Doctor Whooves Episode 9: Triple Rainbowby Doctor PerseusChaptersPrologueThe Gailenean 1000Dark DoubleThe Dreamer, the Celebrity, and the KillerThe Rainbow FactoryEscape Here, Escape ThereThe Horrific TruthReturn of the RainboomThe Parting of the RainbowsPrologueDoctor Whooves: Episode 9 Triple Rainbow Prologue Performance Arena, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 992 C.E. "Go! Go! Go!" cheered the 9-year-old Rainbow Dash as a group of pegasi in costumes flew through the sky above the stadium. It was truly a sight to behold. Black smoke trailed behind them as Rainbow Dash tried her best to keep her eyes on them. She longed to be up there in the sky with them. Flying. Being free with the Wonderbolts. That was her goal. She was sure of it. A few moments later, the Wonderbolts descended towards a cloud platform in the center of the stadium. A microphone appeared and the leader of the group approached it. "Good afternoon, Cloudsdale!" said the leader. Cheers erupted through the stands. "I can see that you're all very excited to see us! Well, today is a very special day because today we are proud to admit two more young fliers into our ranks!" Two pegasi flew towards the platform and stood firm. One was a 17-year-old mare with dark yellow coat, a yellow-orange mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a fiery lightning bolt, and the other was a 16-year-old stallion with a light blue coat, a dark blue mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a lightning bolt with wings. "As leader of the Wonderbolts, I am proud to present the newest additions to the Wonderbolts: Spitfire and Soarin'!" The stadium erupted in applause again as Spitfire and Soarin' were dressed in a pair of new Wonderbolts outfits. "That's going to be me someday!" Rainbow said to herself as Spitfire and Soarin' took off with the other Wonderbolts. "I bet you'll be one of them one day," said a shy voice. Rainbow looked to see her classmate, Fluttershy, standing next to her. Rainbow blushed a bit. "Oh...you heard me say that?" "You were talking pretty loud." "Oh. Heh. I didn't see you as one to come to events like these, Fluttershy!" "I'd never been to a Wonderbolts show before so I decided to see what it was like." Rainbow and Fluttershy looked up and stared in awe as the Wonderbolts zoomed through the sky. "Do you really believe that I'll be one of them someday?" Rainbow asked. "My mother always says that as long as you believe in a dream, you can make it happen," Fluttershy replied. "Yeah...and I'm definitely going to make my dream happen!" The two fillies then turned back to the sky to continue watching the show. Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash shook out of her flashback as the TARDIS gave one final lurch. "There we go!" said the Doctor happily. "So where are we now?" Derpy asked with a big smile. "Who knows?! Out there is anywhere in the universe at anytime!" "I'm so excited!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced over to the doors. "Is something on your mind, Rainbow?" asked Applejack as she approached the pegasus. Rainbow figured that she must have been staring off into space and she shook her head kindly. "Nah! I'm good!" she replied as she followed Pinkie towards the door. The TARDIS had landed in the middle of a simple park. In fact, it almost looked exactly like the park from Ponyville. "Well at least it looks like we're back on our own planet," Twilight sighed. "Yeah but where exactly are we?" Spike asked. "And when are we?" Rarity asked. "I don't know! Isn't that exciting?!" the Doctor replied with a grin. "It's usually never good when you don't know something," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Well nopony knows everything. Not even the Doctor," said Fluttershy. "Too true. Too true. But why don't we just try to find out when and where we are?" said the Doctor. Suddenly, the tree leaves above them rustled as two figures flew through the limbs and landed on the ground just a few feet away. "Beat ya again!" said one of the figures, who had a familiar, cocky voice. "You don't have to rub it in! I know I'm not as fast as you!" said the other figure. "Do you think I stand a chance of winning the Gailenean 1000?" "Of course you do! You've won so many races by this point that this one should be just a piece of cake for you!" "I don't know, Gilda. I mean, Spitfire's racing too and I've yet to beat her in all the years I've been a member of-" The first figure stopped and turned towards the Doctor and the others. The second figure noticed them and fell silent. The two figures them emerged from the shadows. Rainbow could feel her jaw dropping like an iron. She first noticed that one of the figures was her ex-friend, Gilda the griffin. She then turned to the other figure and realized that it was herself! Everybody in the group fell silent. The Doctor cleared his throat before saying, "Well this is awkward." "This is the day isn't it?" Gilda asked as she turned towards the future Rainbow Dash. "Yes. Heh. It looks like winning the Gailenean 1000 is no longer my top priority," chuckled Rainbow Dash, age 38. The Gailenean 1000Chapter 1: The Gailenean 1000 Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The 19-year-old Rainbow Dash couldn't help but awkwardly stare at her older self. It was clear that she was going to go through a fair amount of changes between now and then. The future Rainbow had a longer mane, a somewhat taller and stronger structure, somewhat larger wings, and a mature and knowledgeable aura emanating from her. "I know how awkward this is," said Rainbow the elder to Rainbow the younger. "Trust me, I was in your hooves at one point." "Oh yeah!" replied Rainbow the younger with a smirk. "I guess you were." "What year is it?" Derpy asked. "1021. You're about nineteen years in the future." "The near future. That's a nice change," Twilight sighed. "So what are you doing with her exactly, Dashie Two?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rainbow the elder turned to Gilda and Gilda blushed as she stared at Rainbow the younger and Pinkie Pie. "I know this must look confusing to you two but Dash and I have made up," Gilda replied as she wrapped an arm around Rainbow the elder. "Made up? After everything that happened between us?" Rainbow the younger questioned. "It's a long story. I guess I should go ahead and apologize on both my behalf and the behalf of my past self. I'm sorry about being such an ass to you all back then. I promise you that I've changed." "I guess I don't have any place to argue since my future self has forgiven you." Rainbow the elder chuckled a bit but then her smile faded. "I've feared the arrival of this day for a long time," she said under her breath. "It looks like I'll have to face her a second time." "What was that?" Applejack asked. "Nothing! Just thinking out loud!" Applejack turned to Rainbow the younger and said, "You're a bad liar, Rainbow." "Why are you telling that to me? She's the one who's lying!" Rainbow the younger argued. "She is you!" "Oh yeah...I guess she is." "So what's this Gailenean 1000 that you were talking about?" Twilight asked. "Didn't John mention something like that just before we left?" Spike asked. "He did didn't he?" Rainbow the elder chuckled. "The Gailenean 1000 is a huge race that is held every three years." "I'm guessing that it starts after our time because I haven't heard of any race called the Gailenean 1000," said Twilight. "Correct as usual, egghead. Princess Luna and King Hornbeak started the race back in 1009. This is the fifth race and I'm going to win it!" "You seem pretty confident in yourself," said the Doctor. "Maybe a little too confident," Gilda added. Rainbow the elder glared at Gilda teasingly and the griffin simply looked away. "So where are we exactly?" Rarity asked. "We're in Feathersville. It's a small town in the Griffin Kingdom as well as the starting point for the race," Rainbow the elder replied. "The race starts here, stretches down to Baltimare (which is the midway point), and then ends in the capital of the Griffin Kingdom, Phoenix." "It sounds like a pretty difficult race," said Derpy. "It is. I've trained a long time and now I finally think I'm ready to beat it." "But there's more to the story, isn't there?" the Doctor inquired. "Yeah. It's my friend, Spitfire. She's in the race and I-" "Wait just a minute!" Rainbow the younger snapped. "Did you just say that your friend is Spitfire? As in the Spitfire?!" "Pretty much." Rainbow looked like she was about to explode in a mushroom cloud of happiness. "Take slow, deep breaths, Dashie," said Pinkie Pie as she led Rainbow the younger away to calm down. "I better go help," said Fluttershy as she trudged after them. "I remember when I used to be like that," Rainbow the elder said with a smile. The Doctor looked at the future Rainbow. He could tell that something else was bothering her aside from the Gailenean 1000. "Is there anything else you want to tell us?" he asked. "Not at the moment, Doctor." "Why don't we show you around town before you continue your trip?" Gilda suggested. "Sounds good! I've never been to the Griffin Kingdom. I can't believe it took me nineteen years to get here but better late than never!" said Twilight happily. "Gilda, why don't you give my past self and the others the grand tour? I've got to go meet with Scootaloo," Rainbow the elder said. Gilda nodded in return. "What's Scootaloo got to do with all this?" Rainbow the younger asked as she returned with Pinkie and Fluttershy. "She's my assistant." Before the present Rainbow could ask any questions, the future Rainbow spread her wings and took off into the sky. "Do I do that often?" asked Rainbow the younger. "Yes," replied everypony simultaneously. Starting Line, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Scootaloo was standing next to the starting line, writing down a series of notes for Rainbow Dash. The 26-year-old mare was anxious to give her boss the info so that she could go and try out the new club in town. "Ponyville really needs to get a club," Scootaloo said as she finished scribbling notes onto a piece of paper. A familiar rainbow streak shot through the sky and landed next to the brown pegasus. "How's it going, Scootaloo?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Just fine. I'm just finishing up my racetrack info guide for you. I'm marking down all the checkpoints and all of the recommended places to take a break." "You can take a break if you want to, Scootaloo." "I would like to take a break but I don't want to be lazy on the job, Rainbow Dash. When I'm working as your assistant, you come above everything else." "Still the same as you were when you were a filly." "Hey! Once a fan, always a fan!" "Cute." "Uh huh. Do you have something to tell me, boss?" "Actually, I do." "Well go ahead. I'm listening." "Remember when I told you about the time I traveled around with the Doctor and met my future self?" "Yeah." "Well today's that day." "Wait...so that means that the past selves of you, the Doctor, and the others are here?! Today?!" "That's pretty much what I'm saying." "But that means that...she'll be here soon." "I know that, Scootaloo. We better meet up with Gilda and the others. I don't think it would harm the timeline too much if I warned the Doctor about our little visitor in advance." "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rainbow Dash. Remember what the Doctor always says?" "Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. I know! I just want to make things go by a little bit easier for a change!" "Applejack tried to change something and look what happened there!" "That's different! Let's just go meet up with them anyway!" "Okay, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears on you!" "I wouldn't expect it to be any other way." Scootaloo giggled. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo then spread their wings and took off. As they flew off, they didn't notice the dimensional rift slowly opening next to the starting line. Dark DoubleChapter 2: Dark Double Long's Cafe, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Derpy was quick to consume the muffin that Gilda had bought her from the cafe. The others munched on their respective snacks at a much slower pace. The air was surprisingly cool for a day in the middle of summer and the town of Feathersville was much quieter than Ponyville (probably because it didn't have a Pinkie Pie-esque griffin of its own). "This town sure is peaceful," Twilight sighed as she took a sip of her iced tea. "Just you wait! The race starts a week from today and, give it a day or two, this place will be packed with ponies from all over the world!" said Gilda. "Question. How did you and my future self make up?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's a long story. Besides, I shouldn't spoil it for you." "What's wrong with a few spoilers?" "Ask the Doctor and he'll give you a five hour lecture about why historic spoilers are bad." Rainbow and Gilda turned to the Doctor, who was attempting to grab his Sonic Screwdriver with his hoof for a change. "They make holding objects with their hooves look easy! This is practically impossible!" the Doctor swore under his breath as the Screwdriver fell to the ground once again. "Do you need help with that?" Derpy asked as she proceeded to begin teaching the Doctor how to hold objects with his hoof. "I kind of expected to see more griffins around," said Spike. "This town has a fair amount of residents. Lunchtime wasn't that long ago so I guess they're all napping," said Gilda. "Excuse me," said a voice. Rainbow turned to see a male griffin standing a few feet away. "Are you Rainbow Dash?" "That would be me," Rainbow replied. "It's an honor to meet you! I was just wondering if I could get your autograph?" "You want my autograph?!" "Of course! It's not everyday that I get to meet one of the best fliers in the world!" "In...the...world?!" "This ain't gonna end well," Applejack whispered to Twilight. Rainbow happily signed an autograph for the griffin while also telling him the story of how she first performed the Sonic Rainboom. When the griffin left, Rainbow was practically oozing happiness. "Don't let the fame get to your head, Rainbow Dash," Twilight warned. "What? Since when have I ever let fame get to my head?" Rainbow asked. Everypony at the table raised an eyebrow except for the Doctor, who was pretty much left in the dark. "Right." "I knew I'd find you here!" said a cocky voice. Rainbow the elder and Scootaloo were approaching them. "You just can't get enough of this cafe, can you Gilda?" "What can I say? I'm in love with their desserts," Gilda replied as she shrugged her shoulders. Scootaloo approached Rainbow the younger and eyed her awkwardly. "This is too weird!" she said. "Tell me about it," said Rainbow the younger. She looked around towards Scootaloo's flank and noticed a cutie mark that consisted of a pair of dancing shoes. "It looks like you finally got your cutie mark." "Oh yeah. I remember those days when Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I used to be obsessed with finding our cutie marks. Fun times. Messy, but fun. I actually got this not too long after the whole Thalia fiasco." "You don't say!" Applejack exclaimed. "Doctor, can I speak with you?" Rainbow the elder asked. The Doctor nodded as he stood up. Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow the elder's foreleg but she pushed her away. She leaned in close to Scootaloo and whispered, "I just want to give him a fair warning." The Doctor and Rainbow the elder walked a few yards away from the group and came to rest under a giant tree. "I see Derpy's finally started training you to use your hooves," she chuckled. "I still don't understand how you ponies do it! It's physically impossible!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Listen, Doctor. I need to tell you something." "What is it?" "Something is on my mind, Doctor, and it has nothing to do with the Gailenean 1000 or anything like that." "I could tell that something was on your mind. Gilda and Scootaloo also seem a bit shaken up about something." Rainbow suddenly jumped as the town clock rang out to signal the arrival of one o'clock in the afternoon. "Oh no!" she gasped. "What's wrong?" the Doctor asked. Rainbow took off towards the cafe. The Doctor chased after her. "Rainbow Dash! What's going on?!" "She's here! She's here! But I can stop her this time! I will stop her!" Twilight and the others watched as the Doctor and Rainbow the elder raced past them. "What's wrong with them?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Something's wrong," said Fluttershy. "Mr. Long?!" Rainbow the elder called as she burst into the cafe. The Doctor was close behind her. "Who's Mr. Long?" the Doctor asked. "He's the chef that works here. Remember? You bought your snacks from him." "Well what's wrong with him?" That's when the Doctor and Rainbow the elder smelled something. It was a dark smell. A rustic smell. The smell...of blood. "No!" cried Rainbow as she ran around the counter. "Oh sweet Celestia! No!" The Doctor looked around the counter and couldn't believe his eyes. The griffin chef known as Mr. Long was lying on the floor. A butcher knife was implanted right in his chest. Blood was pouring out onto the floor from the many wounds in the griffin's body. Fortunately, he was still alive...but only just. At that moment, Scootaloo walked into the cafe. "Is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" she asked nervously. "Get the medics, Scootaloo!" Rainbow ordered. "She's here isn't she? This is the sign that you told me about, isn't it?" "Just go!" Scootaloo nodded and raced through the front door. "Rainbow Dash. Who did this?" the Doctor asked. Rainbow the elder looked up at the Doctor and said, "My evil twin." Feathersville Cemetery, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Blood dripped from her body. Her black cloak fluttered in the breeze. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her eyes were bulging and wide. A crooked smile was plastered on her face. She had enjoyed stabbing the griffin. She figured that those happy ponies outside the cafe needed some brutal excitement. She came to rest next to a particularly large gravestone. Her breaths were long and hard and her body shook with excitement. She loved doing what she had just done. She had already done it multiple times back in Cloudsdale. This town was too happy. This world was too perfect. She wanted to be back in the factory. She wanted to return to her work: making sure that all those failures were made useful. She looked at her hooves and slowly licked the blood from her hooves. She had missed that taste. She hadn't killed anypony in a long while since a lot of fillies had been good to pass the flying exams recently. She had never killed a griffin before. The taste of griffin blood was very different from the taste of pony blood. She liked the taste. "I should start using griffins in the factory now," said Rainbow Dash with a dark laugh. She tried her best to comb her matted mane but she gave up because combing one's mane with bloody hooves never brought around good results. She rolled over onto her back and looked up towards the canopy of leaves above her. Sunlight shone through the branches and covered the cemetery in a warm, green light. She didn't like it. She preferred the dark interior of the factory. She missed the grinding of the machines, the pleas of the little failures, and the laughs of her fellow coworkers. She missed it all. It was interesting though. How did she end up here in the first place? That's what she wanted to find out. Maybe she was brought here to start a factory in this new world. "This world needs a new Rainbow Dash. The one they already have looks way to carefree. She has a job to do. Either she takes responsibility for whatever needs to be done or I'll have to take her place. The latter would be a very fun process indeed." Rainbow Dash licked her lips as she thought about all the things she could do to her happier double. The double she despised. She had looked so happy, so friendly, so lazy, and so...undignified. "Pathetic." Suddenly, the sound of laughter broke the eerie silence. Rainbow looked over the gravestone to see two ponies, both in their late teens, walking through the cemetery. One was a unicorn mare and the other was an earth stallion. "You excited for the race?" asked the stallion. "As always!" chirped the mare. "Why are we passing through the cemetery again?" "I've heard that there's the gravestone of an old griffin war hero here. I wanted to see it." "Isn't that it over there?" The stallion pointed towards the gravestone that Rainbow Dash was hiding behind. They approached it and began reading the words engraved on it. The mare proceeded to take a few pictures of it. "This world needs a new rainbow factory," said Rainbow Dash with a smile as she pulled a small knife from her cloak pocket. She then jumped out from behind the gravestone, startling the couple. The mare screamed as she noticed the knife in Rainbow's hoof and the blood dripping from her body. "I think you two will be a nice place to start!" Rainbow smiled as she brought the knife down. The Dreamer, the Celebrity, and the KillerChapter 3: The Dreamer, the Celebrity, and the Killer Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Nighttime arrived quicker than anypony else had expected it to. Mr. Long had survived his attack and was being tended to at the local clinic. Rainbow Dash the elder, due to her celebrity status, had rented out the entire fifth floor of the inn for herself and her friends. Everypony was still shaken up about what had happened. "Okay, I want to know just what the hell happened earlier today!" Rainbow the younger snapped. She turned to her older self and snarled. "It would be nice if you'd tell us what's going on!" "I was about to but then I remembered the time and...I was too late," Rainbow the elder sighed. She looked at everypony and chuckled. "I can't tell you how weird this is for me." She pointed towards her younger self and laughed. "I mean, I remember being in your hooves at one point listening to my older self say what I'm saying right now! Ugh! I think I'm going to have a migraine!" "Wibbly wobbly timey wimey!" the Doctor chimed. He didn't even get a chuckle in return. "Too soon? Right. Too soon. Okay, let's cut to business. What's going on here?" "Make sure not to give away too much info, Rainbow Dash. You don't want to screw up the timeline in any way," Scootaloo warned. "Right. I know who attacked Mr. Long. Her name is...Rainbow Dash," said Rainbow the elder. Everypony looked at each other awkwardly. "Come again?" Applejack asked. "Let me rephrase that. Your Rainbow Dash didn't attack Mr. Long and I didn't attack him. The Rainbow Dash I'm talking about is a different one entirely." "Do you mean like a clone of sorts?" Twilight asked. "No. She's me but from another reality. A darker reality." "How did she get here?" Derpy asked. "Through a dimensional rift. She was probably in the middle performing a despicable act before the rift popped up and brought her to our dimension." "What does...this Rainbow Dash do?" Rainbow the younger asked. "She's a killer. That's all I want to say at this point. The rest of the details, what she does, I can't even begin to describe it!" "Things just got a whole lot stranger," said Spike. "And scarier," Fluttershy exclaimed. "Do you know where she is?" the Doctor asked. "No. But I know where we're going to meet her," Rainbow the elder replied. The future Rainbow Dash was beginning to look a little tense. Her eyes were darting all over the place. "Where is this other Rainbow Dash going to meet you?" Rarity asked. "In a house by the cemetery." "There's only one by the cemetery, right?" Gilda asked. "Then let's go find her and send her back to where she belongs!" said Scootaloo. "We won't have to find her. She's going to find us," said Rainbow the elder as she pointed at herself and Rainbow the younger. She was beginning to shake with fear. "Dashie Two, is there something that you're not telling us?" Pinkie Pie asked suddenly. "Yes...but, you know, spoilers." Suddenly, there were two bright flashes of light both Rainbow the elder and Rainbow the younger were gone. "Rainbow Dash!" the Doctor cried. "I'm really starting to hate spoilers," Twilight said with an annoyed tone. "Me too," Derpy gulped. "We better go find them. Something tells me that our third Rainbow Dash has something to do with this," said the Doctor. Old House, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the younger heard a horrifying scream as the white light disappeared. She was standing in a cage in the middle of a rundown living room. Her older self was standing right next to her, a look of horror was on her face. She looked ahead and felt her stomach flip. A cloaked figure was standing a few feet away. The figure was standing over the bloodied and shredded body of a unicorn mare. "Thank you, dearie. Your work is done," said the figure as they implanted the knife in the mare's back. The figure looked towards the two Rainbows and laughed. "I didn't expect two of you! This will just make things even more interesting!" The cloaked mare removed to hood and Rainbow Dash found herself staring into the eyes of a psychotic version of herself. The killer Rainbow laughed as she began to approach the cage. Rainbow the elder leaned towards Rainbow the younger's ear and whispered, "Whatever you do, don't go near the sofa." Rainbow the younger's eyes trailed off towards the sofa and then turned back towards the killer Rainbow Dash. "What do you want?!" Rainbow the younger asked. "This world needs a new Rainbow Dash. You don't live up to the responsibilities that you need to take care off," Rainbow the killer replied. "What are you talking about?!" "Tell me. What are rainbows made of in your world?" "Why the hell does that matter?!" "Just answer the damn question before I cut your head off." "A mixture of magical ingredients. Unicorn magic also helps out a bit." "Pathetic. Magical ingredients? Unicorn magic? Please! That'll never give you a perfect rainbow!" Rainbow the younger was afraid to ask but she did anyway. She asked, "Well...what do you think rainbows should be made of?" "It's simple really. The main ingredient for rainbows should be ponies." "What?!" "It makes perfect sense when you think about it. It's only within ponies that color, magic, and life come together. Throw a pony into the blender and you'll see some of the best rainbows ever created!" "You're sick!" "No. I'm just ahead of the curve. I haven't been in this world for an entire day yet but I now know why I'm here. I'm here to bring true rainbows to this world. You, little happy Rainbow Dash, shall be my apprentice." "No way! I'm not going to help you kill ponies and turn them into rainbows!" "I knew that you'd resist. That's why I'm going to punish you. Your future self shall be our first victim, Dashie." Rainbow the elder's eyes went wide. The memories of this night flooded back to her. She had wanted to avoid having her past self go through what she went through but she now realized that there was no choice. Rainbow the killer armed her knife as she moved towards the cage. "Forget what I said earlier! Jump for the sofa! I'll be fine! Before you go, I just want to say that I'm sorry about what you're about to see," Rainbow the elder whispered. Rainbow the younger turned and asked, "What are you-" The cage door flew open and Rainbow the elder flew straight into Rainbow the killer. The knife flew across the room and slid under the sofa. Rainbow the younger flew towards the sofa while Rainbow the elder and Rainbow the killer engaged in an aerial fight. Rainbow reached her hoof under the sofa, assuming that her older self wanted her to retrieve the knife. Suddenly, the air above her began to ripple like a pond and a foreign force began acting on her body. Something was pulling her away. Rainbow the elder punched Rainbow the killer and turned around just in time to see her younger self disappear into the dimensional rift. "Die!" cackled Rainbow the killer as she lunged at the future Rainbow Dash. Rainbow bucked her dark self straight in the face, breaking her nose. Rainbow the killer looked just in time to see the dimensional rift disappear. "Where is she?! Where is your younger self?! Where did she go?!" "She's gone and somewhat safe for now. I think I'd much rather end things a little bit more quickly this time," Rainbow the elder replied as she lunged at the killer. The dark Rainbow dodged the attack and flew out a nearby window. "Come back here!" Rainbow the elder watched as her younger, dark twin flew off into the night sky. Talon Road, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Twilight, Derpy, Pinkie Pie, and Scootaloo were walking down the road in silence. They had all split up into groups in order to find the two lost Rainbow Dash's as well as the killer Rainbow Dash. "I hope they're okay," said Pinkie Pie. "Come on, Pinkie! This is Rainbow Dash we're talking about! She can handle anything!" said Scootaloo. "Still, we better hurry," said Twilight. "Wait...what's that?" asked Derpy as she pointed towards a shadowy figure. Out of the shadows emerged Rainbow Dash. Her mane was matted, her nose was broken, there were a few cuts on her body, and she had several bruises on her chest. "Rainbow Dash!" The four mares gathered around their beaten friend. "What happened to you?!" Scootaloo asked. "The killer Rainbow Dash summoned us to this house and...ugh! My leg!" Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight wrapped an arm around her friend. "Come on, let's get you back to the inn!" she said. "Thank you, Twilight." As the mares helped Rainbow back to the inn, none of them noticed the small, sadistic smile form on her face. The Rainbow FactoryChapter 4: The Rainbow Factory Outskirts of Feathersville Cemetery, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the elder trudged along the dark road until the outlines of the Doctor, Fluttershy, and Gilda emerged from the darkness. She wanted to smile upon seeing them but she couldn't bring herself to do so. The thought of what her past self was witnessing was too much for her to bear at the moment. She had tried to forget the memories related to the reality she had visited oh so long about. But now...it was happening again. "You're okay!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Where's the other Rainbow Dash?" Gilda asked. "She's gone. She took off into the night. I know that we're going to come across her again pretty soon. We better head back to the others. I don't remember what my future self did, as in what I'm about to do, exactly but I do remember that the others are in danger as long as my dark twin is out," Rainbow replied. "We better get going then!" "Wait. Where's our Rainbow Dash?" the Doctor asked. "You, Twilight, and Derpy are going to need to take a trip in a little bit." "A trip? A trip to where?" "To the place where my past self is: an alternate reality." The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The 19-year-old Rainbow Dash groaned as the contractions on her body stopped. She was still unaware about what had just happened but she knew that she didn't like it. "I think I'm going to be sick," she groaned as she felt her stomach set back into place. She opened her eyes, expecting to find herself lying next to the sofa in the old house, and found herself lying on the floor inside a large, empty office. She slowly stood up and examined the office. It was pretty quaint. A large, wooden desk sat at the far end of the office. It was covered in pictures of herself as well as ponies that she didn't recognize. One particular picture caught her eye. It was a picture of herself standing next to a pegasus stallion who had a light yellow coat, a light blue mane, and a pair of sharp, dark blue eyes. In the picture, Rainbow Dash was dressed in a black cloak and the stallion was wearing a billowing, white lab coat. Rainbow approached the picture and examined it closely. Both she and the stallion were smiling but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was a sadistic, proud, evil smile. She didn't like the picture very much. She then turned towards the wall and noticed a black suit and cloak hanging from the wall. Next to it, there hung a rod. The rod was made of metal with a rubber cover extending over all of it except the end, which looked like the prongs from an electrical plug. Rainbow didn't really want to know what the rod was used for. "Where the hell am I?" Suddenly, the office door opened and in walked the stallion from the picture. "Ah! There you are, Rainbow Dash!" the stallion exclaimed as he approached her. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! The others have been very anxious to begin preparing the new batch of failures but we didn't want to start without you." "I think there's a mistake here. I don't know you." The stallion let out a crazy laugh before taking a few breaths to calm himself down. "Good one, Rainbow Dash! You not knowing me! Your second-in-command and head engineer, Dr. Atmosphere!" "That's a strange name." "Funny. I remember you saying that to me the first time we met. That was a great day for all of us. Well, now's not the time to take a trip down memory lane! It's time to get dressed and take care of those ingrates!" "I don't understand what's going on here!" "Ha! You're a riot today, Rainbow Dash! That's funny. Normally you're not one known for her sense of humor. You haven't been since you became in charge of the factory. I'll see you in the Spectra Room, okay?" Dr. Atmosphere left the room as he proceeded to whistle a happy tune. Rainbow turned towards the suit and rod. She carefully got dressed. It didn't feel right, the suit. It was tight and smelled like it had been lying in the emergency room at the hospital for hours on end. Rainbow then noticed that a black mask was hanging on a hook next to where the suit had been hanging. She finished clipping the cloak to her suit before placing the mask over her face. It didn't feel right either but she figured that it was all part of the expected uniform. She then grabbed the rod and made her way out of the office. Outside the office, there was a long, white hallway. She could hear the sounds of ponies talking emanating from behind some of the closed doors. She then noticed a sign that said Spectra Room This Way and an arrow next to it that pointed towards the left. Rainbow turned left and continued down the hallway. Rainbow continued to follow a series of signs directing her towards the Spectra Room. The hallways started becoming darker and more rustic. She didn't like the new hallways. By the time she reached the door leading into the Spectra Room, she felt as though she were walking into a haunted boiler room. Through the door was a balcony that overlooked a large room. The room was dark and rustic, like the hallways. Six large vats stood far below: each was filled with one Spectra color of the rainbow. Long tubes led down from the ceiling and towards the vats. The tubes appeared to extend from what looked like a jumbled mess of gears, clogs, and chains that was situated at the top of the room. Dr. Atmosphere and a series of suited ponies with rods were standing with her on the balcony while a large crowd of suited ponies were sitting in what appeared to be theater seats far below. Rainbow then noticed something that made her stomach turn. Below, in a far corner of the room, was a group of young pegasi. Some were so young that they didn't even have their cutie marks yet. They all looked like they were scared, confused, and sad. Some were even crying. A door below opened and a pair of suited ponies pushed a trio of young pegasi into the room. The door then slammed shut with a loud click. "Well?" Dr. Atmosphere asked as he turned towards Rainbow. "They're ready to hear your speech." "My speech?" Rainbow gulped. "Yes, your speech! The one you give to every new batch of failures when they arrive!" "I...I seem to have...forgotten it." "How could you have forgotten it?! You've said it nearly every day since you became the head of the factory!" "I think I'm just...out of it." "I guess I'll give it then. Though it won't be as powerful as when you give it." "Thank you?" Rainbow didn't know what to say. As Dr. Atmosphere prepared to speak, Rainbow got a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he was going to say. "Hello, you little ingrates! Our manager seems a little bit out of it at the moment so I shall be the one to tell you about what the rest of your life is going to include! By now, you've all probably figured out that your punishment for failing your flight exams has nothing to do with exile! You are in the Rainbow Factory! You will never leave the Rainbow Factory! You shall remain here for the rest of your days, which really doesn't consist of much time! You are all useless and unworthy to become a part of the greater pony community at large! But, you all do have some amount of usage! So, you're all going help create beautiful rainbows for all the ponies in Equestria to see! Doesn't that excite you?!" None of the colts or fillies down below looked particularly happy about what Dr. Atmosphere was telling them and Rainbow related with them completely. What was this place? The Rainbow Factory? This wasn't the Rainbow Factory! She had visited the Rainbow Factory multiple times during her foalhood and she had studied the process of rainbow making thoroughly when she had begun working as a weather pony, and there was no part in the making of rainbows that involved the slave labor of young ponies. Dr. Atmosphere continued. "I bet you all have your own little theories about what rainbows are made out of! Over a thousand years ago, Celestia was forced to hand down the job of rainbow making to us, the pegasi! At first we were forced to use artificial Spectra made by unicorns, but then we made a discovery! A brilliant and beautiful way to extract pure color pigment to use in the Spectra! The source of the pigment was, of course, live ponies!" Several of the colts and fillies gasped, a few screamed, and some began to cry even harder. Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was madness! "It is only in live ponies that true pigment resides! That's where all of you come into play! We decided to make everypony in this world useful, even the useless ones like you! This is your destiny! You shall all help make this world a better, and more beautiful place with your skin, blood, tears, and life! Let us begin!" The colts and fillies screamed as two suited ponies made their way over towards them. They grabbed a young filly and began dragging her off towards a series of chains that extended from the ground and up into the Spectra machine. "Angela!" cried a colt as he flew forward. One of the suited ponies proceeded to stun the young colt with a rod, which was revealed to be electrified. "I'll be okay, Davy! I'll be okay! It'll all be over soon!" Angela cried as tears rolled down her face. The suited ponies attached Angela to the chain pulley and gave the signal to pull her up, towards her death. Rainbow couldn't stand to watch this anymore. She had to act. She tore off her mask and screamed, "STOP!" Everypony in the room fell silent. Rainbow flew down towards the suited ponies surrounding Angela. "Ms. Dash?" asked one of the suited ponies. "What's wrong? Have we not attached her the right way?" Rainbow was angry. She jabbed her rod into the suited pony's side and screamed, "You sick bastard!" The pony fell down like a lump of coal. The other pony attempted to stop Rainbow but she managed to stun him too. Rainbow then quickly unchained Angela from the pulley. "What's the meaning of this, Rainbow Dash?!" asked Dr. Atmosphere as he flew down. He was accompanied by a group of suited ponies. "What's gotten into you? You've been doing this for years! You killed Scootaloo just last month after she failed you! I thought you loved this job!" "I'm not the Rainbow Dash that did those things!" Rainbow yelled as she pointed her rod at Dr. Atmosphere. This world was horrible. A world in which she was in charge of a factory designed to kill colts and fillies and turn their remains into Spectra. A world in which she had killed Scootaloo, all because she failed a stupid flight exam. This was it. This had to stop. "But I am still Rainbow Dash, and technically I'm the manager of this factory! As manager, I say that this ends here!" Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the killer eyed her friends with a dirty look. She despised having to pretend being her happier double but the satisfaction of playing her double's friends' feelings was enough to make her trudge through her act. She eyed Scootaloo with a deep hatred. This Scootaloo had gone on to grow mature and happy. There was a world where Scootaloo was still alive. Sure, it had kind of hurt Rainbow on the inside to kill the filly she had spent so long to train but, in the end, that same filly had failed her. Now, in this alternate timeline, it killed Rainbow the killer to see that her failed victim was alive and well and was her assistant no less! She had to die. She was sure about that. Twilight and Pinkie Pie helped Rainbow into the inn and up to the top floor with help from Derpy and Scootaloo. Nopony else had returned yet. "I wonder if the Doctor or the others have found the older Rainbow Dash yet," said Twilight. "You three can go out and check. I'll watch over your Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo. "Okay. Are you sure that you're okay, Rainbow Dash?" Derpy asked. "I'll be fine. However, I'll think I'll be sore for a little while," Rainbow replied with a forced laugh. "We'll be back soon," said Twilight. "Don't strain yourself too much, Dashie!" said Pinkie Pie. "Right! Be careful! That killer Rainbow Dash is still on the loose!" Scootaloo warned as Twilight, Derpy, and Pinkie headed downstairs. Rainbow the killer smiled gleefully in her mind. This was perfect. Now she could settle things. Scootaloo turned to face Rainbow and asked, "Do you need anything?" "Yeah. Do you have any...tea?" Rainbow replied. "Sure! Be back in a jiffy!" Scootaloo happily walked into the kitchen. Rainbow silently followed behind her. She peaked into the kitchen to see that Scootaloo was now busy preparing a pot of tea over the stove. A collection of knives was displayed in a holder on a counter right next to the door. Rainbow smiled as she took hold of one of the blades. Scootaloo began whistling her own version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme as she continued making the tea. Rainbow quietly snuck up behind her. The knife was raised and at the ready. Scootaloo was completely unaware that her life was in danger. Rainbow smiled at the thought of it. "Goodbye again, little failure," Rainbow whispered happily to herself as she brought the knife down, making sure to aim for the back of Scootaloo's neck. Escape Here, Escape ThereChapter 5: Escape Here, Escape There Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The knife was about to hit Scootaloo when Rainbow the killer suddenly felt a violent force knock into her. She had been so focused on killing Scootaloo that she hadn't noticed that the front door had opened. The knife flew out of Rainbow the killer's hoof as she found herself staring up into the angry eyes of her double's elder self. "Don't you dare lay a damn hoof on her, you murderer!" snapped Rainbow the elder. The two Rainbows then proceeded to begin punching each other as Scootaloo looked on in confusion. The Doctor entered the kitchen and was followed by Twilight, Derpy, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Gilda. Rainbow the killer pushed Rainbow the elder away and flew out a nearby window. "Come back here!" "I don't understand! What's going on?!" Scootaloo asked. "That wasn't my younger self, Scootaloo. That was the killer Rainbow Dash!" "Wait. Where's your past self then?" "She's in an alternate reality. The killer's reality." "What?!" Twilight and Derpy gasped. Rainbow the elder turned towards the group, making sure to look specifically at the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy. "You three must go and save my younger self. It's time that peace was finally brought to that world." "That's just it. It's practically impossible to travel through dimensions!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You've done it before." "Those were complete flukes! Accidents!" "Doctor, you've told me many times that the TARDIS is alive. It grows. It lives. It learns. Your TARDIS is learning how to worm its way between realities." "I knew this world was having special effects on my equipment but this is just-" "Trust me, Doctor. I'm the future version of your Rainbow Dash so I have a pretty good idea about what's going to happen." "What about killer Rainbow Dash?" Derpy asked. "I'll take care of her. It's been a long time since I saw her and I think it's time that I finished this once and for all." "How are we supposed to guide the TARDIS to the reality that our Rainbow Dash has ended up in?" Twilight asked. "Dimensional rifts always leave trails behind. Right, Doctor?" "That's correct," the Doctor replied with a smile as he began to piece everything together in his head. "Then go and let the TARDIS guide its way." "We'll help you deal with Wob Niar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pointed at herself and the others. "Wob Niar?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah! That's what I'm calling Dashie's nasty double!" "Fitting," said Scootaloo, whose heart was still beating fast from her near-death experience. Rainbow the elder turned towards the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy and said, "Go. My past self is waiting for you." The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy then ran out of the room and began making their way back to the TARDIS. "So what do we do now?" Gilda asked. "If I remember everything correctly, I believe Wob Niar is going to run into Applejack, Spike, and Rarity next." "We better get going then!" said Scootaloo. Rainbow the elder nodded and the group made their way out of the room and out of the inn. Rainbow's heart was beating. It was time to finish this. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The suited ponies were still confused by Rainbow Dash's outburst. Dr. Atmosphere seemed to be the most bewildered. "Rainbow Dash. Just put the rod down. You're not feeling well," the stallion stated. Rainbow didn't lower the rod. She kept it aimed at the ponies. She wasn't going to let the suffering continue. "Let these ponies go or I'm gonna fry your ass!" Rainbow snapped. She made sure to keep Angela held tightly behind her. "What's happened to you?" "Nothing. I'm the same as I've always been. Your Rainbow Dash is gone. You know, I take it that Celestia and Luna don't know about what's been going on here for the past 1000 years. I bet they'd both be interested in what I had to say about it." Several the suited pegasi seemed to shiver at the thought of what Celestia would do to them if she were to find out the secret behind the construction of rainbows. "You're not going to tell anypony, Rainbow Dash," Dr. Atmosphere said with a crooked smile. "You need help. We'll give you the help you need to relinquish you of your insanity." "I'm not the insane one here, Dr. Atmosphere. It's all of you! You're all insane!" "Take her." Two suited ponies began making their way towards Rainbow and Angela, but Rainbow was ready. She stunned one pony and kicked the other straight in the jaw. Rainbow then flew past Dr. Atmosphere and his guards, making sure to hold on tight to Angela. "FLY!" Rainbow ordered the colts and fillies. The young pegasi, realizing that they were being liberated, took to the air. The suited ponies charged for them. Rainbow managed to knock out a couple more ponies and made sure to steal their rods. She tossed the rods to a few colts and fillies, who proceeded to stun more ponies and steal more rods. Dr. Atmosphere was not pleased. "I don't know what's happened to you, Rainbow Dash. But you're not going to get those useless sacks of failure and Spectra out of here. I promise you that," he said with a smug grin. Rainbow had had enough to hear from Dr. Atmosphere. She flew down and jabbed the rod deep into his neck, making sure to turn the rod up to full blast. Dr. Atmosphere fell to the ground and proceeded to shake violently before passing out. By this point, all of the suited ponies in the room had been defeated with the combined effort of Rainbow Dash and the young pegasi. Angela flew over to Davy, who was revealed to be her younger brother. "Thank you," Angela said as she turned back towards Rainbow. "Don't thank me yet, kid. We've still got to get out of here," Rainbow said as she beckoned the pegasi to follow her up towards the balcony. The group of pegasi, which must have consisted of at least twenty children, followed after her. They began making their way through the rustic hallways of the factory. Rainbow tried to find her way back to the white hallways or at least find a window for them to escape from but, no matter many turns they made, they never came across anything of that nature. "There's got to be a way out of here!" Suddenly, a group of suited guards appeared and charged for them. Rainbow and the foals made quick work of the guards. They eventually found their way to a flight of stairs that led up into a long, white hallway. However, somepony was waiting for them. Rainbow couldn't believe her eyes. Standing just a few feet from the stairwell was Spitfire. Spitfire looked at Rainbow as she shook her head with disappointment. "To think, you were such a good manager. We were so proud of you, Dash. I guess, in the end, it was too much for you," Spitfire said. It hurt Rainbow to think that Spitfire, her hero, was also a part of this. But she then thought about how this wasn't her Spitfire. This was the killer Rainbow Dash's Spitfire. This was a Spitfire who was okay with the mass killing of young pegasi. This was a Spitfire that Rainbow wanted to stun. "There's no way out, Dash. Just give those failures up and come with us. We'll turn you back into the mare you were." A group of ponies began coming up the stairs and more suited ponies arrived to help Spitfire. Rainbow and the foals were trapped. "I'm not giving up. This ends here! Nopony is going to die in this factory ever again! Celestia's going to be the first to find out about this!" Rainbow snapped. "Good luck getting to her, let alone getting out of here." Spitfire laughed coldly as the suited ponies descended upon Rainbow and the foals. 12 Claw Lane, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. "Do ya think they've found them yet?" Applejack asked Spike and Rarity as they walked along the dark road. "I hope so," Spike replied. "I just hope that both Rainbow Dash's are okay." "One Rainbow Dash can handle anything. Two of them are unstoppable!" "Do you two want to head back to the inn to check up with the others?" Rarity asked. "That sounds like a good plan. Besides, It feels creepy being out here with a killer on the loose." "And a killer who's an alternate version of Rainbow, no less," Applejack sighed. Suddenly, something rustled in the nearby bushes. "Hello? Is anypony, there?" A dark figure emerged from the shadows. The trio backed up when they realized what they saw. Rainbow Dash was emerging from the bush with a bloody butcher knife in her mouth. She was covered in fresh blood and griffin feathers. "Oh Celestia!" Rarity gasped. Rainbow the killer laughed as she began approaching them, the knife held at the ready. The Horrific TruthChapter 6: The Horrific Truth Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy raced towards the TARDIS as the light of the full moon shone down upon them through the trees. The only other lights in the park were that of street lamps off in the distance and the light emanating from the TARDIS. The Doctor clapped his hooves and the doors flung open. "So how exactly are we going to travel to the reality that Rainbow Dash is in?" Twilight asked as she, the Doctor, and Derpy walked into the TARDIS. "You remember what her older self said! Just tell the TARDIS to follow the trail!" the Doctor replied. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" Derpy asked. "I have absolutely no idea!" The Doctor laughed as he began tweaking with the controls. The TARDIS began shaking slightly. "C'mon, girl! Just find the trail! Find the trail!" Several seconds of anxious silence passed before the TARDIS finally latched onto something. "Aha! There it is!" The TARDIS groaned and began to rock violently as it proceeded to begin following the proverbial break crumb trail that lead to where Rainbow Dash was. The ship lurched to the left and then to the right and then back to the left. Twilight and Derpy held on for their dear lives. Dimensional travel was certainly different from time or space travel. There were more holes to get through, more rules to break, and more obstacles in their path. "Hold on, you two! We're almost there! It's very difficult to transfer a ship through dimensional barriers! One wrong move and the walls will crush us!" the Doctor said. "That's good to hear!" Twilight replied as she held onto one side of the control console. The TARDIS slowly began to revert to its normal vibrations and sound emissions. "There we go! She's learning! The TARDIS is learning!" The TARDIS gave out one last, gigantic groan as it weaved itself through the dimensional walls. 12 Claw Lane, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow the killer lunged for Applejack first. Applejack dodged the knife attack and kicked the killer in the side. Rainbow recovered from the kick quickly and sliced at Applejack again. The knife managed to make a clean cut in her cheek. A small stream of blood began rolling down Applejack's face. Spike blew fire at the killer but she took to the air. Rarity levitated a nearby chair and chucked it at her. Rainbow casually dodged the attack and readied her knife again. She flew towards them at lightning speed. They jumped to the side but Rarity wasn't fast enough. Rarity's heart jumped as she felt the knife go into her chest. Rainbow pulled the knife out and Rarity fell to the ground, blood oozing from the wound in her chest. Rainbow prepared to bring the knife down again but Spike sent a blast of fire at her. The fire singed her tail. "You little brat!" Rainbow the killer screamed as she turned around and charged for Spike. Applejack stepped in between her and Spike. Applejack dodged the knife attacks as she began punching at Rainbow. Rainbow laughed as she dodged the attacks. "You've got some fight in you! Good. I like that." Rainbow licked her lips in a seductive manner. Spike tried to rush over to Rarity's aid but Rainbow proceeded to kick him. Spike flew off into the bushes and landed hard on his stomach. When he looked up, he nearly lost his dinner. Lying on the ground just a few feet from him was the mutilated body of a female griffin. Spike wanted to puke but he turned away from the corpse and ran back to help Rarity. Spike emerged from the bushes just in time to see Applejack land a successful punch in dark Rainbow's jaw. The killer growled and thrust the knife at Applejack's leg. The knife made a swift cut in her leg but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Spike turned towards Rarity. The white unicorn was beginning to lose consciousness. "No," Spike breathed as he ran for her. Rainbow then shoved Applejack aside and ran for Spike. "Oh no you don't!" she cackled as she flew towards him. Rainbow was about to reach him when a cyan blur intercepted her. It was the elder Rainbow Dash. "Not you again!" "Leave my friends alone! This is between you and me!" Rainbow the elder snapped. The killer tried to stab the elder Rainbow with the knife but Rainbow the elder managed to knock the knife down towards the ground. The dark Rainbow began pulling elder Rainbow towards the ground. Elder Rainbow intercepted this move and began trying to subdue her. "Ready to give in yet?!" "Ha! I'm only just getting warmed up!" Dark Rainbow then jabbed elder Rainbow in the neck, stunning her temporarily. The killer broke free and flew towards the others. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were trying their best to cover Rarity's wound. Scootaloo placed Rarity on her back and began walking away. "Scootaloo! Look out!" Applejack warned. Scootaloo looked to see the dark Rainbow flying at her. Scootaloo tried to flee but a pair of strong forelegs wrapped around her. Rarity fell to the ground as Rainbow began wrapping her hooves around Scootaloo's neck. "Die already, you little twerp!" Rainbow the killer snapped sadistically. Scootaloo fought back but found that the dark Rainbow was much stronger than she was. Rainbow the elder and Gilda flew at the killer but dark Rainbow managed to dodge their attacks while continuing to strangle Scootaloo. Gilda flew back and managed to nick the dark Rainbow in the side. Scootaloo fell to the ground and was caught by Pinkie Pie. Dark Rainbow flew towards the ground and grabbed the knife she had dropped earlier. "Come at me then!" Rainbow the elder flew towards Rainbow the killer. Dark Rainbow aimed her blade and flew towards the elder Rainbow Dash. Elder Rainbow knew this attack would not work in terms of winning the fight but she knew that this is what she had to do in order to have the events play out like they should. At the last second, elder Rainbow dodged the attack. The knife, however, managed to embed itself in one of her wings. Rainbow fell to the ground with a loud thud. Killer Rainbow flew towards her to make her final strike. That's when a yellow blur flew out of nowhere and intercepted the dark Rainbow. "Fluttershy!" Spike cried. Fluttershy and Rainbow the killer became enthralled in an aerial struggle. "I've had enough of you!" Fluttershy snapped as she continued to push the dark Rainbow away from her friends. Dark Rainbow could only laugh at Fluttershy's attempts to stop her. "You were always weak, Fluttershy. Weak in my world and weak in this one. I guess some things never change," dark Rainbow taunted. Tears were rolling down Fluttershy's face but they were more along the lines of tears of anger rather than tears of fright or sadness. Suddenly, the air behind dark Rainbow began to ripple in an odd way. Fluttershy knew what this meant. "You're not going to hurt anypony anymore!" Fluttershy then shoved dark Rainbow towards the dimensional rift. However, Rainbow the killer managed to grab onto Fluttershy's tail at the last second. Fluttershy tried to fly away but dark Rainbow was too strong. The two pegasi disappeared into the rift just as it closed. "FLUTTERSHY!" cried Applejack and Pinkie Pie. "Don't worry," Rainbow groaned as she lifted herself up, the knife still embedded in her wing. "Fluttershy's fine. She'll be back in a few days." "A few days? What in Equestria do you mean by that?!" Spike asked. "Trust me. I explain it all to you later. Right now I think a few of us need to see a doctor." Gilda helped lift up the injured Rarity as Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie helped balance Rainbow the elder. Spike aided Applejack a little bit. The group then walked off down the dark road towards the clinic, relieved in the thought that the worst was over...for them. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The suited ponies were advancing quickly. Rainbow and the foals aimed their rods. She wasn't going to let them be taken back down there. She was going to fight to the very last breath. Suddenly, the entire factory shook violently. Everypony, including Spitfire and the suited ponies, froze. The factory shook again. "What the hell is that?" Spitfire snapped. The factory shook again as a strange sound began emanating throughout the hallway. Rainbow knew that sound. It was a sound she had heard all too many times by this point. It was the sound of the TARDIS. A few feet away a large blue box began materializing out of thin air. "Unbelievable!" Rainbow exclaimed with a smile as the TARDIS fully materialized. The doors flung open and out stumbled a somewhat dizzy Doctor. "Well that was certainly a ride to remember!" he exclaimed. Twilight and Derpy stumbled out after him. "I hope the next journey is a smoother one!" Derpy said. "Me too," Twilight added. The trio then noticed Rainbow, the foals, and the suited ponies. "There you are, Rainbow Dash! Sorry if we're a little bit late!" said the Doctor as he walked forward. "Who the hell are you?!" Spitfire snapped. "I'm the Doctor and I'm here to take Rainbow Dash back home if you don't mind." The Doctor saw Rainbow mouth and the foals too to him. "And the foals too!" "She is home, Doctor. This is where she belongs. This is where all these failures belong. They're not leaving here," Spitfire replied coldly. "I'm sorry to say this but I'm not leaving here without them." "Then you will remain here also! Take the Doctor and his companions!" The suited ponies began charging for the Doctor. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, gripping it perfectly with his hoof, and aimed it at the rods. The electrical rods malfunctioned and proceeded to electrocute their users. "Yes! I finally figured out how to use my hooves!" the Doctor cheered. "Well done, Doctor!" Derpy said happily. "Can we celebrate later?!" Rainbow asked as she ran for the TARDIS, the foals following close behind her. "Get them! Catch them all! Kill them all! Leave Rainbow Dash alive! She needs to be reverted!" Spitfire ordered as she and the suited ponies charged for them. "Into the TARDIS we go!" said Twilight as she directed all of the foals into the TARDIS. The Doctor was the last one to slip into the TARDIS. "COME BACK HERE!" "Catch ya later! Have fun in prison you sad, strange, little ponies!" the Doctor responded with a smug look as he closed the TARDIS doors behind him, making sure to lock them. The foals looked in awe at the interior of the TARDIS. Angela looked around and said, "It's...it's-" "Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside," the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow said together. Banging sounds then began emanating from outside the TARDIS. The foals began to shiver and whimper. "Don't worry, children! Those nasty ponies aren't getting in through those doors!" the Doctor said as he began tweaking with the controls. "So, Rainbow, where off to now?" "Celestia! She and Luna need to know about what really goes on inside the Rainbow Factory!" replied Rainbow Dash. "To Canterlot Castle we go! Allons-y!" Canterlot Castle, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sitting quietly in their thrones when a mysterious sound began reverberating throughout the room. "My sister, what is that?" Luna asked. "I have no clue, Luna. The sound seems to be coming from nowhere!" Celestia replied. Suddenly, a strange, blue box appeared right in front of the thrones. The guards readied their weapons. The doors opened and out walked the Doctor. "Ah! Celestia! Luna! How nice to see you again!" the Doctor exclaimed as he stumbled out. "Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" "Oh, right. Different reality, different timeline. I guess I'm not in this reality. Well I am now but I wasn't originally." "Will you stop this babble and explain to us who you are and why you are here?" Luna snapped. "I'm the Doctor and this is why I am here, your majesties." The Doctor pointed towards the TARDIS as twenty sad and frightened foals stumbled out through the doors. Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow followed them out. "These children. They look so...scarred," said Celestia. "That's because they are, your majesty," said Twilight as she stepped forward. "Twilight, my student, what is going on?" "It's a long and complicated story but the main point is that you need to shut down the Rainbow Factory in Cloudsdale at once!" "Why?" Luna asked. "Your majesties, do you know what the main ingredient of a rainbow is?" Rainbow asked as she pulled herself out of the uncomfortable Rainbow Factory uniform. "I assume that it's a mixture of special chemicals and unicorn magic." "You're wrong. A thousand years ago, after Princess Celestia handed the task of making rainbows to the pegasi, the pegasi found a different and more cruel way to make rainbows." "And that was?" Celestia asked. "They killed young pegasi who failed their flight exams and extracted the color pigment from their bodies to use in the Spectra." Celestia and Luna were silent. They couldn't believe what they were hearing...and yet the evidence was overwhelming. They looked at the foals to see that they were all nodding in agreement to what Rainbow Dash was saying. "This...can't be," Celestia said. "But it is, your majesty. I saw the inside of that factory with my own two eyes. Ask any of these foals, if not all of them, and they'll tell you the same story. Go to the factory and you'll see what I saw." "But how could we have not known this?!" Luna asked. "The rainbow makers are very good at keeping secrets." "I suggest heading to Cloudsdale at once. The ponies might already be trying to escape because they know that their secret's out now," said the Doctor. "My sister, I know this is a horrific tale to believe but I fear that they are right," said Luna. Tears were rolling down Celestia's face. Twilight could only imagine what this Celestia was feeling. Her own subjects had been killing colts and fillies on a day-to-day basis for over a thousand years and she had yet to discover that fact. It must truly be a horrible feeling. "Luna, round up the guards. We're going to Cloudsdale," Celestia said. Luna nodded and teleported away. "Children, be afraid no longer. You will be returned to your respective families shortly." The children began to cry with happiness. The horror was over. Angela and Davy walked up and hugged Rainbow Dash. "You saved us!" Angela exclaimed. "We helped too so where's our hugs?" Derpy whispered to the Doctor with a grin. The Doctor chuckled as the foals were led away by the guards. "You were brave, Rainbow Dash. To infiltrate that factory and weed out its darkest secrets. You did what I was too stubborn and oblivious to do. Thank you," said Celestia. "Your majesty, there's one last thing you need to know before we leave," said Rainbow Dash. "Leave? Where are you going?" "The four of us: the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, and I, we're not from this reality." "What are you saying?" "We're from an alternate reality, Princess. We're from a reality where rainbows really are made of chemicals and magic and there is no need for the sacrificing of young lives," the Doctor explained. "The Rainbow Dash that's standing here right now is from that reality. The Rainbow Dash from this reality, your reality, is...well-" "She's the manager of the Rainbow Factory. She's been in charge of this operation for several years," Rainbow finished. Celestia was even more in shock. She looked down in sorrow. "I just...can't believe it," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. The broken heart of the Princess was enough to make Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow teary-eyed. The Doctor didn't cry but his face was frozen in a somber state. "Where...where is the Rainbow Dash from my reality?" "She's back in our reality causing trouble for our friends. Don't worry, Princess. We'll make sure that she's returned to this reality so that she receives the justice she deserves!" Twilight exclaimed. "That's a promise!" Derpy stated. Celestia was refusing to look up. The pain was too much at the moment. "I guess we'll be going then," Rainbow said awkwardly as she began walking back towards the TARDIS. She walked back into the ship and was followed by Twilight and Derpy. "I'm sorry, Celestia. I am so, so sorry," said the Doctor as he began walking back towards the TARDIS. "Doctor!" said Celestia suddenly. The Doctor looked back to see Celestia's saddened and teary face looking back at him. "Before you go, can you promise me something?" "Anything." "Make sure my other self, your Celestia, remains happy. Make sure she never has to experience the pain that I've just gone through." "We all experience different types of pain, Celestia. I can't promise that I can stop her from feeling every type of pain...but I promise that I'll make sure that she never goes through the pain that you've been forced to endure. I can promise you that, at least." "Thank you, Doctor." "Goodbye, Celestia. I wish you all the luck in the universe." And with that, Celestia lowered her head to continue her silent crying. The Doctor turned away and walked back into the TARDIS. Celestia kept looking down as the TARDIS disappeared into thin air. Return of the RainboomChapter 7: Return of the Rainboom Starting Line, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 988 C.E. The Doctor groaned as he directed the TARDIS back to Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow Dash's reality. The trip wasn't as bumpy as the previous one but it still had its rocky moments. "Hold on! We're landing!" said the Doctor as the TARDIS came to a rough halt. Twilight fell to the ground while Derpy and Rainbow managed to keep their balance. "You alright, egghead?" Rainbow teased as she helped Twilight up. "I've been better," Twilight replied. "So are we back?" Derpy asked. "We're definitely back in your reality. As in what time we're in...I'm not sure," the Doctor replied. "Well that's reassuring," said Twilight with a snarky tone. The four ponies approached the doors. The Doctor opened them and gave a confused look. "Interesting. It's all white and fluffy outside." "White and fluffy?" Derpy asked as the Doctor began walking forward. The three mares turned to each other and then turned back to the Doctor. "DON'T GO OUT!" they all shouted. "Why?" the Doctor asked. The mares looked to see that the Doctor was standing normally on the other side of the doors. The three mares exited the TARDIS to find themselves standing on a cloud. "How are you doing that?" Twilight asked. She then looked down at her own hooves and asked, "How am I doing that?" "Doing what?" "Standing on a cloud! Only pegasi can stand on clouds! Earth ponies and unicorns would normally fall right through!" Rainbow replied. "So we're on a cloud? Huh. That's interesting." "Maybe it's the TARDIS. That ship seems to have weird effects on us," said Derpy. "That's true. Did I tell you that, once you've been inside the TARDIS, you can understand any language spoken to you and anypony who speaks a foreign language will understand you perfectly?" "No. You forgot to mention that particular detail," Twilight replied. "Well you know now and that's what matters!" "So where are we anyway?" "This kind of looks familiar," said Derpy. "Yeah. It does," Rainbow added. The two mares looked off in the distance and realized that a series of buildings constructed from clouds were sitting off in the distance. "Cloudsdale!" "What?" the Doctor asked. "Cloudsdale! It's my hometown!" "Did you grow up here too, Derpy?" Twilight asked. "Nah. I've only visited this place. I grew up in the country," Derpy replied. The Doctor could tell that there was more to the story than that but he decided that that was a story for another day. "So what's the year? Are we back in 1021? Are we in 1002?" "I'm not sure." Suddenly, a series of shouts began emanating from a little ways off. "I wonder what's going on," said Rainbow as she followed the voices. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy followed her. The came to halt a few feet away from a small cloud playground. Rainbow's eyes grew wide. Standing a few yards away was a 5-year-old version of herself defending a 5-year-old Fluttershy from a trio of bullies. "We're definitely not in 1021 or 1002," said Twilight. "When are we then?" asked the Doctor. "This...this is the day I got my cutie mark. We're in 988," Rainbow replied. "Quite a ways off from where our friends our," said Derpy with a smile. The young Rainbow flew off with the bullies and Fluttershy. "Where are you going?" the Doctor asked. "We're off to go have a race. The race in which I performed the Sonic Rainboom for the first time!" Rainbow replied. "We better head back to the TARDIS." "Why?" Twilight asked. "I can feel that this is a pivotal moment in time. We best not mess with it." "Good idea. Let's go," said Derpy. The four ponies began making their way back to the TARDIS. They were almost there when they noticed something odd: an area of air that was rippling like a pond. "Doctor, is that a-" "A dimensional rift? Yes," the Doctor replied. "What's with those things?! They keep popping up all over the place!" Twilight exclaimed. "I don't know. I'm just as clueless about them as I was back on the Queen Philippine." That's when two figures popped out of the rift. The rift disappeared a few seconds later. One of the figures was a 19-year-old Fluttershy, the present one, and the other figure was a Rainbow Dash covered in blood and leftover griffin feathers. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed. Fluttershy saw Rainbow and ran towards her. "You're okay! Me and the others were so worried!" she exclaimed. Everypony then turned their attention back towards the killer Rainbow Dash. "You!" snarled the dark Rainbow. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Twilight sighed. Dark Rainbow lunged at them. Rainbow flung herself at her dark double. The two Rainbows collided and began flying up into the air. "I've had it up to here with you!" Rainbow snapped. "The feeling is mutual!" Dark Rainbow replied as she bit down on Rainbow's neck. The Doctor looked back just in time to see the younger Rainbow Dash and the bullies taking off, as well as the young Fluttershy falling towards the ground far below. "I hate to be the bringer of more bad news but, Fluttershy, your younger self is falling!" the Doctor exclaimed. Fluttershy looked over the cloud edge and, upon putting all of the pieces together, smiled. "Don't worry, Doctor. The butterflies will save me," she said. "The butterflies?" "I'll tell you later." A sickening crack rang throughout the air. Rainbow had just unintentionally broken one of Dark Rainbow's wings. "You'll pay for that!" Dark Rainbow snarled as she attempted to choke Rainbow. Derpy and Fluttershy flew up to try and help Rainbow. Derpy grabbed onto Dark Rainbow's good wing and began pulling her away. "Get off of me!" Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the air as a shower of rainbow colors expanded through the sky. The shock wave sent the four pegasi tumbling back to the cloud's surface. Both the Doctor and Twilight noticed that the rainbow explosion had caused the dimensional rift to open temporarily. "I got this!" Twilight said as she ran forward. Dark Rainbow was beginning to press the air out of Rainbow's lungs. "Hey!" Dark Rainbow turned towards Twilight. "I think it's time that you went home!" A blast of purple magic shot out of Twilight's horn and smashed into Dark Rainbow. Dark Rainbow screamed with pain as she flew back and through the dimensional rift. The rift closed a few seconds later. "Thanks...Twilight," Rainbow breathed. "It was no problem!" "So where has she gone now?" Derpy asked. "My guess is that she's either gone back to her reality or to another point in time in this reality," the Doctor replied. "Let's hope for the former," said Twilight. "Good idea," said Fluttershy. The five ponies looked up to see the 5-year-old Rainbow Dash racing through the sky with a rainbow trail behind her. Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. "I guess that this is a special day for all three of you," said the Doctor. "It is," said Rainbow. "Not only us. It's a special day for Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity too!" said Twilight. "We better get back to 1021! Dark Rainbow stabbed Rarity, injured Applejack, and stabbed one of future Rainbow Dash's wings!" said Fluttershy. "WHAT?!" asked Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow together. "Then let's not waste any time and get back to 1021 already!" said the Doctor as he walked through the TARDIS doors. The four mares followed quickly, making sure to shut the doors behind them. 5-year-old Rainbow Dash continued the fly through the sky as the TARDIS slowly disappeared. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. Rainbow Dash the killer groaned with pain as she tumbled out of the dimensional rift. She saw that she was back inside of her office. "Damn that other Rainbow Dash! I'll get her and her friends one day! There's more blood to be spilt!" she snapped. Suddenly, the door to the office flung open. Rainbow's heart stopped as she saw Princess Luna walking towards her. She was followed by a group of Canterlot guards, who had Dr. Atmosphere and Spitfire chained up. "Rainbow Dash! You are under arrest for the murders of countless young pegasi!" she announced. Rainbow could hardly resist arrest due to her injuries. As the guards dragged Rainbow away, all she could say was, "She's gonna pay. She's gonna pay. She's gonna pay." The Parting of the RainbowsChapter 8: The Parting of the Rainbows Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy couldn't help but sigh as the TARDIS gave one final lurch to the right. "Now are you absolutely positive that we've made it back to the correct time?" Twilight asked. "I'm positive this time! I'll probably have to try more dimensional travel in the future so that the TARDIS can hone in her new abilities," the Doctor replied. The five ponies then made their way out of the TARDIS. They were surprised to find that it was daytime outside. "Well it looks like you didn't come back at the exact moment we left," said Derpy. "Okay. Maybe we're just a few hours off." "Not quite," said a familiar voice. They turned to see the elder Rainbow Dash walking towards them. She was accompanied by Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Gilda, and Scootaloo. "Rarity! Applejack! You're all okay!" Fluttershy said happily. "How did you heal from your injuries so quickly?" "Well y'all gave us enough time to heal," Applejack said with a smirk. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "The night you left when the evil Rainbow Dash attacked us happened nearly a week ago," said Rarity. "We were nearly an entire week off?!" Rainbow the younger gasped. Twilight, Derpy, Rainbow, and Fluttershy turned back towards the Doctor. "Will it make you four feel better if I apologize?" the Doctor asked. "Rainbow Dash. We don't have much time," said Scootaloo to the elder Rainbow Dash. "I know," said Rainbow the elder. "What's going on?" Derpy asked. "The Gailenean 1000 starts today. Dash has to be at the starting line in less than an hour," Gilda replied. "Can I stay and watch?!" Rainbow the younger asked as her eyes grew wide. "You'll see the outcome of this race someday, little Rainbow, but not today," replied Rainbow the elder. "But why?" "I think you know why." Rainbow the younger sighed as she nodded her head. "So it's time to head off again?" Twilight asked. "I guess so," said the Doctor as he shrugged his shoulders. Spike ran forward and gave Twilight a big hug. "I hope you're not going to start a habit of making me wait a long time for you to return," he said with a smile. "I'll try not to make a habit of it," Twilight replied. "So where to next?!" asked an excited Pinkie Pie. "Anywhere at anytime!" said the Doctor. Pinkie jumped forward and gave the Doctor one of her bone-breaking hugs. "Pinkie! I can't breath!" "Oops! Sorry, Doctor!" Pinkie let go of the Doctor and bounced back into the TARDIS. Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy walked in after her. "Goodbye then!" said Fluttershy as she walked back into the TARDIS. "Can we please try to avoid trouble at our next stop, Doctor?" Rarity asked. "I'll try my best," the Doctor replied with a chuckle. Derpy and Rarity walked back into the TARDIS together. "I guess this is goodbye then," said Rainbow the younger as she looked at her older self, Scootaloo, and Gilda. "For now, yes," replied Rainbow the elder. "Remember. You'll be in my hooves at one point." "Yay. I get to go through all of this again." "That's exactly how I felt." The two Rainbows approached each other and shook hooves. Rainbow then hugged Scootaloo and Gilda. "I guess I'll be seeing you two pretty soon," said Rainbow the younger as she backed away. "You know it!" Gilda replied with a wink. "I'll be waiting for your job invite!" said Scootaloo. "I'm glad that you have a good life in the future, Rainbow," said Applejack as she looked between Rainbow the younger and Rainbow the elder. "Wait. Before I go, can I ask one question?" Rainbow the younger asked. "Sure," said Rainbow the elder. "Do I...do I have-" "A special somepony?" "Yeah." Rainbow the younger blushed a bit. Rainbow the elder smiled happily as she looked at her younger self and Applejack. "As a matter of fact, I do. They're waiting for me back in Ponyville." "Who is it and why aren't they here?" "You'll find out soon enough. Don't go worrying yourself about love right now. Go and enjoy your time with the Doctor. Trust me, you have many wonderful adventures to look forward to!" "Thanks! Goodbye." Rainbow and Applejack then walked into the TARDIS. The two mares couldn't help but smile happily. "Good day to you all! Good luck in the Gailenean 1000, Rainbow Dash!" said the Doctor. "Doctor, wait," said Rainbow the elder. "Yes?" "I suggest you start looking into those rifts. Trust me. Knowing those rifts is the best thing you can do at the moment. Knowledge is key when it comes to what you and the others are going to face." "I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll make sure that nothing happens to you or the others. I swear with all my hearts." "I know that, Doctor. Goodbye." The Doctor smiled as he walked back into the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him. Rainbow the elder, Gilda, and Scootaloo watched as the TARDIS let out its signature sound and disappeared back into the stream of time. "I could tell that you wanted to tell him everything right then and there," said Scootaloo. "I did...but I couldn't," said Rainbow. "It's good that you didn't. Let time run its course," said Gilda as she placed a claw on Rainbow's shoulder. "I guess you're right." "Come on then! You've got a race to win and a special somepony to make proud!" "Right!" Rainbow, Gilda, and Scootaloo then raced off towards the starting line as the morning sunlight shone down on them through the canopy of leaves. To be continued... Author's Note For those of you who don't know. The "killer" Rainbow Dash and the Rainbow Factory dimension are based off the fanfiction by Aurora Dawn titled "Rainbow Factory." All credit goes to her in relation to the aspects of her story that I used in this one. Also, in case any of you are wondering, the episodes that I'm uploading were written a while before I uploaded them and that's why I've been uploading full episodes all at once. I'm currently working on the 13th episode so I should be uploading episodes 10, 11, and 12 in the following days. I hope you all continue reading and enjoying my stories. Compliments and/or constructive criticism are welcomed!
PrologueDoctor Whooves: Episode 9 Triple Rainbow Prologue Performance Arena, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 992 C.E. "Go! Go! Go!" cheered the 9-year-old Rainbow Dash as a group of pegasi in costumes flew through the sky above the stadium. It was truly a sight to behold. Black smoke trailed behind them as Rainbow Dash tried her best to keep her eyes on them. She longed to be up there in the sky with them. Flying. Being free with the Wonderbolts. That was her goal. She was sure of it. A few moments later, the Wonderbolts descended towards a cloud platform in the center of the stadium. A microphone appeared and the leader of the group approached it. "Good afternoon, Cloudsdale!" said the leader. Cheers erupted through the stands. "I can see that you're all very excited to see us! Well, today is a very special day because today we are proud to admit two more young fliers into our ranks!" Two pegasi flew towards the platform and stood firm. One was a 17-year-old mare with dark yellow coat, a yellow-orange mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a fiery lightning bolt, and the other was a 16-year-old stallion with a light blue coat, a dark blue mane, and a cutie mark that consisted of a lightning bolt with wings. "As leader of the Wonderbolts, I am proud to present the newest additions to the Wonderbolts: Spitfire and Soarin'!" The stadium erupted in applause again as Spitfire and Soarin' were dressed in a pair of new Wonderbolts outfits. "That's going to be me someday!" Rainbow said to herself as Spitfire and Soarin' took off with the other Wonderbolts. "I bet you'll be one of them one day," said a shy voice. Rainbow looked to see her classmate, Fluttershy, standing next to her. Rainbow blushed a bit. "Oh...you heard me say that?" "You were talking pretty loud." "Oh. Heh. I didn't see you as one to come to events like these, Fluttershy!" "I'd never been to a Wonderbolts show before so I decided to see what it was like." Rainbow and Fluttershy looked up and stared in awe as the Wonderbolts zoomed through the sky. "Do you really believe that I'll be one of them someday?" Rainbow asked. "My mother always says that as long as you believe in a dream, you can make it happen," Fluttershy replied. "Yeah...and I'm definitely going to make my dream happen!" The two fillies then turned back to the sky to continue watching the show. Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash shook out of her flashback as the TARDIS gave one final lurch. "There we go!" said the Doctor happily. "So where are we now?" Derpy asked with a big smile. "Who knows?! Out there is anywhere in the universe at anytime!" "I'm so excited!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced over to the doors. "Is something on your mind, Rainbow?" asked Applejack as she approached the pegasus. Rainbow figured that she must have been staring off into space and she shook her head kindly. "Nah! I'm good!" she replied as she followed Pinkie towards the door. The TARDIS had landed in the middle of a simple park. In fact, it almost looked exactly like the park from Ponyville. "Well at least it looks like we're back on our own planet," Twilight sighed. "Yeah but where exactly are we?" Spike asked. "And when are we?" Rarity asked. "I don't know! Isn't that exciting?!" the Doctor replied with a grin. "It's usually never good when you don't know something," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Well nopony knows everything. Not even the Doctor," said Fluttershy. "Too true. Too true. But why don't we just try to find out when and where we are?" said the Doctor. Suddenly, the tree leaves above them rustled as two figures flew through the limbs and landed on the ground just a few feet away. "Beat ya again!" said one of the figures, who had a familiar, cocky voice. "You don't have to rub it in! I know I'm not as fast as you!" said the other figure. "Do you think I stand a chance of winning the Gailenean 1000?" "Of course you do! You've won so many races by this point that this one should be just a piece of cake for you!" "I don't know, Gilda. I mean, Spitfire's racing too and I've yet to beat her in all the years I've been a member of-" The first figure stopped and turned towards the Doctor and the others. The second figure noticed them and fell silent. The two figures them emerged from the shadows. Rainbow could feel her jaw dropping like an iron. She first noticed that one of the figures was her ex-friend, Gilda the griffin. She then turned to the other figure and realized that it was herself! Everybody in the group fell silent. The Doctor cleared his throat before saying, "Well this is awkward." "This is the day isn't it?" Gilda asked as she turned towards the future Rainbow Dash. "Yes. Heh. It looks like winning the Gailenean 1000 is no longer my top priority," chuckled Rainbow Dash, age 38.
The Gailenean 1000Chapter 1: The Gailenean 1000 Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The 19-year-old Rainbow Dash couldn't help but awkwardly stare at her older self. It was clear that she was going to go through a fair amount of changes between now and then. The future Rainbow had a longer mane, a somewhat taller and stronger structure, somewhat larger wings, and a mature and knowledgeable aura emanating from her. "I know how awkward this is," said Rainbow the elder to Rainbow the younger. "Trust me, I was in your hooves at one point." "Oh yeah!" replied Rainbow the younger with a smirk. "I guess you were." "What year is it?" Derpy asked. "1021. You're about nineteen years in the future." "The near future. That's a nice change," Twilight sighed. "So what are you doing with her exactly, Dashie Two?" Pinkie Pie asked. Rainbow the elder turned to Gilda and Gilda blushed as she stared at Rainbow the younger and Pinkie Pie. "I know this must look confusing to you two but Dash and I have made up," Gilda replied as she wrapped an arm around Rainbow the elder. "Made up? After everything that happened between us?" Rainbow the younger questioned. "It's a long story. I guess I should go ahead and apologize on both my behalf and the behalf of my past self. I'm sorry about being such an ass to you all back then. I promise you that I've changed." "I guess I don't have any place to argue since my future self has forgiven you." Rainbow the elder chuckled a bit but then her smile faded. "I've feared the arrival of this day for a long time," she said under her breath. "It looks like I'll have to face her a second time." "What was that?" Applejack asked. "Nothing! Just thinking out loud!" Applejack turned to Rainbow the younger and said, "You're a bad liar, Rainbow." "Why are you telling that to me? She's the one who's lying!" Rainbow the younger argued. "She is you!" "Oh yeah...I guess she is." "So what's this Gailenean 1000 that you were talking about?" Twilight asked. "Didn't John mention something like that just before we left?" Spike asked. "He did didn't he?" Rainbow the elder chuckled. "The Gailenean 1000 is a huge race that is held every three years." "I'm guessing that it starts after our time because I haven't heard of any race called the Gailenean 1000," said Twilight. "Correct as usual, egghead. Princess Luna and King Hornbeak started the race back in 1009. This is the fifth race and I'm going to win it!" "You seem pretty confident in yourself," said the Doctor. "Maybe a little too confident," Gilda added. Rainbow the elder glared at Gilda teasingly and the griffin simply looked away. "So where are we exactly?" Rarity asked. "We're in Feathersville. It's a small town in the Griffin Kingdom as well as the starting point for the race," Rainbow the elder replied. "The race starts here, stretches down to Baltimare (which is the midway point), and then ends in the capital of the Griffin Kingdom, Phoenix." "It sounds like a pretty difficult race," said Derpy. "It is. I've trained a long time and now I finally think I'm ready to beat it." "But there's more to the story, isn't there?" the Doctor inquired. "Yeah. It's my friend, Spitfire. She's in the race and I-" "Wait just a minute!" Rainbow the younger snapped. "Did you just say that your friend is Spitfire? As in the Spitfire?!" "Pretty much." Rainbow looked like she was about to explode in a mushroom cloud of happiness. "Take slow, deep breaths, Dashie," said Pinkie Pie as she led Rainbow the younger away to calm down. "I better go help," said Fluttershy as she trudged after them. "I remember when I used to be like that," Rainbow the elder said with a smile. The Doctor looked at the future Rainbow. He could tell that something else was bothering her aside from the Gailenean 1000. "Is there anything else you want to tell us?" he asked. "Not at the moment, Doctor." "Why don't we show you around town before you continue your trip?" Gilda suggested. "Sounds good! I've never been to the Griffin Kingdom. I can't believe it took me nineteen years to get here but better late than never!" said Twilight happily. "Gilda, why don't you give my past self and the others the grand tour? I've got to go meet with Scootaloo," Rainbow the elder said. Gilda nodded in return. "What's Scootaloo got to do with all this?" Rainbow the younger asked as she returned with Pinkie and Fluttershy. "She's my assistant." Before the present Rainbow could ask any questions, the future Rainbow spread her wings and took off into the sky. "Do I do that often?" asked Rainbow the younger. "Yes," replied everypony simultaneously. Starting Line, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Scootaloo was standing next to the starting line, writing down a series of notes for Rainbow Dash. The 26-year-old mare was anxious to give her boss the info so that she could go and try out the new club in town. "Ponyville really needs to get a club," Scootaloo said as she finished scribbling notes onto a piece of paper. A familiar rainbow streak shot through the sky and landed next to the brown pegasus. "How's it going, Scootaloo?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Just fine. I'm just finishing up my racetrack info guide for you. I'm marking down all the checkpoints and all of the recommended places to take a break." "You can take a break if you want to, Scootaloo." "I would like to take a break but I don't want to be lazy on the job, Rainbow Dash. When I'm working as your assistant, you come above everything else." "Still the same as you were when you were a filly." "Hey! Once a fan, always a fan!" "Cute." "Uh huh. Do you have something to tell me, boss?" "Actually, I do." "Well go ahead. I'm listening." "Remember when I told you about the time I traveled around with the Doctor and met my future self?" "Yeah." "Well today's that day." "Wait...so that means that the past selves of you, the Doctor, and the others are here?! Today?!" "That's pretty much what I'm saying." "But that means that...she'll be here soon." "I know that, Scootaloo. We better meet up with Gilda and the others. I don't think it would harm the timeline too much if I warned the Doctor about our little visitor in advance." "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Rainbow Dash. Remember what the Doctor always says?" "Spoilers. Spoilers. Spoilers. I know! I just want to make things go by a little bit easier for a change!" "Applejack tried to change something and look what happened there!" "That's different! Let's just go meet up with them anyway!" "Okay, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears on you!" "I wouldn't expect it to be any other way." Scootaloo giggled. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo then spread their wings and took off. As they flew off, they didn't notice the dimensional rift slowly opening next to the starting line.
Dark DoubleChapter 2: Dark Double Long's Cafe, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Derpy was quick to consume the muffin that Gilda had bought her from the cafe. The others munched on their respective snacks at a much slower pace. The air was surprisingly cool for a day in the middle of summer and the town of Feathersville was much quieter than Ponyville (probably because it didn't have a Pinkie Pie-esque griffin of its own). "This town sure is peaceful," Twilight sighed as she took a sip of her iced tea. "Just you wait! The race starts a week from today and, give it a day or two, this place will be packed with ponies from all over the world!" said Gilda. "Question. How did you and my future self make up?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's a long story. Besides, I shouldn't spoil it for you." "What's wrong with a few spoilers?" "Ask the Doctor and he'll give you a five hour lecture about why historic spoilers are bad." Rainbow and Gilda turned to the Doctor, who was attempting to grab his Sonic Screwdriver with his hoof for a change. "They make holding objects with their hooves look easy! This is practically impossible!" the Doctor swore under his breath as the Screwdriver fell to the ground once again. "Do you need help with that?" Derpy asked as she proceeded to begin teaching the Doctor how to hold objects with his hoof. "I kind of expected to see more griffins around," said Spike. "This town has a fair amount of residents. Lunchtime wasn't that long ago so I guess they're all napping," said Gilda. "Excuse me," said a voice. Rainbow turned to see a male griffin standing a few feet away. "Are you Rainbow Dash?" "That would be me," Rainbow replied. "It's an honor to meet you! I was just wondering if I could get your autograph?" "You want my autograph?!" "Of course! It's not everyday that I get to meet one of the best fliers in the world!" "In...the...world?!" "This ain't gonna end well," Applejack whispered to Twilight. Rainbow happily signed an autograph for the griffin while also telling him the story of how she first performed the Sonic Rainboom. When the griffin left, Rainbow was practically oozing happiness. "Don't let the fame get to your head, Rainbow Dash," Twilight warned. "What? Since when have I ever let fame get to my head?" Rainbow asked. Everypony at the table raised an eyebrow except for the Doctor, who was pretty much left in the dark. "Right." "I knew I'd find you here!" said a cocky voice. Rainbow the elder and Scootaloo were approaching them. "You just can't get enough of this cafe, can you Gilda?" "What can I say? I'm in love with their desserts," Gilda replied as she shrugged her shoulders. Scootaloo approached Rainbow the younger and eyed her awkwardly. "This is too weird!" she said. "Tell me about it," said Rainbow the younger. She looked around towards Scootaloo's flank and noticed a cutie mark that consisted of a pair of dancing shoes. "It looks like you finally got your cutie mark." "Oh yeah. I remember those days when Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and I used to be obsessed with finding our cutie marks. Fun times. Messy, but fun. I actually got this not too long after the whole Thalia fiasco." "You don't say!" Applejack exclaimed. "Doctor, can I speak with you?" Rainbow the elder asked. The Doctor nodded as he stood up. Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow the elder's foreleg but she pushed her away. She leaned in close to Scootaloo and whispered, "I just want to give him a fair warning." The Doctor and Rainbow the elder walked a few yards away from the group and came to rest under a giant tree. "I see Derpy's finally started training you to use your hooves," she chuckled. "I still don't understand how you ponies do it! It's physically impossible!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Listen, Doctor. I need to tell you something." "What is it?" "Something is on my mind, Doctor, and it has nothing to do with the Gailenean 1000 or anything like that." "I could tell that something was on your mind. Gilda and Scootaloo also seem a bit shaken up about something." Rainbow suddenly jumped as the town clock rang out to signal the arrival of one o'clock in the afternoon. "Oh no!" she gasped. "What's wrong?" the Doctor asked. Rainbow took off towards the cafe. The Doctor chased after her. "Rainbow Dash! What's going on?!" "She's here! She's here! But I can stop her this time! I will stop her!" Twilight and the others watched as the Doctor and Rainbow the elder raced past them. "What's wrong with them?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Something's wrong," said Fluttershy. "Mr. Long?!" Rainbow the elder called as she burst into the cafe. The Doctor was close behind her. "Who's Mr. Long?" the Doctor asked. "He's the chef that works here. Remember? You bought your snacks from him." "Well what's wrong with him?" That's when the Doctor and Rainbow the elder smelled something. It was a dark smell. A rustic smell. The smell...of blood. "No!" cried Rainbow as she ran around the counter. "Oh sweet Celestia! No!" The Doctor looked around the counter and couldn't believe his eyes. The griffin chef known as Mr. Long was lying on the floor. A butcher knife was implanted right in his chest. Blood was pouring out onto the floor from the many wounds in the griffin's body. Fortunately, he was still alive...but only just. At that moment, Scootaloo walked into the cafe. "Is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" she asked nervously. "Get the medics, Scootaloo!" Rainbow ordered. "She's here isn't she? This is the sign that you told me about, isn't it?" "Just go!" Scootaloo nodded and raced through the front door. "Rainbow Dash. Who did this?" the Doctor asked. Rainbow the elder looked up at the Doctor and said, "My evil twin." Feathersville Cemetery, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Blood dripped from her body. Her black cloak fluttered in the breeze. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her eyes were bulging and wide. A crooked smile was plastered on her face. She had enjoyed stabbing the griffin. She figured that those happy ponies outside the cafe needed some brutal excitement. She came to rest next to a particularly large gravestone. Her breaths were long and hard and her body shook with excitement. She loved doing what she had just done. She had already done it multiple times back in Cloudsdale. This town was too happy. This world was too perfect. She wanted to be back in the factory. She wanted to return to her work: making sure that all those failures were made useful. She looked at her hooves and slowly licked the blood from her hooves. She had missed that taste. She hadn't killed anypony in a long while since a lot of fillies had been good to pass the flying exams recently. She had never killed a griffin before. The taste of griffin blood was very different from the taste of pony blood. She liked the taste. "I should start using griffins in the factory now," said Rainbow Dash with a dark laugh. She tried her best to comb her matted mane but she gave up because combing one's mane with bloody hooves never brought around good results. She rolled over onto her back and looked up towards the canopy of leaves above her. Sunlight shone through the branches and covered the cemetery in a warm, green light. She didn't like it. She preferred the dark interior of the factory. She missed the grinding of the machines, the pleas of the little failures, and the laughs of her fellow coworkers. She missed it all. It was interesting though. How did she end up here in the first place? That's what she wanted to find out. Maybe she was brought here to start a factory in this new world. "This world needs a new Rainbow Dash. The one they already have looks way to carefree. She has a job to do. Either she takes responsibility for whatever needs to be done or I'll have to take her place. The latter would be a very fun process indeed." Rainbow Dash licked her lips as she thought about all the things she could do to her happier double. The double she despised. She had looked so happy, so friendly, so lazy, and so...undignified. "Pathetic." Suddenly, the sound of laughter broke the eerie silence. Rainbow looked over the gravestone to see two ponies, both in their late teens, walking through the cemetery. One was a unicorn mare and the other was an earth stallion. "You excited for the race?" asked the stallion. "As always!" chirped the mare. "Why are we passing through the cemetery again?" "I've heard that there's the gravestone of an old griffin war hero here. I wanted to see it." "Isn't that it over there?" The stallion pointed towards the gravestone that Rainbow Dash was hiding behind. They approached it and began reading the words engraved on it. The mare proceeded to take a few pictures of it. "This world needs a new rainbow factory," said Rainbow Dash with a smile as she pulled a small knife from her cloak pocket. She then jumped out from behind the gravestone, startling the couple. The mare screamed as she noticed the knife in Rainbow's hoof and the blood dripping from her body. "I think you two will be a nice place to start!" Rainbow smiled as she brought the knife down.
The Dreamer, the Celebrity, and the KillerChapter 3: The Dreamer, the Celebrity, and the Killer Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Nighttime arrived quicker than anypony else had expected it to. Mr. Long had survived his attack and was being tended to at the local clinic. Rainbow Dash the elder, due to her celebrity status, had rented out the entire fifth floor of the inn for herself and her friends. Everypony was still shaken up about what had happened. "Okay, I want to know just what the hell happened earlier today!" Rainbow the younger snapped. She turned to her older self and snarled. "It would be nice if you'd tell us what's going on!" "I was about to but then I remembered the time and...I was too late," Rainbow the elder sighed. She looked at everypony and chuckled. "I can't tell you how weird this is for me." She pointed towards her younger self and laughed. "I mean, I remember being in your hooves at one point listening to my older self say what I'm saying right now! Ugh! I think I'm going to have a migraine!" "Wibbly wobbly timey wimey!" the Doctor chimed. He didn't even get a chuckle in return. "Too soon? Right. Too soon. Okay, let's cut to business. What's going on here?" "Make sure not to give away too much info, Rainbow Dash. You don't want to screw up the timeline in any way," Scootaloo warned. "Right. I know who attacked Mr. Long. Her name is...Rainbow Dash," said Rainbow the elder. Everypony looked at each other awkwardly. "Come again?" Applejack asked. "Let me rephrase that. Your Rainbow Dash didn't attack Mr. Long and I didn't attack him. The Rainbow Dash I'm talking about is a different one entirely." "Do you mean like a clone of sorts?" Twilight asked. "No. She's me but from another reality. A darker reality." "How did she get here?" Derpy asked. "Through a dimensional rift. She was probably in the middle performing a despicable act before the rift popped up and brought her to our dimension." "What does...this Rainbow Dash do?" Rainbow the younger asked. "She's a killer. That's all I want to say at this point. The rest of the details, what she does, I can't even begin to describe it!" "Things just got a whole lot stranger," said Spike. "And scarier," Fluttershy exclaimed. "Do you know where she is?" the Doctor asked. "No. But I know where we're going to meet her," Rainbow the elder replied. The future Rainbow Dash was beginning to look a little tense. Her eyes were darting all over the place. "Where is this other Rainbow Dash going to meet you?" Rarity asked. "In a house by the cemetery." "There's only one by the cemetery, right?" Gilda asked. "Then let's go find her and send her back to where she belongs!" said Scootaloo. "We won't have to find her. She's going to find us," said Rainbow the elder as she pointed at herself and Rainbow the younger. She was beginning to shake with fear. "Dashie Two, is there something that you're not telling us?" Pinkie Pie asked suddenly. "Yes...but, you know, spoilers." Suddenly, there were two bright flashes of light both Rainbow the elder and Rainbow the younger were gone. "Rainbow Dash!" the Doctor cried. "I'm really starting to hate spoilers," Twilight said with an annoyed tone. "Me too," Derpy gulped. "We better go find them. Something tells me that our third Rainbow Dash has something to do with this," said the Doctor. Old House, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the younger heard a horrifying scream as the white light disappeared. She was standing in a cage in the middle of a rundown living room. Her older self was standing right next to her, a look of horror was on her face. She looked ahead and felt her stomach flip. A cloaked figure was standing a few feet away. The figure was standing over the bloodied and shredded body of a unicorn mare. "Thank you, dearie. Your work is done," said the figure as they implanted the knife in the mare's back. The figure looked towards the two Rainbows and laughed. "I didn't expect two of you! This will just make things even more interesting!" The cloaked mare removed to hood and Rainbow Dash found herself staring into the eyes of a psychotic version of herself. The killer Rainbow laughed as she began to approach the cage. Rainbow the elder leaned towards Rainbow the younger's ear and whispered, "Whatever you do, don't go near the sofa." Rainbow the younger's eyes trailed off towards the sofa and then turned back towards the killer Rainbow Dash. "What do you want?!" Rainbow the younger asked. "This world needs a new Rainbow Dash. You don't live up to the responsibilities that you need to take care off," Rainbow the killer replied. "What are you talking about?!" "Tell me. What are rainbows made of in your world?" "Why the hell does that matter?!" "Just answer the damn question before I cut your head off." "A mixture of magical ingredients. Unicorn magic also helps out a bit." "Pathetic. Magical ingredients? Unicorn magic? Please! That'll never give you a perfect rainbow!" Rainbow the younger was afraid to ask but she did anyway. She asked, "Well...what do you think rainbows should be made of?" "It's simple really. The main ingredient for rainbows should be ponies." "What?!" "It makes perfect sense when you think about it. It's only within ponies that color, magic, and life come together. Throw a pony into the blender and you'll see some of the best rainbows ever created!" "You're sick!" "No. I'm just ahead of the curve. I haven't been in this world for an entire day yet but I now know why I'm here. I'm here to bring true rainbows to this world. You, little happy Rainbow Dash, shall be my apprentice." "No way! I'm not going to help you kill ponies and turn them into rainbows!" "I knew that you'd resist. That's why I'm going to punish you. Your future self shall be our first victim, Dashie." Rainbow the elder's eyes went wide. The memories of this night flooded back to her. She had wanted to avoid having her past self go through what she went through but she now realized that there was no choice. Rainbow the killer armed her knife as she moved towards the cage. "Forget what I said earlier! Jump for the sofa! I'll be fine! Before you go, I just want to say that I'm sorry about what you're about to see," Rainbow the elder whispered. Rainbow the younger turned and asked, "What are you-" The cage door flew open and Rainbow the elder flew straight into Rainbow the killer. The knife flew across the room and slid under the sofa. Rainbow the younger flew towards the sofa while Rainbow the elder and Rainbow the killer engaged in an aerial fight. Rainbow reached her hoof under the sofa, assuming that her older self wanted her to retrieve the knife. Suddenly, the air above her began to ripple like a pond and a foreign force began acting on her body. Something was pulling her away. Rainbow the elder punched Rainbow the killer and turned around just in time to see her younger self disappear into the dimensional rift. "Die!" cackled Rainbow the killer as she lunged at the future Rainbow Dash. Rainbow bucked her dark self straight in the face, breaking her nose. Rainbow the killer looked just in time to see the dimensional rift disappear. "Where is she?! Where is your younger self?! Where did she go?!" "She's gone and somewhat safe for now. I think I'd much rather end things a little bit more quickly this time," Rainbow the elder replied as she lunged at the killer. The dark Rainbow dodged the attack and flew out a nearby window. "Come back here!" Rainbow the elder watched as her younger, dark twin flew off into the night sky. Talon Road, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Twilight, Derpy, Pinkie Pie, and Scootaloo were walking down the road in silence. They had all split up into groups in order to find the two lost Rainbow Dash's as well as the killer Rainbow Dash. "I hope they're okay," said Pinkie Pie. "Come on, Pinkie! This is Rainbow Dash we're talking about! She can handle anything!" said Scootaloo. "Still, we better hurry," said Twilight. "Wait...what's that?" asked Derpy as she pointed towards a shadowy figure. Out of the shadows emerged Rainbow Dash. Her mane was matted, her nose was broken, there were a few cuts on her body, and she had several bruises on her chest. "Rainbow Dash!" The four mares gathered around their beaten friend. "What happened to you?!" Scootaloo asked. "The killer Rainbow Dash summoned us to this house and...ugh! My leg!" Rainbow exclaimed. Twilight wrapped an arm around her friend. "Come on, let's get you back to the inn!" she said. "Thank you, Twilight." As the mares helped Rainbow back to the inn, none of them noticed the small, sadistic smile form on her face.
The Rainbow FactoryChapter 4: The Rainbow Factory Outskirts of Feathersville Cemetery, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the elder trudged along the dark road until the outlines of the Doctor, Fluttershy, and Gilda emerged from the darkness. She wanted to smile upon seeing them but she couldn't bring herself to do so. The thought of what her past self was witnessing was too much for her to bear at the moment. She had tried to forget the memories related to the reality she had visited oh so long about. But now...it was happening again. "You're okay!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Where's the other Rainbow Dash?" Gilda asked. "She's gone. She took off into the night. I know that we're going to come across her again pretty soon. We better head back to the others. I don't remember what my future self did, as in what I'm about to do, exactly but I do remember that the others are in danger as long as my dark twin is out," Rainbow replied. "We better get going then!" "Wait. Where's our Rainbow Dash?" the Doctor asked. "You, Twilight, and Derpy are going to need to take a trip in a little bit." "A trip? A trip to where?" "To the place where my past self is: an alternate reality." The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The 19-year-old Rainbow Dash groaned as the contractions on her body stopped. She was still unaware about what had just happened but she knew that she didn't like it. "I think I'm going to be sick," she groaned as she felt her stomach set back into place. She opened her eyes, expecting to find herself lying next to the sofa in the old house, and found herself lying on the floor inside a large, empty office. She slowly stood up and examined the office. It was pretty quaint. A large, wooden desk sat at the far end of the office. It was covered in pictures of herself as well as ponies that she didn't recognize. One particular picture caught her eye. It was a picture of herself standing next to a pegasus stallion who had a light yellow coat, a light blue mane, and a pair of sharp, dark blue eyes. In the picture, Rainbow Dash was dressed in a black cloak and the stallion was wearing a billowing, white lab coat. Rainbow approached the picture and examined it closely. Both she and the stallion were smiling but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was a sadistic, proud, evil smile. She didn't like the picture very much. She then turned towards the wall and noticed a black suit and cloak hanging from the wall. Next to it, there hung a rod. The rod was made of metal with a rubber cover extending over all of it except the end, which looked like the prongs from an electrical plug. Rainbow didn't really want to know what the rod was used for. "Where the hell am I?" Suddenly, the office door opened and in walked the stallion from the picture. "Ah! There you are, Rainbow Dash!" the stallion exclaimed as he approached her. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you! The others have been very anxious to begin preparing the new batch of failures but we didn't want to start without you." "I think there's a mistake here. I don't know you." The stallion let out a crazy laugh before taking a few breaths to calm himself down. "Good one, Rainbow Dash! You not knowing me! Your second-in-command and head engineer, Dr. Atmosphere!" "That's a strange name." "Funny. I remember you saying that to me the first time we met. That was a great day for all of us. Well, now's not the time to take a trip down memory lane! It's time to get dressed and take care of those ingrates!" "I don't understand what's going on here!" "Ha! You're a riot today, Rainbow Dash! That's funny. Normally you're not one known for her sense of humor. You haven't been since you became in charge of the factory. I'll see you in the Spectra Room, okay?" Dr. Atmosphere left the room as he proceeded to whistle a happy tune. Rainbow turned towards the suit and rod. She carefully got dressed. It didn't feel right, the suit. It was tight and smelled like it had been lying in the emergency room at the hospital for hours on end. Rainbow then noticed that a black mask was hanging on a hook next to where the suit had been hanging. She finished clipping the cloak to her suit before placing the mask over her face. It didn't feel right either but she figured that it was all part of the expected uniform. She then grabbed the rod and made her way out of the office. Outside the office, there was a long, white hallway. She could hear the sounds of ponies talking emanating from behind some of the closed doors. She then noticed a sign that said Spectra Room This Way and an arrow next to it that pointed towards the left. Rainbow turned left and continued down the hallway. Rainbow continued to follow a series of signs directing her towards the Spectra Room. The hallways started becoming darker and more rustic. She didn't like the new hallways. By the time she reached the door leading into the Spectra Room, she felt as though she were walking into a haunted boiler room. Through the door was a balcony that overlooked a large room. The room was dark and rustic, like the hallways. Six large vats stood far below: each was filled with one Spectra color of the rainbow. Long tubes led down from the ceiling and towards the vats. The tubes appeared to extend from what looked like a jumbled mess of gears, clogs, and chains that was situated at the top of the room. Dr. Atmosphere and a series of suited ponies with rods were standing with her on the balcony while a large crowd of suited ponies were sitting in what appeared to be theater seats far below. Rainbow then noticed something that made her stomach turn. Below, in a far corner of the room, was a group of young pegasi. Some were so young that they didn't even have their cutie marks yet. They all looked like they were scared, confused, and sad. Some were even crying. A door below opened and a pair of suited ponies pushed a trio of young pegasi into the room. The door then slammed shut with a loud click. "Well?" Dr. Atmosphere asked as he turned towards Rainbow. "They're ready to hear your speech." "My speech?" Rainbow gulped. "Yes, your speech! The one you give to every new batch of failures when they arrive!" "I...I seem to have...forgotten it." "How could you have forgotten it?! You've said it nearly every day since you became the head of the factory!" "I think I'm just...out of it." "I guess I'll give it then. Though it won't be as powerful as when you give it." "Thank you?" Rainbow didn't know what to say. As Dr. Atmosphere prepared to speak, Rainbow got a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he was going to say. "Hello, you little ingrates! Our manager seems a little bit out of it at the moment so I shall be the one to tell you about what the rest of your life is going to include! By now, you've all probably figured out that your punishment for failing your flight exams has nothing to do with exile! You are in the Rainbow Factory! You will never leave the Rainbow Factory! You shall remain here for the rest of your days, which really doesn't consist of much time! You are all useless and unworthy to become a part of the greater pony community at large! But, you all do have some amount of usage! So, you're all going help create beautiful rainbows for all the ponies in Equestria to see! Doesn't that excite you?!" None of the colts or fillies down below looked particularly happy about what Dr. Atmosphere was telling them and Rainbow related with them completely. What was this place? The Rainbow Factory? This wasn't the Rainbow Factory! She had visited the Rainbow Factory multiple times during her foalhood and she had studied the process of rainbow making thoroughly when she had begun working as a weather pony, and there was no part in the making of rainbows that involved the slave labor of young ponies. Dr. Atmosphere continued. "I bet you all have your own little theories about what rainbows are made out of! Over a thousand years ago, Celestia was forced to hand down the job of rainbow making to us, the pegasi! At first we were forced to use artificial Spectra made by unicorns, but then we made a discovery! A brilliant and beautiful way to extract pure color pigment to use in the Spectra! The source of the pigment was, of course, live ponies!" Several of the colts and fillies gasped, a few screamed, and some began to cry even harder. Rainbow couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was madness! "It is only in live ponies that true pigment resides! That's where all of you come into play! We decided to make everypony in this world useful, even the useless ones like you! This is your destiny! You shall all help make this world a better, and more beautiful place with your skin, blood, tears, and life! Let us begin!" The colts and fillies screamed as two suited ponies made their way over towards them. They grabbed a young filly and began dragging her off towards a series of chains that extended from the ground and up into the Spectra machine. "Angela!" cried a colt as he flew forward. One of the suited ponies proceeded to stun the young colt with a rod, which was revealed to be electrified. "I'll be okay, Davy! I'll be okay! It'll all be over soon!" Angela cried as tears rolled down her face. The suited ponies attached Angela to the chain pulley and gave the signal to pull her up, towards her death. Rainbow couldn't stand to watch this anymore. She had to act. She tore off her mask and screamed, "STOP!" Everypony in the room fell silent. Rainbow flew down towards the suited ponies surrounding Angela. "Ms. Dash?" asked one of the suited ponies. "What's wrong? Have we not attached her the right way?" Rainbow was angry. She jabbed her rod into the suited pony's side and screamed, "You sick bastard!" The pony fell down like a lump of coal. The other pony attempted to stop Rainbow but she managed to stun him too. Rainbow then quickly unchained Angela from the pulley. "What's the meaning of this, Rainbow Dash?!" asked Dr. Atmosphere as he flew down. He was accompanied by a group of suited ponies. "What's gotten into you? You've been doing this for years! You killed Scootaloo just last month after she failed you! I thought you loved this job!" "I'm not the Rainbow Dash that did those things!" Rainbow yelled as she pointed her rod at Dr. Atmosphere. This world was horrible. A world in which she was in charge of a factory designed to kill colts and fillies and turn their remains into Spectra. A world in which she had killed Scootaloo, all because she failed a stupid flight exam. This was it. This had to stop. "But I am still Rainbow Dash, and technically I'm the manager of this factory! As manager, I say that this ends here!" Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow Dash the killer eyed her friends with a dirty look. She despised having to pretend being her happier double but the satisfaction of playing her double's friends' feelings was enough to make her trudge through her act. She eyed Scootaloo with a deep hatred. This Scootaloo had gone on to grow mature and happy. There was a world where Scootaloo was still alive. Sure, it had kind of hurt Rainbow on the inside to kill the filly she had spent so long to train but, in the end, that same filly had failed her. Now, in this alternate timeline, it killed Rainbow the killer to see that her failed victim was alive and well and was her assistant no less! She had to die. She was sure about that. Twilight and Pinkie Pie helped Rainbow into the inn and up to the top floor with help from Derpy and Scootaloo. Nopony else had returned yet. "I wonder if the Doctor or the others have found the older Rainbow Dash yet," said Twilight. "You three can go out and check. I'll watch over your Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo. "Okay. Are you sure that you're okay, Rainbow Dash?" Derpy asked. "I'll be fine. However, I'll think I'll be sore for a little while," Rainbow replied with a forced laugh. "We'll be back soon," said Twilight. "Don't strain yourself too much, Dashie!" said Pinkie Pie. "Right! Be careful! That killer Rainbow Dash is still on the loose!" Scootaloo warned as Twilight, Derpy, and Pinkie headed downstairs. Rainbow the killer smiled gleefully in her mind. This was perfect. Now she could settle things. Scootaloo turned to face Rainbow and asked, "Do you need anything?" "Yeah. Do you have any...tea?" Rainbow replied. "Sure! Be back in a jiffy!" Scootaloo happily walked into the kitchen. Rainbow silently followed behind her. She peaked into the kitchen to see that Scootaloo was now busy preparing a pot of tea over the stove. A collection of knives was displayed in a holder on a counter right next to the door. Rainbow smiled as she took hold of one of the blades. Scootaloo began whistling her own version of the Cutie Mark Crusaders theme as she continued making the tea. Rainbow quietly snuck up behind her. The knife was raised and at the ready. Scootaloo was completely unaware that her life was in danger. Rainbow smiled at the thought of it. "Goodbye again, little failure," Rainbow whispered happily to herself as she brought the knife down, making sure to aim for the back of Scootaloo's neck.
Escape Here, Escape ThereChapter 5: Escape Here, Escape There Fly and Buy Inn, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The knife was about to hit Scootaloo when Rainbow the killer suddenly felt a violent force knock into her. She had been so focused on killing Scootaloo that she hadn't noticed that the front door had opened. The knife flew out of Rainbow the killer's hoof as she found herself staring up into the angry eyes of her double's elder self. "Don't you dare lay a damn hoof on her, you murderer!" snapped Rainbow the elder. The two Rainbows then proceeded to begin punching each other as Scootaloo looked on in confusion. The Doctor entered the kitchen and was followed by Twilight, Derpy, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Gilda. Rainbow the killer pushed Rainbow the elder away and flew out a nearby window. "Come back here!" "I don't understand! What's going on?!" Scootaloo asked. "That wasn't my younger self, Scootaloo. That was the killer Rainbow Dash!" "Wait. Where's your past self then?" "She's in an alternate reality. The killer's reality." "What?!" Twilight and Derpy gasped. Rainbow the elder turned towards the group, making sure to look specifically at the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy. "You three must go and save my younger self. It's time that peace was finally brought to that world." "That's just it. It's practically impossible to travel through dimensions!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You've done it before." "Those were complete flukes! Accidents!" "Doctor, you've told me many times that the TARDIS is alive. It grows. It lives. It learns. Your TARDIS is learning how to worm its way between realities." "I knew this world was having special effects on my equipment but this is just-" "Trust me, Doctor. I'm the future version of your Rainbow Dash so I have a pretty good idea about what's going to happen." "What about killer Rainbow Dash?" Derpy asked. "I'll take care of her. It's been a long time since I saw her and I think it's time that I finished this once and for all." "How are we supposed to guide the TARDIS to the reality that our Rainbow Dash has ended up in?" Twilight asked. "Dimensional rifts always leave trails behind. Right, Doctor?" "That's correct," the Doctor replied with a smile as he began to piece everything together in his head. "Then go and let the TARDIS guide its way." "We'll help you deal with Wob Niar!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she pointed at herself and the others. "Wob Niar?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah! That's what I'm calling Dashie's nasty double!" "Fitting," said Scootaloo, whose heart was still beating fast from her near-death experience. Rainbow the elder turned towards the Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy and said, "Go. My past self is waiting for you." The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy then ran out of the room and began making their way back to the TARDIS. "So what do we do now?" Gilda asked. "If I remember everything correctly, I believe Wob Niar is going to run into Applejack, Spike, and Rarity next." "We better get going then!" said Scootaloo. Rainbow the elder nodded and the group made their way out of the room and out of the inn. Rainbow's heart was beating. It was time to finish this. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The suited ponies were still confused by Rainbow Dash's outburst. Dr. Atmosphere seemed to be the most bewildered. "Rainbow Dash. Just put the rod down. You're not feeling well," the stallion stated. Rainbow didn't lower the rod. She kept it aimed at the ponies. She wasn't going to let the suffering continue. "Let these ponies go or I'm gonna fry your ass!" Rainbow snapped. She made sure to keep Angela held tightly behind her. "What's happened to you?" "Nothing. I'm the same as I've always been. Your Rainbow Dash is gone. You know, I take it that Celestia and Luna don't know about what's been going on here for the past 1000 years. I bet they'd both be interested in what I had to say about it." Several the suited pegasi seemed to shiver at the thought of what Celestia would do to them if she were to find out the secret behind the construction of rainbows. "You're not going to tell anypony, Rainbow Dash," Dr. Atmosphere said with a crooked smile. "You need help. We'll give you the help you need to relinquish you of your insanity." "I'm not the insane one here, Dr. Atmosphere. It's all of you! You're all insane!" "Take her." Two suited ponies began making their way towards Rainbow and Angela, but Rainbow was ready. She stunned one pony and kicked the other straight in the jaw. Rainbow then flew past Dr. Atmosphere and his guards, making sure to hold on tight to Angela. "FLY!" Rainbow ordered the colts and fillies. The young pegasi, realizing that they were being liberated, took to the air. The suited ponies charged for them. Rainbow managed to knock out a couple more ponies and made sure to steal their rods. She tossed the rods to a few colts and fillies, who proceeded to stun more ponies and steal more rods. Dr. Atmosphere was not pleased. "I don't know what's happened to you, Rainbow Dash. But you're not going to get those useless sacks of failure and Spectra out of here. I promise you that," he said with a smug grin. Rainbow had had enough to hear from Dr. Atmosphere. She flew down and jabbed the rod deep into his neck, making sure to turn the rod up to full blast. Dr. Atmosphere fell to the ground and proceeded to shake violently before passing out. By this point, all of the suited ponies in the room had been defeated with the combined effort of Rainbow Dash and the young pegasi. Angela flew over to Davy, who was revealed to be her younger brother. "Thank you," Angela said as she turned back towards Rainbow. "Don't thank me yet, kid. We've still got to get out of here," Rainbow said as she beckoned the pegasi to follow her up towards the balcony. The group of pegasi, which must have consisted of at least twenty children, followed after her. They began making their way through the rustic hallways of the factory. Rainbow tried to find her way back to the white hallways or at least find a window for them to escape from but, no matter many turns they made, they never came across anything of that nature. "There's got to be a way out of here!" Suddenly, a group of suited guards appeared and charged for them. Rainbow and the foals made quick work of the guards. They eventually found their way to a flight of stairs that led up into a long, white hallway. However, somepony was waiting for them. Rainbow couldn't believe her eyes. Standing just a few feet from the stairwell was Spitfire. Spitfire looked at Rainbow as she shook her head with disappointment. "To think, you were such a good manager. We were so proud of you, Dash. I guess, in the end, it was too much for you," Spitfire said. It hurt Rainbow to think that Spitfire, her hero, was also a part of this. But she then thought about how this wasn't her Spitfire. This was the killer Rainbow Dash's Spitfire. This was a Spitfire who was okay with the mass killing of young pegasi. This was a Spitfire that Rainbow wanted to stun. "There's no way out, Dash. Just give those failures up and come with us. We'll turn you back into the mare you were." A group of ponies began coming up the stairs and more suited ponies arrived to help Spitfire. Rainbow and the foals were trapped. "I'm not giving up. This ends here! Nopony is going to die in this factory ever again! Celestia's going to be the first to find out about this!" Rainbow snapped. "Good luck getting to her, let alone getting out of here." Spitfire laughed coldly as the suited ponies descended upon Rainbow and the foals. 12 Claw Lane, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. "Do ya think they've found them yet?" Applejack asked Spike and Rarity as they walked along the dark road. "I hope so," Spike replied. "I just hope that both Rainbow Dash's are okay." "One Rainbow Dash can handle anything. Two of them are unstoppable!" "Do you two want to head back to the inn to check up with the others?" Rarity asked. "That sounds like a good plan. Besides, It feels creepy being out here with a killer on the loose." "And a killer who's an alternate version of Rainbow, no less," Applejack sighed. Suddenly, something rustled in the nearby bushes. "Hello? Is anypony, there?" A dark figure emerged from the shadows. The trio backed up when they realized what they saw. Rainbow Dash was emerging from the bush with a bloody butcher knife in her mouth. She was covered in fresh blood and griffin feathers. "Oh Celestia!" Rarity gasped. Rainbow the killer laughed as she began approaching them, the knife held at the ready.
The Horrific TruthChapter 6: The Horrific Truth Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy raced towards the TARDIS as the light of the full moon shone down upon them through the trees. The only other lights in the park were that of street lamps off in the distance and the light emanating from the TARDIS. The Doctor clapped his hooves and the doors flung open. "So how exactly are we going to travel to the reality that Rainbow Dash is in?" Twilight asked as she, the Doctor, and Derpy walked into the TARDIS. "You remember what her older self said! Just tell the TARDIS to follow the trail!" the Doctor replied. "And how exactly are you going to do that?" Derpy asked. "I have absolutely no idea!" The Doctor laughed as he began tweaking with the controls. The TARDIS began shaking slightly. "C'mon, girl! Just find the trail! Find the trail!" Several seconds of anxious silence passed before the TARDIS finally latched onto something. "Aha! There it is!" The TARDIS groaned and began to rock violently as it proceeded to begin following the proverbial break crumb trail that lead to where Rainbow Dash was. The ship lurched to the left and then to the right and then back to the left. Twilight and Derpy held on for their dear lives. Dimensional travel was certainly different from time or space travel. There were more holes to get through, more rules to break, and more obstacles in their path. "Hold on, you two! We're almost there! It's very difficult to transfer a ship through dimensional barriers! One wrong move and the walls will crush us!" the Doctor said. "That's good to hear!" Twilight replied as she held onto one side of the control console. The TARDIS slowly began to revert to its normal vibrations and sound emissions. "There we go! She's learning! The TARDIS is learning!" The TARDIS gave out one last, gigantic groan as it weaved itself through the dimensional walls. 12 Claw Lane, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. Rainbow the killer lunged for Applejack first. Applejack dodged the knife attack and kicked the killer in the side. Rainbow recovered from the kick quickly and sliced at Applejack again. The knife managed to make a clean cut in her cheek. A small stream of blood began rolling down Applejack's face. Spike blew fire at the killer but she took to the air. Rarity levitated a nearby chair and chucked it at her. Rainbow casually dodged the attack and readied her knife again. She flew towards them at lightning speed. They jumped to the side but Rarity wasn't fast enough. Rarity's heart jumped as she felt the knife go into her chest. Rainbow pulled the knife out and Rarity fell to the ground, blood oozing from the wound in her chest. Rainbow prepared to bring the knife down again but Spike sent a blast of fire at her. The fire singed her tail. "You little brat!" Rainbow the killer screamed as she turned around and charged for Spike. Applejack stepped in between her and Spike. Applejack dodged the knife attacks as she began punching at Rainbow. Rainbow laughed as she dodged the attacks. "You've got some fight in you! Good. I like that." Rainbow licked her lips in a seductive manner. Spike tried to rush over to Rarity's aid but Rainbow proceeded to kick him. Spike flew off into the bushes and landed hard on his stomach. When he looked up, he nearly lost his dinner. Lying on the ground just a few feet from him was the mutilated body of a female griffin. Spike wanted to puke but he turned away from the corpse and ran back to help Rarity. Spike emerged from the bushes just in time to see Applejack land a successful punch in dark Rainbow's jaw. The killer growled and thrust the knife at Applejack's leg. The knife made a swift cut in her leg but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. Spike turned towards Rarity. The white unicorn was beginning to lose consciousness. "No," Spike breathed as he ran for her. Rainbow then shoved Applejack aside and ran for Spike. "Oh no you don't!" she cackled as she flew towards him. Rainbow was about to reach him when a cyan blur intercepted her. It was the elder Rainbow Dash. "Not you again!" "Leave my friends alone! This is between you and me!" Rainbow the elder snapped. The killer tried to stab the elder Rainbow with the knife but Rainbow the elder managed to knock the knife down towards the ground. The dark Rainbow began pulling elder Rainbow towards the ground. Elder Rainbow intercepted this move and began trying to subdue her. "Ready to give in yet?!" "Ha! I'm only just getting warmed up!" Dark Rainbow then jabbed elder Rainbow in the neck, stunning her temporarily. The killer broke free and flew towards the others. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were trying their best to cover Rarity's wound. Scootaloo placed Rarity on her back and began walking away. "Scootaloo! Look out!" Applejack warned. Scootaloo looked to see the dark Rainbow flying at her. Scootaloo tried to flee but a pair of strong forelegs wrapped around her. Rarity fell to the ground as Rainbow began wrapping her hooves around Scootaloo's neck. "Die already, you little twerp!" Rainbow the killer snapped sadistically. Scootaloo fought back but found that the dark Rainbow was much stronger than she was. Rainbow the elder and Gilda flew at the killer but dark Rainbow managed to dodge their attacks while continuing to strangle Scootaloo. Gilda flew back and managed to nick the dark Rainbow in the side. Scootaloo fell to the ground and was caught by Pinkie Pie. Dark Rainbow flew towards the ground and grabbed the knife she had dropped earlier. "Come at me then!" Rainbow the elder flew towards Rainbow the killer. Dark Rainbow aimed her blade and flew towards the elder Rainbow Dash. Elder Rainbow knew this attack would not work in terms of winning the fight but she knew that this is what she had to do in order to have the events play out like they should. At the last second, elder Rainbow dodged the attack. The knife, however, managed to embed itself in one of her wings. Rainbow fell to the ground with a loud thud. Killer Rainbow flew towards her to make her final strike. That's when a yellow blur flew out of nowhere and intercepted the dark Rainbow. "Fluttershy!" Spike cried. Fluttershy and Rainbow the killer became enthralled in an aerial struggle. "I've had enough of you!" Fluttershy snapped as she continued to push the dark Rainbow away from her friends. Dark Rainbow could only laugh at Fluttershy's attempts to stop her. "You were always weak, Fluttershy. Weak in my world and weak in this one. I guess some things never change," dark Rainbow taunted. Tears were rolling down Fluttershy's face but they were more along the lines of tears of anger rather than tears of fright or sadness. Suddenly, the air behind dark Rainbow began to ripple in an odd way. Fluttershy knew what this meant. "You're not going to hurt anypony anymore!" Fluttershy then shoved dark Rainbow towards the dimensional rift. However, Rainbow the killer managed to grab onto Fluttershy's tail at the last second. Fluttershy tried to fly away but dark Rainbow was too strong. The two pegasi disappeared into the rift just as it closed. "FLUTTERSHY!" cried Applejack and Pinkie Pie. "Don't worry," Rainbow groaned as she lifted herself up, the knife still embedded in her wing. "Fluttershy's fine. She'll be back in a few days." "A few days? What in Equestria do you mean by that?!" Spike asked. "Trust me. I explain it all to you later. Right now I think a few of us need to see a doctor." Gilda helped lift up the injured Rarity as Scootaloo and Pinkie Pie helped balance Rainbow the elder. Spike aided Applejack a little bit. The group then walked off down the dark road towards the clinic, relieved in the thought that the worst was over...for them. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. The suited ponies were advancing quickly. Rainbow and the foals aimed their rods. She wasn't going to let them be taken back down there. She was going to fight to the very last breath. Suddenly, the entire factory shook violently. Everypony, including Spitfire and the suited ponies, froze. The factory shook again. "What the hell is that?" Spitfire snapped. The factory shook again as a strange sound began emanating throughout the hallway. Rainbow knew that sound. It was a sound she had heard all too many times by this point. It was the sound of the TARDIS. A few feet away a large blue box began materializing out of thin air. "Unbelievable!" Rainbow exclaimed with a smile as the TARDIS fully materialized. The doors flung open and out stumbled a somewhat dizzy Doctor. "Well that was certainly a ride to remember!" he exclaimed. Twilight and Derpy stumbled out after him. "I hope the next journey is a smoother one!" Derpy said. "Me too," Twilight added. The trio then noticed Rainbow, the foals, and the suited ponies. "There you are, Rainbow Dash! Sorry if we're a little bit late!" said the Doctor as he walked forward. "Who the hell are you?!" Spitfire snapped. "I'm the Doctor and I'm here to take Rainbow Dash back home if you don't mind." The Doctor saw Rainbow mouth and the foals too to him. "And the foals too!" "She is home, Doctor. This is where she belongs. This is where all these failures belong. They're not leaving here," Spitfire replied coldly. "I'm sorry to say this but I'm not leaving here without them." "Then you will remain here also! Take the Doctor and his companions!" The suited ponies began charging for the Doctor. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, gripping it perfectly with his hoof, and aimed it at the rods. The electrical rods malfunctioned and proceeded to electrocute their users. "Yes! I finally figured out how to use my hooves!" the Doctor cheered. "Well done, Doctor!" Derpy said happily. "Can we celebrate later?!" Rainbow asked as she ran for the TARDIS, the foals following close behind her. "Get them! Catch them all! Kill them all! Leave Rainbow Dash alive! She needs to be reverted!" Spitfire ordered as she and the suited ponies charged for them. "Into the TARDIS we go!" said Twilight as she directed all of the foals into the TARDIS. The Doctor was the last one to slip into the TARDIS. "COME BACK HERE!" "Catch ya later! Have fun in prison you sad, strange, little ponies!" the Doctor responded with a smug look as he closed the TARDIS doors behind him, making sure to lock them. The foals looked in awe at the interior of the TARDIS. Angela looked around and said, "It's...it's-" "Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside," the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow said together. Banging sounds then began emanating from outside the TARDIS. The foals began to shiver and whimper. "Don't worry, children! Those nasty ponies aren't getting in through those doors!" the Doctor said as he began tweaking with the controls. "So, Rainbow, where off to now?" "Celestia! She and Luna need to know about what really goes on inside the Rainbow Factory!" replied Rainbow Dash. "To Canterlot Castle we go! Allons-y!" Canterlot Castle, Canterlot, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were sitting quietly in their thrones when a mysterious sound began reverberating throughout the room. "My sister, what is that?" Luna asked. "I have no clue, Luna. The sound seems to be coming from nowhere!" Celestia replied. Suddenly, a strange, blue box appeared right in front of the thrones. The guards readied their weapons. The doors opened and out walked the Doctor. "Ah! Celestia! Luna! How nice to see you again!" the Doctor exclaimed as he stumbled out. "Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" "Oh, right. Different reality, different timeline. I guess I'm not in this reality. Well I am now but I wasn't originally." "Will you stop this babble and explain to us who you are and why you are here?" Luna snapped. "I'm the Doctor and this is why I am here, your majesties." The Doctor pointed towards the TARDIS as twenty sad and frightened foals stumbled out through the doors. Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow followed them out. "These children. They look so...scarred," said Celestia. "That's because they are, your majesty," said Twilight as she stepped forward. "Twilight, my student, what is going on?" "It's a long and complicated story but the main point is that you need to shut down the Rainbow Factory in Cloudsdale at once!" "Why?" Luna asked. "Your majesties, do you know what the main ingredient of a rainbow is?" Rainbow asked as she pulled herself out of the uncomfortable Rainbow Factory uniform. "I assume that it's a mixture of special chemicals and unicorn magic." "You're wrong. A thousand years ago, after Princess Celestia handed the task of making rainbows to the pegasi, the pegasi found a different and more cruel way to make rainbows." "And that was?" Celestia asked. "They killed young pegasi who failed their flight exams and extracted the color pigment from their bodies to use in the Spectra." Celestia and Luna were silent. They couldn't believe what they were hearing...and yet the evidence was overwhelming. They looked at the foals to see that they were all nodding in agreement to what Rainbow Dash was saying. "This...can't be," Celestia said. "But it is, your majesty. I saw the inside of that factory with my own two eyes. Ask any of these foals, if not all of them, and they'll tell you the same story. Go to the factory and you'll see what I saw." "But how could we have not known this?!" Luna asked. "The rainbow makers are very good at keeping secrets." "I suggest heading to Cloudsdale at once. The ponies might already be trying to escape because they know that their secret's out now," said the Doctor. "My sister, I know this is a horrific tale to believe but I fear that they are right," said Luna. Tears were rolling down Celestia's face. Twilight could only imagine what this Celestia was feeling. Her own subjects had been killing colts and fillies on a day-to-day basis for over a thousand years and she had yet to discover that fact. It must truly be a horrible feeling. "Luna, round up the guards. We're going to Cloudsdale," Celestia said. Luna nodded and teleported away. "Children, be afraid no longer. You will be returned to your respective families shortly." The children began to cry with happiness. The horror was over. Angela and Davy walked up and hugged Rainbow Dash. "You saved us!" Angela exclaimed. "We helped too so where's our hugs?" Derpy whispered to the Doctor with a grin. The Doctor chuckled as the foals were led away by the guards. "You were brave, Rainbow Dash. To infiltrate that factory and weed out its darkest secrets. You did what I was too stubborn and oblivious to do. Thank you," said Celestia. "Your majesty, there's one last thing you need to know before we leave," said Rainbow Dash. "Leave? Where are you going?" "The four of us: the Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, and I, we're not from this reality." "What are you saying?" "We're from an alternate reality, Princess. We're from a reality where rainbows really are made of chemicals and magic and there is no need for the sacrificing of young lives," the Doctor explained. "The Rainbow Dash that's standing here right now is from that reality. The Rainbow Dash from this reality, your reality, is...well-" "She's the manager of the Rainbow Factory. She's been in charge of this operation for several years," Rainbow finished. Celestia was even more in shock. She looked down in sorrow. "I just...can't believe it," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. The broken heart of the Princess was enough to make Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow teary-eyed. The Doctor didn't cry but his face was frozen in a somber state. "Where...where is the Rainbow Dash from my reality?" "She's back in our reality causing trouble for our friends. Don't worry, Princess. We'll make sure that she's returned to this reality so that she receives the justice she deserves!" Twilight exclaimed. "That's a promise!" Derpy stated. Celestia was refusing to look up. The pain was too much at the moment. "I guess we'll be going then," Rainbow said awkwardly as she began walking back towards the TARDIS. She walked back into the ship and was followed by Twilight and Derpy. "I'm sorry, Celestia. I am so, so sorry," said the Doctor as he began walking back towards the TARDIS. "Doctor!" said Celestia suddenly. The Doctor looked back to see Celestia's saddened and teary face looking back at him. "Before you go, can you promise me something?" "Anything." "Make sure my other self, your Celestia, remains happy. Make sure she never has to experience the pain that I've just gone through." "We all experience different types of pain, Celestia. I can't promise that I can stop her from feeling every type of pain...but I promise that I'll make sure that she never goes through the pain that you've been forced to endure. I can promise you that, at least." "Thank you, Doctor." "Goodbye, Celestia. I wish you all the luck in the universe." And with that, Celestia lowered her head to continue her silent crying. The Doctor turned away and walked back into the TARDIS. Celestia kept looking down as the TARDIS disappeared into thin air.
Return of the RainboomChapter 7: Return of the Rainboom Starting Line, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 988 C.E. The Doctor groaned as he directed the TARDIS back to Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow Dash's reality. The trip wasn't as bumpy as the previous one but it still had its rocky moments. "Hold on! We're landing!" said the Doctor as the TARDIS came to a rough halt. Twilight fell to the ground while Derpy and Rainbow managed to keep their balance. "You alright, egghead?" Rainbow teased as she helped Twilight up. "I've been better," Twilight replied. "So are we back?" Derpy asked. "We're definitely back in your reality. As in what time we're in...I'm not sure," the Doctor replied. "Well that's reassuring," said Twilight with a snarky tone. The four ponies approached the doors. The Doctor opened them and gave a confused look. "Interesting. It's all white and fluffy outside." "White and fluffy?" Derpy asked as the Doctor began walking forward. The three mares turned to each other and then turned back to the Doctor. "DON'T GO OUT!" they all shouted. "Why?" the Doctor asked. The mares looked to see that the Doctor was standing normally on the other side of the doors. The three mares exited the TARDIS to find themselves standing on a cloud. "How are you doing that?" Twilight asked. She then looked down at her own hooves and asked, "How am I doing that?" "Doing what?" "Standing on a cloud! Only pegasi can stand on clouds! Earth ponies and unicorns would normally fall right through!" Rainbow replied. "So we're on a cloud? Huh. That's interesting." "Maybe it's the TARDIS. That ship seems to have weird effects on us," said Derpy. "That's true. Did I tell you that, once you've been inside the TARDIS, you can understand any language spoken to you and anypony who speaks a foreign language will understand you perfectly?" "No. You forgot to mention that particular detail," Twilight replied. "Well you know now and that's what matters!" "So where are we anyway?" "This kind of looks familiar," said Derpy. "Yeah. It does," Rainbow added. The two mares looked off in the distance and realized that a series of buildings constructed from clouds were sitting off in the distance. "Cloudsdale!" "What?" the Doctor asked. "Cloudsdale! It's my hometown!" "Did you grow up here too, Derpy?" Twilight asked. "Nah. I've only visited this place. I grew up in the country," Derpy replied. The Doctor could tell that there was more to the story than that but he decided that that was a story for another day. "So what's the year? Are we back in 1021? Are we in 1002?" "I'm not sure." Suddenly, a series of shouts began emanating from a little ways off. "I wonder what's going on," said Rainbow as she followed the voices. The Doctor, Twilight, and Derpy followed her. The came to halt a few feet away from a small cloud playground. Rainbow's eyes grew wide. Standing a few yards away was a 5-year-old version of herself defending a 5-year-old Fluttershy from a trio of bullies. "We're definitely not in 1021 or 1002," said Twilight. "When are we then?" asked the Doctor. "This...this is the day I got my cutie mark. We're in 988," Rainbow replied. "Quite a ways off from where our friends our," said Derpy with a smile. The young Rainbow flew off with the bullies and Fluttershy. "Where are you going?" the Doctor asked. "We're off to go have a race. The race in which I performed the Sonic Rainboom for the first time!" Rainbow replied. "We better head back to the TARDIS." "Why?" Twilight asked. "I can feel that this is a pivotal moment in time. We best not mess with it." "Good idea. Let's go," said Derpy. The four ponies began making their way back to the TARDIS. They were almost there when they noticed something odd: an area of air that was rippling like a pond. "Doctor, is that a-" "A dimensional rift? Yes," the Doctor replied. "What's with those things?! They keep popping up all over the place!" Twilight exclaimed. "I don't know. I'm just as clueless about them as I was back on the Queen Philippine." That's when two figures popped out of the rift. The rift disappeared a few seconds later. One of the figures was a 19-year-old Fluttershy, the present one, and the other figure was a Rainbow Dash covered in blood and leftover griffin feathers. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed. Fluttershy saw Rainbow and ran towards her. "You're okay! Me and the others were so worried!" she exclaimed. Everypony then turned their attention back towards the killer Rainbow Dash. "You!" snarled the dark Rainbow. "Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Twilight sighed. Dark Rainbow lunged at them. Rainbow flung herself at her dark double. The two Rainbows collided and began flying up into the air. "I've had it up to here with you!" Rainbow snapped. "The feeling is mutual!" Dark Rainbow replied as she bit down on Rainbow's neck. The Doctor looked back just in time to see the younger Rainbow Dash and the bullies taking off, as well as the young Fluttershy falling towards the ground far below. "I hate to be the bringer of more bad news but, Fluttershy, your younger self is falling!" the Doctor exclaimed. Fluttershy looked over the cloud edge and, upon putting all of the pieces together, smiled. "Don't worry, Doctor. The butterflies will save me," she said. "The butterflies?" "I'll tell you later." A sickening crack rang throughout the air. Rainbow had just unintentionally broken one of Dark Rainbow's wings. "You'll pay for that!" Dark Rainbow snarled as she attempted to choke Rainbow. Derpy and Fluttershy flew up to try and help Rainbow. Derpy grabbed onto Dark Rainbow's good wing and began pulling her away. "Get off of me!" Suddenly, a massive explosion ripped through the air as a shower of rainbow colors expanded through the sky. The shock wave sent the four pegasi tumbling back to the cloud's surface. Both the Doctor and Twilight noticed that the rainbow explosion had caused the dimensional rift to open temporarily. "I got this!" Twilight said as she ran forward. Dark Rainbow was beginning to press the air out of Rainbow's lungs. "Hey!" Dark Rainbow turned towards Twilight. "I think it's time that you went home!" A blast of purple magic shot out of Twilight's horn and smashed into Dark Rainbow. Dark Rainbow screamed with pain as she flew back and through the dimensional rift. The rift closed a few seconds later. "Thanks...Twilight," Rainbow breathed. "It was no problem!" "So where has she gone now?" Derpy asked. "My guess is that she's either gone back to her reality or to another point in time in this reality," the Doctor replied. "Let's hope for the former," said Twilight. "Good idea," said Fluttershy. The five ponies looked up to see the 5-year-old Rainbow Dash racing through the sky with a rainbow trail behind her. Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. "I guess that this is a special day for all three of you," said the Doctor. "It is," said Rainbow. "Not only us. It's a special day for Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity too!" said Twilight. "We better get back to 1021! Dark Rainbow stabbed Rarity, injured Applejack, and stabbed one of future Rainbow Dash's wings!" said Fluttershy. "WHAT?!" asked Twilight, Derpy, and Rainbow together. "Then let's not waste any time and get back to 1021 already!" said the Doctor as he walked through the TARDIS doors. The four mares followed quickly, making sure to shut the doors behind them. 5-year-old Rainbow Dash continued the fly through the sky as the TARDIS slowly disappeared. The Rainbow Factory, Cloudsdale, Equestria, Gaia, Summer, 1002 C.E. Rainbow Dash the killer groaned with pain as she tumbled out of the dimensional rift. She saw that she was back inside of her office. "Damn that other Rainbow Dash! I'll get her and her friends one day! There's more blood to be spilt!" she snapped. Suddenly, the door to the office flung open. Rainbow's heart stopped as she saw Princess Luna walking towards her. She was followed by a group of Canterlot guards, who had Dr. Atmosphere and Spitfire chained up. "Rainbow Dash! You are under arrest for the murders of countless young pegasi!" she announced. Rainbow could hardly resist arrest due to her injuries. As the guards dragged Rainbow away, all she could say was, "She's gonna pay. She's gonna pay. She's gonna pay."
The Parting of the RainbowsChapter 8: The Parting of the Rainbows Eagle Park, Feathersville, The Griffin Kingdom, Gaia, Summer, 1021 C.E. The Doctor, Twilight, Derpy, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy couldn't help but sigh as the TARDIS gave one final lurch to the right. "Now are you absolutely positive that we've made it back to the correct time?" Twilight asked. "I'm positive this time! I'll probably have to try more dimensional travel in the future so that the TARDIS can hone in her new abilities," the Doctor replied. The five ponies then made their way out of the TARDIS. They were surprised to find that it was daytime outside. "Well it looks like you didn't come back at the exact moment we left," said Derpy. "Okay. Maybe we're just a few hours off." "Not quite," said a familiar voice. They turned to see the elder Rainbow Dash walking towards them. She was accompanied by Spike, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Gilda, and Scootaloo. "Rarity! Applejack! You're all okay!" Fluttershy said happily. "How did you heal from your injuries so quickly?" "Well y'all gave us enough time to heal," Applejack said with a smirk. "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "The night you left when the evil Rainbow Dash attacked us happened nearly a week ago," said Rarity. "We were nearly an entire week off?!" Rainbow the younger gasped. Twilight, Derpy, Rainbow, and Fluttershy turned back towards the Doctor. "Will it make you four feel better if I apologize?" the Doctor asked. "Rainbow Dash. We don't have much time," said Scootaloo to the elder Rainbow Dash. "I know," said Rainbow the elder. "What's going on?" Derpy asked. "The Gailenean 1000 starts today. Dash has to be at the starting line in less than an hour," Gilda replied. "Can I stay and watch?!" Rainbow the younger asked as her eyes grew wide. "You'll see the outcome of this race someday, little Rainbow, but not today," replied Rainbow the elder. "But why?" "I think you know why." Rainbow the younger sighed as she nodded her head. "So it's time to head off again?" Twilight asked. "I guess so," said the Doctor as he shrugged his shoulders. Spike ran forward and gave Twilight a big hug. "I hope you're not going to start a habit of making me wait a long time for you to return," he said with a smile. "I'll try not to make a habit of it," Twilight replied. "So where to next?!" asked an excited Pinkie Pie. "Anywhere at anytime!" said the Doctor. Pinkie jumped forward and gave the Doctor one of her bone-breaking hugs. "Pinkie! I can't breath!" "Oops! Sorry, Doctor!" Pinkie let go of the Doctor and bounced back into the TARDIS. Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy walked in after her. "Goodbye then!" said Fluttershy as she walked back into the TARDIS. "Can we please try to avoid trouble at our next stop, Doctor?" Rarity asked. "I'll try my best," the Doctor replied with a chuckle. Derpy and Rarity walked back into the TARDIS together. "I guess this is goodbye then," said Rainbow the younger as she looked at her older self, Scootaloo, and Gilda. "For now, yes," replied Rainbow the elder. "Remember. You'll be in my hooves at one point." "Yay. I get to go through all of this again." "That's exactly how I felt." The two Rainbows approached each other and shook hooves. Rainbow then hugged Scootaloo and Gilda. "I guess I'll be seeing you two pretty soon," said Rainbow the younger as she backed away. "You know it!" Gilda replied with a wink. "I'll be waiting for your job invite!" said Scootaloo. "I'm glad that you have a good life in the future, Rainbow," said Applejack as she looked between Rainbow the younger and Rainbow the elder. "Wait. Before I go, can I ask one question?" Rainbow the younger asked. "Sure," said Rainbow the elder. "Do I...do I have-" "A special somepony?" "Yeah." Rainbow the younger blushed a bit. Rainbow the elder smiled happily as she looked at her younger self and Applejack. "As a matter of fact, I do. They're waiting for me back in Ponyville." "Who is it and why aren't they here?" "You'll find out soon enough. Don't go worrying yourself about love right now. Go and enjoy your time with the Doctor. Trust me, you have many wonderful adventures to look forward to!" "Thanks! Goodbye." Rainbow and Applejack then walked into the TARDIS. The two mares couldn't help but smile happily. "Good day to you all! Good luck in the Gailenean 1000, Rainbow Dash!" said the Doctor. "Doctor, wait," said Rainbow the elder. "Yes?" "I suggest you start looking into those rifts. Trust me. Knowing those rifts is the best thing you can do at the moment. Knowledge is key when it comes to what you and the others are going to face." "I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Don't worry. Whatever happens, I'll make sure that nothing happens to you or the others. I swear with all my hearts." "I know that, Doctor. Goodbye." The Doctor smiled as he walked back into the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him. Rainbow the elder, Gilda, and Scootaloo watched as the TARDIS let out its signature sound and disappeared back into the stream of time. "I could tell that you wanted to tell him everything right then and there," said Scootaloo. "I did...but I couldn't," said Rainbow. "It's good that you didn't. Let time run its course," said Gilda as she placed a claw on Rainbow's shoulder. "I guess you're right." "Come on then! You've got a race to win and a special somepony to make proud!" "Right!" Rainbow, Gilda, and Scootaloo then raced off towards the starting line as the morning sunlight shone down on them through the canopy of leaves. To be continued... Author's Note For those of you who don't know. The "killer" Rainbow Dash and the Rainbow Factory dimension are based off the fanfiction by Aurora Dawn titled "Rainbow Factory." All credit goes to her in relation to the aspects of her story that I used in this one. Also, in case any of you are wondering, the episodes that I'm uploading were written a while before I uploaded them and that's why I've been uploading full episodes all at once. I'm currently working on the 13th episode so I should be uploading episodes 10, 11, and 12 in the following days. I hope you all continue reading and enjoying my stories. Compliments and/or constructive criticism are welcomed!
