Unusable Story Husk

by Yip

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Sad
Length: 10848

Unusable Story Husk

Unusable Story Husk

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-12 23:56:06 UTC

Out Of Your Hands

**********Dashing Your Friends Away**********

Rainbow Dash looked around the barn, and gasped at what she saw. There was hay everywhere, and it would take her forever to clean up this entire mess with this pitchfork. The barn was huge! What would Applejack need all of this space for, except stacks of hay? The small pitchfork was better than nothing for the situation though, because flying over and picking every little strand by hoof is much harder to get organized into stacks neatly. At the very least Applejack could've given her a bigger pitchfork.

Rainbow probably wouldn't even be doing this at all if it wasn't for Applejack being her friend. She'd much rather go take a nap, but she didn't prevent a storm that blew all of the neat hay stacks Applejack had made beforehand, and she was loyal to her friend and so promised to clean up the barn herself. She had no idea how bad it was though, how long it would probably take her to clean up this disastrous mess. If that's the price she has to pay, then so be it.

"Al'right, once yer done in this barn, come see me in mah house over there. Mighty thanks fer th' help, Rainbow." Applejack told Rainbow with a smile. But Rainbow knew that she really didn't mean the thanks entirely, since it was her own fault.

"No problem Applejack, I'll be done in no time!" Rainbow assured Applejack. The look in Rainbow's eye didn't seem like it though, she knew it would be a long day.

Applejack retreated to her house, and Rainbow took a good, long look at the barn's hay scattered everywhere. The barn had to be the size of her house! And there was so much hay, that her pitchfork needed to pierce the floor of hay 3 times to have reached the ground. It was hard enough to get the hoof attachment to secure the pitchfork on her hoof, but she had to use it all day. Better get started sooner than later.

After a few hours of cleaning, she had made some considerable progress, more than she hoped for when she started working. It was almost half finished, and she admired how neat the haystacks were. They would surely impress Applejack when she was done, and she would be very appreciative.

Suddenly, Rainbow heard a voice from behind a haystack.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash. My name is Dawson H. Arib, although you probably haven't heard of me." The peculiar voice said.

Then, the pony showed himself, being a colt the same size as Dash. He had a grey mane, and a nice shade of red for his coat. Kind of the opposite to the rainbow mane and blue coat Dash had herself. Rainbow was puzzled as to why he was here.

"I suppose you want to know why I'm here. I see you are working on cleaning up this shed. I want you to come to my party tomorrow night, I am inviting quite a few ponies and I would love if an esteemed pony such as yourself could come." The mysterious colt said.

Rainbow was at a loss for words, not realizing that she had a status amongst ponies if this colt knew who she was without ever having met her.

"Well, I'll be quite busy at work tomorrow, sorry. If you hold another one sometime, I would love to come though!" Rainbow told Dawson.

Then, Dawson knocked over two haystacks, spreading the mess everywhere.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?! I'm working hard on those!" Rainbow yelled.

"Come to my party and I won't knock any more down. It would be a shame if your hard work was for nothing. What do you say? You are the guest of honour, after all." Dawson explained.

"What are you talking about? I will kick you out of here myself you crazy pony!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Rainbow was confused, he seemed nice, but also seems to have ulterior motives. Ones that really make no sense.

"You simply must come. Even if you can kick me out, I can easily knock some more of these down before I am gone."

"Fine, I'll come to your stupid party." Rainbow sighed. This was an odd situation, considering Dawson seemed to be using blackmail to go to a party. Just as she was going to tell him to leave, he waved his hoof and left the barn. Rainbow flew up into the sky to see where he went, but she was surprised to discover that he had disappeared, possibly out of thin air. Teleportation maybe? Rainbow thought. No, he wasn't a unicorn. Rainbow returned to the barn to finish her work for Applejack, dismissing the strange event with the mysterious colt.

After several more hours of the hoof-blistering work, she was finally done. She took a step back and looked at her work. It wasn't as perfect as she had planned, but it'd satisfy Applejack at least. She looked at the sun and realized that it was almost nightfall - time for a nap. Forgetting to tell Applejack, she took a lengthly nap in the barn, not waking until the following morning.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

Rainbow awoke with a start, seeing Applejack above her. She looked around and saw that all of the hay stacks were back to it's original mess, and Applejack was absolutely furious.

"Are you serious? You napped the entire time? Explain yourself, Rainbow!"

"Well... there was this colt, he must have messed everything up..." Rainbow responded.

"Well then why do I see a couple of your rainbow feathers around th' barn, but nothin' else? Are you saying that you cleaned it all up and then wrecked your piles? Sounds a little far-fetched to me! In my mind, you are either crazy or lying." Applejack snapped.

"But Applejack... he was here! I know he did this!" Rainbow pleaded.

"Sorry Rainbow, but I don't think you're crazy. So you're lying. Jus' leave the farm, I'll clean this up myself." Applejack finished.

Rainbow was dumbstruck, knowing that she had cleaned up the mess the day before. She looked around for evidence that the colt had come back and done it, but all she found was her own feathers scattered around as Applejack had said. No evidence of the red pony anywhere. She decided to obey Applejack and left before she blew a fuse, and flew away to her house. When she got there, she took another nap on her floor, still tired from the day before.

When she woke again, it was time for the party. She wanted to go, partially because she could make amends with Applejack now that she is fully awake from her nap, and possibly see how her friends were doing. The biggest reason in Rainbow's mind, however, was to see who this mysterious Dawson was, how he disappeared seemingly out of thin air and why Rainbow was the 'guest of honour'. Those and any other questions she thought of would hopefully be answered there.

When she arrived at Sugarcube Corner for the party, she was delighted to see that all of her close friends were there, having a good time.

As Rainbow began to move into the main room, a colourful pink pony appraoched her, hopping in glee. Sure enough, it was Pinkie Pie, probably coming to talk her ears off.

"You're finally here, Dashie! Great party, well done!" Pinkie Pie said.

Pinkie hopped away from a puzzled Rainbow Dash, who was very confused at what Pinkie had said. That's Pinkie, so random all of the time.

Rainbow spent the night talking to her friends and enjoying the colourful decorations, but she really wanted to ask Pinkie what was going on. Not that anything weird was going on, but maybe she just had a few things mixed up that could be cleared up with a bit of talking.

After Rainbow heard her familar voice upstairs, she went upstairs, knowing she'd be in her room. She opened the door, and she discovered that Pinkie had a worried and scared look on her face. Beside her was Dawson, the mysterious colt.

"Hey! You! I have some questions!" Rainbow said.

Pinkie became very scared, and sunk back into the corner. Dawson was holding a knife, and approached Pinkie.

"Dawson! What are you doing?! Get away from her!" Rainbow said.

Dawson had a devious smile on his face, obviously with malicious thoughts in mind, but for some reason, Pinkie stopped being scared and looked confused. She kept staring at Rainbow, not taking a glance to the pony that was right beside her, holding a knife.

"What are you talking about, Dashie?" Pinkie said nervously.

Dawson didn't waste any time before beginning to kill Pinkie, without explanation or reason. Pinkie's cries of pain were muffled by the blood that began to flow from her mouth, preventing anypony from hearing her telling Dawson to stop. Rainbow couldn't even hear what she had to say, but it wouldn't have mattered. Rainbow needed to stop Dawson and save her friend before it was all over.

Pinkie was hanging on the brink of death, but Dawson simply smiled above her as Rainbow charged at Dawson, knocking him down to the floor and forcing him to let go of Pinkie. Pinkie, still clinging on to life, looked at Rainbow with her sad, confused eyes, which Rainbow was not expecting. She was trying to keep her alive!

Seeing that Rainbow was distracted by Pinkie's expression, Dawson forced Rainbow off of him and began to run to the window, most likely to evade capture. Rainbow quickly recovered and turned to Dawson.

"OH CELESTIA! I'LL KILL YOU!" Rainbow screamed, and charged at the psychotic colt, hooves ready to pin him to the ground. To her surprise, he jumped out the window, laughing all the while. Why would he injure himself like that? The window had to be a good distance from the ground. Rainbow thought.

Rainbow checked out the window to see if Dawson was injured, but couldn't catch sight of him anywhere. She had to find this colt, but knew that Pinkie was in dire need of help. What Rainbow was surprised to discover, however, was that her mind was torn between the two choices. Why would she ever think of abandoning her friend?

Pinkie looked at Rainbow and smiled, making Rainbow feel even worse as the tears began to flow from both of their eyes. They told Rainbow volumes about what was going to happen. She was too late, Pinkie was smiling her last smile. As Pinkie's eyes shut for the last time, Rainbow was forced into shock. She can't believe that her best friend had just died, and there was nothing she could do about it. Even though she knew that she had tried everything she could, she couldn't help but think that it was her own fault. It was a terrible feeling.

She looked around the room and realized that without any evidence of Dawson being there, Rainbow would be blamed if anypony came in and saw the horrifying scene. But she couldn't leave her friend. As she looked at the fallen pony, she had thoughts running through her mind about revenge. This pony would not get away with the terrible crime he had committed to a pony that would do no harm. But a part of her was betraying her friend, preferring answers over avenging Pinkie. Why did he do this? What was his purpose?

Rainbow heard some hoofsteps coming from the staircase on the other side of the door. Rainbow was a little nervous, since the scene looked a little suspicious with Rainbow being the only one in the room, but was glad to see that Rarity was one of the ponies coming, along with a few others she hadn't met before. Rarity had barely entered when she began to speak.

"Rainbow, darling, we came as soon as we heard you shout. What ghastly thing has - OH MY GOODNESS! PINKIE?! RAINBOW, WHO DID THIS TO PINKIE?" Rarity began to cry out.

Rainbow thought of what to tell Rarity as she looked at Pinkie's corpse with a terribly saddened look in her eyes. Rarity gasped when she saw that there was a feather on Pinkie, and when Rainbow saw it for herself, she realized that no explanation would do for Rarity now, because the feather was rainbow coloured and obviously belonged to Rainbow.

"How... how could you, Rainbow?! She was your best... your best..." Rarity tried to finish her sentence, but she was so overcome with grief that she couldn't.

Rarity deduced what had happened, at least what seemed to have taken place. In her mind, Rainbow was the only possible culprit. She turned to Rainbow in an intimidating fashion.

"You've really, *sniff*, you've really done it this time Rainbow,! Explain yourself or face the terrible consequences!" Rarity yelled, a bit scattered as she began to cry.

Rainbow was about to explain that it was a different pony that did this to Pinkie, but her tears choked her up and prevented any form of speech.

"If you have nothing to say, then you are guilty. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but you are too psychotic for this town anymore." Rarity finished.

Rainbow knew that reasoning with her now was useless. She was dead set on capturing Rainbow now that she had pieced her own evidence together. Rainbow quickly flew off through the window, knowing full well that there would be heavy consequences if they had caught her. They didn't know she was innocent, that there was a terrible murderer on the loose. As she looked back to the window, she saw the look on Rarity's face and brought a new wave of tears to her eyes. The feeling was one of loss. She had not only lost her friend in death, but lost a friend as a pony she could count on. The thought of losing these two ponies was bad to Rainbow, but it was worse for her than it was for Rarity, because all of her friends would hate her forever once the word got around.

Flying around, she noticed a large, open field in Everfree Forest a little ways away. She landed in the center and took a rest, wishing to recollect her thoughts in the morning once she had a good amount of sleep to think. Her troubles could wait until then.

But she couldn't sleep. She now had a purpose, and that was to avenge the terrible wrong that Dawson had commited. She knew his type would keep murdering in cold blood, and she wouldn't let another pony die because she didn't intervene. She was ready for him, even if she wasn't ready for her best friend...

To Rainbow's surprise, a mysterious but recognizable figure stood above Rainbow in the field, giving his characteristic smile. Rainbow stood up in the blink of an eye.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you where you stand!" Rainbow said sternly.

"Hello Rainbow Dash. I know that you are surprised about today's 'events', and I know you have tons of questions for me. Trust me, soon enough, you will not be able to survive without the answers you will want. And I know you won't kill me, because I will be the key to your survival."

END OF CHAPTER ONE

It Can't Be Helped

Rainbow looked up at her new enemy that had done so much wrong to her in the past little while. Murdered her best friend in cold blood, framing Rainbow for that very murder and turning her friends against her. She had nowhere to go now, but she knew what she'd do with Dawson.

"The only question I have for you is if you like a nice, painful death or not! If you don't, all the better for me!" Rainbow snarled.

"Oh come now, you MUST have at least one question for me."

Something in Rainbow wanted desperately to get the answers Dawson offered. It's as though a new purpose was forming inside her, something that was slowly eating away.

"But I will not reveal enough, because then you'll have no use for me and you'll make an attempt to kill me. And I don't plan on either of us dying anytime soon." Dawson explained.

Rainbow kept getting angrier and angrier, knowing full well that what he said was true.

"How many people do you plan on killing?"

"Well, there's only one person I want to kill, but to do it, the deaths of several ponies must take place. It's all business, and I hope you know that in business, people have what you want. I have answers. You need them. The reason I am keeping you alive is because I need you. And because you need the answers, you need me." Dawson explained.

Rainbow shook her head, not understanding some of what he said.

"Alright... To put it simply, you won't kill me, and I won't kill you. Got it?"

"Fine." Rainbow muttered. She decided to ask some worthless questions to try and stall, to give her more time to think about the situation. "What was really going on at the party? Why'd people keep acting strange to me?"

"You were the 'guest of honour' because you ran the party. You planned it so that the murder of Pinkie Pie could take place. And you went to the Everfree Forest to gather your thoughts, I assume?"

Rainbow was stunned. None of this was true, except the forest part. It couldn't be, she'd never do such a thing to Pinkie. But any disagreeing she'd try against Dawson would be pointless, so she let him carry on. Honestly, a part of her really thought that he was telling the complete truth, and these so-called 'pointless' questions seemed to satisfy her need for answers.

"We are more alike than you think. I won't answer any more questions, even though I asked your questions for you, honestly. All will be clear in due time, but not until it's too late. Well, I'd love to chat, but I simply must carry out some more of my plan." Dawson waved and walked away.

"What? Plan? So another murder?! Get back here!" Rainbow frantically charged at him, but he characteristically disappeared out of thin air, yet again.

Now that she was all alone, she collected her thoughts and took a look at the situation. This colt murdered Pinkie Pie, and has framed Rainbow for it. She got over that relatively quickly though, to her surprise and terror. It seems that he was driving her purpose away from her friends, and succeeding. Then, Rarity saw the staged situation and will undoubtedly tell the whole village that it was Rainbow who commited the crime, and then she would have no friends or places to go in Ponyville to seek help.

Rarity, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie and Fluttershy... several ponies... several... it seems that Dawson is planning on killing her friends. The thought of what motives he could have against Rainbow made her shudder.

She then realized that she was in the Everfree Forest, and was completely lost. She figured that if she flew, it wouldn't be a problem, but as she began to fly, she found that her wings were magically disabled. It seems that the colt has a lot of abilities, and although she was still driven to get answers from him, it'd be hard to save her friends if he had those extraordinary talents. "No", she thought, "Saving my friends is my purpose, however strong this colt may be. Not answers. I will kill this colt, for Pinkie.". She knew Dawson was using his abilities to change her purpose, and it wouldn't work on this loyal pony.

Rainbow climbed a tree to see where the village was, and began walking in it's direction. It would take at least a day's walk to get there, but she wasn't called Rainbow Dash for no reason. She got ready for a good run to the village, but discovered that she could barely run at all. She barely slept, and her energy is taking it's toll for it. She began her slow walk to Ponyville, all the while hoping that whoever Dawson planned on murdering would be okay for a while.

After a full day's walk, she was within throwing distance of the forest's opening. As she left the forest to get closer to Ponyville, she saw Scootaloo trotting by the path.

Scootaloo saw her before she could hide, and she began to cry out "Guards! Guards! It's Rainbo-" Rainbow put her hoof on her mouth and told her to be quiet.

"Please don't kill me Rainbow! I always thought you were awesome!" Scootaloo said frightened.

"Calm down, calm down. Listen, Scootaloo, I'm glad to see you. I've been framed and I NEED to get into Ponyville and warn my friends of the murderer that's planning on killing them!" Rainbow whispered to Scootaloo.

Rainbow waited for any guards to come to the forest opening, but found that none came. Scootaloo broke the silence.

"I knew you wouldn't do such a thing! I believe you! And I will help you in any way I can, as long as you protect me from this murderer you mentioned." Scootaloo said excitedly.

"You'll just believe me for my word?" Rainbow responded.

"Of course! You are so loyal to your friends, I would trust your word for them to the ends of the earth!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "The only one of your friends in Ponyville at the moment is Twilight, you should contact her. She'd probably be the next target!"

"We have to go! Come on!" Rainbow hurried.

The two ponies hurried over to Ponyville, but found that the whole village was surrounded by guards, and Twilight's library was in the dead center. She'd have to go through guards to get there, but they'd capture her before she could explain her situation. She couldn't face the guards, but she had to get to Twilight before it was too late. She asked Scootaloo for ideas, but she came up with a blank too.

But then, Rainbow realized, every building must have a sewer drainage nearby, and she found the sewer opening on the side of the village, a good distance away from any guard's eyes. It would be very disgusting to travel this way, but it'd be worth it to save her friend's life.

She told the plan to Scootaloo, who said that she couldn't really help in a fight, and would step down from following Dash. Rainbow understood, told Scootaloo never to lose hope, and commenced her adventure in the sewer. However, she was blocked before she even entered the sewer, noticing that the gate was locked tight. It would need a key to open.

Ironically, the key was inside the sewer, within a wing's distance hanging on the wall. A wing's distance...

Rainbow got her wing which, although disabled, was still strong and flexible, and she claimed it with relative ease. But on the way back, she snapped the wing and cried out in pain. She knew the guards heard, so she unlocked the gate and quickly entered and locked the gate back up again, keeping the key with herself and heading down the dark sewer, but with one major problem - the guards probably had keys, and she had no idea which sewer would be the right one.

She checked tons of sewer grates, getting filthy in the process, but with no success. She finally found one that worked after what was probably her 20th grate, and it was quite close to Twilight's house. The clouds overhead were overcast, and she thanked Celestia that the other Pegasi were being lazy and not cleaning them up. She had darkness on her side, and the ponies of Ponyville were in their homes, preparing shelter from the future adverse weather.

This allowed Rainbow to easily get to the library, and quietly opened the unlocked door. Hmm, why would it be unlocked if there was a supposed murderer on the loose?

Before she could enter the library, however, 3 guards began to approach Rainbow, knowing full well who she was, Rainbow slammed and locked the library door, waking Twilight, who had been taking a nap.

"Rainbow, you know better than to wake me up at this hour... RAINBOW DASH?! GUARDS! GUARDS! KILL HER-" Rainbow put her hoof on Twilight's mouth and explained the whole situation while she had her hoof on her. She needed to find and eliminate Dawson before the guards got inside, they were banging very hard against the locked door, trying to get in. She was running out of time.

"Come on, we have to get out of here Twilight! Someone is coming to murder you and I need your help to clear my name!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Twilight nodded suspiciously, thinking that the story seemed a bit far-fetched. She thought of ways with Rainbow to escape, because facing the guards would be very bad. Surely, she was a kill on sight criminal according to them, so as soon as Twilight would open the main door, they would storm in and kill her before any explanation could be made. Neither could fly, made apparent by Rainbow's disabled wings. But there was one other way.

"I might believe you Rainbow, but I'll keep my eye on you. The only reason I trust you in the slightest is because I know that being the Element of Loyalty, you'd probably never betray your friends. I think I know a book that has a good teleportation spell I can use though. Normally I can teleport, but after we faced Discord a second time last month, he cast a terrible spell on me that prevented the use of most of my normal spells. This teleportation spell is different, because it is designed for very long distances, which is perfect in our case. We can teleport close to Canterlot and get the help of Celestia!" Twilight explained.

It was a great idea, but Rainbow didn't think that there was enough time. The door was almost knocked down, and you can't count out Dawson, who may show up at any given moment.

"Here, I found it!"

Twilight opened the book to the proper page and showed the page to Rainbow. The rainbow pony looked down at the pages, but discovered that she could not read the pages, they were covered in blood. Fresh blood, that she noticed was dripping out from Twilight's neck. Slowly, Twilight's life blood poured out onto the book, but instead of Pinkie, she could still speak jaggedly.

"Dash... why... Dash..." Twilight sputtered.

Rainbow was devastated, knowing that there was no way she could save Twilight. This would be just like Pinkie... No, there was always hope. Rainbow slammed Dawson into the bookshelf, grabbed Twilight and went up the stairs to her healing concoctions that she had in her books. Rainbow tore through the books, but Twilight was stopping her.

"No... no use saving me, I'm too far gone... because of you..." Twilight uttered.

Twilight collapsed to the ground, having died just like Pinkie. Rainbow couldn't believe this twisted turn of events, and felt as though the world had come crashing down again, just to torture her. Her rational thought was being lost, and her sadness at the death of her friend was not as strong as it was for Pinkie. Something was turning very wrong for her, and she needed to find out the answer why...

END OF CHAPTER TWO

Actions Taken

Finally, in the enclosed room, she'd have a chance to exact vengeance. Questions or no questions, Dawson had killed another of Rainbow Dash's friends, and no mercy would be given to the terrible colt. Rainbow stood strong, about to charge right at Dawson, when the door smashed open. The guards had finally gotten through.

The guards wasted no time in charging at Rainbow, who was already heading upstairs when they knocked the door down, and she was able to get to Twilight's upper window before they started charging. She took a glance below, and noticed that somehow, Dawson had escaped! His teleportation was really bothering Rainbow.

"They'll get me in just a couple seconds, no reasoning with them either... Guess my only option is to jump!" Rainbow thought in her head.

As the guards were inching closer to Rainbow, she swallowed her fear and jumped out the window, extending her disabled wings. Although they could not allow her to fly, their shape allowed her to glide out the window at a good velocity, preventing injury and giving her relatively smooth sailing.

The guards behind her hadn't seen that she glided out, assuming she fell out the window and would be collected outside. No one knew where she was just then, because she had landed in Fluttershy's backyard. Thankfully, she was not home and could not run and tell the guards where she was. She was safe, at least until Fluttershy came back. Where could she have gone in this overcast weather, Rainbow thought? It's better not to worry about such things, when there was a pony out there who had murdered two of her best friends. Rainbow remembered the last thing Twilight said before she died.

"Because of you..."

This killed her, because she must have thought that Rainbow did the killing. That means that her last thoughts were of a murderous Rainbow Dash... The torture that this colt was putting her through would speak volumes...

She decided that it'd be better if Fluttershy could help her, so she prepared herself in Fluttershy's house to pounce on Fluttershy and explain to her the truth before she gave her away. Hopefully she'd believe a fellow pegasus. But look at the other ponies that trusted her in the last little while...

Rainbow waited for hours and hours, but Fluttershy hadn't come. Maybe she could doze off a little before attempting to get her, she probably won't be back for a long time yet...

Several hours later, Rainbow woke up in a cage, barely big enough for her to be able to move her head. She tried to escape, but the gate opening was locked, with a noticeably angry Fluttershy standing right above her.

"Fluttershy? You didn't send me to the guard?"

"I was just about to, but then you woke up. Now I want answers." Fluttershy said sternly.

It was odd, the shyness and fear Fluttershy would usually show against people was completely erased here. She sounded just like any other pony, albeit very angry and demanding. I guess the loss of two of your friends and a murderer out of another would bring out anything in anypony.

"I am almost as confused as you are about everything, except I know that I did not kill them! It was a colt that keeps framing me for his terrible crimes! Please believe me Fluttershy, I have no one to turn to and I need your help to find this colt!" Rainbow cried.

"The crying won't convince me, Rainbow. Your story seems highly unlikely, and I don't think that you are telling the honest truth. How do you happen to be at the right place at the right time, every single time?" Fluttershy responded.

"It's Dawson H. Arib, the new pony here! Haven't you seen him?"

"No, and if he existed, which he obviously doesn't, Pinkie Pie would've known him. Did she ever acknowledge his presence?"

"Well... no, but that doesn't mean he wasn't here!"

"You know what... I don't care. I want some real answers. Why did you kill them, Dash? Why... would you ever... do such a th..thing?" Fluttershy stuttered.

Her emotions were back, and now she was back to her normal state. Rainbow didn't know if angry Fluttershy was worse or better than the usual Fluttershy. The hatred seems so... real.

"I will stay by my word, I did not kill them. But I will kill the terrible colt that did this, but I need your help to track him down." Rainbow said.

"I won't help... but... I can maybe... help you clear your name? You shouldn't stoop to his level, that is... if you aren't lying..." Fluttershy said.

"But Fluttershy... Fine. But I need to get to Princess Celestia if I am to clear my name somehow. As you can see, I am very tired, and my wings are disabled. Can you keep me here until I heal or find a way to carry me over there yourself? The guards surround the village and I can't get through on foot." Rainbow explained.

"I suppose Celestia could... but she's so busy...I'll help you heal up, Rainbow. Just sleep on the bed upstairs to your right... I think I believe you." Fluttershy said.

It may not have been the most heartfelt acceptance she had seen, but it'd do. She needed to rest and prepare herself for the travel to Canterlot.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

After a week of hiding from visiting guards, spies and investigative ponies, Rainbow was as fit as ever. She knew she could tackle the travel, and the magic stopping her wings was gone, but she still wanted Fluttershy with her.

Then suddenly, the door flew wide open, and a orange pony with long, blonde hair entered the room, tackling Rainbow and snarling in her face.

"Ooof! Applejack, please listen!" Rainbow said in spite of the strong pony subduing her.

"Fluttershy already explained to me everythin', but I needed to look deep in your eyes to see if you was tellin' th' truth or not." Applejack said. "And by my guess, you are as truthful as I ever have been. I hope I'm not wrong..." Applejack said as she got off of Rainbow.

"It's so amazing that you really do believe me, Applejack. I've been through so much, and knowing that a friend still believes me after all of these accusations makes me feel as though I will make it." Rainbow said.

Rainbow began to tear up at the thought of this everlasting friendship, and Applejack gave her a hug to show that they'd always be friends.

"Come on, we really should be going! Any second wasted and those... guards could see you!" Fluttershy worried. "Applejack, you can go through the guards, not being a wanted pony. Meet us at the east end of the edge of that... terrible... terrible forest, and we can regroup there. Good luck everypony!"

"Hang on a sec', what's th' plan once we get to th' gates of Canterlot? It's no easy sailing from there, there will be guards everywhere that know of the wanted Rainbow Dash! There's no way to get to Celestia!" Applejack reasoned.

"I was thinking that you two could go in together, and try and get Celestia to understand. But now that I think about it... As a wanted pony, I would not expect Celestia to come that easily. She'd need to see me in person to believe that I mean well." Rainbow sighed. "I suppose the only way in is to break in."

"WHAT?! Break into Canterlot? Why would ya ever suggest such an impossible idea, Rainbow?" Applejack argued.

"It's the only way. I can't fly into the force field, and even if I could, the archers would shoot me down. I can't go in on foot, the land guards would finish me no questions asked. So we need to scout out the area from the forest and find a blind spot, and find some way to enter. We could think outside the box too, I remember Twilight mentioning that a gem cave was beneath the city, and we could break in there. But it'd be impossible to see where you exit, because it could be anywhere in the city. The wrong move... And the guards are on me, and there will be no more Rainbow Dash." Rainbow explained.

"Quite a notion, and it's a great idea. I'll come for sure an' help, Rainbow!" Applejack said cheerily.

Rainbow teared up, knowing that her friends would not let her down. She could make it through this yet. At least, that was the idea before a thought went into Rainbow's head. Every time something was about to be done that would help Rainbow deal with Dawson, he'd show up and murder the ponies involved. Sure enough, the blood began to flow from Fluttershy's neck, but Applejack had bucked Dawson backwards before she was attacked. She was prepared, which means that she thought Rainbow would probably have attacked them at some point.

"Gack... urk!" Fluttershy muttered. She began to choke on her own blood, and Rainbow was left in tears once more, desperately trying to save her from death. But it was no use anymore, she was already gone. Another lost soul, all because of Rainbow's involvement in something she can't understand or grasp...

Applejack would be okay. She was strong and tough. That was what Rainbow assumed, at least until she turned around. She had tripped over Fluttershy after she had bucked Dawson, who got back up and dealt with Applejack after she fell.

"Rainbow... I trusted you, and believed you... I hope you realize you *gurk!*" Applejack tried to finish, but Dawson put his hoof right on her temple, finishing her off. He disappeared yet again, not allowing any time for Rainbow to kill him, because that's exactly what she was aiming to do before he vanished. Rainbow rushed to Applejack to check if she was still alive, but no breath of pulse confirmed her suspicion that they had both died. But what was she trying to say against Rainbow...

Rainbow knew that another guard would be there that day to do a small investigation, so she quickly flew away from Fluttershy's home to retreat to a loose cloud in the sky, beyond the vision of any guards.

As she rested on the cloud, she realized that her purpose to avenge her friends and save Rarity, who would inevitably die at this rate, was almost non-existent, and she had no idea why. Her attitude had changed so much over the last while, but why? So many questions went through her head, and a new purpose went through her mind that triumphed over all others - she needed answers, or she would not survive.

END OF CHAPTER THREE

The Truth Of The Matter

It was really just routine at this point. Any moment, Rarity would get involved, and then she would inevitably die just like the rest of her friends. Honestly, Rainbow didn't care anymore, the damage was beyond her feelings. She is the most wanted criminal in Equestria, and she had only one friend that wasn't dead, and she hated her guts. She'd probably find Rainbow soon, and die soon after. Dawson would win.

But as the days went on, she didn't care what happened to her. She needed closure, and so she decided to head to that clearing where she met the red colt, preparing to kill Rainbow doubt. But she still had so many questions before he will... Why had he not killed her yet? Why doesn't anypony ever notice him anywhere? Why is he doing this? It's all so confusing. At this point, she just wanted answers and then she would be happy to be killed. Maybe the place you go when you die has her friends there too...

Rainbow flew around and around the forest, but noticed no clearing was there anymore, and she became very disappointed. Hah, try telling the Rainbow Dash of a few days ago, that she'd be unhappy to not be able to find that colt.

An idea suddenly sprung into her head; maybe if she goes to Rarity, he'll show up! Sure, the death of Rarity would be terrible, but isn't it worth it for answers?

"Oh Celestia, I seriously just considered selling my friend's life for some answers! SOMEPONY, KILL ME NOW, PLEASE!" Rainbow screamed.

Surely enough, someone did hear. And she wholeheartedly agreed to kill her, having been a witness to Pinkie Pie's death.

"Rarity! Don't come near, you'll just die like the others!" Rainbow reasoned.

"Of course I will, you'll be the one to do it, won't you Rainbow? COME DOWN AND FACE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" Rarity angrily yelled.

Rainbow then converted back to her need for answers, and agreed to come down, hoping that Dawson would arrive.

"You don't understand Rarity, I didn't do anything. I have been framed for every murder!" Rainbow tried to explain, but it was no good. Rarity believed she saw Rainbow personally murder Pinkie in front of her very eyes, there was no convincing her.

"Shut up, you terrible murderer! You killed your very own friends, who accepted you, who cared for you, who even trusted you when you tried to make them believe your awful lies!"

"How... How did you know they trusted me?"

"Why else would they allow you into their house? Because you tricked them! It won't work on me though, I will personally make sure I see you die a slow, painful death. I don't care if the guards see me do this to you, you are on the wanted list and I have nothing more to lose! They were our lives, Rainbow. You ended your life already, I'm just here to finish the job." Rarity finished. "By the end of this day, your crimes will be no more, and I won't have anything left.

"I can't convince you of the truth. Do as you must, Rarity." Rainbow told her, but really she was hoping that Rarity would keep talking, stalling her attack and giving Dawson more time to arrive.

Rainbow didn't really think that she would allow Rarity to kill her. She had given up on everything, so all she cared about was this Rarity dying and the red colt taking her place, then she'd get closure. Then, she could finally end the pain and suffering she had endured because of this pony. This drive in her mind gave her a sense of survivalism, because she can't hear the answers she desperately needed if she was dead.

But despite the many words Rarity was saying against Rainbow that day, the red colt did not come. Rainbow almost worried that her death would be painful and undeserving, so she took the matters into her own hoofs.

After Rarity finished her excrutiatingly long assault with words at Rainbow, she said that she'd finally deal with her as she has wanted to do since the fateful day when Pinkie was murdered. Rainbow prepared to kill Rarity before this happened so that the colt would come, but her rational side kicked in and she flew away into the forest. If she killed Rarity, Dawson might not show himself. Sure enough, Rarity followed.

"You can't fly forever! I have food and water with me, and I am well rested! You are starving, thirsty and surely tired by now! I will get you and bring you what you deserve for ending me and my friend's lives!" Rarity yelled at Rainbow to the sky. Rainbow knew she was right, but kept on flying slowly, being so tired.

An hour passed, and Rainbow was absolutely exhausted, and found no clouds anywhere to rest. Guess the pegasi really picked up their game on cleaning the skies, on Everfree Forest no less. Rarity had no intention of slowing down, and waited with bated breath for Rainbow to come down. Rainbow knew she had no choice.

As Rainbow descended down, she decided to perch herself on a tree to rest, knowing full well that Rarity would be able to use magic to get herself up there. But it bought Rainbow time, and she desperately needed it right now. Rarity was ecstatic, because she was so close to avenging her friends, a thing Rainbow wishes she could do to herself. If only she didn't need those answers...

Rarity began to activate her magic, fetching some rocks to stack on to start climbing the tree bit by bit. The ordeal took several minutes, Rainbow wishing the whole time that Dawson would finally arrive, kill Rarity, and give the answers Rainbow needed to die with.

Rarity was finally next to Rainbow, who was too tired to speak. Rarity spoke for her.

"'Oh, please don't kill me! I confess, I did kill them! I am deranged!' I know that's what you want to say, and I respond by saying that I simply don't care." Rarity mocked. "What you did is inexcusable, and it doesn't matter how deranged you are."

"What is that in your hand? Is that a-" Rarity began to move her hooves to Rainbow to grab her, but as she was asking Rainbow her unfinished question, her weight along with Rainbow's on branch Rainbow perched herself onto caused the branch to snap. A quick shot of adrenaline allowed Rainbow to fly out of the way before she fell, but she perched herself on another branch safe and sound, albeit now as tired as ever. Before she finally passed out, she saw Rarity falling off of the broken branch, screaming for help. Nothing Rainbow could stop in her condition...

************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Rainbow awoke after several hours, having been well rested. Rarity was obviously still making attempts to get Rainbow, as evidenced by the rustling of bushes. Surely, she must be injured though, so Rainbow was safe for a little while at least. She didn't check up on her though, because she was still conflicted in her mind whether to appease her need for answers by murdering Rarity herself now that Rainbow was strong with rest and Rarity was weak with injury or allow her to kill her now. She decided to wait it out until Rarity got back up into the tree, then she could find out what she was asking her, and decide on the ultimatum.

But Rainbow waited for hours and hours, until she couldn't wait any longer for Rarity to come up. Maybe Dawson had come and killed her, she thought. As she descended, she saw nopony, but noticed that there was a lifeless pony underneath a large branch, probably the one that Rarity broke. Surely enough, it was Rarity's lifeless body, having probably died by the fall. Rainbow looked up at the tree, and noticed that it was quite a drop, and she wondered why she thought Rarity would have survived.

Rainbow had no reaction to her death, because by the time she landed on the ground, all sense of rational thought disappeared. She wasn't Rainbow Dash anymore, but some selfish pony looking for answers. But she didn't care.

After Rainbow made sure Rarity was indeed dead, the pony gone insane looked around the trees to see if the mysterious colt was there. After much searching, he was nowhere to be found. Rainbow was starting to have second thoughts about this pony, because he somehow only appeared out of thin air right before he killed a pony, and only when Rainbow was there. He may not be here because he did not kill Rarity, and Rainbow wasn't present when she died.

Without any of her friends alive, Rainbow didn't know what to do. So she flew back onto the perch, and took a quick glance at the broken branch. After a few seconds, she realized that the branch was really thick and strong, and surely the weight of two ponies would not make it collapse. Unless... unless someone else brought it down themselves.

Rainbow realized what was going on, and sped down to Rarity's corpse. Surely enough, Dawson was there, clapping two of his hooves together.

"Bravo, bravo! You found out that I cut the branch causing Rarity to die! Once you figured it out, I came to Rarity's corpse to congratulate you." The red colt said.

"How did you know what I was thinking? I want some answers and I want them now! Tell me everything, then kill me! Please, just kill me!" Rainbow pleaded.

"Oh ho, just because your friends are now properly dealt with doesn't mean you aren't finished. I have one more target, and I am sure you know this person."

"...Celestia?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"But of course. She is my final target, the one I have as a primary target. And you will not know anything more for now. I daresay you will try and stop me, and I am sure you'll be able to get through the defenses surrounding the city and get to Celestia, but you'll be too late." Dawson smirked. What a terrible pony.

"How on Equestria will you be able to get into the castle, and why would I make it too?"

"That will be explained in due time. Goodness, more and more questions just keep popping up. I told you I'd reveal the truth here, but I still need you, and knowing the truth would prevent that. Once I kill Celestia, I'll tell you what you need to know. For now, all I'll tell you is that my next target is Celestia. Good luck getting into her chambers!" Dawson waved his hoof, ran away and disappeared out of nowhere again.

Rainbow's rational thought was gone forever, replaced by insanity. All she wanted was answers, and the only way she could get them is by getting to Celestia. But she doesn't have the help of her friends anymore. Looks like she's all on her own from here on in...

END OF CHAPTER FOUR

Looking For Answers

Rainbow Dash stood in the Everfree forest, thinking about the event that took place. If everything had gone as planned, Rarity would be dead, she would have answers and she would've killed herself already. Only one of these things were true, and the fact that the other two weren't true made her regret wanting Rarity dead. Now Celestia would die, because Rainbow was in no condition to save anyone, or save herself frankly. She'd need answers to do anything but hunt down answers, really.

Rainbow realized that she hadn't had food for days, but at this stage, her mind couldn't focus on it at all. She decided that in order to get focused on something else, or if she wanted her rational conscience to come back so she could save Celestia, she'd need to discover answers for herself. Every answer answered would free her mind more, and she needed that very much then.

"Let's start with some easier questions... Why'd he kill my friends?" That one was easy enough. His interest in Rainbow seems to be a reason, possibly to get her attention. Well, if that's the reason, it was very effective. She certainly noticed her life essentially end with the colt's appearance.

"How does this colt teleport so well and so quickly?" Rainbow had no idea, and the only way she'd get this huge question answered is through Dawson himself. So the only plan of action she could make now was getting to the caves so she could reach Dawson. Perhaps he'd be stupid enough to give her some answers before he murders Celestia so that Rainbow can save her. Everything is so confusing at this point...

Rainbow began to fly in the direction of Canterlot, with her course heading at the base of the mountain where the caves are. She never really thought about what was inside, but that didn't matter as much as getting answers. Tell her a couple of weeks ago that she'd let her friends and a princess die over answers and see what she would've said then...

A day passed, and Rainbow became very tired as her wings drooped in exhaustion. Her dedication kept her going, and by the following morning she had arrived within viewing distance of Celestia's tower. Sure enough, the force field surrounded the city, most likely in light of the recent murders in Ponyville. Rainbow headed down to the caves, not allowing herself to be seen by anyone in the city while still outside.

When Rainbow arrived at the caves, Her first rational thought in days sprung in her mind. She would not be able to get the answers she needed if she was dead, so any creature that could kill her in there was surely on the ground. Rainbow decided to rest her wings so that later, she could fly the entire way through no problem.

It came as a surprise when she woke up, because she was well rested, but she found her first deadly creature was flying fast towards her. Flying. Never had she expected to have competition, because this hulking creature that ressembled a bat and a bear in a freak combination was speeding towards her with wings. This wasn't part of the plan.

Rainbow bolted up with her trademark speediness, and dashed into the cave, desperately trying to escape the death she was so afraid of getting right now. The bearbat was in hot pursuit, probably not having seen any prey in months to eat. Rainbow wouldn't give up to this foe, just as she had not given up to attempt to save her friends before. "Hmm", she thought. "More rational thought."

As the hours droned on, she was still trying to escape the persistent bat, dodging to and fro the many stalactites and stalagmites that littered the cave walls. Any move to get it off her tail was no good, and it was keeping the same pace no matter how fast she went.

Another hour passed, and Rainbow felt the tiredness kick in. Maybe the rational thought should leave again, she thought. Then she wouldn't feel the pain and exhaustion. But when things looked grim for Rainbow, she finally reached a part of the cave with a completely level ceiling, clearly being the way to burst into the city. Sure, she didn't have enough speed and strength to bust through, but the bat probably could. But there was the problem of getting the wrong place, to her death by guards. Then again, if she didn't bust through, there'd be a 100% chance of death by that bat. She'd have to decide fast...

Before she mustered her last bit of energy, a glimmer of hope came from the barrier over her head. It was a loud, booming voice, that of Princess Celestia. She was muttering something unintelligible, but the voice was unmistakable. And wherever she was, surely the pony with all of the answers was right with her.

Rainbow looked back at the bearbat behind her, and devised a plan that could get her through the barrier. She flew up, latched onto the ceiling, and saw the bearbat speeding right to her.

"Come and get it!" Rainbow yelled.

The bat charged right at her, and she moved to her left ever so slightly, not changing the path of trajectory that the bat was following. It crashed into the ceiling, and was injured for a few seconds before it recollected its bearings and prepared to kill Rainbow. But before it could, rocks and gems from the ceiling came crashing down on top of it, crushing it on the floor of the cave segment. It was dead, and Rainbow was relieved. Although it had caused some damage to the ceiling and made a lot of noise, the ceiling still had a little bit of rock left, so Rainbow took a short rest to recuperate and prepare to charge the ceiling herself.

She woke up, but this time, her rational thought was lost yet again. She had taken a look at the fallen bat, and had flashbacks of Rarity under the branch that looked eerily similar to the rocks on top of the bat, and eventually the rest of her friends' demises were trailing in her mind again. This trauma always seems to do the trick for Rainbow, because it eliminated her rational thought, preventing her from getting sidetracked or distracted from her mission to get answers.

Rainbow got up with her slightly stronger self, still starving beyond belief. Her mind didn't register the pain of starvation, but her body did. No matter how determined or how hard your body pushes, there is always limits.

Rainbow was still able to muster enough strength to break through the barrier, but she was surprised to discover that she had exited a couple of blocks down from Celestia's chambers. A guard nearby was walking along, and when Rainbow crashed through the cave ceiling, the guard had fallen down the new hole. He dropped his spear before he fell, however, so Rainbow grabbed the mechanism the guard used to hold it properly and wielded the spear for herself. She wasn't noticed by any guards yet, but it was only a matter of time before she will get noticed. Besides, a big hole is sure to be noticeable, and the body of the now dead guard at the cave floor through the hole is suspicious.

Rainbow quietly entered a nearby closed shop before anypony could see her. She climbed up to the roof, and began to think about her plan. The quarters were two blocks away, there was no way she could cross a street or fly without being seen. On the other hand, Celestia's quarters were locked securely, as she saw when the wedding took place for princess Cadence and Shining Armour. If she were able to get to the quarters somehow, maybe by flying through a window, she could  get in without interruption...

Rainbow decided to rest before heading out with her plan, waiting until nightfall before flying in. She ate some pastries she found inside the building, which was most likely a family bakery. After a while, she felt like the old Rainbow Dash, physically anyway.

When nightfall hit, Rainbow was well rested and well-sustained, making the objective possible. Celestia would be in her chambers at night, since Luna will be watching in her tower. She needed to work quickly to avoid Luna intruding on things, although with the ease of killing Dawson has shown, it wouldn't be a surprise if he could kill them both.

Rainbow waited until Luna was looking away, then she took a running fly straight into Celestia's window, surprisingly not having been seen. When she busted through the window though, the guards surely saw and Luna would know in a minute or two, not giving Rainbow much time. She landed on a large, red rug, and quickly got herself back up. She looked around and saw a big ornate door, probably the door to Celestia's room. As she approached the door, she thought to herself; "I want my answers, Dawson H. Arib... Dawson... Wait...".

After a few seconds of this, something became clear. Rainbow burst through the door as fast as she could, with Celestia's almost completely understanding face glaring at her. Dawson was right with her, and Celestia must know what will happen.

"Hello, Rainbow. I assume you just figured something out, didn't you?" Celestia said. "I'm afraid that I have no choice about my fate, but please, don't kill anyone else. No one else needs to suffer.."

Her sentence fully confirmed it. This wasn't Dawson H. Arib. No, it's just a silly anagram used as a cover for something much more sinister.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE

Finishing What You Started

Rainbow couldn't believe it. The whole time, she was schizophrenic. It explains so much; how the feather was in the knocked piles of hay, none of the ponies seeing Dawson - er - Schizo Rainbow during the murders and his sudden disappearances. It's because he didn't exist physically.

"I... understand now." Rainbow admitted.

"I think I do too, but I known that you can end it now Rainbow. You can't go unpunished to your crimes, but you can end it now. Free yourself, Rainbow! Your friends would have wanted you to!" Celestia pleaded.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you understand, Rainbow. I am your other half, the one you spawned when you fully united with your element sometime a while back. You became complete good, and I was your dark side that was originally a part of you. However, I needed to get to Celestia, because my chaotic personality takes the course to eliminate the source of good. I figured that if I murdered your friends, the power of friendship that binded you all together would grow weaker, and you would lose all true purpose. This led to your only purpose being the discovery of answers, because it was the only thing you needed before death. With the need for answers, I knew you'd try and 'find' me in the city, when really -"

"Shut up, Dawson. I know you used me to get into the city. And now that you have told me everything I wanted to know, you should realize that you've made a big mistake. Because I no longer need answers, and my rational thought has kicked in." Rainbow responded.

Celestia gave a weak smile, obviously still completely upset about the murders to like Rainbow Dash in any way, rational  thought or no. Dawson gave a small frown, but soon put a smile back on his face.

"Oh, like that'll help. I'm - er - you are right behind her, no chance of anything happening without her throat being slit. You can't win, even if you were to throw that spear. No one can throw that fast, because I'd kill her the split second you throw. And even if you could, I don't exist, and you are in reality standing right here with that spear! Har har har! It's very amusing to have you seeing everything from a different screen. It's like you are in a different reality, and the truth is haunting. You have that spear right up against Celestia on my orders. Oh, here comes the guard." Dawson finished.

The guards, sure enough, busted through the door, and had their mouths opened wide at the terrible sight. They prepared to charge, but Celestia waved them off. She knew that she'd die the second they charged.

"Wait, guards. This is Rainbow's fight." Celestia explained.

The guards, confused as they ever have been, obeyed the princess' order and left the room, waiting outside in case of attack. So Rainbow knew that she wouldn't get out of her alive.

"So when I finish off Celestia, I'll finally be finished myself. The archers outside the quarters will kill us as soon as I do it, but it won't matter. I don't need to live any longer anyway." Dawson smirked. He was about to end it all, and be successful in his mission.

"No. You won't. You've caused the death of the only thing in my life, you turned one against me, you drove me to insanity and back and you think I'll let you kill the princess?" Rainbow said sternly.

"Well, it seems I already have gotten away with it, thanks to your help in getting me inside the city. I'm really just a subconscious image of your mind, so really this was all you. Think of me as... your imaginary friend. The imaginary friend that simply can't live without you! Har har har!" Dawson laughed.

"You're right, you can't." Rainbow said smugly.

The look of sudden understanding appeared in Dawson's eyes, and he lifted his dagger to Celestia, but he was not fast enough. Rainbow Dash had already stuck the guard's spear inside her chest.

Blood sputtered from Rainbow's and Dawson's mouth at the same time, as they both staggered back. Celestia flew to the side, reminding her guards not to come in.

"You... smart fucking girl... ugh..." More blood sputtered out of Dawson's mouth, and he collapsed to the ground.

"So you... dealt with your... friends...*gack* just to... save Celestia? Just... just because I commited the... the... the murder doesn't mean it wasn't... your actions... now you will die where you stand, depressed... and... alone!" Dawson sputtered, and his eyes closed for the last time, no disappearing inside Rainbow's mind anymore. His body disintegrated as Rainbow watched her foe finally end his reign of terror. Rainbow was back to who she truly was, and despite the terrible hardships she created, she was happy that she could finally get closure with everything, even if her death would leave her afterlife memory scarred.

"Rainbow... you did a brave thing today. I commend you. Good luck in the future of your spirit..." Celestia's voice said faintly. It was the passing of Rainbow Dash that caused her voice to begin to fade.

Rainbow took a good, long look at the events that unfolded in her life, and she smiled, knowing that it wasn't her doing the wrong things. She was the Element of Loyalty once more, the colt the rest of her body that she already left behind. Even though it was Rainbow's body that killed her friends, she knew that it was a different pony, a different entity that commited the terrible crimes. All she did was save a life, and she did it with the dashing of her friends...

END OF SERIES