//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: {U/Dys}topic // Story: Ends of the Spectrum // by SpinelStride //------------------------------// “Ahhhh…. Life is good.” The greatest mage in Equestrian living history (and counting Princess Celestia, that was a long time) sprawled in the hot tub alongside her favorite Wonderbolt. “You looked good out there on the obstacle course.” “Pffft. Good is never good enough,” the Captain snorted. “It’s go awesome or go home.” “Mmmm. Lucky thing we’re already home,” Celestia’s student cheerfully said. “And that you finally let me get the hot tub installed once you found out the Wonderbolts had one in the training room.” “Yeah, well, it always sounded so frou-frou until Spitfire started talking about the training benefits from a hot soak to loosen the muscles,” Celestia’s other student admitted. “Mmmm. Captain Frou-Frou Sparkle it is,” Rainbow Dash said, and pulled her herdmate against her side with a wing. “Nnnnnah, I think I’ll stick with ‘awesome.’ You can go all frou-frou if you want, though. We’ll curl your feathers and get Pinkie to sprinkle gold dust all over you,” Captain Sparkle rejoined. “Leave me out of it, darlings,” the pink socialite giggled from the other side of the tub. “Honestly, I’ve entirely given up trying to do anything with Dashie’s mane. Ten seconds after getting out of the chair, it’s gone wild again, whether she’s been casting a thing or not.” "More dedicated stylists than you have yielded to the mystery that is my coiffure,” Dash said, nuzzling at Twilight’s side. “Celestia’s own personal attendants tried no fewer than thirty-seven times before they finally surrendered, and you’d think that her ethereal look would be much harder to manage than a simple spectrum.” “You’ve just got too much awesome,” Twilight suggested. “It leaks out through your mane. If you ran out, you’d turn out to have white hair.” “And look like Trixie?” Dash said, then laughed. “That might be fun. Her show’s always a good waste of an hour or so. And she did invite me to have another stage-duel with her.” “Still can’t believe a pegasus can out-magic her, can she?” Twilight said smugly. “Pfeh. I bet I could take her, let alone you.” “Oh, be nice,” Dash scolded her. “First, she’s a showmare; she’s got to talk a big game. Second, she’s hardly the first unicorn who doesn’t want to believe that they don’t have the monopoly on magic anymore. And third, whoever owns the stage would probably get very annoyed at you once you started flinging lightning bolts around.” “I do more than lightning!” protested Twilight. “There’s thunder, and ice storms, and rain, and I can do other spells, you know that! They’re just not my thing.” Pinkie rolled her eyes “Twilight, dear, the last spell I can recall you casting that wasn’t weather-related was giving Spike that mustache for his birthday. Again.” “Hey, go with the classics! It’s always well-appreciated,” Twilight said. “Like this.” “Meep!” squeaked Rainbow Dash as a result of what Twilight’s hoof did under the water. “Hee! You guys are always so silly,” giggled Rarity, her frizzy mane emerging from below the surface of the hot tub, a floaty on her horn and an inflatable duck ring around her waist. “Uh… glad you could make it, Rares,” said Dash, her face a notable shade of pink. She steadfastly declined to consider just how the Prankster of Ponyville might have gotten into the hot tub without being seen. Or what she might have seen while in the tub. “Aw, I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Rarity said, and hugged the three other mares in the hot tub. “Everypony’s always so busy these days, we never get to catch up anymore!” “Friends forever,” Dash said, returning the hug as good as she got. “Yeah! Doesn’t matter how far we go, we’re always going to be the best of friends,” Twilight agreed. “How’s about no matter how late we are?” called Fluttershy from the door. “Ah had to go stage a li’l rescue on the way. AJ was about t’ get herself crushed under a bunny.” She grinned and nudged her hat back on her head. The town’s foremost animal wrangler blushed. “It ain’t like that an’ you know it,” she protested quietly. “Angel went off into th’ Everfree an’ ran into some timberwolves. Ah jes’ couldn’t let those poor things limp off after that without givin’ ‘em a little patching-up an’ a talkin’-to about not comin’ so near my cottage. Angel’s mighty territorial, y’all know that.” “Hooo-wee, is he!” chortled Fluttershy, sliding into the hot tub with the others. “Li’l fella took on Discord for ya when he thought Dissy was prankin’ ya!” “It was his first time tryin’ to cook with a stove and recipe and such,” Applejack mumbled, blushing harder. “It was sweet’a him. An’ he turned Angel back afterward.” “Hah!” burst out Twilight. “Discord? At a stove? Following instructions? Come on, Applejack, tell me you got pictures!” “It was downright sweet of him,” Applejack said more firmly, and gently stepped down into the tub to join her friends. “Ah ain’t gonna make fun of him for tryin’ new things. If he wants to do all sortsa new skills for the chaos of the early learnin’ parts, that’s a good outlet for him.” “Scootaloo told me he tried to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Rainbow Dash volunteered. “They got into an argument when he wanted them to crusade against cutie marks. So for arguing he declared them the Official Discord Fan Club, and the more they protested against it, the more he said that proved they were fans. So they gave up and let him be an ‘associate Crusader.’” “I’m really just amazed that putting the four of them together somehow ended up causing less chaos than when they were running around separately,” Pinkie said. “He made it too easy to do the really fun stuff,” Rarity cheerfully explained. “Like when I do parties for you, Pinkie, it’s easy! Balloons and streamers and cake and dancing and punch and lots of fun things. But if I had to do parties for you all the time, I’d start wanting more limits on what I could do. And on the flipside, I did that soiree for Prince Blueblood this week, and it was the boringest possible thing, but it was just what he wanted, so I had to really stretch myself to make it work, and I felt soooo accomplished when it was all done, and even he was happy with it, and now I’m going to spend the rest of the week trying to make up for all that boring!” “You do seem a tad hyper, even for you,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “That might also be the new triple-coffee chocolate surprise squares I tried out this morning,” Rarity suggested. “They weren’t working out but it’s a shame to waste brownies even if they aren’t working out so I went ahead and ate them and I am really having sooo many ideas today!” She beamed and batted her eyelashes. “Anypony up for a quest? Three, two, one!” “Rainbow! Twilight!” came the cry of a young dragon. “Letter for you! From Princess Luna!” “Uh uh uh!” called Twilight back. “You know that’s not how it goes!” Spike came into the hot tub room’s door and rolled his eyes, holding up the scroll in one claw. “Coolmom, Awesomom, letter for you from Princess Luna!” Twilight grinned, her horn lighting up to pluck the letter from Spike’s grip. “That’s more like it.” She pecked Rainbow Dash on the cheek. “Wanna read it, Coolmom?” Dash snorted. “My wings are soaked, and I’m not going to spray water all over the room shaking them dry just to hold a letter. Guess you’re the top mage in the room right now.” “Great!” beamed Twilight. “Captain of the Wonderbolts and top mage. Now I just need to get elected and I meet the qualifications to be the whole Triumvirate by myself, right? Doesn’t that qualify me to be an alicorn?” “Next time I lose a feather I’ll see if I can poke you with it hard enough to make it stick and grow into a new wing,” Rainbow Dash suggested, and ruffled Twilight’s ears with her wet wing. “Psyeah. Like I didn’t try that when I was a filly unicorn at a pegasus school. Even with two pots of glue it didn’t help.” The tub filled with laughter as much as with hot water. Spike rolled his eyes. “You wanna read it, or should I just go get some lunch?” “Keep your scales on, I’m reading,” Twilight said, and unrolled it. “Yadda yadd… whoa. Never mind, not yadda.” She cleared her throat. “Unto the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, We greet you. The time has come to beseech your aid in saving Equestria from a deep and pervasive danger that threatens that land with ruination.” She lowered the scroll and frowned. “Isn’t it supposed to be all ‘thee’ and ‘thy’ in this old-timey letter stuff?” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Those are singular. She’s talking to all of us, so even in Middle Equestrian it was still ‘you’ and ‘your’ for the plural.” “Huh. Learn new stuff every day when you’re around.” The Captain smooched her herdmate again. “Anyway! We shall join you this eventide after the raising of the moon to discuss this matter in greater detail. Unlike so many of your accomplishments, this quest shall demand you face perils of the spirit, not of the body. Unto this letter We lay Our hoof, Princess nobody-really-cares-about-all-these-titles-and-other-names-any-more Luna Fancy-Other-Names.” “... Did she actually write that, or…” asked Pinkie Pie, tilting her head. “Nah, I just got soooo tired of writing out Celestia’s full name yeeeears ago,” Twilight said. “Seriously, most of those titles are older than Equestria.” “You think she’s joking,” Rainbow Dash added. “‘Princess’ is actually the most recent title. Everything else seemed superfluous after that, she said.” “Well, I suppose we’d best get a nap this afternoon, if we’re up for a late night adventure,” said Pinkie. “Rarity, darling, would you mind bringing the coffee even so?” “I’ll make up a whole new batch of brownies!” the frizzy-maned white mare declared, and bounced in place. “That’ll make sure we’re up all night!” “You girls have fun with that. I’ll be nice and warm in bed,” Spike said, and waved, heading back out to the library. “So much for you being ‘the new Twilight Sparkle,’" Rainbow Dash called after him. And the tub filled again with laughter. Applejack wiped a hoof across her brow. Cherry Jubilee wasn’t the easiest boss she’d ever imagined, but nopony in Dodge Junction said she wasn’t fair, either. All those cherries needed to get sorted, after all, and it wasn’t like she could make a living throwing hoedowns every day. Even out here, where ponies liked hoedowns, there was a limit. So… cherry sorting for a day job. She couldn’t complain, she guessed. It was letting her get by. And she was getting to throw parties at least some of the time. Still, sorting cherries was more of a reflex thing by now. It’d been a couple of years. It left her time to think. Mostly she thought about her friends. Sure, she had new friends out here, but… it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t their fault. How could anypony compare to friends who’d saved the whole world with you? Who’d carried the Elements of Harmony and felt that rainbow’s power coursing through their bodies with you? How’d it all go so wrong? she asked herself again. She asked herself that all the time. They’d all been so happy, together in Ponyville. Then Rarity and Fluttershy brought in their stallion, and everything seemed to just be getting better. And then… then it all just came crashing down. Sure, Flutters had always had a temper, and Twilight was always drinking, but they were managing. And Rarity always seemed so positive she’d make that big breakthrough one day, and Rainbow Dash’s designs were always such a hit. And then… … Well, then it just stopped working. Flutters erupted and got herself fired from weather work, Twilight started drinking herself downright stupid every day, Rarity lost her confidence, Pinkie stopped even coming into town, even Dash couldn’t find buyers for her designs. And nopony was much in a mood to party after that. Red in one barrel, yellow in the other. Red in one barrel, yellow in the other. She tried to distract herself from that mane-flattening train of thought with work. Sometimes that did the trick. Not today, though. Today was one of those days when Ponyville just wouldn’t leave her behind. Rarity kept up with writing letters for a while after Applejack left. Or at least Spike did. That little fella loved Rarity like a mother, and AJ wouldn’t put it past him to have written the letters in her name just to keep them all tenuously connected. He was sweet like that. Even though the letters weren’t all that encouraging. Rarity and her herd went back to Canterlot. Princess Celestia wouldn’t turn away her personal student, just because she failed one test. Nopony’d ever solved that spell that Starswirl left behind, anyhow. Couldn’t blame Rares for not doing it either. There was a lot of other magic Rarity could try to master. One day she’d find her way back to that power she’d tapped that one time that brought Celestia’s attention. One day. Their stallion went to work as a masseuse, and he brought in enough to take care of the herd. Funny as it sounded, a stallion bein’ the breadwinner. Twilight and Big Mac still had Sweet Apple Acres goin’. They’d had to contract with Flim and Flam to supply the apples for that fancy cider machine of theirs, and they’d had to sell off the West Quarter to Golden Top, but it was still going. If Twilight didn’t drink up the profits. A big if. There was that one day when Applejack kicked that tree and all the apples fell out, when it seemed like it all might turn around… but AJ knew that happy ending went down the other path. She was the one stuck with her reality. She wouldn’t tell her friends about that. Nopony ever seemed to like hearing her insights like that. And the other AJ deserved her happiness. Pinkie… nopony’d heard much of her, ‘cept what Discord said. Even he was down these days. “This isn’t chaos,” he’d said one time when she tried to cheer him up. “This is just… unhappy.” At least Rainbow Dash was still gettin’ along. The Boutique wasn’t much for fashion these days, but those nimble wings of hers at least made her still the best tailor in Ponyvlle, and she had steady work making that fancy fabric of hers for Suri Polomare’s designs. AJ had actually borrowed the bits for a train ride back to Ponyville when she got Dash’s letter about that. There were tear stains on it. Hard to believe a pony could steal another pony’s dream like that. But in the end, all AJ could do was give her a shoulder to cry on as she surrendered her future for survival. Red in one barrel, yellow in the other. Even when Dodge Junction’s self-proclaimed resident party pony couldn’t see clearly with the tears in her eye, she could still see red and yellow blobs and put them where they needed to go. At least the cherries had someplace they were supposed to be. “Howdy, Princess Luna!” Fluttershy called out as the dark alicorn stepped through the library door. Luna smiled and dipped her head slightly. “Greetings, my friends. I am pleased you have all chosen to heed my call tonight.” “Well, it’s not like we were going to just let Equestria be doomed, is it?” asked Twilight. She’d put on her duty uniform for the night, even if it wasn’t technically a Wonderbolts mission. “No matter which one it is,” Rainbow Dash confirmed. The others blinked at her. “Sugarcube, what’re you talkin’ about?” asked Fluttershy. “She said ‘that’ land in her letter,” the mage explained. “Very perceptive,” Luna acknowledged. “It is indeed another Equestria that stands in need of your aid. And as I said, I am pleased you have chosen to heed my call.” “I signed up to protect Equestria,” said Captain Twilight. “I never said just one.” “Like I’d let my friends spend their lives being miserable!” exclaimed Rarity, vibrating in place slightly. Only two of the three batches of triple-coffee brownies she’d brought were left. “Spoilers, darling,” Pinkie said sotto voce. “Ooops! Sorry, Princess! I mean, what do you need us to do?” Rarity asked, backing up a few paragraphs. Luna gave her an odd look. Or not such an odd look; lots of ponies gave Rarity that look. So it wasn’t a very odd look, just one that nopony ever seemed to give anypony but Rarity. Well. This Rarity. At any rate, Princess Luna cleared her throat. “Do you all recall the unfinished spell of Starswirl the Bearded?” “It’d be hard to forget,” said Dash, shaking her head. “I’m still embarrassed I cast that without analyzing it first. As if that was ever going to be the best way to find out what some unknown spell does. I’m just lucky it didn’t turn out to be something explosive.” “Would’ve been kinda cool if it did,” mused Twilight. “Betcha ol’ Swirlie did some really awesome kabooms.” Luna shot Twilight a disapproving sniff. “Starswirl the Bearded was many things, but he was never known as ‘Swirlie,’” she stated. “At any rate. What you experienced was not simply a spell causing all the ponies you know to suddenly recall a different history. A spell to affect every pony in the world at once, and creating a single shared delusion for all of them? Not to mention the dragons, griffons, diamond dogs, and others. No, that would have taken a far more powerful and complicated than that - and Starswirl’s spell is powerful enough as it is.” “What else could it be, Princess?” Fluttershy asked. “Ah mean, we all were fine, but ever’pony else was sure we were all mixed up. They all thought Dash was the Wonderbolt an’ Ah was AJ, all sorts of things. Even had us thinkin’ they were right, since it’d be so much easier t’ jes’ change the six of us. Then Discord got us t’ use the Elements, an’ they fixed everything.” Luna shook her head. “The Elements did not simply ‘fix’ everything, Fluttershy. They…” She paused, then shook her head. “Go ahead, Rarity.” Rarity was bouncing in place. “The spell didn’t make everypony wrong and it didn’t change history and it didn’t make us wrong and it didn’t get fixed when we used the Elements because it really took two different timelines with their associated destinies and hooked them temporarily together so the new combined reality could give the caster a superdupernifty new double-destiny but it made everypony really confused and technically one reality was only a potential reality until they but it still had its own history and everything so it all worked and then when the Elements went off they separated the two realities but the potential reality was a real reality now and whuaaaaaaaaaah it happened a different way in a different reality-pair and it was all frowny-facey in that one and one of those realities came out okay but the other one is super-unhappy and sad and it’s all going wrong and they need us to come and fix it!” Rarity paused and looked up from the page at you. “Everybody got that?” Luna was giving Rarity that odd-except-when-they-were-giving-it-to-Rarity look again. Dash was moving a hoof in the air like she was writing something on a chalkboard to review. Everypony else looked lost. “Rarity, darling, have I ever mentioned how adorably random you are sometimes?” asked Pinkie, and gave her best friend a snuggle. “... Luna, did the Elements… not create a reality, but persist one?” asked Rainbow Dash. Luna slowly shook her head. “Not… quite, no. But you might answer a question, my little pony. What do you call a dream that persists when it has no dreamer?” “... Are we a dream, then?” asked the polychromatic pegasus quietly. “None of this…. none of us… is real?” Luna shook her head more forcefully, and pulled Rainbow Dash against her chest. “No! That is not the case at all. You are as real as any ponies have ever been. But there are other Princess Lunas, and other Rainbow Dashes, and other Twilight Sparkles, and it is between dreams that we all may meet. A dream without a dreamer, Rainbow Dash, is real. Were there a pony whose slumber created this world, it would be a dream. But there is none; this world persists on its own recognition.” “So fave and like, people!” Rarity added cheerfully. “Erm… So… what?” asked Applejack, rubbing the back of hr head. “Ah’m a little lost.” “There’s an alternate Equestria where they’re having a really bad time and need us to help them get things turned around,” Rainbow Dash translated. Luna nodded. “Succinctly put. And as your stallion is off visiting Neighpon with Grandmaster Heartstrings, it seemed an opportune moment to invite you to come to my alternate self’s aid. She has, I fear, retreated into despair.” “Well, let’s get to it!” grinned Captain Twilight. “We’ll get them whipped into shape by morning!” “Okay,” squeaked Applejack. The others chimed in their agreement. “Very well,” said Luna. Her horn glowed, and the world… changed. WANTED: DITZY ‘DERPY’ DOO FOAL ENDANGERMENT AND ASSAULT ON ROYAL GUARDS Last seen violently resisting removal of her foal Dinky to the foster care system after being found incompetent. If seen, contact the Royal Guard. REWARD Captain Twilight stared at the poster on the wall in front of them, right where they’d appeared. They’d found a picture of Derpy smiling and waving, a total incongruity from the situation described below it. “... Derpy. They tried to take Dinky away from Derpy and she kicked Royal Guard flank and went on the lam. What did they think was going to happen?” “Oh dear,” said Pinkie faintly, looking the other direction. “I know I’ve said this before, but… I think this literally is the Worst Possible Thing.” She swallowed audibly. The others turned away from the wanted poster and gaped at the Ponyville they saw. The Carousel Boutique was still there, but the building’s motif had been entirely abandoned, columns and decorations stripped away and the building painted a simple blue. The library tree’s branches were bare and dead, and wood was nailed over the broken windows and the door. Town Hall looked normal. Sugarcube Corner had a ‘FOR RENT’ sign in the windows of the upstairs apartment. The whole town was dingy, and the streets were dusty and ill-repaired. The ponies outside were familiar faces, at least. Cheerilee, Golden Harvest, Blossomforth, a dozen others were out and about. All those familiar faces were staring at them. Rarity waved back and gave them a beaming smile. Some of them cautiously smiled back. “Uh… So… getting the band back together?” asked Cloud Kicker, stepping forward, gesturing at the six of them with a hoof. “Is there something weird going on?” “EEEEEEEEEK!” wailed Lily Valley. Half of the ponies winced. The other half stampeded alongside the flower-flanked mare as fast as they could back to their homes. “That mare is seriously high-strung,” muttered Cloud Kicker, then cleared her throat. “So, uh, anyway. Not that you guys didn’t do great before, really, but it’s kinda been years since I’ve seen you. What brings you back to Ponyville, what’s with the getups, and what’s going on in general?” “Getups?” inquired Fluttershy, looking around at her friends, and lifted a hoof to adjust her hat. “Ah ain’t wearin’ any getup.” Cloud Kicker gave her an even stranger look. She pointed. “Hat.” She pointed at Twilight. “Flight suit.” She waved her hoof around at all of them. “Manes. Tails. You’re all looking… weird. And you kinda just showed up in the middle of town in a big freakin’ flash of light all together. So what the hay is going on?” The other five looked to Rainbow Dash. She chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh… Okay, let’s not make this complicated. We’re not the ponies you think we are, but we’re here to help.” Cloud Kicker frowned, then her eyes widened and she jumped back. “CHANGELINGS!” she screamed. Thirty seconds later, the six of them were alone in Ponyville’s town square. “Ah think that coulda gone better, sugarcube,” said Fluttershy, deadpan. “I think we’re going to have to find a better way to explain ourselves to the Guard,” said Twilight, and frowned. “Or the Wonderbolts. Or the Princesses. If they think we’re Changelings, we’re going to have company very shortly. Hnnnngh!” And she dropped to the ground. Rarity collapsed a moment later. “Twilight!” cried Rainbow Dash, and flicked her wings. A shimmering bubble of force formed around them, and she moved to stand over her fallen herdmate, lowering her head to examine the unconscious Wonderbolt. Pinkie lunged to wrap her forelegs around Rarity. “Well, that was unexpected,” said a familiar voice. Dash and the other four turned to the source. A pale green mare in a Guard’s breastplate, but not full armor, was standing next to Town Hall. Her horn glowed briefly as she tested Dash’s forcefield. “So you’re not ponies. What are you?” “Lyra?” asked Rainbow Dash incredulously. “Why did you… Oh. Oh. Right.” “Oh right what?” the Still Way Grandmaster in the armor asked. “You attacked Twilight and Rarity because you thought they were the only ones who could do magic,” Rainbow Dash said, and took a deep breath. “We’re not from this world, Lyra. We’re from a world where… things worked out differently.” “Changelings can’t do magic when they’re in a hornless form,” the Guard reservist said thoughtfully, and tested the forcefield again. “That’s definitely magic. A different kind than any I’ve ever seen. And I was herding with the Element of Magic herself. But you’ve got her in there with you - though you got her mark wrong. Along with all the others. Even if things ‘worked out differently’ you couldn’t just change your destiny like that. So what’s really going on?” Dash rolled her eyes. “Sheesh. Just like being a filly again. Yes, I’m a pegasus. Yes, I can do magic. No, I’m not hiding a horn. I’m telling the truth. We’re from another world, another Equestria. Princess Luna told us this place needs us, so we came.” “You’ll pardon me if I have a bit of trouble buying that story,” Lyra said drily. “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen weird things out of the Everfree lately. I think I’m going to have to hold you here until the rest of the Guard contingent arrives. Unless you think you’ve got a better way to prove you are who you say you are.” “Um… excuse me,” said Applejack softly. “... What is it, AJ?” asked Rainbow Dash. Applejack blinked. “... Y’all actually listened th’ first time?” Rainbow Dash kept looking at Lyra, with one hoof brushing along Twilight’s mane. “I’m feeling very intense right now. If you have an idea, fire away.” “Oh,” said Applejack. “Well, nopony but Rainbow Dash can do a Sonic Rainboom, right? Or is that different here too?” Lyra was still watching Rainbow Dash back. “That’s her signature show, yes. She hasn’t done one in years, but she did. Nopony else in a thousand years has done it. If you can Rainboom, that’d argue that you’re… in some way Rainbow Dash.” Dash frowned. “If I drop the forcefield, you’ll attack,” she pointed out. Lyra gave her a thin smile. “If you can Rainboom, you can dodge, right?” “I think I have a better idea,” said Rainbow Dash flatly. And whacked Twilight on the back of the head with a hoof. “OW! Quiddit!” yelled the purple unicorn, rolling over and jerking to her hooves, her horn flaring before her eyes had even found focus. She blinked rapidly, then groaned and reached up to grab her head. “Owww! A knockout spell and a concussion? What was that for, Dash?” “Our little twangy over there decided on a ‘cast first, ask questions later’ strategy,” Rainbow Dash responded. “She needs some convincing.” Lyra’s eyes narrowed. “Sparkle’s got a lot of raw power. Maybe she could throw off that spell that fast. But everypony knows she can’t cast a thing that’s not applepicking. What are you up to?” Captain Twilight gave Lyra a big beaming grin. “Fixing everything. Hi! I’m Twilight Sparkle, Captain of the Wonderbolts. I’m really really stupidly powerful when I want to be, and I know a lot of spells, but I like weather ones the best. Let’s start with this one.” The glow around Lyra’s horn dropped, replaced by Twlight’s lavender magical hue. The Grandmaster took a step back, and dropped into a defensive posture, head low, horn ready to physically jab forward, though she was still outside the forcefield. “I don’t know how you’re doing that, but it’s not exactly convincing me you’re another version of the town drunk,” she warned. “Get your magic out of my horn right now and I may consider not charging you with assault on a royal guard.” Rainbow Dash let the shield drop. “It’s only for a moment,” she promised. “Now, watch this!” The multichromatic mage took off. She loved magic. Every twitch of her feathers, every time she guided her innate magic to reach out and do things no pony had ever made pegasus magic do before, it was always a thrill. But to do that magic, she had to practice, constantly. Always focusing on her wings, always concentrating on perfect control in every feather. There was always something liberating about not using her magic in any way but the first way she’d ever used it. Flying. A ring of rainbow light erupted over Ponyville and spread rapidly. The door to the de-decorated Carousel Boutique burst open, and a very familiar blue-coated pegasus charged out, staring up at the sky, a tailor’s tape draped around her neck and a set of scissors nimbly gripped in two primary feathers. “How?” breathed Rainbow Dash, Ponyville’s resident tailor and seamstress. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked up at the sky, watching the bright ring of color spreading out, arcing across the sky. “How?” She hadn’t… well, hadn’t ever been on the ‘watching’ end of a Rainboom. She hadn’t done one in years now. She didn’t think she could do one if Equestria was at stake, these days. She’d let her exercise fall by the wayside ever since… well, ever since she gave up. To see one, now, made something deep in her soul ache. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Whether it was her own or someone else’s. And then an even more beautiful sight caught her eyes. The seamstress watched as, impossibly, herself came down from the sky. There was no mistaking herself. But… the way she thought of herself. Not the way she really was. Not anymore. She’d put on some weight since giving up her regular flight practice - to the point where nopony called her ‘skinny’ anymore, which was indeed nice. But this version of her? She wasn’t skinny. Trim, yes, and perfectly muscled. Not a feather or hair out of place despite just then breaking through the sound barrier with nothing but her own body’s magic. But more than that… proud. Confident. Sure. She fell to her knees, tears running down her cheeks. If this was the latest attack out of the Everfree, if the monster at the heart of the forest was sending their own shattered dreams against them… then it was working. That beauty, that poise, that perfection… that was supposed to be hers. Just seeing it reminded her that it hadn’t turned out that way. Hooves thudded in the street. If the apparition was coming to take her, even to replace her with that vision of herself… she was ready to let it. She didn’t want to try to compete. Let the better pony have her life. She couldn’t do much worse with it anyhow. A blue hoof reached out to her. The mage said, “Rainbow Dash? I’m Rainbow Dash. And I’m here to help.”