> Imperfect
>  by Wheller
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chronology notes:
Stop! You are reading the Sixth story in the series started by The Kindness of Strangers!

Please read The Kindness of Strangers first!
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/389/

The second part of the story is Putting the Pieces Back Together found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/407/

The third part of the story is Midnight in the Heart of Equestria found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/419/

The fourth part of the story is Tomorrow is Always a New Day found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/433/

This story is the direct sequel to To Each Their Own found here:
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/526/



Imperfect
Chapter 1

“Fillies and Gentlecolts! It is my humblest pleasure to report that spring is finally here!”

Twilight Sparkle stood in the crowd in front of Ponyville town hall. They had finished wrapping up winter in record time. Ponyville was the first town in Canterlot Province to report that they had cleaned up winter; they had even beaten out the royal capital that used magic in aiding to clean.

“You know… I don’t think you ponies have to do all this, I’m pretty sure it would happen on its own if you let it,” said the gruff voice of the individual standing next to her.

Twilight looked at the individual next to her. “I think you’re hardly in a position to compare Sergeant Tebbs. It doesn’t snow in South Island.”

Sergeant Percy Tebbs was a kangaroo; he had met Twilight Sparkle several months ago during the unicorn’s trip into the Hoofson Bay Area. Tebbs was a practical sort of person, perfectly content to allow things to run their own course. Of course, this often put the South Islander in conflict with his pony hosts.

Sergeant Tebbs was a tank commander in the Commonwealth of South Island Army King's Own South Island Dragoons “The Winter Rats.” Assigned to the gryphon occupied Hoofson Bay Area to harass the resource gathering operation for their war against each other. Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends Rainbow Dash, and Vinyl Scratch, had been caught in the crossfire between kangaroo and gryphon forces during a skirmish at a place called Mount Gwyndolyn. After the fight, Tebbs had offered to drive the wayward ponies to their home, only for his tank to break down and strand them in Ponyville until replacement parts could be procured.

Nearly two months ago to the day, Tebbs had allowed one of his crew, Trooper Benjamin Willoughby to travel to the distant city of Manehattan with Vinyl Scratch, and a group of other ponies that Tebbs did not know the names of, in order to get in contact with Regimental Command. If they stuck to the timetable that they had worked out, the group should be back at the end of the week.

If they didn’t, then Tebbs would know to start worrying. Either way, he had no way of knowing if Willoughby had even made it to Manehattan at all. The trip was supposed to be safe, but being in the army had taught the kangaroo to expect the worst.

“Well, this was fun… but I have work to do…” Tebbs said leaving Twilight Sparkle alone as the crowd began to dissipate. Twilight knew this to be false; Tebbs didn’t have anything that he could do to their tank until Trooper Willoughby returned, but said nothing; she knew what it was like to be the odd one out in a crowd.

Ponyville had welcomed the kangaroo crew, but few treated them with anything but suspicion. It was nature to be afraid of the unfamiliar, Twilight thought to herself, but that didn’t make it right.

“I hear we have you to thank for getting done early.”

Twilight turned to the source of a new voice, standing before her was a brown earth pony with a spiky chestnut mane, and a cutie mark of an hourglass.

“Oh it wasn’t anything, really! I’m just good at organising! Except when it comes to the books in my library...” Twilight said with a chuckle.

“Well the town’s glad to have you, especially after the disasters of year 1000, and 1001,” the earth pony said with a smile. “Come to think of it, I’ve seen myself in photographs for those years... but I haven’t done them yet,” the pony said quietly to himself.

“Huh?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“Oh, heard that did you? Don’t concern yourself! But if you’ll excuse me, I have winters to wrap up!” the earth pony turned and trotted off down the high street. “Winter Wrap up, Winter Wrap up! Let’s finish our holiday cheer! Oh how I love that tune!” He sang to himself as he walked.

Twilight watched in confusion as the earth pony turned a corner, and disappeared from her view. “Dear Princess Celestia: Today I learned that you sent me to live in a town full of crazy ponies. Your most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight chuckled at her own joke and trotted off towards home.

...

Rainbow Dash stretched out her wings and looked up at the sky, she basked in the warm glow of the sun. Oh how she had missed the warm feel on her body.

“Okay! Spring time! Time to practice some new tricks!” Rainbow called out to the world.

“If you say so Rainbow...” Sitting on the grass watching her was Fluttershy, her oldest friend. “Please be careful Rainbow, I don’t want you to get hurt!”

“Relax Fluttershy! I’ll be fine, what’s the worst that can possibly happen in the middle of an open field?” Rainbow Dash asked, ignoring the fact that the field wasn’t completely open, rather that there was a single tree near the edge of the road.

“Um...” Fluttershy began to say, but Rainbow didn’t hear her, she leapt into the air, pulling off a series of loops, flips, and barrel rolls with pure grace, Fluttershy watched as Rainbow Dash spectacularly danced though the air, but to her horror, Rainbow had stopped paying attention to her relative location, and collided head on with the lone tree.

Fluttershy rushed over to her friend, “Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

Rainbow opened her eyes. “I don’t get it,” she said.

“Oh good! You’re awake, I was afraid that... Oh, my! Rainbow, you’re bleeding!”

Rainbow was, she felt the warm sticky blood and found herself gulping. Fluttershy was deathly afraid of blood. She could tell that the meek Pegasus was nervous, but was surprised to see Fluttershy fight through it.

“Come on. We’re going to get that nice and bandaged up!” Fluttershy said reassuringly.

The two pegasi crossed the field to Fluttershy’s cottage, quickly bandaging Rainbow’s head before Fluttershy fainted from looking at it.


“Woah. Déjà vu!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, she felt as if this had happened to her before. Then it hit her, when she was out cold from when Gilda hit her at the Hoofson Bay, she’d dreamed similar events. She felt the overwhelming need to find Twilight and Vinyl.

No. Relax Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch is fine, she’s on her way back from Manehattan right about now. You’re being silly.

“Are you okay Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked her.

“Yeah... I’ll be fine, thanks Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, she rose to her hooves and turned to leave. She felt a sharp pain in her head and collapsed on the floor.

...

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; she was lying in the middle of Ponyville. Night had fallen, no wait, it couldn’t be night, everything was bright out!

No. Everything was illuminated, because the Everfree forest was on fire.

She heard a low rumble behind her; she turned to see the kangaroo M3 Light Tank rolling through the streets.

She rolled out of the way, and the tank continued to drive past her.

Behind it three ponies were running for their lives, Trixie, Derpy, and a brown earth pony that Rainbow Dash recognised as Doctor Blacksmith, the earth pony physical therapist who had been in charge of her case when she was in the Royal Hospital with paralysed wings.

“Run!” Doctor Blacksmith yelled out.

Run? From what?

Rainbow Dash heard a loud howling noise. Run from that.

Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!

Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and took off after the kangaroos and the trio of ponies she’d seen before her. What in Equestria was going on?

Rainbow Dash passed a building before she felt somepony grab her and pull her into an alleyway, she struggled, trying to break free of whoever had grabbed her, but she soon discovered it to be none other than Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth, shushing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow obeyed, staying quiet.

A cloud of black smoke darted past the alleyway.

Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!

Twilight sighed a sigh of relief, they were safe for now.

“Twilight? What is going on?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight blinked at her. “Oh no, this must be where you went just after you had the accident! You told me that this was going to happen... I didn’t want to believe it, but its happening.”

“What are you talking about?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, more in annoyance than confusion.

“I don’t have time to explain,” Twilight said. “You told me that this flash didn’t last long. Soon you’ll wake back up in Fluttershy’s cottage. Rainbow, listen to me, this is very, very important! The next time you flash-forward, seek me out right away, and don’t try talking to anypony else first. Not Applejack, Not Pinkie Pie, Not any of the kangaroos, and especially not the Doctor!”

Rainbow was extremely confused, did she mean Doctor Blacksmith? She had to.

“Do you understand Rainbow? This is very important! Do not talk to the Doctor!” Twilight said again.

“I understand,” Rainbow said. “Well, I don’t understand, but I’ll do as you say.”

“Good,” Twilight said, she leaned forward and kissed Rainbow Dash gently on her lips. “I love you Rainbow Dash.”

As if on cue, Rainbow Dash blacked out.

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; she was lying just outside Fluttershy’s doorstep, the yellow Pegasus standing over her looking sadly at her.

“Are you all right Rainbow? You didn’t even make it a metre from my door before collapsing,” she asked.

Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves. “Yeah, I think I’m okay now Fluttershy... I need to find Twilight.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Do you want me to walk with you?”

“No, that’s okay,” Rainbow said, she waved goodbye to Fluttershy and trotted off towards the Ponyville Library, trying to make sense of what had happened to her.

Twilight had called it a “flash-forward,” best Rainbow Dash could figure, it was most likely a dream. Heck, the kangaroo’s tank couldn’t even move right now, much less be able to nearly run her over... but what she was really curious about was what Twilight had said to her last. “Do not talk to the Doctor.” Who exactly was she referring to? The only doctor she knew was Doctor Blacksmith, the pony who had been in charge of her physical therapy for a short time when she was still in the Royal Hospital... She had seen him in her “flash-forward.”

Rainbow Dash was so lost in thought; she barely noticed when she bumped into somepony. Rainbow looked up in shock; standing in front of her was a brown earth pony with a spiky chestnut mane, an hourglass cutie mark on his flank. It was Doctor Blacksmith!

“Well! Rainbow Dash! Good to see you again,” the earth pony doctor said.

“Doctor Blacksmith?” Rainbow Dash asked in surprise, this couldn’t be coincidence.

“Just the Doctor. No need to get fancy,” the Doctor said with a smile.

Now Rainbow Dash was positive that this was who the Flash-Forward Twilight had meant.

“I... I’m not sure I should be talking to you...”

The Doctor smiled at her. “Well that’s part of the reason why I came back. Like it or not, I’m necessary even if Twilight Sparkle doesn’t agree with the things I’m about to do... well have done from my perspective, will do from yours... but anyway, I’m rambling, I say do as you like, what’s the worst that can possibly happen?”

Rainbow blinked at the colt before her, more confused than anything else.

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do! Goodbye Rainbow!” the Doctor walked past her, leaving Rainbow standing in the middle of the street looking extremely confused.

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow yelled after him.

“You’ll find out!” the Doctor said. “Oh by the way, the password is “banana” remember that, it’ll be useful.”

Rainbow was completely lost.

...

Rainbow Dash knocked on the door to Twilight Sparkle’s Library; Twilight opened the door and gasped at her friend. “Ohmygosh! Rainbow! Are you okay?”

Rainbow Dash looked at her in confusion, but then remembered the bandage on her head. “Oh yeah! I’m okay, I hit my head earlier, but Fluttershy took care of me. May I come in?”

Twilight nodded, standing back allowing the Pegasus inside.

Rainbow Dash quickly discovered that she had a guest. Sitting in the room was a pitch black unicorn with amber eyes. Rainbow Dash looked at him, he looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash, have you met Nightshadow?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow looked at the unicorn more closely. “I thought I did when I first saw him... but maybe I’m thinking of somepony else... no offence.”

“None taken,” the unicorn said. “I do not recognise you either.”

Nightshadow rose to his hooves, trotting towards them. “I should be getting back to work; I will see you tomorrow, Twilight?” He leaned in and gave Twilight a gentle kiss on her muzzle and departed. Twilight looked as if she had just entered into her own little dream world.

This had thrown Rainbow Dash off, Twilight in the flash-forward has kissed her and said that she had loved her just before Rainbow passed out... if the flash-forward was legitimate, she could only imagine what had lead to those events.

“Equestria to Twilight Sparkle? Come in Twilight Sparkle?” Rainbow Dash said, shaking Twilight from her daze.

“Oh... sorry Rainbow,” Twilight said awkwardly.

“How long has that been going on?” Rainbow Dash asked her.

“Oh... about five months or so,” Twilight said, smiling awkwardly.

Déjà Vu again. Rainbow’s heart began to race, the last time she got Déjà Vu she had flashed-forward soon afterwards. “You’ve been dating someone for five months and nopony has heard about it until right now!?”

Twilight looked extremely embarrassed.

Rainbow Dash suddenly became dizzy; it was starting to happen again.

She did her best to fight it off, but to no avail, she collapsed in front of Twilight, blacking out.

...

Rainbow Dash awoke lying in the High Street. It was night time, and the town wasn’t on fire this time. Rainbow Dash supposed this was an improvement. As it so happened, she was in front of Twilight’s Library.

The last time she’d flashed-forward, Twilight had told her to go to nopony else before her. Well at least it had dropped her in a convenient place.

Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, it opened slightly, and Rainbow Dash began to relive the familiar experience of having a gun shoved in her face.

Rainbow Dash had had a gun pointed at her twice in her life before now, the first two times had been by gryphons... this time however nothing seemed to be holding the weapon.

Twilight poked her head around the door, her horn was glowing, and Rainbow Dash realised that she was the one operating it.

“Oh for crying... Rainbow I’m so sorry. Quickly! Get inside!”

Rainbow accepted the invitation, though she wasn’t exactly sure why. She figured that having a gun pointed at her was not the friendliest way of being greeted.

Once inside, Twilight closed the door, setting the gun back down on the table.

“What’s that all about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Kangaroo made KH-11 Eight Bore Combat Shotgun... can’t be too careful these days,” Twilight said, she turned around and threw her hooves around the Pegasus, planting a kiss directly on her lips, once again, catching the Pegasus off guard. “Don’t you dare do that to me again! You know it’s not safe to be outside at night anymore.”

“Umm... Twilight, I didn’t know, I have no idea what’s going on right now,” Rainbow Dash said with a frown.

Twilight frowned at the Pegasus. “I dread this every day. Every time I see you I worry, ‘is Rainbow Dash going to know what’s going on today? Is today the day that Rainbow doesn’t love me?’ I’m afraid that one of these days, you’re going to be in a flash-forward where you don’t recognise me at all. Silly, I know, because as you’ve told me before, you didn’t start having them until two years after we met... but what if it happens anyway?”

“Twilight, I have...” Rainbow began; Twilight raised a hoof to silence her. 

“We likely don’t have a lot of time, I’ll explain as much as I can. Do you remember when your wings were paralysed? And you tried that experimental treatment to fix them over night?”

Rainbow Dash nodded in affirmation.

“When you first explained it to me, you figured that it was a side effect of the treatment, that you did something that caused something left over to enter circulation in your body,” Twilight said.

“Something like... crashing into a tree?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight nodded. “Clearly, you’re in the early stages of the flash-forwards, they won’t last long to begin with, but the more you have, the longer that you’re going to experience them for.”

“What causes them?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“A number of things, getting Déjà Vu seems to do it most of the time, but really, there are a good number of things that can set them off... It happened once when we were... together,” Twilight said.

Rainbow understood immediately what she was getting at, her wings popped out with the thought entering into her head, causing Twilight to giggle.

“I had almost forgotten about how cute you where about it when we first got together... Oh things were so much simpler then... now, you can’t go out your own door without hiding a weapon on you.”

“What made it like this?” Rainbow Dash asked, Twilight did not get to answer, Rainbow Dash felt a sharp pain in her head, she collapsed on the ground, grunting in pain.

“What’s happening?” She asked.

“You’re leaving!” Twilight exclaimed. “Don’t try and fight it! You just have to let the flashes happen, otherwise you’ll hurt yourself.”

Rainbow Dash looked up at Twilight, not understanding. Twilight got down to the floor, kissing Rainbow’s forehead. “I’m just glad that you’re flashing to somewhere safe.”

Rainbow’s eyes closed, and she blacked out again.

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes again. Twilight was standing over her gasping in horror.

“Rainbow Dash?” she asked of her friend.

“I’m okay, I think...” Rainbow Dash said, not sure if she was telling the truth, or just trying to keep Twilight from worrying. “This is kind of why I came to see you.”

Rainbow Dash explained to Twilight the things that she had seen during her flash forwards, including the details of Twilight’s gestures of affection, causing the lavender unicorn to be horrifically embarrassed.

“I... didn’t think you liked mares like that Rainbow Dash,” Twilight eventually managed after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

“I... don’t?” Rainbow said she had always felt that she wasn’t, but clearly, something happened, or would to make her more open to the idea. “Do... you?”

“I... I’ve never been with anypony at all Rainbow, I guess I don’t know what I like,” Twilight said.

Both mares realised that they needed to get the subject away from this topic, it was making them both extremely uncomfortable because neither knew how to answer. They both half-wished that Vinyl Scratch would pop her head into the door and make an off the wall comment about the situation they were in to lighten the mood.

Both of them looked at the door, and were disappointed that nothing happened after thirty seconds of waiting.

“So basically, we need to figure out what these flash-forwards of yours mean.” Twilight said, finally diverting the conversation away from its previous topic that felt as if it had gone on for years.

Rainbow Dash nodded, “Something really wrong is going in the world whenever I flash-forward, but I haven’t been around long enough to figure out what happened.”

Twilight nodded. “I want you to stay here for a while until your next flash happens... You also probably shouldn’t fly for a while... if you had a flash while you were in the air, the fall could kill you!”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, she didn’t like the idea of being stuck on the ground, but she liked the idea of falling to her death even less so she didn’t argue.

The two ponies sat around, talking about various subjects from weather processing in Cloudsdale, to stargazing, to various stories from their respective fillyhoods. They sat around for hours, and they had started running out of things to talk about.

Rainbow Dash was getting frustrated, her first two flash-forwards had happened something in the order of twenty minutes apart.

“What gives! One should have happened by now!” Rainbow cried out in frustration.

Twilight looked at her friend uneasily. “I have an idea...”

“Let’s try it, whatever it is! I’m getting tired of all this sitting around and waiting! If I have to wait any longer, I’m going to start pulling feathers out!” Rainbow said in frustration.

Twilight looked at her, leaned in close, and gave her a kiss on her lips.

Rainbow Dash was caught off guard by the sudden action, she hadn’t been expect thing that.

Twilight backed off after a few seconds, blushing intensely. “Sorry Rainbow... It just seemed like it might work...”

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but she felt a sharp, splitting pain in head. “I... I think it worked...”

Rainbow collapsed to the floor, blacking out.

...

Rainbow threw open her eyes. Somepony was holding her down. No. That wasn’t entirely accurate.

Rainbow Dash was lying in a bed; it was night time, and next to her, slept Twilight Sparkle. Twilight was cuddling with her. Rainbow Dash looked at the sleeping unicorn next to her, she was smiling in her sleep. Rainbow Dash smiled back at the unicorn, knowing that she couldn’t see it, this was the perfect opportunity to get answers, but Rainbow Dash didn’t have the heart to wake somepony who looked that happy. Judging by how the world was going, this was probably as happy as the Twilight Sparkle of the future could be.

The illusion of happiness was broken when Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight’s pillow; there was a gun under it. A kind that Rainbow Dash hadn’t seen before, this one too was clearly kangaroo in origin; it looked as if it had been designed to be held in just one of a kangaroo’s hand, unlike the others she’d seen which seemed to be made for two. This gun had a barrel about fifteen centimetres in length; behind it was small cylinder that seemed to be designed to revolve around an axis. Rainbow Dash dubbed it a “revolver,” thinking that she was being clever.

How messed up was the world when Twilight Sparkle was forced to sleep with a revolver under her pillow? Rainbow Dash felt a tear form in her eye. This wasn’t right. The world wasn’t supposed to be like this!

Twilight opened her eyes, looking at the Pegasus lying across from her.

“Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?” Twilight asked.

“How did this happen Twilight? How did the world get so dark and dangerous?” She asked.

“The world has always been like this Rainbow, we were just being hidden from it,” Twilight said sadly. “Someday, someday things will be safe again. Someday we won’t have to sleep with guns under our pillows. Someday, we’ll take our home back.”

The two ponies embraced each other, and Rainbow Dash blacked out again.

...

“I got so close!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in frustration over dinner. Night was falling, and Twilight had prepared a simple salad using some of the last bits of food she’d stored for over the winter. “So close!”

Twilight shrugged. “We’ll just have to try again... Though I’d prefer not to try today... we don’t know what kind of effects that this has on you when you flash... I need to get my hooves on some monitoring equipment... I just don’t know where to find any...”

Rainbow Dash looked at the clock, it was getting awful late. “Is Pinkie Pie still living here? Shouldn’t she be home by now?”

Twilight shrugged. “Pinkie apparently does come back to sleep here... but it’s almost always really late at night, I see her for a few minutes in the morning during breakfast, and then she skips off to do... something. I have no idea what that pony does during the day.”

Rainbow shrugged as well. “I’ve only seen her around town a few times since we got back from the Hoofson Bay. When I tried to talk to her, she said hi, but that she was really busy and couldn’t stop to chat... Knowing her, she’s planning the reopening party of Sugarcube Corner.”

“I certainly hope it’s that,” Twilight said. Rainbow nodded in agreement. They ate the rest of their dinner in silence.

A few more hours passed, the two mares sat in the main room of the Library, talking about things that only Pinkie Pie bursting into the room shouting “forever!” could make more random. Twilight didn’t want to leave Rainbow alone in case she had another flash forward, and when both of them became tried and needed sleep, Twilight remained adamant on not leaving the pegasi alone.

“I think you should spend the night here... just in case,” she said reassuringly. “Just in case!”

Rainbow didn’t want to impose, considering that technically speaking, Pinkie Pie was living here too.

“It’s no trouble really, you can sleep in my bed, and I’ll use the sofa,” Twilight said.

Rainbow eventually gave in, Twilight had a point, and if she flashed forward again having somepony nearby was probably a good idea. She did however manage to convince Twilight to sleep in her own bed; Rainbow would sleep on the sofa. Twilight turned out the lights and went upstairs; Rainbow laid down on the sofa, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

...

She must have flashed-forward when she went to sleep. It made sense, when she thought about it, after all. It her experiences were a lot like dreaming, she was participating in events around her, but not quite understanding them.

Rainbow Dash had awoken during the day. She was outside in Ponyville. Things weren’t on fire (a distinct plus,) and the world didn’t look crazy... maybe it wasn’t yet, maybe Rainbow Dash had gotten lucky and had flashed forward to a time that didn’t have Twilight Sparkle shoving a gun into her face as a precaution. Was that too much to ask?

She had clearly flashed to a time not very far into the future; the kangaroo Light Tank had still not been fixed, Vinyl Scratch and her company had yet to return from Manehattan, but were apparently due back in the next few hours.

Being here now worried Rainbow slightly, if Déjà Vu moments set off the flashes, then this entire sequence was going to be a hotspot for trouble when she actually caught up to it.

Something caught her eye; Pinkie Pie was skipping merrily down the high street. Now was the perfect time to figure out what the pink party pony was doing.

Rainbow Dash followed her, doing her best to say back far enough to not be noticed, but it appeared that Pinkie Pie was disinterested in everything going on around her.

They had just gotten out of town when Pinkie Pie called out to her. “I know you’re following me Dashie! You can’t hide from Pinkie Pie!”

Rainbow Dash froze in her tracks, Pinkie Pie stopped skipping and turned back to look at her. “What’s up Rainbow Dash?”

“Just wanted to know why nopony has seen you around town in forever,” Rainbow said.

“Oh! Do you want to know? It’s a secret! But your my bestest best friend! So telling you is okay!” Pinkie Pie said.

Rainbow Dash approached the pink party pony, and just as Pinkie Pie was about to tell her, Rainbow Dash felt a splitting pain in her head, she fell to the ground and blacked out.

Rainbow Dash discovered that the world had a very cruel sense of humour.

> Interlude: Pinkie Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interlude: Pinkie Pie

Pinkie Pie watched through the open window as Twilight Sparkle leaned in and kissed Rainbow Dash. Her eyes widened Twilight... and Rainbow Dash? This wasn’t something that the pink party pony could handle right now; she turned, galloping off towards the western edge of town, tears streaming from her eyes.

Twilight... and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie had never felt so hurt. She kept running, and running, and running, until she finally stopped and opened her eyes, only to find that she was about a hundred metres deep into the Everfree Forest. Pinkie didn’t care, she wanted to be alone right now, and this place was sure to keep anypony from stumbling across her.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash...

Pinkie wandered a bit until she found an open space, not really open, however as it was a lake. A lake in Everfree? Pinkie Pie had never heard of one... but then it wasn’t as if ponies regularly went into the wood.

She noticed a small sign near the lake’s embankment. It designated this body of water as the ‘Lake of Origin,’ clever.

Pinkie Pie trotted up to the lake and looked in at her reflection in the water. She gasped to find that there was a straight maned, muted pink, earth pony looking back at her.

Why should she be surprised? She was hurt by what she’d seen. Twilight and Rainbow Dash...

Tears began to flow from Pinkie Pie’s eyes; she buried her face in her hooves and let them run.

“What’s this? Hiding are we?” said a voice that seemed to come from nowhere.

Pinkie Pie looked down at her reflection; it was starring annoyed back at her.

“Well?” her reflection asked her.

“I’m... I’m not hiding,” Pinkie Pie said weakly.

“Liar,” the reflection barked back at her, the word stung as if a bee had nipped her back. “What’s the matter Pinkie Pie? Seen something you didn’t like?” the reflection asked, its voice filled with sarcasm.

Pinkie Pie covered her ears, she didn’t want to listen.

“You will NOT ignore me!” The reflection shouted at her.

Pinkie Pie looked up at the pony in the water, offering a small whimper.

“You’re pathetic Pinkamina Diane Pie, you always have been,” the reflection said. “You run around all day acting zany and happy go lucky, but inside you’re nothing but a washed up, miserable, pathetic excuse for yourself. Why? Why bother at all?”

“My friends like me the way I am…” Pinkie Pie said weakly.

“You’re friends don’t know you! You live a lie! Every word that’s ever come out of your mouth is a lie!” the reflection spat at her.

“I’m not listening to you!” Pinkie said, she put her hooves over her ears, and shut her eyes tight. She buried her head underneath her forelegs, hoping that it would leave her alone. It didn’t.

“You remember your last birthday?” the reflection asked, “You remember Rocky? Sir Lints-a-lot?”

“Madame La Fleur?” The reflection mimicked the voice of the bag of flour that had been an attendee of Gummy’s after birthday party, and gave a small snicker. “So pathetic.”

“Leave me alone!” Pinkie Pie called out, she was crying now, tears flowed freely. The reflection merely looked at her with a sadistic glee; it loved every second of it.

“No.”  It said plainly. “Want to know what the best part about all this is? The pure, delicious irony of it all! The one pony in Ponyville that is better at making other smile can’t manage on herself, not a real one, because she’s buried under a tonne of misery.”

“I’m... I’m perfectly happy,” Pinkie Pie reported causing the reflection to snicker at her.

“Don’t lie to me. You can’t lie to me! I know you Pinkamina Diane Pie, I know you so very well. I know why you’ve come, you love Twilight Sparkle, and the thought of her with somepony else is ripping you up on the inside.”

Pinkie Pie did not reply, but her crying intensified, it was true, it hurt particularly badly because it was Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie was close with Rainbow Dash, closer than she was to any of her other friends. Rainbow Dash had seen her at her worst. She’d seen her break down during Gummy’s after birthday party, and had sworn what she’d seen to secrecy. What was the worst bit of it was that the reflection was right.

“Poor little Pinkie Pie, caught in the trap of unrequited love! Twilight Sparkle, is caught kissing Rainbow Dash, supposedly not into mares...  Want to know what I think? I think that she’s just doing it to spite you.”

“That’s... that’s not true! Rainbow Dash is my friend! She cares about me,” Pinkie Pie said weakly, as if she wasn’t sure about it herself.

“Maybe... clearly not as much as Twilight Sparkle.”

Pinkie Pie had completely lost it, she curled herself up into a little ball. “Giggle at the ghostie...” she began mumbling to herself “Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha ha.”

The reflection snickered. “Sorry, but you just can’t laugh and make me disappear.”

Pinkie Pie was gone; she had taken the hurtful things the reflection had said to heart. She was broken, and she knew it.

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4

Now she had to admit, Rainbow Dash was no longer sure if that was just a regular dream, or if it was actually a flash-forward. There was really no way to tell, she’d only experienced flash-forwards a few times in her life, so it was really up in the air.

It was early in the morning, the sun had not risen and Twilight was still asleep. Rainbow figured that it would be a good time to go out and stretch her legs a bit, maybe even do a quick aerial lap around town.

She remembered what Twilight had said, flying was dangerous, if she flashed while in the air, she could fall to her death, and it would be a gruesome sight to all who would behold it. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe she was saying this, but she figured it might be best to keep her hooves on the ground.

She opened the door to the Library and stepped out; standing in front of the Library was a brown earth pony with a spiky mane and an hourglass cutie mark.

“Hello! Fancy an early morning stroll?” the Doctor said with a smile. Rainbow Dash was hesitant to answer; Twilight in the future had warned her about associating with him.

“Not with you,” Rainbow Dash said. She was choosing to trust Twilight.

“Ah, so you’ve made your choice, fair enough, fair enough. You’ll know where to find me if you change your mind,” the earth pony turned and walked away, rounding the corner without another word.

Rainbow Dash followed him, peering around the corner to discover he had vanished into thin air. Rainbow shook the Doctor from her mind, he wasn’t important. She turned around to discover a straight maned, muted pink, Pinkie Pie wandering haphazardly through the streets, mumbling to herself.

“Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash called out to her. Pinkie Pie did not respond, neither did she look up from where she was walking. Pinkie Pie walked past Rainbow Dash without having even noticed that she was there. Somewhat annoying the Pegasus that her best friend wouldn’t even say hello to her.

Rainbow Dash prodded Pinkie Pie with her hoof, causing the earth pony to scream at the top of her lungs in surprise. Every building on the high street was darkened, however one after another began to light up, front doors swung open as the residents, forced awake by Pinkie’s screaming, and came outside to see what the commotion was.

Pinkie Pie looked around in confusion, she looked at Rainbow, then at the ground, then back at Rainbow. She turned to run, but Rainbow was quick, grabbing her tail with her teeth to keep the earth pony from running away.

“Pinkie Pie? What has gotten into you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Pinkie Pie shook her head at her, as if she was either unable, or unwilling to answer.

Twilight opened the door to the Library, looking out onto the commotion, Pinkie Pie’s eyes fell upon her, rage filled the earth pony, she raised her hind legs and gave Rainbow Dash a strong kick, catching the Pegasus off guard, she let go of her tail.

Pinkie Pie rushed at Twilight, leaping into the air, and tackling the lavender unicorn to the ground, she lifted up her hooves and brought them down on her as hard as she possibly could, kicking and biting the defenceless unicorn at with a unstoppable rage.

Twilight had been surprised by Pinkie’s attack, before she knew what was happening, she’d already been kicked five times. Twilight focused her magic and caused a concussive blast of air to throw Pinkie off her, sending the earth pony flying and smacking hard into the side of the building, splattering it with a light coat of the party pony’s blood.

Twilight was bleeding as well, but was more concerned about Pinkie, while the pink pony had attacked her; Twilight hadn’t meant to hurt her!

“Pinkie Pie? Are you okay?!” Twilight exclaimed, rushing to the fallen pony’s side. Pinkie repaid this kindness with a roundhouse kick that connected with Twilight’s jaw, sending the unicorn to the ground, knocking her unconscious. Pinkie Pie ran off towards the west, Rainbow Dash considered following her, but realised how useless it would be. Twilight needed her more now.

Rainbow Dash picked her up and carried her to the Ponyville Clinic, hoping that the lavender unicorn wasn’t hurt too bad.

...

Twilight awoke a few hours later, lying back in the hospital bed, covered in bandages, Rainbow Dash waiting patiently by her side.

“Rainbow? What happened?” Twilight asked.

“Pinkie Pie kicked the snot out of you! That’s what happened!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“I remember that... I want to know why she did it!” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash shrugged.

...

Nurse Redheart let Twilight go home soon afterwards; Rainbow Dash walked with her to make sure that everything was all right. Being attacked by Pinkie Pie of all ponies was frankly a traumatic experience, Rainbow Dash hadn’t thought that Pinkie had it in her, clearly she had been wrong.

What had happened to her? What made her best friend snap like that? Rainbow wanted to go looking for her, but Twilight advised against it, Pinkie Pie needed time to cool down. Rainbow Dash didn’t like it, but she knew Twilight was right. Trying to talk to Pinkie Pie when she was agitated wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

Rainbow Dash brought Twilight back up to her bedroom, tucking the injured unicorn in so that she could get some rest, and went back downstairs.

Pinkie Pie was standing inside the door, shutting it behind her ever so quietly.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Rainbow Dash called out at her.

Pinkie Pie panicked, she skittered into the next room, throwing open the supply closet and grabbing a six metre long coil of rope. Rainbow Dash snuck up behind her and attempted to land a kick.

Pinkie Pie ducked, sending Rainbow off her balance and falling onto the floor. Rainbow Dash hit the ground hard, her eyes grew heavy and her head split with pain as she watched Pinkie run out the door. Rainbow Dash blacked out.

...

What was wrong with this picture? Pinkie Pie had a gun in her mouth. Rainbow Dash recognised it as an identical model to the one she’d seen under Twilight’s pillow during her last flash-forward. Worse still, Pinkie Pie was pointing it at her.

“Eh-du-ub-ant?” Pinkie Pie said. Rainbow didn’t understand how could she? Pinkie Pie’s mouth was full of deadly weapon.

“I didn’t understand what you said...” Rainbow said.

Pinkie Pie grunted in annoyance, and slammed the door to Sugarcube corner in her face. She reopened it a few seconds later, mouth free and clear of the revolver she’d been carrying. “What do you want?” she asked again.

Rainbow blinked. “What? Am I not allowed to visit a friend?”

Pinkie Pie gave Rainbow Dash a look of extreme annoyance. “I don’t know what kind of messed up world you’re living in Rainbow Dash, but you and I are not friends. Don’t ever come back here, or I will blow your stupid fucking head off!”

Pinkie Pie slammed the door in Rainbow Dash’s face again, turning multiple locks on the door until they clicked shut.

Okay. First off, what just happened? And second off when did Pinkie Pie start talking like that?! Rainbow Dash backed away from the door, figuring it best not to loiter, considering how well armed Twilight Sparkle was, Pinkie Pie was likely just as well armed... and more willing to use them.

It was the middle of the day, according to Twilight; it was relatively safe to be outside during the daytime... but why? What made it safer? What was going on in this crazy world?

Rainbow Dash remembered what Twilight had said about you could barely afford to go out your door without being armed. She discovered that she was wearing a saddlebag, and opened it up, hidden inside was a gun, another clearly of kangaroo origin. The general shape was similar to the gun used by Lieutenant Razorwing, the gryphon artillery commander that they had met in the Hoofson bay; guns of this kind were called “pistols,” and accompanying the pistol was a small box labelled “10x26mm Automatic” of which Rainbow Dash figured that this was what the weapon used.

Rainbow Dash shut her saddlebag in disgust, why was she carrying this? She found the use of such a device to be a travesty for Celestia’s sake! Thought the more she thought about it, she was likely carrying it in case she needed to protect Twilight. That was a different story, when it came down to it, a life or death situation, she’d use a deadly weapon like this if she had to, if her life or the lives of one of her friends were on the line. She was loyalty incarnate after all, how could she not?

She made her way to Twilight’s Library, knowing how long her flashes lasted; she figured that the last place she wanted to be when it happened was out in the open.

> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5

“I think that Twin 8mm Light Machine Guns might be a little overkill Left-tennant,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash blinked, she was standing in the middle of the Ponyville Library, and it felt as if she was carrying another pony on her back. She looked back and discovered that she might as well have been, at her flanks were two long kangaroo made guns, a curved magazine sticking out of the top of each, both guns were nearly as long as Rainbow Dash was and mounted to her sides by a saddle harness.

In front of her was a small control yoke, in order to engage the weapons, Rainbow would have to bring the yoke up into her mouth, and would fire it by biting down. Rather ingenious design.

Not that she’d come up with it herself, there was a chalkboard in the room explaining it, that Rainbow was reading off of. The weapons that Rainbow Dash was wearing had apparently been dubbed as the “Ponyville Pattern” Sen Light Machine Gun.

Well, wasn’t that just lovely?

“Considering who our enemy is? Overkill is necessary Twilight Spackle.” 

Rainbow Dash recognised the kangaroo who was standing in the room with them was Sergeant Tebbs. She did her best to stifle her grin at the South Islander’s mispronunciation of her friend’s name. The accent made it impossible to get it right.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe she’d been roped into this. Twilight and the kangaroo had convinced her to don the “Ponyville Pattern” the moment she’d stepped through the door to Twilight’s Library. Apparently, Twilight Sparkle was helping the now-Lieutenant Tebbs in the creation of weapons that ponies could use.

“Ammunition management is going to be a problem. Ponies aren’t exactly able to swap magazines on their own,” Twilight stated plainly.

“Regular Sen Guns are operated by teams. One actually wields the weapon, the others carry the ammo. Give all the ammo to a unicorn, problem solved.”

Twilight nodded her head side to side, thinking about the possibility.

“Uh? Is anypony going to ask what I think about it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight was shaken out of her thought induced trance. “Of course Rainbow, what do you think of it?”

“It’s heavy!” Rainbow Dash complained. “There’s no way I could ever fly in this thing!”

“Fly?” Tebbs exclaimed. “I should hope not! Even if you could fly in that thing, recoil from firing it in the air would send you tumbling to the ground! The 8x60 mm SI is not something to be trifled with!”

“This isn’t meant for you Rainbow, this is just a prototype for the militia,” Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash was getting annoyed. “Somepony really needs to explain what’s going on right now, or Celestia help me my brain is going to explode!”

Twilight blinked, she turned to her kangaroo companion. “Lef-tenant? Could you give us a moment?”

Tebbs nodded leaving the two mares alone.

Twilight helped Rainbow Dash out of the Ponyville Pattern. “What exactly is it that you wanted to know about?”

“Why is everypony armed to the teeth, and why does everypony hate me?” Rainbow Dash asked simply.

Twilight frowned. “We’re at war with the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms. Almost a year now since they took Manehattan Province from us. Gryphon Airborne Infantry raid us here every week or so because we have the highest concentration of kangaroo forces here. Everypony carries a gun in case they have to use it.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes grew narrow. Could things really be that bad?

“… I’m assuming you mean how Pinkie Pie and the others react to you when they see you? Truth is. It’s because you’re a hero.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

Twilight sighed. “Apart from the capital itself, there is nothing in Canterlot Province that the gryphons want badly enough to launch a full out assault on, they’re not going to do it as long as the South Island XX Corps is garrisoned within the city walls. But this wasn’t always the case; there was one town that would have been very useful in gryphon claws, Cloudsdale.”

Rainbow Dash began to see where she was going with this. Cloudsdale was in charge of weather control for Canterlot, Marenassas, and Fillydelphia Provinces. In Gryphon control, they could manipulate the weather any way they wanted.

“You, Derpy Hooves, and the Doctor sabotaged the Cloudsdale weather engine so that it would be useless, gryphons never mastered weather control, they wouldn’t know how to fix it… the night that you did it was the coldest one that Equestria had ever had.”

“How was that bad?” Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

“It was the middle of July, Rainbow,” Twilight said sadly. “All the crops died, food shortages were a big problem, and there simply wasn’t enough from the southern provinces to spare… But as for the reason that you asked… Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo? They were outside camping, trying to get their cutie marks for being survivalists… They froze to death.”

Rainbow’s heart sank.

“Naturally, Applejack and Rarity were devastated, you were sorry that they died, of course, but you weren’t sorry that you did it… Let’s just say that they didn’t have much reason to like you after that… Fluttershy was appalled that you killed hundreds of animals that live in the area, throwing the ecosystem into chaos, she was never directly hostile to you, but she’s refused to say a single word to you since you did it,” Twilight reported.

Rainbow’s heart continued to sink. “What about Pinkie Pie?”

Twilight frowned at this question, she chose her words carefully, not out of any concern that Pinkie Pie would retaliate, but that she didn’t want to blemish their memories of her.

“Pinkie Pie... is insane, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight finally managed. “That mare has more guns than she knows what to do with, and believe me, she’s come up with some very... creative ways to put them to use. Remember that Rock Farm she grew up on? It’s not so much a farm anymore. It’s more like a strip mine. She’s rich from all the gems she’s had dug up, and she uses them to buy more guns, and with all that concrete she’s mixing? Pinkie Pie has turned this town into a fortress.”

“Why should I not be interacting with the Doctor?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If he helped me save Ponyville, why is he bad?”

“He’s not... bad. His goals don’t coincide with ours. Equestria and South Island want to win the war... he just wanted Cloudsdale taken out of commission. He got what he wanted, Cloudsdale is just a city now, and Equestria’s weather forms on its own now,” Twilight explained. “He’s not trustworthy. He does things for his own agenda.”

Rainbow almost wished she hadn’t heard any of it. This information was far heavier than the Ponyville Pattern had been. She sat down on the sofa, tears forming in her eyes. Twilight sat down with her.

“I don’t like this Twilight, not one bit,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I hear you,” Twilight said, she put her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, embracing her and setting her head on her shoulder. “I want nothing more to go back to the time when we were all young and innocent, and I didn’t know things like what an eight-bore shot does when it hits something, or how to calculate just how high to aim a gun to hit a far away target... I envy you sometimes in that.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and hugged the mare back, they sat silently holding each other for what seemed like hours.

...

Rainbow Dash awoke to find herself lying on the floor in Twilight’s Library. She’d flashed back to the present, but she couldn’t remember what she was doing on the floor.

Pinkie Pie!

Rainbow Dash jumped to her hooves and looked at the clock, three hours had passed, and Pinkie Pie the rope thief was long gone. Rainbow Dash rushed up the stairs, Twilight was asleep, and likely had been for the entire time that Rainbow had flashed-forward. Though how Twilight had been able to sleep through Pinkie Pie’s attack, Rainbow was not sure. Twilight had to have been a heavy sleeper, or more likely, was an effect of medication.

Rainbow did not wake her; there was nothing to be done about it right now. Pinkie Pie had made off with her prize. Though Rainbow couldn’t think for the life of her what the earth pony could possibly want with a coil of rope.

...

“What are you doing?”

Pinkie Pie did not respond. She merely tossed the rope she had stolen from Twilight Sparkle over a tree branch at the edge of Everfree.

“What are you doing?”

Pinkie Pie looked at the source of the voice, standing there was another copy of herself, glaring angrily at her. She was hallucinating. Pinkie Pie gave herself an insane grin, and climbed into the tree. Expertly, she tied one end of the rope into a loop, and the other end to the tree branch and let the loop fall, it extended about a metre above the ground. Pinkie Pie grinned, it was perfect.

She pulled her home made noose back up and placed it around her neck.

“Pinkamina Diane Pie! What are you doing!?” the reflection screamed at her. Pinkie looked at it and grinned.

“Keeping you away from my friends,” she said softly, and without another word. She leapt from the tree.

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6

Rainbow Dash looked outside; sitting across from the Library on a bench was the Doctor. The brown earth pony wasn’t doing anything as far as Rainbow could tell, but his presence was enough to irritate the cyan pegasi into confronting him.

Rainbow Dash got his attention; the Doctor looked up and smiled at her.

“Why do you want the Cloudsdale Weather Engines destroyed?” Rainbow Dash asked him.

A concerned look formed on the Doctor’s face. “Now, why would I want the weather engines destroyed?” he asked.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” Rainbow Dash said as her levels of irritation skyrocketed. “Talk.”

The Doctor made a slight shrugging movement with his shoulders, but stopped. “There are some forces in nature that we’re not meant to have dominion over, and no matter what, no matter how hard you try, no matter how close you come to the illusion of total control, it’ll course correct at the worst possible time. You ponies are playing with fire, and you’re going to get burned.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean by ‘you ponies?’”

“I’ll have you know, I’m not big on answering questions,” The Doctor said plainly.

Rainbow Dash hit the roof. “Oh, is that so? Maybe I can acquaint my hooves with your face! Maybe then you’ll feel like answering some questions?”

“Yes, why don’t you do that? Lose the only friend you keep while you’re at it? Sounds like a well thought out plan to me,” the Doctor said sarcastically. 

Rainbow Dash stopped, he was right. Rainbow couldn’t beat him senselessly. Twilight wouldn’t approve, and considering she already knew how the future went, she couldn’t afford to lose her friendship, but then another thought dawned on her, if she knew what happened, then beating some sense into the Doctor wouldn’t change that, at least by her own logic.

“I know that look,” the Doctor said. “Time can be rewritten. Your choices still affect things to come, you make a choice, and you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”

Rainbow scowled at him. “Get out of here. Stop watching me.”

“Fair enough!” the Doctor said cheerfully, rising from the bench, he trotted off around the corner, gone from view when Rainbow peeked around after him. 

How did he do that?

“Rainbow? What are you doing?” Twilight’s voice called out to her.

Rainbow turned around to see Twilight standing at the balcony of the Library looking down at her. “Oh... nothing, just getting some air,” Rainbow Dash said back to her, she leapt into the air and flew up to the balcony, landing gently on it. “We need to talk.”

...

“What in Equestria could Pinkie Pie want with that old rope?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Why do you even have that? I mean, I understand Applejack having some, but you?”

“There are plenty of... everyday uses for a six metre coil of rope.” Twilight said, Rainbow could tell that she was blushing.

“Oh please don’t tell me that you like being tied up!” Rainbow exclaimed at her.

Twilight turned bright red. “I... never have, so I don’t know...”

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. “Tell me something, how does the sheltered-social-avoidant- bookworm-type end up being interested in every kink known to pony-kind?”

“I... read, a lot,” Twilight said simply, her face glowing red at this point.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed again.

...

Snap!

The branch that Pinkie Pie had attached the rope to had not been strong enough to support the pony’s weight, Pinkie Pie fell to the ground, branch tumbling after her and striking her in the head.

The reflection of Pinkie Pie burst out laughing. “You... just can’t... do anything right can you?” She asked between gasps for air.

Pinkie Pie buried her head under her hooves, trying to ignore the reflection, which was getting louder and louder the more she tried ignore it. She burst into tears. The reflection’s cruelty had worn her down to the point of breaking.

“What do you want?” Pinkie Pie asked.

The reflection stopped laughing. “Oh my dear, sweet, Pinkie Pie,” the reflection said, feigning sweetness. “All I’ve ever wanted was what was best for us!”

“What’s best for us?” Pinkie asked.

“Come, I’ll show you.”

Pinkie Pie rose to her hooves, and followed the hallucination before her, unsure of where she was being led to. The rope still tugged at her neck, dragging along the tree branch pathetically behind her. She only hoped that wherever they were going, it would be close to easy means of escape.

...

Rainbow Dash made dinner this night. Unfortunately for them both, Rainbow was a far worse chef than even Twilight. Rainbow recalled a time that seemed long ago, after she started living on her own, cooking was a problem for her. Even the simplest dish would be ruined by her touching it. She even messed up salads!

How someone could mess up something as simple as that was beyond her, but despite her shortcomings in the kitchen, Rainbow Dash had thrown something together that was at least (somewhat) edible.

“Are... these mashed potatoes?” Twilight asked. Rainbow’s heart sank.

“That’s a salad Twilight,” the Pegasus reported.

“How about I just cook from now on?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow grinned at her. “I think both our stomachs will appreciate it.”

After a few hours of talking Rainbow Dash helped Twilight into bed, she tucked the injured pony in and bidding her goodnight.

Rainbow Dash went back downstairs, upon reaching the bottom, her head began to split. She collapsed at the bottom of the stairs, blacking out.

...

“Hi Rainbow Dash!” a cheerful, enthusiastic voice from behind her called out. Rainbow Dash jumped in surprise, causing her to drop the 10mm pistol from her mouth. Rainbow Dash turned around to ream the pony that frightened her while she had an incredibly deadly weapon on her.

Rainbow Dash stopped herself from yelling when she discovered that it was Scootaloo. She must have flashed to some point before sabotaging the weather engines.

“Scootaloo... don’t do that,” Rainbow Dash said calmly, she pointed to the fallen pistol with her hoof. “These are very dangerous. Do not go near anypony who has one out. Understand?”

“Sorry Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said with a frown. “I promise!”

Rainbow Dash smiled at the Pegasus filly. “It’s okay squirt. What are you doing out here?”

“Oh! Me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Bell are going camping!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “We’re going to try and be Cutie Mark Crusader Wilderness Survivalists! We’re leaving right now, but I saw you and wanted to say Hi!”

Rainbow Dash’s heart sank. She’d flashed to the day that she sabotaged the Cloudsdale Weather Engine. She knew exactly what was going to happen to Scootaloo and her friends tonight. Rainbow Dash had half a mind to try and warn them off from doing it, but she chose not to, it wouldn’t have made any difference. Scootaloo was young; the very young rarely do as they’re told. Somepony telling them not to do something was going to make them want to do it even more.

“All right, have fun squirt. I heard it’s supposed to be cold tonight, so be sure to bundle up!” Rainbow Dash said, knowing that it wouldn’t help in the slightest.

“I will! Bye Rainbow Dash! See you when we’ve got our cutie marks!” Scootaloo said, dashing off.

Rainbow struggled to hold back the tears. It wasn’t fair. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Bell were so terribly young. So full of life, and they were going to die. Rainbow Dash stiffened her resolve. Because she knew that if she didn’t destroy the weather engines that they would die anyway. The gryphons would use the weather engines to kill every pony in Equestria if they could.

So not fair. I destroy the engine, Scootaloo dies. I don’t destroy the engine, Scootaloo dies, some choice that is.

Rainbow Dash stiffened her resolve; she picked up the 10mm pistol and placed it back in her saddlebag. She had a country to save.

...

Standing outside the Library was the Doctor and Derpy Hooves. Derpy smiled at her, Rainbow Dash returned it to her.

“Doctor,” Rainbow Dash said, looking at the earth pony.

The Doctor smiled warmly at her. “Hello Rainbow Dash!”

“Can we go over the plan? Just one more time?” Derpy asked.

The Doctor nodded. “We know that the gryphons are moving on Cloudsdale tonight, kangaroo armoured cavalry has reported a large contingent of airborne infantry on its way here. The Cloudsdale militia will do their best to hold them off... but with no training and no possible support from the kangaroos, they’re not going to last long. Rainbow Dash, you have one job, ensure Derpy’s survival, she can’t handle a weapon with her vision and is going in unarmed.”

The Doctor opened his saddlebag and pulled out a slender metal rod with a blue tip. “Derpy will use this to sabotage the weather engine... but in case something should go wrong, Rainbow, pressing down on the button on the end will activate it. Point it at the weather engines and it’ll take care of itself from there.”

The Doctor frowned. “I’d go and do it myself... but unfortunately I can’t fly. So I’m trusting you. The faster you can get this done, the more likely the gryphons will see that they’re wasting their time and pull back. Good luck.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, the sun was setting rapidly, and they had 10 minutes to get to Cloudsdale before it hit the fan at the most.

Rainbow thought of Scootaloo again. I destroy the engine, Scootaloo dies. I don’t destroy the engine, Scootaloo dies. It’s not fair. Not fair at all.

The two pegasi leapt into the air. They had work to do.

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to find she was laying at the bottom of the stairs of the Ponyville Library, a surge of panic filled the pegasi mare; her flash had ended with her in the air. Rainbow Dash was fine here and now... but if her future consciousness didn’t take back control of the situation quickly...

Rainbow didn’t want to think about what might have happened. Her other flashes had clearly taken place after the one she’d just finished, so she had to have ended up fine. She also knew that there was still a fine line between ending up okay, and being unharmed.

Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves. These flashed needed to stop, she wanted to live in one period of time all the time from now on. No more of this going back and forth between the two, nonsense.

She opened the front door and stepped outside, it was mid-morning, and she looked down to the end of the High Street and discovered a sight that she was very happy to see.

Vinyl Scratch and company had returned.

Rainbow Dash galloped at full speed towards the unicorn and dove at her, giving her the most sincere combination of hug and tackle that either had ever seen.

“Heh, I missed you too Rainbow Dash,” Vinyl said with a grin. Both mares got up and Rainbow greeted the rest of the group in turn. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t really call herself friends with any of them, but she was happy to have them back all the same.

The group quickly scattered, Big Macintosh and Braeburn needed to get back to the farm. Derpy had to report in at the post office. Lyra and Bon Bon declared that they were going to get wonderful sleep in a nice comfortable bed. Trixie too needed to rest after the long journey. The kangaroo tank co-driver, Trooper Benjamin Willoughby needed to report to his commanding officer, Sergeant Tebbs. With that only Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch, and were left standing in the High Street.

Rainbow hugged the unicorn once again. She hadn’t heard a single bit of information about Vinyl Scratch during any of her flash forwards, she couldn’t be sure that the unicorn wasn’t destined to meet a terrible fate.

“My my! Somepony clearly missed me, maybe we should get a room before anypony else starts looking,” Vinyl said with a grin.

“Ha ha,” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. “You’re so funny Vinyl Scratch.”

“I know right? Ain’t I grand?” Vinyl said. Rainbow smiled at her. After Pinkie Pie had lost her mind and attacked them, she needed somepony to help lighten the mood.

“Come on, walk with me, I got a lot to talk to you about,” Rainbow Dash said.

...

“Woah, that’s heavy stuff man,” Vinyl said frowning. The two of them were sitting in the Ponyville Library, Rainbow Dash having just given her a rundown of what she had been experiencing. 

Rainbow Dash nodded. “I’m not going to lie, if it wasn’t for Twilight, I would have probably gone insane trying to make sense of it.”

Vinyl looked at her, a grin forming on her face. “You’re hitting that aren’t you?”

Rainbow Dash turned bright red. “Well, not now... but in the future... yeah.”

“Cool!” Vinyl said, grinning madly. “I would too.”

Rainbow Dash gave her friend a sidelong look. “You would ‘hit’ anypony that’s currently breathing.”

“This is the truth.”

...

Twilight came down the stairs to find Vinyl and Rainbow Dash sitting on the sofa, she trotted over and gave Vinyl Scratch a hug. Vinyl responded by planting a kiss on Twilight’s lips.

Twilight turned beat red. Vinyl grinned like a madpony. “Well dayum! Now I know why Rainbow likes you! I’m reminded of a song that goes something like ‘You gotta share, you gotta care...’ Rainbow I think you should listen to that song and learn from it.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash glowed red in embarrassment. Vinyl Scratch was Vinyl Scratch all right.

“Stop that! There will be no late night cuddling from either of us!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“Heh, your loss!” Vinyl said.

They all broke out into laughter.

...

Vinyl would be joining them in living at the Library. Rainbow Dash insisted that the unicorn take Pinkie Pie’s now unoccupied bed, she had grown accustomed to the sofa, or at least had reported that this was so. In reality, she rarely slept on it, due to the fact that she kept blacking out in every square centimetre of the Library but the sofa. Night had fallen; Rainbow Dash figured it was only a matter of time before she flashed forward again. She hadn’t admitted it to either of her unicorn house-mates, but she was terrified of where she was going to go next.

Keep it together Rainbow Dash... Keep it together!

Clearly, her worrying had had an effect; she felt her head begin to split. Her eyes became heavy, and she laid herself down on the sofa. If she was going, she was going to be comfortable while she was doing it!

...

“Ah hmph da dur, hura...”

Rainbow Dash found herself standing in the weather engine control room in Cloudsdale, she’d never been here before, but judging by everything she saw around her, mainly Derpy pointing the thing the Doctor had given her at a control console, told her this is where they were.

Standing before her was a crème coloured Pegasus who Rainbow did not know, he was holding a cut down Kangaroo submachine gun in his teeth, and was there for difficult to understand, He picked up on this fact quickly, and spit the submachine gun out of his mouth and started over.

“I locked the doors, that’ll hold them for a little while, hurry up and do what you need to do,” the Pegasus said, picking the submachine gun back up with his teeth and pointing it at the door.

Rainbow Dash nodded at him, she turned to Derpy to speak, but discovered that she had her 10mm pistol in her teeth and looked away. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt some pony with it on accident. It was at this point that Rainbow realised she had never actually operated the 10mm pistol before. She figured that the Rainbow Dash who actually belonged here had used it several times, maybe she was even good with it, but she wasn’t her, not yet anyway.

She put the pistol back in her bag, realising that she was just as likely to accidentally shoot Derpy or the crème Pegasus whose name she didn’t know.

They heard gunfire from the hallway; it wasn’t enough to drown out the screams of the pegasi militia, standing by to defend them. Rainbow Dash understood the need for the Ponyville Pattern Sen Guns now. Ponies just weren’t built for this kind of thing, and using a pistol or a submachine gun was incredibly awkward.

The outside fell silent. Rainbow Dash knew that the militia ponies were dead.

The creases of the metal door began to spark; the gryphons were cutting their way through.

“Derpy! I really need to hurry up!” Rainbow Dash called out.

Derpy nodded at her and continued working.

The crème coloured Pegasus eyed her, nodding respectfully. “Ifsh ben ah ‘onour,” he said, mouth full of submachine gun.

“Likewise,” Rainbow Dash said, understanding what he said.

“Got it!” Derpy said, and with that she dropped the tool the Doctor had given her in the bag.

“Warning! Please evacuate the facility. Weather Engine no.2 in critical overload!” Cried an automated voice from over the loudspeakers. 

The gryphons cut through the door. It fell into the room, and the gryphon airborne infantry opened fire.

Rainbow Dash jumped on Derpy, trying to get as low to the ground as she could.

The crème coloured Pegasus hadn’t stood a chance, his body exploded in the hail of gunfire, sending blood splattering all over the room, and the two Pegasus mares. Rainbow Dash struggled to stay still, pretending to be dead, Derpy did the same.

Warning! Please evacuate the facility. Weather Engine no.2 in critical overload!” cried the automated voice again.

“Let’s get the hell out of here! Fucking ponies...” the gryphon leader called out, and with that, Rainbow Dash and Derpy were left alone.

Rainbow opened an eye, the gryphons had indeed left. The blood covering her caused her to panic, but fortunately, she discovered that it wasn’t hers.

“Are you all right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Derpy reported. The two ponies rose to their hooves. They needed to get out of here and the faster the better.

Rainbow Dash picked up the nameless pegasi’s fallen submachine gun and put in her bag. They ran out into the next room and were forced to stop by the horrific sight before them.

The bloodied remains of a dozen or so militia ponies lay scattered about the room, more blood than either of the mares had ever seen coated the metal floor and walls. The victims of gryphon hollow-point ammunition had died horribly.

The sight was too much for the mares to take in, both of them vomited.

Warning! Please evacuate the facility. Weather Engine no.2 in critical overload!” cried the automated voice again.

It was this warning that forced them to stiffen their resolve. They needed to get out, and out now.

The pegasi mares dashed for the exit, running as fast as their legs would carry them.

They were 5 metres from the door when Rainbow Dash blacked out.

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8

Somepony was poking her.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; Vinyl Scratch was standing over her, prodding her repeatedly with her hoof.

“Do you have any idea, how long I have been standing here poking you?” Vinyl said without a hint of emotion in her voice.

“No, but considering how long my flashes usually last... an hour?” Rainbow Dash said with a guess.

“Two,” Vinyl reported. She sat down next to Rainbow Dash on the sofa, embracing the Pegasus; she lifted the goggles of her eyes and sat them down on the table next to it.

“Hey... what’s gotten into you?” Rainbow Dash asked, she noticed Vinyl beginning to cry.

“I have seen bad things before Rainbow Dash. Really heavy stuff, but ain’t nothing as bad as the things you’ve seen. It’s got me thinking. I’ve been up all night going over stuff in my head. I just don’t want to be alone right now.”

Rainbow Dash tightened her embrace; she didn’t want to be alone either.

...

“For the record, this is a horrible idea.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, Horseapples! She’d flashed again, and this time she hadn’t even felt it.

“Oh don’t I know it, but we really don’t have a choice in the matter,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash looked to her left, Twilight Sparkle was walking, levitating her 11mm magnum Revolver by her head, and to her right was none other than...

“Vinyl Scratch?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed in excitement.

“I’m sorry. Were you expecting Burnt Sienna?” Vinyl said with a grin.

Rainbow Dash looked at the unicorn oddly. “Who?” she asked. Rainbow was certainly glad to see Vinyl, during her flash forwards; she’d never seen or heard a single trace of her.

“Don’t worry about it,” Vinyl said with a chuckle. Twilight however was not amused, a dire look formed on her face.

“I was afraid this was going to happen now,” Twilight said with a frown. “Listen carefully Rainbow, we don’t have a lot of time to explain, but when we get to where we’re going, your first instinct is going to be to use the Ponyville Pattern SLER that you’re wearing. Don’t, it won’t do any good.”

Rainbow Dash looked to her flank, indeed she was wearing a Ponyville Pattern, however, unlike the Sen Gun. This one was much lighter; Rainbow remembered seeing designs for a Self Loading Emerald Rifle on the chalkboard when she had been wearing the Sen Guns for the first time.

Recalling as much as she could off the top of her head, she remembered the rifle was a self loading, 8x60mm, 10 round charger fed. While Rainbow didn’t exactly know what that meant, examining the SLENs on her sides revealed a simple feed system that would slide more ammunition into the top of the rifles, operated by two small levers next to the control yoke in front of her.

This would have helped at Cloudsdale, this was a weapon that could be operated efficiently by a pony and unlike the Sen Gun it didn’t require a unicorn to load more ammunition. In fact, Rainbow would have guessed that she could fly and fire at the same time.

The trio of ponies entered a clearing. It was at this point when Rainbow Dash realised that they were in the Everfree forest. No wonder they were armed.

The trio heard a slight warbling noise, and out of the trees, a cloud of thick black smoke poured in.

Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!

Rainbow Dash’s first instinct was to grab the control yoke and bite down on it as hard as she could. She remembered this creature from the dream she’d had during the healing procedure from when her wings had been paralysed. The memories of the black smoke flooded back to her. She listened to Twilight, however and did not grab the yoke.

The smoke began to change its shape, and three pitch black ponies seemed to glide out from it, their amber eyes looking intensely at them.

Rainbow panicked, she knew them! She did not recognise the earth pony, but she did recognise the Pegasus as Doctor Nightsinger, he’d been her doctor when recovering from the paralysis... and the Unicorn was Nightshadow, the apothecary of whom Twilight in the present was smitten with.

Rainbow couldn’t stand it any longer; she grabbed the control yoke and bit down hard on it.

Blam Blam Blam Blam!

Rainbow kept shooting until, twenty rounds later, both her SLENs were clicking empty, but to her own horror, the three pitch black ponies were not only still standing, but had been completely unharmed.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” the earth pony said.

“Nice to see you too Rainbow Dash,” Nightsinger said without emotion.

Rainbow Dash dropped the control yoke in surprise, her mouth hanging wide open. “What... what are they?”

Twilight frowned. “You remember Nightmare Moon?”

Rainbow nodded. 

“That’s who they are.”

The earth pony snorted loudly. “We are not Nightmare Moon! Nightmare Moon was a pathetic synthesis between Nightmare Essence, the Herald of Chaos Undivided, and Princess Luna, created as a last ditch effort to keep Princess Celestia from destroying him with the Elements of Harmony.”

“Nightmare Essence did manipulate the younger princess into doing his bidding, sure, but she did not become Nightmare Moon until just before banishment,” Nightsinger said. “He and her spent a thousand years on the moon, together.”

“What happened to him then?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You happened,” Nightshadow said. “The true wielders of the Elements of Harmony came along, and split Nightmare Moon into four.”

“Nightcaller. Wrath,” the earth pony said. Rainbow figured that Nightcaller had to be his name.

“Nightsinger. Hate,” Nightsinger reported.

“And Nightshadow. Deception,” Nightshadow finished. “The fourth, being Princess Luna of course.”

“This isn’t important,” Twilight said, “practically ancient history at this point.”

Nightcaller tilted his head to the side, “Very well then, why have you come, my little ponies?”

“We’ve come to make a deal,” Twilight said.

The three Siblings Nightmare gave each other a quick glance, and turned back to the group before them.

“You have our undivided attention.”

...

“NO!” Rainbow Dash screamed as she threw her eyes open.

Vinyl Scratch leapt to her hooves in surprise, tripping over a coffee table and sending the unicorn skittering over the floor with a loud crash.

Twilight Sparkle galloped down the stairs. “Rainbow Dash? What’s wrong?”

“We were making a deal with the devil!”
...

Pinkie Pie trotted along through the Everfree forest, rope still dangling from her neck. She was following her reflection, the condescending other Pinkie Pie she had first seen in the Lake of Origin, deep in the Everfree.

“Where are you taking me?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“You’ll see!” the reflection said enthusiastically, mocking her.

Pinkie Pie wanted to defend herself against the reflections verbal abuse, but found herself too defeated to try. She was a failure, she was alone and unloved. Rainbow Dash had picked Twilight, she’d seen it herself, and now her own reflection tortured her, continuing to make her own misery worse. She’d made up her mind, if they were going to the Lake of Origin; she was going to drown herself in it!

Unfortunately, they did not end up at the Lake of Origin. Rather, a small cave the likes of which Pinkie Pie had never seen before. The cave was not a natural formation, something had dug it out. 

The reflection lead the way inside, and called out. “I brought her, just like you asked!”

Inside the cave as a very spartan campsite consisting of only a fire and a bedroll, sitting on the bed roll was a semi-translucent grey earth pony with an orange mane and blood red eyes.

“Thank you. You can go now.” The earth pony said.

The reflection simply disappeared.

The earth pony turned and looked at Pinkie Pie, giving her a smile. “Hello Pinkie Pie.”

Pinkie Pie recognised him immediately. “Monty?!” she cried out in surprise.

He nodded at her. Montana “Monty” Ulhan had once been an imprint inside Pinkie Pie’s mind, a last bit of consciousness that stuck to her just before death, with a single goal, to destroy the Alicorn, Overdrive, by any means necessary.

The imprint hadn’t been a full personality, it was had been so focused on its goal that it had ignored Pinkie Pie’s physical needs, working her to the point of exhaustion, and then pushing her past it. It hadn’t been its fault, it didn’t know, it couldn’t.

“You... you died,” Pinkie Pie said, stating the obvious.

“Twice,” Monty said plainly. “Double the amount that most ponies get.”

“How... are you here?” Pinkie Pie said.

“I’m trapped, neither of my deaths were peaceful. I’m stuck part way between two planes of existence,” Monty said.

Pinkie Pie felt bad, she didn’t know what to say, thoughts were spinning in her head, but she didn’t think that any of them were good.

“Do you want me to help you?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Monty shook his head. “No, you can’t help me, but you can help yourself!”

Pinkie Pie looked up at him. “I don’t understand.”

“You, my dear Pinkie Pie, need to find yourself some limestone.”

> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9

Fire burned in Twilight Sparkles eyes. She let out a scream in anger and marched out the front door.

Vinyl Scratch and Rainbow Dash looked in awe of what was happening neither of them had seen Twilight like this before. Rainbow had told them what she had seen, but Rainbow had never expected Twilight to react this badly.

“We have to stop her!” Rainbow cried out. “If we don’t, they’ll kill her! We can’t hurt them!”

...

Twilight stormed into the kangaroo’s makeshift workshop.

“Sergeant Tebbs!” She cried out.

Sure enough, Percy Tebbs stepped out from the back, smiling at her. “Hello Twilight! Something I can do for you?”

“I need a gun,” Twilight said calmly. Her inner rage carefully concealed, if she was visibly agitated, she knew for sure that Tebbs wouldn’t give her one.

“A gun? Sheila, what do you need a gun for?” Tebbs asked.

“Protection,” Twilight said simply. “Precaution, I assure you. Princess Celestia has asked me to carry out a personal favour that will take me close to the border with the Twin Gryphon Kingdoms; I’d rather not be caught unprepared.”

Tebbs thought it over a moment, unsure if it was a good idea or not, but eventually decided it was Twilight, he’d never known her to be anything but truthful.

“You’ll be travelling then? If you want, I could always have one of my troopers go with you. Willoughby should be free,” Tebbs said.

“No, that’s quite all right, besides, travelling to the border with a kangaroo is just asking for trouble. I’ll be fine, thank you,” Twilight said.

Tebbs gave in; he brought out an 11mm magnum Revolver and set it down on the counter in the workshop. Twilight levitated it up, opened the breech and checked the ammunition; six 11mm Magnum rounds were in the cylinder.

“You know how to work one of those?” Tebbs asked.

“Yes,” Twilight stated plainly. “A kangaroo by the name of Roy Melbourne showed me how when I met him in the mohoofie desert.”

Tebbs raised an eyebrow. “Roy Melbourne? You don’t mean the Roy Melbourne? The bounty hunter?”

“Yes. You know him?” Twilight asked.

“Know him? Shelia, I wish. Roy Melbourne was the most decorated soldier of the World War! He’s an inspiration to every kangaroo in the service, and you met him? In Equestria of all places?”

“He said he was on holiday,” Twilight said, sliding the revolver into her saddlebag. “Thank you Sergeant.”

“Twilight Spackle? You’re not planning on doing something rash with that, are you?” Tebbs asked.

“Of course not,” Twilight said, feigning a smile and departed from the workshop.

She had an apothecary to visit.

...

Rainbow Dash and Vinyl had split up trying to cover as much ground as possible in their search for Twilight. Rainbow had kept herself on the ground in case she flashed-forward, knowing how it usually went, it would happen at the most inconvenient time, which would have to be several minutes after being in the air.

She was frustrated, searching this way was inefficient. She decided that she could wait no longer and leapt into the air, rising to a height of ten metres when she spotted the lavender unicorn heading for the edge of town.

As if on cue, her head began to split, and she blacked out.

...

Rainbow Dash had no idea what would happen if her body died during a flash-forward, she certainly did not want to find out. She had to have fallen, she knew that, but could she survive a ten metre drop? She wasn’t sure.

Now here she was somewhere in the future, afraid to open her eyes because she knew she wasn’t going to like what she was waking up to. Maybe she could just stay here, keep her eyes shut until she went back to where she belonged.

“Ya’ll got a lot o’ nerve comin’ ‘round these parts after wha’ ya’ll did Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; she was lying on the ground at Applejack’s feet.

“An’ sleepin’ on mah property, no less. Ya’ll are lucky I don’t beat the tar outta you!” Applejack exclaimed.

Now Rainbow was mad, it wasn’t even her fault she was here! She couldn’t do anything about it. It wasn’t her fault that Rainbow Dash had done what had needed to be done. She was sorry Apple Bloom and the others were dead, but she couldn’t fix it! It technically hadn’t even happened yet.

“Wll why don’t you?” Rainbow Dash said, spitting back at the earth pony as she rose to her hooves. Applejack responded with a roundhouse kick that landed squarely on Rainbow’s muzzle, she could have sworn that she’d heard her jaw break, as she scattered back on to the ground.

Her nose was bleeding, but as far as Rainbow could tell, her jaw didn’t break, Applejack must have been holding back, because she knew that the earth pony was strong enough to shatter every bone in her body.

“Cuz, Ah don’ kick ponies when they’re down! Not even you!” Applejack exclaimed.

Rainbow Dash got up again, and Applejack responded with another fierce kick to her flank, sending the Pegasus spinning to the ground, her 10mm pistol flew out of her saddlebag and clattered to the ground.

“What’s this? Ya’ll kill one member o’ the Apple Family and decide that ain’t enough, you come back to finish the job!?” Applejack called out.

Now that wasn’t fair. Applejack was angry, sure, but that was simply ridiculous! Wasn’t it? It had to have been!

Wasn’t it?

“Applejack! Stop.”

Rainbow Dash looked up, Big Macintosh was standing not five metres from where they were, wearing a Ponyville Pattern Sen Gun on his back, clearly, he was part of the Ponyville Militia.

“Go back in the house Applejack,” Big Macintosh said.

Applejack didn’t respond, she just simply turned her back to Rainbow Dash and walked away.

“You all right?” Big Macintosh asked her.

“I’ll live,” Rainbow Dash said plainly. Oh Celestia, please make that a true statement!

“Ah’m sorry ‘bout Applejack, she’s hurt and needs somepony ta blame. Don’t make it right, but Ah understand it. Ah’m hurt too,” Big Macintosh said, helping Rainbow Dash up. “Applejack may not like it, but ya’ll did what ya had to. If you hadn’t, there wouldn’t ‘ave been anypony left to burry us, let alone Apple Bloom,” Big Macintosh said. “Go on home, don’t come back, Applejack’ll kill ya if ya do.”

...

“Oh my gosh! Rainbow Dash what happened to you!?” Twilight exclaimed.

Rainbow had stepped through the door to the library, leaving a trail of blood drops behind her.

“Applejack,” Rainbow said simply.

Twilight frowned. “Rainbow, you knew that was a bad idea. Why would you go there?”

“It’s not like I’m choosing where I wake up Twilight. You’ll have to ask me again after I flash back to where I belong,” Rainbow said, her voice teeming with frustration.

Twilight frowned; she sat down and tended to her friend’s wounds. “It’s not so bad, considering what Applejack is capable of.”

“I figured she was holding back... I don’t know why though. I looked in her eyes Twilight, she wanted blood. I’d only seen that look once before from anypony... it was from you,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Right... that, knowing you, that was where you were just before coming here,” Twilight said sadly. Rainbow Dash nodded in affirmation.

Twilight began to cry. Rainbow Dash gave her a hug. “Shush now, It’s all right, I mean, clearly I turned out fine!”

“It’s not that... It’s about him,” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash froze.

“You... loved him, didn’t you?” Rainbow Dash asked after a minute.

“Yes,” Twilight said with tears flowing, “I loved pure evil. What does that say about me?”

“It doesn’t say anything about you Twilight, he tricked you, he hid who he was from you, he manipulated you. It’s not your fault! It’s his.” Rainbow Dash said giving Twilight a smile. “The Nightshadow you spent time with wasn’t real. It wasn’t your fault.”

Twilight smiled at Rainbow, wiping the tears from her eyes. The two ponies continued to embrace.

...

“NIGHTSHADOW!” Twilight shouted at the top of her lungs outside the apothecary’s home.

The black unicorn opened his front door and stepped outside. “Twilight? Is everything all right?”

Twilight levitated the revolver out of her saddlebag, pressing it against the black unicorn’s head, and pulling back on the hammer. “Does that answer your question?” Twilight asked. Her voice filled with rage.

“Clearly... you’ve discovered something about me that you are angry about,” Nightshadow said calmly. “Perhaps, you should put the weapon away and we can talk about it?”

“Drop the act. I know who you really are now,” Twilight said.

“That is... most unfortunate,” Nightshadow said. “Despite what you’re thinking, I really did enjoy the time we spent together. I’m saddened that you’ve chosen this course of action.”

“Stop. Talking,” Twilight said.

“No.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, she was clearly missing something here. How could he not be afraid? He had no emotion at all.

“If you’re going to do it just...” 

Twilight pulled the trigger.

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes. Her body ached, what was important was that she did feel pain. This meant that she was not dead. Not dead was good.

Actually she discovered that it wasn’t really that bad. She’d gotten incredibly lucky and landed in a hay cart. Oh thank Celesitia!

Rainbow Dash fully realised how dangerous flying was right now. She wouldn’t dare try it again, next time there wouldn’t necessarily be something soft for her to fall onto.

Blam!

Gunshot. Rainbow Dash recognised it instantly. It rang though out the entire town. Twilight was in trouble. Rainbow climbed out of the cart and rushed towards the source.

...

Twilight’s eyes were wide with fear. Nightshadow was still standing despite the fact that she had just shot him in the head! She hadn’t missed. She couldn’t have, it was completely impossible to miss when the barrel is pressed up against the victim’s head.

“Put it down,” Nightshadow said calmly. Twilight wasn’t exactly in a position to say no, and did as she was told. She set the revolver down several metres away from where they were standing. “I truly am sad at this course. At first, I found you obnoxious, the typical of student of the Sun. You were everything Sun looks for in a minion. Meek, eager to please, clever-yet-unable-to-see-something-so-obvious-despite-the-fact-it-is-right-under-your-nose... but the more time I spent with you, the more I began to appreciate your company. A seemingly endless exile with only the moon to speak... well you can certainly begin to appreciate having others to talk to, and for this reason. I am not going to kill you.”

Twilight was confused.

“Goodbye Twilight Sparkle. I shall miss you,” Nightshadow said, he turned and walked away from town towards the Everfree forest, leaving Twilight standing, watching with her mouth hanging open.

“What are you!?” Twilight called out to him as he walked away.

“A fragment,” he said, disappearing into the tree line. 

Rainbow Dash and Vinyl Scratch rounded the corner to find Twilght standing there, facing west.

Rainbow Dash practically tackled the unicorn with her hug. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!”

...

The trio had returned to the Library, they’d had a good long discussion over what Nightshadow had said.

“You can’t trust anything he said! The Siblings Nightmare said that they were fragments of a personality, individual traits that were split apart, Nightshadow introduced himself as deception. He couldn’t tell the truth if he wanted to!” Rainbow Dash cried out.

“I know... I know!” Twilight said. “I don’t trust him... I just can’t forget the time we spent together. We... did things.”

Twilight turned bright red in embarrassment, which then quickly turned to disgust with herself.

“I... I feel so... unclean!” Twilight ran into the kitchen and vomited into the sink.

“My first love ended a lot like this,” Vinyl said. “Well, except for the part where he turned out to be the source of all evil in Equestria a thousand years ago.”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t tell if Vinyl was serious, or trying to lighten the mood, either way, she wasn’t helping. Twilight announced that she was going to be taking a bath for the next several hours, and asked not to be disturbed unless the entire world came crashing down on their shoulders... again. Knowing their luck, it would.

The hours passed however, and nothing horrible happened. In fact, looking out at the evening sky was quite calm.

“I’m going to go check on Twilight, make sure she hasn’t accidentally drowned,” Rainbow said.

“Probably a good idea,” Vinyl said. “Be gentle with her?”

Rainbow Dash smirked, and climbed the stairs to where Twilight’s washroom was.

“Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked as she slowly pushed open the door.

“Is the world exploding?” Twilght asked sarcastically.

“No... but I would imagine Vinyl’s brain is about to with all the dirty thoughts she has,” Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight smirked and allowed the Pegasus to enter.

Twilight had been taking a bubble bath, but by this time, all the bubbles were gone, Rainbow put a hoof into the water, but pulled it back quickly.

“This is ice cold!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Oh... really?” Twilight asked, “I hadn’t noticed.” She pulled the plug on the drain and allowed the water to drain out of the tub. “Could you hand me a towel?”

Rainbow obliged, grabbing one and handing it to the lavender unicorn, who grasped it with her magic and began to dry herself off. “Oh! It is cold!”

Rainbow chuckled and the two mares went back into the main bedroom.

“Are you going to be okay Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked her.

“I don’t know Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said plainly. The two ponies sat down on the bed, Twilight grabbed Rainbow and held her close. “Just, don’t go anywhere, okay? I don’t want to be alone.”

Rainbow hugged her back. “I won’t. I promise!”

The two mares fell asleep in each other’s grasp.

...

Rainbow Dash was in front of Rarity’s shop. Perfect, now she had no idea what she was doing here. The flashes took her to the most wonderful places where she couldn’t be any less useful!

Clearly Rainbow Dash in the future had thought ahead, and had written a message on her inside foreleg.

Get Rarity to design combat armour.

Okay, now that she had direction, she could get that done... she hoped. Rainbow Dash knocked on Rarity’s door.

“We’re open!” cried Rarity from inside, Rainbow Dash stepped inside. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique! How can I... oh, it’s you.”

“What do you want Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked in utter annoyance.

“I wanted to see if you would be interested in designing a suit of body armour for the Militia,” Rainbow Dash said.

“No. Now if you have nothing else you need, go away,” Rarity said plainly. “I have no interest in helping you or that bibliophilic bitch!”

Rainbow Dash’s blood boiled, how dare Rarity say that! She wanted to beat the ever living daylights out of her for saying that.

“Well at least that bitch is actually doing something productive, instead of hiding in here all day moping because her stupid sister died!” Rainbow shouted at her, instantly regretting saying that.

Rarity was festering with anger; she levitated a 10mm pistol out of her saddlebag and pointed it at Rainbow Dash. “Get. Out.”

...

Rainbow Dash returned to the Library, distraught and defeated. 

“That bad huh?” Twilight asked. “Don’t feel too bad, I pretty much figured that we wouldn’t get Rarity to go for it... As much as I wish we didn’t have to, we’ll probably just have to bring in someone from South Island... Rainbow? Are you all right?”

Rainbow sighed. “I don’t even know what we’re doing anymore Twilight, I don’t understand what these flashes are trying showing me! I want them to stop!”

Twilight trotted over to where Rainbow had taken her seat. “Hey! Don’t worry, it’ll be okay!”

“Funny. I was just telling you the same thing!” Rainbow Dash said with a smile, she leaned in and kissed Twilight gently. Felt appropriate, but she caught herself in surprise upon realise that she had never actually done it before. Twilight had kissed her several times before... but this was the other way around. Rainbow Dash had proclaimed several times over her life to her friends that she was not into mares, but now, after spending all this time with Twilight. She was starting to accept that the statement wasn’t true. She liked stallions too, she could like both. Right? Vinyl clearly did, why not her?

Clearly, she’d gotten Twilight excited; she pulled Rainbow Dash close to her. Both mares fell onto the floor, but that was quite all right. They didn’t have a much of a reason to get back up.

...

“Note to self. Floors are hard. Next time, restrain yourself long enough to get to a softer space.” Twilight said, giggling to herself. She and Rainbow had repositioned themselves to the sofa, and were lying down cuddling with each other.

“It’s nice, you know? Being able to forget about what’s wrong in the world... for just a little while,” Twilight said.

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. 

So awesome!

Rainbow Dash hadn’t felt happier in the longest time. She wanted this moment to last forever, just her and Twilight, lying here cuddling with each other until the sun burnt out and the world ended.

The world, however, unfortunately had other ideas. 

> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11

Well, this wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t the same time, but here Rainbow Dash was, lying with Twilight. The lavender unicorn had fallen asleep, pinning Rainbow’s inside leg to the bed. Not that she had been planning on going anywhere. Rainbow couldn’t help but notice that Twilight was incredibly adorable when she was asleep.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked sleepily, opening her eyes slowly.

“I didn’t wake you did I?” Rainbow Dash asked softly.

“No... No I woke myself up,” Twilight said, sitting up on the bed. “I think we need to talk, about us.”

“I’m all ears,” Rainbow Dash said, thinking that she knew where this was going.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together recently and... the more I’ve thought about it... I know that you’re not into mares but...”

Rainbow had heard enough, she smiled and pressed her hoof against Twilight’s mouth. “Say no more,” she leaned in and kissed the lavender unicorn.

Needless to say, there would be no sleeping the rest of this night either.

...

Several hours later, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were lying on their backs hoof-somehow-in-hoof. Looking at each other and smiling.

“I really hope Vinyl didn’t hear any of that,” Twilight said with a giggle.

“You’re going to be disappointed!” called the muted voice of Vinyl Scratch from several rooms away. “Really. Good. Ears.”

Rainbow and Twilight smirked at each other, happy to be truly together at last.

The sun came up and the three ponies joined each other for breakfast, of which Vinyl prepared. Vinyl did not say anything about the ponies’ behaviour last night, but she also refused to stop grinning at them.

“The two of you are adorable together, you know that right?” Vinyl eventually said. “I’ll have you know. I totally called this when we first met at the edge of Whitetail Wood.”

“I remember,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “I think we need to talk about what we’re going to do.”

Twilight nodded. “So far, we’ve done a lot of reacting, but not really any planning.”

Vinyl nodded. “I’m going to travel back to Manehattan and see if I can’t use Octavia’s broadcasting equipment to spy on the gryphons in the Hoofson Bay... I know a few tricks,” she said with a grin. “Now that winter’s over, I can get there lickety-split on my own.”

Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash frowned, Vinyl had just gotten back, and now here she was leaving again.

“I’ll be fine! I know how to take care of myself! Despite what you might think!” Vinyl said with a grin. “I never liked staying in once place too long anyway.”

“You can only run for so long Vinyl,” Twilight said simply.

“I know,” Vinyl said. “Trust me love, I know.”

...

Vinyl packed a few days previsions in a saddlebag and departed several hours later, giving her friends a wave goodbye. She took off at a good pace, intending to make it through the heavily out of the way Whitetail Wood (lest she walk through Everfree) in several hours before cutting across open countryside.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight gave their friend a wave goodbye back. Both of them a little saddened, a light that was ordinarily held by Pinkie Pie, but had been taken up by Vinyl Scratch had gone out. Now both ponies that were able to keep the mood light were gone.

Rainbow Dash was worried about Pinkie Pie, who knows what that pony was doing? She’d wandered into the Everfree forest several days ago, and nopony (or any of the four kangaroo residents of Ponyville) had seen her since.

Around the corner, came Derpy Hooves lugging a rather large and heavy looking package, the grey Pegasus struggled to fly with it, but eventually made it to the front of the Library, setting it down gently.

“Special... delivery for... Twilight Sparkle!” Derpy said between breaths.

Twilight looked at the package. She wasn’t expecting anything, and she took a look at the shipping address.

The box was stamped with thirty different customs stamps, apparently, whatever this package was had had a very long trip to get here. Twilight recognised a few of them, obviously, there was an Equestria stamp, but alongside it was one belonging to the Republic of Zhosa, which Twilight recognised as the Zebra homeland, another belonging to the Kingdom of United Welara. Which Twilight recognised from the book that Sergeant Tebbs had given her on their way back from the Hoofson Bay, of which she’d yet to have an opportunity to read. Another stamp with an alphabet that she didn’t recognise:

Казаки́ конфедерация
(Kazaki Konfederatsiya)

Another one label “Bundesrepublik Schäferhund," and finally, a stamp for the Commonwealth of South Island.

It was upon seeing the South Island stamp that Twilight got excited, she knew instantly what this was. She levitated it into the air and thanked Derpy for bringing it to her. There were some kangaroos who would be very interested in its contents.

...

“All right mates! Let’s fire her up!” Sergeant Tebbs called out. The kangaroo tank commander had spent the last hour installing the replacement parts the South Island Military had sent him.

Corporal McNair started the tank’s engine, it roared to life for the first time in months. “All right! Now we’re in business!” Tebbs called out.

The tank rolled a few metres down the road, moving out into the open countryside around town.

“Power to turret! Let’s put this thing through its paces!” Tebbs called out.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash had followed them out, watching as the tank rolled through the open field. They weren’t far from Fluttershy’s cottage, and the noise had cause the yellow Pegasus to exit her home to see what the commotion was. Fluttershy squeaked in fear of the metal monstrosity rolling past her house, but was calmed by Rainbow Dash and Twilight’s presence. The lavender unicorn waved Fluttershy over and the yellow Pegasus, reluctantly, went over to speak to them.

“Twilight? Rainbow? What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked.

“Kangaroos fixed their tank,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oh! My!” Fluttershy said. She’d never seen it up close before, on the count of it looking very scary.

The three ponies watched as the M3 Light Tank’s turret began moving, sighting in the field’s lone tree, which happened to be the one that Rainbow Dash had crashed into nearly a week before.

A flash of light from the tank’s gun barrel was seen, and the single tree exploded with a loud bang.

Fluttershy recoiled in fear. “How awful! Why would someone ever make something like that! That poor tree!”

The tank turned and began to drive towards the three ponies, the turret re-centring to a forward position. It stopped a few dozen metres from the three ponies and shut off.

The turret’s hatch popped open and Sergeant Tebbs popped his head out. “God I missed this! I was beginning to feel like I was leading an infantry section!”

“Glad you feel better; I suppose you’ll be leaving soon then?” Fluttershy said sarcastically, clasping her hooves over her mouth, she couldn’t believe she’d actually said that.

Tebbs eyes widened, and he swore loudly, causing Fluttershy to jump in surprise. “Our little simulated combat manoeuvre pretty much guaranteed that we won’t have enough fuel to make it back to regimental command... Not to mention that they probably moved it a couple times. We try to drive back to the Hoofson bay, we’re going to get stuck in the middle of gryphon territory, and worse, we’ll be a sitting duck.”

So much for fixing the tank, the Kangaroos were still stuck here.

“Vinyl Scratch left for Manehattan a few hours ago to go use her friends Radio equipment, if one of you leaves now, you could catch up with her before nightfall,” Twilight reported.

Tebbs nodded, he called Trooper Willoughby out from his spot in the tank, instructing him to catch up, he responded in the affirmative, and climbed out of the tank, hopping off at an impressive speed, he was certain to catch up to Vinyl in a few hours at best.

Tebbs slammed his fist on the tank’s turret in frustration, causing Fluttershy to jump again. “Take us back to the garage McNair!” he retreated into the confines of his tank, the engine started, as the three ponies watched as the M3 Light tank rolled off back into town.

The three ponies sighed for each their own various reasons. Rainbow Dash looked up at the now smouldering tree that she’d hit just after wrapping up winter. Good riddance!

That tree had caused her more trouble than it was worth. Her head began to split, clearly caused by her vivid memories of the tree.

...

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; she was hiding behind the ruined tree, the sole bit of cover in the entire field.

“I’m going to catch you!” a voice called out. Rainbow Dash peeked up from her cover, to her horror, Fluttershy was trotting through the field, wearing a Ponyville Pattern Sen Gun.

“You’re going to be mine! All mine! Forever!” Fluttershy called out.

Rainbow had ducked her head back down, she didn’t like where this was going.

“Gotcha!” Fluttershy leapt around the destroyed tree, training the Sen Gun right on her and biting down on the control yoke.

Click click!

Fluttershy let go of the yoke and gave a small pout. “Fluttershy! You silly filly! You forgot to reload!” She said to herself.

Rainbow got a good look at Fluttershy, and she did not like what she was looking at, Fluttershy’s eyes were very small and twitching sporadically.

“Could you do me a big favour and not run away while I go back inside and get more ammo? Pretty please?” Fluttershy said with an insane smile, followed by an adorably frightening squeaking noise.

“Uh... sure?” Rainbow Dash said, not knowing how else to respond.

“Oh thank you so much! I promise I won’t be gone long!” Fluttershy said, turning her back to Rainbow Dash and walking back to her cottage. Though cottage was no longer the word Rainbow Dash would use to describe it. Now it was more like a “hardened bunker.”

She waited for Fluttershy to enter her bunker and bolted at high speed. 

Thanks me! You always seem to put me in the best positions to wake up in!

Rainbow Dash didn’t stop running until she reached the edge of Ponyville, which was now surrounded by a large wall.

Rainbow Dash leapt into the air, sailing over the wall and into the relative safety of Ponyville.

“RAINBOW DASH!” Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs. Clearly, Fluttershy’s voice could carry when she tried. Rainbow then remembered that Fluttershy was still a Pegasus, and that she was not safe just being on the inside of the wall.

She took off running, hoping with every fibre of her being that Fluttershy would not follow her over the wall.

Figures, no such luck. Rainbow Dash looked back to see Fluttershy was flying after her. The insane pegasi reached out and took the control yoke in her mouth. No! She had clearly lost it, but she wasn’t really going to try shooting the Sen Gun while flying was she? Was she?

Once again, no such luck. She bit town on the control yoke, causing the Ponyville pattern to erupt in fire. True to Percy Tebbs word, the recoil was immense, and it sent Fluttershy spiralling out of control, Fluttershy had never been the best flyer to begin with, and she tumbled to the ground, landing hard on her left flank.

Well, at least this way, Fluttershy had probably broken the Sen Gun. Fluttershy got to her hooves and bit down on the control yoke. Rainbow Dash had no luck this day.

Both of the twin Sen Guns fired as if nothing happened to them. Fluttershy trotted forward, firing the Light Machine Guns at full automatic.

Fortunately, the yellow Pegasus was an incredibly poor shot, and the high rate of fire that the Sen afforded, used up the 30 round magazines very quickly. Fortunately for Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy had missed her completely.

“This isn’t over! You’ll be mine some day! Some day real soon!” Fluttershy called out, she leapt back into the air and flew back to her bunker.

Rainbow Dash sighed, and made her way back to Twilght’s Library. Oh what a story today was going to make for.

> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12

“Rainbow? Rainbow Dash! Wake up!” Twilight said, nudging and prodding the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes; Twilight had obviously carried her back to the Library, as she discovered this was where she was.

“Oh hey Twilight! I have the weirdest story to tell you,” Rainbow Dash began, but was interrupted by Twilight.

“I’m sorry Rainbow, I don’t mean to sound rude, but we really don’t have time for this right now. You need to see this,” Twilight said, opening the window curtains for Rainbow to look out. Night had fallen, but for some reason it didn’t look that dark, Rainbow realised quickly why. The Everfree forest was on fire. 

“Twilight! My first flash forward showed me the Everfree forest being on fire!” Rainbow Dash said.

“I know, Rainbow. I know, we don’t know what’s going to happen when it comes time for you to have the flash forward...” Twilight began,

“Yes we do! I saw it, come on we need to be outside!” Rainbow Dash said rushing out the door.

Twilight called after her, but it wasn’t helping. Rainbow had misunderstood her.

...

Rainbow Dash had run into the centre of town. She recognised being here from the flash forward, any second now, the Kangaroo tank was going to be rolling through, followed by Trixie, Derpy, the Doctor, and the cloud of Black Smoke.

Rainbow Dash tripped, skidding to a halt right where she was supposed to be.

She heard a low rumble behind her; she turned to see the kangaroo M3 Light Tank rolling through the streets. Quickly thinking, she rolled out of the way as it kept moving past her. Right on schedule.

Trixie, Derpy, and the Doctor followed soon afterwards.

“Run!” the Doctor shouted.

Run? From what? Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically, knowing full well.

Rainbow Dash heard a loud howling noise. Run from that.

Docka-docka-docka-docka-docka!

Wait a minute, that didn’t sound right.

Rainbow Dash passed a building before she felt somepony grab her and pull her into an alleyway, she struggled, trying to break free of whoever had grabbed her, but she soon discovered it to be none other than Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth, shushing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow obeyed, staying quiet. Well, at least that part was right.

A cloud of grey smoke darted past the alleyway.

Wait a minute, grey smoke? That was completely wrong!

Docka-docka-docka-docka-docka!

“Twilight? What is going on?” Rainbow Dash asked. “This isn’t happening how I remembered it!”

“It’s... not?” Twilight asked. “Oh no. That’s bad, Rainbow that is really bad! We’re not safe here we need to move!”

They heard another howl, and looked up.

Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka!

The Black Smoke dove from the rooftops, striking Rainbow Dash hard and sending her flying into the back of another building. Rainbow hit her head hard, and slid down onto the ground; she struggled to stay conscious as the Black Smoke came towards her.

Out of the smoke, the three siblings Nightmare materialised and stepped towards Rainbow, she tried to keep her eyes open, but it was becoming much harder.

“She’s in the Paragon’s hold,” Nightcaller said. “She shows the signs. Cleanse her.”

“Leave her alone!” Twilight called out, rushing over to where Rainbow had fallen. The siblings became smoke again, wrapping themselves around Rainbow and encasing her in the cloud of smoke. Rainbow lost consciousness.

...

Rainbow opened her eyes. There was blackness, endless black space. This was no night. It was an endless void.

“Who’s there!?” Rainbow Dash called out.

“Just us three.”

Rainbow turned to find the Siblings Nightmare standing, looking at her with their glowing amber eyes.

“What are you doing to me?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Saving your life,” Nightcaller said simply.

“I... wait what?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“The Paragon of Order has you in his grasp, he’s been sending you false visions of the future,” Nightsinger said.

“The Paragon of Order... isn’t that...?”

“The Alicorn, Overdrive? Yes. Yes it is.” Nightshadow said calmly.

“But, he’s dead!” Rainbow Dash called out.

Nightcaller chuckled softly. “Rainbow Dash, Order is a concept, an idea, a school of thought. Its paragon is the physical embodiment of it; he is no more killable than a thought, as long as some vestige of order in the universe, he remains alive... His body on the other hand was destroyed. He can no longer directly interact with the world; instead, he must manipulate others into doing his bidding.”

“Actually, considering the Paragon, nothing has really changed, has it?” Nightsinger mused.

“The grey smoke? Is that... him?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes. That’s a form he can take. He uses it to cheat the rules,” Nightshadow said. “Don’t ask about the rules. It’s against the rules.”

“Okay, fine. Answer me this then, why should I trust you? You certainly don’t have our best interests at heart anymore than the Paragon does,” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh Rainbow Dash, you’re misunderstanding, you cannot trust us anymore than you can the Paragon. We don’t want you to trust us,” Nightcaller said. “We want you to obey us!”

“And why should we ever obey somepony like you?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh you poor, disillusioned creature. You don’t even realise that you already do.”

...

The black smoke retreated from the shell it had formed around Rainbow Dash. It howled and ticked away from the scene.

Rainbow Dash was lost, confused and disoriented, she vomited.

Twilight rushed to her side. “Rainbow Dash? Are you okay? What did it do?”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t answer, she lost consciousness.

...

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, she looked outside, it was raining, and she was in Twilight’s bedroom, looking out the window. It was morning, and it was raining.

The rain had put the fires out. Smoke was billowing from the Everfree, but the fires were out. Rainbow Dash struggled to remember what had happened the night before, but it would not come to her.

Rainbow Dash noted that her head felt much better than it had since her original accident, it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her brain, and then she remembered that it pretty much had gone exactly that way. The Siblings Nightmare helped her.

No, not helped. They did what they had to so that they could use her another day. The ponies of Equestria were pawns to the Paragon of Order and the Herald of Chaos. Playthings that they could use for whatever agenda that they had, but Rainbow remembered what they had said last, that they already obeyed someone like them. What did they mean?

Rainbow dismissed it, the Siblings were liars, and it was their nature. Everything they said was suspect.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out as she entered the room.

“Hey Twi.”

“Rainbow, are you all right?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah egghead. I’ve never felt better!” Rainbow Dash said smiling.

Twilight smiled back. She had a feeling that things were going to be okay now.

...

Vinyl Scratch trotted along at a brisk pace, she hadn’t been sleeping nights, choosing to continue to walk even in the dark. It was making her great time, as she was nearly out of Whitetail Wood.

She heard someone approaching her from behind. She turned to look and smiled at the approacher.

“Well hey Ben! Howya doing?” Vinyl said grinning.

“Vinyl Scratch,” Trooper Willoughby said as he slowed down and began walking beside her. “Let’s make something perfectly clear. You do not call me Ben, Benny, Benji, or any other pet name you can think of for Benjamin. You will not call me Benjamin either, you will call me Willoughby.”

Vinyl sighed, “Oh come on! We’re friends aren’t we! Doesn’t that give me the right to call you by your name?”

Willoughby scowled. “My friends aren’t allowed to call me Benjamin, or Ben, or Benny, or anything but Willoughby.”

Vinyl frowned, giving Willoughby a pout, “tightwad.”

Willoughby merely rolled his eyes at her.

“So, what are you doing out here?” Vinyl asked him.

“Same thing as the last time, going to Manehattan to use the radio,” Willoughby said.

“Cool,” Vinyl said. “Well glad to have you on the walk, Benny.” 

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

The two of them heard a twig snap, followed by a rustle of leaves.

“You hear that?” Willoughby asked.

“Yep,” Vinyl said plainly.

They heard it again. Willoughby drew out his submachine gun, and an 11mm Magnum Revolver. “You know how to use one of these things by chance?”

Vinyl nodded. “I know how to do a lot of things.” She opened the breech, checking the ammo and snapped it shut, levitating it beside her head.

“Tell me something Vinyl Scratch... are there any Equestrian gift giving holidays any time soon?”

“Nope,” Vinyl said plainly.

“Your birthday?” Willoughby asked.

“Not for another ten months.”

“How about I just give you that because I like you?” Willoughby asked.

“I like me too,” Vinyl said with a grin. They heard the rustle again.

“I figured as much,” Willoughby said under his breath. “You ready for this?”

“Let’s rock and roll!” Vinyl said grinning like a madpony.

The party responsible for the rustling noise leapt out from the bushes, roaring loudly, the air filled with gunfire, and then in an instant, all became silent.