The Rainbow Conundrum

by The Real McCoy

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad
Length: 17119

A tale of depression and redemption, this story is the long-awaited sequel to DemonBrightSpirit's story, Double Rainbow.

After the death of her big sister, Scootaloo falls into a deep depression. She soon begins to lose interest in all of the activities that she enjoyed to do, and eventually attempts to take her own life. When she does this, she is saved by someone that she never thought that she would see again.

This is my first story on this site, and it's based off of someone else's story, so if you criticize it, please leave only constructive criticism, and I will be more than happy to make the required changes, as I am trying to make this story worthy of their story!
The credit is split as follows: I claim 50% of the credit for the concept, with Leonofsweden claiming the other 50%, and Leonofsweden claims 100% of the credit for the title, and credit for my co-writers will be given for the chapters that they help out on. You can thank Flaring Moonlight for the decision about which cover art to use, as I had 4 pictures that I couldn't choose between. :pinkiehappy: However, I have no idea who originally made the cover art. I just looked up Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo on Google, and I saw this image, and thought that it fit the story. Now with additional cowriter, General Winter! :pinkiehappy: I can already tell that this will be a fruitful collaboration!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-10-22 08:58:06 UTC

After the death of the Rainbow Dash clone: Scootaloo's Descent

After Scootaloo forced herself to go through her daily routine for a week, which included going to the Rainbow Dash Fan Club, not that she could stand to be an active participant after what had happened to her big sister, Scootaloo had finally had enough of the pain that going to the fan club caused her. She wanted nothing to do with Rainbow Dash, because every time that she thought of her “hero”, she was miserable. So, with that in mind, she announced that she was going to be leaving the Rainbow Dash Fan Club during the weekly meeting, and declined to give a reason as to why she was not going to be there anymore, as she knew that nopony there would believe her. When Rainbow Dash found out, she was immediately concerned for her number one fan. When Rainbow Dash spotted Scootaloo flying around, not really paying attention to where she was going, she immediately caught up with her and tried to start a conversation.

“Hey, Scoots!” Rainbow shouted as she came up alongside the lazily flying Scootaloo.

“Come on! Hello!” Rainbow continued when she did not get a response from her number one fan.

Scootaloo abruptly stopped, making Rainbow overshoot, once she’s turned around, Rainbow Dash is met by an intense glare from Scootaloo.

“What do you want?!” The young Pegasus shouted loud enough for several ponies in the area to look up in surprise.

“Hey, easy sport…” Rainbow Dash says trying to placate Scootaloo; she reaches out towards the youngster. Her hoof was smacked aside viciously, making Rainbow Dash pull it back in surprise.

“Get away from me!” Scootaloo snarled before getting a very sorrowful expression on her face as she tries to hold back tears. “Just… Stay away…”

With that Scootaloo speeds off in the opposite direction, leaving a completely stunned and hurt looking Rainbow Dash hovering in midair. 'What...what just happened?' Rainbow Dash wondered to herself.

That night, Scootaloo had the nightmare again. The nightmare was of the moment where her big sister had been killed by Twilight Sparkle, and how Twilight Sparkle had been so sure that she had been doing the right thing when she had been doing it.

After a week of avoiding Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo knew that she would be able to stop trying to avoid her, as Rainbow Dash would've picked up on the not-so-subtle hints that she kept dropping about wanting to be left alone by now. This was a relief, because every second that she spent in the air was agonizing to her. ‘Heh. I’m finally able to fly, and it’s just another reminder of what I've lost.’ Scootaloo thought to herself, remorsefully.

‘Normally, I would be ecstatic to be flying! I would be so happy that I could finally fly, just like my idol, Rainbow D…’ she started to think, before breaking down and crying. ‘Why!?!’ “Why did Twilight have to kill her!?!” Scootaloo shouted her voice filled with anguish and misery. “Why can’t I have a family!?! Sure, the orphanage caretaker, Tender Heart, is nice, but for that one day, THAT ONE DAY, I had a family, and it was Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried, as tears fell from her eyes.

What Scootaloo did not know, however, was that Rainbow Dash had made sure to be in charge of taking care of the weather for the next month, so that she could determine what had caused Scootaloo to act as she had towards her. She had made sure to give the rest of the weather team of Ponyville paid leave, which, as captain of the weather team, she could do. 'Wha...oh come on! What did that clone get me into?!?!?' Rainbow Dash thought, annoyed. Rainbow Dash had recently been inducted into the Wonderbolts reserves, and she had been stoked! She hadn't wanted to be tied down to any one location, in case she was accepted onto the real team. 'I can still just go about my business, though, right?' Rainbow Dash thought, trying to convince herself that all was not lost.

Scootaloo's nightmares continued, and steadily worsened, until the real Rainbow Dash began to laugh at Scootaloo's tears when the clone was killed. Scootaloo could be heard crying in her sleep, and Tender Heart came and sat by her bed, stroking her mane in an effort to give her some comfort. Scootaloo had been crying in her sleep for two weeks now, and she had been growing worried. Where was Princess Luna, and why wasn't she helping Scootaloo?

During the third week, Scootaloo’s friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, noticed that Scootaloo had been looking more and more tired with each passing week, as well as the fact that she seemed to grow sadder and sadder with each passing week. So, they decided between the two of them to try to get their cutie marks in therapy, as they wanted to help their friend. Sweetie Belle actually came up with the idea, and after explaining what it meant to Apple Bloom, Apple Bloom said “So what we’re gonna do is help Scootaloo with whatever is bothering her? Well why didn't ya just say so!”

This caused Sweetie Belle to roll her eyes, and mutter “I did.” When Scootaloo got to the clubhouse that day, after falling asleep on her scooter a few times, only to be awakened by visions of her big sister being tortured by Rainbow Dash, and then killed by Twilight Sparkle, she immediately asked the other two what they wanted to try to get their cutie marks in this time, before letting out a yawn.

The other two said, “We’re gonna be Cutie Mark Crusader Therapists! YAY!”

This caused all of Scootaloo’s sleep-deprivation to be forgotten instantaneously, and her face immediately had a look of trepidation on it. “Do I even want to know who we’re going to try this on?” she asked, warily.

The other two chuckled at this, and Sweetie Belle said “Dear Scootaloo, we’re not going to try this on anypony! You’re going to lie down on this couch,” Sweetie Belle said, pulling out a fainting couch from the same place that Rarity does,

“And we’re gonna examine ya!” Apple Bloom finished for her, with a wide smile on her face.

“Mind telling me why?” Scootaloo said, with a dark tone. She didn't like this one bit, it felt too much like a trap. She knew rationally that she shouldn't be expecting such things from her friends, but just four weeks ago, she had thought that Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were her friends, yet they had all betrayed her with no sign that they were planning on doing so. The betrayal from Rainbow Dash really hammered in the lesson that betrayal can come from anypony, anywhere, and at any time. She didn't like having to think the worst of her friends, but at this point, it was a matter of self-preservation. She would NOT allow herself to get hurt like she had been three weeks ago.

“Well, me and Apple Bloom have noticed that you have been looking more and more tired these past few weeks, and that you have been growing sadder with each passing week. So, we decided that the best way to cheer you up…” Sweetie Belle started to say before she was interrupted by Scootaloo, who had a look of pure anguish and fury on her face.

“Cheer me up!?! CHEER ME UP!?! Do you two honestly believe that you can somehow make me feel better after the death of…!” She immediately stopped talking, and got back on her scooter, and scooted back the way she came. When she heard the inevitable sounds of her friends chasing after her, telling her to wait, and telling her that she didn't have to tell them if she didn't want to, she just cried harder. Scootaloo wanted desperately to tell someone, but she knew that if she did, that person would meet the same fate as her big sister, and she couldn't let that happen. So, she led them on a chase through town, and managed to lose them after a while.

During all of this, Rainbow Dash was flying through the air taking care of the weather, as she had made sure to give half of the weather team paid leave, which, as captain of the Ponyville weather team, she could do. She saw Scootaloo fleeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, and she saw that she was crying. At first, she was confused as to what had caused this, but she then saw Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom chasing after her, telling her that she didn't need to tell them what was going on if she didn't want to. She heard Scootaloo begin to cry even harder when they said this, which confused her. 'Why did Scootaloo start to cry harder after being told that she didn't need to tell Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom what was going on?' Rainbow Dash wondered to herself. She contemplated this for a while, as she knew that she could get the weather done in a relatively short time, and after a long period of time, she finally realized why. 'Of course! That's why she started to cry harder after being told that! It isn't that she doesn't *want to, but that she feels that she can't!*' She suddenly remembered what she had heard the week before, and she groaned. "It seems that I don't have a choice after all" Rainbow Dash said, upset. "I just hope that having an adopted child won't make me unable to join the Wonderbolts" she continued, worried.

Once Scootaloo had lost Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she went directly to the orphanage, and went into her room and cried. When Tender Heart went into her room, and asked why she was back so early, Scootaloo simply said that she was going to be spending her time in the orphanage from that point on. That night, she had one of her worst nightmares yet. In it, Twilight Sparkle killed Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom right in front of her, stating that they had come to close to learning the truth. Then, the nightmare continued, just like the others that she had been having, ever growing in intensity, until it featured Rainbow Dash torturing her big sister, taking pleasure in the pain that she was causing her, and Twilight Sparkle brutally murdering her big sister.

When Princess Luna saw the beginning of this nightmare, she began to suspect something was extremely wrong here. So, instead of trying to fight it, and getting kicked out of Scootaloo’s mind by it, as had happened the past several weeks in a row now, she immediately went into Scootaloo’s mind. When Princess Luna was in Scootaloo’s mind, she saw two figures. One of them was a black pegasus with a mane that was all of the different shades of gray, up to and including white and black, while the other one was what Princess Luna assumed was a mental representation of Rainbow Dash. However, she would be wrong in that regard. The black pegasus with the mane that was all of the other different shades of gray, was Rainbow Dash, while the other one was Scootaloo's big sister.

She asked the mental representation that she assumed to be Rainbow Dash if she could lead her to Scootaloo’s most tragic memory that had happened in the recent past, and the mental representation of Rainbow Dash silently complied. When the memory in question had completely unfolded, Princess Luna was shocked at what she had seen. She turned to the Rainbow Dash beside her, and said, with a tear in her eyes, and in a tone that was apologetic, “That was thou, wasn't it? The one that was killed that day?” The Rainbow Dash nodded her head, with tears in her eyes.

Princess Luna became extremely angry at that confirmation, and said, with barely contained rage, “Don’t worry. We shalt make sure that the situation is dealt with.” She then left Scootaloo’s mind, and immediately went to Canterlot to speak with her sister about what she had seen and heard that night.

Twilight's Dilemma

As Scootaloo was falling into depression, so was another pony. However, while Scootaloo couldn’t do anything to combat her depression, the alicorn of magic/friendship could do something to combat both of their depressions.

“I can’t believe that I just killed an innocent pony like that…I’m a monster! No, worse than that! Monsters are ponies like Sombra! I’m a MURDERER! I wouldn’t be surprised if Celestia banished me to the moon for 10,000 years for what I’ve done!” Twilight could be heard saying to herself. “Spike! SPIKE! Where’s that book of magical locations in Equestria?” She shouted to her number one assistant, before remembering that she had sent him to Rarity’s to help her out so that she could vent her feelings about the situation properly.

Standing up, she dashed throughout the library, looking for the aforementioned book, as well as any other books that could help her learn about the Mirror Pool. After she had collected all of the books that seemed to be promising candidates that she had in her library, she set up in a comfortable position, and began to read them. Hours passed, and it was suddenly too dark to see. So, she simply cast a light spell, and continued to read. Briefly she wondered how many books she had read, before seeing that she had finished the last book.

“What, already? This isn't good! None of them have the information that I needed, and what information one book did have was contradicted by the information that another book had! The only thing that all of the books seemed to have in common was they all seemed to say that the Mirror Pool had been entirely comprised out of Chaos Magic! Wait! That’s it! If the Mirror Pool is indeed made out of Chaos Magic, I can go ask Discord for help with getting the Rainbow Dash clone back! He’s sure to help me, especially if I explain what I’ve accidentally done to Scootaloo when I ask for his help!” Twilight said, excited.

The next day, Twilight told Spike that he had another free day, and this worried him. He thought that all of these free days were a sign that she didn’t need him anymore, but when he said this, she simply laughed and said, “Spike, I will always need you, I just have some very personal matters to attend to today!” Spike replied to this by saying “You’ve had some very personal matters to attend to for the past six days now…oh, I get it now! Who’s the lucky stallion?” Spike asked, with interest in his eyes.

“Not that type of personal business, Spike!” Twilight said, shocked at her little brother’s thoughts, as she had never thought of pursuing a relationship with anyone. Honestly, she was much too busy with her friends to seek a romantic relationship with anypony, except for one of her friends, and she shuddered to think about that.

“Well, I hope that you two have fun!” Spike said, chuckling at her plea that it wasn’t that type of personal business, before heading out to go and see if Rarity required any more assistance today.

“It’s not that type of personal business!” she repeated, annoyed at the fact that she would have to deal with the fallout from what Spike will believe to have been her lying to him. “Oh well.” She said, sighing. ‘That was a close one! It’s not like he won’t find out eventually, but I’d rather bring her back and then have everypony, or, in his case, everydragon, find out about what I did.’ Twilight thought to herself as she started preparing a scrying spell to search for Discord with.

When she cast the scrying spell, she saw that Discord was in the Canterlot gardens enjoying a nice picnic with Celestia, and a strange filly that she had never seen before. She started to panic about how much trouble she would be in once Celestia found out about what she had done, before she thought about Scootaloo. Ever since the loss of her big sister, it appeared that Scootaloo was spiraling down a deep pit of depression and misery. Even worse, combine the loss of her big sister with the endless bullying by Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, and you get a ticking time bomb, only when it went off, the only one hurt would be Scootaloo herself, as she would very likely decide that death would be preferable to living. These thoughts spurred Twilight into action, and she immediately teleported to the Ponyville train station, and purchased a ticket to Canterlot.

Inside The Interior of the Mirror Pool: Reliving a Lifetime's worth of Memories

During the first week of being banished back to the Mirror Pool, the Rainbow Clone started to regain her memories...no. Not her memories, she told herself for the first of what would be many times. The original Rainbow Dash's memories. It was a very confusing time for her, as the memories insisted that they were hers, but she knew that she had never lived through any of those events. The first memory that she regained was the fact that she HAD no sister. However, as the interior of the Mirror Pool seemed designed to drive a pony mad, what with the remains of Manticores, Timberwolves, and Dragons that were scattered about, she had decided to ignore this particular memory, and hope that once she got out, Scootaloo still regarded her as her big sister.

She started to regain the memories of her...no, not hers, but the original's time in flight school. The first memory that she remembered about her, 'god bucking darn it straight to Tartarus! She would get this straight if it was the last thing that she did! She had never been in flight school! It was the original's time in flight school that she was remembering right now! were of her...gah! Why was this so difficult to understand! It wasn't her memories! It was the original's memories! The original's!!!!!!' the Rainbow Clone thought, depressed. She wanted those memories to be hers so badly, she wanted to have friends that wouldn't judge her for being a clone, especially since all she wanted to do was take care of her little sister, Scootaloo. Anyways, the first thing that she remembered of the original's time in flight school was the original's first, best friend, Gilda the Griffin, and of that other pegasus, Fluttershy. Knowing that Fluttershy had been there when she had been banished, and had done nothing to stop it, made her wonder exactly how she... 'god bucking damn it straight to Tartarus! She had never thought that Fluttershy was anything! The original had!' The clone broke down, and started to cry, as she wondered if she would ever be able to separate the two perspectives in her head. She didn't want to be cursed with remembering the original's life as her own, as the life that she had lived had been just fine, even if it had been too short, and even if she had been banished unfairly just for being a clone, even though the only things that she had ever done had helped her little sister. And even though she wanted to desperately, she didn't think that she would ever forget that day. After having cried for a while, she recollected herself, and started to move forward again, not sure of where she was going, or why she was bothering, but she knew that it was better than just standing in one spot, waiting for some rescue that would never come. She remembered how the original Rainbow Dash got herself kicked out of flight school after finding out that Fluttershy was living in a small town called Ponyville, thus leaving Gilda by herself.

She remembered how easily she...at this point, she had stopped trying to separate the points of view, except in emergencies. As such a memory had yet to come up, she had yet to separate the points of view. Anyways, she remembered how easily she had hit it off with Applejack, and she suspected that the original had a crush on Applejack, but was too shy to admit this. She was glad that she didn't harbor any secret romantic feelings for the apple farmer, though. That would inevitably lead to an awkward situation between the clone, who had recently decided to start referring to herself as Spectrum Flash, in order to separate herself from the original, the original Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Spectrum Flash didn't really care about creating havoc in Rainbow Dash's personal life, particularly after the way that she left Gilda all alone when she dropped out of Flight School, but she did have more important matters to attend to if she got out of here than romancing Applejack.

Spectrum Flash also remembered how easily she had become friends with Rarity, and this one surprised her a great deal. She knew that Rainbow Dash didn't harbor any secret romantic feelings for Rarity, so she didn't know why this would be, until she remembered the biggest event in Rainbow Dash's life, which was the first time that she had saved Equestria. 'Of course! That's why she became friends with all of those ponies so quickly!' Spectrum Flash thought to herself. 'The Elements of Harmony needed new bearers, and how better to secure these bearers than subtly making sure that they would all be in the same place at the same time, and that they would all be friends!' She admired the Elements for being able to stay behind the scenes like they were, as they subtly manipulated their hosts into their new roles.

The next memory that Spectrum Flash regained was the memory of how Gilda had come to Ponyville one day. She thought that this must have been shortly after Gilda had graduated from flight school, as Rainbow Dash hadn't seen Gilda for a length of time that corresponded to the rest of the curriculum of flight school. She saw how Gilda constantly attempted to give Pinkie Pie not-so-subtle hints about how she didn't want to give up the one and only day that she had to spend with Rainbow Dash, after the one subtle hint that they had gave Pinkie Pie had failed. Gilda more than likely had just stopped by the village, and had only intended to spend one day there, before heading back to Griffonia.

After all, Gilda did come from there, and Rainbow Dash was aware of this. Spectrum Flash knew that Rainbow Dash was aware of this because Gilda had told Rainbow Dash this back in Flight School. She said that the only reason that she had went to the flight school in Cloudsdale was because she was being exposed to how ponies lived their lives. This had been the birth of one of Rainbow Dash's favorite questions, which was "Are you a spy?" She LOVED asking this question to any new, unfamiliar creature that she met, as long as it was capable of intelligent thinking.

Of course, when Rainbow Dash asked Gilda this, Gilda was shocked and offended. Gilda immediately said that she wasn't a spy, nor was she a vanguard for an invasion, and that if she was, Rainbow Dash would've never found out about the fact that she had lived in Griffonia before coming to live in Equestria to see how ponies lived their lives. Gilda had stopped speaking to Rainbow Dash for a week after that. Rainbow Dash, at first, had tried to play what she had said off as being a joke. When she saw that what she had said had actually hurt Gilda's feelings, however, as Gilda had never suspected that telling Rainbow Dash a little about herself would be met with that type of response, Rainbow Dash immediately changed her tune, and begged for Gilda's forgiveness. Of course, Gilda wasn't quick to forgive, as Griffon's have a high sense of loyalty, but, over time, she slowly started to trust Rainbow Dash again.

Then, after Gilda trusted Rainbow Dash fully again, Rainbow Dash went and left the flight school due to the Element's influence. 'At least, that's if my hypothesis is correct' Spectrum Flash reminded herself. She remembered the disastrous party, and how all of the pranks that Rainbow Dash had set up went off on Gilda, and how that had caused Gilda to finally blow up. While all of those pranks going off on Gilda might have looked like pure coincidence to anypony else, Spectrum Flash was becoming more and more convinced that the Elements of Harmony were more than simple pieces of jewelry.

When Gilda blew up, though, Rainbow Dash didn't even attempt to talk to her. Instead, she revealed that it was her that had planned all of those pranks, and asked if what Gilda had said about Rainbow Dash's friends extended to Rainbow Dash as well. Spectrum Flash was speechless! Of all the inconsiderate, childish things to say, Rainbow Dash just had to say that! "Does she not REMEMBER what we insinuated that Gilda was back in Flight School or something?!?!?!?" Spectrum Flash raged. "I mean, really!" When Gilda, still angry about not having had the whole day to spend with a friend that she hadn't seen in years, and still reeling from seeing that her friend had replaced her, answered with an affirmative, Rainbow Dash cut her from her life entirely! When Spectrum Flash saw this, she knew that it wasn't the Elements of Harmony that were influencing Rainbow Dash that day, but Rainbow Dash's own stubbornness. She didn't want to admit that there was even a slight possibility that both parties were in the wrong! "When I get out of here, I'm going to make sure to patch up my friendship with Gilda!" Spectrum Flash said, forgetting that she wasn't Rainbow Dash in the heat of the moment, as she was FURIOUS at what her original self had done, and hoping that she would actually get out of here so that she could to do this.

The next memory that she gained would make her hate Rainbow Dash even more, for it was the memory of when Trixie went to Ponyville. Spectrum Flash was appalled by what Rainbow Dash said after Trixie's rather impressive display of magic. "That...that bucking hypocrite!" her voice could be heard for an indeterminate distance. "WE BOAST ALL THE TIME! WHAT GIVES HER THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT SOMEPONY ELSE IS A LOUDMOUTH!" When she remembered the thinly veiled threat that Rainbow Dash had said as Trixie fled Ponyville, after Trixie had already lost everything, well, everything but her life that is, Spectrum Flash was horrified. "In the name of Celestia...what type of a monster is my original self?"

The next memory that she regained was the memory of how each of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony all gained their Cutie Marks thanks to the Sonic Rainboom that Rainbow Dash did. 'Ah ha! This proves it! Shortly after that, Rainbow Dash got herself kicked out of flight school to follow Fluttershy to that village, with no thought to how this would affect Gilda, and over a short period of time, she became good friends with 2 of the other element bearers! This proves that the Elements of Harmony were affecting their destinies all along!' Spectrum Flash thought to herself. As she thought this, her passionate dislike of the Elements of Harmony turned into an intense hatred, as they had not only cost her her existence, but also her first, best friend, and her little sister.

The second week, she began to ignore the memories for the most part, only paying attention when they featured the one pony close to her, which was Scootaloo. There was one memory in particular which really cemented her theory, and it was when 5 of the element bearers had turned on her, and created a superhero persona to teach her a lesson in "humility and humbleness". As though creating a superhero identity was very HUMBLE! If that wasn't bad enough, they also had had the nerve to boast about their, sorry, the "Mysterious Mare Do Well's" accomplishments when she had went to them to vent about how she felt like the spotlight had been stolen from her! Not only that, but that insolent beast, Spike, had purposely misquoted her when he had been following her around as her ghost writer! Then, after it had become clear that she was distraught, they had laughed at her! Well, she would get the last laugh if she ever made it out of here. Throughout all of that, Spectrum Flash hadn't even noticed that she had been unable to distinguish herself, who had never been there, from Rainbow Dash, who that stuff had happened to.

That had started as one of the best weeks of her life! She had been a hero, and had been praised for her heroics. She had even had a fan club! Well, at least, Rainbow Dash had. But, over the course of the week, a new hero had emerged on the scene, and it had been a hero called The Mysterious Mare Do Well.

Frankly, Spectrum Flash thought that the 5 other Element Bearers were blatantly ripping off the Batmare, which had been one of her favorite comic books to read as a child. However, while the 5 other Element Bearers had the worst reason ever for becoming a superhero, the Batmare had a much better reason for becoming one. Instead of dressing up as a masked vigilante to teach somepony else a lesson in "humility and humbleness", she had seen her parent's gunned down in front of her as a child. This had sparked a drive for vengeance inside her, and she went around the world perfecting every martial art known to pony kind, and she had become a master detective. After years of training, she had trained her body to the peak of pegasus physical conditioning. Over the course of the series, she had gone toe to toe with the Shadowbolts on multiple occasions and emerged victorious each time. Batmare was one of the founding members of the superhero team known as The Defenders, and had a vast array of gadgets and technology that was unlike any found on Equestria.

Spectrum Flash had a trip to Maretropolis on her to-do list if she ever made it out of here, more out of the growing belief that she would never actually make it out of here than anything else. Anyways, during the Mysterious Mare Do Well's reign in Ponyville, even Scootaloo had jumped aboard the Mysterious Mare Do Well bandwagon, completely abandoning Rainbow Dash! Yet, instead of using this opportunity to reflect on how this must have been how Gilda must have felt back in Flight School, Rainbow Dash, admittedly, did the next best thing, and confronted the Mysterious Mare Do Well at the parade held for her honor. It was there that she learned that it had been her friends that were the Mysterious Mare Do Well the whole time, and that had made her feel completely useless for that entire week. Being the loyal friend that she was, Rainbow Dash immediately forgave them their transgression. 'Well, this is humorous. She forgives the 5 ponies that she threw away her first, best friend for when they make her feel like she's worthless, like she's *weak, like she's ***USELESS!* but she can't forgive her first, best friend, or even try to talk to her? Not only that, but she stoops to threatening a traveling show mare, who had already lost everything, because of the actions of two foals?'* Spectrum Flash thought, angrily. 'When I get out of here, I'm going to have a little talk with little Miss Best Flier in All of Equestria'**

The next memory that she paid attention to was of Rainbow Dash abandoning her friend Twilight Sparkle at a wedding. Spectrum Flash immediately reviewed the rest of the memory, and found that it wasn't even Rainbow Dash's wedding! Instead, it was the wedding of somepony that she had never met before! *'And this, this pony right here, THIS is supposed to be the Element of Loyalty? What kind of messed up world do we live in where things like cutting a pony's first, best friend from their lives entirely, not to mention this, are what counts as loyalty?' Spectrum Flash thought, even angrier than she had been before.*

She decided to pay attention to any other memories dealing with the wedding, and she found out that the pony that the original Rainbow Dash abandoned her friend for actually *had been a vanguard for an invasion! Not only that, but it was the queen of the invading species! "Bwahahaha!" Spectrum Flash laughed, as the duplicity was revealed. "The one time that her favorite question would've been useful, and she didn't think to ask it!" Spectrum Flash laughed so hard that her sides hurt, and she was blue in the face.*

The following week, Spectrum Flash found a door out of the Interior of the Mirror Pool. She tried to get it to open, but to no avail. "Oh come on! What's the point of a door that won't open! All I want is to get out of here!" Spectrum Flash said, crying at how close she was to being able to see her little sister again after all this time.

"Hi Dashie!" said a familiar voice. "We wondered where you went! We mean, we didn’t hear you saying the words before you crashed, and as far as we know, unless you say the words before coming in here, it’s impossible to get out of here!" The voice continued.

"Pinkie? Is that you?" Spectrum Flash asked, focusing on the fact that she had heard Pinkie Pie's voice inside the Mirror Pool somehow. "Pinkie, if you can hear me, please tell my sister Scootaloo that..."

"Silly filly! I'm not Pinkie Pie!" The voice said, laughing at her.

"But...you sound just like her!" Spectrum Flash said, confused.

"Don't tell me that you forgot about us already, Dashie!" A group of Pinkie Pie clones said, as they came from all sides. "We *certainly didn't forget about you!"*

"So, I wasn't the first clone that the almighty Princess of Friendship decided to banish back here, then?" Spectrum Flash said, with spite in her voice at the thought of more innocent clones being sent back to the interior of the Mirror Pool because of Twilight Sparkle.

"Wait, you're a clone?" One of them asked, confused.

"No, it's obviously Rainbow Dash! Just look at it!" Another one of them said, with excitement in its voice.

"But...it might not be! It might be a clone!" The first one said.

"Well…okay! We’ll bring it back to New Ponyville, and see what the Princess has to say about it!" The first one said, starting to guide Spectrum Flash away from the door leading out of the Mirror Pool.

"Um...before we get going, though, I just want it to be known that my name is not Rainbow Dash. It's actually Spectrum Flash. If you would avoid calling me Rainbow Dash, or any variation of that name, I'd appre..."

“Nope! The Princess needs to confirm it first!" The first one said, not looking back.

"Wait, the Princess? Who's that? And why do I have a sudden feeling I’m not going to like the answer?" Spectrum Flash asked, confused and afraid.

"Oh, we're sure that you'll know her once you see her" the first one answered, chuckling.

"I just knew I wasn’t going to like the answer…" Spectrum Flash muttered, as she followed the Pinkie Clones.

They came upon a small settlement, and Spectrum Flash was amazed at what the Pinkie Clones had managed to accomplish in such a short period of time. "You built all this?" She asked, shocked, as she remembered them as being obsessed with fun. Come to think of it, they hadn't really been acting like she remembered them, though, so it was entirely possible.

"Yeppers! At least, we did once we got some help from our Princess, after she was able to organize us!" one of the Pinkie Pie clones answered, with a smile on her face.

Spectrum Flash immediately felt afraid when that was said. She knew of only one pony that would be able to organize a massive amount of Pinkie Pie's, and that was only if she was even more brutal.

"What did you find today, Pinkie?" came the all-too familiar voice.

*'No, not her, please Faust no!' Spectrum Flash thought, as she became more and more distraught.*

"We found a possible clone!" one of the Pinkie Pies said.

"Or, we might’ve found Rainbow Dash, your majesty!" Another of them said.

"Let me see this *clone" the voice said.*

*'nononononono' Spectrum Flash thought to herself, hoping that she was just having a nightmare and that she would wake up any minute and be perfectly safe, even if she would still be in the Mirror Pool.*

Unfortunately for her, though, it was no nightmare. Sitting on a throne, was none other than a clone of Alicorn Twilight Sparkle.

When Spectrum Flash saw her, the response was both reflexive, and immediate. Her body went immediately still, her eyes grew wide, and she immediately began to shiver as though she was in the frozen wastelands of the north. Spectrum Flash was currently remembering the last day of her first time in existence, when that worthless excuse for a pegasus Fluttershy had said "I know this is the real Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy assured as she pointed to the bandaged Rainbow.

Of course, that had led that monster Twilight to respond with the last thing that she ever saw, well, the last thing that she ever saw until she woke back up in the middle of the Mirror Pool, anyways. Twilight Sparkle had nodded before turning towards her and saying. "That's what I suspected, too," she said as she lowered her horn towards the doppelgänger, "She doesn't have any memories from before yesterday because she didn't exist until yesterday." As she fired a magical blast, Spectrum Flash, who had been standing next to Scootaloo swelled up before bursting. Spectrum Flash had expected to die as a result of that attack, and when she first woke back up in the Mirror Pool, she had no idea why she had been given another chance at life. After all, she was now stuck in the Mirror Pool without any way to get out. But that had been before she had regained the memories of the original Rainbow Dash. Now, though, she had two reasons for living: Seeing Scootaloo again, and taking vengeance on all of the ponies that had caused her to be sent to this hellscape.

When the clone of Alicorn Twilight Sparkle saw this, she took it to mean that it was the real Rainbow Dash. "Hi Dashie! So glad you could make it! We're going to have a lovely time!" She said, as the Pinkie clones dragged Spectrum Flash away.

As soon as she was no longer in sight of Alicorn Twilight Sparkle, Spectrum Flash regained the use of her faculties, and escaped the settlement as fast as she possibly could.

After that encounter, the clone stopped paying attention to any memory that didn't directly involve Scootaloo, in order to make sure that she could devote her senses to staying ahead of both the Pinkie pack, and Twilight Sparkle. But mostly Twilight Sparkle. The first of the last two memories that she regained was when the original Rainbow Dash made Scootaloo her surrogate sister. The memory made her slightly angry, and the reason for this anger was simple. Scootaloo had apparently been Rainbow Dash's surrogate sister for weeks before Spectrum Flash had ever came into existence, yet Scootaloo still hadn't know how to fly, and she was running for her life from a Timberwolf! ‘What type of sister allows her sister to go without learning to fly, especially in a town that close to the Everfree Forest?!* ’ And Rainbow Dash called herself 'the best flyer in all of Equestria!' on a semi-daily basis!*

The last memory that she had paid attention to was the one where the original Rainbow Dash had heard from two foals that she had never seen before that they didn't want a quitter on their team when they were planning a performance for the Equestria Games. When Spectrum Flash relived this memory, she became livid at those two, insignificant foals, as they *weren't influenced by the Elements of Harmony whatsoever! She paid attention to the rest of the memory, hoping that they would redeem themselves, as she hoped that Scootaloo would have some friends that would be comforting her. When the original Rainbow Dash heard about this, she took those two foals back to the orphanage in Ponyville, and hammered it into them that their routine hadn't been about Scootaloo's ability to fly, but rather, about the friendship that the three of them shared, as that was what made Ponyville special. Spectrum Flash watched as Scootaloo and her friends went on to win the competition, and was happy that Rainbow Dash had at least one thing right, but she was happier that her little sister had won that competition with the help of her friends. She only hoped that her friends were being as helpful now.*

Coming out of the memory, Spectrum Flash suddenly noticed the sound of hooffalls behind her. She took of flying, and hoped that she would be able to find another way out of this place.

Scootaloo's Decision

It had been 4 weeks since the death of her big sister. Scootaloo had decided that she couldn't take the pain of the never ending nightmares, or the fact that she couldn't talk to anyone about what was causing them. She had only one recourse left to her, and that was to join her sister in the afterlife. Before doing so, though, she wrote a note telling Tender Heart why she had decided to end her life, and about the events of 4 weeks prior. The note quickly had several tear stains on it, as Scootaloo began to cry as she wrote it.

Dear Tender Heart,

Once you find this note, I will most likely be dead. I just wanted to let you know that it was nothing that you did, or did not do, that pushed me to this decision. You see, 4 weeks ago, a pony unlike any other came into my life. That pony apparently was from a place called the Mirror Pool. I didn't know that at first, I thought that Ra...the pony was suffering from amnesia. I told her that I was her little sister, and for one day, for 24 FULL hours, I had a family! It was awesome! For one day, I had everything that I had EVER wanted! This pony saved my life after finding me being attacked by a Timber Wolf! She even taught me how to fly! Of course, I wanted to help the pony regain her memory, so I told her that Princess Twilight could help, and when we went to the Princess, she cast a memory spell to help the pony regain its memories, and that was when Rainbow Dash came in. Apparently, the pony that I had thought had been her had been a clone that had come from the Mirror Pool, and when Princess Twilight found this out, she immediately sent it back to the Mirror Pool. When I told them what the clone had done for me, and told Princess Twilight to bring it back, she said that she couldn't.  I've tried to be strong, as I feel that she would want me to, but I can't take it anymore. Tell Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom that I will miss them. They, along with you and my big sister, were my only true friends in life.

Sincerely,

Scootaloo

When Scootaloo walked out of her bedroom, she heard voices coming from the common room area. She, at first, stopped dead in her tracks, hoping that the voice that she was hearing was her big sister's voice, but then she remembered that her big sister was dead thanks to the pony out there.

She immediately ran back to her bedroom, closed the door, and opened her window. She was just about to fly out of it, when her bedroom door opened again, and her sister's killer was standing in her doorway, with an odd expression on her face. "S...Stay back!" Scootaloo said, as she began to shake due to the fear of seeing her sister's killer standing this close. "Don...Don't come any closer, Rainbow!" Scootaloo said, as she flew out of her window.

After escaping Rainbow for the time being, Scootaloo got on her scooter, and rode it to the Everfree Forest. She had always been faster on her scooter than when she was flying, probably because of the fact that her big sister had never got the chance to speed train her flying.

She got to the Everfree Forest, and looked around. So far, there was no sign of her. 'Thank Faust!' Scootaloo said, as she entered the forest.

Rainbow Dash and Tender Heart find the note

Ever since seeing Scootaloo running away from her friends 1 week ago, Rainbow Dash had been preparing her house to be a home for more than just her. That meant that she had to clean the entire house, hide her illicit reading materials, hide her Batmare comic books, which she used to read as a child with her father, when he was home and not out taking care of the weather for his section of Cloudsdale, which meant that they contained fond memories for her, so she was not about to let somepony as reckless as one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders find them, as she didn't even want to think about what would happen then, either to the comics themselves, or to the crusaders if they actually decided to emulate the comics, and prepare a room for Scootaloo to live in. She was now ready to officially adopt Scootaloo, against her better judgment. So, when she arrived at the Ponyville Orphanage, she knocked on the door, and did her best to look excited at the prospect.

"One second please! I'm just finishing making lunch!" called Tender Heart, from the orphanage's kitchen.

A minute later, the door opened. "Hello! I never expected to see you here, Rainbow Dash! Won't you come in and make yourself comfortable?" Tender Heart asked, politely.

Rainbow Dash went to the common room area of the orphanage and sat down on a couch that was in the room. "So, I assume that you're here about Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash?" Tender Heart asked, questioningly.

"Yep! I'm here to adopt her, actually" Rainbow Dash said, with an odd look on her face.

"Well, she should still be in her room..." Tender Heart began to say, before she was interrupted by Rainbow Dash.

"Really? Excellent! I already know where her room is, so I'll just go tell her the good news myself!" Rainbow Dash said, pleased that she wouldn't have to go out looking for Scootaloo.

"Alright then!" Tender Heart said, hoping that this would help with Scootaloo's nightmares.

Rainbow Dash went to Scootaloo's bedroom, and opened the door. Scootaloo immediately turned to look at her, and Rainbow Dash saw intense fear in her eyes.

"S...Stay back!" Scootaloo said, as she began to shake due to the fear of seeing her sister's killer standing this close. "Don...Don't come any closer, Rainbow!" Scootaloo said, as she flew out of her window.

Rainbow Dash stood there, as she recovered from the sudden actions of her former number-one fan. 'What did I do this time!?!' She thought to herself. She noticed a piece of paper on Scootaloo's bed, and she picked it up and began to read it. When she was done reading it, she was equal parts distraught at what she had just read, and upset that her clone was STILL interfering with her life.

'I thought that it was bad, but not this bad!' Rainbow Dash thought, in regards to the state that her former number-one fan was in, as she began to feel worried.

Just then, Tender Heart came into the room. She saw that Scootaloo was not in the room, and the note in Rainbow Dash's hooves. "What's going on?!?" She exclaimed, worried and more than a little confused at the situation.

"I've got to go!" Rainbow Dash said, passing the note to Tender Heart, and preparing to fly out the window in the direction that Scootaloo went.

"Wait! First tell me what's going on, please!" Tender Heart exclaimed, pleading with Rainbow Dash.

"Read the note!" was all that Rainbow Dash said as she flew off, hoping to get to Scootaloo before she did something that there would be no taking back.

Spectrum Flash's first day back

So, her mind being put at ease for the moment, Spectrum Flash left the hospital, after getting Scootaloo's room number from the doctor, as she knew that Tender Heart would more than likely be asking about her later on. She was heading to Quills and Sofa's, and she hoped that those items were not the only two things that shop sold, so that she could pick up some ink, some quills, and some parchment, so that she could write her apology letters to Gilda and Trixie. Spectrum Flash got there with no incidents, thankfully, and she found out that the store did, in fact, only sell quills and sofas.

'What the buck kind of store is this place! Quills and sofas? Those two things aren't even remotely related!' Spectrum Flash thought to herself, paying for the quills that she got there. She told the shopkeeper to direct all the charges to her bank account, which the shopkeeper took to mean Rainbow Dash's bank account. 'It's only fair, seeing as how she was part of the reason that I was sent back to the mirror pool for being her clone, after being a better big sister to Scootaloo than she ever was, after all. Not to mention the fact that Scootaloo was out in the Everfree Forest all alone today!' She thought, barely containing her rage.

She asked the shopkeeper where she could pick up the rest of the items on her list, and she was given a list of store names that also made absolutely no sense! She was told that she could pick up the ink at Ink and Toiletries, and the parchment at Parchment and Tools and she did a facehoof.

"Is something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" The shopkeeper asked, confused.

"Only that back in Cloudsdale, the shops at least had a common theme to them! Like, for instance, there was no need to go to all of these different stores for just ink and parchment and quills! You could just go to the Cloudsdale general store! Why in the name of Celestia is there not a Ponyville General Store! It would make all of this shopping so much easier!" Spectrum Flash said, throwing her hooves up in the air.

"Well, Rainbow Dash, this is a smaller town than Cloudsdale! We had to split up the items like that to ensure that each store got a steady flow of income!" The shopkeeper explained, shocked at Rainbow Dash's behavior.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense" Spectrum Flash said, calming down after what, she hated to admit, was a rather logical explanation for all of these illogical stores in Ponyville. "I'm sorry that I lost my temper there for a little bit. It's just that Scootaloo is in the hospital, after I found her in the Everfree Forest. It looked like she had been mauled by a Timberwolf!" Spectrum Flash said, crying.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. She obviously means a lot to you..." The shopkeeper said, unsure of what had brought these changes about.

"It's okay. She'll be okay. The doctors at the hospital said so. I just need to trust that they'll be able to fix her wing, and that she'll be able to fly again. I mean, after all, they are the doctors that fixed my wing when I crashed. I'm just worried that it's going to be harder now than it was then, seeing as how her wing was torn almost completely off of her body" she said, beginning to cry again. "It feels good to let somepony know about this, even if the letters that I'm writing are going to be to two old friends, and I'm going to let them know about it as well" She said, walking out of the shop, feeling slightly better.

'Two old friends?' The shopkeeper thought, confused. The only friends of Rainbow Dash that he knew of were at Sugarcube Corner, planning a surprise party for her when Pinkie Pie finally found her. He wondered how she didn't know that she was at Quills and Sofas, but figured that even Pinkie Pie had off days.

As Spectrum Flash was walking down the street, she ran into Pinkie Pie. She was suddenly lost into her memories of the Mirror Pool, and of the Pinkie Clones there. 'Keep it together! I have to keep the fact that I am a clone secret!' she thought to herself, panicking. She would only react to the Pink Menace hostilely if she appeared to know that she was a clone of Rainbow Dash.

"Hiya Spectrum Flash! I'm Pinkie Pie! I know who, and more importantly, what, you are, and I think that it's wonderful that Scootaloo is finally getting a family, even if it's a clone!" she said, beaming.

Spectrum Flash did a double-take. This was not how she had expected the conversation to go whatsoever. She had expected to have to fight off Pinkie Pie, or, more reasonably, scare her off, seeing as how she was in no condition to fight anypony, especially not somepony like Pinkie Pie.

"Err...What about your clones?" Spectrum Flash asked, confused.

"What about them?" Pinkie Pie asked, confused as well.

"Err...Never mind. So, um...I assume that there was a point to you blabbing about my secret in the middle of town?" Spectrum Flash asked, getting defensive.

"Pssh...Nopony pays attention to what anypony is saying most of the time!" Pinkie said, blowing it off. "For example, I make cupcakes out of pony meat!" she said, rather loudly.

Everypony went about their business as usual, and Spectrum Flash suddenly became terrified of the pony in front of her again. "YOU DO WHAT?!?" She said, fear in her eyes.

"Oh, you silly filly! I don't actually make cupcakes out of pony meat! I just felt that would get my point across the quickest, and so I said it! No, I make them using the proper ingredients, which certainly don't include ponies!" Pinkie said, laughing.

"Anyways, there's a party at Sugarcube Corner to say sorry for sending you back to the Mirror Pool/Thank you for being the family that Scootaloo never had/Happy second first birthday! Everypony is going to be there! Even Twilight Sparkle! She even prepared a speech for the occasion!" The pink mare said, happily bouncing away.

Spectrum Flash had no intentions of being at that party. She had no desire of being face-to-face with the pony that had been responsible for sending her back to the Mirror Pool, even if she did seem okay with her being out of it. She had the feeling that this was going to be a trap, so she was going to stay as far away from Sugarcube Corner as possible. So, she continued with her shopping, hoping that Pinkie Pie would leave her alone. She stopped off at Ink and Toiletries next, to pick up the ink that she needed for her letters.

She paid for the ink that she had picked up there the same way that she had for the quills, charging Rainbow Dash's bank account, and went off to get the last item on her mental shopping list. She got to Parchment and Tools before running into Twilight Sparkle, who was actually exiting the store, after having just bought some parchment herself. Twilight Sparkle didn't notice Spectrum Flash, as she was lost in her own little world, one that revolved around organization, and checklists, and her speech that she was going to give to Rainbow Dash's clone at the party. Spectrum Flash, however, noticed her.

When Spectrum Flash saw the purple alicorn, the response was both reflexive and immediate. "You won't send me back there again!" Spectrum Flash said, having decided to take the initiative in this encounter. "I won't let you! The last time you did, my sister almost died!" Spectrum Flash said, tears running down her face. "I may be tired, I may have had to do several Sonic Rainbooms today, I may even have had to fight a Timberwolf, Twilight Sparkle, but I refuse to let you be what prevents me from being here for Scootaloo!" she said, taking up an offensive posture.

Twilight Sparkle was taken aback. ' I helped save her for the same reasons that she was getting aggressive! How didn't she know that?!?' Twilight thought to herself, before remembering the fact that Scootaloo had been getting attacked by a Timberwolf at the time, and so the clone obviously wouldn't have noticed her.

"It's alright! You don't have to worry! I'm not going to hurt you! You can calm down!" Twilight Sparkle said, hoping to calm the clone before she was forced to paralyze it with her magic, as that would not help the situation at all.

"Sure you aren't! Just like you weren't going to hurt me that first time, right? Right?!?" Spectrum Flash said, not believing her for a second.

"I didn't know that you and Scootaloo were so close back then!" Twilight said, trying to justify her actions.

"You know what, egghead?" Spectrum Flash said, spitting the normally endearing term egghead out of her mouth like it was the worst word in all of the Equestrian language. "Stay as far away from me, and my little sister, as you possibly can, and we will be JUST dandy. Don't, and we won't. 'Kay?" She said, making it clear that Twilight Sparkle didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"Now, if you will excuse me" Spectrum Flash said, walking past her to get into the store.

After purchasing the last item on her list, she walked to Sugarcube Corner, as it was the only place that she could sit down and write the letters.

"SURPRISE!" the assembled ponies shouted, all of them smiling.

"Are you all here for the party?" Spectrum Flash asked, facehoofing.

"Yeppers!" Pinkie Pie said, smiling. "I wonder where Twilight is, though. She said that this would make a perfect opportunity for her to address the public about accepting ponies, no matter how different they are! Well, I suppose in this case the differences would actually be the similarities, but the lesson's still there, right?" Pinkie said, smiling.

"Sure..." Spectrum Flash said, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I'm just going to sit down, and not get involved with this disaster at all. So, I want you to run interference for me. If anypony, anypony except for an Earth Pony mare named Tender Heart that is, you should know who that is, right Pinkie? After all, you know everypony in Ponyville..."Spectrum Flash said, trailing off. "Anyways, if anypony but her asks for me, point them in Rainbow Dash's direction, if she's even here. If Tender Heart asks for me, point her in my direction. And I do mean my direction, Pinkie. She is the only pony that I want to talk to. If Rainbow Dash isn't here, though, tell me, so I can go find whatever cloud she's currently napping on, and drag her lazy flank off of it, and bring her to this party" Spectrum Flash said, unaware that Rainbow Dash was right behind her.

"Takes one to know one, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, attempting to break the ice with her clone.

It took Spectrum Flash all of three seconds to turn to her side, look her original self right in the eye, and say "No."

Rainbow Dash could hear the hostility in her clone's tone, and she knew that it more than likely was brought about by the condition of her clone's sister. 'Well, there goes breaking the ice with her…' Rainbow Dash thought, before noticing that Spectrum Flash was still talking to her.

"...know that you heard everything, I know that you also know the plan. You are to pretend to be me, while I write some personal correspondence to some old friends of mine, well, actually, of yours, but, you tossed one of them aside like yesterday's news, and you didn't even give the other one of them a chance, and I intend to fix those mistakes, Rainbow Dash. Oh, and good job letting Scootaloo go into the Everfree Forest by herself. That's sure to make quite the impression on Applejack!" Spectrum Flash said, unaware that Applejack was right behind her. (Isn't turning around to talk to somepony else fun?)

"Ya did what?!" Applejack's voice came from behind Spectrum Flash. Spectrum Flash immediately whipped around so fast that she would've given a lesser pony whiplash. Thankfully, both her and Rainbow Dash had a higher tolerance for that kind of thing than most ponies.

"Are all of you going to sneak up on me like that?" Spectrum Flash asked, throwing her hooves up into the air, already exasperated by these ponies. 'Well, there goes my nice new cloud house' Spectrum Flash thought to herself, forlornly.

"Ah'm sorry, sugarcube. Ah just wanted to say that Ah heard about what ya are doing for Scootaloo and that Ah think that it's wonderful!" Applejack said, smiling.

'I can use this!' Spectrum Flash thought, smiling. "Well, I would be adopting her, but what you just heard makes what I was going to do somewhat difficult...you see, I was going to give Rainbow Dash here" Spectrum Flash said, pulling Rainbow Dash to her side "a simple choice: Go to Sweet Apple Acres, and fulfill her heart's desire, meaning romancing you, Applejack" she said, as Applejack's face turned beet red, and Rainbow Dash tried to interrupt, but Spectrum Flash covered her mouth with her wing, and continued "Or, alternatively, I could always just show her what happens when somepony harms my little sister which Dashie here did  when she didn't fulfill her duties as surrogate big sister. Let me just say that it isn't anything pretty.” Spectrum Flash said, smiling. “So please overlook the fact that she doesn't deserve somepony as wonderful as you, AJ, as I know that you would never do something as inconsiderate, disloyal, and dishonest as say that you are going to take somepony under your wing, and then do what dear Dashie here did" Spectrum Flash said, "and try a relationship with her anyways. Who knows? Perhaps she will even surprise you!" Spectrum Flash said, smiling. ' Though, I sincerely doubt it...' she thought to herself, watching as the two of them walked off alone.

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack left her line of sight, she reflected on how lucky it was that she had been at a party for that little blow-up, as the background noise of the party had completely covered up the conversation that the three mares had been having. ‘Hopefully I can keep those incidents to a minimum' she thought, hoping to not run into any more of the Elements of Harmony at this party than she already had. "I was wondering what happened to Scootaloo in the Everfree Forest?" came a concerned voice to her left.

"Tender Heart! Just the mare that I wanted to see! For a second there, I was worried that you were going to be Fluttershy!" Spectrum Flash said, with a sigh of relief. "Now, about Scootaloo, when I found her in the Everfree Forest, she was getting mauled to death by a Timberwolf. What's odd, though, is that she wasn't trying to escape. It almost seemed like she wanted to die!" Spectrum Flash said, suddenly crying heavily.

"That's just it. According to this" Tender Heart said, passing Scootaloo's suicide note to Spectrum Flash, "that was her intent. I'm grateful that you were able to save her in time! I have no idea why I didn't see this coming!" The mare said, with concern evident in her eyes.

"Don't blame yourself for something that you couldn't have possibly seen com..." Spectrum Flash started to say, before she was interrupted by Tender Heart.

"Don't say that I couldn't have seen it coming! Part of the education for running an orphanage is being able to tell the emotions of the foals living there! The signs were all there! She had been having nightmares for weeks, she had stopped going outside to play with her friends, and she had a haunted look in her eyes whenever I saw them!" Tender Heart said, angry. "I tried to get her to talk about it, I did! But she must have thought that if she did, we would have thought that she was lying! Or, worse, that if she told anyone, that they would die!" Tender Heart's voice started to tremble and her eyes watered. She stopped and sucked in a breath, recomposing herself.

"It's going to be all right, Tender Heart! Everything's going to be fine! The doctor's told me that I got Scootaloo to the hospital in time, and that she will be fine! Listen, here's her room number. If you want to, I suggest that you go visit her tomorrow, and see for yourself! I'm actually getting daily updates on her health, but I know that it will do me good to actually physically see her with my own two eyes" Spectrum Flash said, smiling. "How about we both go together? That way, the two ponies that have been her only family for her entire lifetime will be there, talking to her. I might have to leave before visiting hours are up, though. It just depends on how well these messages are received by my, well, not my two old friends, really, but by two of Rainbow Dash's old friends. Well, really just one of her old friends, and somepony that I hope to make a friend" Spectrum Flash clarified, smiling.

"Thank you for the room number, and I think that I will go see her with you. Oh, I assume that you are going to be adopting her, now that you are back?" Tender Heart asked, suddenly all business.

'Well, that was odd...' Spectrum Flash thought to herself, before responding. "Yep! Now that I'm back, I'm going to make sure that Scootaloo gets the big sister that she deserves!" She said, beaming.

"That's wonderful Spectrum Flash!" Tender Heart said, smiling. "Before you do, though, not only does she need to recover from her ordeal in the Everfree Forest, and more than likely get some counseling, which I think you're also going to need after reading that note" Tender Heart says, pointing to the unread note in Spectrum Flash's hoof, "but I also have some questions to ask you to determine your eligibility for adopting her" Tender Heart said, displaying a clipboard and pen.

"Do you have a house?" Tender Heart asked, reading from the list.

"Yep! I just acquired a cloud house cheap!" Spectrum Flash said, smiling.

"A job?" Tender Heart asked, going down the list.

"With all of the degrees that Rainbow Dash has, I'm sure that I could get a job in anything that I set my mind to. While taking care of the weather may not be rocket science, it's pretty close to it. Most ponies just think that it's simply bucking a few clouds. What they fail to realize, though, is that most of the time, I, err...I mean, Rainbow Dash is the only pony in the town that is bucking the clouds, and that they can, and will, on occasion, buck right back. By that, of course, I mean that she has been hit by lightning bolts from those clouds out there more times than she would like to admit. Oh, and that doesn't even take into account the fact that she has to organize the rest of the weather pegasi here to take care of the more mundane things, like what locations get how much cloud cover, among other things. Really, taking care of the weather is a lot more involved than ponies tend to think" Spectrum Flash said, giving a simplistic explanation about what goes into taking care of the weather.

"One last question. In case of you having an emergency, say, you get a broken bone and have to stay at the hospital" Tender Heart said, trying to not think about the current situation with Scootaloo that much as she was saying it "do you have somepony that would be able to take care of her?"

"Well, other than the two old friends that I'm writing to, there's always you?" Spectrum Flash asked, cautiously.

"Well, as much as it would please me to be in that list, I am, above all else, a professional. That means, of course, that while I may care for the poor foals that stayed at my orphanage as much as possible, as soon as they find their forever homes, I distance myself from them, so I can move onto the next town, and start an orphanage there. You see, I've actually been waiting for Rainbow Dash to adopt Scootaloo for a long time now. I thought for sure that she was going to that day that she didn't come back to the orphanage. I'm guessing your hoof was in that?" She said, smiling.

"Yeah..." Spectrum Flash started to reply, with a cautious look on her face "is that a bad thing?"

"No, not at all! I just wanted to clarify, that's all!" Tender Heart said, pleased that that particular mystery was finally solved. "But, back to the matter at hoof. How do you know that these two old friends of Rainbow Dash's are going to come here?" She asked, concerned.

"I guess that I don't" Spectrum Flash said, just as concerned.

"Well, that's the last thing that you need to take care of before you can adopt Scootaloo. After that, she's all yours" Tender Heart said, smiling.

"Got it!" Spectrum Flash said, fires of determination burning in her eyes. She had taken down a Timberwolf, escaped from the Pinkie Clones in the Mirror Pool, and saved her sister's life by getting her to the hospital in time. She was not going to let anything stop her from adopting her now.

After Tender Heart walked away, telling Spectrum Flash that she appreciated what she was doing for Scootaloo once more, Spectrum Flash began to write her letters. At first, she was unsure of what she should put into them. After all, these people had been hurt by Rainbow Dash, not her, but she still felt responsible, even though she knew, logically, that she had not been involved in those situations. She also knew that she couldn't call either one of them friends in the letters, even though she felt that she had known Gilda throughout most of her foalhood. It was Rainbow Dash's foalhood memories that she was remembering, not her own, as she had never got to experience a foalhood. Not that she was complaining, exactly, she was just considering what should, as well as what should not, go into the letters. After a while, though, she had an idea. Just let the letter come to her while she was writing it! Nothing could go too wrong there, right?

Dear Gilda,

I know that this is going to sound completely insane, but the pony that is currently writing to you is the clone of Rainbow Dash. I'm writing to let you know that, while I may not have been the pony involved in the incident, I feel terrible about the way that she tossed you aside like yesterday's news after all the good times that we...er, I mean, the two of you had in Flight School. Sorry about the 'we' thing. I'm trying to work on my separating the memories of me and her, and while it is quite easy to do with the ones that I am deeply and personally ashamed of, it's not quite so easy to do with the ones that I wish that I actually had. Anyways, I wanted to give you my most sincere apologies for what she did to you, and I also wanted to thank you for the karate lessons that you gave Rainbow Dash. You don't know how much those mean to me.

Sincerely,

Spectrum Flash

After having written the letter to Gilda, she began to write the letter to Trixie. The process was the same as the one for the letter to Gilda had been, and she got through it quickly.

Dear Trixie,

I know that this is going to sound completely insane, but the pony that is currently writing to you is the clone of Rainbow Dash. I'm writing to let you know that, while I may not have been the pony involved in the incident, I feel terrible about the way that she interrupted your stage show, and called you a loudmouth. With the amount of bragging that she does, each and every single day of her entire life, calling herself the "best flyer in all of Equestria" when she can't even help a single filly learn how to fly...let's just say that she has no room to talk. I also wanted to apologize for the fact that she interrupted your stage show. That was the most despicable thing that anyone could ever do to a professional entertainer, and believe me, if anyone ever interrupted her precious bucking Wonderbolts, she would be PISSED. Well, anyone but her, that is. Then she would expect them to let her on the team on the spot. See what I mean about her having no room to talk? Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I am sincerely sorry for her actions when you were first here in Ponyville.

Sincerely,

Spectrum Flash

Spectrum Flash read the letters that she had just written and realized that they sounded insane. She was sure that neither one of them would believe her for a second. 'Hey! I know who can help me here!' Spectrum Flash thought, as she allowed herself to fall asleep where she was sitting. While it wasn't very comfortable, it was necessary for contacting the Watcher, Princess Luna.

She decided, before going to sleep, that she would read the note that Tender Heart had given to her after contacting Luna.

Spectrum Flash's 'Nightmare'/Contact with Luna

'I wonder what situation I'll wake up in...' Spectrum Flash thought, curious.

She opened her eyes, and saw the cavern where she had been told where Scootaloo was, and what was happening to her.

'Well, looks like I got scenario number 1 after all!' Spectrum Flash thought, smirking.

She immediately leaped into the air, not paying attention to anything in the cavern, and flew out of the cavern. She started flying to where she remembered being told that Scootaloo was being mauled by a Timberwolf, knowing that sure, she couldn't affect reality through her dream, but...

As soon as she got into sight range of the scene, the landscape before her stretched itself out. 'CLASSIC!' she thought, impressed.

However, there was something that Spectrum Flash was unaware of. Princess Luna had made contacting her one of her priorities, and, thankfully, this had been an unusually slow day for her. As such, when Spectrum Flash went to sleep, Luna was immediately alerted to the presence of what appeared, on the surface, to be a nightmare. Yet, the emotions of the pony in the nightmare didn't fit with the emotions that could be expected from a pony in a nightmare. So, Luna investigated.

When Luna suddenly appeared in her dream, Spectrum Flash immediately stopped her nightmare. After all, she was the one that had started it, with the intent of getting Luna's attention.

Seeing the look of shock on Luna's face, Spectrum Flash simply laughed and said, smiling, "You'd be surprised what you can learn about your own mind while being trapped in the Mirror Pool for a month, Princess Luna. I've learned to use my mental side to do more than just register everything I see while flying, I've been forced to adapt myself in ways my original would never dream of… literally."

Luna, recovering quickly from her shock at seeing the dream quickly dissolve around her without her doing it, said "We art glad to see that thou art free once more, Spectrum Flash!" joy in her voice. "Now that you're back, Scootaloo will be sure to stop having nightmares!" She said, pleased that she had been, in a roundabout way, able to help after all.

"That was actually one of the two things that I wanted to talk to you about, Princess. Why didn't you help her? You are supposed to be the Guardian of Dreams, the Vanquisher of Nightmares, the Ruler of the Night!" Spectrum Flash said, with an accusing tone that was more than a little hostile.

"WE TRIED TO HELP THY YOUNGER SISTER!" Luna said, using the Royal Canterlot Voice, shocked at how the pony in front of her was talking.

"WELL YOU OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T TRY HARD ENOUGH!" Spectrum Flash yelled right back. "My first day back, I had to kill a Timberwolf, in order to save my younger sister's life! Even then, her wing had already been almost torn completely off! She might never fly again!" Spectrum Flash said, tears running down her face.

Luna, shocked at what she had just been told, and knowing that the pony in front of her was anything but okay, immediately banished the nightmare that had sprung up while Spectrum Flash was talking. Luna knew that, while Spectrum Flash's mental discipline was impressive, talking about what had happened to her sister would be enough to break anypony's discipline, including her own, as, for several months after she had been purified by the Elements of Harmony, she would have nightmares about what she had done as Nightmare Moon. During those months, while Luna worked through her own nightmares, Celestia had taken over her dreamwalking duties. While she wasn't as skilled as Luna in dreamwalking, Celestia had just enough skill to help most ponies through their nightmares. Of course, she had been aware of everypony that had been having nightmares, and she had kept a list of names for Luna, so that she could go to those ponies dreams as soon as she was able. Celestia, fortunately, could afford to ignore her own sister's nightmares, as her sister was slowly working through them on her own.

When Luna dispelled the nightmare that had sprung up, Spectrum Flash was shocked that one had sprung up at all, as she had been completely focused on the discussion. "Thank you, Princess. And, before you ask, I do know what caused that nightmare. I feel as though I should have been there for her, and I should have been there for her. There should have been no reason that she was out in the Everfree Forest alone. And, before you try to make me feel better about the situation, I know that I am not to blame for what happened. Twilight is to blame for what happened. Yet, that doesn't make me feel any better." Spectrum Flash said, gritting her teeth together. "Back to my sister being in the Everfree Forest alone, though. Upon the crossover from the Mirror Pool, I fell unconscious. A scream of pain from my little sister woke me up. How I heard it, I have no idea. The moment that I did, though, my eyes shot open, and I immediately asked the first being that I saw in that cavern with me, which was Discord, and I asked him where she was. Apparently, I found out about what was going on before even he knew, as he was going to say that she was safe in Ponyville" Spectrum Flash said, laughing bitterly. "A couple of minutes later, though, I learned what was going on, and that she was getting mauled by a Timberwolf in the Everfree Forest, as well as where she was" at this point, Spectrum Flash began to cry again, and her voice became a mixture of sorrow and rage. "When I got there, she wasn't even running from it Princess! It was as though she wanted to die!" Spectrum Flash said, shaking with sorrow and barely controlled anger at what she was saying. When her sister got better, they were going to have a long, LONG discussion about this. She needed to know that what she had almost done was never the answer, no matter what the reason was, ever. "When I saw her, her wing was torn almost completely off of her, and her breathing was unsteady. Yet, she asked me in a weak voice if it was me, and I told her yes. I said that I was back, and I was so relieved to be able to finally tell her that, even under those circumstances. When she passed out from the blood loss and the pain, I immediately began to panic, and, in order to get her to the hospital in time to save her life, I performed a Sonic Rainboom after scooping her up into my forelegs. When I got to the hospital, they told me that she would be all right, but I'm still worried about what I did" Spectrum Flash said, a look of uncertainty in her eyes.

"What dost thou mean, Spectrum Flash? It sounds to us like thou didst the right thing?" Luna said, questioningly.

"Well, Princess..." Spectrum Flash began to say, looking more and more uncertain with every word that she said, the look of uncertainty in her eyes grew. "I want to adopt Scootaloo, but I need to have some friends in Ponyville in order to do it. I already have the friends in mind, but I need to write apology letters to them, as the last time that I saw them, well, not me, but Rainbow Dash" the look in Spectrum Flash's eyes turned into a look of pure self-loathing for a second "tossed one of them aside like yesterday's news, and she insulted the other one, and threatened her safety after she stayed in Ponyville when she could have fled when the Ursa Minor attacked, and when she herself was hiding under her bed" her voice taking on a hostile tone to match the look in her eyes, "and since I am Rainbow Dash, or at least I have all of her memories in my head, I can't help but feel responsible for what she did, even if I wasn't the one to actually do it"

Princess Luna knew who she was talking about, as Gilda had had nightmares of that incident for a while afterwards, and Trixie had also had nightmares of the Ursa Minor incident. When Princess Luna had learned that the creatures that she had created as Nightmare Moon to distract the royal guards and the Wonderbolts while she went after Princess Celestia were still around, she immediately began setting that right. She had wiped out the Ursa's, mourning both their creation and their necessary destruction, and she had continued on with every other species that she had created as Nightmare Moon, so that ponies could be safe at night. She also knew that Gilda and Trixie had recently formed a friendship, and that the two of them had found the magic of friendship at just the right time in their lives.

"...and so, Princess, I am unsure of what to do! I want to make sure that they believe what I'm telling them, but I don't know how! I was wondering if you could sign them, saying that I am telling the truth, and that I am Rainbow Dash's clone, and that I do feel terribly sorry for her actions? I mean, before now, I just wanted to apologize! Not that that isn't still important to me, Princess, because it is, but I need them to know that I am deeply and truly sorry for what I did to them, and that I'm not just trying to use them!" Spectrum Flash's said, extremely defensively. "Especially after what Rainbow Dash did to them!"

"We'll tell thou the same thing that We once told thy young sister, Scootaloo" Luna said, knowing that those words would get Spectrum Flash's full attention. "Face thy fears. Show them that thou mean what thou say, as We have found that actions speak louder than words." Luna said, remembering her own experiences with this principle. "Tell them what thou has told Us, and We are certain that everything shall work out" Luna said, disappearing from Spectrum Flash's pseudo-nightmare.

Spectrum Flash was still concerned about the situation, but, she had had her talk with Luna. She woke up, and quickly altered the letters to include the fact that she was wanting to adopt Scootaloo, as, in her own words, she owed it to her. She noticed that the party in her honor was still going on, and that a plate with cake and ice-cream had been put in front of her, along with a knife, fork, and a spoon. She remembered the letter that Tender Heart had given to her, and, while cutting up her cake, decided to read it, as it was smoothed out so that it lay flat on the table.

Twenty Minutes Later

As Spectrum Flash was finishing reading the note, she had yet to notice that she was gripping the blade of the knife that had been provided for her so that she could cut her piece of cake with it so hard that it was cutting into her. While she would have normally been in pain, she was a little too busy thinking of what she had just read. 'Those...those...ANIMALS!' she thought to herself, mourning the thought of what this last past month must have been like for her little sister.

The Letter

Deep in the city of Manehattan, Gilda was resting in her apartment sipping her coffee on her favorite sofa after a long day of removing snow clouds from all over the city in prep for the spring season. It was nearly noon and she'd been waiting for her roommate, Trixie to return from an audition for a local play she wanted to partake in. The two had been living together since their chance meeting in a small café and the two instantly became friends.

It was had a bit of a rough start after that initial meeting. Trixie was still her usual boastful self, and loved theatrics. Gild was a more relaxed go with the flow, unless she was out racing, something she loved doing. Top it off  with the fact Trixie had no home to go to made Trixie on edge with finding work. But there was still her pride and she refused to do anything but be a showmare. That was something Gilda could respect, despite her attitude.

Afterwards when the griffin had learned her unicorn friend had nowhere to stay, and weighing her options, she decided to share her apartment with the showmare, making the spare room that was used as an improvised gym of sorts into the mare’s bedroom. It helped her pay the rent and gave her a much needed social life and, in certain ways, a confidant – both things she missed since her falling with Rainbow Dash.

In many ways, Trixie was just like her. Boastful, prideful, and confident in everything she did even in the worst of times. In a way it was very therapeutic to know the unicorn. She flexed her wings on the sofa placing her mug on the table beside it. The living room was small and had a single table with the sofa in the front of it. The door was behind the sofa. The kitchen was to the right of the living room and beyond that was the two bedrooms.

Gilda glanced at the clock seeing it read 1305, she wondered if something happened to Trixie. She always boasted saying that, 'a magician is never late, they arrive precisely when they need to.'

Gilda scoffed at the silly thought. "Hah, shows up precisely when they need to my butt."

She chugged the last of her coffee smacking the mug down on the table. There was no hostility in her action, Gilda just didn't care. She looked back at the door expecting Trixie to enter as soon as she did. When the mare didn't show up she decided to get up and clean. After a few minutes she had just finished dusting when Trixie entered in a dramatic fashion.

"Behold Gilda! For Trixie has returned!" She yelled posing in her usual fashion. "Oh, and Trixie got the mail."

The unicorn lit her horn as several letters levitated from her saddlebags and landed on the table not even looking at them. Gilda rolled her eyes at her friend and put her duster down and went over to check the mail. She had been expecting the water bill for a while now and it was due in a week. Ripping open the bill she found at the top, she gave it a quick look over.

"Yo, Trix! How'd the audition go?"

"Terrible! Ponies these days have no respect for theater and true practice in this art!" She screamed from the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water and getting peanut butter crackers. "They said Trixie was too into the part and they went with some street urchin of a mare!"

She bit her crackers angrily chewing them. When the taste of the peanut butter hit her tongue with the salty cracker the mixture brought her a sort of blissful content that only came with fine dining.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of peanut butter crackers she had, a whole plate full, she walked back over to the sofa and sat beside her feathery friend. Gilda was busy going through the mail when two letters caught her eye. They were in small envelopes that were issued to her and Trixie, the return label said it came from, Ponyville.

She felt her claw tremble as she tore it open slowly. Trixie, who was still eating her crackers in peace, paid no mind to her friend. "So how was work today?"

"Fine." Gilda answered mindlessly.

She read over the letter several times before a blue hoof shook her from her stupor. "Gilda?"

"Huh? What? What's up?" she asked startled by her friends sudden contact.

"You alright there Gilda? You looked upset." She asked rubbing her claw. "What's in the letter? We aren't getting evicted are we?"

"No, it's just a letter from an old friend." she droned on. "I-I haven't seen her since we fought."

Trixie tried to read the letter but Gilda kept it so close to herself the azure mare couldn't read it. Gilda just stared at the wall with a look of disbelief. A clone? This has Rainbow Dash and Prank written all over it. She thought bitterly.

Trixie was starting to grow concerned for her friend. She shook the griffin gently to get her attention. When Gilda realized she was wobbling back and forth, she looked over to Trixie who gave her a kind smile and tugged her arm pulling her into a hug. Gilda hadn't felt like this in so long, yet she felt herself immerse in the small act of kindness and hugged her friend back. After all nopony was around to see.

Breaking away from the hug, Gilda gave Trixie her letter and Trixie read it. She placed the letter down on the table.

"Wow. That's something. So this is that Rainbow character you always told Trixie about?"

"Yeah, it has to be. The name is too similar and it talks about what happened while I was there. It has to be her." She said gripping her claws. "I admit this wasn't something I was expecting."

"I'll say." Trixie replied looking somber. "So, what happened between you two? The letter wasn't too clear to somepony who wasn't there."

Gilda looked out the window thinking back to the day in question. She didn't like to think about that day. It was full of too many memories, too much pain.

"I lost my friend that day."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds. For both, however, it lasted like an eternity.

Gilda sighed and her gaze wandered back to the letter, though it still retained the sorrowful and distant, almost longing, look to it.

“I might just as well tell you some details you do not know 'bout my life,” the griffin licked her beak as she searched for the best way to bring up that information. “I am the last surviving member of the Imperial Family of Gryphus fit to take the throne. A few years ago, my father, Emperor Gustav, passed away.”

She noticed Trixie was about to interrupt, incredulity clear in the mare's expression, but she raised one talon. “Please, let me finish,” she said.

“We never really got along well. I mean... He wasn't bad, just always busy, so I didn't have many friends. I was always a bit bigger than other hens and spoiled too, so, I had a hard time to make any friends. When I came of age, my father decided to send me to study in an Equestrian flight school...”

“Oh! Trixie remembers you mentioning something about that,” Trixie interjected. “Sorry, please, continue.”

Gilda grinned, but it had nothing of the almost arrogant confidence or any joy in it, it had a bitter tone to it.

“There, I had trouble fittin' in with the other ponies. And for being a griffin, it was hard to blend in, so, I also didn't make many friends there. Eventually, I got assigned to a bedroom that had this one pegasus named Rainbow Dash. I think you heard of her” - Trixie nodded - “Well, at first we did not get along very well. It was more 'cause it was awkward and we both were strong-willed and independent. But eventually we noticed how much we shared interests and she became my first – and only – friend then. She was my best friend, we did everything together. I...”

The griffin cut herself as she thought on was about to say, deciding to not share that for now.

“She meant the world for me. Eventually she made friends with another pony, a pegasus named, if I'm not mistaken, Fluttershy or somethin'. Eventually, she just... dropped out of school and moved to Ponyville, cutting almost all ties with me. We argued that day and I got so angry I wrote to my father asking to finish school back in the Griffin Empire. We spent years without talking until... until...” Gilda's voice began to tremble, prompting Trixie to make a slow nod in encouragement.

“My father passed away, as you know. What happened was that my brother Gilbert started to make a bid to take power ahead of me. I was so distraught that none of it really concerned me. We might not have spent so much time together but... He was still my father and I loved him. The infighting between people supporting me, especially many opportunists, and my brother got so stressful I managed to write Rainbow telling her just that I was comin' to Equestria and if I could spend some time in the town she was living in. That very day, the court decided to exile my brother, but I announced I was leavin' to clear my mind. While Gerald, the regent that has been runnin' the Empire since, told me to not go. So... I fled.”

Trixie really wanted to interrupt the narrative, as it sounded too surreal for her to believe. Against all her instincts, she decided to remain quiet.

“When I arrived in that dweeby town, I was feelin' better. I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend and unwind. Heh, you know... I actually had a crush on her back in the last few months in the Flight Camp, so I wondered if I could, maybe...”

Once again, Gilda went silent. Her head hung low and she closed her eyes tight, one claw covering her face and smudging some of the purple eyeshadow on her talons.

“There was this mare. A pink one. She wouldn't leave us alone! I mean, it was pretty clear I wanted to be alone with Dash, but why couldn't that pony just get the message? I... I eventually lost my cool and Rainbow Dash, my best friend, took the side of that dweeb friend of hers against me. I mean... Yeah, I thought about it and I coulda have pulled her aside and tell her I wanted some time alone between us. But I was so distressed when I came and so happy when I saw her again...” She sighed.'

Trixie simply listened as her friend talked about the rainbow maned pony and her friend. Trixie didn't have very fond memories of the small town, her greatest humiliation happening there, though it was mostly her fault. She'd never admit it though.

“But she coulda have asked what was happening. I... I don't know who's more at fault, to be honest... But she did make it clear she had more favor for those dweebs that are her new friends than me. Since that day, until we met at that café, I've never had any friends... No one...though, I do have a kingdom of loyal subjects...but, that's not the same thing, ya know? Though, the reason that the Griffon Republic is still loyal to me is a national secret. Though, I have been here ever since that day, as I realized that I had...issues, let's call them, which needed to be worked out, and, well, you know the rest.”

Trixie tapped her hoof thoughtfully on her chin wondering about what she just heard. True, it was quite the story, but Gilda had been truthful thus far. She'd told Trixie her life was hard, but this was really something else. 'Abandoned by a close friend huh?' She thought about the time she spent with Gilda and wondered what would have happened if their roles were reversed.

Chances are both would have done the exact same thing. One thing was certain though, she needed answers and she needed them fast. Not only was her friend a royal but she also was friends with Rainbow Dash. National hero and Element of Loyalty. She thought about it and then, perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

The news about Gilda being a royal was great and all, well, except for the fact that she was the last of her family that was still alive, but thinking about that particular part wouldn't help Trixie, and the fact that her friend was royalty wouldn't help Trixie if Gilda was hiding it. She needed to do something to get her career back on track, and help her friend publicly announce the fact that she was royalty at the same time. 'Preferably in the town that we were both run out of.' Trixie thought to herself, causing her to come up with a plan that was worthy of Trixie's genius. Getting up from her seat, she ran over to a table where paper and her old inkwell sat and vigorously started to write. Gilda eyed her like she was a madmare.

"Yo, Trix, what's up? Who you writing to?" she asked looking over her shoulder.

"Trixie is writing to her," she thought for a moment. "Her acquaintance."

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

The great and Powerful Trixie wishes to establish a dialogue with you. Trixie knows we didn't exactly end on the best of terms but, still she wishes to bury the hatchet and meet with you and your friend Rainbow Dash. A very close friend of Trixie's wishes to speak to her about a past incident.

Trixie wishes to speak to you on a personal matter when she arrives with her friend if that's alright with you.

Hoping this letter sees you well.

GPT

Once finished with the letter she sealed it and wrote the address plus the return address, stamped it and ran out of the apartment to put it in the mail box. As luck would have it, the mail mare was still there. A familiar grey pegasus with a blonde mane and tail with a bubble cutie mark was hard at work filing the mail.

"Excuse Trixie!" she yelled from the hall startling the mare.

Trixie cringed not meaning to frighten her, she made herself known as to not frighten her anymore.

"Trixie didn't mean to alarm you, but she was wondering if you could take one last letter to Ponyville for her please?" she asked levitating the letter to the wall-eyed mare.

The grey pegasus gasped, nodded happily, and took the letter from her and placed it into her mail bag. After a brief chat the mail mare was off to continue her rounds while Trixie retreated back to the apartment to find Gilda awaiting her return. Walking past her she went to her room and began to pack her belongings.

Gilda tapped on the door bidding entry to Trixie's room.

"Come in Gilda, Trixie said before you don't need to knock." she said as a white head popped through the door.

"Trixie, what's going on?" She asked looking at her friend packing. "Where are you going?"

"We, Gilda, are taking a trip to Ponyville soon so get packed and get ready for some leave because Trixie is planning on making a trip there and wishes for you come along with her!" She cheered happily.