The Return of Loyalty

Penny lowered the flying machine until it hovered only a mere inches above the grass on the lawn. The filly jumped off, then help Scarlet step of. Scarlet’s body shivered not from flying at high speeds through the cool air, but from every strange thing that happened tonight. The ponies in trench coats, their voices, and Penny rescuing her were no more than blurred images in her mind.

Little Penny pointed a large, creepy house with only a few lights on. “That’s where we live,” she said. As with the stallions who cornered her in the alley, there was something different about her voice. It didn’t carry the street-smart vibe Scarlet had always known her for.

"Is this your house?" asked Scarlet.

"No, it's a library. We found it when we arrived here. It looked like there hadn't been used in a long time and it's located outside of the city, which made for the perfect hideout. Besides, my uncle and I love books."

Hideout? Scarlet didn't like the sound of that. What were these ponies? Is the government after them? She remembered the advice she gave to Penny a few days ago. Was it some kind of test?

“Penny, please tell me what’s going on.”

“I told you, my uncle will explain everything.”

Scarlet had to admit she's always known the filly was holding back a few details about herself, but how did she know about the book? She wondered what else the filly was hiding. Scarlet wanted to say something, but the filly was already leading the way to the front door of the creepy old library. It reminded her of those horror radio programs she caught one time or another. She imagined frightened music playing from an organ, and thunder and lightning being seen in the background.

The library towered over them once they arrived at the door. Penny removed her beret hat and took out a weirdly designed door key whose back end looked like a light bulb over a cloud. She unlocked the doors, and Scarlet gritted her teeth at the slowly creaking sound they made. The filly stood aside to let her in.

Penny motioned for her to come inside, and quickly closed the door. Each area of the library was dimly lit, although Scarlet can see the rows and columns of bookshelves that outlined in the darkness, as well as items and antiques that decorated the rooms and halls. She and Penny walked passed a line of armored suits that lined both sides of the hall, holding spears across from each other. Medium sized columns held vases designed with ancient paintings and sculptures. There was a melody coming from the notes of a piano in another room, although neither knew which room. The place was more of a museum than a library. There was a junction at the end of the hall. Penny and Scarlet turned left, and at the far end of their direction were arched doors.

Before Penny knocked she looked at Scarlet with a serious face. “You’re about to meet my uncle,” she said. “He’s a bit on the quirky side, but he’ll explain to you everything you want to know.”

“Is he the one who wrote that book?” asked Scarlet.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Penny knocked on the door. There wasn’t an immediate answer, and after a moment she called out, “Uncle Clovis, are you in there?”

“Yes, I here,” a voice said. He sounded like an elderly pony to Scarlet. “Penny, is that you, darling?”

“Yes. I have Scarlet with me.”

“Oh my goodness! Scarlet Penhoof? I’ll let you two in right away!”

The large doors unlocked from the other side, and a friendly face greeted the two ponies. Clovis Magnus, the elderly uncle of Penny, had a pink face with white hair on the sides of his balding head. He immediately smiled at Scarlet when he saw her nervous blue face. He leaned on to his walking cane while extending his other hoof to her. “Miss Penhoof, it’s such a pleasure to meet you,” he said happily. “If I would’ve known my dear Penny will bring you here I would have tea and crumpets prepared!”

“I’ll get the water boiling right away,” said Penny, and skipped to another room.

“Isn’t she wonderful?” asked Clovis. He led Scarlet, who hadn’t said anything when she was introduced to the old stallion, to a fireplace with two comfortable looking chairs on either side. “Please, do have a seat. I’m sure Penny had you ride on her magic carpet. How was the flight, anyway? I had not sat on a flying magic carpet since I was a young lad, although I would like to someday before my age catches up with me.”

Just as she suddenly vanished Penny returned with a tray of tea cups, a teapot and biscuits, which Clovis referred to as “crumpets.” Penny set the tray on a small table between the chairs. Clovis took a tea cup and raised it to his lips, while Scarlet was cautious. She had no idea what Penny laced it with.

“Nothing like a cup a tea on a pleasant evening,” said Clovis. “Now, let’s get on to business shall we? I believe you have many question running through your mind.”

“Yeah, I kinda do,”

“However, may I ask you a question first?”

“Sure,” Scarlet answered.

“Did you enjoy the book?” Clovis asked with an eager face.

“The Story of Equestria? I liked it a lot. It was very interesting, although the ending could’ve been better.”

“Oh yes, do tell,” chuckled Clovis.

“But… I really like the stories with Rainbow Dash. When she first appeared she became my favorite character. I mean, sure; Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and the others were okay, but I made a personal connection with Rainbow Dash. I was disappointed when the book ended with her death.”

“Of course. Rainbow Dash is a very peculiar pony in that book,” Clovis said, inspecting her closely.

“Are you the one who wrote it?”

“Well… I didn’t write it. It was given to me.”

“By who?”

“I have no idea,” said Clovis. “It just came to me in the mail, just like it had with you. But before we move forward, tell me about yourself.”

“I don’t think my life is that interesting,” said Scarlet.

“Nonsense! Everyone has a story to tell.”

“Okay… well, I can’t remember most of my life. I live in a apartment in the city where I pay my landlord at the end of every month. I work at a pencil-pushing job from nine o’clock to five o’clock. There’s nothing about me that stands out. I just exist in somebody else’s story.” She smirked, looking away from Clovis. “I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anything else. I told you I’m not interesting.”

“That’s quite fine, miss.”

“So Penny tells me you used to be a librarian.”

“Ah yes, I was a librarian… of course, that was in another city, before Penny and I moved here.”

“What city are you guys from?”

Clovis stopped drinking his tea. He and Penny gave each other certain looks. “Actually, I will tell you where we are from later. Right now I wish to talk to you.”

Clovis took another sip from his tea cup, then looked at the fire as the flames danced and cracked. It was the only source of light in the moderately dark study room. Scarlet wondered what he wanted to talk to her about. She hoped she didn’t get his niece into trouble with those ponies from before.

“Miss Penhoof, do you believe in chance or coincidence?” asked Clovis.

“I don’t know. Nothing really happens to me, so I don’t have an opinion.”

“You must have an opinion. All opinions are worth hearing.”

“Well… I think coincidences only happen when you’re not thinking about it. Like, say when there’s a connection between working at a job you don’t like for long hours and depression. Not that I’m depressed or anything. I do what I can to get by.”

Clovis nodded. “What about chance?”

“Chance is like rolling dice and see which sides they land, or flipping a coin. I can’t get more specific than that.”

“What are the chances that Penny would bring you here so I can meet you?” asked Clovis.

“I don’t know. We’ve been friends for a while, so I guess she had to do that soon.”

“And chance is like… well, such as…” Clovis trailed off. He looked off, as though his remaining thought was somewhere on the ceiling. “Well, I’m not entirely sure where I was going with this conversation anyway. Now, The Story of Equestria… you enjoyed it, yes?”

“Yes, I certainly did. Are you the author?”

“No, I’m not. It was given to me.”

“Oh. Did that someone wanted a review or something?” asked Scarlet.

“Not really, but I suppose the author appreciated you reading it very much. For you see, it’s important that you do.”

“Why is that?”

Clovis drank his tea and set it on the table. He looked at Scarlet squarely in the eye, which made her slightly uncomfortable. “Do you remember how the story ended?” he asked.

“Yes. Rainbow Dash died while doing that sonic rainboom thing. I sure like to see that for real.”

Clovis chuckled under his breath. “What’s so funny?” said Scarlet.

“Forgive me. I have to say; although I’m not the author of the book, I can tell you that Rainbow Dash is not dead. Or, she’s not supposed to die, anyway.”

“Oh. In that case, what really happened to her?”

“Do you really wish to know?”

“I kinda do, if you don’t mind.”

Clovis leaned toward her. Scarlet wasn’t sure if he blinked or not.

“She is right here, with us. Sitting on that chair before me, next to the fire, drinking from that tea cup,” he whispered.

Scarlet didn’t say a word. She placed the tea cup down and looked at him like he was crazy. She thought about putting the tea cup down and leaving this place, but she didn’t know where she was. Scarlet stayed in her chair, ready to call for the authorities if she had to.

“Would you like to know something else?” said Clovis.

“... I’m not sure I want to,” she said cautiously.

“What if I told you that the events in that book are real accounts?”

“Real? Like they’re historical events or something?” said Scarlet.

“No… the events described in that book did not happen in the past; they are happening now as we speak.”

Scarlet didn’t know what to say. She nodded, even though though the words that came out of his mouth were impossible.

“I see you have doubt, but it is true. And the characters are real as well - Celestia and Luna, the Elements of Harmony, Discord; everything in that book are more real than you can imagine.”

“... Where did you get that book?” she asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

“The book was given to us. The author of the book was none other than Twilight Sparkle herself. She completed the book for future generations to read in case the power of the Elements failed. Alas, she gave it to us before the darkness consumed her. That's why we spent so much time looking for you. A distressing situation for our world if I might add."

Penny reached into the inside of her shirt and held the mood necklace for Scarlet to see. “Do you recognize this by any chance?”

“Your necklace?” asked Scarlet.

“It’s not a necklace. It’s a magic ruby. It was given to us by Twilight as well. It only glows when it’s near you,” answered Penny. “We used it to find you.”

“To find me?” repeated Scarlet.

“Oh yes,” said Clovis. “We located you here as we traveled through the living veins between worlds.”

Scarlet lost her voice for a moment. Finally she asked, "How?" in a quiet voice.

"By the flying machine the two of you arrived in," Clovis happily answered. "It's actually a vessel that can travel between worlds and dimensions. It's invented by a pony named Doctor Hooves when he discovered the secrets of dimensional travel. He, too, was investigating Rainbow Dash's disappearance - that is, until the darkness consumed him as well." His last statement carried a note of somberness.

“Back to the ruby. From the moment we met and it glowed… we knew you were the right pony,” said Penny.

“We had to take some time to be sure.”

“Are you telling me that I’m some kind of… reincarnation of Rainbow Dash?”

“No, not a reincarnation. You are Rainbow Dash, right now. You always have been Rainbow Dash. We don’t know what exactly happened when you were transported to this dimension. However, we had not suspected that somehow… something might have caught hold of you, stripped you of your wings and identity, even your personality, and brought you here to Mobil.”

“Mobil? What’s that?”

“A world created for those who were wiped away from their plane of reality,” Penny explained.

“They live their lives with new identities in a constructed reality under the watchful eyes of the Sentinels.”

“Sentinels?” said Scarlet.

“Those ponies wearing trench coats. They make sure the truth of their circumstances for being here will never be known to them. If anyone finds out, they come for you with their halos and wipe your memory clean, and you can once again live the rest of your life as a mindless drone.”

This was too much for Scarlet to take in. Just before this moment she was just an average pony, or she thought she was one. Her mind was racing from one thought to the next, trying to figure what the heck is going on? This has to be nightmare. She must have hit her head on something hard. Any moment she’ll wake up on a hospital bed with a bandage on her head. Scarlet wanted to get up and leave.

“I don’t believe it,” said Scarlet. “This can’t be true.”

“It is true, whether you believe it or not,” said Penny.

“Listen, I’m not some fairy tale character from a storybook. I’m Scarlet Penhoof. Always have been, always will be. I’m not part of an elite group of mares who save the world with the power of friendship.”

“I assure you Equestria is not a fairy tale,” said Clovis. “Everything in that book is true, and Equestria is in grave danger. Darkness has ruled over the land; an evil unlike anything before, and it's only hope is for you to reunite with your friends.”

Scarlet shook her head and got up from the chair. These ponies were crazy. The old pony was speaking gibberish she never thought was possible. All of this talk of dimensional travel, magical rubies and storybook characters. No wonder he lived by himself and having his niece take care of him. And to think someone as young as Penny was encouraging this. She wanted this to be over. Scarlet wanted to be back in her room again.

“Leaving so soon?” asked Clovis.

“Yes. This is insane. What you think about me is simply not true. I’m not the lost Element of Loyalty, or whatever you call it. You got the wrong pony. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll have to call a cab. What’s the address to this place?”

“Do you really want to do this?” said Penny. “Do you really want the Sentinels to find you and erase your memory, take you back to your apartment like nothing happen, and live the rest of your working at a job you hate? Believe or not, that pencil-pushing job you desperately have to go back to is meaningless. It was designed to crush your spirit until you have no sense of hope. Do you really want to do that while your friends and loved ones back in Equestria are suffering under the grip of a tyrant? Would you actually run away when they need you the most?”

Scarlet still didn’t believe it, but from what Penny said and the tone of her voice, she sounded sincere about everything. It was almost like she was upset at Scarlet. That was something new. She remembered her bosses being disappointed in her (or whatever emotion they were trying display), but Penny sounded like she was counting on her to make the right decision that can affect the lives of ponies she didn’t know, or rather not know. Scarlet gazed at the dim hallway, thinking of all of the information that was revealed to her. Did she really wanted to do this?

“Okay, let’s get this straight,” she sighed. “What if I’m really am… what you think I am. Then what? How do we know if I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“To find that out, we have to go to Miss Paradigm,” said Clovis. “She’s a mystic with a fondness for the strange and peculiar. She’s a lovely goat,” he said with a smile.

Scarlet hated to ask, but she had to. “And where do we find Miss Paradigm?” she asked.

“At the Bizarre of course,” said Clovis.

“A bazaar? We’re going to a market place in another country?”

“No, not a bazaar… a bizarre. You’ll find out when we get there.”

“So… have you made up your mind?” asked Penny.

Scarlet was silent. The fireplace cracked. She looked around the room at all the antiques Clovis Magnus acquired. Shelves stretched around the room that was lined with books, a ship in a bottle that stood on his table. In the corner there was a portrait of a pony with a large mustache in a old-fashioned naval commander’s uniform. Maybe these ponies were telling the truth. Scarlet lowered her head and sighed.

“Okay. Let’s do it,” she said.

Clovis’ wrinkly face beamed with a smile. He held tight to his walking cane as he leap with joy. Penny was close by to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. The elderly pony hugged his niece and kissed her on the cheek, then approached Scarlet to shake her hoof.

“Oh how wonderful! This is truly a remarkable time!” he declared.

After Clovis gave Penny a nod she rushed to a sculpture of a pony that stood on a column. She removed the scalp which revealed a miniature-sized keyboard. Penny pressed some buttons and turned a few dials, and closed the scalp up. The carpet on the floor separated, revealing a square-sized hole, and the flying machine emerged.

“Oh no, not that thing," groaned Scarlet. She turned to Clovis, who was just ecstatic about riding that weird contraption. Scarlet hadn't noticed the first time riding it, but there were three seats on the machine. The old stallion took the third seat on the back, while she and Penny sat on the front. The filly held the steering wheel and was in charge of the controls.

“Now, I must tell you to hold on to something and don’t let go," said Clovis. Despite giving the warning to Scarlet, he bounced on his seat in excitement.

Penny pulled a lever, then pedaled to the metal. A deep hum emanated from the machine which grew louder as Penny continued to pedal like she was riding a bicycle. The room began to stretch, almost looking like an oil painting that was melting.

“W-what’s happening?” stammered Scarlet.

“We're about to jump dimensions!” said Clovis. “We’re leaving Mobil!”

The living room completed faded away. Her vision was filled with blinding light. The light changed color from black, to blue, to blue and white. She closed her eyes and felt herself being pushed backwards by force. She heard thunder exploding, and other strange sounds she didn’t know. Scarlet feared if she opened her eyes to look she’ll go insane. She kept them closed, and even then there were little spots of color popping out of the blackness. Eventually the machine came to a halt.