//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - What Should Have Been // Story: Cloudsdale Dash and The Revenge of Dr. Negative // by Lapis-Lazuli and Stitch //------------------------------// ~~~~~??????~~~~~ She knew that the room was precisely twenty two feet and seven inches wide, twenty two feet and four inches long, and fifteen feet and nine inches tall. She knew that, with the materials available to her, she could construct eight small contact explosive devices, four smoke bombs, two flash bombs, two hoof daggers, a climbing rope rated for two hundred and eight pounds, a garrote and something to carry all of it in. She knew that the three vents were all too small for her to squeeze into, and that breaking down the door would require more force than she could bring to bear with any ease. Oh, if only she had a little Potassium Chlorate! She knew that if gas began to come through the vents in the wall, she would have approximately five to seven minutes before it came too high up to avoid breathing in. She also knew that if she blocked the vents with available materials, she would have approximately thirty eight and a half minutes before seepage would be a danger. If she had at least an hour of warning, she could increase her breathing time by an hour or so, but then she risked it affecting her eyesight. She knew that her roommate could likely lift several hundred kilograms more than his body weight, which she estimated to be around two hundred and fifty, give or take a few grams. She knew that he was likely capable of withstanding significant bodily damage, and had a slight limp in his right leg that may or may not reduce his running speed. She knew that he had at one point been a smoker, but had long since given up the habit for chewing gum. She knew that he was used to carrying a gun, under his right foreleg point of fact, and was very uncomfortable without it by his side. And for the life of her, Rarity could not figure out how in the name of Celestia’s blessed smile that she knew all of these things. It was as though her mind was feeding her knowledge she never had before needed, wanted, or studied. She needed but only glance at her desk full of cosmetics to see the destructive potential in the base chemicals inside of them. She needed but take a single look at the various conveniences at her disposal to understand how to turn nearly every single one of them into a deadly weapon. Every time a guard or servant entered the room with food, or other amenities, she instantly was able to assess the difficulty of disabling them. Unfortunately, their captor was clever and cunning enough to never give her a real chance to do so - there was always just one too many of them for her to directly confront. Even with Silver’s help, there was no guaranteeing she’d be able to take them all down before an alarm could be raised or shots fired, and since either would only leave her in a bad position, she had bided her time. Besides, it had only been a day or so since she’d been taken, if her internal clock was correct. (And it always was.) So instead of moping about, she decided to use this time constructively. It had been less than forty-eight hours, (thirty seven hours, eighteen minutes, her mind reminded her relentlessly,) since she’d lost poor Sweetie Belle to that dreadful portal. And yet somehow, she had been physically unable to panic about what had happened. Her mind was swollen with total, complete confidence that she could get her sister back and get her home. There was no room for even the feeblest inklings of doubt. She’d never failed a single mission before in her life, and she was not about to start now. And there was that word again, echoing in her mind: Mission. As though this were some sort of common task for her to complete, and not a terrifying set of circumstances fit to make even the most even keeled pony tremble in fear. She was locked into a room with no reasonable means of escape, her friends had no knowledge of her location, and as near as she could tell her captor was some sort of madpony who found her beautiful enough to expend considerable resources to kidnap her. Oh yes, had her mind not mentioned that? The ‘good doctor’ had already sent her a ‘romantic’ missive. Deranged rantings on the subject of her purity, and how together they would soon rule the world. She’d seen such nonsense before and was hardly going to let it bother her, but she felt like she ought to have at least been a touch creeped out. But no. Nothing. She was as cool as a cucumber. She wasn’t stressed over Sweetie, or angry about this mad Doctor, or even her handsome but slightly uncouth room mate. She was… fine. And it was incredibly disturbing to feel fine in such a situation. “Miz Rarity, ya’ got a minute?” The gravelly voice of her companion caught her attention from across the room, and Rarity shook off her reverie to push out of the soft chair and onto her hooves. She would just have to keep moving, that was all. The room itself was so posh, getting across it was a simple enough matter, even with the detritus of Mister Manehatten Silver all over the place. Like most stallions, the poor soul had no sense of organization. But unlike most stallions, he was a brilliant schemer and very light on his hooves. He had already proven his mettle by stealing hoofkerchiefs from the second ponyservant to bring them food today, and had been passing his free time since her arrival with explaining what he’d discovered about the room they were in. It had all been useful information, but she was still hung up on how to apply any of it. “Yes, darling?” She queried as she pulled up to his desk, where he’d roughly sketched out what they’d managed to glean about the contents of the hall outside their room on a scrap of paper. He poked at the paper. “I think I got an idea.” He cocked his head at her, his bright blue eyes gleaming. “I figure we’ll get one shot at this though, so we’ll need t’ make it count.” He mouth turned into a roguish grin, and he cocked his head to one side. “There’s a flaw in how they come into the room.” He put a pair of wine corks on the sketch in the hallway, and four candle stubs just inside the door. He added a much battered bit next to the stubs, and a pair of little thimbles on their beds. “Two guards in the hall, two in the door, one guy carryin the stuff. Seems pretty bullet proof, right? But they come inside in a glob.” He bunched them together, showing how they’d walked into the door bunched up together. “No discipline. So right when they first walk in the door, they’re vulnerable. They do it the same way every time, too. Been seein it for weeks, but one pony can’t handle the job.” His grin grew wide, and he moved the thimbles just so. “But now that there’s two of us... I figure maybe we can rig up a li’l surprise for em.” Rarity leaned over the desk, rubbing at her chin. Her mind raced with thoughts and ideas that a designer of clothing simply shouldn’t have. But wherever they were coming from, Rarity knew all too well that without them she was going to be far too vulnerable to survive long enough to save Sweetie Belle. So she focused on the task, and put aside her concerns. Manehatten Silver was not wrong - that was a weakness that could be exploited. She had at first thought there was more to it than that, that they could not possibly be so silly as to make such a rookie mistake. But if this was constant behavior… Rarity tossed her mane over her shoulder and put on her prettiest smile. “I’d say you might have something here, Mr. Silver. Whatever did you have in mind?” ~~~~~Sweet Apple Acre’s Bar~~~~~ swiff...swiff...tinkletinkle...swiff… Dash could almost meditate to the even strokes of the broom wielded by Big Macintosh as he slowly sorted out the wreck of his bar. All around them, a dozen other earth ponies brought out new chairs and tables. The front glass windows had already been removed, and new ones were apparently already en route. There had been no sign of the Guards, and Dash was beginning to think there wasn’t going to be. Applejack was sitting at the table. Her suit was gone, and her wounds were bound up in neat white bandages provided by a surprisingly calm Rosetta, who herself was wearing a bandage wrapped around her head. Daring was outside. She’d gone out there after Rosetta had been verified fine, and Dash was sure she’d seen Daring shaking a little as she left. Not surprised. I hate other ponies seeing me cry too. It was a sobering thought, to realize how close they’d all come to getting killed. How they probably would’ve been… if it hadn’t been for Twilight. As usual. Twilight herself was exhausted, but somehow still awake. She’d torn into a massive spinach salad that somepony had brought for her, and was already working on a second. She looked like she’d just spent three days awake, and studying every minute of it. Dash should know, she’d seen her like that before once. But more than anything Dash was also sure that Twilight looked even more Alicorn-like than she had when they’d first dropped into this world, and it was kinda scary. Applejack finally spoke up, her hat on the table, and her golden mane braided back into an all-too familiar ponytail. “Y’all saved my family, Miss Twilight. Saved me too, but th’ family’s more important.” She spoke with a firm conviction, and many of the ponies around them nodded in agreement. Even if they weren’t part of the conversation, Dash got the impression they’d support their boss no matter what. Applejack half smiled, and folded her hooves together. “I gotta tell ya, Miss Twilight. Ah can’t remember the last time somepony stuck their neck out for me an’ mine like y’all just did.” Twilight sucked down another mouth full of greens and smiled faintly. “Miss Applejack… Explaining why would take a lot longer than any of us have, but I would have done that any day of the week for you.” There was a strong warmth in Twilight’s voice, and she seemed to perk up a bit for having had said it. She eyeballed her spinach, and took another big bite before speaking again. “I wish this wasn’t all so complicated.” Applejack snorted. “Y’all are tellin’ me! I expected somethin’ bucked up with ol’ Pith helmet involved, but royalty? Neightzis? This is a coupla’ levels bigger than normal, even fer her!” She slammed the table with a boof, and an instant later there was a foaming mug of cider at her side. She grabbed it and pounded back the liquid, a piquant smell on the air confirming it’s alcoholic nature just before she slammed the mug into the table. “We gotta do somethin’ about this.” She muttered, staring into the table. “I beg your pardon, Miss Applejack. But could you better explain to me just who those madponies were?” Twilight was chewing at her lip as she spoke, and casting her eyes to the corner. There, two dozen ponies of various races had been bound up hoof and leg. Every last one of them was completely unconscious and was showing no signs of coming to, either. Rosetta had said they were physically fine, but Dash privately doubted that. They’d gotten hit with what had looked like the same power the Elements of Harmony used, after all. Applejack raised an eyebrow at them, then nodded. “I suppose I’d best, if’n ya don’t know who they were.” She sighed and put her hat back on her head. “I was jes’ a youngin’ when it happened. Livin’ with m’ Aunt and Uncle here in Manehatten.” She gestured with a hoof, broadly. “There was some kind’a political thing in Canterlot. The Lord n’ Lady had an argument with somepony pretty high up in the government, an’ that somepony started the whole business. They’re…” She twisted her lips, looking a bit disgusted. “Ain’t no two ways about it, they’re convinced ponies are… and I’m meanin’ Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth Ponies only, understand? They think we’re superior t’ all the other creatures in the world. Better’n griffons, Dogs, Dragons, the works.” Dash blinked in astonishment at that kind of thinking. Superior? Sure, ponies were awesome, but there were plenty of things other races were better at than they were. “An it goes one further,” Applejack continued, looking uncomfortable. “They’ve got a problem with the pony races interbreedin’. Says it dilutes the blood, makes us lesser.” Her eyes narrowed, and she huffed out a breath. “As if an Apple’s any less an Apple jes’ cuz their momma was a pegasus, or their poppa was a unicorn. It’s fuckin’ stupid, that’s what it is!” Dash shook her head. It was just a given that the various pony races interbred with one another. Heck, that’d been going on since before the Tribal war! Commander Hurricane herself was famously the daughter of a pegasus warlord and a Unicorn duchess, and there wasn’t a pegasus alive who would say she hadn’t been the very epitome of the pegasi race. This was insane, that’s what this was. Some kind of crazy, small-time cult… Applejack shook her head slowly. “Problem is, they got support somehow. Started out as jes’ a few ponies, followin’ the charisma of the leader. Then things got nasty. Opposition to ‘em got violent, even against the Lady’s commands. There were bombing’s, attacks on prominent members of the movement.” Applejack sagged in her chair, rubbed at her eyes. “Even an’ attack on Manehatten Uni. It was lookin’ like there was gonna be a revolt.” Applejack fell silent, looking up at Twilight with vaguely curious eyes. Twilight stared back, as though a thought had just occurred to her, and then Rosetta’s voice came cutting through the silence. “And then the Fuhrerin appeared.” Everyone at the table jumped a little, except for Dash. Applejack was blushing and so was Twilight. What was going on here? Rosetta kept speaking, absently. “There was a political revolt within the Neightzi movement. The original leader was quietly assassinated, and replaced by the Fuhrerin and her loyal followers. Kommandant Panzer joined shortly after, and Lady Butterfly was made the head of their Intelligence corps.” Every eye turned to Rosetta, who was staring at the table as she spoke. “There was some sort of secret meeting between The Lady and the Fuhrerin. Overnight, the direct attacks against ponies came to a halt, and all of the movement’s supporters began to move to a large island off the eastern coast of Equestria.” Applejack nodded, quickly joining the conversation again as her cheeks slowly lost their redness. “They became a kinda’ mob all their own. They smuggle weapons an’ other stuff into Equestria, an fly their crazy little airships all over the place recruitin stupid ponies an’ harassin the locals.” She shook her head and snorted derisively. “Ah don’ know why the Lady puts up with ‘em, but the rumor is they got some kinda’ agreement.” Rosetta opened her mouth, then shut it firmly… and then. “I’m going to go check up on Daring.” She said, quietly shoving off the stool and quickly leaving the table before anypony could say another word. Twilight looked bewildered, and Applejack just looked suspicious. AJ sighed, then glanced at Dash before giving Twilight another look. “I’d like a private word before ya leave, but right now I gotta go check up on my boys that got hurt. If ya’ll would excuse me.” She quickly shoved away from the table a moment later, leaving Twilight alone with Dash for the first time since this morning. Twilight was silent. She’d finished her second salad, and was staring at her hooves as though she didn’t know what to say. Dash scooted her butt and her chair closer to her, and flared out a wing to wrap around Twilight’s shoulder. “You saved our butts there, Twi. Thanks.” She said it quietly, hoping that she could impart some comfort to her distressed friend. Twilight smiled briefly, but it vanished a moment later. “I felt… I was so angry, Dash. I completely lost it. I didn’t even feel… remorse.” She was shaking, just a little, now that nopony else was watching her but Dash and possibly Big Macintosh. “I turned into some kind of monster. I just unleashed a spell so powerful it could’ve blown this entire city block into rubble, and I didn’t even think twice about the possible consequences.” Twilight was outright shaking now, and Dash extended her hoof with her wing to wrap firmly around Twi’s shoulder. “Simmer down, egghead. It’s okay.” Dash tried to soothe her, stroking her hoof along Twilight’s shoulder but it didn’t seem to help. Then… she got a rather cheeky idea, and grabbed Twilight’s tail. It elicited a squeak from Twilight, until Dash tucked it into Twilight’s forehooves and then went back to hugging her. Twilight slowly stroked at her tail with her hoof, and the shaking slowly reduced in intensity. “Thanks, Dashie.” She murmured, and leaned her body against Dash’s shoulder. She was warm, and smelled like home, and it felt good to have her there, even if she was considerably larger than she’d been before. Fortunately Dash was pretty strong for a pegasus and could take the extra weight, but geeze. “You really put on a few pounds, Twily.” She wasn’t sure if using Shining’s nickname was appropriate here, but it drew a chuckle out of Twilight anyway. “We’re gonna have to put you on a diet. No more sweets from Sugar Cube Corner for you for a while.” That got a faint giggle out of Twilight, and Rainbow heaved a silent sigh of relief. She had to steer the conversation back onto something they could handle. “Something happened to you and me in this world.” Dash said quietly, looking at Big Mac leaning over his broom and brooding silently. “That’s why Shining Armor and Fluttershy got caught up in this. Something bad had to have happened to us, but what?” She bit at her lip, trying to worry out the answer by gnawing on the flesh a bit. “Like… I’ve never seen Shy look so totally in control of herself. She was almost a different pony entirely.” Twilight nodded a little, still leaning warmly against Dash… and almost squirming up against her, like they were cuddling. Dash felt her cheeks go a bit red, and twisted her head to hide it. “I think Rosetta knows something, too.” Twilight mused, her head now resting in Dash’s shoulder. “She keeps getting squirrelly around us. Like there’s something she wants to tell us but….” She shook her head in Dash’s shoulder, and hummed softly. “We’re getting off track. We’re going to be in serious trouble if we can’t find Rarity, so we’d best focus on that.” Dash nodded a little, and squeezed her hoof more gently around Twilight. It felt natural to do it too, like this was something they’d done together before. But… well, they’d hugged before, sure, but not really snuggled up like this. Why did it feel like this was the way things were supposed to be? Dash felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up, and an instant later she could feel Twilight tense too. “Something’s happening.” Twilight half said, her voice preoccupied. “I’ve been feeling it all day, but now it’s stronger… Like…” Twilight sat up straight all at once, and nearly sent Dash crashing out of her chair… only for her to fall across Twilight’s chair and send them both crashing to the floor in a heap of limbs and bodies, staring into one another’s eyes. Dash couldn’t take her gaze off of Twilight, and Twilight swallowed visibly before her eyes. She was more beautiful than Dash had ever really thought of, especially like this. Her bright ethereal mane was splayed attractively all over the floor behind her, and it would be so easy to just reach in and… And… And what in the world was she thinking? Dash shook her head back and forth, as an ache seared through her head. Her vision clouded, as images of another life raced past her eyes…. Fluttershy standing on the cloud, holding a checkered flag in her mouth…. The two dumb jock ponies, mocking her friend… The race. The fateful race that had set her life on the path that would lead… The Castle of the Two Sisters… The Elements of Harmony… to Nightmare Moon… Right? Rainbow Dash, taking off at top speed…. and then, seconds later, her ears caught a sound. A scream. Fluttershy. Falling. So fast. She couldn’t fly. Dash turned, forgetting the race. She had to save her. Speed and tears blurring the world. She couldn't see anything... Anything except the terrified eyes… of her friend. Rainbow Dash nearly screamed. It took every single ounce of strength for her to hold it back, and she could feel the pain burning through her mind. Memories that weren’t hers. Memories that shouldn’t be hers. She buried her face in Twilight’s chest, and wrapped her hooves firmly around her. She was hyperventilating. She was going to pass out of she didn’t get a hold of herself. Twilight’s forelegs wrapped around her, softly. The world stopped blurring, and slowly came back into focus. The memories faded away, replaced by the ones she knew were hers. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight. The Elements of Harmony, Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra. The world returned to sense, but her body ached from the struggle. Dash lifted her head to stare into the limitless depths of her friends eyes, and whispered: “Thanks.” Even speaking hurt - she winced. Twilight winced at the same time she did. “This world’s magic…” Twilight whispered heavily, her chest heaving up and down in a very naughtily attractive manner… Get your head out of the gutter, Rainbow! This isn’t the time or place! Twilight was still talking though, working through her own headache. “It’s… It’s like I can see it tugging at the threads of reality. Manipulating chance and circumstance… It’s trying to wrap us up, Rainbow. It’s trying to make us part of itself…” The pain vanished as quickly as it came, and Dash found her hoof grasping at Twilight’s as firmly as she could manage. “We’ve gotta get Rarity and get out of here.” She said quietly, and Twilight nodded. They slowly drew themselves up to sitting and huddled in one another’s forelegs for a few moments, waiting for their nerves to settle down. They had to hurry. The clock was ticking. But for some reason, Rainbow didn’t feel afraid. Not so long as she was wrapped in Twilight’s forelegs. No. She was suddenly afraid of what might happen if she ever lost this feeling of…. of… Was this Love? ~~~~~~ Twilight Sparkle strode through into the back room of The Sweet Apple Acres’ Bar, where a simple and rough hewn wooden desk sat under a gloriously painted canvas. It was Sweet Apple Acres to the life, with the sun just peeking over the horizon and sending a wave of color and shadows over the orchards. Applejack was sitting on her desk, papers and other office supplies scattered everywhere as she stared at the painting. Twilight shut the door quietly behind her, only to find an all too familiar photo staring her in the phase. Young Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and baby Apple Bloom. They were smiling, and hugging each other, and it was the same picture AJ had on her desk back at home. “Sometimes…” Applejack drawled, not even pretending her Manehatten accent anymore. “I think I should’a gone back. I shouldn’ta given up on the farm.” Her voice was rough, and she almost sounded… drunk? There was a sweet, sickly smell of something not unlike Brandy in the air as Applejack kept speaking. “I couldn’... I jes’ couldn’ admit that I’d been wrong. So I stayed. I went t’ school an’ made Aunt and Uncle Orange proud. Made myself a proper society mare. Got a degree.” She pointed at the wall, where Twilight could not help but stare in astonishment at a Masters in Economics from the University of Manehatten. “Even Granny was right impressed by that. Said I was th’ first Apple since m’ Grampa to get a proper education.” Applejack turned around, draping her rear legs over the desk edge and cradling a fancy looking glass bottle in her lap. “But I jes couldn’t admit I’d been wrong. Ah couldn’ work in the fancy offices. It jes’ wasn’t fer me. I’d already moved out of my Uncle’s place, an I needed money, but what could I do?” Then AJ sighed, twisting the bottle in her hooves.”Lucky I was still jes’ as strong and tough as I’d been as a filly. So I got a job under the table. Breakin’ legs for the Gaspacho’s.” She waved her bottle around. “Ten years later, an’ here I am. Boss of half of Manehatten. Guard Captains an’ Royal Agents afraid t’ cross me. Got the freakin Duke of the region in my back pocket. We’re swimmin in bits. Farm won’t ever need to turn a sliver of profit, an we could buy the whole rest’a Ponyville without breakin’ a sweat.” Applejack’s speech slurred a bit, and she was about to take another hard pull of the liquor before staring at the bottle for a long, somber moment. “An yet…” She half whispered, staring into the liquid. It was one moment that Twilight simply couldn’t stand. She grasped the bottle with her magic and tugged it away from Applejack. The earth pony mare didn’t resist as Twilight dumped the third-still-full bottle into the trash and crossed the room boldly to gently take Applejack’s hoof in hers. AJ stared down at the held hoof, and a few wet tears fell from her eyes. “Ah’ve tried to do right by the family, Miss Twilight. Tried mah darnedest.” The tears hit Twilight’s hoof, and Applejack grasped even harder. “Why issit I can’t look at’cha, an’ not see my little sister growin’ up happy an normal, an me buckin’ apples down on th’ farm?” Applejack looked up, and she was obviously working hard to fight back the tears. “Ah feel like I oughta’ know you. Like we shoulda’ met years ago. Like… Like…” “Like you’re seeing the life we all should’ve lived?” Twilight asked, trying to pitch her voice low. Applejack nodded once, sniffling and driving back her tears. Twilight looked over her shoulder, to the picture of Sweet Apple Acres in all of it’s glory. The way things should have been, if only they hadn’t been different. Then… then she heard Princess Celestia speaking gently, as though she was standing right next to her. The voice was ghostly, and echoed… ”Perhaps… the way things could still yet be?” She turned quickly to try and find the voice, but saw only a faint glow of light vanishing into nothingness. When she turned back to Applejack, she was surprised to see her staring right where Twilight had been looking a moment earlier. “Miss Twilight… Would y’all make me a promise before ya leave?” Her voice was quiet, but as strong and unshakable as the earth itself. And as she spoke, Twilight could feel a pressure of emotion in her heart as hard and sharp as a dagger. “Would ya kindly stop by fer one more drink a’fore you try gettin’ home?”