Rainbow Dash was accustomed to waking up in pain; being a Wonderbolt meant that at least some part of her was always sore. What she wasn't accustomed to was waking up in a cell in a world that's turned upside down.
In a place where everything seems wrong, she has to figure out just what she can trust. Is this a grand trick, or is this the world she's always known?
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Proofread and edited by AFanaticRabbit and Silver Mint
Cover art by the ever talented MirAmore
Chapters (13)
I am very, very eager to see where this goes. Hell yeah.
Wonderful beginning! Have a upvote sir!
Heh, I'm guessing that someone is a fan of Ronnie James Dio and maybe Ritchie Blackmore as well?
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Just listened to a lot of classic rock recently.
All of the chapter names are going to be classic rock song titles
The running theme of this story will be to call Remedy various cursewords, mostly for hurting Rainbow Dash in a billion ways!
Good job so far though, this is shaping up to be awesome
More and more intriguing ! Thanks for the update!
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There's gonna be a lot more. Shooting for 1 a day as long as I can keep it up.
I am more and more intrigued by this alt universe!
It’s starting to set in. Either Rainbow isn’t in Kansas anymore or Kansas never existed in the first place.
Poor dashie!
we aren't far in and you already have me crying. Rem why.
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This chapter isn’t even that sad!
Discord?
Just read everything up to this point. Definitely an interesting premise for a story. I'm looking forward to seeing just how real these visions were. The comics had a mirror world where Sombra was a good guy, after all. So it's still up in air as to whether everything Rainbow remembers is just a vision, or if it really happened, just in another world.
Also looking forward to seeing just what Starlight is up to, and whether or not Twilight and Fluttershy are actually dead.
Really like how you’re subverting even my expectations for the stories setting. Would feeding Discord just have the food mould and stink up the room from his neck cavity? If so, I can imagine a fun little prank Rainbow can play on the Great Leader
kinda want to know how other characters are different in this timeline, like for example take fluttershy brother zephyr, without fluttershy, what he like, did he become different without a sister to mooch off, did her death affect him, did his parent become even more over protective of him. did he experience hardships, this world so interesting i want to know how all ponies are affected
Finally caught up with your story, and that was quite a read ! I'm expecting the other shoe to drop, but I can't quite figure out how it'll play out. A Lotus-Eater Machine ? A changeling ploy ? Just the "real" reality ? A near death experience of sort ? I'm only sure that I want to know more !
Intrigued thus far and want see more.
Next day she wakes up in Equestria and boy would that be a doozy not know which is the reality and which is imagination. Maybe both reality.
I'm wondering; how did King Sombra learn of the Plunderseeds? Unlike the other calamities, Celestia and Luna could not have recorded their existence since they did not know they existed, and I find it unlikely Sombra used the memory potion to see them being planted for himself to figure it out.
Also, I'm wondering if Sombra saying that the main timeline versions of Celestia and Luna banished the Crystal Empire (instead of Sombra being the one that banished the empire like in canon) is an actual difference, bias by this Sombra, or something else.
Okay, just reached the last chapter and I have a few suspicions. First, I believe Rainbow did see another world. This isn't a case of her coming to an altered timeline, but seeing a different life like Sombra said.
Second, Sombra obtained knowledge of all the events up to Season Nine, meaning he may know about a few other things that he's not letting onto. I can't help but notice that "Conquest/extermination" of the Changelings wasn't on his long list of achievements. Also, I think I have a theory for something else that was bothering me earlier.
Sombra saw everything meaning he could prepare in advance for all the enemies he saw. And Rainbow Dash, somehow, has an eye problem in this world when she didn't in her memories?
I think Sombra messed with her eyesight as a filly, stopping her from launching the Rainboom that would unite the others and lead them to their special talents. I also think that Sombra and Rainbow's relationship in this world is a little more intimate then just king and subject, seeing as how one of her memories alludes to Sunset calling her out as a manipulative user.
Other than that, I have no idea what's going on and I love it! The puzzle pieces are there and I'm eagerly waiting for them all to fall into place!
I feel bad for Q. i mean really really bad for him
to be quite honest, i feel like the only pony really getting anything out of this world compared to the other is Sombra.
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I feel like Rarity and Spitfire made out pretty well too.
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True, but that also feels like it would be easy enough for dash to set up if/when she gets back to Equestria prime.
Otherwise this world seems to be objectively worse for all involved except the stallion in charge.
Finally caught up. I have to say sombra appears to be the only one getting anything out of this timeline.
Well... are we dealing with some kind of multiverse like event ? Did reality merged due to some undisclosed spell ? Anyhow, something's definitly not right here. And I do hope we get more info about all of that soonish.
Got on her for protecting Pinkie, tho. Some thing do not change, at least.
I wonder when and where Pinkie Pie turned into… that.
She’s obviously been conscious of this world for a while, long enough to have had others try and dissuade her of what they’d perceive as mental breakage or mania, and to have slipped out of the oversight of whomever attempted to help her.
Rarity either hasn’t experienced the conflicting realities yet, or has and has managed to adopt the memories of this worlds Rarity as a cover.
DIO!
If Sombra gets out of this fic unscathed, I'll be surprised
Oh, she’s not going to react well to that.
Wow
Spitfire and Rarity is such an interesting ship choice. One that I would never even think about! But I love the way you've written them so far.
I hope can make amends with Sombra. Even if their relationship seems a bit Activision-Blizzardy he’s still (for the most part) the unquestioned autocrat of Equestria and it’s rather obvious he has and has had untoward power over her career.
Okay, pausing a bit before going to the next chapter. That's going to be good.
Well at least she is recovering. I wonder if something will happen when she performs a sonic rainbow again.
Oh Frig!
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Either of those two will break her.
Ow ow ow ow ow...!
Talk about an AU
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Solid guess I'm seconding
Upvoted just for these chapter titles.
...
Interesting paths you've got here.
Will there be a Temple of The King?
The good new if that Rainbow can take flight again, and with her characteristic ease. Still, I can't help but think there's some kind of "catch" somewhere.
We shall see, in time.
😯
What, she met Pinkie less than a week ago and already forgot her? Isn't helping her recover in any way? Where's Loyalty after meeting the only one that saw or possibly lived the same?
This is a very weird moment for Rainbow's personality, but maybe that's a clue in itself.
Seems like the main universe Rainbow was the one that really worked hard, if she's the one that really went against her limits like that. Maybe Sombra is more mistaken than he could imagine, bloodthirsty as he was. But one also can't deny that there's merit to actually solving your problems... Even when letting Harmony do it's job might be better for everyone involved.
Decided to read this story when I saw it in the box last update, did it today. Pleasantly impressed, think that this Rainbow died and this Starlight did shenanigans to revive her that either brought the original's mind into this body or copied her and Pinkie was collateral damage either way, will follow attentively.
Personal theory about the fatal scar. I think the RD of this world is dead and somehow the original RD's soul is implanted into this incarnation's body. But how, why and who did it is uncertain.
Yep it seems only sombra is getting anything out of this altered timeline.