The Sound of Silence

by dog0food

First published 3rd of August, 2012

After a kidnapping, Rainbow must look deep within herself for the answers to the villain's riddles.

Rainbow Dash is fine. She doesn’t have any problems, no guilt holding her back, not even an unrequited crush. She doesn’t need or even want anything more in her life. Then what’s the nagging feeling that she keeps tucked in the back of her mind, keeping her up at night, plaguing her every thought, and leading to an insomniac double life?

When a mysterious new threat begins tearing apart the comfortable walls Rainbow Dash had built around her heart and soul, she’s forced to look inside herself and answer questions she didn’t even know she had. And the question remains: Does she even know what she deeply lusts?

Chapter One

A/N: So, for those of you that started reading this originally, I had been posting my first drafts on here. But then, for various reasons (my later chapters being ridiculously longer than my earlier chapters, a few transitions that would be smoother if I added a paragraph in an earlier chapter, etc, etc) I decided to revamp all the chapters I had already written, then go through and write a detailed outline on my future chapters. And what I ended up with was enough of a difference from what I originally had that I really just had to delete the two chapters I had put up here and repost with the edited versions. I mean, it was only two chapters. Besides, my first chapter merges the first two, so really not much has changed (although there are some differences from the original, so feel free to reread or skim to find what you missed). Also, someone mentioned the summary being vague/confusing, and when I went back to reread it I kind of had to agree. Normally I prefer being vague because I hate giving spoilers away (also I'm used to being forced into 140 or less characters with descriptions), but since I went back and edited my chapters, certain things pick up pace quicker, so I felt better about giving a more detailed summary. Although I'm horrendous at summaries, so really the edited version isn't much better. ANYWAY. Enough rambling about nothing. Here is my revised story, enjoy it and whatnot.

Chapter One – For Whom the Bell Tolls

It was quiet. No, not quiet. Silent. The moon rose high in the sky, shining its silvery light down upon the dark streets of Ponyville. A cyan blur of every color in the rainbow whizzed by, making sure to not disturb the sleeping ponies in bed. There was a trail of hole-filled clouds where the blur had just been – the only evidence of its existence. And finally, nestled into a cloud floating directly in front of the moon’s light, the pegasus pony found its home.

This is what she liked most about Ponyville, the pegasus mused. At night, on those restless evenings when sleep was useless and her wings beat fervently, she could fly at top speeds through the sky. So fast that everything became a blur of night and the only sound was the silence. Now she stood on the cloud and peered down at her home below her. She could see everything from up here. It was peaceful, dark, and quiet. Although it wouldn’t be this way forever. The pegasus pony sighed. It was nearing four in the morning. She had been flying for the past three hours. In that time, she’d accomplished a stunt that she’d been attempting for ages. She was excited to show Applejack in the morning who, as an athlete such as herself, could appreciate the endurance and agility needed in order to pull off such an awesome move. But it wasn’t just the freedom to fly and not worry about crashing that made the night so appealing.

Rainbow Dash liked things crazy. Everypony knew that. On the ground she was restless. She was that pony in the sky that streaked colors and risked crashing into you on your morning route. Everypony had a routine, but not Rainbow Dash. She was wild, she was a prankster, she wasn’t held down by rules… That was Rainbow Dash. And wasn’t that the very reason she had been kicked out of flight school, anyway?

“Face it, Rainbow Crash. Flight school had too many rules and not enough naptimes for you.”

Rainbow Dash frowned and shook off the unpleasant memory of Billy and Hoops, the resident Cloudsdale bullies, taunting her. Instead she focused on the revere on their faces as they watched her create the ultimate feat in speed – the Sonic Rainboom. And how afterwards they had dropped the unpleasant nickname and practically begged her to hang out with them. She smirked at this new thought.

Sure, the rainbow-maned pony liked things a certain way. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t sometimes, maybe, long for something more. Not stability. That wasn’t who she was. But at night, when everypony else was sleeping… Maybe sometimes she liked to just be alone and practice and… Rainbow Dash felt needles in her stomach. She was thinking too much, something she tried to avoid. It always started with her attempting to explain something to herself that she couldn’t quite find the words to describe, and ended with her feeling empty and prickly inside.

The point was, it wasn’t that she became someone else on these nights that she had to herself. It was just… nice. She was who she was. But on these nights, at four in the morning while the entire town slept, she was herself, but… It wasn’t about the freedom. She had freedom. She had the skies, she had the clouds, she had a house to herself, and she even had a leadership position at a job that gave her the flexibility that she wanted in her life. So what was it that was so fulfilling about these nights?

Now Rainbow Dash was beginning to feel frustrated. She sat on that cloud, tail swishing idly, ears drooped, lightly tapping her head with her hoof to her tail’s beat. She was thinking too hard again. Trying to explain a good thing. The thing was, she would never dare tell anypony that she didn’t sleep at night. That maybe she got an hour or two, but then she’d wake up in a cold sweat and from then until it was time to perform her weather control duties, she just flew. It was her secret. She didn’t know why it had to be like that, but it did. The second that she would tell somepony, it would be like the night was sullied. Suddenly if a pony woke up at three in the morning, they could look outside and expect to see her there. She’d be a spectacle in the sky, like just another one of the stars. No, this was her secret. A guilty pleasure that made her happy and she wasn’t sure why or how but it did and thinking about it wasn’t going to help her with anything.

So instead of worrying why this secret was a habit, Rainbow Dash dove off the cloud that had become a temporary home to her without another thought. At first she was freefalling, not even bothering to flap her wings. Just letting the cool night air graze her cheeks and turn them a slight red. Then she flipped. And another. And another. More and more until she couldn’t even see which way was up and which way was sideways. Finally she chose a direction and shot downwards, spiraling, getting her wings going until she could feel them starting to overtake the momentum she had gathered and then she pulled up, nearly doing a one-eighty as she began her upwards climb. She felt her speed drop slightly, something she silently chastised herself for, but with a gleeful grin she pushed herself and felt her speed increase, maxing out whatever she had reached before. And then she changed direction abruptly, suddenly horizontal with the sky and floating backwards, maintaining the speed she had acquired.

Her ears twitched. She was practicing her steering and her movement control. There was no way she’d crash into anything tonight. That was the plan, after all. Not even a single cloud was going to be nicked because of her… Her ears would warn her of potential danger. She could hear the wind as it slapped every part of her body. Maybe when she was younger it hurt like a whip, but now she welcomed it like a congratulatory pat on the back. ‘Good job,’ the wind whispered. ‘You’re awesomely fast and you deserve every airy praise I can afford’. Rainbow Dash smiled back, tears streaming out of her eyes as she stared the wind down.

And then she felt the wind’s warning. The air that drifted around a raincloud was always colder and had an almost moist feeling about it. She could tell, by the temperature and wetness, that not only was she closing in on one, but it was extremely large. ‘Not today!’ she thought, the mocking voices of Billy and Hoops laughing in the back of her mind, shouting, ‘Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!’

Just a slight adjustment in her trajectory… She veered to the right and in the next second she was passing the cloud. She laughed and saluted at it, noting that not a single wisp was touched. With this impressive trick, Rainbow Dash began to get cocky. She flew over and under clouds, never once hitting one. And then she beat her wings faster, slowly picking up speed until there weren’t even any tears that could be produced in her eyes, they were so dry from the wind.

She laughed particularly loudly as a small cloud almost sneaked up on her, but she noticed at the last second and dove under it. She was so busy cracking up as she flew that she didn’t notice the sudden drop in wind speeds. In fact, her entire body was so raw from four hours of nonstop high-speed flight that she couldn’t even feel the difference between being beat by the constant wind and the sudden absence of any. But then her eyes opened wide as she realized the implications. Quickly, almost too fast for the eye, she flipped around to finally see where she was going. And then –

DONG. DONG. DONG.

Rainbow Dash’s entire body smashed right into the giant bell above the church. The sound reverberated in her head, in her entire body, and all throughout Ponyville. She shook with the sound, and was still vibrating as she finally unglued herself from the brass bell. She flapped her wings weakly, but her eyes couldn’t see straight and she swore that the stars were suddenly floating very intimately around her head. And next, she fell, her wings helplessly flailing at her sides…

***

“Oh, no…”

“Is she going to be alright, Doctor?”

“What happened?”

“Is her face going to stay like that?”

“Oh, poor dear…”

The voices of her friends began to penetrate the exterior of Rainbow Dash’s aching skull.

“Uuuuggghhh…” she managed to moan. When she finally opened her eyes, the worried and concerned expressions of her friends swam into view. It took a few blinks to register them clearly. “Whaaaaa…?” And then it dawned on her that she was in the hospital. It wasn’t the first time this happened to her and it wouldn’t be the last. As a daredevil stunt pony, Rainbow Dash ended up in the hospital more than any of her friends. It came with the territory of pushing herself past her limit into new realms of skill.

She jumped up in bed, suddenly alarmed. “How long?” She looked around for answers. Blank stares met her question. She attempted to turn around and see her wings. “How bad are they?”

“Easy now, RD,” the brown earth pony said in her steady drawl. “Yer gonna be jus’ fine.”

“Yep!” the energetic pink pony that was all smiles piped up. “Your face unstuck!”

Rainbow Dash just looked around at her friends. As much as she loved them, she couldn’t find it in herself to even pretend to care about them now. All she wanted were answers and her friends didn’t have them. Finally, the doctor entered and Rainbow perked up.

“Doc! How bad are my wings? How long do I have to stay here?”

“Oh, it’s you,” the dark brown pony said upon closer inspection of his patient. “Aren’t you bored of the hospital yet?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Really? Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to take up permanent residence.”

It wasn’t an unwarranted jibe. Rainbow Dash probably woke up in the hospital every couple of months. Whenever she got restless and took on more than she could chew, it seemed that there was always something that went wrong and ended with her “needing” medical attention. Most of the time it wasn’t anything serious and Rainbow was out by the end of the day, but the last time she was in the hospital she had hurt a wing and was grounded for an entire week. Panic spread throughout her body as she thought about missing out on another week of flying. What would she do with her nights then?

“Yeah, yeah… Okay, Doc. What’s the verdict?”

“It’s not your wings… this time,” he replied slowly, staring at her charts. He allowed her a moment to jump up in the air and cheer, floating momentarily as her wings beat excitedly. And then she felt dizzy again and groaned, allowing herself to plop lazily back onto the bed. “Not your wings, but you’re still in pretty bad shape. You have a concussion and must have been out for at least thirty minutes before the priest found you and brought you in.”

“The priest?” Rainbow Dash scrunched her face up, trying to remember exactly what happened before the crash…

“Yes, the priest. Apparently, you woke up half the town with your exuberant bell ringing,” the doctor replied sternly. “At half past four in the morning, I might add.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened slightly as she remembered what happened. She chuckled nervously and gave a wide grin. “So, uh, Doc… A concussion, huh? Does that mean I can… uh, leave? Like, now?”

She avoided the shocked and questioning gazes of her friends, who were obviously wondering what she was doing ringing a church bell at four in the morning. Her expression clearly said, ‘Don’t ask,’ so they didn’t. For Rainbow Dash, that time during the night was her secret, and not even something like this would let the ironclad gates of her nighttime rendezvous free.

“I’m afraid not. You need rest. And certainly no physical activities. Yes, Rainbow Dash, that includes flying.”

“…Can I read?” Rainbow gave Twilight a sheepish glance, who smiled back dutifully.

“What book are you on?”

“The third.”

“I’ll bring it to you first thing during visitor hours tonight.”

The doctor marshaled Rainbow’s friends out of the room, who all promised to come see her again later that evening.

And that left Rainbow alone with her thoughts. She frowned, her face scrunched up in a tight ball of frenzy. She hated being alone with her thoughts.

***

Three days. That was how long she was chained to this bed, this green gown that “at least matches the curtains” as Rarity put it, and the gnawing headache that came with concussions. It was almost too much to bear. Part of her wanted to fly again, to feel the wind on her face, and the part of her wracked with pain couldn’t understand why anypony would even dream of being in the sky when such a heavy weight as this was keeping them grounded. She wanted to fly, but she didn’t want to fly almost at much. And that scared her.

At least she had Daring Do. The third book in the series, Daring Do and the Curse of the Yeti, proved to be just as good, if not better, than the last two. Although she said that every time she opened up a Daring Do novel. The first time she was shaking with excitement. Cooped up with a broken wing in this very hospital, at first stubbornly refusing to read. But the boredom had gotten to her and the book, Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone, that Twilight had given her sat on her desk, just waiting to be read… It was then that not only did Rainbow Dash fall in love with Daring, but she fell in love with reading, a trait she had passed off and scoffed as just for “eggheads”.

And then she had read Daring Do and the Griffon’s Goblet. While she had read the first book in only a couple days while being stuck up in a hospital, the second book took longer for her to read since she had other responsibilities to get back to. And as fun as reading was, she enjoyed the sky much more. But she’d often stop by Twilight’s, book in hand, and the two of them would relax by the fire and read. Sometimes Rainbow would become swept up in the excitement and demand Twilight for answers to different cliffhangers, but Twilight would always chuckle and tell her the same thing over and over: “You have to keep reading. Just wait, it gets even better.”

The second book had been an emotional journey, as it occasionally reminded her of an old school friend she had once flown alongside and shared her hopes and dreams with… But that was a long time ago and she hadn’t spoken to Gilda since their very open and public fight at one of Pinkie Pie’s parties. But once in a while her mind wandered back to her lost friend and she contemplated calling her. After all, Gilda had said to find her when she decided to stop being lame. But then Rainbow Dash would remember the way she yelled at Pinkie, especially for something she hadn’t even done. Pinkie had thrown Gilda a party in her honor, an accolade she didn’t deserve, and what had the griffon done in return? Threw it all back in her face. Rainbow Dash had made the choice right then and there – she liked Pinkie as a friend a lot more than she liked Gilda. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t make up with someone who acted like that. She had chosen her side. If Gilda decided to stop being so mean, she could call Rainbow. Regardless, the book dredged up memories that Rainbow Dash would rather keep locked up. Ones that went even farther back than just their falling out at Sugarcube Corner… But those thoughts led to that nagging feeling she often got when she let her mind wander, so she quickly let the subject drop. Thinking was for smart ponies like Twilight, it only made Rainbow’s stomach queasy. And her sidetracked, wandering mind made it take even longer to read.

But the third book was about Daring finding her lost father while excavating an ancient Pegasus settlement, and Rainbow was on the edge of her bed most mornings, afternoons, and nights reading. She would only put the book down when her friends came to visit, which was usually twice a day. They would pass the time laughing, playing games (which Rainbow Dash always won), and exchanging stories.

Once, Rainbow attempted to rank the visits from her friends.

Rainbow Dash always looked forward to Fluttershy visiting, because she could ask her pegasus friend all about the happenings in Cloudsdale and how the weather team was fairing without her.

“And are they clearing the clouds any earlier now that I’m gone?”

“Oh, well… I suppose I have noticed it’s sunnier earlier now. Or, that could be because it’s closer to summer.”

“What about Cloudsdale? Anything new?”

“Oh, um… I’m not sure. I haven’t been up there…”

Then Rainbow Dash would sigh and remember that her pegasus friend was afraid of heights and didn’t pay much attention to Cloudsdale going-ons.

“Take care of Tank for me, will ya?” That’s always how Rainbow Dash ended their conversations. If there was one thing she could count on Fluttershy for, it was taking care of her pet tortoise, Tank. And if there was one subject her shy friend was chatty about, it was animals.

“Oh, I can tell Rainbow, he misses you so much.”

“Heh. Good; he better.”

And then Rainbow Dash would listen as Fluttershy would delve into stories of how Tank was doing at her cottage while Rainbow was away.

Whenever Rainbow Dash got to a point in her story where she was practically bursting with excitement and needed someone to vent to, she was relieved to see Twilight show up.

“What happens next? Will Daring Do escape? Is that really her father?!”

“You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m not spoiling the climax for you!”

“But –”

“Maybe you should wait five chapters and then come talk to me.” Twilight would give a knowing smile and a wink. That would make Rainbow Dash even more crazy. Now she knew she only had five more chapters to go before the big reveal and trying to read everything that fast would keep her up at night. Not only did she not get any information out of Twilight, but she also missed out on sleep, her third favorite activity.

Rarity was a different story. She dreaded Rarity coming alone because that meant she had a new hat or blush that needed a test subject – preferably one that couldn’t run away, like Rainbow. And Rainbow hated modeling. What made it worse was Rarity’s insistence on taking pictures, which she had no problems flaunting around to their friends.
“Now, a little more of a smile, there, there, look happy, dear!” And then the flash would go off and Rarity would “tut, tut” at the picture and fix something about Rainbow’s outfit or makeup before trying again.

The good thing about Rarity’s visits was that she could count on her friend using her certain charms to get Rainbow better hospital service. Rarity would never admit it with more than a sly wink, but Rainbow noticed she always got better food and a comfier bedspread after visits with her fashion designer friend.

Applejack kept Rainbow Dash from losing all sense of herself. Anytime they were together, it always lead to heated arguments that they both claimed to hate. But the hidden smile on Rainbow Dash’s face after her friend would leave (rivaled only by Applejack’s own) told otherwise. Plus, Applejack was the only pony who could keep up with her, and they would often turn the hospital ward into some sort of training room to keep Rainbow Dash’s skills up-to-date while she was grounded.

“An’ you lose again,” Applejack would often say with a smile.

“Nuh-uh! My hoof didn’t hit the table!” Rainbow Dash challenged.

“Are ya kiddin’ me? Ah heard it!”

“That was the sound of your bones cracking, I was squeezing so hard!”

“There’s no way that’s the honest truth!”

“It just sounds like you’re chicken. Come on, best two out of three! I’ll beat you, again! And this time, don’t let go before the game’s finished.”

And then there was Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie, who never missed a visit. Presumably because, as an athletic pony stuck in a hospital, Rainbow Dash needed more cheering up than all the non-sick ponies up and about outside. Rainbow would have said she was sick of seeing the pink earth pony, but to be honest, Pinkie was true to her cutie mark. Too hilarious to pass up. And she always had a new prank to pull that would threaten to break Rainbow Dash’s ribs from cracking up so hard. Then again, that wasn’t the only reason her ribs were threatening to crack –

“DASHIE!” Pinkie would scream every time she entered the room, and dive on top of the bedridden pegasus.

“Oof! P-Pinkie… can’t… urg… breathe…!”

“You’re still alive!”

“What? Yeah, I’m still alive. Jeez, what do you think I’m in here for? It’s only a concussion.”

“Want me to sing you my get-well song again? Maybe you’ll get better faster!”

“No! Uh, no thanks…”

“Don’t underestimate the power of song, Dashie.”

“I’m not, Pinkie… Jeez, you know sometimes I wonder why they let you in here. Sometimes I think you’re worse for my health than anything else.” Rainbow Dash would chuckle as she said it, but she’d also massage her sore ribs and groan softly. And Pinkie would twist her neck around so she was looking at Rainbow Dash upside down, a suspiciously inquisitive look on her face.

If there was one thing to say about Pinkie, she always left an impression.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle arranged a sleepover for the night she was released from the hospital. The doctor reminded Rainbow before she left that her head would still be in pain, to keep taking her pills like clockwork, and that she should keep flying to a minimum. And Rainbow was so close to finishing the third book in the series… But once again, was released before she could finish it. So Twilight thought it would be fun (and safe) for Rainbow Dash to sleepover, and they could stay up late reading.

Rainbow had to admit, she had changed quite a bit. Only a year ago, a suggestion like that would be utterly laughable. A reading sleepover? How lame is that? She could already hear the insults the old her would fling at the new her. But now she wasn’t only considering the idea, it sounded like fun.

So when Rainbow Dash was released, Twilight Sparkle picked her up and they went back to her library together.
Spike was there when they arrived, tidying up the place. Obviously Twilight had been busy with quite the studying bender, as books were piled up all over the floor. Twilight chuckled nervously as Rainbow surveyed the mess with a smirk.
“Been busy?” she asked, before darting forward to grab one of the books. “‘Forty-Two Magical… Hairpieces’? What’s this all about?” Rainbow Dash looked for another book, but before she could get her hooves on it Spike jumped in the way and slapped her away. “Ow, ow, ow… What?”

“Uh… Stop snooping?” Spike said meekly, blushing slightly and immediately losing his bravado after a look into Dash’s seething eyes.

“What’s your problem, Spike? And hey, thanks for visiting me at the hospital, by the way.”

“Sorry, Dash, but when you go as often as you do, it kind of loses the marvel. Besides I was busy… uh… cleaning.”

Rainbow Dash looked around. The floor was muddy from hooves coming and going all the time, the books were scattered lazily about and not even organized the way Twilight would probably have liked them, and dishes from meals half-eaten and then tossed away were piled up in the sinks. If Spike had done any cleaning in the past three days, Rainbow Dash couldn’t see a single sign of it.

“Right…”

“It’s fine,” Twilight interjected. “Spike –”

“Yeah, yeah, stop messing around. I’ll clean it all up.”

“Okay, good. Come on, Rainbow Dash, we’ll use the upstairs.” Twilight picked out a book with her horn as she spoke, and it magically followed her as she led the way upstairs. Rainbow Dash followed, using her wings, and she sighed with glee at finally being able to fly again. If only a flight upstairs and into Twilight’s room.

Rainbow Dash had just snuggled in and cracked open her book when there was a fury of knocks on Twilight’s door. She groaned, and Twilight followed suit.

“I wonder who that could be,” she asked softly. Then, much louder, “Spike!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m getting it!” Spike yelled from downstairs, audibly grumbling. Rainbow went back to her book. She was sitting comfortably in a chair, her feet up against Twilight’s bed, neatly reclined, and she wasn’t about to move out of curiosity for Twilight’s visitor. Twilight followed suit, obviously engrossed in whatever magic equations she was reading about in her logical mumbo jumbo, one thousand pager, small print, heavy weight book.

In the next instant she heard someone shouting, “Hi! Is Twilight home?” And then that same voice, even closer, saying, “Hi Twilight! Is Rainbow… Oh! There she is!” And then in the next instant Rainbow Dash was lowering her book to see –

“Gah!” Pinkie Pie was inches from her face, suddenly in front of her without Rainbow having heard a single hoof to betray her friend’s appearance. “Uh, Pinkie… What’s up?”

Pinkie gulped in copious amounts of air and then said, in one breath, “Well I went to the hospital looking for you but the doctor came in and was all grumpy and said that you left and I said, ‘Okay!’ and went bouncing towards your house but then I remembered I can’t get to your house because it’s up in the sky and I thought, ‘Oh no but I need to find Rainbow Dash!’ so I went back to the hospital and the doctor seemed really mad that I was bothering him but he told me that he saw you leaving with your purple friend and I thought, ‘Purple? Oh, he must be talking about Twilight, silly!’ and so then I came rushing over here and asked Spike if Twilight was home and he said she was so I came up here and asked Twilight about you and then I found you right here so I came over here and you said ‘Gah!’ and – ”

Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof into Pinkie’s mouth at this point. “Breathe!” she commanded. Pinkie stopped talking and took a deep breath, doing so as comically as possible. “Okay, good. Now, uh, you don’t have to narrate what’s happening right now. So, you found me. What’s up?”

“I thought of the biggest, bestestest, brainiacally brilliant prank to pull ever!” she shouted, teeming with so much excitement that she was shaking. “And who better to share the biggest, bestestest, brainiacally brilliant prank to pull ever than with my biggest, bestestest, bravestly bold best friend ever, Rainbow Dash!”

“Uh, Pinkie…” Rainbow Dash was moments from saying no. She was mouth movements away from saying no. In fact, she was one consonant away from saying no. But instead of saying it, her mouth wavered wordlessly as she stared into Pinkie’s puppy dog eyes. And instead of saying no, Rainbow Dash chuckled. She sighed, closing her book. “I was just getting to the good part, too.”

Pinkie’s face lit up like a rocket. “So you’ll come?!”

“Course, Pinkie. Who am I to pass up a pranking opportunity with my best bud?”

And she was greeted to another near death experience as Pinkie jumped onto Rainbow Dash and pulled her into a third bear hug that day. Rainbow barely managed to push Pinkie off, who sat next to Rainbow with a goofy smile and her tongue sticking out, and say to Twilight, “I’ll leave my book here. Can we pick this up another time?”

“Sure,” Twilight said. “I’ll see you guys later. And please be careful. Don’t prank too hard.”

“Oh, silly Twilight! It’s impossible to prank too hard,” Pinkie replied, with Rainbow rolling her eyes next to her. Then Pinkie bounced away, with Rainbow following in the sky above her.

“So, what’s this awesome prank?” Rainbow asked once they were outside.

“It’s the biggest, bestestest –”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Pinkie. But what is it?”

“Oh, it’s going to be great. But it’s gonna take a lot of prepping. And supplies! We’ll probably be up all night working on it!”

Rainbow Dash groaned at the thought of no sleep. “I’m going to have to crash sometime,” she said. “Mind if I stay at your place?”

Pinkie smiled. She didn’t mind at all.

Chapter Two

Chapter Two – Candy Land

The feeling of bouncing. Up and down… Up and down… Rainbow Dash was hopping, her wings useless and broken, jutting out at awkward angles. She was frantic and worried. How could she have let something like this happen? The doctor had turned her away – she had been to the hospital one time too many and they were done. Her wings were broken for good, he had told her, and there was no point in even trying to fix them. Rainbow Dash had begged and pleaded, she had even shed a few tears, but they pushed her away. Alone and dejected, Rainbow Dash took to hopping. Pinkie Pie did it, after all, and she was as close to a flying pony as an earth pony could get…

Rainbow Dash walked through fields of licorice and drank from a stream of chocolate. She sighed and laid down underneath a tree covered in sugar. This wasn’t one of Rarity’s melodramatic moments. This was actually, very literally, and extremely seriously, the worst possible thing to happen to Rainbow Dash, ever.

Even as she was lying down, she still felt herself hopping… She just couldn’t stop… It was inside her, somehow. This need to jump. Just like her need to fly. Is that why her insides were squirming and she felt sick? Without her ability to fly, she was nothing. She might as well just… jump.

“Rainbow Dash!”

How would she spend her nights now, Rainbow Dash wondered woefully. When lingering thoughts that she couldn’t quite interpret, like they were being spoken to her in another language, crept up during her dreams and woke her up, what would she do? Usually, Rainbow Dash took flight. She could soar high into the sky, practice moves, enjoy those stolen moments alone, and ultimately not think. But with her four limbs completely grounded, there was nothing barricading those pesky, nagging feelings from rushing forward and engulfing her in a stampede of confusion and panic.

“Raaaaaiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnbbbbbooooooooowwwwwww…”

Rainbow cried out, shutting her eyes tightly. What was she hiding from? Rainbow Dash was the bravest pony there was, wasn’t she? She had everything she wanted, everything she needed, save maybe being a member of the Wonderbolts. But she wasn’t in the age group to join them yet, and besides, she still had to fine tune her moves before she tried out for them. When that time came, it had to be perfect. So what else was there? She didn’t have a guilty conscious, no regrets, and there certainly wasn’t any dark secret she was hiding. She liked who she was. She didn’t want anything to change. And yet… maybe sometimes being so awesome could be tiring. Maybe there were moments where she felt like she was being who she was supposed to be, not who she actually was. But that couldn’t be it… Rainbow Dash was totally cool, after all, why would she want to be anything different? Maybe…

“…Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssshhhhhhh!”

“Huh? Who’s there?” Somepony’s voice had broken Rainbow Dash’s train of thought, and she blinked and looked around in confusion. She had made sure she was alone. And as Rainbow Dash twisted and turned, it revealed what she had originally discerned – that she was by herself. So then, who called out to her?

“Rainbow Dash!” came the voice again, high-pitched and singsong.

“Pinkie?” Rainbow replied inquisitively, recognizing the voice. “Where are you?”

“Over here, silly!” And Rainbow Dash looked towards the noise and found the tree she was leaning against. Only, it wasn’t a tree. Or, it was a tree. But, it had Pinkie’s face popping out of it.

“Gah!” Rainbow Dash cried out and jumped back, landing in the stream of chocolate. Pinkie giggled and the tree waved its branches at the pegasus pony. Rainbow Dash gulped a mouthful of chocolate, coughed and sputtered, and then began to sink… She fell down and down into the chocolate river, until only darkness remained…

“It’s morning, it’s morning, it’s the day,

Some ponies are out and about eatin’ their hay!

But remember, remember that thing about today?

Wake up, wake up, we’ve a prank to pull!

Wake up, wake up, so my day isn’t dull!”

“What?” Rainbow Dash heard herself saying. And when she opened her eyes she realized she was on the ground in Pinkie’s room, practically flung off the bed due to Pinkie’s exuberant bouncing. Pinkie had her eyes closed and was singing so loudly that she didn’t even notice Rainbow Dash was no longer on the bed with her. “Pinkie!”

“Wake up… Oh, hi Rainbow Dash! What are you doing there on the ground?”

“Ha, ha…” Rainbow Dash stood up and shook herself off. She yawned and stretched out for good measure. Her dream had fled her mind, and so had any memory of its occurrence. “What was with the song and dance?”

“Remember, remember, our prank! It’s morning, so we gotta hurry or we might miss it!”

Rainbow scrunched her face up, still disoriented from lack of sleep. And then everything began to piece together. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, working on their prank. Pinkie Pie had been right, it was a doozy. Normally, Rainbow Dash would have spent all that time they were preparing flying around while the town was asleep. It was a nice refresher to hang out with a friend during her insomnia, and they had both been laughing most of the time. She didn’t even have time to think, another plus to her erratic time spent with Pinkie.

And finally, around four or five in the morning, both of them had crashed in a heap in Pinkie’s bed. And now… now…

“Six thirty in the morning?!” Rainbow Dash yelled, jumping up, her wings frantically beating and keeping her in the air. “Did you even sleep, Pinkie?!”

Pinkie replied with a sheepish grin and shrugged. “The prank will only be funny if we see everything through the other ponies eyes! So we gotta get up early and see the early birds get the worms!” Rainbow Dash groaned. But they had worked hard on this project, and it would only be entertaining to see initial reactions, before the prank was ruined. Besides, Rainbow Dash would have plenty of time to nap during the day. That’s what she normally did during her insomnia fits anyway, right?

Rainbow resigned to sigh. “Okay, Pinkie. Let’s go check this best prank ever out.”
Pinkie led the way outside, bouncing with so much energy that Rainbow Dash just stared at her friend in amazement. How could she possibly manage so much energy when she had gotten, at most, an hour of sleep? That wasn’t even a proper nap, in Rainbow’s opinion. ‘It must be the cupcakes,’ Rainbow thought, stroking her mane. ‘She just loads up on sugar and then she just goes.’ She imaged Pinkie Pie as a robot, constantly running around spreading good cheer. But then her batteries were low and Pinkie began to shake as she attempted her usual bouncing. In order to combat this situation, the Pinkie Pie robot opened her hatch and shoved an entire cake without even swallowing, before continuing her bouncing like nothing had happened. Rainbow made a face. She had actually seen Pinkie Pie do that at least once. It gave a strange realness to her story and she regarded Pinkie with a suspicious face.

Pinkie looked back at Rainbow Dash and gave her a look. “What? Are we making silly faces now? Ooh, that sounds like fun, Dashie! Let me try!” Her eyes got all wide, her pupils facing different directions, and she lolled her tongue out, whipping her face back and forth and yelling like a buffalo. Rainbow suppressed a grin and put her hoof in front of Pinkie’s face to stop her.

“Alright, Pinkie, don’t hurt yourself.” But Pinkie couldn’t contain a giant, goofy grin that even Rainbow’s hoof couldn’t suppress. Rainbow managed to laugh at this and removed her hoof. “Okay, you win. You’re the best at silly faces.”

“I wasn’t even making a silly face that time!” Pinkie said, pouting slightly. “I was smiling.”

Maybe Rainbow should have apologized for accidentally insulting Pinkie’s face, but instead she was silent, staring at the now serious Pinkie. And then she felt her mouth curve upwards, but she tried to stop it. But there it went again… Her entire face was wiggling and even with a hoof in her mouth she couldn’t seem to stop it from making her entire body quiver. And then in the next second, she was on the ground cracking up. Laughing harder than she had all last night while they worked on their prank.

At first Pinkie remained with her pouting expression. But then the laughter hit her, too, and she giggled just as hard and loudly as Dash was.

“It’s just you, Pinkie!” Rainbow managed between gaps in her laughter.

“Well, I am just me, silly!”

“No, it’s just you. You’re so random. And hilarious. It doesn’t matter what face you’re making.” Pinkie beamed.

It took them a lot longer than it was supposed to, but they finally made it outside. And the sight that hit them almost brought them back into their giggling, whimpering states.

The entire town was transformed. Completely covering the roads was cake batter, and they could see slip marks in it already where unsuspecting ponies had walked and not realizing they were stepping onto a sugary treat. Pinkie nudged Rainbow and pointed at a patch of flowers on the other side of the caked road. They had replaced the regular flowers with candy duplicates. Some of them had chocolate leaves and gumdrop bodies, others were simply licorice with frosting tops. Regardless, they were all delicious and there was something for everypony. What Pinkie was showing Rainbow was that a couple flowers were missing, half-eaten, and a third was being sniffed at curiously by a hungry passing pony. The pair of pranksters exchanged grins.

The trees had suddenly sprouted cupcakes, and Rainbow Dash pointed out the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they attempted to pile onto one another and pluck one off a tree. Using frosting as glue, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had went around pasting various candies to the houses, turning every residence into an edible treat one way or another. The bell that caused Rainbow Dash’s concussion was encased in syrup. They watched, on the ground in fits of giggles, as the priest attempted to ring the bell. He ended up stuck to it and swaying back and forth with the bells movements as a couple of nuns watched in amazement, suppressing smiles themselves.

“It’s all of Ponyville… as Candy Land!” Pinkie Pie had told Rainbow Dash last night when they had finished their handiwork. And as Rainbow Dash saw it in the morning light, with some of the trees covered in cupcakes and others had their leaves replaced by cotton candy, little candy canes used as small fences around the gardens, and the walls of buildings covered in graham crackers and frosting, she thought for a moment that maybe she had stepped out into Candy Land, and Ponyville was just some distance, faraway land from some other pony’s life.

“It’s Candy Land,” Rainbow Dash affirmed, giving Pinkie a wide grin. Pinkie smiled back, her blue eyes shining with a different kind of laughter.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie gave each other sly grins before whizzing past crowds of interested ponies and straight to one of the cupcake trees they had created. Pinkie jumped up and down, tongue out, mouth drooling, while Rainbow shook the tree and let the cupcakes they had baked together fall.

“I gotta say, Pinkie,” Rainbow started, digging into one of the cupcakes, “you know how to make baking fun.”

“It’s hard to make baking not fun!” Pinkie retorted, stuffing two cupcakes into her mouth at once and swallowing them whole. Her smile grew threefold.

Ponyville had loved the prank. It became a day of eating the streets and laughter. After all, there was no other day a pony could walk out and see Derpy happily licking a street covered in muffin mix during her morning mail route.

After an hour of gorging themselves on sweets, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie made their way to Twilight’s so Rainbow Dash could pick up her book. Rainbow felt a little sick and swore she wouldn’t eat another baked good that day, while Pinkie (who had eaten a considerably larger amount in a shorter span of time) seemed only slightly more Pinkie-like, if nothing else.

She had opened her mouth to talk on the way to Twilight’s and, to Rainbow’s dismay, didn’t stop even once the entire trip. “And then we baked the cupcakes and I’m sorry Rainbow Dash but you really need to work on your baking skills but it’s okay because Auntie Pinkie is here and she’ll teach you all the right moves to do it right and after we made the cupcakes remember how you flew up and stuck them all just right into the tree and it was so cool how you were able to fly up to all the high places and get everything just right it all looked even better than what I had envisioned and my imagination can be a very imaginative place so the fact that you did it even better makes me go,” she inhales deeply to imitate a gasp, then continued with this new arsenal of air, “and everyone loved it did you see Lyra and Bon Bon sharing that cake it was so cute and we made it for them and do you think all of Ponyville knows it was us maybe we’ll get an award for spreading happiness but oh I forgot you already have so many awards for your heroism I guess one for joy and laughter and sweets really wouldn’t make a big difference to you but I think it would be so much fun and we could go up and make a speech and –”

Rainbow Dash had stopped paying attention. She was floating slightly above Pinkie Pie, a tired and irritated expression on her face. It seemed like this is always how it was with Pinkie Pie. Either Rainbow Dash was on the ground laughing, or she was trying her hardest to ignore her best friend. Oh well, nopony was perfect and Rainbow could take the good with the bad. Besides, the rhythmic tones of Pinkie Pie’s voice acted like white noise to Rainbow’s ears. She could match Pinkie’s pace, unthinking, just listening to her voice as it hummed on and on.

Rainbow Dash liked that about her friend. She could even find the pluses in the minuses of Pinkie’s behavior. Rainbow didn’t have to think, didn’t have to talk, didn’t have to listen. She could just fly contentedly along and let Pinkie Pie run her mouth off until she ran out of steam. The funny thing about Pinkie was, she seemed to never run out of steam. Even that, Rainbow Dash didn’t mind. It was strange how Rainbow Dash had found a best friend in such an unlikely pony.

When Rainbow Dash was younger and still in flight school, she had been surrounded by adoring fans (along with a few neigh sayers). Even at that age, she showed remarkable talent and innate ability in every flying test that she took. So what if she skipped school in order to sleep in sometimes, or didn’t go to classes with the written tests? She proved she could fly, better than anypony, better than most of the teachers, and wasn’t that the point of flight school? When the principal of the school eventually told her to stop coming, she took it as early graduation. The ponies that had been jealous of her skills, Billy and Hoops included, considered it failing, but she knew that wasn’t true. Would a pegasus that got kicked out of flight school have as many leadership positions as she did now?

Regardless of the technical terminology, Rainbow Dash had acquired her first taste of fame while at school, something which followed her throughout her career. But even with so many foals running after her and asking her to show off her tricks, Rainbow Dash didn’t have many friends. Even Fluttershy, who was in Rainbow Dash’s class, didn’t become an actual friend until much later. Sure, Rainbow Dash stuck up for her, as she did with every other foal that got picked on in school. She was the class hero, keeping Billy, Hoops, and the others in check. They could call her Rainbow Crash all they wanted, she did crash a lot, after all. It came with the title of daredevil stunt pony. In the end, she always showed them up in every single performance, so it didn’t matter. She practiced and messed up so much so that when she did it for real, she could see the slack-jawed, amazed faces of all her admirers, as well as her enemies, despite themselves.

But friends? She could never have been friends with Fluttershy or any of the other ponies that followed her around like a groupie. It was the same thing now with Scootaloo and her fan club that chased after her. She loved the attention and she showed off for them… but friends? A friend implied a special connection, a certain intimacy that she could never have with a fervent fan. For the followers, she had to maintain a certain mystique in order to keep them begging for more.

For a true friend, Rainbow Dash had Gilda. The griffon was almost as good of a flier as Dash was, didn’t fawn over her, and, most important of all, wasn’t clingy. She provided Dash with a challenge and quenched her competitive spirit. Until recently when she learned that Gilda was just as much of a bully as the people who despised Dash at school, Gilda had been her best friend.

That was why Rainbow Dash, when she eventually befriended the five other ponies that made up their group today, had always assumed that Applejack would replace the recently emptied slot of number one. At first Rainbow Dash considered Fluttershy. They were already friendly from school and the yellow pegasus could also fly. But it quickly became apparent that, while they became much better friends than Rainbow Dash would ever have guessed from defending her honor back at school, Fluttershy just didn’t have the hardy personality and athletic prowess that Rainbow Dash needed in a best friend. Twilight was way too concerned with books and, although Rainbow Dash would never admit it out loud, the fact that she was so well-versed and articulate intimidated Rainbow Dash a little bit. Besides, she was no fun, anyway. Although Twilight had helped Rainbow Dash discover her own love of reading, this one shared interest wasn’t enough to make Rainbow Dash consider Twilight her best friend. Rarity was obviously out almost immediately. The prim and proper pony absolutely refused to get dirty and almost always was busy with a fashion project. While Rainbow enjoyed dressing up for special occasions, she hated modeling Rarity’s less than cool designs and really didn’t have anything to say about the apparently very intricate world of clothing. But, Rainbow had to admit, Rarity was good for gossip and they often went out for breakfast to discuss Equestria’s latest scandals while sharing a few laughs. Plus, Rarity would sometimes share her upcoming designs with Rainbow, saying that Rainbow’s bluntness helped Rarity get an honest opinion from an “everyday pony with an untrained eye”, as she so delicately put it.

Applejack, Rainbow had thought for sure, would become her best friend. Pinkie was that overly happy, confusing pony that was way too much like every single fan Rainbow Dash had ever had combined into one pink ball of concentrated energy. Applejack, on the other hand, was much more down to earth and wasn’t one to gape at Rainbow Dash’s overtly awesome, raw talent. In fact, Applejack could give Rainbow a run for her money as most athletic pony, even being just an earth pony. It was just like having Gilda again, only this time Rainbow had found a friend that wasn’t a complete jerk behind her back.

But that wasn’t how things turned out. Sure, Applejack became a really, really good friend. But surprisingly enough, Fluttershy ended up surpassing Applejack in the friend category, the pony out of all of them that Rainbow found she had the least in common with (their only tying factor, she had thought, was the fact that they both had wings). And, even more surprisingly, Pinkie became her best friend.

Pinkie was exactly what she had not been looking for in a best friend. She was basically just another fan, one of the pony’s in the audience who gaped and admired her skill… Except, Pinkie was different. She had something special about her, a quality or a charm, that made Rainbow Dash smile despite herself. And Pinkie had her own talent, an ability Rainbow would probably never understand, that made her the most interesting pony Rainbow had ever met. Despite the fact that she was an earth pony, Pinkie seemed capable of doing amazing feats that Rainbow had a slight suspicion were actually just physically impossible. And that had been the hook that intrigued her and initially kept Rainbow coming back. Somehow, this pony could outrun her, jump out of places Rainbow could only dream of fitting into, and she seemed to smile knowingly, seeing right through Rainbow’s exterior.

Pinkie made Rainbow Dash uncomfortable in her own skin, frustrated beyond belief, and unquestionably, undeniably, upbeat. Once Rainbow had seen past the fan club status of Pinkie and realized that the pink pony and her shared a lot of similar likes, pranking being the most prominent, they quickly became close friends. And then best friends. In the end, Pinkie was so random, and Rainbow liked that. Even now, in this moment, where she was listening to her friend’s voice, although not the words, as they washed soothingly over her.

Still, Rainbow wore a scowl and continued her charade of annoyance, because that was what their relationship was. Pinkie was all smiles and talkative, and Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and sighed, but ultimately gave her friend her way. Rainbow wasn’t one to fawn over anypony, except the Wonderbolts. She was the one to get fawned over. She wasn’t clingy or overly excitable in any situation, except for maybe something involving the Wonderbolts. Ponies were clingy and excited about her. So Rainbow kept her face into a decided frown and usually acted slightly exasperated around Pinkie, even when Rainbow realized her friend could do no wrong… And then Rainbow noticed that the beautiful background noise had deceased, which meant that Pinkie had stopped talking. She gave her friend a surprised glance and saw that Pinkie was staring back at her with a reverent smile playing across her face.

And suddenly Dash was tackled to the ground, pulled into a vice-like grip by Pinkie. She struggled for a moment, but then sighed and let Pinkie hold her. Besides, as much as she hated to admit it, her friend’s affection was actually quite nice. And since it was always Rainbow Dash that broke their hugs, they ended up staying that way, Rainbow Dash on the ground with Pinkie wrapped all around her, for a long time.

Finally, Rainbow rolled out from underneath Pinkie and shook herself off. “What was that for, anyway?”

Pinkie just smiled and hopped forward. “We’re at Twilight’s!” she said cheerily. Rainbow noticed the giant tree-turned-library and shook her head. She hadn’t even realized they were right in front of Twilight’s. She had been so busy blocking out whatever Pinkie had been saying, then couldn’t see past the rain of pink during the hug.

“Great! Let’s grab my book, then we can do whatever you were saying you wanted to do earlier.”

Pinkie had been saying, during her long rampage of talking, that there was something else she wanted them to do together, but Rainbow had been assaulted by her nonstop talking that either she hadn’t heard exactly what it was or she had just forgotten. All Rainbow could remember was that she had interrupted with, “I was in the middle of something before you came with that prank idea, you know. And I’d like to finish my book sometime in this century.” Pinkie had just smiled widely and said, “Great! You can read where we’ll be going.” And then it was decided that they’d stop at Twilight’s, grab Rainbow’s book, and continue on Pinkie’s epic adventure.

But when they entered Twilight’s house, she wasn’t alone. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all gathered around with Twilight looking frantic and serious in front of them. They all looked when Pinkie and Rainbow entered, grave expressions on all of their faces.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright,” Fluttershy said, coming forward to nuzzle them both.

“Alright?” Rainbow questioned. “Why wouldn’t we be alright?”

“We just ate an entire house of treats! Of course we’re okie-dokie-lokie!”

“Now, you two migh’ wanna join us over here,” Applejack said, and Rainbow Dash could tell from her friend’s face that whatever they were discussing before Rainbow and Pinkie had arrived, it was quite serious.

“Awful, just awful,” Rarity muttered. Pinkie suddenly looked scared and Rainbow Dash shared her worried expression. If Rarity wasn’t using her usual theatrics, but rather talking quietly and even… yes, she was definitely withdrawing into herself… There had to be something very wrong going on here.

Twilight stepped forward and led both of them into the group’s circle. “We’ve got a serious problem.”

Chapter Three

Chapter Three – Follow the Cookie Crumbs

“Spike’s been dragon-napped?!” Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie chorused after Twilight told them.

The story was simple enough. Twilight had stayed upstairs after Rainbow Dash had left, eventually falling asleep reading her book. When she woke up in the morning, Spike was nowhere to be seen and he had only gotten about halfway through his cleaning.

“I didn’t think much of it at first,” Twilight bemoaned, her hooves in her face. “But then he didn’t come back and… and I noticed the note!”

“Note?” Rainbow Dash pressed. Applejack picked the note carefully up between her teeth and gave it to Rainbow Dash to read. Pinkie Pie appeared over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder, nuzzling comfortably with her nose pressed against Rainbow’s cheek and her chin on her shoulder, to read the note as well. Normally Rainbow would have complained about Pinkie’s closeness or shrugged her off, but her mind was too focused on the note to even care.

If it is your baby dragon that you seek

The key to finding him is unique.

At this point, Pinkie gasped and interrupted Rainbow’s reading with, “Zecora!” Pinkie’s breath, so close to Rainbow, tickled her ear and it twitched involuntarily.

“It does sound like her,” Applejack agreed. “Usin’ that fancy-pansy rhymin’.”

“There’s nothing wrong with showing a bit of decorum now and again,” Rarity sniffed.

“But we know Zecora isn’t evil. She wouldn’t do something like this,” Twilight said.

“Who would take poor Spikey-wikey?”

“What about a… a… a… dragon!” Fluttershy squeaked.

“I don’t think dragons are capable of being this clever,” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “No offense to Spike. Anyway, hang on, I haven’t finished reading it yet.” She looked back at the parchment and darted down to the third line. She could feel Pinkie again, reading with her.

The six of you have certain traits

That will seal each other’s fates.

This time it was Rainbow who interrupted. “What does that mean? Are they talking about the Elements of Harmony?”

“Keep reading,” Twilight said darkly. “There’s more.”

It is the traits that the six of you lack

That are key to getting your friend back.

If you do not learn anything from this gloom

It means that the dragon will meet his doom.

Rainbow and Pinkie finished reading until the end. Then they looked up at their friends. “So…” Rainbow began, trying to sort out the words in her head.

“It’s a game!” Pinkie blurted out. “A bad kind of game. But it’s a game.”

“A game? I don’t see a game here. I just see a riddle. It’s pretty stupid. We have to learn something from each other to get Spike back? It doesn’t make sense. And it isn’t clear at all.”

“It’s like taking everything I’ve been doing here and putting an evil spin on it,” Twilight whispered. “I’ve been learning so much from you guys and reporting to Princess Celestia… But now this pony is threatening us with Spike’s doom in order to… I don’t know. Make us learn a lesson?”

“What’s the lesson?” Applejack said, thinking out loud. “Our traits will seal each other’s fates…”

“But it is the traits that we lack that will get Spikey-wikey back,” Rarity finished.

“So… Maybe… We have to act out of character?” Fluttershy suggested.

“Quick, Fluttershy, be loud!” Rainbow Dash shouted, half-joking. “Or else Spike will be doomed!”

“Oh no, oh no… Oh, um, I…” She was obviously flustered and didn’t know what to do. But Fluttershy took in a deep breath and let out what she must have thought was a loud scream of, “Ahhh…” Everyone stared at her, unimpressed. “Too loud?”

“Well, if that’s the answer, we’re doomed,” Rainbow Dash said, finally sitting down and letting out a sigh. Her movement finally disrupted Pinkie, who stopped leaning against her. The result left Rainbow with a cool spot on her shoulder where the warmth from her friend had once been, but she didn’t complain or make any movements that she noticed Pinkie had left her side.

“This riddle ain’t gettin’ us nowhere,” Applejack said, standing up. “Ah’m gonna go round town and see if maybe anypony saw Spike today.”

“Rainbow Dash and I were out all night long and we didn’t see a single pony!” Pinkie Pie said, trying to be helpful. “Right, Dashie?”

“Oh, right…” It seemed so long ago now, that Pinkie Pie and Rainbow had spent all night preparing their prank. In fact, it couldn’t have been more than two hours ago that they had just witnessed their prank in action. Hadn’t she just stuffed herself full of sweets? And now what was happening… Rainbow Dash could feel her stomach turn and she hoped she wouldn’t lose face and throw up in front of her friends. How could this have happened? When could this have happened? In that small, hour long gap that Rainbow Dash had allowed herself a moment’s rest? She pounded the ground with her foot. How could she have been so stupid? She shouldn’t have let the citizens of Ponyville out of her sight… She should have…

But she couldn’t have known. Being a hero wasn’t her job. As much as she liked being called the town’s residential hero, she wasn’t responsible for every life being saved in the town. And then there was that brief moment in time where Mare Do Well had come along and stolen the spotlight. Her fur bristled at the memory and she felt herself inching away from her friends, if only subconsciously. They had each donned the costume (or at least in Rarity’s case, made the costume) at one time or another, each pulling stunts and tricks and claiming to be a mysterious masked vigilante named Mare Do Well. In the end, all those impressive feats were being performed by four different ponies, and while Rainbow Dash still considered herself the top pony when it came to heroism and daring dives, she did concede that there was more to being a hero than saving ponies. There was a certain humility necessary to true acts of heroism. While Rainbow Dash still prided herself in her cockiness, she did learn to tone down the bragging for the sake of everypony that had to listen to her. And, if Mare Do Well had taught her anything, it was that she wasn’t the only pony in Ponyville that could be the hero the town needed. ‘Even if it does take five ponies to match my skill,’ she added as a private afterthought.

“We gotta try,” Rainbow Dash finally said. “We’ll look all over town, Twilight. Somepony must have seen him. We’ll find him. We’ll bring him back. And we’ll kick the butt of whoever took him. Hard.”

“Yeah! Ain’t nopony gonna get away with dragon-napping our Spike!”

“Um… Maybe I can ask the animals for help?”

“And of course I will use my connections in Canterlot to gather information. We’ll have Spikey-wikey back in no time at all.”

“I better hurry if I’m going to ask everypony in town if they’ve seen Spike before sundown!” Pinkie wasn’t joking. She gave a quick salute and then zoomed out of the room, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.

Twilight gave a sorrowful smile. “Thanks, guys.” Magically, she picked the paper up and let it hover in the air for a moment. “I’m going to study this note. Maybe the truth is in the parchment.”

“Good idea, Twilight,” Applejack said, comforting her. “We’ll meet back here at sundown and tell everypony what we’ve found.”

Nothing. That’s what Rainbow Dash had found. Her first stop had been Cloudsdale. She searched all over the city in the sky, asking everypony that she saw, but not a single one of them had even heard of Spike, let alone seen him. It crossed her mind that perhaps she ran into the dragon-napper, and they were lying to her face. But she had no evidence anypony was lying to her. And besides, wouldn’t somepony have noticed a pegasus carrying a baby dragon all the way from Ponyville into Cloudsdale?

Her head was bothering her. The concussion left her ears ringing and her temples aching. But she couldn’t stop now. She couldn’t give up on Spike, either. Or Twilight. Twilight, who was so heartbroken… She couldn’t let her friend down. And yet here she was, failing her with every step she took.

She flew above Ponyville for a while, hoping to see some sort of clue. She had a unique perspective, something only Fluttershy could match (but often refused, due to her fear of flying). And Rainbow always preferred the view of Ponyville from the sky. But not today. Today she was staring at the remnants of her handiwork from earlier. There was still some cake left on the streets, still some flowers that remained untouched, and most of the houses appeared to still be covered in their respective candies. Somewhere in this mess of Candy Land, Spike had been dragged out against his will. Taken who knows where, to do who knows what, and… and… And Rainbow Dash’s eyes opened wide.

She had seen it. Only for a second, but she had seen it. Her head still reeling with surprise at what she saw and the searing pain from her earlier crash with the bell, Rainbow Dash flew down onto the surface. She trotted over to the house where she had noticed it. 'Yes,' she thought. 'There’s nothing else that could of done that…'

She couldn’t hold in her excitement. Flapping her wings, she lifted herself off the ground and flew towards Twilight’s library. Her flying had become a little weak as a result of the concussion. She found that occasionally she veered off into the wrong direction or misjudged the depth of her perspective. And now she found herself crashing into Twilight’s house through the open window, ramming into a bookcase and sending all of the work Spike had managed to get done plummeting to the floor.

“Whoops… Uh…”

“Rainbow Dash! What’s going on?” Twilight jumped up from the table where she had been assessing the note and ran over to her pegasus friend.

“Sorry. Heh, messed up the landing a bit… Uh, I have something to show you. Come on, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash didn’t even wait for a response. She jumped up and flew right out of the door, expecting Twilight to keep up.

She heard the frantic clopping of hooves behind her and knew that Twilight was following. Slowly, sure, but she was following. Rainbow Dash slowed down her own pace so that Twilight could run beside her.

When she finally did catch up, she asked, “What’d you find?”

“Last night, Pinkie and I pulled the ultimate prank,” Rainbow Dash began. “You can still see it now.”

Twilight glanced around. At first she didn’t see anything, but Rainbow Dash smirked as her friend did a double take as they passed a cupcake tree. “What…?”

“We turned Ponyville into Candy Land. Pinkie Pie’s idea. Anyway, I found something.”

“I’m not really in the snacking mood, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight stated.

“Don’t eat the evidence!”

“Evidence?”

“Just wait until you see it.”

They arrived at the house where Rainbow Dash had first noticed it. She touched down and looked eagerly at Twilight, who said nothing. She looked at the candy-covered home, then back at Rainbow Dash, then back at the home… Rainbow Dash was getting impatient. She let out a huffy sigh and stared pointedly at a small section in the corner of the house where the graham cracker had been eaten away, leaving the frosting underneath to show.

“I really don’t have time for this, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, exasperated. “I need to get back to that letter, there may be something I missed…”

“You’re not seeing it!” Rainbow interrupted, angrily. “It’s right there! Look!” She practically pushed Twilight’s face into the frosting, but was careful that she didn’t actually touch it. “See that? Right there? See it?”

“I don’t… Oh!” Twilight’s formerly impatient voice melted into one of understanding and surprise. “That looks like…”

“Exactly! It has to be his tongue mark, right? No other pony could make a print like it. He was here. He licked that frosting. He left us a trail!” And it was so obvious to both of them now, a sudden lead in an unexpected place, that the two of them began grinning stupidly, despite the ominous warnings and their dragon-napped friend. Because right there, just like Rainbow Dash had said, where only the frosting was visible was a long, forked section where frosting had obviously been licked away, leaving the house beneath it completely bare. And it was only a long, skinny, forked tongue like Spike’s that could have made it.

***

At sundown, the six friends all met up back at Twilight’s. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were already there, neither of them talking much. After what Rainbow Dash had discovered, they both had fell into fits of giddiness, but Twilight turned back to her serious nature as soon as they arrived back at her home and she noticed the absence of her number one assistant. Instead she became quiet and poured over her books. Rainbow Dash didn’t know what she was looking for, but the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling left her concussed head in pain. She couldn’t bring herself to even fly. Instead she laid down and sighed, closing her eyes and allowing her brain a rest.

Applejack was the first to arrive, at the first sign of sundown. Twilight rushed over to her immediately and filled her in, speaking so fast that the pegasus found her head spinning in place just trying to keep up – and she already knew what Twilight was telling Applejack.

“Now, what?” Applejack managed to sputter when her friend had finished. “You found somethin’?”

Rainbow Dash stepped in, despite the pain still creeping its way through her head. “Spike left us a trail –”

“Like the foal story! Haysel and Grainel!”

“So, Ah reckon you mean it’s got somethin’ ta do with the strange look Ponyville’s suddenly got.”

“Well, kinda,” Rainbow said, giving a guilty smirk. “That was a prank Pinkie Pie and I did. But Spike used it to his advantage. He left a trail in the candy.”

“Smart dragon,” Applejack mused. “S’pose you’ll have ta show me what y’all are talkin’ about when the others get here.”

They didn’t have to wait long, Rarity and Fluttershy arrived next. Rarity had a hoof around her friend, softly cooing to her. “It’s alright, darling. Perfectly fine. No need to be so upset. I didn’t come up with any leads, either. I’m sure we’ll still find him, dear. There’s still so much we can do.” No expanse of words could keep Fluttershy from tearing up, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but burst with the news that she had found something. It was sure to cheer up her friend.

“Hey, no worries, ‘Shy!” Rainbow Dash said cockily, sidling up next to her friend and giving her a rather rough pat on the back. “I got us a lead, seein’ as we were fresh out. We’re gonna get Spike back in no time at all and kick the hide of whoever took him from us!”

“A lead?” Rarity repeated, shocked. “Well?”

“Just gotta follow the cookie crumbs,” Rainbow Dash said with a wink.

“You don’t mean the gross state of our beloved Ponyville, do you?” Rarity demanded.

“Say whatever you want about it, but the proof’s in the… frosting!” Twilight said.

“What are you talking about?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Spike left us a trail in the frosting! We can follow it and find him.”

“Oh… You mean… the candy all over Ponyville?”

“Yep!”

“So if, um… if somepony ate all the frosting…”

“You didn’t, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, a look of shock and horror twisted on her face.

“I didn’t!” Fluttershy squeaked. But she was still visibly upset and suddenly retreated to the door. “I… I have to go!”

Rainbow Dash deflated, touching the ground. “What’s her problem?”

“I dunno,” Applejack said, eyeing the door wearily. “But she did seem pretty upset.”

“Even moreso than usual,” Rarity added gravely.

Before they could discuss it further, a streak of pink entered Twilight’s home and ran right into Rainbow Dash, who fell, pinned to the ground before she could even react.

“What? Pinkie!”

“Dashie! It’s horrible!” Pinkie yelled, pressing into her friend.

“Geroff!” Rainbow managed to growl, pushing Pinkie Pie off of her. “What is it, Pinkie?”

Pinkie disguised a smile at her friend’s grumpiness and put on a look of utter horror. “Our Candy Land! It’s being devoured!”

Rainbow opened her mouth to say, Well, wasn’t that the point?, until she remembered that their only clue would be lost if all of it was eaten. She knocked herself in the head for being so stupid as to not think ponies would still be eating the candy. It’s not like the rest of Ponyville stopped because Spike had disappeared.

But before she could manage to create a new sentence, Twilight gasped, “What?! We have to stop them! Pinkie, tell them not to eat another bite!”

“I would if I could but I shan’t cause I can’t!” Pinkie said quickly. Then she barreled on before anypony could ask further questions, “The culprits causing the commotion and crunching on our clues are critters! Fluttershy told me about what you guys found in the frosting. But –”

“Oh no,” Rarity said, realizing something. “That’s right. I had been complaining to Fluttershy about the devastating state of Ponyville… She said she’d have her animals help clean it up, but… They work rather fast, don’t they?”

“Hoo, boy,” Applejack muttered. “Nopony’s gonna make this easy for us, are they?”

“I’m sorry!” Rarity cried out.

“We have to stop them!” Twilight said loudly and determined. But there was also a hint of desperation in her voice.

Rainbow Dash jumped up, ignoring the pain in her head. “On it!” She flew out the door without another word and came to a full on, midair halt as she saw the true massacre before her.

Bunnies, squirrels, beavers, porcupines, birds of all shapes and sizes… Every animal that Fluttershy had control over were wreaking havoc all across Ponyville. Nibbling on cupcakes, sucking on licorice, licking up the frosting…

“Hey! Stop!” Rainbow Dash called, kicking one especially greedy squirrel as it took a large bite out of a graham cracker. “That’s evidence!”

“Please be gentle… Oh no, please don’t eat that…” Rainbow Dash turned to see Fluttershy coaxing a beaver out of gnawing an entire tree in its attempt to reach the cotton candy topping. Rainbow flew over to her friend, a little more aggressively than she meant to.

“Fluttershy! We have to stop this! We’re not only going to lose the evidence, they’re going to ruin Ponyville!”

“I know, I’m sorry!” Fluttershy wailed. “I only told a few of them, to help clean up the place for Rarity, but they must have gotten a sugar rush and then they told all their friends and now… Oh, Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, this is all my fault!”

Rainbow Dash immediately felt her heart pang for her yellow pegasus friend. Fluttershy was tearing up, her head low to the ground and her entire body shaking, wracked with guilt.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, quieter and more forgiving, “it’s not your fault. You, you didn’t know this would happen. Hay, it’s probably more Pinkie Pie and my fault for even doing a stupid prank like this. We shoulda realized… well, the animals would want a piece of the action.”

Rainbow Dash nuzzled her friend, who looked up at her with a nervous smile. She stood up, sniffling. “We can get Applejack to round these guys up,” Rainbow Dash said. “And you can do that stare-thing you do to get these animals out of here. It’ll be okay, I promise.” Fluttershy believed her and she nodded.

“Yeehaw!” Applejack cajoled the animals, Winona at her side. “Let’s go! C’mon now, Winona, don’t leave any critters behind!” Together, they rounded up the various bunnies, raccoons, beavers, birds, and whatever else was eating Ponyville’s crumbs. Once they had every last one of them, Fluttershy stood among her animal friends and stared them all down in that special way that only she could.

“Now, now, friends. It isn’t good for you to go overboard on snacks. You’re destroying our home and you’re going to make yourselves sick. I suggest we all go back to the forest and rest up now… There, there, that’s right… Go on home…”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash whooped as the animals slowly, but surely, stalked off.

“Oh, dear,” Fluttershy mumbled, looking past Rainbow Dash and at Ponyville. With a lump in her stomach, Rainbow Dash turned around to see what her friend was looking at…

“We were too late,” she said, her wings drooping as she plopped onto the ground. “I can’t believe this… We were too late!”

Ponyville looked just like it always did. Without a single shred of candy-evidence to be found.

“At least we know the general direction they went in,” Fluttershy said meekly. They were all back at Twilight’s. Heads down, thinking. Everypony looked burnt out and depressed.

“But who knows when he was taken!” Rarity said loudly. “Who knows how far they have gotten with our poor Spikey-wikey by now!”

Twilight weaved through the pile of fallen books, looking, perhaps, for something, anything, that could shed light on the art of discovering a dragon-napper. She looked at her library. Spike hadn’t even gotten a chance to finish it. She remembered walking down that morning to see his half-finished work and absentmindedly wondering where he got off to. At first she thought perhaps he fell asleep and was very quiet that morning, careful not to wake him.

But then she never found him. Not under piles of books as she shifted them, not in his bed, not out and about… She looked at her bookshelves. Empty, after Rainbow Dash had crashed into them. How long did it take Spike to get all that hard work done? He was her dutiful assistant. She knew he would have been working hard that entire time, there was no time for slacking off. He would have worked until he fell asleep. She considered cleaning the place up without magic, just to honor him and his hard work. Until they found him, of course, which they certainly would do, and then everything could go back to the way it was before…

“Wait,” she muttered, thinking. “Wait, wait, wait…”

“What is it, sugar cube?” Applejack asked curiously.

“The books…”

“Twilight, not every answer is in books.”

“No, the books. Spike was putting them away before he got dragon-napped!”

“Oh,” Rarity said, looking around at the mess they were surrounded in. “Well, uh, he did a… quite a job he did… At least he tried, I’m sure.”

“He had this whole wall done,” Twilight said, thinking. She walked over to the wall, where she remembered Rainbow Dash had crashed into it and sent everything falling to the floor.

Rarity turned to Applejack, who was sitting next to her, and whispered, “Has she finally… broke? That shelf is empty.” Applejack shrugged, watching Twilight intently.

“No, I crashed into that wall and the books all fell,” Rainbow snapped, fur bristling. She was stuck between defending her friend and admitting to a moment of clumsiness. She had chosen loyalty to her friend, but her own embarrassment manifested into anger at Rarity.

“That’s my Dashie, always being such a silly filly,” Pinkie Pie piped up, smiling. Her words had a soothing effect, and Rainbow immediately calmed down. It was like the pink pony could tell when a dangerous rift in the bond the six shared was about to be broken, whether by Rainbow’s brashness or another pony’s error in judgment, and she saved the day with a few light-hearted words.

“That’s it!” Twilight exclaimed, stomping her hooves. They all turned to look at her. She had been studying that wall for the entire time, ignoring her friends as they had their trivial argument behind her back. She turned to face them, finally. “He must have worked on this wall the entire time I was reading. I suspect that he was taken probably immediately after I fell asleep. The culprit must have waited, watching through the window, and when they saw me doze off…” She stopped and made a painful swallowing sound. Then went on, confessing her true feelings. “If, if only I’d… Maybe if I pulled an all-nighter this wouldn’t have happened.”

Each friend immediately went into comforting mode.

“No, why that’s ridiculous! You can’t blame yourself for what happened, dear!”

“If somepony wanted to dragon-nap Spike, there’s nothin’ you coulda done ta stop ‘em! And not sleepin’ sure wouldn’t have been the solution!”

“Especially with no sleep, silly! You would have been all delirious and been an unhelpful, unhelping, unhappy pony!”

“Yeah. Now you’re the smart one figuring all this stuff out. Leave the staying up all night and kicking intruder butts to ponies like me!”

“Besides, Twilight… What if you had been awake and they took you, too? I’m just glad nothing worse happened…”

Twilight sighed, but smiled at her friends. “Thanks, guys. You’re absolutely right. Worrying about past mistakes won’t help Spike now.” She began resorting her books, trying to ease her mind with trivial tasks. “What we need now is a new lead, since we lost our last one…”

“A new lead?” Pinkie asked, her brows furrowed as she thought. “Does this count?” She picked up a piece of parchment that looked eerily similar to the one the dragon-napper had left earlier. It had revealed itself in the pile of books as Twilight had began sorting everything out, and Pinkie had noticed as it floated onto the now clear floor.

“Is that…?”

“Another note!”

“The dragon-napper must have came back while we were all out!”

“They came back to the crime scene? Oh, now they’re getting cocky… Just wait until I get my hooves on ‘em! They think they can just come back here and leave more notes and nopony’s gonna notice? Come on, how dumb can you get?”

“Well, it’s worked so far,” Twilight pointed out grimly. She magically retrieved the parchment from Pinkie and unfolded it in front of her. She gulped and then took a deep breath before reading what was written on it out loud:

“You waste your time searching for silly clues

Meanwhile the game is afoot and you will lose.

As I stated rather plainly in my letter before,

Each of you lacks a trait, but there’s more…

Finding what it is that each of you six seek

Is what will make this game appear less bleak.

“For Twilight, who remains rigidly transfixed,

Is there a way to make her less affixed?

“Pinkie Pie, the one who has all of the fun,

What is it that makes her so undone?

“Although Applejack relies on the honest truth,

There must be more to this stubborn youth?

“For Rainbow Dash, who is concussed,

Does she even know what she deeply lusts?

“Rarity may have beauty and generosity,

But what keeps her from becoming a monstrosity?

“And while Fluttershy may stay true to her name,

Doesn’t she need to become more to win this game?

“The Elements of Harmony are more than one thing,

But it is to those labels that each of you do cling.

I promise that each of you will only find me dismissing,

Unless you can find the pieces each of you are missing.”

Twilight finished reading the note, and Rainbow could see the ferocity in her eyes as they darted across the page, reading it over and over again in her own head. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but find her own mind lingering on the passage about her… That one word that was written on the page had obliterated any other thoughts and left her with one nagging question… So, this mysterious dragon-napper knew she was concussed. But who could have known that? The doctors at the hospital, sure, but who else? She looked around the room at her friends. And a sickening feeling entered the pit of her stomach.

It has to be one of them.

Chapter Four

Chapter Four – The Game is Afoot

“So I guess that’s it, innit? It’s plainly stated right there… Searchin’ for clues ain’t gonna get Spike back.”

“Indeed. We have to, what was it?”

“Find out what it is that each of us seek.”

“I know what I seek!”

“Really? Great. Problem solved. What is it?”

“Cupcakes! And parties! And fun!”

There was a collective groan.

“‘Pinkie Pie, the one who has all of the fun, what is it that makes her so undone?’ Our dragon-napper already knows that about you, Pinkie. We know you like fun. But what makes you so undone?”

“Um…”

Silence. Rainbow stared at her friend, who was suddenly quiet and biting her lip. ‘Strange,’ Rainbow Dash thought. ‘She wasn’t so serious a second ago. In fact, she was always the least worried out of all of us… That could have been her just being Pinkie. But what if she knows more than she’s letting on? What if… No. I was with her all last night,’ Rainbow reminded herself, shaking her head slightly. But then another nasty thought crept into the back of her mind. ‘Not the whole time, you weren’t,’ it snarled, prodding her. ‘You woke up and there she was… She gave you a shrug when you asked if she even got any sleep… Who knows what she was doing while you rested your eyes? Maybe she was out dragon-napping your friend and writing rhyming riddles…’ Rainbow’s eyes widened as she remembered the song Pinkie had been singing to wake Rainbow up. That rhymed, too… In fact, Pinkie loved rhyming more than any of them.

Pinkie noticed Rainbow’s staring and turned away. Almost guiltily. Rainbow grinded her teeth. This is why she hated thinking. Now she was suspecting Pinkie of all people of dragon-napping Spike. What reason could she possibly have for doing that? She was her best friend! But her head panged from the concussion, almost chastising her for letting Pinkie go so easily. After all, it had to be one of them, didn’t it? Why not Pinkie?

“Do you know what you lust?”

The question broke Rainbow’s train of thoughts. She blinked and looked at Twilight. “What?”

“The riddle. Do you even know what you lust?”

“Um…”

Rarity intervened before Rainbow could even seriously think about the question. “Lust implies a sexual relationship.”

“And she doesn’t like anypony like that! Right, Dashie?”

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash felt the color rush to her face and suddenly she was stuttering like Fluttershy. “Um. No…?” Well, she didn’t currently like anypony. It wasn’t a lie. But everything about this situation felt so strange and the note made it seem like she was lying even to herself. “Besides the Wonderbolts, maybe. I mean, everypony knows how much I want to join them.”

“Right,” Twilight agreed, thinking. “But the note seems to imply that whatever you lust is something that even you are unaware of. Or at least it’s something you aren’t open about. So it can’t be the Wonderbolts…”

They all stared at Rainbow expectantly, as if her mind was an open book and they could just peer into her thoughts and snatch the answers for themselves. As if Rainbow was supposed to suddenly start talking and share everything about her life until they were satisfied with her answers and could gleam another hopeful hint into where Spike was. But Rainbow couldn’t see how whether or not she liked somepony had anything to do with Spike and she felt the anger boiling inside her.

“What?” she snapped. “Look, I don’t know, okay? I don’t like anypony! What about Rarity?”

“What about me? You don’t like me, do you?”

“No! I’m talking about what it says about you. It called you a monstrosity, remember?”

“Well! I never!”

“But it did say that… What could that have meant?”

“That is certainly not what it said! It was merely wondering what kept me from becoming a monstrosity. And the answer is so very simple. Good skincare, obviously. My spa visits keep this mane and this fur ever so soft and glamorous –”

“Ah have a feelin’ that ain’t what it meant by that.”

“Oh, go ahead! Act all… stubborn! That’s what it says about you, isn’t it? You’re just a stubborn youth.”

“That’s not what it said at all! It said Ah was more than a stubborn youth!”

“Fine. Be stubborn about how stubborn you are.”

“Ah’m not being… Oh, for Celestia’s sake!”

“Um… Maybe…”

“Ooh, it’s Twilight’s turn! Stop being all transfixed-y, Twily! How do we unaffix you?”

“That doesn’t even make any sense. I’m not transfixed or affixed! Or I wasn’t, until somepony dragon-napped my number one assistant!”

“Excuse me? Um, I think that…”

“Hmmm. Well, maybe the dragon-napper is all wrong then!”

“All wrong? But if they’re all wrong, how will we ever win this game?”

“What if…”

“Speaking of game, didn’t Fluttershy’s section mention something about that?”

“Yes... Like I’ve been trying to say…”

“So does that mean –”

“Well, hold on now. Let the pony talk.”

“Ahem. Um. Thank you. Um… I was saying… Well, I mean, I was thinking over my section and… it seems to be saying that normally I am very shy and, well… the other note was talking about the traits we already have and how they will seal each other’s fates. But it was also saying that we need to learn something new in order to, um, win, I guess. And in this new note, it says I’m shy and that…”

“‘Doesn’t she need to become more to win this game?’” Twilight reread the line for Fluttershy’s sake.

“Yes… exactly. A trait that I lack is needed in order to win the game. That’s what the notes seem to be saying… I think…”

“So, what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Is it saying that if we act the way we are we’ll lose, and we have to act different in order to win?”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight replied, smoothing out the parchment and thinking, reading it over again. “It isn’t about becoming someone different…”

“Then what?”

“The common theme of all of these seems to be… ‘more’.”

“More of what?”

“Not more of something, but just more. Fluttershy needs to be more, Applejack is more than, what you deeply lust…”

“So…?”

“We’re focusing on our own sections too much. No one but ourselves can understand our own part. What we should be looking at is the last paragraph. Listen to this. ‘The Elements of Harmony are more than one thing, but it is to those labels that each of you do cling’… We’re focusing too much on the traits that we have been assigned. I think… I think maybe this pony is trying to –”

“Threaten us? I mean, they seem to be saying that the Elements of Harmony won’t be enough, with that whole ‘I promise that each of you will only find me dismissing’ line.”

“‘Unless you can find the pieces each of you are missing.’ Don’t you see? It isn’t a threat. Well, maybe it’s a threat. But the whole point is that our elements aren’t enough, and maybe there is more to us than what meets the eye. Or, or there’s a part of us locked away, something we’ve been ignoring that we’ll need in order to get Spike back.”

“Now you’ve completely lost me.”

“Ah well, figuring out this riddle here is provin’ to be harder than what we were tryin’ before.”

“But we won’t be able to get Spike back by just looking for clues!” Twilight shouted desperately. “We need to follow the rules of this game. There’s no other way.”

“Sure, there’s another way!” Rainbow flew up into the air, shaking off all the mumbo jumbo analytical crap Twilight was going on about. “I’ll find whoever is doing this and beat them up until they tell me where Spike is!” She surveyed the room, looking at each of her friends, hoping one of them would show a glint of fear in their eyes, that one of them would give a subconscious signal that would tell her which friend it was that was doing this…

“Ah’m thinkin’, maybe, we should just retire –”

“Give up?” Rainbow Dash flew straight in front of Applejack, so close that their noses briefly touched. Applejack took a surprised step back. But Rainbow didn’t even wince, even with the twinge of pain that shot through her head as her concussion throbbed. She was regarding her with sudden suspicion. It couldn’t be Applejack… But when has Applejack ever wanted to give up?

“Y-Yeah,” she said uncertainly. “Wait, no! Not give up. Maybe jus’ take a break. We all go back to our homes and mull over what the notes have been sayin’ about each of us. Too much craziness has gone on today. In all the chaos, we might have missed somethin’.”

Rainbow continued to watch her through narrowed eyes. Slowly, the pounding in her head dissipated and she blinked. Finally Rainbow deflated and sat on the ground, slumped over. She didn’t even bother listening to the replies from the others. She just stared at the floor beneath her hooves, wondering what to do next.

And then Rainbow realized how tired she was. When was the last time she slept, really slept? Knocked out unconscious didn’t count, and the hospital was filled with either bored, sleepless nights or she’d end up reading until the morning came. And when she got out of the hospital, Pinkie Pie had kept her up with the prank they were pulling. It was hard to believe it was still the very same day she had woken up from an hour long sleep and stepped out into Candy Land.

“I need to go to sleep,” Rainbow finally sighed. She wasn’t sure what conversation she had just interrupted with her announcement. But did it really matter? Her head gave another twinge of pain as she thought about it… If one of them was the mysterious writer, there was no point in conversing with any of them. Not until she could weed out the one bad pony… Wings drooping, tail down, Rainbow Dash walked away from her friends. She thought she heard someone calling out to her, but she didn’t bother turning back. It was like a wave crashing over her. She felt the pain in her head, she felt the lack of sleep she’d gotten this entire week… And then the emotional whirlwind involving Spike. “A pony can only take so much…” she found herself grumbling as she exited the tree house and walked into the night.

“It’s been tough,” somepony next to her agreed. Rainbow practically jumped out of her wings. She hadn’t heard anypony come up next to her, yet that was the effect Pinkie often had.

“What the hay, Pinkie! What do you want?”

“I thought you might want some company,” she said, strolling along. “You seemed kind of out of it.”

“Thanks, Pinkie, but I’m kind of going somewhere you can’t really follow,” Rainbow said, hoping her friend would get the hint before she had to start talking bluntly. After all, Rainbow Dash lived in the clouds, and while Pinkie figuratively lived in the clouds, she couldn’t walk on them like a pegasus.

“You could come back to Sugarcube Corner with me,” Pinkie suggested. “The doctor said you should stay off your wings. And you kind of look like you’re in an itsy bitsy bit of pain.”

“I think I can manage flying to my house,” Rainbow said, annoyed. “It’s not like it’s that far.”

“I know… I just thought. We didn’t get to finish our extra special day together, either. I had a whole thing planned that I knew you’d find extra extremely excitingly enticing!”

Rainbow Dash had forgotten that she was planning on spending the day with Pinkie. They had only stopped by Twilight’s to grab her book. Rainbow sighed as she realized she forgot her book at Twilight’s. Well, she had a feeling she’d be spending a lot of time there now, with the whole Spike situation, so she’d grab it tomorrow.

“Besides,” Pinkie continued, “Twilight said we should all meet back at her place first thing in the morning! You might oversleep and you need your Auntie Pinkie by your side as your very own trusty alarm clock.”

“Twilight,” Rainbow thought out loud, so tired she didn’t even really realize she was doing it. “I wonder if she’ll get any sleep tonight. I mean, Spike could be anywhere, and he could be slipping farther away everyday… Knowing Twilight, she’ll probably stay up all night reading those notes, trying to find some sort of clue that isn’t even there. Forget my situation, there’s gotta be something we can do to help her out…” Rainbow Dash sighed and yawned. Then she stopped, an idea forming. She noticed Pinkie was no longer next to her and turned around to see that Pinkie had stopped a few trots back. She was regarding Rainbow with an expression Rainbow couldn’t quite make out in the darkness.

“You okay, Pinkie?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie breathed. It was surprisingly soft coming from Pinkie. For a moment, she sounded more like Fluttershy. But Rainbow Dash wasn’t in the mood to make fun of her for it.

“I was actually thinking about crashing at Twilight’s,” Rainbow said thoughtfully. “If you still want to do a sleepover, you can come, too.”

Pinkie bounded over to Rainbow Dash, revealing a giant smile stretched across her face. “That sounds like a super-duper idea, Dashie! Let’s go!”

Rainbow managed to smile back, despite the fogginess of tiredness and pain she was shrouded in. That was what she liked about Pinkie, and why, she reflected quietly to herself, she would probably be okay with spending all her time with such an obnoxious fur ball. No matter what, Pinkie could always make Rainbow Dash smile.

Twilight had welcomed their presence. “Oh good,” she had said absentmindedly, “you can help me go over these notes…” And just like Dash had expected, she was already hoof deep in reading the notes provided by the mysterious dragon-napper. She had a strange grin on her face. Thin-lipped and stretching farther than Rainbow Dash thought was physically possible for a pony, except maybe Pinkie. But when Pinkie did a smile like that, she glowed happiness. Twlight, on the other hoof, didn’t appear overjoyed in the slightest. Rainbow shared a nervous glance with Pinkie, who tried to pass it off with a giggle, but regarded Twilight with a careful expression all the same.

“Listen, Twi,” Rainbow had begun, getting right to the point, “you need to rest. Sleep a little. I know finding Spike is important, but if you burn yourself out you won’t be help to anypony.” She carefully gave her friend a little nudge on the shoulder, but Twilight was resolute in staying where she was and reading over the notes again and again. Rainbow glanced at Pinkie, who shrugged. “Twilight… Come on…”

“I’m so close!” Twilight shouted, pushing Rainbow Dash off of her. “Just give a minute, I know I can figure this all out…”

“How about we take turns?” Pinkie suggested.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, suddenly smiling at this new idea. “Yeah! That’s a great idea, Pinkie. Right, Twilight? Isn’t that a great idea?” Pinkie looked proud of herself, but Twilight barely gave either of them a glance.

“What?” she asked airily. “Sure, sure…”

“I’ll give you another hour with those notes, but then I’m taking over,” Rainbow said harshly, like a drill instructor. When Twilight didn’t respond keenly to the idea, she added desperately, “Maybe different perspectives will shed light on something.”

Twilight suddenly looked up. She stared at Rainbow Dash as if she had just noticed she was there. “Different… perspectives… Yes… Yes, I suppose…”

“Is she talking to us?” Pinkie asked, waving a hoof in front of Twilight’s unseeing face.

“Another hour, okay, Twilight?” Rainbow said again, a little louder this time.

Twilight shook her head to clear things. When she responded next, it was the first time that she seemed like she was really there. “O-Okay. You’re right, Rainbow Dash. Different perspectives might help things to connect together in a totally new way.”

“Exactly!” Rainbow said, smirking. She didn’t actually believe that herself, but she knew it was the kind of smart talk that Twilight listened to. “So you can take first shift, then I’ll look it over after, and –”

“Ooh, can I go after Twilight?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down again. “I want to take second shift!”

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash had wanted Twilight and Pinkie to get as much sleep as they could muster. And Rainbow hadn’t been planning on actually taking a serious look at the note on her shift, anyway. She gave Pinkie a weary look. “You sure, Pinks?”

Pinkie Pie nodded in response so fast that it almost looked as if her head had completely disappeared.

“Okay, okay, fine! You can take second shift. Don’t hurt yourself, jeez. I guess you can take an hour or two with the note, then pass it along to me, okay?” Rainbow yawned. The achy tired feeling crept back and she found herself stretching her sore body. She walked over to Pinkie and whispered into her ear, “Make sure she sleeps, Pinkie. Okay? Pinkie promise it.”

“I will,” Pinkie replied, at first fiercely determined with those big, blue, sparkling eyes staring straight into Rainbow Dash’s own cerise ones. They seemed to linger over Rainbow Dash for a moment, scanning her in that way that made Rainbow feel like Pinkie had x-ray vision. She shifted uncomfortably under Pinkie’s gaze for a moment. Then the pink pony broke the stare, giggling, and began the Pinkie promise motions, chanting, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Rainbow smiled, satisfied. Then she yawned again and her eyelids became too heavy for her to keep up without struggling considerably.

“Wake me up when it’s my turn,” she mumbled, slouching off to a corner of the library where the light didn’t quite reach and curled up into a little ball. The cold floor was fine, it didn’t matter much to Rainbow Dash. She was out within seconds of hitting the ground.

When Rainbow opened her eyes again, it was from the sudden stream of light that beamed through the room as somepony opened the door to Twilight’s abode. Rainbow blinked a couple times, at first confused. Then the events of last night washed over her and she groaned, stretching out. She stood up and looked around. Applejack had just walked in and Twilight rushed over to greet her.

‘Pinkie was supposed to wake me up,’ Rainbow thought bitterly. She had slept the entire night, something that was unusual for the insomniac, speedster pony. And strangest of all, she had slept well. She felt more well-rested than she ever had before. Silently, she thanked her friend for letting her sleep, but on the outside she put on an angry face and scanned the room for Pinkie.

Her eyes found her where she least expected her, and she jumped slightly as a result. Pinkie, as it turned out, was curled up into a little ball, snoring softly at Rainbow’s very own feet. She could feel the warmth rise from her friend’s body and tickle the wings on Rainbow’s back. They fluttered slightly and Rainbow took an indecisive step back. Had they slept together the entire night? Didn’t her friend Pinkie promise to make sure Twilight slept? And Pinkie would never, could never, break a Pinkie promise. Unless…

Her head seared with the usual pain from her concussion. And there it was again. That doubt. What if Pinkie didn’t bother because she didn’t care about the note because she didn’t need to care about the note because she wrote the note. Rainbow’s thoughts were racing and connecting at such a speed that it took all her strength just to cling onto them long enough to even remember what she was thinking. ‘But,’ Rainbow reasoned, ‘I didn’t care about the notes, either. That doesn’t make me the traitor of the group.’ Although, and her stomach prickled uncertainly at this next thought, it did seem like Pinkie was becoming the main subject of her suspicions recently…

“Howdy, RD!” Applejack chortled, trotting over to her friend. Rainbow Dash gave the orange cowpony a onceover. She was in a happy mood today… What reason would Applejack have to be so happy? Unless she was the mastermind behind all this, and she was secretly laughing at her friends for not even being close to figuring it out. ‘After all,’ Rainbow suddenly thought, eyes widening, ‘she is the Element of Honesty. There’s no way she’d be able to hold in a lie like this without letting something like that goofy grin she’s wearing slip through the cracks…’

“Somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked, breaking Rainbow’s thoughts. “You’re lookin’ mighty… fishy.”

“Fishy? Me? I’m not fishy. You’re the one who’s lookin’ all happy. What’s that all about?” Rainbow countered, bristling slightly, her wings opening in a defensive state.

“Whoa now,” Applejack said, raising a hoof apologetically. “No need to get all defensive. I was just talkin’ to Twilight here and she was sayin’ she’s got some real good news to share with the group.”

“Good news?” Rainbow’s eyes shifted to Twilight, head slightly cocked. “What good news?” She took a moment to take in her friend. Twilight had a small grin on her face and, although she didn’t look well-rested, she didn’t look like she had stayed up all night, either. Maybe Pinkie had kept her promise after all. Besides, Pinkie never broke a Pinkie promise. Never, ever.

“Another note came last night!” Twilight said, her voice broke and she gave a high-pitched giggle. Rainbow’s ears flattened at the sight of her friend’s slight dip into insanity. She had only acted like this once before, and that had not ended well… Then she registered what Twilight had just said.

“Wait, another note? But we were down here all night! How could they have –”

“Exactly!” Twilight responded shrilly. “I woke up this morning and you two were asleep and the note was here!” She watched Rainbow with that grin, and Rainbow thought that she’d never witnessed a more see-through façade. Her head gave another twinge and she rubbed it, her mind going back to Pinkie and how the clues seemed to be adding up more and more…

“Uh, that’s great, sugar cube,” Applejack responded, exchanging a nervous glance with Dash. They both realized there was no reasoning with Twilight at the moment. Their best step was to go along with her and hope that they could find Spike before Twilight went over the deep end completely. “What did it, uh, say, then?”

“Exactly everything we need in order to catch them!” Twilight squeaked, her smile widening. “I woke up this morning and I just noticed it sitting there and at first I couldn’t believe they had slipped in and out without any of us noticing but the note has everything we need and now I couldn’t be any happier!”

And once again, Rainbow Dash looked to Pinkie Pie. She should have been awake, or woken Dash up… But she hadn’t. Was this the reason why? So she could place the note and then pretend like she fell asleep and hadn’t noticed a thing? She gulped back her suspicions. She just didn’t want to believe her best friend could be that devious and dishonest.

“Did they leave a hoofmark?” Applejack asked eagerly. “How are we gonna find ‘em based on a note? Did they slip up somehow?”

“Nope!” Twilight said, giggling even harder. “No, they’re as sneaky as ever!” Rainbow and Applejack exchanged glances again.

“Uh, okay, Twilight…”

Rarity entered the tree house next, a mirror floating magically in front of her as she attempted to adjust her appearance. “This staying up all night worrying about poor Spikey-wikey is not good for my complexion,” she stated with a sigh. “Sorry I’m late, everypony, my morning pampering session took a little longer than it usually does.” Rainbow Dash and Applejack rolled their eyes.

A few minutes later, Fluttershy ran in, looking worried. “Oh, I’m so sorry I’m late, everypony… The animals are not doing very well after their candy binging yesterday. I had to clean up after them all morning and then I made some soup but it wasn’t enough and… Angel was very upset…”

“That’s alright, Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie is still asleep, anyway,” Applejack said, jabbing her head in the pink pony’s direction. “Nopony’s got the heart to wake her.”

“Oh, please,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “If that’s what we’re waiting for, I’ll wake her up.” She would never admit it to anypony, but Rainbow Dash was a little angry at Pinkie Pie. Mainly for her fleeting thoughts that Pinkie Pie might be the mastermind behind the dragon-napping, as unfair as she knew that unfounded accusation was.

Rainbow flew over to her sleeping friend and hovered above her for a few seconds. And for a moment, she did feel a little guilty about what she was about to do. She hesitated and watched the rising and falling of Pinkie’s stomach as she breathed in and out, slowly and rhythmically. There was no trace of a smile on Pinkie’s face while she slept, Rainbow noted. Instead, her face was utterly placid. She was peaceful and quiet, besides the occasional snorts which had no order and often caught Rainbow by surprise. Right before waking her up, Pinkie made one of her snorts and Rainbow jerked back for a second. Then she let out a low chuckle. Even asleep, Pinkie somehow managed to make Rainbow laugh.

And then, unceremoniously, Rainbow brought her hooves down on Pinkie and shook her awake. “Wake up, wake up, wake up,” Rainbow belted, adding a little hint of a singsong voice as she recalled Pinkie’s own wake-up song.

Pinkie jumped into the air, suddenly very alert, eyes wide, and she hovered next to Rainbow Dash for a moment. Briefly, Dash wondered how her friend managed to stay airborne for so long, but she pushed the thought aside. These were things better left unmentioned.

Pinkie’s eyes fell on Dash and her entire body changed from surprise to glee. “Oh, hiya, Dashie!” she said loudly. Then, finally, she dropped to the ground. Rainbow landed next to her and ruffled her wings a bit.

“That’s for not waking me up,” Rainbow said, maintaining a mad expression.

If anything, Pinkie’s smile grew even wider. “I thought you might need the sleep,” she said, slyly. “You seemed okay with it last night! I said, ‘Hey, Dashie, if you want to sleep some more, snore loudly!’ and you did! You snored soooo, so, so, so loudly I thought you were gonna wake Twilight up! But nope, you both really needed your sleep. And so Auntie Pinkie kept her Pinkie promise and let you sleep!”

Rainbow felt the color rise to her cheeks, and she managed to grumble at Pinkie, “I didn’t snore.” But Pinkie just smiled knowingly. And Rainbow should have known what was about to come next.

“Really? It sure sounded like a snore to me. It was all like ‘GWA –’” And then Pinkie found a hoof in her mouth as Rainbow shoved it practically down her throat, glaring at her.

“Okay! Thanks, Pinkie. We really don’t need your commentary on the whole thing.”

Pinkie giggled. “Okie-dokie-lokie!” Rainbow sighed and turned back to her friends, who all seemed to be stifling laughter.

“What?” Rainbow growled. “Didn’t Twilight have some information on the dragon-napper to give us? Remember, Spike?”

“That’s right, y’all!” Applejack agreed. “Apparently another note came last night.”

“Oh, how awful!”

“Oh… but the awful dragon-napper got in unnoticed again…?”

“Yep!” Twilight said loudly, the grin widening on her face.

“Wow, Twilight. You sure are making a super happy-dappy face for some saddy-waddy news.”

“Well, this time we’re going to get Spike back for sure! The answer is all right here!” Twilight held the note up with her unicorn’s magic, her smile only widening.

“I love smiles as much as the next pony,” Pinkie said in a whisper to Rainbow Dash, “but that doesn’t look very happy.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Rainbow agreed. In any other situation, Rainbow might have found Pinkie’s comment funny, but here it was so true that it was actually sad. Twilight’s smile was one full of chaotic pain, not undisguised jubilee.

“Uh, well, dear,” Rarity began, struggling with retaining her decorum with Twilight so obviously cracking under the pressure, “what is it that the note says?”

“It’s the game!” Twilight said with another laugh. “The rules to the game! If we just follow the note perfectly and diligently, we’ll get Spike back and nopony will get hurt!”

“That’s… great…”

“What are the rules, then?” Twilight just glanced at Applejack, still holding her eerie smile.

“Maybe, uh, maybe I should read it?” Rarity asked, using her magic to float the note gently in front of her so that she could see the words glistening on the parchment. Twilight didn’t respond to this act, so Rarity cleared her throat and read:

“Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

Your hearts I shall borrow…

The games finally will begin

But who, pray tell, will win?

“Your dragon friend has not been harmed

Into a deep sleep he has been charmed.

The rules to this game you must heed

In order to get what it is that you will need.

“First, with your opposite shall you grow,

And learn something you need to know.

Then, your counterpart will appear

And with them something that you fear.

Finally, a decision each of you must make,

In order for the prize to be yours to take.

“Each of you must look deep within your past,

And, most important of all, remember my last.

For the conclusion,

Regards, Illusion.”

***

Illusion.

There had been a long discussion on just that one segment of the note. Did the note actually mean to regard illusion? Or perhaps illusions were all a part of the game. Smoke and mirrors… Was that all this was to the dragon-napper? In the end, they had settled on calling their mystery writer Illusion. It seemed to be the penname that they had given themself, anyway.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, pushing herself to her very limit as she climbed straight up, barreling through clouds at such high speeds, with the wind gushing through her, that she practically obliterated every cloud that attempted to float near her. It felt good, she thought, finally getting the freedom to fly again. Her routine had been broken by the sudden twist of events, all starting with her hospital visit, that she really hadn’t had much of a chance to just fly.

And after the day she had, she was taking the full opportunity to deal with her insomnia by flying and practicing new tricks and flips and just generally not thinking at all. Whatever she did, she wasn’t letting her mind stray from the flying routine at hand. Not even for a single second…

They all had their theories. Everypony had shouted a great deal, except Fluttershy who attempted to get a word in edgewise whenever she could. Rainbow Dash was still considering the possibility that Illusion was one of her friends, but the idea seemed so stupid to her now as she flew through the night sky, her head finally clear. She just couldn’t imagine which of them would want to dragon-nap Spike, and why this strange riddle-filled mission to get him back would be beneficial in anyway. In fact, she couldn’t understand why this would be beneficial to anypony, not just her friends. Everything was just so weird, so strange and out of place, and it was bringing out the worst in everyone.

Twilight was the worst. She was beyond her crazy self when she was almost tardy with a letter to the Princess that one time. Her firm belief was that if they just followed Illusion’s rules and listened to every note she gave them, somehow Spike would come back to them. She was delving so deep into her studies and into reading and interpreting every line of every note that it was unbearable. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, wasn’t going to trust what Illusion was saying so easily. It didn’t make sense, anyway. Why dragon-nap Spike and then give them clear instructions on how to get him back? This mystery pony didn’t seem to want anything in return. These weren’t ransom letters they were getting, they were directions. Rainbow Dash couldn’t understand it, and thinking about it only frustrated her further.

Flying upside down was always the hardest. She had trouble with flight control and often turned the opposite way that she wanted. But loop-de-loops were a favorite of hers. She loved to incorporate spinning and sharp turns in her routines. And although she knew she had the speed, the Wonderbolts were looking for aerobatic tricks that could be performed in groups. That, Rainbow realized with a sigh, was one of her weak points. Alone, she was a showstopper. She knew that, it wasn’t bragging or anything, it was just a fact. But in a group? She often relied on her instincts to perform crowd-dazzling stunts and daring acts that were not only hard to repeat, but would impede on her team if she attempted them on a Wonderbolts stage.

‘It’s so much easier being alone,’ she thought to herself. ‘I do everything so much better on my own.’ But that wasn’t what she wanted, she knew that. She wanted to be a Wonderbolt, after all. The thought would sneak in every once in a while despite herself, and it would make her throat dry and her heart sink. ‘You’re better off alone. Stop dreaming, kid. You aren’t that kind of pony.’

She was Rainbow Dash. A speedster, a trickster, a daredevil, and a solo act. She didn’t want to be anything different than what she was. And now here she was, flipping in mid-turns and spinning around clouds, and she was trying hard to not think because for some reason whenever she let herself think when she was alone it always gave her that needling feeling in her stomach. And it was awfully hard to practice her moves when her stomach felt like it was being stabbed from the inside out.

But it was so frustrating. Because she could feel it, somewhere inside her she could feel it. There was something trying to get out and she just didn’t know what it was. ‘I’m happy,’ she’d assert. ‘I’m me! What more do I want from myself?’ Even now, she had no idea. But there was a spark, in the back of her mind. And then a distant memory…

For Rainbow Dash, who is concussed,

Does she even know what she deeply lusts?

‘No…’ Rainbow Dash admitted to herself. ‘Isn’t that why I come out here every night? Isn’t that why I wake up from some nightmare that I can never remember and keep getting haunted by thoughts I know I’m having but I just can’t…’

It wasn’t something she could articulate. It was a feeling. More than words, it was the way she felt. And that’s how she knew. She didn’t come out here every night to be herself. Or maybe she did, in a way. What was she doing, out amongst the clouds as she ran from her secret desires and kept busy with her less confusing tricks and stunts?

‘And now I’m thinking too much,’ she thought angrily, feeling not only her stomach turn, but her head reel as well. Instead of lingering on half-thought truths that only confused her, Rainbow dashed away.

Twisting and turning, she practiced her newest stunt. She grinned eagerly, back to imagining the look on the Wonderbolts’ faces when she showed them this move. Spinning, she cut neat holes through the clouds, finally reaching a height that turned the entirety of Ponyville into one tiny dot. Laughing, she nosedived, tears immediately streaming out of her eyes as she gained speed and the wind cut her skin like a knife. She could tell that she’d be able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom without any trouble if she pushed herself, but she didn’t want to cause a panic amongst the town. So she went just slow enough, but still maintaining a speed faster than most pegasus could ever even dream of flying.

Twilight’s had not gone well at all. While it was easy to blame Twilight for the rift and tension, if Rainbow Dash was honest with herself the real culprit was probably the rest of them. That was the way Twilight handled her pain, and the rest of them couldn’t deal with it. Going over every sentence, word by word, of every single note… And there was always a pony that disagreed with the consensus about what something meant. It wasn’t Twilight that was slowly driving them all to madness, it was each other.

Rainbow Dash hadn’t stuck around for the whole thing. At one point, she bolted. She couldn’t remember exactly what she said as she left, or if anyone really noticed or said anything to make her come back. At that point, it hadn’t really mattered. They most progress they had made was decided on calling the evil mastermind behind all the riddles Illusion. And even that was met with some hostility. Specifically from Rainbow, who didn’t want to give in to giving the bad guy the name they had chosen for themself.

In the end, it didn’t really matter. And Dash had left. And she had done some of her trivial weather duties that she had been neglecting. It didn’t take more than ten seconds. Then she had found a soft cloud and napped. At one point, she remembered a voice calling out to her and she opened an eye, half-awake from her rest. Then she realized it was Pinkie, just below her, and with a decisive groan she rolled over onto her stomach and pretended to be sleeping. Eventually, she heard the pink earth pony leave.

But tomorrow the games would begin. Or technically, they would start today. Rainbow Dash wondered for a moment exactly what was supposed to happen. Twilight was so sure they just needed to follow the rules, but Illusion hadn’t been that clear on the rules. Sure, there was some riddle about growing with an opposite and learning something, and then something about fear, and then a decision… But it still wasn’t clear. What were the rules? How was any of this supposed to happen? And how would Rainbow Dash even know if she was learning what she was supposed to learn? In fact, Rainbow Dash decided to completely shrug off the entire thing. It just brought them in circles and she didn’t feel any closer to finding Spike than they were during the first note. The one clue that Rainbow Dash had felt any security in had been eaten by a pack of rabid animals.

She was nearing the ground now. This was precision at its strongest. At exactly the right moment, she had to pull up. And then she would be soaring only an inch from the ground, the hair on her stomach tickling the grass. It was a trick that took concentration and courage. And she’d never actually tried it before, but she was confident in her ability to make it happen.

Almost there…

She could count each individual strands of grass.

Almost there…

She could see the tiny bits of dirt and rocks that the grass sprouted out of.

Almost there…

She could smell the grass as it was inches from tickling her nose.

NOW!

But instead of pulling up like she was supposed to, her wings locked into place. There was a moment of panic where her brain registered exactly what was going to happen before her hooves had any time to react. And then, as if in slow motion, she watched in frozen horror as her face made contact with the ground.

And with a sickening crunch, everything went black.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five – As the Dust Settles

There was nothing but the sound of silence.

That wasn’t a bad thing. It was peaceful. Absolute nothingness… No confusion, no pain, no crazy stunts devised just to hide from the truth… Rainbow Dash could live with this. The silence didn’t scare her, nothing scared her. It was just like sleeping. In fact, it was probably the best sleep she’d ever gotten. Sans, perhaps, that night curled up in Twilight’s library with Pinkie Pie for warmth.

And then the thoughts came.

‘Where am I? What’s going on? Who turned out the lights? What’s that… tingling feeling? Ah! I, I can’t move! I can’t see! Horse apples, what the hay is going on here?!’ And then, the question that sliced through every other thought she was feeling, ‘What is that humming noise?'

It sounded like somepony’s voice. They were letting out light, beautiful notes, moving up and down the musical scale, showing off their great range. “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!” And then, as if answering the call, a bird chortled back.

Rainbow opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the glaring sun and she shut her eyes again, which were now searing in pain. Carefully, she blinked. Then her eyes slowly fluttered open. Everything was bright and blurry and colorful. And then everything came into focus and Rainbow Dash could see exactly where she was.

It was a meadow. With grass that was a rich, deep green and a clear, blue sky. The sun shone prominently and Rainbow Dash glanced at it bitterly. ‘Needs more clouds,’ she thought to herself, refusing to enjoy the idyllic location she had somehow managed to find herself in. And how she got here, she had no clue. Her mind was all jumbled, and conjuring up memories of what she did leading up to waking up in the meadow seemed to come out as a half-dreamt, long ago fantasy.

Rainbow Dash’s fur bristled. Whatever happened, it wasn’t right. That much she knew. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She didn’t even know where here was, not really. Whatever she had been doing before, it couldn’t have landed her in this strange location. It may have been beautiful and bright, but that didn’t make it any less suspicious. ‘Illusion,’ Rainbow thought, snorting impatiently. She didn’t know what evil plan this was supposed to be a part of, but she was sure that it all connected to those notes somehow.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!” A bird whizzed past Rainbow Dash’s head. Her ear twitched as it returned the melody back at whoever was singing. Rainbow glanced in the direction of the voice. It was coming a little ways away, past the clearing that Rainbow found herself in and into the vibrant forest. She watched as a couple more birds flew out of their nests and past Rainbow Dash without a second thought. They tweeted the same tune as they went.

Rainbow edged closer to the forest, curious now. She could see the outline of somepony as they sang the song of the birds. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash had an idea. She was sure Illusion was manipulating her and her friends somehow. Either with hollow riddles or plucking her from her Ponyville home and plopping her down in some meadow, she wasn’t completely sure. But there was some sort of evil plot going on, and the singing pony that was inching towards her had to have something to do with it, she realized as her concussed head throbbed.

Silently, with years of practice, Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky and darted towards a nearby tree. Without shaking a single branch, she nestled into her temporary home, slinking back into the shadows. Between a break in the leaves, she could peer out and just barely see the outline to the forest.

“Heh, gotcha now,” she whispered, grinning mischievously. As soon as she could see the tip of the nose of whoever was walking through the forest, Rainbow Dash would jump them and pin them down. She was sure that’d she’d finally get a good look at Spike’s captor, Illusion. And not only that, but she’d have the upperhoof. Wasn’t this exactly the type of thing Illusion would do, anyway? Ponynap her, then show their face and give some sardonic laugh, along with a rhyming speech about misinterpreting lines and… paying fines… Whatever! Rainbow Dash wasn’t big on the whole rhyming thing, but she was piecing this puzzle together.

Just listening to Illusion’s whistling made Rainbow Dash sick. Or maybe that was from the overbearing pain that was now in her head. No, it was definitely Illusion… ‘Being all cocky… Dangling me in the open meadows like some sort of bait… Capturing me and bringing me here! Messing with our minds… Messing with Twilight’s mind! As soon as I get my hoof on a single strand of that grimy hide, I swear…’

A nose, light and cream-colored, poked out of the forest. Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate. As soon as she saw the snout her mind cleared and her hind legs took over as she pushed off against the branch and hurdled towards her foe.

“Argh!” she screamed as she went, hoping she sounded and looked terrifying. There was a quiet, but terrified scream in return that told Rainbow Dash she had made her point.

A flash of a hoof. A flurry of dust and grass. The two ponies rolled, interlocked, both struggling to maintain some sort of control in the situation. But it didn’t take long for Rainbow Dash to overpower the other pony. She dug a hoof deep into her opponent’s side and they hit the ground, hard. She was almost disappointed by the easiness of her win, but exhilaration at finally catching Illusion quickly pushed that other emotion aside. Breathing a little heavier, Rainbow waited for the dust of their battle to settle so that she could finally see Illusion’s face. There was a light cough from the pony underneath her, and when she finally managed to look into her face, what she saw made her gasp and jump back.

“Fluttershy?!”

***

Pinkie Pie knew that Rainbow Dash hadn’t been herself lately. It started before crashing into that bell and landing herself in the hospital. For, like, the bajillionth time. Obviously her friend was plagued with no-sleep-itus. She was doing crazy, bell dinging stunts at night and clearing clouds all morning and sleeping whenever she had free time. Or maybe Rainbow Dash had always been like that. Pinkie had to think about it for a second, but then she shook her head resolutely. No, it was different this time. Rainbow Dash wasn’t a lazy pony, she was just an athletic pony. And since she was always on the move, the only chance she had to slow down was when she napped.

But things were different now, and Pinkie Pie could see it as clear as day. It hadn’t started all at once. But slowly Rainbow Dash began napping more and she’d always get all antsy-pantsy when it started getting dark. If Pinkie Pie hadn’t known that Rainbow Dash was the bravest pony around, she might have thought her pegasus friend was afraid of the dark. But the bell incident was ringing proof, in Pinkie’s mind, that not only was Rainbow Dash not sleeping, but she was hurting. And who better to save her from her funk than her Auntie Pinkie Pie?

And she had tried. Maybe she would have succeeded if stupid Illusion hadn’t gotten in the way. Pinkie Pie had decided that if her friend wasn’t going to sleep, she was at least going to stay up doing fun stuff with her bestest friend instead of mushing her face against brass! No, if she was going to mush faces with anything, it was going to be with Pinkie!

That came out wrong. Pinkie let a nervous giggle escape her lips and blushed, even though nopony was around to see her and, as far as she knew, there was yet to be a mind reader to live in Ponyville. And Pinkie Pie knew everyone, so she was sure of that fact.

Skipping over mushy face stuff… Her plan had worked so super-duperly at first. Dashie had chosen to hang out with her over the nighttime sky and her favorite book series. She had even obliged in every critical step of Pinkie’s cake-tastic Candy Land cookery. Pinkie’s eyes sparkled at the memory, where there was nothing but laughter and Rainbow Dash had a silly grin on her face the whole time. Much better than flying into bells. Much, much better.

Her thoughts lingered on Dashie’s smile, but only for a moment before another thought crept into her mind that made her giggle. It was Rainbow Dash’s face again, but this time she wore a scowl. A guilty pleasure of Pinkie’s was turning her best friend’s face into a frown. She knew all she ever wanted was to make her friends smile, but there was something about the scrunched up, annoyed look that Dashie sported every time Pinkie managed to push the right buttons… And Pinkie was an artist at buttons. She loved buttons. Especially Rainbow Dash’s buttons, because they were so fun to press!

Besides, they always ended up laughing in the end. And if Dashie kept coming back, she must have liked it, too, right? But her rainbow-maned friend didn’t always come back, did she?

Illusion had ruined Pinkie’s grand scheme. She had a whole day set up for the two of them, where they would laugh and talk and do all the things best friends do and maybe more. Pinkie wasn’t exactly sure what more entailed, but she liked the words “more” and “Dashie” in the same sentence. Probably because Pinkie always liked to see more of her. And her plan would end with Rainbow Dash being all tuckered out from doing tucker-y out stuff with Pinkie and they’d have another sleepover. And, Pinkie had decided, if she continued with similar plans ending with sleepovers then maybe Rainbow Dash would be cured of her no-sleep-itus and she wouldn’t have to worry about another visit to the hospital and the constant worry that her friend’s face would stay like that.

No offense to ponies with weird faces, her mind flashed to a certain mail pony, but she really liked Dashie’s face and she never wanted it to change. It was so striking, with those eyes like peppermint candy swirls that could look into the face of anything without fear and a smile that was so confident and warm and inviting and sometimes Pinkie wished they would invite her in…

Pinkie felt her heart a-thump and she bit her lip. Sometimes she did have really nice thoughts about Rainbow Dash that always felt so good, but afterwards she felt so empty. They were just thoughts, after all. They could only last so long before the magic disappeared and the veil was lifted. And after the happiness, there was the fear. Rejection, change, hate, hurt, pain, loss… Pick one. There were so many bad things that came out of how she sometimes felt, much more bad than good. So while sometimes Pinkie would have thoughts, she’d often push them so far back she assumed they went through her stomach and out the other end. And then she’d forget about them, or pretend they never existed. Whenever she spent time with her best friend, she could feel the lingering memories of those thoughts in every smile, every glance, and every touch, but she’d just smile and enjoy the moment, pleading ignorance to wanting anything more.

‘More? Sure I want more!’ she’d think, happily. ‘I want to see my best friend more, because we have so much fun and we’re best friends, silly Pinkie! What more is there in more than that?’ And with a smile, she’d hop after her best friend, sure of this fact.

But after Illusion showed up, everypony was getting grumpy. Twilight took things especially hard, but Pinkie could see the strain Rainbow Dash was under. She had kept giving her strange looks during that first meeting that Pinkie chopped up to stress. And for a moment, Pinkie was sure Rainbow Dash had seen Pinkie’s true thoughts, what really made her undone, and she had to turn away so Rainbow Dash wouldn’t notice her blush. The note made sense to her, after all. It was like a magic trick with those joined rings. There’s that click for a moment when the two rings connect, but then it’s broken as the illusion pulls the rings apart. Deep down, Pinkie understood that note perfectly, but the charade had to continue, and with it came the illusion that nothing made her undone. It certainly wasn’t Dashie. Or her smile, or her eyes, or her coat as blue as the morning sky…

‘More than friends? That’s silly. What’s more than friends? Best friends! And we are best friends. What could be more than that?’ Besides, she had even asked that day if there was anypony that Dashie liked, seeing as her part in the note was all about lust. And Rainbow Dash didn’t like anypony, not like that. Her heart was already taken by the Wonderbolts, consumed by the desire for speed and recognition for her amazing talents. ‘More? I want more for Dashie, of course! I want her to have everything she dreams, cause that’s what best friends wish for, for their best friends. What more could there be that’s more than a friendly wish for more of a future?’

Then, when Rainbow Dash had left Twilight’s looking so broken… Immediately, her heart and thoughts went out to Dashie, and she attempted to redouble her efforts to fix any problems she may have. And when Rainbow Dash had put Twilight’s own problems above her own, Pinkie had frozen, overcome with a sudden wave of an emotion that left her utterly speechless and in Rainbow Dash’s own dust. She had barely managed to come up with words, a first for her, when Dashie had asked her what was wrong. But she managed to come back twice as hard when she regained control of herself again.

‘More…? Like, more, more? But more, more is so much more than what I have and if there’s any more I want it’s the satisfaction of seeing my best friend take more care of herself. And if she won’t do it herself it’s up to me to make sure that more happens! And there’s nothing more to it!’ And so she made sure Dashie slept, even if that meant less sleep for her. Of course, she couldn’t resist the warm flank of her friend’s to curl up next to, and she found herself falling asleep despite her resound plan to not do that. And Illusion had sneaked in after she gave in and left another note… And that just upset Dashie even more…

Dash had run off and Pinkie knew it fell on her to find her best friend and fix things. But when she had finally tracked her down, she was napping on a cloud. Pinkie attempted to get Dashie’s attention, but either she didn’t want it or she really needed the rest. Pinkie slinked away, ears drooped and tail dragging on the ground.

‘More… Like when you’re wanted no more. All I want is to have more than nothing. Even if it’s just that little more, that little more that makes it more than nothing. Best friends is more than enough. That’s more, that’s plenty more. But after Illusion, will I even have that much anymore?’

Pinkie had fallen asleep that night after a long, tiring battle with her sheets. Twisting and turning, she remembered hitting the pillow a few times and maybe harder than she would have normally. But finally, she drifted off to sleep…

And when she woke up, she was no longer in her bed. In fact, she was laying on a rather hard, cool surface. Pinkie had no idea how she had gotten there or where she was, but she had a fleeting suspicion this was a part of Illusion’s game. She scanned her surroundings, but wherever she was, it was covered in a thick fog. And in the fog, nothingness…

Wait, not nothingness. In the distance stood a black silhouette, with powerful wings and a messy mane, and a broad grin a lot like…

“Dashie!” Pinkie cried out, happier than ever to see a familiar face. She zoomed forward, too fast to be physically possible, and launched herself at Dashie’s shadow. She rammed into somepony solid and immediately snuggled in for the usual, warm hug that always made her heart flutter as she delivered it. But something was different this time and Pinkie’s smile faltered. This flank didn’t feel the same… It was misshapen and was missing the feathery wings that Pinkie always laughed at the tickling touch of.

“Pinkie! What are you doing?!” came the indignant reply of the stranger Pinkie was currently cuddling. Pinkie hastily relinquished her grasp, confusion spreading across her face, and took a couple of steps back. As the fog cleared slightly and Pinkie got a clear look at the purple unicorn in front of her, she gasped.

“Twilight?!”

***

Oh no, oh no, no, no, this was simply not good. Mud! There was mud everywhere. Rarity picked her hooves up, one by one, her teeth gnashing against each other in anxiousness. If she didn’t look so utterly nonplussed, one might assume she had been dancing.

“Where am I?” she wondered aloud. “Why is it so dirty? Why am I not at home in my warm and cozy bed…” She glanced around, biting her lip, sapphire eyes shining like diamonds as tears made their way to the surface.

It was some sort of swamp. Low hanging trees appeared now and again, with mud covering the expanse of land like a vast, old, raggedy, disgusting, smelly, completely perturbing pile of yuck that made Rarity moan in undisguised horror. A couple of brown bubbles drifted up from the muddy surface and Rarity screamed, backing up to avoid being grazed by the slime.

This was not her idea of a good time. And there was no possible way that this swamp could be mistaken for a spa, for the reeking stench alone. Not to mention it was the complete wrong type of mud, the sun was beating down with humidity rather than steamy sauna weather, which was beginning to make her perfect mane all frizzy, and the dirty ground was beginning to seep into her hooves! To top it all off, she had not only never been to this place in her life (it was much, much worse than Foggybottom Pond in her opinion, and she rarely ever ventured in that direction unless forced), but she definitely did not come here of her own accord. The last thing she remembered was falling into a sleep, dreams of her much-loved Spikey-wikey being returned to them all unharmed.

“Of all the worst things to happen,” she began, cowering in a small patch of grassy land that was untouched by the mud, “this is the. Worst. Possible. Thing!” Then she wailed loudly and fell back onto the grass, managing to conjure a pillow to catch her head before it hit the dirty ground.

As she wallowed, Rarity’s mind went back to all the other worst possible things that had happened recently in her life. She grimaced as she realized there were a lot of them. ‘Certainly not good for wrinkles,’ she thought as she frowned. ‘I can’t live in this stress-filled environment! I can’t work like this!’

First, Spike had been dragon-napped. That was horrible in itself, but she reassured herself with the fact that Illusion, or whoever was pulling the strings of this horrid operation, had promised Spike was in a deep sleep, completely unharmed with no worries plaguing his soft little mind. Unfortunately, that didn’t mean the rest of them weren’t slowly breaking down with the pressure of saving their dear little Spikey-wikey.

They all had been fighting more recently. Applejack and her were constantly having spats that left Rarity with her hair all tangled in knots of confused irritation. Certainly she was no monster. And it was enough of a reason to ruin Illusion that the mystery writer would dare even use her Element of Harmony in a rhyme with something so grotesque. Although, how to go about and exactly do that was very difficult to say.

Twilight was a firm believer in following the rules, but she was also a little… not quite herself lately. Still, she was positive that if they followed the notes and did exactly what they were saying, they’d have Spike back in no time at all! The problem with that plan was, well, none of them could quite agree on exactly what Illusion wanted. The notes were vague at best with no clear guide on how to go about following the rules laid out for them.

Rarity sighed. Thinking about it was almost as difficult and confusing as living it. Rainbow Dash had been the first of them to actually leave in the middle of a discussion. But soon after Rainbow’s abrupt departure, the rest of them had eventually followed suit. Pinkie Pie first, then Applejack, until Rarity had apologized profusely to Twilight before exiting as well. There was really no point in sticking around while Twilight worked. She had tuned out of most of their conversations, choosing to just reread the notes over and over, because she was so sure the answer was written somewhere between the lines.

While Rarity knew Twilight meant well, she wasn’t completely sure her friend was going about things the right way. But no matter how many of them tried to convince Twilight to go outside and try a different approach, nothing worked. The whole Spike ordeal was hard enough, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the friends to take care of Twilight, who was slowly breaking, as well.

‘Spike-wikey better appreciate the pain and turmoil he is causing us!’ Rarity though with a pointed sniff. And then the fumes of the swamp entered her nostrils and she coughed loudly.

She glanced around, pouting. How had she ended up here? Illusion… Is that what this was, an illusion? Perhaps she was dreaming. Although, and she winced as a mud bubble popped near her face, this swamp seemed uncharacteristically realistic and grosser than any other dream she had ever experienced. But if it was real, then that reflection came with so many more questions, each with less plausible answers than the last. The most likely of which was that Illusion was a very powerful unicorn capable of placing ponies in situations like this without their knowing. But that would make Illusion even more magically inclined than Twilight even, and that was unlikely in itself. The only other threat that was capable of pulling off this type of grand scale scheme was Discord, and he had been one to enjoy riddles and chaos… But Rarity didn’t think that Discord would come back so quickly, and this time under the penname of Illusion…

She looked longingly past the swamp, hoping her eyes would catch sight of something beautiful in the distance. Something, anything, to prove to her she wasn’t stranded in a land of ugliness. But there was nothing besides mud, slime bubbles, and jagged trees that would never be able to bear any fruit. And that annoying shape that was trekking clumsily through the mud.

Wait… what? There was somepony there, in the distance! Rarity jumped up in shock, and then her face broke into a relieved smile. ‘Somepony is here to rescue me! Oh, my colt in shining pelt! I’m so happy I could kiss them on the –’ Her face faltered as the shape came closer. It had a familiar look to it… A cowboy hat, strong back legs, hair in a lazy ponytail… And then they came into full view. The pony was covered in mud, but they smiled as they spotted Rarity standing defensively on her little patch of clean soil.

“Ah thought Ah heard your wailing!” the orange pony said with a chuckle. “And look at ‘chu, findin’ the one spot in this entire place that isn’t all covered in mud!” Rarity gaped at her in shock. But, this wasn’t her usual savior in her dreams… Did that mean…? …What did that mean?

“Applejack?!”

Chapter Six

Chapter Six – Hidden Depths

Rainbow stood on top of Fluttershy, a mix of shock and horror clouding her face. Fluttershy blinked, recovering from the surprise attack she just suffered.

“R-Rainbow Dash? What are you doing…?”

Rainbow’s mind was racing. It was Fluttershy. It was her all along. Suddenly, everything made sense. ‘Horse apples!’ Rainbow cursed herself, drilling her hoof into her temple angrily, the pain in her head threatening to bubble over. ‘Why didn’t I see it before?!’

When Rainbow Dash had found that clue in the candy, who was it that conveniently released their animals upon Ponyville and allowed every last scrap of potential clues to be swallowed up? And who could have easily sneaked in and out without being heard? The quietest pony in all of Ponyville… Who feared dragons so much that… that maybe they would even dragon-nap a baby one to prevent it from growing up and starting another rampage? And who was the last pony to arrive when they had all planned to meet at Twilight’s that morning? The pony who, under the pretense of caring for her sick animals, must have needed extra time to get ready because she had a dragon hidden away in her home!

“You,” Rainbow whispered, her voice not betraying the tornado of feelings that were ensnaring Rainbow’s stomach and throat and constricting her heart.

“Yes, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, a nervous smile on her face. “It’s me…” And there it was. Fluttershy sat there smiling, openly admitting to being Illusion. Rainbow couldn’t hold on any longer, she thought she was going to vomit. Fluttershy. Of all of the ponies… it was Fluttershy!

“You… Why?” Rainbow asked, her voice shaking. “How could you?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped. She blinked a couple of times. “Oh… um… Sorry, why what?”

“Why’d you dragon-nap Spike!” Rainbow roared, suddenly tightening her hold on Fluttershy. “How could you do something like that, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “M-Me? Dragon-nap Spike? N-No, I didn’t… I couldn’t…”

“You’re Illusion!” Rainbow Dash yelled, her cerise eyes glowering in the sun, the gleam making them appear a bloodshot red.

“I’m not!” Fluttershy replied, suddenly close to tears. “No! I’m not, Rainbow Dash… Please let me go… Y-You’re not thinking straight… The stress is getting to all of us…”

“You knew I was concussed!” Rainbow Dash snarled, suddenly angry that she had to explain to Fluttershy why she was Illusion. She had just admitted it! Her head seared with the pain of the memory. “It was in the note, too. That was your first mistake! You tried to destroy all the evidence with your animal friends… And you hate dragons!” Rainbow was suddenly laughing, harsh and hollow. “Oh boy, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before! I looked at all of you, wondering who it could be… And you kept giving me reasons, didn’t you? But I never thought… I couldn’t think… that Illusion was… you…”

Rainbow stopped, her voice too shaky to continue. She didn’t trust herself not to cry. And suddenly everything was quiet, dead silent. The birds had stopped chirping, the wind was no longer whispering, and the trees had frozen in place. Silence. Rainbow Dash liked the sound. It was calming, refreshing, peaceful. It was all she could hear when she pushed herself far enough that she was flying faster than sound itself.

Defeated, Rainbow Dash rolled off of Fluttershy. She backed away, every part of her drooped in loss. Part of her felt like with this weight of betrayal, she’d never be able to fly again. She looked back at Fluttershy, saw how Fluttershy was looking back at Rainbow Dash with wide, caring eyes, not moving from her place on the ground. And Rainbow had a sudden desire to go and give her friend a hug despite herself. But she didn’t. She was rooted in place ten feet away. Instead she just sighed.

“I guess this means you win.”

***

“What are you doing here, Pinkie? And did you call me Dashie?”

Pinkie giggled. As much as she would have liked nothing more than to be stuck in some sort of fog-room with none other than her best friend, Rainbow Dash, she was still happy to see Twilight. It was better than being all alone.

“Silly me, I thought you were Dashie for a sec!” Pinkie replied, all smiles.

“How did you make that comparison?” Twilight found herself asking, before quickly adding, “Never mind, that isn’t important. We should probably find the others.”

“Ooh, you think they’re having fun in Fog Bog, too?”

“Where are we?”

“I dunno!”

“Didn’t you just call this place something?”

“Oh, that’s the nickname I gave it, silly filly! Fog Bog. Cause it’s foggy and cause bog rhymes with fog! I can’t really tell where we are, though, can you? It’s all unclear-y and unseeable in all the thick fickle fog!”

Twilight let out an exasperated groan. “No,” she agreed, “I don’t know where we are. But I know who’s behind all this.”

“Ooh, who?”

Twilight gave her a look, as if the answer was obvious. “Illusion. This is all part of the master plan. I just wish I had my notes with me, then maybe I could study them…”

“Can you read in this? I think it’d be pretty hard! Look! I can barely see my face in front of my hoof!” Pinkie giggled absentmindedly to herself as she put her hoof at various lengths away from her eyes and watched as it slowly disappeared from view. She’d gasp and laugh every single time, the marvel never getting old.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Can you ever be serious?” she asked. “We could die out here with no food or water around and no exit in sight!”

“Well nothing is in sight out here!” Pinkie reminded her. But she took Twilight’s hint and attempted to put on a serious face. “Okie-dokie-lokie!” She saluted at Twilight and frowned. But it wasn’t long before she was on the floor, laughing again.

“Seriously, Pinkie! Not everything can be fun and games for you. What was the rhyme… What makes you so undone? What if the rest of us, who are actually taking this seriously, figure out our parts and you never do because you won’t stop giggling about nothing and it’s all your fault we never get Spike back!”

That shut Pinkie up. She hopped off the ground and regarded Twilight with an interesting expression. Was she being… serious?

“What about you?” Pinkie finally asked, regaining her smile.

“What about me?” Twilight asked, regarding Pinkie wearily.

“You’re being all rigid again!” Pinkie accused, throwing her hooves up into the air, purposely acting over the top.

“What are you talking about? I’m the only one who has even been listening to the notes and decoding them!”

“Exactly!”

“Exactly, what?”

“You’re playing into your role. You’re doing the exact opposite thing the note wants you to do. It’s all about being what you aren’t, it’s all about what you lack. You don’t lack seriousness and studiousness, Twilight! That’s all you, to a… to a… to a purple unicorn who always aces her tests!”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but then she closed it again. Was Pinkie… Was Pinkie making sense? In the Pinkiest way she could, Pinkie was actually explaining her interpretation of the notes, and it was making sense.

When it was obvious Twilight wasn’t going to interrupt, Pinkie continued, “By going all loco in the coco trying to understand the notes, you were already failing the entire test! You were so afraid of failing and losing Spike that you did fail! And look what happened! Nothing. The game is still going on. Illusion moved onto the next step. Because it’s okay to be wrong once in a while, Twilight. You have your friends to pick up the slack and help you in the stuff that you lack!” Then Pinkie giggled. “And I made a rhyme-y sentence like Illusion! I think we’ve all been studying those notes too much.”

Twilight gaped at Pinkie. “I… failed?”

“What’ll make you less affixed?” Pinkie asked. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? For you to be less like the way you’re being now. Relax and have some fun!”

“I… Well… I didn’t…” Twilight blinked, thinking back. With each passing hour, she seemed to lose more of a grip on reality and spend more time with her nose in the parchment. Whenever her friends had attempted to help her, she had growled at opinions that didn’t conform with her own ideas. Eventually, she had snapped enough times that they had each walked away… Maybe Pinkie was right. Twilight was only falling further into Illusion’s trap by shutting herself in and staring at the notes all day and night. And now, somehow, Illusion had plucked her out of her tree house and placed her in this “fog bog”. Using powerful, dark magic most likely. Even though she had come no closer to the answer, done nothing more to deserve continuing on to the next step… It was like Pinkie said, the game went on. Twilight wasn’t the only piece in this puzzle.

“Pinkie… I’m sorry,” Twilight sputtered, finishing lamely. “I have been acting pretty crazy lately, haven’t I? I’ve been driving all my friends away… It’s just that, the last time I saw Spike I hadn’t really paid much attention to him and just ordered him to clean up the mess he made… And then he was gone! And I felt so guilty! If only I hadn’t overworked him or, or, or something! And now if we don’t find him something might… he could… I can’t take that chance! I just thought if we followed Illusion’s demands, we could get Spike back and everything could just… go back to normal.” Twilight felt the tears start to stream down her face and she threw herself at Pinkie, wrapping her hooves around Pinkie’s neck and crying into her shoulder.

Pinkie returned the hug in kind, wearing a concerned expression on her usual smiling face. “It’s okay, Twilight. I know we’ll get Spike back.”

“How?” Twilight blubbered, choking slightly and sniffing, her face a mix of mucus and tears which slowly dribbled onto Pinkie. All her craziness had merely been a cork for the true turmoil deep within her, and now she let all of it come out as she clung to her friend.

“I mean, you were kinda right. We just gotta follow the rules. Only, for you, the rules are to not follow the rules. Or at least don’t go all crazy-pants on us and get all sidetracked with sadness and forget you have friends here who will get you through. Even if they go about it a different way than you do.”

“I… don’t know how to do that. Not follow the rules.”

“I know, and that’s okay. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“This is the first test. We’re with our opposites, aren’t we? We’re supposed to learn something from each other. And I’m teaching you all about what I know. Having fun!” She leaned back and poked her friend in the nose, giggling as she did.

“‘The six of you have certain traits, that will seal each other’s fates’…” Twilight paused for a moment. She didn’t need the notes, she had read them so many times that she could recite any line by memory. Her eyes were still puffy and red, but sudden inspiration had halted the crying. Twilight stumbled back, thinking.

“Ooh, ooh, Twilight! You look like you could use one of these!” Pinkie Pie produced a light bulb from somewhere behind her back and stuck it over Twilight’s head. It lit up, striking through the fog and allowing the pair of ponies to see what had once been obscured.

“Pinkie! You had a light this entire time?” This realization pushed the sudden thought she had to the back of her mind.

“Oh, whoops! I guess I did!”

“Why didn’t you use it earlier?!”

“Well, silly, you didn’t ask for one!”

“I… Oh, never mind.” Twilight sighed and glanced around. They were in some sort of old, dead forest. The trees were all broken and naked, the ground was covered in crack, dried up dirt and in front of them appeared to be a giant, hedged labyrinth. The only part of their entire surroundings that seemed to have any sort of life.

“Ooh, shiny,” Pinkie said, mouth dropping. Twilight gave her friend a look, but when she turned back to the maze, her mouth dropped as well. The maze was shiny. There was a glistening light that sparkled and shimmered, giving the labyrinth a magical, pulsating property that seemingly made it a being of its own accord. It was like the maze had drained the land of all its nutrients and taken on a life of its own. If they listened closely, they could almost hear it’s beating heart…

***

Rarity refused to share her island of grass with the already completely covered-in-mud Applejack. With an impatient snort, Applejack flopped onto the muddy ground, sending sprays of the brown gunk at Rarity’s precious white flank.

“Applejack!” Rarity squealed, attempting to duck for cover. She glanced herself over and gave a whimper as she saw streaks of brown on her coat. “You got me all covered! Look!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “You always gotta be so perfect all the time, Rarity. It ain’t so bad gettin’ dirty.”

“I know,” Rarity said, sniffing. “I’ve been covered in mud before, you know.”

“Mud that wasn’t imported?”

“You remember the sisterhooves social!” Rarity exclaimed. “I was completely covered that time! There’s just no good reason for me to have to bother myself with dirt this time around. I mean, really, Applejack. If I stand here long enough, I’m sure I’ll wake up from this dream and everything will be normal again. Maybe it’ll turn out Spike wasn’t dragon-napped! Maybe he’s okay, and this is all some terrible dream.”

“Ah’m sure he’s fine,” Applejack replied, automatically.

“But how do you know?” Rarity asked, eyes wide.

“Ah jus’ do, alright? He’s fine.”

“Hmph. Fine. You don’t have to be so short with me. If anypony should be upset, it should be mwah! I had to deal with all this mud today and it is not making me happy.”

“Is this what you’re like in yer dreams?” Applejack asked, annoyed. “It’s just a bit of mud. And sitting around here ain’t gonna get us home!”

“Don’t pick on me, I told you, I haven’t had a very good day,” Rarity replied, sniffling. “And that’s exactly why this must be a dream. How else would I have gotten here?”

“Illusion,” Applejack said, swiftly glancing around.

“Illusion, dream, whatever! I just want to go home.”

“That’s what Ah’m saying! Ah’ve been trekkin’ through this here mud and it seems ta go on for acres and acres. Lucky Ah found you when Ah did, too. Almost went the other way, but Ah heard you screamin’ bout something and thought it sounded familiar. Sure enough, here ya were. Now, come on, Ah thought Ah saw a plant on my way over here that looked like one of them fancy flowers that needs a lot of water ta grow.”

“What, are you saying you found the way to solid ground?”

“Maybe,” Applejack replied. “We should at least go check it out. No point in sittin’ here for eternity.”

Rarity thought about it for a moment. Her lip quivered. Applejack stared at her, an eyebrow raised, a stony expression on her face. Rarity sighed. “Oh, alright! Stop giving me that look. I’ll… I’ll come.” Making gasps and whimpers the entire time, Rarity slowly lowered herself into the pit of mud with Applejack. She bit her lip and tried to pass off her squealing as coughs every time Applejack gave her a look, but she followed diligently as the earth pony led the way towards what she thought was solid ground.

They waded through the mud for a few moments in silence. Finally, Rarity broke it with another thought. “So, you really think Spike will be okay?”

“Ah try not ter think about it,” Applejack grunted, slipping down a particularly deep hole. “Now, watch out here, it gets deep. You can go around it, Ah think it ends there…”

Rarity followed her instructions, but her thoughts went back to Illusion. “And you think Illusion put us here?” Rarity had shared a similar thought, but she wished it was a dream. “Why?”

“Couldn’t tell ya.”

“Honestly, Applejack, for such a strong pony you don’t like exercising your mouth muscles very much, do you?”

“I just don’t like thinkin’ about it.”

“But we have to think about it! We need to find out the motives behind this… Illusion. How will we save Spike-wikey if we don’t understand his dragon-napper?”

“We’ll jus’… save him. Don’t worry yerself on the details. We’ll figure something out…”

“Applejack,” Rarity said, appalled, “are you lying?”

“What? No!”

“Yes! Yes, you are! You’re lying to yourself, aren’t you? Oh, this is just rich! Our own Element of Honesty is turning into a liar. Maybe next I really will become a monstrosity!” She looked down at herself, covered in mud, then squeaked. “Oh! It’s happening!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah’m not lyin’! We will rescue Spike. Everything’s gonna be fine. What else do ya want me ta say?”

“But that’s exactly it, Applejack,” Rarity said, nodding wisely. “You have problems facing the truth when the outcome might be, well, hard to face. You were the same way with Discord, weren’t you? All he had to do to corrupt you was show you a future that you didn’t like…”

“And all he had to do to corrupt you was show you a nice, shiny… rock.”

“I thought we said never to speak of that again,” Rarity snapped.

“The point is,” Applejack continued, “he got ta everypony. Nothin’ wrong with that, is there?”

“No,” Rarity agreed, but she seemed to be thinking about something. “Still…”

She let the word linger there, watching Applejack as her ear twitched, waiting for the sentence to continue. She smiled as she saw the irritation on Applejack’s face. The earth pony sincerely did not want to ask, but…

“Still?”

Smirking, and knowing her audience was hooked, Rarity continued, “Still... Maybe you’re right. Illusion brought us here. What purpose would that be? Why force me in this grime and put us together? Where’s everypony else? We obviously aren’t in Ponyville any longer. Doesn’t the whole thing seem a bit… staged?”

Applejack snorted. “Well, ya would be the one to notice somethin’ like that.”

“Really, Applejack, think about it! What I’m saying makes sense, at least.”

Applejack thought for a moment, then sighed. “Alright, yeah, it does kinda make sense, don’t it? Or what makes sense is that this doesn’t make sense.”

“If only Twilight was here,” Rarity complained. “She’d go on about some rhyme in those notes she poured over. Something that would link all of this together…”

“Hm,” Applejack said, accidentally letting the little noise escape her lips. Rarity raised an eyebrow. Applejack grimaced, then shrugged. “Nothin’, I was jus’, maybe, thinkin’, too…”

“Oh?” Rarity prompted.

“Well, Ah mean, we all went over those notes. And yer right, this whole thing… It does seem staged, don’t it?”

“Yes, yes it does!” Rarity agreed, suddenly shaking her head eagerly. “Oh, what did those rhymes say? Traits we lack… We’re more than our Elements… It was all about learning. Or something.”

“And that last one about tomorrow –”

“Which is today!”

“Right. It said something about our hearts…”

“‘Your hearts I shall borrow!’” Rarity said excitedly. “Oh yes, I particularly liked that line, how could I forget, I –” Applejack stared at her with a paradoxical expression that was both amused and stern. Rarity gave a nervous chuckle and blushed.

“Anyway,” Applejack began loudly, “ya think this whole thing is part of the game, then? Maybe we’re all asleep and Illusion’s just borrowed our hearts or whatever for a moment and put us in this here dungeon?”

“So I wasn’t wrong about it being a dream,” Rarity pointed out.

“And I wasn’t wrong about dry land,” Applejack said with a smirk. She nudged Rarity forward, who gave a pleased gasp at what she saw in front of them. In all their talking and unraveling of Illusion’s plan, she hadn’t notice they walked past the flowers that Applejack claimed meant land was nearby. And now she received the scenery before them with an ecstatic grin.

There was grass. Grass everywhere. And flowers were sprouting and blooming, almost in a trail, leading towards a large hedge with wreaths overhanging its entrance. The entire landscape was so bright and inviting compared to the mud she had endured that Rarity could hardly contain her excitement.

“Looks like some sort of hedge maze,” Applejack said as they stepped onto the grass. She had noticed Rarity was staring at the hedge in front of them, with a look of longing on her face.

“It’s so… beautiful…”

“Ya think?” Applejack gave it a onceover. It just seemed like a bunch of neatly cut bushes to her, leading down a winding trail. She guessed she could appreciate the colorful flowers sprouting out of the side of the hedges. There were a lot of them scattered all over the walls of maze, and they gave off a sparkling gleam –

“Jewels! This hedge grows jewels!” Rarity cried out, immediately dashing out to greet the precious gems. “Oh, they’re gorgeous!”

“Huh,” Applejack replied. She ambled forward and inspected a dark blue sapphire. “Yer right, these are gems. That’s weird.”

“We must go inside!” Rarity insisisted. She plucked a couple diamonds with her mouth and gave Applejack a pleading look. “I cahn oose ‘em in me noo dwesh!”

Applejack chuckled. “What now? Yer harder to understand than a pig at a roast dinner!”

Rarity carefully placed the diamonds on the ground. “I can use them in my new dress! I can make fabulous designs that everypony in Equestria will die for! These gems are shinier than any I’ve ever encountered. They’re… They’re wonderful! Applejack, you must help me carry these all back! We’ll just go through this maze, take only the shiny jewels, and I’m sure the end of this maze will lead us home.” Then, she thought for a moment and gave a wide smile. “Or to even more gems!”

Applejack rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny the delight on her friend’s face. “Well,” she said in a long drawl, thinking. “Ah guess it couldn’t hurt. Where else are we gonna go, anyway?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Rarity said in quick, rapid succession. She gave her friend a big hug and then pointed into the gem-filled maze. “Onward, my dear Applejack. We have fame to pluck!”

***

Fluttershy was Illusion.

The realization had sent a ripple of pain down Rainbow Dash’s spine. Part of her wanted to tear her friend to shreds for everything that she did to them. But another part, perhaps a little bit more than the hurt part, seemed to want to do something completely different. And it was that side of Rainbow Dash that began working faster. It got her legs moving again, and soon Rainbow found herself laying down next to Fluttershy, who had not moved for the longest time.

“What you did… It, it was wrong,” Rainbow Dash began, her voice shaking and dry. “But, you haven’t hurt anypony, right?”

“N-No, of course not…”

“And you’re still… you’re still my friend. So… I don’t know. Just… Just explain. Make me not want to… to do something I’d usually do to somepony like you.” It was her Element of Loyalty kicking in. A part of her still didn’t believe that Illusion could be Fluttershy. And even if it was, Fluttershy was her friend. Fluttershy was that gangly foal who was picked on and Rainbow Dash, a brash youth, had defended her honor. How could somepony as sweet and caring as Fluttershy even think about doing what she did as Illusion?

Rainbow Dash remembered the time her friends had done heroic acts when they donned the mask of the mysterious Mare Do Well. Was this penname Fluttershy’s mask? When she signed her name on that parchment, Illusion, did it feel good? To be somepony else for a change? Suddenly, she wasn’t scared, pushover, doormat Fluttershy. She was somepony strong and powerful, mysterious, with the effect to send her friends into a riot with the flick of a pen and the start of a rhyme. She had gone over the deep end before, hadn’t she? At the gala, after her lessons with Iron Will… Fluttershy proved she could be cruel and harsh, it wasn’t completely out of character for her. But maybe she didn’t like being Fluttershy and being mean. After all, her Element was Kindness. So, in order to satiate that part of her, maybe she needed to don this mask and play another role or else the negative side of her, hidden somewhere deep down, would threaten to take control once again…

“You don’t really believe it was me,” Fluttershy managed to whisper, her eyes shining with concern. “I see now, why you seemed so troubled, almost as hurt as Twilight, as we got the riddles. That line did make it seem like it could have been one of us. Who else could have known you were concussed?”

Rainbow’s eyes widened at Fluttershy’s words. The rhymes. Why hadn’t she seen it before? Fluttershy even rhymed when she spoke! “D-Don’t,” Rainbow Dash stuttered, bristling. She shifted away from Fluttershy, finding it neigh impossible to keep her cool. “Don’t do that. Don’t rhyme as Fluttershy. If you’re going to be Illusion, fine. But don’t take the memories I have with Fluttershy and the memories I have with Illusion and mix the evil with the good.”

“Oh no! I, I didn’t mean…” Fluttershy started, nervously. “Um, I… I’m not…” Fluttershy knew her friend believed that she was Illusion. Her heart surged with a certain kind of respect that Rainbow Dash, the action pony with an attitude towards doing first and asking questions later, was giving her the chance to explain. But it also hurt that her friend saw her as somepony evil, with the intentions to harm Spike, a dear friend.

Something didn’t quite mesh. On one hand, Rainbow Dash was being quite like herself, loyal to her Fluttershy and giving her a chance. On the other hand, she doubted Fluttershy, which was a big enough discrepancy in her character that it made Fluttershy wonder…

“It’s Illusion,” she whispered, finally. When she spoke, she took great care in her words, making sure she didn’t accidentally rhyme. “It’s part of the game. Listen, Rainbow Dash, I think I understand why you’re so conflicted.”

“You mean the fact that one of my best friends is a dragon-napper and mindscrewer?”

“But… isn’t that what you were looking for?”

“What do you mean?”

“The riddles. They talked about finding what you sought. And… And…” Fluttershy struggled to remember. “It talked a bit about the Elements of Harmony, and the dangers of clinging to those conceptions.”

“So?”

“And then you heard a line, the one about your concussion, that triggered a suspicion. Suddenly, you weren’t your Element anymore. Not completely. You were looking at each of us and seeing suspects, not just friends. Your Element was compromised.”

“Sure, add insult to injury.” But Rainbow’s voice wasn’t as harsh as before. She was listening intently to Fluttershy’s explanation, hoping beyond hope she would say something that would make sense and untangle the knots inside her that threatened to suffocate every organ Rainbow Dash had.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… all a part of the game. It became your goal to find which one of us did it. The riddle told you to find what it is that you seek, and we all wanted to find Illusion, but for you it was different. It wasn’t finding some mysterious outside source, it was finding the inside pony that had betrayed us all. And you were also the pony that found the clue that I… Oh, I’m so sorry, that I foolishly destroyed with my animals… The note had clearly said not to look for clues, and, I think… well, I think you might have upset Illusion by finding that hint. It went against the game that had obviously been very well thought out. But they hadn’t planned on you and Pinkie playing that prank, so they hadn’t expected a trail. And when you found the trail, and then you had that suspicion… I think that maybe they wanted to exact a personal vendetta against you. So… So they expanded on that thought of yours. Maybe even… turned it into an obsession…”

Rainbow Dash thought about that. She was taking in every word Fluttershy spoke. Her head was no longer buzzing with pain and it gave her enough of a relief that she could listen and think clearly. Then again, her concussed… Hadn’t it always started to pang with pain just before she had those nasty thoughts about her friends?

“And the last note… It made some, um, interesting points. This is all a part of the game. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I went to sleep in my home and when I woke up… Well, it’s a beautiful meadow with the most friendliest meadowlark, but I’ve never been here before in my life. That last letter had said… well it said it would borrow our hearts. It gave me this wonderful meadow… I love singing with the birds on sunny days like these… And somehow, Illusion knew that about me… Just like it knew you had that concussion and that in your heart you wanted to catch Illusion, whichever one of us it was. So, um, it gave you me.”

There was a long silence. Normally Rainbow Dash loved the silence, but this one was filled with confusion, and confusion sounded like static in Rainbow’s brain.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk so much,” Rainbow finally said. Fluttershy gave a shy smile, hiding under her pink hair. It took a long time for Rainbow to say anything else. Part of her wanted to tell Fluttershy how ridiculous her story sounded. How it could have been made up by anyone, how it was all conjecture… But then there was that other part again, the slightly more prominent part, and it made her say, “But why me? Why am I the only one getting screwed over?”

“I think… I think maybe it’s because of your concussion. N-Not that it made you weaker… But, um, maybe it made you a little more vulnerable? Illusion is messing with our minds and, um, your mind is, well, um… it’s a little scrambled. So Illusion could take a little more liberty with, um, adjusting your thoughts…”

“Whenever I got those thoughts,” Rainbow breathed, unblinking, “it was always after I felt pain in my head… You… You think Illusion’s been controlling me this entire time?” After all, hadn’t Chrysalis, the evil changeling pony, done the same thing to Twilight’s brother, Shining Armor, during the royal Canterlot wedding?

“I don’t really understand it,” Fluttershy said quietly. “But, um… the lines in the note seem to suggest it, and… um, well, the name is Illusion…”

Rainbow Dash remained silent for a long time, regarding what Fluttershy was saying. It did seem crazy… But was it that much crazier than the culprit being Fluttershy? And Rainbow Dash, any pain she felt from her concussion nearly completely ebbing away now, was inclined to believe her. But instead of saying that, Rainbow just uttered one simple word: “Maybe.”

“That’s not all,” Fluttershy said, a little stronger now. “Remember how Illusion ended their last note? We all fought over what it could have meant.”

“You mean the signature?”

“‘Remember my last. For the conclusion, regards, Illusion.’”

“And we decided it was a name,” Rainbow replied. ‘You’re name,’ she thought stubbornly, but kept that sentiment to herself.

“It probably was,” Fluttershy agreed. “But what if it was also a warning? For you?”

“What? You think Illusion wrote a public note and included a sneak attack message meant just for me? How in the hay would I ever have figured that out?”

“Illusion probably didn’t care how everypony interpreted it, as long as its meaning got to you.” There was a brief silence where Rainbow Dash made a nod for her to continue explaining. Fluttershy took a quick break to catch her breath, then continued, “Well, um… Illusion wanted you to remember the last. Probably the last note. Which was the one that made you start doubting all of us. And then hinted at what was to come. The conclusion regarded illusions, as well as signing it as a name, Illusion. Which, um, leads us to right now. We’re stuck in an illusion of Illusion’s doing, where your heart has been manipulated and taken out of its Element to believe I’m Illusion because of, well, um, a revenge plot that was already part of a dragon-napping plot that is all a part of this game which we are currently in the first part of.” Fluttershy gasped for air, never having talked for so much nonstop. She noticed Rainbow Dash regarding her with a curious expression, turned beet red, and hid herself inside her hair.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash said, softly. She gently nudged Fluttershy’s hair out of the way of her face with her nose. “You know, I really want to believe that.”

“I don’t,” Fluttershy admitted. “It sounds so mean. I don’t want any of this to be true.”

“You know, Fluttershy, you’re pretty smart,” Rainbow Dash said, a smile suddenly and surprisingly spreading across her face. “How’d that happen?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know…”

“Maybe you are Illusion, just playing more tricks on me. But you know what? I liked your idea better. This entire thing is just a game anyway, right? It’s just a stupid illusion. So whatever I believe has to be true. And you aren’t Illusion. I don’t even know how I got it in my head that you were… Maybe you’re right, maybe Illusion did manage to twist my heart or whatever you were saying. I… I have been feeling weird ever since I got my concussion. But, I mean, it’s a concussion, so I just kinda figured… And, ever since I got here I’ve been feeling all funky. I’m… I’m really sorry, Fluttershy.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I don’t mind, really. I actually think what you did was really admirable, despite believing I was some sort of criminal mastermind. Even when you thought I was Illusion, you still treated me like a friend. And… I really appreciate that, Rainbow Dash.”

They shared a smile and an affectionate nuzzle. Suddenly, Rainbow felt like such a weight had lifted off of her. It was like her wings, once bounded, had been cut free, and her head, once weighed down by pain, had finally found relief. A static charge coursed through her body and she jumped into the air.

“Whoa!” she cried, laughing. “This feels great!” She beat her wings, something she hadn’t felt like doing since she had gotten to these meadows, and did a few loop-de-loops around the clearing. When she landed next to Fluttershy, she was beaming. And then she doubled over, the impact and weight of all the world seemed to suddenly fall into her head. She gasped and blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected pain. But as quickly as it had come, it had gone. And when she stood back up, she had her memories.

“I crashed,” she said thoughtfully. “I was flying… I was just about to finish a really cool new move. It was dangerous and it had to be precise, and I had it. But then my wings locked up and… I crashed. And when I woke up, I was here.” It had to have been Illusion’s doing. Manipulating her even further and forcing her to mess up her perfect move. She looked over at her shy pegasus friend. “How did you say you got here?”

“I was sleeping, and then I just… woke up.”

“Do… Do you think our bodies are still…?”

“I’m sure you’re fine, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said rather quickly. “Illusion couldn’t have manipulated you otherwise.”

Rainbow gave a dark chuckle. “Not sure how much of a refreshing thought that is…” But she pushed the potential sorry state of her broken, bloody corpse back at Ponyville to the back of her mind. What mattered was she was here now, and her friends were probably somewhere around, too. She wasn’t going to let Illusion compromise her loyalty to her friends anymore. This time she would be one hundred percent ready to fight, and Illusion was going to be sorry about ever trying to mess with her head.

“So,” Rainbow said, trying to appear nonchalant after that sudden, chilling thought she had, “this is the first part of the game, huh?”

“Where we grow with our opposite and learn something important.”

“So you’re my opposite.”

“I, I guess I am.”

“Funny, I would have thought Applejack would have been my opposite.”

“Applejack, really? Why’s that?”

“Well, sure, she’s like me. But in all the opposite ways! She’s a stickler for the rules, when I enjoy bending them. She’s grounded, I’m a flier! Anytime we ever talk, it usually ends in some sort of fight. Plus, she’s the one that’s always holding me back. I like to fight, she likes to just sit around and be… Applejack.”

“Who do you think would fit better as my opposite, then?”

Rainbow Dash blinked, surprised by the question. But she took it as a challenge and put her hooves together, thinking. “Hmmm… Pinkie. Yeah, Pinkie Pie! She’s loud, the complete opposite of you. And she talks nonstop. The only time I’ve ever heard you do that is, well, just now. And either way, her nonstop talking is different from your nonstop talking. She’s very social, all about partying and having fun. You’re kind of the wallflower at parties, no offense. But hey, you’re great with animals and kids! Pinkie’s not really the responsible type. And while you’re all soft-spoken and generally, well, cute, which is kind of your thing… Pinkie is just extremely annoying. Sometimes, I swear that pony just says and does stuff to get a rise out of me. But she acts all innocent when she does it that I can’t even justify getting mad at her! Like with the cider. Every year she always beats me to it and I never get any, and she loves to rub it in my face after, but she’d never admit she was rubbing it in my face because she pretends like she doesn’t notice she’s got an effect on me!” Rainbow hadn’t realized that she had gained momentum and started talking louder, until she was shouting that last part. Rainbow stopped and took a few deep breaths before flashing an apologetic smile to the stunned and confused Fluttershy. Then, almost as an afterthought, Rainbow added, “Oh, and, uh, you’re delicate, while Pinkie’s just not. She, like, totally defies physics.”

“Um, okay,” Fluttershy said rather quietly, “those are some, um, interesting points…”

“Yeah, sorry… I might have kind of gotten carried away.”

“Maybe it isn’t just about opposites,” Fluttershy said, thinking back to the note again. “I’m sure we could all find something opposite about all of us, that’s the beauty of our friendship. But the notes said that we each had traits that would seal each other’s fates. And it talked about the traits that we lack, and how we need to learn something. Maybe we’ve been paired with our opposite that has something to teach us? Um, like there’s something about me that can teach you something new, and there’s something about you that can teach me something.”

Rainbow Dash gaped at her friend. “Seriously, Fluttershy! When did you get as smart as Twilight?”

“Oh, um… I’m not…”

“You’re incredible! You’ve got that staring thing that totally rocks, Twilight says she’s seen you tackle a bear –”

“I wasn’t…”

“And I’ve seen you stare down a dragon, which is, like, your worst fear. And you helped all of Ponyville get the water to Cloudsdale despite your second worst fear of performing –”

“It wasn’t that big of a –”

“Oh, and that hidden talent you have as a… sewing person. Fashion designer. Whatever it’s called! You can make a dress as well as Rarity, and that’s like her special talent or whatever!”

“It was Rarity’s design, I just –”

“Plus you’ve already found fame as a model! And if you weren’t so… you, then you could have gone far and wide just being yourself and people would have loved you for it!”

“Oh no, but I couldn’t…”

“Huh. Guess I never realized how awesome you really are, Fluttershy. Maybe it’s cause you’re always hiding.” Rainbow looked at her, and Fluttershy was indeed hiding, even now. She was behind her bangs, but Rainbow Dash could see she was as red as an apple behind her hair. She chuckled, slowly rising into the air as she let herself hover above Fluttershy. “You can come out, ‘Shy, I won’t bother you anymore.”

“Oh no, it’s no bother…” But Fluttershy did appear out from behind her hair, considerably less flushed. “Rainbow? I was just thinking…”

“Hey, what’s that?”

“What’s… what?”

“Look! Up here. On the other side of the forest, I can see some sort of…”

“Hedge maze,” Fluttershy finished, flying up to hover next to Rainbow Dash.

“You thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’?” Rainbow asked, grinning.

“Um, probably not… I was thinking that we should probably stay in the meadow, where it’s nice and safe, and not go towards the dark and scary part of the forest…”

“Sure, ‘Shy, you can stay behind if you want. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned about Illusion today, it’s that the game is so on. And we aren’t going to get anywhere sticking around in this clearing.”

“Oh, I don’t know… Maybe –”

“Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash had already darted ahead, flying towards the maze. A rainbow stream of dust was left in her wake.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no…” Fluttershy looked out to where the hedge maze was one more time. The forest gradually got darker and more ominous the closer to the hedge maze it was, and Fluttershy didn’t think that was any coincidence. There was something dark and scary lurking within its snarled walls, of that much she was sure. But suddenly she was all alone in the clearing, and the entire meadow didn’t seem as bright and happy as it was before.

‘If you don’t follow her, Fluttershy,’ she steeled herself, ‘you’re going to end up having to go in there sooner or later, and if it’s later you’ll be all alone. If you follow Dash, at least you’ll be with a friendly face… And who better to face off a scary hedge maze then with the brave adventurer herself?’

Gulping, Fluttershy followed after Dash’s stream of rainbows. “Wait up!” she called softly. “I’m coming!”