Paradox in Equestria

Rainbow was on another of her trips. I had to find out where she was going, it was the only way I could help her. The next day I got up early, I flew as high up into the sky as I could. It was rather difficult with so much metal, even though Twilight tried to save most of my body a lot was still missing, she had engineered some aparatuses to supprt my flying. Even with all her valient efforts it was still a pain to get airborne. But as I rode the thermal wind I hovered waiting for Dash to make her leave. Finally I watched as the rainbow colored mane –faded as it was– peer from the shack.

ZOOM! she took off.

I followed her now, it was easier to keep sight of her from an airial vantage point. I watched as she suddenly stopped near the mouth of a hole in the ground.The hole wasn't big, maybe two feet around. But she climbed in and dissapeared. I soared down, landed and stared ot the cave, I heard the echoes as she went further into the tunnel. I gulped, now or never. I climbed in after her. It was dark and wet and slimy. But I had to do this, for my friend, for Equestria. I saw a small light as I turned one corner, I saw Rainbow staring at a wall of photos. OUR photos, pictures of happier times.

She was crying as she looked over them.

I smiled as I realized she still loved us, even if she was too proud to say it. I was about to step forward when something made my blood run cold.

"They aren't the same." My smile faded as I heard the echo within the voice of itself.

"I know." Rainbow said, "That's why we have to eliminate the rest of them." She said to the black stallion. Anger in her eyes.

"Yes feel the hatered of betrayal, they never cared for you Dash." Parydan's voice was angry also, why?

"Yes master Parydan, they betrayed me just as your brother betrayed you." Rainbow said.

"Good, and what do we do with traitors?" Parydan's lips curled into a wicked smile.

"We crush them." Rainbow said with contempt in her voice.

I had to speak up now.

"What news of the traitors do we have?" Parydan said, I stayed where I was.

"They have released Fluttershy," Rainbow reported, "apparently, she's spreading hope among them."

"But you won't let her get to you will you?" Parydan asked.

"No sir, she's the biggest traitor of all." Rainbow said, I almost cried when she said that.

Had she really thought I had left her on purpose.

I left I had to go back, I turned around. That's when I heard it:

"Remeber Rainbow, in two days time at sunrise, we kill them." I flew as fast as I could back to the shack.

At first I was about to tell Twilight, but then I thought, Rainbow had kept Parydan from killing us this entire time. Why now? Did she somehow want me to stop her, shake her out of it, was the real Rainbow Dash somehow still in some sort of control? So many questions, and there was only one pony who knew the answers.

She came back several hours later. As always she was silent. Dinner came, not a word. Night fell, or at least we all got tired. She curled up in her corner far away from all of us. I walked over and sat down behind her. I was silent for a few minutes, I knew she knew I was there. I wanted her to feel my presence before I spoke, maybe she'd innitiate conversation with me. It didn't work.

I finally spoke.

"Dash?" I said

Nothing.

"We're your friends Dash.

Not a word.

I decided to was time for the trump card, it was all or nothing here.

"I saw you today."

Her ear pricked up. Good, at least a reaction.

"I haven't told anypony."

Her one ear flicked in interest.

"I won't if you don't want me to, but I just want you to know something."

Still no reaction.

"No matter what happens after this is all over, I'll still be your friend." I began to walk away, I heard a rustle.

"Fluttershy?" Dash said, I looked over my shoulder into her wrinkled rose eyes.

"Yes?" I said softly.

"I'm going to kill you first." She said, and turned back around.

I lowered my head and walked away, I'd failed. This was the end of Equestria as I knew it. I was the only hope and now the world was going to Parydan.

The next day when we all got up Rainbow was already gone.

"Fluttershy have you seen Rainbow?" she asked me.

"No." I lied.

I had heard her get up that morning and leave. I didn't know where she went but it was most likely to plan for Parydans final attack. I still hadn't told anypony, they all went on with their days. Except for me, I pondered my terrible burden of knowing that my once good friend was going to kill us all. I didn't want us to go out with nothing, but I still wasn't going to let Rainbow's secret go. I was running out of time, my friends didn't know about the impending doom that awaited us at what could be assumed as sunrise, but we only had a few more hours I knew.

"Girls?" I called as they all prepared for bed, they all looked at me curious to what I would say, "we don't know how much longer we may last through this, or even if we will survive against Parydan whenever we face him." I began, Twilight came over to me seeing the tears in my eye. She put a hoof on my shoulder, "Let's have some fun before we go out, huh?" I suggested.

"A slumber party then?" Rarity offered we all nodded.

The rest of the night we played games, even laughed like old times.

I kept looking out the door in case Rainbow was watching us, she wasn't, but I still felt somehow she knew we were having fun. Even if by tomorrow we were all dead, at least this one last moment could exist right before. We were friends again, playing laughing, but most of all... talking. They were quiet or silent for so long. The unspoken talk saved from twenty five years of dispair crumbled away into the night. I don't remember falling asleep but we did. All of us curled into one ball of happy friends, minus one.

We all awoke to a soul crushing explosion, all around us there was dust. A wild whirlwind wisped it away we saw Rainbow zooming around us clearing the debris.

"Rainbow what's going on?" Twilight screamed over the whistling of the gust.

Rainbow stopped on a dime and hovered. Next to her appered Parydan, everyponies mouth dropped, except mine. I stepped forward to Rainbow facing her from the distance.

"Well Rainbow I kept my promise," I said, they looked at me, "I didn't tell them that you were going to attack." If their mouths could drop further, they would have. I glared at Rainbow, "So it's time you kept your end up, you kill me first!"