Fallen Crown, Rising Sword

A few hours earlier

   Rainbow awoke in a cold sweat, the silence in her room broken by a screech. Her worried eyes searching the darkness of the nightfallen bedroom for anything out of the ordinary. Yet., she saw nothing. She was alone... in the dark... like her dream. The silence was broken again with a slap across her face followed by a short exhale. Dash wasn't dreaming, good. But she still needed to get some help and there was only one pony she could trust...

But they'll have to wait until morning.

Present Hour

   Infinity sat down at the small wooden kitchen with a bowl of cereal, a fork, and his thoughts as he gazed out the window. The sky covered completely with dark clouds. An unnatural occurance, he was sure of that. But the source he wasn't too sure of himself. His utensil clanged against the bowl as he forced the pieces of cereal to swim around in the milk. The dark clouds swirled with his motions. Infinity was impressed that those clouds could even let light bleed through. Alone, himself.

"Morning Infinity." Spike called out as he walked into the kitchen from the library.

"Morning Sp- Whoah!" Infinity looked over at the dragon and barely fell off his seat. "Look at how big you've gotten! Your head probably reaches my stomach by now!"

"Uhh... thanks? I guess." Spike replied awkwardly

"Morning guys." Twilight greeted walking in while stretching in a tee that she swiped from Infinity.

"Spike's so big now! Look at 'im!" Infinity exclaimed, pointing his fork at the dragon.

"Are you eating with a fork?" Spike asked only for his question to go unheeded.

"Yes, yes he has gotten bigger." Twilight chuckled. "It's easy to forget that you've been gone for two years."

   Infinity gave a slight smirk and returned to eating his cereal. Some of the dark cloud clusters shifted a bit in the sky, but didn't seem to do much of exposing the true blue it covered. Which also reminded him of the question he was about to ask before getting distracted by Spike's growth.

"Hey Twi," Infinity started, grabbing the alicorn's attention, "when did this happen?"

Twilight followed his gaze, and with a heavy sigh, began to speak. "Whatever that is, moved in about a year ago. The first year of your absense. It managed to overpower both of the royal sisters..."

"Celestia had a sister? And I never met her!?" Infinity turned to Twilight with mock shock.

"Yes, she was probably busy with Night Court to have met you. Now, as I was saying-"

Twilight was quickly interrupted by a knocking at the door.

"I'll get it." Spike announced as he walked out the kitchen.

   Twilight was then left to catch Infinity up on recent events. What Spike found, more of who, stunned him as soon as he opened the front door. There, before him, stood Dash. Something about her seemed... off... to him. Was it the way her face looked? No, maybe it's her mane. Can't be.

"Hey... Spike... is Twilight up yet?" Rainbow asked a bit timidly.

"Yeah. Sure, she's in the- hey!"

   Rainbow zoomed by the poor dragon, coming to a skidding halt in the middle of the room to make a ninety degree turn. Stopping at the entrance to the kitchen. Her eyes quickly noticed that there was another pony in the kitchen with Twilight. That started to make her a little more uncomfortable about the situation she wanted to talk about.

"Twi... can I talk to ya in private?" Dash asked cautiously, her voice catching the slight attention of the other pony.

"Why? What's wrong Rainbow?" Twilight began to worry a bit about her friend.

"Well.... it's about a dream I had last night..." Rainbow replied, very out of character.

"Was it... a nightmare... Rainbow?"

   With a timid nod, Dash replied with not a single word. Twilight's eyes quickly shifted focus from her friend to the pale pegasus across the table from her. That look she gave him said it all for Infinity. He quickly took action by bolting out of his seat to Rainbow, his hands resting on her shoulders rather tightly. With wide eyes did she stare at him, a bot shaken with how quick he was in general.

"Ms. Dash, tell me, have you any fears?" He sternly asked.

Rainbow quickly shook her head, an obvious lie to Infinity and Twilight.

"Don't lie to me Dash. Everypony has their fears whether or not they like it." Infinity's look went cold.

"I- I don't! Wha-at do you take me f-for? A scardy pony?" Rainbow said more shaken.

"Rainbow!" Infinity boomed, making both Twilight and Rainbow jump. "It is vital for you to tell me what fears you have! You could be a grave peril to us all if you don't cooperate!"

"Wh-who are you?!" Rainbow tried to defend back.

"Let's just say he's sort of an expert on dreams." Twilight replied for Infinity in a calmly manner. "Please Dashie, save ua some time and spill the beans."

Rainbow just looked at Twilight and sighed in defeat.

"Fine.... I'm scared of losing my friends....... and not making it to the Wonderbolts."

"Any strange dreams lately? Nightmares?" Infinity asked, examining the mare's eyes.

"Just last night... it made me feel like I was truly alone..." Rainbow explained briefly, rubbing a hand behind her head. "I didn't like the feeling."

"Shit..." Infinity muttered under his breath

"Shit?! What does shit mean?! Is that bad?!" Rainbow started to panic.

"Yes, this is bad." Infinity replied briefly before turning his attention to Twilight. "Twi, I need something made of glass, like a jar or something. Spike, get me some salt."

"Salt?" Spike questioned.

"Yes,  salt." Infinity turned his attention to Rainbow once again. "Now Miss Dash, I'll have to ask you to sit down for what I'm about to do."

"But.... why?" Rainbow asked.

"We don't need you on the floor that is." Infinity urged the cyan mare towards his seat. "Now sit. Don't move. Breathe slowly and with control."

   Rainbow Dash did as instructed, she barely moved save for blinking, and slowed her breathing considerably. Twilight finally returned with a glass test tube in hand, Spike was standing nearby with a salt shaker. Infinity carefully removed the slim glass container from Twilight's hand and put it in Rainbow's mouth. This caused the pegasus mare in question to get a curious look on her face. Infinity then took the salt shaker from Spike and popped the top off before proceeding to pouring a considerable pile of salt in his hand.

"Did you happen to bring a topper for that?" Infinity asked Twilight as he circled to the back of Rainbow.

Twilight simply nodded, a sort-of smile on her muzzle.

"Good, don't need any escaping."  Infinity stated as he raised his hand.

   Just like the first day she met him, Twilight watched Infinity's irises turn the yellow-green peridot color and stay that way. His eyes were fixed on Rainbow's back though, hand still raised but the salt starting to go from clear-white to match Infinity's eyes. Once both colors were about the same, his hand came in contact by a light slap. All traces of the salt pile disappearing insode the mare before him.

   Rainbow's eyes glazed over as a dark smoke started filing out of her mouth and into the test tube. The pegasus' eyes slowly closed and started to lean forward. This indicated Infinity to take quick action by removing the smoke filled tube and have it quickly topped by a cork. The consequence was the the pegaus stallion's breakfast now went to waste.

"Oh, and Spike." Infinity caught the dragon's attention. "I do eat cereal with a fork. It saves more milk for drinking."

   Infinity and Spike were left to their own devices downstairs while Twilight took Rainbow upstairs for the pegasus to recover. Spike had himself busy with a book while Infinity busied himself with observing the sky again.

"Infinity, what exactly are you if you're not a changeling?" Spike asked curiously out of the blue.

Infinity just looked at the young dragon. "Well... I am a Crosser. A Dimension Crosser. Though not of the original race, I still possess the abilities and skills to match one."

"And what do you do as a Crosser?" Spike now looked up from the book he had open.

"Easier to say than to do... I make sure the exsisting worlds are at a balance with their connection to the Hall." Infinity paused. "I also make sure that other interdimensional entities don't screw with the balance for their own agenda."

"The Hall.... and other inter-whats-its?" Spike cocked his head a little, now confused.

"All the worlds that exsist, even this one, are connected by the Hall of Dimensions. The Hall allows for easy travel to other worlds just by stepping through a seemingly plain door."

"And what happens if a world gets destroyed?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Infinity teased a little. "Their door remains, but is severly damamged and a Crosser such as myself is unable to pass through or open said door."

"Now what about those other whos-it-whats?" Spike asked.

"The other interdimensional beings?" Infinity got a slight nod from Spike. "Well.... there's only four others that banded or were brought together and dubbed themselves the Lords of Chaos-"

"Like Discord?" Spike asked.

"Sort of, only worse when they're all togeher. Anyway... there's only one of these so-called Lords that I have run into extensively. So, long story short, we have a bit of a history."

"And just who is this so-called 'Lord of Chaos' you've run into many a time my dear?" Both males heard Twilight. Infinity brought his head down slightly.

"The Lord of Fear, Phalatrex." Infinity looked out the window towards the clouds again. "He possesses a great power of the emotion and exploits any-beings' fears for his own amusment."

"He doesn't sound do tough. I bet I could beat him!" Spike boasted, puffing out his chest while flexing.

"I wouldn't advise it, young Spike. He would tear you down with your own fears. I've barley managed to go toe-to-toe with him on my best days." Infinity quickly shot down the drake, but quickly changed the subject. "Man... I've worked in the shadows for so long I forgot what it was like to have beings to trust."

"Who else have you trusted with your true identity?" Twilight asked, her curiousity piqued.

"None else."

"You think Dash is gonna be fine?" Spike wondered.

"Let her rest, I have no doubt she'll be in danger anymore.." Infinity answered with a smile.

within Rainbow Dash's subconscious

   Rainbow just kept running. Running from maniacal laughter. But no matter how fast she ran or tried to fly, that eerie laughter was always just behind her. Dash took a quick glimpse back at the dark clouds in pursuit. Her heartbeat quickened, urging her to run faster than she ever ran before.

I'm coming for you.... Rainbow Crash....

   Oh how she hated that nickname. But the whisper in the voice had a malicious tone to it, almost demonic. But Dash just kept running.

You can't out run me Crashie! That terrible voice called out again. I will get you!

"Like hell you will!" Rainbow heard as a figure rushed by.

   Rainbow came to a halt to gaze at the spectacle behind her, which wasn't long enough to watch. The figure that rushed by her wielded a weapon of some sort and used it to cut down the smoke to near nonexsistant. The figure itself looked to be another animal, canine in nature, but cyan fur with different color frosted tips between the figures made her feel unthreatened by it. Dash watched as the figure turn its head to reveal red eyes and give her a friendly wave and smile.

Dash just waved back with some disbelief.

Twilight's kitchen

"So, about the royal sisters, where are they Twi?" Infinity asked, a calm gaze direct at his lover now seated across from him.

"I don't know, really. Nopony does." Twilight responded sheepishly.

"Last know location?"

Canterlot Palace in Canterlot, I suppose."

Infinity leaned back a bit in his chair. "You suppose...."

Twilight had a faint brush as she nodded.

"Pack your bags, we're goin' to Canterlot!" Infinity exclaimed, hopping out of his seat.

"You can't be serious..." Twilight groaned.

"Oh I am serious hun. SPIKE!" The drake was quick to respond to his name being called. "Can you look after the library while we're gone."

"Sure, I guess..." Spike looked back to the room he was previously cleaning.

"Good. When Miss Dash awakens, you can send her home with no worries." Infinity was quick to interject.

"What are you even planning, Infinity?" Twilight asked, probably expecting his next answer.

"To find the Princesses in Canterlot!"

Yeah, totally expected that answer. "Infinity, that's going to take forever juat alone."

"Why do ya think I told you to pack your bags?"

Twilight just facepalemed, having walked right into that trap.