Done by a Single Night

Wow, first dislike on story. Coincidentally, I got two favorites at the same time. And, I have more favs than likes. Idk what's up with that :P.

Also, I apologize for the late sending. Mostly been brainstorming. And playing TF2.

Terr'bly sorry for late upload. Also 'unno why I'm spelling like this. Sometimes I speak like this, like saying "'parently" to mean "apparently" but um, yeah.

I woke up in a cold sweat.

It was still nighttime. A glance at the clock said it was just eleven o'clock.

Well... that was an... eventful dream. Turns out my best friend from flight school isn't dead. Just... not alive either. Hmm.

Its almost twelve; Fluttershy would probably be awake right now. She could help. Probably.

I flew down from my house. I took a turn to Twilight's library, and went in.

Yes! Finally figured out how to enter without a window. Turns out that you have to grab the handle on the door in order to turn it.

Okay, where was I.

I flew up the stairs (literally) and chose that horrible book from the shelves. They parted and flipped open. Seeing the passage clear, I walked in.

The next few seconds were a blur. I just felt the ground get yanked from under my feet, and the next second, I was hanging from the ceiling by my right back fetlock, dangling from a rope.

"Gotcha!" Twilight yelled. "Oh, its just you."

She threw her disk thingy and cut the rope. Its a miracle she didn't miss. Then I'd have to get my head miraculously reattached yet again. I tried teaching her how to play hoofball once, and she had near zero accuracy. Maybe she was faking it. I don't know.

I fell, and didn't miss the floor. "Ugh... why would you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Set up that big thing."

"Oh, we um... are pranking the pizza delivery colt, whom we ordered a pizza from."

"You'll have to do better than that. Nopony knows about this place."

"Well er I um... Why didn't you take the hatch?" Gee, nice save. That was really smooth and cool. I definitely didn't suspect a thing.

"Hatch?"

She made a quick recovery. "Oh, you know how we were talking about all the hidden entrances? Well, right under your house, there's an apple tree. And under it, there's a hatch, hidden with grass. Its magical. You can't find it unless you know what you're looking for."

"But, that's just one tree out of millions."

"It grows three different colors of fruit, all on the same branch."

"Oh."

Well umm... okay...

"So, ya seen Fluttershy?"

"Erm, no, why do you ask?"

"I have a dream."

"Had."

"Gezundheit. Anyways, I saw an old friend from flight school, one who I'm certain died in a train accident. And didn't you say strange dreams mean things?"

"Err, yes, but I don't think that applies here. Maybe you just really are sad about her?"

"That was back in flight school. I've moved on. Well, not entirely but... I haven't had any dreams about her." Okay, maybe a few, but those were the kinds of dreams I really don't want to talk about.

"The subconscious is weird... don't think about it too much."

"Hmm. Well, I best be going over to Fluttershy-"

"Wait, one sec." She rifled through a file cabinet that I swore wasn't there before, and pulled out a picture. It was all weird, red and blue. It looked like Canvas's knife. Now that you mention it, it kinda looks like a really big sewing pin, like the ones Rarity uses. Except with a lot more holes. And its flat. And it has a hoofguard. And it has a handle. And it's sharp on the sides too. And it- Okay, fine, its not that much like a big sewing pin.

"Err, is that my... sword?"

"Yes. I think the reason why your wand was so good wasn't the wand. [size=7]That was a placebo...[/size]"

"What?"

"Err, the point is, your sword is like a magical amp. Its bucking amazing. I want one for my birthday. Can I have one? Please?" She smiled like a schoolfilly. One that was begging for weapons. "Oh, but make it a chakram like the one I have currently."

"Um, yeah, I'll see what I can do. I'll ask Canvas if he cou-"

I was grabbed in a crushing hug. "Thanks!"

"Don't... mention... it... Twi... air... please..."

I flew down to Fluttershy's cottage. The lights seemed as if they were out, which was a bit odd, seeing how- wait, its eleven o'clock. Damn this is getting to my head.

I like it how I can use a door normally everywhere else, but within like a two-bodylength radius of Twilight's library, all prior knowledge of non-window entrances just disappears.

"Yo! Fluttershy! Open up!"

"WHAT ITS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!" Damn, that was scary. Where did Fluttershy go. Her house prolly got robbed, and the robbers are trying to fake me out. Can't fool me. Imma storm in there and whoop those ponies' faces.

I hear hoofsteps. I think they're about to open the door. Any second now...

"Oh um, sorry Rainbow Dash, I uh, didn't know it was you." Wow um... that... err... hmm...

"So, its almost time. Want to go?"

"To where?"

"You know, fight some Shadows!"

"...we don't do this every night, you do know that, right?"

"What?"

"Yeah, we have other things to do... I mean, it may not be part of other ponies' schedules, but we still get up at the middle of  the night."

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Er, sleep? I mean, if that's okay with you." Rokay, took it from eleven to seven... or negative three.

"I thought you said my house wasn't a safe zone?"

"Yes. Was."

"Explain?"

"Twi installed something, I'm not exactly sure how it works though. Anyways, we go hunt Shadows like, every other day or something. Now um, not to be rude or anything, but can I um, go back to sleep?"

I left, and went back to my house. Right when I stepped on the cloud, I facehoofed. I didn't get any info outta that. Hmm... well I don't want to have to wake her another time. Maybe I can ask Lexis something?

Okay, how do I do this again? Visualize your hooves turning color... and... CLOP!

Yay, it worked...

I looked out at the now-rugged landscape. Out in the distance, I saw a purple speck. Well that's odd... I flew over, and saw it was... Twilight?

"Hey Rainbow Dash!" She said excitedly, as if she didn't notice the bland landscape around her, or the fact she saw me. I thought not much of it, and just went in to the Velvet Room.

I slammed my hooves down on the desk, then realized that I couldn't reach the desk from my chair, and fell on the ground. Lexis looked at me inquisitively, so I got up and pounded my hooves loudly on her desk.

"I have some questions!"

"Err, could you stop yelling? Also, since when did you get into slamming things? I like it!"

"Oh no, don't you-"

"Too late!" Six desks fell from the ceiling and passed through the floor, but of course managed to collide with something.

"Um, yeah... so, I had a dream, and-"

"Have."

"Gesundheit. Anyways, like I was saying, wai- wait what?"

"You haven't finished your dream yet." She laughed. "Go back to sleep, and maybe something will happen. Some of the greatest things to ever happen never did, as one never truly finished their dream."

I didn't know what that meant, but it sounded serious. I'm being yelled at for not taking a nap? Heck yeah!

I clopped my way out of there- well, not exactly- and jumped into bed.

First few hours was stereotypical dream stuff- just like, me flying through the clouds with the Wonderbolts (still couldn't believe they'd moved to Ponyville) but eventually, it changed, somewhere. And it was very weird.

I stood on top of a mountain. From how high I was, but how flat the top was, it was like the mountain had gotten the top cut off. Except it was still damn tall. Around me, a thunderstorm swirled. It seemed as if it curved up, reaching for that spot where the top was. Rain fell heavily at an angle, stinging my coat. Down on the mountainside, I could see nothing due to clouds, but there was a perpetual sloshing noise, like a dark ocean sent into turmoil somewhere down there.

In the center of the flat plateau were two earth pony colts facing each other. From the aggressive stance they took, it looked as if they were bitter, hardened rivals. From one glance, I could see an entire history of fights, backstabs, and treachery. But it would all end here. I could feel it.

They both had clearly not just competed; they were at each others' throats. One of them, who had a white coat and a silver mane, wore armor made entirely of solid gold. In the center of each piece were excessive amounts of gems. More than Rarity would've used. He managed to look extremely stuck-up and cocky in it, but also really regal. I had to resist the urge to both bow to him and knock his teeth out.

His eyes were brighter than his armor, and probably would cause blindness given twenty seconds of direct contact. Lying against his body was a gleaming scepter, which didn't look as if it was meant for combat. The numerous gems on it, coupled with the platinum flares and intricate patterns kinda gave it away. It seemed more expensive than all the minerals in the mountain. And probably heavier than the mountain. Again, look really cocky, get your teeth knocked out.

The other pony, who looked to be his polar opposite with such a dark black coat, didn't mess around. He actually had a scythe. It radiated dark energy, and made me extremely terrified. Made of purple crystal and- wait- it was the exact same scythe Shadow RD pulled on me. Hmm. Doesn't exactly seem off-the-shelf to me. His armor was made entirely of blue crystal, and actually looked like it didn't weigh a million tons. Looked like Luna's slippers made into full body scale. Doesn't seem off-the-shelf either.

The white one opened his mouth to say something, but it was in a language I didn't know. One that sounded as if it died out thousands of millennia ago. It was very beautiful, but every word sounded like a death sentence. I don't know how, but I was able to roughly understand what he was saying.

"You have no chance to survive make your time." Said the white colt. Well, I think.

"Worry you should now."

"Is not thing I see."

Okay, this was beginning to hurt my brain, and decreasing my already-down-to-Tartarus vocabulary. Luckily, I felt a warm pulse envelop me, and the translations cleared up.

"You should not be here," said the black colt.

The white one laughed. "I have all reason to be."

"...I'm warning you."

"And you'll do what? Poke me with your little stick again?"

The black one didn't respond. He just grunted angrily and twirled his scythe. "This ends now."

He started to back up, preparing for a dash. The white colt tried to just casually reach for his weapon for a block, but accidentally knocked it. The designs on it made it roll, all the way to the edge, and it fell off the mountain.

Clearly his opponent didn't withhold. He continued on, before jumping up and bringing his scythe down in an arc.

"No." I heard a mare's voice say from somewhere. "No!" The terrible cry echoed throughout my head before my visuals got cut off.

Blackness. You get used to it. By now, the screams had faded, but a new voice replaced them. It sounded ancient, and malevolent. While it had the same grainy feel, it felt more neutral. Though I felt safe with it, I also felt very scared by it.

"I am the Spirit of the Stone Oracle. Your words, I deliver.

"One week will be given. Seven chains shall be shown.

The sibling and sister reborn shall rise.

The single harpists' mind's demise.

One of three bridges will have the key,

Other two not so immediately.

Mother's plight, tossed and lame,

Mind like a storm, tossed, untamed."

Mists began to swirl around me, and when they cleared, I was in my bedroom again.

What the buck was that?

Well whoever that was did say they were indeed an oracle. Figured they'd be speaking nonsense. And have learned to successfully rhyme.

Twi'll understand it. She knows everything.

I crashed into the window. I like how I can see the door perfectly well at midnight, but not at eight AM.

"Ow..."

"And you've forgotten how to use a door again already. Welcome back."

I began picking up the books I knocked off the shelves. By now, I've practically become another librarian, having to always reshelve. Minus the reading that comes with it.

"So, what did you come here for?" Twi asked, once we'd finished.

"Erm, so I had another dream about-" I was going to finish my sentence, when the world suddenly grayed around me.

"You are honourbound to redact such intelligence." I heard the oracle say.

The lights resumed.

"-uh, I um, got into the Wonderbolts."

"Ah. Oh, I heard they moved here! Something like this would be great for Ponyville's tourism!"

"Err, yes. Um, bye!"

I Dashed out of there, and headed to Ponyville's weathercloud. Each living area in Equestria got one of these mass-produced weatherstations. They were simple, really, just big, flat permaclouds with a single wall, and an umbrella. The one wall was enchanted, and would display a map, along with what you were supposed to do, and all this other info. it also somehow kept stock of rank and other things. And they were really light, but wouldn't move unless a pony physically pushed it, so you could move them on pioneering advents.

When I arrived, my coworkers were already there. "What took you so long, Dash!" Thunderlane said, clearly annoyed.

"Hey, cut me some slack! You know how I love my naps." Well, not so much anymore...

"Well, just cut it, we need to start working. Cloudsdale's planned for straight thunderstorms this week, its growing season."

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Anyways, let's start by getting some cumulonimbi and..."

Well, that was easier than it looked. If only the Wonderbolts could see me.

"Great job out there, Dash!" I heard somepony yell from below.

"Thanks, don't mentio- Spitfire, you again!"

I managed not to faceplant the ground.

"So, we really having rain for a whole week?"

"Apparently."

"Mmm. Well, that will certainly help with building, I guess. We wont have any water issues."

"What?"

"We're revamping our HQ design entirely. Land is quite a lot cheaper here than up at Canterlot."

"Ah. How much bigger did the build get?"

"Oh, you know... about like um... uhh..." she drew something in the air with her hooves and squinted. "Like, uh, four acres?"

"...W-what?!"

She chuckled. "Startle you much?"

"Its just... wow... doesn't that cost a lot?"

"Oh, we sporadically cater for the Royal family, and trust me, their few commissions travel far. And then there are those numerous random elites who want the sounds of wind rushing by as they eat their five-hundred bit two-bite meals." Ah, yes. The Royal Wedding, thankfully, had actual food.

"Well, I need to go put the finishing touches on the cloud cover."

"See ya later, Dash."

After pushing the cloud cover tighter together, and adding a few more, I was ready to put the finish my job. I went back to the floating cloud station and grabbed a few nimbostrati.

The last clouds we ever do are the ones directly above the center of town, so ponies get a good warning before the storms actually happen.

I pushed the last cloud into place, as tradition said that the head captain should always do the last one. "And... move it to the left a bit, Dashie... perfect!" Well that's a familiar pony.

"Umm Pinkie, you aren't on the team."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't be super-duper great at arrangement!"

"I guess... Welp, let it rip!"

Rearing up the way Applejack taught me, I bucked the cloud hard with my back hooves. After a few seconds of recoil, it, along with the other clouds, began to start raining.

"Well, its about time I got home."

I walked home, as flying during thunderstorms is dangerous for semi-obvious to completely not-obvious reasons. Right as I turned the corner of- err, round thingy of Carousel Boutique- I heard an angry yell. It was wild, and uncontrollable, with no traces of being pony in any way.

"...not so... ...yeah right... ...heard... ...stupid..." It was really hard to year it, but I could identify the voice as one of a mare. It was threatening. I walked toward the location of the voices.

There was a second voice now. "You really are no good." It was a stallion. "You're just a wall-eyed buffoon with a bastard daughter you don't deserve!"

Woah, that was way over the line. Who is this they're talking to? Nopony deserves to have to listen to this!

I was going to turn the corner and yell those two down, but right before I could, the mare in question ran out. It was Derpy Hooves.

She galloped a few steps, then jumped off and took flight to the sky, tears in her eyes. She didn't stop until she was pretty far away.

"Serves her right," the stallion said, now out of the alley. Hey spat on the ground.

"Wh- how- y- you monsters!"

"How? She's the monster out of any of us," the mare quipped.

I had nothing to say. I just turned around, and said nothing. I flew off in disgust, in the direction of Derpy Hooves.

"Derpy!" I yelled. No response but the rumble of thunder.

It was too dark to see anything. There was a flash of lightning coming down, and I could see the whip of a yellow mane. I chased it.

"Derpy!!! Derpy Hooves!"

Still no response. After a few seconds, I heard a choked sob. "Th- that's not my name."

"Sure it is!"

She began to cry even more. That did not help at all. I mean, hey. I'm just Element of Loyalty. There's no Element of Not-Hurting-Ponies-Feelings-Accidentally, right? Um, I think so...

"I- its ponies like you that are ruining my life!"

"What do you mean? De- I can help!"

"N- no." Her answer was firm, and she was beginning to sound angry. "No, you can't. Leave me alone!"

Another rumble of thunder and a flash. I saw her fly out of a tree, and out, away from me. I chased her.

"Seriously! I can help! If there's anything I can do, I wi-" A bolt crashed down, missing me by mere meters. "Stop flying! Its dangerous!"

She didn't listen. Somehow, she managed to weave through the clouds with surprising grace, avoiding strikes of lightning.

I continued my pursuit.

"C'mon! At least let me talk to you!"

She kicked into high gear. So did I.

I neared closer and closer to her, but she had enough drive to evade me.

"Please! Let me help you!"

"No!"

She used her last shard of strength and bolted out, leaving me behind. As I watched her flee, there was the sound of a roar, and a flash.

My body shook all over. It was a very tingly sensation, one that made me feel really weird, as if my flesh were trying to escape my bones. My strength left me, and I fell down, slowly to the ground, as the falling rain accompanied me.

"Thou hast learned the spell Fulg. It will rain lightning down on thine opponents."

W-was that all I was to Derpy? An opponent? A captor? A tormentor?

I could not know.

But I could not think.

I slept there on the ground that day.