Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

Infinite Shapes Most Dreadful - Part 2

"What do we do now, then?" Pinkie asked, bouncing around Rainbow Dash and on top of the slain corpses of the nightmarish creatures she'd defeated.

"Luna said I should patrol the perimeter and wait for her," Rainbow explained, keeping her eyes and ears alert. "I don't think you two are safe here, but you'll be less safe if we try to reach her. Just stay close, and scream if you see anything coming."

"That sounds like lame talk to me," the other Rainbow said. "Why should we miss out on all the cool action? Plus I'm sure it would be faster to just get to Luna anyway, it's not like anything in this forest can keep up with us."

Rainbow gave herself a flat look, then looked at Pinkie instead. "You have a really low opinion of me if that's what your head came up with. I've grown as a pony, you know?"

Pinkie gave her a very sheepish shrug. "Maybe my brain just picked an older version of you for the dream. Even though it was set in the future. Then again it was also set on a floating island that was destroyed by a swarm of fish."

"That's actually a good point, I shouldn't have assumed." Rainbow looked back at the other Rainbow, who was twirling around in the air dangerously not so close to the other two. "I've seen myself in other ponies' dreams before, but this is kinda different. Do you think she's, like, alive?"

"I guess it's not that different from my Mirror Pool clones," said Pinkie. "She's more of a caricature of you. A figment of my imagination born from recombined fragments of memories. She doesn't really exist beyond the shape she was meant to fill and the role she was meant to play."

Rainbow nodded slowly, eyes still locked on her other self. "I guess that makes sense. I'd still rather ask Luna to check on her, because as far as I know she shouldn't be here in the first place. Maybe you're keeping her around by being here yourself in some way, but that still doesn't make sense."

"Are we doing something fun or what?" yelled the other Rainbow, casually hovering on her back with her front legs behind her neck.

The real Rainbow groaned, rolling her eyes. "Was I really that annoying?"

"Eh, only sometimes," Pinkie said with a shrug. Then she pointed and screamed.

Rainbow snapped at attention, and struck down the ball of limbs and jaws sailing through the air before it had a chance to land on Pinkie. The other Rainbow quickly got there too, but not quickly enough, and she landed disappointed and somewhat deflated once she realised the danger was over. "You could have left that one for me," she whined.

"Well, maybe you'll learn to stick close to us and not rush ahead," said the first Rainbow.

The second looked at her blankly for a few silent seconds, then went back to rushing ahead without a care in the world.

"I don't think memories can learn," Pinkie whispered, leaning towards Rainbow Dash.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

Echoes of the past aren't exactly designed to grow as people. That's on the real Dash. Though I do have to wonder if the dream will linger when the dreamer awakens. And if so, for how long.