The Ballad of Xyclone

Deep in the Everfree Forest, early morning

I had some weird dreams that night. I still couldn't believe I kissed Lyra. I still couldn't believe she friendzoned me. I wanted us to be more than just "friends". I guess I was right, though. Lyra would never have feelings for me. When I woke up that next morning, Lyra had once again made me breakfast.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead!" she joked at me playfully as I exited our tent. "No lesson today; I know that they really take a lot of energy from you. You're doing well, though, don't get me wrong!"

"Heh, thanks." I had a depressed look on my face. I was still thinking about what happened last night.

"Are you okay, Xyclone? You look sad..."

"Oh, yeah, sure! I'm just fine!" I said, faking a smile. Without saying a word, I helped the others with the tents again. I was still fascinated by Rainbow Dash. She still looked like she was guilty. As we continued our journey, I kept a close eye on her, along with Twilight and Bon-Bon. They both seemed to grow weirder and weirder each day. They even kept close to me. It was as if they were...stalking me. During the trip, Dash kept having crying fits, and when we reached the next campsite that evening, it appeared to get even worse. Lyra decided that evening that it was time for a magic lesson. She sat me down at the fire after everybody had gone to sleep.

"Are you ready for a challenge?" she asked me.

"Bring it on!" I cheered.

"I want you to try and move that log," she said, pointing to a tree stump next to us. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and waited. After a few moments, I started my attempt. My horn began glowing blue, so I knew that something was happening. I felt huge gusts of wind blowing through my mane as I grunted with effort.

"Uh, X-Xyclone...?" I thought I heard Lyra say, but I wasn't paying any attention. I was too deep in focus.

I suddenly felt the ground begin to vanish from beneath my hooves. What was happening? I began to panic.

"Xyclone!" I opened my eyes to see that Lyra and I were both levitating off the ground.

"Am...Am I doing this?!" I called out to her.

"Yes! Yes, this is all you! I'm impressed! Terrified, but impressed nonetheless!"

I smiled, then I slowly began to bring us back down.

"Whoa..." said Lyra. "That...was...awesome! How the hay did you do that?!"

"I...I have no idea... How did I do that?"

"I don't know either, but I'll tell you what I do know: You have very powerful magic abilities, Xyclone. Are you sure that you didn't mean to lift us both up like that?"

"I'm-I'm positive. I was just trying to lift the log."

"This is fascinating," Lyra mused. "We'll have to inform Princess Celestia about this when we get back to Ponyville."

Ponyville! I had completely forgotten! We were on a mission to find and defeat Queen Chrysalis...again! That's why we were in the freaking Everfree Forest! We had to be getting close to Chrysalis' kingdom. "That reminds me," I told Lyra. "How far are we from Chrysalis' place?"

"I don't know. You're gonna have to ask Twilight or her friends about that. I didn't go with them the last time they defeated her. I completely forgot why we were here, though. Thanks for the reminder!" I smiled, and then Lyra yawned. "I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, Xyclone."

"Good night, Lyra. I won't stay up for too much longer.' I once again prepared a marshmallow to roast. I had seriously gotten addicted to these marshmallows ever since this long trip began. They were all I ever ate; I never touched the other food we had. I wondered to myself if Chrysalis had really returned again. If she had, I'll give her one thing: she is persistent. Every single night I sat there at the campfire roasting a marshmallow, everything suddenly sank in. So much was going on in my head, I couldn't concentrate on anything. One thing I couldn't get off my mind no matter how hard I tried was Lyra. I kissed her; she shot me down. Never before had I been embarrassed in all my life. My mood now ruined, I decided not to eat my marshmallow. I threw it on the ground and headed for my tent, where Lyra already was. Just as I was about to go in it, however, I saw and heard painful moans and cries coming from Fluttershy's and Rainbow Dash's tent. I immediately thought one thing: that they were expressing their..."friendship" towards each other. I trotted slowly over to their tent because I was curious (and because I'm a pervert) and peeked inside. I was relieved to see that I was wrong. Fluttershy was dead asleep and Rainbow Dash was thrashing about in her sleeping bag violently.

"I'm...sorry..." she groaned within her sleep. "...Please...forgive me...please...I'm so sorry..."

"Then it hit me: she was having a nightmare. "Rainbow Dash!" I whispered to her, pushing her shoulder, trying not to wake Fluttershy up. "Rainbow Dash, wake up!" Then I got an idea. I focused my magic on Rainbow and closed my eyes. I tried to enter her mind to see what she was dreaming...like what Princess Luna does. It was difficult, but I was surprisingly able to do it.

Rainbow Dash is speaking to Scootaloo in the same place where Rainbow promised her she'd take her under her wing. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo, but it was an emergency! I'm sorry I never notified you!"

"No!" yells Scootaloo at her. "It's too late now! You've *never** been able to keep a secret! YOU'RE THE WORST BIG SISTER EVER!!!" Scootaloo gallops off.*

"Scootaloo, please! Wait!" Rainbow starts chasing after her. "I'm sorry!!"

Scootaloo finally stops at a giant cliff and prepares to jump.

"Scootaloo, what are you doing?! Get down from there!!"

"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash. This is all your fault."

**"NO!!"* screams Rainbow as Scootaloo hops off the cliff. "PLEASE, NO!!" Rainbow runs after her and jumps off of the cliff to give chase. Rainbow Dash falls and falls down the abyss until she lands onto a gray metal table, where chains and shackles lock her to it.*

A much older-looking Scootaloo suddenly enters the room wearing a white lab coat.

"Why, hello there, Rainbow Dash!" she says, an evil tinge to her voice. She suddenly pulls out a sharp dagger and points it at Rainbow. "You look like the perfect pony to be turned into Spectra!"

"Wh-What?! W-What are you going to do with that knife?! Scootaloo?!?!"

"You've hurt many ponies, Rainbow Dash. But most importantly, you hurt *me.** Now it's time for you to see how it feels when somepony hurts YOU!!"*

"No! Scootaloo, please!" pleads Rainbow. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!!"

"No, *I'M** sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid it's too late for apologies now! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! AH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAA!!!"*

"Please!! No!!"

"Huh...wha...?" moaned Fluttershy sleepily. Damn it. "X-Xyclone? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night!"

"It's Rainbow Dash!" I whispered, pointing to her. "Something's wrong with her!"

"Oh, no," whimpered Fluttershy. "She's having the dream again."

"W-What dream?"

"I think it'd be better if she told you." Fluttershy turned to Rainbow and shook her.

"No...!" Rainbow squeaks. "Please...no..." Suddenly, she shot up out of her sleeping bag. "I'M SORRY!!!" she cried. Realizing it was only a dream, Dash sank back down and sighed. She started sobbing.

"Oh, Rainbow..." said Fluttershy sadly.

"I was having the dream again, wasn't I?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Y-Yes," went Fluttershy.

"Can somepony please explain to me what 'the dream' is?!" I asked finally.

Rainbow Dash gasped. "X-Xyc-clone?!?! What are you—?!"

"I was about to go to bed, when I heard you screaming. Are...are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash sniffed. "N-No..." she said. "I keep having these crazy nightmares..."

"About what?" I asked.

Rainbow Dash began crying again, so Fluttershy spoke for her: "About Scootaloo."

"Why?"

Rainbow spoke this time. "Y-You remember that s-scary story I told the other night? Well, I didn't actually hear it from Gilda. I-It was 'Rainbow Factory'...word for word."

"I knew it! But...how do you know what 'Rainbow Factory' is?"

Rainbow sniffed. "B-Back in Ponyville, when y-you were showing us what the...'internet' was... Afterwards, Flutters and I s-snuck back to your room and looked up 'Rainbow Factory'. What we saw h-horrified us. It made me realize how much I never cared for Scootaloo. It's just that I was so preoccupied with other things..." As Rainbow once again began to break down, Fluttershy spoke again.

"Rainbow used to have a huge crush on Applejack." She said.

"Fluttershy!!" cried Rainbow Dash. "I told you that in confidence that you wouldn't tell anypony else!!!"

"You did?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Yes, okay? I had a crush on her...had. It was a long time ago...I eventually got over her."

Whew! I thought. That would've been awkward for everyone if Rarity or AJ ever found that out.

"Anyway, she distracted me so much th-that I wasn't able to keep up my promise to little Scoots that I would take her under my wing. After reading that story, I felt so guilty. I flew as fast as I could to find Scootaloo. Once I did actually find her, I apologized for every wrong I'd done her. I made her another promise then, a promise I swore on my life I'd keep."

"What'd you promise her?" I asked.

"I promised her that, the very next day, I would adopt her as my little s-s-sister."

"Well, that's wonderful, Rainbow Dash! Why are you so sad then?"

"Because later that day, Princess Celestia sent us on this mission, and..." Rainbow sniffled. "I never got to say goodbye to her. I pushed the thought away. But when we reached that cave where Scootaloo revealed her deepest secret to me, I began having these nightmares about 'Rainbow Factory', and the bad thoughts came flooding back. I feel like I let her down again by leaving with no warning. She probably hates me now." Her voice trailed off, choking with sobs.

"Rainbow Dash, listen to me," I said to her, catching her attention. "Did Scootaloo say anything when you told her you were sorry for any past pain you caused her?"

Rainbow sniffed. "Y-Yes. She told me that I never hurt her, that I was 'too awesome' to hurt anypony." Rainbow Dash smiled as she said that.

"Well, there you go right there!" I said. "Rainbow, you may not think so, but Scootaloo loves you. You're literally like her big sister in her eyes. I'm sure she would understand why you left so suddenly. Now cheer up, okay?"

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thank you so much, Xyclone. I just wish I I'd stop having nightmares."

"Wait, you said you had the same dream a few times. Is it the only dream you've been having?"

"Yeah, I don't really want to describe it, though. It's really scary to me."

"I understand. I think I might have an idea on how you can stop having that dream."

"Really? What is it?"

"Have you ever finished the it?"

"N-No...I always wake up right at the part where Scootaloo starts to murder me."

"Wait, what?!" said Fluttershy suddenly.

"Here's what you should do," I continued. "Finish the dream."

"W-WHAT?! Are you crazy?!" yelled Dash.

"Just trust me on this one. Who knows? Sometimes, the ending might not be as bad as you think. It might even give you closure." I smiled at her reassuringly.

"Thank you so much!" cried Rainbow, hugging me. "You're the best!"

All of a sudden, Lyra peeked into the tent. "What's going on?" she inquired. "I heard commotion..."

"There was," said Rainbow Dash, still hugging me. "But it's all better now."

Lyra chuckled sweetly. "I'm glad! Now, won't you please come back to bed, Xyclone? I'm tired!"

"Sure thing, Lyra!" I laughed. I turned back to Rainbow and Fluttershy. "You two sleep well now, okay?"

"We will," said Rainbow. "And...thanks again for the kind words, Xyclone. Th-They really helped."

"Wow, it seems like you're nice to everypony here!" said Lyra as we headed back to our tent. "You have a gift! How do you do it?"

"I was raised to be as nice a soul as I could be."

"Your kindness is an inspiration to me."

"Oh, stop!" I blushed.