"Hey, Twilight Sparkle!" Captain Dash shouted as the eleven ponies emerged from the tower trapdoor.
I am glad to see you have returned, Captain Dash. I'm hoping you reconsidered and will no longer attempt to resist me. I only want to help. I am your redemption.
"Yeah, right!" Aunt Jackie said. "If by 'redemption' you mean 'cold and heartless as a Time Guardian.'"
That doesn't even make sense, Jackie dear.
"Don't call me that!" Aunt Jackie shouted. "Only my friends can call me that!"
I am your friend, Jackie. That's why I want to help you.
"She doesn't need your help!" Princess Rarity shouted.
We can argue forever, the ShadowFire said. I do not want to argue. I want to help.
"Brace yourselves!" Captain Dash shouted.
Black and purple flames raced towards the ponies and...
...streaked right past them.
Princess Rarity, Captain Dash, Dame Fluttershy, Diane Pie and Aunt Jackie all stared at the ShadowFire in confusion.
Then they turned around and saw the flames consume their past selves.
Silly ponies, the ShadowFire said. I don't need you. I already have you in my grasp; it's only a matter of time. But these six... I would rather confront right now.
What...?
Rainbow Dash rubbed her head.
Time seemed to have slowed down. Everything was fuzzy. She sort of knew that she had been afraid a moment ago, but now that seemed distant. She could still see her friends around her, but they seemed to not be moving much. Not really FROZEN but not really moving either.
Rrrrainbowwww...
Rainbow Dash tried to whirl around and demand who was there, but found she didn't have the energy. Instead she just lazily spun in a circle and said, "Hey."
Hey yourself.
"Anything you wanted to tell me?" Rainbow Dash said.
Why are you talking to yourself?
Rainbow Dash shook herself. Heh, how silly, she could have sworn she'd heard a voice.
She turned back to watch their future selves confront the ShadowFire. Rainbow Dash was happy for them, but she felt a bit like a third wheel. They didn't really need her at this point.
As if they ever needed you.
Rainbow Dash sometimes felt like all she did was mess things up. Not that she would tell anypony that out loud.
You don't have to tell them. They notice.
Rainbow often wondered if her friends noticed...
Rainbow Dash stirred and blinked in the bright sunlight. Her nap had been interrupted by some rude animals.
She peeped down out of the tree branch she was on and saw... her friends. All of them.
Except her.
"What are you all doing out here?" she asked.
"Why, we always round up our critters for a regular ol' Pony Pet Playdate in this park," Applejack said, shrugging.
"Uh..." Rainbow Dash cocked her head. "You do?"
Fluttershy glanced nervously at everypony. "I thought you knew. You didn't know? She didn't know?"
Twilight Sparkle gave Fluttershy a weird look. "Well, we had initially planned on inviting Rainbow, of course, except–"
Pinkie Pie leapt into the air, ready to provide an explanation. "We were totally gonna invite you, Rainbow, then Twilight remembered that you don't even have a pet, and Rarity remembered that you really like to take naps in the afternoon, so Applejack figured you wouldn't be missing out on anything anyway, and Fluttershy and I nodded our heads in agreement like this." She grabbed Fluttershy's head and moved it up and down.
Visibly distressed, Fluttershy said, "Oh, please don't be mad at us."
Rainbow Dash looked from one pony to another.
"Oh, I'm not mad. You all are right. Not much point of a Pony Pet Playdate for me if I'm a pony without a pet, right?" She shrugged and tried to go back to sleep.
That was the only reason they didn't invite her, right?
It wasn't like there could be another reason, right?
But that really WAS the only reason, Rainbow Dash argued. As soon as she got a pet, they stopped leaving her out, right?
Really? They stopped leaving you out? They never again did anything to exclude you?
Rainbow Dash zoomed down the ally, wings pumping. Somewhere, somehow, she would find that masked pony. The Mysterious Mare Do Well had made a fool of her. She'd humiliated her in every way possible, turned everypony against her- even her friends- and had isolated her.
Nopony would take her friends away. This pony would pay as soon as she found her. This could only be the work of some evil being, like Discord! Yeah, Discord. Trying to drive them apart by defaming Rainbow Dash. It was exactly like something Discord would do- it was exactly what he'd done to Twilight. And now he was doing it to Rainbow Dash. But she wouldn't let him, because her friends would stand by her no matter what, because she was loyal to them and so they were loyal to her-
She snatched the mask off.
"Wha- P-pinkie Pie?"
One by one, Rainbow Dash's very best friends came forward and explained their actions. How they'd dressed up as Mare Do Well to 'teach her a lesson'.
Rainbow Dash wasn't listening very closely.
How could they?
Something in her rose up, wanting to scream at them and tell them she didn't need friend who would make her feel as awfully as that-
What? Didn't need her friends?
Who was she kidding?
She couldn't get mad at them! What if she never saw them again?
Swallow your pride, Dashie. Tell them what they want to hear. Write a letter to Princess Celestia, even. Do whatever it takes.
Just don't leave me!
Rarity sighed softly. She wasn't quite sure where she was. What had she been thinking about?
But somehow she wasn't scared. It was as though she didn't have the energy to be terrified.
It really was too bad that their future selves didn't seem to need their help, but probably that was just as well.
Because we all know what happens when you try to help, don't we, Rarity?
"Well?" Rarity asked, gesturing to the dresses. They were masterpieces, her best work. Even she was surprised at how well they'd turned out. Her friends were clearly rendered speechless at the sight of the wonderful outfits they would be wearing to the Grand Galloping Gala.
So why were her friends blinking at her, blank expressions on their faces?
...Didn't they like their dresses?
Okay, Rarity thought, maybe my friends don't always appreciate my help, but I always...
Well, okay, maybe I'm not as useful as I could be, Rarity thought. But I never hurt anyth-"There! All done!"
After receiving so many orders for Nightmare Night costumes, Rarity was pleased that she'd gotten to do a full makeover and provide a lovely dress. And for Princess Luna no less! She had surely come to the right place if she wanted to improve her public image and prove less scary to her subjects.
Princess Luna looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her mane and coat had been dyed bright pink, and she wore a frilly dark pink dress decorated with hearts.
"Why... so... pink?" she asked, tears appearing in her eyes.
"Pink is simply the most fashionable choice. I promise that you will sweep the ponies off their-"
Twilight Sparkle was making frantic gestures for her to be quiet.
"-h-hooves," Rarity finished. "Err, Twilight?"
Princess Luna burst into tears.
"Why?" she wailed to the ceiling. "Why do they not love me? Why do they not lo-ove me?" She curled into a little ball and sobbed.
Rarity blinked and turned to Twilight.
"I-I'm sorry," Twilight said. "I should have stopped you..."
"Why, Twilight, whatever is the matter?"
Twilight Sparkle coughed. "Err, um... You see, a thousand years ago, back when Celestia and Luna had normal manes, Celestia's was pink and Luna's was blue, a-and, well, see, fashion of the time dictated that pink manes were rare and beautiful, while blue manes were plain and dark and ugly... mostly because they didn't like Luna very much at the time."
"Oh! Oh, my goodness, I am so sorry!" Rarity rushed over to Luna and rubbed her shoulders. "I didn't mean that pink was the only fashionable choice! Ponies love the color blue, too! Honest they do!"
Luna sniffled a bit. "W-we forgive thee. Thou didst not know."
"I HATE being a fashion model!" Fluttershy wailed. "I wish you had never gotten me involved!"
Well, okay, but-
"Why is Fluttershy so mean?" Pinkie Pie sobbed, watching Fluttershy retreat.
"I j-just wanted her to be assertive..." Rarity sighed.
Rarity started crying.
"I can't do anything right!"she shouted, sitting down and sobbing.
The carriage rolled to a stop. Applejack peeked out the window. Sweet Apple Acres. It was hard to imagine she had called this place home. Now, just seeing it made her feel empty inside.
Her uncle and aunt and cousin left the carriage almost immediately. Even their funeral clothes were stunning. Everything about them seemed to scream that they were above the common folk of Ponyville.
Applejack's dress was no less beautiful. As was only appropriate for a pony of Manehattan. Even when in mourning.
Applejack buried her head in the seat cushions and hoped they would leave her where she was. If she never entered the farmhouse or attended the funeral, maybe it would all turn out to just be a bad dream.
Maybe her mother wouldn't actually be dead.
I didn't even get to say goodbye, she thought as she sobbed quietly. I was too busy trying to be a fancy social elite.
Trying to escape from her.
Pinkie Pie sniffled. "That was the saddest story I ever-"
"Hey!" Applejack said. "What do you think you're doing?"
Pinkie Pie shook herself. "O-oh, I'm sorry, I must have activated a flashback just there, and I saw the day you went to your mom's funeral..."
"You're reading my mind?"
"Well, um, I'm done now..." Pinkie Pie said lamely.
Applejack stared at Pinkie Pie hard.
"Ah can't believe you would do something so invasive," she snarled. "Who do you think you are, anyway? Ah've always been concerned about your strange powers, but this is a new low for you. You need to stop with your witchcraft powers and seek cleansing for your sins. God created you as an earth pony, and an earth pony is who you're meant to be. Stop trying to use magic. It was never meant for you." She turned away.
Pinkie Pie started crying, and her mane flattened out. Diane Pie's words came back to her:
"You just go on your merry way, smiling and laughing, poking holes in the fabric of reality like there's no tomorrow. Wait until you grow up and things start falling through those holes. And are lost forever. Then you'll understand."
Pinkie Pie sniffled. "That was the saddest story I ever-"
"Hey!" Applejack said. "What do you think you're doing?"
Pinkie Pie shook herself. "O-oh, I'm sorry, I must have activated a flashback just there, and I saw the day you went to your mom's funeral..."
"You're reading my mind?"
"What?" Pinkie Pie said, cocking her head. "What's the matter? If you didn't like when I did that you should have said something the other times."
Applejack froze up. "Other times?"
"Yeah. Usually you don't complain when I read your mind."
"What?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged. "It's not like I look at anything important. And you're the element of Honesty anyway. You don't have anything you need to keep private."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "Come on."
"I thought some of your memories were cute," Fluttershy whispered.
"And I just adore those dresses you wore in Manehatten," Rarity cooed. "I'm thinking of doing a bit of a fashion revival!"
Applejack stared at her friends in horror.
"Th-this is some stupid prank, right?" she asked.
All the ponies stared at her blankly.
"Why should it be?" Twilight Sparkle said, shrugging. "If you wanted to hide anything from us, you wouldn't be the element of Honesty, would you?"
"Th-then take your stupid elements and burn them!" Applejack shouted, wheeling away. "There's no point being Honesty if Ah can't trust anypony else!"
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Discord leaned over and poked Fluttershy on the head.
Fluttershy screamed as her mind was invaded.
"You've been kind for far too long, my dear," Discord hissed. "Time to be cruel."
Fluttershy's thoughts were warped, twisted, molded...
"N-no!" Fluttershy wailed. "Please! I don't want to remember!"
She curled up in a little ball on the floor.
Poor Fluttershy. Poor little Fluttershy. You didn't offer any resistance at all, did you?
"I-I couldn't. I was too weak. I can never forgive myself. I let my friends down."
Do you want to know what kind of resistance your friends put up?
"That would be interesting," Twilight said. "I never knew what happened to my friends in the maze. They never really told me."
"When all the truth does is make your heart ache, sometimes a lie is easier to take."
Applejack sighed. "Ah... guess... you're right."
Gray color swarmed across Applejack's coat.
"You're right," Applejack repeated. "Sometimes you have to lie."
"That didn't happen!" Fluttershy shrieked. "You're lying!"
Isn't that ironic.
"Your friends laugh at you all the time."
"HA HA HA!"
"I. Hate. Laughing."
Pinkie Pie snarled as her coat changed shade.
"What?" Twilight said, shaking her head. "You've got to be kidding me. Why would Pinkie Pie believe that?"
Some ponies are more susceptible than others. Case in point:
"Here. Take this big gemstone. Don't feel like you have to share."
"Ooh, this gemstone is so pretty that I'm just going to forget that I'm the element of generosity!"
"She said that?" Fluttershy whispered.
Paraphrased.
"The Shadowbolts were losers. Join the Chaosbolts!"
"Aw, yeah! This'll be awesome!" Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof in the air.
"Why, that little rat!" Twilight shouted. "I can't believe... I can't believe... my friends are all... no... wait... Fluttershy..."
"My friends are all..."
Fluttershy looked at her Discorded friends. Then she looked at her future selves.
A snarl crossed her face.
"Nopony is kind."
Rainbow Dash was shouting "No, no, no!"
Rarity was sobbing.
Pinkie Pie was laying on the ground with her mane straight.
Applejack was stalking off in disgust.
Fluttershy was glaring at all her friends.
"What happened?" Twilight asked. "Don't tell me they all failed to resist the ShadowFires."
This isn't exactly the first time this happened to you, is it?
Discord had them all under his spell in a matter of minutes. Queen Chrysalis turned them all against you by giving them pretty dresses.
Twilight sighed.
"Why is nopony able to resist these villains but me?"
Maybe they just need your help. Somepony to keep an eye on them.
"Right," Twilight Sparkle said, squaring her shoulders. "Because they need me to take care of them."
"Twilight? Pinkie Pie? Rarity? Rainbow- Applejack- Fluttershy- guys?" Diane Pie said, waving her hoof in front of their faces.
Too late, Diane. The future will go on for these six ponies.
Just as planned.