The Nexus

Chapter 3: "The Truth, Celestia"

When Rainbow Dash had flown away from the throne room in tears, she knew that if she tried to leave the Canterlot palace, then her embarrassment at being caught crying would only increase tremendously by a thousand and one times. Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash decided to fly to a secluded part of the palace where no staff or Princess or friend and fellow Element could stumble upon her by accident, or purpose in Twilight's case. It would be so uncool.

She had original planned to fly to the private gardens of Princess Celestia. With everything that had just transpired, Rainbow Dash was positive that the Sun Goddess would not go there. It had plenty of trees to block any peeping eyes from spotting it and large enough to prevent anyone from hearing her cries. There would be just enough air to allow her to spread her wings, too. However, what had started as a simple rendezvous in the royal (private) garden had instantly spiraled out of control. Somehow–she blamed the tears that were so uncool– she had ended up deeper in the palace than she's ever been. Without Twilight with her to guide her out of the labyrinth of halls, Rainbow Dash only succeeded in getting lost farther. She hastily wiped away any stray tears and toughened up. She was Rainbow freakin' Dash. She just screamed at the Princess without getting killed right then and there. What were some measly halls?

Rainbow Dash was lost. Somehow she had found herself in the very bowels of the palace with only her lightning abilities, for all Valkyrie could create a simple thunderstorm, to light the halls. Her hands and arms hand numerous small burns from where the lightning singed her. However, she had finally found a door that hadn't led to a random, useless room.

Seriously, how many armories did a palace need?

There hasn't been a war in Equestria since forever. Yes, the Griffins were a potential threat but with the Elements of Harmony along with Celestia and Luna, two living goddesses, the Griffins couldn't, and wouldn't, try anything. Though, when the Mane Six had accidentally embarrassed Gilda, she might have gone home to complain to her griffin friends and family of how uncool the Equestrians were. Rainbow Dash couldn't quite remember what status in the kingdom she held but knew it was kind of important. Like if someone of another nation was to mess with Twilight, then she could complain to Princess Celestia.

At the thought of the Princess, Rainbow Dash blushed the color of her eyes. She had insulted the most powerful person in the entire universe! Her life was instantly over. No Element of Harmony, or Who-Gives-A-Crap as she had previously called them, could save her from pure retribution at the hands of the Sun Goddess. She was actually surprised at how restrained the Princess had acted. The pain in her arm, cheek, and jaw were testimony to her mercy. If Princess Celestia had been serious, then she could have vaporized Rainbow Dash where she stood. Yes, the slap had surprised her. Yes, she deserved it. No, she wasn't going to go groveling at her feet because of the pure trepidation that courses through her veins. She liked living, thank you very much. Dying wasn't exactly what she had planned for today. Although, with everything going as it was, death would likely become a very appeasing option. Rainbow Dash wouldn't be able to show her face again in public if word got out. Especially to her friends.

Rainbow Dash was more than positive that Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six hated her right now. No doubt Twilight already informed them of what she had said.

"Buck this." grumbled Rainbow Dash, punching the wall.

She quickly learned how much it hurt when flesh and bone collided with solid stone. Limestone, Rainbow Dash thought. Fortunately nothing was broken. Just her pride and image. The fresh pain from her hitting the wall was nothing though. She had crashed so many times that it was nothing more than a dull throbbing. Not to mention how many times her mother—

Rainbow Dash screamed. It clawed at her throat, leaving it dry and hoarse, as it erupted from her mouth in a strange mixture of an animal and a Ursa Major scream. Everything had fallen apart! EVERYTHING!

Sending the rising rage, Rainbow Dash squashed it as fast as possible. After everything she had just done, having another rage fit would not solve the problem. Instead, she focused on continuing. The walls were shrinking and Rainbow Dash wasn't one for creepy dungeons in case someone found her. Her hand brushed against the wall and felt the stone carved out in a small design. Sparing a glance, Rainbow Dash could only chuckle at the pony engraved in the wall with a police box next to it. Whoever it was must have been a child. Or a weirdo who got lost with the depths of the palace. Perhaps instead of sending people to the dungeons, Princess Celestia and Luna sent them here to wander the halls aimlessly until they died of starvation. Or thirst. Whatever came first.

The moment Rainbow Dash collided with the door at the end of the ridiculously small hallway she wanted to sing. Thank Celestia there was an end to this place. For an eternity, which was really an hour, she had aimlessly ambled down into the abyss that was the palace. Sensing that this wasn't another armory, because that would be really uncool if it was, Rainbow Dash pried open the ancient, rusted door with her bare hands. Once she was inside, she closed the door because it was cold as all Tartarus out there. Eyes gaped, Rainbow Dash tried to not gawk. The room was amazing! A crystal chandelier, that used the actual crystal as the light source, hung from the high ceiling with bookcases upon bookcases stacked until they touched the ceiling. Ancient war posters, maps, charts and diagrams covered every inch of visible wall while a few had red marks slashed across them and a couple even had a dagger sticking out of them. In the center of the room, a large wooden table upon thick legs held up a giant world map, well, as much of Equestria and her neighboring countries as a map that old could possible have, spread out across the entirety of the surface. Small wooden pieces of ships, horses and artillery were carefully positioned upon the map. The colors depended upon those of the three clans: the Valkyrie, the Terrans and the Alchemists. Melted candle sticks held the map down.

As Rainbow Dash moved towards the map, the feeling of déjà vu overwhelmed her. Wings fluttering, Rainbow Dash was pulled towards the table where everything unfolded before her eyes. If there was anything she loved more than flying or reading Daring Do, then it had to be strategy. Ditzy Doo, a.k.a Derpy, had taught her strategy at flight camp whenever Rainbow Dash had gotten in trouble with the other consolers for pulling a prank on the other campers. Although Ditzy was, well, Ditzy, she was a surprisingly good strategist and had not hesitated to impart her skills to Rainbow Dash. Everything she did, from training to picking out what cereal she was buying, involved strategy. What you did now could affect you right away, a day later or even decades later. "You have to know what is good for you now and what will be good for you fifty years later", Ditzy would say. The accident with her eye sight when she was a child had left her with a more mature and wiser view on the world.

Overlooking the map, Rainbow Dash noted that none of the clans were winning, nor did they have an advantage. All equally matched, Rainbow Dash was positive that the war being depicted was the battle before Hearth's Warming Eve. What really caught the ever shifting attention of the rainbow haired Valkyrie were the two separate pieces colored gold. The two pieces were all different. One was a Valkyrie of course, and the other was a Alchemist with hands encased in magic. It didn't take a genius to identify the Valkyrie as Commander Hurricane but the other one sure as Tartarus didn't look like Princess Platinum or her father if the peasant robes were anything to go by. It was Clover the Clever? From what Twilight told her about Clover the Clever, his power rivaled that of Star Swirl the Bearded, his mentor.

But why were they gold?

Rainbow Dash frowned. A few papers upon the map caught her attention. She delicately lifted them and read them over. Mission reports, mission reports, news from the front line, mission reports, warrant for arrest, more news from the front lines, etcetera. Going through them for a third time, Rainbow Dash couldn't find anything that informed her of why the two pieces were gold. Why wasn't there a third? Was Chancellor Puddinghead not important? Why just the two?

"Why?" murmured Rainbow Dash.

There was always a reason behind everything. First, she needed to discover who had set up this place and why. Second, find out what they had intended to do. Third, get the Tartarus out of here before anybody catches her.

With her list in mind, Rainbow Dash proceeded to explore the thousands upon thousands of books. Top to bottom. Her wings twitched in excitement at being able to fly. Instead, she climbed upon the ladder. It wouldn't do to blow way everything out of it's place. If she'd learned anything from Twilight Sparkle, then it was that everyone had a system. It was just finding out that system that was important. Some did it in alphabetical or numerical order. Some had it in order of importance. Others had an orderly chaos. Still a system, though. If they could find it, then so could Rainbow Dash. While she wasn't an egghead like Twilight, Rainbow Dash had the confidence that she could discover what this person had planned exactly. Magenta eyes feverishly scanned the shelves.

Worthless, worthless, boring, useless, worthless, not important, worthless, boring, boring, boring, not important, useless, the pattern continued. Without a clock to provide her with the time of day, or night, Rainbow Dash didn't know how long she had been scanning the shelves for something that could help her understand the situation. It might have been a minute. It might have been an hour. It might have even been a day. Time was fleeting and meaningless in the private war chamber. Rainbow Dash sighed for the umpteenth time. If only Twilight Sparkle was here to help. More so Celestia than her. Without the rage, though. However, Rainbow Dash had doubts that even Princess Celestia knew of this place. It seemed far older than anything she'd ever seen. The Sun Sovereign included. She was about to surrender hope when one book caught her attention.

It was giant, metal bound with thin metal sheets for paper that didn't seem to bend any other way than how a page should turn. Gens of all colors adorned the cover in a rainbow of beauty to create a stained glass effect. In the center of the cover, a woman crafted from the gems was asleep with circles filled with the different elements circling the woman. She had a white wing and a black one with hair similar to that of the cosmos. If it wasn't a permanent creation, Rainbow Dash was certain it would be ever shifting. Her entire skin was like that. A mixture of light and dark, colliding in an infinite cycle of eternity. It was beautiful. She opened the book with the utmost gentleness. It was blank.

She frowned and the door to the room blew open.

"Rainbow Dash!" happily called Twilight, her relief at finding the missing Valkyrie evident in her voice.

"Twilight." sighed Rainbow Dash.

Just when she had discovered something worthwhile, Twilight just had to ruin it. When someone runs out, one does not simply follow them. Space. Space it what you give them instead of following them into the very depths of Tartarus. Whether Rainbow Dash outwardly showed her displeasure at being found or if she remained stoic about her intrusion.

"You blew open a door."

"You ran away." Twilight said as if it was the most obvious thing.

Rainbow Dash's eyebrow raised until it nearly vanished into her hairline. "Yeah, I did. But I never blew open a door. Cool by the way."

"What is this place, Rainbow Dash?"

"A war room."

Twilight Sparkle looked incredulously at Rainbow Dash, as if she had grown a second head. Which, by the way, was not a fun experience. "Why would there be a war room?"

"Because of war, Twilight. Not everything can be solved by the Elements of Harmony. Sometimes war is needed to protect your country, expand borders or keep your enemies in check. War, after all, Twilight, is what founded Equestria." She motioned to the map. "This is pre-Equestria. You can see how none of the three clans have an advantage or disadvantage. Terrans are able to keep their hold because of their anti-air raids by the Valkyrie, Alchemists are held up in the mountains and are able to counter the ground troops of the Terrans, while the Valkyrie are able to counter the spells of the Alchemists. They are deadlocked."

"But, Rainbow Dash, there wasn't even a war back then."

"Yes, yes there was. Equestria may seem like no one ever dies of murder or gets mugged or beaten or even raped. But it happens. It always happens. A friend once said to me, "Rainbow Dash, don't believe everything you see. Lies and deception are everywhere. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow", or something along those lines. And what she said was true. Open your eyes to places like Manehatten and you'll see just how corrupt the world really is. Or, if you really want an example, the griffins. Gilda is probably the least violent griffin in all of Equestria. Only because if people discovered what really went down in the Griffin kingdom, they'll wake up and smell the roses. And they wouldn't want that. Ignorance works to their advantage."

"Whoa, Rainbow Dash, where'd you learn that?" Spike asked.

"Well, you learn a lot when you're on your own. I'm not an egghead though."

"Rainbow Dash, I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened b-" Twilight started before Rainbow Dash hushed her by putting her hand upon her mouth.

"Don't even start about that. Forget I even said anything. I'm just Rainbow Dash. I'm awesome and I'm cool. I am not the abused, broken little girl you now see me as. I'm not even an egghead. My goal is still to join the Wonderbolts. I'm still the Element of Loyalty as far as I know. Whether or not we're still friends is up to you. If not, whatever. I understand. Got it?"

Twilight Sparkle didn't move. Instead, Rainbow Dash's hand glowed purple and was pulled away by her magic.

"Rainbow Dash, this isn't something you can just shrug off! You were hurt by the people supposed to protect you! There might be lasting consequences! Princess Celestia will-"

"Princess Celestia won't do anything. As far as she cares, I am dead. Rainbow Dash is dead. I screamed at her, Twilight! I. Screamed. At. Her. Period."

"It wasn't your fault. I read in a book that children that are abused-"

"Twilight! This is not something you can easily fix with your magic or books!"

"Rainbow Dash, I'm not trying to fix you. I'm trying to help you. What your mother did to you isn't acceptable. She needs to be thrown into jail for what she did to you. Whether or not you realize this, you can't handle this on your own. The Princess will help you. She has to. Child abuse is illegal." Twilight sighed. "She's forgiving and I doubt the little display you had will make her hate you forever."

"It's not that, Twilight."

"Then what is it, Rainbow Dash?"

"I screamed at you. I insulted everyone. What kind of friend is that? What kind of loyalty is that? Princess Celestia was right. I'm a terrible friend."

"You're not a terrible friend. We were. We hadn't realized how much the Mare Do Well incident affected you. I thought it would teach you a lesson in pride, but it hurt you. I can't believe we didn't realize that." Twilight moved over to where Rainbow Dash had slumped over, looking lost at the strange metal book. "You have all of us if you ever need to talk. That's what friends are for."

"Friends? After all I've said?" Rainbow Dash sighed. "You are a strange one, Twilight."

She offered a hesitant smile to Rainbow Dash as Spike unwrapped himself from her. Jumping onto the table, Spike looked at the book with interest. The purple and green dragon looked at Rainbow Dash for permission before touching the book. He instantly pulled his claw back.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Spike.

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The book! It's imbued with ancient dragon and Alchemist magic! Powerful, too! Where did you find this, Rainbow Dash?"

"On a shelf somewhere. Why?" Rainbow Dash raised an eye at the dragon before looking for Twilight for an explanation. She just shrugged.

"Yeah, Spike, why?"

"Because if my hunch is correct, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, this book is the Book of Ages!"

"Book of Ages?"

"Yeah! Every dragon is born with the knowledge of the Book! Dragon legend has it that the Book of Ages can tell the past, the present, and the future all at the same time! It's so powerful that the Book is needed to be hidden from prying eyes because it can literally change the past, present and future if someone touches it!"

Rainbow Dash blanched.

"I touched it, Spike."

"Then that means your past, ancestors and all are able to be read. Or you're gonna die a horrible death. I forget which one it was." Spike shrugged. "We have to tell the Princess of this!"

"Whoa no! After everything that just happened, you want to get the Princess down here? I mean, is it really the Book of Ages or whatever. I mean, common on! Why would it be here of all places? Seriously? Book of Ages? They couldn't come up with a better name for it other than Book of Ages? Jeez!"

"I don't know." mumbled the bruised dragon.

Twilight Sparkle patted the distressed Valkyrie's back. "Don't worry, Rainbow Dash. The Princess won't try to kill you or anything." She grinned dangerously. "Or are you just scared?"

"What? Me, scared? Nonsense! I'm Rainbow freakin' Dash! I'm the very definition of cool!" boasted the shaking Element of Loyalty.

"Then you'll write the letter?"

She deflated. "Why me?"

"Because you're the one who touched the book, Rainbow Dash."

She bit the inside of her cheek in thought. Rainbow Dash wasn't normally one to shy away from getting the job done, but this was just outrageous! For all she knew, the Sun Goddess could be plotting her demise in the most torturous way possible right now. She could be picturing all the ways to humiliate the bearer of the Element of Loyalty until she begged for death! She could even be planning to banish her to the moon! And Rainbow Dash hated cheese!

Nearly hyperventilating at the thought of eating nothing but moon cheese for the rest of her pitiful existence, Rainbow Dash drew in a shaking breath. The Princess had been angry at what she had screamed into her face but not enough to send her to the moon, right? She needed the entire set of Elements, correct? But if what Celestia had said of how the Elements could leave the host if they deemed them unsuitable was correct? Oh no. She was going to be stuck eating moon cheese! So uncool.

"Rainbow Dash?"

"What, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash squeaked.

"She's not going to banish you to the moon." Twilight smiled.

"How did you-? What did you-? Are you a mind reader?" said the suspicious prismatic haired Valkyrie.

"No. You just ranted out loud."

Rainbow Dash had the decency to blush the color of her Element. Twilight set the paper down in front of her with a quill. Confused at why Rainbow Dash couldn't simply use a regular pen, Twilight explained.

"The quill is magical. If it's a regular pen, then Spike has trouble sending it. Only certain ink can be sent via dragon breath."

"Oh."

"Just relax, Rainbow Dash. You can do it."

Offering a small smile, Rainbow Dash awkwardly held the quill in her right hand and began the letter, praying to whatever deity that was out there-not Celestia-that the oh-so humble ruler of the sun didn't cast her into oblivion. Like she said before, she liked living!