To say that the ride was long and tense would be an egregious understatement. Even with the brief moment of understanding Rainbow and Chrysalis had shared back at the hive before setting off, it was clear to all that neither was totally happy to share such a confined physical space with the other, especially for such a prolonged period of time.
More than once, Rainbow had actively considered leaping out of the carriage to fly alongside it, if only for the sake of fresh air, the feeling of wind on her face, and so she could get away from those eyes. Even if Twilight was telling the truth about all of this other world stuff—which Rainbow was still sceptical about—she just could not get over the way those slit pupils burrowed into her mind’s eye like a worm tunnelling into some particularly rich dirt.
‘I have to see those eyes in my nightmares enough as it is,’ she thought bitterly to herself, glancing out the window to watch the landscape rolling by.
Sadly, no matter how much she wanted to step outside, it would probably be a bad idea. She may have recovered enough to fly at this point, but her wing was still tender from her fall, and if she lost control mid-flight and fell, there was a decent chance the chariot would be unable to turn to catch her in time. One of these changelings would have to catch her in magic, an experience Rainbow was not eager to repeat. So, resisting the urge to sigh, she settled for staying in place and keeping her eyes trained on the outside world.
They were high in the sky, providing all within the carriage a sprawling view of miles upon miles of Equestrian countryside. It was all familiar, yet Rainbow could tell that there was something off about it compared to the nation she had grown up in. It was hard to pin down, exactly, but it sent her nerves on edge, making her shift on her haunches periodically with nervous energy.
“So, we are back in Equestria!” Twilight pointed out with a nervous chuckle. “I bet you’re glad to be away from the rocks and sand, at least, right?”
“Technically, it’s our pile of rocks and sand,” Spike quipped.
Chrysalis snorted. “It’s a wasteland, young dragon. We’d be long rid of it if it wasn’t so good at keeping us secluded. Just one more reason we’re underground.”
“Oh. Right…”
Rainbow hummed quietly in response. “Hm. It definitely looks like home…” she muttered, her eyes lazily following the path of a river that wormed its way through the countryside.
“But… it feels off, right? Probably because you know it isn’t your home,” Twilight mused sadly.
“Not technically,” Spike added. “But still kinda? My head hurts.”
“Something like that,” Rainbow eventually acknowledged. “I mean, it’s not like I know where all of the mountains and valleys are, or the layout of every forest. Equestria’s a big place, and I’ve only ever been to a few parts of it. I know those parts like the back of my hoof, but the rest? Broad strokes at best.”
She tapped a hoof against the window for emphasis. “So what I’m seeing out there could be just any other part of Equestria that I simply haven’t been to before… so it’s not like anything looks wrong… like you said, it feels wrong.”
“A whole number of things could be different. Or not. The cosmos is a large place,” Twilight stated factually. “But let’s run under the assumption that the landscape is more or less identical. It sounds to me from our conversations that it’s more so the people that are different. You have a Canterlot, a Ponyville...”
“Perhaps we should stop theorizing and focus more on the task at hoof,” Chrysalis deadpanned. “All this idle talk seems to over complicate matters.”
“Task at hoof: Ponyville,” Rainbow agreed before glancing at the wall she knew the drivers to be behind. She pouted impatiently. “Are we there yet?”
“How childish.”
“But are we?” Spike then asked.
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Estimated time?”
“Twenty minutes, give or take,” one of the changelings responded.
“A while,” Chrysalis relayed.
“Ugh,” Rainbow and Spike droned in unison.
Twilight’s ears perked up. “How about we pass the time by hearing interesting facts on the multiversal logistical-”
“UGH!” This time, Chrysalis joined the chorus.
The rest of the trip, mercifully, did not take long, and soon enough Rainbow felt the tell-tale sensation of the carriage coming to a landing and rolling along uneven terrain. She had leaned back and closed her eyes to nap away the remainder of the trip, and so now opened them up to peer outside.
Ponyville. They were here.
“About time,” Spike declared as the carriage came to a slow stop. He sprung from his seat and gave a languid stretch, his back popping a few times. “Whew! I’m thinking I might hit up sugarcube corner while we’re here. I could use a good snack after that awkward ride.”
“You had to point it out,” Chrysalis deadpanned.
“Hey, you’re the emotion people, if you couldn’t detect it then there’s a problem.”
“Hardly the point.”
Rainbow tuned out the brewing light debate about what the point even was, her mind blanking with relief at the familiar village. It looked just like she remembered it, albeit she wasn’t familiar with this particular part of town. No matter, she could just fly up a few dozen yards and get the lay of the land without-
“The heck is that?” she asked when she caught sight of a building straight out of Cloudsdale floating around in the distance. It was extravagant by Ponyville standards, complete with its own mini rainbow waterfall.
“Huh? What?” Twilight questioned as she stepped out alongside Rainbow, both finding no small amount of relief at being free of the cramped space as the changeling started stretching the stiffness out of her gossamer wings.
Rainbow pointed again. “That big cloud house thingy.”
She gave her an odd look. “Uh… that’s your cloud mansion. Where do you live where you come from?”
“In a library with my Twilight,” came the automatic response.
Twilight’s scuffed the ground awkwardly. “O-oh… is that so… Um, but yes it’s a nice house I really think so what do you think Spike is it nice or do you think that- well, yes!”
Rainbow turned to look at Twilight as she went from awkwardly stuttering to her best rambling Pinkie impression in a matter of moments. Slowly, one of her eyebrows decided it was a good time to take an unscheduled vacation up north. “...Y’what?”
Twilight stopped. “What?”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow as well, her gaze seemingly morphing into some renewed suspicion and disapproval for Rainbow Dash.
“Um… am I missing something?” Spike asked in confusion.
“Uh… Yeah, are we?” Rainbow asked likewise.
“Nope! Nothing at all, so stop talking!” Twilight proclaimed. “Cloud house! That’s the topic here! Stick with it!”
“Um… okay…”
“I’m kinda weirded out you live on the ground where you come from, Rainbow,” Spike stated.
“Meh. Wasn’t really my call,” she replied with a shrug. “There’s nothing stopping me from making a house like that, I suppose. But… well, I’m happy with what I got already.”
“Made one? Huh, I thought Rainbow just bought it and moved it here from Cloudsdale.”
“She did,” Twilight pointed out.
“Ah. Right. Thought so, your parents are loaded!”
Rainbow’s ears drooped to rest flat against her head. “Uh… y-yeah… right…” she muttered, her voice going quiet.
Twilight slowly turned her head towards Spike, her face very much conveying the message of “shut up now”. She then shook her head, giving a sigh as she planted herself right next to the alternate Rainbow Dash.
“So, you wanted concrete proof, there’s even more just inside the town. Let’s walk to the library, we can see about getting my friends in on this after you’ve had time to… process.”
Rainbow wasn’t listening. Without a word, she unfurled her wings and took to the sky, her mind well and truly somewhere else. If the others called out to her, she ignored them for the moment. Right now, all that mattered to her was getting to the library and finding out, one way or the other, if these bugs were being honest with her for real.
The presence of that cloud mansion in the distance didn’t help with her unease. Especially with what Spike had said about its origin.
“Your parents are loaded!”
Are loaded. Present tense. Rainbow had been around Twilight long enough that even that tiny detail stood out like a sore thumb. So… did that mean…?
She shook her head and pumped her wings harder, the wind starting to roar in her ears as she picked up speed. ‘No, nuh-uh. I can’t go thinking about that right now. They’re gone. I saw it happen. I watched them get crushed and I couldn’t do a thing about it!’ she stressed to herself, her teeth grinding inside her mouth. ‘Just gotta get to the library, find my Twilight, and figure out what’s going on.’
Soon enough, the library came into view, just as she remembered it. A simultaneous wave of relief and anxiety washed through her system at the sight. If this was her world, then she had just made the mistake of drawing Chrysalis to her home, and more concerningly, to an amnesiac, unprepared Twilight Sparkle.
With that notion burning hot in her veins, Rainbow came to a landing in front of the door. She hadn’t realized how much speed she had picked up, and so was taken by surprise when her landing kicked up a noticeable cloud of dirt, as well as put cracks into the soil beneath her hooves. She only stopped to ponder that for a fraction of a second before darting forwards and pushing open the door.
“Hey, Twi! Are you in here?!” she called out in a loud voice, her eyes scanning the room, searching for any sign of-
“Oh!” an unfamiliar voice yelped in alarm from the sudden shout and loud bang, drawing Rainbow’s attention to the middle of the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of a white unicorn mare with a vaguely loose brown mane and tail and pale blue eyes sitting at the table in the centre of the room, her eyes downcast at the rapidly-spreading stain of her spilt coffee. She then glanced back up at Rainbow and pouted in annoyance. “Princess Twilight is supposed to be in the Badlands Hive, isn’t she? Why are you trying to break my door?”
Rainbow went rigid, her eyes bulging in her skull. “Wha… but… b-but…” she babbled uselessly, her entire posture slowly sagging in disbelief.
The mare raised an eyebrow as she examined Rainbow more closely. “Wait… since when did you start wearing your mane like that? And what’s with the scar? Did something happen?”
Rainbow took a few steps back, her mouth opening and closing uselessly as her brain stalled.
“Open Book!” came a startled shout, a small gust of wind being picked up as said Princess of the Changelings zoomed on in at speeds Rainbow might have been impressed by if her brain wasn’t flatlined for the fiftieth time since yesterday. “I’m so sorry! She went on ahead and I couldn’t stop her.”
The mare frowned. “It’s… no issue, Princess Twilight. But- Ah! Queen Chrysalis! I had no idea- Welcome to Ponyville!”
Indeed, Queen Chrysalis likewise came in for a landing. Spike was riding on her back, something she seemed a little indignant about but otherwise didn’t protest. She was alone, none of the escorting guards in sight.
“Let’s not start with that, you are not one of my subjects,” Chrysalis pointed out. “But the welcome is appreciated. Twilight, I have sent the guards to park up the carriage in a more convenient location and to then check-in at the local hotel.”
“Unless you’ve upgraded the couch size,” Spike said with a chuckle.
“Not so, I’m afraid,” Open Book responded. “Well, if you need the library, it’s all yours! I’ve been meaning to visit my sister’s anyway.”
“Oh! Well, that’s good! I always feel bad taking it off your hooves, but now more than ever its familiarity is needed.”
“Princess, as I said when I took the tenancy, I’m only keeping it warm. It’s the least I can do for a hero of Equestria!” the mare said with a giggle. “Now, let me just grab my bags. Have a nice day your Highness, your Majesty, Spike, and Rainbow!”
Rainbow numbly shuffled off to one side as the mare gathered up a few things and strolled out, leaving the pegasus alone with the two changeling royals and Spike. But even as the others began to filter into the library to get settled, Rainbow remained planted in place, a deep pit forming in her heart.
‘They were telling the truth,’ she finally realized with the colour draining from her face.
But if they were telling the truth… if she was really stuck in another world, then…
Her hoof wandered up to her mouth while her mind wandered to her Twilight. How was she handling Rainbow sudden disappearance? How were any of her friends? Did they even know where she had gone, or how, or why? Those questions and many, many others raced through her mind at high speeds, each one draining more and more feeling from her legs.
Above all of them, though, one question boomed louder than the rest, a repeating mantra that hammered a wedge of dread deep into her mind.
‘What if I can’t go home?’
The storm that had swallowed her up had never been observed before as far as her world’s history was concerned. If it was some one-off occurrence, then the chances of another one rolling by to send her home were slim to none. And even if one came along, there was no guarantee that it would send her home, given what this world’s Twilight had said about the scale of the multiverse.
Would she ever get to go home?
“...Rainbow?”
The voice of Twilight snapped Rainbow out of her thoughts. Startled, she jumped in place before turning to look into the concerned eyes of the changeling princess.
Twilight took a step forward. “Are you alright?”
Rainbow took a shaky breath. “I… n-no, no I’m not,” she admitted after a few seconds of tense silence. “I, uh… I need to be alone for a little bit. I gotta… g-gotta wrap my head around some things.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and leapt up into the air, making her way for the nearest bundle of clouds she could find.
Twilight watched her go from down below, ears drooping. But she let her go. If Dash needed space, then she wouldn’t be the changeling to stop her. Not now.
But maybe there was another pony in town that could help…
“Be careful, Rainbow.”