Behind the Bleeding Veil

It's easy to tell when someone disappears when they have to be some where. Whether it be school, work, a date, a party, a reunion; it doesn't matter, you don't show, people will know it. The more important or routine the place you have to be is, the more noticeable your absence is. But, when you don't have to be anywhere, like, say summer break from college, it takes a while for people to notice. Because you don't have to be any where, everyone thinks you're somewhere else. This was the case with Rainbow Dash.

When she stormed off the morning of the swerve, her friends assumed she had gone back to her college like Fluttershy had. Her parents assumed she was staying with her friends while she was back. Only Scootaloo noticed something was wrong. She had tried to get a hold of Rainbow later that day but only got her voice mail. She tried several times as well as email, but still nothing. Her parents soon began to grow worried when they tried to contact her the next day but got nothing. Her friends (the ones she still had left that was), figured she needed some cooling off time so they didn't even try. By the third day Scootaloo and Rainbow's parents were becoming extremely worried. More so when they talked to each other and found out neither of them had been able to contact her. It was then they reached out to the others. Fluttershy refused to take their calls, as did Rarity. Twilight and the others all said they hadn't heard from Rainbow and then each tried to contact her and failed. It was then they all started to talk amongst each other about what might have happened.

Rainbow's parents filed a Missing Persons report while the girls started to do their own research. They checked Rainbow's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest accounts; all which lead no where except to show she hadn't been on or posted anything since they day she left. They posted on her wall that she was missing and anyone with any information should contact the police or her parents. Messages of hope, thoughts, prayers, and affirmations of will do quickly filled her pages but that was it.

Eventually Rarity saw their post (she hadn't defriended Rainbow like Fluttershy had), and she called Fluttershy to let her know. Fluttershy was heart broken. In her anger, her haste, her assumption of the worst in Rainbow's intentions that night, she might have inadvertently lead to her oldest friends disappearance. Still, there was a part of her that almost was glad to hear the news. In spite of her better angels; there was a growing darkness within her that saw Rainbow's disappearance as some sort of karmic justice. She did reach out to Rainbow's parents however, and offered her support which was real for the most part.

So, as it was, days turned to weeks, weeks to months. The police stopped looking, the college held a small service and then dropped her from their rolls, and for most that was the end of it. For Twilight and the others, they had one last trick up their sleeve which Twilight called a meeting to tell the others about.

It was a Tuesday night when she called them over to her and Flash's place. It was small, Apple Jack's place would have been better, but being at Twilight's gave it more meaning and power somehow. They all arrived at about the same time: Pinkie and Sonata rode with Sunset and Adagio while Apple was just punctual. Flash answered the door and greeted each as they walked in with a hug and kiss on the cheek. Twilight was standing by the bar which separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment. She look worn but not depressed. She nodded to all of them and they squeezed together on the couch in front of her, Flash went behind the bar and just looked at Twilight.

"Thank you all for coming," she started in a shaky voice. She spoke like some one looking for the right words to say but not really wanting to say them in the first place. "I'll cut to the chase, Rainbow is missing, that's why we're all here. I've been thinking about how to find her. I know I can't use my powers selfishly, so I've been holding off. I mean, would using you powers to help find a friend be selfish? I would be helping someone else out but it would also make me feel better. I wasn't sure so I waited. I've waited long enough.

"I thought about trying to pick up her brain waves to pin point her location or read everyone on Earth's mind to see if they had seen here, but I decided against that because it would a violation of other people's sovereignty and if, if . . ., I don't want to find out if. So I decided to go back in time. I could go back to when she first left, warn her about what's going to happen, and bring her forward to our time. I wouldn't be changing time since for that time jump, it would be as if she was missing, but I would be assuring her safety. What do you all think?"

"Twilight," Sunset spoke up softly. "The night before we fought Chrysalis and Morgorith; I told you I was going to go back in time if we were losing and stop Chrysalis from ever coming over. You talked me out of it by saying we didn't know what the ensuing temporal paradox would do. What makes you think that still doesn't apply?"

"Because, as I said, I wouldn't actually be changing time. We don't know what happened to Rainbow Dash. We just know she has gone missing. The very reason she went missing could be because I went back and brought her forward. The time line would be unaffected. There would be no paradox."

"As far as you know." Sunset replied, highly skeptical. It was dangerous. Sure, since they didn't know what happened to Rainbow, it wouldn't technically be changing time but someone did. Something happened to her and if it wasn't Twilight bringing her forward in time, then it would be a paradox none the less. "Shouldn't you at least try to see if she's still here?"

"If I do that, then I'll know what happened and I won't be able to go back and prevent it," Twilight replied bluntly but with also a great deal of regret and sadness.

"Let me do it then," Sunset said as a mother trying to comfort a child who had spilled it's drink.

"You haven't been training your powers the way I have," Twilight rebutted. She was concerned about Sunset's lack of ability but also because she really didn't want to know. To know would be to break the wave function so to speak. It would snap what happened to Rainbow out of the quantum foam of possibility into absolute reality and bar her from changing it if it was the worst case scenario.

"Like you? No, but I have used them from time to time. I don't want to be rusty if all hell breaks lose. I can do this. Hell, I thought about doing this when we first found out she was missing but didn't because I didn't want to look in another person's mind, and, quite frankly; I also didn't want to know if it was as bad as I feared. However, if you're going to risk causing a temporal paradox that could wipe out all of creation; I'm ready to run the risk."

Twilight reluctantly nodded. She knew Rainbow was right. Her logic was flawless. "Go ahead," she said, almost in tears.

Sunset closed her eyes and let her consciousness reach outside of her body and expand across the globe. It searched and teased for any sign of Rainbow's mind but found nothing. She opened her eyes and shook her head. "I couldn't find her and I decided I didn't want to see if anyone out there knew why her consciousness was gone."

Twilight nodded. "I'm going then."

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Rainbow sped along a back road, through the desert, at a speed that was no where near safe. She didn't care. The speed helped her forget about what had happened. She should have told Fluttershy what that was, she should have told her everything. She deserved it and had earned that right. They all had. She took a vow of secrecy though and her word was her bond and that she would not break for anything.

She felt her phone vibrating in her pocket and pulled over to answer it. Maybe it was one of the girls, maybe even Fluttershy. It wasn't. It was Drake. She was disappointed it wasn't Fluttershy but grateful she pulled over. If Drake was calling, it was major. She answered and he told her what was up. She told him she was already on her way back and ended the call. She got on her bike again and started heading off again.

She drove on for a bit at a slightly less suicidal speed when she suddenly came to a stop. A dead stop. A stop that defied and broke all the laws of physics. Her bike simply stopped moving and all forward momentum was gone. She took her helmet off and looked up. All the clouds had stopped, the birds as well. Time had froze for everything but herself. This was magic of the highest order.

She got off her bike and put her helmet on the seat. It was then a small black dot appeared in the sky. It grew larger and larger, like an ink blot in water. It shimmered and waved. Black tendrils snaked out from the main body. Soon it began to froth and foam and took on the appearance of a thick, black, smoke cloud. Rainbow immediately powered up to Warrior mode. She drew her sword and waited to see what would happen next.

Two glowing, white orbs appeared in the cloud. Around them the fog bubbled and congealed in to the form of a face. The face then grew color and hair appeared out of it. Then shoulders, arms, torso, legs, and wings. They eyes glowed, the hair moves as it were a bunch of living snakes, the wings were out stretched and midnight purple. The person was clad in shiny, black armor' still Rainbow new immediately who it was - Twilight.

"I am Nocturia, the goddess of night, the goddess of darkness, ice, and water, logic and reason," she said in a loud, booming voice.

Rainbow knelt down and bowed her head. "Forgive me my Lord. I am but your humble servant."

Twilight's eyes stopped glowing but she retained everything else. She looked down at Rainbow and was shocked. "You still The Warrior powers!"

"Uh, hey Twilight. Uh, looks like you've been practicing your powers," Rainbow said awkwardly, not knowing what to really say, hoping to change the subject.

"How? Everyone else lost theirs, how can you still have yours?" Twilight knew this wasn't right and had something to do with her disappearance.

"Long story," Rainbow tried to joke.

"I've stopped time. You got all eternity if that's what you need," Twilight said flatly. Her curiosity was giving way to irritation.

"Yeah, why did you do that? Isn't that against the rules or something?" Now Rainbow was curious and a bit irritated. Stopping time seemed a bit excessive to talk down a friend who had stormed off.

"Rainbow, you disappear. Vanish. You disappeared on this day and know one has heard from you in two months. We couldn't even find your consciousness. So I came back to save you. Come with me. I'll bring you forward in time to when I am. You'll have to do a lot of explaining but you'll be with us and everyone will be relieved to see you again." Twilight tried to smile but saw a grave sadness come over Rainbow Dash.

"Twilight, I can't," she said flatly.

"What? Why? Are you worried about creating a paradox? It's fine. Heck, I'm probably the reason you went missing in the first place." Twilight tried to sound like she was joking but she saw it was having no effect on Rainbow.

"No, you're not Twilight," Rainbow responded sadly.

"How do you know that? Rainbow, what's going on? Tell me now. Please, I don't want to have to read your mind. That's a violation I do not wish to make."

"Twilight, I wish I could. I do. I really, really do. But I can't. I'm sorry."

The next thing Rainbow knew she was in a place of blackness. There was nothing beneath, above or beside her. She was floating in a void. In the void were infinite, spinning, portals of light, yet they did not shine. Twilight floated before her.

"This is the Nexus. The center of everything. Each one of those portals is a different dimension, a different universe. That is what I'm responsible for. That is what I protect. So, once again, please tell me what's going on or violation or not, friend or not, I will read your mind." Twilight's voice was firm and resolute.

"You protect against the First Ones Twilight, but that's it. We protect against everything else." Rainbow said in blunt frustration.

"Explain yourself!"

"The temple that Morgorith had made; he didn't build it, he had it built. Some of the workmen got spooked by it, they looked into what it was for, they saw him take on the Goddesses the first time, in the shadows. It was then they formed a secret group to find and eradicate supernatural threats. They also decided to keep as working class as possible. The wealthy and privileged were often too corrupt to be trusted. This unfortunately meant they were highly under resourced. Still, they survived.

"When we left that message for the remaining cultist in Visoko, 'Morgorith is dead'; they saw that and started to look for who made it. They found me. One of my profs was a member. They slowly let academics in around a century ago. Anyway. He saw me get attacked by a winged demon one night and saw me transform into this. Kinda surprised me too when it happened. I thought I lost the power as well. After I was done, he came up to me and recruited me. I've been going on secret missions ever since."

"Why didn't you tell us, tell me?" asked Twilight, hurt.

"I took a vow of secrecy, we all do. I wanted to, I really did, but I couldn't." Rainbow replied regretfully.

"Then why didn't you tell them about us? We could have helped."

"How Twilight? Sure you got the power but can you use it? You're here to guard against them,' she pointed into the void to signify the Black Gods of Death, "but other than that, can you interfere? If Earth was invaded by aliens or by creatures from another dimension, could you do anything?"

"I already have, remember? That's how we met." Twilight responded bitterly.

"Yeah, but that was before you had the full goddess title. Would you be able to do it again? Look at Earth now. Look at what's happening in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Somalia, heck, just look at Chicago. People are suffering, dying, being murdered. Yet you do nothing to help because that would be 'interfering'. Instead of one nation state or one terrorist group attacking another, would extra-terrestrial or extra-dimensional forces attacking Earth be that much bigger of a threat?

"What you do is important. I'm not saying it's not. You protect us against the end of everything. I just help protect against all the threats that are less than."

Rainbow floated over to Twilight and took her hands. "Twilight, I got called on a mission. If I went missing, it's because I didn't make it. That's ok. I was ready to die when I shielded you from the blast from Sunset Shimmer and I was ready to die when we fought Morgorith. We all die sometime. If I can go out trying to save people, well, I can't ask for any better exist than that. Please, send me back."

In an instant they were back in the desert by Rainbow's bike. Rainbow looked at it and back to Twilight. "Thank you," Rainbow said and powered back down to her normal form.

"I'll have to tell Sunset but no one else, I promise." Twilight said in tears, knowing her friend was going to die.

"Thank you again. And please, . . . "

Twilight gave Rainbow a hug and kiss on the cheek. "No. I gave all I can. I'll miss you my friend."

With that, time started again and Twilight disappeared.

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"Well, where is she?" Apple Jack asked as Twilight reappeared.

Twilight shook her head, her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face. She opened and looked at Sunset. The two shared a telepathic conversation and Sunset nodded in agreement. She stood up and took Adagio's hand.

"Time . . . time to go babe," she said as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Wha . . . what's going on? Twilight, TWILIGHT?" Apple Jack screamed as fear and sadness over took her.

"It was too late. She was already gone by the time I got there. It's over, she's gone. I can't do anything about it now." It wasn't a total lie Twilight told herself. Besides, it was the best she could do.

Pinkie and Sonata started crying. Apple looked around and started pleading for twilight to do something, but Twilight said she couldn't and Sunset agreed. Apple became enraged and stormed out. A week later, Rainbow's bike was found in a forest not far from where she went to school. It had been covered up and looked a bit dinged up.