Changing Our Destinies

by silent_user

Chapter 9 - A Flame Ignited

“Good morning, Mister and Misses Belle. I am Special Agent Flash, and this is my… colleague Special Agent Orion.” For a moment, disdain was visible on his face. “We are very sorry for intruding, but there have been rumours that your daughter Rarity gained her cutie mark under unusual circumstances. May we come in, please?”

Cookie quickly responded, before her husband had a chance, “Of course. Can we get you something? Coffee, water-“

Flash and Orion darted into the house instantly, not giving them any chance to change their mind. "No, thank you. We are here on official business. Is your daughter not home yet?”

“Excuse me, but why are you taking such an interest in Rarity?” Hondo inquired.

“We are happy to explain in a moment. Can we sit down somewhere? This might take some time,“ Flash was careful not to raise any alarms. His superior had been clear. If he messed this up, he would end up like Dust.

“We are so sorry.” Cookie gestured towards the living room. “Please make yourself comfortable. Rarity should be home soon.”

They made their way to the living room and sat down. Not wasting any time, Orion handed them a court order. “Your daughter may be in danger. For her protection and the protection of everypony else, we may need to take her to Canterlot. For a final determination, we must know the exact circumstances of how she acquired her cutie mark.”

The words sparked fear in Cookie and Hondo. Just as intended. “Danger?”

“Surely you have read the newspapers? We believe that Twilight Sparkle foalnapped Rainbow Dash due to her connection to the sonic rainboom. If your daughter, too, gained her cutie mark as a result of the rainboom, then she is probably the next target.”

“But why? Why would she do that? Why can’t you stop her?” The thought that their daughter might be the target of a dark mage terrified them.

Orion and Flash knew that and pressed on, “Dark magic is not only highly perilous but also extremely powerful. We are doing our best, yet Twilight Sparkle is proving exceptionally smart and ruthless. She doesn't hesitate to use force against us, which makes things difficult since I have to admit we are hesitant to use force against her. Nevertheless, we hope that we can figure out a solution that will allow us to cure her without resorting to extreme measures.

"Until we have achieved that, we might have to put your daughter into protective custody. The princess herself would look out for her while also analyzing the connection between Rarity, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash.

“This is the safest way for everypony. Should Twilight Sparkle get her hooves on Rarity, there is no telling what she could do to her. Worst case scenario, she performs a dark magic ritual-"

The opening of the door indicated Rarity’s arrival.

“Mom, Dad, I am home!”

Rarity turned around the corner and was greeted by her parents rushing towards her. The two unknown ponies in the background didn’t escape her notice. “Is everything all right?”

"Thank Celestia, you are ok! We were so scared that-"

"Hello, Rarity. We are here on behalf of Princess Celestia. I am Special Agent Flash, and this is Special Agent Orion. Could you please tell us how you have gotten your cutie mark?" There was no need for Rarity to hear the story they had just told since that story was reserved for her parents only.

To their delight, Rarity didn't want to hear the reasoning for their request either, immediately breaking out of her parent's embrace and rushing towards Flash and Orion. "The Princess sent you? To ask about my cutie mark?”

“Indeed,” Flash confirmed.

Rarity felt like she would faint momentarily, but she had to stay strong. The princess needed her. “I wanted to make costumes for a school play. They needed to be spectacular! The best costumes one could dream of! One day I will become a great fashionista! The best Equestria -“ Rarity stopped herself. She was getting off-topic "- I tried and tried, but I just couldn't get them right. Just when I wanted to give up, my horn activated itself, and my magic dragged me away-“

“Your horn activated itself, dragging you away?” Magic acting by itself was nothing unusual, especially for young unicorns. Normally it either resulted in uncontrolled behaviour or was caused by desires the foal in question held. “Was it acting controlled? Did you secretly want it to do that?”

“No, not at all! I mean, yes… I wanted to create unique costumes, but my magic took me to a place I didn’t even know about!” Rarity exclaimed.

Flash and Orion looked at each other. They had no idea what to make of that.

“I even tried to resist, but my horn just wouldn’t budge. Finally, after an eternity of being dragged along, it placed me down before a gigantic rock! Foolishly I got angry, not realizing the gift I had just been granted. Then this huge rainbow wave happened, causing the rock to split apart, revealing dozens of beautiful gems. I brought them home and used them to enhance my costumes.

“The end result was amazing! They were beautiful! The crowd loved them! That was when I got my cutie mark. It was also when I finally knew once and for all that my destiny truly was to become a fashion designer,” she finished her story.

“Oh, wow. That was not entirely what we were expecting.” Flash and Orion had been briefed that the potential bearers should have gotten their cutie marks immediately after or with the rainboom. Yet, they couldn’t just disregard Rarity’s tale. “It would be best to bring you to the princess directly. She will be able to tell directly whether or not you… fit into the criteria.”

“I get to meet the Princess!” Rarity couldn’t contain her excitement. She threw off her backpack, immediately rushing towards the door.

“Rari-“

Rarity’s parents were blocked from getting to her. “Unfortunately, you cannot accompany us. But don’t worry, we will keep Rarity safe and return her as soon as possible. Should you have any questions, you can always contact your local guard station or refer to the documents we have provided you." Quickly they made their way out of the house, scooped up Rarity and took off with a chariot that was waiting for them.

“What just happened?” Cookie asked her husband.

“I have no idea.” Hondo walked back towards the table and picked up the papers.

“Those were real officers, right?” His wife joined him.

Together they began to read carefully.

***

The chariot began to tilt forward. They were falling out of the sky.

Without thinking, Rainbow grabbed Twilight and catapulted them out. “Hold on tight, Twi!”

Just barely Twilight managed to do so while also not letting go of Spike.

Below them, they could see the chariot spiralling towards the ground, disappearing below the clouds, with no sign of the changelings that had been escorting them.

For a moment, Rainbow was hovering in the air, clueless about what to do next.

It was entirely the wrong thing to do. Yet, that realization only came when Rainbow saw a sharp object whirling at her. Only her quick reflexes enabled her to react at all.

But, even with those reflexes, she didn’t stand a chance. Not when she also had to carry Twilight.

Her attempt to get out of the way was interrupted when the arrow pierced through her wing, causing a deafening scream.

It was a scream that no one would ever hear, thanks to an enchantment placed on the arrow that quickly resulted in her being enveloped by foreign magic.

As Rainbow plunged towards her death, only one thought remained on her mind.

She had let go of Twilight.

***

Twilight was falling.

Dashie was hit!

She had lost sight of her, but one thing was certain.

She won't be able to save me.

It was up to her now. Spike and Rainbow depended on her.

But how! I can’t fly!

The cloud came closer.

The clouds!

Quickly she levitated her bag towards her. Previously she had felt foolish for trying to save it from going down with the chariot, even if it was just on instinct. Now that instinct would save her life. She took the amulet she had stolen in Ponyville out of it, putting it on.

It had to work.

Holding Spike as tightly as she could, she slammed into the cloud.

At first, the cloud seemed to give way before recovering at the last second.

It worked.

I am alive! It worked!

Twilight looked around. There was no Rainbow in sight.

That’s weird.

She used her magic to detach a small area of the cloud, slowly levitating it closer and closer towards the trees, with herself on it.

She could only hope that somehow Rainbow was ok.

And that whoever had attacked them hadn’t gotten to her yet.

***

Somepony had managed to catch her before she impacted the ground.

While she could barely make anything out, thanks to her blurred vision and ringing ears, it was clear to her that it wasn’t Twilight. Twilight would have rendered aid instead of carelessly carrying her around.

The pony threw her on the ground.

“We found one of the two ponies, Captain.”

Rainbow tried to make out her surroundings.

Next to her lay another pony.

“I… am sorry. Seems like we failed to uphold… our end of the bargain.”

I have to get out of here.

I have to find Twilight.

"Oh, would you look at that? The parasite has decided to finally speak!" Another pony walked towards them. “Get reinforcements. If the newspapers were correct, then this is Rainbow Dash, which means that the second pony more than likely is Twilight Sparkle.” The pony seemed to turn around. “Today, we have been graced with fortune, men! If you see Twilight Sparkle, kill on sight. This gift cannot be wasted.”

She is still out there. They have yet to find her.

There is still hope for her.

“What about those two?”

“The poison will take care of them, but I am feeling generous today. Let’s grant them a quick death.” She could hear a knife being unsheathed.

“Step away from my friends!”

No!

Get away, Twilight! They will hurt you too!

Don’t throw your life away! Not for me!

A bright red/orange light engulfed the area.

“Seems like reinforcements won’t be necessary. Thank you so much for making our job easier. The Queen will be pleased.”

Rainbow summoned all her remaining energy, trying to see what was happening.

She has to have a plan, right?

She could barely believe what she saw. Twilight was engulfed by fire, her purple colour having been replaced by a weirdly threatening white. The only other colour were the two, now wholly red eyes, with mane and tail being replaced by long jets of flame.

"I said, step away from my friends!”

Somehow the flames got even brighter.

And not only that. It seemed as if bright yellow sparks were spraying from Twilight. To Rainbow, it seemed as if they were trying to extinguish the flames yet desperately failing.

She wanted to continue watching but couldn't. The remaining energy she had mustered had already waned, with her perception becoming more and more blurred.

The devil has come to save me.

***

This wasn’t the plan.

The plan was to come up with a plan that would allow her to safe everypony without alerting the weird-looking soldiers.

That was until she had seen the aftermath of their attack.

They killed them.

Those changelings did nothing to them! They only wanted to help us! To protect us! And they killed them for no reason!

Twilight had slowly made her way to where she presumed the chariot had crashed. Through some brushwood, she could see the remains. Around it lay dead changelings that once acted as their escort.

The sight filled her with an unbelievable amount of anger.

Yet, the soldiers didn’t seem to care. They just lingered around, looking at the changelings with apathy.

That was with the exception of Isabella, who at least seemed to still be breathing, causing her to get a personal guard. Though, the pool of blood around her indicated that the guard wouldn’t have to stick around for long.

I should be able to create a distraction to get her out of there.

Just as she wanted to do that, she could see Rainbow being carried to the crash site.

They threw her next to Isabella. “We found one of the two ponies, Captain,” the soldier that had carried her said.

Rainbow was in an awful state, with the arrow still sticking in her wing. That she was now also thrown onto the ground like a bag of sand only further fueled Twilight's anger.

Focus Twilight! All that matters is getting them out of here so that I can render the aid they need!

"Oh, would you look at that? The parasite has decided to finally speak!" Twilight could only assume that Isabella was meant. “Get reinforcements. If the newspapers were correct, then this is Rainbow Dash, which means that the second pony more than likely is Twilight Sparkle." The pony turned around. "Today, we have been graced with fortune, men! If you see Twilight Sparkle, kill on sight. This gift cannot be wasted."

Are they after me?

All this… because of me?

I am going to make them pay.

Twilight wasn't a doctor, but it was apparent that she was running out of time. If she wanted Rainbow and Isabella to survive, she would need to act quickly. The only problem was that she had severe doubts about whether or not a distraction was still going to work. Getting two injured ponies out of here by herself was bound to be difficult.

“What about those two?”

“The poison will take care of them, but I am feeling generous today. I will grant them a quick death.”

They are going to kill them!

I have to stop them!

I have to save my friends!

I have to save my rainbow angel!

The fact that the pony had unsheathed the knife with magic despite clearly not being a unicorn should have alerted her.

Yet by now, there was no reasoning with her anymore. The time to think had run out.

“Step away from my friends!” Twilight screamed not only far louder than she had intended but also far louder than she thought she was capable of.

“Seems like reinforcements won’t be necessary. Thank you so much for making our job easier. The Queen will be pleased.” Obviously, the pony wasn’t fazed by her.

Only now, Twilight noticed the flames that had sprung up around her.

Spike!

Quickly she glanced at him.

The fire had wrapped itself protectively around him, not hurting him in the slightest.

While Twilight may not have known where the flames had come from, she was definitely going to use them.

"I said, step away from my friends!" She channelled all her anger into the flames that burst around her, setting parts of the forest on fire.

“That’s a nice show you are putting on here! Unfortunately, you will have to do better than that to scare me.” The pony that seemed to be in charge turned around, facing Rainbow. Dark mist formed around his face.

You are not going to kill her!

As if her magic had felt her distress, it quickly engulfed the entire area, forming a protective shield around Rainbow.

Too late, the captain noticed that he had massively underestimated the filly. That this wasn’t just a nice show of some illusion magic.

The spell he cast impacted Twilight's shield, immediately bouncing back at him, piercing his skull.

That’s what you get for hurting innocent ponies.

But Twilight had no time to enjoy her victory or worry about the fact that she didn't feel horrified at all. As soon as their captain fell over, the other soldiers, who had previously just watched the standoff between them, jumped into action.

They jumped into what would become a massacre.

***

I have failed.

Princess Celestia was in her tent examining a map of the Badlands.

How could I have been so blind?

How did I forget the existence of an entire race?

It had taken some time, but now there was no doubt anymore. The local phenomenon that prevented the use of magic in the Badlands was definitely caused by changeling magic.

Undoubtedly those leeches have already gotten their dirty hooves on Twilight and Rainbow.

She took a deep breath. Rash decisions brought her here in the first place.

Have they realized their importance?

She could only hope they did, or Twilight and Rainbow were almost certainly dead already. Sucked out of all their emotions, condemned to a life as a shadow of their former self.

I need to get them out of here.

Yet the changelings had a clear advantage. Knowingly or unknowingly, they not only held valuable hostages but also were nearly untouchable thanks to their protective spell.

With enough time, I might be able to break those protective measures, but then what? There is no way I can get them out of there safely.

It seemed like diplomacy would be her only choice.

What can I offer?

Integration?

Would they believe me?

Her gut told her that they almost certainly would not. To be fair, she also had no intentions of following through with such a promise.

An exchange?

Cadence against Twilight and Rainbow?

It could work, thanks to both sides benefitting greatly with minimal risk involved, therefore seeming like the most straightforward solution with the greatest promise of success.

I should start small and not indicate how much I am willing to give away. Maybe those bugs are stupid enough to agree to a different deal-

…

That’s Twilight!

Celestia could feel the strong presence of magic.

And just like when the entrance exam happened, she could discern that Twilight was distressed.

You are not slipping through my hooves again! I don't care what it takes! This ends now!

Tracking down the anomaly to the Forbidden Jungle, she quickly fired up a barrage of teleports, unable to teleport directly through the Badlands.

If taking the long way is necessary to save my sister, then this is precisely what I am going to do. There is no place on Equus where I won’t find you. Where I won't get to you.

This ends now.

***

Any restraint Twilight previously held was gone.

Grass, bushes, trees, everything daring to stay in the path of her flames was quickly consumed by them.

Her magic had officially gotten out of control.

Or at least it had gotten mostly out of control. Twilight was still able to dictate the general direction.

I have no time for this! They have no time for this!

The first wave of soldiers was no match for her. They had tried to charge at her with no protection whatsoever, hoping to catch her off guard.

There was nothing left of them now.

The remaining ones seemed unsure how to proceed, split between wanting to flee or somehow take her down.

“Leave! Just leave!” Twilight shouted.

Instead of getting them to flee, it had the opposite effect. The soldiers took it as a sign of weakness and started whirling spells at her that her magic easily deflected.

“Give up, Sparkle! You can’t keep this up much longer, anyway,” somepony shouted.

They don’t take me seriously!

The response quickly came in the form of a massive ball of fire launched in the direction the voice came from, disintegrating everything in its path.

I have to stop this.

If they don’t leave… if they don't stop wanting to kill my friends and me…

…

Then I have to kill them.

The thought hadn't even fully formed before her magic had levitated a blade towards her that had presumably belonged to one of the soldiers once.

Suddenly they didn’t look so confident anymore. Despite trying their best, they hadn’t managed to land a single hit, the wall of flames prevented them from coming near Twilight, and now that demon filly also had a huge blade pointed at them, ready to pounce.

The worst part was that they only now realized that the flames had encircled them while they weren't paying attention.

With the option of escape gone, new resolve grabbed them. Quickly they formed a strong shield around them and regrouped. If Twilight was coming at them, then this would mean that there might finally be an opportunity to strike.

“Those Changelings never harmed anypony! What did they do to deserve this! What did Rainbow do to deserve this! What did I do to you! You are the true parasites here, snuffing out lives like that!” Twilight charged at them, a wall of flames and sparks following her.

She expected to have to take down the shield, yet shortly before she was going to impact it, they took it down and jumped out of the way.

Thanks to her momentum, Twilight rushed past them, which rewarded her with spells impacting her back.

“Why don’t you just die!” pain overtook her, and her vision went white.

***

What has happened here?

Princess Celestia didn’t know what to expect once she arrived, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Dead changelings and bat ponies lay on what remained of the ground. Around her, the forest was ablaze.

Focus! I just have to get Twilight and Rainbow!

Quickly she scanned for signs of life, making her way towards them, having to navigate around a massive crater.

Once she arrived, two sleeping mares greeted her, a changeling and Rainbow Dash.

They look perfectly fine. Why are they just sleeping here?

Where is Twilight?

Celestia levitated Rainbow on her back.

“Put her down!” Celestia turned back around.

Twilight.

There she was. Crawling out of the crater she had previously ignored with the stolen dragon on her back.

Thank god I don't have to worry about him anymore. I would have never been able to look her in the eyes again if I had lost him.

Right now, however, there was a more concerning reason to be stunned than Spike. "Twilight! What has happened to you?" Twilight was on fire, glaring at her with red eyes, cuts, bruises and blood covering her body.

“Just put her down!” she repeated, continuing to crawl forward.

This is all my fault. I should have been there for her.

I should have protected her.

Princess Celestia carefully put Rainbow down again. "Here, I put her down. She is fine. I checked-"

“Leave!” Twilight commanded.

“Twilight, please calm down. I am not here to hurt any of you. Let me help you.” She took a step forward.

But this time, she didn't manage to snap Twilight out of it. “Stay back!” Twilight horn lighted up, with magic again leaking into the vicinity, which caused the golden sparks to appear again.

She is breaking my spell! I have to stop this!

“Twilight, please! I know that something horrible must have happened, but I am here now! Let me help you! I am not your enemy!“ Celestia pleaded while at the same time preparing herself to take Twilight out.

“Not my enemy! Not my enemy!” Twilight forced herself to stand up and slowly marched towards Celestia. “I read your letter! You just want to use me!”

I knew writing down my thoughts like that was a mistake.

“Rainbow opened my eyes! You are nothing but a dictator!” Twilight advanced further.

Celestia couldn’t help but shoot Rainbow a dirty glare. Somehow that pegasus had ruined years of hard work. “I would never-“

The burning filly didn't want to hear her excuses. “You imprisoned my parents! You tried to commit genocide! You censored history records!

“You are just as bad as they are!” Twilight gestured to the dead bat ponies.

She isn’t listening to reason.

Celestia let her horn light up. “I am sorry, Twilight. This is for your own-”

She would have won.

Even in Twilight's all-powerful surging state and even if she herself was weakened by the teleports, Twilight would have been no match for her.

After all, she was practically a goddess, moving sun and moon.

Not only that, but she was also way more experienced.

And she let herself get caught off guard by a lowly pegasus.

Rainbow had managed to wake up without her noticing, tackling her to the ground.

It was all the distraction Twilight needed to successfully whirl a knife at her that perfectly hit its mark in her eye.

***

As soon as Celestia fell to the ground motionless, it became dark.

Not entirely, of course. Twilight's flames provided more than enough light for them.

She made her way towards Rainbow, disregarding the dead princess.

“Are you ok?” Twilight kneeled next to Rainbow.

She killed her!

She killed the princess!

She practically murdered a goddess!

“Dashie, are you ok? Has she hurt you?” Twilight looked her over, trying to find the injuries that should have been there.

“I think I am fine for some reason?” Rainbow glanced at her wing. Nothing indicated that just a short time ago, an arrow had pierced it.

Twilight threw herself on her, the flames simply dancing around Rainbow instead of harming her. "I was so scared! They were going to kill you!" she sobbed.

Slowly the fire bursting of Twilight died down, with her natural colours returning.

“It’s ok, Twi. It’s ok.” Rainbow muttered.

We are going to work through this…

Hopefully.

A bright spell impacting Twilight, knocking her out cold, proved otherwise.

We are so dead.

Princess Celestia levitated Rainbow towards her, with magic forming around Rainbow's neck.

“How-“

The pressure around Rainbow's neck increased dramatically. "I am an immortal alicorn. I control the day and night cycle. Do you really believe that a simple knife will be enough to kill me? Let me tell you a secret. We alicorns are very durable. Death doesn’t stop us. It merely slows us down.” As if to prove her point, the knife sticking in her eye disintegrated.

“We didn’t mean-“ Again, the pressure increased. If her face hadn't been blue already, it would have undoubtedly gone blue now.

“Didn’t mean to kill me? I am sure Twilight didn’t mean to. You on the other hoof “- Celestia grabbed Rainbow's wing, breaking it. The cries of pain were music to her ears. "A few days ago, Twilight was the most loyal subject a princess could have wished for! She loved me! She adored me! She wanted to be just like me!" Rainbow could have sworn that the fire had returned. Only this time, the princess was the source. "Cadence always insisted that ponies like you wouldn't negatively impact society's morals, yet here we are! A few days with you and Twilight has become a murderer!” Celestia broke her other wing.

“If you kill me, she will never forgive you," Rainbow cried out, barely processing any of the princess's words.

“News flash! I can always edit her memories! She won’t even remember you when I am done!”

Very slowly, the princess continued, making sure to emphasize every word. "Nopony will ever remember you when I am done. You will just be forgotten. Nopony will cry for you, nopony will ask for you, nopony will look for you. Not even your parents and definitely not Twilight.”

The words hit their mark perfectly. Rainbow had stopped struggling.

Forgotten? Just like that?

“Are you going to cry now? Where has the rebel in you gone?” The princess mocked her.

“Where is the pony that ruined my precious Twilight?” The pressure on Rainbow's neck was eased. “The pony that convinced her that I am an evil dictator?”

She isn’t your property.

“Nothing to add, Rainbow Dash? No defence?” Celestia used her magic, forcing Rainbow to look her in the eyes.

Rainbow spit on her. “She is her own pony! You don’t own her! You don’t get to dictate her life!”

The princess nodded, unfazed, before robbing Rainbow of air again. “This is where you are wrong, my little pony. Twilight would be nothing without me. She wouldn't even be alive. Her entire existence centres around the fact that she will become the element of magic one day. Her whole life was engineered to ensure she would become a worthy bearer who would do my bidding.

“Do you have any idea how hard that was? Making sure she would get a good family? Making sure she would grow up with the right set of morals? Getting her to dedicate her life to magic? Ensuring she would adore me?

“Nothing in her life was left up to chance.

“That was until you messed it all up with your rainboom.”

“So… sorry… my… Princess.” Rainbow used the little air she still had.

As a response, Celestia threw Rainbow into the next tree with all her might. “I forgive you, Rainbow Dash. Like I said, I am more than capable of fixing Twilight.”

And by fixing, you mean transforming her into your personal slave again.

“She is smart. One day she will figure it out.” Being able to breathe again was a relief, yet the throw had also taken its toll. Rainbow could barely move.

“I will take my chances.” The anger slowly dissipated, with a look of pity forming. “We have wasted enough time already. Before I deal with you, I just want to know one thing. Why?”

I just have to stall! Twilight is bound to wake up again!

She can save both of us!

"You are going to have to be more specific, your majesty.” Rainbow continued her mocking.

But Celestia didn’t let herself get distracted. She wanted an answer, and she was going to get it. “It is obvious that you have put Twilight down this path. She fled because of a vision that must have shown you. Now, a few days later, she is a completely different pony. You must have done this to her. Why?”

What does she want from me?

Rainbow genuinely had no idea what Celestia wanted to hear. “My Princess, I still have no clue what you are getting at.”

“Ponies love me. Twilight loved me,” Celestia sighed, “Since you are apparently not smart enough to get my implications, I will confront you directly. What have you done to her? I already know that you convinced her that I am a dictator, and I know Twilight. The mere thought of running away would have never crossed her mind. You must have manipulated her. I just want to know why you did it. To get her for yourself? To spite me? Or are you working for a third entity? Have those nightmare moon loyalists gotten to you first?”

Is she seriously accusing me of manipulation?

“I merely told her how real life worked. It was more than enough to topple your charade.” A confident grin underlined her statement.

Celestia didn’t let herself get fooled by it. The bitterness Rainbow spoke with was clearly audible to her. "Real life or your life? I assume you didn’t have it as easy as she did?”

You don’t say. Applause for our new top detective.

Rainbow avoided eye contact, keeping quiet.

"I always strive to make Equestria a good place to live for everypony. It seems that with you, I haven't succeeded yet. Is that why you twisted her mind? To get back at-“

Rainbow couldn’t hear the self-centred ramblings anymore. “Not everything is about you! I didn't even know you! Do you really believe I have some secret dart board with your face on it? I just hated my current life! There is that what you wanted to hear? There was no secret plan to get back at you. I just wanted to leave and change things. Twilight just happened to be there. Without her help, I wouldn’t even have managed to escape.”

The admission didn't shock Celestia. She was more than aware of the fact that life wasn't always sunshine and roses. “I am sorry to hear that. Maybe we have started on the wrong hoof here-“

It was apparent where Celestia was leading to. "What? Are you going to bribe me now? Promise me a fancy noble title and shower me with money? Just like you did with Twilight? Keep it! I don’t need it, nor do I want it.”

I was already perfectly happy before you showed up to ruin it again.

Indeed, it was precisely what Celestia had wanted to offer. “That’s unfortunate. Thank you for your honesty.” her horn lighted up.

Healing magic enveloped Rainbow, undoing the damage she had done.

Rainbow stared at her questioningly.

What is she up to now?

“This is definitely going to hurt.” Magic pierced her head, invading her mind and forcing her to relive the memories of the last few days.

Mercilessly Celestia held her in place, not allowing even the slightest movement. “Let’s see what you were up to.”

She is going through my memories!

It was a violation of privacy that Rainbow wouldn’t have wished on her worst enemy.

Please wake up, Twi! I need you-

“She is not going to wake up. The spell I cast on her will keep her knocked out for hours, if not days. You are not going to catch me off guard again.” Celestia continued looking through her memories. “You two really have left quite the impression on each other, haven’t you?” It’s a shame that you and Twilight lost your recent memories after we cured you of the dark magic.” Finally, she was the one with the mocking smirk. Being in control again certainly was a relief.

With a plan in mind, Celestia carefully located the memories needed.

Lost my memories? Is she going to make me and Twi forget everything that happened?

If she does this, will we ever become friends again?

“Don’t resist. You won’t win anyway.” Rainbow didn’t pay any mind to the princess’s words, trying her best to wind herself out of the iron grip.

I don’t want to forget.

I am not going to forget!

I am not going to let her win!

I am not…

…

…

…

***

Good riddance.

Princess Celestia had located all the memories she needed, carefully making sure to avoid making a mistake.

It's a pity, really. Under any other circumstances, I would have been happy for Twilight to form such a close connection to a fellow bearer.

A loud roar got her attention.

She spun around, still holding Rainbow in her grip.

Spike?

She could barely recognize him. The once cute and tiny baby dragon had transformed into a colossal monstrosity towering over her, laced with Twilight's magic.

But I used the most potent sleeping spell I had on her!

She tried to make Twilight out. To her surprise, she located the filly on Spike's back, still sleeping.

All this, and she isn't even awake?

All this for her?

Spike remained in place, towering above her yet making no move to attack.

What he wanted was clear.

Whether or not Celestia would comply was another question.

No matter. I am more than capable of taking Spike out. Not to mention I have Rainbow as a shield.

But she was still hesitating, uncertain if that would be the right move.

She must know I would win, right? This is why she isn’t attacking, isn’t it? Is there another angle to this? Am I missing something? Was she hoping she could bluff her way out of this?

Does it even matter?

Reality set in.

A reality she had tried her best to ignore.

Ungodly amounts of bits, endless scheming and manipulating, the best agents Equestria had to offer in addition to all the actions she had taken these last few days, it all had been no use.

If she is willing to go to these lengths to protect Rainbow, then I really shouldn’t meddle. Who knows what tampering with her memories would do if that pegasus is already so ingrained in her subconsciousness that it summons up this.

She would have to face it and adapt.

For Luna’s sake

And that meant letting Rainbow go, who immediately fled towards Twilight.

Celestia watched her every move, readying herself. How Twilight would react was going to dictate everything that would inevitably follow.

The observation included a spell that enabled her to hear Rainbow's next words. "I don't know if you can hear me, but you are amazing, Twi!”

Twilight didn’t react, but her magic enveloped Rainbow, seemingly hugging her.

I will still have to talk with her about this.

“Love you too, Twi. Now let’s crush her!” Rainbow pointed towards the princess.

Celestia quickly cast a shield. Surprisingly, nothing happened. Apparently, Twilight wasn’t so keen on killing her again.

“Twi?” Rainbow eyed her questioningly.

At least there is still some sense within Twilight.

It was time to seize the initiative again. “You win! I will not harm any of you!”

“No, Twi, don't trust her!” Rainbow urged Twilight.

To Celestia’s delight, it fell on deaf ears. In a split second, the magic disappeared, and Twilight, Rainbow, as well as a returned-to-normal Spike, were sitting on the ground in front of her.

Or lying in Twilight's case.

“Let the poor filly be. Twilight has already summoned up multiple miracles for you. It's a wonder she hasn't yet died of exhaustion.” Celestia walked over to Rainbow, who was still frantically trying to get Twilight to attack. “I suppose we don’t have to like each other. All you have to do is use your element to heal my sister when the day comes. Can I count on you to do this?”

“Go to Tartarus!” Rainbow screamed with all her might. It sounded like a last cry of defiance from a pony that fully expected death to be imminent.

Celestia suppressed her desire to strangle her again, instead focusing on the situation at hoof, going over to Twilight and Spike, making sure they were ok.

What she wasn't above, though, was a snide remark. "You are aware that as an alicorn, Twilight will never be able to fully commit to anypony?"

"Twilight already told me about her vision. We will change things. We will ascend together with the other bearers.” The words were spoken duly as if Rainbow didn't really believe them.

That’s good. If I can’t edit her memories, then I will just have to tone that rebellious spirit down a bit.

Celestia quickly surveyed the area, verifying that she hadn't forgotten anything and preparing the teleport back to Canterlot. Before she did that, however, there was still time to rub more salt in Rainbow's wounds. “You are delusional. Do you think I would still be alone if that was possible? Cadence was an exception, with even me not knowing how it happened. As for Twilight, what you intend to do was never a possibility, to begin with."

Rainbow shrugged her off. “We are going to find a way. And even if we don’t, I will stay by her side regardless.” There had been no malice, furry or rage in her tone as if she had simply stated a law of nature.

She definitely represents loyalty. Without using magic, I will never ever be able to get her off Twilight's back again. Even then, I have no idea how her element would react to that.

At least that means I will only have to ensure that Twilight follows me.

She wasn’t going to try and rile Rainbow up any further, instead swooping her, Twilight as well as Spike up and teleporting away.

***

They appeared in a room.

Celestia used her magic to remove the sleeping spell she had cast on Twilight.

Rainbow's eyes naturally moved towards Twilight, causing her to become the next victim of a sleeping spell before she could react.

Twilight opened her eyes. “Where am I? What happened? Dashie-”

"Don't panic, Twilight. You are all safe now. I brought you back to Canterlot. Rainbow is over there.” Celestia pointed to Rainbow, who was now sleeping on the ground. “I have cast a sleeping spell on her so that we could have a talk in private."

You had no right to do that.

Twilight rushed over to Rainbow, trying to verify the princess's claims.

"I realize you two have grown quite close, despite knowing each other for only a concise amount of time. Did your vision have something to do with that?” Celestia probed.

Why would she care?

“My vision has made me aware of her existence, your highness. I don’t believe we would have gotten close so quickly just because of it,” Twilight reasoned.

The princess wasn't happy with Twilight's overly formal demeanour, which bordered on the verge of mocking. “There really isn’t a need for those formalities, Twilight. I think we are over them after what you have done.”

After what I have done?

…

Oh no-

Celestia intervened before she could freak out. “It’s alright. I am not going to hold it against you for obvious reasons. I will just assume that you were under a lot of stress from the attack on your life and didn’t mean to lash out at me. Just know that this is a one-time exception. If it happens again, there will be consequences. Even for you.”

I tried to kill her! I succeeded in killing those soldiers! I am just as bad!

I accomplished my goal. Rainbow is safe.

“There are so many things we need to address. If I were to attempt and make a list about it, it would end up becoming a book. Still, I am committed to trying to make amends. All concerns you have will be addressed-“

“Because you need me? Like you stated in your letter,” Twilight interrupted her.

“Yes.” There was no resentment about it. For Celestia, it was a simple fact she had come to terms with a long time ago.

Is she really that desperate? Is she really going to overlook everything that happened?

How far could I push her?

“But not only I need you. If Luna, or rather Nightmare Moon, that’s the name she has chosen for herself after the dark magic took over her, wins, then she will bring about eternal night. I am sure you are aware of what the consequences would be for the entire planet.

“Can I count on you to wield the elements against her when the time comes?” Celestia asked, hoping for a better response than she had gotten out of Rainbow. “Can I count on you to heal her of the terrible curse that has taken hold of her?”

Should I try to take advantage of her desperation?

The princess basically confirmed what she had written in the letter. For a moment, Twilight imagined all the things she could press out of her. Money, fame, power, the possibilities were endless.

Do I want to do that, though? Take advantage of her and the fact that I have been chosen as a bearer just to enrich myself?

Is that the pony I want to be?

Her silence had caused Celestia to become visibly nervous. “Twilight?”

“I don’t know what Rainbow told you, but I have already seen Nightmare Moon in my vision, and we have already decided to use our elements to heal her." It could have been the opportunity of a lifetime, yet it just didn’t feel right.

Of course, the princess knew that now, thanks to looking into Rainbow's memories, but she wasn't willing to give that away. “You did? Why run away then?”

Might as well tell her the whole truth now.

"We just came to the conclusion that we could do so alone without your help," Twilight admitted.

“I admire your confidence, yet you will definitely need my help if you want to win against an experienced alicorn, even if she will be weakened.” Celestia quickly rattled down, moving on to what she really wanted to know. “Did you win? If you did, did your vision show you what happened afterwards?” The question was drenched in uncertainty. As if she didn’t know whether she wanted to hear the answer or not.

“I think we did. After we fought who I assume was Nightmare Moon, a blue alicorn appeared to rule by your side-“

“I knew you would be able to do it!” Celestia hugged her. "And now we will do our best to make that vision a reality. Has it told you anything else that could help?”

Oh, wow. That was weird.

“Well, you didn't really help us at all. You weren't there. The other bearers and I, we fought alone, without any soldiers or help by our side.” She pushed back on the princess’s claims that they needed her since her vision hadn't given her any such indications on multiple occasions.

“Of course, I wouldn’t be there or soldiers. If I were, I would make it more evident to her that you were threats. That doesn't mean you weren't protected. Just because something couldn't be seen doesn't mean it wasn't there. I couldn’t imagine a single scenario where I would have let you fight her without protection.

“For the elements to be used against her, you would have to get near her first. Making her underestimate you by seemingly not being a threat at all would be the easiest way to get close to her. Once you are, I would have to count on the elements doing their job and you as bearers not only able to use them but also wanting to,” Celestia justified herself.

I guess that would make sense…

“I must admit that your actions have caused me to fast-track my plans. I will introduce you to-“

The door was ripped open. “Hold it right –“ Upon seeing the princess, the guard immediately threw down his weapon and bowed before her, relief clearly visible on his face “- My Princess, you are alive, what a relief! Please excuse my insolence!”

Does he know?

Celestia, too was confused. “Of course, I am alive. Why wouldn’t I be?”

In response, the guard just pointed towards the windows.

It was still dark outside.

Quickly the princess summoned her magic, setting the sun in place again. “Status report!”

She raised the sun with me right in front of her!

Twilight gushed. It was such an incredible act. She could have never imagined her being right next to the princess while she did that.

If only the circumstances were better.

“Most of the guard is out there trying to uphold public order. We have reports of mass panic among the citizens. Communication with the military has broken down, with rumours that military high command is acting by itself-”

“What about Princess Cadence?” Celestia interrupted.

“She is having a mental breakdown in the throne room, I think?” The guard glanced over to Twilight as if he suspected she had something to do with all this.

This is my fault, isn’t it?

“So much for wanting more responsibility!” Celestia was exasperated. “I will be back shortly, Twilight. Just don’t blame yourself. It is my fault for forgetting to raise the sun again.” With that, she shot a spell at Rainbow before rushing out of the room, dragging the guard with her. Behind her, the door slammed shut.

“Twi?”

Twilight turned around. Apparently, the princess had decided it would be best to wake Rainbow again. “Dashie, what happened?”

“Too much, Twi. Way too much.” She was still lying on the floor, not even attempting to get up. “Where are we, Twi?”

Have I missed something?

“Canterlot. Probably in the palace,” Twilight answered. Rainbow's unusual dejectedness irritated her.

“Awesome.” Rainbow still wasn’t moving.

Ok, clearly, something must have happened after the princess knocked me out.

But first, she needed to get Rainbow off the floor. “Dashie, can you get up for me?”

“I don’t want to.” Again, the apathetic voice raised multiple alarm bells.

“Please?” Twilight tried one last time.

“No,” she answered defiantly.

Twilight levitated Rainbow off the ground, directly in front of her face. "Rainbow, I can’t help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

“…” Rainbow tried in vain to wriggle out of her grip, trying to avoid eye contact.

“Dashie-”

“She wanted to erase my memories. And in the process, I am pretty sure she looked through all of them. At least at all my memories of the recent days.” Since Rainbow couldn’t avoid eye contact by wriggling out of Twilight's grip, she instead had chosen to close them.

“The princess would never do that!” Immediately Twilight regrated her words. All the energy she had gotten out of Rainbow by levitating her had disappeared again, causing her to just limply vegetate in Twilight magic, still with her eyes closed.

“I mean, are you sure? Princess Celestia has shown no hostile behaviour towards me?" she tried to salvage the situation.

There was no response. Only Rainbow's breathing indicated that she was still alive.

Twilight levitated her onto the bed. The moment her magic released Rainbow, she grabbed a pillow, burying her head inside of it.

Dashie would never lie to me, right?

No, she clearly isn’t simulating.

Still, the princess's behaviour simply wasn't matching Rainbow's claims.

“She has done so much worse!” the muffled voice brought Twilight back to reality. “She broke my wings! Threw me into a tree with all her might! She probably nearly killed me!”

There aren’t any injuries?

Twilight had the sense, not to mention her doubt, but Rainbow could still sense it. “You don’t believe me, do you?

“Twi! She talked about you like you were a tool! She was going to erase all my memories of the last few days! Make me forget ever meeting you! I have no doubt that she would have done the same to you afterwards.” Rainbow trembled but managed to continue. “I was so scared. I tried putting up a strong facade, but on the inside, I felt so weak. There was nothing I could do! I was just a toy she could do with whatever she wanted!” she admitted.

Twilight was torn. Two sides of herself were battling against each other.

It has to be a lie. I know Rainbow has opened my eyes to many terrible injustices, but this is too much.

…

But Dashie wouldn't lie to me. Are her claims really that farfetched? Chrysalis did essentially accuse the princess of genocide.

“Why didn’t she go through with it? Doing all that and not going through with it makes her look horrible." Twilight felt bad. She knew that she should be there for Rainbow, not questioning her. Yet, she needed to piece the story together.

“Despite being unconscious, you transformed Spike into a gigantic monster, forcing her to back down. She promised she wouldn't hurt us anymore, which led you to surrender us to her.” Rainbow's voice was a mixture of gratefulness and resentment.

Twilight glanced over to Spike. He was awake, seemingly ok, although he looked a bit worn out. His eyes glanced at her as if he was waiting to receive attention. Yet, he stayed silent, seemingly understanding that Twilight was needed somewhere else right now.

Could I really have done that? Transform Spike into a monster?

She thought about how she attacked the soldiers.

She thought about how she tried to kill the princess.

I could, couldn’t I?

“You don't have to believe me. I understand it must be hard for you to hear these things about your idol.” Rainbow forced herself up, trying to look like everything had been forgiven and forgotten.

Even Twilight could see through the facade.

The princess or Dashie?

Suddenly, the choice was clear. If anything, she was wondering why it wasn’t before.

“We will hold her accountable for that.” Twilight's voice was ice cold.

“Don’t.” Rainbow shut her down. “Trying to fight her will not work. At any moment, she could turn around and decide to go through with wiping our memories."

I guess that’s right.

Still, there has to be a way.

“We should just suck it up and try to arrange ourselves with her. I doubt she will ever let us get away again. Not only that, but any failed escape attempt could also result in a memory wipe." In a way, the princess had succeeded. Even if Rainbow had previously acted defiantly, the fear of the princess making good on her promise would be enough to keep her in line, for the most part.

For Twilight, it had the opposite effect.

The princess was correct. Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it isn’t there. I have tried to look for visible injuries, completely overlooking possible mental scars.

“If she takes away our memories, will we still be friends? The princess hates me, Twi. She would never-”

“You don’t have to be worried about that. Remember the letter? You are a bearer as well, so she can’t separate us,” Twilight tried to reason.

Yet it only fueled Rainbow's fears. "Just because we would both be bearers wouldn't mean we would become this close again! I had friends in the past, but I always was superficial with them!”

…

…

…

A scene had flashed before her.

She had been talking to Rainbow in a shop. Rainbow seemed happy.

She wasn’t.

She had been feeling lonely.

She had been feeling sad.

She had been feeling incredibly jealous.

Rainbow had been wearing a wedding dress.

“Earth to Twi. Are you still there?” Rainbow was waving her wings in front of her face.

“No.”

“No?”

What did I even see? What are the implications?

Twilight didn't entirely know. Yet, she had a horrible feeling about this. That somehow, she had just witnessed a terrible crime.

A crime she couldn’t tell Rainbow about.

“You are right. There is no guarantee that we would become so close again,” she successfully quelled Rainbow's suspicion.

“Yeah, that’s why we will have to tread very carefully. The princess obviously hates me, but luckily, she seems to favour you. We have to use that to our advantage.” Rainbow may have no idea how to do that, but she was confident Twilight had a plan.

That was a wedding dress. Who was she marrying? Clearly, not me.

Why do I care?

Or maybe Twilight didn’t have a plan. “Twi? You are looking a bit pale there.”

“Huh? I mean…, why do you believe she favours me?"

I was jealous. Was it because she wasn’t marrying me?

“It’s obvious! Look how she treated me in comparison to how she treats you. You being a bearer can't be the only reason for that, despite what she may be claiming or else I would have been treated the same."

Would I want to marry her?

Even if I did, she would choose somepony else.

Or rather, she would have. I probably changed the future.

“That seems a bit farfetched, Rainbow.” Twilight absently responded.

Rainbow didn’t pick up on it. “Look how she adored you in the letter! And remember, you killed her! The princess told me that alicorns are genuinely immortal, meaning they cannot be killed. Apparently, death only slows her down. Tell me, Twi. What was your punishment for that?”

Who was she marrying?

“She didn’t care,” Twilight muttered.

“Exactly! That’s why we should side with her sister and use the elements against princess Celestia instead!"

What would it be, marrying her? I mean, I barely know her, but she seems nice enough.

Maybe I should talk to Cadence?

“Good idea, Dashie.”

“Twilight Sparkle!” Rainbow screamed.

She snapped back into reality. “Ahh! What?”

“You weren’t listening, were you!” Rainbow accused her.

“I was!” Twilight claimed.

It was a claim that could easily be disproven. “So you agree with joining forces with princess Celestias sister?

“What? No, of course not!” With that, even Twilight knew that the jig was up.

“Care to tell me what was on your mind? I might not have fancy magic to force you, but I believe it is only fair after I did so as well.” Rainbow looked at her expectantly.

“Would you marry me?” she blurted out before quickly throwing her hooves on her mouth, falling forwards in the process.

Caught off guard, Rainbow didn’t catch her. “Umm, maybe? I don’t know? Isn't this a bit early, and aren't we a bit too young? Could we even legally marry-"

“Hypothetically!” Twilight quickly added, her face now buried in the ground.

“Twi! I can’t believe you!” Rainbow helped her get up. “I was totally going to say yes, next! You can’t just take it back now!”

Maybe I could ask the princess to use that memory spell on her after all?

“Really now? Prove it!” she challenged.

But even for Rainbow, this was a challenge going too far. "Where is this coming from, Twi?"

I can’t tell her! She might hate me forever!

But she deserves to know.

"When you said that we might not get that close again if Celestia wiped our memories, I remembered a scene from my vision that had previously eluded me.” Twilight had hoped that Rainbow would interrupt her, yet she stayed dead silent.

“I saw you in a wedding dress in a shop. You were probably going to marry somepony else.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I was jealous, Dashie. Really jealous. I was feeling lonely, sad, resentful-“

“Who cares?” Rainbow bit her lip.

Considering your bleeding lip, you care.

It was another moment that made her wish she could read Rainbow's mind. The pegasus evidently had a tendency to hide her true feelings.

"I mean, you probably changed the future, so it probably won't happen now. But you didn’t do that on purpose, did you?” Twilight shook her head, which caused Rainbow to ease the assault on her lips. "See, that’s why you are a good pony. You could have hidden this from me, and I would have been none the wiser. Yet, you chose to do the right thing and tell me, even if it could have ruined our friendship. Tell you what, why would I care about some hypothetical scenario-”

“I may have just ruined your life! You could have been happy-“

“Could have! Why would I settle for a "could" when I am perfectly happy right now… well, aside from the tyrant that has captured us… I take it back, Twi. You are right. Let’s switch to the other timeline.” Rainbow flashed her a smile.

She always knows what to say.

Although I don’t think she believed that.

Twilight herself certainly had her doubts. “Dashie, to tell you the truth, there was no could. You were happy-“

“You don’t know that. It could have been faked.” She was immediately shut down. Apparently, Rainbow didn’t want to further discuss the topic.

Silently they were staring at each other.

I made things awkward, didn’t I?

Luckily Rainbow saved both of them from the sea of awkwardness they were drowning in. “So where did our benevolent dictator go anyway?"

“She has gone looking for Cadence,” Twilight said.

“Is she in danger?” Rainbow became worried. There really was no need for another pony to be dragged into this.

“Cadence as in Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. She is my foal sitter-”

Twilight calcification rewarded her with a loud groan. “And you didn’t find that suspicious at all?”

Well, retrospectively-

“Twi! How can you be so smart yet be so unbelievably dense at the same time? How many fillies do you know with a princess as a foalsitter?“ Rainbow looked over to Twilight, expecting a face full of embarrassment.

Instead, she saw horror.

She is right. That couldn’t have been a coincidence.

It led to only one conclusion.

All those years, Cadence has lied to me…

She has lied to me, my parents and my brother! She probably only wanted to get close to us so that she could spy on me!

Twilight turned around, running out of the room, much to Rainbow's shock.

“Twi, wait! What are you doing!” she quickly dashed after her.

This was all part of the princess’s plan, wasn’t it?

Has it really been going on for that long?

Again, sparks appeared around Twilight. This time they weren't bright golden. Instead, they seemed to be pale. As if somepony had drained them of their energy.

Rainbow didn’t pay them any mind. She grabbed Twilight, trying to stop her.

Much to her surprise, she wasn't able to. Twilight just waltzed onwards, barely noticing her attempts. Even pulling on Twilight's tail only led to Rainbow being dragged with her.

All those memories I had with her… they are all fake!

Our whole friendship is built on lies and deception!

“Twi! Remember what we talked about!” Rainbow flew in front of her, blocking her path. “We can't give the princess any reason to change her mind! She will wipe our memories!"

Her attempts were futile. Twilight simply levitated her out of the way.

It was the one time Rainbow wished for a guard to show up, yet the hallways were empty. Nopony was going to stop Twilight.

For a moment, the pegasus hesitated. Maybe it would be best to turn around. She was already on thin ice with the princess.

The thought was quickly quashed. Abandoning Twilight wasn't an option, even if the possibility of facing the princess again terrified her.

And so, Rainbow trailed behind a Twilight that had no idea where she was going.

She didn't need to, though. Her target was in the castle, and she was going to find it.

Comments

[Nightsclaw]

I would not want to be Cadence right now...

[Poparakelis]

This is getting tense

[Leviathan Eclipse]

For Lunas’s sake.

One extra "s"

[Leviathan Eclipse]

“Can I count on you to wield the elements against her when the time comes?” Celestia asked, hoping for a better response than she had gotten out of Rainbow. “Can I count on you to heal her of the terrible course that has taken hold of her?”

Curse*