, except for behind the meeting table. Curiosity getting the best of her, she walked slowly towards the banner. The border was light blue with purple details adorned in the fabric. Luna stood upon the throne next to her sister, both with a glowing halo around them. Their eyes did not stare out towards the room as they did in the other banners, instead their sight was focused on a small violet mare between them, crowned with a tiara. Is that... Twilight? Dash stood mesmerized by the huge banner, her eyes locked onto the violet figure in it.  It can’t be... I need to talk to Twilight. Slowly backing away she turned, almost crashing into a stallion that approached her. He froze as she turned to face him, his lips quivered as he tried to speak. “R-rainbow! I-I heard you talked to Spitfire.” Letting go of a gasp, Dash’ jaw opened, stuttering. “S-Soarin’!” He adjusted the goggles that rested on his forehead while shifting uncomfortably in his officer suit. “L-look, I-I know Spitfire can be a bit harsh, b-but I can talk to her if you want!” Dash stood frozen, with eyes staring emptily at the stallion in front her. Why would Soarin’ himself offer to talk to Spitfire? She stroked her hoof over the brooch that hung from her braided mane. Could he be the one who sent it? Or did he just want the Sonic Rainboom on the team? She blinked, trying to draw her eyes away from Soarin’. His bright green eyes shifted around, landing shortly on Dash’ figure before he looked away. None of them uttered a word; Soarin’ scraped his hoof on the floor, adjusting the black tie that hung from his neck. “N-nevermind, I-I’ll go away now.” Snapping out of her trance, Dash squeaked. “No, no need for that, I just got a little surprised, that’s all.” Soarin’ looked next to her with a careful smile. “Really? You want me to talk to Spitfire? I have no problem doing that, she’ll listen to me!” Shaking her head, she smiled. “No need, I got a tryout next week.” His face tugged back into a grin. “Really?!” Dash cocked her brow up. “Why are you so happy?” The smile that covered his face drained away as a shade of red sprung forth. “N-no reason!” Letting go of a chuckle, Dash grinned. “Why are you blushing? You’re the celebrity! I’m the one who should ramble.” His face turned full red as he rambled. “I, you, meet, garden... will you?” He swallowed and took a deep breath. “Willyoumeetmeinthegardeninanhour?!” Blinking at the sight in front of her, she slowly replied. “Yes?” Soarin’ bowed before turning around, galloping away. “Thankyouseeyouthere!” Dash watched as he crashed into a column on his way out, before disappearing through the gate. Could the stallion Spitfire was talking about be Soarin’? She shrugged as she let go of a squeal. “Who cares? I got a tryout for the Wonderbolts!”           She jumped down from the plateau, grinning from ear to ear. “I gotta tell everypony!”         Galloping away, she headed to the throne room. “Fluttershy will be so happy for me! AJ will as well! I bet Pinkie will throw me a party!” She chuckled. “And Rarity will prolly make me a dress.” She stopped as she passed through the hall. “And Twilight... will...” She sighed. “That’s right, I need to talk to Twilight...”                 Dash felt a warm soothing presence in her mind, gently culling her as it spoke from inside her. How are you my dear Rainbow Dash?                   She froze as the voice echoed inside her, she dared to only whisper. “H-hello?”                   Her body pulsated as the voice echoed with a controlled laugh. Do not worry Rainbow Dash, speaking within the mind is only one of the few things that alicorns are capable off. Take a look to the right and you will see whom you are speaking with.                   Her eyes wandered across the room, passing guards who stood still watching as the ball went its course, the light from torches gleamed off of pieces of their armor. The walls were naked revealing their grey crass surface; the throne was laid with soft red velvet fabric, embraced with a light wooden texture. Her eyes stopped as they landed on the pure white alicorn who smiled towards her. Celestia!                   From afar Dash could see Celestia’s body chuckle as it passed through her own. Indeed, what is bothering you Rainbow Dash? I sense a lot of strong feelings inside of you, both of joy and worry.                   Dash furrowed her forehead as she shouted inside her head. I don’t know, I should just feel happy. I got a tryout for the Wonderbolts! But I feel there’s something wrong…                   Is it Twilight?                   I think so... she risked a lot sending that letter to Spitfire, just for me. And lately she has been acting all weird around me, I just can’t make sense of it all. Wait... how did you know?                   Close your eyes Rainbow Dash, I think I need to show you something.                   She looked at Celestia with a weak smile before she slowly closed her eyes. As the world darkened around her, a veil of colors exploded inside of her. Dash tried to gasp for air, but her mouth refused to open. Her eyes were closed, yet she saw stars moving past her, colors weaving itself in waves around small flying creatures that flew in a hovering manner. One of the creatures stopped in front of her, turning to float through her very being, leaving with a echoing giggle.         A soothing embrace came to her mind as she frantically turned her head. You have my apologies Rainbow Dash, I should have warned you, a pony’s first experience in this place can be quite startling.         Dash looked around in an attempt to identify the origins of the presence that soothed her. A huge flash of light emerged from one of the spots of eternal blackness in front of her. As the light grew in size, the contours of an alicorn started to transfuse. With a bright flash, only the creature stood left.         Standing frozen in awe, she took in the details of what stood in front of her. The alicorn was featureless, only the contours told her that it was a pony like creature standing before her. The wings fanned out, weaving itself between the creatures and planets that floated in this world, stretching through to eternity. Shaking its neck, it caused its mane to drape down, flowing from her like a river into a never ending fluster of small pure white orbs hovering to nothingness. The horn stood in normal length but distorted, moving in waves like a pulse of the being.         The beauty of what stood in front of her was unimaginable, her very thoughts stuttered at the sight. C-Celestia... you’re beautiful.         Celestia bowed her head facing Dash, the white glow emitted from her being embraced Dash with a flickering warmth. Why thank you Rainbow Dash, but is that any way to greet one’s princess? A chuckle echoed through the vast emptiness of what surrounded them. Besides Rainbow Dash, you look quite stunning as well.                  As she stretched her hooves out, a silent gasp rippled through the surrounding fabric. Her body emitted a light cyan glow, her mane lacked colors as it fell down to a never ending ocean of cyan orbs. In her chest pulsated a rainbow colored sphere; reacting to her emotions, sending colors in distorted waves through her body. Woah!         As Celestia’s horn touched her body, the sphere in her chest responded by sending a wave of blue through to the edge of every limb, with a soothing rush following the color. Rainbow Dash, this place is called The Mundus, everything in the universe and dimensions are connected in this plane. In this world your body becomes an entity of pure energy. Only the alicorns may enter this plane, but the Elements may follow through if an alicorn allows it, as they are connected together beyond that of the physical realm.  Celestia pointed her hoof at one of the strings flowing out from her chest, they separated and weaved itself along in different directions, each one having the colors of their respective element. One of them connected to the sphere in Dash’ chest, weaving itself in the palette belonging to her mane. These threads are what connects us, if they are severed, the Element belonging to the thread will die and join the other Elements in this realm. Dash touched the string flowing from her chest as she turned her head towards Celestia. Why am I here? Celestia motioned her head up, forcing the world around them to shift past. This plane allows us alicorns to view events that have happened through the flow of time, we may even visit and re-live the lost and company of those we have outlived. A rift opened in front of them sending distorted waves of light through, into The Mundus. You are here because I needed to show you this, Rainbow Dash. Dash stretched her neck and peeked through, sending a gasp echoing out. Twilight!