//------------------------------// // As My Heart Mends // Story: Our Voices Carry Through The Hills // by Surry //------------------------------// As My Heart Mends Twilight was simply flabbergasted at how she couldn't have seen it before. All of her friend's signs now became agonizingly clear, but in that instance, Rainbow couldn't let her know. Nothing was more important to her than helping Twilight, and the unicorn had just looked so pitiful to her. No! Why Rainbow?! Twilight quietly began to inch herself over to her, little by little. Her eyes were starting to gloss over again with the familiar sensation of tears, but she was able to find her way to her friend's side once more. Rainbow was indeed silent now, offering little comfort for her friend's unheard pleas, but instead she turned to Twilight and offered her a weak smile. The unicorn's positively glowing violet irises captivated her opposite's attention, and for the life of her would not let go. She also took note of the tears trickling down her soft cheeks and felt a lump of guilt building within her own throat. Twilight attempted to utter the silent word. 'Why?' she mouthed mutely. Rainbow scratched the back of her head hesitantly. "I'm s-sorry Twilight... but I searched for hours, and I could only find one bush that had anything to eat on it. I-I saw how hungry you were and knew you must've been pretty worn out, so... I just wanted you to have it all. You needed it more than me anyway." Twilight shook her head lightly at the last statement, exonerating several tears from her chin and letting them fall to the floor below. No... no, Rainbow. You shouldn't have. We could've shared, really. Why, why, why did you have to do that?! "Hey it's really not that bad, Twilight," she put a gentle hoof on Twilight's shoulder, "I'm used to it, honestly. I've had to fast before for much longer than this, for races and stuff like that." You've starved yourself before? But this is different, Rainbow! The pegasus could tell she was definitely not buying any of it, but it was nonetheless the truth. It was immensely burdensome on her heart to see her sobbing because of something she had given her, but it had to be done. She was willing to go the distance for Twilight, whether the unicorn wanted her to or not. And yet, for her act of immense kindness, she received the most poignant and delightfully heartfelt hug of their time spent together. Twilight practically buried her face into Rainbow's neck, sobbing excessively and breathing even heavier than before. Her lips quivered uncontrollably as a small stream of tears pooled in the tiny cup of her mouth. She tugged on Rainbow's back, pushing their soft chests forcefully into each other, letting the blue and purple cuticles of their fur mingle. Rainbow allowed one leg to dangle loosely around her friend's back which she quickly used to tug her in as well. Another quivering smile weakly spread across her twisted facial expression. "I-I'm sorry. I just didn't... want you to be in pain anymore. That's all," she whimpered meekly, "You have no idea how hard it is for me to see you suffer, Twilight. It... b-breaks my heart." I'm so sorry, Rainbow. But don't you know it breaks my heart to see you suffer too? What about you? We're a team. That means we share everything. Subconsciously, Twilight softly began stroking the excess water out of Rainbow's mane, straightening it out down the length of her back. Perhaps it was just a spur of the moment thing, but the pegasus actually enjoyed her gentle gesture. Gone was her usual ostentatious attitude, for now she had no apparent need for it. She let her ear graze over Twilight's as she lowered her head, and proceeded to lightly rub her cheek into her friend's more teary one. After their quick informal nuzzling session, the pegasus then rested on the side of her shoulder, still holding her sleepy friend close. Twilight similarly pressed her nose further into the crook of Rainbow's neck, when suddenly she stopped and pulled away. Rainbow, thinking perhaps Twilight was finished with their hug, was about to retreat as well, when she felt a slight tickling sensation right above her collarbone. She jerked her head to the side, realizing all at once that Twilight had just delicately kissed her neck. She felt more tears in her eyelids building now, trying to hold back a flood of words and emotions that she could barely control. But then, Twilight kissed her again and even more sweetly than before. Although the unicorn was not trying to tickle her in any way, she could feel Rainbow inhale in a breathy agitated manner with each gentle peck, causing her to squirm slightly in her embrace. Oh no... I'm sorry, Rainbow. I didn't mean anything by it, I promise. Twilight halted her small kisses, deeply afraid that she had done something wrong, when seemingly out of nowhere... Rainbow kissed her neck. However, where Twilight's kisses were fast and fleeting, Rainbow's lips stayed firmly in place for a few long seconds. Her eyes remained serenely closed as she allowed her lips to draw in a slight taste of the mare. Absolutely elated to feel her friend returning the gesture, Twilight yanked her in even more vigorously. Rainbow then cautiously released her soft lips, leaving only a tiny speck of saliva on her friend's neck, and calmly rested her cheek on the unicorn's shoulder once more. "Y'know something, Twilight?" her words barely crept above a whisper, "I... I've never felt this close to anyone before. I just... never want to let you go, ever. I know it'll be nearly impossible to go back to our old lives, but whenever we get this mess all sorted out... I just want more of you in mine." Twilight's embrace around her doubled in intensity, as her already fragile heart nearly split in two. Her tears flooded the entire surface of her face. Why?! Why would you want more of me?! All you've done is help me so far, and what have I given you in return?! Nothing!! I've given you nothing!! I could never deserve somepony as wonderful as you, Rainbow!! The pegasus could hear Twilight's sobs escalating into her neck, so she decided to try more uplifting words. "Hey Twilight, it's okay. Remember our day together? It wasn't all that bad, right? I still enjoyed every minute of it, being with you. Sure, we didn't talk much or anything, but then again we didn't need to." Her words didn't seem to help as much as she had hoped, as Twilight still clung onto her securely. How could you enjoy it? I'm so worthless. All I'm doing here is bringing you down with me. I want you to stay with me more than anything, but not if it's going to kill you. "I enjoyed our day together... because I love being a part of a team, Twilight. And from now on, we are a team, you and I. That means we face struggles together, overcome them together, sacrifice for one another, give back to one another, and communicate with each other, as best as we can anyway," Rainbow paused for a second and then continued, "But when everything's said and done, Twilight... I want you to be my teammate for as long as I live." That did it for Twilight. Her heart had finally snapped. A tiny squeak escaped her lips as her sobbing finally reached its peak. Her forelegs which had been wrapped around Rainbow's chest started to loosen considerably, as her body focused solely on trying to contain her emotions. It became a losing battle however, when Twilight at last surrendered herself and allowed Rainbow to take full control of her body, holding her in her skillful hooves in the most loving way she knew. I just wish I could protect you, Rainbow, like how you protect me. I never knew you could be so caring, or sweet, or supportive. Why can't I do the same for you?! Why do I have to be so weak?!! The pegasus gently let her friend recede away, cradling her longingly, and gazing upon her now relaxed teary face. Twilight's eyes remained lazily shut as her body had simply given out under the emotional pressure. The most minuscule and unstable of all smiles slowly crept across her quivering lips. While she was still clearly upset, she found it difficult to not enjoy Rainbow's delicate embrace around her. She felt so comfortable, and for one of the few times in her life, genuinely loved. Sure, Twilight had felt loved by her friends and family before, but never in the way that Rainbow had shown her today. This was a different kind of love she felt forming between them and she wanted to ensure that it would never end. This pegasus, who only the night before considered her an enemy, was now willing to starve herself for her. Twilight barely pried her eyes open in time to see her friend's face inching ever closer, and then suddenly... she felt it. Rainbow kissed her sweetly on the cheek behind her flowing river of tears. The unicorn's smile gradually widened as her friend then proceeded to pull away her gentle lips. Rainbow was allowing herself to relax as well, as the sight of her pacified friend was having a contagious effect on her. She watched Twilight's chest now rise and fall rhythmically like slow oscillating ocean waves. Her breathing, no longer spasmodic or forced, quieted down immensely. Her eyelids neatly fluttered over her violet irises and promptly found their resting place. "Twilight?" she whispered as quietly as she could, but the unicorn did not budge in the slightest, "Are you asleep?" Her friend's head slightly dozed off to one side, yet her warm smile remained under her watery cheeks. Rainbow was quite simply in awe. Everything she had tried before to help her sleep never seemed to work. It worried her not knowing if her friend would ever truly get to rest, but now to her great relief, Twilight was finally drifting off. Still cradling her tenderly, she lowered Twilight's placid frame to the cool floor below and caressed her purplish mane, slicking it back behind her head. The sleeping mare leaned over onto her side, facing back to Rainbow sitting next to her. The pegasus couldn't help but feel exhausted as well, but simply brushed it off as just being hungry. Happily, she laid on a spot of ground nearest to her, coming face to face with Twilight's damply closed eyes. Rainbow pulled one foreleg under her own head into a makeshift pillow, but before she drifted off as well, she leaned over and gave Twilight one last affectionate kiss on her wet cheek. The unicorn's facial expression all at once relinquished its hold as her soul began to piece itself back together, the spell keeping her awake temporarily diminishing and allowing her mind a much needed intermission. THUMP! Another heavy rumble tore through the city's streets, causing every tall skyscraper's heavy cement foundation to roil and sway violently. Ponies frantically littered the roads like panicked ants down below, running away from the sound of sheer turmoil and chaos. "Was that another one?!" a pegasus guard shouted to his subordinate. "I think so sir!" the grey stallion removed himself from his perch and approached the other end of the roof, "But it came from the opposite direction! I think from this way!" His superior darted over to his soldier's side to get a better view. "No, it can't be. That's at the heart of the city," the officer noted grimly, "How are we supposed to combat this so quickly? The cities being attacked from all sides! "Should we act now, sir? There aren't as many of us posted that far in." "We aren't left with much of a choice. However, Manehattan's Central District takes first priority. Let's move!!" he barked. The officer let his front legs fall over the edge of the building and he began to plummet towards the ground while quickly gaining speed. His hefty muscular wings opened, uninhibited by his lightweight gold-plated armor, and he soared straight for the epicenter of the tremors. His subordinate followed in a similar manner, falling into a perfect swan dive and shortly pulling out of it once terminal velocity was reached. Pandemonium plagued the streets as herds of confused ponies desperately ran in the opposite direction of the heavy quakes. Plumes of smoke began billowing out of the Market Plaza just ahead of them. Wisps of thick fumes grazed past their faces and distorted their vision. "Let's get lower!" the younger stallion cried. "Agreed!" said his superior. After passing several city blocks, they gave a cursory glance toward a low lying building with a flat roof. It would keep them just high enough above the ground to stay safe, but low enough to give them a better view to what was really causing this chaos. Utilizing a powerful beat of their wings, they evacuated the rooftop of of any hazardous soot still clogging the air and with an even more vigorous backwards flap came to an abrupt landing. The less experienced guard cautiously lifted his helmet upward to peer down to the city streets. There was almost no way to see through the the debris cloud fogging up at ground level. Much to the officer's chagrin, a low purple flame emanated through the mist. "What is it?" asked the rookie. "I think... it's the one we're after," he coldly responded. Just then a piercing beam burst forth from the cloud and collided with the building that was their support. The intense heat seeping through the roof burned the soldiers' hooves allowing them just enough warning to fly away to safety. Had they left a split second later, the pair would have both been engulfed in torrential violet inferno as the frame of the building imploded turbulently. A heavy shockwave crushed their chest plates, throwing them about and forcing them to upright themselves. The rookie careened out of control, falling through smoke and fire, until at last his back plating abruptly contacted a pile of broken cement and twisted rubble, down within the mist below. Lazily he rolled off of the pile and fell onto the dirt road beside him, cocking his head side to side to gather himself. His helmet had come off sometime during his tumble, allowing him barely to see the faint outline of a unicorn. He inhaled long-windedly and then shouted directly at the silhouette, "Surrender yourself, unicorn!! We have been authorized by Princess Celestia to use brute force if you do not comply!!" The shadowy figure began to approach, causing the soldier to hesitantly back away. "I'm warning you!!" he cried. Some free clouds began to coalesce into spiraling balls which suddenly burst into fiery cataclysmic eruptions. When the fireballs finally dissipated there stood before him four shadows of the same unicorn. He was quite stunned as the quartet ganged up on him through the foggy haze. He backed out of the cloud and felt himself pushed against a wall, when their faces suddenly became readable out of the shadows. "How do you plan on taking us on, exactly?" asked the leader menacingly, "Go ahead. I want to hear your answer." "Wait... you!" the guard stumbled weakly off in another direction in an attempt to distract them, "Y-you're Twilight Sparkle! Princess Celestia s-said you would--" "What?!" she swiftly cut him off, "Attack?! Of course we would attack!!" The guard was immediately taken aback. "B-but why?! And where did all of you come from?!" he nervously responded. "It doesn't matter now. You have your orders... and we have ours. Now stand aside, pegasus, unless you wish to get your lovely armor melted clean off," her clones smirked deviously at her blatant threat. "You can't defeat us all!" the guard retorted, "We'll overpower you eventually!" "I doubt that!" she cackled. The unicorn started feeding her heated aura into her horn. A tiny wisp of violet flame licked the air as she aimed her building charge directly at his crumpled chest plate. He unfurled his wings in one robust flap, when he was instantaneously struck by an immobilization spell cast by one of her prepared sisters. His body violently seized as if an immense surge of electricity coursed right through the length of his back. "Good bye!!" the leader yelled. The royal soldier was silently whispering his last goodbyes to himself, when her beam suddenly shot forth with an unrelenting blazing intensity. Luckily, at the very last second, his commanding officer leaped onto the leader, catching the lot of them off guard. Her beam cut through the air like a blade of the highest apical ferocity, piercing the hide of a tall skyscraper and plunging clean through to the other side. As the leader fell, her aura sliced the colossal building directly into two clean halves. The upper fraction slid smoothly on its now loose hinge, loudly churning and grinding. When it reached the precipice of falling out into nothing, the immense upper half tilted high above the dirt road and collided destructively with an equally tall building opposing it, resulting in a heavily swaying A-shape formation. Broken shards of glass and smoldering lumps of the skyscrapers' infrastructure plummeted fiercely to the city street below in a great tumultuous heap. The lead clone easily threw the armored guard off of herself using magic and quickly erected her body. When she finally stood up, the officer found himself being encased in a immobilization spell of his own, conjured by her fellow copies. He struggled valiantly, but to no avail. Their prison of magic would slowly consume the guard until he was frozen in time. "ALERT THE PRINCESS!!" shouted the officer to his ally. "Oh, won't you just shut up?" the leader snickered above him. Hesitantly, the rookie quickly removed his golden armor while the clones were distracted, for he would have to travel far. Still a bit dazed from their stun spell, it was quite difficult for him to even stand. "I shouldn't get more help?!" he questioned dubiously. The quartet of angry Twilights turned to the stumbling pegasus with rows of fierce eyes. His helpless commander was only seconds away from being swallowed up by their aura. "NO! JUST SEND FOR HELP!!" he pleaded. Hearing all he needed to, the grey pegasus quickly took to the sky as a violent meteor storm of purple flames and eruptions hurtled at him from all directions. The falling skyscraper above proved to be an intense obstacle as he narrowly avoided tumbling debris and shattering pieces of glass. The unicorns' ferocious attacks all barely missed, colliding with more of the surrounding buildings and engulfing them in multicolored flames and yet more billowing smoke. The citizens of Manehattan had put years of labor into creating these masterpieces for the city, and now, this small band of unicorns had put it all asunder. The uncomfortably naked pegasus reached for as high as he could, passing over equally tall towers that were tangible and not, composed of both smoke and fiery concrete. Only making his escape by the slimmest of margins he sincerely hoped the other members of the royal guard were faring better than him, though it was not likely. He continued to flap harder and harder until eventually he passed Manehattan's city limits and far across the bay. Heading due southwest, it would take him a considerably shorter time to make the return trip lacking his protective golden armor. "This is just awful," he mumbled, "We're so horribly outmatched here, and why would Twilight Sparkle of all ponies attack Manehattan?" THWACK! Princess Luna brutally slammed shut the weighty doors to her bedroom, stumbling artlessly inside. The mid-afternoon was such an awkward time for a pony's dream to be knocking so unpleasantly on the window to her mind. She staggered into her room holding an unstable blue hoof to her temple while her conscious was locked in a fierce battle with this particular dream. "Gahh..." she gasped in sharp pain, "I don't understand it! Why did this dream come to me?! Why did this pony come to me?! Could... could it really even be hers?!" Luna had only just sent Twilight's friends away to help the refugees. She had asked them to be ready at a moment's notice should she attack the city, but now it seemed that she was directly trying to contact Luna herself. Admittedly, she had gone to her room to look up an old counter spell, and it was only by pure chance that the unicorn's dream suddenly flooded her head. "Why does it hurt so much?!" she whined, "I've seen into countless dreams before, but never have they plagued my mind such as this one!!" Fumbling around her personal chambers in a disorderly manner she at last came to her bedside, leaning upon it desperately for support. Abnormally vivid images of lush forests, winding streams, wide lakes, rushing rivers, crashing waterfalls, swaying wildflowers, the brilliant sun, and the glowing moon, they all clawed ruthlessly at the gate to her mind's eye. Frame by frame she was beginning to lose her grip on reality the faster they came at her. "Stop... just please stop... I'm begging you! Unicorn... PLEASE STOP IT!!!" she cried. Then suddenly... she saw a blue pegasus, and the images did indeed cease as she commanded.The princess gradually opened her teary eyes, staring down at the royal tapestry upon her bed depicting a clear starry night. She did not see the depicted artwork however, for now she saw the only the image of this mare, as seen through the eyes of Twilight Sparkle. It was such a simple dream for the unicorn, yet so surprisingly potent for Luna. With hardly anypony sleeping across Equestria she didn't immediately deem this dream a threat, but with its surmounting flood of memories Luna couldn't help but assume the worst. She was so hesitant to let it in. Luna began to lightly sweat, a small side effect of melding minds with a such a distraught sleeper. Twilight Sparkle was undeniably suffering. Grief and heavy sorrow filled Luna's heart as she pried deeper into the dreamscape, but she firmly pressed on, only seeing more of the Rainbow-maned pegasus. Through Twilight's eyes it appeared that as though she was a fiercely brave companion of some kind, fighting through all sorts of pain and hardships for her. A tear drifted away from Luna's left eye, uninhibited by any gravity in the black dreamscape. Painfully Luna felt the crushing sensation of not being able to breathe through the unicorn's unstable connection, almost feeling herself fall away out into her bedroom, but the pegasus saved her yet again by breathing into her new life. "This dream," she muttered, "It's all about their friend Rainbow Dash... Twilight Sparkle has to be here somewhere. I'm certain of it." The princess floated on through over completely blackened landscapes devoid of any visible terrain. Quick snippets of memories depicting an entire day with the pegasus floated high in the sky above her. Luna was not so used to seeing such a barren wasteland for a dream. "Perhaps maintaining even this simple dream is a challenge for her," she noted, "Regardless, she must be present for this dream to still be functioning." She cast a fleeting glance to her right and then her left when she a spotted a small lavender colored figure standing on some invisible ground. Luna quickly began flying for the new direction and the smaller the distance became between them, the more it was apparent that Twilight did not pay her any notice. The princess swiftly came down to settle on the unseen terrain a few paces from her, but the unicorn seemed intent on staring up at the vivid memories playing out above them. Luna could see that Twilight's face was completely drenched in her own tears, however she wasn't about to let that phase her. Luna calmly broke the silence of the void, "Twilight Sparkle, I have heard the most disturbing news that you have directly attacked Ponyville and in turn all of Equestria. Is this true?" An image of Rainbow Dash kissing Twilight's neck passed high over them, causing the unicorn to briefly smile under her damp eyes. She only gave a slight shake of her head to the Princess's question, but it was plainly obvious her focus lied elsewhere. Luna cocked a suspicious eyebrow, "If you are innocent, then why do you not come to Canterlot and give your case? Would that be impossible for you?" This time she received a silent nod in return. "I see. Well then, can you at least tell me what is really transpiring here?" she asked. "She's... just suffering for me," Twilight continued to stare up longingly, "And... I can't do anything about it." "Please Twilight, I need you to focus. This is a dream, nothing more. There have been terrible crimes committed in Equestria and all signs point to you being guilty. Now, if you are innocent, then I need your side of the story!" she loudly demanded. It was painfully obvious that the unicorn wasn't listening to her, instead relishing intently within her past memories of Rainbow Dash. Luna couldn't help but glance up at the sky as well and see the the pride within the pegasus' eyes whenever she gazed upon Twilight. Strangely, the projections of her thoughts began to converge into a smaller and smaller circumference, until only a tight circle of Rainbow's face came into focus. The halo of light descended gracefully from the sky and gradually positioned itself between the two ponies who were observing its brilliance. "T-Twilight Sparkle..." Luna hesitated, "I need an answer from you. Will you please avert your eyes for just a moment?" The unicorn's eyes in fact never moved, staring blankly through the translucent image. Unconsciously, she let out a long heavy sigh. "What if I can't save her?" she whimpered. "Listen to me!" Luna yelled at her, "You are dreaming Twilight Sparkle! I am your Princess, and as such I need your attention right now, not her!" The corner of the unicorn's cheek lifted slightly into a faint teary smirk. She could not take her firm gaze off of the beautiful pegasus shining before the both of them. "But, I think... I love her," she whispered weakly. Those three words cut through Luna's heart like an icy dagger. Where had she heard them before? She could've sworn she found herself in a similar situation not long ago, almost like experiencing Déjà vu. But the first time was different for her, she was sure of it. They were nearly angry the first time she heard them, but what took her off guard the most was the fact that she was certain a mare had spoken those words to her before. "Twilight, please! I need you to forget about Rainbow Dash right now! You need to come to Canterl--!" THOOMF! Luna was abruptly cut short by the sound of an immense implosion. The black floor beneath them buckled heavily under some colossal unseen force. The memory halo of Rainbow quickly faded out of existence, causing the startled unicorn to hyperventilate uncontrollably and panic. She nervously backed away from the princess as the blackened walls of the dreamscape began to topple around them. The princess desperately cried out for her, "Wait! Twilight! Keep the dream open!! I beg of you! I have to know what's happening for my sister!" The unicorn cowered helplessly against the shaking floor letting her eyes dart around, searching for the one thing she felt could save her. "Rainbow? Rainbow?! RAINBOW?!!!" she shrieked pitifully. Luna felt that familiar force pulling on her back leg, painfully reminding her that it was time to leave. She fought against her mind's reflexes, but she also knew that if she stayed when everything crumbled down around her then she faced the very real possibility of never escaping from this atramentous wasteland. "NO!! TWILIGHT!!" Luna screamed as forcefully as possible. The walls at last fell onto the unicorn and Luna was violently sucked back through her mind's gateway. Her mind, bit by bit, started to infest her physical body once more. "GAHH!!" Life surged back into her previously statuesque frame as she fell backwards clumsily off of her bed. Fortunately, she was caught in midair by a faint yellow aura which gently cradled under her back. She was gradually lowered by the sudden presence and came to a rest softly on the floor. She only briefly glanced at her sister. Luna's laborious breathing, accompanied by beads of sweat running down her forehead and neck, deeply worried Celestia. "Luna, what's wrong?! You look as though somepony just tried to kill you?!" her sister asked warily. A stream of tears trickled down both of Luna's cheeks as she clenched her eyes tightly shut. She pressed one hoof delicately against her chest trying in vain to hold back an unbearable ache. She sobbed heavily for her emotions finally got the better of her, another terrible side effect of her butchered attempt to meld her mind with Twilight's. "Tia..." she whimpered like a frightened child, "... my heart hurts..." A shred of fear eased its way into the back of Celestia's mind, sending goosebumps down the length of her spine, for Luna had not referred to her as 'Tia' for well over a millennium. She came to her sister's side as calmly as she could manage, seeing that she was clearly under immense stress, though completely unaware of the fact that the monumental weight of Twilight's emotions now coursed through her sister's soul. "Luna, what happened?" she asked more quietly, "You were staring at your bed for well over an hour. Did you wander into a dream?" The princess let out only more tears, but could not open her eyes through the pain. She attempted to stand, but her legs would not allow it. An abated moan escaped her lips as she tried to speak. "Her... her dream came to me. It sought me out, sister," Luna forced her voice to steady itself, "Twilight Sparkle... she is in immense agony. Her dream was so devoid of even the slightest fragment of a coherent thought. All above us were images of her friend Rainbow Dash. She would not even listen to me for a moment, Celestia, but I could feel her pain. It was absolutely... dreadful." "Why would her dream be so empty, Luna?" her sister asked. "I... am not sure," she mumbled, "Usually, dreams of that simplicity only occur in newborn foals. They cling onto short-lived memories of their parents while they sleep. I see them often enough, but there is no reason for Twilight Sparkle's dream to be so abstract. This dream was deceptively hostile. To be quite honest, I wasn't expecting it. There's just no reason... unless--" Luna cut herself off when a thought struck her. "What is it, Luna?" Celestia inquired. "Unless," she glanced back at her sister with watery eyes. "... she has been cursed, Celestia." Twilight's chest seized heavily as she sucked in an excruciating breath. She immediately pulled away from Rainbow who previously had one hoof gently lying over her neck. She sat up abruptly and caught herself, letting her eyes dart aimlessly around their little hideaway under the waterfall, searching for the princess who only moments before had tried to get her attention. Princess Luna?! Where are you?! I'm sorry!! I didn't see what was going on!! PLEASE COME BACK!!! Rainbow's tired eyes lightly pried open, catching sight of the worry-stricken unicorn looking around the darkness for something. The pegasus calmly arose to sit beside her. "Twilight? What's wrong?" she asked with a low tone. Her friend quickly turned back to her, eyes wide with fear. Her pupils had shrunk to mere pinholes. "Twilight, you're scaring me. D-did you have a nightmare or something?" The unicorn lowered her head and shrugged. She pressed her hooves delicately against her eyes to keep them shut, trying to remember everything Luna had said. It was just... a dream. But Princess Luna was there. I'm sure of it. What did she say to me? Something about going to Canterlot? That's where I was going anyway, but she demanded me too. They must really think I'm behind all of this. Can't they see that I'm not?! IT'S NOT MY FAUL-- A faint gasp escaped Twilight's lips, as Rainbow suddenly wrapped her in another gentle hug. "Hey, calm down Twilight. I'm here for you. It must've just been a bad dream, right?" Her voice was so soothing in Twilight's ear that she could not help but relax. She calmly shook her head. "It wasn't a bad dream? Then what was it about?" she hesitated when Twilight didn't respond immediately, "Oh... I guess that's kind of a dumb question, since you can't exactly tell me." The unicorn lightly dabbed Rainbow's shoulder twice, causing her eyes to widen at the sudden revelation. "Wait a second, it was about... me?" This time Twilight silently nodded and pulled her in closer. The pegasus wasn't exactly sure what to say after that, but for the first time that day she noticed Twilight was not so ready to break out into tears. On the contrary, the unicorn was feeling much better after her much sought after nap. My dream wasn't very long, Rainbow. But it was just enough. If it wasn't for you, I know I would've never gotten to sleep. I'm sure of that much. "Well, I'm glad I could help," she said with a light smile, "Do you feel rested, at least?" She received another slight nod. "T-that's great, Twilight!" she exclaimed. Rainbow tried to hug her tighter but her strength just wasn't what it used to be. Twilight could feel her struggle slightly to hold them together and then even worse, her friend's stomach started growling again. Rainbow pulled away for a moment and rubbed her midsection with a look of discomfort. "Darn it," she grumbled, "Why won't my stomach just shut up?!" Oh no, Rainbow. Please, anything but this. I'm so... so sorry. The pegasus noticed her friend getting upset again, "Hey, no worries. I'll just go out in a little bit and look for myself this time." What?! Are you insane?! It'll be too dark soon! "Please don't give me that look, Twilight. Besides, I already know this area pretty well from earlier. I'm sure I can find something else, at least until morning." She tried to lazily put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder to reassure her, but the unicorn would not take 'no' for an answer. With a hint of urgency she stood up and walked back toward the waterfall that had been giving them light background noise. Rainbow reached up for her, "Wait Twilight! You don't have to go for me! Honest!" As if on cue, her stomach loudly disagreed. Her friend was about to dive into the water, when suddenly they both became aware of a faint purple glow moving just outside past the translucent waterfall. They both stopped immediately and observed its sporadic movements. It would flash away into nothingness, reappear just a few yards over, then wink out again. It seemed almost as if the glow was circling the circumference of the pool, staying just inches away from the water. From Twilight's perspective looking through the falls, it was hard to tell exactly what it was. Then, the orb of violet light entered the water... and began to gradually approach their hideaway. "T-Twilight!" Rainbow anxiously stammered, "We have to leave, right now!!" No! It just can't be! The glow passed right under the torrential waterfall without so much as a flicker and hovered in the shallow pool before them. After a few moments, the purple light simply went dead in the water. Quite flabbergasted, the two friends slowly approached the edge and looked down into the murky depths. "W-where... did it go?!" Much to their horror, a lavender-colored horn eerily crept above the surface. Then, a familiar set of violet eyes peered up at them, followed by a deceptively warm smile. Everything below her neck stayed in the water. The new arrival's horn began to flare up with raw power, freezing the two friends where they stood, sheer terror running down their spines. "Hello, Miss Sparkle. Hello, Miss Dash. I'm actually surprised you two managed to find each other," she waited for a response, but the stunned ponies were too scared to even breathe. "Not that it matters, anyway. Our leader thought she could risk having you roam free, but... after some 'careful' consideration, she has decided that Twilight can no longer be given a chance to interrupt our plans." 'Our' plans? What does she mean by that?! "I'm sorry to say it Miss Dash, but since you now know the truth, you must face the same fate as her," she remarked with disdain. Rainbow's trance was broken at the sound of her threat, "I was planning on it. I ain't going anywhere without her!" Twilight glanced briefly at the pegasus, as another tear ran silently down her cheek. Oh Rainbow... do you really mean that? "My my, how noble. Guess that's to be expected from such a close friend, is it not?" the impostor smirked in Twilight's direction, "But since you take first priority Miss Sparkle, you shall be the first to go!" Her clone insidiously placed her front hooves over the edge and pulled herself up, all the while maintaining her lock on the petrified unicorn. Rainbow bravely wedged herself between the two. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to go through me first!" she asserted. The impostor's charge of energy kept building. "Fine then. Have it your way, pegasus. I'll simply take out the both of you with one clean strike!" NO RAINBOW!! Twilight heard the familiar sound, a sound still clear in her mind from yesterday morning. She waited until the absolute last possible second to intervene because she knew Rainbow better than most ponies. She would not have moved on her own if someone else did not do it for her. Twilight quickly reached around Rainbow's waist and jerked her aside with every bit of strength she could muster. SHOOM! The villain's swelling violet beam unleashed its fury all at once. Packed into a tightly knit funnel of raw power, her torrid energy ripped through their small hideaway with blinding speed and pulverized the back walls. The comparatively thin ceiling of rock above them gave way after no longer having any support. The crashing falls high over them suddenly plunged down with torrential force. Every rocky surface caved in under the pressure and all three of them were abruptly engulfed by the sweeping current. With the waterfall now completely destroyed, the trio found themselves harshly siphoned back into the much larger pool. Twilight and Rainbow Dash separated somewhere among the carnage, getting lost within the murky deep. The impostor did not fair much better than they had, as she found herself dizzily struggling to resurface from their tumble. When the villain finally arose she began to claw at her eyes, removing any excess water. She glared around in the darkness like a watchful predator, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "Blast! How could I have been so foolish?! W-where did they go?!" she furiously shouted. A splashing sound from behind caught her attention. She turned around only a fraction of a second too late, as she could only make out a dark figure running off into the woods. In a fit of anger, she teleported out of the water and found her self at the rocky shoreline again. As she was about to give chase, there came yet another splashing sound. Turning around much in the same way, another figure darted off in the opposite direction. "I can't let either of them escape!" she yelled, "But, I don't have time to perform the homing spell again. I'll just have to make do! There's no time to waste!" With a quick burst of electricity, she scorched off into the rapidly sinking night. Did she chase after me? I can't hear anything. Twilight had managed to climb out at the far end of the pool staying as far away from her impostor as she could manage. She had ran back further into the woods, trying to cover as much ground as possible, but a strange aching feeling overtook her heart. Dread overcame her entire being as she realized she was finally alone. Alone? Without Rainbow? What am I going to do? With the darkness of night setting over the forest, it would not be long until she could only travel by moonlight, yet worse still so would her impostor. She had ran for a solid ten minutes, never wavering or faltering, but now she needed to stop for a moment and take a break. She leaned against a tree for support on the verge of crying, and listened to the sounds of the wind intently. I shouldn't have left her. I should still be by her side. She stomped an angry hoof into the ground. Why?! Why couldn't I just be brave and be there for her?! She was always there for me!! The bright moon was starting to peer its head through the clouds, bathing the forest foliage below in a pale blue glow. Twilight hesitantly turned around, but she knew this was her only option. I've got to go back for her! I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her! She was already starving herself, fighting my own battles, when it should've been me!! "AAAaaaahhhhh!!!!" a blood curdling yell pierced through the quiet night, sending another cold shiver running down her spine. NO!! LEAVE HER ALONE!!! Pushing through her previous barriers, Twilight darted off for the sound of her friend's screams. Her strides became lengthier and faster until she had reached a full gallop. Knowing that she wasn't being directly targeted by her impostor, she released all of her restraints and bounded past hoards of trees and over rolling hillsides. Hang on, Rainbow! I'm coming! Rainbow jumped behind another large rock and hunkered down, sincerely hoping this one would hold up better than the last few. The evil Twilight had easily disintegrated every obstacle so far that stood in her path, and this one would be no different. "Please, Twilight..." she whimpered. "... please save me--" BOOM! A violent explosion erupted from the stone behind her, sending her limp body flying helplessly through the air. She forcibly collided with the leafy ground and tumbled over several times before coming to a gradual halt just below an oak tree. A heavy cloud of debris fogged up the air, but was promptly blown away by the powerful re-materialization of the angry unicorn. Rainbow lazily lurched towards the wooden giant, knowing that any moment could very well be her last. She propped her body against the tree heavily, struggling to hold back the pain of her many cuts and bruises. She held her breath to keep as quiet as possible. "Come out Miss Dash!" the impostor taunted, "We both know I'm going to find you sooner or later, so you might as well give up now!" Her heart rose into her throat out of pure fear. The impostor was right, there was no escape for her, at least not in her current condition. She was far too weak to even attempt to run. It was only by a miracle of some kind she had even managed to make it this far without breaking so much as a leg. "Well I suppose if you won't come out, then I'll just have to track down Miss Sparkle herself. It's a shame really. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this." She grinned deviously at the moon starting to peer down at them. "NO!" the pegasus cried. She stumbled awkwardly away from the tree and fell freely onto her legs. The evil unicorn turned her head and caught sight of her easy target now completely vulnerable. "Please... just don't hurt Twilight," she quietly pleaded, "I'm the one you want. I'm the only one who knows. She can't even speak... so if you're going to put us out of our misery, then just take it out on me." "Such bravery," Twilight's clone advanced on her, horn at the ready, "You should be commended for your efforts, Miss Dash. I have known a few alicorns who would be put to shame by your courage alone. But alas, I have my orders." The unicorn began to funnel her energy into her horn once more. "Please, just one more thing..." Rainbow mustered what little courage she still had left in her weak frame. A single soltary tear rolled down her cheek. The unicorn's charge intensified, ready to fire away at any second. "Before you do whatever you're about to do to me... can you just tell Twilight that... I lov--" Scrunch! The impostor heard the sound of leaves ruffling and pulled an immediate about-face. The familiar lavender unicorn charged blindly at her. "NO TWILIGHT!!! RUN AWAAAYYY!!" the pegasus screamed. But, it was too late. With a godlike clap of thunder, her clone's beam fired, carving a devastating path of destruction. Twilight gritted her teeth angrily and jumped straight for the blast, as it consumed her entire body in a purplish-white light.