Iris Rising: Dreamfall (retcon planned)

by hujan86

DREAMFALL - revised

Author's Note:

1. Try listening to Immediate Music's Electric Romeo (NC) whilst imagining the actions from the moment Godslayer Dash jumped from the ledge.

Both Godslayers plummeted from the Void a hundred feet below into the lunar crater. They both gave a yelp of pain once they hit the ground. Godslayer Dash’s Fleet SHADE changed back to her normal clothes. Godslayer Watterson was nearby. He rolled over to his back and lay there for a moment, waiting for his pain to subside.

“Dash,” Godslayer Watterson called, “I think there’s a malfunction on your SHADE.”

There was no response.

Holding back his pain, Godslayer Watterson hauled himself up. He now found himself facing an ireful Dash, in her hands is a large lunar rock.

“What the heck was that!?” she shouted.

Godslayer Watterson raised his hands in a disarming gesture. “Woah, woah, woah, calm down!” Oh, man. I knew that she’d be upset, but not this aggressive…

“Don’t tell me to come down! It’s the same one as in my dream! How!?” Dash raised the rock, like she is ready to attack. “Tell me right now, or I’ll crack ya damn head open!”

“Dash, please don’t-”

“TELL ME!!!”

Godslayer Watterson relented and at last revealed his secret to Dash. “It’s an inter-dimensional portal called the Void. You came to this place through it, the same way as I did.”

It all made sense to her now- the way Zach reacted the day he first saw her.

“You knew it all along!” she accused. “Right from the beginning!”

“Yes,” Godslayer Watterson confessed. “But the reason for your coming is the one thing I don’t understand. So I gonna need to bring you see someone first.”

Dash however refused to believe him, still suspecting that he still has something to hide from her. “So you’re not gonna tell me what’s going on!?”

“Please trust me,” he pleaded.

“Why should I!?” Dash barked. “You lied to me!”

“No, I did not!” Watterson denied. “I just didn’t tell you everything. Besides she can help. She can get you your memories back. So we’ll both find out why you’re here soon enough.”

For a minute or so, Dash did not react. Starting to calm down at last, she hurled the rock to the ground.

“Where are we?” Dash asked bitterly.

“We’re on the moon,” Godslayer Watterson stated. “Listen, let’s get out of here first. You wanna ask something, ask it along the way.”

Dash was unhappy at the current turn of events. She felt hurt, betrayed… “I trusted you-”

She abruptly reeled from a sudden throb in her head. The anger just now, she had experienced it before, but was unable to recall where or when or even why, in her memories.

“Dash?” Godslayer Watterson became concerned upon seeing Dash’s condition.

Dash quickly regained her composure. Still bitter at Watterson, she rudely waved off the feline and walked past him without saying a word.

She crawled out from the crater, followed closely behind by Godslayer Watterson. To her surprise, by sheer coincidence she was met by a pale-colored unicorn with curly pink mane. Dash recognized the strangely tailless pony from one of Lyra’s photos.

“Aw hey, you’re Twinkleshine, right?” she asked the unicorn.

Twinkleshine gasped, her eyes widened with disbelief. “She knows… She knows my name… Best-day-EVER!!!”

Without warning, she dived at Dash, causing them both to tumble back down into the crater. After they came to a stop, Dash tried to free herself from the unicorn’s tight grasp.

“Are you crazy!?” Dash shouted angrily at her.

“You bet I am!” the unicorn said gleefully. “I’m crazy happy! My dream finally came true! I’ve always hoped that I could meet a real human being! I never stop believing! Oh, I wish Lyra was here to see this! She said you’d come one day! And now you’re here! You and I are going to be best friends forever!”

“Yea, whatever! Can you let me go now?”

“Just a little bit longer. I want to enjoy every moment of this meeting.” Twinkleshine intimately rubbed her cheeks against Dash’s face. “Ooh ah…Your furless skin is…so smooth. Ooh, your hair…it smells and feels different from any mane I’ve touched before…”

Totally offended by Twinkleshine’s ‘harassment’, Dash let out the loudest and longest scream she could muster. “AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH...!!!”

As they walked across the lunar plain, Godslayer Watterson kept himself at a discrete distance from Dash.

“Hey!” Dash suddenly yelled him, without looking back. “Why’d the armor changed back by itself just now?”

“Opening the Void depletes the SHADE’s energy reserve,” Godslayer Watterson explained. “Armor mode and all functions are disabled until it’s fully recharged after few hours. That’s why I needed your help.”

“So I coulda died,” Dash figured.

“Well…yeah, if I’d left you,” the feline said frankly. “That’s actually the main reason I decided to bring you along.”

Gee, how thoughtful, Dash thought sarcastically.

Just up ahead, Twinkleshine gleefully waved at them.

“Hey, you two!” she shouted. “Over here!”

As they approached closer to Twinkleshine, what appeared to be structures made out of giant stones came into their view. It turned out to be a housing settlement. It consists of housing structures carved out between giant stones, complete with windows, doors and shingled roof. The majority of the settlers are members of the Equestrian Royal Guards while the civilians make up the rest, all of whom were the unfortunate victims of Trollestia’s ‘pranks’.

The settlers stared at Dash with varying responses, from wary, curious to downright amusing. However, there were also those who did not seem to care.

“Home sweet home!” Twinkleshine proclaimed.

She quickly ushered Dash and Godslayer Watterson away the area towards her residence. There they were met by two unicorns, Minuette and Amethyst Star. One was hornless, the other is a gloomy ‘monochromatic’ pony.

Twinkleshine introduced Dash to her friends. “Minuette, Amethyst, this is Dash! She’s going to be my new best friend!”

As a long time skeptic, Minuette almost could not believe her eyes as soon as she saw Dash. “Oh, um… Hi, I’m Minuette.”

Amethyst Star however regarded Dash with disinterest. “Whatever…”

“And you two thought Lyra and I have lost touch with reality,” Twinkleshine’s bitter tone suggests there was a rift between the three ponies.

It did not take long Dash to notice something was off regarding Minuette and Amethyst Star’s appearance.

“Weird, you two look different,” she said, moving her gaze from Minuette to Amethyst Star. “I coulda sworn I remembered looking at a photo of you as a unicorn, and aren’t you supposed to be pink?”

“Oh, they were like that when I found them,” Twinkleshine told her. “Hay, I even lost my tail after Trollestia banished me here and it never grew back ever since. Weird, right? But I choose to see the positive side of things.”

The unicorn revealed she is able to stand on her hind hooves pretty much like Lyra Heartstrings/Ragingheart. She skillfully performed the Robot dance, the Moonwalk then ended it with a Breakdance routine.

“Turns out I don’t need it at all!” Twinkleshine declared.

“Whoa! Where’d you learn to dance like that?” Dash asked, notably impressed by the unicorn’s moves.

“Lyra taught me,” Twinkleshine answered. “Whoever said Star Swirl’s fictions are non-educational. But, really. This is nothing compared to Lyra. She’s a natural. It took almost her entire lifetime to train herself to walk on two hooves. But I could only maintain it for a short time.”

“Oh, okay,” Dash said. “Y’know, I was meaning to ask ‘bout your tail along the way here, but…”

“Oh, don’t fret yourself! We’re BFFs now! There’s no need for embarrassment! In fact, no secret is too embarrassing. No story is too awkward.” Twinkleshine leaned close to Dash’s face, with a maniac look. “Tell me everything about you!”

That prompted Dash to regard the unicorn awkwardly. “Um… It’s great knowing you guys, but I really need to get going now.”

Twinkleshine stepped back, her feelings evidently hurt. “Awww… So sooooon?”

“Yeah, duty calls,” Dash said. “Princess Luna ain’t gonna wait forever, y’know.”

“That’s great! Twinkleshine was suddenly happy again. “It just so happens that I am Princess Luna’s maidservant!”

“Aw, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Dash said in dismay.

The thought of finally getting away from the crazed and irritating unicorn was dashed.

As Dash sat uncomfortably on the rock chair, she gazed around the sitting room. All the furniture in the room were carved out from rocks.

Thou the cosiness factor is zero, she thought, the epic coolness meter is definitely off the scales.

Twinkleshine appeared with a plate of cheese and glass of water.

“So this how y’all have been surviving up here,” Dash commented after Twinkleshine served the plate on the table for her. “Where’d you get all these from?”

“We get water from the ice sheets on the dark side of the moon,” Twinkleshine explained. “As for the cheese, we produced it from the milk we collected,”

Dash raised her eyebrows. “Pony milk?”

“Don’t be silly,” Twinkleshine giggled. “Of course not. It’s from the lunar cows.”

“Lunar...cows?”

“Rock-eating lunar cows,” the unicorn pronounced it clearly. “Weird, I know. Not even Star Swirl could’ve predicted there’re living beings all the way up here.”

“Ooo-kayyy…” For Dash, it seemed like the moon might be a stranger place than Equestria.

As Dash started eating her meal, Twinkleshine drooped over the table, chin cupped in her hooves.

“So,” the unicorn smiled mischievously, “how about that sharing your deepest, darkest secret with me?”

Princess Luna is now shown to be not a malice character after all. The banished Princess of the Night was composed the entire time she is addressed by Godslayer Watterson, though truthfully she is very anxious to return to Equestria.

“…Ragingheart won’t make her move at least until the storm is over,” Godslayer Watterson concluded.

“I see,” Luna said. “But the transportation that you mentioned, it has yet to arrive, yes?”

“I ask for your further patience, Your Royal Highness,” Godslayer Watterson acknowledged the princess’ concern. “It’ll get here like I promised.”

“Very well,” Luna said. “I shall have put my faith in my nephew and Captain Discord in the meantime.”

“Now, shall we proceed with my request?”

The princess nodded. “You may call her in now.”

Back in the living room, Twinkleshine was now sitting closely next to Dash, too close actually.

“Come on,” Twinkleshine kept on urging. “Don’t be shy. There’s no need to hide it from me.”

“I am not entirely comfortable at you touching me like this,” Dash said in response to the unicorn’s suggestive fondling.

“Oh, come on,” Twinkleshine pouted. “Say something. Even Princess Luna can open up to me.”

“Twinkleshine, if you don’t stop, I swear I’ll-”

Dash almost wanted to hit the unicorn had Godslayer Watterson not appeared in the nick of time, telling her that the princess can see her now. She yanked herself away from Twinkleshine and followed Godslayer Watterson closely from behind into another room.

They both sat cross-legged on the floor before Princess Luna.

“Dash, that’s your name?” Luna inquired.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”

“You have a different aura around you,” Luna commented. “According to Lord Watterson, you’re a human being, yes? How I wish I could see how you really look like.”

“What d’you mean by-” It was then that Dash noticed Princess Luna’s all-white eyes. “Princess Luna, are you…”

“Yes,” Luna nodded grimly, “I am sightless.”

Could it be that she’s like the others? Dash wondered. “This is her doing, isn’t it?”

“A mistake on my part,” Luna admitted, “for not being assertive enough on my elder sister. But let’s not delve too much into it for the time being. Now, I believe you require help, am I correct? A recent part of your past was lost?””

“Yes.”

“Easily done.”

“Is this gonna hurt?” Dash wanted to be certain

“There is a slight chance you’ll incur an uncontrollable migraine once the spell ends,” Luna admitted.

Though anxious about the aforementioned side-effect, Dash nodded her approval.

“Then brace yourself,” Luna said before her horn started glowing with a blue aura.

At the same time, the same aura surrounded Dash. Bright lights flashed in her eyes. Lost memories were now coming back to her.

***

One Year Earlier (Earth’s Timeline)

Dash weaved through the traffic-jammed street on her BMX. After pulling up to the train station, Dash secured her bike to the hand rail. She glimpsed at the time on her watch before running off to the station’s main entrance.

After a mere two of minutes of wait, a monorail train pulled into the platform. Dash boarded it with the other passengers. The ride took another fifteen minutes before arriving at another terminal located inside the shopping complex at the base of a skyscraper. It would have taken her another half hour had she decided to cycle to her destination.

After Dash managed to locate the client, she took out an A3-sized envelope from her sling bag and handed it over. “Here’s your package, sir.”

“Thank you for your patronage, sir,” she said after the receipt was signed and returned to her.

After making her last delivery, Dash returned for her bike then went for lunch. She pulled over at the diner she is familiar with.

As Dash crossed towards the counter, she accidentally bumped her shoulder with a stranger who appears to be of similar age. He wore a black sleeveless vest jacket over a grey t-shirt and dark brown cargo pants. A sling bag hung over his shoulder.

As the stranger apologized, Dash managed to take a good look of him. He is very tall and sports an athletic build with well-developed muscles. His slight accented voice indicates he is a local.

“Oh, it’s you,” the stranger said immediately, with a surprised look. “I almost didn’t recognize you there. It’s been quite a while, isn’t it? Since we last saw each other.”

Dash however shook her head as she did not recognize him. “Sorry. You must’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“Is that so?” the stranger said. “Iris Dashiell? Gensville High?”

“Not mistaken, am I now?” he smirked after noticing the changed look on Dash’s face.

“Look, Pal!” Dash chided him. “I’m not who you think I am! And I definitely don’t know you! So get lost!”

“A cold shoulder to the end, eh?” said the stranger, sounding overly disappointed. “Have it your way.”

Pfffttt, like I care, Dash thought.

“Still,” the stranger said, “you should at least tell the Peters you’re all right.”

Shock came over Dash. No way! This is the last thing I need right now! Could this day get any ‘better’!? “What d’ya know ‘bout them!?”

The stranger showed his phone screen at Dash. It showed a long series of old text replies between him and Skyler Peters. Looking over the conversation, it is revealed that Skyler was frustrated by Dash’s lack of communication over the past year and had been asking if he can help look for Dash.

Dash tried hard to recall her memory. Dark brown hair, tanned/olive skin and light blue eyes, there is nothing really distinctive about his face that can make her remember which student he was or from which class. Even him knowing Skyler was not enough information.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

The stranger sighed. He mused for a second. He appeared to be reluctant at first before deciding to remove the contact lens from his left eye for her to see his true nature as a chimera.

“Freak,” Dash blurted.

Shortly after, Dash sat on the same table with man whose name is now known- Brooke, currently a second-year mechanical and mechatronics engineering student at Paragon University. He was clearly offended by the name calling earlier, even if it was incidental.

“I said I was sorry!” Dash reiterated her apology. “Look, I’ll pay for your meal to make for it! How’s that sound?

“That won’t be necessary,” Brooke said bitterly.

“Then what d’you want!?”

“You are unbelievable, you know that?” Brooke looked over at Dash’s uniform. “So, what’s going on with you? According to Skyler, you were posted to the airbase here.”

Dash bit her lip. “Please…don’t tell them.”

“Why?” Brooke pressed her, wanting to know the reason. “She’s worried sick about you.”

Dash pleaded to him desperately, “No! Please don’t…!”

The sudden distressfulness in her voice baffled Brooke.

Dash recognized the surprised look on Brooke’s face as he read the details printed on her military discharge certificate.

He’s probably in disbelief of what I’m really capable of, she thought. “You get it now? I can’t let them know what I did to get myself fired from the air force. So please! Keep this between the two of us.”

Brooke put down the certificate on the table then gazed sadly at Dash. “For how long do you plan on hiding this?”

“That doesn’t matter to you!” Dash said sternly. “Think you being here don’t piss me!? That means I’m terribly desperate! Just promise that you won’t tell anyone you’ve seen me! Not to Skye! Not to any of my close friends! Not even to Sunny!”

Brooke felt surprised at the sudden mention of the redhead. “Honestly I’ve not heard anything from her since graduation.”

“Yeah, right,” “So you’re saying you’re still in touch with Skye, but not that rot?”

She was recalling to the times when he was seen with Skyler or Sunny or both on more than one occasion.

“Rot?” Brooke finally understood. “She was your bully.”

Dash folded her arms and cast a look of ill humor at him. “You’ve heard what she said. For serious, she was a huge thorn in my butt. Thanks to her I had a bad case of the blues for years!”

“When was that? Middle school?” Brooke tried to make a point. “Sunny had clearly changed. The entire time I knew her she was a very friendly person.”

Ever since Sunny apologized to the entire school and accepted into Twilight’s circle, everyone else in turn has started warming up to her. It was not until a year later that Brooke came to meet Sunny. Dash also did hangout with Sunny throughout until graduation, but only as a group when the rest of her friends were present and that she was merely playing along. In truth, Dash from the inside still hated Sunny as ever.

“You just the same as everyone else,” Dash scoffed at Brooke. “What do y’all see in that stupid rot anyway? I bet you guys were listening to her talking ‘bout me behind my back-”

“Enough.” Brooke stood up with a very crossed look. “First of all, this has got nothing to do with her. Second, you don’t know anything!”

About what? Dash wondered. Sunny? Course I know everything about her! Geez, who does this guy think he is!?

“And you know what?” Brooke continued. “You used to be great! But all I’m hearing from you right now is haughty talk, a child who refused to let go of the past.”

“Hot-what?” Dash frowned at the word, not knowing its meaning.

“Ho-te,” Brooke pronounced it clearly for her to hear. “Arrogant.”

Dash’s face suddenly darkened.

“You overstayed your welcome,” she said before snapping all of a sudden, “Get out- NOW!!!”

She immediately shoved Brooke away from the room, through the door and out. “SCRAM!!!”

“Dash-”

“Next time we meet, just pretend that you don’t know me, capeesh!?” Immediately she slammed the door shut right before Brooke’s nose.

Dash slumped on the chair, face buried in her palms. What a day today turned out to be. It was bad enough she divulged her secret to a someone she barely knew. But being insulted, especially when he called her arrogant hurt even more.

“Dash, I didn’t mean to upset you,” she heard Brooke calling from outside.

“GO AWAY!!!”

“Dash, I’m going to tell you a secret, okay? So please hear me out.”

Dash shut her ears to try block him out.

“I used to like you back then,” Brooke began. “The first I time I saw you, I thought you’re quite attractive. And what you did to your hair, it really compliments your classy appearance. Then as time goes by, I realized you’re really something more. It might sound scary, but I watched you all the time. You made me wondered how could one student being a member of both the squash club and the class’ track team, still have the time for the Battle of the Bands and helped out her friends.”

Dash looked up at the door, somehow felt moved by the words. He saw me?

“You, Dash, excelled in everything you did. What’s more, those idiotic punks, you don’t need anyone to help you tell them off. All that set you apart from the others. You’re confident. You’re bold, energetic. All in all, you’re an amazing person. Surely that person is not intending on hiding herself from the world forever.”

Brooke stood silently outside the door. He was really hoping that Dash would open the door and talk further with him. But nothing happened for the next one minute. He could not tell whether Dash did not listen or simply ignored him. Fraught with disappointed, he decided to leave at last.

Dash slowly opened the door. Peering through the narrow gap, she saw Brooke was nearing the stairway.

“I prefer the term awesome.”

Brooke turned around expectantly. “Dash?”

Dash stood gloomily outside her door. “Did you really mean it? What you said just now?”

“Yes,” Brooke replied sincerely.

Yet Dash had a hunch that he saw through her more than that.

“That can’t be all,” she said. “Be more honest. What else? Arrogant…”

“Rude, sarcastic, selfish, unsportsmanlike,” Brooke added, and was being truthful. “It can’t be helped that people aren’t all perfect. The world is clear and balanced.”

The words stung Dash badly. But she was not angry. Instead, she accepted it as the truth about herself.

Dash leaned on the iron rails, gazing distantly, her voice fraught with regret. “Who am I kidding? I’m no awesome. The reason they kept pulling pranks on me was b’cuz…I wasn’t being nice to them either. I even treated Sunny badly behind everyone’s back. I brought this upon myself…”

“Let’s not talk about the past,” Brooke earnestly said, joining her on the rails. “Tell me, what have you been doing all this time?”

“Nothing,” Dash sighed. “I screwed up my only goal in life. I really dunno what to do anymore.”

Though he was no expert in this of things, Brooke did whatever he could to give her encouragements. “Come on now, your journey has only just begun. Sometimes things don’t always go the way we intended it to but you still have a whole life to explore. Time to move on. Pick yourself up off the floor.”

“But I did wrong…”

“Everyone deserves a second chance in life,” Brooke said firmly, just as Dash was looking so down than before.

“You’re maybe right,” Dash acknowledged, her head dropped low, “but I was feeling down for so long I never bothered trying to pick up the pieces.”

“Then why don’t we get started on it right away?” Brooke put a hand in his bag to take something out. “Hopefully this will cheer you up.”

He made a few clicks on his tablet PC then showed it at her. On the screen is an ad for a wingsuit first flight course.

Dash felt both excited and nervous at the same time. It was her first time of setting foot at a wingsuit school. Though she has seen videos of wingsuit flyers in action on the internet, never for once in her life she thought she will train to be one. The thought of delving into extreme sport never crossed her mind before. As Dash patiently waited for her coach to arrive, she was kept company by Brooke.

The training began. The coach helped Dash rigging up the wingsuit on her. Aerodynamic cloth stretched from her wrists to her hips between the legs.

Dash was then instructed on how to make a proper pre-flight jump. She assumed the posture accordingly as shown by the coach. She crossed her arm across her chest, jumped from the raised platform and stretched out her arms and legs once she touched the ground.

Dash lay on a wheeled cart on her stomach, with her arms and legs extended. The coach showed her how to correctly position the arm and legs in-flight. Later, Dash, still lying on the wheeled cart, practiced deploying her parachute. This repeated training spanned for days, before she could move up to the level courses. It was not until weeks later that the coach was satisfied that Dash was ready.

The day finally came where Dash will perform her first ever flight with her wingsuit. A DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, carrying her along with the other flyers, took off from the runway. Moments later, the aircraft reached cruising altitude above Paragon outskirts. The coach opened the cabin door then motioned the flyers to exit the aircraft in line.

Dash was the final jumper. She jumped out of the plane and entered freefall. She waited for a few seconds before spreading her arms and legs. Her descent slowed slightly. She rolled unsteadily in the air but soon managed to stabilize herself and started gliding.

Dash soared at 16,000 feet above the northern rural landscape of Paragon City, with the other flyers gliding smoothly all around her. The blazing sun seemed to accompany them as they fly. The experience was thrilling- adrenaline pumped through her veins as she soared at high altitude like an eagle, with warm summer air blown onto her face and rushing past her. She briefly looked to her side, to see a breathtaking view of mountains in the distance.

Dash made a slow descent to an altitude of below three thousand feet. After deploying her parachute, she steadily steered herself towards the designated landing spot. Dash landed in the middle of a wide open field. After the parachute collapsed behind her, she gave a thumbs-up sign to signal Brooke who was waiting at the edge of the field that she has not experience difficulties the entire duration of the flight.

A broad smile ran across her face. She felt both happy and proud of herself. It probably was not a big accomplishment compared to that of getting into the Thunderbolts, but still an accomplishment none the less, to her personally.

After done with today’s flight, Brooke invited Dash to rest in the lounge area.

“No,” Brook said firmly from the couch, eyes and hands focused on his sketches

Dash slumped in disappointment. “Why not?”

“High-altitude flight is one thing,” he was trying to make a point. “Wingsuit BASE jumping on the other hand is a whole other game. It’s actually really dangerous for someone inexperienced like you without making years of preparation.”

Dash breathed a sigh of mild frustration. But she soon became curious of what Brooke is doing and so decided to change topic.

“Watcha drawin’?” Dash walked over to the couch’s rear and leaned over the backrest, staring down at the sketch book. “Hey cool!”

From her point of view, it looks like some kind of a glider wing deployed from a backpack. Although the overall design was very rough and unrefined, Dash thought it would be interesting should it become practical.

“Promise me I’ll be the first one to test fly it when you actually make one,” she said eagerly.

“It’s only a concept,” Brooke stated.

“Seriously, having me on-board will triple its awesomeness factor.”

Brooke closed the book then sat up, looking at Dash. “So, have you made up your mind yet on what you’re going to do next?”

“Huh,” Dash pouted her mouth, “you sound eager of me leaving.”

“No, no, not at all,” Brooke shook his head mildly. “I merely want to be sure I’m not holding you back. Truthfully though, I’m quite happy you’re here. I still can’t believe spending time together. It’s something we didn’t get to do at high school.”

At the mention of high school, Dash’s mischievous side kicked in. “Hey, Brooke. When you said you liked me, was it only a crush, or like-like kinda like?”

Brooke was taken aback by the question. “Eh?”

Dash looked closely at his face for any signs of reddening.

“You’re blushing,” she joked.

“I’m thirsty. Are you thirsty?” Brooke rose from the couch without waiting for an answer. “I’m going to get us some drinks. Be right back.”

He walked off towards the bar, apparently to avoid the question. By then, Dash realized he had left his sketchbook on the couch by accident. Curious about what else might be in the book, she reached for it. Unfortunately, Brooke had come back and snatched the book before she could get a hold of it.

“Let me remind you again, Dash,” he said. “I do not recommend wingsuit BASE jumping until the next two years of proper training. And you are not attempt the feat alone, period.”

Dash made a long face. “‘kay…”

Several Months Later…

In the end, for some reason, Dash had decided to defy Brooke’s advice. She would attempt the wingsuit BASE jumping which unfortunately she had not made any prior preparation and training. She hiked through the remote mountainous landscape of Paragon Highlands, her large backpack stuffed with wingsuit gears. There was no trail or footpath to guide her. Instead, she merely depended on a piece of map, her phone’s GPS and jungle trekking experience she gained from her time in the air force.

At long last, Dash found the perfect spot to make the jump. She stood at the ledge, staring down into the gorge. At the bottom she could see a raging stream with stony banks and forests on both flanks. She had second thoughts all of a sudden. She inhaled sharply then shut her eyes to put herself in deep thought for a few seconds. Finally reaching a resolution, Dash opened her eyes.

“This is it,” she muttered. “I’m gonna make the jump.”

Dash stood at the ledge again after getting into her wingsuit. Without hesitation, she leaped. In her rapid descent, she extended her wingsuit by spreading her arms and legs wide. After gaining enough lift, she started to glide.

Dash streaked past through the narrow ridge into another valley. Dense green foliage glided past below her.

That wasn’t so hard, she thought. Just need to keep my altitude in check at all times and steer away from the walls.

Dash glided for half an hour or so, until a streak of light suddenly appeared in the sky. The object, which she guessed is a meteorite, was on a collision course with Paragon at the horizon. Suddenly, as though it has a mind of its own, the object instantly swerved at a nearly right angle towards the mountains where she is.

Dash however failed to realize the imminent danger. Seconds later, only then she started to panic as the object entered the valley in her direction. At this point, the object revealed itself as not a meteorite but a massive cargo container of alien origin. She scanned around for another ridge to exit to. There was none, and no wide open space below for her to land for miles either.

Dash darted hard right to avoid the alien object looming right above her. However, her reaction proved too late. The turbulence from the passing object sent her spiraling downwards uncontrollably, towards one of the taller pine trees. She crashed through several big branches, then the last thing she saw is the forest floor hurtling towards her. On impact, she received a most shocking blow she ever felt in her whole life. She blacked out almost immediately.

Dash opened her eyes but her vision is obscured due to blood dripping in her eyes. The agonizing pain she was experiencing was too much. All her insides felt like they have been torn apart. She wanted to shout but blood gurgled from her mouth and nostrils.

Shortly, a Fleet SHADE-clad figure emerging from the trees glimpsed into Dash’s vision. The figure appeared to be injured from the way she staggered away from the pluming black smoke deep in the mountain forest. It was torturous but Dash struggled to stay conscious. She has a life to live. There are still things she wanted to do, things to say, people to meet.

I…can’t die…like this, she thought. I can’t…I won’t… Skye, I...

But in the end, her effort failed. Dash’s vision blurred just before her eyelids closed shut.

Darkness. For a second, it almost seemed like this is death, where everything is in the state of non-existence, only to be punctuated by an unknown female voice…

“Oh, shit…! Of all times, why does it have to be now!?”

Dash’s eyes slit open. She felt weak, groggy and confused. It took a moment before she realized from her limited vision she was lying in a bedroom she does not recognize. It is not hers or Brooke’s. She uttered a muffled groan, whilst making a stirring movement.

The unseen woman seemingly noticed this. “Wha-”

Dash then heard the woman speaking from her side. “Hey, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

Being too dazed, she failed to react.

“I thought... Oh, forget it.”

Dash saw herself being hauled off the bed. As she is carried to the door, her gaze fell upon on herself. Her clothes were gone and replaced by the Fleet SHADE armor. She felt so weak that she was unable move any part of her body. Before reaching the door, Dash fell back to unconsciousness.

Dash opened her eyes again. In spite of her dazed state, she could make out that she is lying on the backseat of a moving car. And it was night. She placed her gaze on the driver. The woman glanced down to fiddle with the radio then glanced back up again. At that point, bright lights bore down on the car.

The woman jerked the wheel and the car spun out, flipped and tumbled. Dash was thrown around as little pieces of glass and other debris spun around. Finally, the car came to rest. After a few minutes, the same woman peered in the car through the broken window. She dragged Dash with effort out from the car.

The woman carried Dash on her shoulder as they plodded through the dark woods. When a gunshot rang behind them, both stumbled to the ground. Dash was brought right up to the woman’s face, who seemed to be in pain.

“I’m so sorry!” Gazleen said to her. “I didn’t mean for getting you involved in my mess!”

As more gunshots rang out in the distance, she said, “I won’t let ’em get us both.”

Dash was hauled up and then dragged towards a surreal scene of glowing web energies swirling around against a pitch-black backdrop.

“You’ll be safe with Zach Watterson. Find him and tell him that Sister Gazleen had sent you! That way, he’ll trust you!”

Those were the last words Dash heard from her before being pushed into the Void. She felt nauseous as she fell through pitch-dark tunnel of swirling ‘clouds’ and distorted lights. Her sight slowly blurred the moment she started to lose consciousness.

***

Dash stared in awe the picturesque brilliant blue-green color of the Blue Marble against dark blue backdrop. She felt like an astronaut watching Planet Earth from space for the first time. Her friend, Twilight would be envious if she was here right now. Dash remained absorbed in the scene for another few minutes before turning her attention back to Godslayer Watterson.

“I have so many questions,” she said to him. “I still don't get what happened. What was that thing I saw?”

“Probably one of the many weaponized Nanite transports arriving in your world,” the feline explained. “Sister Gazleen managed to stop it, thus saving the city. Unfortunately, you became collateral damage as a consequence. And despite her own injuries, she chose to unlock her SHADE then gave it to you so that your life can be saved.”

“By unlocking you mean-?”

“She purposely reprogramed that SHADE to recognize you as the new wearer, through your unique DNA imprint,” Godslayer Watterson clarified to Dash. “So unofficially, that makes you a Godslayer now.”

She frowned at him. “But then you denied it when I asked ‘bout the Nanites. What’s this really all ‘bout? And what does it have to do with my world?”

This is it, Godslayer Watterson thought. No more secrets, no more lies, only the truth. After a deep breath, he said, “To fully make sense of it, I have to take you way back to the very beginning. Pay attention because it's pretty complicated so I'm going to have to explain it in the simplest way possible.”

“Shoot.”

“There are an infinite amount of universes, all equally real, existing continuously through time,” Godslayer Watterson began. “In each of these universes, lies a world, some of which are almost identical to ours, but most are very different.”

***

“I came from Ethenia, a world of a much advanced technology than yours.”

Hallow’s Victory, the capital of the Ethenia. Space-age skyscrapers, domes and spires adorned with Ethereal decorative shells filled the opulent city, intersected by busy freeways and overpasses.

“The Ethenian Empire expanded across various galaxies over thousands of years of interstellar travel via the Void.”

Massive space crafts, built in aerial factories called the Assembly Forge, were launched into the Void. A vast interstellar armada spread out across the galaxy, leaving the Ethenian home system behind.

“Through the power of Ethereal, a vast number of planets were colonized with great machines to reshape the environments to our needs.”

A terraformer, resembling massive energy space cannon, fired an Ethereal beam from low orbit, transforming the inhospitable, lifeless planet into something more suitable. Skies changed colors. Land masses shifted. Icecaps melted into oceans.

“One fateful day, a portal appeared above the capital Hallow Victory. Out of it, emerged four omnipotent beings. Collectively, we referred them the SGs, stands for Sinned Godus.”

A different type of inter-dimensional portal appeared above Hallow Victory: a bright, tear-shaped glow. The Ethenians called this phenomenon the Light. Out of it, came four humanoids. Two females: Amber (an energy being with long flowing tendrils for hair), Ruby (spiky-haired, wearing a chrome mask and skin-tight armless leather suit); and two androgynous figures: Jade (a futuristic armored soldier equipped with a hoverboard and rifle), and Cobalt (clad in a black hooded long coat).

“The SGs caught our conventional military by surprise. Commanding the forces of nature and backed by a resilient army of golems, they overran local defenses in no time.”

Amber, Ruby, Jade and Cobalt, wielding control over lightning, fire, wind and water/ice respectively, demolished all the drones and gunships defending Hallow Victory without effort. Their advance was followed by legions of powerful Earth golems.

***

“Then as quickly as they appeared, they left,” Godslayer Watterson concluded.

“But if it isn’t an invasion, then why’d they do it?” Dash questioned further.

“Digging deeper, it was discovered that their real target was to breach into research facilities where two key technologies are being developed. One is Ethereal.” Godslayer Watterson briefly conjured his tek-bow weapon before continuing. “Think of it as light energy in solid state form. It’s stronger, more durable and lethal yet lighter than any conventional weapons.”

“And the other is Nanites,” Dash said.

“Programmable Nano machines that can mimic into structures of any objects and materials. It’s the key component of the SHADE. And regretfully, it's also same case for Ragingheart's army.”

“How?”

“Somewhere, someplace in an unknown world, these technologies are being engineered into various superweapons, then launched across the multiverse with the goals of destroying worlds.”

Weapons? Finally, Dash realized. “The fake Alicorn Amulet, those creatures…”

Godslayer Watterson nodded. “Thanks to you Dash, we now know the replicated Alicorn Amulet is Ragingheart’s key to controlling her army. As to how she came to possess it, your guess is good as mine. It’s highly likely she was manipulated by someone. Her volatile nature was already apparent when I first encountered the pony in Appleloosa. And this whole invasion thing, it is just the beginning. If we let Ragingheart get her way, this world will most likely end up razed to the ground to the ground just so she could vent her anger.”

Dash felt disgusted at the revelation. “That’s crazy beyond all levels! Why the heck would they do something like that?”

“We don’t know,” Godslayer Watterson admitted. “As are their true identities and origins, the motive is a mystery. But regardless, the SG’s machinations had to be stopped by all means. For that, the Godslayer Corps was established. Sister Gazleen and I are one of thousands of Godslayers sent on a mission to destroy the weaponized Nanites.”

“So, you guys are like inter-dimensional superheroes,” Dash remarked.

Godslayer Watterson waved off the term. “We’re only doing what’s right. We can’t interfere with other world’s affairs. Only when our Nanites are in the picture, it became a different story.”

“Okay,” Dash acknowledged. “But, why all the secrecy?”

“This is our part of our mess too,” Godslayer Watterson told her. “But most importantly no matter which world you end up in, there’re always entities with evil intentions and the prejudiced.”

Dash took this in. Whoever went after Gazleen Perris, they were probably after the SHADE Dash was wearing at the time. Gazleen did everything she could to avoid Dash’s capture not just because for sake of preventing the technology from falling into the wrong hands, there was no telling what they will do to them if captured.

“So, what now?” she asked.

“I will continue my mission here in this Equestria,” Godslayer Watterson resolved.

“What ‘bout Sister Gazleen?”

“She’s a high-ranking Godslayer. She’ll be okay, I hope…” Having decided that the revelation was enough for now, Godslayer Watterson looked expectantly at Dash. “So, do you trust me now?”

She nodded. There was no longer doubt in her.

“Good,” Godslayer Watterson said, now satisfied that Dash should have no reason to be hostile towards him. “While we’re still here, I’d like to ask you on helping me take down Ragingheart.”

“Seriously?” The thought of getting involved in the good fight sent a thrill through Dash. “You want me to fight with you?”

“I haven’t recovered enough to fight her one-on-one,” Godslayer Watterson admitted. “But you know where Ragingheart’s weakness lies. You’ve shown you’re a capable fighter. I can train you. So, what’ll it be?”

Dash looked away, musing on the proposition.

“It’s dangerous we both know that,” the feline added, “but at least you’ll be contributing something here.”

She looked back at him with resolve.

Later on, the two Godslayers stood near the ledge of a tall lunar summit.

“Can you teach how to fly with this?” Godslayer Dash asked, gesturing at her Fleet SHADE.

Godslayer Watterson gestured at his own SHADE armor. Godslayer Dash nodded, understanding his point. Although made of the same construction, Arcanist and Fleet are still completely different.

“But on the day we met,” she said, “the transformation, the flying...it wasn’t me. It just happened.”

“There has to be a reason for it,” Godslayer Watterson insisted.

She tried to recall the memories of the events. “At the time, I was really…scared. I thought I was gonna die for sure…”

“Then my best guess is you activated the functions by mistake,” Godslayer Watterson theorized. “It was an act of self-preservation without you realizing it, triggered by the memory of the accident hidden deep in your subconscious.”

Is that even possible? Dash wondered. “I did it with my mind…like you?”

“There’s a neural interface built into the SHADE that taps directly onto your thoughts,” Godslayer Watterson revealed. “That’s another way for us to exert control on the SHADE, apart from using voice command.”

Godslayer Dash thought on it for a minute.

Gazing towards the ledge, she said to him, “I wanna try something.”

Godslayer Watterson looked at the same direction. “I think I know what you have in mind. That’s a ten thousand feet drop below and if it doesn’t work, there’s no guarantee you’ll come out of it unharmed.”

“I hafta try,” Godslayer Dash resolved. “After everything that had happened, I’m not scared anymore.”

“Okay,” Godslayer Watterson relented. “But remember, this is all-or-nothing.”

Godslayer Dash nodded then stepped to the ledge. She stared down at deep rocky ridge for a moment before looking up again. She straightened up, her limbs stiffened. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly to calm her mind. Seconds later, she tilted forward, letting gravity take over her fall. As she dived head first in a free fall, her visor drew in.

All she needed to do is to relax and focus, just like she did so many times before in wingsuit flying. The jet thrusters fired up gradually to accelerate her fall.

She executed a half-aerial roll to bring herself right side up. Her descent slowed down as a result. The jet thrusters went full blast, rocketing her upwards. She was now airborne, cruising along the ridge at near subsonic speed. Testing herself, she swooped down and weaved through the jagged rock pillars jutting up from the lunar surface by moving her shoulders, hips and knees accordingly.

She whooped triumphantly as she flew through a cave at the foot of the cliff. Unfortunately, due to a second of lapsed concentration, she crashed into a rock pillar upon exiting the cave, pulverizing it during the process. Her body bounced and skidded across the lunar ground before coming to a rest. Unscathed, she rose to her feet. She brushed off the dirt and powdered stone dusting her SHADE.

“Right, let’s try this again,” Dash murmured.

With a firm posture, she turned her gaze skyward. She took a brief moment to draw out her inner strength. Then, she rocketed upwards, blowing off powdery dirt and dust beneath her.

She shot past above the mountains, climbing higher and higher. Reaching more than 30,000 feet height, she switched off her jet thrusters on purpose and came to a slow stop in midair. Entering free fall again, she dived headfirst towards the ridge. Halfway, her jet thrusters fired up again.

Back on the summit, Godslayer Watterson spotted Godslayer Dash plummeting back towards the ground.

Godslayer Dash scooped herself up in time just above the ridge. She banked and rolled like a fighter jet, following the top edge of the ridge. A steep mountainside came into her view. The jet thrusters fired down gradually just as she executed another half aerial roll. She touched the mountain wall on her feet, curling her body as the joints in the knees exerted little resistance to lessen the impact by considerable.

The jet thrusters burst its jets and then she immediately thrusted forward, away from the wall, leaving visible shockwave in her wake. Once more, she swooped down below, weaving through the jagged rock pillars. A steep wall up soon came into view up ahead. She pulled in a sharp ninety-degree angle at the last minute and flew dangerously close to the wall’s rocky surface straight up.

Godslayer Watterson saw Godslayer Dash soaring past above the mountains. His gaze followed her, tracing her trajectory. Godslayer Dash looped around in a wide circle then streaked down towards Godslayer Watterson’s position. Upon getting to a close enough distance, she landed on her feet with a heavy thud.

Her visor retracted open, revealing her drenched, disbelieving face. “I did it…”

“Yes,” Godslayer Watterson said as he approached her. “Yes, you did.”

“Aww-right! I did it! I actually flew!” Godslayer Dash was ecstatic.

Without thinking, she gave the feline a tight squeeze. Tears shed from her eyes. It was a sense of victory she was feeling right now. It bore a lot of similarities as to when she completed her first wingsuit flight. If she can learn to control the SHADE in one day, if she can defy gravity with her body, then she can do almost anything. Suddenly taking down Ragingheart and her vast army of evil constructs does not seem impossible to her anymore.

“Yeah, let’s not get carried away, okay?” Godslayer Watterson advised her.

Realizing that she got too caught up in the heat of the moment, Godslayer Dash let go of the feline immediately.

“Oh, right. Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “It’s just that it’s so different from before. I was literally flying.”

“Uh-huh.”

Per her usual self, Godslayer Dash tried to gain some compliments. “So how would you describe what I just did? Would you say I was awesome? Or maybe…super ultra-extreme awesomazing?”

“You did…okay,” Godslayer Watterson simply said, repressing his true feelings.

A smug look came over her face. Heh, good enough for me!

“Are you ready to take on Ragingheart?” the feline asked.

“You bet I am!” Godslayer Dash answered enthusiastically.

Godslayer Watterson extended a closed fist with his hand: a fist bump. “And we’re cool?”

Godslayer Dash did the same. “We’re cool.”

They complete the gesture by lightly tapping each other’s fist. By finally returning Dash’s gesture on the day they first met, a bond of trust and respect now formed between them.