A million things rush through my head, all at once. What’s going on? How could I fight like that? Why did the guards want to arrest, no, execute me? I’m confused, and, with no other option, I run, not even bothering to look back as ponies look on, both out of curiosity and fear.
I take to the air, flapping my wings and lifting off away from the ground. I need time to figure things out, and, hopefully, the guards won’t think to search the clouds above for me. I climb, higher and higher, until I reach a small, comfortable-looking cloud that gives me a good view of the entire town below me. My breathing is short, and panicked. What am I supposed to do? What would the princesses have against me, if they sent guards after me? Maybe there’s another version of me in this universe. The thought itself makes my head spin.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a bunch of white specks in the town below. More guards, no doubt. They’re probably searching the town for me. Just what did the alternate me do to get on their bad side this much? I back away from the edge of the cloud and sink down, afraid that one of them might spot me. It’s not like I’m hard to miss, after all.
This is a huge mess I've gotten myself into. It certainly isn't how I pictured my day going when I got out of bed this morning. Send to some sort of alternate universe. Heck, that would make some story. Now all I need to do is find a way home, so I might get the chance to tell it. I groan and bury my face into my hooves. Twilight would know what to do. She'd probably have a spell or something that could send us home in a jiffy. As much as I love being a pegasus, I can't help but envy how useful it must be to have the magical powers of a unicorn.
An idea sparks in my mind. Maybe Twilight can help me after all. Maybe she's back in the library, reading a book or something like the good old days, before the whole princess thing. It's as good an idea as any, but I need to be careful. The guards will still be looking for me after the damage I dealt to their friends, no doubt. I peek over the side of the cloud, making sure the coast is clear, before dropping silently towards the library.
I land softly, hurrying over to the front door. I try to spy in through the front window, but I can't see anypony, not even Spike or Owlowiscious. The room looks empty. Strange. I take a deep breath, and push the wooden door open.
There's nopony in the front room, which is strange. Twilight's usually in here, sorting books most of the time. Concerned, I call out. "Hello? Anypony home?"
"Coming!" sings an unfamiliar voice from the next room. Seconds after, an old mare comes trotting in, a warm smile on her face. "Hello, dearie. What can I do for you?"
Who is this mare? I've never seen her before in my life. "Who are you?" I ask. "What are you doing here?"
"Why, running the library like always, of course!" she answers, still smiling. "Most ponies just call me Page, dear."
"What do you mean, run the library?" This is getting frustrating. Everything I know is getting turned on its head. "What happened to Twilight?"
"Twilight?" She looks at me as if I'm a little filly. It's annoying, no doubt about it. "Why, I don't know a Twilight, dear. Are you sure you're not talking about the princess?" She pauses for a second, furrowing her brow. "Or, was it queen? I can never remember..."
So Twilight is a princess here! Without another word, I turn and exit the library quickly, flying back up to the cloud that I came from. If Twi's a princess still, then she's undoubtedly in Canterlot. Now I just need to figure out how to get there. I could fly, but it would take too long, and I wouldn't get there before nightfall.
I sit up on the cloud for at least another ten minutes, going through the same things over and over in my mind. Everything that’s happened in the last hour or so has sent me into a state of shock, and now I can’t figure out what to do. But then I realize the answer, something that’s been staring me in the face the whole time I’ve been up here.
“Sweet Apple Acres,” I murmur to myself, having been sitting above Applejack’s farm the whole time. If there’s anypony I can depend on the most, it’s Applejack. Sure, we have our scraps every now and again, but even then, she’s one of the best friends a pony could wish for. She’d know what to do, or how to help me out, for sure.
I spread my wings, giving them a good stretch as always, and leap from the cloud. The guards seem to have given up their search, since I can’t see any of them around any more. The ground below rushes to greet me, getting closer and closer. Still, I fall, enjoying the sensation; the wind blowing through my ears. At the last second, I snap my wings open, pulling up sharply towards the farm, mere yards away. I drop onto the ground, digging my hooves into the soil as I slow down sharply. Still anxious of anypony else watching, I hurry and knock quickly on the door.
“Come on, come on!” I mutter to myself impatiently at the lack of response. After what seems like forever, the door to farmhouse swings open, revealing my friend, a worried expression on my face.
“AJ!” I begin, but don’t get a chance to continue as she pulls me inside quickly, locking the door shut behind her.
“There ya are, RD!” she exclaims, breathing what looks like a sigh of relief. “Where in the heck have you been? Why, I reckon half the guards in all of Equestria are out looking for you right now! What did you do?”
“How am I supposed to know?” I ask back. “Since when were there guards stationed in Ponyville anyway?”
“Since Queen Twilight ordered them to, don’t ya remember?” she says, looking back at me strangely. “You know, after she...” She trails off, looking away.
“Queen?” Alright, now I’m lost. Did Applejack get bucked in the head or something? “AJ, last time I checked, Twilight’s a princess. Don’t you remember? We were at her coronation and everything!”
My friend turns around sharply and glares at me. “This ain’t no time to be making jokes, Dash!” she hisses. “Especially not about her!”
“AJ, I’m not joking!” I raise my voice slightly, hoping to get some answers. “Last time I checked, Twilight Sparkle, my friend, was a princess, and that was before this whole ‘alternate reality’ stuff!”
Applejack continues to glare at me, but her expression changes to that of curiosity once I finish. “Wait just a darned minute. What do you mean, alternate reality?”
I sigh, and look away. “AJ, this is gonna sound crazy, but I’m probably not the same Rainbow Dash you know.”
She narrows her eyes. “What do ya mean? Are y’all some sorta spy, or something, is that it?”
I look back up at her, and shake my head in silence. I’m in a corner right now, and the only way I’m ever going to get out of it is if I tell her the truth, no matter how insane and crazy it might sound. So I do. I tell her everything. She’s sceptical at first, but then again, who wouldn’t be. I’m glad that, even in this crazy, strange version of Equestria, Applejack and I are good friends. She listens as I explain the spell, the tavern, and the rest. When I finish, she sits there for a few seconds in silence.
"Why should I believe any of that?" she tells me. "Seems like you've been knocked on the head, Dash."
"Because we're friends, and I wouldn't lie to you," I reason, before adding, "and we both know I've taken more than enough hits in the head to have been crazy years ago, so it's not like I'm suddenly gonna start now."
That makes her chuckle, and I smile. "You're serious, ain't ya?" she asks.
I nod, and she shakes her head for a few seconds.
“Didn't even think that kinda magic was possible,” she says finally. “Ain’t that something?”
“So you understand?” I ask.
“Not in the slightest,” she admits. “But I know you, Dash, and I know when somepony’s tellin’ the truth, no matter how crazy it is.”
I chuckle slightly, smiling at her. She smiles back, but it looks pained, and forced. “Now it’s your turn,” I tell her. “Please, tell me what’s going on.”
She nods and leads me into the kitchen, gesturing for me to take a seat. “Well, while you and Twilight were becoming the best of friends in, well, wherever you’re from,” she starts, “things were different here. Twilight Sparkle never came to Ponyville. Nightmare Moon never returned.” I listen intently, wondering what she could have done to earn the fear of ponies everywhere.
“A few months ago,” AJ continues, “she murders Princess Celestia, her own darn mentor. Now don’t ask why, ‘cause I don’t know. I don’t think anypony does. But somehow, she managed to get the entire royal guard to serve her. Something’s fishy about that, but I can’t figure it out.”
“Murdered?” Now that couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. Twilight would never do that.
“She ain’t the same Twilight you know!” Applejack snaps suddenly. “So don’t get all sympathetic or try to defend her. I don’t care what kinda pony she was before, now she’s a darn tyrant.”
I gulp and shrink back in my seat. “AJ... what happened after? After she assumed power?”
She sighs and looks away. I noticed a tear begin to well in her eye. “Somepony had to stop her. It couldn’t go on. So me and my big brother, we started a group. A rebellion, I guess you could call it. You joined up too, but I guess that was a different you.”
I noticed that Big Macintosh was absent. I dread to ask, but I need to know. “What... what happened to Big Mac, Applejack?”
“He went to Canterlot,” she explains. “Said it needed to be stopped as soon as possible. But one pony wasn’t a match for a whole army, even a pony like my brother.”
She pauses for second, taking a breath. The tears are obvious now, as is the answer to my question, but still she continues. “He went there alone, and they killed him. Even dumped his body in the street. ‘A message to the rebels’, she said.” Applejack looks up at me, and I notice a certain fire in her eyes. “But we ain’t stopping, you hear me?”
I nod, but I start to think. Twilight may be the last hope I have of getting home, if what Applejack says is true and Princess Celestia is dead. How the heck am I supposed to convince her to transport me back if she’s corrupted like this? “AJ,” I say, looking back to her. “We- I’ve killed, haven’t I? Here, in this world?”
She nods. “We all have. That’s how you knew to fight so well back at the tavern. I trained ya. I always knew how, just hoped that I never needed to put them to use. Apple Family tradition.” She stands up. “Come on, I’ve got something to show you.”
“What is it?” I wonder, following her as she trots out of the room and to a painting hanging underneath the staircase.
"I guess you could say it's where the magic happens," she explains cryptically, tilting the painting to the side slightly. The wall beneath staircase slides backwards and to the side, revealing a secret cellar hidden away from unsuspecting visitors. Since when was this here? I've been to Sweet Apple Acres countless times since I met Applejack years ago, and not once have I noticed something like this. She walks inside and beckons me in, so I follow.
The hidden room is massive. The first thing I see is the large variety of cloaks and hoods adorning several mannequins near the back wall. All made by Rarity, by the looks of it. I'm no fashion expert, but I know her work when I see it. The centre of the room is completely open, with no furniture. No doubt for the training that AJ mentioned. As we reach the bottom of the staircase, I see a decidedly more grim sight. Adjacent to the outfits is a large rack of weapons; knives, swords, spears, and much more. I didn’t want to believe it, but it seemed like killing was a harsh reality here that I was going to have to get used to. The thought made me feel queasy, but I ignored the feeling.
“This probably ain’t the same in your ‘alternate reality’, Dash,” Applejack speaks up, diverting my attention away from inspecting the room. “But here, the Apples were always more than just farmers. Back long ago, before even Granny Smith was born, we were part of an influential group.”
“A group dedicated to killing ponies, by the looks of it,” I reply, not bothering to hide the discontent in my voice.
“Only those who deserve it,” she counters.
“No one ever deserves to die, AJ,” I scorn. “There’s always another way.”
“You sure? Because I don’t think the almighty queen would agree with ya.” Her sarcasm is bitter, but she makes a point. “My ancestors were Assassins; they’d kill ponies who abused power, the ones that made everyone else’s lives miserable. We kept the tradition in the family going, even after we were no longer needed. Training, all that kind of stuff. Looks like things have changed now though, right?”
“So that’s how you trained everyone to fight?” It’s all starting to make sense now. Well, as much sense as possible right now, anyway.
“That’s right. Got a whole bunch of ponies to join up. They all got something against the queen, so they were more than eager.”
A full-fledged rebellion, huh? I had to admit, no matter what, Applejack was a great leader. But something didn’t add up. “AJ?” I speak up.
“Yeah?” She turns around from the outfit she was inspecting and looks at me.
“What did I do?” She gives me a quizzical look. “I mean, back at the tavern, one of the guards said ‘we know what you did’. What did he mean?”
Applejack stares blankly at me for a few seconds, but snaps out of it. “A few days ago, you went to Canterlot yourself. Tried to steal the queen’s crown. We think it’s what gives her all the power, ya see. Thing is, you didn’t succeed. Heck, you barely made it out with your life.”
“Her crown?” What kind of crown could give a pony more magical power? Then it dawns on me. Her Element of Harmony, the tiara. Could it be? I thought they didn’t work unless linked with the others. It didn’t make sense.
“Hey.” Applejack calls out to me, and I look up at her. She’s standing above a box sitting on the table. “I got something to show ya.”
“What is it?” I wonder, trotting over to her.
“Have a look and see.” She takes the box in her hooves, and lifts the lid off. Lying inside are two immaculate, leather hoof bracers. I didn’t understand what the fuss was about, but then I took a closer look. On the underside of each one was a small, sharp blade. Before I could inspect any closer, Applejack takes them both and gives them to me. “Put ‘em on,” she says. “Get a feel for ‘em.”
I do as she says, slipping both of them onto my two front legs. They fit easily, and are quite comfortable.
“Give your hoof a little flick,” she instructs, watching me.
I do so, and the blade springs out of it’s hiding spot. With a little spin, the left one turns on a small pivot, and I’m able to clutch it with my hoof like a knife. I perform the same motion again, and it retracts. I hear Applejack trotting away from me, but I’m too busy inspecting the design of the blades on my hooves that I don’t notice what she’s doing.
“Hidden blades,” I hear her call from the other side of the room. “Get used to them Dash, I reckon you’ll need them.” I look up, and see her standing next to one of many outfits down here. I notice that they’re all long, hooded robes of different varieties. The one my friend is standing next to is some sort of hooded long coat. It’s white, like most of the others, but with dark blue highlights on the front, near the chest, and near the tail area.
“Now, ya see, as Assassins, we need to move around quietly; seen, but unseen,” Applejack explains. “That’s why we wear these robes. The hood conceals our identity, but it ain’t outlandish enough to divert attention to us.”
“So that’s what I’m going to be wearing?” I ask, finally pulling my attention away from the blades on my hooves.
“You betcha.” She pulls the outfit from the mannequin, and gives it to me. “Why don’t you try it on?”
I had to admit, the outfit did look kinda cool. “You got one of these too?” I joke, trying hard not to laugh at the thought of AJ running around in a robe and hood. Unfortunately, I fail, and snicker slightly.
She chuckles too, pointing to the outfit next to mine. “Sure do.” It’s pretty similar to mine, but has more of a creamy colour than the brilliant white of the robes that I’m putting on right now. “Rarity made ‘em all, as I’m sure you guessed.”
The coat, like the bracers, fit almost perfectly. “Jeez, did she size me up without me realising or something?” I pick up a pair of dark brown boots, and slip them onto my hindlegs. They’re pretty long, almost reaching my flank, but their length is mostly hidden by the tails of the coat.
“She has a way of telling, I guess.”
I finally get everything on, and trot over to a nearby mirror to see how I look. The whole thing actually looked awesome, but I had one final touch to add. I lifted my hoof to the back of my head and pulled on the beaked hood. There. Now I looked awesome. I look back at Applejack, and see her smiling. “So, I’m an Assassin now, huh? Is there some kind of creepy initiation, or something?” I joke.
She laughs, and rolls her eyes. “Well, once upon a time we held ceremonies for these kind of occasions, but I don’t think either of us are the type for that.” She walks closer to me, and puts a hoof on my shoulder. “We both know what we fight for, and we both know that, no matter what, we’ll never give in, right?”
I nod determinedly. “Right.”
Satisfied, she pulls me into a hug. “Then welcome to the brotherhood, Dash.”