Kydo & Slick

by Slick Dash

First published 17th of February, 2012

Ponnyville hosts their first rock concert and a group of dark and mysterious stallions come forth!

Little is known about Rainbow Dash's past, but as Ponnyville's first ever rock concert hosts the performances of her favourite band the "Night Ravens," terrible events begin to unfold, showing the true horror behind Rainbow's first ever Sonic rain-boom and how Big Mac knows far more than anyother pony when concerning the Rainbow maned Filly, and he begins to notice the leaad singer of the band, "Kydo" and the drummer "Dirt" seam suspicious, and the simple earth stallion begins to worry for his friends...

Introduction

Kydo & Slick

By Slickdash

-Intro-

All of Equestria was quiet; there was too much excitement for loud noises, not enough time to talk. All over the vast land Phillies prepare for another day, a small white unicorn prepares costumes for a school play, terribly sad at the fact her designs weren’t “fabulous.” Another unicorn, this one a wondrous shade of magenta waits with bated breath as she sits in a waiting room, preparing for the entrance exam of the Equestrian academy of magic. A sad little Filly trudges through a farm field moving rocks from north to south and east to west, her main long and lifeless. And finally a little yellow Pegasus sails through the air on a cloud of butterflies after falling from a great height.

In the mountain range on which the grand kingdom of Canterlott stood, there leant a stallion, his mane and coat were both red as the dawn. Just past his forelegs hung two grand wings, revealing him to be a proud and large Pegasus. His gaze stared into the sky in the far distance, three Filly's fly through the sky, aiming to spear themselves through rings made of cumulous clouds. A basic flight school race. The leader of the race was a female Pegasus, though from this distance the only reason the stallion knew this was due to the fact he would recognize his own sisters, rainbow slipstream that followed her whenever Dash flew fast. Suddenly with unbelievable speed Dash rounded a corner, her pursuers fast on her hooves. One of them lost his grip on the wind current and flew face first into a pillar of cloud, but Dash still went on with no remorse. The stallion smiled to himself, “That’s my dash!” he murmured to himself.

The stallion turned away from the beautiful sight of his sister and moved off towards the edge of the clearing he stood upon, jagged and giant sheets of rock surrounded the path, he had been lucky to have found a slight break in the formations to catch a glimpse of that surprising sight. His sister. Flying like she had been doing it for as long as he had. As he moved further into the dark valley, a faint rumble began, accompanied by the sudden shaking of the ground. At first it sounded like a stampede was fast approaching, “But what they hey would a bunch of cows be doing up here?!” He thought to himself. But as the sound grew louder and closer faster than any cattle, the stallion grew disturbed. He began to break out into a reasonably paced canter, trying to distinguish what it could be over the sound of his hooves and his own beating heart, suddenly loud and boisterous. Rocks on the ground began to move across the ground, scuttling as if little grey bugs or crabs.

The Pegasus built up speed as he unfurled his grand wide wings, ready to fly out and escape. The saddle bags on his flanks were heavy and meant he’d need to build up speed before flight. He hadn’t wanted to waste his energy so soon, but this was different. If this noise was as dangerous as it sounded then conserving energy was the least of his problems. The cliff faces stood resolute, pebbles of rubble began falling down them as the noise grew to a tumultuous roar. Confident in his current speed the stallion began to beat his wings, immediately pushing himself strongly a good four feet of the ground. His wings pulled back up to beat a second time with a grand “Swoooosh.” And as he prepared to push himself high above this dangerous plain and soar among the clouds...

CRACK! With an agonizing contact that smashed the stallion back into the ground, a rock, the largest yet to fall slammed into the poor buck and sent him back down. Skidding a few more feet before coming to a halt the stallions saddle bags were sent flying, and the contents were sent scattering across the valley’s floor. A few carrots, an apple, a pencil, paper, and an envelope sealed with a gold wax crest broken and clearly read, and finally a framed picture of a small smiling filly her hair scruffy and unkempt and made of all the colours of the rainbow. She stood dwarfed by the red Pegasus next to her, but both were happy. Rainbow dash was looking out of the corner of her eye, up into the face of her brother a look of sheer admiration in her great pink eyes. The Stallion looked up to see the picture sail away through the air. Without a noise he stood back up and with the speed he was known for, began to run with all his might after the picture, if he could get that at least he would be happy. Then he could get the hell out of there. Following it as it flew through the air the Buck jumped as high as he could, and with his teeth, caught and clenched the frame hard. Without waiting to come back to the ground he flung his wings out trying to catch the wind and sail away.

For a moment he began to soar upwards reaching only a 3rd of the height of the steep rocky mountains, before...
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!” his wing buckled under the strain of the wind and its beating with the rock. With a terrible crunch the bones in the wings shifted dreadfully and the outer half bent away pushed by the wind. Now the Buck fell, from a terrible height and landed awkwardly on his right rear ankle. He collapsed straight into the ground, and with his face hitting the it with such great force, he unceremoniously let go of the picture. Unable to stop himself from staring, he watched as the frame flew forwards approximately 5ft away from his outstretched forelegs. The rumbling was a terrible ruckus now, as the ground literally tossed everything around like rag dolls. But oddly the stallion and the picture stayed where they were, unperturbed by the shaking and roaring of whatever terrible thing came this way. The stallion began to rise, not knowing how he would now escape, unsure how the hell he was going to even survive this ordeal. But he didn’t let that bother him. If he was to die, he would do so with pride, if he couldn’t die with Dash by his side, then he would at least die holding that damn picture!

He took a tentative step forward on his bad ankle, testing its resilience. He regretted it immediately with a sickening ‘crunch’ the already fractured bones completely broke away under the large Bucks weight. With yet another scream, he fell once again, still no closer to his beloved picture. He lay there, fear enveloping him completely. Slowly his thoughts wandered to his sister’s race, had she won? Of course she did! She wouldn’t lose to a bunch of mugs from that snooty flight school even if she could only move one wing. The irony of his thoughts hit him, and he laughed, looking to his right appendage. It jutted out at a terrible angle, and hurt tremendously even with the tiniest movement. He thought of his home, that quaint little cloud home made of Cumulous, Cirrus and Cirrostratus clouds. So much work to make that little patch of sky just outside of Ponyville home to him and his sister when she finally came home from school. He was supposed to pick her up to finally come home after the term had finally ended this weekend, so close. Now all this! All this over a stupid request from that damned Princess Celestia! Why the hell couldn’t her guards have gone to find this stupid black oil that is apparently so precious to sick and dying ponies!?! It wasn’t worth HIM dying for! What about Dash?

Empowered by his thoughts, the stallion looked up. Looking at the picture from here made it look like Big Macintosh was the one standing besides rainbow. The stallion stared for a moment, the two did look alike, except for their mane the two could probably be twins (minus the wings of course) and that made the stallion think. Would Big Mac look after rainbow for him? Mac was his closest friend, and surely that friend would look out for the little Filly if she eventually came back to an empty home, wouldn’t he? The buck was sure he would. The rumbling reached its tumultuous climax as the ground, stones and rocks all moved in unison. True rubble was falling now, and they came to ground like the world’s deadliest rain. Among the rumble there was a tinkling noise as well, and as he looked above, into the tremendous blue sky he saw the cause of all the commotion. A rainbow. Round and circular, it was spreading out from the rough direction of little Dash’s race, with a smile that numbed all pain, he realised that Dash had actually done the one thing he could never do with his large, powerful yet heavy body. She had moved at a speed powerful enough to break the sound barrier. It had to have been her, no one else could make that kind of spectacle except for his little show off of a sister.

With pride welling up in his heart, not caring for the consequences of her actions and what they had done to himself, the stallion reached for the picture. Tears welling up in his dark blue eyes, blurring the scene before him, he whispered two words “Wow kiddo.” SMASH! A rock the size of a small Filly smashed into the ground, engulfing the picture in a cloud of smoke. Hampered by his obliterated ankle, the Buck could merely look on as the dust cleared and revealed the top half of the picture crushed by the rock. The glass of the frame was splintered and cracked, the paper picture inside was torn in a way which completely eliminated anything above Dash’s head. All that could be seen was dash looking up lovingly at a headless Buck. The sight broke the stallion’s heart, he began to drag himself forward. Trailing his twisted wing and shattered ankle with him. As he came close to touching bronze coloured frame, a destructive crunch sounded followed by overwhelming, maddening pain! Another rock had fallen but this one had collapsed onto the stallions back, crushing him instantly. In the few seconds he stayed conscious after this he looked at that beautiful young faced Filly one more time. “Dash... kiddo... I’m sorry I didn’t....” and with that his eyes closed and he grew still.

Over all of Aquestria miracles happened, a homesick country pony living in a bleak city saw a rainbow guiding her home. A pretty pink pony felt joy for the first time in her life, and in that moment devoted to making all others feel the way she did at that moment. A rock, on the lip of a cliff not far from a dying stallion split open to reveal hundreds upon hundreds of shimmering jewels, to the delight of a fabulous white unicorn. Animals were calmed by a quiet and happy yellow Pegasus as they hid from the great explosion of colour and sound. A purple unicorn, in the middle of the exam of her life time, jolted by fear showed some of the most stupendous magic seen in Aquestria for decades, and in doing so earned a loving friend and assistant. And not far from Ponyville, or from the cliff ranges around Canterlott, their soared a triumphant rainbow coloured pony. Going faster than any one before her, even her brother and in that moment she thought of the grand stallion, how proud he would be. Only 2 more days to wait before term ends and she can see this great surprise his letters described. Everywhere there was happiness, everypony was having their own day of destiny.

But in a valley. Far away from prying eyes, far less likely to be found as a young Rarity scooped her gems up with magic and trotted down the path leading away from the dark mountain centre. There lay a stallion, red from head to hoof, buried. The avalanche had finally concluded, and the damage made the land unrecognizable. He lay buried under the rubble completely except for a small hole in the rocky layers, situated over the Bucks eye. Light shone over the lid but caused no stir in him. High above the valley, on an overhanging ledge of rock –battered and nearly destroyed by the sonic rain-boom- a vein of black liquid began to drip down, into the vast quiet valley.

Drip, drip, drip, drip. Echoing over the grand chasm, the drops spattered the rocks above the stallion, and slowly ran down their sides, one trickle slowly found the hole in the rocky ground, a long sliver of black oil began to dangle from the lowest point of the rock. Before snapping and dropping onto the closed red lid of the Pegasus. The drop stayed there, until joined by another, and then another. The drops accumulated for a minute, before slowly trickling over the curve of the lid and seeping in. The oil, almost consciously, moved over the crack over the eye, waiting a moment and then seeping into the eyeball itself.
............................................

Chapter 1

-1-

Rainbow dash lazily glided through her cloud home from her bedroom. Still fighting of the haziness of sleep she decided to wake herself properly before she continued with the routine she followed usually on this day of the year. Bobbing outside into the dawning sun, dash hovered next to one of the cascading waterfalls outside, flipping upside down she quickly thrust her head under it. The almost liquid substance was cold on her face and shocked her body into waking up, sure it was a horrible thing to do to yourself every morning, but it meant that Rainbow could just immediately get on with what needed doing during the day not just stumble around until her body decided it was ready. She was in charge not her stupid legs, wings and whatever else complained and ached whenever she did this.

Turning back around dash returned to the comfort of her living room. The house never had been heavily furbished, too much stuff meant that the clouds would begin to strain under the weight. But that didn’t bother dash. This place was special to her, it had been for 10 years now, and on today of all days, dash found the place far beyond 20% cooler than usual. A frame sits on the cloud table next to dash’s favourite arm chair, it shows her as a Filly smiling and looking up at another Pegasus, this one far older, male, and blood red. Although the frame was completely whole, the picture itself was torn, only showing the lower half of the Stallion with which the young Rainbow looked up at with love and warmth in her eyes. The face was never far from her mind, and the blank dark back of the frame almost seemed to shimmer and glisten as dash visualized his face. That same little goofy smile on it, those huge blue eyes looking back her. She could almost see it as though the picture was complete once again. She didn’t cry. 10 years following the terrible accident rainbow had finally stopped being a blubbering mess every time the anniversary came along. All she felt now was cold and guilt, “My fault.” That’s all she ever thought nowadays. Her actions had most likely killed her brother, and now all she had was this picture left behind in the vast gorge she had created in the mountains with her tremendous speed all those years ago.

The mountain path was used every now and then all those years ago. When it was discovered that there had been an avalanche, ponies reported the accident to the great Celestia. So she sent her best unicorns to use their magic to clear the way. Once the rubble had been moved only then was the true tragedy revealed. Broken and rotten supplies were strewn all across the valley floor. Torn paper pages, carrots and apple chunks and this picture, half buried in the wreckage. Only once they discovered that these must have belonged to somepony also trapped in the rubble. A search party was sent out, however with the rushed removal of the boulder’s so that travellers would not be hindered huge masses of rocks had been moved at once, taking anything vital to the investigation with them. He had never been found.

Dash looked at the picture, no longer seemed to be glimmering. No longer shining. Only a colourful piece of paper in a frame as always. She lifted a hoof, and gently brushed the place where her brothers face should have been. She closed her eyes, “Slick” she whispered “I miss you big brother.” She kept her eyes closed, she had heard how some ponies pray to those they’ve lost. Dash still wasn’t sure how to do it and felt stupid asking anyone. So every year she said those same words in the hopes of hearing something back, a laugh, a shout of his nick name for her “Kiddo!” Even just the beating of his huge strong wings. But as ever the world was silent.
No one had ever blamed her for what had happened (Except for herself of course.)
“You don’t know that you caused that landslide!”
“What god would make it so a little sister’s grand moment would take away the brother? That’s right none!” They had all been the same empty words, the same needless protests to how rainbow felt. She knew in her heart that she had made it happen, that stupid legendary sonic rain-boom. She found herself thinking-like every year- that even if she forgot her brothers face after losing him and half of this picture after so many years. If she ever found him-miraculously alive that is- she would know him by that cutiemark, a great blue eye. Signifying his amazing talent of sight, he had been able to see far further than any other pony. He could see for miles, which made him such a great asset to Aquestria. Search expeditions for rare items or substances, giving directions for travelling ponies lost and unable to see as far ahead as he, all of it was nothing to Slick.

“Ooohhhh Rainbow dash!” Called the familiar voice of Twilight sparkle from outside. Dash jumped a little at the surprise appearance of her close friend. Down below on the ground the magenta pony waited patiently for her friend to answer her call. There was no response. So she shouted again, this time slightly louder. “Daaaaaash! Come on hurry up!” with this she saw the vibrantly coloured head of her friend pop out over the side of her cloud homes ledge. She smiled at her friend who just looked perplexed to see her friend here so early in the morning.
“uuuhhhh Twilight... what’s... uhhh what’s up?” she said perplexed.
“Come on! You said you wanted to be first in line to get those concert tickets for this weekend didn’t you? Well they open in about 10 minutes, and I myself can’t wait to see what they sound like! I’ve never been to a rock concert before, so I really want to make sure I get a ticket too!” Rainbow Dash looked on for a moment staying silent.
“They... come out today?” she asked exasperated. “But...” she straightened her head up looking back into her home. The picture was in plain view through the open door. She turned back to Twilight, torn between what to do.

“Whats wrong rainbow?” Twilight queried. At the question Dash seemed to come to a decision.
“Nothing!” she said quickly before zipping out of view for a moment, she swooshed through the house to her bedroom, and diving under the bed she took a small shoe box out from under it. Opening it she rummaged through until she found a small leather pouch, which jingled as she moved it. She had been saving up her pay for odd jobs around Ponnyville for 4 months since she heard these tickets were going to go on sale. Tossing the purse into the air she moved with lightning speed and took the black and red shirt in the box and put it on in a blur of dark colour. She then jumped backwards through the air, catching the bag in her mouth before it fell to the ground, and proceeded to blast out of the house leaving the usual rainbow slipstream behind her. As she passed out of the living room and through the door slamming it closed with the wind following her, she unknowingly knocked the little framed picture next to an arm chair. The picture tipped forward and landed face down onto the cushion of the chair.

Completely unaware, Dash streamed straight to the ground and scooped up Twilight in her forelegs and arching through the sky, headed for the huge newly erected canopy just outside of Ponyville. Yes it was the anniversary of his disappearance, but Slick wouldn’t want Dash to miss something she loved because of him. And anyway buying the tickets on the anniversary wouldn’t be all that bad; it wasn’t like it would make Dash hate herself anymore than she already did today.
........................................................

Chapter 2

-2-

Although the canopy was huge, it was completely closed at the moment. The band didn’t want anyone to see the stage until Saturday night. And to ensure no one could, the crew had spent all night making it from scratch. An amazing feet even by unicorn magic, and now the small ticket booth stood solitary in the centre of the field which in 2 days time would be filled to bursting point with rocking ponies. Slowing down and landing Dash let Twilight drop to the ground and then landed next to her. The two began to move to the ticket booth, not yet crowded but with merely 2 ponies waiting. “Rarity?” exclaimed Twilight with surprise, the bedazzling white pony turned to see who had called her.
“Twilight! Well I’m not surprised Rainbow is here but really, what in heaven’s name brings you here?”
“Hey, I can have some fun too yah’know!”
“Of course you can! It just didn’t strike me as your...cup of tea.”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” screamed Pinkie Pie, piping up for the first time after being surprisingly still for a change. But she made up for her silence by speaking a mile a minute now. “How could not be anyponies cup of tea? I can’t wait! After all concerts are just like big parties, and as you know I LOVE parties, they just get me so hyped, and if parties get me hyped then concerts must reeeeaaallly get me hyped. So all in all I’m hoping I’m able to go as nuts as I want and I can just let loose and go CRAAAAAZZZZZAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!”

Dash smiled, as she began to walk to the booth she muttered a quick “you mean she hasn’t let loose yet?! That can’t be good!” Twilight fought hard to suppress a fit of giggles. “Rarity, so if pinkie pie is here to get ‘hyped’ then why are you?” enquired Rainbow Dash. “Never had you pegged as a rocker!” she said with a sly wink at her white friend.
“Well I’m not one of these “ROCKERS” but I’ve heard that the costumes this band wears are simply divine!”
“Are you telling me none of you came here for the band themselves!” Dash said incredulously. All the girls looked back at her with a sheepish glance at one another. “OH MY GOSH! The sky ravens! They are sooooooo cool!” she yelled, standing on her haunches to show the logo on her shirt. Three red dramatic silhouettes of stallion Pegasy stand against the black background. “They rock SO hard! Pinkie if you want a band you can jump to you can’t have asked for more. Twigh well I gotta say you are gonna have a lesson you’ll never forget, and Rar-”

“Hey y’all!” Shouted a familiar southern voice from behind the group of friends, Apple jack was slowly making her way across the field to the ticket booth along with her big brother, the strong and powerful Big Macintosh.
“APPLE JACK!?!” all four ponies exclaimed in unison. The smiling pony bumpkin smiled as she approached her friends along with her brother. She looked over them all beaming with surprise that they had all come to the same concert without even mentioning it to her. And for a second her gaze lingered on Rainbow Dash longer than the rest. Was that pity in her eyes as she looked at her? Rainbow asked herself, but then she looked away and began chatting animatedly to the others. Big Macintosh however didn’t hide his judgement, his eyes never left the bright pony’s. The two stared at one another for what seemed like a long time, most likely a few seconds really. Finally breaking eye contact Big Mac glanced at the gang of giggling ponies, when sure they weren’t going to stop any minute soon, the stallion walked right up to Dash. He passed within inches of her right flank.
“Yah gotta minute?” he asked in a whisper.
Dash looked at him slowly moving away, then back at her friends. The booth hadn’t opened yet, but she could see ponies in the distance beginning to approach the field. With a sigh she turned and followed “I guess.”

When sure they were out of earshot Big Mac turned and looked at the little pony. Now that they were alone, the words that he was so sure of a few moments ago now felt extremely inadequate.
“Now Mrs. Dash, I know you just wanna keep on going with your life. But are yah sure this is the best idea, it is ten years today that ... well ... yah know.” Big Mac’s strong voice trailed off, he looked to the ground and rubbed one of his forelegs against the other, his confidence was quickly leaving him. Dash saw what the stallion was trying to ay and saved him the trouble,
“I know Big Mac, and yes I DO want to keep going. The thing is I didn’t know tickets were today, and if they weren’t so popular id have waited. But ten Twilight showed up all ready to go, and well she doesn’t know what day it is. I feel terrible about doing it, but this weekend’s concert is the one thing I NEED to distract me from... it.” she finished lamely. Casting a glance over her shoulder she saw her friends laughing at some joke Pinkie Pie was telling, all of a sudden she felt a vast need to be near them.
“Well I know its not the same, but he was mah’ best friend too as well as your brother, so if anything we should know best what’s going through the others mind. ‘specially seeing as youve taken it upon yourself not to tell any of the girls.” He smiled warmly at the small pony trying to show that he was here for her.
“To be honest Big Mac, its not really the same. Yes you cared for him, but he’s my family... and well, you could have always told AJ about Slick at any point. I never stopped you.” Dash hadn’t meant to make it sound so cold, but in all honesty it was how she felt. She didn’t mind her friends knowing about her brother, but she just didn’t want to be the one to tell them. “And if it’s so TERRIBLE for me to be here, then why the hey are you here too?! Huh?” she accused the huge red Buck.

Big Mac opened his mouth to speak, but an announcement cut him short.
-Attention! Tickets for Saturday nights “Sky Ravens” concert are now on sale! Please form an orderly line to be served by the broker.-
Dash turned away from the stallion without a word and moved back to the booth as her friends also headed for it, just ahead of the fast approaching crowd.
“She’s as stubborn as old Slick y’know” a voice said in Big Mac’s head.
“Yup” he said quietly to himself, before following the group of girls to the small hut. Pinkie pie was the first in line, she bought two tickets, one for her and one for some “Friend” she wouldn’t disclose to the others, but just smile and say “Well I definitely won’t be the most ‘Hyped’ of everyone going on Saturday. I promise you that!” Next was Rarity who bought just one for herself and with a wink to the young broker she tossed her hair back and slowly strutted away. The transfixed Colt took a few moments to recover after he watched the elegant rump of the unicorn round the side of the window and escape his sight. A small sliver of saliva dangling from his slightly ajar lips. With a malicious smack, Rainbow came next, slamming her hoof on the window to jolt the broker out of his trance. It worked. The broker jumped enough to topple backwards off of his seat and collapse in a heap on the floor. Seconds later he bounced up apparently unperturbed, and so rainbow payed for both hers and Twighlight’s ticket. The two friends joined the pink and white ponies to the side of the booth and began ogling their tickets.

Finally AJ and Big Macintosh came to the glass panel, something strange happened as, AJ looked up at her brother who proceeded to take out an envelope from his left saddle bag. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice this and drew the others attention to it. As they looked on, Big Mac opened it and turned it upside down over the small tray where money was placed to pay. A cascade of coins fell into the tray, and the others gaped as Big Mac sheepishly replaced the envelope in his bag. After the two received their tickets, they came over to the others. “uhhhmmmm Apple jack, where did you a Big Mac get all that money?” asked Twilight.
“Well sugar cube, we didn’t earn it, but we didn’t steal it either, if that’s what you ponies are thinking.”
“But sweat heart! We’d never think that!” gasped Rarity. The others all nodded in agreement.
“Well...” Applejack began, “last night, we got a letter, in that there envelope. Along with all that money.”
“AND WHAT DID IT SAY?” Pinkie Pie pleaded while bouncing up in front of her orange friend smiling madly. Big Mac then took out the envelope again, and pulled out the letter inside.

“To a certain red apple bucking stallion and his sister. As you know by now, the band “Sky Ravens” are playing just outside of ponyville, this Saturday evening. Please find enclosed the amount needed for two tickets use this money to buy them. Trust me this isn’t a night you won’t want to miss.
Hoping to see you there, we know out of everypony here you two would be the last to spend money on something like this, so we supplied it for you."

The girls were silent, Big Mac retracted the letter and place it back in his saddle bag. He looked at Rainbow dash for a moment, “I did try to tell you, this is why we came.”
“Dang right we came!” cheered Applejack, “if some pony decides to give us money to see a concert out of their own sweet nature, then who are we to turn it down?” the little pony was clearly excited, so much so she held the ticket in her mouth, closed her eyes and trotted on the spot for a moment out of sheer elation. The girls all smiled and squealed with excitement, as they all began to move out of the way of the crowd now milling around the ticket broker’s stand. All except for rainbow Dash, looking slightly downtrodden she scuffed her hoof at the dirt at her feet. Big Mac stood in front of her “you ok ther’ Dash?”

“Oh yeah” she murmured, “I guess I’m a little jealous that you basically got invited when you don’t listen to them. But I don’t mind really” she suddenly looked up and smiled, “It just means we all get to enjoy the concert together” she paused “...Except fluttershy, she never did show up, I guess she didn’t wanna come.”
“To be honest I reckon a rock concert, filled with rough colts and loud noises isn’t that Phillies idea of a good time.” The stallion smiled, placing a hoof on the rainbow Pegasus’s shoulder, he gently turned her around and led her off after her friends.

Unseen by anypony, a small flap was open in the side of the canopy facing the audience area. Behind it, someone looked out at the little filly being led away, a lock of black hair fell across their eye. They flicked it away quickly, ensuring not to miss the sight, but it was too late. The two had rounded the corner at the field’s gate and headed into town.
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Chapter 3

-3-

The air was electrified. It was Saturday night, and the field in front of the stage was packed with ponies. Three lines from the front row, dead centre were the gang. Rainbow had adorned red and black face paint as well as her band T-Shirt, which both clashed heavily with her already colourful main. Twilight stood next to her, looking the same as always, she had bought a band anklet, and was wearing it proudly, not caring if she didn’t look as... fanatic as rainbow. Rarity stood on dash’s other side, wearing a black waistcoat. She had used temporary die to tinge streaks of vibrant green into her purple hair, though strange, like almost everything she did with her appearance, she looked beautiful. Pinkie pie was already in the spirit of the concert, she was bobbing up and down on her knees, ready to jump for all her life with a seconds notice. Typical of the pink Filly, she had bought every different type of merchandise she could find. She wore the same shirt as dash, and the same anklet as Twilight. But she also wore a lanyard around her neck with nothing on it but the logo of the bad, a baseball cap with the band name on it, which sat precariously on her bouncy and wild hair, she wore three different wrist bands and finally a ring with the centre silhouette from the logo – the singer- blazoned on it.

“Hey y’all!” the girls turned to see AJ and Big Mac pushing through the lines of ponies to reach their friends, neither had bought anything. They simply stood there like many of the other ponies waiting for the gig to finally begin.
“Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, Ohmygosh, this waiting is killing me!” rainbow Dash nearly cried, only just keeping a hold on her cracking voice. She could see movement behind the great curtain covering the stage, it took every thought in her head to stop her flying up there and diving under it to see the Sky Ravens preparing. Twilight put a calming hand on her friends shoulder, smiling. She herself was beginning to understand what ponies love about these concerts, the crowds, the memories; they all just help bring ponies together she made a mental note to send that to the Princess in a friendship report later. “Oh!” Twilight remembered, “Pinkie, where’s this friend you bought a ticket for?” The unicorn hadn’t seen her friend enter with anypony else.
“Oh yeah!” The filly exclaimed, “She’s here all right, I’ve seen her trust me you’ll know exactly who it is when you see her.” She beamed at her friend wildly. “Aaaannnd I think that’s gonna be sooner than you think.” Pinkie explained as she noted the lights on stage erupting into life.

The entire field screamed as the lights began to twirl and spin, the sound of a guitar sounded as it held a wavering note. Then with an explosion that made many jump, the pyro boomed and the curtain dropped. The stage is covered in a red mist, and a single stallion stands on stage. He continued to hold the note on his guitar looking at as many members of the audience as he could. As he looked on, more fans screamed. And with that he slammed down his hoof and began a blistering guitar introduction. Pinkie Pie began to jump, and jump, and jump, getting wilder as she did so. She bounded away further back into the audience were the more rowdy ponies were beginning to ram into each other’s shoulders in Ponnyville’s first ever ‘mosh pit.’ Her friends smiled for a moment before turning back just in time to see a unicorn stallion walk on stage, using his blue tinged magic to hold two drum sticks. As the fog cleared, they could see that his coat matched his magic, dark blue fur and a silver horn. The guitarist was an earth pony, his mane blonde and long. His coat was a brilliant shade of white, which stood out against the painted black hooves on the end of his forelegs, which he was using at that moment to make his guitar scream to the pleasure of the audience.

As the drummer took his place, he looked down into the crowd, a superior look on his face. Then his eyes met hers, Rarity. His face went blank for a moment just looking into her wondrously blue eyes. She looked back just as mesmerized by the dark blue stud before her, his hair fell over one eye, but the one she could see was shockingly green. But after a inaudible comment from the guitarist, the drummer came out of his reverie and began to play, winking at Rarity as he did so. At this Rarity lost all lady like composure, and began screaming like all the other ponies!
“HEY WATCH IT!” shouted an unbelievably loud voice from behind the girls. Turning yet again towards the pit, they saw Pinkie pie bouncing and smiling ear to ear, bumping into any pony that dared challenge her. But she had not been the one shouting, the pony next to her, had her back turned to the girls but was bouncing twice as violently as she really got into the heavy angry music playing across the field. Wearing matching studded bracelets the yellow and pink pony span around, a face not too unfamiliar, it resembled that of the night of the Grand Galloping Gala. Fluttershy’s hair was already slightly messy, and all poise gone she was now slamming her head up and down daring anyone to come towards her or her friend.

Rainbow dash’s jaw dropped at the sight, as did the others. “Well,” she swallowed “We know who Pinkie’s friend was.”
“Honestly why didn’t we all just organize it so we all bought these tickets together?” asked Rarity, but her voice was drowned out by the following explosion of Pyro, as a spot light picked out something high up in the rafters. A Pegasus stallion, glided down majestically from high above. The singer had arrived. He landed unbelievably hard on the stage for effect, it worked. As he looked up everyone went nuts. He smiled. Scanning the audience. As he did so he showed off his unique coat. It was hard to say if he was black with red patterns or red with black, but the effect was amazing. Similar to the tribal tattoos humans have the pattern stood out against his blue eyes, the Pegasus looked unbelievably amazing. Strangely he wore a waist coat similar to that of Rarity’s if not manlier, but Stranger still, he wore tight black trousers. Unbelievably he looked as if he was the most dressed stallion in all of Equestria. But the effect didn’t look bad. Combined with his magnificent coat, he looked as if he was born to perform.

He found what he was looking for; he stared into the eyes of Big Macintosh for a moment, a thin smirk spreading across his muzzle. Then just to the right of the huge earth stallion, a blur of colours rocketed into the air. His attention stolen, the front pony began to sing. The lyrics weren’t angry, but not the usual happy songs the ponies in this town were used to. But even as he sang, the Pegasus looked into the sky just above the audience. Incredulous at what he saw. A multi, coloured pony, spinning, flipping and spiralling through the air leaving a jet stream of rainbows behind her. The sight was amazing to all three of the performing Stallions. The night carried on, and the whole time everyone had fun, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie pie and Fluttershy especially. All three ended up bouncing in the pit together by the end of the concert, and they all loved it. The only person who seemed not to be enjoying themselves was Big Mac, his eyes never left the singer. Tracking him, the way he walked, cantered, the way he built up to a quick burst of flight. He wasn’t imagining this. He knew that Buck, and it was impossible!
....................................................................

Chapter 4

-4-
The concert was over, everypony was leaving the field finally but the friendship gang stayed behind. They all swooned over how the concert had been, Pinkie pie –unbelievably- was so tired that she actually lay down and only spoke sparingly. And now that the music had stopped Fluttershy was returning to for composed and quiet self. She scratched shyly at her bracelets that now looked silly to her now everything was over.
“Don’s be dumb!” shouted a horse voiced Rainbow Dash, “You were awesome! I’ve never seen anypony go that crazy! It was the coolest thing you’ve ever done Fluttershy!”
“Oh...well thank you... I guess”
“And Rarity! We all saw you and that drummer hitting it off” dash exclaimed talking to the bedraggled white unicorn.
“Now don’t be silly Rainbow dash! We couldn’t have ‘hit’ it off because neither of us have even spoken to one another!” she closed her eyes and turned her nose up and away. Leaving the others shocked at her cold attitude. Then she proceeded to peek out of one eye, and squeal at them all, “But he looked at me! Did you see? He was totally dazzled by my radiance!”

Dash laughed “Well, you can have that drummer, he’s cute and all. But the singer! Now he’s cool! He totally noticed me tonight!” she boasted proudly. All the other ponies around her agreed, all giggling at the thought of their friends having a chance with big shot musicians. At this Big Mac piped up,
“Now listen here girls, you may all be thinking that their life is something that everypony wants, and that they themselves are summit pretty darn special”-
“Uuuhhhh that’s ‘cos THEY ARE!” interrupted Rainbow dash.
“They may be a lot o’ things but special aint one o’ them.” He looked at Dash, unsure what he should say. “You girls just don’t want nothing to do with those over sized colts! They are just a bunch of posing little-” Big Mac heard movement behind him, the curtain had been re-hung at the end of the concert, but now somepony was lifting it up to come down the steps.
“Oh don’t mind me, please continue. I’ve always preferred an honest opinion instead of a pandering fan.” Said a soft, cool and slightly arrogant voice. Big Mac turned, but before he could say anything. All 6 of the girls let out a small squeal, and ran in-between the two stallions as they surged to meet the fast emerging singer of the ‘Sky Ravens.’ “Yes, yes, hello girls” he said with a warm smile, then once they had calmed down he looked back up at Mac, “You were saying?” he asked, though spoken quietly, it was evidently a challenge to the stallion.
“Naaawww shucks! Big Mac didn’t mean that stuff he was saying,” excused Applejack, “He’s just looking out for us is all.” She looked back and smiled at her big brother.

“Yes” said the singer, never breaking eye contact with the earth buck. “anypony would be sooooo lucky to have a big brother to look out for them like he does for you.” He smiled sarcastically, which went unnoticed by the girls, but not by Big Macintosh.
“Yeah, well somepony has to look out for all of them, they only got each other, none of’em have bigger brothers, that they can rely on to be here.” At that the singer’s eyes flared with rage, but quickly quelling his anger, he smiled and commented with,
“Well, how gallant of you.” Then turning back he yelled “Hey! DIRT! Get out here!” more movement behind the curtain followed. And with Rarity’s delight the curtain was lifted by blue tinted magic, and the unicorn drummer slowly came down the steps as well.
“Yes Kydo, what is it.” He sighed, never opening his eyes.
“Well if you looked who’s here you never know.” The smiling Pegasus purred, “You might even break out a smile!” opening his eyes, the blue stallion saw his band member surrounded by common ponies. He always had a soft spot for the fans, as he looked at each of their faces, he froze. His eyes met Rarity’s and his, cold demeanour melted into a nervous, but warm smile. He ruffled the back of his mane as absent mindedly as he approached the white pony, all ponies looked on with baited breath.

Rarity stood as tall as she could, she flicked back her hair as the stallion approached and fluttered her eyes at him, he blushed slightly as she did. Every pony seemed transfixed on the two, except for the apparent ‘Kydo’ who took the moment of distraction to look at the little Filly in front of him. She was occupied with the meeting of Rarity and ‘Dirt’ to take any notice of him. She had been wearing make up that matched the bands image, and she was wearing one of their shirts. This surprisingly trouble the Pegasus stallion as he looked. She was a lot bigger, but she still had that defiant arrogant air about her. He shook his head. Moving away, he slowly came up behind Big Macintosh. Leaning close to his ear he whispered to him, “Well while their distracted. What say me and you catch up?” he turned and moved off towards the side of the stage. Big Macintosh was torn, he needed to ensure what was going on really was! But at the same time he couldn’t leave the girls alone with this stallion. Then again he was so transfixed by Mrs Rarity he probably wouldn’t even take any notice of the other girls.
“So why would such a handsome young colt like you be called such a horrible name like ‘Dirt’?” Rarity enquired, pushing up against the stallions forelegs as she did.
“UUhhh...” he coughed “Ahhhem, well it’s more for the bands image really, I’m not too fond of it. But it helps the others so I don’t truly mind.” The stallion carried on talking, and so Big Macintosh moved away and followed the strange Kydo round the side of the stage.

“Enjoy the show Big Mac?” he asked as the earth stallion rounded the corner and left the earshot of the Phillies still surrounding Dirt, still telling his stories.
“You know darn well that’s not what I’m here to talk about!” Big Mac glared at the Pegasus. “So?”
“So what?” the black beast sighed, looking at his hoof outstretched in front of him cockily.
“When were you planning on telling me? Telling Dash?”
“Well this is my way telling you old friend, what better way to make an entrance than with a full scale rock concert?” he winked.
“Now you were never the one to show off, you always left that to her.” Big Mac gestured in the direction of Rainbow Dash wildly, his temper slowly rising. “So I know that was a load of malarkey, what’s the truth?”
“That is the truth Mac, I sent you the invitation didn’t I? I WANTED you to come and see it was me, Dash was too young when I was here. She’d never remember from instinct like you did tonight. In fact, I bet you recognised me the second I came on stage.”
“Id recognize you anywhere, even with that stupid get up and all that black paint.”
“Paint? Oh dear, dear Big Mac. This isn’t any paint. This IS my coat.” He gestured to his whole body with a sweeping hoof. Big Mac frowned at that comment.
“Well it dang well aint what it used to be!”
“That doesn’t mean it has to be paint old friend. People can change you know”
“YOU’RE DANG RIGHT!” Mac suddenly bellowed. “PONIES CAN CHANGE, LIKE ONE OF THE KINDEST COLTS IVE EVER KNOWN ABANDONIN’ HIS SISTER TO FEND FOR HERSELF!” the outburst was completely out of character for the red work horse, and it even shocked Kydo slightly. But yet again he composed himself quickly, almost as though someone else was taking over.
“Know Macintosh” he hissed, “Why would I come back to care for the little filly that killed me?” Big Macintosh looked like he had been hit with a ton of bricks.
“You don’t believe that.” He whispered horrified.

The Pegasus spun and beat his wings lightning fast, he soared through the air and began circling Big Mac like a vulture. “Oh but big Mac, I don’t believe it. I know it. So unless you can tell me anyone else who can make this ‘Sonic rain-boom’” the Pegasus quoted the name sarcastically. “Then I’m sorry but my little Dash is a murderer.” He suddenly swooped in and hung in the air, his hoofs under his chin in a mockingly innocent pose. “Tell me, did little kiddo cry when she found out? Did she ball her pink eyes out for days? I really hope so; it’s the only way any of this would seem fair to me. and if not, no worries. She’ll be crying by the end of tonight. Il make sure of that.” he smiled a toothy grin at the work horse. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could utter a word his former friend took a hoof and rammed the Pegasus out of the air and straight into the dirt floor. The black and red Buck struggled to stand with the weight still pushed into his back, pinning him down.
“Now you listen to me! That’s your sister out there and she... she has been DYING on the inside every day for the last ten years of her life. And it’s all because you decided to go play dress up with a bunch of ... posing... pony... pretty boys!” Kydo struggled violently to shift the hoof in his back, but Big Macintosh pushed harder, causing the Pegasus to yelp in pain. “SLICK! THIS ISN’T YOU!”
“Uuuhhh bro? What are yah doing?” It was Applejack. She had grown tired of the windbag drummer’s stories quicker than the other ponies. So she had turned away to find her brother and the singer missing. Now she stood and saw a sight she couldn’t believe. Her brother seemed to be attacking the Pegasus known as Kydo for no reason. As she looked on, the Pegasus caught Big Mac’s eye. And with a wicked grin, he suddenly began to moan and whimper. Suddenly his struggles grew weaker. “Big Mac! Let go o’ him! You’re hurting the poor sugar cube!” Applejack roared and ran over to push her brother away. She then proceeded to help the dark coloured stallion back to his hooves. Big Mac was unable to speak, he just gawked at the sight of his sister helping this downright evil pony back up from the ground.
“But...” his ears flattened with sorrow, as his sister turned on him and began to yell at her older brother.

Over the top of her hat covered head he saw Kydo -or Slick- smile one last time, before turning the corner and heading back to the stage. The Pegasus looked over at the little group of Phillies, Dirt had obviously had enough for the night. He had turned away and was approaching Kydo and the stage, the little ponies, were now looking around questioningly for their two missing friends.
“So? Did you get that talk you were hoping for?” the blue unicorn asked in a bored tone. “I really do hope so, I don’t think I can spend another minute acting like I actually care about these common...” he shuddered, “Country folk!”
“Don’t worry, if I know Big Mac, and I do. He’s gonna do exactly as we hope.”
“YOU hope you mean, I told you this is a favour not an actual goal of mine Kydo” he began walking up the stairs. He pulled the curtain up with his horns magical glow, and kept it held for his band mate. As the red and black creature stood there, he took one last look at ‘little Dash’ who saw him looking and waved energetically to him. The Pegasus chuckled to himself, and without an acknowledgment of the Phillies existence. The Pegasus retreated to the covered stage.
..................................................................

Chapter 5

-5-

Later the same night, Rainbow dash lay quietly on the floor of her home. She had come home after the concert and basically collapsed just after entering. She stirred awake finally, awoken by a cold draft. She squatted up on her haunches and looked straight ahead at the open front door. Had she been that tired? That she had just dropped through the door? She didn’t think so, but yet the door was open. She stood up, as she made her way to the door, her hoof pressed against something, and she felt it crack. She looked down to see a picture frame, she recognised it instantly and she fell to the floor as she scooped it up in her hooves. The frame wasn’t important. But what made her fall to her knees was something far greater. The picture....was complete. The second half of it sat in the frame, slightly overlapping the first half. It was terribly tattered, torn on places and fade. But it was still the other half. Ignoring the cracked glass, she took the picture, and with no words, or noises able to escape her, she simply hugged the picture. Tears rolling down her cheeks. Then as she realised what this might mean, she took to her wings, and flashed through every room. “SLICK?!?! SLICK WHERE ARE YOU?!?!” he wasn’t in the cloud house. The door! Dash ran to the door and flew out into the night sky. Searching frantically for any sign of wings, hooves, anything that could mean Slick had been here.

It was then she spotted it, a figure not too far away. It had wings, and it was huge. “Sl...slick?” with the question the mass turned and flew away. Dash followed without a seconds thought, any other day she would have caught up with the thing easily, but the night had taken its toll on her and meant she struggled to even keep her target in her sights, let alone catch it. The two flew for miles, still faster than any land pony could travel but still the flight took a long time, but yet Dash didn’t give up. She never gave up! If anything this moment was worth a thousand other’s, so tonight had no chance of the stubborn little filly going back home. The two flew on and on, the flat lands of ponyville began to make way to large hills, which then in turn gave way to cliffs and rocky mountains. But still the two flew on, never stopping or slowing for a moment.

Back in ponnyville, at sweat apple acres, Big Mac stood resolute in the doorway of the main barns door. When he and his sister had returned from the concert, Applejack had gone to bed without a single word to him. That had hurt him deeply, but there was no time for that, they could make up later but for now he had to think. As he had made his way across the orchard he had been disturbed by a noise. Turning, he had come face to face with Spike. The baby dragon smiled, “Oh hey Big Mac! Sorry to be around here so late but Applebloom and her friends decided they... well they thought their talents may be Dragon taming. To be honest I don’t get how they thought I wasn’t tame but oh well.” He rubbed his bag painfully, “Hey if you guys are ponies, then why the hay do have whips on your farm anyway?” Spike’s saddened ramblings were cut short however as Mac realised what he need to do. Throwing the dragon on his back without a word, he ran to the house in search of a pen and paper. Now he stood alone, after he had received Princess Celestia’s reply saying that if it was an emergency then she would definitely come immediately, he had sent the little dragon home to Twilight. He now waited, bathed in the moonlight.

The shape fell lower to the ground, and so Dash mimicked it. It seemed like the two were about to land, which was good, because Dash was close to passing out again out of exhaustion. Suddenly the shape veered violently to the right, and Dash lost sight of it completely. After a few moments of confused circles, the pony set her hoofs down on smooth clearing. She looked around, the dark surrounded her, threatening to swallow her whole. “Slick....Slick? Are you here?”
“Well, well, well Kiddo not bad.” Dash whirled around to see Kydo leaning lazily on a rocky wall just behind her. “You kept up with me even after everything tonight! Now I’m impressed.”
“K...Kydo?” dash stuttered, confused and scared.
“Oh so you know my name? Wow you really are a fan now aren’t you!” he smirked at the little pony. “So, did you like my little gift back at your house?”
“Your gift? H...how did y...you-“
“Have the picture?” he finished for her, the filly nodded stuck for words. “Well that’s an interesting story. You see, a long time ago I used to do odd jobs for the princess you see. And one day she asked me to come aaaalllll the way down here, to find a particular type of unique oil called Sechulous. Now this oil is quite rare, and unfortunately has only ever been found in this rather dangerous valley. And you see on the day I came down here, some little obnoxious brat caused an avalanche which crushed me dead!”
“But...but I...” Dash had tears in her eyes, mostly out of fear at this point, but also out of the slightest glimmer of realisation of what was being said to her.

“Then again, you should be praised! After all you are the mighty ‘Rainbow Dash’ the only pony ever to create the legendary ‘sonic rain-boom!’ Who cares what it did to anypony else! Does this place familiar Dash?!? It should, this is where the avalanche...” he glided up into Rainbow’s face “YOU caused, crushed me! Now if it wasn’t for that beautiful Sechulous oil which you so helpfully released I would be dead. But because of that stuff, I was kept alive. But I was STILL, BURRIED under an entire collapsed mountain!” Rainbow Dash backed away from the black and red Stallion, bumping her back against the wall of the mountain. “Three days! Three days I spent trapped under those rocks, being constantly crushed, then healed then crushed then healed again! I nearly went insane, hay I may have actually done! It always does feel like there’s two me’s up in here anyway!” The stallion shook his head comically, but the effect was simply more terrifying. “Finally, after three days, the rocks began to move. I thought I was safe! BUT WRONG AGAIN! ALL the rocks were moved at once, nopony bothered to search. I was just chucked off the side of the cliff with the rest of the rubble! Are you getting it now Dash? Getting it now Kiddo?!?!” Dash couldn’t speak, her mouth hung open with horror and realisation. “STILL NEED A HAND! HERE! The stallion took hold of his trousers with his teeth, tearing them off with tremendous force to show a large cutiemark. The shape of a big blue eye, Dash’s brother’s eye, Slick’s eye.

After nearly an hour of waiting, Celestia arrived at sweet apple acres. Big Mac quickly told the grand ruler what was happening and his fear for Rainbow Dash’s safety. As he reached the point of Kydo saying he would ensure Rainbow cried tonight, the two heard a low chuckle from the dark corner of the barn. The princess and the worker stallion looked around to see a blue tall stallion unicorn emerge from the shadow’s. “You’re a little too late your majesty. Maybe if you’d have gotten here a little quicker, you’d have stopped Rainbow dash leaving.”
“Leavin’? Why in the hay would she leave?” asked Big Mac furiously, taking a step towards the dark stallion.
“My apologies, but I’m not here to talk to yet another country bumpkin, I’m here to speak to someone with true power and class.” With that comment, his horn glowed gently the light surrounding Big Macintosh. He began to lift up into the air, and hung there for a moment. Then with a sudden burst of speed Mac was flung into the wall of the barn, dazed but still conscious the worker pony fell to his knees and stayed there. “Now your majesty, we can speak freely.” The unicorn smirked.
“Dorian.” The grand Alucorn looked at the stallion with pity in her eyes. “I’m glad to find you well after all this time.”
“As I you my liege. But I fear this isn’t a personal visit. I do truly have a reason being here, far outside of ponyville there is the mountain range on which your kingdom rests. Due west of it lies a valley, you know of it?” the Stallion enquired.
“Yes, unfortunately I do know that place, and its terrible history. If what Big Macintosh says is true, then I will surely find someone there waiting for me, will I not?”
“As sharp as ever princess. Yes, he is waiting for you there. I would suggest you didn’t keep him waiting he may get a little...impatient, and with sweet little Dash with him who knows what he would do.”

Big Mac began to rise from the floor. “We... we have... to go h...help D...Dash!” he was shaking from the impact into the tool covered wall. Blood seeped from several scratches, and serious puncture in his right haunch.
“I’m sorry Big Mac but this is an invitation only event. Now,” he turned to look at Celestia once more, “I suggest you hurry. I’ll keep Big Mac company, you should remember I’m very good at restoration magic. So he is in safe hands with me.” The Alucorn had barely spoken, she looked over her shoulder into the night sky. How long would it take? Possibly ½ an hour to get there if she flew as fast as she could? She looked back at Big Mac, his knees were shaking under the strain of his weight.
“G...GO!!!” the red stallion screamed at her, breaking Celestia’s almost trance like state of thought.
“Very well, but I promise Dorian, if I return to find Big Macintosh harmed, or in fact arrive to find Rainbow Dash in any way hindered, you will feel the wrath of Aquestria’s ruler!” and with that ominous threat the turned in the doorway and bounded off into the night wind.
“Now, you meddling commoner” the unicorn approached Big Mac slowly, “Stay still while I look at that leg, you played your part perfectly, and for that I thank you.” With surprising tenderness the unicorn inspected the deep cut in big Mac’s leg, still coming closer. Big Mac murmured incoherently for a moment. “What?” the unicorn looked up at the stallion, Big Mac said it again, but still was too quiet to be heard. The unicorn turned his head to the side so his ear was next to the stallion’s lips.
“I said...” SMACK! The unicorn fell to the floor as Big Mac head butted him with all his might. “No one threatens my friends!” he stood tall, the act he had played while hurt now deteriorated around him. He was hurt but it wasn’t really affecting him in the slightest. “Now you be a good boy, ‘Dirt’ and stay on the ground where you belong.” With his right foreleg, the stallion proceeded to stomp on the back of the unicorn hard. The force knocked the blue stallion out instantly. Big Mac then turned, and proceeded out to the centre of town, to the library.

“WELL KIDDO?! RECOGNIZE ME NOW!?!” the black and red stallion stood before Rainbow Dash, his bare flank showing the unique cutiemark of Slick Dash.
“S-Slick, it’s you!” Rainbow cried out trying to move forward towards her brother, tears mixed with joy and fear now streamed down her face. As she approached the Stallion, he reared onto his hind legs, spreading his wings out wide. Looking something like a horshack test as he did so.
“STAY BACK! I’m not below killing you Dash! After all an ‘eye’ for an eye!” Dash retreated back to the wall. She slumped down to the ground. Her tears now giving into soft sobs. She buried her muzzle into her hooves to hide the sight of the “Thing” in front of her, posing as her brothers body. Yes he may have slicks memory, and slicks body, but that was all it had. It didn’t have his heart, his kindness. This wasn’t the maker of her cloud home, this was a freak of nature! Just like Big Mac had said, he was a poser nothing else. But still, the voice of her long lost brother screaming at her with so much hate and loathing broke Rainbow Dash’s heart. The sight was pathetic, and as the stallion fell back onto his fore hooves, he looked at the filly, a pang of guilt and remorse slowly throbbed in his heart. He wanted to reach out to her, to stroke her mane, to be close to his little Dash after so many years. But as soon as these feelings began to emerge, a presence inside the stallion quelled them immediately, replacing them with jealousy, anger and hatred of the little filly. “Don’t worry.” He said curtly, Dash looked up at the sudden calm in his voice, for a moment she thought it was over, her brother back with her. However as she looked, the stallion stared into the night sky above, a wicked grin spreading across his face “Your part in this is nearly over. She’s coming, you must be quite important little Mrs. Best young flyer if she came this quickly. I don’t think I could have picked better bait if I tried!” the shadows of the valley seemed to envelope the stallion, hiding from sight. When the moons light next shone there he had gone.

Rainbow looked to the sky trying to see what was happening, her brother’s sight had helped him vastly as she still couldn’t see who he had been talking about. But as she looked on, a bright coloured mass began to emerge from the dark night sky. With a plummeting feeling in her stomach Dash realized who it was. “CELESTIA!!! Don’t come down here!!! It’s a tr-“ Too late. The Alucorn landed a few feet away from the filly, without a word she trotted over quietly.
“Rainbow, are you alright?” she asked tentatively.
“It’s... a trap.” Dash whimpered lamely. Too late in saving her princess, she stood quickly. She’d fly out of here with Celestia, they’d come back to help her brother. But something was wrong in this valley, she wasn’t sure what, but something was truly wrong. They had to escape before Kydo/Slick returned.
“My my myyy, princess Celestia! How good to see you again! It really has been too long.” The voice came from high above. Celestia and dash looked up to see the moon, strikingly bold in the night sky. And against it was a the silhouette of a Pegasus. “I’m so glad good old Dorian sent you the right way, I’m not too sure of him these days. I’ll probably have to deal with him next! But oh well, why plan for the future? Not when the now presents such....opportunity.” The dark began to edge in around the two of them, dash kicked out at it, trying to beat away the sheet of black that fast surrounded them. She felt her hoof make contact, so it meant it could be pushed back surely! But as she raised her hind legs to strike again, the dark snaked into long tendrils that coiled around hers and Celestia’s legs. The dark stretched their appendages out so they were hovering slightly off the ground, unable to move.

The Stallion jumped from the top of the cliff, and sailed lazily down through the sky to stand before the princess. All joking demeanour now gone, his face was cold as the stone he walked on. “I suppose you remember who I am?” he questioned the Alucorn. Celestia looked at him with an expression of sorry etched into her face.
“Or I at least remember who you were. Tell me before we continue, what shall I call you? The true name of that body, or the one you adopted on that infernal stage?”
“Kydo, if you will your majesty,” he looked into the face of Rainbow dash, as he smiled “The other name has no use, now that he’s dead!” Dash pressed her eyes shut tight at the snide comment. Trying her best not to believe the words herself.
“peace, Rainbow, peace. Leave your sister alone ‘Kydo.’ So what is it you want from me that made you go to so much trouble for my capture.”
“First, SHE!” he punched a hoof into rainbow’s chest, causing her to cough and splutter with shock. “Is not my sister! She is nothing but bait. And secondly, I want reparations for what you’ve done!”
“If she is not your sister, and means so little, why do you prefer to be called the same name that you adopted for her... Kiddo wasn’t it?”
“YOU’RE AVOIDING MY OTHER WORDS!” Kydo screamed at the Alucorn, “I WANT YOU TO PAY FOR WHAT YOUVE DONE?” tears filled the eyes of the Pegasus. Being infuriatingly close to what he wanted, and yet not being given it, was driving him mad every second he stood there.
“If you are referring to what happened here 10 years ago, then i am sorry but I have nothing to give that will erase the suffering you and Rainbow here have suffered.”
“That’s not what I mean” The stallion whispered furiously. “If that hadn’t have happened then i would have never gained what I needed to do this! I mean I want you to pay for everything you do to those who blindly follow you, you use them Celestia! If one has a talent that’s considered even slightly unique you use them to help you gain whatever you want. Completely ignoring what that individual needs, OR DESERVES!”
“I never place my own needs before those of my people, and if you believe I do than you are mistaken!” huffed Celestia in an insulted tone.
“Oh really? When a filly realises its cutiemark is that designed to protect, you take them away and train them to be your royal guards. You don’t leave any behind to help fend for their homes! Unless you are in the town, there is never a guard posted to look out for trouble. AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOUR LAND IS ATTACKED BY DRAGONS, MANTICORE’S AND HEAVEN KNOWS WHAT ELSE!” the stallion gasped for breath, his temper rising fast. His voice shrank back to a whisper once more, “You expect your subjects to do what you would never risk your own men to do, but they themselves swear to protect the land. Unicorns in your court who could easily use magic to extract resources from dangerous places, are left in ballrooms being pampered while, hardworking, loved, ponies are sent to do the work. THAT WAS ME CELESTIA! YOU ASKED ME TO FIND SOME DAMNED OIL JUST BECAUSE I COULD SEE FURTHER THAN OTHERS! While you knew that older more experienced ponies were available. You didn’t think of what could go wrong. You just sent me off, without a thought of anything else! Not even my damned sister left alone BECAUSE OF YOURE SELFISHNESS!”

The stallion finished, his chest rising and falling quickly as he panted for breath and filled with adrenaline. Celestia sighed to herself, “You’re right”
“PRINCESS!” cried Rainbow Dash shocked at Celestia’s admitting the accusations to be true.
“You’re right, I should have sent someone more qualified. That way I would know that they would be safer than you were. A unicorn could have made it out easily with magic, but an earth pony or Pegasus would have struggled. But I didn’t know what would happen later that day! If I had then i would never have asked it of you.”
“THIS ISNT ABOUT ME! THIS IS ABOUT EVERYOTHER PONY!”
“If so then why did you mention rainbow Dash so caringly? If it wasn’t about your loss then you wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of taunting those you knew before the accident.” Celestia’s accusation was quick and lethal. She cut off the Pegasus mid rant, and left him speechless. “Now I know why you’re doing this! And I am so sorry, but I cant change it now. Its been inside you too long. If it had been a year then maybe, purifying it of its imperfections would mean youd live with no problems, you would still be Slick, but now you’re beyond saving.” She hung her head down in sorrow and didn’t speak another word, resigned to whatever was in store for her.
“What’s inside him?!?!” screamed Rainbow Dash, “Is he still in there? Is my brother-“
“No.” It was Kydo who had spoken. Dash let out a miserable “Oh” but as she looked up she saw that he hadn’t been speaking to her. Kydo was looking into the darkness, in the direction of the path through the mountain. Shapes were emerging, one large and 5 smaller ones.
..................................................................

Chapter 6

-6-

“Slick! You let ‘em go!” Big Mac declared as he burst from the shadows to stand face to face with his former friend. Utter shock lined the face of the red and black stallion as he watched, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie (Unusually serious) rarity, and finally Twilight all emerge from the black surroundings.
“B-BUT HOW!?!”
“Whyyy our little Twilight right here!” exclaimed Applejack as she flung a hoof around the tired magenta unicorns neck. “She’s pretty darn good at magic, ‘specially teleportin’ spells.”
“MY STUDENT!” cried Celestia with joy. “Thank you for coming when you did, all of you, you are needed now more than ever!”
“Student?! I see.” The black and red Pegasus smiled, turning slowly to face the tired unicorn he spoke with a voice as smooth as poison. “6 teleportation spells, all at once, over such a loooong distance. Now you do have talent don’t you? So tell me ‘Twilight’ why do you degrade your superior abilities to serve as this which’s errand pony? You prove my point, that she takes those with exceptional skill and uses them to improve her own power!” he jerked a hoof towards Celestia.
“Uses me? Princess Celestia doesn’t use me...” a faint white glow began to emit from twilights eyes and horn and what seemed like stars popped into existence before her and travelled towards her head. “In fact, she helped me. not only did she train my magic skills, but she also sent me to find friends, and now I have those who will never leave my side!” she looked over to Rainbow Dash, still tied by black shadowy ropes. “And who I will never leave either!”
“YEAH!” cheered Pinkie Pie, a faint light beginning to shimmer around her neck as did the other little fillies, “I’m never gonna quit on Rainbow, or Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, or Applejack!”
“So y’all better back off our pal!” Piped up Applejack, the same light shining round her neck as well. “’Cos whoever you are you’re putting her in danger!”
“AND THAT WE CANNOT ALLOW!” yelled Rarity with gusto. The diamond encrusted necklace nearly complete.
“And if you don’t like it...” Began an infuriated Fluttershy. A grand flash of light exploded from all 5 of the little ponies eliminating the night sky for a few presious moments.
“Tough!” shouted Twilight!

Kydo looked at them for a moment, he began to laugh, it started as a small chuckle, but it grew into a huge maniacal roar. “Very dramatic girls! Worthy of a stage performance I dare say! But even with your pretty jewels, you’re still missing something...” without waiting for a question, he moved his hoof up and to the little multi-coloured filly’s chest. His cold touch made her wince and it parted her fur and touched her bare skin below. “Her.” He finished.
“Rainbow?” squeaked Fluttershy, “Y...You’re going to help us... right rainbow?” Dash looked at her friends then up into the face of Kydo, her brother’s face.
“Yeah, r-r-rr-r-r rainb-b-bb-bow, you’re gonna help them r-r-right?!?!” he mocked the quiet pony. Laughing as he did so. He then pushed his face against Dash’s. “DO IT! Help them! Prove that you’re the murderer I’ve said you are this whole time!”
Rainbow cringed and looked away, a slow sob escaping her lips as she was torn between her brother or friends.
“Sugar cube! Don’t go listening to him, no matter what he says, he sure as hay aint the Slick you or Big Mac knew anymore!”
“I think that’s enough interruptions for one night.” Purred the stallion. The black tattoo like patterns on his coat began to shift, moving with a life of their own against the flexing muscles of the stallion. They began to peel away from the red fur, becoming black tendrils, arms and limbs. “Now then, let’s see what happens with five elements and not the whole set shall we?” For a moment his blue eyes flashed red, and a glow similar to that of a unicorns horn emitted from his black pupils. The long black shapes spurred forward, slamming Big Mac -who had been stood closest- straight to the ground with a heavy CRUNCH as stone splintered beneath him.
“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” screamed Applejack, “H-how could you? H-he was supposed to be your friend!” she began to shout at Kydo, “Even when you threatened Dash, he didn’t hurt you! He tried to help you! You’re....he.... I... I HATE YOU! YOU MAKE ME SICK!”
“Now there’s that legendary honesty!” laughed Kydo. “It’s a shame; the only useful element you have is magic! AND EVEN THAT WON’T SAVE YOU!” He screamed, sending two tendril’s towards Twilight.
“NO!” yelled two other ponies, Rarity and Fluttershy bounded out in front of Twilight, Rarity used all her magic to push one of the shadowy limbs back as best she could. While Fluttershy proceeded to kicking the other with her hind legs before zipping away through the air, causing the tentacle to follow her. “Twilight Darling, you need to use that magic right now, I can’t hold him very long at all!” Rarity panted through hard grunts as she forced the shadowy mass back.
“But I can’t! Its...it’s not working!” Twilight moaned.

“My student!” yelled Celestia with renewed vigour, “Remember what you needed before you used the magic against Luna! What meant you could use that magic?!?!” Twilight panicked, watching Rarity slowly getting faint due to over exertion, and the dreaded tentacle fast gaining on Fluttershy.
“Uhhhh....” another tendril flew towards her, but this time Applejack threw herself into the fray, kicking her well toned back legs straight into the centre of the tentacle, forcing it to deflect and sail away for a moment.
“Come on sugar cube!” she urged, “Don’t mean to rush yah, but we don’t got much time!” she bounded off after the distracted tentacle to keep it occupied.
“Uuuuhhhhh......” Twilight still was drawing a blank.
“Okie dokie lokie! Looks like I’ll go save Dashie!” cheered Pinkie Pie, suddenly her chipper and happy self once more.
“NO YOU DONT!” screamed Kydo, with a glow of his eyes, three tentacles were sent singularly with the purpose to stop Pinkie.
“OH you wanna play tag? Ok then but I warn yah, I’m preeeetttty good!” the first tentacle reached her, but she simply hopped over it with ease, her eyes closed and mouth spread in a huge smile. The second flew at her but the pink pony seemed to almost disappear, she zipped out of sight for a moment before standing on top of the ghostly limb. The final limb tried to swipe the pony of the other, but she simply ducked under it. Then grabbing hold of it she clung on as it sailed vertically upwards towards the sky. “WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!” she squealed as she went ever higher into the air.
“Well, Pinkie really is still sticking to her element isn’t she!” panted Rarity, slowly being pushed back towards twilight, the white unicorn tried to pass off the joke to make it seem like she had it under control but she clearly didn’t.
“Her element....” Muttered Twilight, thinking hard. Suddenly the answer came like a slap to the flank!
“Rainbow Dash! We need you! We can’t use magic without your element of loyalty!” the rainbow pony looked up at her friend, her eyes were red with tears as she tried to drown out what was happening, distancing herself hoping she would never have to choose between the two things that dominated her life, her friends, or the memory of her brother.
“Don’t you see, she is following what her element demands!” cackled Kydo. “She’s merely deciding who she should be loyal to! Either her friends or her family!” Rainbow ashamed that Kydo’s words were true let her head drop again.

“That isn’t your brother.” Whispered a voice to Rainbow’s right. The filly looked up to see Celestia, still trapped like she was, but far more hopeful than her.
“What?” Dash groaned through her cracking voice.
“It isn’t Slick, and that’s how Big Macintosh is able to fight against him. If it was him then he would be in the same situation as you. But where as he is able to forgive himself for what happened so long ago, he can see through the lies. You on the other hand are holding on to the memory of your brother, so this imposter can use his face to keep you from saving your friends. DO NOT LET THIS BE! You are the symbol of loyalty, if u feel terrible being loyal to one person, then you are clearly not being loyal to another. When you feel content, that is when you know you are in balance.” The Alucorn rushed her reasoning under her breath so the Screaming Kydo would not hear them. Dash nodded slowly, she looked back to the battlefield, Big Mac was back on his feet, still hindered by his cut leg. But he fought against a tendril by barging it back with his head. Rarity’s glow was flickering out, and the black limb was approaching her far quicker. With a squeal Flutter shy was finally captured, and as she screamed the tendril began to compress her. Dash began to glower at the scene, realising that seeing her friends like this hurt her so much that it must mean she was still loyal to them. She found herself wanting to see Kydo fall, to see the false brother stop his lies once and for all. The light began to gather around her neck, Kydo didn’t notice, his undivided attention was now on the elements of harmony’s wielders. The necklace was taking longer than usual to form Dash noticed, she frowned and looked to Celestia for help. “You still are in a shade of doubt; you would have the element now if you were completely sure. I swear to you Rainbow, you don’t know everything that has happened and for that I cannot be sorry enough. But I promise when this is over I will tell you everything you will know it all after all these years.” The Alucorn’s ears folded backwards and she looked to the floor in true remorse to the small filly.

For one final time she looked at the fight raging on in front of her. Fluttershy was still screaming but now Twilight was using her usual magic to pull away at the dark limb holding her, therefore stopping her being crushed. But then a new scream emerged from high above, Rainbow looked up to see a tendril smacking Pinkie Pie off of the other, and then drive her towards the ground. The pink pony was screaming out of pure fright as she plummeted to the earth far too quick. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” screamed dash, a flash of bright like exploded from just above her chest. The light burnt away at the dark ropes binding her within an instant, she wasted no time as she soared past Kydo and ascended into the night. She was closing in on Pinkie Pie, who was still screaming not knowing what was happening below her. But within seconds, she fell into dash’s forelegs and the two flew back to the ground as fast as possible. Dash levelled out parallel to the floor, at which point she dropped pinkie, letting her land, and then flew straight back up. She aimed for the shadowy limb holding her fellow Pegasus. Her eyes began to water through the sheer speed she was reaching careful not to reach ‘rain-boom’ speed she plunged herself straight into the shadow arm. Within a second she was through to the other side, severing the part holding Fluttershy which then faded away, letting the filly fall slightly before she began to fly –very gingerly- once more. Dash finally ended with a huge dive, landing hard on top of the tendril trying to attack Rarity which was crushed and began to fade as quickly as the one that had held Fluttershy. Applejack came running back into view, followed closely by her brother, both retreating from two large shadow arms.

Rainbow dash stood strong in front of her friends, chest pushed out proudly as she looked at the angry stallion ahead of her. “I AM LOYAL!” she yelled proudly, “TO MY FRIENDS! NOT TO A CHEAP FAKE LIKE YOU!” Twilight walked up next to her friend, her eyes beginning to glow that ominous white colour as she built up her magic, combining it with her friends powers.
“Now you see Kydo!” the purple pony yelled in a voice distorted from her own. “Friendship can survive anything! Even someone who threatens to change it all! For better or for worse! You may look like Dash’s brother...” She looked to her friend, who smiled at her then looked back to their opponent.
“BUT YOU’RE NOT!” she hollered loudly over the roar of the magic emitting from Twilights tiara. All the friends lifted their heads high, exposing their weapons.
“NO!” shouted Kydo, his own shadowy weapons were dwindling within the unnatural light of the elements. The group of friends began to float into the air, forming a perfect pentagon with Twilight hovering in the centre. “NOOOO!!!!!” he screamed again. Feeling his hold over the dark magic fading. Big Mac looked on from the ground at his former best friend’s defeat, as the girls began to shine bright, Kydo looked at him, his eyes wide with fear and madness. “MAC!” He screamed “HELP ME! HELP ME! HELPMEHELPMEHELPMEEEE!” The sight made Big Mac feel sick, to hear that voice screaming so fearfully and to see those eyes so maddened broke the earth pony’s heart. He looked away to the ground avoiding Kydo’s eyes knowing them to be Slicks.
“No...” he murmured. And with that one word, Kydo’s eyes became as wide as they could be as he looked at the land pony looking away from him, not even watching anymore.
“LOOK AT ME!!!! LOOK AT ME DAMN IT!”
“No...” The stallion still looked away, a tear rolling down his cheek as he whispered the word and his voice cracked completely.

Finally the light built to a climax, and for a moment, nothing could be seen but blinding white. Finally it began to fade away, replaced by the scorched mountain valley. The girls lay on the floor, groggy but not unconscious. They looked up to see the dawn, the grand orange sun just peaking over the mountain walls. And as they followed the path of the light they saw Princess Celestia. Her head was bowed as she stood over, a Pegasus stallion lying on the floor slowly whimpering in pain. It wasn’t Kydo, there was no sign of black markings on his coat anymore, his hoof on one of his back legs jutted out at a terrible angle and his right wing was misshapen and twisted.

With dawning comprehension Rainbow Dash and Big Macintosh realised at the same time. “SLICK!” they both screamed in unison as they charged forward to be next to the suffering Pegasus. Dash fell to her knees, and skidded the last 2 feet to her brothers side. She stretched out her hooves quickly and took the Stallions head into her grasp. He was breathing...but barely. Dash looked up at Celestia desperately pleading silently that there be a way to save him. But the Alucorn looked on with tears in her eyes as she shook her head slowly. Fresh tears began to fall from Dash’s eye’s now, they fell onto the muzzle of the Pegasus in her arms slowly.
“Urrghhh...” the Pegasus moved slightly in his sisters forelegs, and looked up into her crying face. “K-Kiddo... you’re... ok”
“SLICK!” She cried miserably, “D-d-don’t worry, w-we’ll get help. If we can...” she looked around herself, trying to find any sign of hope, but all that was before her were the cold stones of the valley and her friends slowly gathering around them. “If...we...can....” she stopped, finally giving in to the truth, she closed her eyes and wept.
“Hey...” the weak Slick whispered. “No tears, ok? Not from my little sister.” He raised his foreleg and brushed the tears from her face, Dash pushed her face hard against his hoof. Not wanting to ever lose the feeling of his touch against her fur, not now his hoofs were warm and loving, like all those years ago. “No tears,” he repeated weakly. Above the face of Rainbow Dash, Big Mac’s miserable visage swam into view. “Hey”- he burst into a fit of coughs and splutters, scaring everypony around him as they feared the worse. But his fit settled down eventually, and he tried again “Hey Mac...*wheeze* not the reunion.... *Wheeze* I really wanted for us old friend.” Big Mac’s eyes began to brim with pearly tears as well, “Oh come now! *Wheeze* I don’t have to wipe yours away too do I?” smiled the dying stallion.
“No...” the work pony muttered looking away for a moment and dabbing at his eyes. He felt like that was all he could say now.

The Pegasus looked up at the goddess above him for a moment, Princess Celestia did not look away, but simply met his gaze, a great sadness welling up within her. “Your majesty,” the stallion began, “...Disregard all I have said here today, that beast within me was just all my bitterness burying my true thoughts and feelings... you are the only person fit to rule Equestria... and no one can dispute how kind, thoughtful and true you are to your subjects.”
“Thank you Ky- I mean Slick. It truly helps to know that was not what you really believed.” The princess bowed her head to the Pegasus and fell silent once again.
“Well Kiddo...” Slick looked back up to his sister. “Looks like that place is all your’s now.” He tried to laugh. “Then again I guess it has been for ten-” Another fit of coughing, this time it was more severe and took longer to stop. “-years.” He finished.
“S-Slick, don’t go.” She slowly begged, “I only just got you back!”
“I know, but maybe it’s...just better like this.”
“How is it? How is it better if I don’t have you back?” she moaned, “I can’t lose you. Not again!”
“You’ll be fine...” he looked around at all the tear filled faces around him, “After all you have them... and that’s all you need.” He looked into Big Macintosh’s eyes one last time he smiled.
“Yeah... but, they’re my friends, but YOUR my family! They are important but you are just as much!” she shook her brother slightly at that, his head bounced slightly side to side. He ignored his sister’s pleas to him him and continued to look into his friends eyes.
“Promise... promise you’ll keep an eye on her,” he looked into Dash’s eyes and lifting his heavy hoof stroked her face with it slowly. This time Dash took the hoof in one of her own, nuzzling her muzzle into his soft red fur. “We don’t want her getting into too much trouble now.” He smiled gently, with obvious difficulty he raised his head each strain showing in his pained expression. He carried on reaching further forward, he placed a soft kiss on the rainbow mane of his sister whose face was still buried in his foreleg. He then came back down to rest his head on her lap once again.
“Don’t go...” Dash murmured softly, “Don’t, please, no! Don’t go! DOOOOON’T!” she began to cry in earnest now. As she looked down past the foreleg she held and looked down at the frozen expression of the red stallion.

Big Mac placed a hoof on Dash’s shoulder as she cried. Everypony began to sob as the soul of the deceased Pegasus moved on to whatever lay next. Rainbows tears poured unceasingly, as she wept for her brother, for what he had become, for had he had never become, and for what they never had together. A full long life as brother and sister. Which they so both deserved.
........................................................

Epilogue

-Epilogue-

Days later Rainbow Dash sat in her living room, in her favourite arm chair. She had the picture of her brother and her in her hooves, she gazed into it, almost mesmerized by the face she now knew for sure she would never see again. As it lay buried in the dirt underneath their- her cloud home. “Do you have a moment?” a tentative voice queried from the open window. Dash looked to see a smiling Celestia gazing into the house. Dash bounded of her chair, and moved to the door to open it. It was a wonderful day outside, but she still wanted to stay inside her house, at least for the next few day’s she thought.
“Princess Celestia, is everything alright?” Dash asked, worried for yet another unexpected tragedy.
“Yes, it is my dear. But I thought if owed you an explanation before I left for Canterlotte”
“Oh don’t worry, i understand the idea of what happened, Slick...” she paused for a moment as she cursed her use of the wrong name, “That thing, told me how it all happened, that my sonic rain-boom caused the avalanche, everything.” Dash rushed the sentence out quickly as she sat back down on her chair.
“Well alright, but you should know what happened with him after the accident. Dorian, or ‘Dirt’ as you know him explained everything to me. You see,” the Alucorn moved across the room and sat in the chair opposite Rainbow and continued, “the oil that I sent Slick to find ten years ago, is very special. You see when treated correctly it can cure the most deadly of diseases, and mend the most fatal of injuries. Your brother’s talents would make it easy to find a small spring of the oil, collect some and bring it back, so –knowing how much he wanted to prove his worth to...certain ponies” the Alucorn looked away from rainbow Dash quickly as she said this. And rainbow realised with a sinking feeling that Celestia meant her. Slick had wanted to prove how cool he was by completing a task for the princess, all just to please Rainbow Dash. She kept quiet and let the princess continue.

“Now when” she chose her words carefully, “the accident happened, what happened was, the oil was released and it found your brother’s body, unfortunately this spring was un-purified. Meaning all the dark magic that helps the oil do what it does was able to grow inside him as it healed his injuries. Now if I had been given the oil, I could have purified it so that the dark spirits that reside in the ancient liquid would never have awoken. Then Slick would have made the same recovery but... he...”
“Would have still been slick” Rainbow finished the sentence for her.
“Yes.” The Alucorn sighed. “So you know what happened next, the newly created ‘Kydo’ was then swept away when the clearing crew arrived. Now what you don’t know is that the head of my clearing crew disappeared that day also. A young Unicorn named Dorian. Since Saturday night I have spoken to him and he described to me how he saw your brother falling off the cliff after his team pushed the rubble away. He followed the Pegasus without a word to anyone, eventually he found him. He was unconscious but was miraculously unharmed, over the next few years Dorian severed his ties to my court and cared for Kydo. nursing him back to a conscious state. Now the reason he took so long to wake is due to the oil’s spirit, it was repressing Slicks thoughts and mind and warping it into something it preferred. Dorian claims that over a span of five years, black markings began to appear on Kydo’s coat. And when he eventually woke up he was the creature we saw the other night. Something wholly different from your brother. The first word he said-apparently- was ‘Kiddo’ which he later adapted to be his own name. But you see?” she asked the rainbow pony smiling. “Even after all of that even after being mentally crushed for five years, the first thing he thought of, was you! Rainbow Dash.” The filly didn’t look at the Alucorn, she had only just been able to stop crying, and she didn’t want to start again. “Well I won’t hold you much longer, just let me finish and then I will leave you to grieve on your own.

“Well, after the years of being so close to the unicorn, the spirit inside Kydo had begun to absorb his magic. This meant that he would eventually be able to build up enough power to do whatever he wished. So the spirit seemed to come up with the idea one day. Kydo approached Dorian and suggested they played some music. The two were, quite good, and well you as a former fan of their music know the story of how they became so popular. But the key thing about them being a band was that they had many unicorns helping them with their staging, setting up sound systems etc. Which meant Kydo was surrounded by even more power. That coupled with the thousands of unicorns he played to over the years in his concerts eventually he believed to have enough power to overpower the elements of harmony and come and exact revenge on me for what happened to your brother. For you see, as he said on his death bed, that spirit was all his anger and hatred embodied in one being without remorse. So then he came here to find you and Big Mac, knowing it would eventually lead to me and his revenge on you and I.” The Princess finished and looked at the little filly. Fresh tears fell down her face.
“So it’s still my fault?” she sobbed quietly.
“No dear,” cooed the princess “your sonic rain-boom couldn’t have caused the accident, your friend Rarity is proof of that.” Dash looked up with a puzzled expression.
“R-Rarity?”
“Yes, she was very close to where the accident took place and yet no earthquakes or avalanches happened around her. All that happened was a rock cracking in half in front of her. Which means that seeing as she was closer, she should have had a worse incident then Slick. I believe what happened was simply an act of fate, if the oil’s spirit finally decided to break out of its prison and it sensed someone nearby, or simply a stray falling stone began a chain reaction. But what I assure you Rainbow Dash is that your amazing feat that day, was not the cause!” she smiled at the filly and just before she left she came over and stroked her rainbow mane softly. As she reached the door she heard a faint “Thank you” from behind her.

With a smile she spread her wings and glided to the ground where her golden carriage awaited her. As she boarded a concerned magenta unicorn asked tentatively.
“Will she be alright?” Celestia looked up at the cloud home, made Cumulous, Cirrus and Cirrostratus clouds. The last labour of a great stallion, and smiled.
“Yes Twilight, I do believe she will be.” And as she sailed through the sky in her golden carriage, Rainbow Dash curled up in her chair holding the picture close to her chest. She may forget a lot of things in her time but she’d never forget that week, she wouldn’t talk of it again out of fear of more pain to anypony else, but Rainbow would always have that picture, now whole once again. Her and her brother, both happy, both content, both alive. And for the first time in a long time, Rainbow slept easy, knowing finally she wasn’t to blame.