The Alicorn King's Glare

by LightOfTriumph

Chapter 9: Spectrum Dash

Rainbow Dash found herself confused and disoriented in an unfamiliar sky.

She looked around trying to make sense of the stars, find out where Glare had sent her. No luck. There were no stars. No moon. No sun. Only a storm.

Rainbow headed toward what she thought was the ground, but the ground never came. Only more storm.

She'd never admit it, but she was terrified. She usually took careful notice of everything when she flew. She could pick apart any minor detail going on around her. But now there was nothing to notice, only the storm.

There was no time to be scared. She had to get back to her friends. She had to save her country.

She landed on a cloud to calm herself down. She had to focus if she wanted to get back to her friends. Her mind was racing with a thousand unanswered questions. Why was the mirror cracking? Where had she been sent? Who were those five ponies who showed up from no where?

That's when a cackle ripped through the air. To Dash, it was cold, but strangely familliar. "Lame!" a voice said. "So incredibly lame!"

There was a hard slam on Rainbow's back, knocking her through the cloud. She cried out in pain.

"Rainbow Dash," the voice said mockingly, still unseen. "This is how you turned out? Such a goody horseshoes, always playing by the rules. Always helping her friends. When you didn't learn the one thing I did..."

Dash landed on a cloud, "And what was that?!"

A scarred sky blue mare landed across from her, a bandage around her left eye. "If you're not cheating," she grinned, "you're not playing the game right."

Rainbow Dash sized up her attacker. Sky blue, her height and a multicolored mane that seemed to have faded and begun to grey. She looked like... "Who are you?"

"Oh come on!" the scarred mare laughed. "You can't be that slow! Oh whatever, his majesty said I might have to do this...." she locked eyes with Rainbow, and suddenly Dash couldn't move.

A flurry of images raced through Rainbow's mind. A failed race. A lost friend. Ridicule. Something had to be done, she would never lose again. More challenges. Sabotage. Victory. Deceit. Treachery.

A saloon. A fight. A lost eye. Several more fights. Scars.

The moon rises and doesn't fall. A war fought against an empire to the north. A mirror rises.

She took the hoof of a golden king. He would guide her. She would never leave the comfort of his light.

Rainbow no more. She was now, she would always be, Spectrum Dash.

Rainbow looked at her counterpart with horror. One little mistake in that first race. That's all it took to turn her into this.

Spectrum let out a sharp laugh. "What's wrong?" she said mockingly. "Can't handle the sight of you 120% cooler?"

Rainbow was stunned. She looked at her counterpart. "You're.... me?"

"Hah! You wish," Spectrum laughed. "Look at you, you're pathetic! Your pointless dream of joining some flying crew. Your constant bragging to cover up your own failures. Honestly, losing that race was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was so close to becoming as worthless as you."

Dash jumped at Spectrum, who deftly leaped out of the way. "Shut up!"

Spectrum buried a back hoof in the nape of Rainbow's neck. "Did I strike a nerve?" She kicked rainbow aside like she was garbage. "You're a failure! A disgrace!"

Rainbow choked and caught her balance. Before she could make another move, however, Spectrum's elbow met her stomach.

"Honestly, look at yourself! What about you isn't a complete and total waste of time?" Spectrum kicked Rainbow onto a nearby cloud. She laid there on her back, motionless. "Now let me put you out of your misery..."

Rainbow Dash looked up at the endless grey sky. She's right. Rainbow thought, and she closed her eyes. This is hurting too much, just hurry up and end it...

"Just hold still..." Spectrum smiled as she flew high above Dash. "It'll all be over soon. Let me take care of you and then I'll deal with your pathetic friends..." Spectrum went into a dive...

And was met with Dash's hoof, buried in her throat.

Rainbows eyes opened wide, she didn't even care that Spectrum's hoof couldn't have been more than a centimeter away from her face. "Ohoho... Big mistake bringing them up!!"

Rainbow kicked Spectrum aside. She stood up straight and looked into her counterparts eye.

"Yeah, I brag a lot. Sure, a lot of the time it isn't justified," Rainbow said defiantly. "But make no mistake, I am awesome. I'm probably one of the single greatest ponies who ever lived. You wanna know how I know?"

"What the hoof are you-"

"Because of them!" More images flew through Rainbows head. Victory. Her best friend. A bookworm coming to her hometown, and together they talked the moon down. Pranking with Pinkie. Racing with AJ. Fluttershy cheering her head off from the stands. Rarity making her a dress. Studying with Twilight. Getting Scootaloo to come out of her shell.

Watching her best friend become a princess. Noticing how nothing changed between them because of it.

Spectrum's eye narrowed, and Rainbow knew she was seeing the same thing.

And Rainbow Dash's eyes shimmered as if passing through a rainbow.

"I know I'm awesome because I'm friends with them, and I know their awesome because neither would I!" Rainbow yelled, growing more determined by the second. "I'm not gonna let you or anypony else hurt them! Because I know they'd do the same for me! You're calling me pathetic?! Look at you! You never learned to talk to anypony! Never learned to ask Anypony for help!"

"SHUT UP!!" Spectrum screamed and she lunged at Rainbow.

Rainbow flew above her opponent. "You wanna know what else you never learned to do?" Rainbow shot down and nailed her counterpart in the back.

She flew upwards, Spectrum draped over her forehooves. She made a U-Turn and, as she had done a dozen times before, shot straight toward the ground.

Spectrum Dash turned first into golden light, then into dust. Beneath Rainbow opened a window in the storm. She went through it to find herself in the sky above the Crystal Palace.

The Sonic Rainboom was a symbol of hope to the guards below. They applauded as it spread across the sky.

No time to enjoy that, Rainbow had to get back to the throne room. She had to get back to Twilight. She had to stop Seraphim Glare. She crashed through the palace roof

Five to impact. she thought as she crashed through floor after floor of the building.

Five

Four

Three

Two.

She landed hard on the floor of the throne room, denting it.

"One," said Rainbow Dash.

And the pulse grew a little stronger.......

Author's Note:

Chapters 9-14 will be happening SIMULTANEOUSLY, ending one right after another.

Please rate and comment!

Comments

[LightOfTriumph]

4607195 Give it time.....

[SweetCaptain77]

What pulse you takin' about?

[Choral Note]

This. Will. Be. Epic.

[LightOfTriumph]

5392631 Keep commenting here. And thank you for reading!

[gamexpert1990]

Watching her best friend become a princess. Noticing how nothing changed between them because of it.

THANK YOU! *Ahem* Excuse that little outburst.

5392650
You're welcome. This is a fairly engaging story so far.

[thegamerator10]

As of this comment, you have 1:24 to meet your deadline. Go.

[thegamerator10]

Well... That just happened.

Quite impressive! You never cease to surprise me, Greg!