Chapters ((A minor note: This fanfic takes place in the time between Seasons Two and Three of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, so please don't bother me with corrections from later episodes.))
The cracks were coming back. He could feel it, like a cool breeze blowing in under a door. It was as refreshing as fresh air itself. He didn't breathe in this state, of course, so the similarity held little value, but the cracks in the stone were evident. Funny, it takes much less time when there are six element bearers... That silly filly Celestia doesn't seem to have a single flaw, but these six... They cannot properly wield the Elements of Harmony, not with their glaring flaws of character. He gave an inward chuckle, and would have chortled out loud if he could have. They definitely won't be able to after I'm through with them! Watch out, Equestria, I'm back! And this time, the storm of chaos is going to blot out the sun!
It was another one of Equestria's shimmering evenings, and Twilight couldn't be more proud of her namesake. It showed the perfect harmony that Equestria was feeling at the time, with the moon peeking up above the horizon as the sun set in a glorious blaze of crimson and lavender. Twilight had managed to come out in the few precious minutes that the two stood side by side. The sun was like a phoenix, erupting into an enormous, melodramatic flare as its daily life cycle ended. The sheer brightness of it made Twilight's violet eyes burn, she quickly shifted her gaze to the moon for comfort. The silent disk was rising up to the left of the sun, heralding the nightly return of the stillness and coziness that lulled everypony to sleep each night, and the knowledge that no enemy lurked in the darkness that could hurt them. Smoky clouds of deep indigo and neon pink began floating across the scene, accenting the burning reds and oranges for a near-perfect balance that couldn't be achieved by any weather pony, no matter how talented.
Funny, if you look at them right, they almost look like cotton candy clouds! Twilight giggled. “Well, it sure is good to know that kind of mess is all in the past! Discord won't be coming back any time soon, and neither will Chrysalis, for that matter.” She turned back into the library, using her magic to shut the door behind her. “Spike! I need you to take a letter!”
She tried to hide her smile as the tiny, purple-and-green dragon hatchling came walking down the stairs, rubbing his eyes. She could see that he had been sleeping, or at least bedding down for the night. She could understand his exhaustion, they had spent the entire day trying to chase down Scootaloo, who had been determined that her cutie mark was going to be something involving fire, zap apples, and a Sonic Rainnuke, which Rainbow Dash had been more than happy to supply. Luckily, she, Spike, and Fluttershy reached them before they blew up half of Ponyville, and convinced Scootaloo that this was something that needed to be done FAR AWAY from town. Under careful supervision, Scootaloo didn't find her cutie mark, but did find out how to make a big mess...
“Twilight, isn't it a bit late for this? I mean, Owlicious already went out for his nighttime flight...” He yawned as he pulled open a drawer to get a quill and a fresh inkwell. He sat down at the desk and pressed the tip of the quill to the ready parchment. “Alright, go ahead...”
Twilight nodded. “I know it's late, but ever since the Princess told me that I don't need to send her a letter once a week, I think that she should have them immediately when the lesson is learned, instead...” She cleared her throat in her typical manner.
“Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that, although many ponies have great intentions, even the greatest intentions can go wrong if they aren't nurtured with the proper knowledge for execute them. What could be the event to change a filly's life for the better could turn into something that could hurt many other ponies, instead! Plans should always be made, and always checked by somepony qualified to do so. I learned this from a young filly here named Scootaloo, who wanted to discover her cutie mark so badly, she moved to dangerous measures...”
Twilight continued her narration as the sun set, relating that day's adventures. As the last of the pink and scarlet gave way to the deep blue of the night sky, she finished her story and lesson. “Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Did you get all of that, Spike?”
“Yep!” the tiny dragon rolled up the finished letter, sealed it, and sent it away in a puff of green smoke. “And now that that's done, I'm going to bed!” He lurched back up the steps and back up into bed, landing with a dull thud and a grunt on his pillow and blanket. He curled up in his basket-bed and was snoring in seconds. Twilight grinned at the sight, then gave an involuntary yawn, as well.
“I think that Spike's right. This was a tough day. I'm going to let him sleep in late tomorrow!” She made a final check of the bookshelves, assuring herself that none were out of order, yawning more than a few times as she did so. “I might sleep in, too!” She chuckled as she walked upstairs and climbed into bed. “After all, the Princesses declared a holiday to celebrate our victory over the changelings!” Without another word, Twilight settled under the sheets and looked out the window, watching the glowing white orb float up into the sky. She had often looked to the moon and imagined what it must have been like to be trapped inside, and enjoyed imagining all of the silly things that Princess Luna could have done in a thousand years. Maybe she wrote stories all over the inside. Entire tunnels with walls covered in words... turning the moon into a giant book! Twilight smiled at the thought as she drifted into a deep sleep. If that were true, the moon wouldn't be that bad of a place to be stuck, would it?
Before I escape, before I can even ponder escaping, I need a plan... Discord thought. While his body was inanimate and frozen, his mind was free to wander, in a sense. He hated that word, “plan”. But it was a necessary evil. They can use the elements, this is obvious, but they can be rendered unable to use them, as well. I proved this last time I was out. I just need something more permanent. Something that will stick to them like glue and refuse to wash off... Something to rock them to the very core. It needs to get those ponies out of my hair for good! For pony's sake, I'd send THEM to the moon if I coul- His train of thought came to a screeching halt. There was a spark of imagination there... an idea just waiting to blossom into existence.
Oh. That's very good. I like that plan...
As usual, Fluttershy woke up to the sound of birdsong in her small cottage. Her sky-blue eyes opened slowly, still heavy with sleep, and she was greeted by a blue-jay on her window sill. The small creature burst into song again, as if to welcome her back from the land of sleep. Fluttershy smiled as she recognized the tune.
“That's the special song I taught you for the wedding! Very good!” She whispered as she sat up, pulling the covers with her to hold in the warmth. She cringed as her wings rustled against her sides, and she became aware of a blunt-but-potent ache in her wings. She was puzzled for a moment, but the events of the previous day came rushing back to her mind. Oh, right. It makes sense that I would be sore, I must have flown across Ponyville two or three times yesterday when we were looking for Scootaloo. She shook her head and smiled, thinking back to all of the crazy escapades the “Cutie Mark Crusaders” had created to find their cutie marks. They don't understand, a cutie mark comes when you're doing what you love, not when you're looking for it... She gently kicked off her blankets and turned, admiring her own cutie mark: three pink-winged and blue-bodied butterflies, the kind that had saved her life many years ago. The most delicate and fragile creatures had cared for her in her moment of need, and now she cared for creatures of every kind.
“Speaking of which...” she muttered to herself. “I need to get to work if I want to have any time to celebrate today!” She rolled out of bed, landing solidly on her hooves. She quietly trotted down the stairs and made a pot of tea to drink with her breakfast. After she had finished eating and the last of the tea was gone, she washed and replaced the dishes, and moved on to feeding the animals. Worms for the baby birds and their parents... Fish for the otters... Seed for the chickens... Her list of chores soon dwindled and disappeared. The animals were all comfortable, fed, and (in a few cases) medicated, and she had the rest of the day to join in the festivities!
“It certainly was nice of the princesses to declare a holiday to celebrate getting rid of the changelings. Candence and Shining Armor are heroes in Canterlot!” She smiled as she remembered her own treatment after the Elements of Harmony had defeated Discord once again. I didn't really enjoy it much, but ponies like Rainbow Dash eat that kind of attention up, so it was nice to see her happy... I'm sure Cadence can deal with it. Fluttershy took off into the air, keeping herself at a leisurely pace with gentle, periodical beats of her wings.
As she got closer to the main part of town, she shuddered at the sight of Discord's statue. Princess Celestia had decided to leave it in Ponyville after he was defeated, saying that the spell would be stronger if he was closer to the element bearers. Fluttershy didn't like it, though. To keep something so dangerous here, in Ponyville. I feel like it's a time bomb just waiting to go off again. She shook her head in denial at the thought of his possible escape. But the elements sealed him for good this time, right? To reassure herself, she flew down to take a closer look at the stone figure. For the fun of it, she landed on top of his head, placing her hooves carefully between his horns.
She bent down, staring the stone draconequus in the eyes. The irony was lost in the fact that she was here, and not Twilight, but she tried to enjoy it nonetheless. She gently stomped one of her hooves on the rock, and received a very solid thud in return. She smiled and hovered down to eye level, once again keeping her eyes trained on his. She focused on the eyes only because the rest of his face was so horrible. Contorted into a horrid shape of fear, Fluttershy hated to see it, just as she hated to see any creature in fear or pain. She wished that she could show him a little kindness, but he had made his own fate.
“Well, I had best be going...” she whispered as she glanced over the rest of the frozen body. “It's obvious that you're still stone, and I don't want to be late.”
Well, then go! By all means, don't be late on my account! Discord lacked his usual playful tone, sounding far more agressive, and his statement was punctuated with a loud crack, like a firework going off.
Fluttershy felt like her heart had stopped when she heard Discord's voice in her mind again. When the loud noise followed after, she ran for cover, dashing for the nearest bush in a cream-colored streak. When she peeked out again, she could see that the statue was still there, but it had changed in a few ways. Now, jagged silver lines ran through in several places, including his eyes and arms. Not only that, but his pose had changed. Instead of cringing in fear, he was lunging forward, mouth curled in a fierce snarl, wings flared to the sides, and arms in front and reaching outward, rather than close to his body. Fluttershy inhaled deeply to stop herself from panicking, but her breath came in ragged shudders. That's where my throat was... For a split second, the image of herself, helpless and limp, dangling from Discord's cold, stone claws flashed across her mind. She whimpered in fear and curled into a tight ball, keeping her eyes on the statue and watching it like a hawk. I- I have to tell somepony, but I'm too scared to move...
Alright, letting my anger get the best of me wasn't the smartest move I could have made... Discord thought to himself. But she was standing on my head! How am I supposed to deal with that! It's only funny when I do it to somepony else! He let out a long mental sigh, trying to relieve himself of the stress. Besides, the look on her face was * priceless!** Ha ha, what's scared stiff and clueless, Fluttershy? Your face!* His prank/attack finished, he realized that he had lost any and all focus he had mustered to speed up the process to free himself.
I'm just going to have to hurry up a bit. The cracks are almost open, so the spell is almost compromised... He wished that he could just snap his fingers and be free, like he would if he was caught in a steel cage or some other prison. Feeling relatively sure that Fluttershy wouldn't be going anywhere, he turned his mind back to his work. Time is running short... Either for me, or for Equestria...
Work always came first for Rarity, now more than ever... Ever since Princess Celestia had announced a brand-new holiday, she had been flooded with requests for new dresses and suits from both Canterlot and Ponyville. She tended to work though many of the holidays, like Nightmare Night. At the moment, she was working hard to make a dress for a cream-coated client, but she had run horn-first into a brick wall of a problem.
I can't BELIEVE Sweetie Belle managed to spill grape juice and ink all over my cream-colored mannequin! Honestly, even if she DID have a cutie mark in tacky tye-dye, who wants one with the colors of a bruise? Rarity shook her head, clearing away the mounting frustration and stress. Well, at least she's trying to be more creative, but now I need a model to make sure that the color scheme is as flattering as I think it will be. Her mind quickly set itself to the task of determining how to solve this problem, running though every cream-colored pony she knew who might have a hour or two to spare.
Apple Bloom is too small, Caramel is out of town, Red Delicious is at the Apple Family Picnic, Junebug is making sure that her flowers are ready, Bon Bon and Candy Mane are busy making their famous caramel sweets for the party... Oh, even Golden Harvest is busy! Wait... Like picking out the spool she needed from a drawer of thread, her mind latched on to the solution. Of course! Fluttershy won't be busy, she wasn't asked to do the music this time! I'm sure she'll be willing to help me! Without another thought, she ran out the door in a flash of white and violet, not even taking the time to remove her working glasses.
As she was on her way to Fluttershy's cottage, she couldn't help but notice Discord's statue coming up in the distance. Ugh, I still cannot believe that the princess is making us keep that dreadful monster just outside of town! As she ran closer, though, she began to notice that something had changed.
"Has Discord... moved? " She could hardly believe her eyes, and the very idea of what she was seeing completely pulled her mind off of her work. "But that's impossible. The elements rendered him completely helpless..." She trotted closer to inspect the gargoyle-like figure. "This definitely isn't how he looked before, but what is he trying to grab?" She circled around to the front of the statue, trying not to stare too long at the angry snarl. When she moved to inspect his claws, though, she began to notice something that she hadn't before. Tiny strands of silver ran along his arms, like individual strands of thread in an embroidery. "Well, well, what's this? It looks like some kind of metal... But I've never seen metal in rows and columns this small before. Maybe Twilight would know someth-"
"Rarity!" A hushed whisper came from behind her, launching Rarity about three feet into the air with a loud squeal.
"Auuugh! Who's there? Discord?" Rarity whirled around, holding her hooves up in a defensive position and ready to fight. All she saw, though, was a pair of familiar blue eyes peering out from a nearby bush.
"Rarity! Get back, before he moves again!" Fluttershy whispered, making no effort to hide her fear in her trembling voice. "He- he tried to attack me... I heard him talk!" The timid pegasus hardly spoke above a whimper, but her words came through loud and clear for Rarity, who quickly ran over to her friend.
"Fluttershy, goodness gracious! How long have you been hiding there?" She was shocked that her friend hadn't tried to leave for help. "Come on, let's get away from here. I'm sure that Twilight will be able to make some sense of this!" Rarity prayed that this wasn't what it seemed, because if the Elements of Harmony were failing or growing weaker, it could have far greater implications than simply more of Discord's bad jokes.
You know, this day was going to be perfect... Twilight thought to herself as she and the other Element bearers ran out from Ponyville to find their old foe. Celebrations were about to begin, everything was in place... And now Discord! She snorted loudly in frustration, picking up her pace. "If Discord's gotten free, we're going to make him wish he hadn't. Today was supposed to be my day off!"
"Now, Twilight, let's not put the cart before the horse!" Applejack chimed in. "Rarity and Fluttershy just said that he had moved and that he was talkin'!" She laughed to try and ease the tension. "Freein' himself would be darned near impossible! I bet he just needs another dose of the Elements of Harmony to cure his insomnia!" She adjusted her hat to make sure that it didn't fall off while she was running.
"I had insomnia once!" Pinkie Pie shouted, bouncing in front of Twilight and hopping backwards. "It was really annoying because I couldn't sleep! And when I couldn't sleep I was sooooooo tired! In fact, I got so tired, I got tired of being tired! So, I threw a going-to-sleep party, and then I never had a problem again! Well, a problem with insomnia, anyway. I still have other problems, like trying to figure out the perfect recipe for my chimicherries! Or are they cherrychongas? I still don't know, but it's SO fun to say! Chimicherrychonga! Pickle barrel kumquat! Chimicherrychon- OOF!" Pinkie pie was cut off as she bumped into Discord, falling into his outstretched arms. She gasped loudly and immediately jumped out again. "Augh! Discord's back! Get away!"
Twilight could hardly believe what she was seeing. Discord, the being who had haunted her nightmares for months, nearly broken apart her fondest friendships, conquered Equestria twice, and just plain got on her nerves, had moved within his stony prison. A prison from which they had all been assured he would never escape.
"How is this possible?" She asked, hesitantly moving forward to give closer inspection. She could see some kind of etchings in the granite. Not really cracks, just another layer coming up from below. She "borrowed" Rarity's glasses to examine it more closely.
I do apologize, Fluttershy. I'm afraid I let my temper get the best of me back there. But I was standing on ponies' heads before it was cool! Discord spoke, if anything, to watch the ponies squirm. They all leaped back and gasped in horror. Oh ho ho ho! You should all see the looks on your faces! Seriously, out of all the creatures I've met, ponies emote in the FUNNIEST ways! He knew that the cracks had grown wide enough, and he was almost strong enough to strike out in an attack. But this attack would have to use his talents at their fullest strength, which meant buying time for a few more minutes.
"Discord!" After the initial scare, Twilight had hurried back, away from the statue and away from the horridly comical voice. She had taken a few deep breaths, trying to re-establish the resolve that had grown and hardened inside of her chest for the past hour. "How are you doing this? How can you talk? How can you move?" She stood defiantly and asked her questions boldly, praying that he wouldn't notice that she was also standing a safe distance to take such measures: out of his reach.
Ah, Twilight Sparkle! The funniest of all! You lasted the longest you know, but I got you in the end! Every pony turns grey at some point. As for how I'm up and running again? Let's just say that you never quite shut me down. Every element bearer has some kind of weakness. Some glaring flaw in their character that impedes the Elements of Harmony from working to their full potential. This is how I'm moving and speaking! There was a flash of light, another sound like a firework going off, and Discord was standing in yet another position: smug and confident, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a contented grin plastered across his face. I think that turnabout is fair play, don't you, my little ponies? And you know, I just LOVE to play!
"Whatever you're playing, count me out!" Rainbow Dash flew up to the statue, jabbing it in the side of the head with her hoof. "I had enough of your stupid games last time you came to have fun with our world!" She hovered next to the head, trying to stare it down. It was a difficult feat to stare at a rock, however, no matter how angry you were at it, so she settled for giving the draconequus a thorough glare before settling back behind her friends.
It made sense that Twilight could catch a glimpse of it first. The sparks. She knew quite a bit about sparks, herself, and she was beginning to see them, jumping along the silver lines, arcing between them. She remained silent, though, refusing to speak unless she knew what she was talking about. Soon, however, they all began to see it. Some, like Fluttershy, stayed silent out of nervousness and fear. Others, like Twilight, dismissed it as unimportant in the larger scheme of things.
"Girls! Formation!" Twilight shouted as she opened up a book she had been carrying in her saddlebag. Inside, the pages had been removed to make room for the Elements of Harmony. It was a carrying case made by the Princess herself after the changeling attack. She had decided that it would make sense for the elements to be near their bearers. "I don't know what you're up to, Discord, but rest assured. You're not escaping on our watch!" Twilight could feel the Elements beginning to work their magic. Like a warm presence in her soul, the Element of Magic began reaching down into her heart, connecting to the fountain of her own love for her friends. Around her, she knew that her friends were all feeling the same sensation.
Discord chose this moment to make his move. He had built up strength until the last possible second, and this was the moment! My little ponies, I think your watch... just stopped! In one massive explosion of pure chaos, all of Discord's pent-up energy surged outward, knocking back all of the ponies and changing the sky to darkness. The stone surrounding the body disintegrated, allowing him to move freely once more. With a cocky gait, he waltzed over to Twilight Sparkle, who was lying on the ground among the wisps of black smoke. He leaned down over her limp body, listening to her moan in what he assumed was shock. One violet eye stared up at him, dazed and on the verge of collapse, just like her consciousness.
He bent down, looking her straight in the eye. "Pleasant dreams, my little pony. This may be the last time you ever sleep again..." A single claw drifted down to the tip of her nose and gently poked it. Silver lines, the same kind that had covered his vitrified body, now began spreading over her muzzle in sharp angles and straight lines. "After all, machines need no rest..." With a final groan, the last pony slipped into unconsciousness. Discord waved his lion paw in front of his face, covering the scene before him for a split second. After it had passed, all that remained of the six ponies that had been lying before him were five necklaces and a tiara.
"Well, now that they're out of the way, it's time for a little FUN... or a lot. It's my choice, really. I choose a lot. More fun that way..." Discord had no idea why he was talking to himself, except for the fact that the pony that he enjoyed teasing the most was gone.
Booting up... Main systems: Online. Auxilary systems: Online. Unit Functioning at 90% efficiency.
These words flashed across Rainbow Dash's view before she even opened her eyes.
"What? What the hey is that?" Rainbow Dash's eyes snapped open. The moment that they were open, she wished that she had left them shut. "Woah..."
The entire world had changed, to the point where she couldn't even believe it to be Equestria any more. Starting at the bottom, the ground had become green and flat. It was hard, like some kind of tiled floor, but not smooth. More of the metal lines that they had seen on Discord's statue were running along it in all directions, not only that, but it was punctuated by tiny cylinders and smooth, black, plates. The skies were dark, without moon or stars, but the world was lit instead by glowing red grid lines that ran across them. Aside from that, the land seemed to be barren and empty, devoid of any life.
But all of that paled in comparison when Rainbow looked down at her own body. A scream rang out through the air, one of sheer horror.
Her entire body had become smooth and hairless, made of smooth, sky-blue metal. Her legs were divided into smaller sections, with wired joints where her ankles, knees, shoulders, and hips. Instead of being on her flank, her cutie mark was now a glowing insignia on her chest. Peering over her shoulder, she could see that her beautiful, multi-hued tail and most of her mane had been replaced with some kind of magical light that flowed like her mane and tail ought to... Twilight would probably have some kind of egghead word for that. The front part of her mane had somehow been fashioned out of more colored metal, and was fixed to the top of her head in the shape of her normal style. The scariest change, though, was the fact that her wings were completely different. They now seemed to be a metal skeleton, with the outer structure formed by long, thin pieces of metal that bent in the center to form a distinctive wing shape. Rather than feathers, more shards of metal hovered in the air, looking very much like a skeleton of a wing, rather than an actual full, living and feathered wing. The space between these shards was filled with crackling and sparking arcs of energy, which filled the empty space with light and energy, and seemed to be the only thing preventing the wing from simply falling apart.
"What the- What happened?" Rainbow Dash thought back to the last few moments before she had fallen into unconsciousness. "We were all standing around Discord's statue... We were about to beat the snot outta him with the Elements of Harmony..." Dash grinned at the thought. "But then... There was some kind of explosion! Discord was free, and then... I woke up here!" She looked around once again at the unfamiliar world. "That means that Discord's been running around loose while I was out dozing! Is this Equestria? It doesn't look anything like the last time that he took over!"
"Nah, this is someplace totally different, Dash." The voice was notoriously familiar. She spun around, and spotted the apparent source. She almost screamed again. It was Gilda the griffon, but... she was made up of the same kind of red lines that stretched across the sky. Her whole body was constructed out of red lines of light! Rainbow Dash walked towards her old friend, extending a hoof to touch her and see if she was real.
"Gilda? Is that you?" When her hoof finally reached her friend, it stopped. The light was indeed solid, even when she applied a bit of pressure.
"Course it is, Dash! Things sure have gotten weird around here, haven't they?" She laughed and motioned to the world around them. "Discord sure did get creative with this prison..."
"Prison?" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened with a low whirring sound. "This is a prison? Then what are you doing here? How do we get out? I have to get my friends and save Equestria!"
"Woah, there, Dash! Let's see if you can still fly, first!" Gilda spread her wings and jumped up into the air. "Then you can go save Equestria!"
"I'm a pegasus! Of course I... can... fly..." Rainbow looked back up at her wings, suddenly uncertain. Discord had taken away her wings once before, who could say that he hadn't done it again? She tried flapping them, but they simply couldn't hold any air beneath them to push off of.
"What's the matter? Can the 'fastest flier in Equestria' not even get off of the ground?" Gilda laughed from her viewpoint in the sky.
"Hey! This isn't fair, Discord changed my wings!" Rainbow Dash tried to defend herself, to rationalize her situation, but Gilda seemed to be right. Come on... I have to fly! There has to be a way!
Activating Maglev Systems
The words flashed across her vision, overlapping what she was seeing. It was at this time that she began to become aware of a new feeling. It was a feeling that something inside of her had suddenly changed, reaching deep inside and drawing out some kind of new power. Her body shot upwards, leaving the ground far below in a matter seconds.
"Woah! Hey! I wasn't ready!" Rainbow Dash scrambled to try and understand what was going on. "Lemmie down!" As if responding to her request, she began to float down towards the earth. Now that she could calm down, she began to become aware of a new sense: a kind of omnidirectional compass, and she could feel it pointing downwards. On a thought, she took hold of this new sense and moved the point of the compass up and forwards. In perfect sync, her direction changed, moving to a forward acceleration.
"You have got to be kidding me!" Rainbow Dash smiled. "Is it really that simple? I just think of where I want to fly?" She laughed, putting more effort into her speed. As her effort and energy input increased, so did her speed. In a matter of minutes, she had completely mastered this new way of flying. "This is SO COOL!" She shouted as she practiced forming tornadoes.
"Hey, Dash! You done fooling around?" Gilda called. "Cause I wanna race!"
Rainbow Dash snapped out of her awe of her new flight and flew up next to Gilda. "Sorry, Gilda, but I've gotta get going! Now that I can fly, I can find my other friends in ten seconds flat! We have to get going if we're going to get out of here and beat Discord! So, what's the way out of here?"
"You gotta beat me, Dash!" Gilda's grin went from friendly to a bit more sadistic. It was only made more unsettling by the red lines of light forming Gilda's body. "You see, I told you that this is a prison. I just didn't tell you that I'm the one Discord left to guard it!" Without warning, Gilda tackled Rainbow Dash, and the two of them plummeted towards the ground. Rainbow tried to struggle out of her grip, but it was useless, the griffon's grip was like iron.
Come on, Rainbow Dash! You've got the strongest wings in all of Equestria, and you've held up WAY more than Gilda's weight before! She pushed herself as far as she could, straining with all of her might to move upwards, to push away from the ground and back up into the sky. It didn't seem to help, and there were only seconds left before they hit the ground. I sure hope that this new body is built as tough as my old one was...
Rainbow Dash's world seemed to flash on and off again when she hit the ground, and pain exploded through her body, stemming at her back.
No critical damage to main systems. System efficiency reduced to 75 percent.
The words flashed across Gilda's face, which otherwise filled her vision. This close, Rainbow Dash could count the individual lines of red light that made up her sadistic grin. "You see, Dash, the only way out of here is to beat the jailer... Me."
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "How can you betray me like this, Gilda? I know that we haven't always been on the best of terms lately, but this is crazy!" Rainbow Dash pulled her hind legs up to her chest, placed her hooves on Gilda's stomach, and bucked her off. The griffon landed on her feet with ease.
"'The best of terms?' You ditched me for those lousy ponies, little miss loyalty!" Gilda shouted, flying up into the air. "So, I'm here to make sure that you don't get back to them!"
Rainbow Dash's eyes narrowed as she began to realize just how twisted Gilda had become. It's all business from here on. Gilda's chosen her side. "I have to beat you to get outta here? At what?"
"Anything!" Gilda laughed as she flew back up into the air. "I've always been better than you at everything!"
Rainbow's temper flared at the insult, and she followed Gilda up into the air. "You have NOT! Let's race right here, right now!"
"Alright, then!" Gilda laughed as, far away, a finish line sprung into existence, crafted from the same red light. "I'll even let you give the countdown, Dash!"
"Three, two, one... GO!" Rainbow Dash threw herself forward, taking only about a second and a half to accelerate to full speed. Somehow, Gilda kept right along side her, flapping her wings slowly and yawning. At about the halfway point, she grinned again.
"Well, see ya, Dash!" She moved ahead with ease, passing Rainbow Dash and accelerating past the finish line in a matter of seconds. Rainbow Dash didn't even finish the race, her jaw dropping and her pride taking a huge blow.
"What? How did you- How can you- WHAT?" Rainbow Dash's wings and jaw both drooped.
Gilda laughed as she flew back. "Well, maybe you're just out of shape, Dash... But then again, you've always been weak." She cockily examined one of her biceps. "Care to try something else?"
"Yeah! Let's hoof wrestle!" Rainbow Dash spotted the taunt, and her temper flared anew. Gilda rolled her eyes and a table and two chairs appeared, once again made of the strange red light. The two of them each took their seats without a word, and assumed their positions, with Gilda's claw wrapped around Dash's hoof. "One, Two, Three!"
Rainbow Dash's hoof slammed against the table for what must have been the tenth time. "How... Are you so strong?" She panted.
"It's not that I'm strong, you're weak!" Gilda said matter-of-factly for what must have been the twentieth time.
"Well, that's Discord's fault! This lousy body-"
"Is a direct translation into machine form from your old one." Gilda spoke over Rainbow Dash. "All of the same abilities, so-called strengths, and weaknesses. "
"But... Then how are you-" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "I know that I'm stronger than this..."
"Strong? Don't make me laugh! You couldn't protect your friends from Discord, and now they're all in their own prisons! You know what?" Gilda leaned in close to her face. "You were the first one to pass out, too! The weakest one was the first to stop fighting."
Every time Gilda spoke, Rainbow Dash's self-esteem took another blow. Her head bowed, and her ears would have fallen down against her head, if they hadn't been microphones that couldn't move. Instead, they received every word with crystal clarity.
"Face it, you can't even hold a match to those Wonderbolts, but you have the crazy dream of joining them? Dash, you're delusional." Rainbow Dash flinched as Gilda's words turned on her dream.
"I get it, okay?" Rainbow Dash shouted, slamming her hoof down on the table. "I'm not as strong as you, or as fast as you..." She hated to say it, and her self-esteem was nearly gone. "Maybe I'm not the best... But I'm still going to beat you!" Her eyes flashed with a brighter violet light. "So, don't you think for a minute that I'm weak! I'm not giving up, I'll keep fighting for my friends!"
Despite what Rainbow Dash had hoped would be a dramatic exclamation of hope, Gilda just rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah? In what?"
It was Rainbow Dash's turn to smile. She had finally figured out the secret: Gilda was here to put her down, to keep her from escaping by being better at everything that she was good at. Time for a change of tactic...
"How about something simple? A coin toss?" Rainbow smiled. "Heads, I win, tails, you lose?"
"Deal! No one touches it, we just let it hit the ground." Gilda laughed, pulling a virtual bit out of her pocket and tossing it into the air. I'm part of the system. I can make sure that it lands on tails... Or was it heads? Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "H-Hey! Wait a minute!" Her plea fell on deaf ears as the coin dropped past her astonished face.
"Oh, look! It's heads! I win!" Rainbow Dash laughed at her foe's awestruck face. "You know, Gilda, I haven't read the entire Daring Do series without learning a few things about escaping traps... You always fell for my pranks, no matter how simple they were. I just beat you... In a battle of wits."
Gilda screamed. It seemed overly dramatic at first, but the reason soon became apparent... Her body, made of so many tiny lines of red light, was beginning to lose its shape. First, the edges of her body seemed to blur, becoming looser as red lines began to fray. Once this change had overcome her entire body, giving her the hazy appearance of being seen through mist, pieces began to fade away, starting at her tail and moving upward in chunks. Every time a piece of her body faded from sight, it would leave behind only a few lingering 0's and 1's that soon faded, as well.
Unit's Prime Directive Compromised. Simulation Gilda: Fading.
Rainbow Dash's eyes once again saw words overlapping reality. "Wait, that was a simulation? A trick?" As the last piece of the false friend faded, Rainbow Dash was more aggravated than ever. "Discord's going to pay for that!"
Behind her, something new appeared. A panel in the ground slid open, revealing a tunnel beneath the earth, lined with the same strange green-and-silver plating that covered the ground.
"Well, here's hoping that this is the exit..." Rainbow Dash muttered as she jumped down into the hole. "I really HATE being underground..."
