//------------------------------// // Shifting Pretense // Story: The Do Dilemma // by Metool Bard //------------------------------// Chapter 25: Shifting Pretense "Alright, enough with the dramatics," said Twilight firmly. "It's time you explained yourself." "Hmph. If you insist," said the changeling with a huff. "First, allow me to introduce myself. I am Nihilmodo, genius extraordinaire. My intellect is unparalleled." "*cough*Horseapples!*cough*" hacked Daring Do, patting her chest and clearing her throat. "Wow, sorry. I have no idea where that came from." Nihilmodo's blank blue eyes narrowed. "It's going to be so satisfying to see you disappear," it snarled at Daring before clearing its throat. "Now, as you are no doubt aware, I am not your typical changeling." "Yeah, that's kinda obvious, considering that you're working alone," said Rainbow Dash, crossing her forelegs. "There's a reason for that, my dear Rainbow Crash," said Nihilmodo haughtily. "It's because every other changeling in the hive is a narrow-minded dullard. All they care about is feeding on love and conquering Equestria. Pah! I could do that with my eyes closed. That's why I left the hive." "You left the hive?" Twilight parroted. "Well, to be more precise, Queen Chrysalis kicked me out," said Nihilmodo plainly. "She claimed it was something about me being obnoxious, but I think she was either jealous or afraid of my prowess. Probably both, if I had to judge." "Geeze, and I thought Ahui had a big ego," said Daring with an amused chuckle. Nihilmodo slumped its shoulders and sighed. "Alright, why are you laughing?" it asked Daring. "I'm erasing you from existence. Your very being is in my hooves. In a few moments, you will be destroyed in every sense of the term and on every conceptual level! And yet you're laughing! At me!" "And why shouldn't I? You've been a barrel of laughs this entire adventure," said Daring with a shrug. Nihilmodo marched right up to Daring and stared her in the eye. "Apparently, you don't comprehend the gravity of your situation, Ms. Do. Actually, let me rephrase that. You never comprehend the gravity of any situation you're in, and it ticks me off!" "Really? That's why you're erasing Daring Do from existence?" asked Rainbow, more annoyed than disturbed. "That's, pretty lame." "Of course that's not the reason!" Nihilmodo barked before taking a deep breath and regaining its composure. "Though I will admit, it did give me some incentive." It then turned back to Daring, a sinister gleam in its eyes. "Nothing ever fazes you, Ms. Do. You face peril after peril, and yet your spirit remains unbroken. Well, I'm going to change that. Before you vanish, I am going to break open your shell, and reveal the simpering filly you truly are." Daring blinked. "I'm sorry, are you talking about me?" "I'm, looking right at you," said Nihilmodo, equally confused. "Who else would I be talking about?" "Yeah, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you don't really know me very well," said Daring, folding her forelegs. "I know you better than you know yourself," hissed Nihilmodo. "I know that even the strongest heroine has a sensitive side that is just waiting to be exposed and eviscerated. And after forcing myself to read each and every one of your retched adventures, I think it's only fitting that I act as a catalyst to that payoff." Daring's face contorted in disgust. "Okay, so not only are you a psychopath with an ego that would put every villain I have ever fought to shame, but you're also misogynistic. Kinda weird, considering that you apparently have no real gender identity, but I'm still insulted." "Besides, Daring does have a sensitive side," Rainbow added. "She's always concerned about her partners, even when they act without thinking. How is that not sensitive?" Nihilmodo leered at Rainbow. "Don't you lecture me, Rainbow Crash," it snarled, advancing towards the cyan speedster. "I am a genius. I know more than your puny mind can possibly comprehend. And I'll prove it." "How?" "By showing you your dismal future," said Nihilmodo. Its horn then expelled a stream of energy, forming a viewing portal that showed various images. "Let's start from the beginning. After Queen Chrysalis rudely expelled me from the hive because she couldn't comprehend my intelligence and ambition, I hid myself away. During my solitude, my brilliant mind worked furiously to create a plan that would unravel the very fabric of Equestria. And then, one day, inspiration struck. You." It pointed its hoof at Rainbow Dash, who wasn't sure what to make of this revelation. "Me?" "Indeed, Rainbow Crash," said Nihilmodo. "I believe it was during one of your pony traditions. Winter Tie In, or something." "Winter Wrap Up," Rainbow corrected. "Whatever, it's irrelevant to the story," said Nihilmodo with a dismissive wave of its hoof. "Anyway, you were escorting the southern birds along with another pegasus, and you two were having a bit of a chat. Now, I've heard about you from Queen Chrysalis, but as you talked to this other pony whose name is not important, something became clear to me." "And what's that?" "Your Element is a lie." Rainbow stared at Nihilmodo as if it had three heads. "Excuse me?" "Well, let me clarify," said Nihilmodo. "For one who claims to be the Element of Loyalty, you don't follow it all that closely. And as one who has served Queen Chrysalis until I decided to broaden my horizons, I speak from experience." "What the hay are you talking about?" said Rainbow, incredibly insulted. "I may let my pride get the better of me sometimes, but I'm always loyal to my friends." "Oh really?" asked Nihilmodo. "What about Gilda? Or Lightning Dust? Or, dare I say, Spitfire? They were your friends, and yet you turned on them." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "You really don't know anything about anything, do you? Loyalty's a two-way street, pal. I count on my friends just as much as they count on me. Also, being loyal doesn't mean I'm a blind yespony who does whatever she's told. When I felt that Gilda was being a jerk for no good reason, I let her know it. When I felt that Lightning Dust's reckless behavior was out of control, I let her know it. And yes, when I felt that Spitfire was rewarding Lightning's recklessness instead of what really mattered, I let her know it. 'Cause that's what friends do." Nihilmodo sneered. "You know, the very fact that you're trying to debate me on this just proves how right I am and how oh-so-delusional you are." "I think you've got that backwards, buddy," said Daring. "And I think you should shut up," Nihilmodo growled. "Now, where was I? Ah, yes. My inspiration. I heard you talk of many things, Rainbow Crash. About the Wonderbolt Academy, about Daring Do, and about your precious fan Scootaloo. That got me to thinking: What if I could take all that away? "So, I searched for the darkest and most sinister magic I could find. It wasn't long before I discovered a spell that could erase literature. Not just the words, mind you, but the ideas behind them. And because your flawed 'loyalty' offended my sensibilities, Daring Do was the perfect test subject. So, I perfected the spell and set my plan into motion. I had your little friend and literary heroine swap places so that they would both be erased when the spell was complete." "And you also recruited Gilda and Lightning Dust as minions and sicced your basilisk on the Wonderbolts," said Rainbow. "Correct and correct," said Nihilmodo. "Although I do wish you were a bit more gentle with Fluffers. Basilisks are not easy to come by." Twilight gave Nihilmodo a blank stare. "Wait, you named your basilisk Fluffers? Why?" "Simply to subvert expectations," said Nihilmodo with a shrug. It then turned back to Rainbow, a nefarious twinkle in its eyes. "And now, Rainbow Crash. The part where I reveal your future. Once Scootaloo and Daring Do have disappeared, only you will remember them. Everypony else will believe that they never existed. You will mourn for something that nopony else even remembers. They will brand you insane. And soon, you will go insane." Rainbow cringed. "Yeesh. And all this just because you disagree with how I represent Loyalty? Boy, do you have issues." "You'd think that, wouldn't you, Rainbow Crash?!" Nihilmodo snapped, its horn pulsing with magic. "Well, that's because you cannot even begin to fathom my genius! After this, no literary work is safe! I could even unravel the very fabric of history if I so desired! I have the most powerful mind in all of Equestria!" "Translation: You're a pretentious twit with delusions of grandeur, an overly-complex scheme that would make Ahuizotl weep, and motives more difficult to follow than a sea pony riddle," said Daring, completely unimpressed. "Can we just skip to the part where we beat you to a pulp and force you to change everything back to normal?" Nihilmodo chortled. "Oh, that's not in my little script for the finale. But I think you'll find what I have in store much more, intense." With that, it used its magic to yank the copy of Daring Do and the Treasure of Das Reingold from Rainbow's saddlebag. "So, here's the deal," said Nihilmodo. "I will go into this story and use my magic to cause Mt. Götterdämarerung to erupt. The eruption mixed with my magic will destroy your world and erase your story along with everypony in it, forever! This is the end, Ms. Do! Enjoy what's left of your pitiful existence!" With a maniacal cackle, the changeling transformed into a beam of light and flew into the book. "We gotta go after it!" said Rainbow. "No way is it gonna do that to Daring and Scootaloo!" "But how?" asked Twilight. "I don't know any spells that can do that." "Yes you do," said Daring. "You just saw it with your own eyes. You just need to replicate it, and send Rainbow Dash and me into the book." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You really think it's that simple?" "Wouldn't hurt to try," said Daring with a shrug. Twilight used her breathing technique to center herself. "Alright, I'll give it a shot. Rainbow, you and Daring stand close to one another." "Right," said Rainbow, flying over to Daring. Twilight then closed her eyes and focused all of her energy. Her horn became bathed in magenta light, which became brighter and brighter. When it seemed its brightest, she launched a beam at Rainbow and Daring. The two pegasi became cyan and olive-colored beams of light and disappeared into the book. She then opened the book and began flipping through the pages, the spell still active. "I know you and Daring can pull this off, Rainbow Dash," she whispered to herself with a small smirk. "Nevertheless, I wish you both the best of luck."