Into the Void

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Day It All Went Away
Chapter 2: Through Every Forest, Above the Trees
Chapter 3: ...And You're Not Loyal
Chapter 4: ...Is Knowing That You Put It Together
Chapter 5: The Day She Went Away
Chapter 6: The Colors Bleed In

Chapter 1: The Day It All Went Away

Into the Void - Chapter One
An MLP Fanfic by: TF141Soldier

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
- John Lennon, Imagine (Rest in Peace, 1940 - 1980)

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life."

- John Lennon

Situated on four thousand acres of pure landscape, the fading summer evening signifying the very end of a day, the last harsh glints of a golden sun barely covered by a mass of pure creche-like clouds in Ponyville, lay happiness. Purity. Peace. A cold wind cut through the atmosphere, the smells wafting in the air like music notes out of a song: the smells of juniper and Jeffrey pine, with the faint smell of ozone and rain.

One day, some of that changed.

Princess Luna stood on a flat hill, her flowing, raven-black mane almost becoming invisible with the falling sun, trading places for the night with the moon. Right on cue, Luna's horn, nothing more than a long bulge on the top of her forehead, began to glow with illuminscence, some star-like jags radiating off it: soon, the once-glaringly bright sun disappeared below the horizon, and up began to rise the brilliant moon, covering the whole landscape in both darkness and faint light.

"Huzzah." Luna muttered, feeling rather rested for the night - it sounded almost ironic, but it wasn't her duty to raise the moon every night. Her sun-raising sister had already fallen back asleep, and the moon was somewhat coated by a thick shade of clouds.

The night continued onward, and everything was okay.

Tomorrow, everything changed.

"Come on! Work!"

It was starting to get to early morning, and Luna had just begun to use her horn again for the second time that night: the moon slowly disappeared. However, it was Celestia's turn. The porcelain-white alicorn was furiously using magic, her horn sizzling with magical energy. However, the harder Celestia attempted, the magic was simply not working. Celestia had done this for thousands of years: why now was it changing? The sky was now simply a void of gray colors, some streaks of odd black spiderwebbing across it like a black flower blooming: that alone wasn't natural, amongst the gray dome that now covered Ponyville, and Canterlot, and possibly all of Equestria.

"Sister, are thou having problems?" Luna asked sympathetically, knowing it had to of been an obvious 'yes'. But if there were to be any explanations as to what exactly the details of the problems were, it would have to be from the one who actually did the now-troubling task.

"I don't understand, Luna," Celestia muttered, half to herself, half to the moon raiser next to her. "I've been doing this for thousands of years, and my magic isn't working. Though my thoughts are always focused on raising the sun, it's not working..."

Luna had attempted to focus her thoughts into helping bring forth the source of natural light that helped ponies survive, putting every bit of mind into the one spell, the two alicorns attempting to raise the sun. Fog had begun to form in a misty haze to the west, and there seemed to be no change in the sky. It took Luna a while, but she finally gave in: she knew that her powers were only made to rotate the planet to nighttime.

After several minutes and who-knew how many scared ponies that there more likely were, Celestia looked like she was finally able to get a charge: and soon a peek of the sun was shown: soon the ball of white-orange ball radiating heat ascended from the horizon. There was, however, one problem: the largest object in the solar system, the one furious ball of fire that shone slanting shadows of morning was hiding behind the dull slab of gray that was the skyline above.

They weren't clouds: it took a while, but instincts took over for Celestia: she knew the weather all too well. There had to be a scientifically acceptable reason as to why the sun was shining nothing more than a flourescent light, like a chrome glowing object in space, viewable by all eyes. But there just wasn't: the streaks of black had increased, now looking like small branches on a large evergreen tree.

"Hehehehehe...."

That was when they heard it: a low growl of a voice, very husky: it wasn't a colt voice, but it had laces of masculine-sounding inflection. Though it mostly belonged to a mare's voice. The atmosphere now held the slightest orange tinge, interlocked with the jagged, lightning-like black. "What in Equestria is going on?" Celestia suddenly questioned, sounding now alert.

Suddenly, a sound identical to the entire universe exploding filled the entire sky, and an unknown force of nature completely flew Celestia and her sister back: light blinded them, sound erupted all around them, and pain engulfed them both as they slammed right into the hard ground: the whole atmosphere seemed to have collapsed.

Several seconds passed. Time seemed to reassemble itself: soon, feeling returned. Slowly, Luna's perception and senses returned: she could see the sky was a disturbing mix of blood-red, dark orange, and streaks of bright, icterine yellow. She could smell burnt ozone mixed with something in the grass: very sweet, as if the grass was freshly cut. She could hear sounds of distortion around her, some loud ambience completely blocking up anything else that may have been heard. And she could feel the numbness of her body: from the neckline to flank.

"Shazam! Score one for me!", the voice repeated. It sounded almost identical.

"Who on Equestria are you?" Celestia called out guardedly. "Reveal yourself and we will show peaceful restraint!"

That was when it appeared. It looked like a horrible freak of nature: a mutated creature, though it did have a distinct figure. Roughly the size of a taller draconequis, the whole torso seemed to glow in sleek silver radiance, with electricity dancing around it strangely. It had no distinct or distinguishable shape, but everything else seemed badly put together: two arms popped out from the pockmarked flesh that wasn't covered by metal: one dark green with only three real fingers, none of them the same size: the other one had a full four fingers, but it looked almost identical to a mechanical arm. Some lithium-charged light cells glowed out from random parts of the stuck-out body, and there was a real hoof somewhere: it looked like a dirty blond-like yellow. There were two clawed feet that clapsed and unclapsed for no apparent reason. But the scariest thing about the nightmarishly grotesque figure was its face: or whatever it was: all it was were two red orbs across a face with no nose or mouth: only two ears, a large horn, and eyes. And the wings: randomly placed attachments to an already random figure, bursting out from where the shoulder blades should be: long and both of them different colors: the left and right were an azure blue and deep purple, respectively. It looked hastily made.

"Oh, right, you don't recognize me.", the figure sounded discouraged. "You must not remember me: you didn't wildly emprison me. How straightforward and repetitive of you, Princess."

"You have blocked out the natural light that shines over Equestria! Surrender now and we will show restraint!", Celestia half-yelled, yet still sounding calm and collected.

"Yakkity yakkity yak. Is that all you do? I swear, you're so straightforward: raise the sun, lower the sun, shoot somepony with the Elements, trap them forever. Give me a break!"

"Thou are trespassing amongst forbidden grounds, and are destroying the usual fabric of reality!", Luna retorted.

"For the love! Like sister, like... younger sister!", the figure taunted. "Fine, if you want to know my name, it's Paranoia. Like Smokey Mare says, take only photos, leave only hoofprints!"

Paranoia was now rising above the ground, and in an explosive burst of energy, like a burst of lightning, another figure had replaced the abomination that it was before. There standing was only a simple pony. Roughly the size of the two alicorns, the mare's skin was a thorough orange: like the fading color of the sky during sunset. Her mane was a mix of a menacing gray and slick gold, and her face was contorted in a mocking sneer: her entire frame seemed very well-built, though it was hard to tell underneath the armor-like attachment on her torso: a well-curved bud, pointed at the edges and having lances of red amongst the silver. But the most menacing were her eyes: two festering pools of madness, two unrelenting black holes that stared with such an intensity it was almost like an entirely different galaxy was in the pupils. The wings were widespread, her horn was long and glowed with a green apex: some lightning circled around it. She looked like, impossibly, like a normal mare or alicorn. Yet the two sisters knew deep down, this was simply a body that Paranoia had decided.

"I'm back, baby. I am alive."

Resting peacefully across soggy eastern Equestria land, Ponyville seemed relatively comfortable: with its piney woodland, bustling town, and short-grass prarie, Rainbow Dash stared at the sky, seeing autumn thunderheads hurtle west across the sky, a bank of boiling, blooming flowers across a blue sky with a ball of flare shining down upon Ponyville. The pegasi felt very content. Of course, the ponies actually living in Ponyville were totally unaware of the catastrophe about to erupt. A haze of rain descended in numerous drops through an open circle of golden sunlight in the distance, the distinct sound of rumbling thunder hiding in the premature darkness of the clouds.

And yet it perfectly matched what Dash felt on the inside.

Ever since Twilight Sparkle had introduced them to the true meaning of life, love, and friendship, and Dash - on the inside - realized who her heart truly had belonged to, she had concealed her thoughts to the world. It was such an odd process to hide your thoughts: usually the pegasus was so alive, so radiant, so usually matter-of-factly that it was almost innocent. But there was still one ache inside Dash that ate her up like a disease: like a vicious, clawing monster inside of her, then slashed away at her until the pain became too great. She had never had the heart to tell the particular mare about it, or the courage. Which, ironically enough, is weird for the Rainbow Dash: the Spirit of Loyalty. The bravest pony in Equestria, the one that would sacrifice herself without a thought of her own safety. The only pegasi in Equestria to pull off the famous Sonic Rainboom. And yet she couldn't even admit her feelings to the close friend that she loved so deeply.

Quiet desperation, silent desire.

That was how Dash viewed it for herself. She had holed herself up in the emotional fort for so long she almost felt like it was really causing her physical pain, and yet she felt somewhat at peace for not announcing just how she felt. An otherworldly sense of emotions had been running through her, yet trying to hide it with the usually egotistical, cocky attitude she was known for. And yet it was indescribable: anger, confusion, sadness, bitterness, and unhappiness. Dash had become accustomed to denouncing it as just being an alienated version of herself, whenever her friends inquisitively asked about her, she would always answer with a debauched, dishonest portrayal: "I'm doing great. Ya don't have to worry on the Dash!" And yet she was really just a hidden layer of complexity. Heck, sometimes she couldn't even understand how she functioned. And it wasn't just the whole idea of choking on her own feelings: it was other situations that had occurred, but they way Dash had propelled her own self-defense into the upper echelons of her thoughts spoke louder than her own words.

I love you Rarity...

Was it the stereotypical idea that opposites attract? It was really hard to actually describe waht she thought of the designer unicorn: the always curled-and-fashioned purple mane, the almost accent-like roll and purr of her voice, and how undeniably generous she was. She could detect feelings in ponies that almost no one else could ever find. She could propel a disaster into a success. She gave away valuable time of her own and respected other ponies' opinions even when she didn't agree with them. As far as substantial concerns went, the two usually bickered, and almost nothing Rarity did Dash agreed with: whereas Dash would rather roar through a lightning storm, Rarity would head off to the spa and get herself sparkly-clean, yet still look as awesome as ever. Dash would rather kick clouds and exercise her flank off, then supplement that with consistent, short naps. Rarity? She would design clothing and mostly stay indoors, barely seeing a whole lot of sunlight. And yet she was still interactive and social as anypony else.

Crap, I love you.
Damnit, I love you.

And yet Dash felt... ready.

Whenever there wasn't an event going on, whenever she wasn't endlessly with the five mares she had grown so close to over the months, she had done a little argument with herself: when should she admit to the fashion designer that she did indeed fancy her? She had pictured it happening multiple times, yet her mind never did focus on a happy ending. It was odd: wasn't the brain pattern supposed to eventually come up with something naturally peaceful? But all the pictures that portrayed in her minds and dreams usually ended up bad.

Then the single weirdest thing happened, suddenly matching the earlier depression Rainbow Dash had felt. An incredible mass of clouds enveloped the sky, and the whole world seemed to disappear into faint light.

"Paranoia, you're out of control!"

The unnatural tyrant had now vaulted on its hooves and slammed down right in front of the two alicorns, magic completely lashing off her entire figure. Before, the sun disappearing was simply to scare the alicorns, and nopony else across Equestria had even gotten it: but, of course, they had to ensure 'peace and security', with the entire 'holier-than-thou' route. It bored the living flank out of Paranoia.

But it was a simple plan that Paranoia had contemplated multiple times.

Step One: Remove any and all obstacles. That would be including the alicorns and removing the Elements' power permanently, or at least for a long period of time.

Step Two: Plant her own virus into everypony, watch them all fall into a deep sleep.

Step Three: Paranoia wins. The winning team rules.

As for Step Two, it had been a personal trait that Paranoia had gained over the years, in the underground space that Paranoia had lived in for years, avoiding the harsh gaze of Celestia, and to a lesser extent, her sister Luna: surviving on an endless supply of personally applied magic, she had avoided actually being imprisoned, or worse, having her powers removed. The virus was a trick that she had taught herself, even if it was unoriginal. The virus was naturally airborne and self-implanted, yet it was a hail of disease. Though it wasn't as unoriginal as Loneliness had once attempted - instead, it made the ponies exit their bodies and enter into an entirely different dimension: it had taken a long time for Paranoid to perfect it, but practice makes perfect. And while the miserable ponies all lived in the separate society, in the real world, everything would slowly go to hell, and the ones that Paranoia saw fit as not worthy of virus infection would live under her order. Her intentions were not to just blindly take over the world - she wanted to rule by example, to finish all the things that Celestia could not handle. She would simply the play the world like a violin, then pluck its strings slowly.

"You're underestimating us, Paranoia!" Celestia intoned, now fully glaring and magic was also flashing from the flesh bulge on her scalp. "We will strike you down if you don't surrender!"

"All hail president Celestia!" Paranoia mockingly yelled. "No, wait, more like El Presidente. No, wait, admiral Celestia. Our Great and Powerful Leader! Wait, wait, wait.... Oh, Landlord Celestia! There we go."

"We warned you, Paranoia." Luna suddenly growled. Six bright flashes started to glow around Paranoia, who yawned contently. Although she was exasperated by the unoriginality and undifferentiated situation, it was still entertaining to watch the alicorns attempt to bring her down. They considered her as a joke: Paranoia wasn't. The alicorns didn't know the things that she had seen and the things she had done. The next thing Paranoia knew, several prism-shaped orbs were circled in a triangle-like formation, each one a radiant color to represent a rainbow. Paranoia almost wanted to laugh.

The Elements of Harmony.

"I've never thought of myself as cruel, Paranoia." Celestia said, her voice a low rasp, stern and unchanging. "So I'll give you one last chance. Stop this right now. Without the sun, the world will die. Trees will wither and crops will perish. Now make amends!"

Paranoia suddenly erupted in laughter, not stopping one second for breath. The sensation of moving her muscles in pure joy was a great thing: the alicorns's senses of humor were so grim and straightforward. "Oh this is too rich! I think you both need a slap in the face, by the hoof of reality!"

And with that, Paranoia's horn suddenly began to erupt in a hail of magic, shooting out an arc of energy that connected with all six of the orbs that stood in front of her. Those stupid, ridiculously powerful forces of magic. The Elements had done unchangeable acts four times now, each time a rainbow exploding out of it, destroying abominations of humareity - the Spirit of Chaos and the Spirit of Eternal Despair, both intolerable in Celestia's eyes. The idea of Luna being banished to the moon by her own sister was a bitter irony to Paranoia. How hilarious! Paranoia instantly began to focus on the powerful weapons that she now held, ignoring the shocked expressions of the now-frightened sisters in front of them.

She didn't hesitate. A ray of black and red shot out and connected with five of the gems, the one important and elusive Element being saved for very last. Tendrils of lightning snaked around the magical gemstones, coating them in an eerie glow. It was now time to reverse engineer the Elements. Add an extra sucker punch to it.

Reserve reality.

Greed,

desire,

pride,

vanity,

and disrespect.

"The Elements of Corruption.", Paranoia purred, each Element now completely aligned in an eerie red-and-black glow - it was an interesting experience to see some of the very things that kept reality organized and harmony intact turn into the alternative versions of itselves in a matter of seconds, with the brain patterns coordinating the spell that Paranoia was processing now, and a simple light of the horn. "The Keepers of Disorganization. The Catalysts to the Endgame. Ironically enough? No good at keeping harmony or disharmony than anypony else."

"All brought together by corruption."

The princesses had tried multiple times to stop Paranoia: but she was too strong - as a matter of fact, Paranoia could have very well have had a barrier around her, shielding her from the rest of Equestria. Soon, even she felt the red-and-black light engulf her, then felt one of the most massive occurrences in her body. Blood rushed to her head quickly, adrenaline soared through herself and energy completely coursed through her veins: Paranoia could swore she could see the blood pumping through them. The next thing she knew, light erupted the atmosphere, and lightning exploded in pure voltage.

The image that Paranoia then saw seared into her mind permanently, like an iron through burning coal. The two alicorns were engulfed completely in lightning, and they both uttered haunting screams as their entire bodies were encased in the energy that exploded from the now-infected Elements: looks of pure terror were planted on their expressions.

However that was all Paranoia saw, because then it happened.

The whole world completely disappeared into white light.

Chapter 2: Through Every Forest, Above the Trees

Rarity focused every little thought into her magic as her horn continued to glow with radiating energy, the substance scintillating with a dark blue light. That particular day had been rather boring: the glade-like town of Ponyville was in its natural, organized state - brimming white clouds were looming over the horizon, the furious and now-bright sunlight bathed everything in natural light, and the air was fresh with the smells a mixture of perception: something rotten and sweet, pine, juniper, and freshly cut grass - the smell of rain was close by, the thunderheads in the distance little more than just discrete, orbiting points: like a family of constellations spinning down below the space barrier. On this particular morning, Rarity was showing her creativity once again - and, for some reason, felt more inspired than regular.

The hum of a machine stitching into loose, jersey-like fabric was the only thing heard beside the music-like sound coming off of the horn levitating some extra gold fabric - it took her forever to get it right again - and some music was softly wafting out of a nearby record player: a rich saxophone was entering a solo underneath a soft layer of ambience and acoustic guitars.

Very nice, very nice indeed. Today was a good start.

She overlooked her newest creations, and decided she was somewhat pleased with them - more or less. They ranged from exotic to straightforward to energetic to almost epic - as a matter of fact, all respectively, as four new creations were lined horizontally from one another.

One had been made specifically for Pegasi fliers - she had been inspired, somehow, by watching a raven hovering in the sky, and had thought to create something more majestic, one of those fabulous 'eye-catcher-of-a-dress' dresses. The lining of the entire design was a very light black, running down the entire back of the torso, ending at the hollow of somepony's spine. There were wing attachments, which had been incredibly troubling for Rarity and it took forever - but it was worth it: after having a pegasi named Novah test it out, it turns out the incredible wings almost looked like an alicorn's - huge, widespread, and they could fall back to somepony's sides just as easily, the fabric flaring out then back down, like a pumping machine. The design was black on orange - which Rarity somehow saw as a fitting match and combination, and at the end of things, it looked like a mix between an almost Shadowbolt-looking design, but hopefully much more original than those bland, mismatched coats they wore. Rarity could never understand those.

Another one seemed more like an exercise in expanding her limitations that she usually set up - the main color was a dark, flowing green: the end of the skirt was pointed, almost looking sharp - literally. On the front, from the chest to the lower waist, there were patterns of various things: tracing of bright red lines that ran down - which was green's complimentary color - with some purple interlocking with it, and just a hint of orange lacing right down through the middle and twirling around the other colorful sketches. It could be whatever the viewer had wanted to perceive it as. That was the art of the dress, after all. The next one was more straightforward and elegant - with a logo brand stitched on the back for good measure, it had curved buds of a dark blue lined along the end. ied at the chest, not the ribs, it was a stunning black-and-purple blouse-like outfit, the skirt itself having just the tiniest hint of sequins: it wasn't too flashy, or too overbearing. And lastly: a golden dress highlighted with lances of orange stood out amongst the other almost-dark clothing, with patterns drawn to almost represent a fading sun in a golden horizon. It had three jewels to each side of the dress, reminding Rarity very oddly of Applejack's three freckles on both cheeks. It was definitely a very fun dress, and an intriguing one.

But Rarity had done a rather fabulous job. Just a few more additions.

"I think English philosopher John Stuart Mill said it best in his 1859 essay, 'On Liberty', when he warned of a concept perilous to liberty called 'the tyranny of the majority'. Put basically, this warns of the idea that once you have the votes of a majority in the bag, to all intents and purposes the minority no longer matter, due to the simple fact that they're outnumbered."
Caesar Riley and Jasper Despain, TF141Soldier's Saviors of Apocalypse

"Apocalypse has been explored since the beginning of time. Apocalypse on a personal level is not liked or talked about nearly as much. The Downward Spiral fully realizes the role the individual plays in their downfall, instead of blaming outside forces. And this distinction clearly defines the difference between the current generation and those who were just entering adulthood around the time this album came out. We're continually losing the ability to find a source of personal accountability. Other people may make choices which you view as unfair or threatening, but it's your decision to do with them what you'd like. That is what The Downward Spiral is: a lesson in narcissism, personal accountability, and value of choices. Today the theme is known; the accountability is not."
- Jackson Despain, describing Trent Reznor's signature 1994 album in TF141Soldier's Saviors of Apocalypse

Suddenly the bell to the front door rang open, and Rarity groaned slightly. She put down another addition she had carefully chosen from a local vendor, and trotted downstairs. The entire room still looked the same after so long, a random thought to have. Sweetie Belle was still sleeping, the snores of a lost-in-sleep filly wafting through. The whole structure of the entire place still looked as luxurious and elegant as ever. So what was different?

When the door opened, and the surprise customer flew in - literally - Rarity realized it. The clouds. The clouds had blocked up the sun.

"Welcome to Carouse--" Rarity repeated her signature line, feeling like a broken tape machine, but stopped almost instantly seeing the tomcolt Pegasi that was Rainbow Dash hovering in her doorway. The pegasi did look good - and she had the faint smell of flying through a rainstorm: with some smell of ozone laced around it. Her multi-colored mane was as loose and unkempt as usual, and she had her signature smirk on, but something felt off with her as well, almost matching with the weather. Something in her eyes.

"Rainbow Dash!", Rarity exclaimed, almost cursing at herself for noting the obvious. Dash smiled nervously, her eyes thankfully not betraying the nervousness she felt. Overpowering.

"Welcome to my Carousel! It's odd to see you here!", the white unicorn continued, welcoming the pegasus in with a swipe of her hoof. "What is it that you need?"

"Nuthin'.. I just, eh...", Rainbow Dash stuttered, concentrating on the fuschia-maned unicorn standing in front of her. She hated it when she was insecure: it was so much different from the brash, usually controlled nature. "I just... I needed to talk to somepony." There. It was out. To Dash's surprise, the designer simply nodded, smiling. You're always welcome here, dear. She generously said. Was that really true? And yet, Dash felt herself going into the void again.

Into the void.

That was now the common one-liner Rainbow had used to describe herself whenever this happened: whenever somepony was able to see straight through her mind and question her about what's wrong, and are you okay, and you're sure? But every time it happened, she was always prepared with an explanation, praying that whoever Dash told could understand. But it always choked in her throat, never coming out, and instead giving the always-constant I'm fine lie. It reminded Dash of corrosion: it kept on eating away at her until she couldn't stand it. And on the very day she had prepared to tell the unicorn standing in front of her, she went into the void yet again - lost in the black hole.

Into the void.

The void.

Void.

Quiet desperation, silent desire...

"So what does bring you here, Rainbow Dash? Have you returned to model for me again?", Rarity teased, reminding herself of the day of the Parasprite infestation and how Dash had complained. I need to fly! And how she had tried to flirt and flatter her way out of the entire situation: to some avail, barely spared by Rarity's all-knowing eyes.

"Yeah, that's exactly why the Dash is here!", Dash sarcastically retorted, smirking when she was able to get a graceful laugh out of the porcelain-white pony. Humor? A hopeful check.

"Okay, I will give you the benefit of the doubt, Rainbow Dash. What is it that you want to talk about?", Rarity questioned. Her voice was indescribably attractive: as if she had little music notes come right out of her vocal cords.

Dash gulped. She had to plan this just right, or else everything would be a disaster. Straightforward would be too sudden, beating around the bush would make her too suspiscious. Just lead her into it. Slow and steady. "Well... I've had these... eh, new feelings. For somepony."

"Are you having a conundrum? Problem? And with who, may I ask?", Rarity questioned, sounding oddly entertained, like Twilight when she was fretting about sending a friendship letter.

Dash almost laughed. "Well, I guess. Still, it feels kind of hypo... hypo-"

"Hypo-dimensional?"

"Nah. That's too one-way."

"Hypocritical?"

"Ah, come on, Rare. Ya know that one."

"Hypothetical?"

"I... think I'll just settle fer hypocritical.", Dash finally gave in. She knew that Rarity was just kidding with her. "But, seriously. Everytime I attempt to tell somepony... or the very pony I have these new emotions for... it kinda doesn't feel so awesome anymore."

Rarity had a sympathetic look on her face, and eventually just stopped levitating her work items altogether. "Okay, then. Is it... sympathy?"

"No.. I think... I think it's love."

Rarity's eyes suddenly widened, two massive, blue diamonds of eyes. So beautiful. The expression suddenly changed from surprised to thoughtful. It was as if Rarity somehow knew the answer, but was trying to sort through other non-obvious responses. "Who is she?"

Dash's hopes fell, and she felt like her insides twisted. "H-how did ya know it was a sh-he?"

"We're your friends, Rainbow Dash.", Rarity exclaimed. For some reason, it always intrigued Dash as to why she called her friends by their full names, Twilight aside. "We know you better than you think. But, honestly, dear. Do tell me! I'm... curious, to say the least."

Sheesh, nosy as ever. "Is it... Applejack?"

Applejack?, Dash thought to herself. But right when she thought about it, the chemistry did make sense: the two were competitive and their rivalry was always a sparing point: but they had the same interests and seemed to enjoy one another's company. But it just wasn't right. "Nope. I-it's not."

"Okay, allow me to revise that: is it anyone of our close friends?"

Dash suddenly felt nauseous. "Yea. It is, Rare.", Dash stammered, wondering if Rarity really did know and could do the hard math of solving Rainbow's mind, but was just toying with her to see if Dash would admit it herself.

"Is it Twilight?"

The bookworm? Though Dash had grown so much closer to her friends after Twilight and them had defeated Nightmare Moon, she simply viewed her as... well, an egghead. "Nah."

"Is it Fluttershy?"

Though the shy pegasus had been one of her closest friends since Flight School, Dash didn't find a romantic relationship buried in there. "Nuh-uh. But good guess, I... guess? The mare that I like is 'bout twenty percent cooler than anypony I know."

Rarity started to count by pointing one foreleg against the other. "Well... if it's not Twilight... and it's not Fluttershy... and it's not Applejack... hmm. Pinkie Pie?"

The party pony was indeed a close friend, who for some reason really admired the cyan pegasus. But Dash already knew that there was nothing romantic between the two. "Heh heh. She throws wild parties, but I'm not her guest of honor. Or vice versa."

Rarity now seemed at a loss. Dash bit her lip, and looked away as it started to waver. Her wings had started to falter - they felt almost deadweight now, and her body felt numb. Comfortably numb, but the nervousness shock her body like being struck by lightning. And more importantly, fear spiderwebbed inside herself like a fatal disease. And why weren't those clouds clearing outside?

"Could it be your old friend, Gilda?", Rarity ventured. "Have you two made up?"

Gilda? Dash almost laughed. She remembered how insensitive the griffon had been when she made her visit to Ponyville. "Pssh! No! That's s-so funny, R-rarity!" Now her voice sounded hollow and had begun to stutter.

"Oooh! I can't wait anymore! Tell me, who is this marvelous mare that you love?", Rarity exclaimed, looking almost flustered.

Now Dash was scared. She had gotten herself into this situation, and she needed to get herself out of it. And the only way to get out of it was to give Rarity the dark realization that had ached the pegasus for so long. She took one hard look at the unicorn in front of her, for some reason analyzing every detail: the curled, always lookin'-good manecut, those blue eyes shining like blooming light violets, and how gracefully she always stood. Rainbow Dash gulped, and prepared to say some of the hardest words she had ever spoken.

"I...."

"Are you okay, Rainbow Dash?", Rarity asked inquistively. Dash only registered that she had begun to sweat.

"No, Rarity. You wanna know?" Time had reassembled itself. Time was an illusion now.

"If it's perfectly alright with you, Rainbow Dash: then yes, I wouldn't mind a bit.", Rarity exclaimed, throwing back a curl of hair and levitating a cup of steaming tea. Where had that come from? Dash gulped as her perception returned her, and sang the most difficult song in the world.

"I love you, Rarity."

Never before had silence had its own sound. Now it did. The cup of tea had shattered to the floor, the fragile glass now on the ground left of Rarity. She stood with an indescribable expression: part confusion, part paralyzed shock. Dash had finally exited the void, and was now staring into the two massive eyes of the white unicorn. Speechless. In quiet desperation and silent desire. The waiting game was one of the hardest games, and all the courage and bravery Dash had built out had just exploded very quietly with those four words, which now felt sour in her mouth. Nopony spoke.

That was all Dash needed as a cue. There was an open window, and she flared out her wings and exploded out of the room in a nanosecond. She didn't hear Rarity shouting her name, she didn't see the all-too-watchful eyes, and didn't notice the gray clouds had gotten too high.

It was ruined.

And Dash felt like the ruiner. The catalyst to the endgame, which she had now lost.

And soon, everything would be ruined. With just a little paranoia...

Every day it seems the sky is getting darker,
And every night the stars seem dimmer than before.
"What a world," I said, "where trademarks run the people."
In the end, none of it matters anymore.

What happened to the morals and ideals,
Which we paraded on our banners and our screeds?
What were we fighting for in distant lands on distant shore?
What are we doing while the humans wait and bleed?
Such a pretty sight, to watch the burning skyline;
Beauty found in tragedy; it kept me sane in all these years,
'Cause nobody did anything against the sea of tears

It makes no sense, this violence
I never understood, the intentions true
No compromise, it's suicide
it's clear we're through!

In the end, we have fallen, we are done!
In the end of days, nobody has won!
In the end, we are all that's left to run!
In the end, we will die, we will cry, we are done!
We are over we are through
There's nothing we can do....
- Only Time Will Tell, excerpt from the Tarby ballad, 2011

"What's next to come? Only time will tell...", the alien figure purred as Rainbow Dash flew away, tears leaving a trail from the upward ascension.

Chapter 3: ...And You're Not Loyal

Celestia watched as Paranoia loomed over the garden courtyard near Canterlot Palace, the uneven infastructure looking too white in the sudden darkness, exploding into laughter. The sky was now roasting with incredible storm clouds, nearly asphyxiating any form of blue in the sky - lines of black smeared the sky, like layers of paint on torn butcher paper. And she felt horrible: her long, flowing mane was frazzled, the pain in her wings was excrutiating in its stinging foulness: but the worst part was most of her face, which stung as if splashed by acid. Luna was lying immobile on the ground next to her, looking just as rough and beaten-down as Celestia pictured herself, and then let out a haunting moan.

"Awh, what's the matter Luna?" Paranoia called threateningly, in that same calm and insulting demeanor. "Not seeing your sister's beautiful sun make you hurt?"

"You go to hell." Luna replied, unlike her usual personality.

"Oh, where did you think you were, Luna?" Paranoia growled. "You know what hell is? Hell is your new ADDRESS!"

With that last word, there was a second crash from below, and Paranoia's long horn shone with energy - contorted in an odd position, the two princesses were flung back again, pain exploding all over their sides. Yet another Element had lost its power. Paranoia had been picking through them one by one - there were now only two left. The next thing Celestia saw was Paranoia's hands sparkling in magic, the edges of it scalloped like broken glass on an old window. The sound of stretching flesh sounded through the air, and then the round hooves were then replaced by eight different additions in its place. Paranoia had grown fingers, real fingers - neither of them the same size, but they looked deadly and able to control all kinds of power.

"Well, let's count down the list, everypony.", Paranoia called, now counting down the names on her new fingers. "Honesty - lost. Laughter - depleted. Kindness - nonexistent. And now the most important one of them all, Magic? Is dead. Harmony is dead."

Now the two glowing orbs floated around Paranoia's head - the Elements of Generosity and Loyalty, sparkling. Paranoia's face was now frowning, staring contently at the two pieces of power. "Generosity and Loyalty. You know what? I think I'm going to keep these myself." With that last sentence, she gave a daring look towards Ponyville - what did that look mean, thought Celestia - and snapped her fingers, the orbs entirely disappearing. A feeling of complete disoreintation overtook Celestia, one of total defeat. Paranoia had really thought this through.

"Well, it's time for me to go." Paranoia purred. "I suppose you two haven't been shown the error of your ways?"

"Why..." Celestia mumbled.

Paranoia's glowing horn retracted to none at all - a sign that her rant had stopped for just the slightest second, then turned toward Celestia with her body straightened. "So clueless. You don't remember me? God, you can barely even remember yourself. I was here to take care of all the things you could never handle."

"Just like you always have." Paranoia muttered, more to herself than the princesses. "Well now I am. And I'm gonna do it my way."

The next thing Celestia knew, wind was flapping wildly: Luna briskly attempted to make a last stand, but the minute her wings flared out, they suddenly were bathed in an unknown source of energy and clambered abruptly back to her sides, giving a scream the minute they did. Celestia tried to do the same, but a sharp pain sliced down them, then they fell back to her sides. Then she closed her eyes. It was an attempt. A failed attempt.

Not here Celestia thought. Not now. And then she blacked out, having the briefest sensation of floating.

Rainbow Dash stood perched above a stray cloud, late in the last hours of her old life. Dash was facing east, away from Ponyvile - away from her., now several miles from the town she called home. The evening cold was already swinging through the atmosphere, the distinct sound of voltage rumbling in the air, and the gyring, orbiting stars - barely visible through the thick gray mass that now took over the sky like - like constellations watching the world from space. From all around Dash came familiar and unfamiliar sounds and sights - the sound of music coming through a local casino, bright with neon colors. The sound of vendors closing up for the night. The sharpness and whoosh of brisk air in her lungs. The mountains had declined to a broad valley, barely visible in the moonlight. Grass was tall and parched, with numerous trees and their gnarled fingers lanced with leaves, and in various culverts ran water. But the most unknown sound she heard was the very sound of her own crying.

Everything she had worked for was done for: nothing more, nothing left. Dash had been crying hard through the night. Her chest lurched, her throat was strangled, and her eyes stung from the tears. Dash thought she had ruined it - completely blown whatever she had between herself and Rarity, and hadn't stopped since, the moon now a region of paleness in the lifeless sky. Just how badly did Rainbow think she ruined it? She didn't want to know where she was, or how she was. She didn't care if her lungs rotted, or if she fell out of the sky. She didn't care if she was in another galaxy altogether.

I'm sorry, Rarity. I'm so sorry.

She was sniffing, and then a massive implosion soared through the sound barrier: immense and pure, like the world's largest camera shutter and snap. Rainbow Dash ducked her head into the cloud she was on, her ears ringing intensely, her eyes snapped shut. A rush of wind shook the wind, and now the only thing that was real for Rainbow Dash at that moment was one thing: time.

Time had seemed to slow down immensely, to a standstill, as if a segment of space and time was looping - over and over. Who knew how many seconds later, and Dash was finally able to bring herself back into reality. Bells rang in Dash's ears, and her eyes had little white dots in the line of vision, twinkling like shattered stars in the alien light that now bathed everything. She heard screams, and then her instinct was to fly back into Ponyville. Ignoring whatever was around her, Dash saw that everything had escalated into confusion and disorientation - everypony's expressions were taut with fear as Rainbow hovered over, running and thrashing around and looking up to the sky.

The next thing Rainbow Dash knew, she was in front of a large tree, then she opened her mouth. "TWILIGHT!" Her voice was now a scratchy rasp, due to crying. Her eyes felt heavy.

It took only a second before the lavender unicorn and her similarly purple assistant answered the door. Dash sighed - if anypony had an explanation, it would have to be the most studious person in town. "What the hay is goin' on here?" The town looked more out of order than it did during stampedes.

"Somepony is wrecking havoc on Equestria!" Twilight shouted back, probably knowing that she was stating the obvious already. Dash smirked, attempting to lighten the mood between herself and the mare in front of her. Spike had thrown his arm in an arc, something ejecting from his claw, and Dash barely caught it: it looked like a messily written letter. The Princess! Of course - she always had an answer. Dash instantly felt another pain come inside her. She wished there was magic that could help her through her own dillema.

With a gulp, Dash opened the scroll, gripping her hooves around it.

tO MY faIThful student,

I can bsIarely write. An unKNoaga foe has rISen fr0m undORGrewnd - gAther the eletttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

At that very moment, a flash rang through the sky, and Rainbow look up, horrified at what was there: a beautiful-looking mare, yet looking as evil as possible. It was confusing to look at the pony: everything looked normal - the composure, the mane, the lining of the internal parts - besides a couple of things: it had both wings and a horn, and there were no hooves: only dangling fingers and toes. An alicorn with hands. "Attention everypony! You have a message from your leader! Tonight's forecast? Virus, with widespread screaming and torture! To all who are not infected, meet me north of here if you want to live! To all who aren't? Well, you all have to die! It's been fun!"

Then a sound of the ground shaking rang through the air - Dash was picked up and flown back, her wings faltering and utterly useless, then slamming into the ground. The situation couldn't have been any worse than it already was. From what she had read - and seen - apparently a powerful pony had come back from hiding, and was taking control of the continent. Dash feared for the princesses' safety, and more importantly, feared for her friends' safety. A virus? As if to answer her question, a ring was circling through the air - almost the size of a Sonic Rainboom's ring - glowing a hauntingly dark yellow.

Dash was starting to feel a little woozy.

What a waste. And time was running out.

Very, very woozy...

Rainbow forced herself to open her eyes, and the alien light that had originally glowed was now absolutely everywhere - the air seemed almost infected with it. But then Dash looked ahead, and what she saw horrified her.

Ponies were passed out, or passing out.

Most of them were slumped over on the ground, with odd laces of yellow light being pulled into them, like water being sucked down a drain. They all looked glazed over and almost dead, but Dash knew better. The ones that still regained consciousness were either violently puking and not stopping, coming out like roofing water, or laying on the ground screaming in what Dash could only identify as fear.

The turbines started to spin in Rainbow Dash's head. She picked herself up, noticing the numbness in most of her body, and flew across the sky, searching the faces of ponies. Almost all of them Dash somewhat realized, though her mind wasn't functioning correctly - she felt almost like she was staring at a picture through muddy water.

Then she saw the indigo-maned mare down below.

Something snapped inside her mind and she rocketed downward. It was indeed Rarity - Dash hadn't mistaken it. The unicorn looked horrible, probably even worse than most around there. Her usually well done-up mane was frazzled and wet down, her body seemed to just scream exhaustion and weakness. But the worst part were her eyes - though she was conscious, they darted around slowly and were half-open, the rest looking ridiculous.

"Rare?" Dash exclaimed, exasperated. "C'mon, Rarity! You gotta stay awake!"

All she got was a loud cough in response, spit flying.

"It's me. Rainbow Dash. Multi-colored mane, fast flyer?" Dash continued. The words just seemed to fly right out of her mouth. "Please stay with me, okay? Can you talk? Can you stand?"

She got a quick shake of her head in response. To both?

Dash had the sensation to wail, or vomit, or scream, or something. She had already checked the library - Twilight was gone, and she wouldn't wake up. Dash was amazed she was standing - she had seen a few other ponies up and about, but they hadn't stayed up nearly as long as Dash had. Something seemed to purr inside Rarity's chest - the virus was inert. Dash didn't know or care if she had it. She couldn't save Rarity.

She felt useless again. This time, she couldn't just pull off a rainboom and save Rarity from falling to her death.

To all who are not infected, meet me north of here if you want to live!

With a burst of rage, Dash flared out her wings and soared through the sky, faster than she ever had before.

The path that Dash had followed west by far-sighted vision was gone now, drowned in long grass and plants and trees. The area that she had saw multiple mares in had to be where Paranoia was, and they all looked like they had suffered several war wounds. The ground there was well worn, bits of grass grew through cracks in the stone, as if it had been walked on by dozens upon dozens of ponies. The plants looked healthy as if they had been well tended and cared for, and there was surrounding cobblestone. It was a courtyard, Dash realized.

It was payback time, the minute she saw the sneering face of Paranoia.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash!" Paranoia announced, who was now flying slower. "I see I really did save the best for last!" Then, in a sudden burst, Dash spun in a perfect one hundred and eighty degree arc, then extended her right hind leg. The minute she got close to Paranoia's now slightly intimidated face, then reared back and struck her across the face with as much possible force she could put into it, knocking the alicorn straight to the ground.

"YOU BUCKING MONSTER!" Dash yelled as she flew down, ignoring the startled gaze of the travelers behind her. Rainbow then angled her body and began to bring her forelegs down - but before she could throw another hit, the alicorn spun back to her legs and slammed a foreleg into the cyan pegasi's unprotected face - pain erupted from Rainbow's cheek.

"That's the spirit, Rainbow." Paranoia purred, now standing in a defenseless position.

"You forgot me, didn't you?" Dash retorted, now rubbing the spot where she had been hit - now swollen. "You wanted to get every Element. Every bearer of it - right from the princesses to us. But not me. You never got me. I'm gonna make you regret it."

Paranoia then erupted into laughter - nothing more than a schoolfilly laugh. "Oh you foal! You don't get it. I saved you personally!"

"Wha-" Dash didn't finish, instead lunged forward, but her hoof caught empty air. Too late. Paranoia came back around and encased Rainbow in magic, who now felt the tingles of it all around her body. She was starting to feel woozy again, but she wouldn't let sleep overcome her. Not now.

"What a loyal pony." Paranoia muttered. "Either the bravest mare I've ever met, or the biggest foal on the planet. Which are you?"

"A little bit of both." Dash intoned. If she was going to survive and make her move, she had to work around it. Paranoia was a liability. Dash thought before she acted, but she was worried that Paranoia was running a plan right through her head.

"So, how's Rarity?" Paranoia said.

With a howl, a deep animal sound of pain, Dash forgot everything and broke right through the bubble of magic that she was previously trapped in. Paranoia ducked back, a self-protective and surprised gesture, right before Rainbow flared out her wings and pushed her forelegs into Paranoia's chest, exploding into righteous speed. Dash instantly bit right into Paranoia's horn, denying her of any magic. The latter barely made a sound. Then Rainbow ascended upward just so slightly, and gave a full force buck into Paranoia, using speed over blind strength.

"Oh, here she goes again." Paranoia said. "Glorifying machismo and violence like the tomcolt that you are. You foal." She then rolled to the side as Dash's hind legs slammed into ground, which then stung for just the briefest second.

"You never DID answer my question about your love life." Paranoia continued. "How is she sleeping? Because trust me, there's worse things than me."

"Keep talking. I got all the reasons to shut you up." Dash continued, giving one hard drive straight to home and coming down hard, compressing Paranoia's wings into the ground, beginning to grind and twist. Paranoia's horn began to glow, shooting a ray of magic into the pegasus attacking her, feeling pain rise from her chest. Spangled motes danced across her face, but the pegasus continued the onslaught.

"Face it, Rainbow Dash." Paranoia growled, sounding incredibly amused. "Nothing would ever work out between you two. I'm the reason you were such a foal to admit it. And besides - you may be loyal, but did you really think your other friends would be?"

"What are you yakking 'bout?" Dash asked, now sounding out of breath, her eyes fixed on the sneer on her face.

"Oh come on. Just because you're the loyalest of all ponies, doesn't mean everyone else will be." Paranoia said, now encasing Dash in magic again and getting in her face. "That's all ponies want to do. They only seek to pursue their own goals and desires - and their friends are simply just thorns in their sides. Additions. Slaves to assist them in their little plot. And all they want to do is look out for themselves. They are all more devoted to themselves than they are to their friends, country, or family. Are you really that blind?"

Dash shrunk against Paranoia. Nothing anypony had ever said burned as much as whatever Paranoia had just said. The idea that Rainbow Dash was living in a world full of senseless figures and ponies was almost too much to bear. And yet... what Paranoia had said struck a chord, had struck a nerve badly. Tears began to well up, and pain was all over her body.

"I'm not going to play your game." Dash growled. "You'll never make me."

"In every game, there are dangers, rules, limits, winners, and losers." Paranoia continued. "And you know what? I don't think you've been acquainted."

Dash was then thrown to the side, still being trapped in pure energy.

"Face it, Dash. You're not brave enough..."

Dash was slammed into the ground in an arc through the air, hitting right onto her hind legs and forelegs hard, making them shake and dance.

"You're not smart enough..."

The pegasi was slowly getting spun around rapidly, fire burning in her lungs.

"You're not strong enough..."

And then the magic ended as she was flown back, a rush of wind engulfing her body as she slammed into the ground on her back, a sharp pain slicing up her spine.

"And you're certainly not loyal enough to beat me." Paranoia ended her rant. Dash was bruised in almost all of her body, besides her head and the vital parts of her lower waist. The rest of her body was a wasteland.

"So go ahead. Hunt me down throughout the world, try to stop me. Try to recreate the wasteland that is Equestria. Fly around. You'll find nothing. And you certainly won't find love."

Dash had began to give a modicum of defeat by wailing slightly.

"Sleep well, Dashie." And then Paranoia was gone, and darkness enveloped Rainbow Dash's world.

"Dash?"

"Daaaaash."

"I have faith in you, Dash."

So she wasn't dead yet. And pain had naturally left her body. She groaned and got up, still feeling the grogginess after waking up but not opening her eyes. It was a husky, masculine voice calling her name, but had paid no attention to it. She hurt too much emotionally. She had lost.

She had failed them.

With no real purpose of going on, she finally awakened. And dangling in her eyes was a letter, yellowed by age. She shook off the sleep from her eyes. Why would someone just give a letter instead of talking to her right in front of her?

Wearily, she began to read.

Rainbow Dash,

I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot of time left. As you may have known already, you are one of a group of extremely rare people who are immune to Paranoia's virus. The name of it is called 'the dreamer'. If you would like to know: Paranoia will make you fall into a deep sleep and exit into another reality, another dimension. Whereas you live in her own world, the virus eats your body alive while you are asleep.

I have a way to stop it all. Everything.

And you're the last piece of the puzzle.

Meet me in the library,

The Dreamkeeper

I'd listen to the words he'd say
But in his voice I heard decay
The plastic face forced to portray
All the insides left cold and gray
There is a place that still remains
It eats the fear it eats the pain
The sweetest price he'll have to pay
The day the whole world went away

Chapter 4: ...Is Knowing That You Put It Together

"Daaash. Good to see you in the flesh."

The library. Why did everything have to happen in the library? But the minute Dash had gotten up, she noticed that she was passed out for a while. Her weather pony watch said 6:00 AM, but it was hard to tell. The sun was completely blocked out from the world, gray clouds spiderwebbing and blooming across the sky like a group of colorless flowers in season. Fog was misting in an unknown space, a haze of cold that made the air all the more thinner and clean - the whole town was deserted, and almost seemed too literally like a ghost town. It would be if the Dreamkeeper was lying. But floating right in front of her - a roughly tall creation, its skinny limbs and stretchy torso covered in aluminum: the flaming blue eyes overlapped the gold yellow eyelids behind the pupils - a smirk was on his face, though an exasperated one. With a snap of his fingers - four of them, none of them the same length - a glass of some drink appeared: Dash figured it to be soda, due to the sizzling and the carbonated pop. It would help with the stomachache she had - like someone had pulled a nerve.

"I don't have a whole lot of time." Dash groaned, taking a sip of the plastic-covered bottle. "Just give me the details about this girl and how I can stop her."

"How impatient." Dreamkeeper said, but some waver in his voice lessened the comment's blow. "But if you want to know where this all began.."

"One thing at a time, Dreamer." Rainbow joked, feeling chastened. "I want you to tell me exactly what I'm doing."

The Dreamkeeper stretched slightly, amazed at how good Dash actually looked. How she could fight one of the strongest beings in Equestria and still look like she could run a marathon was beyond his comprehension. He then pivoted slightly, and Dash saw the hollow of his spine light up in a red glow: his fingertips were doing the same thing. The spine was the source of magic? But after a flash of dark light, a large screen-shaped figure was floating in a cloud. In the cloud was a picture of a mare - skin as pink as the eraser on a pencil, the braided mane glowed a rich, honeyed red. The mare was unconscious, but Dash could clearly see a set of wings clasped to the side, with a sharp horn at the top - an obvious alicorn. The lights in the room were flourescent, and a time-stamped digital watch lay in her left foreleg. The sleeping - hopefully asleep - mare was lying on a white bed, tipped at a forty-five degree angle toward the dull light that pulsed in the shaded nuclear cells. On a table next to her was an amount of supplies that made Rainbow Dash think this pony was in a hospital - dozens of pill bottles, injection syringes sealed in a thick plastic, loose gauze and ointment, a gray scalpel, chrome basin, and small tubes that pumped an unknown substance through it - Dash couldn't tell. An oxygen tank, pale green, was parked next to the bed, beating steadily.

"This was the pre-Paranoia.", Dreamkeeper explained. "The little Mane Doe that she was. Before she turned into the different form that you saw of her, this is what she was: just a filly."

Dash was incredulous, but the situation was obvious - Paranoia wasn't just there for no reason. "I honestly don't get it. Why does she look so different?"

"Okay, fine.", Dreamkeeper said, wetly clearing his throat. "Here's the background, or at least what I know. About two hundred years ago, an underground - not literally, of course - science foundation got a message from a pegasi in Marizona. They said that they had stumbled upon what could of been one of the biggest medical discoveries in history, and that they wanted to avoid public word - they wanted it to be their own secret. So the ponies - who were named the Mojave Mares, all fillies, known as the Double M - decided what the hell, we'll see. But there was this one pony who had one of the strangest symptoms known to ponies: a virus not even science could solve."

The Dreamkeeper continued: the virus was never found out, but it turned out to be excluded from 99.9% of the world, with only the slightest exceptions in the form of thirteen ponies. They all had the same disease: but this gave them all positive benefits. They could go on for hours with unexplained energy, gained color that was drained from their bodies. The energy they had lost was being inexplorably pulled back into it - like water being sucked down a bath drain. So in an attempt to stabilize the virus from becoming airborne, they created their own spirit for years and years. Eventually came Paranoia: the original form of what had been the pink filly that Dash had just seen. But instead of having positive aspects like it originally had, the whole thing had negative effects and positive effects. Although there was energy, almost everything was corrupted: it had become a liability, and scared the living hell out of everypony that passed them - hence the self-given title, Paranoia.

Eventually it was leaked to the officials, who took instant action. The bunker was found, and almost all of the scientists were either arrested or shot. Paranoia, however, had escaped underground: avoiding the almost-inevitability of being destroyed or shut down.

So that's it. Paranoia was a virus who spread its own sickness. Nothing more than a creation from somepony who had already had a life. It was sick - literally.

"And soon, Paranoia started to spread her influence, so to speak.", Dreamkeeper kept going, worrying Dash a little. "Say there was any source of energy or passable substance she could fine. The virus wouldn't go airborne, the scientists would of been long dead by then. So Paranoia started smaller. Infecting old lithium cells that still had power to spread across all electricity. Infecting the water in active dams - which was the big leap - and even going as far as using some hint of radiation that reflected off the sun. I'm seen firsthand what it can do. And here's the ironic twist: despite how much Paranoia had accomplished and hidden, nopony had actually learned about it. The ones who were infected could go for whole weeks without even knowing they had the virus - but they didn't live far beyond that. After going into a deep sleep, they exit reality and their own mind destroys the muscles, nerves, and bones in the body - it infects the blood stream itself and cuts off circulation, eventually stopping the heart altogether. But the ponies would be all of in dream land to even notice the pain."

"What if they weren't?", Dash blurted out, the first time she had actually spoken in at least a dozen minutes. It was like having a book read to you - that's how she saw it, for the few books that she had actually read. "What would the pain be like then?"

"Unimaginable."

Time's passage was barely noticeable now - all that was left was action. The Dreamkeeper stood. "Paranoia created her own little twisted dream universe to send ponies to. But she had forgotten about me: I know the only spell that can bring live ponies into it."

Dash felt her heart start to thump at a ferocious rate. The idea was dangerous - she was expecting something like destroy the clouds that blocked up the sun, maybe do a Sonic Rainboom. Those totally awesome tricks she could do in her sleep. But the idea of going inside a dying mind? Unbelievable. Rain had begun to fall in a haze, the thunderheads above her rumbling in cataracts.

But she was the Spirit of Loyalty.

There was no turning back now.

"I know it's a lot to take in.", Dreamkeeper exclaimed, his voice softening. "And I know it's kind of a surprise to see me - the last time you saw me, it was just to entertain you." Oh, did Dash remember: the Dreamkeeper's hilarious jokes, the random appearances, the impossible factors and physical capabilities that he somehow achieved. He wasn't even a spirit, for godsakes! But now he was all business -- very rare for him.

"Just... let me go in.", Dash muttered, giving in. "If I really am the cure to the world, then I'm ready. Who's the test subject?"

Dreamkeeper stiffened, then turned around. Before Dash knew it, she could visibly make out the hollow of his spine glowing in a light yellow light, with his fingers pulsing with red energy as well. A light flash was seen and heard, and then he turned back around, levitating only one unconscious pony.

"I'm afraid you won't like this part."

Dash looked at the test subject, the one she would help. But she saw the mare and almost collapsed. She rubbed her eyes, then vaulted back on her hind legs. Rainbow Dash thought she was just hallucinating - but when she saw the indigo mane and the porcelain white skin, she realized it was all too real.

Rarity.

Something like fire burned inside Dash's chest. "Is it your job to make me an emotional wreck? Because if it is, you're doin' a pretty good job of it."

Dreamkeeper laughed heartily. "It's your friend. I figured it would... improve your situation with her, so to speak. You two have grown pretty distant." It was then that Dash understood: she was immune, and Dreamkeeper had saved Rarity for Dash. It could of been anypony else, but the unicorn that Dash had almost fallen out with just a couple of days ago. She could only stare with mute incomprehension, like she had stepped into a movie at the last minute.

"...Okay."

"Well I hope you're ready.", Dreamkeeper muttered. "I'd be very angry if I went through that whole speech just for you to sneak away at the last minute. And I feel like I've had a very full morning already."

Then a paper was floating in Dash's face, the title splashed in splotchy black letters. Where had this come from? But once her eyes focused on it, Dash began to read.

The Dreamkeeper's Guide to the Dreaming World

Just remember these instructions while you're in Paranoia's universe.

1. Once you awaken, you will be the only one with memories of the time before the dreams.

2. Find Rarity, the Chosen.

3. Explain to her your intentions (they don't have a lot of personality, so it should be relatively easy) and come into her household.

4. Give the memories back to her. In the dream realm, the number one and only thing that can fight off the virus are memories.

5. Be sure to give examples and memories of the Elements of Harmony.

6. Once Rarity remembers you, I will secure your escape.

7. Do not repeat memories. Do not lie unless it is absolutely necessary. And most of all? Do not give up.

The best thing about life
is knowing that you put it together

Step Four. That one rang around in Dash's head, afloat with pain. So now she really understood. All the ponies in a deep sleep, infected, would probably remember the horrors that would happen to them. And in a world where you could make the impossible happen, they could probably kill Paranoia and remove the virus themselves. But the alicorn had siphoned away the memory of time's passage, instead replacing it with little to no personality, opinions, just bolting down the way of the realm. And the one-liner at the end summed everything up in one sentence: she had to put back the pieces of the puzzle by giving memories of happiness and friendship. It seemed almost astronomical, the dangers that could be.

"How will I--"

"I'll figure out a way to send the paper into the dreaming.", Dreamkeeper interrupted, as if he was reading her mind. "I just hope that you're ready - we really need to get going."

"Pff. I'm the Element of Loyalty!", Dash exclaimed, puffing out her chest in an obviously fake gesture. "I'll have this done in ten seconds flat."

"Good. Now close your eyes, fall asleep, and leave the rest

to me....."

Rainbow Dash then woke up.

In the upper echelons of dreams.

As the pegasus groaned and stood up, she saw the yellowed paper fall from her back, and noticed a small knapsack roped around her torso and back. But then she stood up to note her surroudings, and was shocked straight out of her mind. Right out the bat, the sky was utterly stormy. Although the perception was distorted by the naturally endless sky, lightning swirled and struck high above the shelf of storm clouds in a cataclysm of voltage, jags of thunder rumbling along side it in the void that was the colorless sky. The mountains in the distance were incredibly, cresting the clouds and going far beyond the fog that now covered the ice-tipped edge, and declined to a broad valley of snow and rock. Barely anything had color except the glowing cyan of her body, and her own multi-colored mane. Sagebrush lofted around the forested folds of the area she was in, and the air was thin. Everything felt off - both physical and metaphysical, like a major organ leaving your body. The only shade of color she saw in the devoid world was a space of sky in the distance, rumbling with energy, the space lit in the most confusing mix of red, fire orange, and icterine yellow: the ocean sloshed underneath her when she turned around, and saw jagged rocks and explosions of huge water go across the wasteland that was this place, and the wasteland that was probably the beach. And she had the briefest feeling of floating. There was an excuse for a roadway that was in the courtyard she laid in, tracing a bulge through a landscape of colorless, stunted trees and snow: the immeasurable horizon stretched for miles. Time was impossible to figure out here: though Dash doubted it mattered at this point.

"What the hay...", Dash mumbled.

But eventually she began to walk forward. To Rarity. To the world. To memory.

And didn't look back.

Chapter 5: The Day She Went Away

For a halting second, Rainbow Dash had the odd feeling that she was trapped in a lucid dream - that she was really just lost in the haze of sleep in her cloud colonnade in the sky, resting away lazily. But soon memories washed within her. What had happened with the... outbreak. And why everything seemed so black and white. Why was it? Almost everything seemed to be entirely engulfed in a place without any form of color. The sky, the ground, the trees. Hay, even the water was entirely gray. Up above, the sky seemed almost artificial - not real, due to no sign of natural light anywhere. Passages and corridors led far beyond where Dash slowly walked, her mind a daze.

"Okay..." Rainbow Dash said, barely catching that she was audible. "So what the hay am I here for again? Oh, right. Help save world from virus." She almost laughed at how cheesy that sounded, yet how dangerous it really was. Saving townsponies from falling structures, and rescuing fillies in strollers she did on a daily basis. This? Bah. It made fixing a dam sound easy. No, worse. It made pulling off a Sonic Rainboom sound easy. And somewhere in the world right now, she was asleep - right inside Twilight Sparkle's library. In here? Rescuing the world with the pony she loved.

Or used to love. Did she?

Of course she did. If she still cared about Rarity, like or dislike, it meant she still loved her. With that last thought, she groaned. Making these trips made her physically and emotionally hollow, always exhausted. Life just seemed too damn hard. The last expanse of lifeless trees and various cobblestone structures were beginning to dip, angling sharply over the continuing hills and expansive landscape ahead of her - the road was long absorbed by stone. Even the grass was gray. This was going to be a real fun trip.

More thoughts continued to fill her head. She wondered how a world - or any magical trick feasible - would be possible. Sure, there will some alicorns who knew a wide, wide variety of magic that other ponies wouldn't - in particular spirits. But Paranoia wasn't spirit, or even an alicorn - Rainbow Dash could tell by the structure and build-up of the wings that they were born by magic. So something was definitely up with Paranoia -- this was a unicorn who knew more than even Twilight Sparkle did, and she was the single most talented pony Dash had known. And if Paranoia was weak to memories given to his world, would he be able to trick others into his own little realm?

The thought of something sick like that almost felt like a bubble ready to burst inside Rainbow Dash. She shook it off and concentrated on the seemingly simple task ahead of her: fine the unicorn - her hopeful crush - and bring life back to the dead. Hopefully not literally.

"Remind me not to buy any real estate here.." Dash muttered to herself, probably to provide an air of confidence. When she had finally reached the so-called 'town' of the dream realm, she found herself completely amazed. Everything was made of clouds, bringing back roaring memories of Flight Camp for some reason - the swirl of storm clouds, the endless races, the Rainboom she had pulled off. It was entirely weird: there was a lot of white in the clouds, making it look like the glaringly bright sun was still shining on them, but everything else seemed entirely out of order: as she traversed the wrinkled plateaus that should of have been the colorful and alive ground, Dash realized there was no way a few of her senses worked at all.

It was weird: she could see, hear, and touch. But she could not taste the saliva in her mouth, or smell anything. Did Paranoia remove the sense of perception?

Cruel. The clouds sawtoothed the sky like a brooding bulk of high-cresting embankments - the very small space directly southeast of Rainbow Dash was a mix of red and yellow. What was the deal with that? Why did it seem a million miles away? Though perspective here was ruined by the loss of direction and sense of balance here - like a neverending timeglass. One funny thing: the so-called town she was approaching wasn't really one at all: there were numerous outbuildings, shacks, and cabins that looked waxy and rusted from age - but everything else seemed entirely outdoors. Colorless boulders hooked directly to the right, and the weather-beaten walls that grew from the grass inexplicably were towering without any support. A river - even the water seemed colorless - was rushing through, held in place by an earth dam with no distinct shape, two hundred acres of still life.

As disturbing was it was...

it was almost peaceful. Dash cast a glance around her. No physical life seemed to be anywhere: the usual hub-bub and bustle of life and nature was distorted here, almost like an old western story Dash had read once - truth be told, she rarely made it through a whole lot of books. The towering structures - though not made by clouds, by modern material, were floating on them, defying all possibilities of reality - seemed twisted and out of place, as if they were shoddily added to over the years.

But then as Dash crossed over a wooden bridge over the water - which seemed to run through the clouds like rainbows in the Weather Factory, without any physical possibility whatsoever - there seemed to finally be a sign of life. It was definitely a pony: it had those huge, bulbous eyes that everypony had, and had a distinct mane. Though even this had a lack of color: an unflattering mix of gray, black, and white - with only a little blue inbetween. It reminded Dash of old films her parents used to watch. Heck, it even had the same bodily structure as a mare or a colt. But that was where it stopped. This was an earth pony, but it seemed to simply float on the ground. There was no cutie mark, and it was impossible to tell just what gender it was.

Then dozens more came into Dash's view further down, now actually looking normal: sights and sounds and smells finally came back into her mind, perspective finally returning. "I love the smell of normalcy in the morning."

Rainbow Dash was now searching for any distinct face. But everypony had the exact same mane as everypony else: three distinct bangs in the front, then pulled at the back in a V-style. It was impossible to tell who was who. And even though some of them had wings, the pegasi never used those flying mechanics that were implanted in their body from birth. Dash, however, was not worried: she knew the Dreamkeeper would alter things slightly so Rarity would stand out. And Dash's own memories had already registered who to look for: the other captured ponies here would be under the memories they were GIVEN by Paranoia.

But even they did not seem to acknowledge eachother. It was totally... not awesome.

But then Dash looked down and noticed something... change. It was almost impossible to recall the events in her mind later on - she couldn't explain it. But there was an undeniable shift in factors - one minute she was staring at a pony looking as recycled as the rest, the next minute it changed: the mane, the style, and Dash even spotted a cutie mark on the center of her flank - at least Dash thought it was a her.

Was that Rarity? Dash almost squealed in joy and flew down towards the cloudwalk where the pony was standing. It looked like it could be: there was definitely a horn. Dash hid from view behind a cloud barrel, and detected some definite masculinity in that pony's voice. But then the exact same sound came from another pony talking to her, and the same one from another. Their voices were altered to sound the same. Holy horseapples.

"Psst... hey! Hey, you! Unicorn!" Dash whispered as loudly as she could, daring to take a peek out of the barrel, somehow afraid if being spotted might trigger an unknown factor. But as she saw the same face, it instantly changed from the regular, indifferent pony that she had seen: and then a look of total shock and confusion.

And there it was again. The mane then changed - it was straight back, almost rounding against her neck. It was definitely a her - there were eyelashes. But the cutie mark was not a diamond - it was instead a constellation-like star, filled with other scintillating figures. Dash felt igninted inside. It was Twilight. Though it was not who she was looking for, it was definitely a clue.

"Hey, Twi! Remember me?" Dash attempted, not knowing how to do this.

"Who the hay are you?" Twilight pressed. Her voice still sounded the same as everypony else's - that pitch and the colorless figure the only sign she didn't stand out like Dash's own mane.

"I'm Rainbow Dash! Totally awesome flier, the Element of Loyalty? Your friend?" Dash continued before she was onslaughted.

"I've never seen you, but how the hay can you use your wings? How the buck do you look so... DIFFERENT? Your mane, and your body, it looks....... d-different!"

They didn't even know the WORD color. Dash groaned. "Don't you remember me?"

Then the mane disappeared, looking exactly the same as everypony else's. "I've never seen you before in my life." Her companions were now looking at her with a worried expression, yet somehow managing to have that slack, almost lifeless expression.

"Hey, who are you talking to?" One colt-looking figure asked. Dash, again, couldn't tell.

"Look at her!" the anti-Twilight announced, the cutie mark disappearing. "Look at how... unnatural she looks! The mane! The body! The... that THING on her flank!" Now the eyelashes were gone. It was as if the body was spiraling downhill in stages.

"I don't see anypony." One of them announced. They almost reminded Dash of soldiers in the Solar Empire or New Lunar Republic - ponies you didn't remember, or didn't know. So unmemorable - literally! Then there was no sign that Twilight was even the way she was earlier. Dash almost cried, hiccuping a bubble of emotion that burst inside her.

"I... I'm sorry. Maybe I was distracted." Twilight finally let in, frowning noncommitally. Dash almost wanted to give in right there. She just needed to keep searching, try to find Rarity's face. She was the only way to save herself now.

Dash almost let out a scream, but held it in and flew right back up, disappearing into the world again. So she was invisible in a place where everypony looked the same. What a place for you to stand out in. Suddenly, there was another distorted change - Dash could barely see it, but there it was. A quick shudder of light in the sky - right near a large, oddly built building. More faceless - not literally - ponies seem to not be affected by the sudden change. Weird: after the reaction Twilight had violently shown, Dash expected everyone to consider eachother crazy. But now she was interesting.

Bucking up in the air again, Dash flew towards where the light was now just a low humming, fluttering like small wings hovering in the air. It emitted waves of an unknown energy, like a hot sun during the middle of summer. And then as the light progressed forward, Dash followed, experiencing just how truly large this weird forest/colonnade really was - it seemed almost massive, some structures towering like ancient monoliths. The light was now sparkling, and a distinct figure formed from it.

Dash almost gasped - it had the exact same look of a Shadowbolt. The pegasus was confused - she had only seen them as simple creations during that foggy night, when she had become the Element of Loyalty - as with her other five friends gaining their own titles. And while Shadowbolts were dark by definition, they had traces of dark purple - it had a blue mane, but the thick yellow glass lenses that covered their eyelids were entirely dark, with a hint of shine despite there being no sun. And it had a cutie mark stitched into the fabric - though it looked like a slashed Z.

It took Dash a moment to realize who this was.

"Sheesh, Dreamkeeper." the Pegasus almost smirked, feeling like a long time since she had. "You could have chosen a better disguise."

"Well excuuuuse me, princess. Just trying to blend in." Dreamkeeper retorted, innocently unaware of the memories it had just brought Rainbow Dash. She laughed and was utterly confused as to why he was here - wouldn't he stand out?

"I forgot to tell you. No one will really notice you unless you speak up - you're like a ghost to this realm. You're clearly having trouble finding Rarity, and this is intentional: it's like trying to find - like Applejack would say - a needle in a haystack. So I'll try to give you a little hint: where does the sun rise every day?"

Then he was gone, shooting into the sky like nopony had noticed him.

What in the living name of Celestia just happened? Dash wondered. But she put her mind back into focus and tried to ignore how fast-paced everything seemed then. The sun rising: Celestia had risen it everyday until Paranoia did something to her - Dash had not been told the full details. But it was clear the sun was not gone - you couldn't see anything without it.

The sun. Where does it rise?

Where, where, where... She almost cursed herself for not knowing. There was an answer probably just staring at her, straight in the face. Yet she couldn't find it if it kicked her right in the flank. The sun's rising.... she struggled to put her mind into gear, the turbines starting to spin. Obviously, that eerie space far to the south was supposed to represent something of a real world dying: and it was in the southeast.

The sun always rose in the east.

Eager with her new answer, Dash exploded forward. There seemed to be no sense of gravity in the sky either. It was hard to say -- though she was clearly keeping balance, there was a feeling of complete disorientation of the whole dynamic structure of the atmosphere. More and more civlizations passed through, but she ignored almost all of them. Would the list of impossibilities ever end?

She eventually landed once she saw another figure change.

She angled sharply and swooped downward, the rush of wind instantly stopping. Her mane was slightly frazzled. She continued to float throughout the town, intensely studying her surroundings. The buildings were still supported on the clouds inexplicably, and hundreds of ponies seemed to go through the town, not acknowledging or speaking to anypony. As if the world was virtually dead to them. The narrow corridor that were the streets were very rough: somehow bits of gray grass grew through the clouds, and everything just felt out of order. Every single shack, building, pony, thing: looked exactly the same, recycled. Repetition.

But the pegasi was now galloping furiously towards a large structure she found, which looked like an odd statue. She realized what the figure was: a structure of Paranoia as a pony. With her long, flowing mane and that signature evil smirk. Dash felt rage implode within her, and had the urge to just destroy it right on sight. But then she saw her.

It was almost unbelievable, and only lasted a few seconds, but there she was. The curled mane, looking as sparkly and shiny as ever. Those diamonds that should have been azure blue were still positioned there, and those almost overdramatic eyelashes were placed on her eyes. The tail looked different now. Dash was eager, eager, eager! She had never felt so awesome.

Remember, Dash. Take it easy.

The Dreamkeeper's distinct voice echoed in her mind. Telepathy? She had only seen it work once with magic, but it was not audible, yet still able to be heard in her mind nonetheless. Impossible to explain. Dash groaned - now the Dreamkeeper could speak to her when he saw fit. That would be more torture than dying from a virus. She tried to respond, forming the words in her mind and trying to mentally toss them at him.

I....... (inhale)got....... (blink)...... this.(exhale) It was difficult, but free of pain.

Nothing. Dash wasn't a unicorn. Stupid stupid stupid, she cursed herself mentally. She concentrated on the now changed unicorn, just sitting down on a stone column, as if everything was perfectly natural.

Time to rewrite history.

Chapter 6: The Colors Bleed In

Chapter Six
Into the Void - An MLP Fanfiction by TF141Soldier
__________________________________________________________________________________

It seemed almost unnatural to look at her now. Almost unreal. Although the dynamic certainly was Rarity - the identical mane style, the poise, the cutie mark that Dash did finally see amongst the barren flanks of the other fake creations: three diamonds, accurately positioned in the haze of dreams. But she was nothing more than a memory - waiting to be brought back to life by Dash's own. An image generated by pure magic. Dash had already acknowledged her secret crush - still amazed at how this worked - but had almost stopped when she saw the eyes: two black holes of unfaltering, indifferent sickness. It killed Dash on the inside to see anything so devoid of emotion. It really, truly did.

"...Hi, R-rarity. Remember me?" Dash began oddly, stuttering. Now was not the time to screw up. "R-rainbow Dash?"

Dash thought she saw a flicker of memory, some flicker of light in the bottomless black that Rarity now was, but it was faint. She was only reacting to the sound of a pony. "....No. No, I don't think so. Hello, then."

The pegasi felt her stomach drop - she could almost smell the nervous sweat coming off herself, like something left too long in a crisper. Though not nearly as rancid, it was the best analogy Dash could come up with. "No! Come on, Rarity!"

"Rar-a-tee?" she asked, incredulous. They didn't even know their own names. "Are you referring to something?"

"You! That's your name!" Dash asked, her voice rising.
Don't be angry with her. Focus.

And there Dreamkeeper was again: Dash had already had enough of this. But it was nice to have a little mental note - pardon the pun - about having to chastise herself and steady herself. "You. That's what ponies would call you. Rarity."

"Hmmm...." This seemed like news to the anti-Rarity. Her eyes were cast down, eyes cinched deep in thought. "Are you certain? And why are you so... different? You look so.... so...."

"Colorful?" Dash answered, annoyed. The memory of Rarity nodded - probably still not knowing what the word meant. Rainbow wondered: what would it take for this memory to remember her - as dumb as that sounded in her head. It would have to of been something Rarity had remembered Dash by. Could it of been a memory of the one night near the bridge, when Dash had stood against Nightmare Moon's Shadowbolts and tied the bridge together, solidifying her title as the Spirit of Loyalty? No, that'd be a one in a million chance, Rainbow Dash thought to herself, then wondered for a halting moment if the Dreamkeeper could read her brain's processing thoughts. Not possible. Her head was afloat in agony - not physical.

And the gray. The bleakness seemed almost unbearable. The clouds were sponging up all the light, thunderheads hunched overhead but not truly doing anything. A voracious appetite suddenly seized her stomach, and her mouth began to water.

"Well you're certainly different. Maybe special. A fair bit spooky, if you don't mind my opinion." Rarity continued, clearly showing some effortful strength. So somewhere in that ruined mind, there was still life here trying to fight its way back, which always reminded Dash of the spirit Discord fighting his way out of stone. And spooky. The not-Rarity didn't know the half of it.

"But I don't know you." Rarity finished, shifting her gaze back to an unknown space somewhere else. Dash felt a nasty wind blowing, though she knew it was fake. Her heart had sped up to rattling thumps in her breastbone.

The whole thing had locked up like a bad transmission - Rarity was still dead to the world. Dash felt infuriated, but then suddenly had a jolt of memory - her heart had finally bucked into gear. Nothing more than a wiry lash to her mind, but it definitely was one. That dramatic day during the Young Fliers' competition - feelign herself slam past the sound barrier, the light that spiraled along behind her, the rush of speed when she had bucked along, and the pillowing clouds of stars alongside the rainbow - snatching Rarity and the Wonderbolts up as if they were paper. The Sonic Rainboom. Of course. With a slight buck, Dash rose into the air, now noticing just how unaffected everything was by her ascent - there was no change in breathable air, it stayed the same: miles and miles upward. Going through the clouds was murderous - when she went into it, she felt a complete feeling of disorientation: everything here just wasn't natural - the rolling interior of it was dead. Dash made a halfhearted, one hundred and eighty degree angular turn and peered down at the dream land: it was so small Dash could very well be staring at it from space. But the air hadn't changed. Dash descended, rolling through the ash gray cloud masses that had asphyxiated the blue sky. She tucked in her forelegs just slightly, feeling the strain already: intense. But she was willing to go through the danger just to restore a memory - nothing more than a guess. Once the purpling mountains came into view, the sound barrier's white exterior was floating alongside her. Come on, come on! Dash shouted at herself. She gave it one last, furious drive to home before eventually it all blew apart, the air tore, and Dash was blown to unfathomable speeds as the Sonic Rainboom erupted, and she shot upward: the source of the radiance was far behidn her.

She knew that it was a lot easier here: it was a dreaming world, after all. The impossible happened here. But then again, she WAS Rainbow Dash. She was about to make the impossible happen in, hopefully enough, a few hours. She shot over the mountains, the fake trees, the fake ponies, the fake everything. The mist had seemed to clear a way: all it took was a little wit. And it really seemed to brighten up the place: all the colors! A rich red, vibrant orange, shrieking yellow, humble green, fiery blue, and a dark purple. All brought together by arcing across the land, some water just grazing the surface of the rainbow.

She eventually swiveled down to where she saw a figure now start to shine brightly: a line of magic that shot out in a sword-like arc for a nanosecond, then Dash saw it: the color totally changed in a pony down below. A streak of purple on top, just bent slightly at the sides: and then the side of her flank turned into three blue gems. But that was just for a few halting seconds, but Dash knew that she had gotten somewhere - had dug through that haze of amnesia. Success.

Not bad, Rainbow Dash. A little flashy, and really cliche. But I think you did it.

More of that voice. Dreamkeeper would have to learn when Dash wanted him inside her mind, and when she didn't. She really wanted to get inside his head - not literally, pun not intended - and see what his real thoughts were, how he was helping orchestrate everything. Was he the Keeper of Memory, and Paranoia the Taker?

And as Dash finally landed to the ground, her body full of pumping blood, the new addition had ignored whatever schedule Paranoia had planned, and the lifeless memories had snapped out of their stupor and all starting rambling at once. Sentence after sentence, indifference turned to surprise, it all melded into one big roar of discovery and confusion. Dash leaned back and collapsed on the floor, and squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest moment. Then she was disturbed by a shadow lurking over her: Rarity, with her still-gray eyes looking over her. The mane was the exact same as everypony else's, but Dash could tell: the cutie mark was there, as dead as it looked. Dash could only image the anti-Rarity trying to process all the information.

"What is that? That was incredible!", Rarity exclaimed. It sounded like emotion had finally returned to her voice. Dash looked up, and noticed the almost fake rainboom above her. It wasn't a real one, and wasn't nearly twice as difficult as it should have been. But it was, no less, color. A deep thrumming emitted from it.

"A rainbow. That's a rainbow, Rarity. Like my name.", Dash continued, now feeling much more patient with the unicorn. Something in the sky had gotten to her head, and now she was afloat in dizziness. "It's full of all kinds of color."

"Color?"

"Like... something... uh, visually different than the gray you're around." It now felt like she was talking to a child. Amusement now seized her body - it was almost entertaining. Another flicker of light in Rarity's eyes, a crack in the stone of awe and amazement that was her face. A memory? No idea.

Keep at it in case she keeps asking. Dreamkeeper spoke telepathically. Dash almost shook her head, but was too dizzy to concentrate. She got up with a groan and saw another pony approaching her. Her perspective then deceived her again, and the mane changed to something straighter and sharper - Twilight, or at least the distorted version of her. The constellation on her flank proved it. Had Dash saved her? She could save multiple minds? The thought provided her with confidence. Dash opened her mouth to speak, when a rush of words came out.

"What the hay is this? This is unfathomable!" the usually indifferent clone - why not? - suddenly sounded shrill. "I want to know what this is, and why! Now!"

Just the look on Twilight's face made Rainbow's fillings tingle. Her adam's apple bobbed against her throat. "It's a rainbow. Rainboom, to be precise. It's full of multiple colors. Made from either me or after a rainstorm."

"Are you just a figment of my imagination?" But when Dash still heard the constant chatter of voices, she saw that reality registered on the anti Twilight's face. Dash wanted nothing more now than the Dreamkeeper to talk to her. As if reading her mind - could he? - the audible-yet-not-audible voice returned.

Something's wrong. Get away from her. Get away from the crowd.

Dash only registered this, and took a few seconds to gather a plan. Dash then knelt so that she could find openings, hearing the different clone of Twilight screaming at the crowd like a tyrant. There were a few chain-linked fences, unmoved gray clouds, but Dash spotted in her peripheral vision, a few passages leading to more walkways far beyond. If she did a long run beyond there and take off into the clouds above, she could probably lose them. Although she probably could just fly now, she didn't want to be shot by magic. Hoisting herself to the side, avoiding the gaze of the ponies beyond her, she strode briskly towards the north passage: bracing her forelegs, she went into a slow and easy trot, shuddering from the bumpy feeling. Clouds weren't this bad back at home, and water soaked her coat from water lightly sloshing on her back hooves. She suddenly heard a shout, she exploded into a messy sprint. She clumsily floated across the ground, picking up speed slightly with her wings - she dashed across a stone wall, which shuddered from the impact. Down another cloudway, through a cloud foundation, and back around another rock that inexplicably floated. Once finding a clear opening, she hoisted herself on a cloud. She then braced herself, held her breath, and vaulted straight into the air - past the fluffy cloud colonnade creation from down below, into the endless mass of clouds into the sky. No one would find her, hopefully. She let her breath out, and disappeared into the black layers of clouds. Once the ground was no longer visible, she laughed conspiratorially. She had gotten somewhere!

However, deep inside the clouds, still feeling the buzz from the rainboom deep in the hollows of her bones and the lining of her veins - she could see stars. It was almost random to see them - scintillating like tiny pinpricks of daylight amongst a black sky. Her wings fell to her side in exhaustion, and made her jerking descent on a spare, really fluffy black cloud she found. She wondered if she could speak to the Dreamkeeper physically.

"Hey, Dreamkeeper... is it possible to sleep in a dream realm?"

Suddenly the physical figure of Dreamkeeper's Shadowbolt disguise appeared - he looked exasperated yet proud. "Well, duh. I told you every danger and limit here is as real as it is in real life. Unless you're hurt, of course. That won't leave any physical scars. But yeah, feel free."

"What on Equestria was wrong with Twilight... or whatever became of her? That was totally NOT cool.", Rainbow Dash questioned.

"I saw a wisp of smoke enter her body.", Dreamkeeper explained bluntly. The second he said it, the knowledge registered into Dash's mind. Paranoia. Of course. The whole idea of showing the memory of Twilight was not in the Dreamkeeper's power - it was to distract Dash. Which meant that Paranoia knew very well where Rainbow Dash really was, brought by pure magic.

"My head hurts too much to think or talk 'bout it. Give me four hours...", Dash yawned, sounding impossibly bored. The Dreamkeeper nodded, and with a flash of magic, disappeared into the depths below. It was almost too much to process. Only a day in, and things had begun to fall apart. Dash knew that time was of the essence, but you can't help save the world on a tired body, right? In order to be her regular awesome self, she needed a well-deserved nap. A warm current that was almost elemental and metallic floated in the air, and it took Dash a long time to fall asleep.

She didn't see the wisp of smoke rise in the camouflage of the black sky.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Something pricked the comfort of sleep. Dash herself was lost in the haze of sleep, not dreaming. However, after the glowing wisp of smoke disappeared into Dash's chest - she suddenly felt like she was floating. It was the single most impossible thing to describe. She knew that she was asleep, but she felt like she was asleep. Her puffy eyes were resting, yet she felt wrapped in a cocoon of sleep and not able to burst out of it. A lucid dream?

But she could see. And her breath was visible in molecules - little purple wisps of visual air that floated, like fog of the early morning. It was the most unbelievable thing she'd seen.... so far. Then came the voice.

Pesky little invader. Trying to ruin my fun.

It sounded so simutaneously tired and angry that Dash's heart rate bucked into gear, and a panic-filled fear went into her body. She thought for a moment that it was just the Dreamkeeper, but this voice was full of menace - not the beautiful, caring heart that Dash had become adjusted to, annoyingly enough. She almost screamed at herself to wake up. Every muscle in her body felt usable, but she felt unconscious.

You comfortable in there, Dash? Those clouds are quite relaxing. How you feeling?

"Shove off.", Dash willed herself to speak. She could even speak in her sleep - it was like imagination in the most twisted form possible. How it happened, Rainbow could never fully comprehend. And Paranoia - Dash had already figured out who the voice was - was just in her mind, like a black stain in her consciousness - the rest a black space like the edges of a lost tooth. And she could feel Paranoia's presence - it was weird.

Do you mind if I ask you a question?

Paranoia had paused for a while, and now he simply sounded neutral. Completely frightening. Dash growled, hoping that Paranoia could feel her as well.

No? Good then. When you saw Rarity falling from Cloudsdale, did you think of Nightstalker before you saved her? Did you think you would lose her like you lost Night?

Nothing anypony had ever said hurt nearly as much as that did. Complete agony seized her heart, tears welled up and stung her eyes, and she screamed as loudly as she could. Nightstalker. Why did Paranoia have to remind her? "I said... shove.... OFF!" She wouldn't be attacked by another bad memory from another time before. But Paranoia kept at it.

I am truly sorry about Nightstalker. But I guess not everypony can be brave all the time, now can they? Do you want relief of the pain, Rainbow Dash? Because I'm talking about re-liiieeef.

His voice now sounded like spangled notes of music were caught in it. Dash's chest hiccuped, and she felt the presence of Paranoia inside her mind. Then a sharp pain sliced down her spine, and she felt her nerves prick frighteningly.

The best thing about life, after all, is knowing that you put it together. Tick-tock, Rainbow Daaash...

And then the whole world disappeared into another time.
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A golden gleam of sunlight swung across the cloud colonnade that was the school. It was built upon numerous cloud foundations, oddly placed buildings popping up from pieced-together craftsmanship. Numerous ascensions, cloudwalks, and basic ring upon ring of areas collided with the exterior of the school, the rolling interior a meshed-together indoor area. The shadows of the sun were long and like black bars across the ground, pointing out the near-end of a long day.

Dash's mind suddenly came into focus. Her muscles were usable, and she had the knowledge that she felt younger now. Her muscles were weaker, and while sturdy, her wings were not as perceptive and strong as they were in the current time. In a fog of dreams. She had the distinct scent of after a rainstorm, the scent of rain and her frazzled mane to prove it. There was so much detail in this nightmare - or was it a dream? - that it seemed almost otherworldly. A feeling of being caught in a tremendous gravitional force, like whenever she could pull off a dazzling trick.

"Ohmygoshohmygosh..." Dash realized where she was. She was inside the school. Other ponies remained around her, mostly chatting - all of different races, sizes, gender, and varying manes and cutie marks. But there were at least two or three dozen here, and their words were very distant. Rainbow Dash was sitting alone her, her plate full of food that had no physical form. A small flaw in an otherwise perfect creation of a dream. Paranoia's dream realm was really meticulously planned out. Rainbow struggled to remember this scene, and attempted to get out, flaring her wings out and trying to destroy a piece of cloud, but her muscles reacted violently, and shocks ran up and down her body. Nopony else seemed to notice. She was stuck in a dream - she couldn't even try to escape. Defeated, Dash attempted several more times, but to no avail. Like trying to solve an impossible puzzle that had no solution - the cyan pegasus eventually slumped down. At least here there was color - many vibrant ones - lots of blue and yellow.

She sat like that for dozens of seconds, her mind a daze. Suddenly, a pegasus sat down at her table, right in front of her. Rainbow Dash looked up, feeling her huge filly eyes rise in curiosity, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the pony. With a curved back and a weather-beaten, small body: the filly had a long, purple mane - most of it tied back in a professional ponytail - and her body detail was a rich white: like mushy snow. On her flank, a cutie mark shown through, the detailed image looking like two stars circling around a thunderhead. Her eyes were the most brilliant orange Dash had ever seen, like two bright sunsets, behind them two endless skies of white - and black glasses were hooked onto her face: not too big, or too small. They looked professional as her mane.

It was Nightstalker.

"Hey, how come you're sitting alone?" Her voice still carried the age of fillyhood. "Are you feeling okay?"

Although Dash couldn't control it, a feeling of acceptance passed through her body. She felt seen. She wanted to speak, but not even this simple muscle would not allow it. "Huh? Uh, ya, I'm fine. Just... tired..."

"Come on. Don't lie to meee." Her voice was very sweet, like music. "Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Nightstalker." She held out a foreleg, which Dash shook awkwardly. "And I know you're Rainbow Dash."

"Heh... yeah. Most ponies know me here.", Dash continued, trying to add an air of confidence in this otherworldly dream. She decided to take it easy - allow the dream to progress, and once Nightstalker was gone, Rainbow Dash would make an escape attempt. "Sonic Rainboom and all?" She flashed her cutie mark towards Nightstalker, then feeling awkward.

The filly giggled. "I bet you're not all that." Dash then got up, almost laughing at the memory. Nightstalker had won her over instantly.

"Pfff! I can prove it in ten seconds flat.", the pegasus pony boasted, puffing out her chest. The after-feeling of aerodynamics was still left on her nerves. "You wanna go?"

"You're on, Admiral Dash.", Nightstalker sarcastically replied. "After school."

"Deal." Dash spit on her hoof. After a moment's hesitation and a look of disgust, Nightstalker shook her head and spit on her left foreleg, slamming it into Dash's.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow's escape from the dream proved to be horrendous. Once Nightstalker had left, Dash searched around for any sign of Paranoia, then flared out her wings and descended furiously. Her wings felt like deadweight, and she still felt lost in the haze of dreams. She had gotten so close to escaping whatever dream she could, when an unknown force took over her body. Another shock ran up and down her spine, and her wings were painfully rendered useless - then she was falling, and inexplicably landed right next to Nightstalker, who looked worried.

"Oh, dear! Are you alright?" Dash writhed in pain, but nodded.

The race was quick but intense, and Nightstalker to be an annoying but worthy competitior - they raced through the first rings of the outdoor area, soaring past the training grounds, then circling around - the finish line was at the very back of the school. And although Dash had no control of her body now, the pain overtook her and caused strain - so Nightstalker had won. At the last minute, she had flown through a raincloud and it soaked Dash by accident, and chills broke out all over her body.

Dash finally finished several seconds after Nightstalker, sweat already sticking to her body and in rivulets down her neckline. She shook the rain off her neck, ignoring the throbbing pain in her wings. Nightstalker looked somewhat miserable.

"Oh no, my mane! It's all ruined now!" The ponytail had flown off, and it was now a wet mess. Dash laughed, but fought the control that had taken over her body, and spoke a single word from her own mouth, not the memory's.

"It looks great."

Nightstalker smiled sheepishly, like she'd intruded on a private conversation. Dash thought she saw the slightest bubble of a blush, but denounced it. Nightstalker had seemed to note the obvious pain in Dash's ruined body, then a look of sympathy crossed her face.

"Do you... want me to fly you home?", Nightstalker questioned, pulling a wing over her friend. Dash's face, on the other hand, burst crimson. The pegasi nodded painfully, somehow finding a cure in all that physical pain with the very presence of the prissy, yet competitive and courteous pony that accompanied her.

"I feel like a wreck. Can ya? T-that'd be awesome." The pain was so fierce Dash thought she had to of been ill.

Nightstalker nodded, and assisted Dash in getting up. Just doing that sent spikes of fire through her upper torso. Her mind was consumed by a sympathy for this lonely pony - though she didn't show it, Rainbow herself had seen Nightstalker sit alone sometimes. Dash wouldn't have described her as classically pretty, but there was something about her that caught her short. Just a little infatuation. Just the teeniest, tiniest. And she had failed the race, injuring her wings due to the escape. Talk about adding insult to injury. But here Nightstalker was, offering assistance back home.

That was when Dash decided. She'd really get along with this pony. It wasn't until a lot later Dash would really enjoy her company.
__________________________________________________________________________________

With no calm precision whatsoever, Dash's eyes exploded open, feeling only a buzz of discomfort in her side. The chaotic snarl of clouds had somewhat disappeared, and a faint glow of gray light exuded from the clouds: though there was no sun, there was enough to see by. The high plains and the indifferent, distant mountains popped up, and Dash overlooked the ground from the crisp, almost autumnal sky - though it didn't look so, it smelled like it: very fresh and musky. She unclapsed her wings expectantly, and noticed that the missing featehrs and slight burns from her dream were gone, only a minor scratch - pink as sun-ripened peaches. Dash sighed and emotionally broke down - she cried and cried again, wincingly choking and her soul poured out in those. The tears descended and spiraled towards the ground below until they were no longer visible.

So it was true. There wasn't be a very happy story in this book of dreams.

Somehow burying it all in, she descended to the ground, losing all confidence. And her mind thought about Nightstalker the entire day.

I am all alone this time around
Sometimes on the side I hear a sound
Places parallel I know it's you
Feel the little pieces bleeding through
And on

This goes on
And on
And on

Now that I've decided not to stay
I can feel me start to fade away
Everything is back where it belongs
I will be beside you before long

Ohhhh we will never die
Beside you in time

Ohhhh we will never die
Now that I've decided not to stay
I can feel me start to fade away
Everything is back where it belongs
I will be beside you before long

Ohhhh we will never die
Beside you in time
Ohhhh we will never die
Beside you in time (Trent Reznor)