In the Hour of Twilight

by Blue Dragon


I've Never Heard Silence So Loud

“I’m coming for you, Pinkie!!!” a certain brash pegasus’ voice echoed in the cavern nearer than anypony could have guessed. Before anyone could react, the blue pony had barreled past both Zecora and Pinkie—directly toward Angel and the pedestal with a speed unmatched by anything.

The whistling sound must have been the wind screaming past Rainbow Dash’s wings as she blazed here.

But the pegasus’ sudden appearance surprised Angel so much he took a step back—right onto the button.

Pinkie Pie was able to stop Rainbow with a quick latch of her tail, and pulled her back with a snap. The pegasus landed on her flank before she’d tripped any wires.

But Angel felt the pressure-sensitive plate underneath his foot give underneath his weight until it was level with the rest of the pedestal.

If he thought it was warm before, it was hot now.

Pinkie spat Dash’s tail out. “Dashie! What’re you doing here?!”

“I should be asking you that!”

Zecora’s eyes were frozen on Angel, whose own eyes couldn’t get much wider than they already were. He was afraid—very, very afraid. He tried to communicate with the zebra about what had happened, what he’d just done, but he could not utter any words.

Spike had been watching the exchange between the two ponies, but his gaze soon drifted toward Angel Bunny. His eyes lingered on the rabbit’s foot. “Wait… Did he just…?”

The room groaned suddenly. Rainbow and Pinkie stopped speaking at the same time. The ground started shifting underneath their hooves.

“What’s going on?” Spike cried as he began jumping from foot to foot.

Zecora’s gaze was set on the other side of the room, where a new entrance had made its appearance. “We must continue!”

The zebra grabbed Spike and threw him onto her back before running through the maze of strings. Pinkie and Rainbow hesitated before following her example. However, the pegasus hadn’t taken flight and still didn’t know about the strings.

What happened next would’ve been hilarious had it not been such a dire situation. Dash tripped over the first rope and tumbled to the ground.

Strangely, nothing happened.

Pinkie helped Rainbow up and the two continued to the other side. Angel was still stranded on the pedestal, the churning of the room making it hard to remain atop it. It was blazing hot at this point.

“Angel!” Pinkie exclaimed yet again, her voice mimicking Fluttershy’s in every way. She’d stopped right next to the pedestal and gestured toward her back. “Come on, we gotta go!”

The rabbit tried to lift his foot from the pedestal, but couldn’t. It felt heavy under some unseen force. Then, something became clear to him: He had escaped death with this foot. The Sphinx had attacked this exact same leg, and nearly took his life.

Maybe, the only reason he’d survived was for this exact moment. He’d cheated life back then to use it for a noble cause—for his beloved owner’s happiness.

At least he knew Twilight would take good care of Fluttershy. He would die happy if Fluttershy could live on with her love.

He only wished he could see her one last time.

“Angel?” Pinkie’s voice had risen an octave. The room wouldn’t stop shifting behind her, making the torch’s light reflect off her pink mane in a way that made her seem angelic.

Angel Bunny shook his head gravely. He smiled at her and pointed to where Zecora, Rainbow and Spike waited anxiously.

Pinkie didn’t understand. “What’re you trying to say? Angel, we don’t have time to play around! Please!”

The rabbit reached toward the pink mare and patted her head. She was more like Fluttershy than he’d initially thought, and that made him wish he’d gotten to know her better. Realization was just beginning to dawn on Pinkie.

“No, we won’t leave you behind! There’s no way—“Pinkie was interrupted as her tail was jerked back suddenly. Rainbow Dash was pulling her away. “No! No, Dashie, we can’t leave him here! I won’t!”

Angel made eye contact with the brash pegasus. He really disliked her, mostly for her demeanor toward Fluttershy, but he knew she meant well. He nodded toward her.

“We hafta keep goingmf!” the pegasus spoke through Pinkie’s tail. She kept tugging the pink mare toward the rest of the gang.

Pinkie dug her hooves into the ground, and her wide eyes were gazing into Angel’s. “No, we can’t!”

However, Rainbow was stronger than she was and soon had her safely on the other side. Then, Angel felt the heat of the pedestal reach a new height. He felt his leg burning more than ever before, and looked down to see his foot turning to stone.

It hurt more than anything he’d ever felt in his life. Angel stumbled back, falling over the pedestal and onto the floor. His confidence crumpled as the pain peaked. Even though he was off the pressure-sensitive plate, his body continued to freeze.

It felt like something was constricting his entire body. The room around him seemed to resonate with his resistance, shifting more as he fought back. He didn’t make sense of it at all. Eventually, he stopped fighting altogether and just gazed at one of the brightly lit torches. He thought of Fluttershy, of the moments when he was happiest.

Then, he was no more.


Pinkie was sobbing uncontrollably. When Angel had completely solidified, a torch resurrected from the darkness and lit itself. Apparently, each torch represented one of the lives claimed in the chamber.

This realization doubled with the fact Angel’s burned brightest sent Pinkie into tears. She couldn’t believe she’d let him give his life up like that. She’d brought him here in the first place, and she was responsible for his safety! Fluttershy would be so upset…

“Those strings were just a decoy?!” Spike exclaimed angrily. He glared back at the now silent room, devoid of any movement. The only difference from when they’d first seen it was a stone rabbit now joined the collection. The pressure-sensitive plate had even snapped back into place.

“I think they were meant to trap those that touched the pedestal.” Zecora said sagely. A door suddenly dropped down behind everyone, blocking them from returning to the Stone Cavern. Pinkie cried harder.

Rainbow swallowed thickly, and her wings rustled. “Pinkie… I’m sorry, it’s just… there wasn’t anything we could do.”

Pinkie sniffled. “What do you mean by that?! I brought him here and it’s my fault he didn’t make it!”

Rainbow grabbed Pinkie’s cheeks and forced her to maintain eye contact. “Pinkie! It’s not your fault… It’s never your fault. If anyone has to take the blame, it’s me. I pulled you away and besides, the rabbit wanted to sacrifice himself. Fluttershy will be upset, but let me break the news. She’ll go easy on me. Okay?”

“No, Dashie, it’s my fault and I won’t let you get in trouble with Fluttershy! I couldn’t live with myself knowing I caused a rift between you two!” New tears sprung to her eyes. “You’ve been friends for forever…!”

Rainbow sighed and let her hooves travel from Pinkie’s face to her back. She pulled her friend into a hug. “Look, we’ll sort this out later. Right now, we need to keep going so Angel’s sacrifice won’t be in vain. Twilight’s getting worse.”

That got Pinkie’s attention. “What?! S-she’s getting worse? What do you mean? What’s happened?”

Spike and Zecora turned their gazes on the pegasus as well. Rainbow was vaguely aware of their presence. “It’ll be okay. I sent an experienced doctor to go see her, and he should be able to save her. We just need to find another way out of here…”

Spike moved over to where the two ponies were. “But Rainbow Dash, we’re here to save Twilight too!”

The cyan pony’s gaze locked on the dragon and she gave him an inquisitive look. “What could possibly save her that’s in this cave?”

“The Crystal Antidote.” Zecora spoke suddenly. “Whose powers could revitalize anyone of their ailments.”

“Didn’t you see the Sphinx outside?” Pinkie asked with a frown. Rainbow shook her head.

“No, I didn’t realize that thing was still alive. But seriously guys, we need to get out of here. Time Turner can save her, no doubt about that, so we won’t need this Crystal Antidote thing. Trust me.”

The dragon clenched his fists and glared at Rainbow. “The Crystal Antidote can cure any illness! We won’t need a doctor with it!”

Sparks flew from the pegasus and dragon’s glares. “I said the doctor can take care of it. A Crystal Antidote sounds like something from a fairy tale.”

“Yeah, well, Canterlot’s got the most experienced doctors there are and none of them could help Twilight! What makes you think this one will be any different?! What if he can’t do anything? What then?”

Zecora pushed Rainbow and Spike away from each other, giving them a look that closely resembled that with which a parent gives their children when they’re fighting. Spike scowled.

“We must not fight, for our path is not ours to light.” She pointed a hoof at the hallway ahead of them, opposite of the Stone Cavern they’d just escaped. It was then that Rainbow realized there really was no other direction that they could go.

“So that means we have to go forward…?” she mumbled. She watched from her peripheral as Spike puffed out his chest and gave her a smirk. Rainbow tried to ignore this.

Pinkie sniffled one more time before taking a step forward. “Let’s… Let’s keep going.”

“Pinkie…” But the pink mare only continued walking. Rainbow thought back to when she’d been so hurt by Applejack, and how much she wished she could’ve just gotten up and moved on. Even now her scars hadn’t completely healed. But Pinkie… She’d just witnessed someone’s death, cried for a bit, and shrugged it off. Sure, she was still sad, but she moved on.

Maybe that was what Rainbow liked so much about Pinkie. Where Pinkie openly admitted how much she looked up to Rainbow Dash and her tricks, the brash pegasus kept her admiration to herself. If only the pink mare understood how much she’d affected Rainbow…

Dash trotted to catch up with the rest of the gang. Spike was still holding himself awfully high for such a small guy, but Rainbow was more concerned with Pinkie. Instead of bouncing she was walking, and her eyes were cast on the ground. But despite that, she still had a smile on her face.

Rainbow’s brows furrowed as she watched this display, but said nothing.

Spike wondered aloud, “So, guys… Um… We’ve been walking in this hallway for almost five minutes, and it doesn’t seem like we’re going anywhere.”

Dash blinked. She looked away from Pinkie and examined her surroundings to see if what the dragon had said held true.

The hallway stretched out farther than the pegasus could see, and when she glanced behind herself, the exact same sight greeted her. The cavern itself was just as cold and damp as the previous room, and unlit torches spanned on either side of her. Above, stalactites of varying sizes reached down as if to try and kill some unfortunate pony.

“How could we have walked this far in five minutes?” Spike continued. “The hallway hasn’t changed at all, either.”

The zebra trotted toward one of the walls, her hooves clicking along the ground. She tapped one on the wall and frowned. “An illusion,” announced Zecora, “that wishes to lead us to confusion.”

Rainbow Dash decided she’d rather do something than talk. So, she flapped her wings to get airborne and flew up toward the stalactites. But when she reached out to touch one, her hoof went through it and the image flickered. Obviously, these weren’t real.

“Dashie?” Pinkie called with a slight quiver in her voice. Rainbow, distracted by her new find, traced her hoof up to the ceiling. It was solid.

“Zecora,” Dash began with a thoughtful frown, “This illusion isn’t entirely real. I mean, you can’t touch these stalactites. I need to try one more thing before I reach a conclusion, though.”

With that, Rainbow took off down the expansive hallway as fast as her wings could take her. She watched as the path zoomed past her and unlit torches became a blurred mess. It seemed like her vision was fluctuating at this speed, but she couldn’t make any sense of it. Vaguely, she could hear her friends speaking from behind her.

But then… the voices’ direction changed. Now, she could definitely hear Pinkie’s high-pitched speech in front of her. Seconds later she realized that they really were in front of her, and she immediately screeched to a stop. Luckily, she was able to land before anyone got hurt.

Pinkie rushed over to her friend. “Dashie! What were you doing? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash felt Pinkie’s hooves wrap around her and pull her closer. The captive blushed despite herself, and was frozen stiff.

“That really scared me. I thought you weren’t gonna come back—that you’d be a stone pony too.” The pink pony was shaking. When Rainbow had snapped out of her stupor, she returned Pinkie’s embrace just as tightly.

“Don’t worry, Pinkie. Nothing like that’s going to happen. I promise.” Her gaze lifted from the side of Pinkie’s face to Zecora, her hooves never leaving Pinkie’s back. “I was testing the limits of the illusion, and it looks like it goes in circles. I have an idea, but I don’t know if it’ll work.”

Zecora seemed puzzled by her words. “As long as it doesn’t put us in a bind, what do you have in mind?”

“While I was flying, I noticed something. The illusion—the entire hallway—was fading, and it looked like there was something there, just beyond the illusion. I think if I can manage to go faster, I can get the illusion to disappear completely. But for that to happen, I think I’d need to make a Sonic Rainboom.”

Both Pinkie and Spike gasped. The dragon’s words came out in a rushed manner, “But that could make the ceiling cave in on us!”

Pinkie spoke as soon as Spike had stopped. “And last time you were doing a nosedive… How could you do it in an enclosed space like this? I believe in your flying abilities, but you could get hurt!”

Dash swallowed her nerves and stared straight into Zecora’s eyes. She knew the risks the other two were spouting. But they had little choice and besides, if there was another way through this illusion, it would take too long to figure it out. Twilight didn’t have that much time.

After what seemed forever, Zecora sighed and looked away. “If it is what you wish to do, I will not stop you.”

That was all she needed to hear.

Dash pulled away from Pinkie even though it was hard. Every fiber of her being ached for her to be back in the air, doing something she loved for someone she cared for. If she got hurt, it was worth it—for Twilight.

Despite Pinkie’s reluctance to let Rainbow go, Spike seemed adamant. His eyes, ripe with determination, told a story all their own. The baby dragon seemed conflicted behind those orbs of his, but his expression showed nothing. He spoke with a guarded tone. “Rainbow Dash… You don’t know about the Sphinx’s riddle, and I think it’d be best if I told you. He said that there’s a secret in this cave, but that we’d leave something behind and there’d be a ‘soul to forever weep.’ We had to leave Angel behind. I’m afraid that what you do here… just might end up having to do with that last part.”

A chill shot down Rainbow Dash’s spine. She hadn’t known about that. “I… I…” The pegasus understood why Spike’s eyes had looked the way they did. If what he said had been true and that this part of the riddle was about her, she must’ve been destined to screw up really bad somewhere. ‘A soul to forever weep’ sounded like something she’d read in a Daring Do book, not in real life. It just seemed like something meant for a fantasy.

But at the same time, it definitely was a scary thought.

“…I have to do it. Even if it means something bad, Twilight needs me.” Rainbow stretched her wings out as far as they could go and squared her shoulders. In all honesty, she didn’t feel as confident as she sounded. She’d only performed the Sonic Rainboom three times—once when she was a filly, once when she was saving Rarity and the Wonderbolts, and the third at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding. But each time she had pulled it off, it was for a special occasion.

Would she be able to do it a fourth time?

Rainbow Dash took in a shaky breath before flapping her wings. She hovered for a few moments, letting her gaze wander from each of her friends. “You guys might want to stay close to the wall; I don’t want to hurt any of you.”

Spike and Zecora nodded and took a few steps back. Pinkie slowly followed, though Rainbow could tell she’d rather not have. Her big blue eyes were full of grievances untold, but she only said, “Be careful.”

Then, Rainbow began flying. She started at a lax pace and built up speed. It wasn’t until she’d passed the group three times before she knew she’d hit her limit. But still she pressed on, forcing herself to go faster. The hallway was fluctuating so much that it was starting to give Dash a headache.

All she needed was a bit more. Something to push her harder. Rainbow Dash thought of how amazing Pinkie was and she deserved so much more. All of her friends flew past her mind’s eye until only Twilight and Fluttershy remained. They deserved a happy life together. Fluttershy had suffered from her nerves ever since she was a filly, and Twilight had never so much as had a friend until she’d come to Ponyville. They’d changed Rainbow’s life more than they’d ever know, and Rainbow would give anything for things to go back to the way they were before the Sphinx ruined everything.

With all these things spinning in Dash’s mind, she felt herself speeding up. Her wings beat harder and she knew she was about to break the barrier. She closed her eyes when the wind became too much, and then…

BOOM!

Rainbow felt her body tense up before going a speed she’d only done three times before. Wind tore at her feathers and fur, but it was a beautiful sensation. A second, more pronounced boom made itself known when the Rainboom had slammed into both sides of the cavern’s walls.

Dash’s ears were ringing from the first blast, and the second intensified it. Rainbow ignored the pain and forced her eyes open to see if her plan had worked.

It had. There were no stalactites hanging from the ceiling any longer, and the hallway didn’t extend nearly as far as it seemed. Rainbow began slowing herself down as her friends came into view. She couldn’t help thinking about what Spike had said earlier, and felt proud that nothing had happened. Her wings were just fine, her slender body unchanged, and her beautiful mane and tail as silky as before. Everything was okay.

When Dash had finally landed, she let herself lean against the wall as she panted. Behind her, where the Sonic Rainboom had made contact, the cavern had caved in on itself. But that was okay because it wasn’t like they could go back the way they came.

Pinkie, Zecora and Spike were rushing over to where she stood. “Did I… Did I do okay?” she panted out with a wry smile.

Concerned expressions filled her view. Pinkie’s mouth moved like she was speaking, but Rainbow didn’t hear any words.

The pegasus reached a hoof up to her ear and poked it a couple times. “I didn’t quite catch that.”

Come to think of it… Rainbow couldn’t hear her voice either. Her brows furrowed when she saw Spike’s mouth forming words, too. It looked like he was trying to say “Are you okay?

“Is there something wrong?” Rainbow found herself saying. Or, she hoped her mouth was saying. “Why can’t I hear you guys talking?”

Zecora leaned forward and pointed a hoof toward Rainbow Dash’s ear. Her eyes were soft, but the zebra’s lips were saying words faster than Rainbow could read them.

What’s going on? Rainbow thought, her brows drawing together. She pressed both of her hooves into her ears and felt something wet.

Her hooves were covered in blood.