Cheated Dreams
Chapter 9
Plans
Dear Princess Celestia,
I have no doubt that you saw the headline in the newspaper this morning, about how Rainbow Dash cheated in the entrance competition for the Wonderbolts. The article held most of the details, so I won't go over them here. However, what I can tell you is that it's not true. None of it. I don't know how or why, but she was framed; I didn't place that enchantment nor did she knowingly use it to win the competition. I don't know if you can or will believe me, as I don't have any proof of this, but I have to ask you to. Especially when I get to the reason for this letter.
After it was discovered there was a flight enhancing enchantment on the necklace, Rainbow was immediately dropped from the Wonderbolts. While I have no idea where the enchantment came from, the newspaper assumes that I am the one who placed it, since as far as we're aware I'm the only unicorn to have come in contact with it. Even Rainbow Dash is convinced of my guilt. I can't blame her for blaming me, though; her life is in ruin. Everypony in Ponyville believes the newspaper article, and though they have not and will not take action against her, they are rather upset with her for doing such a thing. Even if the town and our friends believed her, she'd still have missed out on the dream she's held her entire life.
It is with this information that she came to me earlier today, asking that I send this letter requesting you to pull some strings and get her back into the Wonderbolts. I now you cannot and will not do such a thing, but I promised I'd ask for her, and I learned the hard way not to break promises. She'd wouldn't take no for an answer anyway.
However, while I know you would not do such a thing, I have a request of my own.
I need help. I know both Rainbow Dash and I are innocent, but nopony else does. I ask that you recommend something, if anything, that may be able to help me prove it. At the very least I want to convince Rainbow I didn't place the enchantment, because at least then she'd still feel like she has a friend left. At most... I want to prove her innocence to the Wonderbolts themselves, maybe give her another shot at her dream.
I hope you believe me and have some ideas that could help. Please write back as soon as you can.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
-_-_-_-
Drear Twilight,
I admit to being confused, and disappointed, when I first read the article this morning. I was concerned when I didn't hear from you before or right after, fearing that perhaps it was true and you were afraid to face me. However, I am glad to hear from you, and I can understand the delay with all that must have been happening for both you and your friend Rainbow Dash.
As for you requests, you're right; while it is well within my power to force the Wonderbolts to take Rainbow Dash, the resulting impact on the trust my citizens have in me will be shaken. I cannot afford to play favourites for anypony, regardless of what they've done for this country or who they themselves have connections with. This is also the reason I cannot get involved directly with this matters. While I am an official in all branches of our government, including judicial, the Wonderbolts are not pressing charges and as such this case is outside my domain. I can't force them to investigate further if they have already taken action.
But as for offering advice, there is something I can give you. The report says that there was an enchantment placed on the necklace, and since I doubt they would falsify evidence so blatantly for any reason, a unicorn must have placed it. There have been some recent developments in magic forensics that I think can help. As you now, each pony has their own unique magical aura that powers their magic. Previously the only way to identify an aura was to scan the pony the aura belonged to. However, a new technique was recently developed which allows a unicorn to identify the aura of another unicorn from an item they used their magic on. From my understanding, this magical imprint left on the item deteriorates over time, though, even when the magic was an enchantment. Once the aura decays completely, all that's left is ambient magical energy powering the enchantment. If you can scan the enchantment quickly enough,before the imprint is decayed, you can get the aura of the unicorn who placed the enchantment. Though there is not a way currently to then find the pony the aura belongs to unless you have previously scanned the unicorn, it is a start.
I've included a copy of the research notes taken on this area of magic along with the basic instructions for the spell that pulls and identifies the aura.
I wish you luck in proving your innocence,
Princess Celestia
Twilight smiled at the stack of papers held in her magic, bound together by a metal paper clip in the upper right corner.
“Those the papers to get me back in?” Rainbow asked, laying across the couch and watching with semi-interest as Twilight looked between the letter and the stack of papers.
“Wait, that's what that letter was for!? Twilight, you can't actually believe Celestia would do something like that!” Spike protested, looking up at Twilight in shock. He'd arrived back at the library a half hour ago to find Twilight and Rainbow waiting with a letter for him to send. Celestia's response had come almost instantly.
Rainbow shrugged, eyes still towards the ceiling and her back on the cushions. “She has the connections. So what do I have to do?”
Twilight sighed, shaking her head slowly as she placed the papers on a table against the wall. “She can't get you back in, Rainbow,” she admitted, making Rainbow look down from the ceiling and over to the unicorn.
“Really?” She asked doubtfully, “The princess of everything can't get me on a stunt flying team?”
“Alright, let me rephrase that. She won't force the team to put you back on. The damage to her political reputation would be irreparable,” Twilight explained as Rainbow sat up, watching her carefully. “But what she can do is give us is a way to prove your innocence.”
“Prove my innocence!?” Rainbow yelled suddenly, making Twilight jump and look over at her, “You could have done that back at the Wonderbolts! All you had to do was admit that you placed the enchantment without me knowing! All you had to do was confess! You can't clear my name, and you certainly don't want to.”
Twilight sighed sadly, “Whether you believe me or not, I didn't place that enchantment. I have a way now to at least start proving that you're not guilty, and I'm going to do everything I can to do just that.”
Rainbow stood from the couch, stomping angrily up to Twilight, “Can Celestia put me back on the team or can't she?”
“She can't.”
“Then I'm done with you,” she spat bitterly, before turning and walking out the front door, slamming it behind her before taking off into the sky.
Twilight hung her head low to the ground, tears brimming in her eyes as the echoing sound of the slamming door faded to silence. Suddenly, she felt something press into her shoulder gently. Her head snapped up to see the sympathetic smile of her draconian assistant.
“Go prove it,” he said simply, patting Twilight reassuringly.
The unicorn returned a tentative smile of her own, lifting her head towards the window to see a Rainbow trail leading off into the distance. A new feeling swelled in her chest, and though she didn't recognize it, she could feel her strength returning and growing. Head held high with a confident smile, she looked down once more at Spike.
“I have a few things I need to do. Think you can take care of the library while I'm gone?”
Spike waved his claw dismissively, “It's like I've never stayed home alone. Geez, Twilight; I'll be fine.”
Twilight smiled appreciatively, leaning down and scooping the dragon up into a quick embrace before turning and promptly following Rainbow out the door, walking down the street and turning towards town square.
-_-_-_-
“Stupid Twilight,” Rainbow muttered, bucking another cloud to oblivion.
“Stupid Celestia.” Another cloud met with her rear hoof, puffing into water vapour and spreading out into the air.
“Stupid Wonderbolts.” This time Rainbow took on the largest cloud in the sky, punching straight through its center with a powerful flap of her wings.
“Grah!” An enraged shout left her lips as she tore the cloud apart from the inside out, leaving nothing but white wisps.
At the rate she was going, Ponyville wouldn't be getting the rain it was scheduled for that night. But she didn't care. She didn't want to care. These ponies all thought she was some kind of cheating fake, so why should she care about them?
“Rainbow Dash! What the hay are you doing!? We need those clouds for tonight!” Somepony yelled from behind. Rainbow spun around, coming face to face with Cloud Chaser, one of the pegasi on her weather team.
“Just get lost,” Rainbow muttered, turning away from the intruder and starting to fly away until a hoof caught her shoulder.
“What's up with you, Dash?” Cloud Chaser asked, “I saw you doing this exact same thing earlier today. At first I just thought we had too many clouds, but now I'm getting reports that we don't have enough and need to order more.”
“I said leave me alone,” she repeated, shrugging the hoof from her shoulder and continuing to fly away.
“If this is about those guys who showed up at your house this morning, I hope you know they're wrong,” Cloud called, making Rainbow stop dead in the air.
“H-how did you know about that?” Rainbow asked without looking back.
Cloud Chaser flew to catch up, stopping next to the cyan mare. “I was on my way to work when they showed up at your door, and I caught some of what they said. They are wrong, though; Ponyville doesn't want you to leave. If anything the town's more confused than anything. They just don't understand why you'd do something like that. Everypony in town knows how important the Wonderbolts are to you, and when you're not bragging about it they fully support you.
“They just feel like you betrayed their trust. We all had such high hopes for you, and most of us from the weather team wanted to go with you to the competition. When we got the news you were in... well, everypony in Ponyville was at the party,” she explained. “But when you were kicked out... they're all just confused, Rainbow. They don't really hate you.”
Rainbow remained quiet for a few more moments, simply hovering in the air and absorbing what had been said. “I... I need time to think. Thanks, Cloud Chaser.” Before the grey pegasus could say anything more Rainbow took off, flying quickly towards her cloud home, leaving Cloud Chaser to clean up the hole she left in the clouds.
-_-_-_-
“I hope it's still here...” Twilight murmured under her breath nervously as she approached the sparkling fountain in the center of town. This was where the necklace had ended up, she just hoped she wasn't too late.
She came upon the edge of the water somewhat hesitantly, fearing that somepony had seen and taken the piece of jewellery. She let out a sigh as she looked down into the water, the tension releasing as she saw the shimmering silver lightning bolt resting peacefully on the bottom of the fountain, as though waiting for its owner's return. Not wanting to add her own magic aura to the necklace, she had no choice but to reach in a grab it with a hoof. She leaned over the edge, looking around nervously to make sure nopony was around. Unfortunately, the square was rather busy; she wouldn't be able to get away with this without being seen.
With a sigh she looked back down and thrust her hoof into the water, stretching out and reaching for the necklace. Her hoof swung underwater, searching for any piece of the chain that she could grab. When her hoof didn't hit anything, she leaned over further, getting her hoof as close to the bottom as she could.
She couldn't reach it.
“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Twilight muttered, looking around to see a number of curious eyes fixed on her. Seeing no other alternatives and wanting to keep the aura left over from the enchantment as pure as possible, Twilight took one final, nervous glance at the ponies all around her, and jumped into the fountain.
A tremendous splash filled the air as Twilight landed in the water, her hooves touching down on the solid stone beneath her and the water rising up until her shoulders were just barely above the chilled liquid. Everypony in the square stopped what they were doing to turn and look at her, watching as she fumbled with her hooves for a second, searching along the bottom for the necklace.
Her angry grumbling was put to a halt as her hoof found the silver bolt. She quickly grabbed it and hauled it to the surface, placing it on the edge of the fountain before jumping out herself, shivering lightly as the air met her damp lower half. A flash of her horn later and she was totally dry. Twilight looked around at the ponies staring at her.
“Show's over, folks; just needed something. Go back to your lives!” Twilight called, waving her hooves at the small group of ponies that had collected in front of her. When they didn't disperse, she sighed, magically altering her vocal cords. “I SAID GET LOST!”
All that was left was some dust and the sound of hooves galloping away.
Smiling to herself successfully, Twilight turned her attention back to the necklace in front of her. Using her hooves she somewhat clumsily hooked the chain back together and draped it over her head, letting it hang around her neck.
“Now let's get you home and see who placed that enchantment,” she said to herself, spinning around and walking back towards her library. However, before she made it very far she spotted Applejack, standing behind her apple stall and watching her curiously.
Remembering what she was trying to do, Twilight galloped over to the apple stand.
“Applejack! Hey, do you have a second?”