A Superb Case of Evil

How did it ever come to this? How could I have not seen what was going on with my friends? For those wondering, my name is Rainbow Dash, and i was the fast pegasus in all of Equestria. Now that I got that out of the way, this isn't the most sobering tale. Several months ago, or it mighthave been a year, I never keep track, one of the best friends I ever had took a turn to the dark side. Nopony had known for almost, yeah it was a year, that Twilight had been abducting ponies for bizarre experiments and recording the results. I only started to suspect something when my marefriend, I went there, had gone missing. I had kept it hidden for years how I really felt about a certain orange and tan earth pony until I had talked to Flutters about it. She strongly thought I should tell the pony in question how I felt about her, and just wait for the reaction.

Were the feelings i had for AJ real?

Why does it hurt more when i think about what was happening to Twilight then with what had been done to AJ?

Am I in love with both of them?

Damn, where's Applejack when I need her, I muttered to myself out of earshot any pony that might be lurking nearby. All the other times I had come to the farm looking for her were of an intimate nature. This time was very different than back then.

So as i went to Sweet Apple Acres with that goal in mind, i was approached by Applebloom and her friends. They said they couldn't find her sister anywhere on the farm. Applejack had reportedly gone to feed the chickens and never came back to the house. That's when i realized something was up because Big Mac was missing as well. I had the trio of fillies return to town with me. Maybe Twilight knew where Aj had gone. I knocked on the door to the Golden Oaks Library and there was no answer. I knew Spike had been called to Canterlot for something to do with the Princesses, but i also knew Twilight had stayed in Ponyville while he was gone. She's always answered the door before. I decided to get the rest of our friends just in case something bad had happened. I mean there was that one time she nearly got possessed by an evil spirit and in no thanks to her Smarty Pants doll. But this had to be different, i just knew it.

Unfortunately, the only one that showed up was Fluttershy, Rarity was out of town, and Pinkie Pie had just up and disappeared on everypony with no explanation why. I don't know why i was feeling so uneasy. I was usually the strong one, always rushing into danger at a moments notice. I've faced off against the likes of Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis' Changeling Army, even Discord to name a few, I've even kicked a full sized dragon square in the snout when his snoring was causing black smoke to envelop Ponyville. But this, this really was an entirely different affair. I swear by Celestia's name all these big words would make my brain hurt any other time, especially when Twilight was around. I was always calling her an egg head when it came to stuff like this.

I told the CMC to wait here while me and Flutters went and got some more help. It didn't take me long to get to Canterlot, after all i was the fastest pegasus in the world by the way. As soon as i got to the castle i was stopped by a pair of Royal Guards and asked to state my business. I told them i needed to see Celestia right away. One of them noticed finally who they were halting, and told me to follow him. This place never ceases to lose its awesome factor to me. Celestia's castle had been the site of the Changeling invasion and even now it was still something to marvel at. All of the scuffs that this place had taken and it still resonated with such power in architectural design.

" What may i do for you Rainbow Dash?", the most regal alicorn ever asked me as i entered the council chambers.

"I think something is up with Twilight," I had no other way of putting it. How else was a i gonna put it, 'Oh hey Princess, I think Ms. Egg head is conducting dark rituals?'. That sound more cheesy then the first i thought of it.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Celestia asked me matter of factly. i knew she and Twilight had been close once. There had even been rumors that the princess might of been a fillyfooler, but those were rumors i opted to ignore out of respect for her.

"I've been noticing changes in Twilight's personality, little things here and there. She never answers the door to the Library at all now. I know Spike had to come to Canterlot for something, but this is the fourth time that this has happened now.", And just as i commented, Spike walked in to the room with a dour look on his small pudgy face.

"I can vouch for what Rainbow Dash is saying your majesty.", he had an aura of despair around him when he said those words. Maybe he just missed Twilight or something, i don't know, but i dont blame him. She was like a mother to him and all. If there was something wrong i know he'd try to help her no matter what the case.

"Before i left, Twilight seemed really distant, like something was bothering her but she wouldn't tell me,", I could Spike seemed really sad when he said that. He'd do anything for Twilight. Like i said earlier, she was like a mother to him. Just as Spike was about to say something else , A pair of Royal Guards came in. The news they brought them with was from Ponyville. Three more ponies had gone missing. Lyra, MoonDancer, and Colgate. I knew them, well two of them anyway. Lyra was kind of weird by pony terms, but she seemed ok to Fluttershy. The two of them apparently would have lunch with her wife Bon Bon. Colgate was one of Twilight's old friends from Canterlot, but they barely spoke lately. MoonDancer was one i had only seen once in town, but never spoke with. What was more odd was that i felt like i was looking at Twilight, only with a different color scheme.

It only took the words from the Princess and we were back to Ponyville to delve deeper into what was happening. And boy were we in for a shock. I was to say the least. I dont know what was worse, the angst i was feeling as we approached the Golden Oaks Library, or the cold unrelenting dread that i might discover one of my friends in the basement of this place, with Twilight doing Celestia knows what to them. Spike stayed in the Capitol. i didn't blame him. He still had some stuff to take care of there. That and i dont think he wanted to see his image of Twilight he always held on shattered in front of him. Gotta hand it to the little guy at times.

Celestia's horn glowed as she used her magic to force open the door to the Library. As we stepped inside, it didn't look any different, except for a newly installed reinforced Steel door that lead towards the bottom of the library. And then another steel door that lead to another expansive room below. A room that shouldnt exist. As we forced open the final door, it lead to long hallway lined with prison cells. And an examination room at the far end. Where i could see what i feared the most. Applejack was unconscious in one of the cells, various needle marks were evident where IV tubes had been hooked up. The door to the cell caved under the pressure of my back hooves as i bucked it hard. I ran and held her head in my fore hooves. I could faintly hear,"rr Rainbow? Is it really you?", to which i answered, "yes AJ, i'm here now." There was so much rage filling inside me right now.

How could Twilight think this was ok? And to my Fiancee of all things. With the Princesses permission i pulled Applejack out of that cell and took her up to the surface. I rushed her up to see Twilight standing at the door of the Library with a look of anger and confusion. Before i could anything she teleported in front of the door, nearly blocking it. That was also when i watched Fluttershy do something brave and stupid at the same time. She tackled Twilight to the ground so i could get AJ out of there. As soon as we were out of the library, the nurse ponies had arrived. I handed AJ to them and went back for Flutters. And with good timing too. Twilight had knocked her off of herself and was about to attack her. I bucked her in the jaw and watched as the Royal Guard came in at the right moment and arrested her. Apparently Celestia was still in the bottom of that bunker, counting all the ponies that were dead or affected by what Twilight had done.

I could see the pain and the tears forming in her eyes as i approached and informed her of the situation. We had Twilight in custody now, and could start sorting through all of this mess properly. She thanked me, and still reminded me that this is just as hard for her to bear as it was all of us. As we went from cell to cell identifying all of her other victims, i heard a faint whisper of my name, " R a in bow .... Rainbow .....", It was unnerving, was this place now haunted again? That's when by some other world force i was guided to the tray that held all of the needles and instruments Twilight used in her experiments. I asked the princess about a book i was looking at on the tray. It surprised her, it was one of Starswirls oldest tomes of spells. And it was open to a resurrection spell. Everypony knew that while rare, to kill another pony resulted in the death penalty. Had Twilight expected to be caught and cast this spell on herself to have the last laugh?

That whisper again," Raainbow," and it hit me, what if she got careless, left it open and one of her victims saw it and used it themselves. It stated in the tome once the spell was used by a unicorn it wouldn't work for anypony else. There was also a list held to a clipboard of all the ponies that had under gone her bizarre tests. I noticed that first name at the top was Lyra Heartstrings.