The Revenge of Dr. Negative

~~~~~~~The Blue Note~~~~~~

Twilight wasn't entirely sure what to expect in the back rooms of a house of ill repute, but she was pretty sure it hadn't been this. The place resembled nothing so much as a warren of private rooms, lounges and little personal facilities that wouldn't have disgraced a Canterlot office building. Dash might have presumed she was naive about such things, but Twilight was nothing if not very well read. Of course, all the books in the world hadn't prepared her for that little moment on the floor with Dash. Nor the unconscious reaction that closeness had apparently summoned up in her friend.

Luckily, nopony else had seen the aborted attempt at a kiss as they lay sprawled there on the floor. Luckily, that meant that only Twilight and Dash knew about it, which also meant that nopony was going to pressure her to talk about it any time soon. Which was good, because the last time Twilight had been this confused it had been when Pinkie Pie had tried to explain her Pinkie Sense. Given how that particular event had ended, Twilight was just glad things weren't falling onto her head right now.

Dash appeared to be remaining silent on the issue too, though Twilight could easily observe that the muscles in her wing joints and where they met her shoulder blades were... very tense. Given what that sort of tension usually indicated, it was probably a good idea to set aside the little... incident for now, and focus on the important things. The most immediate important thing being the door that stood in front of them after a few more paces of walking. Dash and Twilight looked at each other for a moment, and Twilight took in a deep breath before gently knocking at the door.

It opened after a moment, and a familiar blue pegasus peeked out of it - her long mane still rippling over her shoulders fetchingly. Twilight ruthlessly suppressed a moment of jealousy over that mane - why couldn't she get hers to look like that when she wanted to fancy up? Bluebell looked over the both of them, then nodded and swung open the door... revealing the little powder room beyond it. Twilight had once visited the Canterlot Theatre, and had seen a room much like this in the back - a large mirror surrounded by lights, clothes racks and stands, and a little comfortable looking couch on one side... in which a familiar, if very different mare sat.

Seeing her up close like this, she was completely and unmistakably Sweetie Belle.  The glittering blue stage dress sat draped carefully over a hangar, and Twilight could now see the brand new cutie-mark which adorned her flank - a sleek looking microphone with a pair of musical notes drifting out of it. Sweetie looked up for a moment, her eyes full of some strong emotion that Twilight couldn't immediately identify. She hopped down off the couch, barely pausing when Bluebell laid a hoof on her shoulder and came right up face to face with Twilight.

Sweetie reached up and touched Twilight's cheek with her hoof. "Is that really you, Twilight?" She asked in a soft, melodious voice. Twilight nodded with a small smile... and tears filled Sweetie's eyes. "TWILIGHT!" She yelled at the top of her longs and threw her hooves around her neck, hugging her as tightly as Twilight had ever been hugged and driving the breath out of her chest. "You're here! You're alive! Oh, thank Celestia!" She sobbed out into Twilight's shoulder, and gripped hard enough that Twilight had to struggle a little to breathe - but she didn't complain. She simply put her own hooves around Sweetie's middle and stroked her hoof down her back.

They stood like that for a few long moments, with Dash joining them a moment later to gently join in the hug. Sweetie must have cried for nearly five minutes, but far sooner than Twilight would have guessed she was rallying her emotions and her self control, with as much grace as even Rarity could have managed. Much to Twilight's surprise, the look on Bluebell's face had transformed from wary to warm in mere heartbeats as they slowly led Sweetie back to the couch.

Soon enough, Sweetie was sitting comfortably next to Twilight and Dash, while Bluebell perched upon a stubby wooden stool. At some point, the pink mare Daring had been calling Miss Kitty lounged against the door frame, watching them with a very complex look on her face. She seemed... amused? Happy? Twilight wasn't sure, but it worried her a little.  Miss Kitty was still an unknown to her, with unpredictable motivations and uncertain objectives.

Still, Sweetie was apparently in a mood to talk.  "I can't tell you exactly how long it's been." She began, a glass of cool water floating toward her which she sipped at daintily. "My memories of coming out of that thing are a little hazy.  There was a lot of noise and other ponies yelling." she frowned a little. "I remember feeling really awkward... I came out of it way older, like this. My body wasn't moving right, and it was smoky and there were lots of flashing lights. I remember..." She bit at her lip. "I remember passing out and it felt like I slept for a really long time... when I woke up, Bluebell was there."

Bluebell piped up softly. "That was two years ago, give or take a few weeks." She confirmed. "I've got the calendar up in my rooms if you need something more exact. I found Sweetie badly beaten up and in a rather sorry state out on Vine street, and I brought her back here.  Took me three months to nurse her back to health." She continued, shifting a little uncomfortably. "She was falling into and out of sense for the longest time, until I finally could afford to bring in a doctor. He did some kind of complex magical thing, and then refused the payment - said he hated seeing innocent ponies like that."

Sweetie nodded a little. "When I woke up, I was really scared. Things were so different here... stuff I don't think either of you have even seen yet." She noted, with a far more mature smile on her face than Twilight would have expected. "I was lucky to have Bluebell to help me out. Miss Kitty took me in and gave me a cleaning job." She smiled broadly and genuinely across at the pink mare, who actually colored a little in the cheeks. "I did that for quite a while, and I have to tell you two I learned... quite a lot about the world in the process.  Then one day, Miss Kitty heard me singing while I worked and.." She shrugged, chuckling softly. "Well, you see how that all ended up. Turned out singing really was my special talent." She said, with a soft sort of sadness. "When it happened... I cried for two weeks. Not because I didn't like to sing... but because Scootaloo and Applebloom weren't here to share it with me. " Sweetie sucked in a shuddering breath and then exhaled it. "So... you're going to get my sister back, right?"

Twilight nodded once. "Yep. We've got some idea where she might be but... it's probably going to be dangerous." She said as gently as she could. "We've got no idea how long she's been here either, even if we've got a very... general sort of idea." Dash was giving Twilight a warning look, but Twilight ignored her. Sweetie deserved the truth.  "Once we've got her back, we're going to work on a way to get home." She insisted, and gently squeezed Sweetie's hoof...

And was incredibly surprised by the next thing she said. "No, Twilight." She said, softly. "Look.. I'm glad to know somepony's going to be able to help Rarity. I really am. It means a lot to me to know nopony else got hurt coming through... but... I can't leave." She looked away from Twilight and Dash for a moment, as though she was trying to hide her face. "I'm sorry."

Twilight was about to open her mouth... when dash stuffed a hoof in it. "Okay, Sweetie." She said firmly, which got a surprised look from everypony in the room... not the least of which was Sweetie Belle. "I mean it. You obviously love your job, you've got good friends... Daring told me this was good paying work." Dash continued with a soft, sad smile. "We'll take care of Rarity. We'll even make sure she doesn't try to guilt you or anything, cuz I know how she can get." She said with a wry grin, and Twilight just stared as she tried to process whatever the heck was going through Dash's mind right then.

Still, Sweetie Belle's smile was pretty obvious proof that whatever Dash was up to, it was a good thing. "Thanks, Dash... will you do me one other favor?" She asked tremulously, and Dash nodded in the most serious way Twilight had ever seen. "I'm... Will you take a letter back to Scoots and Applebloom for me? And something for Rarity, too?" Sweetie Belle's voice had gone soft, almost tremulous... until Dash reached up and squeezed her shoulder with a solemn nod. "T-thanks, Dash." Sweetie whispered softly. "Thanks for understanding."

Twilight couldn't fathom it - not in the least little bit. Didn't she want to go home? Didn't she want to see her friends again? "You can use the desk in my office, Sweetie." Miss Kitty spoke softly into the silence that followed. "I'd like to have a few words with your friends in private, anyway."  Sweetie Belle nodded and hopped off the couch, passing out of the room in silence. For a few moments, Twilight stared bewilderingly after the mature and somber mare that had once been such a vivacious little filly

Kitty's voice cut through Twilight's thoughts though - especially the soft, gentle tone. "It seems I much misjudged you, Miss Dash. I apologize for my... behavior." Twilight watched Miss Kitty gently shut the door and pace across the room in her glittering heels and sleek dress. "Thank you for recognizing how difficult that was for her. It almost looked like you were familiar with that sort of conversation..." She trailed off a little, obviously fishing for a little information to sate her curiosity.

Rainbow Dash smiled with just a touch of wry humor. "I had a similar kind of talk with my mom when I left Cloudsdale for Ponyville. I just did what my dad did for me." She leaned forward from her seat on the couch. "Which reminds me. I'm gonna tell you the same thing my dad told the weather team captain in Ponyville. You hurt that little girl's heart, and I don't care what I gotta do - I will hunt you down and end you." Dash's voice turned into a full throat growl by the end of the sentence, and Twilight could feel her heart racing at the sight of Dash transformed from lazy friend to stern matriarch. Of course, the fact that she'd just threatened somepony who might be their only source of good information....

But Miss Kitty laughed softly. "I think I misjudged you even more than I thought, Rainbow Dash." She said, with a gentle hint of good humor in her smile, and a glimmer of warmth in those bright eyes. "I promise you, we'll take good care of her here - and keep her safe too." She nodded firmly, her hair bobbing up and down just a little as she turned towards the door, then paused. "Rosie said you two came from... somewhere like here, but unlike here." Twilight and Dash both hesitantly nodded, and for a moment the pink mare turned her head away from them. " I... tell me something, then. Did.. did the Cakes end up okay?"

This time, it was Rainbow Dash who looked shocked, and Twilight was the one to sweep in quietly. "Their shop is very successful. They've got two foals now, Pound and Pumpkin cake, and they couldn't possibly be happier." She said softly, her own hoof finding Dash's and squeezing it now. "And a certain somepony lives with them, helps take care of their foals and wants nothing more than to make everypony in town smile." She shot a quick look at Dash, who nodded in obvious understanding.

Miss Kitty took in a deep breath and exhaled softly. "You two need to be very careful. You know secrets about certain ponies that could be absolutely catastrophic in the right hooves. You know the truth about the pasts of some very powerful individuals - individuals who would rather those pasts remain very firmly buried and forgotten." She paused and then placed her hoof on the door. "If things go badly for you..." She turned and smiled, a pure and genuine smile that lit up her face like a candle light. "My door's always open. You'd both make wonderful additions to our family here.."

Then she slipped out of the room without a second word, leaving only the two friends to stare at where she had stood silently. Twilight spoke softly. "Dash... are you starting to think what I'm starting to think?" She said, her thoughts a jumble of confused emotions and facts. Yet despite all of them, there was a thought that kept bubbling up to the surface - something that was nagging very hard at Twilight, like sitting on a pebble you couldn't seem to get out of your chair.

Dash nodded slowly. "I think so." She said with a soft, defiant sort of air. Maybe for now, it was just a thought... but Twilight knew better than most how a single thought could blossom into a full blown tree of them way faster than you'd think. After all - there were a couple other thoughts Twilight was tending to at that moment that were starting to look like more than just little sprouts.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweetie Belle stood at her window, in her own little room at The Blue Note and watched as Dash and Twi hopped into the back-seat of a slick looking town car. Dash looked up at her before she was all the way in and gave a casual little salute before slipping into the vehicle. The doors shut and the vehicle slowly pulled away from the club, taking with it the last little pieces of her life before the Blue Note. Sweetie pressed her face against the cool glass and closed her eyes. She'd done the right thing, hadn't she?

She felt a pair of hooves gently wrap around her from behind, followed by a pair of fluffy-soft wings that squeezed her gently. "I couldn't go back, Blue." Sweetie whispered. "I've... I've changed too much... what would I say to Applebloom? Or t-t-to Scootaloo? or... or to Rarity?" she whispered softly, eyes scrunching tightly closed. She didn't want to watch the tail end of that thing slipping around the turn and away from the club. She didn't want to think about Dash and Twilight riding off to her sister’s rescue, maybe to get in really serious deadly danger to do it. She didn't want to think at all.

Gently, Sweetie Belle felt Bluebell turn her around and pull her close. "It's okay, Sweetie." She said gently. "It's always hard to let family go like that... but they loved you enough to be willing to let you go, and you gotta know that's a pretty damn special thing." She continued, gently chucking her hoof under Sweetie's chin. "Now c'mon. No more tears, you're bunking over at my place tonight."

Sweetie nodded. "Thanks Blue." She said softly, and cuddled a little more firmly up into those feathery blue wings. "Um... I don't suppose we could still go to the Deli first? I kinda want mac and cheese right now..." She admitted, which got a giggle out of Bluebell.

Blue grinned at her. "Sure thing, Sweetie. Maybe we can get a little something else that's hot and gooey later, eh?" She winked saucily, and Sweetie Belle blushed. Some things, you just couldn't change. Sometimes, you just didn't want to change because what you'd found was so wonderful. Maybe that's what it came down to now. Maybe this really was her destiny all along.

But still couldn't take her eyes off the corner where Twilight and Dash had ridden off into the night, and she couldn't keep herself from wondering if she'd done the right thing.

~~~~~~The Royal City of Canterlot~~~~~

"Did you sense it, too?"

The soft yet very feminine voice rolled off the tongue as the sleek white Alicorn slowly ascended the staircases. As always, she wore the golden crown and torque of her office, and the delicate hoofboots she so loved. He turned to face her and smiled gently. "You ought to be in bed, Celly." pronounced Lord Solaris, his eyes soft with concern. "But yet, I did sense it. Something I have not sensed in nearly a thousand years." His eyes went up to the bright moon that hung over head.

Her eyes followed his, as she slipped up alongside him, placing her hoof on the stone railing of the balcony that overlooked the main courtyard. "Has it truly been so long?" she whispered softly, her eyes following the gaze of her peer. "Do we still have enough time to find them, I wonder. " She further observed, closing her eyes and laying her head upon the balustrade. "Even with such a marvelous sign as the Rainboom, I fear we may be far too late."

"Nonsense." Lord Solaris said firmly, tossing his head from side to side. "In this you can be certain Celestia, we have far more time than you suspect.  The wards are holding firm... and the key Summer Solstice is not for another year at least, possibly even two or three. We shall not fail them." His words became iron hard at the end. "Not again."

Celestia winced a little but nodded slowly. "No, we will not." She affirmed and leaned up against the bulky form of her counterpart, the weariness evident in her voice. "I could not sleep, Solaris. I cannot shake this feeling deep inside of me... as though there is somepony out there that needs me right now. Somepony who is dear to my heart, to my very soul... yet I do not know who this pony is." She whispered softly, fearfully. "That pulse of energy we sensed some moons ago... It is connected to that somehow."

Solaris nodded slowly. "Mmmm. A very great many mysteries can be laid at the hooves of that particular event. I am beginning to believe our mysterious pegasus is connected to it as well." There was a long silence between them, and then a gentle sigh. "The pieces on the board are beginning to move far too rapidly for my taste. Should we intervene, though?"

Celestia shook her head firmly. "No. Events must play out naturally, or we might stymie our last and best hope before it even has a chance to grow. Still." She turned a sly look upon her counterpart. "We do lack critical information. Perhaps we ought to make a trip to Manehatten ourselves. It has been quite some time since we've had a few days off."

Solaris appeared to ponder this for a moment, then his face split into a grin. "Well, It has been a long time since we've gone out in disguise... And besides, I think it might be nice to stop in and speak to Rosetta. I have missed her so."

~~~~~~The Streets of Manehatten~~~~~~

Dash and Twilight sat quietly in the back seat of yet another mechanical marvel as it smoothly rolled through the busy streets of downtown Manehatten - even at this very late hour. "Where are we going?" Twilight ventured, obviously less than comfortable with the sudden silence that had fallen over the group since the news of Sweetie's decision had circulated amongst them.

"Manehatten University. I need to finish my evening's work and then start pulling information on the strange occurrences that have been happening lately. Much of it will be rather boring and technical, so the rest of you are going to get a little sleep." Rosetta said firmly, with a heavy glare at Daring Do... who had ended up perched right next to her in the front part of the vehicle. "And I do mean sleep, not staying up till all hours fretting over the million and one possible things that could go wrong at any moment." Daring Do just rolled her eyes and Scooter was laughing quite loudly at this declaration. Dash didn't even so much as react, though. She was too busy thinking.

Thinking was something Dash rarely slowed down to do in any significant detail. What she needed to do was usually so obvious that it didn't require fretting over. Her friends needed support? She was there. She needed to perfect that trick? Practice time. Hungry? Sugarcube Corner, here comes Dash. Life was so much simpler than anypony generally realized, and that helped make sure Dash could get the important things done while not worrying too much about the unimportant stuff.

There were generally only two very glaring exceptions to this rule: One was when she was just about to do a performance, because there was often nothing she could do if she wanted to stay focused on her difficult tricks. The second one was... well, she was sitting right next to her and had become even more complicated of a problem, and Dash had once thought that was impossible. Unfortunately for her, a two more knotty problems had now joined the list... the problem of what they were going to do about Rarity, and the problem of getting home themselves.

Seeing Sweetie like that - just moments from completely breaking down had triggered old memories in Rainbow Dash. Sweetie had found her dream, she'd found a life and a home and friends... who were they to tell her she had to come back to Ponyville? Just because that was the way it was supposed to be? How did they know that? But Rarity would know - oh yes. Dash knew that mare all too well when it came to the way things were supposed to be. She'd rant and rave and scream and pout and all of the other things Rarity did when she was well and truly emotionally distraught... but Dash couldn't let her guilt Sweetie Belle. Sweetie had found happiness, and as far as Dash was concerned, that was the end of it.

Still, Rarity was a problem several orders of magnitude smaller than the other new problem - Twilight had brought it up, and now Dash couldn't stop thinking about it. She hadn't seen any return portal when she'd dropped into this weird world. They didn't even know how Rarity - or whoever - had managed to open it in the first place! It might not be possible for them to get home! In which case... what would they do then? They didn't have anything to fall back on here, except for the generous offer of Miss Kitty.  They could throw themselves at the mercy of the Princess but... would the Princess even listen? Dash didn't know.

And of course, that brought up a third knotty problem - the one Dash had been very intentionally trying to avoid thinking about! It was becoming more and more clear that this world was some kind of mirror to their own... one in which her friends had not merely never met one another, but had all gone on to lead drastically different lives and take on entirely new identities. Worse still, they had one and all been astonished at the concept of the Sonic Rainboom... which meant that Dash's... well, alternate, if there was one, hadn't succeeded at the very first one she'd performed as a filly. All of which collided to one, single, terrifying thought.

What had happened to the Rainbow Dash of this universe?

~~~~~~The Airship "Liebe Kristall", Bay Six~~~~~~

"Is something amiss, Lady Butterfly?" An anonymous male pegasus asked quietly, wearing the beige raincoat and Stetson that was the standard disguise for agents about to deploy into enemy territory. His eyes mirrored a concern for the mare - the same concern all of her subordinates had for her during those periods in which a melancholy took hold of her. They were not often, but they did occur. It had always warmed her heart that her subordinates took such concern for her well-being, in spite of how firm or rough she could often be with them. It was endearing in the best way.

"Nein, Captain." She said softly, as she always did when the mood took her. "Simply reflecting on a few regrets." Regrets she would never be able to purge from her memories - regrets which she reviewed on a regular and regimented basis to remind herself what she was fighting for... and the lengths she would go to for her goals. "Is everything in readiness?" She then said much more briskly, her voice returning to its professional firmness. The Captain nodded, snapping to attention with a smile upon his lips. "Gut. Inform Commandant Panzer. We leave as soon as he is aboard with the Colonel."

The bright yellow coated mare turned and marched up the ramp of the smaller airship, swaying the slightly-shorter-than-regulation black skirt as she walked. Her pink-and-black streaked tail and mane swaying with her movements and getting a longing glance from the squad of Stormponies that had been arrayed behind her - until she vanished from sight into the ship. She had to keep her head in the game, especially now that their plans were beginning to reach fruition. She would avenge those old memories, and she would never forget what had brought her here today.

To do otherwise would be disrespectful to the memory OF That Mare.