Chronology notes:
Stop! You are reading the Sixth story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers!
Please read The Kindness of Strangers first!
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/
The second part of the story is Putting the Pieces Back Together found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/407/
The third part of the story is Midnight in the Heart of Equestria found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/419/
The fourth part of the story is Tomorrow is Always a New Day found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/433/
This story is the direct sequel to To Each Their Own found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/526/
Imperfect
Chapter 1
“Fillies and Gentlecolts! It is my humblest pleasure to report that spring is finally here!”
Twilight Sparkle stood in the crowd in front of Ponyville town hall. They had finished wrapping up winter in record time. Ponyville was the first town in Canterlot Province to report that they had cleaned up winter; they had even beaten out the royal capital that used magic in aiding to clean.
“You know… I don’t think you ponies have to do all this, I’m pretty sure it would happen on its own if you let it,” said the gruff voice of the individual standing next to her.
Twilight looked at the individual next to her. “I think you’re hardly in a position to compare Sergeant Tebbs. It doesn’t snow in South Island.”
Sergeant Percy Tebbs was a kangaroo; he had met Twilight Sparkle several months ago during the unicorn’s trip into the Hoofson Bay Area. Tebbs was a practical sort of person, perfectly content to allow things to run their own course. Of course, this often put the South Islander in conflict with his pony hosts.
Sergeant Tebbs was a tank commander in the Commonwealth of South Island Army King's Own South Island Dragoons “The Winter Rats.” Assigned to the gryphon occupied Hoofson Bay Area to harass the resource gathering operation for their war against each other. Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends Rainbow Dash, and Vinyl Scratch, had been caught in the crossfire between kangaroo and gryphon forces during a skirmish at a place called Mount Gwyndolyn. After the fight, Tebbs had offered to drive the wayward ponies to their home, only for his tank to break down and strand them in Ponyville until replacement parts could be procured.
Nearly two months ago to the day, Tebbs had allowed one of his crew, Trooper Benjamin Willoughby to travel to the distant city of Manehattan with Vinyl Scratch, and a group of other ponies that Tebbs did not know the names of, in order to get in contact with Regimental Command. If they stuck to the timetable that they had worked out, the group should be back at the end of the week.
If they didn’t, then Tebbs would know to start worrying. Either way, he had no way of knowing if Willoughby had even made it to Manehattan at all. The trip was supposed to be safe, but being in the army had taught the kangaroo to expect the worst.
“Well, this was fun… but I have work to do…” Tebbs said leaving Twilight Sparkle alone as the crowd began to dissipate. Twilight knew this to be false; Tebbs didn’t have anything that he could do to their tank until Trooper Willoughby returned, but said nothing; she knew what it was like to be the odd one out in a crowd.
Ponyville had welcomed the kangaroo crew, but few treated them with anything but suspicion. It was nature to be afraid of the unfamiliar, Twilight thought to herself, but that didn’t make it right.
“I hear we have you to thank for getting done early.”
Twilight turned to the source of a new voice, standing before her was a brown earth pony with a spiky chestnut mane, and a cutie mark of an hourglass.
“Oh it wasn’t anything, really! I’m just good at organising! Except when it comes to the books in my library...” Twilight said with a chuckle.
“Well the town’s glad to have you, especially after the disasters of year 1000, and 1001,” the earth pony said with a smile. “Come to think of it, I’ve seen myself in photographs for those years... but I haven’t done them yet,” the pony said quietly to himself.
“Huh?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“Oh, heard that did you? Don’t concern yourself! But if you’ll excuse me, I have winters to wrap up!” the earth pony turned and trotted off down the high street. “Winter Wrap up, Winter Wrap up! Let’s finish our holiday cheer! Oh how I love that tune!” He sang to himself as he walked.
Twilight watched in confusion as the earth pony turned a corner, and disappeared from her view. “Dear Princess Celestia: Today I learned that you sent me to live in a town full of crazy ponies. Your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight chuckled at her own joke and trotted off towards home.
...
Rainbow Dash stretched out her wings and looked up at the sky, she basked in the warm glow of the sun. Oh how she had missed the warm feel on her body.
“Okay! Spring time! Time to practice some new tricks!” Rainbow called out to the world.
“If you say so Rainbow...” Sitting on the grass watching her was Fluttershy, her oldest friend. “Please be careful Rainbow, I don’t want you to get hurt!”
“Relax Fluttershy! I’ll be fine, what’s the worst that can possibly happen in the middle of an open field?” Rainbow Dash asked, ignoring the fact that the field wasn’t completely open, rather that there was a single tree near the edge of the road.
“Um...” Fluttershy began to say, but Rainbow didn’t hear her, she leapt into the air, pulling off a series of loops, flips, and barrel rolls with pure grace, Fluttershy watched as Rainbow Dash spectacularly danced though the air, but to her horror, Rainbow had stopped paying attention to her relative location, and collided head on with the lone tree.
Fluttershy rushed over to her friend, “Rainbow Dash?” she asked.
Rainbow opened her eyes. “I don’t get it,” she said.
“Oh good! You’re awake, I was afraid that... Oh, my! Rainbow, you’re bleeding!”
Rainbow was, she felt the warm sticky blood and found herself gulping. Fluttershy was deathly afraid of blood. She could tell that the meek Pegasus was nervous, but was surprised to see Fluttershy fight through it.
“Come on. We’re going to get that nice and bandaged up!” Fluttershy said reassuringly.
The two pegasi crossed the field to Fluttershy’s cottage, quickly bandaging Rainbow’s head before Fluttershy fainted from looking at it.
“Woah. Déjà vu!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, she felt as if this had happened to her before. Then it hit her, when she was out cold from when Gilda hit her at the Hoofson Bay, she’d dreamed similar events. She felt the overwhelming need to find Twilight and Vinyl.
No. Relax Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch is fine, she’s on her way back from Manehattan right about now. You’re being silly.
“Are you okay Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked her.
“Yeah... I’ll be fine, thanks Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, she rose to her hooves and turned to leave. She felt a sharp pain in her head and collapsed on the floor.
...
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; she was lying in the middle of Ponyville. Night had fallen, no wait, it couldn’t be night, everything was bright out!
No. Everything was illuminated, because the Everfree forest was on fire.
She heard a low rumble behind her; she turned to see the kangaroo M3 Light Tank rolling through the streets.
She rolled out of the way, and the tank continued to drive past her.
Behind it three ponies were running for their lives, Trixie, Derpy, and a brown earth pony that Rainbow Dash recognised as Doctor Blacksmith, the earth pony physical therapist who had been in charge of her case when she was in the Royal Hospital with paralysed wings.
“Run!” Doctor Blacksmith yelled out.
Run? From what?
Rainbow Dash heard a loud howling noise. Run from that.
Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!
Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and took off after the kangaroos and the trio of ponies she’d seen before her. What in Equestria was going on?
Rainbow Dash passed a building before she felt somepony grab her and pull her into an alleyway, she struggled, trying to break free of whoever had grabbed her, but she soon discovered it to be none other than Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth, shushing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow obeyed, staying quiet.
A cloud of black smoke darted past the alleyway.
Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!
Twilight sighed a sigh of relief, they were safe for now.
“Twilight? What is going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight blinked at her. “Oh no, this must be where you went just after you had the accident! You told me that this was going to happen... I didn’t want to believe it, but its happening.”
“What are you talking about?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, more in annoyance than confusion.
“I don’t have time to explain,” Twilight said. “You told me that this flash didn’t last long. Soon you’ll wake back up in Fluttershy’s cottage. Rainbow, listen to me, this is very, very important! The next time you flash-forward, seek me out right away, and don’t try talking to anypony else first. Not Applejack, Not Pinkie Pie, Not any of the kangaroos, and especially not the Doctor!”
Rainbow was extremely confused, did she mean Doctor Blacksmith? She had to.
“Do you understand Rainbow? This is very important! Do not talk to the Doctor!” Twilight said again.
“I understand,” Rainbow said. “Well, I don’t understand, but I’ll do as you say.”
“Good,” Twilight said, she leaned forward and kissed Rainbow Dash gently on her lips. “I love you Rainbow Dash.”
As if on cue, Rainbow Dash blacked out.