Twilight cant handle being alone and without Dash after the Cupcakes incident, so she takes it upon herself to travel back in time and save the one she loves with all her being. But what will the future hold for them if she changes the past?
Twilight Sparkle was suffering the most horrible depression after Rainbow Dash was killed by Pinkie Pie in what was known as the Cupcakes Incident, AKA the Horror of Sugar Cube Corner, and also nicknamed the Rise of Pinkamena. She was going to make sure that didn't happen. She wasn't going to let Pinkie take Twilight and Rainbow Dash's future together from her this time. This time would be different.
Everything that had happened recently was a clusterfuck in Twilight's mind. She was so precise and methodical that it bordered on Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. Her parents had tried to get her help when she was a filly but she always seemed to outsmart the physicians and psychiatrists that she had been sent to over the years. The one event that finally broke her was Rainbow's death. Celestia had done the best she could to console the mare. She tried to tell her that Rainbow would want her to keep living.
Three ideas had come to her in the middle of the night after Rainbow's death. Time Travel, moving on, and even suicide. Most thought the latter was something that was unconscionable in the eyes of most of her friends. Even Celestia had tried to tell her and it wasn't something she wanted to do. It was best to move on and live the life Celestia had told her to. Rainbow would want her to be happy. She didnt feel the same way and laid out her thoughts.
Twilight rebuked her former mentor. She all but said out loud that she didn't want to live anymore if Dash wasn't in her life anymore. She couldn't bring herself to feel like she'd be unfaithful if she decided to move on with her life. She desperately needed Dash back in her life. To hold her in her hooves. To feel her body against hers again every night. She had become obsessed with bringing her back to life somehow.
She managed to break the veil of death one night while performing a summoning spell and had briefly brought Rainbow back, even if she was only visible in a spirit form. Rainbow Dash had the most haunted and pained look on her face. She couldn't believe that she had been brought back like this. Even if it was temporary.
"Seriously Twilight," Rainbow said as she smacked her face with a hoof," what the hell are you doing?!" She scoffed. Even in Death she was stubborn and annoyed to no end. She stared at Twilight before asking her a simpler reason for doing this right now.
"Damn it Twilight, why do this to us?" she asked Twilight, who was still in shock that her spell had worked. She told her everything that had happened since her death. That Twilight needed her for just one more night. She explained that she was having a harder time moving on then she had realized.
"I can't do this Rainbow. I can't live without you," Twilight muttered in between sobs. It was painful for her to just let her go. Rainbow reached out a spectral hoof and placed it on Twilight's cheek. She had to exert some effort in doing so. As a spirit, her interactions with the mortal world had to be brief.
"Look, I can't stay here for much longer Twi," Rainbow brought her face to Twilights," you know spirits cant exist for extended periods after passing on." She was still calm even after death. It was another one of life and death's mysteries that couldn't be fully explained. Rainbow tried to do the best she could.
"Whatever comes your way, I'll always love you Twilight. And I'll always be waiting for you no matter what."Rainbow kissed her on the cheek before fading back to the netherworld. Twilight could only sit there as the summoning spell faded and Rainbow Dash disappeared. She was an utterly broken mare. As she sat there wondering what to do next. Something darker was stirring inside of her. A number of thoughts crossed her mind. What if she could just use a ressurection spell? No, those were dangerous if miscast. That and Celestia had banned the use of magic of that caliber decades ago.
There was always Time travel. She could just time the spell to take her back to the day of or before the incident and stop Pinkie from hurting Rainbow that way. She could stop Pinkie and get to the bottom of why the mare had attacked one of their own friends. Twilight didnt know that her family history was much darker then she been told by her parents. Some of her ancestors were part of a cult that worshipped a dangerous entity. One that could grant immortality throuogh unholy means. It required turning the pony in question into a Vampony. Of course she was never told that she was descended from a being that was once a subspecies of Unicorns.
They were called the Wraith. They were from the northern edge of the Crystal mountains in a village that no longer existed. AK Yearling had found evidence a years ago that it might have existed at one point but whatever was left was buried under snow and ice. Twilight decided to use that time to collect her thoughts. Before making a decision like this she'd visit this place herself.
She packed a few things including her Winter wrap-up scarf and told Spike to keep an eye on the Library while she went out of town to calm herself. He said he understood and that she'd be happier if she took some time off from this place. Twilight knew he meant well, despite the worried look she had.
"I'll be back in a month or two Spike, I just need an extended vacation," She said as she patted him on the head before hugging him. She snuck out of town to the Trainstation and booked passage on the next carriage ride to the Crystal Empire. She decided not to involve her other friends for now least they try and bug her to let them come with her on this.
Twilight felt she had to do this on her own without their involvement. At least for right now. She cracked open a book as she took her seat on the train. It was a crime drama that Rarity had loaned her a while back. Twilight thought it was kind of nice that Rarity was into mystery novels like she was. One of the mare's favorite authors was Shadow Spade. There were alot of film noir movies that had been released in the last few years that had been based on her works. Within a couple of hours the conduct chimed over the intercom that they had reached the Crystal Empire train station.
Twilight got out and headed towards the Empire's Library and historical archives. She had been here before when Her and Spike had defeated King Sombra and recovered the Crystal Heart. When she got inside she noticed that there was a near Librarian. There was something odd about him though, Twilight swore she knew him from somewhere else but just put in the back of her mind for now.
"Hi, Im looking for a map to the Northern Fringes," she told him. The stallion told her to follow him and they traversed a couple of rows of bookshelves before he located what she was looking for. After retriving it the Stallion turned and looked Twilight right in her eyes before whispering in her ear.
"This should be what you need Twilight Sparkle." That voice was both deep and crisp. That was when Twilight froze and realized where she remembered that voice. Sombra she thought to herself. She turned her head to make sure no pony else was around before she said anything back to him.
"How are you alive," she stuttered. With that he gestured to the top of his head where she could see that his horn had been broken off before it was able to reform over time. When he had trapped her in that crystal prison she had gotten the sense that he didn't want to really harm her. In fact it was more that he wanted to make Twilight Queen regent of the Empire. He told that he would have spared her friends, but she didn't believe him at the time.
"You are so much more powerful than Celestia even realizes," he said," Why do you think I let you go with the heart Twilight? I couldn't be harmed by it, much less killed. All I do is reform my body after each use. I became like this through the study of dark magic my dear. I know for a fact that you could not only dominate all magic, but you could also make death irrelevant." Before she could say anything else he turned to shadow and disappeared into the ground.
A thousand questions began to flood her mind. All of them focused on saving Rainbow's life. She smashed the picture that was sitting next to her bedframe out of malice. The only picture that contained both her and Rainbow sitting with Pinkie Pie. She stared at the shattered frame as it lay on the ground.
"Why did you take her from me Pinkie,"Twilight told herself before going to bed that night. She had a lot of planning to do the next day to try and take her mind off of this. It wasn't going to be as easy as she had thought though.
She couldnt put it out of her mind any longer. She had the spell she needed, she just had to get over the uneasiness of what she was contemplating. Celestia had warned her not to take the spell, that it wouldnt bring Rainbow Dash back to her. The Princess of the felt it neceessary to suspend Twilight from being her student and protege until the unicorn mare could learn to cope with this loss.
"Oh, what do i do,", Twilight thought to herself. Spike was in Canterlot on business as far as she knew. She had told him that she needed time alone to process everything that had happened to her within the last few years. She had sunk into a deep depression over Rainbow's death. She couldn't bring herself to confront Pinkie. Or more apt Pinkie's grave. This was the only thing she could bring herself to do. She was going to travel back in time and stop Pinkie from killing Rainbow Dash. She didnt even care at that moment what it might do the timestream.
All Twilight Sparkle could think of was her marefriend. Those magenta eyes she used to lose herself in, that smirk that Dash always got when she was up to something mischievous.
As she began to charge the spell, she thought she saw Rainbow's Face staring at her, a hoof extended pleading with her not to do this. Pleading with her to just let go.
"I can't let go, I can't lose you, you were my life, Dash," Twilight realized as the spell began to take form and swirl around her that she had been speaking to a chair.
There was no way in Tartarus that she was going to let history repeat itself, there was no way she was going to let her marefriend die this time, least of all to the hooves of a deranged friend of their's. She had consulted her other friends before deciding whether or not to go forward with her endeavor. She was going to travel back in time and stop Pinkamena/Pinkie Pie from killing Rainbow Dash. She was going to stop her from killing the mare Twilight had planned to marry.
The Day Before
Of all the ponies to support her decision, Rarity was the first to speak up about it. She was in full support of Twilight's idea to go back and stop Pinkamena before the nightmare was allowed to escalate. About a month ago, Pinkamena had gotten her hooves on Rarity and tried to have her killed by mercury poisoning. Applejack had shown up to take Rarity to dinner when she found her unconscious with Pinkie just staring at her with a crazed grin creeping over her face.
"After that dreadful incident last month believe me Twilight when i say that the rest of us fully support your decision," Like always Rarity was the most supportive of what Twilight wanted to do. She had lived through something horrific. If Applejack hadn't been there she might have died because of what Pinkie tried to do to her. It was both painful and heartbreaking that one of their own friends tried to take another pony's life.
What she didn't tell them was that she had summoned Rainbow's spirit in order to try and talk to her. Necromancy was something that was frowned upon. If Celestia had known what she had done it would have been enough to confine Twilight to the dungeons for fifty years at most.
Rarity and Applejack shared their own horror story with Twilight. She hadn't known that Pinkie had tried to kill Rarity as well. What's more, she and Applejack had been dating for some time and both had been considering backing the idea that they should live together. Applejack was waiting for the right moment to ask Rarity to marry her. Both she and Applejack decided that it was best if they started living together after that. That way AJ could always make sure she was safe from any future harm.
"It was like she has a completely different pony Twi," Applejack recounted to Twilight what had transpired over a month ago. It was the hardest thing for her to do. Pinkie was such a bright soul that AJ could have never imagined that she was capable of killing another pony. And by poisoning them for that matter. That just seemed so despicable. Applejack continued with her description of events.
"I had gone in to see what was takin' so long and that was when I saw what Pinkie was about to do,",Applejack could see that just talking about it was making Rarity nervous. She pulled her in and kissed her on her head to assure her things were ok. Seeing that made Twilight remember one of the times that she and Rainbow had shared Dash's bed in her cloud home. Twilight had remembered to use her cloud walking spell to make sure she didn't fall through the floor.
AJ had turned around and done a complete 180 spin and bucked her right in the jaw, the force tossing the pink mare halfway across the Carosoul Boutique and right into the adjacent wall. The force of the impact almost snapped Pinkie's neck, sending the pink pony's body crashing to the floor. Twilight had to make sure her calculations were precise. If the spell worked, none of this would have happened, and Rainbow Dash would be alive, and Pinkie would be locked up or at the most, executed for what she attempted.
That and Twilight would still be Celestia's student. Her mental breakdown after Dash was murdered nearly destroyed half of the town. Even though Pinkie tried to kill Rarity too, the one pony she avoided at all costs was Twilight. Part of Pinkie that was still sane knew that if they crossed paths, there would be no escaping her wrath. She knew how Twilight and Rainbow Dash felt about one another, and that the pain of her death had caused Twilight into a downward spiral of insanity that nearly destroyed most of Ponyville, and forced Celestia to suspend Twilight's position as her student because of it.
Twilight looked at her friends and turned back to where the spell was lying and cast it with no regrets. She had altered it to take her back farther then a week. As she felt herself being lifted, she opened to see the traces of the time tunnel she was traveling through before coming out the other side of it. She opened her eyes again to reveal the floor of the Library and looked around to see that there was no sign of the damage she had caused to it when she had her self destructive stunt.
She opened the door to see Rarity walking towards the Library, she remembered that they were going to Sugar Cube Corner to see what was taking Dash so long. The three of them had planned a picnic together.
"We need to get over there fast, I think something's wrong with Pinkie,", Twilight couldn't exactly tell Rarity the real reason for her worry. How would her friends think of her telling them she traveled back in time? Probably about as well as when she tried to get their help in solving a friendship problem during the Want it Need it Incident.
"Ok..", Rarity said, unsure of what was making her unicorn friend panic like this.
Twilight walked in the door to Sugar Cube Corner to see Rainbow Dash about to take a bite out of a cupcake, a cupcake Twilight knew was laced with a sedative. She knocked it out of Dash's hooves before she could take one taste of it, causing Dash to jump back a bit. She looked at Twi, with an annoyed look in her eyes. Until she turned to see Pinkie trying to come at her with a kitchen knife, to which she dodged the incoming attack.
Twilight lit her horn, and enveloped Pinkie in a purplish aura and threw her into the wall jutting out of from the kitchen, which knocked the pink mare unconscious, without killing her this time.
"Twi.. Twilight,", Dash stammered, " How did you know she was going drug me?", Dash stared at her with those magenta eyes, those eyes that Twilight had missed so much, the same eyes she had imagined losing herself in every night.
"Because, I came back in time for you.", She didn't care if they believed it, It was the truth. She had traveled this far back to save the one she loved more then anything else in the world. She turned back and walked over to where Pinkie was laying and used some masking tape to bound her hooves together. She then got a pen and quill and wrote a letter to Celestia, asking her to send four Royal Guards to Ponyville immidiately. Somepony had tried to kill her and Dash, and was being restrained at the moment.
The Guards arrived to take Pinkie into custody while Twilight and Rainbow decided to investigate the basement of Sugar Cube Corner. They both wished they hadn't as they were left utterly speechless to the scene arrayed in front of them. There were numerous organs done up in pastels hanging from the ceiling like party favors. on the other side of the room was a door that led to another area. It was littered with bodies from the other ponies she had done this too before targeting one of her friends. Twilight nearly became sick when she spot a familiar mint green unicorn strapped to a metal table.
"Lyra.", she said as tears started to well up in her eyes, that was until she noticed.. movement. There were no cuts or anything, just a needle mark under Lyra's neck where she had been injected with a sedative. She immediately unchained Lyra from the table and helped her to her hooves. Lyra turned and wrapped her hooves around Twilight, pulling her into a deep hug.
"Thank you for finding me Twilight,", Lyra sounded so modest and relieved that somepony, most of all a dear friend, had found and rescued her from this horrible torment she had been subjected to. Twilight helped walk Lyra to the door of the bakery. Twilight held her friend in a hug that seemed to last forever. Both of them were grateful that the other was there to comfort Lyra.
With some help Lyra was able to go back to a semi-normal life. She still experienced nightmares though. What Pinkie had tried to do her would stay with the mare for the rest of her life. But at least she had Bon Bon and Twilight to help her through this. She was grateful for that at least.
Pinkie Pie's family had kept this secret from her all their life. No pony had ever told her that one of her aunts was mentally insane, nor did they tell her that she had another sister that had died when she was just a filly. They had named her Pinkamena Diane Pie in honor of her dead sibling. No pony realized that Pinkamena had possessed Pinkie Pie at the moment of her death and became a separate being inside of her own body. Two minds inside of one body, the strain manifested itself in the most bizarre way possible.
"Just leave me alone," Pinkie said to her mirror. The reflection that stared back was and wasnt hers at the same time. She almost doubled over as it started to laugh at her. She felt like she was losing her mind right now. Her own reflection was laughing at her.
"I cant leave you alone PInkie, i'm part of you right now. I'd leave if i could you stupid mare."The reflection mocked her. It wanted to have its own body so it make decisions independent of sharing this frame with Pinkie Pie. It wanted out. There was one way to do it, ,but it required a blood sacrifice in order to do so.
Pinkamena could only take over Pinkie's body at Midnight and only for a few hours at the most. That and there were other select times she could pull it off. She had hoped that she'd be able to take permanent control through use of a special ritual. They had tried to go to a pastor about possibly excising her spirit from Pinkie's body, but the mare insisted that she'd hurt them by killing Marble if they even tried that. Ignacious called her on that bluff by telling her that they would do this again if needed, so she best make the best of her time in that body.
He and his wife wanted their loving daughter back, not a demon like her. He had disowned her when she was alive and was now disowning her again and casting her down low it seemed.
"Thou best make thy time Demon, devil spawn,", Ignacious spat on the ground as he said this." You are no daughter of mine, you are the devil possessing my girl," He was headstrong in his belief. She could only spit back at him out of anger and frustration.
"You never told Pinkie about me!", she yelled," You owed her that much" She was entirely beside herself now. The way he looked at her now was angering her to no end. She told him as much.
"That doth not matter," , he was so cold when he said that. Even though he was being cold, she could be a tinge of regret in his voice. He was not the type that easily showed his emotions. His family had raised him to be a devout follower of their faith. He had no time to make friends or be concerned with the dealings of other villages. The family came first.
Cloudy Quartz was a different matter though. She stared at Pinkamena and lamented the torture she must be going through by just being stuck in her own sister's body. She had traveled down to the churchyard against her husband's advice and taken a shovel with her. She was determined to bury the one pony she wasn't there to save.
"Im, Im so sorry that i wasn't there for you in your hour of need my dearest daughter,", She kept staring at the possessed body of her daughter as she said that with tears running down her face," But you need to move on Pinkamena my beloved daughter."
Her father could only look at his wife in disbelief but said nothing else to either of them. .He had said what he needed to say. The Pastor rang the bell he was carrying and began reciting their lord's prayer in the hopes that it would drive her from Pinkie's body. It wasn't as simple as that. They both realized this as she began screaming in an unholy tongue and then glared at them both.
"It's not gonna be that simple father,", Pinkamena spoke," Pinkie and I have become bonded, so it'll take something much stronger than the Lord's prayer to get rid of me. To get rid of your prideful mistake of not telling Pinkie Pie she had another sister that you failed." Pinkamena's words cut through his soul like a knife through butter. The sting of those words was enough to cause Ignacious and Cloudy to leave the Pastor's presence in silent disgust.
Pinkie had written all of this down in her journal. Maybe it was her way of letting anyone that was reading this know of just how fractured her family really was. She was a tortured soul that was now the Element of Laughter. She didn't want her friends to find out but she realized that she'd have to tell them someday. All it took was her killing another pony for somepony else to notice and ask the right questions. That pony was Twilight Sparkle. And she had her own demons to deal with now. Misery loves company they say.
Twilight had no idea that this was what caused her friend's insanity. That she was sharing a body with another pony. It wasn't a clear definition of Possession. She had been born with a fraternal connection and that let Pinkamena take over Pinkie's body. They needed to find a way to separate them without harming the two.
"Why, why didnt you tell me about this Pinkie," Twilight thought to herself. She could have helped her resolve this before it got to this point. If she had known this earlier, she could have fixed this before having to use Time Travel as a means of fixing something.
"What did you find Twilight?" Rainbow asked the mare. Twilight turned and levitated the journal over to her. She cringed a bit when she read some of the journal entries. It wasnt that " i hate this" kind of cringe. It was more like, " By Celestia, this is what was happening" type of cringe. It was enough to make her sit down and stare at the ground.
As the two of them searched everywhere in this forsaken death trap, Twilight noticed something sitting on a small table. It was another small journal. She and Dash had just entered an adjacent room next to where Pinkie conducted her horrific acts. In fact, it was Lyra that pointed Twilight towards the door on the far side before being helped out of the basement by the Royal Guard. They had cordoned off Sugar Cube Corner until they and Twilight could investigate what exactly had forced Pinkie to become such a butcher.
"Maybe there's something here that'll explain why she's doing this," Twilight took her time to look around and see if there were any clues as to why Pinkie was doing this. She turned over a few shelves next to the table just in time to see something that looked like a notebook. She levitated it over with her magic. This is what she was looking for. It was some sort of Diary or journal.
The Diary had been sitting on that table, there was a page opened to where Pinkie's next victim had been described. It was her. Pinkie had planned on tricking her into coming, along with Rarity, to Sugar Cube Corner after she had disposed of Rainbow Dash. But the next page she turned to was what chilled her to very soul. It was a peek into the soul of a time bomb that had cracked under pressure.
"Oh Goddess," Twilight thought as she kept reading the journal. It was bone chilling what was contained within these pages. And it hurt Twilight's soul reading through it. She had to press on though. It had to tell her why Pinkie had been doing this to ponies, it just had to.
"I need to keep reading," Was the only thought she had now. And it kept getting worse.Every detail, every word that these pages contained would have frightened even Princess Celestia and Luna.
Dear Diary, I know I told them I forgave them about Gummy's Birthday party, But part of me wants to murder them in their sleep for it. She keeps telling me to kill. Always to kill, until all my problems have melted away. Then her and I can throw a party for ourselves. I.. I just can't find it in myself to kill my friends though. They mean so much to me.
She said it again, and again, and again, Kill them and we can be happy again. I kept trying to tell her that their our friends. I cant harm them, even worse i dont know what it would do my Element of Harmony. She said that stupid gem didnt matter anymore, it was just us now.
Am.. Am i losing my mind? I dont know how much longer i can stand this. She says that im not losing my mind. She finally told me her name and why she's here.
Her name is Pinkamena, and she's my twin sister. She says that she died on the day i found my joy for laughter. That it was because of my Element Gem that she and i now shared the same body. I dont want to hurt my friends... I dont....
Rainbow Dash.. dies for leaving us for Twilight. Miss too good to enjoy a party. Miss kisses Celestia's flank all the time. No no i didnt mean that last part. Twilight's been a good friend to me and the other girls.
Yes! I MEAN IT! Twilight will choke on her own blood!!!
It's all come down to this moment. That's what she says anyway. She's always been there since the beginning, since the Rainboom, like an echo. She calls herself Pinkamena, she says that she's my twin. That mom and dad and our sisters never told me about her, mostly because she died in a tragic accident at Ghastly Gorge, and that my folks couldn't let go. From what Twilight had told me since i met her, Earth ponies cant use unicorn magic when it comes to stuff like light or Dark Magic. My parents apparently had found an old tome that would let them do so it seemed. So they cast a spell to bring her back. It didn't work, at least that's what they thought anyway.
Well it did work in a sense, She just inhabits me, and I don't know how much longer I can control these impulses.
Dear Diary... hehehe HEHEHEHEHE! AHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAA! SHE"S GOING TO FUCKING SUFFER FOR WHAT SHE DID TO US! THEY ALL WILL!. I'm the only that can love you Pinkie, they lie and scheme and pretend to care about you. But they'll learn. THEY ALL WILL!.
Twilight had to step back for a moment to catch her breath, all that hate towards the end. She knew what part of it was about. It was aimed towards her and Dash apparently. What lead to one disappearance forced them to reconsider the notion that their friend, the Element of Laughter, had gone down her own spiral into Insanity. Another question that plagued Twilight's mind now was how long had she been suffering like this without them knowing. And was it true what she had written about this 'Pinkamena' character. She forced herself to continue reading the journal, with Dash walking up beside her. She asked Twilight as to what she had found. Twilight looked at her solemnly before levitating the book in between so they could both read it. It stunned Dash to see what was written, and at some points scrawled out in this book.
"I think this all happened because of the surprise party we threw for her, nine months ago,", Twilight could barely find the words to utter, but she found a way to. She put the book down and leaned in to hug Dash. If she hadn't of done this, Rainbow would still be dead, and Twilight's sanity would of been shattered. In a burst of grief, combined with the rage she had been feeling, she nearly destroyed half of Ponyville because of it.
"Come on," she looked over to Dash," we need to get this up to the Guards so they can let Celestia see this. This was the damning evidence they needed. She, Celestia, and Dash would read it and come to understand just what it took to drive a party loving pony and an Element of Harmony into the depths of despair, murderous rage, and Insanity in the over all sense of the word.
The Royal Guard had sent word back to the Princess that Twilight had found vital evidence that might explain why Pinkie had gone 'nuts' as Dash had put it, and tried to kill her friends. Celestia apparently decided that it was best she come to Ponyville at once to over see this situation. She had sent a scroll, through Spike of course, that had instructed Dash and Twiligiht to wait at the Library for her. She would be there with in an hour of being contacted.
As they waited for the arrival of the Princess, Twilight found that was clinging to Dash at times. It was like she didn't want to let her out of her sight. And Dash didn't seem to mind it. Maybe she knew how Twilight had felt about her all these years, coupled with the fact that she had just saved her from being turned into ingredients for a cupcake. There were a dozen thoughts racing through the lavender unicorn's mind as she was permitted to continue reading Pinkie's Journal. How could she of missed the signs that Pinkie was going through something as horrible as Madness, or the Mind Sickness as she was told when she was a filly. As she sat there reading, she didn't noticed that large shadow that engulfed her, before looking up to see the soft smile on Celestia's muzzle.
"Ah Twilight, my star student," Celestia greeted the lavender unicorn at first. Celestia's smile faded when she developed a more stern look.
"Twilight, I can tell when your hiding something," wow, Twilight thought, Celestia could still read her like an open book.
"Dash," Twilight stammered," Can.. you wait in the basement for a moment."
"Sure," was the uneasy response from the Rainbow maned pegasus.
Celestia watched her walk away and turned back to Twilight. She had the most serious look on her face that she's had in the longest time the Twilight had known the Princess, it was that motherly " Your'e in big trouble young lady" kind of look that Twilight's mother would get sometimes.
"You know Time Spells are strictly forbidden from being used," HOW DID SHE KNOW?!!?, Twilight's mind was screaming right now.
"I had to, I couldn't just let her die!", Twilight exclaimed to Celestia.
"Twilight.." the Princess was cut off before she could even utter another word.
"Because of Dash's death I lost control, and I nearly vaporized half of Ponyville because I couldn't contain the rage and grief that I was experiencing. You suspended me from being your private student. I went through a massive bout of depression before I gathered what little remained of my friends and decided that I was going to stop Pinkie from killing Rainbow Dash." She was in tears, and Celestia noticed this, " I can't live without her, I just can't," Twilight paused before continuing," I love her so much, she was the best thing that had ever happened to me, without her I have nothing to live for."
Celestia put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, " I can't say that I wouldn't do the same if put in your hooves Twilight, I know how much you care for her."
With that they summoned Dash back upstairs, and something seemed out of place to Twilight. Why was Dash.. crying? Did she hear what they were conversing about. It didn't take long for Twilight to get her answer as Rainbow Dash kissed on her muzzle, sobbing into Twilight's lavender fur. She nuzzled Rainbow before returning to the task at hand. Discovering what made Pinkie snap.
Twilight levitated the journal in front of the three of them, and picked up reading where she had left off at the Bakery. She could feel her stomach churned as she read the journal entry to the Princess and Rainbow Dash. She felt sick to her stomach again just like she had in the basement of Sugar Cube Corner. She glanced at Dash for a second as she kept reading, taking notice of the discomfort growing in her magenta eyes.
She kept reading.
Dear Diary,
How long has it been since I've talked to you? Days, months, a year? Anyway, I found my next victim since I couldn't find Twilight at first. I settled on Rainbow Dash, and couldn't bring myself to kill her yet. So I decided to wait. Since I can't find Twi, or feel like killing Dash yet, I decided to settle on something else. I'm going to pay a visit to Applejack after I finish off Lyra. She knows my face, she's seen my work, so thus I have to end her misery.
This is gonna be so much fun! I tell her. All she does is scream and spit at me, struggling to get free. Its too bad that Twilight couldn't be here. I imagine that she's being a friend and helping me, and that she's still getting used to all the cutting. Sometimes I shout when nopony's around " FUCK LOGIC I'M PINKAMENA DIANE FUCKING PIE!" , and then I go upstairs for a milkshake.
I've even started making dolls out of the furs of my victims. So at least their not really gone to me. Dash would of made a nice addition, I think I'll stuff her instead, that way she's can never really leave me. She'll be with me forever......
Twilight stopped at that paragraph and stepped out on to the balcony to catch her breath. Dash followed her to make sure she was ok. She put a hoof around Twilight's neck and hugged her close. She wasn't going to lose her to the monster that Pinkie had become. A panicked scream echoed through the streets of the town and up to the three mares' ears. It was Rarity's scream, Twi and Dash knew it all too well. The two of them and Celestia decided to see what the commotion was about. What they found was nothing less then disparaging.
Scootaloo was standing over Sweetie Belle with a scalpel in one hoof, and Rarity too terror stricken to do anything to save her little sister. Before Scootaloo could bring the blade down on the creamy off white coated filly, Twilight used a restraining spell to keep her locked in place as Celestia summoned two of the Royal Guard that accompanied them, and took the orange filly pegasus into custody. As the spell was dropped so they could arrest her, she turned to see Rainbow Dash staring at her with the most pain stricken look ever. Scootaloo's eyes shrunk when it finally occured to her what she had almost done. She thought that Pinkie had killed Dash, and for that her world had been shrouded in darkness. But seeing Dash alive, standing there dumbstruck as to why Scoots would attack one of her own friends.
That was when she realized that Pinkie had only used her. With Dash, it was different, she loved her like a sister. She would of never asked Scoots to go through with anything like this. Her mind was on the verge of shattering in to a million pieces, and it was all due to Pinkie, or better yet, Pinkamena she finally understood. She didn't fight the Guards as they took her away. She just hoped that Rainbow Dash wouldn't completely abandon her now.
Dash turned to Celestia,"I know what it looked like, but I bet I can get it out of her why she attacked Sweetie,", and with the Princess' nod, Dash left with Twilight to get Scoots to tell them why in the buck did she try to kill Sweetie Belle. Dash must of realized the pain Scoots saw in her eyes, that was one reason she didn't resist against the Guards.
They found her taken to the CMC's clubhouse. Apparently she asked the guards to watch her there, to which they hesitantly acknowledged her request. As Twi and Dash approached the guards stepped aside. They had been sent orders a moment ago to allow the two mares to question the suspect.
"Why?", was the first question out of Dash's mouth, and Scoots could see she was hurt by what she had just witnessed back at the Carousel Boutique. She wasn't sure how to answer her. But she pulled it together, they deserved that much. At least Dashie did.
"She told me she had killed you, that you lied about your friendship, I felt like she was the only one left that could care for me.." the small pegasus filly started to choke up, before she could finish another sentence she felt a familiar warmth up against her. It was Rainbow. Scootaloo began to cry into Dash's cyan colored fur, clutching her waist with tiny orange hooves.
Little did they know was that the horror was only beginning. Pinkamena had escaped after knocking out both of the guards assigned with escorting her to the local jail in Ponyville. They'd learn, she thought. They'd all learn.
"Ohhh... Dashieeeee....." A voice whispered in the Darkness.
"Iiii'mmm cooomming....." it finished, trailing off into the darkness that was falling upon Ponyville as the moon was brought out from its resting place. There was one snag. A certain Princess of the Night had become aware of somepony's location. And was going to make sure she never touched another pony for a long time.
Somewhere near the Everfree Forest, a pink mare was ranting and raving to herself, alone in the darkness with no pony to bother her, or comfort her. She had become convinced that her so called 'friends' really didn't care about her. She'd make them pay for it, for the misery she'd been through lately.
Your'e pathetic, Your'e no daughter of mine. An image of her father appeared in front of her. Was she hallucinating?
But.. But, I am, we're both your daughters. Why didn't you tell Pinkie about me? the Pink mare asked the ghostly apparition in front of her.
Why should I have? You were an abomination to be cast down to thy Depths of Tartarus. You've caused her doth nothing but untold misery. The image spat back at her.
In the darkness, it was a serenade of haunting voices barraging her senses at every turn. She didn't have the strength anymore to fight them. She had to find her last victim and then end it after that. There was other way out.
What had come over me she thought. It was like a darkness consuming her soul, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from taking over. All she could do is attempt to contain it and not give in to the sickness ini her mind any longer. That was not going to work now. It was way too late to stop the Mind sickness from ripping her sanity apart anymore. She felt it take over the moment she started abducting ponies around town and butchering them for her own amusement. She couldn't control it anymore, and sometimes she didn't want to.
Pinkamena was in control now, and that's what mattered. Her sick and twisted mind was as broken as they came. Luna had seen into the mare's dreams and it scared her just how far Pinkie had fallen. Luna couldn't tell Celestia what she had discovered, it would break her sister's heart if she ever found out about Luna's secret investigation into what effects the Elements had on their respective bearers if suffering from prolonged use or exposure to them.
Why do they think they can just smile at me? Dont they know their numbers are up? The pink pony asked herserlf before sneaking away from the two guards she knocked unconscious. Why did every pony smile? LIfe was supposed to full of misery and hardships she thought. Pinkamena thought. If there was a way to seperate herself from Pinkie Pie, she would of done it. She thought she was trying to make Pinkie's life better through her actions. but it slowly dawned on her that she was making the both of them suffer. She wanted an end to this. She really did, but she had such a uncontrolable impulse that needed to be satiated.
There were times the bloodlust was too much for her to handle. The only release was to kill Dash. That's what ran through her mind, their mind. But she had to do it. There was no other recourse. She couldn't just ignore it and move to another yet. Both Dash and Twilight's numbers would come up soon she thought. She find them, kill them. and then kill herself when it was over. And they'd all be together in the afterlife. INi the blackest moments of a dying world, she wondered sometimes what she had become exactly. But the answer always evaded her grasp. It was frustrating to no end. Unknownst to her though, she was being watched by Somepony, somepony that was going to end her now pointless life, if they had their way.
Pinkie's suffering would be over soon. Twilight wasn't going to lose her future to her now insane friend again. She didn't travel this far back to see it all collapse. If Dash died again she knew she'd lose control again. She couldn't do that again. She had nearly killed everypony close to her the first time, and nearly wiped the town off the map. Celestia had suspended her from her studies because of it. They had nearly arrested Rarity because of Pinkie's actions. And right after she had been poisoned by the crazed mare herself. Her entire world nearly collapsed in on itself. How could no pony of known what Pinkie had been doing for all this time.
Even Celestia questioned herself when it first happened. How could she have not seen the very signs of this going on right under her very own nose. Was it time for her to step down. Had she really became so lazy and callous during her years of ruling?
She was not going to let another pony be hurt by Pinkamena. This pony in question knew that the pink mare was suffering, and that there was no in prolong it. Two personalities in one body was enough of a strain on the nervous system and the mind of the pony in question. This pony what it was like for the longest time to be in predicament like that. She too had been possessed once, suffering the same fate until the Elements of Harmony freed her of her burden.
She took one more stroll through the Dream Realm before setting off for Ponyville. It was no mistake. She'd ensure both Twilight and Rainbow Dash's future together. She had seen Twilight's dreams the other night. She knew that this Twilight came from a miserable and heart broken world. A world that saw Rainbow Dash's life cut short by a certain Pink mare. An event that could of been prevented had she herself acted sooner, rather then later. She scolded herself for an action she had not taken yet. But she change that.
She alerted her Night Gurards that she would be absent from the castle for a few days, and to relay any subsequent problems with the Nobles to the Royal Clerk for the remainder of her absence.
Tis a lovely night, Luna thought to herself. Was that a waning crescent or a gibbon's moon out? She was nearly beside herself with melancholy when it came to the phases of the moon. There were times she could just stand there and get lost in the rays of the moonlight beaming down onto her indigo blue form. She decided to check up on Twilight and Rainbow. It had been a few days since the incident and she wanted to make sure all was well. That was when she remembered that her sister was there as well. Celestia had wanted to stay in town to make sure that Twilight was well protected.
"Hopefully Tia will sense that im near," Luna told herself. She flexed her wings as she hovered above the ground. Right before her was the perfect landing spot too. This would be one of the few times she'd been to the town after her return as Princess Luna and not as Nightmare Moon.
As Luna landed near the Treehouse, All but one pony inside was asleep, apparently her sister had chosen to remain behind to guarantee their safety until the morning was upon them. Even from here Celestia could raise the sun without alarming anypony around them. As Twilight and Dash started waking up, there came a knock at the door to the Library. Celestia saved Twilight the trouble of answering and proceeded to open the door, to come face to face with her sister Luna.
"So this is where thou hath been for the last few days,", she tried not to smirk when she saw the surprise in Celestia's eyes. There were very few times in their lives when Celestia had ever been surprised like this. Unless you count all the evil threats that have tried to test their mettle over the years.
"I almost forgot you were coming as well, Am i starting to become forgetful again?", after nearly smacking herself with her hoof, Celestia turned and listened as Twilight could be heard hollering at Dash for trying to enter the kitchen again. "Rainbow, I'm the one making lunch and dinner tonight remember? The last time you tried to cook you nearly blew up the Kitchen!" Twilight said loudly. The last time Dash had tried to cook breakfast for her before all the troubles began, she nearly burned down the kitchen. And all because of her hoof at trying to make scrambled eggs and hay bacon. When Twilight saw the smile on her muzzle she could only trot over and hug her mare friend and take over so there were no other mess-ups.
"If thou must know sister, I have come in regards to the occurrence at the bakery. It was reported to me earlier that the guards escorting Ms. Pie were found unconscious.", Those were not the words that Celestia looked pleased to hear.
No. She escaped. Curse me, I should of done it myself, Celestia thought to herself. AT least then there was no way Pinkamena/Pinkie Pie would be able to match wits or abilities with an Alicorn, much less one with the power to sunder the ground one walked on. If Celestia ever chose to, she could engulf the whole of the Everfree Forest in a Nova Blaze and leave nothing but ash. The older her and Luna got, the more powerful they had become, and that was before the whole Banishing one's sister to the Moon deal. Even though they were immortal, they had still grown to a considerable size.
"I can't believe she escaped," Dash told Twilight as they decided to share the shower today,"after hearing about what you went through in the future because of my getting duped and killed by her, I wouldn't want to what happened after."Rainbow grabbed a brush and began to comb Twi's mane as the water started to get a little hotter. Steam covered the window of bathroom as thick you'd have to wipe it down three times just to get a good look inside.
"Stop,"Twi said as she pressed her lips against Rainbow's,"Let's forget about her,"she said in between takes. " This is about you and me right now, and how much i've missed taking a hot shower with you,"Dash closed her eyes as Twi pressed her lips again against Dash's and they wrapped their hooves around each for support. One thing lead to another and soon Dash was giving Twilight a horn job. She could feel the saliva from Dash's mouth mix with the fluid seeping out of her horn. It was one thing that was never understood about unicorns, and even Alicorns, but during sex they could make their horns secrete a fluid that acted as a bodily fluid. Not much research had ever gone into figuring out why it took place like that. It was considered a by product of their horns function since it was partially hollow because of their natural use of magic.
"Uhhhh.. Rainbow...Ohhh,", Twi moaned as she started to climax. Dash had stopped worshiping her horn and gotten behind her and started slipping her tongue in and out of Twilight's anal cavity. Twilight turned around to look her in the eyes, her face flushed and red. She returned the favor and inserted her horn into Dash's vaginal cavity and slowly began thrusting it back and forth. Rainbow's face flushed red as she started to moan.
"Uhhhh Twi. Twilight!", Rainbow said loudly as she climaxed, the cum from inside her getting all over Twilight's horn. Both of them looked at each other passionately before hearing hoof steps approaching the door to the bathroom.
"Is everything alright in there?", came Celestia's voice. a hint of concern coming through.
"It's fine Princess, we were just.. um... washing up!, Twilight said, "We'll be right down when we're finished,", As soon as she said that the hoof steps could be heard heading back downstairs to the Library.
"That was close," Twilight said softly.
"Imagine if they had come in and seen us, can you imagine the looks on their faces,", Dash let out a giggle. Twilight did have to admit to herself it would of been funny to gauge Celestia's reaction to them bucking in the shower.
Later that night, Celestia and Luna decided to give the mares their personal space by staying in the guest bedroom that had been recently constructed. Twilight and Rainbow didn't mind really. There was no way Pinkie was dumb enough to attack them with The Princesses around. Random and unpredictable as the mare was, she wasn't that stupid. Pinkie had an unnatural intelligence, both of them had watched her appear and disappear at random with no clear use of Unicorn magic. They just chalked it up to Pinkie being Pinkie and not questioning it at all.
Once detained maybe Pinkie would let them know why she tried to do what she did. As much as it pained her to think about it Twilight still considered her a friend and after all that had happened she wanted to help her get through this. She was going to have to make several more hard choices when it came to how to handle this going forward. She really didnt want to think about it right now though. She had to get some sleep tonight. Her and Rainbow had a busy day and the night was no different. She tucked the two of them in and closed her eyes.
Her dream was different then before, it was somber in tone and there was no sign of Pinkie interfering with it. She saw a pony that looked like Rainbow but the coat was gunmetal grey and the mane and tail were two tone grey and black. She felt like she knew who it was but the name was just on the edge of her tongue. The mare then turned to her and spoke.
" You need to wake up Twi, before you do i came to warn you that she's coming soon,"The message had a tone of sadness in it. She wanted to reach out to her but Twilight held back.
"If you mean Pinkie, i know im already on alert. So are the Princesses."Twilight put a hoof to her chest assuring that no harm would come her way.
"I hope so," the mare said,"my connection to the dream realm can only last so long. I'll try to find you both soon ok." Before Twilight could react the connection was gone and she was awake. She couldnt get it out of her mind. It was like she had seen a mirror copy of Rainbow Dash that had lived a different life and yet still held a connection to her. She knew there was one pony that she could talk to about this.
"Princess Luna i need to talk to you," Twilight was ready to tell her about the dream she had, and Luna informed her she already knew. She was the Patron of dreamers after all. She told Twilight what she knew of this mare. And that her name was Dead Loyalty.
"the one that spoke to you that night in your dream is named Dead Loyalty. She is a pegasus that was born on the day that Rainbow Dash pulled off her sonic rainboom. She is also an anomaly. I have seen her dreams Twilight. In one she was killed by Pinkie, in another, She nearly put Rainbow in the hospital during an argument you two were having. And in another dream, she was wounded while serving in the Equestrian Armed forces. I can tell you that she feels a strong need to protect you and only you Twilight." The way the Princess spoke that last part was what affected her the most.
There was another mare out that looked like Rainbow Dash, and she loved her just as if it had Dash living her life. Exactly like a mirror image. And this mirror image had told her that she was coming to see her very soon. She was going to tell Luna that she'd been told by this mare that she'd visit soon and saw Luna staring at the Sky. There was a bright light in the sky and then a thunderous sound as something came barreling out of it. Twilight noticed it was a grey speck of fur that started getting closer and closer.
And then as it landed on the ground she was awe-struck. There in front of her was Dead Loyalty. The mare cracked her neck a bit and flexed her wings and hooves. She stretched some more to get the kinks out. She had never gotten used to the ability to puncture through time itself.
"I can never get used to that," she said as she massaged her back leg and then her wings. Dead then looked up to see she had drawn a bit of a small crowd after making that kind of an entrance. Celestia was the first to approach her.
"Even I can sense the type of energy that put off" she wasn't amused," Time travel is something that's been strictly monitored and even then it is dissuaded from being pursued." Celestia would have had her dragged away to a dungeon if it had been explained to her that this mare was here for Twilight.
Twilight kept having that nightmare again. A voice would make itself known from behind her, and there ready to cut her down was Pinkie/Pinkamena. She found herself unable to move while in the nightmare, and realized she was tied to a metal chair. She couldn't even use her magic, she could only wait for it to end before she bolted upright in her bed, with Dash asleep next to her. It had been a month since Pinkie's escape. Everypony was still living in fear, even though the Princesses had encouraged them to all go about their day. A barracks had been set up in Ponyville with a contingent of guards just in case they were needed. That and Luna had opted to stay at the Library while Celestia returned to the Capitol.
The nobles had been getting irritated with all the delays in meeting with the Princess. She decided it was best for her to return now and deal with them instead of later having to handle a political disaster in her absence. There were some times where Celestia wanted to put all the nobles to the spear just so she didn't have to listen to their bickering, It was so unbecoming in her eyes for a pony to stand there and act as if their interests were always deemed more important then those of her subjects. If a pony like Blueblood was in charge she'd guarantee that he'd let half of the population starve just to please anypony of noble birth.
Sometimes her nephew disgusted her, especially with the way he had treated Rarity, Twilight's fashion designer friend, at the Grand Galloping Gala. He treated her the entire time like she wasn't even noticeable in his eyes. She was just there to wait on him. She even chuckled when Rarity snapped at him, calling him a jerk for lack of a more civil word.
In fact, here he comes she noticed. Probably coming to whine about the lack of mares to date in the capitol, since most of them were apparently fillyfoolers from he had heard. What he said though surprised even her. Was her nephew turning over a new leaf? She stood there waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Auntie, I know I haven't been a prime example of what it means to be gracious,"Blueblood paused for a moment,"But do you think you could talk to Rarity for me? Explain to her that I've taken some time since the Gala to think about something,", he sounded so honest when he saif that. How do I tell him that she came to the Capitol herself, looking for him. And all while their poor friend continues to seek out and attempt to kill two more of the Elements of Harmony. I still do not understand what could of lead to Ms. Pie's transformation into a emotionless Killer.
A thought came to her mind that might explain it. Had the Elements become corrupted in some way, and that was what was causing Pinkie to behave like this? Or was it the worst thing imaginable. Could some of Nightmare Moon's magic have infected Pinkie's Element. She was interrupted in mid thought when Rarity walked up to her and Blueblood.
"Oh, good Darling, your'e still here,", The white unicorn with the lavish blue and purple tinted mane commented. Blueblood extended a hoof to Rarity and the two of them walked off to the nearest room to talk. Celestia could hear Blueblood all the way from here constantly apologizing to Rarity for his behavior at the Gala, to which she told him that she understood he might of been under pressure from the other Canterlot Elite being seen with a commoner.
"Rarity, dear, you are no commoner I realized that now," he said this as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She blushed a deep crimson red at the move. As they embraced, Rarity started doubting herself. What was happening felt.. wrong. She had felt something for him once, but the more she hung around Applejack the more she started to realize that her friend actually held feelings for her.
The ' I want to make love to you in all the right ways' kind of feelings. If AJ found out about Rarity's little tryst with Blueblood, would she become jealous? Rarity decided for now to indulge the Prince for the time being.
"mmmm," they both said as they locked lips with one another. Rarity closed the door with her magic so the two of them would not be interrupted by anypony else. Of course she knew she'd have to come to a decision soon. She just hoped that AJ wouldn't feel betrayed by her actions tonight.
____ Back In Ponyville
Rainbow Dash awoke to see that she was no longer in the Library, but again in the basement of Sugar Cube Corner. A pink mare was standing in the basement door, with a huge grin on her face and crazed eyes that just stared blankly at Dash. Somehow Pinkie had gotten past Luna and the Guards that were posted outside and still managed to find, drug, and foalnap Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash could only cry silently as Twilight's worst fear was going to be realized yet again. Or was it?
Before Pinkie could even get close to Rainbow, she found herself unable to move at all. She was being held in place by a restraining field. She could still move her head a bit to catch the gleaming purple Eyes of Twilight.
"You are not.. TAKING HER FROM ME AGAIN!!", Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs. Pinkie could only stare at her in stunned disbelief. Twilight had never gotten like this as far as Pinkie Remembered. For the first time in quite awhile the sight of Twilight like this frightened her to no end. Twilight could see this in the way Pinkie's body went slack under the force of the restraining field.
"Dash, are you ok babe?",Twilight asked her friend.
"Yea, you have impeccable timing,", the cyan colored pegasus rasped. What were they gonna do with Pinkie. It was a little embarrassing Dash thought as they walked up the stairs and out the door to go get Luna. This was the second time Twilight had saved her now. For the act of being rescued again, a long session of having sex in the shower again seemed in order. And Twilight seemed to agree with the look she returned to her mare friend. Once they got back to the Library it was mid afternoon now.
"I dont know how Luna, but she tried to get Dash again. So I followed after her and have her trapped in a restraining field. You might want to go apprehend her again and make sure she cant escape again.
"I will see to that at once Twilight Sparkle, It is clear you care deeply for Rainbow Dash," the Princess of the night commented before heading out the door to see to Pinkie/Pinkamena's arrest personally this time.
As they climbed in the shower Dash puller her close and licked her horn before settling on kissing the lavender unicorn. Twilight returned the favor by kissing Dash right in between her wings. Which was a sex spot for a pegasus. Right as she did that Rainbow Dash got a wing boner from it. Her wings poofed out in what seemed like 10 seconds flat. ;)
Twilight got down on her fetlocks and started licking Dash's anal cavity before sticking her horn in to stimulate Rainbow. Even after what they had been through, they still had the Trial to look forward to. Yes, the worst was over now for Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but they still had to attend Pinkie's courtroom Trial the next day. For right now though, the sex they were having was doing a great job at relieving the stress they had both felt the other day.
They better not let her off easy, she thought to herself as Dash feel asleep next to her after finishing their 'activities'.