//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six 
// Story: The Sound of Silence 
// by dog0food 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Six – Hidden Depths

Rainbow stood on top of Fluttershy, a mix of shock and horror clouding her face. Fluttershy blinked, recovering from the surprise attack she just suffered.
“R-Rainbow Dash? What are you doing…?”
Rainbow’s mind was racing. It was Fluttershy. It was her all along. Suddenly, everything made sense. ‘Horse apples!’ Rainbow cursed herself, drilling her hoof into her temple angrily, the pain in her head threatening to bubble over. ‘Why didn’t I see it before?!’
When Rainbow Dash had found that clue in the candy, who was it that conveniently released their animals upon Ponyville and allowed every last scrap of potential clues to be swallowed up? And who could have easily sneaked in and out without being heard? The quietest pony in all of Ponyville… Who feared dragons so much that… that maybe they would even dragon-nap a baby one to prevent it from growing up and starting another rampage? And who was the last pony to arrive when they had all planned to meet at Twilight’s that morning? The pony who, under the pretense of caring for her sick animals, must have needed extra time to get ready because she had a dragon hidden away in her home!
“You,” Rainbow whispered, her voice not betraying the tornado of feelings that were ensnaring Rainbow’s stomach and throat and constricting her heart.
“Yes, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, a nervous smile on her face. “It’s me…” And there it was. Fluttershy sat there smiling, openly admitting to being Illusion. Rainbow couldn’t hold on any longer, she thought she was going to vomit. Fluttershy. Of all of the ponies… it was Fluttershy!
“You… Why?” Rainbow asked, her voice shaking. “How could you?”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped. She blinked a couple of times. “Oh… um… Sorry, why what?”
“Why’d you dragon-nap Spike!” Rainbow roared, suddenly tightening her hold on Fluttershy. “How could you do something like that, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “M-Me? Dragon-nap Spike? N-No, I didn’t… I couldn’t…”
“You’re Illusion!” Rainbow Dash yelled, her cerise eyes glowering in the sun, the gleam making them appear a bloodshot red.
“I’m not!” Fluttershy replied, suddenly close to tears. “No! I’m not, Rainbow Dash… Please let me go… Y-You’re not thinking straight… The stress is getting to all of us…”
“You knew I was concussed!” Rainbow Dash snarled, suddenly angry that she had to explain to Fluttershy why she was Illusion. She had just admitted it! Her head seared with the pain of the memory. “It was in the note, too. That was your first mistake! You tried to destroy all the evidence with your animal friends… And you hate dragons!” Rainbow was suddenly laughing, harsh and hollow. “Oh boy, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before! I looked at all of you, wondering who it could be… And you kept giving me reasons, didn’t you? But I never thought… I couldn’t think… that Illusion was… you…”
Rainbow stopped, her voice too shaky to continue. She didn’t trust herself not to cry. And suddenly everything was quiet, dead silent. The birds had stopped chirping, the wind was no longer whispering, and the trees had frozen in place. Silence. Rainbow Dash liked the sound. It was calming, refreshing, peaceful. It was all she could hear when she pushed herself far enough that she was flying faster than sound itself.
Defeated, Rainbow Dash rolled off of Fluttershy. She backed away, every part of her drooped in loss. Part of her felt like with this weight of betrayal, she’d never be able to fly again. She looked back at Fluttershy, saw how Fluttershy was looking back at Rainbow Dash with wide, caring eyes, not moving from her place on the ground. And Rainbow had a sudden desire to go and give her friend a hug despite herself. But she didn’t. She was rooted in place ten feet away. Instead she just sighed.
“I guess this means you win.”


***


“What are you doing here, Pinkie? And did you call me Dashie?”
Pinkie giggled. As much as she would have liked nothing more than to be stuck in some sort of fog-room with none other than her best friend, Rainbow Dash, she was still happy to see Twilight. It was better than being all alone.
“Silly me, I thought you were Dashie for a sec!” Pinkie replied, all smiles.
“How did you make that comparison?” Twilight found herself asking, before quickly adding, “Never mind, that isn’t important. We should probably find the others.”
“Ooh, you think they’re having fun in Fog Bog, too?”
“Where are we?”
“I dunno!”
“Didn’t you just call this place something?”
“Oh, that’s the nickname I gave it, silly filly! Fog Bog. Cause it’s foggy and cause bog rhymes with fog! I can’t really tell where we are, though, can you? It’s all unclear-y and unseeable in all the thick fickle fog!”
Twilight let out an exasperated groan. “No,” she agreed, “I don’t know where we are. But I know who’s behind all this.”
“Ooh, who?”
Twilight gave her a look, as if the answer was obvious. “Illusion. This is all part of the master plan. I just wish I had my notes with me, then maybe I could study them…”
“Can you read in this? I think it’d be pretty hard! Look! I can barely see my face in front of my hoof!” Pinkie giggled absentmindedly to herself as she put her hoof at various lengths away from her eyes and watched as it slowly disappeared from view. She’d gasp and laugh every single time, the marvel never getting old.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Can you ever be serious?” she asked. “We could die out here with no food or water around and no exit in sight!”
“Well nothing is in sight out here!” Pinkie reminded her. But she took Twilight’s hint and attempted to put on a serious face. “Okie-dokie-lokie!” She saluted at Twilight and frowned. But it wasn’t long before she was on the floor, laughing again.
“Seriously, Pinkie! Not everything can be fun and games for you. What was the rhyme… What makes you so undone? What if the rest of us, who are actually taking this seriously, figure out our parts and you never do because you won’t stop giggling about nothing and it’s all your fault we never get Spike back!”
That shut Pinkie up. She hopped off the ground and regarded Twilight with an interesting expression. Was she being… serious?
“What about you?” Pinkie finally asked, regaining her smile.
“What about me?” Twilight asked, regarding Pinkie wearily.
“You’re being all rigid again!” Pinkie accused, throwing her hooves up into the air, purposely acting over the top.
“What are you talking about? I’m the only one who has even been listening to the notes and decoding them!”
“Exactly!”
“Exactly, what?”
“You’re playing into your role. You’re doing the exact opposite thing the note wants you to do. It’s all about being what you aren’t, it’s all about what you lack. You don’t lack seriousness and studiousness, Twilight! That’s all you, to a… to a… to a purple unicorn who always aces her tests!”
Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but then she closed it again. Was Pinkie… Was Pinkie making sense? In the Pinkiest way she could, Pinkie was actually explaining her interpretation of the notes, and it was making sense.
When it was obvious Twilight wasn’t going to interrupt, Pinkie continued, “By going all loco in the coco trying to understand the notes, you were already failing the entire test! You were so afraid of failing and losing Spike that you did fail! And look what happened! Nothing. The game is still going on. Illusion moved onto the next step. Because it’s okay to be wrong once in a while, Twilight. You have your friends to pick up the slack and help you in the stuff that you lack!” Then Pinkie giggled. “And I made a rhyme-y sentence like Illusion! I think we’ve all been studying those notes too much.”
Twilight gaped at Pinkie. “I… failed?”
“What’ll make you less affixed?” Pinkie asked. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? For you to be less like the way you’re being now. Relax and have some fun!”
“I… Well… I didn’t…” Twilight blinked, thinking back. With each passing hour, she seemed to lose more of a grip on reality and spend more time with her nose in the parchment. Whenever her friends had attempted to help her, she had growled at opinions that didn’t conform with her own ideas. Eventually, she had snapped enough times that they had each walked away… Maybe Pinkie was right. Twilight was only falling further into Illusion’s trap by shutting herself in and staring at the notes all day and night. And now, somehow, Illusion had plucked her out of her tree house and placed her in this “fog bog”. Using powerful, dark magic most likely. Even though she had come no closer to the answer, done nothing more to deserve continuing on to the next step… It was like Pinkie said, the game went on. Twilight wasn’t the only piece in this puzzle. 
“Pinkie… I’m sorry,” Twilight sputtered, finishing lamely. “I have been acting pretty crazy lately, haven’t I? I’ve been driving all my friends away… It’s just that, the last time I saw Spike I hadn’t really paid much attention to him and just ordered him to clean up the mess he made… And then he was gone! And I felt so guilty! If only I hadn’t overworked him or, or, or something! And now if we don’t find him something might… he could… I can’t take that chance! I just thought if we followed Illusion’s demands, we could get Spike back and everything could just… go back to normal.” Twilight felt the tears start to stream down her face and she threw herself at Pinkie, wrapping her hooves around Pinkie’s neck and crying into her shoulder.
Pinkie returned the hug in kind, wearing a concerned expression on her usual smiling face. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know we’ll get Spike back.”
“How?” Twilight blubbered, choking slightly and sniffing, her face a mix of mucus and tears which slowly dribbled onto Pinkie. All her craziness had merely been a cork for the true turmoil deep within her, and now she let all of it come out as she clung to her friend.
“I mean, you were kinda right. We just gotta follow the rules. Only, for you, the rules are to not follow the rules. Or at least don’t go all crazy-pants on us and get all sidetracked with sadness and forget you have friends here who will get you through. Even if they go about it a different way than you do.”
“I… don’t know how to do that. Not follow the rules.”
“I know, and that’s okay. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“This is the first test. We’re with our opposites, aren’t we? We’re supposed to learn something from each other. And I’m teaching you all about what I know. Having fun!” She leaned back and poked her friend in the nose, giggling as she did.
“‘The six of you have certain traits, that will seal each other’s fates’…” Twilight paused for a moment. She didn’t need the notes, she had read them so many times that she could recite any line by memory. Her eyes were still puffy and red, but sudden inspiration had halted the crying. Twilight stumbled back, thinking.
“Ooh, ooh, Twilight! You look like you could use one of these!” Pinkie Pie produced a light bulb from somewhere behind her back and stuck it over Twilight’s head. It lit up, striking through the fog and allowing the pair of ponies to see what had once been obscured.
“Pinkie! You had a light this entire time?” This realization pushed the sudden thought she had to the back of her mind.
“Oh, whoops! I guess I did!”
“Why didn’t you use it earlier?!”
“Well, silly, you didn’t ask for one!”
“I… Oh, never mind.” Twilight sighed and glanced around. They were in some sort of old, dead forest. The trees were all broken and naked, the ground was covered in crack, dried up dirt and in front of them appeared to be a giant, hedged labyrinth. The only part of their entire surroundings that seemed to have any sort of life.
“Ooh, shiny,” Pinkie said, mouth dropping. Twilight gave her friend a look, but when she turned back to the maze, her mouth dropped as well. The maze was shiny. There was a glistening light that sparkled and shimmered, giving the labyrinth a magical, pulsating property that seemingly made it a being of its own accord. It was like the maze had drained the land of all its nutrients and taken on a life of its own. If they listened closely, they could almost hear it’s beating heart…


***


Rarity refused to share her island of grass with the already completely covered-in-mud Applejack. With an impatient snort, Applejack flopped onto the muddy ground, sending sprays of the brown gunk at Rarity’s precious white flank.
“Applejack!” Rarity squealed, attempting to duck for cover. She glanced herself over and gave a whimper as she saw streaks of brown on her coat. “You got me all covered! Look!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “You always gotta be so perfect all the time, Rarity. It ain’t so bad gettin’ dirty.”
“I know,” Rarity said, sniffing. “I’ve been covered in mud before, you know.”
“Mud that wasn’t imported?”
“You remember the sisterhooves social!” Rarity exclaimed. “I was completely covered that time! There’s just no good reason for me to have to bother myself with dirt this time around. I mean, really, Applejack. If I stand here long enough, I’m sure I’ll wake up from this dream and everything will be normal again. Maybe it’ll turn out Spike wasn’t dragon-napped! Maybe he’s okay, and this is all some terrible dream.”	
“Ah’m sure he’s fine,” Applejack replied, automatically.
“But how do you know?” Rarity asked, eyes wide.
“Ah jus’ do, alright? He’s fine.”
“Hmph. Fine. You don’t have to be so short with me. If anypony should be upset, it should be mwah! I had to deal with all this mud today and it is not making me happy.”
“Is this what you’re like in yer dreams?” Applejack asked, annoyed. “It’s just a bit of mud. And sitting around here ain’t gonna get us home!”
“Don’t pick on me, I told you, I haven’t had a very good day,” Rarity replied, sniffling. “And that’s exactly why this must be a dream. How else would I have gotten here?”
“Illusion,” Applejack said, swiftly glancing around.
“Illusion, dream, whatever! I just want to go home.”
“That’s what Ah’m saying! Ah’ve been trekkin’ through this here mud and it seems ta go on for acres and acres. Lucky Ah found you when Ah did, too. Almost went the other way, but Ah heard you screamin’ bout something and thought it sounded familiar. Sure enough, here ya were. Now, come on, Ah thought Ah saw a plant on my way over here that looked like one of them fancy flowers that needs a lot of water ta grow.”
“What, are you saying you found the way to solid ground?”
“Maybe,” Applejack replied. “We should at least go check it out. No point in sittin’ here for eternity.”
Rarity thought about it for a moment. Her lip quivered. Applejack stared at her, an eyebrow raised, a stony expression on her face. Rarity sighed. “Oh, alright! Stop giving me that look. I’ll… I’ll come.” Making gasps and whimpers the entire time, Rarity slowly lowered herself into the pit of mud with Applejack. She bit her lip and tried to pass off her squealing as coughs every time Applejack gave her a look, but she followed diligently as the earth pony led the way towards what she thought was solid ground.
They waded through the mud for a few moments in silence. Finally, Rarity broke it with another thought. “So, you really think Spike will be okay?”
“Ah try not ter think about it,” Applejack grunted, slipping down a particularly deep hole. “Now, watch out here, it gets deep. You can go around it, Ah think it ends there…”
Rarity followed her instructions, but her thoughts went back to Illusion. “And you think Illusion put us here?” Rarity had shared a similar thought, but she wished it was a dream. “Why?”
“Couldn’t tell ya.”
“Honestly, Applejack, for such a strong pony you don’t like exercising your mouth muscles very much, do you?”
“I just don’t like thinkin’ about it.”
“But we have to think about it! We need to find out the motives behind this… Illusion. How will we save Spike-wikey if we don’t understand his dragon-napper?”
“We’ll jus’… save him. Don’t worry yerself on the details. We’ll figure something out…”
“Applejack,” Rarity said, appalled, “are you lying?”
“What? No!”
“Yes! Yes, you are! You’re lying to yourself, aren’t you? Oh, this is just rich! Our own Element of Honesty is turning into a liar. Maybe next I really will become a monstrosity!” She looked down at herself, covered in mud, then squeaked. “Oh! It’s happening!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah’m not lyin’! We will rescue Spike. Everything’s gonna be fine. What else do ya want me ta say?”
“But that’s exactly it, Applejack,” Rarity said, nodding wisely. “You have problems facing the truth when the outcome might be, well, hard to face. You were the same way with Discord, weren’t you? All he had to do to corrupt you was show you a future that you didn’t like…”
“And all he had to do to corrupt you was show you a nice, shiny… rock.”
“I thought we said never to speak of that again,” Rarity snapped.
“The point is,” Applejack continued, “he got ta everypony. Nothin’ wrong with that, is there?”
“No,” Rarity agreed, but she seemed to be thinking about something. “Still…”
She let the word linger there, watching Applejack as her ear twitched, waiting for the sentence to continue. She smiled as she saw the irritation on Applejack’s face. The earth pony sincerely did not want to ask, but…
“Still?”
Smirking, and knowing her audience was hooked, Rarity continued, “Still... Maybe you’re right. Illusion brought us here. What purpose would that be? Why force me in this grime and put us together? Where’s everypony else? We obviously aren’t in Ponyville any longer. Doesn’t the whole thing seem a bit… staged?”
Applejack snorted. “Well, ya would be the one to notice somethin’ like that.”
“Really, Applejack, think about it! What I’m saying makes sense, at least.”
Applejack thought for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, yeah, it does kinda make sense, don’t it? Or what makes sense is that this doesn’t make sense.”
“If only Twilight was here,” Rarity complained. “She’d go on about some rhyme in those notes she poured over. Something that would link all of this together…”
“Hm,” Applejack said, accidentally letting the little noise escape her lips. Rarity raised an eyebrow. Applejack grimaced, then shrugged. “Nothin’, I was jus’, maybe, thinkin’, too…”
“Oh?” Rarity prompted.
“Well, Ah mean, we all went over those notes. And yer right, this whole thing… It does seem staged, don’t it?”
“Yes, yes it does!” Rarity agreed, suddenly shaking her head eagerly. “Oh, what did those rhymes say? Traits we lack… We’re more than our Elements… It was all about learning. Or something.”
“And that last one about tomorrow –”
“Which is today!”
“Right. It said something about our hearts…”
“‘Your hearts I shall borrow!’” Rarity said excitedly. “Oh yes, I particularly liked that line, how could I forget, I –” Applejack stared at her with a paradoxical expression that was both amused and stern. Rarity gave a nervous chuckle and blushed.
“Anyway,” Applejack began loudly, “ya think this whole thing is part of the game, then? Maybe we’re all asleep and Illusion’s just borrowed our hearts or whatever for a moment and put us in this here dungeon?”
“So I wasn’t wrong about it being a dream,” Rarity pointed out.
“And I wasn’t wrong about dry land,” Applejack said with a smirk. She nudged Rarity forward, who gave a pleased gasp at what she saw in front of them. In all their talking and unraveling of Illusion’s plan, she hadn’t notice they walked past the flowers that Applejack claimed meant land was nearby. And now she received the scenery before them with an ecstatic grin.
There was grass. Grass everywhere. And flowers were sprouting and blooming, almost in a trail, leading towards a large hedge with wreaths overhanging its entrance. The entire landscape was so bright and inviting compared to the mud she had endured that Rarity could hardly contain her excitement.
“Looks like some sort of hedge maze,” Applejack said as they stepped onto the grass. She had noticed Rarity was staring at the hedge in front of them, with a look of longing on her face.
“It’s so… beautiful…”
“Ya think?” Applejack gave it a onceover. It just seemed like a bunch of neatly cut bushes to her, leading down a winding trail. She guessed she could appreciate the colorful flowers sprouting out of the side of the hedges. There were a lot of them scattered all over the walls of maze, and they gave off a sparkling gleam –
“Jewels! This hedge grows jewels!” Rarity cried out, immediately dashing out to greet the precious gems. “Oh, they’re gorgeous!”
“Huh,” Applejack replied. She ambled forward and inspected a dark blue sapphire. “Yer right, these are gems. That’s weird.”
“We must go inside!” Rarity insisisted. She plucked a couple diamonds with her mouth and gave Applejack a pleading look. “I cahn oose ‘em in me noo dwesh!”
Applejack chuckled. “What now? Yer harder to understand than a pig at a roast dinner!”
Rarity carefully placed the diamonds on the ground. “I can use them in my new dress! I can make fabulous designs that everypony in Equestria will die for! These gems are shinier than any I’ve ever encountered. They’re… They’re wonderful! Applejack, you must help me carry these all back! We’ll just go through this maze, take only the shiny jewels, and I’m sure the end of this maze will lead us home.” Then, she thought for a moment and gave a wide smile. “Or to even more gems!”
Applejack rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny the delight on her friend’s face. “Well,” she said in a long drawl, thinking. “Ah guess it couldn’t hurt. Where else are we gonna go, anyway?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Rarity said in quick, rapid succession. She gave her friend a big hug and then pointed into the gem-filled maze. “Onward, my dear Applejack. We have fame to pluck!”


***


Fluttershy was Illusion.
The realization had sent a ripple of pain down Rainbow Dash’s spine. Part of her wanted to tear her friend to shreds for everything that she did to them. But another part, perhaps a little bit more than the hurt part, seemed to want to do something completely different. And it was that side of Rainbow Dash that began working faster. It got her legs moving again, and soon Rainbow found herself laying down next to Fluttershy, who had not moved for the longest time.
“What you did… It, it was wrong,” Rainbow Dash began, her voice shaking and dry. “But, you haven’t hurt anypony, right?”
“N-No, of course not…”
“And you’re still… you’re still my friend. So… I don’t know. Just… Just explain. Make me not want to… to do something I’d usually do to somepony like you.” It was her Element of Loyalty kicking in. A part of her still didn’t believe that Illusion could be Fluttershy. And even if it was, Fluttershy was her friend. Fluttershy was that gangly foal who was picked on and Rainbow Dash, a brash youth, had defended her honor. How could somepony as sweet and caring as Fluttershy even think about doing what she did as Illusion?
Rainbow Dash remembered the time her friends had done heroic acts when they donned the mask of the mysterious Mare Do Well. Was this penname Fluttershy’s mask? When she signed her name on that parchment, Illusion, did it feel good? To be somepony else for a change? Suddenly, she wasn’t scared, pushover, doormat Fluttershy. She was somepony strong and powerful, mysterious, with the effect to send her friends into a riot with the flick of a pen and the start of a rhyme. She had gone over the deep end before, hadn’t she? At the gala, after her lessons with Iron Will… Fluttershy proved she could be cruel and harsh, it wasn’t completely out of character for her. But maybe she didn’t like being Fluttershy and being mean. After all, her Element was Kindness. So, in order to satiate that part of her, maybe she needed to don this mask and play another role or else the negative side of her, hidden somewhere deep down, would threaten to take control once again…
“You don’t really believe it was me,” Fluttershy managed to whisper, her eyes shining with concern. “I see now, why you seemed so troubled, almost as hurt as Twilight, as we got the riddles. That line did make it seem like it could have been one of us. Who else could have known you were concussed?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened at Fluttershy’s words. The rhymes. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Fluttershy even rhymed when she spoke! “D-Don’t,” Rainbow Dash stuttered, bristling. She shifted away from Fluttershy, finding it neigh impossible to keep her cool. “Don’t do that. Don’t rhyme as Fluttershy. If you’re going to be Illusion, fine. But don’t take the memories I have with Fluttershy and the memories I have with Illusion and mix the evil with the good.”
“Oh no! I, I didn’t mean…” Fluttershy started, nervously. “Um, I… I’m not…” Fluttershy knew her friend believed that she was Illusion. Her heart surged with a certain kind of respect that Rainbow Dash, the action pony with an attitude towards doing first and asking questions later, was giving her the chance to explain. But it also hurt that her friend saw her as somepony evil, with the intentions to harm Spike, a dear friend.
Something didn’t quite mesh. On one hand, Rainbow Dash was being quite like herself, loyal to her Fluttershy and giving her a chance. On the other hand, she doubted Fluttershy, which was a big enough discrepancy in her character that it made Fluttershy wonder…
“It’s Illusion,” she whispered, finally. When she spoke, she took great care in her words, making sure she didn’t accidentally rhyme. “It’s part of the game. Listen, Rainbow Dash, I think I understand why you’re so conflicted.”
“You mean the fact that one of my best friends is a dragon-napper and mindscrewer?”
“But… isn’t that what you were looking for?”
“What do you mean?”
“The riddles. They talked about finding what you sought. And… And…” Fluttershy struggled to remember. “It talked a bit about the Elements of Harmony, and the dangers of clinging to those conceptions.”
“So?”
“And then you heard a line, the one about your concussion, that triggered a suspicion. Suddenly, you weren’t your Element anymore. Not completely. You were looking at each of us and seeing suspects, not just friends. Your Element was compromised.”
“Sure, add insult to injury.” But Rainbow’s voice wasn’t as harsh as before. She was listening intently to Fluttershy’s explanation, hoping beyond hope she would say something that would make sense and untangle the knots inside her that threatened to suffocate every organ Rainbow Dash had.
“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… all a part of the game. It became your goal to find which one of us did it. The riddle told you to find what it is that you seek, and we all wanted to find Illusion, but for you it was different. It wasn’t finding some mysterious outside source, it was finding the inside pony that had betrayed us all. And you were also the pony that found the clue that I… Oh, I’m so sorry, that I foolishly destroyed with my animals… The note had clearly said not to look for clues, and, I think… well, I think you might have upset Illusion by finding that hint. It went against the game that had obviously been very well thought out. But they hadn’t planned on you and Pinkie playing that prank, so they hadn’t expected a trail. And when you found the trail, and then you had that suspicion… I think that maybe they wanted to exact a personal vendetta against you. So… So they expanded on that thought of yours. Maybe even… turned it into an obsession…”
Rainbow Dash thought about that. She was taking in every word Fluttershy spoke. Her head was no longer buzzing with pain and it gave her enough of a relief that she could listen and think clearly. Then again, her concussed… Hadn’t it always started to pang with pain just before she had those nasty thoughts about her friends?
“And the last note… It made some, um, interesting points. This is all a part of the game. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I went to sleep in my home and when I woke up… Well, it’s a beautiful meadow with the most friendliest meadowlark, but I’ve never been here before in my life. That last letter had said… well it said it would borrow our hearts. It gave me this wonderful meadow… I love singing with the birds on sunny days like these… And somehow, Illusion knew that about me… Just like it knew you had that concussion and that in your heart you wanted to catch Illusion, whichever one of us it was. So, um, it gave you me.”
There was a long silence. Normally Rainbow Dash loved the silence, but this one was filled with confusion, and confusion sounded like static in Rainbow’s brain.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk so much,” Rainbow finally said. Fluttershy gave a shy smile, hiding under her pink hair. It took a long time for Rainbow to say anything else. Part of her wanted to tell Fluttershy how ridiculous her story sounded. How it could have been made up by anyone, how it was all conjecture… But then there was that other part again, the slightly more prominent part, and it made her say, “But why me? Why am I the only one getting screwed over?”
“I think… I think maybe it’s because of your concussion. N-Not that it made you weaker… But, um, maybe it made you a little more vulnerable? Illusion is messing with our minds and, um, your mind is, well, um… it’s a little scrambled. So Illusion could take a little more liberty with, um, adjusting your thoughts…”
“Whenever I got those thoughts,” Rainbow breathed, unblinking, “it was always after I felt pain in my head… You… You think Illusion’s been controlling me this entire time?” After all, hadn’t Chrysalis, the evil changeling pony, done the same thing to Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, during the royal Canterlot wedding?
“I don’t really understand it,” Fluttershy said quietly. “But, um… the lines in the note seem to suggest it, and… um, well, the name is Illusion…”
Rainbow Dash remained silent for a long time, regarding what Fluttershy was saying. It did seem crazy… But was it that much crazier than the culprit being Fluttershy? And Rainbow Dash, any pain she felt from her concussion nearly completely ebbing away now, was inclined to believe her. But instead of saying that, Rainbow just uttered one simple word: “Maybe.”
“That’s not all,” Fluttershy said, a little stronger now. “Remember how Illusion ended their last note? We all fought over what it could have meant.”
“You mean the signature?”	
“‘Remember my last. For the conclusion, regards, Illusion.’”
“And we decided it was a name,” Rainbow replied. ‘You’re name,’ she thought stubbornly, but kept that sentiment to herself.
“It probably was,” Fluttershy agreed. “But what if it was also a warning? For you?”
“What? You think Illusion wrote a public note and included a sneak attack message meant just for me? How in the hay would I ever have figured that out?”
“Illusion probably didn’t care how everypony interpreted it, as long as its meaning got to you.”  There was a brief silence where Rainbow Dash made a nod for her to continue explaining. Fluttershy took a quick break to catch her breath, then continued, “Well, um… Illusion wanted you to remember the last. Probably the last note. Which was the one that made you start doubting all of us. And then hinted at what was to come. The conclusion regarded illusions, as well as signing it as a name, Illusion. Which, um, leads us to right now. We’re stuck in an illusion of Illusion’s doing, where your heart has been manipulated and taken out of its Element to believe I’m Illusion because of, well, um, a revenge plot that was already part of a dragon-napping plot that is all a part of this game which we are currently in the first part of.” Fluttershy gasped for air, never having talked for so much nonstop. She noticed Rainbow Dash regarding her with a curious expression, turned beet red, and hid herself inside her hair.
“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, softly. She gently nudged Fluttershy’s hair out of the way of her face with her nose. “You know, I really want to believe that.”
“I don’t,” Fluttershy admitted. “It sounds so mean. I don’t want any of this to be true.”
“You know, Fluttershy, you’re pretty smart,” Rainbow Dash said, a smile suddenly and surprisingly spreading across her face. “How’d that happen?”
“Oh, um, I don’t know…”
“Maybe you are Illusion, just playing more tricks on me. But you know what? I liked your idea better. This entire thing is just a game anyway, right? It’s just a stupid illusion. So whatever I believe has to be true. And you aren’t Illusion. I don’t even know how I got it in my head that you were… Maybe you’re right, maybe Illusion did manage to twist my heart or whatever you were saying. I… I have been feeling weird ever since I got my concussion. But, I mean, it’s a concussion, so I just kinda figured… And, ever since I got here I’ve been feeling all funky. I’m… I’m really sorry, Fluttershy.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t mind, really. I actually think what you did was really admirable, despite believing I was some sort of criminal mastermind. Even when you thought I was Illusion, you still treated me like a friend. And… I really appreciate that, Rainbow Dash.”
They shared a smile and an affectionate nuzzle. Suddenly, Rainbow felt like such a weight had lifted off of her. It was like her wings, once bounded, had been cut free, and her head, once weighed down by pain, had finally found relief. A static charge coursed through her body and she jumped into the air.
“Whoa!” she cried, laughing. “This feels great!” She beat her wings, something she hadn’t felt like doing since she had gotten to these meadows, and did a few loop-de-loops around the clearing. When she landed next to Fluttershy, she was beaming. And then she doubled over, the impact and weight of all the world seemed to suddenly fall into her head. She gasped and blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected pain. But as quickly as it had come, it had gone. And when she stood back up, she had her memories.
“I crashed,” she said thoughtfully. “I was flying… I was just about to finish a really cool new move. It was dangerous and it had to be precise, and I had it. But then my wings locked up and… I crashed. And when I woke up, I was here.” It had to have been Illusion’s doing. Manipulating her even further and forcing her to mess up her perfect move. She looked over at her shy pegasus friend. “How did you say you got here?”
“I was sleeping, and then I just… woke up.”
“Do… Do you think our bodies are still…?”
“I’m sure you’re fine, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said rather quickly. “Illusion couldn’t have manipulated you otherwise.”
Rainbow gave a dark chuckle. “Not sure how much of a refreshing thought that is…” But she pushed the potential sorry state of her broken, bloody corpse back at Ponyville to the back of her mind. What mattered was she was here now, and her friends were probably somewhere around, too. She wasn’t going to let Illusion compromise her loyalty to her friends anymore. This time she would be one hundred percent ready to fight, and Illusion was going to be sorry about ever trying to mess with her head.
“So,” Rainbow said, trying to appear nonchalant after that sudden, chilling thought she had, “this is the first part of the game, huh?”
“Where we grow with our opposite and learn something important.”
“So you’re my opposite.”
“I, I guess I am.”
“Funny, I would have thought Applejack would have been my opposite.”
“Applejack, really? Why’s that?”
“Well, sure, she’s like me. But in all the opposite ways! She’s a stickler for the rules, when I enjoy bending them. She’s grounded, I’m a flier! Anytime we ever talk, it usually ends in some sort of fight. Plus, she’s the one that’s always holding me back. I like to fight, she likes to just sit around and be… Applejack.”
“Who do you think would fit better as my opposite, then?”
Rainbow Dash blinked, surprised by the question. But she took it as a challenge and put her hooves together, thinking. “Hmmm… Pinkie. Yeah, Pinkie Pie! She’s loud, the complete opposite of you. And she talks nonstop. The only time I’ve ever heard you do that is, well, just now. And either way, her nonstop talking is different from your nonstop talking. She’s very social, all about partying and having fun. You’re kind of the wallflower at parties, no offense. But hey, you’re great with animals and kids! Pinkie’s not really the responsible type. And while you’re all soft-spoken and generally, well, cute, which is kind of your thing… Pinkie is just extremely annoying. Sometimes, I swear that pony just says and does stuff to get a rise out of me. But she acts all innocent when she does it that I can’t even justify getting mad at her! Like with the cider. Every year she always beats me to it and I never get any, and she loves to rub it in my face after, but she’d never admit she was rubbing it in my face because she pretends like she doesn’t notice she’s got an effect on me!” Rainbow hadn’t realized that she had gained momentum and started talking louder, until she was shouting that last part. Rainbow stopped and took a few deep breaths before flashing an apologetic smile to the stunned and confused Fluttershy. Then, almost as an afterthought, Rainbow added, “Oh, and, uh, you’re delicate, while Pinkie’s just not. She, like, totally defies physics.”
“Um, okay,” Fluttershy said rather quietly, “those are some, um, interesting points…”
“Yeah, sorry… I might have kind of gotten carried away.”
“Maybe it isn’t just about opposites,” Fluttershy said, thinking back to the note again. “I’m sure we could all find something opposite about all of us, that’s the beauty of our friendship. But the notes said that we each had traits that would seal each other’s fates. And it talked about the traits that we lack, and how we need to learn something. Maybe we’ve been paired with our opposite that has something to teach us? Um, like there’s something about me that can teach you something new, and there’s something about you that can teach me something.”
Rainbow Dash gaped at her friend. “Seriously, Fluttershy! When did you get as smart as Twilight?”
“Oh, um… I’m not…”
“You’re incredible! You’ve got that staring thing that totally rocks, Twilight says she’s seen you tackle a bear –”
“I wasn’t…”
“And I’ve seen you stare down a dragon, which is, like, your worst fear. And you helped all of Ponyville get the water to Cloudsdale despite your second worst fear of performing –”
“It wasn’t that big of a –”
“Oh, and that hidden talent you have as a… sewing person. Fashion designer. Whatever it’s called! You can make a dress as well as Rarity, and that’s like her special talent or whatever!”
“It was Rarity’s design, I just –”
“Plus you’ve already found fame as a model! And if you weren’t so… you, then you could have gone far and wide just being yourself and people would have loved you for it!”
“Oh no, but I couldn’t…”
“Huh. Guess I never realized how awesome you really are, Fluttershy. Maybe it’s cause you’re always hiding.” Rainbow looked at her, and Fluttershy was indeed hiding, even now. She was behind her bangs, but Rainbow Dash could see she was as red as an apple behind her hair. She chuckled, slowly rising into the air as she let herself hover above Fluttershy. “You can come out, ‘Shy, I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Oh no, it’s no bother…” But Fluttershy did appear out from behind her hair, considerably less flushed. “Rainbow? I was just thinking…”
“Hey, what’s that?”
“What’s… what?”
“Look! Up here. On the other side of the forest, I can see some sort of…”
“Hedge maze,” Fluttershy finished, flying up to hover next to Rainbow Dash.
“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Rainbow asked, grinning.
“Um, probably not… I was thinking that we should probably stay in the meadow, where it’s nice and safe, and not go towards the dark and scary part of the forest…”
“Sure, ‘Shy, you can stay behind if you want. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Illusion today, it’s that the game is so on. And we aren’t going to get anywhere sticking around in this clearing.”
“Oh, I don’t know… Maybe –”
“Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash had already darted ahead, flying towards the maze. A rainbow stream of dust was left in her wake.
“Oh no, oh no, oh no…” Fluttershy looked out to where the hedge maze was one more time. The forest gradually got darker and more ominous the closer to the hedge maze it was, and Fluttershy didn’t think that was any coincidence. There was something dark and scary lurking within its snarled walls, of that much she was sure. But suddenly she was all alone in the clearing, and the entire meadow didn’t seem as bright and happy as it was before.
‘If you don’t follow her, Fluttershy,’ she steeled herself, ‘you’re going to end up having to go in there sooner or later, and if it’s later you’ll be all alone. If you follow Dash, at least you’ll be with a friendly face… And who better to face off a scary hedge maze then with the brave adventurer herself?’
Gulping, Fluttershy followed after Dash’s stream of rainbows. “Wait up!” she called softly. “I’m coming!”