They Walk Among Us

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed...

Twilight was asleep.

But she was crying. She cannot sleep peacefully, and she possibly never will. Not after what happened. The recurring nightmare she had grew even worse after that day...

Just to get it all out, what's in my head...

Twilight was crying.

But her tears were dry. She cried so hard that she couldn't cry anymore. The tears just wouldn't come. The strange thing was that Twilight really wanted to cry. Crying helped lighten the weight she felt in her heart.

And I, I'm feeling a little peculiar...

Twilight was angry.

The whole time she thought about it, she felt regret. Regret that she could have stepped in and helped her. Regret that she could've teleported with Pinkie. She was angry. Angry at the world. Angry at herself.

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside...

Twilight was awake.

The feeling she had was terrible. She had let Pinkie die. Her best friend, Pinkie, died trying to save her. She desperately wished for an escape from all this. It wasn't worth it. Her life wasn't worth it.

And I take a deep breath and I get real high...

Twilight was heartbroken.

She started to cry again. She cried non-stop, until she lost her breath. Pain quickly swelled up inside her. Maybe this is for the best, she thought. Maybe she should just die and get it over with. But she cannot. She gasped for air.

And I scream from the top of my lungs...

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" she shouted.

Almost immediately, she heard a door slam open, followed by two ponies coming inside. One was very tall, and the other one was normal sized.. She couldn't see them very well, but she could make out that the tall one was white and had rainbow hair, and that the short one was gray-blue with a dark blue mane.

"Princess Celestia?" she asked. She had just realized how raspy her voice was from crying without stopping.

The Rainbow-haired one laughed.

"Look at her! She thinks I'm Princess Celestia." she heard her say to the shorter one. "What's up, most faithful student?"

"Come on, Dash, she just woke up." the other one said. "It's natural to feel disoriented."

The Rainbow-haired one just laughed. The shorter pony shook his head and smiled at her.

As Twilight's vision cleared, the two ponies came back into view.

But there was something wrong.

Twilight glanced at the blue-gray one, who was still smiling at her. Yup, he was definitely a pony. A unicorn, no less.

She then turned to look at the other one, who was still laughing heartily at her expense.

But she was no pony.

She was one of those monsters

The ones who killed Pinkie Pie.

Twilight leaped out of the bed and pounced on the Rainbow-haired monster, pinning her down with all her strength.

"Hey!" said the Rainbow-Haired one. "Geroff me!"

Twilight's rage quelled up inside her again.  She wanted to completely destroy this monster. She wanted to tear and rip it apart and burn the remains. She wanted to crush all of its bones and spill its blood. And even that wouldn't be enough.

Twilight developed an insatiable hunger. A hunger for blood. If she couldn't save Pinkie, then this was the least she could do. Never before in her life had she felt so angry at another species altogether. She wanted to destroy all of them, ALL OF THEM, and she was determined to make them suffer.

She quickly used her magic to summon a large knife from somewhere, and she was planning on using it to tear apart the monster limb to limb.

"Twi! What the hay are you doing?"

Twilight froze. She knew this voice.

Twilight's bloodlust was quickly cleared out. She threw the knife aside (barely missing the other pony), and stared into the Rainbow monster's pink eyes.

She knew those eyes. And that Rainbow Hair is not that common too.

Twilight continued to stare at those eyes. They were scared, and they looked like they were pleading. Pleading for Twilight to  know something. To remember something. But beneath those emotions were the eyes of someone who knew her, someone who loved her. The eyes of a best friend.

"Rainbow Dash?" she said, hazarding a guess.

"You got it." Rainbow Dash said, taking a deep breath.

Twilight walked backward, and fell down.

"Whew!" said Rainbow Dash. "I was beginning to think that you wanted to kill me! Who knew that an egghead like you could be so strong?"

Rainbow Dash walked to Twilight and put her into a sitting position.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. "What happened?"

Twilight couldn't answer. Thinking about it just made it worse. She tried to push the thought out of her head. But it was impossible. She started to cry again.

"Hey, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash, approaching her. "What's wr-"

Tears still flowing, Twilight quickly pulled Rainbow Dash into a tight hug.

"Rainbow Dash..." she managed, among large sobs.

Rainbow Dash was surprised for a moment, but she soon realized what happened and hugged her back tightly.

"I've missed you, Twilight." she said, as she started to cry as well.

Twilight kept on crying. Streams of tears fell freely down her cheeks, but Twilight couldn't think about anything anymore. As she was hugging Rainbow Dash, all she could think of was all the memories they had together in Ponyville, all the challenges they had overcome, the times they laughed together, the times they cried together, all of it came flooding back to Twilight's mind. She felt relieved to be back with a friend

They stayed locked in embrace for a very long time, both hugging the other tightly. Twilight could feel Rainbow Dash also crying on her shoulders, but she didn't care. They were together again.

Twilight could hear a shuffling of hoofsteps nearby, and the opening and closing of a door. Twilight didn't want to let go of Rainbow Dash, and judging by how tightly Rainbow Dash was hugging her, she assumed that Rainbow Dash felt the same way.

Suddenly the door opened again, and a voice said:

"C'mon, girls. Let's continue this outside, where there's more space."

Twilight slowly let go of Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow Dash did the same. For another few moments, they stared at each other.

"I'm glad you're with me, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash stood up on her hind legs, and straightened up Twilight. Both of them slowly walked out the door to the living room.

"Well, Ms. Twilight, welcome to my humble abode."

Twilight looked around in awe. It was extremely messy. She was going to have to clean it up later.

"Sit here." he told her, pointing at a nearby bed. He and Rainbow Dash then took some chairs and sat on them.

Twilight quickly sat down on the bed. It was pretty hard for something to sleep on. She then eyed the stranger pony.

Rainbow Dash smiled, and said:

"He's a friend. He saved my life, he did. Introduce yourself, man."

The stranger pony looked uneasy, then he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hi, I'm Steven Reilly." he said, holding out his hoof.

"Twilight Sparkle. That's a strange name you have there. Steven? Reilly? I've never even heard of those words before."

"Yeah, well, it's a long story." he said.

"Same story as me." said Rainbow Dash, under her breath.

Steven smiled at her, then he turned to look at Twilight again.

"Well, anyway, we need to know what exactly happened to both our worlds. Both our planets could not have survived a planetary impact of that caliber, so we thought that maybe you had an answer."

"I don't know." said Twilight, quietly.

"I'm sorry, come again?" he asked as he brought his head closer to hear her voice better.

"I said I don't know." said Twilight, raising her voice. "I don't know ANYTHING."

She started to cry again. She noticed Steven giving Rainbow Dash a look, and Rainbow Dash shrugged.

Twilight just continued crying. Other than Twilight's sobs, there was no other sound. Even the wind seemed to respect her feelings and softened.

Rainbow Dash went to sit beside her. She put one hand on her shoulder. Twilight turned to look at her. Rainbow Dash's face was etched with concern.

Twilight's crying died down a bit. Rainbow Dash and Steven didn't dare say another word until it either completely stopped, or Twilight began talking first.

As Twilight stopped crying, Rainbow Dash slowly let go of her. Twilight turned to look at Rainbow Dash, and she smiled.

"So how did you guys meet?" she asked.

"Well, you know, we met just like everypony else meets. He tried to drown me, then we started getting to know each other. You know, same-old same-old." she said.

"That was just one part of the story." said Steven.

"But it's true!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Anyway, before the crash, I was a full-fledged human, just like how Rainbow Dash is right now. One day, I discovered the Sun suddenly going to explode, so I deployed a black-hole device to suck up the explosion. But I fired it too late, so the Earth got sucked up as well. Long story short, we appeared in your galaxy and crashed into your planet. All of a sudden I woke up to find myself a pony."

"And while he was walking, he found me and tried to drown me." said Rainbow Dash. "So I woke up and found myself a human. With no wings." Rainbow Dash's face dropped as she mentioned that, but she quickly recovered and tried, unconvincingly, to smile.

"And Dash here told me about you, so we thought you had an idea about what happened to us." he said.

"I'm sorry, but I don't" said Twilight.

"We know." said Rainbow Dash, strangely cheerfully.

"So the question is, how did you wake up in this world?" asked Steven.

Twilight stayed silent. Remembering about how she woke up would mean having to remember about Pinkie. But she couldn't avoid it any further. She would have to tell them anyway.

Twilight told Rainbow Dash and Steven about how she woke up strapped to something, and how her hooves were kept in place and she couldn't move. She told them about how she was moved to a small room where she had to talk to a strange monkey ("Human." corrected Steven). She then told them about her escape, and how the monkeys ("Humans." said Steven) had some kind of wierd things that shot stuff, and how she teleported through the cells in the Holding Area, encountered Pinkie, and how they escaped together.

After that, Twilight remained quiet. She couldn't speak anymore, for fear that she would start crying again.

"Pinkie?" asked Rainbow Dash. "She was there too?"

"Who's Pinkie?" asked Steven.

"She's one of our friends." said Rainbow Dash. "Where's Pinkie now, Twilight?"

Twilight looked away.

"Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight couldn't say it. She knew of how close Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were. And she knew that if she was this sad over her loss, she could only wonder how Rainbow Dash would feel. She couldn't bear to think about it.

"Twilight?"

"She's dead..."

"You gotta speak up, Twi. I can't hear-"

"She's dead, Rainbow Dash. Dead. She was killed by the humans."

Rainbow Dash stayed silent and stared at Twilight. Her piercing gaze made Twilight feel uneasy. It turned seconds into hours, and hours into days. After a while, she noticed that tears were starting to swell up in those pink eyes.

"I don't believe it..." said Rainbow Dash. "Pinkie Pie... dead?"

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash stood up and looked away. Twilight knew that she was on the verge of crying.

After a few moments of silence, Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight.

"How... How did she die?"

"Rainbow Dash..."

"Tell me, Twilight. How did she die?" commanded Rainbow Dash.

"When we had already reached outside, I tripped. Pinkie Pie sacrificed herself to let me run while she distracted them."

Rainbow Dash remained quiet, still staring at Twilight.

"She was yelling at them, diverting their attention... and then suddenly... the humans shot her. I saw her fall down dead, Rainbow Dash. I SAW HER DIE!"

Twilight started crying again. She couldn't help it. She just needed to let it all out. Her anger, her frustration, her sadness, her grief... She couldn't keep it in anymore.

Rainbow Dash was still silent.

"Sometimes I wish that I could go back to that time, so I could sacrifice myself to let Pinkie run instead."

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash stood up.

Twilight turned to look at her. Rainbow Dash was standing in front of her, her pink eyes bloodshot and full of anger and sadness.

"Who do you think you are, Twilight?"

"What?" said Twilight, still crying.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

Twilight looked up at her.

"I know that you feel the same way, Rainbow Dash. I know that you also think that I should've died in her place."

As soon as that sentence ended, Rainbow Dash walked up to Twilight and punched her, right in the face.

"I'm sorry, Rain-"

Rainbow Dash punched her again.

Twilight fell down, face bruised, and looked at the ground, not daring to meet Rainbow Dash's eyes.

"Look at me, Twilight. LOOK INTO MY EYES!"

Twilight quickly faced Rainbow Dash. Her gaze seemed to pierce through her, and through the meeting of their eyes, she started to feel what Rainbow Dash was feeling as well.

"You don't have the right, Twilight. You don't have the RIGHT to question Pinkie Pie's choice. How DARE you even THINK about wasting Pinkie's sacrifice by dying?"

Rainbow Dash then picked up a chair and threw it out of the window.

"She dies for YOU, Twilight. Pinkie Pie gave her life to save you Twilight, and you have no RIGHT to say that you would've been better off dead. Don't you have any respect for Pinkie Pie, Twilight?"

Twilight cried even harder.

"Of course I do, but-"

"Then why don't you SHOW it, by first respecting Pinkie's CHOICES? She KNEW what she was doing when she gave her life for you, Twilight. Do you think that Pinkie Pie was stupid, Twilight?"

"Of course not, Rainbow Dash..."

"Then you should know that there was no other choice! She knew that you would be needed, Twilight, that other ponies NEEDED you to help them through this crisis. And if all you do after her that sacrifice is just sit there and wish for death, then her sacrifice is in vain, Twilight! She would've died for NOTHING."

Rainbow Dash then roughly picked up Twilight from the ground.

"Please, Rainbow Dash, I-"

Rainbow Dash struck her again. She punched Twilight twice, and Twilight fell down again.

"Stand up, you. STAND UP!"

Twilight slowly stood up.

"Don't you dare fall down." said Rainbow Dash, as she continued to punch her. This time, Twilight didn't fall down.

Rainbow Dash, however, continued to hit her.

Steven, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stepped in between Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

"Enough of this, Rainbow Dash."

"Move aside, Steven."

"No. I've had enough. Stand down, Rainbow Dash"

Rainbow Dash lowered her arms. Slowly, she started to cry, tears streaming down her cheek. She then ran outside, shutting the door loudly behind her.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. Let me go talk to her." said Steven. "Wait, Rainbow Dash!"

Twilight remained silent. She managed to overhear their conversation outside.

"Come inside, Dash..."

"I need some time alone, Steven."

"Dash, I know you-"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

There were sounds of sobs, followed by hoofsteps. She heard the door slowly open and close again.

Steven walked back in the room.

He sighed, and then sat next to Twilight.

"She's right, you know." he said.

Twilight turned to look at him.

"I've never met Pinkie Pie before, but according to her actions, she would've known what she was doing. She gave her life to give you but a chance to escape."

Twilight remained silent.

"Rainbow Dash doesn't want you to die, Twilight. She doesn't want you to think about dying in place of her, when in real life, she had died for you. You must understand, Twilight, that Rainbow Dash likes Pinkie Pie very much, and that she definitely didn't want her to have died for nothing."

Twilight still didn't say anything. She didn't know how to react to this.

"A very wise man once told me that 'Duty is heavier than a mountain, and Death is lighter than a feather'. Don't think about dying now. If you die now, then it would've been an escape. You would've been a coward. So stand up strong, Twilight. Stand up and fight. Now is the time to choose. Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow. Now is the time to shape our stories."

Twilight sighed and looked at Steven.

"I know."

"What?"

"I know what Rainbow Dash wanted to tell me. I understand. With every punch she used to hit me just now, I felt everything. I felt all her feeling and emotions with each and every punch. Those punches told me what a thousand words couldn't have."

Steven stared at her for a few seconds, and then he finally smiled.

"Good. I'll get Rainbow Dash back."

Steven slowly walked out of the room and closed the door, leaving the room in silence.

Pinkie...

Twilight was deep in thought. Pinkie Pie, one of her best friends, had died for her. She had thought that all of that was a mistake, and that Pinkie shouldn't have died.

But now she knew.

Now she knew that if Pinkie hadn't sacrificed herself, both of them would have died for nothing back in that desert. She knew that it was because Pinkie sacrificed herself that Twilight was able to come here and be saved. Now she knew that there was no use in moping and being sad, and that Pinkie Pie wouldn't want that.

Pinkie Pie wanted everyone to be happy.

Twilight started crying once again. But this time, these tears were no tears of sadness, of regret. They were tears of gratitude. Grateful to Pinkie of letting her live another day. Grateful to Pinkie for trusting her. Grateful to Pinkie for giving her the chance to help the others.

Twilight then stopped crying. She swore to herself, as Celestia is her witness, they she will not feel regret again. She was going to live through this and when it was all over, she would never think about dying again. Not her, nor any of her friends,

The door then creaked open.

Rainbow Dash ran in and knocked Twilight down with the tightest hug she had ever gotten.

"I'm sorry, Twilight... I'm sorry..." said Rainbow Dash, crying loudly.

"Please don't, Rainbow Dash. Don't be sorry." said Twilight. "It was through those punches of yours that I managed to see the truth. Thank you, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash then let go of her and stood up. She was grinning.

"I do throw mean punches, didn't I?" she said, still sobbing, but happily. "I practiced them on Steven when you were asleep last night. He said that I might need some help protecting myself."

Steven, behind her, blushed. Only then did she notice that both Steven's and Rainbow Dash's body were bruised.

"Well, I was wrong." said Steven. "Rainbow Dash can easily beat a stampede of elephants to death."

Rainbow Dash then giggled and blushed.

Wait...

Rainbow Dash doesn't giggle...

Wait... What?

Rainbow Dash and Steven? Do they really?

Human and Pony? How does that even work?

What?

WHAT?

But Steven IS good looking, and his personality is similar to Rainbow Dash too...

Twilight started laughing. Very loudly.

Both Steven and Rainbow Dash looked at her.

"Why are you laughing, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight fell down, laughing. She rolled over to one side and continued her laughter, and it was only after a few minutes did she finally calm down.

"What was that, Twilight?"

"Nothing, nothing... Erm... Well... I suggest we get ready."

"For what?"

"For tomorrow, of course!"

Steven and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances and then looked at Twilight, their expressions comedic.

"We're still going to have to find the rest of our friends, don't we?" she said. "And you too, Steven, don't you have to find your friends?"

"Oh, yes, of course..." said Steven. "Well, there's no need to worry about that! I've got it all ready. On the counter next to the fridge in the kitchen over there, I packed some food, water, and clothes for Dash here that will last us about three weeks."

"Great! Then it's settled. I suggest we turn in for the night. We're gonna need all the energy we have for tomorrow's journey." she said. "Where will we sleep?"

"Well, you still need a good night's rest from when we found you, so you can sleep in the bedroom." said Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah. Rainbow Dash and I will share the living room. And Rainbow Dash's snoring will probably keep me up for about an hour, so why don't we set the alarm clock to around 9?"

"Hey!" said Rainbow Dash, smiling, as he playfully nudged at Steven.

Oh my gosh... They're really at it. I can't believe this!

Twilight started giggling to herself again.

"What's up?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Nothing, nothing... You guys get a good night's sleep. Don't be awake too long..." said Twilight.

Steven and Rainbow Dash then exchanged looks, as if saying: What did she mean by that?

Twilight then quickly ran inside the bedroom. She didn't want to be awake when both of them lovebirds were going at it.

She quickly climbed into bed and made herself comfortable. Out of all the places in the whole apartment, the bedroom was kept the neatest.

Is there some kind of meaning to this?

Nah. She was just being paranoid.

She snuggled herself down the blanket, and then looked up at the night sky.

The night sky always seemed to comfort her for some reason. Whenever she looked at the stars above, she felt relaxed, happy, at ease.

Pinkie Pie's dead...

She still couldn't believe it. Her best friend is dead.

But she had accepted it. It was strange that she did, but it was true. There was something in Rainbow Dash's punches, something in her eyes, that helped her realize the truth.

That a bright new day is coming tomorrow.

And she was looking forward to it.