//------------------------------// // 5: Return tO a plaCe NeveR visiTed, OnLy left: part two // Story: The Clockwork Heaven // by Leliel //------------------------------// (Aleph/Null) Starting now. -------------------------------------------------------------- "DAAASH!" "RAINBOW DASH!" "C'MON OUT!" "Daash..." Frankly, Twilight was amazed. It wasn't that big of a hotel, and yet for the past fifteen minutes, neither multicolored hair nor cyan hide could be found. Getting that lost took effort. ...Well, that or Rainbow had been quietly captured and/or killed, and Twilight didn't want to consider that. "RAAAIINNNBOO-" "HERE!" Twilight jumped at the sudden appearance of her friend, then tackle-hugged her. "Oh Sun! I was so worried about you-" "Yeah, yeah, me too. Just let me breathe..." Twilight jumped back, and dusted herself off. "Right. Where were you!? We were worried sick that you'd been foalnapped or-" "For a while? Me too. But first..." Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "They know we're here" Twilight stared blankly for a second, then cradled her head. "Great. Just great." "...and then I followed the tape back here." The other Elements had been listening intently, interrupting only for clarification now and again (and a couple "What"s, when she got to the weird alternate universe corridor). "So, ya think this Sharpy might be one of the angels? From what ya other guys said, it seems like she and the other two drew Pinkie out here." "No, I don't think." Rainbow looked rather thoughtful. "From what I saw, the angels are more-or-less bound to the park. They can't leave. My guess is that she's a stooge or, more likely, a minion." "Actually, using the three as bait was rather clever, if I do say so." Rarity was pacing about their room intently. "If they knew anything about Pinkie Pie, they must have realized that there are few better ways to get her attention than a desperate need for some fun." "Even besides that," said Twilight as she followed the wall, looking for any fractals that might be the basis for an observation spell, "She's ultimately ancillary to whatever they're planning, from what Discord said. I kinda doubt they would risk themselves on something that isn't critical." "And they get to hang out and, I dunno, watch cartoons while their minions are out doing all the work." Rainbow looked ready for a fight. "Or possibly, betraying other minions." "Um, just one question..." "So, about this weird lab you found..." "One question, please?" Rainbow turned to Fluttershy. "Hit me." *fwap* "Ha, ha, very funny. The question, Fluttershy." "Umm...." The pegasus cleared her throat. "Um...how do you know Sharpy Palone?" One could almost hear the gears in Rainbow's head grind to a halt. "Sorry?" "Weren't you off training for a race that day?" Rainbow blinked, then her eyes narrowed. "What? Are you saying I'm a liar?" "Nope...not a liar." Applejack was squinting at Rainbow strangely. "I can tell ya certainly think you're tellin' the truth. But...that's a darn good point. When did ya meet this Palone varmit?" "I....uh....I.....I-I know it was her! You know, beige mare, has the outline of a police badge for a cutie mark-" "That's her all right." Rarity had stopped pacing. "But...how do you know what she looks like?" "Um..." Rainbow began to pale a bit. "...Rainbow." Twilight was speaking in a very motherly, caring tone. "This is going to sound weird, but...are you sure you chased her?" "Umm...oh yeah! I knocked over this soup on my wing, didn't really hurt the best flier in Equestria, but it left...a nasty..." Rainbow starred blankly at her wing. "...where's the scar?" By now, she was panicking. "Where's the scar? Where's the bucking scar!?" "...Dashie?" Rarity had begun to use the caring tone as well. "Don't worry. You aren't going crazy, you just ran into an enchantment ward-" "No, no, NO! I KNOW WHAT I SAW! I KNOW WHAT I FELT! KI'UPA METE NI!" Blank stares all around. "IKI DUH NIKKI! TAM! "Rainbow...what language are ya speaking?" Rainbow Dash stared at Applejack. "..Equestrian?" "No...it sounds like Ancient Ponylonian, but...older, somehow. A root tongue." Ranibow was crying now. "I...I...but...I.....nu ur! NU UR!" She collapsed to the ground. "Nu ur...not crazy...nu ur..." Without missing a beat, Fluttershy cradled her sobbing friend. "It's okay...it's okay...." "Hm. Singlehandedly discrediting everything she saw in the staff corridor, any of her visions from the Affliction, and simultaneously throwing all future visions into doubt, even from her own perspective. And our proxy's cover is strengthened in the process. Very insightful plan, Jophiel." "I do try brother. I do try." About half an hour later (Rainbow Dash realized that any mucking about with her brain could be fixed), the Elements were drawing up plans. "Now, we know the angels probably wanted Rainbow away from what they really wanted." Twilight had brought out a map. "Thus, I think it's probably a good idea to save the Tesseract of Mirrors for last. We start with the haunted house, since that' a pretty good place to hide any weird byproducts of whatever weird things they're doing with magic..." Of course, just because Rainbow was sure of her own perceptions now didn't mean suddenly speaking in gibberish without her realizing and that everything she experienced was in her own head didn't still sting. She was the only one not looking at the map, having decided she really wanted to be left alone for a little while. I don't believe it...it seemed so real... Come to think of it, she wasn't sure of anything else at the moment, either. She distinctly remembered a stallion on top of a staircase telling her that he left a guide for her to help get back to her friends and help explain what was going on. She also remembered that he wasn't there. Though he also said that she needed to keep watch for the Regretful Alastor, and the False Wilder. ...As of two seconds ago. She distinctly remembered remembering something else. I am going to strangle the angels. I can't even trust if my real name is Rainbow Dash or not... *pap* "Huh?" Another *pap* "Who's there?* *pap*, went the pebble on the window. Annoyed, Rainbow opened the window to talk to the source of the rocks. :"Derpy, I know you'd really like to talk to me, but-hey!" Rainbow blinked. "Why the hay are you here?" "Delivery!" Oh. Duh. "Fine, just hand it over..." The lazy-eyed mailmare could obviously tell something was wrong, but she decided to not press. Indeed, her most distinctive feature actually came from pressing when she really shouldn't have, and involved a wayward spell, an ancient monster from the Everfree, and a hair dryer, but that was a story for another time. "Here you go," she said, handing over a letter. "Also, she said to not tell anypony else about this." "Who?" "The anonymous client. Hay if I know." She flew off, probably rather quicker than normal for the klutzy flier. "Wait, Derpy! DERPY! ...Dang." Rainbow looked at the letter. It looked pretty normal, no obvious signs of a hallucination...it was probably real. Still, she sniffed it, just to make sure it smelled like real paper, before opening. At first, squiggles. Squiggles and hieroglyphics, not unlike Equestrian pictograms. As she stared at it, though, some part of her mind began to sound out strange, alien syllables that were at once foreign and familiar, like a language she had learned and forgotten as a foal. Or while she was still in the womb. And she understood. Rainbow Dash. If you are reading this, then I'm truly sorry. On the bright side, you aren't going crazy. On the other hoof, the thing inside your head was never sane, not even by supernatural standards, and it isn't very good at speaking clearly. I don't know a way to get it out, and I don't think there is-the Lunar Affliction can only be treated, not cured. But it's wise, Rainbow. Wise, and very perceptive. It isn't your enemy, and it has a vested interest in seeing you live. If you can figure out what it's trying to say, you should listen. When we get out, I'll make sure you have the best treatment available, and she'll teach you to live with the visions. If you're not sure if what you're seeing is real, keep this letter. It's real enough, and I know that holding on to something they know is real helps Moon-Touched through. -D.M. (PS:It bears repeating-don't tell anypony about this. There's a reason the angels knew you were coming to the park. Pass off any strangeness as the Affliction acting up). Rainbow Dash was floored by that postscript. Lie to her friends? Whoever this DM was had a lot of feathers if they honestly thought the Element of Loyalty would lie...to her... Wait. The angels knew they were coming? As in, before they actually arrived? Reading the note again, Rainbow's eyes widened. They knew? They already knew? She looked out the window again, hoping to see Derpy and chase her down. No dice-she was already past the cloud cover. She did see something that she guessed was Mr. Crazy Brain Pony's latest attempt to communicate (that the note may be another hallucination was never allowed to cross her mind). She blinked, then checked again. Huh. The drunken-looking pegasus wasn't there anymore. But of course, Fluttershy being out in a scheduled rainstorm was ridiculous. She was right there, after all. In the distance, a groggy Fluttershy looked at the paintbrush she was holding. She didn't remember getting it. She didn't remember how she got here. She didn't remember a lot of things, including the name of the person looking at her from behind the mirrors. She really didn't want to. That person was bad. That person was mean. That person was cruel when it suited her. She hated her for it. That person...That person... That person was quite possibly the loneliest being in all of Equestria. That person was tired of the war. That person would like nothing more than the lie to be the truth. That person wanted nothing more than to have be born a- NO! She was gaining ground! Fluttershy focused on her past, her real/fake/real past. The past where she was born to a pair of loving parents, who were killed in a carriage accident, who abandoned her when she needed them the-NO! She didn't hate them. She loved them, and yes maybe her animal hoarding was a replacement for the family that it took away...the lover and his own parents...the people she could finally, finally trust.. Fluttershy realized this wasn't going anywhere, and instead focused on something that wasn't the invader. Her name was Fluttershy. Her name was Fluttershy. Her name was Deborah- NO! IT WASN'T! IT WASN'T IT WASN'T IT WASN'T! Was not her name. Was not her name. Was not her name.. She looked at the bunny. Tears came to her eyes. "Angel...I'm scared."