• Published 30th Dec 2015
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It's A Screwed Up Life - Autum Breeze



Life can become very confusing when you go from working in a factory to waking up as a pony with Choas Magic. Wait. Did I say confusing? I meant FUN!

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Evil Has Many Names. Rainbow Dash Was Never One I Thought Possible To Be One

Evil Has Many Names. Rainbow Dash Was Never One I Thought Possible To Be One

___________________________________________________________

“Starlight,” the frail voice of the gray filly replied, her breathings shallow. "Starlight Spa..."

Then there was nothing.

Only two noises remained. The clanking of the Rainbow Factory one story below and the ever present static. It was truly over now.

“I’m... sorry,” The stallion’s eyes began to close as he took his last breaths.

Suddenly, the stallion found himself breathing normally again.

Confused and terrified, he bolted up, looking around frantically for Starlight… only to find the filly floating in the air… her wings not even moving.

She was glancing around, her forelegs folded, a stern frown on her face. “Fuck me, this was worse than I even thought,” she said… in a voice very different from before.

“What…? What in Equestria…?” the stallion glanced around, beyond confused.

The grey filly turned to him, glancing down at her right foreleg, which somehow now had a watch around it. “You might wanna move to the right.” She nudged her head towards his left.

He blinked, before he heard a banging sound from behind him.

Turning, he saw the breach wall behind him shift a fraction, before a huge dent appeared.

Hesitating only for another second, he dived to his left as the wall exploded open.

At once, firm and loud voices could be heard.

As the stallion turned to get up, his eyes widened as a battalion of Royal Guard pegasi rushed through the opening.

What in the world was going on?

Then, to further his confusion, after at least twenty guards had moved in, they parted to allow somepony else through… an Earth Pony filly, with a pink coat, white and purple mess of mane and tail and a Cutie Mark that was a baseball and screw.

It was her eyes, however, that truly pulled him in. there were no pupils. They were only spirals.

Not only that… she was floating?

But she wasn’t alone. She was being flanked by a purple Alicorn, who’s face was grim with concern.

The filly glanced around, before meeting eyes with the grey filly.

“Yeah,” Starlight said, shaking her head. “This is more fucked up than anyone could’ve guessed.”

Then, to his absolute bewilderment, the grey filly turned into a copy of the pink one and sunk into her.

“I… but… WHAT?!” he yelled.

“In due time, Finish Line,” the Alicorn said, startling him. How did she know his name?

The pink filly turned, glaring at the door that had sealed him in as more pegasi guards came pouring in through the giant hole that had been blown open. “This’ll only take a second.”

She held up a hoof and, to Finish Line’s further bewilderment, it turned into a cannon and fired a rainbow blast from it.

The blast hit the door, which exploded, a faint but familiar scream coming from within the blast.

When the dust settled, Rainbow Dash, bruised and battered, lay unconscious where the door had been.

“Take Finish Line to the medical core,” the Alicorn said, looking over her shoulder to several guards. “We will secure the prisoners and the patient.”

Before he knew what was happening, the stallion was grabbed by several pegasi, who lifted him up so his injured limbs were above the ground and carried him out the room.

___________________________________________________________

“I… I don’t understand,” Finish Line said as he was led down a hallway.

He’d passed out shortly after being removed from the room, the loss of blood and end of adrenaline running through his veins catching up with him.

When he’d come to, he’d been lying in a bed in a hospital room, his wounds bandaged and tended to.

There were several guards posted around him and he’d soon learned why as, within moments of waking up, the colt from the factory, somehow alive, had come charging into the room, waving a scalpel, shouting how he’d kill him.

Starlight Spark, the filly he’d almost escaped with, had visited shortly after, apologizing for his actions.... and revealing something bizarre to say the least. All the fillies and colts who’d died when she had arrived at the Rainbow Factory were here, in the same hospital, alive and healthy, even the one he’d had to remove the wings from.

But it wasn’t just that group in this hospital. All the fillies and colts from the previous batches were here too. Too for him to even remember how many.

The world had stopped making any sense at all.

How could all those ponies, who’d long been dead, still be alive today?

Now, his physical wounds healed, he was being led, not by guards, but by the pink Earth Pony filly from the factory. To where, he hadn’t a clue, but she had assured him he was finally going to get answers.

The filly, who’d identified herself as Screwball, sighed, looking annoyed as she muttered, “People just never listen. That’s why they never understand.”

They stopped at a door, which opened to reveal something he didn’t expect at all.

Rainbow Dash was tied to a steel chair. She looked horrid. Her mane was ragged and unkempt, her eyes were huge and she was wearing a mixture between a snarl and a smile.

“Hello, solider!” she spat. “Come to rub in your escape?”

“Having to wait til you were healed to reveal the truth has not been fun,” Screwball scowled, standing up on her hind legs and walking towards Rainbow Dash.

“What is going on, Screwball?” Finish jumped, turning around to find Princess Celestia, Luna and the purple Alicorn from the factory, whom he’d learned was the newest Princess, Twilight Sparkle, walking in from behind him.

“First, we’ll hear it from the horse’s mouth,” Screwball said, turning and glaring at the bound cyan mare. “Why are you doing this?”

The bound mare just snorted. “Running the Rainbow Factory? Saving Equestria, that’s what.”

Screwball did not look impressed. “I wasn’t speaking to you.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head in confusion. “Huh?”

Screwball sighed, rubbing her temple with a hoof. “Scootaloo? Come in please?”

Any confusion Rainbow Dash showed at the mentioning of the orange Pegasus was halted when said Pegasus walked in through the door, a hospital gown on. The shield with a lightning bolt within a feather Cutie Mark on her flank barely covered by the end of the gown.

The cyan mare’s eyes went wide as dinner plates, her mouth hanging open.

“Sc-Sc… Sc-Sc…” she stuttered, her eyes fixed on the filly who glared back at her.

“How?!” Finish managed after several moments of nothing but Dash struggling to say the name. “I saw you die!”

“Nope,” Screwball folded her forelegs. “You did not. What you saw was a clone of myself. Flesh bound to me, but with Scootaloo’s mind piloting it, completely unaware she wasn’t herself.”

“I… what?” For every answer, he became more confused.

Princess Celestia sighed. “Several weeks before Scootaloo’s final test at the flight school, Miss Screwball appeared in the throne room.”

“Literally,” Princess Luna deadpanned. “She just popped into existence right before us. Scared the envoy from Saddle Arabia we were discussing trade with nearly to death.”

“I’m what you’d called a Being of Chaos,” Screwball said, turning to face him. “Truthfully, I’m the Princess of Chaos. The princesses have met my dad from your universe already.”

“Discord,” Princess Twilight Sparkle groaned, rubbing a hoof against her forehead. “He never ceases to make things more complicated than they need to be, even when it’s one that isn’t even from our universe.”

Screwball nodded. “Yep. And I’ve a bit of a hobby. I like visiting alternate Equestrias and messing around in them for a bit.”

“Alternate… Equestrias?” Finish Line shook his head.

The filly held her hooves in front of her, before thrusting them outwards, and an array of what looked like stars against the night sky appearing before her in a block of black.

“Your universe is but one of billions,” she said, pointing to several in turn. “In this one, Princess Twilight Sparkle here became Celestia and Luna’s mother after she and her friends got sent into Equestria’s ancient past and became the very Elements of Harmony themselves. In this one, Twilight was actually a Changeling Royal her whole life and had been swapped with the stillborn of her unicorn self so she’d grow up loved. Here, Equestria is full of humans instead of ponies and other magical creatures. And here, Nightmare Moon is brought back by a cult, but is a filly and becomes Twilight’s daughter. Billions of universes, with infinite possibilities.”

“And she stumbled upon our universe several weeks before the final test I would be taking,” Scootaloo said, nodding.

“Now, I noticed something very wrong with your universe, right away,” Screwball said, a large sheet of paper appearing before her. On the paper, there was a line that stretched from one end, which said “Sonic Rainboom” to another that said “Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever”.

“I… don’t get it,” Finish Line shook his head.

“Nopony does,” Screwball sighed, before pointing a hoof at a spot that, after a few quick mental calculations, Finish realized was a year before he saw Scootaloo grinded into Spectra. “Happy Hills never got her Cutie Mark.”

There was a pause.

“Huh?” Finish asked.

Screwball shook her head. “Happy was a filly who failed her final test at flight school. According to this timeline,” she indicated to the paper, “she was supposed to be exiled from Cloudsdale and get a Cutie Mark for singing folk songs… but she died before getting her mark at all.”

“So, just because some random filly didn’t get her mark, something was wrong with our universe?” Finish Line deadpanned. “I mean, yeah, our universe is pretty fucked up, but that’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”

“We felt the same way, Finish Line,” Princess Luna said, before her expression firmed. “At least, we did until Screwball’s first clone was destroyed and the filly it had been linked to had not awoken.”

“It’s like I said,” Screwball paced back and forth calmly. “Each of the pegasi who were with Scootaloo at the factory were not actually those pegasi. I teleported each of them here, to a secret medical bunker I had the princesses arrange, leaving duplicates of myself that were cut off from my mind so they could be piloted by all the fillies and colts who were taking their final test that year. Unfortunately, the mental strain had been more than I’d anticipated on them, so they didn’t awake the moment the bodies they were puppeting were destroyed. So, it wasn’t until shortly after this year’s group, also replaced with my clones, entered the factory that we finally got any news.”

“Scootaloo and her fellow pegasi’s findings were… horrifying to say the least,” Princess Twilight shuddered, before looking to the bound Pegasus. “But… what horrifies me more, is why Rainbow Dash would do all of this. How can she be the Element of Loyalty after all this?!”

“Which is why we’re here,” Screwball turned back the Pegasus mare. “Rainbow Dash is the one who has run the Rainbow Factory all these years and Rainbow Dash has not run the factory, ever.”

“What does that even mean?” Finish gave the filly a very annoyed glare. “How can she have run it and not run it at the same time?”

“Let’s ask her,” Screwball looked to Rainbow Dash and glared. “Why are you doing this to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash?!”

Before any pony present could ask what she meant, something immediately changed in Rainbow Dash.

Seconds ago, she’d been stuck, staring at the orange filly, stuttering “Sc-Sc” over and over, all throughout their discussions.

The moment Screwball asked that question, however, her face changed.

No longer stunned, frozen in place, eyes wide. As they watch, her eyes returned to normal and her mouth pulled back in a cruel sneer. “So, when did you figure it out, Screwball, dahling?”

Her voice had changed. Though it was still the raspy voice they all knew, the inflections were all different. More sophisticate.

“Took a few days, but some deep diving and universal observation clued me in,” Screwball said coldly.

“Then you know why, dahling,” Rainbow snickered.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo looked from Rainbow Dash to all the adults. “Why is Rainbow Dash talking like she’s Rarity all of a sudden?”

“Remember how I mentioned your universe is one of billions?” Screwball turned around, looking to each adult who was not Rainbow Dash in turn.

They all nodded.

Screwball shook her head. “Well, your Equestria only exists…” she sighed, “because I didn’t know something so well intended could have such an effect.”

“Elaborate,” Princess Celestia said sternly.

Screwball folded her forelegs. “Princesses, are you familiar with the disease Swamp Fever?”

The three Alicorns were puzzled by the change in subject but nodded.

“Yes,” Princess Twilight said, rubbing her chin with a hoof. “In fact, we’ve recently been having to relocate many ponies and other creatures who claimed to have suffered from the final symptoms, but were suddenly perfectly healthy, even Applejack’s parents, who were long thought dead.”

Screwball nodded. “A while back, I joined forces with several Discords from multiple timelines and universes. Together, we pooled our Chaos Magic together to create a fixed point. Its intent: To eradicate all traces of Swamp Fever and heal those who’d been turned into a trees by it throughout all of time and space. To this day, the wave of energy we created is still moving, expanding out to every dimension, every parallel.”

“Wait, you cured Swamp Fever?!” Princess Twilight’s eyes went wide.

Princess Celestia’s expression, however, had become stern. “What does this have to do with how… Rainbow Dash is acting?”

Screwball scowled. “Like I said, throughout all of time and space. Turns out, there was a universe that was not like yours, but had Swamp Fever in it. A universe that was decaying away.”

“What was this universe?” Luna asked.

Screwball glanced to Rainbow Dash, who was giving a manic grin. “G3.5.”

The answer, left all confused.

Screwball held out a hoof and a smaller version of the magical multiverse screen she’d shown them earlier appear above it. On it were three orbs, two of which had a line splintering away from it, that had a line splintering away from it too.

“All universes go a by a name. A code specific to that universe and its variations to all others. These ones here are referred to as the Generation Universes. This one,” the first orb, where a human with blonde hair playing with ponies could be seen, “is called the G1 Universe. The one next to it,” the orb showing ponies who looked a bit similar to those from the G1 orb but in a town, “goes by two names, either G2 or the Pony Tales Universe. The one next to it,” she indicated to the third main orb, where an Earth Pony with rainbow mane could be seen, “is the G3 Universe. It has a parallel universe of it’s own, called G3.2,” the orb connected to the G3 orb showed two unusual looking Earth Pony who kind of looked like Cheerliee and Scootaloo.

“Why’re Miss Cheerliee and I there?” Scooaloo asked, pointing to the G3.2 orb.

Screwball gave a light smirk. “In that universe, you two are sisters.”

“What?!” Scootaloo’s jaw dropped.

“I fear this is the point you were getting to but… the universe splintering from that?” Luna asked, indicating to the orb splintering away from the G3.2 orb.

Screwball had a mixture of disgust and disappointed on her face. “That universe is a splinter from G3.2. It, is G3.5. That,” she turned and gave a harsh glare to the manic grinning Pegasus, “is where the Rainbow Dash we are currently speaking with comes from.”

“Huh?” was everypony else’s confused response.

Screwball sighed, the G3.5 orb growing larger as she held it in her hooves. “This universe was meant to be similar to G3.2. It had a destiny set for all its inhabitants. However, events beyond its control caused the universe to stop.”

Looking into the orb, they saw what looked like baby ponies playing, some looking familiar, others, not so much.

As they watched, the environment around the babies began to change. It crew duller, the colours faded away, the babies became still.

“Their universe, through no fault of its own, was dying,” Screwball said. “Time stood still, life never moved on. It was essentially a living hell and remained that way for years… at least, until I unintentionally breathed new life into it.”

“How?” Scootaloo asked, very confused.

“Like I said, the fixed point the Discords and I created cured Swamp Fever in every parallel… including this one.”

“They had Swamp Fever in this G3.5 universe?” Luna asked, shocked. Since they’d only seen several babies so far, the idea was hard to believe.

Screwball nodded. “Due to its decay happening so rapidly, nopony in that universe every learned of the disease. It still existed there, however and so, it was cured… but what happened next I never could’ve imagined.”

“What?” Princess Celestia asked firmly. “What happened?”

Screwball gave a small smile. “The cure ended up causing the G3.5 universe to change to match the baseline for Equestrias throughout the multiverse.”

“What about them?” Scootaloo pointed to the baby ponies.

Screwball closed her eyes. “They were shown visions of what their universe was about to become. They all understood that they would become the ponies more akin to Equestria, with no memory of their previous selves. They understood that meant many things would change. You, Scootaloo, for example would no longer be Cheerliee’s little sister anymore, but you and her came to terms with that, happy that you would at least both still be alive and be close, just in a different way than sisters. But not all were happy with what Equestrian fate they would have.”

She glared at Rainbow Dash, who just glared right back. “It wasn’t fair! Sweetie Belle would get to stay a unicorn but I didn’t get to remain a fashion designer. Oh, no, that skill and desire, even my own voice, were to go to that pathetic Princess Rarity!”

“Rarity, a princess?” Twilight blinked.

“All other ponies and beings from the G3.5 universe merged essence with their Equestrian counterparts,” Screwball said, the orb vanishing. “Deep down, you’re all still those same beings. They are a part of you, working in harmony… all except for Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash sneered. “Yes, I was locked away in this pathetic excuse for my replacement. She never had any interest in fashion! She rarely put herself in any situation where I could get even a foothold, let alone take control for myself…” her sneer became more twisted, “until the moment she was approached by the Rainbow Factory staff and learned the truth about how they made rainbows.”

Screwball scowled.

“Oh, yes, dahling. The idea broke a piece of her,” Rainbow Dash chuckled darkly. “It was all I needed. Of course, I realized taking complete control was pointless. This universe was not meant for my fashion, so I… altered things a bit. Whenever her mind was on anything but the Rainbow Factory, I bloated out her knowledge of it. That’s why she’s the Element of Loyalty. She is loyal… I am not.”

“You murdered countless ponies because you couldn’t get what you wanted when your universe became ours?!” Princess Celestia snarled in horror.

Rainbow Dash cackled. “Why not? Your Rainbow Dash would get all the blame, thinking she did it, while I get to take my revenge on you all for taking away my life! And Rarity? Oh, I’ll make her pay soon enough. Just because she’s not a Pegasus, doesn’t meant I can’t use her for Spectra.”

“Enough!” Screwball was glowing with an orange light. “No more! This ends now, Rainbow Dash!”

To the shock of all, the filly lunged forward and thrust her hoof through the cyan mare’s chest.

However, no blood spilled. It was as if the pink hoof had sunk right into the flesh.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash began screaming in what sounded like a mixture of pain and rage as Screwball started pulling her hoof back, levitating into the air.

It was not alone though. As the pink hoof moved further and further out from Rainbow’s chest, a transparent version of another pony who looked similar to Rainbow Dash, with a more styled mane akin to Rarity’s, was pulled out too.

Within seconds, the transparent Earth Pony mare was yanked out of Rainbow Dash, who’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, it slumping on her shoulders.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Scootaloo cried.

“It’s okay,” Screwball said, her voice firm, but calm. “She’s just unconscious. The G3.5 Rainbow Dash’s main essence is still within her. I’ve only removed the twisted mind corrupting her.”

You filthy bitch! The transparent mare snarled as Screwball held her up, her voice now sounding more like Rarity’s. I’ll make you pay! You hear me?! I’ll grind you to dust!

Screwball just looked coldly at her. “No, you won’t. You’re going to wish you’d never done anything to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash. Your world’s suffering has ended a long time ago… but yours has barely begun.”

The transparent Rainbow Dash gave a spin chilling scream as she writhed in agony as she seemed to light on fire, before vanishing from sight.

They all watched as Screwball floated back down to the ground, settling on all fours again.

“She’s gone,” she said, sounding slightly winded.

“What… Where did you send her?” Finish Line asked.

Screwball remained silent for a moment. “You don’t want to know.”

“So, what about…?” Twilight indicated to Rainbow Dash, unconscious.

Screwball was silent again. “It’s not going to be easy, Twilight. I can’t lie. Your citizens very spirits are going to need time to heal, Rainbow Dash especially.”

“You will not stay,” Princess Luna said. It wasn’t a question.

Screwball shook her head. “My place was only to find out what was happening in the Rainbow Factory and stopping it. Your world is your own. You must pick up the pieces.”

“And don’t worry about the Spectra problem,” Princess Twilight said firmly. “There’s enough left for at least a decade and I’m close to finding a way to make a machine that will allowing ponies to donate their Spectra without dying.”

The pink filly nodded, before looking to the stallion. “And you, Finish Line? What are your plans?”

He gave a firm salute. “I know I can never have redemption for all the horrible things I’ve done. But, I’m going to spend every remaining second of my life doing whatever small thing I can to make up for it anyway.”

Screwball smirked. “Thought so. Farewell, everypony. My own world awaits me.”

With that, there was a popping sound and she was gone.

___________________________________________________________

Twilight levitates the flower out from her saddlebag. “There’s only one petal left, but I think you all know what to wish for.” She gets a slightly sheepish look. “And I’m pretty sure Star Swirl won’t mind.”

“Eenope!”

I teleport in front of her, grabbing the flower.

“Screwball?!” the purple mare cries, before glaring. “What’re you doing?!”

“Twilight, you know there are times Discord and I won’t be here to help you lot when you screw up,” I say, forelegs folded as I float in front of her. “This flower could be the difference between Equestria ending in disaster or surviving one day. And I’m pretty sure Star Swirl will mind wasting a limitless wish on something so small I can do it.” With that, I morph my hoof into a hand and snap my fingers.

The adult CMC flash with white light, it fading to reveal them as fillies again.

The older filly and colt are staring in shock, before the latter shakes his head. “Hold on. You three are actually younger than us.”

“The flower turned us into grownups so… we figured we could do whatever we wanted,” Sweetie Belle says sheepishly, before looking down in shame. “But, I… guess that’s not exactly true.”

“We did everything real grownups told us not to and caused all kinds of trouble,” Apple Bloom shaking her head.

“And things could’ve been a lot worse,” Scootaloo says with a worried look on her face, before she starts pawing at the ground. “I guess we were pretty selfish.”

“I’m glad you’ve learned something. That’s what growing up is,” Twilight smiles, before pointing firmly at the three, “which is why you probably shouldn’t skip any of it.”

“And with that, I’m going to go put this wish granting flower somewhere it will be safe until needed,” I say, pulling down a zipper in mid-air and tossing the flower inside, before closing it, the zipper vanishing. “And I assume you’ve looked at those I suggested for the non-friendship related teachers?”

After the Storm King’s invasion thing, Twilight decided to open up a School of Friendship in Ponyville and… I immediately had to step in with the preparations. Twilight, for whatever reason, hadn’t bothered to ask any actually teaching professionals to teach there.

Cheerilee is literally living in the same town and she hadn’t asked her.

Good thing I actually took the time to make sure she’d have a few more teachers around than just her and the Mane 6.

“Actually, yes,” she smiles. “I was reviewing their credentials right before Star Swirl asked me to learn what I could about that wishing flower.”

“Then don’t let me hold you up,” I do an exaggerated bow mid-air, before poofing away.

After the months I just spent in that other universe, I need a rest before we open the school.

Author's Note:

Finally, after a ridiculously long time, here's an update.

Now, what's in this chapter before Screwball returns to her universe was originally supposed to be a full on sequel to Awoken, by Syn3rgy and with their permsion... but, as time wore on, I realized I'm never going to be able to do the whole fic justice, so had to settle for it being a chapter in Screwball's own story.


Now, for those shocked by the idea of the G3 Rainbow Dash using her G4 counterpoart to commit murder in the Rainbow Factory and think I came up with this idea all on my own, I was actually inspired by someone else TheOneAJ, who suggested something different, but very similar could be the reason G3 is the way it is, though I clearly took it a more directly in G4 aspect.

Here's the mane clip from his Awoken Review where he mentions it.


And, no, in case you're a bit confused, Screwball is still in the season 8 timeline, just during the time between Twilight getting Provisional EEA Aproval for the School of Friendship and the actual opening of the school itself.

I mean, the school obviously wasn't built the moment she got the approval.

Plus, considering how many (justifiably) have pointed out the CMC were WAY too mature and world savy by the point Growing Up is Hard to Do came around, it makes more sense that that episode is actually set before season 8 got under way and fits too well into that time slot.

Notice how Twilight is more focused on finding answers on the identity of the wishing flower than the school or even her "learning how to take over for when she becomes ruler" thing? The same with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy (Pinkie didn't appear in the episode but I HIGHLY doubt Twilight would leave her solely in charge of the school by herself, even if Starlight and Spike were helping her out)?

And, yes, one could reason since Starlight was now Headmare by that point, Sunburst Vice Headstallion and Trixie the Guidance Councilor that could explain it, but it feels a little too convenient to use that as the excuse.

So, it's my headcanon that the episode itself actually takes place before The Last Problem, with the adult CMC telling the story of Growing Up is Hard to Do to their students at the school, with the story itself being set before the school was even opened.

Feel free to use it as your own headcanon if you wish.


Now, if you'll excuse me i need to go have some rest as i've been working on this since 8am this morning on the home computer and it's a lot more draining to do so here than at my local library, despite how i only get a 3 hour time window there.


I hope this still works okay despite it being a more condensed version of what was going to be a whole fanfic with some rearranged season 9 and 8 stuff mixed in added afterwards.

Hope you enjoyed and, til next time, later everybody

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