Vexes of the Multiverse

Chapters

Chapter 2: Beyond Forever
Chapter 4: Finite Infinitum
Chapter 5: Flaws and Keys
Chapter 6: Vex
Chapter 7: Cupcakes and Rainbows
Chapter 8: Truth and Pain
Chapter 9: A Disharmonious Visit
Chapter 10: Time and Chaos
Chapter 11: Purpose
Chapter 12: Comfort and Resolve
Chapter 13: Worlds
Chapter 14: Generous Despair
Chapter 15: Tricks and Truths
Chapter 17: A Test of Colors
Chapter 18: Earned
Chapter 1: Verse
Chapter 3: Test
Chapter 16: Pain and Possibilities.

Chapter 2: Beyond Forever

Chapter 2: Beyond Forever

Twilight stared at the earth pony in front of her as they walked, unsure of where they were going or how the young stallion even knew where he was going in this blank canvas of a world. The other problem with this place is that she couldn't tell how much time had passed since they started walking. Had it been seconds, days, years, or a month? She honestly couldn't tell, which just made her more anxious.

Suddenly, it felt like a bubble popped around them, and suddenly there was a sea of stars around them, with many worlds and galaxies shifting slowly in the distance. She half expected Verse to begin talking, but when he offered no explanation, or words at all for that matter, she went ahead and asked, "W-What is this place?"

It was a long moment before the dark grey stallion with a crimson mane gave a reply. "I call it the 'Worldscape'. It is here that I---We, can traverse the many worlds, universes, and timescapes that the Multiverse has to offer. The place of your test is a bit farther this way." He spoke again in that serious and almost emotionless tone.

Twilight sighed. she had many more questions to ask him, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to ask Verse anything else. The questions would be on the tip of her tongue and then they would slip away again, making her forget what she was going to ask. So instead, she decided to focus and concentrate on Verse. She had a sneaking suspicion that he was using some sort of magic to prevent her from pestering him with the millions of questions she still had for him.

Though irritated that she couldn't continue her questioning, she decided to put that to the side now, and instead see what she could gleam from the stallion in front of her. Verse was tall for an earth pony, almost as tall as Luna, but not quite. His cutie mark that of a Galaxy that spun slowly round and round in place. She had no idea how his moved like that. Sadly, she might never know.

Verse had no visible scars or battle wounds that she could identify, and though he seemed to be just about her age, there was an ancient aura about him. He walked as if he had been doing it thousands of times, which he probably has. He seemed to know exactly where he was going, while Twilight couldn't make heads or tails of the place. She stayed close, not wanting to get lost in here, something told her that would be a very bad thing indeed.

Suddenly Verse stopped, and Twilight nearly bumped into him, but managed to catch herself just in time. Before them laid a river of stars that flowed almost like water. "We are here," he said, pointing at the star river below. He then offered her his hoof, and after a moment's hesitation, she took it. Verse then touched a single star in the river, and with another pop, they were again somewhere else...

The sun shined high above them as she recognized this place, "This is Canterlot!" She exclaimed, suddenly excited to be somewhere familiar for once. Except....

Twilight stopped jumping about. The castle, it was off. It looked... different. It was still a beautiful sight to behold, but was clear some rennovations were made. She approached a guard, "Excuse, can you tell me what happened to the castle? It looks completely different than I remember it." The guard gave no reply. "Um, Hello, I asked you a question." She said, waving her hoof in front of him.

"He can't hear you," said Verse, walking slowly towards her, "Nobody here can." She looked at him in confusion, when suddenly a young foal ran right between her legs. Before she could say anything, what could only be assumed to be the mother came chasing after him, both smiling with laughter.

" Wait!!" Twilight called, as it seemed the mother was about to ram right into her. As she braced for impact, Twilight opened her eyes wide and shivered as the mother went straight through her, as if she wasn't even there.

"W-What?" She asked again in confusion. Verse quickly answered. "We are current outside of the timeline. They cannot see, nor hear, nor..." He pointed at the mother who was now rounding the corner after her child, "...touch or feel us. To them, we are not here."

Twilight gave another confused look, "Where are we, why does the castle look so different?" she asked. Verse smirked, "Isn't it obvious? We are in another universe, far different from your own." Twilight's eyes widened as she realized the situation. "Oh...." She said as it she let it all soaked in, and suddenly she felt that little scholar in her take over as her excitement got the betterment of her. "Oh, do you know what this means? My theory on multiple universes is right! I have so many questions! Is there another Ponyville in this world? Another Luna? Another Celestia? Another ME?!" She asked bursting with excitement.

Verse put a hoof on the changeling queen's shoulder, calming her down. "Yes. No. No. And Yes." He answered matter of factly.

She then gave him a confused look, "Are you saying Celestia and Luna don't exist here?"
Verse frowned, "No, they did exist here, however they passed on several centuries ago, leaving you as the sole princess of Equestria." She frowned at that as more questions came to mind.

Princess.....not Queen.... she thought. "What of my mother?" She asked.

Verse shrugged, "Twilight Velvet died of old age long before you found the secret to immortality, i'm afraid." She stared at him. "Oh, you mean Chrysalis...She isn't your mother here. The you that was born here was not born a changeling. She was born a pony. In fact, she is an alicorn now."

Twilight frowned, she didn't like the thought of a world without Chrysalis as her mother, but she should have expected it, this was the multiverse after all. However another thing caught her attention, "Wait, this world's version of me discovered the secret to Immortality?!"

Verse nodded, "Indeed, everyone on this planet is now immortal." Twilight's eyes lit up, "That. Is. Amazing!! Just think of all--"

Verse once again put a hoof upon the young changeling queen's lips, silencing her.

His voice was quite grim as he spoke. "While this world could be counted as a utopian paradise, all is not as it seems."

Twilight remained silent, Verse now having her utmost attention. He then continued on, "Unfortunately, this world's version of you only found the spell after your friends had died of old age. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Rarity and Fluttershy....All passed on just days before you found the secret. Heavy with grief from their lost, this world's Twilight Sparkle went mad, and banished death from all of Equestria by forcing all of it's inhabitants to become immortal."

Twighlight frowned, " That doesn't sound--" Verse cut her off once again.
"Oh really? Imagine a world where you just kept going...even when you wanted to to end, you couldn't because the Princess of Friendship won't let you. Think not only if Longshot, Chrysallis or the rest of your hive were immortal, but also if Serpens, Sombra, and Crudelis were also immortal. They're evil would know no bounds, even if they could not die, how many would suffer? And then, even if there was no evil in the land, what happens when you have lived that long and fulfilling life, and are ready to move on, but you can't, and instead are forced to continue on? Can that truly be called life?"

Twilight's heart sank as she realized the truth of it. Immortality was not the boon it pretended to be. A life without death is no life at all.

She looked down, and then back up at Verse, "You said there was a test, why did you bring me here?" She asked. Verse tilted his head slightly. "I need you to confront the other you, and convince her to release these ponies that she holds prisoner with Immortality. She refuses to let anybody die here. Worse still, with the help of Discord, she reincarnates any dissenters, wiping their memories and making them start their lives all over again, but never, ever dying."

Twilight shuddered at the thought. While part of her did indeed wish she could live with her friends and family forever, she could not imagine doing something so horrible to everypony. Prisoners in their own bodies...trapped beyond forever....

Twilight turned to Verse, her expression cold and serious, her eyes the same as that day that she killed Crudelis. "I'll do it."

Author's Note

The world presented is based on the world shown in Chinchillax's fanfic, Everypony Lives. It is best to read that story so that you can get a better idea of what the world is like.

Chapter 4: Finite Infinitum

Chapter 4: Finite Infinitum

Princess Twilight stood maw agape at the creature before her. The changeling was taller than the normal changeling, much taller in fact, but still stood beneath her height. She had teal colored hair with a green highlight, with a hair style that mimicked her own, though her own hair was dark blue with a pink highlight. The changeling's eyes matched her own in color, except with lizard like slits for pupils. And on her flank, to the Princess's surprise, sat the exact same cutie mark that she had upon her flank. It was like looking at a vile reflection of herself. She also noticed a scar on the chitin on the changeling's chest, a feature that she did not share with this vile twisted image of herself.

"Foul changeling! Who are you? And why do you hold such a perverted form of myself? And how do you have my cutie mark?! Changelings don't have cutie marks!" The Princess demanded.

Queen Twilight bit back a retort, displeased with the fact that the mare in front of her looked at her with such contempt, especially when it was coming from another version of herself. "You should not be so quick to judge me, I mean you no harm, and only came to talk." She explained, suppressing her feelings to keep a level head.

Discord suddenly perked up, "Oh my! Two Twilights? I certainly didn't sign up for this, I can barely stand the one. Good day," he said, opening a door out of nowhere and walking through, he then poked his head out and said, "Though I am intrigued to know who brought you here..." He then thought about it for a second, "On the other hand I think I left the tea on, oh you know how I hate spoiled tea," he then promptly slammed the door shut and both he and the door disappeared.

Both of the Twilights stared a bit at the place where Discord had made the door and left, before finally turning to stare back at each other. "I am you, well a different you, from another universe. I have come because we need to talk," explained the changeling queen.

Though confused, the Alicorn Princess's expression softened, "I am sorry, forgive me, I shouldn't have judged you so harshly. All life matters, no matter what shape or form it takes."

The changeling queen nodded in agreement, at least this Twilight seemed to be able to see reason after all, perhaps this test would go off without a hitch! At least, a part of her hoped it would.

"Another Twilight? And she's a changeling? I don't get it.." Said the grown Spike from behind the Alicorn Princess's throne, leaning in curiously. The Alicorn Princess then raised a hoof, silencing the large purple and green dragon, and he took a step back. The princess's eyes then narrowed as she stared at the other her. "So you wanted to talk? What is it that you wished to speak about?"

The changeling queen's expression grew solemn. "I know what you did. I know everything, about Fluttershy and the others, and the Immortality spell...Deep down you have to know that this is wrong! You can't keep your subjects locked up in this prison of--"

The air suddenly crackled with power as the Alicorn Princess glared at the changeling queen. "How dare you! If you truly knew what I have done and seen what I have lost, then you would see that I gave everypony a blessing! I did them a favor and eliminated that foul plague from ever hurting or taking anybody ever again, I have SAVED Equestria!!" She declared, her voice containing a mixture of emotions. Anger, sorrow, and a hint of self-reassurance.

The changeling queen met her gaze. "But at what cost? Nothing is meant to last forever! You can't just keep everyone locked up in this prison of false life just because you are afraid of losing someone!" She countered.

"Shut up! Everyone is happy here! They have friends and family that they can love and play with forever. They never have to lose anypony or feel lonely ever again. They can have love and friendship forever! What better life is there than that? Who are you to judge and say that it is not?!" The Alicorn Princess responded, taking a hoofstep forward.

The changeling queen sighed and looked down at her hooves. Tears swelled up in her eyes as she thought of the person she missed the most. When the young changeling queen gave her reply, her voice quivered with all the pain that lingered in her heart, "Do you really think that you are the only pony who has lost somebody? Someone close and dear to her heart? There isn't a single second of every day that I don't wish that my mother was still here, that I don't plead for the chance to have just one more day with her!" She curled her lips into a snarl as she lifted her head to once again face the other her, "But what you have done....I would not wish upon ANYPONY. Not my mother, not Longshot, not Pinkie Pie, not Rarity, nor AppleJack, nor Rainbow Dash, nor Fluttershy!! I am sorry that you had to watch your friends die as their lives came to an end, while you were forced to live on. But what you have done is not a blessing, it is a curse!! A selfish, cowardly, and cruel curse that you put upon the subjects you swore to protect!"

The alicorn took a staggered step back, "No! I-It can't be true!! I have saved them!! I saved them!!" For a moment it looked like the changeling queen's words had finally gotten through to her, but then Alicorn Princess shook her head, "No! You are lying! You are just a changeling sent here to trick me!" she accused, and before the changeling queen could respond, a lavender light burst from the alicorn's horn and shot straight towards the young queen.

Queen Twilight barely summoned a shield in time, but was still caught off guard as she was blasted through the castle walls until she landed roughly on the ground outside, thankfully still protected by her shield. The other ponies in the immediate area immediately began to scramble and scream in fear as the Alicorn Princess continued her assualt, "I will not have someone come into my kingdom and tell me how to rule it! Even if she claims to be me from another world!" She shouted as she let loose another barrage of magic at the changeling queen, which the queen swiftly countered and fired in return.

The two clashed violently in the air, each using their magic to try and best the other. Thankfully for the young queen, neither Spike nor Discord attempted to join the fight.

"You can't keep them living like this!" One demanded.

"Shut up!!" Retorted the other.

They continued to clash violently until suddenly the Alicorn Princess charged up a powerful beam of magic upon the changeling queen. Queen Twilight moved to dodge out of the way until she noticed a young foal that was cowering just a few hooves behind her. The other Twilight saw this too, and tried to stop her spell, but she couldn't make it in time.

Queen Twilight jumped towards the young foal, wrapping the foal in a tight hug as she threw a sheild up around them both, just as the beam of magic collided into them. An explosion of debris and smoke swirled around them.

As the smoke cleared, Queen Twilight clutched a scared young foal in her hooves. The other Twilight landed, and galloped forward, "Oh my Celestia, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to--"

The young changeling queen gave her a cold stare, "Is this what you wanted?" She said, holding the young foal closely, then pointing to all the terrified ponies around them.

"I-I don't---" the alicorn began to say, but the young queen cut her off.

"Do they look like they are happy? Do you think any of them think of you as a friend?! You are not a friend, you are a warden, keeping them imprisoned against their will and watching their every move!!"

The Alicorn Princess fell to her knees, lowering her head in defeat, tears rolling from her eyes. "I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry!!"

Queen Twilight kept a cold and steady stare at the defeated mare before her. "Release them." She demanded.

The princess began to sob uncontrollably as finally, her horn flowed brightly as a wave of magic pulsed from her horn, spreading out in every direction as far as the eye could see as the spell was finally undone.

A great relief began to wash over the eyes of many ponies around them, and many a smile touched their lips as several ponies began to age into dust. Many of the younger ponies began to cry out as their older loved ones began to fade into dust, many sharing the tears of their princess.

Queen Twilight approached the crying Alicorn Princess before her. "You can't let the fear of loss rule your heart. These ponies now have lost many of their loved ones. You must guide them, and let them live their lives. Death is a part of Life. Loss hurts, yes, but you can't let it linger in your heart. Those that you have lost, they live on, in here." She pressed her hoove to the Alicorn Princess's chest.

Queen Twilight watched as the other version of her continued to cry. Suddenly, Verse appeared beside her. "Congratulations, I am most pleased with your results." He said in an emotionless tone. He then grabbed her hoof and with another pop, they were both back in the Worldscape.

Verse gave a small smirk, "You restored balance to the universe, and with no negative reprocussions. But don't relax just yet. There is far more work to be done..."

Chapter 5: Flaws and Keys

Chapter 5: Flaws and Keys

As Verse moved on ahead, Twilight kept close by, not wanting to get lost in this 'Worldscape'. "Wait!" She called, "I have so many questions!"
Verse did not pause or even look in her direction. "Oh do you now?" He asked in an emotionless flat tone. Like before, Twilight could feel the questions in her mind slip away before she could ask them, confirming her theory that he was indeed using some kind of magic to silence her.

"Please," she pleaded, "don't I deserve even just a few answers?" Verse flicked his tail in slight annoyance, before giving out a long sigh, "Fine. It seems you have figured out my little spell..."
Much to her relief, whatever magic that was keeping her from asking questions faded away.

"So that was a spell..." She stared at him, slightly irritated that he had been using such magic on her. "Why are you afraid of me asking questions?" She demanded.

Verse was a lot more compliant than she was expecting, "Ponies always like to pester me with countless questions. It is....distracting," he said with a hint of tiredness.

"But using magic to silence ponies who ask you questions, isn't that a bit extreme, and cruel?" Twilight asked, making Verse pause momentarily.

"If it will appease you, I give you my word that I will not use such magic on you ever again." Verse said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He then continued his stride.

"Thank you" the Changeling Queen replied, though she didn't quite fully trust the stallion, but she decided to move on to the next one of her questions. "If you are an Earth Pony, how are you able to use magic, and also, if you are as powerful as you claim, then shouldn't you be a unicorn or an Alicorn or something? Or perhaps, are you a Changeling like me?" She asked, staring at the mysterious stallion expectantly.

Verse sighed, and took a long moment before replying, "I am not a Changeling. Technically, I am not even a pony. The closest thing in your world that you could compare me to is that friend of yours, Discord."

Twilight frown, "So you are saying that your a Draconequus, like Discord?"

Verse turned and looked at her suddenly, "What? No. He is the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I am the Spirit of Time, Space and Multiversal Balance." He said as if it were something obvious, which in hindsight, maybe it was. However, Twilight had more questions still.

She took a deep breath before asking, "Why did you pick me? If there is indeed infinite worlds, and infinite Twilights, what made me so special?" She asked.

Verse was quiet once more before replying, "No more questions. We are here."

Twilight was about to rebuke his words, but stopped, noticing that the Stallion was pointing something rather peculiar. Before then was a star, except much larger than any of the ones she had seen before. "What is it?" She asked inquisitively.

"This is the Prime Universe, the place where all worlds, timelines, and universes derive from. This is admittably not the original Prime Universe, but it's reincarnation."

Twilight gazes at it curiously, her eyes mesmerized by it's otherworldly beauty. "Then what is wrong? Why have you brought me here?"

Verse turned to face her once more, "It has been corrupted, flaw built upon flaw. However, I cannot enter in to fix it, only merely peer into it." He demonstrated by pushing his hoof towards the star, an invisible wall ripples, and pushes his hoof back. "That is where you come in, while you alone also cannot enter this world, you are one of the Keys to unlocking it."

Twilight frowned, "First i am a Tool, now I am a Key?"

Verse nodded, "A key is a tool. Used for unlocking. But one key is not enough, I will require five more keys to unlock the wall that keeps me from fixing the Prime Universe. Finding the right key is not an easy task. You are not the first Twilight I have tested, but you are the only that has passed so far. I need your help to find the five other Keys, scattered all across the Multiverse. And we will have to test each and every one to make sure we find the right ones." He said solemnly.

"These other Keys, are they ponies and changelings like me?" Twilight asked. Verse shrugged, "Perhaps."

Twilight was silent for a moment, "And if I do this, you will bring my mother back? Like you promised?"

Verse nodded, "As I have promised you. I will return you to your world and revive your mother once you have finished the task that is required of you."

Twilight nodded in understanding.

"Now come, you will need rest before the next task at hand. After you are rested, we shall begin our search for the other Keys..."

Verse lead her away from rather large star, and they walked for a long while before another pop happened, and Twilight once again found herself in the Empty Whiteness once more.

Verse began walking on ahead. "Here, let me get you accommodated."

Twilight watched in surprise as finely furnished walls sprouted from all around her. Before her eyes a rather large mansion built itself around them, adding doors, windows, furniture, a pool and spa, all of which just seemed to come out of nowhere.

After a moment, all the movement stopped, and she and Verse stood in the mainhall of an elegant mansion. The tables were lined with food, and there seemed to be an endless number of rooms and doors to travel and explore.

Twilight's stomach growled as she looked at the food on the table. She then frowned.

"Oh yes, a Changeling feeds on love, correct?" Suddenly a very strong wave of love energy began to emit from Verse, even though he himself kept his eyes and face emotionless. She hesitated, cautiously staring at the mysterious stallion, before finally letting hunger get the better of her, and absorbed the the love energy he emitted.

It tasted almost exactly like that drink that the other changelings had shown her, the one that was imbued with love energy.

She also ate some of the food presented on the tables and enjoyed the taste of it as well. However she noticed that Verse did not touch any of it. "Are you not hungry?" She asked.

Verse merely blinked and replied, "I do not hunger or tire. Food and sleep are meaningless to me."

He then began to walk away, "Just pick a room and rest in it. There is much work to be done later..."

She wanted to ask him more questions, but he was gone before she could ask. "Darn it..." She mumbled to herself. She sighed, she would have to ask him tomorrow. For now, she could feel the tiredness washing over her. After she finished eating, she found a rather large bedroom with a rather large and comfy looking bed not far from the mainhall. She then collapsed on to the bed, and promptly fell asleep, pondering all the strange events that had occurred since meeting Verse....

Chapter 6: Vex

Chapter 6: Vex

Earlier, just after Queen Twilight had begun her test

Verse stared only for a moment as the young changeling queen called out to him as she slowly realized her test had begun.

Verse returned to the Worldscape. He had no need to watch right now, he could check up on her in a few years, and she would be none the wiser, only an hour or so passing for her. He was the master of Time and Space, after all. It was an impossibility for him to be late for anything.

He peered over towards the direction of the Prime Universe, a look of contempt crossed his face before he let it go. He took a deep breath before he let it go. He looked once more across his domain. The Worldscape was his and his alone to traverse, observe, and maintain.

A normal pony would complain about the loneliness of it all, but Verse stopped crying about that eons ago. Verse briefly reminensced about when he was a young colt, first discovering that his destiny was beyond anything anypony could imagine...

That was billions of years ago, but it was still crisp in his mind, just as clear as yesterday.

The ancient stallion stared at his hooves. He had seen countless worlds, from the darkest nightmares to the most comical of scenarios. Each examined thoroughly for any flaws, and corrected them when necessary. He stared again at the center of the Worldscape.

He frowned. It was the place he despised the most. A world built from lies. Yet even with all the power he possessed, he could not breach it's walls. He had studied it for eons and eons, and had discovered it needed to be unlocked by certain Keys... But he could only really guess as to what the keys were, or where they hid. Over time, he had learned that each Key required specific traits in order to work, and it took him another hundred million years to figure out what those traits exactly were. His thoughts turned back to the young changeling queen. She was from a world where Twilight was the daughter of Queen Chrysalis, rather than Twilight Velvet.

He remembered his excitement upon finding her. She fit everything that he needed, matching perfectly to one the six keys needed to unlock the barrier that kept him from his goal. Her personality, motivation, and point of view matched everything he needed. However, it was not the first time he had thought he had found one of the Keys. He had been wrong before. That is what the Test was for. Hopefully this one would be the one...

Twilight Sparkle awoke, for a moment, she had forgotten where she was. "W-What?" She asked groggily. This did not look like her bedroom in the Hive...then it finally dawned on her as the memories flowed back of yesterday's events. She groaned, wishing that this would all be over soon.

Her mind drifted to thought of Verse. The strange pony was an enigma to her. For one, he vexed her. He was clearly a stallion of many secrets, and she did not feel like she could fully trust him. He claimed to be extremely powerful, yet for some reason needed her help. His explanations that he gave never fully satisfied her. However, what frustrated her the most about him was his dislike of being questioned. But still...she did not think he was a bad pony. He had given her food and a place to sleep, (even if he had nymphnapped her), and when she did question him, he was a lot more honest than she thought he would be.

He confused her greatly.

Twilight got it out of the bed, stretching her legs and her back, relaxing only when she felt the satisfying pop of her bones shifting back to their proper places.
She took another, more detailed look at the room she was in. The room was large, but not quite as large as her room back at her hive. It was clearly built for luxury. The queen-sized bed sat in the center of the room, a medium sized bedstand on either side of it, with an ornate lamp atop each one. To the right was a door way that led to a small bathroom with a shower in it.

Against the wall next to the door that lead out to the hallway that led towards the mainhall sat a full sized vanity, complete with a large mirror, and a counter with many drawers for make-up and the like. And, lining the wall opposite of the door that lead to the bathroom and shower area, was a series of elegant drawers, paintings, and a closet for storing clothes.

She opened the closet. It was empty. Figures. Verse didn't seem the type to care about clothing or of the like, though she could be wrong.

She closed the closet doors and decided it was time to explore more of this mansion. However, her plans were cut short as she walked out into the hallway to find Verse standing there, waiting for her.

He had startled her, but she managed to conceal it just enough that she did not show it. "How long have you been waiting there?" She asked with a cool expression.

He gave her only a slightly puzzled look. "I wasn't. Since Time is my domain, I always make sure I am never too early, and never too late."

She frowned, but before she could question him, he began walking away, gesturing for her to follow.

"I have found the next potential key that we will need. At the very least, this pony demonstrated several of the traits needed for the next Key, but we cannot be certain that she is the pony that we seek." Verse said as the mansion faded around them, the complete empty whiteness of Nowhere enveloping them once more.

"Who is she, and what are the traits?" She asked. Verse didn't give an answer until, with another pop, they were in the Worldscape once more. The sight of the place was still breathtaking. The mere thought that the whole of the Multiverse now laid before them was still an impossible concept, yet here it was.

"The candidate we seek is a darker version of Pinkie Pie. You will understand what makes her stand out once we get there..." Verse finally replied, pulling Twilight's attention back to the vexing stallion that walked just a few hooves in front of her. "Darker? What? What do you mean?" Twilight did not like the sound of that.

"You will see." He said calmly and emotionlessly. They walked for what seemed like hours. She still couldn't figure out how Verse could tell where anything was in this place. The scenery around them was just so bizarre: a world that seemed to be made of stars and galaxies that were in fact other worlds and timelines. Very little of it made much sense.

She had been so engrossed with her surroundings, that she once again did not see Verse pause, and accidentally bumped right into his flank.

"Ow! Watch where you are going, that horn of yours is sharp you know..." Verse scolded, as she gave him a sheepish smile.

"S-Sorry..." She apologized, having not meant to bump into the poor stallion.
Verse simply sighed, "It's fine, just please refrain from doing that again." He then pointed to a rather large star that radiate a beautiful bluish light. "Here we are. Make sure to stick close by from now on. It would be quite the hassle if you got lost or killed."

Twilight nodded to the pony, showing that she understood. Before he offered his hoof for her to take, he turned and looked at her with a smirk, "One last thing....how do you feel about...Cupcakes?"

Chapter 7: Cupcakes and Rainbows

Chapter 7: Cupcakes and Rainbows.

Twilight gave a confused frown, "I...like them? Why do you ask?" she asked as there was another pop as they appeared in yet another world. When she once again felt solid ground beneath her hooves, she heard the dark grey stallion reply, "You will see soon enough."

Twilight blinked as the majestic light of Celestia's sun hit her eyes. It took a moment to adjust to the brightness, before she stopped, recognizing the place she was now at.

"It's Ponyville!!" She said with some excitement. It looked exactly as she remembered it, back when she was still Celestia's student. Fond memories trickled in her mind before she reminded herself that this was not her world. No, this Ponyville showed no signs of the ravages of war, like hers did. The memory of that battle lingered in her mind for bit before she shook her head, clearing her minds of such things.

She recalled what Verse had said about there being a 'darker' version of Pinkie Pie here. And then considering that he had asked her about cupcakes, something Pinkie Pie was known to enjoy baking. Twilight then asked, "Let me guess, does this world's Pinkie Pie make poisonous cupcakes or something?"

Verse only replied, "No pony in this world has died from eating her cupcakes." He did not elaborate further, much to Twilight's annoyance.

Verse began to lead her to the all too familiar direction of Pinkie Pie's bakery.
As they walked, Twilight observed that it was just like before. Nopony seemed to be able to see or notice them, and her theory was confirmed when a fellow townspony walked right through them, as though they weren't there.

It didn't take them long before they were finally standing just outside Sugarcube Corner. It looked perfectly normal as far as she could tell. However, as they entered, it no pony seemed to be around.

"No one is here?" She asked, scanning the room for any signs of Pinkie Pie, but did not find any.

"No, Pinkie Pie is quite certainly here. Follow me." He said, leading her to a book shelf. He then walked straight through it, much to Twilight's surprise.

She had paused, momentarily taken aback by what she had just seen, until Verse's head popped back out from the shelf, along with one of his hooves, motioning for her to follow.

She took a breath, gathering herself, before following him through. Much to her surprise, there was a dark stairway leading down to a door below. The bookshelf must have actually been a secret door.

She cursed to herself when she realized that she should have noticed earlier, when they entered the bakery, that neither of them had actually opened the doors to come in. They had simply walked through.

Must be a side effect of us not actually being in the time stream yet... she thought, recalling the events of the last world they has visited. Twilight shook her head, she needed to focus on the task at hand. She looked down at the metal door that lay at the end of the stairway as they walked. She was very certain the Pinkie Pie of her world did not have a secret stairway or iron door like this, and she had an uneasy feeling gnawing at her gut as they drew near the cold grey door that lay below.
Like before, they didn't bother opening it, they simply walked through.

They entered a very dark and dimly lit room.Twilight couldn't make out any details of the room except for the center, where a single lamp hanging from the ceiling illuminated what was below.

Twilight froze as she saw what the light revealed. An unconscious Rainbow Dash was strapped to a slightly elavated rack. "W-What is going on?" asked Twilight in confusion, when suddenly, she heard Rainbow Dash slowly stir.

Twilight went to free her friend, but was stopped cold by Verse. "We are outside the time stream, we cannot interact with them anymore than they can with us. It is not time to step in just yet. For now.... Just watch," he said, his face and tone completely devoid of emotion.

Twilight wanted to protest, but Verse's stern gaze finally made her take a step back, and she complied to his wishes, observing to see what would happen next.

As Rainbow Dash finally awoke, Pinkie Pie appeared as if from nowhere, jumping around with glee, happy that Rainbow Dash, who was now struggling in her straps, was now awaking. Twilight watched as Pinkie disappeared into the darkness of the room before returning, pushing a cloth-covered cart.

Twilight felt the pit of uneasiness in her stomach grow. Through Rainbow Dash's next line of questioning, it was apparent that Pinkie Pie had lured Rainbow Dash here with the promise of making cupcakes. But when Pinkie Pie replied, saying that were going to make cupcakes, and that Rainbow Dash was the secret ingredient, Twilight froze in confusion.

"Wait, what does she mean?" She asked Verse, "How is Pinkie Pie going to turn Rainbow Dash into a cupcake? WHY is Pinkie Pie trying to turn Rainbow Dash into a cupcake?"

Verse only pointed his hoof towards the two, "Watch and see."

Rainbow Dash then laughed, commenting on how this was all a good prank. And for a moment, Twilight pondered if it indeed was one, before having all her hopes dashed as Pinkie Pie pulled the cloth off the cart, revealing very sharp surgical tools and a medical bag. Twilight gave a tense and nervous look at Verse, who showed not a hint of emotion.

Rainbow Dash began to plea for her release, but Pinkie Pie only giggled, and when Rainbow Dash threatened that Pinkie Pie would get found out if she went missing, Pinkie Pie laughed, then walked over to a switch and turned on the light.

Queen Twilight's eyes widened in sheer horror as she looked around the room in horror. The skulls, organs, and flesh of countless ponies of all sizes, young and old, were strewn about, shaped into horrid and grotesque party items and furniture.

Twilight wretched forward as she began to puke, unable to stop the flow of bile from spewing out of her mouth. From the corner of her eye, she swore she saw a smile upon Verse's lips, but she was too busy managing her own puke to confirm.

It took Twilight several minutes before she was able to look back up at was happening, the taste of bile still fresh in her mouth.

She looked in horror as she saw Pinkie Pie carve Rainbow Dash's cutie marks off of the screaming mare. Then, when she had both, she waved them about and the abomination that dared call itself Pinkie Pie smiled.

The abomination calling itself Pinkie Pie then took a butcher knife and began to hack at one of Rainbow Dash' wings, causing the bound mare to scream in agony. Pinkie Pie didn't seem satisfied though, and threw the knife aside in the direction of Twilight, but it passed through her harmlessly. Pinkie Pie then grabbed a hacksaw, and Twilight's eyes widened as Pinkie Pie then walked back to Rainbow Dash, intending to finish the job with her new toy.

But Twilight would not let her. The changeling queen rushed over and bucked as hard as she could at Pinkie Pie, but to her dismay, it passed through the pink made harmlessly. Twilight began to attack relentlessly, desperately trying to save her screaming friend. But every spell, hoof, and buck passed through harmlessly.

Finally, she stopped as she heard the sound of ripping flesh as Pinkie pie ripped the remaining wing off of Rainbow Dash.
Twilight turned to Verse, who watched as if nothing was wrong. Twilight began charging a spell, "Stop this!!" She cried, tears flowing from her eyes.

Verse only blinked and replied, "No. This is good. This version of Pinkie Pie is displaying all the necessary traits. We will recruit her after she finishes."

Twilight couldn't believe what she had just heard, and with a burst of anger, she fired her lavender spell, intending to kill the stallion right then and there.

But her magic never reached the crimson-maned stallion.

Suddenly everything froze. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight---nothing moved. Twilight stared at her attack which just hung there, frozen in place. She tried to move, but couldn't.

Verse walked slowly towards her and, with but a tap of his hoof, dissipated her attack. Suddenly, she could move again, but the sensation jarred her and she fell flat on her flank. As she quickly regained her footing, she noticed that everything else in the room was still motionless, frozen in time.

She gave Verse a death glare. "This is wrong! How can you just standby and do nothing, let alone even THINK of recruiting t-that...that Monster?!" she spat, rage and tears shaking her voice.

Verse gave her a confused look. "She is what we need. Pure. Raw. Madness. One of the traits needed in the next Key," he said in an emotionless tone, as if what was going on was perfectly logical.

Twilight bared her fangs, "This is wrong! There has to be another way! Maybe we can gather the Elements of Harmony a-and--," her sentence was cut short as Verse slammed his hoof down upon the ground at the mere mention of the Elements of Harmony, causing the entire room to shake for a moment, though everything remained frozen. "NO!!" came his reply, "That won't work!! Do you think i haven't tried that already?! Do you think in the billions of years that I have existed, that I haven't thought of that? It doesn't work!"

"But maybe if we--" she attempted to protest, but again he cut her off.

"Stop being childish!!" Verse seethed, anger clearly burned on his face, "Reality isn't all cupcakes and rainbows! You, out of anyone, should know this already!"

Twilight recoiled at his words. She did know. The universe was not a kind pony. She knew of well the pain and horrors that her life had to offer. However, she remained resolute.

"This is still wrong, we have to stop this, and we can't recruit t-that monster!" She protested, steeling herself and locking eyes with the stallion's own.

Verse growled, "Stop being naive!! Do you think this is the only dark universe out there? There is a world where Rainbow Dash sacrifices fellow ponies to fuel the Pegasus Device. A world where Pinkie Pie carved out your eyes and served Celestia's head on a platter. A world where AppleJack murders half of ponyville, and even her own sister! A world where Rarity carved up her friends and made them into mannequins, including you! And even a world where Fluttershy snaps and butchers her friends before exiling herself to a nightmare world of eternal torment and regret."

He took a breath, "It is true that not every world is that dark, but to ignore that darkness and pretend that it doesn't exist is childish!"

Twilight stared coldly, and spoke with a tone to match. "Stop this right now, or I won't help you."

This time Verse gave her a death glare, "You will help me, or I will erase you from existence!" He threatened.

"Fine, go ahead and do it! Then you won't have one of your precious keys or whatever!" She retorted.

Verse bit his lip, "Fine, if you don't help me, then I will erase your entire world! All your friends and loved ones to never exist again!"

Twilight glared at him, "Well if you do that then I definitely won't help." She said with cold finality.

Verse glared for a moment longer before defeat filled his eyes. "Fine."

All of time unfroze, and with a familiar pop, they both entered the time stream. Green flames engulfed Twilight as she instinctively changed into the form of her unicorn self.

Neither Pinkie nor Dash had noticed the two appear. Twilight, ready to make the abomination who called Pinkie Pie pay for what she had done, was suddenly stopped by a hoof from Verse as he silently walked up behind Pinkie Pie and put a hoof upon the bottom of her muzzle. "Huh?!" Exclaimed Pinkie Pie. In one fluid motion, Verse snapped her neck and tore her head clean off with but a single hoof.

The stump where Pinkie Pie's head had been squirted a fountain of blood onto a screaming Rainbow Dash. With another stomp of his hoof, the bindings keeping rainbow dash in place dissolved into nothingness. As Rainbow Dash's body began to fall, Twilight rushed forward and caught her friend with her levitation spell and began to cast healing spells, all the while reassuring Rainbow Dash that everything would be okay. "T..T-T-Twilight?" she asked before falling unconscious.

Twilight looked down at her friend. Her injuries were severe, but she was breathing for now. Twilight's spells had stopped the bleeding and covered and cauterized the wounds, but she would still need quite a long while to recover.

Verse began to walk away, "Now let us dump her at the hospital so that she may be treated, and then we leave. Thanks to you, we now have to search for yet another Key candidate."

"She is coming with us!" Twilight demanded, not wanting to leave her friend behind, not after what she had seen her go through. Verse shot her another glare, and twitched his tail in annoyance. But as she met his stern stare with her own he sighed, "Fine."

Author's Note

Do note that Verse's ideas and philosophies do not exactly mirror my own. He is character created for the enjoyment of the reader, and little more...

Chapter 8: Truth and Pain

Chapter 8: Truth and Pain

Twilight carried the injured and unconscious Rainbow Dash upon her back, nestled just between her wings. She followed Verse as he led them back through the Worldscape, back to Nowhere. All the meanwhile Twilight glared at the stallion, but he didn't seem to notice, and if he did, he didn't show it.

Anger swelled in her chest as in her mind she questioned how such a being could be so heartless...

For a moment, I actually thought he was a kind pony! Oh how wrong I was... she growled in her thoughts. In what reality is it okay to save millions of ponies imprisoned by immortality but not okay to save a single pony who is being...who is being...!! she couldn't finish the thought as the horrifying memories what had happened to Rainbow Dash flashed in her mind.
She gave another concerned glance at her unconscious friend before turning back to Verse, her angry glare returning.

With another pop they were once again in Nowhere, the place Verse claimed to be his home. Like before, the walls of the mansion seemed to slide out of nothing to build the structure around them. With a blink they were back inside the mansion, and it looked just as it did before. If she was in one of her more curious moods, she might of asked him how he did such things, but right now she was too angry to bother.

Verse finally turned to her, "Hate me if you wish, but know this: In my line of work, one cannot worry about the life of a single pony, not unless it is of universal importance. My job isn't to solve all the injustices in every little universe we see. No, My job is to make sure every universe is purged of any deviant path that it is not as it should be." His eyes then narrowed, "And today, you made me do something that is against that very nature, just because you couldn't stomach a little gore."

Twilight bared her fangs, "She is my friend! There is no way that I will let any of my friends suffer like that!" Her eyes burned with anger.

To her surprised, the stallion's expression softened, a pained and sorrowful look upon his face. "Your naivety reminds me of my younger self....Unfortunately, like I did, you will find that suffering and horror are all too common in the Multiverse..."

The stallion then walked away, no longer seeking to continue with conversation. Twilight growled, still angry at the stallion for what he did.

She made her way back to the room that she decided to stay in last time. Using her magic she carefully maneuvered Rainbow Dash towards the showers, to wash the blood from her blood-soaked fur. Twilight was as gentle as possible, whispering soothing thoughts of comfort to Rainbow Dash all the meanwhile as she washed her. She was careful not to agitate any if her wounds, careful to not reopen the newly formed scabs that her healing spells had helped to create. She paused as she noticed that there was still a piece of bone jutting out from one of the stumps where Rainbow Dash's wings once were. "I'm so sorry..." She whispered gently.

After she finished cleaning the blood from Rainbow Dash's fur, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it gently around her still unconscious friend to dry her off a bit. However she was not completely successful as she watched Rainbow Dash briefly wince in pain. She apologized before continuing on, even gentler than before.

Just as they exited the bathroom, Twilight began to wonder where she might find some bandages when she spotted a full size medical kit lying on the bed, where it had not been before. Verse must have put it there. And, while she was still very much angry at that night sky-eyed stallion, she was thankful for the kit.

Twilight was no medical expert, but she was knowledgeable enough, having read more than a few books on the subject. She carefully applied medicine to Rainbow Dash's wounds and then gently but firmly wrapped the wounds with the necessary bandages.

Then, using her magic, she carefully tucked her still unconscious friend unto the bed, letting her get the much needed rest that she would need. Twilight then once more took the form of her purple unicorn self, and sat next to her sleeping friend, hoping that she would be okay....

It had been about two weeks since Rainbow Dash had been rescued from that awful reality. Rainbow Dash hadn't yet awoken, but her breathing was stable and the nightmares that she had had in the first week seemed to have died down.

Verse only came by to drop off food and drink, and to supply Twilight with a healthy dose of love energy. At first Twilight had completely refused anything that the Stallion gave her, but eventually hunger had won, and she grudgingly accepted it. Twilight never left her friend's side; caring for her and changing bandages when it was necessary.

Twilight sighed, "I promise, Rainbow Dash, no one will ever hurt you like that again. I promise..."

To Twilight's surprise, Rainbow Dash began to stir, slowly opening her eyes. "T-Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, blinking a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes.

Twilight smiled, "Rainbow Dash, you are awake!" She said excitedly, hugging Rainbow Dash in relief.

"O-Ow!!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, wincing in pain. Twilight then pulled away, apologizing.

Rainbow Dash sat up, now noticing the bandages wrapped around her. "Wha...What happ--" suddenly all the memories of what had happened with her and Pinkie Pie flooded back into her mind.
She then turned to Twilight, panic on her face, "Twilight! You have to be careful! Pinkie Pie has gone insane! Pinkie Pie is--" she paused once again as the final memory before she had fallen unconscious passed through her head. A dark grey hoof appeared, grabbing Pinkie Pie's jaw and breaking her neck before ripping her head off entirely, showering Rainbow Dash in Pinkie Pie's blood.
"--Dead. Pinkie Pie is dead..." She said, her body slightly shaking in shock.

Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "T-That...Thing...was not Pinkie Pie. The real Pinkie Pie would never do that. That Thing was a monster," she said angrily, refusing to consider the monster that had hurt her friend as Pinkie Pie.

Rainbow Dash looked down, "Oh..." She then looked at the bandaged stumps where her wings used to be, tears welling up in her eyes. "M-My wings...she took my wings! I-I-I can't fly anymore!! W-What good is a Rainbow Dash that can't fly?" She asked, breaking into a sob, as her voice filled with distraught.

Twilight hugged Rainbow Dash with a solid embrace, tears following from her eyes as well. "Don't worry Dash, you are still my friend, and you still mean the world to me. Besides, I bet if we ask Celestia, she can get you new prosthetic wings so that you can fly once again!"

Rainbow Dash cried for a bit longer before nodding her head, "I would like that..." She then began wiping her tears, before looking around them.

It took a few moments before her voice was steady enough to ask, "Twilight....where are we? And where are the others?"

Twilight paused, pondering if she should lie or not, but decided Rainbow Dash deserved better than that. "Nowhere. And by that I mean that this place is literally called Nowhere, not that we are nowhere, obviously..." She chuckled nervously, "As for the others...it is just you and me....a-and one other pony, but he isn't important right now."

Rainbow Dash gave a confused look, "Nowhere? What do you mean Nowhere?" she asked.

"She means you are in Nowhere, my home and domain that exists outside of the Multiverse," spoke a voice from behind them, to which Twilight immediately recognized as Verse's voice.

They both turned to see the tall, dark grey stallion standing there in the doorway, his face emotionless.

"W-Wha?! Who are you?" Rainbow Dash demanded, surprised by his sudden appearance.

Twilight sighed, "His name is Verse, and he is the Spirit of Time and Space or whatever..." She said, rolling her eyes

"And of Multiversal Balance," Verse corrected. Twilight didn't give him a reply but Rainbow Dash turned to to face the mysterious pony, "A spirit? You mean like Discord? I guess that means you are kinda a big deal, right?" She asked.

Verse simply nodded, while Twilight scoffed.
"You should consider yourself lucky. She is the only reason you are even here right now," he said as he turned and walked away, pointing at Twilight before disappearing.

"What does he mean, egghead?" Rainbow dash asked. Twilight then sighed, "It's a long story..." she replied. She then told her about everything that she had learned since first waking up here.

Rainbow Dash was silent for a while staring at her hooves, "So...does this mean...you aren't my Twilight? You know, with the whole multiverse thing?" Twilight looked away, closing her eyes. "No. I am not the Twilight from your world...I-I'm different...."

With a deep breath, Twilight dropped her disguise, revealing her true changeling form. Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise before collecting herself.

"So what are you, some kind of bug-Twilight from a bug world?" Rainbow Dash asked, having not encountered changelings yet in her world.

"I am a changeling, a being who can change its form and feeds off of love." Twilight replied, not meeting Rainbow Dash's eyes, afraid of the judgement she night see in them.

"Seriously? That's weird....but pretty awesome too! Is there a bug version of me too in your world?" Rainbow Dash asked, excitement beginning to bubble in her voice.

Twilight turned and looked at Rainbow Dash in surprise. She had not expected her friend to handle the knowledge of her true form so well. "W-Well, no....you are still you there. I just had a different birth mother than your world's Twilight..."

"Oh." Rainbow Dash replied, "This other Rainbow Dash....does she still have her wings?" Twilight looked down at her hooves before slowly nodding.

"Oh." Rainbow Dash replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Twilight hugged her friend once more, "Come on, let's go get something to eat, I bet you are hungry after all that time in bed..."

Rainbow Dash felt her tummy grumble and she nodded with a sheepish smile, "Okay, I'd like that..."

Chapter 9: A Disharmonious Visit

Chapter 9: A Disharmonious Visit

Twilight and Rainbow Dash had moved to the central hallway, where a huge dining table covered with delectable delights of all kinds sat in the center of the room. Twilight sighed, she wondered why Verse even had such a thing, considering he never seemed to eat or sleep for that matter, but she was grateful for it, as the look on Rainbow Dash's face when she saw the food was enough to put a smile on her face.

"Wow! There is so much food here!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly.
Twilight nodded, "Yeah....there is..." Her voice sounding a bit wistful and distant. Rainbow Dash didn't seem to notice and quickly sat in a chair and began to dig in.

Twilight ate a little bit, but she wasn't that hungry. Verse's behaviour continued to vex her. One moment he is a complete jerk, continent to watch as one of her friends was being tortured and dissected, and the next he was like a gentlepony, providing food, shelter, and that medical kit for Rainbow Dash's injuries. While Rainbow Dash was still unconscious, he would occasionally scoff and scold Twilight for bringing her here, yet every time Twilight thought she had run out of any certain medical supplies, such as fresh bandages or healing salve, she would find her supply suddenly restored not moments later. And that just made him ever more confusing to her.

"Twilight...are you okay?" suddenly came Rainbow Dash's concerned voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. Twilight cursed herself before regaining her composure. "I'm fine. Besides, it's me who should be asking you that, especially after everything you've went through..."

Rainbow Dash was about to reply when suddenly a knock was heard coming from the main entrance door.

Both mares stared at it for a second before the door suddenly busted open, and a familiar voice and figure walked through.

"Verse? You home? I hope you don't mind, I let myself in. I--" Discord paused upon seeing the two mares. "Oh dear, so the rumors are true..." With a snap of his fingers, a magnifying glass appeared in his hand, and he began using it to inspect the two up and down. "Hmm...Curious."

Before either of the girls could reply, Verse entered the room and spoke, his voice sounding angry. "Discord! What did I tell you about intruding in my domain? You know you aren't welcome here..."

To both of the girls' surprise, Discord winced at hearing Verse's voice. "Oh Verse!" He chuckled nervously, "How are you, old buddy, old pal? S-Surely there is nothing wrong with two old friends coming together and reminiscing about old times, is there?"

He then leaned back towards Rainbow Dash and Twilight, whispering, "He's always been a huge stick in the mud ever since he found out that he couldn't enter into the Main Cannon,"

"Main Cannon?" Rainbow dash asked in a confused tone, Twilight sharing in her confusion.

Verse glared at Discord, "State why you are really here, or I will erase you." His voice was icily cold.

Discord gulped before replying, "I had heard that you found one of the Keys that you have been seeking, and just HAD to see what the fuss was about."

Two more Discords suddenly appeared, one of them pointing at Twilight, "Just what are you doing with my world's Twilight? She is supposed be in the process of constructing her new hive," said Discord number two.

"And what have you done with my World's Rainbow Dash? She is supposed to be a cupcake right about now..." Said Discord number three.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash interjected. Discord number three rolled his eyes, "Well, it's true..." He then turned back to Verse, "And what in the world were you thinking, killing my world's Pinkie Pie?"

Verse stomped one of his hooves, causing the whole place to shake for a moment. "Get. Out. My reasons are my own, and I do not have to explain anything to you, Discord. Now. Get. Out!" Discords Two and Three fell back in fear before quickly leaving, leaving only the original Discord still remaining.

Verse's eyes narrowed, "Unless you wish to start yet another War with me..."

Discord chuckled nervously,"No, no. That is fine, I will leave. I may find fun in the chaos of war, but there is no fun to be had in utter oblivion. Fine, then. I will be on my way."

He snapped his fingers, causing a door to appear, and just before he left, he said "Toot-a-loo, until next time!" The door slammed shut behind him and disappeared with a small pop.

Verse made a small groan of disgust before walking away.

Rainbow Dash frowned, "What kind of pony makes even Discord afraid? And what is with that pony's eyes, and why does his cutie mark move like that?" she asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

Twilight sighed, her ears flattening as she looked towards the ground. "I wish I knew, Dash, I wish I knew..."

The two ate in silence for a while, before deciding that it would be best to head back to the room. "I need to change your bandages anyway," Twilight explained, seeing how dirty Rainbow Dash's current ones were getting.

Twilight closed the bedroom door behind them. "Alright, let's take a look..." She said, immediately starting to unwrap Rainbow Dash's bandages, before the cyan mare screamed "W-Wait!"

Twilight gave her a concerned look, "What's wrong?" she asked. Rainbow Dash gave a nervous glance. "W-Will it be okay?"

Twilight gave a soft smile, "Don't worry, i've been tending your wounds for the past few weeks. I will make sure it doesn't hurt."
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, "O-Okay..."

Twilight carefully undid the bandages, and examined Rainbow Dash's wounds for a bit. The place where her cutie marks had been was starting to scar over. The place where her skin had torn when Pinkie pie had torn off her left wing was completely scarred up now, making a long scar from the base of her wing stump to the bottom of her rump. She was healing, that was good. However, the stumps where her wings used to be still had a ways to go, but at least they didn't look infected.

Twilight applied a bit more healing salve to her wounds, and Rainbow Dash winced in pain. "Sorry..." Twilight apologized. She then grabbed a clean set of bandages from the kit and gently wrapped her wounds back up. She then threw the dirty ones into the trash.

"There, all better. You are healing quite well, I'm glad to see none of your wounds got infected." Twilight said with a smile.

"Thanks..." Rainbow Dash said, clearly still troubled by the memories of what Pinkie Pie had done to her.

Twilight was about to say some words of comfort when suddenly they heard a voice from behind them, "Good, now that you have had your moment of friendship, we need to talk."

Both of the girls spun around to see who was talking, "Disc---" they both exclaimed in unison before the draconequus quickly covered their mouths. "Shhhhh!! Not so loud! Or else he will hear you!" He whispered, ducking his head and looking around.

Once he was sure they were safe, he removed his hands from their mouths. Twilight gave a confused look, "Discord, what are you still doing here? I thought Verse had scared you off." She whispered.

Discord gave her an irritated look, "Yes, yes, but I had to warn you, and there is a little...gift that I have for you."

"Warn us? Of what?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Discord took another look around the room to make sure nopony else was listening in. "You mustn't let him gather all the Keys. The fate of the entire Multiverse is at stake."

Twilight frowned, "And just how am I supposed to stop him? Even you are afraid of him." She whispered back. Discord rolled his eyes, "I don't know, I figured you'd find a way to use your 'Power of Friendship' or whatever...I don't know, you figure it out. And as for the...gift...here." He pulled out a very small glowing orb, no bigger than a marble. It glowed with soft hues of blue, pink and purple, constantly swirling into one another.

Discord then lifted up Twilight's mane and placed it underneath. "Make sure to keep it hidden at all times. If he finds out you have it, he might destroy you."

The orb felt soft and almost weightless, and it did not move when she shook her head for a bit. It seemed to be stuck firmly in place. "What is it?" She asked. Discord put a finger on his mouth. "Shh! It's a gift, only use it as a last resort, when there is no other option. Just crack it open with your horn. It's a one time use kind of thing. Now I got to go. Remember, Use it only if all else fails okay? Ta ta!"

And with that he vanished. Twilight and Rainbow Dash simply looked at each other in utter confusion.

Author's Note

While you are free to ship whomever you like in this story, know that I don't plan to put in any romance subplots into this story. But feel free to write your own fan fiction on the matter, if you so wish.

Chapter 10: Time and Chaos

Chapter 10: Time and Chaos

Twilight and Rainbow Dash weren't sure what to make of Discord's visit. It was Rainbow Dash that broke the silence, "So...what was that about?"

"I wish I knew..." Twilight replied, a hint of worry in her voice. She pondered it for a moment, then asked, "Why don't we go find out..." With that, she turned and headed towards the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Rainbow Dash asked, hurrying to Twilight's side.

"To ask Verse a few questions," she replied, determined to finally get some answers from that damn stallion.

"But Discord said not to tell him about the...whatever that thing is..." Rainbow Dash protested. Twilight nodded, "Don't worry, we aren't going to tell him about that. We may not know what it is, but something tells me we should trust Discord on this..."
Rainbow Dash blinked gave a uncertain glance, "I don't really know this 'Verse' guy as well you seem to, but if you are sure about questioning him, then i support ya all the way!"

Twilight smiled, happy with her friend's response, "Now, it's about damn time Verse gave us some clear answers."

With that, the two girls went to find wherever the secretive stallion had gone off to.

The Mansion turned out to be a lot bigger than Twilight had originally thought. The two wondered countless hallways and corridors. It wasn't until they came across a door made completely out of solid diamond that did they stop. Twilight felt an odd feeling tug on her mind, telling her that this was the right door. How she knew this, she did not know.

"Here..." she said, slowly pushing open the door. Rainbow Dash gave her an unsure glance before following her in.
What the two girls saw inside took their breath away.

Inside the room was an infinite library, far too large to have possibly fit in the mansion. There were shelves upon shelves of countless books that stretched far past the door way they just entered. It was like a library universe, if there ever was such a thing. There was so much knowledge here that Twilight couldn't help but geek out. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Rainbow Dash by the cheeks. "Do you realize just how much knowledge is in this room?!" she squealed in excitement. "It just goes on forever and ever!!"

Rainbow Dash, whom had yet to discover the Daring Do series in her world, sighed. "That's great Twilight, but shouldn't we be focusing on finding that 'Verse' guy we are looking for?"

Twilight released her friend and quickly gathered her composure. "Oh, um, y-yeah..." She quickly pushed down her bookworm thoughts, letting the queen side of her mind take control once more.

It was only then that she noticed the center if the room. About twenty meters in sat a clear bubble. Inside, she could clearly see the dark grey earth pony, whom had yet to seem to have noticed them. Several screen-sized images floated around him, and he appeared to be watching several different ones at once. Some of these screens contained familiar faces, others did not.

She took a deep breath before moving on forward, Rainbow Dash not far behind. With yet another disorienting pop, they were in the bubble.

Twilight paused. The inside of the bubble was much bigger than it had looked outside, a concept she was starting to get used to. The inside reminded her of the Worldscape, but not quite as big. The reason why it reminded her so much of it clicked rather quickly in her mind: it was laid out like a three dimensional map of the Worldscape, in fact, she was quite certain that what it was. Above the map hovered the various images and pictures of what she could only guess were people and events that were happening across many universes.

For a moment, Twilight thought that Verse still hadn't noticed them, but that illusion was shattered when he spoke. "Welcome, girls, to my Study. Come to read from the Library?" Verse asked in a cold and logical tone, though there was no hostility in his voice.

"Actually, as much as I would love to, we are here to ask you a few questions," Twilight spoke in the most diplomatic voice she could muster. As much as she didn't like the spirit in front of her, it wouldn't help to provoke him. Not when she needed answers.

Verse twitched his tail in annoyance. "Fine. Go ahead,"

Before Twilight could ask her first question, Rainbow Dash spoke up, "If you are an earth pony, how are you using magic? Do have a secret horn hidden somewhere or--?"

Verse made a gesture that suggested that he had rolled his eyes, but she couldn't actually tell considering how strange his starry night eyes were. "See, I hate repeating myself," he grumbled. "I am not an earth pony I am a spirit. Spiiirrriiiit. A spirit, like Discord."

Rainbow Dash frowned, "Well, you look like an earth pony to me," she said dejectedly.

Verse gave another Hester implying the rolling of his eyes.

"Speaking of Discord," Twilight interjected, "What was up with that? Why were you so eager to kick him out, and why was he scared of you?"

Verse sighed and pinched the top of his muzzle with his hoof. "Geez, not these questions again...they always ask the same questions," he muttered, more towards himself than to them.

Verse finally looked up with a frown, "It is....complicated. Let me ask you this, what do you think is the nature of Discord?"

"Chaos and Disharmony?" came her reply.

Verse nodded, "And what is my nature?"

"Being a jerk?" came Rainbow Dash's reply. As much as Twilight agreed with that sentiment, she could tell that it wasn't the answer he was looking for.

She thought about what he had told her, about how he was the Spirit of Time, Space, and Multiversal---

"Balance? And...Order?" she guessed as the gears in her brain began to click a few things into place.

Verse nodded, "You are partially correct. Balance and the eternal maintenance of Time and Space are ingrained into the very fabric of my nature, just as Chaos and Disharmony are ingrained into Discord's. While it is true that I advocate for the natural order of the Multiverse, I am not the Spirit of Order itself. However, because my sphere aligns with the natural order of things, Discord and I often do not get along. We have warred several times in the past, much to the dismay of the Multiverse. He is afraid of me because I am on a different tier than him. There are an infinite number of Discords in the Multiverse. There is only one me. However, while it may be true that he cannot destroy me, I cannot completely destroy him either. I am limited to only being able to erase a few versions of him at a time."

"You have warred?" Twilight asked with a concerned look upon her face.

"Yes. Several times. But worry not, as we haven't had a war against one another in a hundred million years. Probably will be another few hundred million years before we have another. But don't think that we haven't or cannot get along, we have and we can. It just isn't uncommon for Spirits like ourselves to find conflict with one another. With some more than others, depending on who you ask."

Twilight blinked in confusion, "Wait, there are more spirits out there?" she asked. Verse smiled, "Indeed. There are 87 of us total, not counting alternate or parallel versions, of course."

Twilight took a minute to process that information before deciding to move on to the other, more pressing questions she had.

"Tell me about these Keys you keep talking about. What are they? Who are they? And what are these traits that they supposedly have?" She then took a deep breath, "And why did you choose me?!'

Chapter 11: Purpose

Chapter 11: Purpose

Verse was quiet for a long moment, to the point that Twilight feared he might not answer. However, Verse suddenly frowned.

"I have already told you what they are. The keys are the necessary tools needed to unlock the barrier around the Prime Universe. As for who they are, I do not specifically, but I do know that each is an alternate version of you and your friends. The problem comes from figuring out which version is the correct version."

Twilight frowned, "Why do you need me and my friends? Does it have something to do with the Elements of Harmony?"

Verse tilted his head, "Yes and no. As I have told you, the Elements of Harmony aren't powerful enough to pierce the barrier. And the Elements of Disharmony don't work either, and neither does combining them as they cancel each other out,"

Twilight's frowned deepened. She had long theorized that there were such a thing as the Elements of Disharmony, and while confirmation of her theory raised many questions, she had to stay focused. "You still haven't explained yourself," she pointed out in a short tone that showed her growing agitation towards Verse's vague answers and slight misdirections.

Verse merely smirked before continuing on. "In the last few million years, I finally learned what was needed. I did not need Harmony nor Disharmony. The keys I needed were that of Eventuality. Cold, harsh realities that spawn from the six Elements of Harmony and Friendship. Truths that others would deny."

Rainbow Dash was the one to respond this time, "Wait, what are you talking about? What.....truths are you talking about?" She gave a confused look, and Twilight agreed. Verse still hadn't given them a straight answer yet.

Verse swiped his right hoof in the air, and a screen-like image appeared before them. "It is simple. There are more things involved that can stem from your childish views of the Elements of Harmony," he said with that same emotionless tone as before. The image in front of them showed a gruesome scene of Pinkie Pie ruthlessly murdering her friends, which included alternate versions of Twilight and Rainbow Dash. She did so with a gleeful smile upon her face.
Rainbow Dash winced and quickly turned away upon seeing the sight, unpleasant memories with her own world's Pinkie bow flooding back to her mind.

Verse continued, "Laughter left unchecked will spiral into Madness." The screen then changed, this time showing Rarity smashing a large boulder onto the head of a mortally wounded AppleJack. Rarity was crying.
"Generosity can come to mean giving those who suffer the kinder of two grim fates."
The image as well as Verse's ice cold tone sent shivers down Twilight's spine.

The image changed again, this time showing a scene of AppleJack being dragged away, only to then be tortured over and over until she finally seemed to give up. "True Honesty is something that is reviled and feared by others. One will do anything to silence a truth that they cannot handle."

"AppleJack," Rainbow Dash whimpered in horror.

The scene changed again, this time showing Fluttershy standing upon a chair, tying a noose around her neck. To their horror, Fluttershy then kicked the chair out from under her and hung herself. Twilight also noticed that Fluttershy had chained her wings to her body, preventing her from using them to save herself.
"Kindness that goes unreturned leads only to Misery and Destruction," Verse explained. Twilight felt her stomach curl into a knot. Rainbow Dash began to sob.

The scene changed again, this time showing Rainbow Dash in a metallic factory of some kind. She was strapping a screaming pegasus to a strange device. After she finished, a large needle-like machine descended and thruster itself deep into the struggling pegasus. The pegasus' body went limp, and all color seemed to drain away from the pegasus. Literally. The Rainbow Dash in the scene began to laugh as she brought yet another pegasus to the machine. Twilight's eyes widened as she recognizes the little philly as Scootaloo.

"What is that? I would never do that!! Especially not Scootaloo!!" cried Rainbow Dash, her sobs becoming louder.

Verse's voice remained emotionless, "True Loyalty means sacrifice. Service of the greater good always comes at a cost."

"Rainbow Dash would never do that!" Twilight rebutted, taking a strong step forward. Verse blinked, "Depends on which version of her you speak of."

Twilight held back a retort. As much she wanted to, she couldn't find any flaw I'm his statement.

The scene changed again, and this time Twilight's eyes widened. She recognized this scene very well. A wounded changeling queen laid pinned in the wreckage of a home in the middle of a battlefield. The battlefield was Ponyville. She then saw the image of herself step into view. The two queens chatted with each other, and while there was no audio coming from the screen, Twilight remembered each word clearly as the day she had spoken them six months ago. She then saw the image if her pick up a crossbow and take aim. She then fired, finally killing Queen Crudelis.

"Love and Friendship is reaped with Vengeance when stripped away from one who held them dearly," Verse said, a slight smile on his lips.

Twilight surged with anger and a lethal spell began to charge in her horn, "You Bastard!!" She took a hostile stance, ready to attack the crimson maned Stallion before her, "That is your reason?! I will--"

"Twilight?" came the whimpering voice of Rainbow Dash. Twilight stopped, turning towards her friend. Her anger fled her body, replaced by dread from the way Rainbow Dash was looking at her.

"T-That wasn't really you, right? You would never kill somecreature, right?" Twilight tried to speak, but it seemes the look I. twilight's eyes gave her away.

Rainbow Dash took a step back, away from her. That wrenched Twilight's heart a little. "Wait! Rainbow Dash, you don't understand! She deserved it! She murdered my mother! She was the one who manipulated another queen to send an assassin after me! She threatened to destroy my hive!"

Rainbow Dash took a step back, "The Twilight I know would never kill anycreature!" She began sobbing even more.

Twilight tried to put a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her, bit Rainbow Dash jumped back, "Stay away from me!!" She then darted out of the bubble and back out the diamond door, back into the mansion.

Twilight then turned and glared at Verse.
Verse shrugged, "Don't glare at me. You wanted the truth, so i gave it to you. It is not my fault if you didn't like the answer. However, before you go chasing after your friend, there is one more thing I think you need to know."

When he saw that he still had her attention, he continued, ignoring her glare. "These traits are only but one of the traits needed for each key. I cannot just grab any Pinkie Pie who went mad or any Twilight who became vengeful. No. There are other traits needed, traits that must be tested for. Before you killed Crudelis, you offered her a chance, you offered her mercy, only taking action when she refused all other paths. Even with Vengeance in your heart, you still tried to give her a chance. I didn't merely choose you for your act of Vengeance. I chose you because you showed restraint, that pain did not completely rule your heart. And that is why I chose and tested you."

Twilight wasn't sure his to reply to that. However Verse then pointed to the exit. "Go. Your friend has likely gotten herself lost. I have more work to do. Go comfort and talk to her. We have all the time in the Multiverse."

Twilight gave him an unsure look before running off to find her heartbroken friend.

Chapter 12: Comfort and Resolve

Chapter 12: Comfort and Resolve

It took about an hour and a half before she finally found Rainbow Dash. The mansion was very large and confusing even to her, so she couldn't help but get lost a couple of times.

She found Rainbow Dash crying in one of the many bedroom.s that the mansion had to offer.

"Rainbow Dash..." Twilight called. The cyan pegasus stiffened upon hearing her own name.
Twilight continued, "Look...I'm sorry...I should have been more honest with you."

Rainbow Dash wiped her eyes with a hoof. "I-It...It's okay. I'm not really mad at you....I mean, I am a little, but..."

Twilight could see that her friend was trying to regain her composure, though she was still struggling with it.
"Then what's wrong? You can tell me anything, you know. We may be from different worlds, but I still think of you as my friend..." Twilight said gently, slowly putting a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. She did not refuse it.

It was few more seconds before Rainbow Dash gave her reply, "It's just...When he was showing us those...images, and he showed that version of Pinkie Pie...that look in her eye....it was the same one my Pinkie Pie gave me when she--" Rainbow Dash began sobbing once more.

Twilight gave her a comforting hug. And, after a few minutes of quiet sobbing, Rainbow Dash continued.

"And then, when he showed Rarity...using that boulder t-to....And then, when he showed AppleJack being dragged away and tortured, I couldn't stop the memories of what Pinkie Pie did to me and the memory of her taking away my wings..." She broke into a sob once more. It was another few moments before she finally spoke again, "A-And when he showed Fluttershy....why would she do that? I don't understand!"

Twilight's stomach knotted once more at the mention of Fluttershy, that seen hadn't sat well with her either.

Twilight hugged Rainbow Dash again, tighter this time, but not too tight. "I don't know....but...don't worry...that wasn't your Fluttershy or mine, okay? I know neither of them would ever do something like that, okay? It's going to be alright..."

Rainbow Dash continued to sob, but Twilight noticed her body relax a bit more than had been previously.

The sobbing pegasus then continued on, "And then that other me....how could I do something like that? I would never do something like that..."

Twilight began to stroke her friend's mane, trying to comfort her as much as she could. "Shhh...That wasn't you, Dash. It was just an alternate reality, that Rainbow Dash is nothing like you. And I know you could never harm anypony like that...Shhh...it is going to be alright."

Rainbow Dash's sobbing began to die down. There was a long silence between them until Rainbow Dash whispered, "I'm sorry for what I said to you back there.... It's just...when I saw you up there, killing that other bug-pony, everything just hit me at once, ya know? I started to miss my world's Twilight, and AppleJack, Fluttershy, and R-Rarity... I even missed Pinkie Pie, before she.... You know..."

Twilight blinked back a few tears of her own. "Look...I'm sorry...it was wrong of me to take you from your world like that...I don't regret saving you, not even for a second. But, Verse was right, I should have just dropped you off at the hospital i instead of getting you mixed up in this Multiverse shenanigans. I...I just couldn't bare to see you suffer like that and..." Twilight swallowed as she did her best to fight back the tears.
"But, I-I'll ask Verse to send you back, if that is what you want..."

Rainbow Dash frowned before pulling away. She seemed to give it a long thought before she spoke. "While I do really want to go home, I don't want to just leave you here all alone with that jerk. Maybe you can come with me to my world! I am sure my Twilight and the others will accept you no problem! A-And we can talk to Celestia's about getting me new wings and--"

Twilight shook her head, "I can't do that, Rainbow Dash. I have my own world too. I have friends and loved ones there as well. And my hive, they won't survive long without me. And Verse won't send me back until I have helped him finish this 'key' business. I'm sorry..."

"But..." Rainbow Dash tried to protest, but she lowered her head in defeat. She then closed her eyes, and to Twilight's surprise a look of determination appeared on her face. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and stared straight into Twilight's eyes. "Then I am staying here with you," the pegasus said fiercely.

"What?! But--" cried Twilight. However, Rainbow Dash quickly cut her off.

"No. This is my choice. I want to stay with you until this whole 'Multiverse adventure' thing is over. Also, you promised to be there with me when I get my new wings, so I can't have you go getting lost in the Multiverse without me. Plus I don't trust this 'Verse' guy. He seems like a real jerk."

Twilight chuckled and then hugged her friend once more. "Are you sure? It is likely we will see some pretty bad worlds out there. And, I am not sure if these other keys will be as nice as I am. It is likely we will meet another bad Pinkie or an evil version of you...are you really sure about this?"

Rainbow Dash's look of determination did not waver. "I am sure. Besides, someone has to watch your back, might as well be me!" She smiled, then gave a nervous chuckle, "Just don't tell anyone I was crying, okay?"

Twilight chuckled, "Okay, I promise."

They hugged once more before finally pulling away.

"Now, I am feeling a bit hungry. Let's go see if we can find the mainhall again..."
Twilight said. She wasn't really that hungry, having been filled up by the love energy Rainbow Dash had been emitting. However, she figured food would help lighten up the mood.

Rainbow Dash chuckled, "Yeah...I guess I am still a little hungry. But this mansion is just so huge, I hope we don't get lost again..."

Twilight smirked, "I don't know, I have a good feeling about this way." She said, taking the lead down one of the hallways.

It took them another forty-five minutes before they finally found the main hall again.

The room looked exactly as they had left it, except the food they had eaten before seemed to have replenished itself.

Twilight pulled out a chair for her friend, and took a seat next to her. Blueberry muffins and heyburgers filled their plates, and their cups filled up with apple cider as if by magic.

The two ate a little bit, bit for the most part, they just talked and enjoyed the moment.

Off in the distance, unbeknownst to either of the girls, Verse watched them curiously. Interesting. The Multiverse never ceases to surprise me. However, I must continue my search for the other keys. I have waited far too long to let them slip away from now.... he thought to himself, before turning and walking back towards his Study...

Author's Note

You are free to ship as you want, but I will tell you up front that I have no plans for any romances in this story. It just doesn't feel right for me to do so, in my opinion. However, I will not stop any of you from shipping what you please.

Chapter 13: Worlds

Chapter 13: Worlds

Three days later

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Verse walked in the blank whiteness of Nowhere, heading towards the Worldscape.

"Where are we going?" asked Rainbow Dash, squirming while they walked. Twilight had just replaced her bandages earlier that morning. Or rather, what passed for morning in this sunless place.

"To the Worldscape. It's how we will be able to go to other worlds. And stop squirming so much, you might accidentally undo the bandages," Twilight replied.

"I can't help it! It itches!" Rainbow Dash used a hoof to try and scratch her itchy body. It helped a little bit. "And you told me that before, but you still haven't explained to me what this 'Worldscape' is."

"You'll see," Twilight replied. Verse suddenly stopped and held out a hoof for each of the girls to grab. As soon as both girls grabbed hold, there was an audible pop as they once again appeared in the Worldscape.

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped. "It's like the Study except bigger and more...real..." she said she looked on in awe.

Twilight imagined her expression must have looked similar when she first saw this place. Even now, the sight of it all still amazed her. It was just so big and endless. She still had no idea how Verse could navigate such a place, though at this point she figured it was going to be a mystery she'd never solve.

Verse began walking again, without a word. Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a friendly poke to snap her back to reality. "Stay close to us at all times. Getting lost here would be pretty bad," she warned her. Rainbow Dash simply nodded in response, still trying to take in everything she was seeing around her.

They walked for what seemed like hours, until Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "Verse, if you are magic and stuff, can't you just...you know, teleport us to where we need to go?"

Verse chuckled, much to Twilight's surprise. "I could, yes. But, I like walking. Besides, there isn't any rush. We have all the time in existence."

Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash gave an audible groan. However, it didn't seem Verse would be convinced otherwise.

It was another few minutes until something caught Twilight's eye. Off in the distance stood a breathtakingly beautiful alicorn mare, whom was staring at them. Twilight felt herself fall into a sort of hypnotic trance as the mysterious and beautiful mare beckoned for her to come. Twilight didn't even realize she had taken a few steps forward until she felt a hoof on her chest holding her back. That was enough to snap her back.

Verse stood beside her, holding her back with his hoof. "Don't go near. You will not survive," he warned.

Twilight gave a confused look, "Who is she?" Suddenly a smirk appeared on the beautiful made in the distance. In a blink of an eye, the beautiful mare's image seemed to shimmer away, revealing a skeletal alicorn pony with those same cold but alluring eyes.

"She is known as Grave, the Spirit of Death and Decay, and the Gatekeeper to the Afterlife. No mortal who enters her realm lives to see another day," Verse explained.

Grave made no attempt to approach the group, but from behind her a form appeared, and Twilight's eyes widened. It was her mother, Chrysalis. Tears began to form in her eyes, and she started to move forward again before being stopped once more by Verse.

"Don't. She is just playing her games with you. She likely just wants your soul. Don't approach her. You will die," Verse explained. Twilight wanted to approach, to speak to her mother again, but she somehow managed enough willpower to hold herself back. Rainbow Dash gave a slight whimper and took a step back, not wanting to go near the skeletal mare.

The skeletal mare gave a small smirk before disappearing into the shadows, along with the form of Twilight's mother.

Twilight shivered, the influence of the made now fully gone from her. "Is she an evil spirit?" she asked Verse as they continued onto their destination.

Verse shook his head, "She is no more evil than Discord, if that helps. She is a part of the natural order. However do beware when you see her. She goes by many names and takes many forms. She is the Spirit of Death, and it is in her nature to bring the end of mortals' lives."

Twilight frowned, "Why was she here though?" she pondered, now fighting a cold chill that threatened to seep down her spine.

Verse replied without looking at her, "Many spirits use the Worldscape to travel, not just myself. You can also see various time travellers and world jumpers from various worlds and timelines pass through here as well, though most do not see the Worldscape. As for why Grave was there, she probably wanted to greet you after doing her a large favor. However, you probably wouldn't survive such a greeting, not that she intentionally meant you any harm."

Twilight frowned, "Favor? I did her a favor? What favor?"

"Why, the Test, of course," Verse said matter of factly.

Twilight's eyes widened as her memories flashed back to the Test. "The other me...she had given everypony immortality. You said she had banished..." Her eyes widened even more, "..Death! You said that the other me had banished Death from her world. And then when I made her undo the spell..."

Verse nodded, "Indeed. That version of you had banished Grave from her world. And, by undoing the spell, you allowed Grave to return and restore the natural order. The only ponies who are allowed to be gifted with immunity to Grave's touch are the alicorns, as that is simply the natural order of things. We Spirits also cannot truly die, but that is for different reasons."

Verse did not bother to elaborate on what those reasons were, but before Twilight or Rainbow Dash could ask, he came to a stop before a small yellow star before them. "We are here. We will find the next Key candidate here in this world." His eyes narrowed, "I'll warn you just this once. This, too, is a dark world of suffering and pain. I don't care what horrid sights you see, do not make me kill another key candidate like last time. You will not like the consequences." His voice was ice cold.

Twilight refused to show him any hint of fear, but she nodded her head in agreement. "I promise not to interfere."

His eyes softened a little bit, "Good. Now let us see if this Rarity is the one I seek... "
.And with that, there was another pop.

Author's Note

I will not be going over all the Spirits as I decided to leave who they are up to mystery and the fanfictions of other people who wish to write of such things.

The only thing to keep in mind is that some spirits have multiple versions of themselves via different universes, like Discord. Others only have one self through out the Multiverse, like Verse, though they have a lot of spare time to visit and do other things in other worlds.

Some spirits have many different forms and personalities but are ultimately all the same Spirit, like Grave.

Chapter 14: Generous Despair

Chapter 14: Generous Despair

Twilight's eyes took a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness around them. It took her but a moment to realize that it was nighttime. The moon only just beginning it's trek through the sky. Luna must exist in this world, hopefully, as there was no Mare in the Moon. So that was a good sign, hopefully. Hard to tell with the whole 'alternate universes' thing.

Rainbow Dash lurched, groaning in discomfort. "That is so disorienting...." she complained, though she was already quickly recovering her posture.

"You'll get used to it," Twilight replied with a comforting smile.

Once they got their bearings, they took a look at their surroundings. There was a very grim if not depressing presence in the air. As a changeling, she could sense the heavy and negative emotions that seemed to fill the place. It took a moment before she recognized the place.

It was the Crystal Empire, of that she was sure of. Clouds drifted away, revealing more of the moonlight, allowing Twilight and the others to see a bit more.

She saw that not far away from them stood the Crystal Palace. However, Twilight paused when she saw it. Standing just outside the castle perimeter was a spike. And on that spike was the rotting, decapitated head of her brother, Shining Armor.

Her eyes widened and she felt bile start to build in her mouth, but she managed to stop herself. "S-Shining...." she said, her voice almost breaking at the horrid herself

"Where are we?" asked Rainbow Dash, before noticing what Twilight was staring at. The sight made her feel sick to her stomach as well, but she did not recognize whom the impaled head was. "W-Who is...was he?"

Twilight steeled herself before replying, "He's my brother...well, this world's version at least....the Shining Armor from my world is still alive."

"Indeed," spoke Verse, his tone as calm and emotionless as ever, "In this worldrepeatingmbra rules the Crystal Empire. This world's Twilight failed to stop him. During the battle, the tower you were in exploded, and you were captured by King Sombra. Your friends, thinking that you had died in the explosion, abandoned you as they returned home."

He paused for a moment, staring at the two girls for a moment before continuing, "Sombra began to torture you, and you resisted for a while, but eventually, his nightmares broke you. He altered your memories and corrupted you. You were confident that your friends would save you, but they never came."

Twilight frowned, "But...what does any of this have to do with Rarity?" she asked, trying to focus on their mission.

Verse turned and began walking toward the Crystal Palace. "You will see. Oh, and explain to your friend there that we are not currently in the Time stream. I hate having to repeat myself."

"Time stream?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight sighed, "Basically what he means is that we are invisible to everypony around us. They cannot see, hear, or touch us. We, on the other hand, can see and hear everything, but it seems we can't touch or interact with anything until we enter the time stream."

"And how do we do that?" Rainbow Dash asked, still a bit confused.

"Hmmf, 'we' don't. 'I' do. You can only enter and leave the time stream because I allow it. Neither of you have time manipulation magic, so your only way to traverse time and space is through me," Verse said a very matter-of-factly tone. He sounded more annoyed than boastful.

As they walked through the halls, the many guards and servants paid them no heed, bone ever even aware they were there.

Verse walked as if he knew the whole place like the back of his hoof, but Twilight was starting to get the feeling he was like that every he went.

They passed through doors, not caring if they were opened or not. Rainbow Dash gave the same reaction Twilight did when she first discovered they could do that. However Rainbow Dash found it much more amusing than she did. Rainbow Dash began to run back and forth through several doors until Twilight reminded her that they were here for something important.
Rainbow Dash gave a sheepish smile before trotting back next to Twilight. Verse seemed to pay no mind to any of this.

Finally, they entered a doorway that led to a stairway that just led ever downwards.
"That is a lot of stairs...." Rainbow Dash commented. Twilight nodded in agreement, though long passageways like this didn't bother her as much, her hive had longer ones, after all. Though, there weren't any stairs in her hive.

Twilight felt a ping of loneliness. She missed her hive. And she also missed the chatter of the hive-mind. A queen with no hive-mind is a lonely existence.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they approached what could only be the castle dungeons. Verse led them towards a locked room, and entered. Twilight and Rainbow Dash slowly followed after.

What they saw before them was a dimly lit room, though not as dark as Pinkie Pie's secret room. A single torch lit the room.

It wasn't long until they noticed rarity chained to a chair. She seemed to be asleep, but whatever dream she was having wasn't pleasant. It was then that Twilight noticed the other pony in the room. It was her, yet different. This Twilight was an alicorn, just as the other version of herself that she had met, except...this one different...darker.

Her coat was a darker shade than normal. Her mouth smiled with fangs, and her horn curved like Sombra's. But that was not the only thing that resembled Sombra. Her eyes glowed with a green tint, with purple streams of magic flowing from the corner of her eyes. A wicked grin pierced her lips.

Before the changeling queen or Rainbow Dash could ask any questions, Rarity awoke.

The dark Twilight gave a mocking voice of concern, asking if Rarity had a bad dream as she cut her cheek with a scalpel. Rarity began to cry, but before she could react, the dark Twilight began to cut a heart shape around Rarity's cutie mark with scalpel, causing Rarity to scream once more.

"Rarity! We have to stop this!!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, as she began to run towards Rarity. Verse stopped her cold with an icy glare.

"There will be no interference. This is as it should be." He paused for a moment, then began to explain. "This version of Twilight is known as Twilight Terror, the Queen of Nightmares, the Bride of King Sombra. Rarity and Trixie were sent as spies to figure out what Sombra was up to. However, Sombra's own spy tipped him off on who they were and thus, they were captured. Prior to this moment, Rarity and the others had thought Twilight dead. Trixie and the others do not yet know the truth."

"And where is Trixie?" the changeling queen asked. Verse only blinked, she is else where, being tortured by King Sombra himself."

Before they could exchange anymore words, the scene before them continued. Twilight Terror began to lick the blood off the scalpel. She carved another, deeper heart around the cutie mark on Rarity's other flank.

As Rarity screamed, Rainbow Dash began to whimper, old memories beginning to flash in her mind. Twilight pulled her to the side, giving a concerned look. She, too, did not enjoy what was occurring, but she knew Rainbow Dash would be more sensitive to this considering what had happened to her.

"If you need to step outside and get away from this, I completely understand...." the changeling queen said in a gentle voice.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes for a moment, before a look of determination appeared on her face, "N-No, I made you a promise to stick by your side, no matter what! And a friend keeps her promises, no matter what!"

Verse stared at the two as they had this conversation. A curious expression on his face that disappeared as soon as the two turned back to continue watching the scene before them.

Twilight Terror walked towards her tray of tools and put the scalpel down, grabbing a large knife instead.

Twilight Terror began to talk about how Rarity and everypony else had lied to her, and that she was going to get her revenge.

Then, to everyone's horror, Twilight Terror put the knife onto the the cut on Rarity's cheek that she made earlier, and pulled down, turning cut into a horrifying gash. Verse was the only pony other than Twilight Terror who seemed unfazed by this.

Rarity screamed in agony, her tears dripping into her wound, making her cry even more. Twilight Terror gave a sadistic laugh before taking the knife and doing the same to both of Rarity's cutie marks. The dark Twilight moaned in sadistic pleasure as Rarity screamed. Both the changeling queen and Rainbow Dash wanted to kill this twisted version of Twilight right then and there, but did nothing, knowing there was naught that they could do. Verse would not let them interfere.

Twilight Terror licked the knife clean of blood before putting the knife down and grabbed the hacksaw.

Rarity began to beg, but her torturer only slapped her across her wounded cheek, threatening to saw off one of her limbs if she kept talking. She then grabbed Rarity's horn. Rarity began to beg again, shaking her head, pleading for friend not to do this. She received yet another slap as Twilight began to saw it off.

When she finished, she showed Rarity the horn, and smiled. She told her that she would keep it as a trophy, then finally, she left.

Rarity sobbed in blood and tears. Verse once again stopped Twilight and rainbow Dash from approaching their friend. "Luckily for this one, there is a happy ending..." He explained.

Before they could ask what he meant, Trixie suddenly appeared, teleporting into the cell. Trixie looked beaten, but in better shape than Rarity, however, the expression on her face revealed she had endured severe psychological torture. She undid Rarity's bindings and grabbed Rarity's removed cutie marks before grabbing Rarity herself and teleporting them both out of there.

Verse then turned to the others, "Now we need to be elsewhere, and at a different point in time as well." He raised his hoof and the terrain around them began to move as if they were on a globe. Within but a second they were suddenly in a hospital, far from the Crystal Empire.

Time accelerated briefly, moving about a day and a half into the future. They were in Ponyville Hospital, Rarity's room. She had just had surgery. Her cheek was stitched up, though it would definitely scar. Her cutie marks had been sewn back on. Spike, AppleJack, Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash came in. They hugged Rarity and asked her what had happened. When they asked who did it, she claimed not to remember, but Twilight knew she was lying. "Why doesn't she tell them? Why doesn't she tell them that the other me is still alive and has been corrupted by Sombra? It's the right thing to do..." she asked.

Verse was quiet for a moment before replying, "To spare them the horror of what she had seen. To keep the memory they have if you as it is. As the Element of Generosity, this is the most merciful thing she can give to her friends."

"That still doesn't make it right!" she protested.

Verse merely shrugged, "Doesn't it, oh Princess of Friendship?"

The others finally left, leaving only Rarity, Verse, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash in the room. Verse waited a few more minutes before entering them into the Time stream.

Trixie walked towards the door to Rarity's room. There were a few things she wanted to talk to her about. She needed that comfort. She opened the door and hesitated upon what she saw. A dark grey stallion sttod in the room along side a changeling and a wounded Rainbow Dash, who seemed to have lost her wings. None of them seemed to have noticed her yet. She turned and looked down the hall, she saw another Rainbow Dash walking away with her friends. Her mind jumped to conclusions, the other Rainbow Dash must be a fake. The mysterious stallion must also be a changeling, it was the only thing that made sense.

She overheard them as they spoke. "Do not be alarmed. You are needed for an important task. We mean you no harm," spoke the stallion.

"What is going on, who are you?" replied Rarity in a terrified voice.

"Don't worry, it's going to be okay," said the false Rainbow Dash.
The stallion then spoke once again, "The Multiverse has need of you. We will explain later."
The stallion then stomped his hoof and reality seemed to warp around them. Trixie had to save Rarity from these strangers, so without thinking, she lunged and jumped forward, desperately trying to safe her friend. There was a loud pop, and suddenly, Trixie wasn't in the hospital anymore....

Author's Note

The world is from a fanfic by Crazybird101 called A Somber Year.

It is an unfinished story that likely won't be finished, but I recommend giving it a read for more context. ^^

You won't find it on this website but rather on fanfiction.net

Rarity oddly enough is not the main focus or character of the fanfic. However, she is the version I felt the most appropriate that I have come across.

Chapter 15: Tricks and Truths

Chapter 15: Tricks and Truths

Trixie landed with with a silent "Oof," as she felt pain briefly shoot up her body from the landing. As she got to her hooves, she could hear Rarity panicking, "What? Where are we? What is going on?!"

Trixie froze as she looked at their surroundings. It was an endless world made up of what looked liked stars and galaxies.

Trixie then heard the changeling speak in a familiar voice, "Don't worry, Rarity. This is just the Worldscape, a kind of hub if the Multiverse, from what I can understand it."

Before Trixie can even question this, a different voice spoke, this time coming from the stallion. "We have a stowaway," he said in an icy tone.

Suddenly he turned around to face Trixie directly, and Trixie couldn't stop herself from whimpering. The aura of wrath and power emitting from this pony was far greater than any other she had ever seen. And his eyes...they weren't normal. A starry night's sky greeted her where each if his eyes should have been. She could also tell that this was no changeling. Not even a changeling could exude this much power.

"Grave mistake following us. Thankfully, this is easily corrected. I am going to erase you now," he spoke. Her legs trembled at his speech. Erase her? What did he mean by that.

Despite all the fear in her body, Trixie managed to blurt out, "L-Leave Rarity alone, you changeling monsters!"

"Trixie?" Rarity asked in a panicked and concerned voice.

The stallion scoffed at her. "Changeling? I am no changeling. But that matters not. Begone." His voice was icy yet emotionless. She watched helplessly as the stallion raised his hoof to strike her, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice call out.

"Verse, wait!!"

The stallion paused and turned to look at the one who spoke. Trixie watched as the changeling approached. Trixie's eyes widened as she realized why the voice was so familiar. It was Twilight, but as a changeling. A queen, if she had to guess, she was not quite as tall as Chrysalis, but she was definitely taller than your average changeling.

This changeling Twilight continued to speak, "You can't erase her!"

The stallion she called 'Verse' gave her a cold stare. His voice lost it's iciness when he spoke to her, but it still remained emotionless. "And why not? This version of Trixie has no meaning to you or to our goal."

Trixie felt like somehow the stallion had insulted her, but she remained silent.

The changeling Twilight then spoke, "She may not have any importance on my behalf, but I'm not the only Key you have anymore. I am sure Rarity wouldn't be happy if you erased one of her friends. She might even refused to cooperate.

Verse grunted in disdain, taking a look towards Rarity. Trixie took this moment to rush over to Rarity, shoving away the pretender Rainbow Dash, and did her best to help stabilize her, putting her hoof around her, and allowing her to leab on her.

"Hey! What's the big deal?!" cried the wingless Rainbow Dash, "I was only trying to help!"

Trixie stared at the others. If she had any charge left for a teleport spell, perhaps she could get her and Rarity away. But, even if she did, where would they go? Something told her that they were not in their own world anymore.

Verse gazed at the two of them, focusing more on Rarity than her. Rarity gave him a terrified expression.

To Trixie's surprise, a sigh escaped the stallion's lips. "Fine. This version of Trixie can stay. If only for the compliance of a possible key candidate."

Trixie wasn't sure what this "key" business was about, and neither did Rarity, but Trixie could feel Rarity relax, if only a small bit, in her arms.

"Follow me" spoke the stallion before turning once more and walking away. Without seeing much of a choice, Trixie begrudgingly followed, supporting Rarity as they walked.

Twilight frowned as she glance back at Trixie and Rarity, checking if they were still following. They were.

Twilight was silently relieved that she was able save Trixie from Verse's wrath. She found that while she couldn't compete with Verse on the physical or even magical level, there was a way to get a leg up on him in a political sense. He seemed to put great value in these Keys and their compliance. As long as she could keep using that to her advantage, she was not completely powerless here.

A queen's work is never finished no matter where she goes, it seems. Or when... Twilight thought to herself.

Twilight was pulled from her thoughts when Verse suddenly spoke. "Twilight. When we get back, I want you to come to my Study. There are a few things we must talk about."

Twilight tried to gleam if she was in trouble or not, but the spirit's face and tone were unreadable.

With another jarring pop, the group returned to Nowhere. Rarity and Trixie both gasped at the sight of the place.
"Oh, How garishly bland," commented Rarity. "Too bright," replied Trixie.

They were in for another surprise when the mansion began to form around them. "W-What is going on?" cried Trixie.

"Pretty cool, right?" replied Rainbow Dash. "Here, let me take you to our room."

Verse began walking towards what could only be assumed as the direction of his Study. He beckoned for Twilight to follow, and she did.

Rainbow Dash led the way, but as they passes through the Mainhall, Rainbow Dash paused. "This is where we normally eat. You can eat as much as you like here, the food never runs out or goes bad."

However a glance at the two told her they were more tired than hungry. She then continued leading them to the room in which Twilight and her stayed. To her surprise, an extra queen-sized bed had appeared, along with more room to accommodate it.

Rainbow Dash offered a helping hoof to Rarity, but Trixie knocked her hoof away. "She doesn't need your help, changeling!" Trixie retorted.

Rainbow Dash frowned. "I am not a changeling. I'm Rainbow Dash, but from another world," she explained.

Rarity's eyes widened, "Another world? Whatever do you mean?"

"Trixie does not understand," Trixie confirmed.

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Well, apparently, there are like a million different alternate worlds out there, and each world there is a different version of each of us. I am from a different world than yours. And Twilight is from an even different world!"

Rainbow Dash could see Rarity visibly flinch at the mention of Twilight's name.

"What of this Verse character, is he from a different works too?" asked Trixie.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and frowned, "I don't know. I think he's something...different."

She expected more questioning, but both Trixie and Rarity were silent. Rainbow Dash sighed, "Twilight is not going to be happy with me..."

Rainbow Dash began to undo her bandages, slowly revealing the wounds from the torture Pinkie m Pie had done to her.

She heard both Rarity and Trixie gasp in horror. She turned to face them. "I know what you have been through. It's been...hard on me too."

To her surprise, Trixie fell to her knees and began to cry. Rarity was fairing better, but only by a sliver.
"W-Who did this to you, was it Sombra or--" asked Rarity.

"It...was my world's Pinkie Pie.." she said solemnly.

"Your wings..." Rarity choked in tears, "Y-Your cutie marks!" Rainbow Dash gave her a hug. "I-It's bad, but not as bad as it could have been. Pinkie Pie was trying to turn me into a cupcake....She is dead now."

Each of them cried and did their best to comfort each other. Occasionally, they would ask each other questions. Some were answered, some were met with only tears.

Twilight entered the Study with a small pop. Verse was already waiting for her inside. He took a step forward and leaned in close. "What did you do?" he asked coldly.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What did you do to Rainbow Dash?" he asked. She gave him a confused look, "What do you mean? I didn't do anything to her."

Verse scoffed, "I find that hard to believe. You must have done something. You changed her. That version of Rainbow Dash did not show any of the necessary qualities or traits in her world. But now, after spending time with you, somehow she's become a prime candidate. These things don't just happen."

Twilight's eyes widened, "Wait, you don't mean--"

"Yes Twilight, somehow, someway, the Rainbow Dash you saved has become a Key Candidate."

Author's Note

Well, now things are getting interesting... XP

Every answer leads only to more questions...some will be answered, others may not.

I hope you have been enjoying this story so far, it has been really fun to write. I will post new chapters as often as I can. Just be warned that their may be a day or three in between chapter posts.

Chapter 17: A Test of Colors

Chapter 17: A Test of Colors

It was early the next day, just after the group had finished eating breakfast. Twilight got a good meal both from the food and the love energy from Rainbow Dash. She wasn't able to get much off of Rarity or Trixie, but after what they had gone through, she didn't blame them.

Verse walked into the room, interrupting them as Twilight and Rainbow Dash were trying to answer some of the lingering questions Trixie and Rarity had.

"Rainbow Dash," he spoke in a calm, but authoritive tone, "Come with me. I found a suitable world to test you." There was a moment of stunned silence.

Rainbow Dash took a breath, "O-Okay," she said, slowly building the confidence in her voice.

"Wait, if she goes, I go too," spoke Twilight, stepping forward. She would not take no for an answer. To her surprise, Trixie also stepped forward, "Us too."

However, Rarity hesitated, giving Twilight an untrusting stare. It wasn't until she looked at Rainbow Dash, and then to Trixie, that she finally agreed. But even then, Twilight took note of how the white unicorn mare made sure to stay on the other side of Trixie, away from her. Twilight couldn't help but feel a slight pang of hurt in her chest, even if she understood her feelings.

Verse twitched his tail in mild annoyance, but gave no complaints. He led the way out of the mansion into the empty whiteness of Nowhere. The mansion dissolved behind them, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. Trixie gave it a questioning look, but she said nothing. Rarity did not seem to notice.

They walked for a while, with no concept of time, until the familiar pop brought them to the Worldscape. The travelled in silence for a while as Verse continued to guide them, until Rarity spoke up. "That's...strange...."
"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"Every time I think I have a question to ask, it seems to....slip away..." she replied.

"Huh, I have noticed that too..." Trixie chimed in. "Me, as well" said Rainbow Dash.

Twilight's eyes widened as she realized what was going on, but she also noticed that she felt no such thing herself. She could form questions just fine.

"Verse! You liar! You said you wouldn't use that spell again!" Twilight accused, magic beginning to charge in her horn, just in case.

Verse scoffed, "I did not. And I am no liar. I only promised not to use the spell on you. But your companions? They are free game as far as I am concerned."

She glared at him. She had a feeling the others did too. Verse made the gesture that implied he was rolling his eyes, "Fine."

He blinked and the spell seemed to dissipate from her friends. Questions formed without obstruction, but Verse gave no answers.

"Geez, why is he such a jerk?" Trixie asked. Twilight could only give a shrug as she continued to glare at the spirit.

Verse continued to ignore them until they finally came to a stop above a sea of stars that seemed to emulate the motion of the sea, moving back and forth as if it had waves. Most of the stars were purple or orange, however there were a few of varying colors sprinkled about. Verse drew attention to a Cyan Star, and touched it. He then offered up his other hoof for them to grab, and as the last of then did, there was yet another pop. Once more, they appeared in yet another world.

It was night here, but a bit more lively. The group quickly recognized it as the train platform just outside of Ponyville. Verse turned to Rainbow Dash, completely ignoring the others as he began to explain the situation.

He pointed to a small philly in the small crowd that the group quickly recognized as Scootaloo. She was waiting with her scooter in hand, watching the tracks for the train.

"A pony is going to cause her great harm. All you must do is stop that pony. Remember to play your cards carefully. You are not her world's Rainbow Dash," he explained.

He then led her to the back of the platform, out of the sight of any onlookers. "Your test begins now."

With a sudden pop, she felt herself be entered into the time stream. Verse, Twilight, and the others were nowhere to be seen.

"Guys? Where---? Guys?"

Twilight and the others watched as Rainbow Dash gave a confused look, no longer able to see or hear them. The test had begun, and all they could do now was watch.

Twilight noticed Verse walking away. " Wait, where are you going?" She asked. Verse just waved a hoof. "I have other things to do."

"Aren't you going to watch? Isn't that the whole point of the test?" inquired Trixie.

Verse chuckled, "You forget who you speak to. I am the master of Time and Space within the Multiverse. I can be gone for a thousand years and still have plenty of time. I have all the time in the Multiverse, after all." And with that, he vanished, leaving the girls stranded outside the time stream.

Twilight shouted out his name several tines, demanding that he come back and explain himself. But he did not. However, she felt a chill go down her spine, as if unseen eyes were watching them.

The girls could do nothing but watch as Rainbow Dash began her test.

Rainbow Dash called out for friends for a few more moments before finally coming to the conclusion that she was all on her own.

Rainbow Dash walked back towards were the small crowd that was waiting on the train was. She was about to go and talk to Scootaloo, but the memory of Verse's words stopped her cold.

You are not her world's Rainbow Dash.

For some reason, those words stung her, but she couldn't figure out the reason why. Regardless, she decided to keep her distance and stay hidden, and hope nopony noticed her.

None did.

It wasn't long before the familiar sound of the train could be heard in the distance. A little over a minute later, the train finally came to a halt at the station. Rainbow Dash watched as Scootaloo eyed the passengers coming off eagerly. Who was she looking for?

Upon not finding whomever it was she was looking for, Scootaloo went inside the train. Rainbow Dash watched her progress through the many windows of the train until she came to a stop at a window with a sleeping pony in it. Rainbow Dash froze as she recognized the pony. It was herself.

Scootaloo awoke the other Rainbow Dash, and after a minute, they both got off the train and began to leave the station. Rainbow Dash ducked and his, as to avoid being spotted. Thankfully, that was much easier since it was dark. She decided to tail them, as she needed to jeep an eye on Scootaloo to make sure she stayed safe from whatever pony it was that Verse had warned her about.

She took notice that the other Rainbow Dash did not seem to be in a good mood. Rainbow Dash followed them at safe distance. She frowned, if she still had her wings, she could get closer more stealthily. But since that was no longer an option, she would have to make do.

From what she could overhear, the Other Rainbow Dash hadn't made the cut to become a Wonderbolt. That explained her bad mood.

Even though Twilight promised they would get her new prosthetic wings, becoming a Wonderbolt was a lost dream for her, too. The other Rainbow Dash still had her wings. It made her ponder what could have possibly happened to make her not make the cut.

Rainbow kept an eye out for any other pony who may come around and attack Scootaloo, but she didn't see any, granted the dark of night did little to help her field of view.

That is when she heard a sickening thwack. Rainbow Dash turned to see Scootaloo on the ground with a broken nose. The other Rainbow Dash stood with a glare of anger and a bloody hoof.

Rainbow Dash froze in shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She would never hurt Scootaloo!

Unfortunately, it wasn't until she saw Other Rainbow Dash buck Scootaloo hard in the side, that she was able to shake off her initial shock. Anger flooded her veins, another version of herself or not, nobody hurts her friends. Especially not Scootaloo. She was like a little sister to her.

Without even thinking, she charged the other Rainbow Dash and bucked her in the side, shoving her away from Scootaloo.

Other Rainbow Dash, caught off guard by the sudden attack, dizzily got back to her feet before regathering her focus.

There was a long silence as the two Rainbow Dashes locked eyes.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" she could hear Scootaloo call in confusion.

Other Rainbow Dash, having gotten over the surprise of seeing another her, snarled.

"What's this? A changeling? You will pay for that, bughead. You can't even get my form right! I'm a pegasus, not an earth pony. And what's with the bandages? Trying to pretend to be a mummy too?" Other Rainbow Dash spat, hatred and contempt seething in her voice.

"I am not a changeling, dummy! I am you from another universe, and I am here to kick your sorry behind for what you did to Scoots!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

Other Rainbow Dash charged, but Rainbow Dash was ready and spun to kick her straight in the face. However, Other Rainbow Dash was faster than she thought, and dodged by flapping her wings at just the right moment, and then kicked Rainbow Dash in the face.

Rainbow Dash staggered, but quickly got back to her feet, only to then be tackled by Other Rainbow Dash.

They rolled for a bit, kicking and biting until finally, Rainbow Dash managed to slip both of her hind hooves underneath the other Rainbow Dash and bucked her hard in the stomach, knocking her off of her.

Other Rainbow Dash skid for a bit before getting back up onto her feet. She snarled.

Unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, the Bandages she was wearing had torn, and her still healing wounds burned from damages of their brief scuffle. Her wing stumps and flank scars were now visible.

Scootaloo gasped in surprise, and even the other Rainbow Dash had paused for a second, before anger and hatred returned to her face.

"You...you piece of shit!! You mock me!" Other Rainbow Dash seethed, disgusted by what she saw.

Other Rainbow Dash grabbed Scootaloo's scooter and took flight. She then rushed strait at Rainbow Dash, slamming the scooter down upon her.

Rainbow Dash was able to mitigate some of the damage by throwing her hooves up to block it, but pain still surged through her body as she was slammed back across the dirt. Her wounds flared up again in protest, and her left ear began ringing, but she got back to her feet. She spat out a splash of blood before wiping her mouth with her hoof.

Other Rainbow Dash glared at her, pure hatred in her eyes now.

"You liar! There is no way a piece of useless pegasus trash like you is me!! You don't even have wings anymore! A pegasus who can't fly is a useless piece of garbage!" the other Rainbow Dash spat, "There is no way I would ever be that useless!"

Rainbow Dash bit her lip, tears beginning to form in her eyes. The words of her counterpart had stung her deeply. But she refused to give in. "I may not have my wings anymore, but I am more Rainbow Dash than you will ever be!" she retorted.

The two clashed again, this time Rainbow Dash punched Other Rainbow Dash as hard as she could. The Other Rainbow Dash returned in kind, but she kept punching over and over with her hoof until Rainbow Dash was finally able to kick her away again.

"A worthless nobody imposter like you is nothing like me! You don't even have your cutie mark anymore!" Other Rainbow Dash scowled.

Angry tears fell down Rainbow Dash:s face. Her body was sore both from the fight and from her wounds being riled up again. She was just about to retaliate when she heard a familiar voice speak out.

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?"

Both Rainbow Dashes turned to see a confused AppleJack holding a crying Scootaloo.

Author's Note

The world is based off of the works of ABagOVicodin, specifically the world shown in "If I can't have my dream, you can't either!" For more context, go check it out. ^^

Chapter 18: Earned

Chapter 18: Earned

"Rainbow Dash and...Rainbow Dash?" AppleJack said in a confused tone.

Other Rainbow Dash spoke first, "I'm the real Rainbow Dash, this one is a imposter!"

Rainbow Dash growled, "I am not an imposter! And at least I wasn't the one who attacked Scootaloo, you bastard!" The two scuffled once more.

At first it looked like there was going to be a confusion, but when Other Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Well, she deserved it!", AppleJack knew which one to buck.

With a sharp turn she pulled back her powerful legs and bucked the Rainbow Dash whom still had her wings. She was sent flying into a tree, and with a groan, slumped to the ground.

AppleJack turned to Rainbow Dash, "Now, ya care to explain what's been goin' on here?"

Rainbow Dash sighed, more out of relief, than anything, then twitched in pain as her wounds flared up. "Ow! I can explain. I am a different Rainbow Dash from another universe! I was tasked with saving Scootaloo here from any pony that would harm her. I just didn't expect it to be, well, me. Or rather, her." Rainbow Dash pointed at Other Rainbow Dash, who was beginning to stir.

Anger and hate began to form in Other Rainbow Dash's eyes as a snarl formed on her lips, but before she could do anything, AppleJack gave another buck, this time on the head to knock her out.

Scootaloo continued to cry, but to Rainbow Dash's surprise, she ran over and hugged her. "Ow!" cried Rainbow Dash as pain briefly shot up her back and shoulder. Scootaloo, quickly backed up. "S-Sorry!" she exclaimed in between sobs.

AppleJack frowned. "We need to get the two of you to a hospital, and then we need to take her to Twilight and the others. She'll know what to do with her," she said, pointing to Other Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash didn't get to reply as there was a sudden pop and she was no longer there. She was back at the Worldscape.

Twilight and the others watched as the two Rainbow Dashes fought. Twilight's worry grew as she saw Rainbow Dash's bandages get torn and come undone.

"She seems to be doing well," a voice from behind the group spoke, making them all jump in surprise.

Twilight turned to see Verse casually walking toward them.

"I thought you left us to rot!" spat Trixie, stepping forward. Both Twilight and Rarity shared this sentiment. All three of the girls scowled at him. Verse continued, seemingly unfazed.

"I have many other things to attend to, besides this, you know. There are many worlds to watch, many tasks to complete, and many duties to preform that are expected of me."

Twilight scoffed, "That doesn't mean you can just abondon us here, outside the time stream!"

Verse did another rolling eyes gesture. "I did not abandon anything. I merely multitasked. I did the same thing during your test, Twilight, and will likely do so again. I must manage my time precisely. It is an important measure to be taken for a spirit of my nature."

They all were going to protest more, but Verse silenced them with a hoof, and pointed towards the scene before them.

It seems that this world's version of AppleJack had come to her aid, and the other Rainbow Dash lied slumped up against a tree.

"It seems she has completed her Test."

It wasn't long until the others appeared around her. She noticed the scowls on her friends and grew worried. "I passed the test, r-right?"

Rarity turned and stared at Verse, whom only gave a brief nod. "Yes, Darling, you did great. That isn't why we are angry..."

Rainbow Dash gave a confused look, "Then why--"
Trixie then spoke up, anger in her voice, "Because SOMEPONY decided to up and ditch us half way through your test and abandoned us outside the time stream!"

Verse scoffed, "Stop being so mellow-dramatic. You weren't abandoned. I watched the whole thing. Besides, I have told you, I have many other things on my to-do list than just this. You couldn't process everything I do for this Multiverse."

And with that he began walking back. The girls did not immediately follow him, but as he began to get farther in distance, they begrudgingly realized that they would be lost in this place without him, and begrudgingly began to follow.

They walked for what seemed like hours before they hears a familiar pop and the emptiness of Nowhere once again came into view.

It was not long after that the Mansion began to rise and build itself around them.

When they were finally inside, Verse departed from the group. "You may rest until I have further need of you. I must find a suitable world to test her." He pointed at Rarity before he turned the corner, and walked out of sight.

Twilight frowned, she had many thoughts on her mind, but the safety of her friends took priority. "Come on, Rainbow Dash, let's get you patched up again, I'm worried about your wounds." Rainbow Dash winced in agreement.

Twilight then turned to Rarity, "I can take a look at you as well, since your wounds are still relatively fresh as well." She reached out a hoof to touch her, but Rarity suddenly flinched and darted off, "Don't touch me!"

Rainbow Dash raised her voice to call after her, "Hey! That's not nice! Twilight isn't a monster!"

Twilight sighed, "No, it's okay, Dash. She is still suffering from the traumatic events that she has recently been through."

A shiver went down Trixie's spine and tears begin to well up in her eyes, "I'll...I'll go talk to her. Trixie will try to talk her down..." and with that, she darted off after her, heading towards the bedroom.

The two remaining girls stared for a brief moment before Twilight spoke

"Well, we need to get in there as well. You still need to have tour wounds cleaned and bandaged up. The last thing you need now is getting an infection."

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. "Y-Yeah, you're right."

Twilight couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt in heart from the way Rarity had reacted to her, even though she understood it. She wanted to talk to her, to explain she wasn't like that other Twilight. But, she decided to let Trixie talk to her first. Rarity seemed to trust her the most out of their group. She was not sure what led to those having such a bond, but she figured that would be a question best saved for later.

Chapter 1: Verse

Prologue

A shadow of an earth pony stallion stood over a massive battle filled with blood, fighting, and screams. He watched confidently, there were none who could see or notice him, even if they looked in the direction he was at. The battlefield below him was Ponyville, the citizens had been safely evacuated, but that didn't mean there weren't any casualties. A destroyed and derailed train laid a few kilometers from the town, the first thing destroyed in the attack.

The stallion cloaked in shadows floated high above, watching intently as two figures clashed violently, both staring at each other with hate and determination, only one would survive this battle, neither was going to let the other live.

"Hmm..." the stallion said to himself, his voice was very methodical, and seemed to lack any emotion, "She just might be the mare I need. Her convictions and motivations are well suited to what I need."

The Stallion watched closely until the bloody battle finally came to an end, finally ending the war. He smirked as he watched the victor. He had indeed found what he had been looking for....

Chapter 1: Verse

Twilight opened her eyes to a blinding light, "Ugh!" She muttered, before letting her eyes adjust. The first thing she noticed was that her connection to hive had vanished. There was only silence in her head. She could not feel any of her hive anywhere. Where is my hive? she thought in a panic. Better yet, where was she? This didn't make any sense, there was just whiteness all around her. She stumbled to her hooves. "Hello?" She called, before suddenly hearing the sound of hoofsteps approach. She flicked her ears toward the direction that she heard them. Slowly, from the whiteness emerged a young stallion earth pony who couldn't have been more than 20 years old, about her age.

The stallion had a dark grey coat and a mane crimson as blood itself. However, that was not the peculiar part of this pony, for on his flank was that of a mark of a spyralling galaxy, that spun ever so slowly in place. Last time Twilight checked, cutie marks did not move like that, in fact she had never heard cutie mark that could move. However, what caught her even more off guard was his eyes. They were both pure black, with what looked like stars twinkling within, as if she were looking up at the night sky on a clear summer night.

Before she could ask who he was, the stallion spoke. "Greetings, Twilight Sparkle, Queen of the Changelings, daughter of Queen Chrysalis." He spoke in a serious tone. The changeling queen before him widened her eyes, only now did she realize she was still in her pony form. A green flame engulfed her as she changed back into her true changeling form.

She eyed him suspiciously, "Who are you and how do you know who i am? And where am I?" She asked, taking a defensive stance. The Stallion blinked once before replying, "Worry not, you are in no danger here. As where you are...well, this is my home, Nowhere. As for how I know you, it is simple, I have been watching you." He said in matter of fact voice, with no emotions that she could gleam from him.

A million questions flooded her mind, however she took a deep breath and asked the most important question on her mind, "What do you mean watching me?" She asked accusingly, still not trusting the stranger before her.

The strange stallion smirked, "I can traverse all of time and space. I can peer into any moment and world I wish. My job is to...correct mistakes and flaws that occur by utilizing the correct tools needed to solve whatever particular problem I may be facing."

"Are you saying I'm a flaw?" She asked her horn staring to light up with lavender magic, not trusting the earth pony that stood before her.

"No, Queen Twilight, you are not a flaw. In fact, you hopefully are one of the right tools I need to fix a very troubling problem..." He then paused before adding, "And I wouldn't attack if I were you. I am far more powerful than all of the changeling queens and alicorn princesses combined. It would be a fool's mistake to throw away what I am about to give you..."

"T-Tool..?" She asked, not sure if she liked the sound of that. She observed him intensely, trying to identify any signs of lying or bluffing, but there were none. A growing pit in her stomach told it would indeed be a mistake if she attacked this mysterious stallion, something about his gaze implied she would not survive for long if she did.

She gulped back her fear, letting the magic in her horn fade away before continuing with her questions, "What do you mean? I am not just some tool for you to mani-" She was stopped in mid sentence as the stallion put a single hoof on her lips. "Please don't get the wrong idea. I need you, yes, but I don't mean to imply that I want to use you as a pawn or slave. Please, that is not my intention." Twilight stepped back as the stallion finally showed some emotion, his eyes shown with worry and sorrow, seeming to plead for Twilight to understand. "I need your help, I need someone like you to help fix this grave flaw in multiverse..."

Twilight sighed, still unsure, "If you are so powerful, why don't you just fix it yourself?" She asked, "What can I do that you can't?" The solemn stallion looked down with a sigh.

"It is true, I can traverse all of time and space and can change the course of history if I so choose, and I can create or destroy universes if necessary, but...Time, and the Multiverse, are such delicate things, and if not handled properly, more harm can come than good." He paused with an apologetic look, "Sometimes, to solve a problem, you need the right pony, and I...am not always the right pony needed to correct things. That is why I need somebody like you, tools and extensions to act where I cannot. To fix what I cannot, at least not on my own..."

Twilight was quiet for a moment, taking in all that he said. But before she gave her reply, something occurred to her, and she asked him yet another question, "W-Wait! What of my hive? Are they safe?!"

The Stallion nodded.

Suddenly tears of relief swelled in the changeling queen's eyes, "T-Then...return them to me now! You have no right to take them from me!" She demanded.

The stallion stuttered, "I certainly will not! I haven't taken them. It is you whom I have taken. You--" but he was cut off when Twilight snarled, not caring if the stallion before her could snuff her out in an instant, "No!! You will return me to my hive and friends or else I won't do it!" She demanded.

The stallion was silent for a moment before sighing. "Fine. I will return you home...." He paused just as a look of relief washed over the changeling queen's face, "But if--ONLY if--you help me fix these problems and do as I ask. Only after our work is done will I do it, NOT before. Do you understand?"

Twilight bit her lip, but reluctantly nodded, seeing no other choice.

The stallion then beckoned her to follow, "Come, we have much work to do, but first I must test you, to see if you are indeed what I need..."

As Queen Twilight followed him she paused, "W-Wait!! You never told me your name!" She called from behind him.

The stallion answered without stopping or turning to look, "You may call me......Verse."

Author's Note

The Twilight Sparkle presented here is from Tom117z's story called Change. If you are confused about the context, please go read that story before coming here. He also wrote a sequel called Change: Queen of the Hive, but it is not necessary to read that as the Twilight of this story was taken from a time between after the end of Change and before the start of Change: Queen of the Hive.

I have much respect for both Tom and Skijaramaz' work.

Chapter 3: Test

Chapter 3: Test

Verse looked into Queen Twilight's eyes with an emotionless mask. She could not tell what the mysterious stallion was thinking. Before Twilight could speak, Verse began talking. "A few things first. Important things. First, change your form, you can use your old pony form, but it is probably wise not to appear as a changeling, at least not in public here. Second, be wary, Spike is a full grown dragon here, and you know how fiercely loyal he is. Not to mention this world's Twilight has Discord under her beck and call. Third, this alicorn version of you is quite powerful on her own, it is entirely possible that she is more powerful than you, but I hope that this is not the case. Also remember that they are all immortal."

Queen Twilight didn't like the sound of that. "Well how am I supposed to defeat her then?" She asked frowning deeply. Verse gave a sly smile. "It's called a test for a reason. The last bit of advice is that the only person you truly need to defeat here is the other you, once she is defeated, hopefully you can get her to free these ponies from their curse..."

Again she frowned, "I've already promised I would do it, and I will, but I don't understand why you don't just do it yourself, if you are so powerful and all..."

Verse lowered his head, his pitch black eyes that seemed to reflect a starry Summer's night looked to the ground. "I could, but it wouldn't end well. If I spoke to her, she would not listen. And if I do it by force, I will cause far more harm than good. Plus interventions of my level of power could attract even more dangerous threats in the universe. My direct interference could also end up doing the opposite of what is intended. Some things I can interfere with, but for other things, I am just not the right pony for it. That is why need tools, why I need someone like you...We want these ponies free, but not dead, if that makes any sense."

Twilight was still not satisfied with his answer, but she felt that she would not get anything more out of him. With an encircling green flame, she changed shape to appear as a blue coated pegasus mare with a mane of grey curls. She decided against taking her usual pony form, as it might cause her more trouble than she needed. No need to cause a commotion of two Twilight's running around, not if it could be avoid it.

She turned to Verse, "I am ready," she said, gathering her confidence as she breathed in, her mind already coming up with a plan. Verse led her to a nearby alleyway, and then tapped her muzzle with his hoof, suddenly she felt solid again. She blinked and was about to ask what had happened, but Verse was suddenly nowhere to be seen. "Verse?" She called out, however she received no answer from the earth pony. She called his name again, "Verse?!" However, there was again no reply. With a sigh, Queen Twilight Sparkle realized that she was on her own...

The young changeling queen slowly made her way back to the castle, where the guard promptly stopped her. "Sorry, Princess Twilight is not having visitors at this hour, come back tomorrow morning during visiting hours..." The guard explained, his tone was that of one who had rehearsed the line a thousand times. His expression was that of clear boredom.

Queen Twilight paused, noting his armor was completely different from the guards of Luna or Celestia. Their armor held a more purplish hue, and was designed with engraved sculptings of alicorns, and the helm was adorned with an engraving of Twilight's cutie mark.

Queen Twilight quickly scoured her brain for a believable lie. Until it clicked: this world's Twilight Sparkle was also a Princess of Friendship, like she had been, before her mother had died. "But, I-I have a friendship problem..." She told the guard, feigning heart break. The guard remained emotionless, his eyes, as Twilight now noticed, were sulken, and distant. The pain of life hidden just behind those tired eyes. The guard stepped aside, "Go ahead." He spoke in a monotone bored tone.

With an inner sigh of relief, she moved her hooves forward. The castle entrance thankfully looked somewhat familiar as she approached. She noted significant lack of guards patrolling around. There were a few, of course, but not nearly as many as she was used to....

Not everypony she saw had dull expressions on their face; some did indeed smile and laugh with their friends, but even then, the changeling queen could tell something was off. The love energy they emitted felt saturated and not nearly as vibrant as it should. The only ones who did not emit such stale love energy were the children, but that was expected due to their young age.

As she made her way towards the throne room doors, she noticed how most in the castle did not pay much attention to her. For a moment, she even worried that she was invisible again until a young unicorn foal bumped into her, and quickly apologized before hurrying off. He had several papers and books floating above his head, clearly signifying he was very busy.

As the throne room doors opened, Queen Twilight could only gawk at how different the throne room was. The room was large, but mostly empty. The only guard detail in the room stood stationed by the doors. There was a deep chasm were the floor should have been, with only a narrow crystal path that led to the throne that sat in the middle of the room. Queen Twilight peeked over the edge of the narrow path, staring at the chasm below. It didn't bother her as much, since she had wings and could fly, but she couldn't imagine this to be very safe for any of the ponies who couldn't fly. As she looked around some more as she walked the narrow path, she spotted above memorial sigils of her friends, each baring the cutie mark of the respective friend. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Apple Jack, and Pinkie Pie.

She then turned her eyes towards the throne.

Indeed, upon the throne sat another Twilight, who stood as tall as Celestia, and had a gazing white stare in the imposing alicorn's eyes. Twilight stared at this other version of her. It felt wrong to her somehow, a realization of a dream she dismissed long ago. At the throne's feet, just a little to the right, sat a very gloomful looking Discord, and behind the throne sat a very large dragon who strongly resembled Spike.

Verse was right, a fight against these three would not end well for her. At least, not if she had to face them all at once.

As she approached the throne, the other her spoke. "Who are you? I know everypony in my kingdom, but I have not seen you before. Explain yourself." Her eyes were scrutinous, trying to analyze the pony before her. A green flame engulfed Queen Twighlight as she dropped her disguise and revealed her true form.

In a serious and deadpan tone, the changeling queen spoke, "We need to talk."

Author's Note

It is actually intentional that Verse never really gives a clear or concise answer to Twighlight's questions. You will find that he has a habit of explaining things without really explaining things, if that makes any sense.

Chapter 16: Pain and Possibilities.

Chapter 16: Pain and Possibilities

Twilight walked slowly away from the Study. Verse had questioned and talked to her about a multitude of things over the past few hours before finally letting her be on her way. She had also questioned him on several things as well. Some, he answered just fine, others, he would refuse to give a direct answer to, which only increased Twilight's irritation.

As she was about to leave the Library and enter back into the Mansion, she took a pause to look at the endless room around her. It was only then that she had noticed that there were other ponies and creatures in the Library. She spotted several alternate versions of herself and her friends, as well as many other ponies who looked vaguely familiar. There were also several she simply did not recognize. None of them seemed to notice her. All of them seemed busy, either looking for or reading a book. Some even looked lost. Another detail that she noticed was that they also did not seem to notice one another, some even completely walking through one another.

Twilight shook her head. She would investigate the library later. For now, she needed to check up on her friends.

While the mansion was still as confusing as ever, her brain seemed to be slowly mapping the place out, and thus, while she did get lost, she eventually found her way, much faster than any time she had done before.

She made her way back to the bedroom where they were staying. Rarity was in bed, asleep. She needed it, her wounds, though stitched up, were still pretty fresh. Rainbow Dash was fumbling with her bandages. It seems she had taken them off and was now trying to put them back on, but it wasn't working so well. Trixie sat slumped next to Rarity's bed. Her body was shaking slightly. Before Twilight could ask, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"It's nightmares. Even if she drifts off for a few minutes, she starts screaming and wakes up. What Sombra did to her must have been horrible," Twilight could see the concern in her voice.

Twilight sighed, then grabbed the bandage wrap that Rainbow Dash was fumbling with, and began to help her.

Trixie spoke up, "It was horrible....he beat me...and then he put a nightmare in my head...and i--" she choked with tears beginning to form. Twilight waited to see if she would say more, but she did not.
"Well, you are both safe from Sombra and that other me. They will never be able to hurt you again. You are safe here," Twilight said in a gentle voice.

Trixie flinched a bit and wiped her eyes. "But how can the Great and Powerful Trixie trust a changeling like you? Your kind is known for deceit..."

Twilight didn't answer, instead she focused on finishing wrapping Rainbow Dash's bandages.

She then heard Trixie sigh. "Trixie is sorry that she--I said that. She is not used to seeing her rival as a changeling."

While Twilight had been slightly irritated by Trixie's earlier racism, she could tell that the made was genuinely sorry.

"And I am not used to seeing 'the Great and Powerful Trixie' apologising," she replied. Trixie's cheeks reddened just a little bit, before looking down at her hooves. "I guess it's because Trixie isn't so great and powerful after all..."

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on Trixie's shoulder, "Aw, don't be like that. I think you are a great and powerful friend. You tried to save Rarity when you thought she was in danger from us, and you have already saved her life before that. I know the Trixie in my world would never have done that for any pony."

Trixie began to cry silently, bit there was a smile on her face.

Twilight decided it was time to change the subject. "Verse is currently looking for two suitable worlds to test you with, he says it will take a bit, but who knows how long that will be?"

"Wait, two suitable worlds? Why does Rarity need two tests?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Twilight sighed, "One world is for Rarity to be tested in, the other is for you, Dash."

Rai bow Dash's eyes widened, "Me? Why me?" Twilight gave a nervous look, "A-Aparently, by saving you, I changed you enough that you display the traits he was looking for in a key..."

"Wait, wait, wait!! Tests? Keys? Can somebody tell Trixie what is going on here?" Trixie asked as she stood up.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash spent the next few minutes filling her in. After they had finished explaining to the best of their ability, Trixie frowned.

"Now Trixie is even more confused..." she said, rubbing her temples with her hoof
."Join the club," Twilight said with a chuckle.

Trixie then looked up, "Does this mean Trixie is a Key Candidate or whatever?" Twilight slowly shook her head. "I doubt it. Verse said that each of the Keys were one of the Mane Six, meaning AppleJack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and myself."
.Trixie only nodded, "That's a relief....almost. I just don't understand why he picked Rarity, or Rainbow Dash, or you. Will we be able to go home?"

Twilight frowned, " He has promised to return us back to our own timelines and worlds once we finish the tasks he needs us to do..."

"Oh,"

Before the conversation could continue any further, Trixie's stomach began to growl. Twilight noticed that she was getting hungry as well.

"Wanna go get something to eat? Rarity should be fine, she needs her rest," Twilight offered.

Trixie thought about it for a moment before finally giving in. "Trixie is tired as well, but she could use some food." Rainbow Dash then hugged them both, "Great, cuz I am hungry too!"

As they ate, Trixie spoke up, "So what is up with that Verse guy, or whatever?" Twilight shrugged. Rainbow Dash then also chimed in, "Yeah, what is up with him?"

Twilight finished chewing her food, "I honestly don't know. He says he is a Spirit, like Discord, whatever that means, and that he wants to enter the Prime Universe or whatever, using us 'keys'. But Discord told us that we shouldn't let him do that. He's a cold, heartless jerk, yet he seems to also be a very reasonable person. I know he values us 'keys' more then anything, and that seems to be our only bargaining chip against him. He also claims to be more powerful than all the changeling queens and alicorn princesses combined, but I can't tell if he is boasting or actually serious. I also can't tell if he is a bad person or not. He does an awful thing one moment, then a kind and generous one the next. It is so confusing."

Trixie frowned, "Well he can't be all that good, he threatened to erase Trixie from existence!"

"He is also the one who provided the second bed for you and Rarity and the bandages for Rainbow Dash. And he always make sure we are fed and in good health, even when Rainbow Dash wasn't a 'Key Candidate'." explained Twilight.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted, "I'm more worried about these tests that he keeps mentioning. Do they hurt? Are we going to be okay?"

Twilight gave a supportive smile, " Don't worry, I am sure you both will do fine. And even if something happens, I will always support you."

Twilight mentally sighed in relief upon seeing her friend relax a bit. She wasn't certain about these tests either, but she was not about to let her worry cause her friends to lose confidence. She knew they would be needing it in the days to come.

Author's Note

Now comes to question of what world's to use to test Rarity and Rainbow Dash. I admit to not having thought that far ahead, but please, leave a comment if you have any suggestions or ideas.