Rainbow Dash royally messed up, and then she compounds that mistake with a larger one, plunging all of our friends futures into doubt
Scootaloo is Rainbow Dash's number one fan. But after a horrible accident where she's injured, Rainbow Dash wishes the unthinkable, that she'd never been born. Then she finds out the dire consequences of her choice.
Once again, I'd love to thank my editor for putting up with my lunacy, he's Jeray2000
Also, as always, I'm looking for artwork to put up here, pm me if interested.
"Hey Scoots, watch this!" Rainbow Dash called from the cloud she was standing on. She looked down and saw the orange pegasus filly with the purple mane buzz her wings and hover a bit as she cheered on her idol. Rainbow Dash used the cloud as a diving board to take off. As she fell she spread her wings slowly to let them catch the air. At full extension, she angled her wings and took off. Flapping for all she was worth she climbed straight up. After several loop the loops and rolls, she decided to dive for the ground. The sound of cheering from her number one fan was ringing in her ears. She dived, faster and faster. She wasn't trying for a sonic rainboom, she just wanted to go fast. She deftly avoided the clouds in the sky on her descent, and skimmed the ground at breakneck speed. She zoomed around the excited filly, letting her rainbow trail curl around the pegasus filly as Scootaloo jumped up and down.
Finally she angled her wings to climb, and in moments she blasted through the cloud she had taken off from. Climbing a bit more, she landed on a higher cloud, taking a moment to rest her wings, and of course, to bask in the cheering of her one pony cheering squad.
"Hooray, Rainbow Dash, you are so cool!" The small filly jumped up and down excitedly. "Do some more, Rainbow Dash, do some more!"
Well, I can't disappoint my number one fan, Rainbow thought to herself as she launched off the cloud. Not as much climbing this time though. She had been performing for most of the afternoon, and she was starting to really feel the burn in her flight muscles. As she tipped over and started her dive, she thought about this wonderful day. No crazy monsters attacking Ponyville, no journal entries to make, just a day to enjoy the beautiful sun and sky.
She was startled out of her reverie by hitting a cloud, spinning out of control as she headed to the ground at a furious pace. She angled her wings to control the spin. In moments she was orientated the way she needed to be. She looked ahead and saw she was way too close to the ground, flaring her wings to pull out of this mad dive. She finally pulled out, flying nearly fast enough to make a sonic rainboom only a foot from the ground, she looked back for a moment.
"Whew, that was close." Any further words died in her throat as she felt a horrible impact and her world went black.
***
Rainbow Dash awoke to the sound of beeping. She flattened her ears at the harsh sounds. She groaned and opened her eyes. Blinking a few times to let her eyes focus, she looked around. Feathers, she was in the hospital. She took a moment to assess herself, her head hurt, so did her neck. She looked at her wings, they seemed fine, no pain from them, her legs all seemed fine. "Oh great, I'm in the hospital for a bump to the head…ouch." She put her hooves on her head, discovering bandages. And a very tender place on her skull. She slowly leaned back in the bed. "Ugh, I hate being in the hospital," she sighed as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep off the pain in her skull.
She awoke some time later to the sound of hooves on the hard tile floor in her room. Again, slowly opening her eyes, she was face to face with Twilight Sparkle, the newest princess of Equestria and one of her best friends. Twilight's face was a mask of pain and sorrow, tears were leaking slowly down her face.
"Hey, Twilight, I'm okay, it's just a bump on the head. And it feels like I pulled a muscle or two in my neck," she chuckled, trying to bring a smile to her friend's face.
Twilight jerked in response, "It was far more than a bump on the head, when Cheerilee found you two, I had to heal a skull fracture on you Rainbow Dash. I've been spending the last several hours healing both of you."
Rainbow frowned, "What are you talking about Twilight, I wiped out, probably hit a rock or tree that I didn't see, honestly."
Fresh tears started pouring from Twilight's eyes, "No, Rainbow Dash, you didn't hit any rock, or any tree."
Rainbow's eyes shrank to pinpricks, "No."
Twilight sobbed as she nodded her head slowly.
Rainbow grabbed the leads connecting her to the machine, yanking them, she grimaced as she tore out some of her fur as she yanked them off her body. The monitor started a long beep, indicating an emergency. She yanked the IV out of her foreleg and jumped out of the bed, and immediately landed squarely on her face. She had no energy.
"How long was I out, Twilight?"
"Around thirty hours," the purple alicorn said between her sobs.
Well, flying is out of the question, Rainbow thought to herself as she tried to stand on all four legs. They didn't want to hold her, but after gritting her teeth and focusing, she was able to make it to a shambling trot. She crashed through the door to her room, looking back at Twilight questioningly, Twilight pointed. Rainbow Dash shot down the hall as fast as she could. She heard another monitoring machine beeping down the hallway, following her ears, she pushed the door to another patient room open, and was greeted by a horrible sight. Scootaloo was in the room, her eyes closed, she looked to be peacefully resting. But her heart rate was way too low, and she could see on the monitor, her breathing was also perilously close to zero. She slowly moved up to the bed, heaving her front half onto the bed she placed a cyan hoof on the orange one.
"Scoots?"
No answer.
"Scootaloo?"
Again, no response. Rainbow Dash felt the tears start to fall down her face as well. She buried her face into the covers on the bed. "Scoots, I'm so sorry, I must have gotten mixed up during my spinout and gotten you. I'm so sorry," her words ended in a whisper as she sobbed into the bed.
She had no idea how long she lay there when she heard soft hooves behind her.
"Will she recover?" she asked Twilight.
A long sigh, "I don't know, Rainbow Dash. Your skull impacted her spine, shattering three vertebrae."
"Twilight, you healed my fractured skull! A few small bones should be easy."
"Those few small bones protect the spinal cord from damage. Your skull wasn't shattered like them, it had a few hairline fractures which were pretty easy to heal. This…" she trailed off for several seconds and looked at the sleeping Scootaloo, "is several orders of magnitude worse."
"No, Twilight, you need to heal her."
Once again, tears were renewed on Twilight's face, "I've done what I can, it's entirely up to Scootaloo to heal the rest of the way."
"Will she be…" Rainbow Dash asked barely above a whisper.
"I don't know, Rainbow. Her spine suffered a severe shock, it isn't severed, but it is damaged, and very badly inflamed. The next day or two will determine if she can ever walk again. She is lucky, though, Rainbow."
That earned a glare from the multi-hued pegasus, "Lucky?"
Twilight firmed up, "Yes, lucky, had you hit her a matter of inches forward on her body, we wouldn't be wondering if she was going to recover, we would be planning her funeral. I've already sent a message to her parents,it took the staff a while to track them down, they were out of town, they should be here any time. Though it's a long trip from Baltimare. We need to get you back to your room."
"No! I'm not going back to my room, I'm staying right here." Rainbow sat down and crossed her forelegs, only to be wrapped up in Twilight's magic.
"You need to heal just as badly as Scootaloo does. And I'm not taking no for an answer," she said as she trotted down the hall to Rainbow's room. After placing the cyan pegasus back in her bed, she turned to her friend. "I will let you know when she's awake, and I will bring you back. But until then, if I see hide or hair of you near her room, I'm going to put restraints on the bed and you won't be able to move at all, understand?"
Rainbow crossed her forelegs again and refused to look at her friend.
"Well?"
Rainbow finally grumbled, "Fine."
When Twilight exited the room, Rainbow Dash laid back in her bed. "Oh, Scoots, I'm so sorry." she sobbed to herself. She let her eyes rove all over the room. She felt fine, for the most part, except for her head and neck. She looked at the monitoring machine, its lights all red from a lack of input. She closed her eyes.
***
"How could you do that to mah friend?"
Rainbow jerked awake from the rage in the voice. She looked at the yellow earth pony with the huge bow in her red mane. Fresh tear tracks lined her face, and the rage in her voice was duplicated in her expression.
"It was an accident."
"Ah know it was an accident, but you should have been paying attention to where yah wus goin." The filly stepped forward aggressively. Rainbow couldn't do anything but lean back into the mattress. She saw how much pain the filly was in, it mirrored her own.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry ain't good enough, is it. And my friend may never fly, and now she may never walk again. Because of you."
Fresh tears fell from Rainbow's eyes as she looked at the lone cutie mark crusader standing in the doorway.
"I thought I wanted to see you, but now that I have, I can't look at you," the filly said as she whirled around and left the room.
Sobbing consumed Rainbow Dash as she did the only thing she could think of. She flapped her wings, lifting her abused body off the bed, and she shot towards the window, crashing through and taking off with a howl, not noticing Applejack coming into the room after her sister had left the room so abruptly. She wailed as she flew over Ponyville in the dusk sky. She didn't know where she was heading, she just had to get away. Her endurance wasn't what it needed to be, so just outside the small town, she landed on a cloud and lay down.
"I'm so sorry Scoots, I'm so, so sorry." She said as she sobbed. "I wish this had never happened, I wish I had never been born, to do this to you," she said as her energy failed and she fell asleep, unknowing how her misery had turned the cloud she rested on black as night.
Rainbow opened her eyes, and rubbed the tears away for a moment. Then she focused on what was in front of her. A silver shod hoof. She moved her head back and noticed another silver shod hoof, looking up, she was face to face with none other than Princess Luna. Rainbow gasped and nearly fell off the cloud.
"Princess Luna!"
Luna was not smiling, "Element of Loyalty. Dost thou truly wish she had never been born?"
Rainbow Dash looked down, fresh tears starting to fall.
After a long moment one of those silver shod hooves pushed her head up to face Luna's regal countenance.
"We require an answer, Loyalty."
Rainbow Dash squeezed her eyes shut, that didn't stop the tears. "Yes, Princess. If I had never been born, I wouldn't have hurt poor Scoots."
The hoof was removed from her chin, and she opened her eyes. Luna had moved away from her and was hovering in the air next to the cloud.
"Child, dost thou know how many lives would be affected by that change? To remove an entire pony's life from existence would change more than thou wouldst know."
Rainbow's ears flattened against her head. "I know that it might make some pony's lives harder, but all that is nothing compared to having Scootaloo back on her hooves. Twilight tried to heal her, but she said that she has done all she can, and she doesn't know if that filly will recover." She stopped and looked down for a long minute. Then she mumbled, barely loud enough for Luna to hear, "I would kill myself right now if it would heal her."
"You would end your own life, Loyalty?" Luna proclaimed in her Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Yes, in a heartbeat. I don't know if my friends could ever forgive me for being so stupid, and I know that one of Scootaloo's best friends hates me right now. She yelled at me just before I came out here." Spent, she hung her head.
"We would not have that, Loyalty. The choice to end one's life is a very grave one. And you have done so much for Equestria." Luna paused for a minute, considering the broken pegasus in front of her.
"Very well. I will send you to the world where you never existed," she said very softly.
Rainbow Dash looked up. "You can do that? Scootaloo will be okay?"
"Now, we didn't say that, Loyalty, the only change will be that the Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash will never have existed. Now GO!" she shouted the last word as she stomped a hoof on nothingness. Yet there was a crash of thunder and the cloud Rainbow was lying on dissipated and she fell, to surprised to do anything. She landed on the ground in a heap. After laying there for a moment in shock, she stood on all four hooves and checked herself over, her head still hurt, but otherwise, she was fine. She looked around her, Ponyville seemed about the same.
She looked down and thought for a moment. I wonder how Scootaloo is doing, she thought to herself. Luna said that the only change is me not being here, so let's see if the squirt is at the hospital. She took off towards the hospital. Very quickly she was in the hospital, the staff ignored her as she trotted to the room Scootaloo had been in. After what seemed like forever, she pushed the door open, the bed was empty.
"Yes!" The rainbow maned pegasus pumped a hoof in victory. Scootaloo wasn't there.
As she trotted out of the hospital, she looked around. She needed to find her friends, taking to the air, she headed to the Golden Oaks Library. Upon landing on the stoop she pushed the door open.
"Hello, Twilight, where are you?"
Silence.
"C'mon Twilight, it's dark, you are usually in here by the time it gets dark." She reached over and flicked on the lights. She shot up the stairs and knocked on the door to Twilight's bedroom.
"Okay sleepyhead, I saw the clock, it's not that late, come on out and talk to me. Please?"
Finally getting frustrated with the lack of response, she finally opened the door and stuck her head in, it wasn't a bedroom, but a storage room, filled with empty bookshelves and old volumes not usually in circulation. Rainbow pulled her head back and looked around.
"Now, that is weird, what happened to Twilight?" She mused to herself.
After several fruitless minutes of trotting around the library, Rainbow Dash left in a huff, something was wrong. She took off and flew high enough to see where her cloud house was, or where it should have been. It wasn't there anymore. Well, duh, she hadn't built it yet. She chuckled to herself and changed course for the home of one of her best friends in the entire world, Fluttershy's cottage.
Rainbow Dash looked around, she saw the bubbling brook that was always in front of Fluttershy's cottage. But the little bridge over it wasn't there, and most upsetting, the cottage itself wasn't there. She trotted to where the front door was and looked around. There was no sign it had ever been here.
"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash whimpered as she sat on her haunches to ponder this development.
"She never moved to Ponyville, Loyalty," came a voice from behind Rainbow. Causing her head to jerk around.
The midnight blue alicorn sat next to Rainbow and put a wing over the distraught pegasus, pulling her into a hug.
"Why didn't she come here? She takes care of all the critters in the area."
"No, she doesn't. She's never been grounded. You never had your race with those two bullies in Cloudsdale, she never fell to the ground, and never discovered she can talk to all the small animals."
Rainbow Dash pulled away. "Well, if she's still in Cloudsdale, I had better go find her," She took off like a rocket, leaving Luna behind.
It took her roughly three hours, but she finally landed in the floating city of Cloudsdale. She glanced at one of the clocks, it was past eleven. Yet ponies were out and about. "Pretty late for ponies to be out," she did note that the streets were all well lit, far better lit than they ever were when she lived there. She trotted up and down the streets, trying to remember where Fluttershy's parents lived.
After some searching, she found the right street, and she tapped gently on the door. There was no answer. She looked around at the ponies milling about like it was a normal day, steeled her resolve, and knocked louder.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, the door opened slightly, and a timid blue eye framed by a pink mane peeked out. Rainbow Dash jumped through the door and tackled her friend.
"Oh, Fluttershy, I'm so happy to see you. Everything has gotten so weird today." She was interrupted by Fluttershy struggling to get away, she let her friend up, and the yellow pegasus backed away from her as quickly as she could.
"W-who are you?" Fluttershy was able to gasp out as she was getting away from the crazy rainbow maned mare in her entryway. Rainbow Dash advanced on her, with a very confused look on her face. "Fluttershy, we've known each other from flight camp."
Her friend lay down, curling upon herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. She lay there trembling.
Rainbow put a hoof on her friends withers, flinching at the sob coming from her friend's throat as she did so. She sat on her haunches and looked at Fluttershy.
"Flutters, we've known each other a long time, I may be a few years younger than you. But we became friends after you came up from groundside after my race. Don't you remember me?"
It was hard to discern her trembling from her shaking her head no, but Rainbow was able to figure it out.
Rainbow lay down in front of her friend, putting her muzzle right in front of her friend's. "My name is Rainbow Dash, and you and I have been friends for years now." Tears started to leak from her eyes, "Please remember me."
She looked around the house, there were a few birds hopping around, some with bandages expertly applied, some looked like they were being nourished by practiced hooves. But only birds. She looked back at her friend, and her jaw dropped in shock. She pointed a shaking hoof at her friend.
"What happened to your cutie mark, Fluttershy?"
Something seemed to ease up in the yellow pegasus. The focus wasn't on her, it was on her passion, her special talent, she was able to find the confidence she felt when helping birds. She started talking, some part of her mind was able to make it through her terror, "I have always had a robin for a cutie mark, I got it when I nursed a poor defenseless robin that had been injured, and it made it up to Cloudsdale. On the day I was able to help it fly again and it took off, I could understand it's chirping, I understood that I could talk to birds. And they can talk to me. My cutie mark appeared as he was flying away."
"But groundside, you've got hundreds of critters that you take care of. Everything from a big brown bear, to Angel Bunny. You've got birds too, but you talk to all the critters."
Fluttershy shook her head emphatically, "No, I've never been groundslide, I only know of those animals from books."
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "Where are our friends? Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle?"
Fluttershy shook her head, "I don't know anypony by those names."
"Who do you know then?"
"I know my birds."
"And?"
"That's it."
Rainbow Dash dragged her hoof down her face in frustration, "So, you are saying that you only know your birds, you don't have any other friends? Nopony else?"
Fluttershy hid behind her mane at Rainbow's increased volume, and slowly shook her head no, "You're not going to make fun of me, are you?"
That caught Rainbow Dash unawares. Her jaw dropped. "Fluttershy, I've been your friend for a long time. I would never make fun of you. I've teased you sometimes, but it's always been to make both of us laugh."
The terrified pegasus let out a deep breath, and her terror subsided once more, "Oh, goodness. I've been teased for so long. 'Fluttershy can't hardly fly, Fluttershy, crazy bird pony.' It's been horrible." She stopped for a moment and looked at Rainbow Dash, for a moment the old Fluttershy was there, "Rainbow Dash, I'm glad to have met you, and there is something about you that seems familiar. But you, I don't remember you. I'm so sorry."
Rainbow let her tears fall. "Are you sure you haven't heard of our friends?"
A quick shake of the head.
Rainbow Dash hung her head and turned to the door. "I guess I'll go now."
She heard a tiny voice behind her as she walked out, "You can visit anytime."
Hours later Rainbow Dash was back in Ponyville. The street lights made it nearly as bright as day. Again, the ponies were milling about like it was a normal day, yet the sun wasn't scheduled to make an appearance for another few hours. She banked hard upon reaching Ponyville and headed towards the west, alighting in front of the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. She saw lights moving through the orchards so she decided to knock on the door. After several minutes the door opened and a wizened green face peeked out.
"Who's bangin on my door, don't you realize that we ponies have to work?" The smell of cooking wafted out the door right into Rainbow's nose, instantly making her hungry.
"I'm sorry Granny Smith, but I'm looking for Applejack."
"You’re a friend of Applejack? Well, any friend of my wayward granddaughter is a friend of mine, c'mon in, I'll let you meet the family."
"Well, erm, ehh…" Rainbow Dash was able to get out before surprisingly strong hooves grabbed her and brought her into the house. She was deposited in front of the family table as the back door opened and Big Macintosh trotted in. Rainbow looked around and flinched when she saw Apple Bloom in the kitchen, covered in flour, pulling some fritters out of the oven. She kept her head down as the Apple family made it to the table. Granny Smith sat a steaming plate of food in front of Rainbow as she kept up talking, not letting her get a word in edgewise. She contented herself by stuffing Granny Smith's cooking into her mouth as quickly as possible.
"This here's Big Macintosh." She leaned close to Rainbow and whispered pretty loudly in her ear, "He's single by the way," eliciting a blush from the red stallion. She pointed over to Apple Bloom, and in her normal voice, "And that's my youngest granddaughter Apple Bloom. Together we run this here Sweet Apple Acres. And now what about you, miss."
Rainbow was at a loss for words. Applejack wasn't here. "Well, erm, ah…" her mouth wouldn't comply, her mind was running too fast. She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "Actually, I'm looking for Applejack, I thought she would be here."
"What are you talking about? Well, we get the occasional letter from her, but she's living with her auntie Orange back in Manehattan."
Rainbow's eyes went to pinpricks as she noticed what was right in front of her, with a shaking hoof she pointed at Apple Bloom. "You have a cutie mark?"
Apple Bloom looked at her flank and back at Rainbow quizzically, three red apples were on the filly's flank. "Of course I do, when my sister left when I was a tiny filly, I knew I had to be a big pony and help with the farm. I was out bucking apples one day and one just landed right in front of me, I knew that I was meant to be the mare of the farm, and then the apples appeared. I was one of the first ones in my class to get a cutie mark."
"I bet your friends were totally jealous."
"My friends? You know Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?"
Rainbow had to pick up her jaw from the floor. "I was talking about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." She was able to suppress a sob at the mention of Scootaloo's name.
The yellow filly looked down, not knowing how to react, "I don't know any pony by those names, miss."
Rainbow Dash leaped over the table and grabbed the filly. "You don't know your friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle? You three are the cutie mark crusaders, you are on a mission to get your cutie marks."
Apple Bloom pushed off Rainbow Dash's hooves, "I don't need to be on a mission to get a cutie mark, I've got one. And Diamond Tiara's dad is our biggest customer, other than the Princess in Canterlot. Of course I'm best friends with her." Rainbow Dash looked up to see a big red hoof on her shoulder. Big Macintosh had a warning look on his face at seeing Rainbow nearly assault his little sister.
"Ah don’ think ya should be doin’ that miss," he said as he pushed her away.
Tears sprang to Rainbow Dash's eyes. "I don't know what's going on, this is completely crazy." She pointed to Apple Bloom, "She doesn't have a cutie mark, " she pointed to Big Macintosh, "and your sister runs this farm with you and your grandmother." She couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out.
***
"Ugh, where am I?" Rainbow Dash moaned as she finally woke up again. She looked out the window, nothing but blackness. Her eyes narrowed on a big red mound laying by the door, Big Mac sat up in response to Rainbow waking.
"Uhhh, Miss?"
"What time is it?"
He glanced at the clock, "It's nine thirty in the evenin, miss."
She struggled to get up out of the bed, she must have been tossing and turning before she woke up, but how did she sleep all day? She finally freed herself of the covers and tumbled onto the floor.
"Is et true, are you friends with mah sister?"
She looked at Big Mac, then looked down, "I was, I think."
"Well, when ya see her next, tell her that her family is doin’ good, but we do miss her."
"I will, do you know when the next train to Manehattan is leaving?"
"I don't remember all the schedules, but I do remember hearing the train whistle around ten at night, and it'll be the last for the night, so ya better hustle or you'll miss it."
She looked at him sorrowfully, "Would you happen to have any bits I could borrow, Big Mac?"
He looked uncertain, "With us having to hire unicorns to keep the trees growin, money has been tight the last year or so, but I think I could spot ya the bits for a ticket miss."
She trotted over to him and gave him a hug. "I'll find out what's going on, and I'll fix this."
He looked at her appraisingly, "Yah know, I think ya will."
She barely made it in time for the last train east.
***
The last time Rainbow Dash had gone to Manehattan was with Rarity and her friends for fashion week, though in the early morning darkness, she did notice that lights were being lit throughout the city. She trotted down a street, she had found a city directory and was heading to the Orange mansion. It was still early, but she decided to try the door.
After a few minutes knocking, an old gray pony opened it. "May I help you?"
"My name is Rainbow Dash, from Ponyville. I'm looking for my friend Applejack."
"Miss Applejack has just awakened, I will inform her, if you'll wait in the library." He moved back to allow her inside, she followed the direction he pointed and meekly waited in the library. She looked around, not a single Daring Do book to be found. Ugh, how boring.
"I remember every pony from Ponyville, and I don't remember any pony by the name of Rainbow Dash." She turned around at the familiar voice, but not the accent. She sounded like Rarity, no. Rainbow shook her head hard, she sounded like a Canterlot elite snob. She saw the orange earth pony at the door, and suffered another major shock. Applejack was wearing a dress, her ubiquitous Stetson was missing, and she was wearing, of all things, makeup. Rainbow shrunk from the sight.
Applejack regarded the cyan pegasus critically. "No, I don't know you, with that shocking mane, I would never forget that garish color scheme. You need to leave." She opened her mouth and inhaled to call the butler, only to be stopped by a hoof to the mouth. "Applejack, it's me, your friend, Rainbow Dash. We've been friends for years, ever since you found me in your orchard just after I moved to Ponyville. You got me for poaching apples, before I got the job as weather mare for Ponyville. You have to believe me." She removed her hoof.
"You've got to be toying with me, Miss Dash, I've never run an orchard. I left that uncouth place many years ago, just after I lost my parents. I belong here now, with the rest of the elite. Now if you will excuse me."
Rainbow Dash, at this point, completely lost her cool. She grabbed her friend and started shaking her. "Please, Applejack, you have to remember me, we've been friends for years, you and I tied for last place at the running of the leaves competition, we've done so much…" her words were interrupted via an orange hoof decking her across the face. She tumbled to the floor and looked up at her friend.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything you've been telling me. It is time for you to go."
Rainbow Dash had to think hard while flying in the dark. Two of her best friends were completely different, she had no clue where Twilight was, and she had to find out what happened to all of her friends. As she had passed, she saw the carousel boutique wasn't open, and the windows were boarded up, so Rarity wasn't there. She only knew of one pony that she had an idea of where to find, and that was Pinkie Pie. She remembered where Pinkie's family's rock farm was, so she flew through the day, so focused she didn't stop to contemplate why the sun had not risen at all since she started this crazy adventure. Her flight muscles burning, she landed near the drab farmhouse of the Pie rock farm. She tilted her ears and didn't hear anypony in the building, so she took off towards one of the spots of light out in the massive rock fields.
As she drew closer she began to hear some pony talking, but in the light, she could only vaguely see one pony.
"It's okay Rocky, I'll get you turned, you need more time to crystallize." The figure nosed a rock over.
"Monsieur Rake, I know all these rocks have been busy growing on the farm, but you know they aren't ready for harvesting yet." The figure zipped over to a rake leaning against a large boulder, and the voice changed, a very fake Prench accent, "Ahh, but zee rocks take zo long to mature, we need to hurry zem up."
The pony moved away and started talking in her normal voice again, "True, Monsieur Rake, but you can't hurry perfection. And the Pie family farm always produces perfection, especially with Pinkamena doing the job."
"Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow Dash called out as she came into the light. Both ponies stopped, Pinkie's eyes went wide looking at the new pony, Rainbow froze because of the appearance of her friend. Pinkie's coat was very nearly a dark gray like her sisters, her frizzy mop of mane wasn't frizzy, it was straight, and it too had lost most of its pink.
Pinkie Pie snapped out of the fugue first. "Well, hello there, stranger. What brings you to the Pie Rock farm? If you are interested in buying, I'll have to refer you to Rarity, our business manager."
The rock farmer put a hoof to her chin as she looked at Rainbow, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember ever knowing a Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash's ears fell at the words from her pranking buddy. "Pinkie," she whined, "It has been horrible. I accidentally hurt Scootaloo, and I wished I had never been born to hurt the poor filly. And that wish was fulfilled. But somehow it made things worse. All of my friends lives have changed. You aren't the super duper party pony that I remember. Fluttershy's never been grounded, Applejack never came back from Manehattan." She sighed and let the tears flow, "Applebloom now has Applejack's cutie mark, and the CMC has never existed. She's never even heard of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And now you." Her sobbing was making words harder and harder to speak, "You’re a rock farmer. You aren't the bouncy flouncy pony that I knew." She collapsed to the ground, "You… I miss my friends."
As she was sobbing, she felt a foreleg around her withers. Pinkie drew her into a hug. Well, one thing was familiar, a Pinkie Pie hug was the same here, she felt her ribs creak from the strength of the hug. "Rainbow Dash," the slightly pink pony whispered in your ear, "I'll be your friend no matter what. You need a friend right now, and Pinkamena Diane Pie will never let a pony cry without helping. I wish I remembered what you are talking about, because that sure sounds like fun."
Rainbow dragged a fetlock across her muzzle, the sobbing starting to ebb. "Thank you Pinkie. No matter what, you are a true friend." She felt herself being drawn to her hooves.
"Well, it's been a long work day, let's head in." Rainbow followed Pinkie back towards the farmhouse. Which seemed to be bigger than she remembered. She spied Maude and Pinkie's other sisters as they were also heading in. Well, at least not every pony has changed.
After being introduced to the family, Rainbow sat to eat with them. She was interrupted by the door opening. "Well, our sales are doing quite well," said the white unicorn with the long indigo mane. Rainbow just sat there looking at Rarity as she trotted to the table and served herself she sat down at the table and looked around.
"Well, hello there stranger. Did you come to buy from the wonderful stock of the Pie farm?"
"Erm, ehh." Rainbow Dash's mouth didn't want to cooperate with her mind. She looked at Pinkie, noticing for the first time her cutie mark, three rocks of different colors, and Rarity's a single large rock that was faceted like a jewel, very similar to Maude's. She shook her head, "Pinkie, Rarity, you gals have changed from when I remember you."
Rarity reared back a bit, "I'm sorry miss, but I don't remember you at all. With your distinctive coloring, I'm sure I would recall a pony such as you."
"Well, it's a long story, but I remember you as a trendy fashion pony, and you, Pinkie, you were a super duper party pony. And now…" She pointed at her friend's cutie marks, "You aren't."
"I believe I don't know what you are talking about," Rarity responded. "I got my cutie mark when my horn dragged me into the mountains, and it slammed me into this huge boulder. I ranted at it, angry that my talent was rocks. But as I thought about it, I've always had good business sense, so I came to the Pie rock farm. I handle the business end of the farm, I sell our products, and make sure we stay profitable. I'm very good at it." This was confirmed by a chorus of nods from the assembled ponies. Rarity blushed, "Well, I like to think so, that is. The income has been higher than the outflow for a few years now, so I think we are doing well."
"We are doing better than ever, thanks to you, Rarity." This from Pinkie Pie, to intensified blushing from Rarity. Rainbow Dash turned to her pranking buddy, "And what about you, Pinkie, what brought about your cutie mark?" The barely pink mare sighed, "My cutie mark story, it's simple. We were out in the fields, I was pushing rocks to get them to grow. And I saw some that had broken open. They had all kinds of different colors. They were so pretty. I felt a connection to them. I knew that this life, farming rocks and making the best rocks for ponies was my talent, it was my destiny. So then my cutie mark appeared. "
Rainbow pondered her words. She looked into the mug of water she was drinking. "I've got to fix this. I need to find Twilight Sparkle."
"Who's that now?" Rarity asked.
"The alicorn that is our friend. She's the most powerful magic user I've ever seen." She lay her head on the table, "I miss her." "I only know of one alicorn," Pinkie said, "and you really don't want to meet her, especially since she sent her sister to the sun."
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped, "Nightmare Moon?"
A chorus of nods from everypony at the table.
"She wasn't defeated by the Elements of Harmony?"
"What are the Elements of Harmony?" Pinkie responded.
Rainbow Dash just groaned. "I have to find Twilight."
She moved away from the table. "I'm sorry about this everypony. I have to fix this, your destinies are wrong." She pointed to Rarity, "You are the best fashionista in Ponyville, your cutie mark is three diamonds," her hoof moved to Pinkie Pie, "You are pink, bright pink, you are Pinkie Pie, your cutie mark is three balloons. And both of you are some of my best friends." Shocked looks from every pony. "I don’t know how to fix this, but Twilight will, and I will track her down and fix this. I'm so sorry my friends." Without another word she once again fled, her destination, Canterlot.
Rainbow Dash trotted up and down the well lit streets of Canterlot. She knew that Twilight's parents home was nearby, but she couldn't remember exactly where. She trotted up to a familiar looking door and knocked. A few moments later a blue stallion opened the door.
"Oh, Night Light, I'm so glad to have found you."
He frowned in response, "Do I know you, miss?"
"No, you don't remember me, but I need to find your daughter, Twilight."
His face fell.
"You do know where she is, right?"
He nodded.
She jumped up and down, "I need to see her, she needs to fix all of these problems. Nightmare Moon, all of our friends, she needs to help us."
His voice was forlorn, "I'm sorry, miss. But I don't think my Twilight will be helping you with much. Ever since she failed her entrance to Celestia's school," his ears flattened, "she changed."
This pricked Rainbow's interest, her friend failed a test? "She changed? How?"
He was just on the edge of sobbing, "She started to resent the Celestial monarchy. She was ranting about how the stars would aid in the escape of Nightmare Moon, and the rightful princess would come back and overthrow the dictator Celestia. She said that she had found the portent of Nightmare Moon's return, and that she would be Nightmare Moon's most trusted advisor." Tears started to leak down his cheeks, "and she spent years preparing for Nightmare Moon's return. She would talk to anypony that would listen. Though most…" he suppressed a chuckle, "would back away slowly as they listened to her ramblings." He stopped and looked at Rainbow Dash, "I don't think my daughter can help you very much."
He backed away as Rainbow came forward to grab him, her hooves missed and she fell. "Please, Night Light, I need to see her. There has to be some of the old Twilight in there. She is one of my best friends. Is she in the castle? When Nightmare Moon came back, did Twilight become her adviser?"
He shook his head sadly, "She wasn't good enough for Nightmare Moon. She was rejected."
"Can you give me her address?"
He looked at Rainbow Dash critically. After several moments he said, "I don't remember you, but you want to help my daughter, right?"
She nodded enthusiastically, "There is nothing more I want than to help Twilight, because she's the only mare that can help us all."
He stared at her for a few more moments, thinking furiously. "I hope I can trust you." His horn lit and a pencil levitated, scribbling on a piece of parchment, which floated to Rainbow. "Here is her address, if you can help her find herself, maybe you can give us the sun back." He looked into the night sky, "I miss the sun. Since we've had eternal night, the unicorns have had to provide magic for food to grow, and to prevent the world from freezing in eternal night. We get no direction from the castle. We just have to, if we want to live." Though from time to time, you can hear the mad laughter from the castle, Nightmare Moon gloating over her victory over the sun. It's so sad." He turned and started to close the door, then stopped and looked at Rainbow. "Please, help my daughter, she's so confused." And he closed the door. Leaving Rainbow Dash alone with her thoughts.
She looked at the scrap of parchment in her hooves. That address was on the other side of Canterlot, in one of the rougher sections, if she remembered correctly. At least it was somewhat rough as she remembered it under Celestia's rule, but under Nightmare Moon's rule, she had no idea. Well, there was nothing to do but to head that way.
***
Flying over the rooftops of Canterlot, she finally spotted the street she was looking for. Landing, she trotted down the street. Her head rotated back and forth, looking for the address. After a few minutes, she was in front of the door, raising a hoof to knock. Then she looked, the door was unlatched. She heard muttering from inside.
"The Nightmare won't talk to me, she won't listen to me. She's just as bad as the Celestial dictator."
"Twilight?" Rainbow called softly as she stepped in the entryway. Looking around she saw a dark home, but one of the doors had light spilling underneath, she tiphooved down the hallway, ears perked.
She heard movement, and the muted chime of Twilight's magic, and the loud thump of a book hitting a desk.
"Ahh, same ole Twilight, always the egghead with her books," she said softly as she readied to open the door, only to be stopped by more muttering, "These ponies don't know what they are missing. My mistress has been locked away from ponies for a thousand years. She just needs to adjust to life here, then I can take my rightful place at her side."
That's crazy mare talk, Rainbow thought to herself. She finally brought her hoof out and tapped a few times on the door, "Twilight, it's Rainbow Dash. I need your help."
Magic gripped the door and it opened. Rainbow's jaw dropped in shock at what it revealed.
Twilight Sparkle was there, shrouded in a black cloak. The hood was thrown back, showing Rainbow the familiar face of her friend. But her eyes. They were wide and scary. They reminded her of when Twilight had forgotten her friendship report and she was in complete freak out mode. She looked at Rainbow as her horn glowed, levitating books off the bookshelf to make a neat pile. This must be the library of Twilight's house, judging by all the books.
"Have you come to hear about the victory of the moon over the cursed sun? Are you a new acolyte to follow the Nightmare?" "Ummm, no. I'm not." Rainbow responded. Only to have the door slammed in her face.
"Then be gone."
Rainbow rubbed her muzzle where the door hit, then pounded on the door, "Twilight. Everything is wrong! Our friends haven't gotten the right cutie marks, they are so different. They aren't the ponies they were. And you." She stopped pounding, "You never got into the school. And it's all my fault." Tears she had been holding for way too long started to flow. "It's all my fault. Everything is wrong. I need you. I need you to be yourself again." She slid down the door and collapsed in a heap, "Everything is wrong. I need help."
After a long silence from the other side of the door. The muted chime of Twilight’s magic sounded again, opening the door, "You are a lost soul. You can learn to love the night." The magic aura enveloped Rainbow and dragged her into the room. She looked around. There were books all over. Many with dark connotations to their names, those names chilled Rainbow to her core.
"What happened to you, Twilight?"
The mad mare looked at her curiously, "What are you talking about?"
"I talked to your father. He told me some things."
"Oh, my father, he was unable to embrace what happened." She cackled madly, "after Celestia's minions rejected me for their precious school, I continued my schooling through the private school my parents paid for. But I knew there was something missing. And after some years, I found it." She dashed to one of the bookcases, levitating out a book and floating it over to Rainbow Dash. On opening it, Rainbow saw that it was the one that she had seen on the night she met Twilight, right after Nightmare Moon had appeared. "On the summer sun celebration, a thousand years after her banishment, Nightmare Moon would return." She snapped the book shut with her magic.
"I knew it would be happening, and there was nothing Celestia could do to stop it." She waved a hoof around dismissively, "I never knew why I wanted so badly to be a student at her stupid school. My parents were so proud when I got the letter for the entrance exam. Then I spent forever trying to open that stupid, stupid dragon egg." She hung her head, "But I couldn't. And I disappointed them." She sounded ready to cry, then she shook her head and looked hard at Rainbow Dash, "Well, I know how much magic I can do. I know I'm strong. And the only pony that respects true strength is Nightmare Moon. I went to Ponyville on the prophesied night and I offered myself to be her advisor, her mentor in this world after a thousand years. And she laughed at me." The crazy look was back. "She laughed at me, and said no adult blank flank could ever be her advisor." She tossed the side of her cloak aside, showing a pristine flank, her stars for a cutie mark gone. "And she cast me out. So for the last year and a half, I've been studying, I've been trying to figure out my cutie mark. And I will get it, then I will show her that I'm good enough. That I can do everything I promised." Again with the mad cackle. "I'll show her, I'll show them all!" She cackled again.
Through all of this, Rainbow's ears kept dropping. She would get no help from this mad mare. She had no choice, she fled, once again into the night. Without any idea what to do to fix this problem.
Rainbow Dash was back in Ponyville. She found another cloud, and was laying on it, sobbing once again.
"Loyalty." Her ears pricked up at the voice.
"Princess Luna, I thought you were…" She stopped and looked confused, "But my friends said…" she stopped again, only to get a chiming laugh from the princess of the night.
"Rainbow Dash, yes, I am here. I am not Nightmare Moon."
"But how?"
A blue wing enfolded the mourning pegasus, Luna lay down next to Rainbow Dash and lay close to her. For a long time there was silence.
"It is strange, is it not? Everypony's life touches so many other lives. When she isn't around she leaves an awful hole, doesn't she?"
Rainbow looked down. "Yes. I never believed that I had such an effect on all of my friends lives."
"Everypony has a profound effect on those lives they touch. You, bearing an element of Harmony, and being the pony you are Rainbow Dash, have more of an effect than you will ever realize."
"How? How did you put me into this world?"
"Child, I may be a very powerful alicorn. I may be able to perform feats of magic that outstrip what any pony that you know can do." She stopped and sighed. "But putting you in a different world is beyond my abilities."
"I'm asleep, aren't I? This is all a dream?"
Luna looked at Rainbow Dash, after a long moment, she nodded.
"How real is this dream? It feels real."
"This dream is the best I could project of what would happen if you had never been born. Both through me observing the dreams of your friends, and learning the history of your life. I believe that the ponies you met in this dream would be a very accurate representation of how things would be if you had never been born."
Rainbow looked at Luna, tears in her eyes. "So, I'll wake up, and my friends will be back to normal?"
The wing around her tightened slightly. "They will be the same as they were. Because you are in their lives."
"And Scootaloo?"
Luna's ears fell. "During your adventure in this dream, I visited Twilight. She says she's done everything she can do. She is hopeful though. Young Scootaloo is a tough pony. She can survive this. I don't know any more than that."
"You say you can do magic that other ponies can only dream of. Can you help her?"
Luna smiled sadly. "I know healing magic, and so does Twilight. I showed her a few things that might make a difference, but the amount of difference is small. She is working on the young filly right now. But Twilight has had almost a worse time than you have. She hasn't slept the whole time, added in with the energy spent on healing you and Scootaloo, she is approaching magical exhaustion. And given her level of power, she will be days, if not weeks, recovering to full capacity."
"I wish there was something I could do for her."
"There is, Loyalty. When this is done, help her. Make her rest, she is too stubborn to just do it on her own. She needs you to make her do what she needs to do. Twilight would literally kill herself to keep you and Scootaloo alive. You need to make sure she rests." Rainbow Dash looked at the midnight blue alicorn. "I promise, I will make sure that Twilight comes through this."
"Good, Loyalty. You so very often live up to your element. Now go."
Waking up on the cloud she had first started this crazy dream on, Rainbow Dash shook herself, "Twilight needs help. And I'm going to help her."
It was a short flight back to the hospital. She noticed the window she had crashed through was still broken, no pony had put any boards up for the window. She flew into her room, landing heavily. Her body still hurt.
"Ah, there yah are Rainbow, Twilight told me that you would be coming back soon. Somepony wants to say somethin to yah," Applejack said from the visitors chair. Apple Bloom stepped forward.
"Ahm sorry fer whut I said." Tears leaked from her eyes. "I was scared for my friend. I lashed out at you, and I really didn't mean it." Her words were cut off by Rainbow grabbing her and pulling her into a hug.
"She's your friend, and I'm sorry for hurting her." She held the trembling filly tightly. "She's my friend too. And I would trade places with her in an instant if it meant she would be okay. But our friend Twilight is doing her best for her. She will be okay." Rainbow sincerely hoped that her words would prove to be true. After several moments, the filly hugged her back, with every bit of earth pony strength that she possessed. Rainbow endured the pain and just concentrated on comforting Apple Bloom.
"I need to go see her, I need to help Twilight."
Applejack shook her head. "Twilight was very specific in her instructions. You are to stay here until she comes and gets you. She said she would tie you up and leave you even longer if you come before you are called."
Rainbow Dash sighed.
*** Near dawn Rainbow was woken by the sound of hoof steps in her room. The Apples had left hours earlier. She opened her eyes to the exhausted face of Twilight Sparkle.
"Twilight?"
"She's awake, and she's asking for you."
Spirits buoyed by the news she hopped off the bed. Only to steady her friend as she stumbled.
"Twilight, Princess Luna warned me about you getting magical exhaustion."
"I'll be fine, I am very tired, but I'm not to that point."
"Princess Luna told me you would be stubborn about it, she told me I needed to take care of you. And the first thing I'm going to do is make you get into bed and rest. I'll deal with seeing Scoots. I want you to rest."
"I'm fine, Rainbow."
"No, you are not fine, I can see it. Please Twilight. For me? Just take a nap, I'll come get you after I'm done seeing Scootaloo, then I'll take you home, okay?"
Twilight looked at her, and it was a measure of her exhaustion that she lowered her head and sighed, "Fine, Rainbow."
Taking a moment to help her friend into the bed, she made sure the covers were tight and her friend was breathing steadily in sleep, Rainbow trotted to Scootaloo's room.
She pushed the door open, Scootaloo's mother was laying down next to her daughter's bed, her head laying right next to the orange filly. She was sound asleep, the only pony awake was Scootaloo.
"Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?"
The small filly whispered, "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I shouldn't have moved to see you better, I got right in the way."
Rainbow moved right up next to the bed. "Oh, no Scoots, it's all my fault. I turned my head away from the direction of flight, I broke rule number one of being a pegasus." And tears started to form, "and I hurt you in the process. I'm so sorry Scootaloo." She lay her head down next to the filly and cried.
She heard a sob, and jerked her head up. "Scootaloo, you don't need to cry."
"But you’re like a big sister to me, I can't stand to see you crying."
Rainbow crawled into the bed and held the filly, "Scootaloo, I'm the one who messed up. You should be mad at me."
Purple eyes filled with tears looked up at her, "Rainbow Dash, I'm not mad at you at all. It was an accident. I'll be okay."
"You might never walk again, you might never ride your scooter again."
"Rainbow Dash, Twilight finished her magic on me a couple of hours ago, the swelling is going down. I can't move my rear legs yet, but I can feel them. She even poked a pin in both of my hind legs and got a reaction, and I could feel it. I'm going to be fine."
Rainbow's tears turned to tears of joy, "You are going to be okay, Scootaloo, I'm so happy for you."