Chapter 3: Grey Dash
Summer was in full swing in Ponyville. All the fillys were out of school. The sun was shining high in the sky. And the beaches on the outskirts of town were packed.
Rainbow Dash had slowly begun to recover from her traumatic ego bruise. She had been somepony everypony talked about. And now she wasn't. Thunderspark was.
She spent most of her time in her cloud home, only leaving in order to do her job as Ponyville weather manager. But she continued to stay isolated from the rest of her friends.
It happened to be the topic of choice at Sugar Cube Corner that morning.
"I'm seriously worried about her. So little daylight can hurt a ponies complexion!" Chirped Rarity.
"There's more to worry about here than her complexion." Twilight insisted. "She's become a recluse. This isn't like her. We shouldn't have let her take on Thunderspark face to face. We gotta help her somehow."
Applejack shook her head. "I never seen her do this before. I mean, I know she hates losing, but this is on a different level. We gotta pull her out of the dumps fast. She might do something crazy."
"I'll do it!" A voice piped up.
Scootaloo was hopping up and down enthusiastically. "I'll cheer her up! I promise!"
Twilight Sparkle smiled. "Look. I know you want to help but...she's just not in a very good mood. She's probably not ready for a spastic filly right now. Sorry."
Scootaloo was crestfallen. She looked down at the floor and pouted. "I don't even know what spastic means."
Applejack looked at Twilight and shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. Besides we could just send Fluttershy in case she starts hurling clouds."
Fluttershy swallowed. "H-Hurling clouds? She wouldn't hurl clouds at me would she?"
Rarity shrugged. "Has she ever been this upset before?"
Fluttershy lifted Scootaloo and took off towards the Cloud home of Rainbow Dash.
"Don't be too loud. And be really careful about spooking her. Also don't make fun of her. She's really sensitive right now..."
"I got it Fluttershy! I promise." Scootaloo insisted. "And dodge the clouds. Yeah. I know."
Fluttershy touched down outside the door.
"Oh. Well...okay. I'll just...wait out here then."
Scootaloo stared at her. "Wait. You're not going in there?"
Fluttershy smiled. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll just wait out here."
"Well...I mean...okay. I'll go in alone."
She trotted up to the door. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she knocked.
"Go away! I wanna be alone!" A voiced irritably called out. The sound of heavy metal music could be heard through the door. Scootaloo sighed and pushed open the door.
The music nearly blasted her back. ACDC was deafening her. She built up her courage, covering up her ears, and entered the house.
She looked around for the source of the music. A radio attached to giant speakers were at the end of the hall. She ran towards them, still covering her ears. She took her hoof off her ear and hit the power button on the radio.
The house became silent. Then a frustrated roar from the next room.
"WHO TURNED OFF MY MUSIC?"
There was a rainbow streak. Scootaloo hid in a closet. Rainbow Dash looked around the hallway.
"Whoever did that has three seconds to come out and explain why!"
Scootaloo tried to quiet her breathing, but the panic overcame her. She was breathing too loudly. Rainbow's ears perked up. She looked at the closet and raised an eyebrow.
"Aha! I got you now you..." She practically ripped the closet doors open. Scootaloo was trembling with fear. Rainbow Dash's expression changed to confusion.
"Wha...What are you doing here?"
Scootaloo snapped. Words began spouting from her mouth faster than Rainbow Dash could compute.
"Well you haven't been anywhere, and everyone's worried, and I thought you'd be mad, and Thunderspark he...!"
"Alright alright! Okay! Breathe. Breathe." Rainbow Dash looked around. "Are you here alone?"
Scootaloo shook her head. "Fluttershy brought me."
Fluttershy peeked in the doorway. Rainbow Dash threw her a glare. She grinned nervously.
Scootaloo finally caught her breath. "You really shouldn't play music so loud."
"Why? What's wrong with my music?" Rainbow demanded.
"Nothing. It's just...it was a bit loud." Scootaloo squeaked.
"I was trying to relax." Rainbow replied, turning back towards her room.
Scootaloo trotted after her. "Hey! Why don't you go outside? It's really nice outside!"
Rainbow Dash looked down at her wide eyed fan. "Look squirt. I'm not really in the mood. I'll be just fine in my room."
Fluttershy trotted in. "It would mean a lot if you came to sugar cube corner with us. Everypony is just dying to see you."
Rainbow Dash looked at her, then at the smiling filly at her side.
"I don't know. I just...I don't want anypony to see me. Out there."
Fluttershy put a hoof on her shoulder. "Why not? Everypony is so worried about you."
Rainbow Dash glared at her. She carefully removed her hoof from her shoulder.
Rainbow Dash sighed and looked down at the ground. She closed her eyes.
"I just don't want to face them. Not after that race."
"Oh Rainbow Dash, we don't care about the race. We care about you. Come on. It'll be fun."
Rainbow Dash looked at her smiling friend. She sighed.
"Besides! Thunderspark is a tool! " Scootaloo chimed in.
"Hey! Watch your mouth young filly!" Fluttershy said, doing her best to raise her voice.
"Oh. Alright. If it means so much to you guys, I'll go."
Scootaloo hopped up in excitement. Rainbow sighed and followed them out the door.
In the farthest reaches of Equestria, dark clouds loomed. Discord, god of chaos. He lounged in his small cave, making concoctions into a giant cauldron. "Oh yes. Oh yes. This will be a day to remember. The day Discord takes back the throne."
He dumped a vial of beetle blood into the cauldron. A small flame shot up from the grey liquid.
"Turning loyalty against itself. Taking control of rock and using it to create a better, more chaotic home for my subjects!" He giggled in excitement at the thought. "And the world will remember the name Discord!"
There was a roar behind him. "Oh. So you're awake my vassal?"
He turned towards the mouth of the cave. A giant rock formation lay before him. Suddenly it shook. Eyes formed from the small mountain. With another roar, it came to life before his eyes. A rock beast. Standing a good twelve stories high, it groaned and snorted to life. "Serving you Lord Discord."
Discord laughed. "Oh this is too good! I am truly a GOD!"
The monster shook. Suddenly dagger like rocks came through it's back. They began flapping.
"Oh! You can fly? Oh this is just too good! Failure is now truly impossible!"
Small rock soldiers rose from the ground around him. They all saluted Discord. "Yes. In one week we shall take Equestria from Celestia! Once I have summoned a final ally, we shall mobilize! We will RULE EQUESTRIA FOREVER!"
Discord went back into the cave. "I only need one thing now. Some good old fashioned misdirection."
He picked up a dark vial. He poured it's contents into the cauldron.
He stirred it into the mix. Suddenly a lightning bolt erupted from it.
A hoof extended from the mixture. Then a head. Then a body. Black, hole filled wings extended.
It crawled out of the cauldron and shook itself. A changeling.
"Hello there." Discord sneered.
The changeling eyed him suspiciously. "Discord. We meet again. You have a job for me?"
"Don't I always?" Discord asked.
"Well yes. But it's been thousands of years Discord. Long time since I took care of that Luna problem. You don't want any modern assassins?"
Discord chuckled. "Oh I am in love with keeping myself new and up to date. But you're hacking of Luna's mind was perfect. Though, I regret to say, it didn't take."
At this, the changeling knocked Discord to the ground. She put her hooves around his throat. "You lie."
"She ceased being Nightmare Moon a year ago. But this is okay. I know of nopony with your...special skills. So you are still of value to me."
The changeling got up off Discord. "I will always be of value master. Now who would you have me invade?"
Discord drew out something wrapped in a blanket. He opened it to reveal a cyan blue feather.
The changeling transformed before Discord's eyes. A mane sprouted from her head. A long bushy tail sprouted.
"Rainbow Dash."
"This is the name of my target?" The changeling asked.
Discord nodded. He frowned at the carbon copy standing before him. "One problem I see. You're coat is grey."
Indeed he was correct. The changeling looked almost exactly like Rainbow Dash apart from being grey.
"One moment sir." She transformed again, this time turning cyan blue. Her mane became rainbow colored. "It's been a while."
"I shall not call you by your name for the sake of playing the part." Discord said. "I shall call you Grey Dash. You will serve me. You're assignment is Rainbow Dash. She lives in..."
Grey Dash raised a hoof. "I shall find out myself sir." She began rubbing her temples.
Discord watched with amazement. The process of reading somepony's mind from hundreds of thousands of miles away. Fascinating. As she continued rubbing her temples, fascination became boredom.
"You done yet?"
"Hush." Grey Dash snapped. "I'm getting something." She smirked.
"Ponyville. She lives in Ponyville. I sense...a very weak soul. Family. Family. No family. An orphan. Arrogant. Self confident. But...currently very troubled. Oh yes. This one will be easy to break." She put down her hooves. "Tell me what I must do."
"I wish for you to destroy her. Mentally. Physically. From the inside out. I want her out of the way. I want you to make her regret the day she was born. With any of the members of the elements of harmony out of commission, Equestria will fall easily. Not even Celestia will be able to stop me!"
The changeling nodded. "As you wish my lord."