Star Flight

by Dainbow Rash

Chapter Two: Equestria's Most Wanted

Using his Liberator’s navigator and he instructions given to him by the colts in Rainbow Dash’s old house, Starflight was able to find Ponyville with relative ease. The small town was situated in a valley surrounded by high snowy mountains on one side, and rolling, tree-filled hills on the other.

Starflight found an overgrowth of shrubs on the outskirts of town. Making sure nopony was around to see, he landed and hid his Liberator on that spot. The landing space offered a charming view of the quiet Ponyville. Time was short and he knew he needed to find Rainbow Dash, and fast. He trotted briskly in the direction of the town’s entrance.

A new wave of urgency washed over him as he checked the timer on his Up-link mid-trot. If he couldn’t find the escaped prisoner in less than three hours, him and the rest of the ponies in the country would be incinerated. Starflight took a deep, calming breath as he continued his trot.

As he approached Ponyville, he was dizzied by the thought that he time-traveled unknowingly to Equestria’s past. The vortex had lead him directly to where Maleficus Nil had escaped, it almost seemed like fate. Starflight knew he couldn’t let this rare opportunity pass him by. He was going to try his absolute best to save these ponies, even if it meant sacrificing his life.

Near the city gates, a small stream caught Starflight’s attention. Starflight stopped for a moment to once again admire the beauty of Equestria. He was soothed by the sounds of birds chirping and water running, the ponies playing in the fields reminded him of what he was fighting for.

Starflight entered the town and glanced around. The ground was made of soft, cool dirt.. The town’s entrance connected to a road that no doubt lead to the center of commerce in the town. Starflight followed the path while taking in the architecture of the many houses. It was like stepping into a history book for him. Equestria was thousands of years behind the development of the rest of the galaxy, but Starflight wondered if that was really such a bad thing.

Turning his attention back to his mission, Starflight figured that Rainbow Dash must be in her teenage years by now, and therefore another teenager would be the best pony to ask. He looked around the edges of town square for a young-looking mare before he spotted a white, purple-maned pony that seemed to fit the criteria.

The mare was closely inspecting fabrics at a small wooden stand. Starflight trotted towards her, squeezing through a few other ponies.

He cleared his throat. “Excuse me...miss?”

She turned around and struck Starflight with awe as she did so. Her mane, immaculately curled and styled, flipped through the air as she turned her head, returning to it’s position when she stopped. Her eyes stood out the most to Starflight. Her large, azure eyes were encircled by a very complimentary light blue eye shadow that seemed to be applied by an absolute expert. Her eyelashes were also curled in a most enticing way.

“Yes?” She said in a high, soothing voice.

“Hi! I... um...” Starflight stuttered for a second. “I am looking for somepony...” he said, trying to regain his composure. The white mare stared politely. “Do you happen to know a mare named Rainbow Dash?”

The mare’s ears perked up at that name. “You’re in luck! It just so happens that I do know such a pony!” she said with a smile.

“Great!” Starflight said excitedly, “would you by any chance know where she is at the moment?” He asked, turning slightly, preparing to gallop off.

“Umm...well...no.” she said, her ears flopping down the sides of her head. “She may be at her house...” she suggested.

Starflight turned his body back to her. “Oh...” he said, thinking of another way to find her. “Where exactly is that?” he asked with a nervous smile.

The white mare looked up to the sky as if she was trying to locate something. Her ears perked up after a few seconds of searching. She pointed a pedicured hoof towards a large cloud in the distance. “There!” she said to Starflight.

Starflight looked a little confused, but upon looking closer he spotted a peculiar structure in the distance. Rainbows arched over it’s roof, leading into pools of rainbow colored liquid that ran off the clouds onto the ground below. The structure itself was made from oddly shaped clouds and pillars.

“Thank you...”

“I don’t think I caught your name!” The mare said, looking attentively at Starflight. “I’m Rarity.” She extended her hoof in Starflight’s direction.

He gave the outstretched hoof a confused look. “I’m Starflight.” he said as he prepared to fly towards the cloud mansion.

“I haven’t seen you around town. Are you new? Visiting?” she continued questioning, ignoring Starflight’s urgent body language. “Where are you from?” she asked sweetly.

“Are you from Manehattan? You look like a Manehattan pony. Why, I went to Manehattan to pick up some exotic fabrics and I have to say I was flabbergasted at the manners of the ponies in that area of town...” Rarity went on a tangent, seemingly forgetting that Starflight was even there.

Starflight used this chance to slowly start inching away from the chattering pony, who was closing her eyes and reminiscing about her time in Manehattan.

“The fabrics were sub-par at best, I mean I would hardly call them exotic. Of course I made use of them for my newest line of clothing which, unsurprisingly, was a complete flop. Needless to say my stay in Manehattan was nothing if not a little disappointing. All I purchased for myself was a lousy T-shirt! I don’t even wear T-shirts!” She finished and opened her eyes to see an empty space in front of her. “Well he’s definitely a Manehattan pony. Hmph!” The mare stated in an offended way.

Starflight landed on the stoop of the cloud home. The front door was five times the size of Starflight. It was made of what could only be described as a solid cloud. The top half was made up of two stained glass windows that seemed to be a painting of Rainbow Dash herself. The window on the right depicted Rainbow Dash wearing gold armor and standing on top of a pile of dead zombies. The one on the right showed Rainbow Dash in a blue and yellow outfit with goggles flying with similarly dressed ponies.

He tentatively raised a hoof and knocked on the door. The door made a very hollow sound, the clouds had a plastic feel. He sat there waiting for an answer, but instead the door slowly creaked open.

He sat up and waited for Rainbow Dash to be re-united with him after ten years... but there was nopony there. The door was fully opened and it revealed a similar interior. The walls and floors were solid cloud. Pillars held up more clouds that looked softer and fluffier and served as the house’s roof. There was a sculpture of a Pegasus inside, probably of Rainbow Dash herself.

Starflight looked back at the empty stoop. He gulped and slowly stepped onto the clean and polished floor, he could see his reflection in it. The mansion smelled like morning dew and flowers, Starflight took a deep breath of the cool air.

He stepped forward a little more and looked at the wide living room, complete with a Chaise lounge situated in front of a blank canvas and a paint palette. Maybe somebody was painting her for her next window, Starflight thought. As he inspected the house he heard a small creak from behind him.

He turned around quickly, but there was nothing there. He cocked his head to the side and shrugged. Turning around to explore a bit more before hearing an even louder creak.

He began to turn around again, but before he got the chance to see what was there, the lights went out in a brilliant flash of colors.

Starflight felt a splash of cold water on his face. He opened his eyes with a groan. Light was flooding through the mansion, stinging his eyes.

He noticed a very sharp pain in his head. “Ughhhh, wh-what? Where am I?” He winced from both the light and the throbbing pain in his head.

“YOU just broke into my house!” A boyish, vaguely familiar voice said.

Starflight remembered he was in Rainbow Dash’s house, now tied up on the floor.

He was on his back, his eyes adjusting to the light, staring straight into the deep fuchsia eyes of a light-blue pony. Her rainbow-colored mane was her defining characteristic.. “So what were you doin’, huh? Were you tryin’ to steal from the Rainbow Dash!? Perhaps you don’t know! I’m the fastest pony alive,” Rainbow Dash began, she starting moving quickly around the room doing different poses for an invisible camera, “future Wonderbolt and the only pony to ever pull off a sonic rain--”

“Please stop.” Starflight said, annoyed.

“What?”

“I didn’t break in... the door was open.” It was still technically trespassing, but the implications of breaking in seemed so violent to Starflight. He continued to look into the upset mare’s eyes, searching for a sign that she remembered their previous encounter a decade ago. “Rainbow Dash! Don’t you remember me...?” Starflight asked, looking hurt.

Rainbow Dash stopped. She moved her head back in surprise and hovered over to Starflight. “How do you know my name? What do you mean ‘remember you’?” Rainbow Dash asked, very confused now.

“Ten Years ago... I came to your house and you showed me your room... remember?” Starflight said in the most calm and reassuring voice he could muster, he was about to rupture her fragile Equestrian understanding of the universe.

“I-I Don’t know what you...” Rainbow Dash began to say, but she stopped herself, trying to remember.

“You said you found me unconscious on your roof... right? You took me into your playhouse and we had ‘tea’, remember?” Starflight tried to help Rainbow Dash visualize that day.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened with the sudden realization. “You! My parents didn’t believe that you existed! I told them you would be back in 5 minutes... and you never came back!” Rainbow Dash was obviously not happy.

“I know, I know... and I’m so sorry for that... but I have something to tell you.” Starflight said with sincerity in his voice.

Rainbow Dash stopped. She thought for a second before replying. “Ok... what is it?”

“I need you to untie me first!” Starflight said with an exaggerated smile. He was going for charming, but it bordered on creepy.

“Oh no! I know how this works. You ask me to untie you and then you make your escape, with my stuff! You must think I’m a total--”

“RAINBOW DASH!” Starflight shouted. Seeing the surprised look on her face he lowered his voice. “There isn’t much time. Please. Untie me.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Ok, but if you try anything funny,” She cautiously unraveled the rope with her mouth. “I’ll buck you”

Starflight rolled away from the ropes and jumped to his hooves, startling the already on-edge Rainbow Dash. When he got to his wobbly legs pain shot through his head once again. He rubbed the sore spot with his hoof, feeling a massive bump.

“You kicked me... didn’t you?” Starflight narrowed his eyes.

Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle. “Haha... maybe”

Starflight sighed. “Ok... you can tell nopony what I’m about to tell you. It could ruin the mission and get Equestria destroyed!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened. “What!? Equestria!? Destroyed!?”

“I know, I know it’s crazy. Are you ready to hear it?” Starflight was unsure of telling her, but he knew it needed to be done; she could very well be the only mare in the country that could help him.

I think so...” Rainbow Dash looked very nervous.

“My name is Second Lieutenant Starflight of the Primus Executive Military. I’m not from here...” Starflight hesitated looking for the right words.

“Oh... are you from Trottingham? Fillydelphia? I hear there are a lot of Pegasus ponies there.” Rainbow Dash said, trying to figure out exactly what the mysterious white colt in her house was saying.

“No. I mean... I’m not from this... planet...” Starflight winced in anticipation of her reaction.

“Wait a minute, wait juuust a minute! Is this a practical joke? Ok, you got me! You can come out now, Pinkie Pie! Spike!? Hellooo, it’s not funny anymore!” Rainbow Dash said, desperately looking around her mansion for cameras or Pinkie Pie.

“Rainbow Dash! Get a hold of yourself! I’m serious!” Starflight said, grabbing Rainbow Dash and looking deep into her eyes. “Just listen...”

Rainbow Dash felt her knees weaken. She began to come to terms with the fact that he could be serious. This Colt arrived at her house 10 years earlier, and came back without aging a day. Something strange was definitely at play there. She sat down “O-Okay...” was all she could muster.

“Okay... the reason I need you... the reason I’m telling you this... is because you may know something about an escaped criminal and without you all of Equestria may be destroyed without warning in 2 hours.” He said, once again wincing.

“... go on” Rainbow Dash said in a bit of stupor.

Starflight sighed. “The ‘weirdness’ in your room. What became of that after I left? Did it get worse? Did it disappear?”

“Oh my gosh! It got much worse! My parents aren’t the superstitious type, but they were so convinced that the house was haunted, we moved out! Other ponies have moved into that house, but none have ever lasted a year. But... eventually, the ‘weirdness’ just... stopped.” As Rainbow Dash told the story she seemed to come out of her shock and became more confident. “It left the house... and it came here... with me.”

“The ‘weirdness’ has followed you?” Starflight pushed for more information.

“I feel like my house is alive sometimes! Things that shouldn’t move... move! My house creaks when there’s no wind, no birds, no nothing! It’s like somebody else lives here!”

Starflight jolted at these words. He reached into his bag and retrieved his Primus Key. He scanned the immediate area and then continued on through the rest of the mansion. The light at the top of the Key was usually green, but it began to turn yellow as he searched, and then red.

He plugged it into his Up-Link.

Starflight’s jaw dropped when he read the words on the screen of his Up-link.

“Rainbow Dash...” He said in a calm, monotone voice. “We need to leave the house... now”

“Uh... ok” Rainbow Dash was not sure of why, but she began walking towards the door.

Starflight clenched his teeth and groaned. “That was the door... we’re locked in!”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked, walking towards the door. “Let’s just unlock it!” Rainbow Dash fiddled with the lock for a while, grunting and pulling at it. “... it’s jammed” she said, defeated.

“I thought so.” Starflight sighed as he continued to scan. “We’re in the belly of the beast now... we’re not safe as long as he is in here.”

“Who’s he?” Rainbow Dash asked, afraid to find out. “Who’s in here?”

“Maleficus Nil... the escaped prisoner! He’s been following you all your life... or so I assume.” Starflight theorized. “And wherever he is... he’s listening to us now.” Starflight looked around uneasily. “Be careful, don’t go too far from me... I don’t know how long we’ll be here...”

“This is too weird... what’s going to happen?” Rainbow Dash was beginning to get frantic. “Are we gonna die?” she asked, letting up slightly on her brave front.

“No, Rainbow Dash, we’re not going to die. We’re going to find a way out.” Starflight said in a calm and determined voice.

Just then, another click was heard from somewhere. Starflight and Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up simultaneously. They listened closely and heard a strange, static-y mixture of music and muffled voices, fading in and out.

“My Radio!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, running into a small room in the corner.

Starlight followed close behind her. The radio tuned itself, until eventually Rainbow Dash and Starflight could hear a low, echoed voice speaking from it.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash.” The voice filled them both with dread; it made Rainbow Dash’s stomach churn. It was still muffled by static but clear enough to make out. This was the voice of the escaped criminal, Maleficus Nil. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to talk to you.”

Rainbow Dash was speechless, her bottom lip trembled. She looked to Starflight. “Who are you? What do you want from me?” She asked with a frantic stutter.

“Second Lieutenant Starflight has forced me to show my hoof early...” The voice explained. “I need you to get off this planet... now. You have something I need, something... special.”

“What do you mean... special?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You’ll learn in time. Come, let’s go. We must take a visit to my old home... the prison. I have a bit of a score to settle with the wardens there.”

“We’re not going anywhere!” Starflight spoke up. “We’re taking you back to prison. You’re presence alone is a danger to every pony here!”

“You WILL leave the planet. I’m sorry if I made it seem like you had a choice. What does it matter to me if my presence endangers other ponies? Besides, is it me that is risking everypony’s life, or the military?” The voice said, getting louder and more clear. “It just so happens that today is my 400th birthday! And the 400th anniversary of my first murder! It will also be forever known as the day Maleficus Nil sheds his title of “Prisoner #5642k” and regains his rightful place as the god of fear and death!”

“Rainbow Dash, step outside of the room.” Starflight said calmly, as he backed away. “You’re no god! You’re just a crazed lunatic! The only safe place for you is in captivity!”

Rainbow Dash followed. “There’s nowhere you can go, Rainbow Dash! I’m part of you now! This galaxy will be consumed by terror... and you’ll be left behind if you don’t come with me!” The voice said as Starflight shut the door of the room.

Rainbow Dash sat down next to the sculpture. Starflight pulled a pistol out of his bag with his teeth and walked towards the door, leaving Rainbow Dash near the sculpture. He heard another creak and quickly looked back to see the sculpture leaning above Rainbow Dash, beginning it’s descent towards her.

Starflight’s eyes widened as he zoomed towards Rainbow Dash, wings flapping furiously. The sculpture was falling at full speed now but Starflight knocked her out of the path of the sculpture. He noticed he dropped something from his bag...

... His Key! He felt around the bag and looked around where he landed. He looked to Rainbow Dash for help, and she pointed a hoof in the direction of the sculpture. Lying there, under the now shattered marble sculpture, was his Key, in pieces.

Starflight looked in horror. “Oh no... that’s not good. That’s bad! What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do!? Acharis is gonna be pissed!” He said, his mouth gaping open. He sighed and looked at his Up-link.

“Oh! That’s even worse! Ughhh!” he groaned. Starflight grabbed his pistol and quickly shot the lock off the door, pulling the trigger with is tounge. The sudden bright, warm flash caused Rainbow Dash to shield her eyes.

The laser-beam hit right on target, the door’s lock, causing the door to open with a whine. Starflight looked at Rainbow Dash, her jaw was hanging open, and chuckled nervously. He quickly shook his head and trotted towards the door.

“A laser!? Are you kidding me?” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Starflight winced, the shock was clearly still affecting Rainbow Dash.

“That is so awesome!” Rainbow Dash make a squeaking sound, smiling widely.

Starflight raised an eyebrow. “Yeah... I guess.”

“You gotta let me use it! Oh, Pinkie Pie will get a kick out of this!” Rainbow stretched a hoof out in Starflight’s direction.

“Wha-? No! This is a very dangerous weapon! I wouldn’t trust somepony named Pinkie Pie with it... that’s for sure.” Starflight dropped the pistol back into his bag.

“Aww! C’mon! I won’t shoot it, I promise!”

“No!”

“Then you show it to her!”

“No!”

“Then shoot it again, for me!”

“No! Listen, we need to lead Maleficus outside! I have a plan.” he said, gesturing for the door.

“Aww, fine.” Rainbow Dash folded her arms and pouted. They trotted out the door together.

But they weren’t alone.

Starflight and his new companion, Rainbow Dash, hit the soft ground of Ponyville running. “So, where we headed?” Rainbow Dash asked, effortlessly keeping up with Starflight.

“Maleficus... he transmitted his own form through radio waves to get into your radio, right?” Starflight asked, still running in a direction unknown to Rainbow Dash.

“Uhhh... sure...?” Rainbow Dash didn’t understand, but she still wanted an answer to her question.

“We need to get into an isolated area, without a single thing for him to posses... I have an idea.” he said. They reached town square and he took a look around at the ponies going about their day as they normally would. Shopping, working, playing, children were laughing and mares were gossiping while colts played sports in the fields. They all looked so peaceful, so happy. The thought that their lives were in Starflight’s hoofs made him feel uneasy. He was terrified that he would let all of these happy ponies down. Swallowing hard, he said:. “Let’s go... we have work to do.”

Just then, a small purple and green lizard came running towards Rainbow Dash. It was very short with thick-scales and large eyes. It’s underbelly was bright green and so were a couple of flaps on the sides of his head which were, as Starflight could only imagine, supposed to be wings.

“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! I need to show you something in Sugarcube Corner! It’s great!” He said, pulling on Rainbow Dash’s front leg. “Oh you’re going to be sooo jealous!”

Starflight did not expect it to talk. His voice sounded like a little foal’s. He tried to deepen it, it seemed, to sound more manly, but his cutesy appearance counter-acted the intended effect.

“Not now, Spike! I’m on a very important mission.” Rainbow Dash said, puffing her chest out proudly. Starflight raised an eyebrow at this display.

“It will just take a second, c’mon!” Spike said more urgently, wincing and clenching his teeth at the effort it took to pull Rainbow Dash towards Sugarcube Corner.

“I don’t have time to worry about pastries! There are bigger things at stake here!” Rainbow Dash said, picking up spike with the hoof he was already latched onto. She looked to Starflight, who had a hoof raised to his chin as if he was thinking.

“We’ll lead Maleficus to Sugarcube Corner, and go from there...” Starflight decided.

Together they walked to Sugarcube Corner, Starflight stared nervously at his Up-link the whole time.

They arrived at a colorful building that seemed to be designed like a large cake topped with a cupcake and a few candles. Starflight’s mouth watered as the scent a freshly baked cookies emanated from the building. He took a deep whiff of the sweet smell.

Spike led them into the bakery, looking excited. “You’re going to love this, Rainbow Dash!” He opened the door revealing a humble waiting area with a few wooden tables spread out around the room. There was a counter with a glass side, displaying a number of delicious looking baked goods.

Rainbow Dash looked around, not seeing anything worth getting excited about. “I don’t get it... why did you bring me here?”

Spike closed the door and locked it. He gave a very sly smile before closing his eyes and falling to the ground as if he were asleep.

“What? Spike!? What’s going on!?” Rainbow Dash ran towards Spike , who was regaining consciousness.

“Wh-What happened?” Spike groaned and rubbed his head. He looked around. “Why are we in Sugarcube Corner?” He looked at Starflight. “Who’s that?”

“You must have been possessed! How do you feel?” Starflight asked inspecting Spike. He lifted Spike’s arm and turned him around, looking for an abnormality.

“I feel uh... fine... I guess. I was just taking a nap in the library and ...now I’m in Sugarcube Corner?”

Starflight stopped and sniffed. The warm smell of cookies was slowly begin to smell like something was burning. He leaped over the counter and ran into the kitchen. The oven was engulfed in a bright blaze.

Smoke began to fill the small kitchen. Starflight coughed and ran back into the waiting area. “We gotta get out of here. We’ll be burned alive!”

This startled Rainbow Dash and Spike. They got to their hooves and feet respectively and went towards the door. They attempted to unlock it, but some unseen force was holding it in place. Rainbow Dash gave Starflight a terrified look. He brought his pistol out and aimed for the lock. He shot the bright laser-beam towards the lock, but it seemed to be absorbed.

Rainbow Dash squealed in terror as she gave Starflight another terrified look. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Are we gonna die!?” She asked for the second time. This time, however, Starflight didn’t answer. The kitchen had turned into a raging inferno. Starflight ran around the waiting area looking for a way out. The staircase was on fire and the door was jammed. There was no way out.

“Oh My. It seems there’s been an accident!” A voice sounded from a speaker on the ceiling. “I do hope you can get this fixed before long. As for you Rainbow Dash, don’t be scared! I won’t let my vessel of destruction perish so easily. I’ll rescue you before it’s too late. As for your friends... I can’t say the same...”

Starflight looked up at the speaker angrily. “Shut up! We’ll be out of here and on your trail in no time!” Starflight tried to be confident, but he looked to Rainbow Dash who was hiding under a table, shivering with her eyes shut. Spike was wrapped around her head, teeth clenched and eyes wide.

The entire building was engulfed in boiling heat, Starflight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all began to sweat. The plastic cash register began melting. Starflight, panting, looked at Rainbow Dash and Spike, and then to the kitchen.

A loud, high pitched whistle could be heard from the burning kitchen. This sound was closely followed by a loud boom and the clattering of metal pots and pans. Starflight’s ears perked up as he ran towards the kitchen.

Something blew a hole in it’s wall. The flames quickly covered the space, but that quick glance was all he needed. He backed up towards the waiting area, and dashed in the direction of the new hole. He galloped with his head down and wings spread.

He dashed quickly into the burning kitchen and through the blazing inferno. His body quickly rose in temperature but he broke through before the fire could burn him. His wings were sparking, as he entered the cool, fresh Ponyville air. He glanced at his Up-Link.

There was a large brigade of Firefighting ponies, valiantly blasting the fire with gallons of water to no avail. They all gasped when they saw Starflight. He gave a friendly wave and an embarrassed smile.

He looked up and around and decided what he needed to do. He angled his body so that he was straightened out and pointed up. He flapped his wings furiously and reached speeds beyond 60 MPH. Zooming skyward, he knew Maleficus was on his tail in some form.

He was level with the clouds. He looked from the burning bakery, where Rainbow Dash and Spike were minutes from being burned alive, to the beautiful country of Equestria, where everypony was minutes away from being incinerated.

There was a small sparrow following him the whole time. It was making it’s way quickly towards Starflight, it must have been possessed by Maleficus. Just as Starflight had planned.

The bird dropped as if gravity had just increased it’s strain on it. There was only one other place Maleficus Nil could go. Starflight’s Up-Link.

Starflight felt his presence immediately. The Up-link vibrated and the screen displayed a number of error messages. A bright purple bubble slowly spread around Starflight.

Starflight smiled. As long as he was in this bubble, he could move freely around the small space, the bubble itself, however, could not be moved by any outside force. So Starflight was stuck here, while Spike burned alive, while Rainbow Dash was taken to do Maleficus’ evil bidding, while all of Equestria was about to be mercilessly obliterated by the Primus Military, Starflight was helpless. Still he smiled.

Words appeared on his Up-link’s messaging feature:

I really must be going, Second Lieutenant.
But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell my victims how brave you were.
This gravity lock should disengage in about... hmmm... say 40 minutes or so?
What a coincidence! The military will be here in that time!
Any last words, messages,maybe, for me to relay to this miserable universe?
Not that I believe the words of one pony can save this corrupted, dying existence, but say it out loud and I’ll take a note anyway.

Starflight laughed. He brought up the reply screen on his Up-link. He thought for a second, trying to find the perfect message for this evil, twisted being. He gasped when he found the perfect one.

Happy Birthday

Maleficus was already trying to escape, the Up-link vibrated more erratically.

Send to: Primus Executive Holding Establishment (PEHE)

The Up-link’s Omega Waves sent the message to the holding establishment faster than the speed of light. It reached the space prison in seconds, and Maleficus along with it. Starflight was sure he could hear the villain screaming at him, but that was impossible.

The holding establishment had detector nodes set up around the very large prison that caught even the slightest disturbance on a physical level, and when dealing with the still very new concept of space-time rifts.

Maleficus was caught immediately and was put into a new, experimental cell that in theory would prevent any space-time rifs in the future. Word was sent to the fleet that was already closing in on Equestria. They cooled their weapons and headed back to their usual positions in deep space.

As for Maleficus, he was studied for insight on how a living being could travel through something as intangible as a radio wave. He was being held for life, away from his body and occasionally interrogated for information on wars, conflicts, and genocide he may have caused.

He wasn’t going to cause trouble for a very long time.

The moment Maleficus Nil’s influence left Equestria, the Firefighters were successful in breaking down the front door of Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash and Spike were still cowering in the corner when they were found. At the sight of the firefighters, Rainbow Dash grabbed Spike and dashed out the door.

She was covered in ashes, but she grabbed Spike and jumped, danced, and laughed.. “I’m alive! I’m alive! Yes!” She stopped and took a moment to clear her lungs of the smoke. She breathed in the fresh air with a smile. “I wasn’t worried.” she lied.

She flinched when she remembered Starflight. Where was he? She saw him run into the fire and he never came out.

She looked to Spike then to the firefighters, who were finally making progress with the fire. She sat down and looked at her hooves. Her eyes began to water... was he dead?

She felt a hoof on her back. She turned around and sadly looked at Starflight who was standing behind her. A smile grew on her face.

“We did it!” He said, also covered in ashes, but with an ecstatic smile. Rainbow Dash jumped up and gave him a huge hug, reminding him of when he came to her home in Cloudsdale and she was just a little filly. He sighed happily and added as an afterthought: “You know, you used to be cute.”

Rainbow Dash’s smile faded. She broke from the hug and gave a surprised stare at Starflight. He was in trouble. “Used to be!? Come here, I’ll show you cute!” She grumbled as she reached her hooves out to grab him. “Why you little--!”

Starflight immediately galloped away. “What!? I’m sorry! I meant you still are! Kinda, I don’t know! I really like your mane! Heeelp meee!”

‘Princess’ Celestia invited Starflight and Rainbow Dash to her castle for a casual audience. Starflight was nervous about meeting a superior, but Rainbow Dash seemed to be used to it. They entered the grand hall as Starflight stood in awe of the expertly crafted stone interior.

There was stained glass windows that sunlight shone through and casted multi-colored lights on the long, red velvet carpet. There was stone pillars, each at least 20 feet high, holding up a ceiling with the royal seal of Equestria, a bright-white pony with the sun in front of her and a dark-blue pony with the moon in front of her, on it. The hall was long and wide, and at the end stood Brigadier General Celestia and her royal guards. Along with her was Captain Acharis.

When they reached the end of the hall, Rainbow Dash prepared to bow, until she saw Starflight saluting the princess. “Brigadier General.” He said, in a low respectful voice. He turned to Acharis. “Captain” He said to her.

Rainbow Dash had a stunned look on her face. “What did you call the Princess? What did he call you, your majesty?” She said as she looked around at the ponies in the room.

“It’s ok, Rainbow Dash, this is why we called you here. We have some... explaining to do.” The Princess said as though she felt remorseful. “I haven’t been one-hundred percent honest wit you...”

Rainbow Dash was listening, slightly confused. She cocked her head and looked at Starflight, who had a stern look on his face, and then to the Princess, who patiently waited for Rainbow Dash to let the information sink in. “I’m listening, your majesty.” She said politely.

“Equestria is an isolationist nation. We have agreed to keep away from foreign relations as long as the Union would let us live in peace.” Celestia continued. “Maleficus Nil threatened the lifelong commitment me and my sister, Luna, made when founding this nation. He was a level 1 threat, the highest there is, and having him loose in a peaceful nation unfortunately called for the immediate destruction of that nation.”

“Thanks to Starflight here, we had a last minute call-off. Everypony you know and love was just minutes away from being turned to ashes.” Acharis said in a matter-of-fact way. “You owe a lot to First Lieutenant Starflight.”

Starflight’s ears perked up. “First!? Are you--am I--”

“Congratulations soldier, you’ve been promoted.” She said with a smile, Starflight couldn’t tell how sincere it was.

Starflight grew a huge smile on his face. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” He said jumping around the grand hall, punching his hooves in the air. He stopped and looked at Captain Acharis, who was not amused. “I mean, I accept, Captain.” He said, returning back to his previous position, giving a salute in Celestia and Acharis’ general direction.

“But there’s more...” Celestia continued, staring softly at Rainbow Dash. “I, like your friend Starflight, am not from this planet. Me and my sister became Brigadier Generals over 1400 years ago. We had a vision for a world that was free from the tangled influence of the Primus Military. The galaxy was a very different place when I was a filly, but unfortunately, a lot changes in 3000 years. The entire galaxy is a mess that the Primus Military has been desperately trying to clean up, but as you can imagine, it’s very difficult to unite such a large group of ponies. The only way Luna and I could help was starting our own nation, away from the constant warring and suffering of the rest of the universe. A new beginning of sorts...”

Rainbow Dash listened intently, trying to comprehend all that Celestia was saying. “So you’re, like, an alien?”

“Yes Rainbow Dash, something like that. I know it’s a lot to take in...” Celestia said looking at the utter confusion in Rainbow Dash’s eyes.

“So everything I’ve been told...” Rainbow Dash began, sitting on the floor with wide eyes “... was a lie?”

Celestia sighed sadly. “I do not blame you for seeing it that way...” she said, looking slightly disappointed.

“You have a choice, Rainbow Dash” Captain Acharis said, as she turned in the blue mare’s direction. “You have learned a lot about the Primus Executive Military, maybe too much.”

“yeah...” Rainbow Dash said, not sure what to expect at this point.

“but there is still much to learn...” the Captain continued, “and much to forget... we have the technology to make you forget about everything you’ve seen and learned in the past two and a half hours.” Acharis gave Rainbow Dash a second to think, and then continued: “Or... you could leave Equestria, keep your memories, and join us...”

Rainbow Dash looked around at the various militants that surrounded her. She looked up at Princess Celestia, who was smiling warmly down at her. She turned to Starflight next.

“It’s up to you, Rainbow Dash...” He said, trying not to put any extra pressure on her.

“Well... I don’t want to leave all of my friends here on Equestria... but Mally-whatever said something about me... having something special... something he needed.” She looked to Starflight again. “Remember? I can’t choose to forget all about that, I feel like I need to know... I have to know!”

Starflight smiled. “If you feel like it’s the right thing to do... we’ll be happy to have you” He said, looking to Captain Acharis and Brigadier General Celestia. They nodded in agreement. “But we’d understand if just want to forget about all this mess... I imagine it’s hard for somepony like you to take it all in...”

Rainbow Dash rose from the ground a flapped her wings angrily. “Somepony like me? What is that supposed to mean!?” She growled, completely misunderstanding Starflight. She stuck her nose in his face and growled angrily, again.

Starflight winced and backed away. “No! I... I was just saying! Since you... you know... you’ve been sheltered from the rest of the galaxy your whole life!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled and looked at Starflight happily. “I’m just messing with you!” She hovered back to the floor and thought hard about what to do. She looked sadly down at the ground. “I think I know what I’m gonna do...”

Rainbow Dash walked around Ponyville feeling fresh and renewed. She looked around happily and felt like she was just seeing Ponyville for the first time again. She watched joyfully at the ponies playing and laughing around town square.

Still, she felt like she was forgetting something. Something she had put so much thought into and was upset about for a while... but it was just gone. She sat there deep in thought, trying so hard to remember.

She gave Ponyville one last look, and flew to her cloud-home. She loved the way the cool air blew through her mane. She took a deep breath of it and did a few twirls in the air.

Before long, she landed on her stoop and touched the decorative pillars softly, looking back at the fond memories she had in that house.

She entered the house, taking note of the poorly made stained-glass windows. She looked around and remembered exactly what had been bothering her. She smiled and trotted up to her bedroom.

It was all cleared out. Nothing but a few posters on the wall and five wooden crates marked: Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. She smiled once again, a longing, nostalgic smile. These were all the things she was giving away to her friends, as going-away presents.

Her eyes began to water as she looked through them, remembering that, for Twilight, she was giving away the few books she owned, for Rarity, a few exotic fabrics that she had received for various birthdays and Hearth’s Warming Eves, for Fluttershy, she had a large variety of seeds that together would make the most beautiful garden in Ponyville, for Applejack, she was giving her her old bouncing ball and a headband with a note saying: Think you can beat my record?, and finally for Pinkie Pie, all of her old cooking supplies (which she hardly used) and a very sharp knife with the words Rainbow Dash engraved on it. She was seriously debating about whether or not to give that one to her.

Rainbow Dash closed all of the boxes. She had already said her good-byes, told everypony that she was moving far away, which wasn’t a lie. They didn’t know why she had to leave on such short notice, and when Rainbow Dash begged Celestia to let her stay for one more night, she agreed. The last day had been a tearful one. The sun was now setting and she remembered all the good times she had with her friends. She sat there in the suns golden glow, crying silently at all of the memories.

She remembered The Grand Galloping Gala turning out to be the worst night ever, getting into a competition with Applejack to be the “iron pony” without even a clear winner, and having to say good-bye to her old griffon friend, Gilda, because she mistreated her friends.

In retrospect, Rainbow Dash had been pretty resilient when it came to disappointment, but this seemed like too much. She tried to focus on the positive, she was going to get to travel the stars with a new friend, and possibly meet even more new ones on the way. She could never turn down an adventure. She’d get to prove herself in training, and come out on top, she was sure she would.

On top of that, she felt something, something she couldn’t describe, that made her choose to leave Equestria. Something about what the escaped prisoner had told her. She couldn’t push the thought out of her head. She closed her eyes and decided that this was what she was meant to be doing. She wouldn’t come back until she found out the truth.

She heard the clopping of hooves coming up the stairs. She quickly dried her eyes and made herself presentable to her newly-promoted superior.

“Almost ready to go?” Starflight asked, looking at Rainbow Dash from her doorway. He noticed her eyes were red and swollen. “Have you been... crying?” He asked, looking more concerned than mocking, like Rainbow Dash expected.

“No! No I just have allergies! Yeah that’s it!” She said, wiping at her eyes furiously.

“Really!? Allergies!? That’s the oldest excuse in the book!” He said, laughing, but still sympathetic. “It’s ok, I know how you feel. I cried like a baby when I had to leave my parents.”

Rainbow Dash smiled. That was a comforting thought. She sniffled. “Ok then, I’m ready...” She said, giving her room one last look. “Just give me a second.”

“I’ll be in the Liberator. It’s on your roof. Don’t take to long, I don’t want anypony to notice us...” He said as he trotted out the door.

Rainbow Dash nodded. The element of loyalty, huh? A defined voice sounded inside of her head . This wasn’t a thought... someone was talking to her. Leaving your friends behind, how loyal of you! Rainbow Dash stopped for a second. She had missed her afternoon nap, so she dismissed it as sleep deprivation.

She looked at the bags packed on her bed, and then at her walls. She saw her old Wonderbolts poster, On the desk next to it was a feather given to her and her friends by Celestia’s pet phoenix, Philomeena.

She felt she needed to take these last things, so she took the poster down and grabbed the feather. looking out her window, onto the distant, quiet town of Ponyville she whispered “Good-bye, Ponyville... and Equestria.”

Good-bye, indeed! The voice rang clear in her head once again.