Chapters Twilight Sparkle was setting up the party ribbons. Applejack was bucking apples for the apple pie that she was making. The pie substituted for the cake that Applejack had bought that was consumed by a hungry Pinkie Pie, who was finishing her job setting up the decorations and party favors. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were blowing up the balloons, but since they thought that they had to fill their mouths with helium to blow up the balloons, they were constantly laughing at each others squeaky voices. Fluttershy, who finished her job setting up plates and utensils, heard the Crusaders’ voices, which she thought her animals had followed her. The shelves filled with books had been moved by Scootaloo, because Spike had cracked his back moving them. Scootaloo finally finished the job, and took a nap on a nearby couch. Rarity was moaning because her job was to paint the walls to show clouds and rainbows.
“Ewww!” she sobbed, “There’s paint all over my hair! It’s going to take all night for it to come out!”
Twilight snapped at her. “Then paint carefully. You can take a bath in my bathroom later tonight.” Rarity shut up, knowing that she couldn’t come up a decent comeback.
Rainbow Dash was absent, because this party was for her. It was being held at Twilight’s house. The date was September 10th. Twilight had invited Rainbow Dash by telling her that they were going to have a slumber party, but she left the part about the actual birthday party unmentioned.
Twilight glanced at her clock. 1:55 pm.
“Okay every pony! Attention!” she yelled, “Rainbow Dash is going to be here in 5 minutes! Find your hiding place, and make sure you’re not visible from the front door!”
The ponies found their hiding spots and waited. Twilight peeked at the clock again. 2:00 pm. Where is she? she thought to herself.
~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash was running through the crowds of ponies in the streets. She couldn’t fly in the air because a lot of other ponies had the same idea. It was very rare when she had to rely on her feet, and now was no exception. Using the rest, if any, energy she had left, she darted forwards until she reached the familiar part of town. She was a sweaty mess. Her hooves were sore, but she still had to run . She ran until the tree house was in plain sight. With her mane a mess, she snuck a bottle of hairspray from an unsuspecting pony and sprayed it on herself. By the time the pony noticed her absent hairspray, Rainbow Dash had sprinted off. She stumbled her way to the front door. Her legs were shaken and numb, the sensation you get when your leg falls asleep.
She knocked on the door. “It’s open!” yelled Twilight, still in her hiding spot.
Rainbow Dash carefully walked in. She was cautious not to step on anything with her numb legs, and the dark certainly did not help. What is up with the dark? she thought. “Twilight! Where are you?” she asked.
All of the sudden, the lights turned on and every pony jumped out, yelling HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
She smiled and said, “Aw. Thanks guys! So we're having a party and a sleepover?”
“Yep! Now who wants some pie!” asked Applejack. Every pony, except a sound asleep Scootaloo, pushed their way to the pie. Within 10 minutes, there was one slice left for Scootaloo, who was STILL asleep.
8:30 pm. That’s what Twilight read on the clock. The ponies were sitting down watching a movie. Scootaloo had finally woken up after a 6-hour nap, but she was still sleepy and dozed off from time to time. Apple Bloom was curled up next to Applejack, and slowly yawned.
“You ‘kay, sugar-cube?” asked Applejack in her usual southern accent.
“Yep. Just tired.” Apple Bloom replied.
“How ‘bout you take a nap. I’ll wake you when the party comes to life.”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom said in the middle of a yawn. She got herself comfortable and Applejack covered her with her legs, her body heat putting Apple Bloom to sleep.
Rarity walked out of the bath that Twilight had promised her. She shook her mane, which turned into a fluffy mesh similar to a cat’s hide after a wash-up. One more shake smoothed it all out.
Rainbow Dash was on the break of falling asleep. She wanted to wake up early to watch the weather forecast on the news. She yawned. “I’m going to hit the hay. No pun intended.” she chuckled, followed by more chuckles.
“Okay. I think that we should all go to sleep. Looks like some of us already have had enough.” Twilight said, pointing to Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie, who had fell asleep with pie crumbs burying her on the table.
The room filled up with Goodnights. And then, lights out.
9:00 pm. Twilight Sparkle woke up to find Rainbow Dash watching the news on the TV.
“So what’s the forecast for this week? Do we have to prepare for a storm?” asked Twilight, with a little chuckle. Rainbow Dash didn’t answer.
“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked, a little worried.
“Watch the TV.” whispered Rainbow Dash, in the type of voice you have when you cry. Twilight cautiously turned her head to the screen, and her body got bathed in shock in a matter of seconds. She didn’t even think it was possible.
One of the twin towers of the Celestia Clone Center was on fire. The fire’s so high, how’d that even happen? Twilight asked herself via thought. She didn’t want to know the answer, but the news anchor answered it anyways.
“If you are just tuning in, a Wonderbolt has just crashed into one of the towers of the Celestia Clone Center.” said the anchor-pony in great grief, “We yet to know how many ponies have been killed in the explosion, but it was huge so we don’t have high hopes.”
Twilight couldn’t turn her head. It was like her head was being magnetized to the television screen. If the incident wasn’t horrible enough, apparently some pony had actually captured the Wonderbolt striking the tower.
The video showed two firefighters fixing a pipe in the city, just 5 minutes away from Twilight’s tree house. The sound of a fast strike filled the air, as the camera-pony turned. The tower became visible to the camera, just as the Wonderbolt hit the building, creating a large explosion that caused an earthquake. Twilight was surprised she didn’t feel it.
She finally got the nerve to turn her head towards Rainbow Dash, whose face was heartbreaking. Tears came down in a stream straight down from her eyes down to the floor.
“Rainbow Dash, I’m so sorry.” Twilight said, starting to cry.
Rainbow Dash was speechless, shocked at the fact that a Wonderbolt, a pony, had crashed into the tower, not only killing him/her, but also hundreds of innocent ponies.
Finally, she answered. “It‘s okay,” she sniffed, “I just can’t believe that a Wonderbolt, a good guy, had crashed into the tower.”
“Was it a type of rebellion?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes filled up with tears. “I DON’T KNOW!” she yelled, stomping her hoofs to the ground and burying her face in the floor.
Twilight came up and hugged her. Twilight had turned from a few tears to full-out crying.
One thing went through both their minds, and millions of other ponies around the world: Who would do this? Why would some pony do this?
The news was constantly switching back and forth, from the twin towers, to the Ponygon. The whole event was unpredictable. No pony knew when the news would switch back and forth, expecting for the worst to happen.
The ponies had been watching the TV for about an hour now, which had felt like forever. Twilight decided to check the time. 9:59 am.
Just as she walked back in, the sound of another explosion filled the room. The ponies felt an earthquake out of nowhere. They were worried that another Wonderbolt crashed again, but when the news finally covered what happened, every pony became traumatized. The tower that got hit second had collapsed.
Rainbow Dash burst into tears. She was haunted by the fact that hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies were dying as the tower fell. Not being able to stand the sight anymore, she ran upstairs to Twilight’s room.
Scootaloo’s curiosity told her to follow her idol to her whereabouts. She walked in where Rainbow Dash fled to. She was face down on the bed, crying.
Scootaloo, who was surprised to see Rainbow Dash, the toughest of ponies out there, crying so hard. Scootaloo asked a question.
“Why are you crying.” Scootaloo asked, on the verge of tears herself, “Didn’t you say that only weak ponies cry?”
Rainbow Dash sat up and spoke softly. “There are a few exceptions.” she sniffed, “We all cry sometimes and can’t help it.” Scootaloo finally started crying again.
“I know it seems weird that I’m crying. But that’s okay. Right now is the perfect example.” Rainbow Dash spoke.
“But why are you crying?” cried Scootaloo.
“I’m crying because…because…” Rainbow Dash started to cry, “Because when the tower collapsed, many ponies were trapped above the fire. The fire had blocked all the stairways. So when the tower collapsed, all the ponies that were trapped got killed.”
“Oh, okay.” Scootaloo said softly, crying.
“Come here.” Rainbow Dash sobbed.
Scootaloo came up to Rainbow Dash and gave her a long hug. Rainbow Dash combed Scootaloo’s mane with her hoof, gently rubbing it. This comforted Scootaloo. Both she and Rainbow Dash’s crying stopped, and they seemed stuck together.
They stayed upstairs for about a half-hour. When Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walked in, the ponies were looking at them with worried faces. There was a feeling that something had happened when they were gone.
“What’s wrong?” asked Rainbow Dash, worried.
“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said softly, “The other tower collapsed.”
Before Rainbow Dash could speak, the television showed the other tower collapsing. Rainbow Dash didn’t cry for some reason. Her body seemed to reject tears from being released. Instead, she felt lightheaded again. Feeling surprisingly weak, she collapsed on the floor. Rainbow Dash had passed out.
Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes to Scootaloo crying, yelling and screaming. “Come on! Wake up please! Please!” she sobbed. Twilight came up to Scootaloo and hugged her.
Finally, Rainbow Dash regained conscious. “Ugh. Where am I?”
Scootaloo turned and the happiest smile covered her face. Twilight replied, “You’re in the hospital. The collapse of the twin towers was too much for you to handle.” Twilight closed her eyes suddenly, expecting Rainbow Dash to pass out again. But she surprisingly didn’t. She got over her depression and had to face the facts.
“Did anything else happen when I was out?” Rainbow Dash asked carefully.
“Uh, um.” Twilight sighed, “A part of the Ponygon collapsed due to the collision, and another Wonderbolt crashed. Not into a building, though. Apparently, he/she fought back at the terrorist pony, and they collided into the ground. Sadly, though, they both died.”
Again, Rainbow Dash refused to cry, and had to face the facts. “Oh. Okay.” she sighed.
“Why were you so upset?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash sighed, “First off, four Wonderbolts crashed and died. It’s a disgrace to Wonderbolts everywhere. But my biggest problem was that this happened a day after my birthday. My birthday was suppose to be fun. It instead turned into a funeral for thousands of ponies that we don’t even know.”
“Well just be glad that’s it over.” Twilight said happily. “Now let’s get you out of this hospital.”
A few bills were paid, and Rainbow Dash was walking down the hallway. All of her friends were waiting in the waiting room, and they applauded when she walked in. She smiled, and cried tears of joy.
“Okay, every pony,” Twilight announced, “Let’s wait outside.” Every pony walked outside, all for except Scootaloo.
“Hey squirt.” Rainbow Dash teased.
“Hey.” Scootaloo replied. She didn’t care about the silly nickname, she was just happy that her idol was still alive. She walked up to Rainbow Dash and hugged her.
“Here, hop on.” Rainbow Dash said, as she picked up Scootaloo and gave her a piggyback ride.
“Dashie?” Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash didn’t expect the nickname, but she replied anyways. “Yes?”
“Maybe this weekend,” Scootaloo asked shyly, “Can you give me flying lessons?” She was expecting a No from Rainbow Dash, but was surprised by the answer.
“Sure. Where should we meet?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“How about in that flat field near Twilight’s house?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Thanks.” Scootaloo replied, as she hugged her back.
“Oh, and don’t forget to bring a helmet.” Rainbow Dash laughed.
“I won’t.” Scootaloo laughed, “I won’t."
The girl’s crying had woken up Scootaloo, who was awake half the night.
“I’m trying to get some sleep here. What’s the ma-” she got cut off by the sight of the television screen.
“What the heck happened?” she asked, and almost immediately, the news anchor answered again in the same exact tone of voice as before.
Scootaloo immediately turned to Rainbow Dash, who was still crying, but not full out. “Didn’t you want to join the Wonderbolts?” she asked, trying not to upset her.
Rainbow Dash didn’t answer. She knew that Scootaloo wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings, but she couldn’t help but crying anyways.
Scootaloo was the only one who wasn’t crying. She knew the incident was upsetting, but she was too young to understand what was really going on. She decided to see what time it was. 9:02 am.
“Okay, I think we should turn the TV off.” Twilight sniffled, as she headed towards the TV. But just as she was about to turn it off, ANOTHER Wonderbolt became visible. All three girls were hoping that he/she would just fly by, but they all had a sick feeling in their stomachs that they knew its intentions.
Before they could talk, the Wonderbolt crashed into the other tower, hitting it lower. Rainbow Dash’s worst nightmare came true. The lower it hits, the more ponies die, the more that are trapped. Twilight was speechless. She didn’t have words for what she just saw LIVE on TV. Scootaloo was the only one that screamed.
The scream woke up all of the other ponies.
“What the Sam Hill is goin’ on here?” asked a baffled Applejack. She and the other ponies noticed the TV on, and instinct told them to turn to it. Within a matter of seconds, the room went quiet, except for the sound of the TV and Scootaloo’s crying.
Rarity finally got the nerve to talk. “Is that, the, Celestia Clone Center?” she asked. Every pony answered with a nod.
Pinkie Pie started laughing maniacally. It was clear that she thought it was a joke, but also knew that this was the real deal. Laughing turned to crying within a few seconds. They knew this was a big deal because Pinkie Pie, the only pony who laughs in the face of danger, was crying. They all knew one thing: Equestria was under attack.
Sobbing spread like a disease in the room. It started with Rainbow Dash, then Twilight Sparkle, then Scootaloo, followed by Pinkie Pie. Next was Apple Bloom, then Rarity, then Fluttershy, and followed by Sweetie Belle, and Applejack.
Spike walked in, glanced at the TV screen, and sighed. Twilight walked up and hugged him. Spike started to cry.
Scootaloo had finally stopped crying, and was heading to the bathroom to wash her face. She finally understood the situation: many ponies were dead or dying, and this might be the start of a Civil War. Scootaloo’s chest ached at the thought of a possible war about to break.
When she walked out, she said to herself, “Nothing can get worse than this.” Just as she finished talking, the room filled with screams again. Scootaloo got startled and nearly had a heart attack. Expecting the worst, she turned to the TV cautiously. Her eyes filled with tears again. The Ponygon, where all of Equestria’s finest warriors are trained, was hit by another Wonderbolt.
Rainbow Dash knew what happened by now: terrorist ponies had hijacked the poor Wonderbolt members and forced them to kill themselves by flying into buildings, not only killing the terrorist ponies, but also hundreds of other ponies. But what terrorist group was this? Members of Discord’s group? Trixie’s minions? Nobody knew right now.
Another question had popped into Rainbow Dash‘s head: Why would some pony do this? Was it a rebellion like Twilight suggested? Was it revenge? On what? So many questions went through her head that she eventually felt lightheaded, feeling like she would throw up any minute.
Three buildings hit; about 2,000 ponies dead by now; how could it get any worse? It seemed like whenever they asked themselves that, everything got worse.
