A Friendship Torn Apart

by Anna_Dash

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, Drama, Mystery, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6
Length: 25436

Something very suspicious is going on, and the warnings kept coming. Rainbow Dash is left on her own to figure out the case, and many unexpected circumstances followed her way.

Friends acting odd. Hatred. Anger. Heartbreak.

The signs kept coming. Something suspicious was going on.
Weird visions, headaches.

Rainbow Dash doesn't know who she could trust now. Will the six Elements of Harmony remain friends and keep a balanced relationship, or would these cold emotions prevent them from doing so?

The fate of Equestria was on the line, after all.

Published 2019-08-04 23:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2019-09-13 19:54:16 UTC

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash gazed over her masterpiece. She did it again. She made the citizens of Ponyville joyful with the weather.
The sunlight pierced through the sky, illuminating the small village with its yellow light. At the moment, everyone was busy with their work. Ponies rushed all over the place, having appointments, meetings, shopping and so much more. Anyways, Rainbow Dash wasn't busy. She soared through the skies, leaving a rainbow in her wake. It was quite a dazzling sight. Many fillies admired the rainbow as they passed by, over on their way to school.

There wasn't a mare in Equestria that loved flying more than Rainbow Dash. The speed, the adrenaline , the wind, you name it. She loved it all. It brought a feeling of unexplainable joy, yet it was so relaxing and exciting. Flying let her be absorbed in her thoughts, while still having the opportunity to focus on everything going on around her. In the sky, and on the ground. She noticed every little bird that passed by her, every filly sprinting away from school to get icecream from Sugarcube Corner. Wait, she was forgetting something.

" Shoot! I need to get to Sugarcube Corner right now!"- Rainbow dash flew down like a bullet and landed smoothly on the ground. She forgot she had to meet her friends at Sugarcube Corner.

" Hi Rainbow Dash! " - Scootaloo beamed. That was the very filly that accepted Rainbow Dash as her idol. Rainbow Dash, herself, loved Scootaloo and she loved her back. They were like two sisters, though not biological . That didn't matter. They valued their relationship to infinity.

"Hey Squirt!"- Rainbow waved and smiled at her, then excused herself, as she needed to meet her friends right away. She was pretty late already, so even if she wanted to spend quality time with her adopted sister, she couldn't. She greeted ponies all the way to her destination, and when she finally arrived at the front door, she couldn't help but listen in on her friend's conversation. She knew she shouldn't be eavesdropping, and that it was wrong, but she wanted to know what her friends talked about while she was gone. Were they worried she was late? Did they just gossip? Now it was time to find out. She sneaked under the window she could see her friends through. They were sitting on a round table with a pink cloth decorated with cupcakes on it. There were various kinds of pastries, cupcakes, cakes and so much more. It was tempting for anypony to eat. Rainbow just glared at the cupcakes in awe, and then she heard her friends talking. Fluttershy just hid her face behind her mane and stood in the corner, while the others were having their conversation.

" Darling......... Her ego is over the moon, and she certainly has no respect for the finer things. NO. RESPECT!"- Rarity stated her opinion in a brutal way. These words intrigued Dash. Her friends would never talk about anypony in such a harsh, rude and direct way.

" Hmph! She also never eats any of my pies, therefore, she doesn't deserve having parties anymore! Even if it's a piece of cake, to bake a pretty birthday cakeee!- Pinkie chimed in. Ouch. Rainbow thought. Not deserving to have parties anymore? Even Pinkie hated this mare. How bad IS she? Although, Dash herself hated pies. Who was Pinkie and the others talking about? This is so not like her friends. These words coming from the elements of harmony and the Princess of Friendship's friends? That doesn't sound very believable if you blurted it out somewhere in public. Everypony would deny that they ever said those cruel opinions. Who was this mystery mare? Surely nopony deserved this hatred. No wonder 'Shy was acting even shier than usual and was hiding in a corner. Her of all ponies, the Element of Kindness herself, wouldn't bare hearing those harsh words. Rainbow leaned in closer. She needed to find out who they were talking about, and get to the bottom of this mystery. She had to figure out what was wrong with her friends and why they would gossip like that. It was urgent that Dash had to uncover this mystery. She couldn't stand it anymore. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she continued eavesdropping.

" She keeps on a'flying o'er mah field like she owns the place. Keep asking me to help her do all her stunts in the middle of mah applebucking. I 'ave gotten a'mighty tired of 'er selfishness and ah keep saying that she gotta respect a mare's privacy."- Applejack babbled. Hmm.....

These things were clear:
She was a pegasus mare.
She was egotistical, according to Rarity.
She asks Applejack to help her with her stunts..
She hated pies...

Who was she??
Dash just couldn't figure it out. It was almost impossible. She waited and waited for the moment when this mare's name was revealed.

"No wonder why they call her Rainbow Crash. She keeps on crashing through my castle door. Applejack, your right about teaching her to respect other's privacy, but I guess she's busy being too "awesome" to listen to you. I'm glad she didn't come today, probably at Wonderbolts Headquarters"- that was the final straw. Rainbow Dash winced at those words. That's when it hit her. They were talking about her. Her very own best friends. The friends she had always been so loyal to. The friends she trusted this entire time.She started sobbing faintly, and she just flew back to her cloud mansion in a fast way, but not so fast that she caused a sonic rainboom and get her "friends" attention.

" Do y'all hear that?"

"Meh, its just the wind".

Rainbow locked her door quickly. She went to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. She felt betrayed. Her friends were using her only for the element of Loyalty. If she hadn't had this title, they probably wouldn't have bothered even speaking to her. She poured out all her thoughts.

'After all we've been through.... After all those times I've been loyal to them..... This is how they repay me? With hatred? My friends are nothing but filthy hypocrites! How could they say those things about me!? Without my rainboom, they would be left out in the streets, dressed in rags and have no destiny for life! Equestria would be doomed. And this is what they think of me? Yes, do go on, in the end just talk about me like a worthless pile of dirt! But, all they said is probably true..... They wouldn't even care if I was gone. They would just need me to stop the next villain that wants to conquer Equestria. That's the only thing they care about. I'm the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. That's it! They don't care about my dreams, my feelings....... Their friendship is more important to them, and they probably wouldn't want me getting in the way of their perfect lives.'

The emotion of rage, fury and anger quickly turned into sadness. Rainbow lay silently on her bed, trying to prevent herself from flooding the room with her tears.

Her friends babbled on and on about different topics as she stood there silent, hiding behind her mane. She was shocked, and sad, and confused at the same time. How could they change so quickly? She thought they were nice ponies, but she did not wanna disrupt their opinions... She was too afraid to say the wrong thing, as she thought her friends would lash out at her for having a different opinion. Though, deep inside, she knew they were talking wrongly about her childhood friend. And she knew there was something wrong with them. They weren't her friends. Or at least, they weren't acting the same way. Fluttershy was very confused. She didn't know what went wrong. What caused them to say those cruel things? Rainbow Dash was always there for her ever since they were fillies. She defended her against the bullies. The very same bullies who developed her stage fright. Her anxiety, and worry for other ponies's opinions about her. She couldn't help but squeak when she heard a familiar voice.

" Darling, you look absolutely horrid! Why, what's the matter dear?"
Fluttershy, however quickly came up with a response.

" I forgot that I need to buy food for Angel bunny. See you girls tomorrow!"

With that she walked away and everypony waved goodbye to her. A sudden feeling of relief rushed over her. The fact that her friends talked that way about her best friend disgusted her, and she wanted to get away from their sight as soon as possible. Away from the harsh opinions and insults. Away from their faces, even. Something wasn't right.
Twilight was usually pretty level-headed.
Pinkie was always cheerful and threw in good opinions.
Rarity would never say such things. Applejack too.

One thing was clear: She needed to find Rainbow Dash right now and see why she didn't come to their meeting.

Author's Note

Hey guys! This is my first story on here, sorry if its rushed or if you don't like it. I found this site not a while ago and it simply caught my interest. I read a few stories and I felt inspired by them. I want to make others inspired with my own stories too, so I created this profile. I know my skills aren't really good and I'm just a kid, but, I really wanted to do this!

Chapter 2

Rainbow Dash couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst into tears. Why did this happen to her? Did she deserve this? But, do you know what hurt the most? Everything they said was true. And they weren't denying it. They made it clear that she was unwanted. The next time they see her their gonna switch on hypocrite mode. And when she flies off, they're going to continue talking behind her back. She thought that she found real friends.... Maybe it was because she became distant all of a sudden? With all the problems at Wonderbolts HQ? Well, sure, there WAS a lot of training there back at the time. But that was no reason for her friends to act this way.

But, in the end, it was always so true. She was not the best friend anyone could hope for. She was egotistical, selfish, self-centered and always talked about herself. She wasn't the best flier ever, cause she kept crashing. Therefore, earning her awful nickname. But for this to come out of the ponies she trusted for years? The ponies she cared for? The ponies she was ever so loyal to? All her good deeds were returned with hatred instead. This shattered her heart. From now on it was clear: She should never trust and be loyal to anyone again. She should only be loyal to herself. If only she listened to her parents from the beginning.... They always repeated it over and over:

Never. NEVER trust anypony but yourself. And in the end, they were right. She should have listened to them.... Now she wouldn't be suffering from all of this pain and sorrow. She wouldn't be lying in her bed, just being useless. At that time she would usually go for a fly. Her favorite hobby . She would soar through the skies, making her beautiful rainbow, and feel the soft breeze in her face. She would have never been in this situation, if she just listened to the ponies older than her. The ponies that.... passed away, because of her!

Fluttershy searched everywhere. This time even, she was flying above her speed limit. She went to every place possible in Ponyville, but she didn't find her. It was very odd. Rainbow Dash would usually be very active around town. She didn't even find her in her usual spots. Fluttershy sighed. It was of no use. Then it hit her.... How couldn't she have thought about it before? She checked every inch of Ponyville, but didn't even bother paying a visit to her house! The most obvious place.
Fluttershy took off to the skies again, and smiled at very birdie that passed by. She wouldn't have ever seen them if she stayed in Cloudsdale. She would have had to overcome her fear of heights and continue Flight School. And flying was NOT Fluttershy's cup of tea..... If it weren't for the pegasus race, she would be stuck in the cloud city. She would never discover her love for animals. She wouldn't even know that they even existed. She would have never experienced the delight in communicating with critters of all kinds. She would have never met her.... friends. Fluttershy sighed. She was back in her state of curiosity again. She didn't know what was happening. Those... things were not her friends. She didn't know the cause of her friends' actions. But, deep inside she knew she wasn't weak. Firstly, she has to get to her best friend's house, and start to uncover this entire mystery.

" Hey Fluttershy"- a familiar voice said. Fluttershy turned around to see who was speaking to her. It was a stallion with a light blue color for his coat, and dark blue navy hair. He was also wearing his Wonderbolts suit.

" Oh hi Soarin"

"Uh.. Have you seen Dash? She is usually never late to practice... Spitfire sent me to search for her."

"Actually, I'm searching for her too. I-I think she's at her house. You can grab her for practice."- Fluttershy sighed. She knew that practice was more urgent at the moment, and she didn't want to interrupt the Wonderbolt's routine. She could talk to Rainbow Dash later. Soarin nodded and went to the right direction.

'Something was going on. Practice can wait for a while, I need her to explain everything to me. This is so not like Rainbow Dash. She would never be at her house at this time of the day, and it was peculiar the Fluttershy was looking for her. Usually, most of the day she just flies or hangs out with her friends, and she would NEVER miss practice. Yes, something was definetly going on.'

Fluttershy landed smoothly on the ground. She was now in front of her cottage. 'Angel bunny will be so mad I didn't bring him food..'- she sighed. Angel bunny was her beloved pet. She had various types of species of animals in her house, but she valued the little bunny most. When she felt sad, she always embraced Angel and automatically felt better. He may be bossy at times, and most of her friends told her that she was being a complete push-over for always following his orders, but she believed that her pets always deserved the best. In the yard, all the animals felt her presence, and stopped for a second, but she showed them a pleasant smile, and they continued playing, hopping, and so on, so on. She entered her cottage and the only pet there was, you guessed it, Angel bunny. He was impatiently stomping his foot on the ground, and he was standing in the middle of the room. Fluttershy sighed, then she grapped a bag of the food she would usually give to animals. She poured it in a bowl and placed it in front of Angel.

"Here you go, Angel."- the bowl was immediately kicked out of the way by a furious angel. "Carrots and lettuce?"- Fluttershy said with a pleading smile. The bunny just stared at her unpleasantly. That was the final straw. She had enough of it for today. She gave him the stare. The bunny struggled standing in one place, then he immediately began eating the previous food Fluttershy had offered him. A knock on the door was heard.

" The door is opened"

Immediately the door was slammed open and a nervous looking Twilight with a check-list and feather came in.

"FLUTTERSHY! MUSIC! CELEBRATION! SUN!"- Twilight screamed. She could barely even breathe. "TOMORROW!"- Fluttershy was familiar with this type of Twilight. She, as usual when needed to plan something urgent, looked like a wreck. Her hair was messed up, and she had the most bizarre looking smile on her face. Fluttershy put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, and gently caressed her mane afterwards, to make it normal-looking.

"Now Twilight, would you be a dear and explain everyth-"- Fluttershy was immediately cut off by Twilight, who inhaled deeply before beginning her rant.

" The summer sun celebration is held tomorrow in Canterlot and Princess Celestia wants us to help organizing it and setting it up and I'm not sure I can make it there is a lot on the list, and you have to be a super-pony to pull it off and arrive in time in Canterlot, I mean what was she THINKING? THAT PONY , I DON'T CARE IF SHE IS A PRINCESS, SHE. IS. ABNORMAL!"- Twilight exhaled, and looked pale after all that speaking. Fluttershy looked awestruck. Then, Twilight showed her the list. Fluttershy only noticed the stuff that her friends were to do.

Music
Catering
Party
Decor
Wonderbolts

The rest of the list was endless, though, and she didn't want to strain her eyes just to see it. She didn't know how even Twilight can handle it. But, she still did not feel comfortable around Twilight or any of her friends for now. Until she figured out what was going on. Since the conversation, they started acting like their absolutely normal selves. She hoped that she can get answers soon. She just had to wait for that training to end.

" Twilight don't worry, I'll start training my bird choir."

Rainbow Dash wiped her tears away when she heard a knock on the door. She tried as best as she could to erase any sign that proved she was crying. She didn't want anypony to see her in a state like this. She opened the door, and saw Soarin.
He had a warm smile on his face, but she knew that he wasn't here to just talk with her. She missed practice, and Spitfire would make her train 20% harder than she already had to. If she was lucky, that is. You never know what an angry Spitfire would do to you.

" Uh, hey, Rainbow..."

"Hi Soarin, don't worry I'm not gonna ditch practice, let's start heading there fast."

"No.- Rainbow Dash stared at him curiously- First I need you to tell me what's going on"

"What do you mean? I've never felt better!"

"No. I know something is wrong with you"

"I.. overslept?"
.....................................................
" Ugh, I can't get anything out of you, can I? We'll talk after practice now lets go!"- With that, both of them flew to Wonderbolts HQ and arrived half an hour late.

Spitfire at first looked calm. She inhaled, then exhaled.

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...."- she muttered something under her breath. That meant it was really bad. Dash took a step backwards.

"Where were you, Rainbow Dash?"- Spitfire said calmly, with a straight look on her face, something you would usually never come across.
" Um.. I-I....."- Rainbow stuttered , and she couldn't find the right words. "Oh, I'm guessing you just forgot practice. You forgot that princess Twilight came over and asked us to perform for the Summer Sun Celebration for Canterlot. That we are in a tight schedule, and that the flight patterns and performance is something extremely new that should be practiced all the free time we have."- Rainbow slightly nodded, in hopes it would just pass by, and that they just start practice. Well, she was in extreme luck, because Spitfire blew her whistle, and everyone flew right into the air. Rainbow followed everyone else's moves, because she was new to these moves. She was a really experienced flier, and learned things fast when it came to flying. But at one moment, her wings just shut down. They felt tired and motionless. She was exhausted, and she couldn't do anything anymore. She thought about the events of today, she closed her eyes, and fell down to the ground.

...............................................................................................................................

Author's Note

I'm running out of ideas for this chapter :moustache:.
But don't worry guys. I think I have good ideas for the next chapters, and I'm really excited to write them! :pinkiehappy:

I'm overjoyed that some of you enjoyed the story so far! I enjoy writing a lot, and this is the first time I published my work in public!
I'm happy if you enjoyed reading.

Chapter 3

Everything was dark. There was an annoying sound... She just couldn't get it out of her head.

Beep.... Beep... Beep...
Soon the sound faded away, and she was just left in this dark void. There was a black mist covering the entire area. There was an eerie feeling to this place. She felt a tingling sensation... Then she couldn't help but shiver. Suddenly, out of nowhere, icy wind swept by. It was really severe, and it cut like a knife against her skin. Then, she started to make out what this place was. Slowly, the dark mist started to vanish. She was in a hallway. There were windows on either side. On those windows were images of every villains' defeat. There were always the same six ponies on each window. She glanced over to one window. A creature with a dragon's tail, one pegasus wing and one bat-like wing, a snake body , a griffon's claw and a lion's paw was at the top. It's body was now a stone statue. At the bottom, there were the six ponies, all with their necklaces, and one mare with her crown. The first mare she saw was probably the most beautiful of them. She had a white coat and dazzling sapphire-blue eyes. Her mane was styled in gorgeous curls, and it's dark purple color was also the same color as the necklace she wore. A stunning diamond.The second mare looked like a farmer, owing to her country-styled hat. She had a blonde mane that was tied with a red elastic, and she had an orange coat, which was also the same color as her necklace symbol. An orange apple. The third mare, in the middle and a little above the rest, had a color between dark purple and dark blue with pink and purple stripes in some places on her mane, she had a purple coat and had a crown that stood on her head. The crown had a big star at the top, that not only represented her element, but looked like her cutiemark. The forth had large poofy pink hair and a light pink coat. She wore a necklace with a blue balloon in it. The fifth had a light pink mane , a light yellow coat and she wore a gold necklace with a pink butterfly on it. The sixth mare... She couldn't see her quite well. She was blurred, but the only this she could make out was her necklace. A pure gold necklace, like all the others, with a lightning bolt. The lightning bolt was drained from color.

Rainbow was about to question who she was, but she heard voices coming from up the white porcelain stairs.

"Sister, this problem isn't quite as small as you think, we should warn them!"

"Ah, my dear Luna, the friends will figure it out. They're inseparable. And with the Summer Sun Celebration coming, they'll notice for sure."

"Sister, I sense that something is wrong! They have already......- before Rainbow could hear the rest of the sentence, the beeping sound interrupted the Princess's voice.

Beep Beep Beep...........

"Is she going to be okay Doc?"- a muffled voice was heard. Rainbow couldn't open her eyes yet, her pain was unbearable. It was coming from both of her wings, though she felt they were wrapped with bandages. She couldn't feel her leg, and it was also wrapped. Her ears could barely make out any noise, though she knew that two stallions were talking. She only heard the chirping of the birds clearly outside. Then she remembered the events of her dream. She felt that something wasn't right. But, then again, it was just a dream. In reality, she was unwanted from her friends. They were just faking their friendship this entire time, just so they could use her to save Equestria. Dash kept reminding herself that. She just felt useless... Her friends wouldn't care if anything happened to her. They didn't even come to check on her. They weren't worried about her. Maybe they were right to act this way. In the past, she didn't really help them that much with any situation. She felt like she was just a thorn in their backs, only hardening their lives even more. She didn't pay any respect to all the hard work Rarity has done and how generous she always was to her. No, she didn't even bother to encourage Rarity more. Instead, she just complained about how Rarity always talked about her hard work. But Rarity always bothered to listen when she talked about the Wonderbolts, didn't she? Then there was Twilight. Twilight always tried to teach her the importance of everything else rather than only her interests. But she just continued to talk about herself and how awesome she was, though, come on, deep inside, she knew she wasn't really all she thought she was.

Rainbow Dash was so engulfed in her thoughts, that she didn't even feel the pain anymore. She forgot it, just like it was a fly passing by, and then flying out of the window again.

And Pinkie? Let's not even get started. Even what she said before at the table, she was going easy on her. Pinkie always tried her best to be her best friend, always tried to cheer her up when she was sad, but in the end, she didn't value it all that much. She only imagined the pain that Pinkie felt when she left her all alone just to hang out with Gilda. Or that time when she'd rather have Cheese Sandwich as her party planner.

Applejack. Well, Applejack..... She couldn't even think anything about what she has done to her that made her act this way. That was how bad she was as a friend.

And her childhood friend, Fluttershy. She felt like she wasn't there for her enough. Like she didn't stand up for her enough, or like she never helped her enough. She always wanted the best for Fluttershy, but she wasn't helping her at all. She's went through a lot of trouble and pain, and she wasn't even there for her. All of her other friends tried to help her the best they can when she was facing her fears, but Dash felt like she wasn't trying her best. Heck, she was even making fun of her for being so fearful and weak. It just wasn't fair for the mare.

Rainbow felt like the worst friend ever when all of those thoughts raced through her brain. And you know what was the worst again? All of this was the very truth. In the end she was just the egotistical, selfish, dumb and self-centered self she was. She was blinded by all of her accomplishments and only thought about herself and how " awesome " she was...

" Rainbow, please wake up..."

Rainbow slowly started opening her eyes. Above her, with a very worried look on his face, was Soarin. She felt relief when she saw him. She didn't remember what happened, but she was glad someone cared for her. Before she could even say a word, Soarin hugged her. It was a really pleasant feeling, and Rainbow enjoyed it. She returned the hug.

"Rainbow, you scared me to death! The doctors thought you were in a coma! Why did you forcefully fall down like that?"

Rainbow Dash relapsed all her memories. Now she knew the reason she was here. She hated to admit to Soarin that what she did was kind of on purpose.

" Uh... Well.... I remember Fluttershy saying that her wings can sort of 'shut down'. Its like they stop working.."

Before Soarin could respond, the doctor that Rainbow didn't notice was in here the entire time , spoke up.

"Miss Dash, you will have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks until you recover."

At the mention of her being hospitalized, she suddenly felt a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She also felt the pain in her wings and leg increase.

"B-But I have to perform tomorrow! I can't just sit here!"

"Miss, what you are implying is impossible. Your wings are NOT in a state to fly. And all the requirements for your recovery are only in the hospital. Nurse Redheart will take complete care of you."

Soarin sighed and agreed with the doctor. Rainbow felt devestated. She will miss the biggest Wonderbolts performance this year. And, she was going to be replaced by a reserve. Great just great.

Soarin left the room, and then came in Spitfire. She sighed, and sat down by Rainbow's side.

"Listen, I'm sorry... It was my fault, I overwhelmed you, and you probably stressed out and shut down completely."

"No it wasn-"- Spitfire put a hoof on Rainbow's mouth.

"Of course you would deny it. Your the Element Of Loyalty, and probably one of the best friends ever. Now it's my fault your lying in the hospital bed, just because I acted awful towards you. Listen, Rainbow, your a great friend, you know that? I might even say you taught me friendship throughout the years. Just listening to all of your experiences, I felt ashamed by myself. I only acted like a boss to those in an inferior position to me. I didn't value all their hard work, and just kept pushing them more and more. But you would make the perfect role model, I'm sure."

" Spitfire, dont go hard on yourself. You know, you were my idol when I was a kid. You inspired me and kept me going on with my hobby. There were days where I would just give up everything , say I'm not good enough, but I always kept thinking:
What would Spitfire do?
I always thought you were in the same position as me, but that you kept going on, no matter what. And I understand why your strict and keep pushing as above our limits. It's because you want us to improve, and to be the very best we can."

Releasing all of her feelings and thoughts made Rainbow feel great about herself. The fact that she knew she could trust Spitfire and share her past experiences with her, and the fact that she trusted her the same way. It felt right. After talking for a while, Spitfire left.

.................

"You won't have a happy ending"

Author's Note

Wrote this on my phone while outside. I couldn't wait to write again, so I came up with this on the spot 😂

Hope you liked it guys!

Chapter 4

Fluttershy sat on the edge of a hill. She had just finished training with the bird choir. This is something she usually does:
She sits and waits for sunset, while processing her thoughts and reliving the events of the day through her memories. It was very quiet, and there were a few small patches of clouds in the sky. The faint sound of humming and whistling from various types of birds could be heard from below. Fluttershy admired the scenery. Below her, she could see a wide forest and a village in the distance. The forest was almost entirely covered with trees, flowers and animals. It was overflowing with life. All that Fluttershy could imagine was there:

Parrots, flamingos near one of the many sparkling lakes, bunnies hopping around merrily, sloths, deer and anything from her wildest dreams. But, nopony was allowed to go there. There was a legend that on the day that the outbreak of a deadly disease occurred, many ponies came to the forest, searching hopefully for the cure. Most of their families were struggling financially and some of their members were suffering from the disease. It was tempting for everypony to find the cure to the mysterious disease that took over Equestria, and the forest was the first place that anypony thought to search, as the disease, or virus was very severe and it was also fatal. Why, that exact forest, you may ask? Back in the time, it was recorded the forest with most herbs and medical resources. It was the place that most ponies went to in situations like that. But, this time, anypony that dared step foot at the forest, never came back. Their relatives reported it to the news, and it wasn't only one pony they were talking about, it was a pretty massive amount. Hundreds, maybe, went missing. A group of many professional searchers, accompanied by the police, were sent to find them. Guess what? They never came back. There were also recent cases of the exact same thing last year, mostly dares or stupid improvised stories by fillies trying to scare their friends. But, in the end, It was not a joke. Legend says that the disease somehow effected the forest, and produced killer plants and new species of innocent-looking animals that could claw you to bits. Fluttershy sighed. How could a place of such beauty and wonders be the cause of such drastic events?

She just sat there, and was silent. The sunset , then, had begun. It was now at a level to Fluttershy's face. She shielded her eyes from the gorgeous array of light that the sun brought along with it's setting. It was a fierce orange color and could blind anyone if they looked directly at it. Some may refer to it as a deadly laser, others to a ball of enthusiasm, beauty and optimism. It shined above all of Ponyville , and as it dropped so low that Fluttershy couldn't see it, she started heading back the steep way, and got back to her cottage. She then thought of what she was going to do. She couldn't just lay back, enjoy her life to full extent and do nothing. She had to focus on what was important right now. She had to go and see Rainbow Dash, and to warn her that something was wrong with their friends.

Rainbow Dash was lying in her hospital bed. What were minutes felt like hours, and what were going to be days might as well be like years. She hadn't experienced the feeling of boredom in a hospital for the first time in her life. Those were her most dreadful days. But this hospital visit was the worst. Not only did she have to deal with the pain of two broken wings and one broken leg, but she didn't have friends that would cheer her up. Normally, they visit her every day to see how she was doing. They would even bring her favorite books, board games, or they would overall just talk about what was going on in Ponyville and how they were holding up. Surely she must have just misheard their conversation back at Sugarcube Corner, right?

' Face it, they just don't care about you anymore, and you shouldn't be struggling because of them. Well, I won't care about them too. I have got the Wonderbolts as my friends, right? They bothered to come here and take some of their precious time that they could've spent training just to see me and lighten my mood. That was what my old friends did.... No, They weren't friends anymore. If they are going to talk about me behind my back like that, I won't care anymore. Because now, I don't want them to be associated with me in any way. Those disgusting little.....'

Dash couldn't help but hit the wall behind her, she was so furious. She didn't care about the pain in her hoof, she had to let out her anger on something. She didn't feel sadness anymore. Only rage and fury were building up in her. After all they've been through. For Celestia's sake, they were the Elements Of Harmony! They had to be the best friends in the entire Universe! There wasn't a group of friends that had a more special connection than them. And to whom did they owe that connection? To her, and to no one else.

Suddenly, the window opened swiftly and let a severely cold wind come through. Rainbow Dash began shivering, and she clenched her teeth due to how cold the wind was. The opening of the window revealed the sky. It was almost night time, and Luna had begun rising the moon. It was a full moon, and it twinkled beautifully. Then, the window closed on it's own. Suddenly, Dash's head began throbbing in pain. Something about the feeling she got when the wind made contact with her skin was oddly familiar. As if she experienced the same thing before. Then, she got an image of the black, empty space and the severely cold wind she was in before. The pain in her head only increased, and Dash couldn't help but put her hooves on it and let out a scream, it was so painful. Fortunately, nopony heard her. At the moment, she just wanted to be alone and enjoy the peace and quiet. She didn't want her nurse rushing in and asking her what was wrong. She didn't want to take any medication for her pain. She just wanted it to let go by itself. That was the best way to handle this situation. Just wait patiently, and let it go on it's own. Dash sighed.

How could this happen to her? Those wonderful friends she once had were replaced with hatred, disgust and gossiping. She remembered the day Twilight became a princess. Ever since then, she noticed that her friends weren't acting the same way as before. She noticed that their warm, welcoming smiles were replaced by very wide ones, which were too big to be real. She noticed that when she got injuries or bruises from her stunts, ( which usually happened ) they didn't care as much, and just seemed to ignore it. Not that it was painful for her, she just wanted to feel cared for.and important. That was really all she wanted.

She remembered the good old times. When she used to prank everypony with Pinkie Pie, for an example. Those days were one of the most joyful ones ever for her. Her and Pinkie used to laugh the day away. She even remembered the times when they pranked each other. There were no bad feelings, only laughter and happiness.

She remembered when she used to compete with Applejack all the time. Who ran the fastest, who jumped the highest, so on, so on. The iron pony competition was one of their biggest contests ever. And she enjoyed it very much, even if the race in the end was a tie. When they ran for the second time so more leaves would fall, by Celestia's request, Applejack told her all her honest opinions and feelings, and it felt like all the competitiveness had faded away. Dash also shared some of her thoughts, too.

The visit to the spa with Rarity, even though she hated to admit it, was something that she looked forward to a lot. She was very fond of her unicorn friend, and she enjoyed the spa treatments a lot too. Because of Rarity, she now wasn't afraid to admit her love for the spa. They could chat and chat all day if they wanted to there. Dash would never forget how generous Rarity always was to her and her friends. She would never miss an opportunity to create the perfect dress for her friend.

But now, she felt like she lost everything. Her old friends helped her form into who she was. She was the confident, brave mare who wasn't afraid of anything and was always loyal to her friends. She faced every challenge, and helped her friends when they were in need. But now she felt like she couldn't ever become the same pony she was before, even if she wanted to. Her self esteem was crushed because of her friend's statements. A scar can be easily forgotten, but some words can be remembered for the rest of your life. And because of only a few words, she felt like a shell of sorrow and pain.

Dash thought it was very silly to react this way , since her friends could have been joking, right? But, she knew it wasn't a joke. The truth hurts and she just had to accept it.

' You know what, I don't care anymore. I'm gonna move on, and stay strong.. right?'

The door swung open. It revealed a mare with a buttery coat and a wavy light pink mane.

" We have to talk"

Author's Note

Sorry if it's a little rushed, guys. I am really tired today, and I don't know how I managed this. I came up with it right on the spot, and half of it was written on my phone.

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed reading!

I don't have an idea for a title, so I hope you don't mind that I just put Chapter 4 on there:twilightsheepish:

Chapter 5

The moonlight shone brightly from Canterlot castle's windows, that displayed a brilliant starry night sky. It was almost pitch black, but you could hardly tell since the stars and moon illuminated everything below them. Such a stunning night sky doesn't occur much often, since it always takes Luna a lot of effort and concentration , but most of the ponies were asleep, so they didn't value it that much and didn't even bother to catch a glimpse of it from their windows. Ponies always had enough time to admire the sun and light sky at daytime, even while they were rushing from place to place to complete their duties and check another thing off of their checklist. Then, when they came back home at nighttime, they ran to their beds and almost instantly fell asleep. This made Luna's heart break. Even her sister didn't congratulate her for her work. She didn't pay any respect to anything she did. At least, that's what Luna thought sometimes. Deep down, she knew that her dear sister always had a spot for her in her heart, and that she loved her just as much as she did. The time she mostly looked forward to was to observe ponies' dreams at night, and prevent them from becoming nightmares. She felt that was the only good thing she does to benefit Equestria, other than raising the moon. She always felt so accomplished when she saved ponies from their terrifying slumbers, and prevented dreadful nightmares from traumatizing a filly's soul, and scarring them for life. She also encouraged many little fillies, like Scootaloo, to overcome their greatest fears. Luna felt like a true hero.

Luna was standing on the balcony, and was prepared to observe ponies' dreams after a while. The stars merrily sparkled in the sky, and Luna smiled. She gazed deeply into one of the bigger stars, closer to the moon. She sighed. Instead of thinking about the good deeds she had done to make Equestria a better place, she now remembered the most terrible times of her life.

She had once caused havoc and trouble to Equestria. And she would never forgive herself for it. Fury and anger was the cause of her transformation. She let her emotions take over her, and transform her into the wicked mare of darkness. She had caused stress to her sister, and overall, to all of Equestria. She couldn't help but realize something:
The Elements of Harmony had sacrificed themselves just to release her from her awful emotions. What if, maybe, just maybe, some of the emotions of fury, anger, jealousy and hatred were transferred to them. That would greatly affect their relationship in time, and the magic of friendship would slowly be erased. It could even prevent the bearers from even getting close to the elements, if they were already corrupted. Luna once even told her sister about this, but, as you may have guessed, she denied the thought.
None of that would have happened because of her and her insane emotions. She was the cause of this, and she needed to make things right.

' The least I could do is try to prevent the evil ahead of us. And I hope my sister would just listen to me for once." With that thought, Luna walked over to her sister's room, and, without knocking, she barged in. She knew that her sister wouldn't allow her if she asked for permission.

On the ginormous bed was an exhausted and dreadful- looking Celestia. Her eyes were baggy and bloodshot, and she had already taken off her royal attire. She barely noticed Luna had walked in, until Luna spoke up.

" Sister, we need to talk."
Celestia did not react as furious as a raging tempest when she saw her, so that was a good sign. Probably.

" My dear, dear Luna"- Celestia said bluntly. " I told you, the matter is in good hands. I suppose the elements have already noticed something is wrong."

" Celestia, you can't always leave situations like this to the girls. We can't be sure if their friendship is not damaged already, and if they won't even make it for the celebration! We need to help them snap out of it if they were already affected by the darkness.And not only it's darkness b-but...."

" Sister, you know it is beyond our powers to do such a thing. Only the true magic of friendship can stop this force. And, we do not possess such magic... And please stop blaming yourself for everything. It is not your fault."

Luna sighed. Her sister always left all the hard work to the six mares, even if she knew that they, too, could also not possess the magic of friendship anymore. What kind of ruler was she? She only smiles and waves, does her royal arrangements, and leaves the hard work to the six mares. She rejected to inform them of the danger too, on purpose, so they could figure it out on their own? What if it was already too late? And why did she always deny the fact of something so obvious?

" Celestia, you are acting outrageous. If you won't tell them and try to help them, then I will!"

"YOU WILL NOT DO ANYTHING , AND YOU WILL NOT DISOBEY MY COMMAND! THE FUTURE HAS SPOKEN, AND IT IS FOR THEIR OWN GOOD THAT THEY FIGURE IT OUT ON THEIR OWN!"

Luna slightly flinched. Her sister had never used her Canterlot voice on her, you could tell she was furious. Very, very furious. Celestia afterwards mumbled something Luna could understand as 'sorry'. Her stern look was replaced with a small frown, which Celestia rarely displayed.

"Luna, you do understand that if I could, I would tell the girls immediately. But, they must figure it out on their own. The elements will be corrupted even more if they don't work it out with true friendship. We must not intrude into their relationship, and let's hope that we are fortunate. The most important thing at the moment is that the girls aren't already separated, which I highly doubt, and that they arrive together at the Summer Sun Celebration. "- Celestia said with her usual calm tone and smile, and gestured Luna to come over. Luna gently sat down next to her sister, and Celestia put her wing on her back.

" But, sister. This is all my fault... If I hadn't been so foolish..."

" Luna, I told you to never speak of that again. It is not your fault at all, okay? Everything will be sorted out, and put back into place. I just know it."

The door swung open. It revealed a mare with a buttery coat and a wavy light pink mane.

" We have to talk"
Dash squirmed in her bed, and in shock accidentally hit her head in the wall behind her. Who had interrupted her deep thoughts? It was not a very big question. Rainbow immediately recognized the mare's delicate and soft voice. Fluttershy hung her head down, ashamed of herself that she used her more ' assertive ' voice on one of her closest friends. Rainbow turned around and smiled slightly. She still didn't know if she could trust Fluttershy a lot.

" Uh, Fluttershy, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, u-uh... Rainbow I'm sorry I didn't even come her sooner.... I was so worried about you, you know. But I had to train my bird choir, and it got out of hand a-a-nd....- Fluttershy hung her head even lower.- I-Im sorry......"

"Whoa, hold on there, how did you even know I was here?"

"I, uh searched at Wonderbolts HQ first, then I asked Soarin, and he told me, sorry if I'm intruding and if I'm unwanted here, I mean I understand if you want some privacy. I will leave now."

Rainbow still felt kind of betrayed by all of her friends, but a part of her wanted to talk to Fluttershy.

"Wait! You can stay."- Rainbow quickly responded. Fluttershy lifted her head up and brushed her mane off of her face. She stood in one of her more confident positions, and she felt braver like that. She then shot a friendly smile at Dash, and Dash returned the favor.

"Oh, I'm glad you want me here, because I've been meaning to talk to you for a while now. About something, I don't know if it's serious and important, but, still."- Fluttershy gently closed the door and went over to one of the chairs in the dull hospital room, opposite Rainbow Dash who lay in her hospital gown, with her two broken and bandaged wings, and one broken leg that was almost fully recovered.

Fluttershy just noticed what exactly had happened to Rainbow Dash and put her hoof over her mouth to hide a gasp. Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"I've been through worse, you know."- Though she didn't want to explain that she had seen her friends talking behind her back, and that she considered it even worse that her physical pain.

Rainbow felt a little happy now, though. She was in the presence of, what she believed, now one of her most trusted friends. Her childhood friend. She was also pretty sure that Fluttershy didn't say a word and just stood in a corner when she was spying at them, being the shy and kind pony she was.

Knowing that she still had a friend that cared for her sent a rush of relief in her body. She forgot about everything else. Her dream, her other 'friends', and that she was staying at a hospital and had missed one of her best opportunities in life: flying with the Wonderbolts in front of almost all of Equestria at the Summer Sun Celebration.

" So, what do you want to talk about?"- Rainbow broke the awkward moment of silence.

" Well- it's just that... our friends have been acting weirdly. And I think that something is wrong with them."

Rainbow felt something like a knife cut through her skin at the mention of the word friends. Then a flashback occurred to her. The glass window that showcased the six mares, their elements were now pitch black, all of them, instead of hers: an eye-scorching bright white color. Rainbow then felt the same pain in her head as before. And, just like before, she couldn't help but let out a scream of agony, because of the pain.
Fluttershy rushed over to Rainbow's side.

"Oh no, what is wrong?"- Fluttershy looked beyond anxious. Rainbow had never seen her more worried before. It teared her soul to see Fluttershy so scared.

Rainbow Dash sensed that something was wrong, and immediately, she knew what to do.

"Fluttershy, at what time does the Summer Sun Celebration start?"

"A-at seven in the morning?"

" We can still make it if we go to the train station now."

"B-b-but your recovery.. You can't go anywhere like this! The doctors won't let you!"

" I don't care what the doctors say, this is more important. We are going to Canterlot now!"

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle sat at a cafe near the train station. They were waiting patiently for the train to Canterlot to come, but impatiently for a certain somepony that was late.

" Where in tarnation is Fluttershy with her bird choir? She is gonna miss the train!"- Rarity eyed Applejack with a scowl.

" Dear Applejack, if you please, do be more patient. It is so rude to rush somepony like that. Now, darling, please stop acting so arrogant. We have all the time in the world. It is still three in the morning and the train to Canterlot arrives at five. *Yawn* Worst of all is that I missed my beauty sleep." - Rarity was, indeed, right. All of them looked dreadful. Their eyes were baggy and they had exhausted looks on their faces.

"Wait, what about Rainbow Dash? Aren't we waiting for both of them?" - Pinkie asked curiously.

" Well, Pinkie, I'm pretty sure she would leave us so she could travel with her beloved Wonderbolts. You know, with the most radical, awesome, spectacular, and 20% cooler friends. Don't even talk about that traitor. Even if she doesn't show up at the celebration, the Wonderbolts will instantly replace her with someone else. Actually, I would be glad if they did that. They should show her some more discipline one day. You would think she would change if she joined a flying military group with strict commands and twisted and bucking hard choreography for shows. " - Twilight stated.
Everyone, except Pinkie, nodded in a way to show their agreement.
"Oh.."- Pinkie sighed. She felt a little uncomfortable that her friends were now frequently speaking about her friend Rainbow Dash that way. Yesterday, Pinkie tried to play along and act a little rude, just so her friends didn't judge her and throw her out of their group. But, she felt like the most terrible pony ever. She should be transforming frowns into smiles after all, not the opposite. Element of Laughter, and all.

'Hmm....- Pinkie thought- I have the feeling that maybe Rainbow Dash has seen their conversation.'

'Nahhhhh, nothing to worry about. '

Pinkie smiled widely and began talking to her friends again. About happy memories of them together.

Author's Note

Hope you liked it guys!

Sorry, I don't have anything else to say. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 6

"Fluttershy, we have to go now, or else we could be late!"

"No, I'm not letting you go, you will hurt yourself even more!"
Dash was never more furious at her friend. She just didn't understand, and Dash knew that she was making the right decision. She just had to convince Fluttershy in one way or another. Her dream, visions, the pain in her head. She felt that it was all a sign, and that it was not a coincidence. She felt that Equestria is in danger, and she had the chance to prevent it. Before it was too late. And , she had to see her friends again. She couldn't stay mad at them for that long. It wasn't their fault they acted this way. Maybe something manipulated their minds? Something had happened to them, but Dash was sure it wasn't their fault. And, if she and Fluttershy didn't go to Canterlot, then everypony would face the consequences.

Rainbow Dash put her healthy leg on the marble floor, but immediately afterwards, put it back. The floor was severely cold, and she wondered how Fluttershy had all four hooves attached to it. She embraced herself as the cold rushed through her body. It was unbearable, even for her, so she couldn't resist to shiver.

"What's wrong?"- Fluttershy inquired. She herself looked normal, and it confused Dash to bits how she could bare the cold.

"I-i-it's s-so c-cold....."

Fluttershy was confused just as much as Dash was. It was a perfectly warm temperature in the room. Doctors wouldn't let their patients suffer, and they always put them in suitable rooms, depending on their health issues.

"Maybe you are ill?"- Fluttershy placed a hoof on Dash's forehead. No sign of illness. And Fluttershy knew when ponies or animals were ill. She was practically an expert on those matters already.

"Weird..."

"F-Fluttershy we n-need to go now! I know t-that something is wrong and out of place.."- the coldness in Rainbow Dash's body had decreased a little, at least that was good.

"No, I won't let y-" - the pegasus' sentence was stopped by a cyan hoof on her mouth.

"Listen to me, this is very important! Equestria is in danger, and we are the only ones left that are needed at the Summer Sun Celebration! Me, you, our friends!"

" B-but our friends..."

"If there is something wrong with them, we are the only ones that could help them realize the truth and snap into reality again."

Fluttershy sighed. Her friend was acting very odd, but, if she knew how to help her other friends, then it sounded okay to her. Although she didn't want to risk her friend's health, Rainbow Dash strongly insisted and, the matter sounded important.

"Alright... But how do we sneak out of the hospital without getting noticed, and how do we even get you to move?"
Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the window, and began explaining.

"So, I was thinking we go out the window. It is pretty easy since we are on the first floor, and the window is big enough for both of us. For me, I'm not so sure. I could try walking.. I mean, my leg isn't that hurt anymore, I think it's almost fully mended. "
Fluttershy flinched at the thought. She couldn't let her friend harm herself like this. If her leg wasn't fully recovered, she could make a mistake and break it again. Fluttershy also knew she was weak. Her hooves would tremble if she had to carry somepony on her back, and unfortunately for both of them, they might probably collapse on the floor.

"For the fate of Equestria?"

"For the fate of Equestria."- Dash smiled at her friend reassuringly, and again, attempted to put her healthy leg on the marble floor. She felt the same cold again, and she started shivering again, but she wouldn't let minor problems stop her. Fluttershy aided her when she held her hoof. Dash slowly descended her broken hoof to the ground, until it finally touched the floor. She didn't feel the pain, it's like the coldness had engulfed it. It was almost as if the coldness had only helped her this entire time. Afterwards, she completely got out of bed and began walking.

"Well, not as hard as I thought."- Dash smirked, as Fluttershy's jaw hung open. She had never seen an injured pony walk so, so... normally.

"So, when we get to Canterlot, what's the plan?"- Fluttershy inquired.

"Well, since I still can't fly, we have to go by train. I'm guessing all of our other friends are there. But don't mention anything I am about to tell you now, okay?"

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, and did the pinkie promise.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Ok, good."- Dash leaned in closer to Fluttershy, so she was abundantly sure that her friend would hear her to full extent.

"So, here's the deal. I think that someone or something has been sending me signs that something is wrong. I don't know if it's an enemy or a rival trying to confuse me, or if it's one of the princesses. Yesterday, when I passed out, I had this kind of weird dream, I was standing in the hallway of Canterlot castle and the princesses were arguing about something. Unfortunately, I was woken up before I could hear everything they had to say. Luna was about to finish a really important sentence, I believe. Then, from time to time I had these really weird flashbacks of the dream. I know I may sound crazy, but I think it's a warning, 'Shy. And I think that I shouldn't ignore it."

"No, I don't think your crazy, Dash. This sounds serious. Equestria could be in danger. We should leave to the station now, we still have time.."

Rainbow Dash was beyond relieved that her friend believed her and that things were going her way. The last thing she need was having Fluttershy thinking about her as a psychopath. With that, the two friend climbed out the window, sneaked behind the back of the hospital and headed to the hospital. Rainbow Dash was limping along the way, as the pain in her leg had returned because she was not on the cold marble floor anymore, but besides that everything was going well. For now.

The four friends sat and chatted. They were still waiting for their friend impatiently, and an hour had passed. It was now four in the morning.
"Darling, you would normally think I would be late on occasions like this. This time I packed only three outfits and my bathroom and makeup supplies! What could possibly be taking her so long?"- Rarity almost whined as she complained, her mane was getting messier as the time passed by, and her makeup was slightly smudged.

"Don't rush a pony y'all, you know, 'cause it's rude and she could be taking her time. She probably wanted to get her precious beauty sleep unlike some of us."- Applejack snickered.

Rarity glared at Applejack disapprovingly. It was now very common for her cowboy friend to make fun of her own words.

"Girls, girls, cease your misbehavior! You won't be acting this way in front of Celestia now, will you?"- Twilight joined in.

"Well of course not, Twilight."- all of the remaining ponies said in unison. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen minutes. Twenty. The complaining returned again. They complained so much that they didn't even notice that the pony they were waiting for was approaching them in the distance.

"Wow... There really is something wrong with them."- Rainbow Dash called from behind Fluttershy's back. Although Rainbow Dash knew long ago that her friends were acting very different, she was still very surprised at their behavior. They weren't acting like they were friends anymore. Maybe it was because of their impatience? Stress? Anything?

Fluttershy sighed. It pained to see her friends act this way. She didn't know what happened to her friends, and she hoped she could get answers.

"Hey, there's Fluttershy!"- Pinkie exclaimed. Twilight gestured her to come over. As Fluttershy sat on the table, she also revealed Rainbow Dash, who was still standing. Rarity looked surprised, Pinkie still looked happy, Applejack scowled, and Twilight smiled widely.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash."-Twilight said sweetly, but Rainbow Dash wasn't buying it at all. She knew her friend was a hypocrite at the moment, but her other friends weren't hiding any feelings at all. Applejack and Rarity were whispering something, but their voices were out of her reach. And Pinkie, well, was acting like.. Pinkie. She and Fluttershy began talking about something. Rainbow Dash sat on the only unoccupied chair next to Fluttershy, and Twilight was staring at her. Dash was just staring down at the table. She didn't want to speak to anyone at the moment, even though she seemed like a weirdo and it was really awkward. Rainbow just sat there in silence, and Twilight continued staring at her. It was kind of suspicious, but she may have just wanted to start a conversation, since she saw that everyone else was talking.

"So... How have you been?"- Twilight inquired, still with her wide smile.

"I have been better. I mean, at the moment both of my wings are broken along with my leg."

Twilight frowned sympathetically.
"Well I hope you get better. But, aren't you supposed to be staying at the hospital at the moment? To recover?"

"They allowed me permission to exit. They said I would recover quickly. "- Rainbow replied bluntly. She was still staring down at the table. Twilight drank some of her water.

"So... I'm guessing you can't perform with the Wonderbolts?"
The Wonderbolts were the last thing on Dash's mind at the moment. I mean , they were awesome, but at the moment there were way more important things to worry about. She didn't want Twilight to think she was out of the ordinary, so she came up with a quick, normal response.

"Yea, I feel so bad about it. I mean, missing the biggest performance of the year? So lame."

"Yeah.... What a shame."- Twilight walked over to Dash and whispered in her ear.

"I'm sure they don't even care, Dash. They replaced you immediately with someone better."

Then she walked back to her seat. Dash just thought that Twilight was being pathetic at the moment. Twilight wasn't the only smart one in their group, so Dash almost instantly figured out what was going on. Twilight's intentions were to drag her spirits down, and to make her feel worthless and unwanted. Or it was the manipulator's plan... It was all very confusing, but Dash was going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Whatever evil was after them, wanted to break their friendship apart. And it was clear they wanted Rainbow Dash out of the way, so they would succeed.

Dash's thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise. It was the train, and everyone hopped out of their seats and entered. Rainbow Dash jumped up in fear as she felt somepony's hoof touch against her skin.

"Don't worry, it's me Dash. Now let's get on the train. I will help you."- Fluttershy lent her hoof, and Rainbow accepted. Both of them got on the train along with the others. Now, they were headed to Canterlot.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed, viewers. Started writing this right after I woke up.

Sorry there was no chapter yesterday, I was out of ideas.

Chapter 7

'What if I'm just exaggerating?'
Rainbow Dash thought as she sat on a separated cabin from her friends, in hopes of receiving some needed privacy. She had to think of what was going on, and she didn't know if she could trust anypony at the moment.
'Why do I always think an enemy is after Equestria? It's just the way it is. My friends don't care about me anymore, and they take a sadistic delight in hurting me. And now I regret telling Fluttershy about everything I've seen. '
Dash was pretty skeptical wether or not Fluttershy would keep her secret. She had promised that she wouldn't tell, after all, but at the moment everything seemed so... difficult. Now Rainbow couldn't even trust her own friends. She felt that something was very wrong, and that her friends might betray her every second they get.
The friends she trusted for years. The very same friends that cheered her on for every one of her achievements. The friends that she was very loyal and faithful to. The friends that encouraged her to become a Wonderbolt. It seemed unbelievable at first, but Dash couldn't deny the facts.

Her friends didn't want anything to do with her, and in the beginning, Dash, too, didn't want to even hear of them. But she got a vibe that they had to stick together, at least for the Summer Sun Celebration. For the safety of Equestria.

'But, wait, why should I care anymore? Celestia doesn't value my help in any way. It's always the princess of Friendship that takes all the credit. I wish that, for once, they got to see her for what she really is. A backstabber. I wish that they just ripped her off of her title and... and.... all my other friends too! They don't deserve anything they have!'- Rainbow sat in a moment of silence and looked over the window.

'What have I become... I let my envy consume me... It's no wonder they don't want me as their friend anymore. The brash, self-centered pegasus undeserving of the element of Loyalty. They don't care for me because I haven't shown any respect to them. I let my over-sized ego take over everything, and of course, think I'm the most important pony in Equestria. It's always had to be about me. I didn't show my joy when everypony else accomplished something, but only talked about my position, thinking their opinions were useless. I'm the only bad friend here. Not them. '

All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash felt the same pain as before. Her head was throbbing in severe pain, this time even more serious than before. It was almost as if her head was about to explode. She put both her hooves on her head, in a desperate attempt to cease the unbearable headache. She fainted right there on the spot, landing silently on the ground.

Rainbow Dash was in an empty, black void. The same eerie feeling immediately caught the attention of her thoughts. But this time, the black mist surrounding her didn't dissolve to reveal a certain place. It circled around her, and she just glared at it in confusion. Then, something familiar came by. The icy wind that cut through her skin, this time leaving bruises. Dash shivered uncontrollably, the cold was unbearable, even when the wind ceased going in her direction, she still felt the same amount of cold. And the bruises were no laughing matter, either. They kept on piercing through her skin, leaving her to ache with pain, without anypony to aid and heal her. The mysterious dark mist then formed into a pony kind of figure. Rainbow couldn't quite figure out who it was, but she knew she had to listen to what it had to say. It might be important.

"Can you hear me?"- a soothing mare voice could be heard.
Rainbow tried to reply by opening her mouth, but to no avail. Her vocal cords stopped working, and her mouth was really dry and harsh. Literally everything in this realm or, wherever she was, prevented her from doing anything.

"Oh, right, you can't speak here. But I suppose you do hear me, right?"
Rainbow nodded in response, and allowed her to continue.

"So, right... We have a limited time to speak here, and it took me almost all of my strength and efforts to bring you here. Your the only pony I can tell at the moment. No matter in what situation you are in, you shouldn't trust anypony with sacred information, such as all of your visions. You are the only one who can prevent the dark fate before us. Equestria is in danger, and the only way to prevent-' - the mare's speaking was interrupted due to the mist forming back to it's original form, and afterwards, dissolving into thin air, leaving a confused Rainbow Dash to sit alone. What did the mare mean, she was the only one that could stop whatever was coming? And, Equestria was in danger, after all. But what hit her the most was that she couldn't trust anypony with sacred information... She just had to pray that Fluttershy was indeed what she was cut out to be and keep her secret.

It was all too much for Rainbow Dash. She had to solve this on her own, and she couldn't even trust anypony. What exactly was endangering Equestria? Her brain was overflowing with questions, and she was desperate to receive her deserved answers. All this pressure was put upon her, and only her.

Usually, Celestia would warn her and all of her friends of the troubles ahead and assign them quests that involve collaboration. Now, it was different. According to that pretty convenient mare in Dash's dream, only the element of Loyalty could prevent the dark fate before them...
It all seemed so unrealistic. And Rainbow had to keep it all to herself.

Rainbow was awoken by an unpleasant and pretty violent nudge on her shoulder, and she couldn't resist the urge to groan in pain. She opened her eyes, and saw five mares standing above her.

"What are y'all doing here napping? We already arrived at Canterlot, and y'all, like usual, are napping! All of us tried their best to be awake and ready. The train conductor is waitin' specially for us now."- Applejack scowled.

"Now, Rainbow, dear, my question is, are you not concerned that there may be fillies and colts out there, waiting in the cold for the train to arrive and take them? You, darling, are extending their unpleasant discomfort . They probably have their gorgeous hooves wrinkled!"- Rarity stated.

Fluttershy nodded, covering her face behind her mane in hopes that nopony would notice.

"Cake is waiting for us guys! CAKE! Now come on, and quit arguing, so we get there faster!"- Pinkie hopped enthusiastically out of the train.

Twilight sighed.
"Pinkie is actually right for once. Now let's go, and quit your arguing."

Twilight, too walked out the train, followed by Rarity and Applejack. Fluttershy nervously did the same, but in the middle of her progress, accidentally stepped on Rainbow's right wing without noticing, and a crack could be heard.
Rainbow resisted the urge to yell from the pain, as she didn't want to attract anypony's attention. She crawled out of the train, falling on her face as she landed on the ground, receiving a few minor cuts on her skin.

"Guys, help?'
Rainbow lifted her head, and saw that her friends had already made their way to Canterlot Castle, so they can settle in.
She stood up, slightly wobbling, but then afterwards, stabilized herself.
"This isn't going to be easy."
She slowly started walking towards her friends, who were laughing and smiling about something.

Once everypony finally arrived in front of the entrance and introduced themselves to the guards blocking their path, they were let in. They walked through the hallway, and up the stairs towards the throne room. The two sisters were sitting on their throne, and everypony bowed at the sight of them.

"I'm glad all of you could make i-" - Celestia started, but was cut off by a nervous Twilight.

"Celestia, we don't have time, the Summer Sun Celebration is today! We need to start arranging everything asap! Where do we start?"

"Twilight, don't worry, the Summer Sun Celebration is a week from now. I want all of you to settle in the castle, as you are needed for my observation and arranging everything early, by my sister's request."- she turned around to face Luna, who was displaying a smirk as she faced Celestia, in order to showcase her moment of triumph.
Their expressions faded as they turned around to face the six mares standing before them.

Twilight sighed in relief, and the others too looked much more comfortable with the date, too.
"Allow me to show your rooms, girls."- Celestia took Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy under her wing before turning towards Luna with a grim expression, and walking into a long corridor. Luna flied next to Rainbow Dash and sighed.

"How are you doing, dear?" - Luna inquired.
Rainbow Dash stared at the princess with bewilderment. Why would the princess of the night personally ask her such a question?

"I'm good."

The two mares stood in awkward silence, glaring at everything but themselves.

"Rainbow, you know I can tell when somepony is lying."

"Why would I lie about something like this?"

"Rainbow Dash, you can trust me. Tell me your feelings."

Trust. Dash couldn't trust anypony. Not after everything bizarre that has happened the past few days. She had already made a mistake. She couldn't be such a failure and make the same mistake again.
Trusting somepony with her feelings was even worse.

Luna sighed. She knew she couldn't just force somepony into spilling their feelings out in front of her, even though she was the princess of the night. But she could tell that Rainbow Dash wasn't alright.

"What happened to your wings and leg?"- Luna tried to find a way to make a conversation.

"Practice."- Dash responded bluntly. She would normally never react in such a way towards one of the princesses, but now, she didn't want to be sarcastic either.

Luna took Rainbow Dash under her wing, and they sat in silence. Luna's embrace was really comforting and soothing.
"What's bothering you, my child?"

'You can't trust ponies with SACRED information.."- Dash thought.

"My friends are just, acting really odd, you know. And it's bugging me."
Luna stood up and shook her head.

"Ah, I see. It happened as I feared."
Rainbow was about to open her mouth to question the princess, desperate for any kind of answer or clue, but Luna immediately put her hoof over her mouth.

"That should be none of your concerns for now, you need to rest this afternoon."

Luna led Rainbow Dash to the long corridor where Celestia had led her friends, and directed her to her room.
Rainbow Dash opened the door as Luna flew away, and revealed a very fancy comfortable, and spacious room. In it there were two beds, and Twilight Sparkle had already fallen asleep on one of them.

Rainbow Dash sighed, as she wanted a more private room, but she decided she really needed to rest at the moment and not worsen her headache. She gently got onto her bed, and was prepared to rest herself.

Author's Note

Just added the final cover art picture, promise I won't be changing it more.

Chapter 8

The sun ascended in the sky, it's light piercing through the windows and illuminating everything it touched with a brilliant yellow color. The birds started chirping melodically, creating a beautiful song. Everypony had already woken up and was off to their arrangements.

*Yawn*
"H-have I slept all day?"- Rainbow wondered as she opened her eyes and looked over to Twilight's bed. It was unoccupied. It was already morning, and she began sleeping yesterday afternoon. At least she felt relaxed. She sat up, and since she didn't feel any pain in her leg anymore, she unwrapped the bandages carefully and put them aside. Rainbow wondered what she should do now. There was nopony she could talk to, her friends all had arrangements and needed to prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration. Her wings were still in immense pain, and it was pretty hard for her to try and avoid it, so she couldn't fly with the Wonderbolts. If she stayed in the hospital, she would've recovered already, but now it was too late. The damage was done. Rainbow got off the bed, and walked with ease, beaming with delight that her leg was finally healthy. She went to the bathroom , brushed her teeth and took a shower.

"Maybe I should eat breakfast."
Rainbow go out of her room, and walked down the staircase. She heard chattering from one door, and slightly pushed it open. Princess Luna, Princess Celestia and all of her friends were sitting on elegant and fancy chairs and were eating breakfast from the various plates of food displayed on an enormous table.'Good, they haven't left yet'. Rainbow went inside and carefully closed the door behind her, sitting on the only unoccupied chair.

"Good morning!"- everypony greeted her.
"Good morning guys."- Rainbow responded.

"Y'all slept like a foal, and even when Rarity got in a tantrum and became hysterical 'n all, waking all of us up, you were the only one sleeping."- Rarity hid her face behind her mane in shame, and her face flushed in a bright red color.

"I didn't have the correct fabric and had to restart all of my finished designs all over! Then I messed them up again, and I have to sew them all over again for the Summer Sun Celebration! It was. The worst. POSSIBLE. THING!"- Rarity complained, and everyone glared at her for a moment before returning to their normal conversation.
"I-it's okay Rarity. At least we got to do some work for the celebration too."
"Speaking of the celebration,Twilight, my faithful student, how is everything going with the preparations?"- Celestia inquired.

"Everything is on schedule! Yesterday Fluttershy covered up the song with her bird choir completely! She did a flawless job"- Twilight smiled widely, while levitating the list towards her, and showing Celestia everything else that was ready for the Celebration.

"Impressive...."- Celestia looked over to Fluttershy and gave her a soft smile.
Fluttershy returned the smile, overjoyed with the work she did.

Rainbow sat silently in her chair. She didn't feel hungry at all, unlike the time she woke up, and nopony noticed it, fortunately for her. She didn't want Pinkie Pie shoving a dozen cakes in her mouth. She just ate an apple, she didn't want to starve herself, after all. Suddenly, her head was throbbing in pain again, and she started shivering, trying her best not to scream in agony.

"E-excuse me... I need to go to the bathroom."- Rainbow Dash ran through the door, earning many confused looks from her friends.

"Something is wrong with her."- Twilight said, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Friends, I already ate my breakfast and I shall rest now. I have a tough night ahead of me, observing other ponies' slumbers. "- Luna spoke up, and everypony waved at her, wishing her a good rest.

Rainbow went into her room and shut the doors. She was gasping for breath. The pain in her head increased severely, and she shivered even more. She was very cold, despite today being a very hot day, and the weather being cleared by the pegasi so the sun was out in full view. She got on her bed, begging for the pain to stop. This time it was unbearable.

"Maybe I'm sick?"

The door gently opened, and the dark blue alicorn with a flowing, sparkly mane walked in.

"What's wrong, my child?"- Luna asked politely, waiting for an answer. Rainbow Dash lifted her head to see her, and was surprised that Luna would check on her.

"Nothing, I'm just really tired."

"What did I say about lying, Rainbow Dash? I know that something is wrong with you. I assure you that I will support you and help you. Just release the truth, I promise you will feel good."

"Princess, it's really not a big deal. I just have a headache, that's all. I don't need any help."

"Ah, I see."

"Princess, why do you keep checking up on me? "

"Ah, I-I need to make sure that my c-citizens are alright.... I-I especially need to look over the Elements Of Harmony, you see..."- Luna stuttered. She looked very sweaty and nervous, as if she was hiding something. Rainbow looked very confused, she knew that something was up, but, she also knew that she couldn't get the truth out of the Princess.

"Well, thanks for seeing me I guess..."

The Princess waved goodbye and made her departure, now she really needed her rest so she was ready for the night. Rainbow Dash's headache soon faded away, and she wasn't shivering anymore. A few images flashed in her mind. They were flashbacks of the dream. Dash was used to this now, and figured that she shouldn't waste time anymore. She needed to find a way to prevent whatever it was from taking over Equestria. But how could she possibly do it on her own, now that she was used to receiving help from her friends? And to top all of it off, her friends could betray her or go against her whenever they want. And why was Luna acting so suspicious?
Many questions were racing through Rainbow Dash's mind. All of this seemed very unfair to her. The pressure was too much. She didn't even have a clue what she was up against, and nopony could answer her questions.

'I doubt I'm going to see that mysterious mare anytime soon in my dreams... I just need to hope. I need answers, and I need to get them soon.'

Then it hit her. Luna is the princess of the night, maybe she knew something!
'Wait, I had most of my 'dreams' during the day..... I'm not sure if Luna observes dreams during the day? Or are they dreams? What could they possibly be?'

Dash was so engulfed in her thoughts, that she barely noticed an exhausted Twilight coming through the door, drenched in sweat and trembling on her hooves.

"Hi Twilight."- Dash said when she caught a glimpse of her. Twilight yawned, and as if Dash was a ghost, got in the bathroom and started taking a shower. Rainbow sighed, and just before she could adjust what just happened, Twilight teleported out of the bathroom, looking as good as new.

"Hello , Rainbow."- Twilight beamed. She got on her own bed and turned to face Rainbow.

"So are you okay?- Twilight asked, with a look of concern on her face.

"You got us worried when you busted out of the room all of a sudden."

"I got a minor headache and wanted to refresh myself, that's all. No need to worry about me at all. Anyways, what happened to you? You looked dreadful when you came in. Too much on the checklist huh?"

"My state doesn't matter, what matters is that I got most of the work finished. I'm actually pretty proud of myself, the Summer Sun Celebration is in six days and I managed to encourage everypony to get almost everything done!"- Twilight beamed in joy. Rainbow hadn't seen her this happy for so long. And the contrast of how she acted towards her was quite shocking.

"Heh, just don't overwork yourself, okay?"

"Listen, Dash, you don't need to get involved with how I do my work, okay!? I can do whatever I want, you know!"- Twilight was on the edge of screaming, now with a scowl on her face.

"Geez, calm down... I don't want you to get too stressed out over nothing!"

"It's easy for you to say! You just sleep all day in the castle, and have nothing to worry about! I don't even know what the point of you staying here is! You don't serve a purpose for the Summer Sun Celebration, while me and the others have a pile of work ahead of us. So, thank you for your concern, but I'm a grown-up mare."

"Yeah, I don't have anything to worry about. Except for knowing that Equestria is in danger, and only I can prevent it, because my 'friends' are acting like complete jerks and I don't know who to trust anymore- Rainbow muttered under her breath.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch what you said." - Twilight said in an annoying tone.

"I said that- you know, scratch that, it's some of my lame opinions on your behavior."

"Well, I'd prefer you just go out now, I need to rest in peace."- Twilight stated. Without a word, Rainbow Dash got out of the bed, annoyed to infinity at Twilight. She rushed through the doors, and out to the garden. She was so fed up with everything, she just wanted some privacy.

She sat down near a lake, her vision reflected upon it.
"What do I do? I'm a failure, how am I going to save Equestria! Anypony would've been a better choice than me. Twilight is smart, Fluttershy is thoughtful, Rarity is basically like a detective, Applejack could fish out the truth from anypony, and Pinkie is... well Pinkie! But me? I have no clue what I'm even doing!"

Rainbow Dash faintly started to sob. It was like all of her confidence was erased, replaced by a shell of sorrow. She didn't have anypony she could trust or talk to, nopony to answer her questions. She just wanted everything to go back to normal, she wanted to go back to the good old days that her friends usually spent having quality time together.

She wanted to go to the spa with Rarity, compete with Applejack, prank ponies with Pinkie, read and discuss Daring Do with Twilight, visit Fluttershy in her cottage and talk over some tea. But now, she had to accept the present. She needed to find a way to answer her own questions, and prevent whatever was ahead of Equestria.

Author's Note

Sorry the chapter isn't good, I didn't have many ideas for this one.:fluttercry:

Chapter 9

"Rarity, are you sure she will like it? I-I mean s-sorry but...... it just doesn't look like something she would wear."- Fluttershy said as she gazed upon one of the various sketches piled on top of Rarity's desk. Rarity glanced at her with a polite smile on her face.

"I'm positively sure that our dear friend would appreciate a generous gift, even if not quite to her liking, Fluttershy. I've drained out all of my energy re-sketching before I even started sewing the actual dresses. May I say, I don't know what you're talking about. Who wouldn't simply adore such a design? I specifically made this one stand out, you know, our friend certainly loves out-shining the others. I would totally wear it, it's simply bedazzling!"- Rarity said, while rearranging her fabric by color.

"O-oh.. Um.... Okay.. I'm just implying that... you know.... I think the bows and laces are way too much.. Oh, but who knows what I'm saying... I'm not the fashionista here, am I? I know you want the best for our friends, Rarity. And I, myself appreciate that your putting in all your time and effort to make us happy."

Rarity nodded in agreement, organizing her papers and pencils. She grabbed purple, blue and white fabric and began her work, from time to time glancing over to a piece of paper showcasing a stunning dress. It was sleek and a royal purple color, dark blue and white stars scattered all over it. The white stars shined in a blinding light while the blue stars were dim, Fluttershy thinking that both the star types symbolized the two princess sisters.The dress was also very long, and at the top of the mare on the sketch's was a veil of white flowers. Without asking permission, and a bit nervously, Fluttershy took the other five pieces of paper while Rarity was at work. Fortunately, the designer didn't seem to notice, as she was engulfed in her work and dedicated her day to sewing as much as she could. Fluttershy looked at the first piece of paper, assuming it was her dress. She couldn't help but to gasp in astonishment at the view of her flawless dress, even though it was only displayed on a piece of paper for now. The silk at the top was a blue-ish green-ish color, and as it descended to each different layer at the bottom, every shade went lighter. When it reached the bottom it was slightly trimmed. She flipped to the next sketch, which she recognized as the fashionista's own dress. It was a slightly darker shade of white than her coat, and it had sequins almost all over it, accompanied by some purple rose designs. The next sketch showcased a yellow dress, splattered with designs of various treats all over the place, which Fluttershy immediately recognized as her energetic friend, Pinkie Pie's dress. Fluttershy flipped over once again, and a dress coated with a gorgeous emerald color and apples scattered over it grabbed her attention. She was amazed by Rarity's great talent, how did she perfectly know just what her friends liked? The thought escaped her mind as she went over to the next page. She sighed, and examined it carefully. It was a bright pink color, and it was very.... girly. It was sleek and had laces and bows all over the place. As her brain told her to do so, Fluttershy crumpled the paper in her hoof and threw it in the garbage can. Rarity, almost as if she had an eye on the other side of her head, immediately turned towards Fluttershy with an eerie and wide smile upon her face.

"Darling, whatever is the matter?"- she spoke with an exhausted tone in her voice.

Fluttershy squeaked in shock, afterwards nervously chuckling.

"U-um....- Fluttershy thought of aa quick response, and went with the first thing in her mind- I-I was wondering if I could create Rainbow's dress? You know... I want it to be a gift from me.- Fluttershy nervously chuckled.

Rarity yawned, placing the finished purple dress, identical to the one in the sketch on one of her remaining mannequins. (She already made Celestia and Luna's dresses intentionally, even though the princesses refused many times, but, in the end got convinced they were in need of new attire.)

"You know what, Fluttershy? Do it. I could use the help."- was Rarity's surprising response.

Fluttershy smiled awkwardly before grabbing the supplies she needed from Rarity and heading towards her room. She placed them all in one corner.

"I think I can pull it off before the celebration..... *Yawn* but wait.... Before getting my rest I should probably talk to Rainbow Dash.. We haven't talked since yesterday and she seemed a little frazzled.."

With that thought Fluttershy flew around the castle, in search of her friend.

Rainbow Dash felt weak, and she decided to just rest in the grass. Despite it tickling her skin, she felt relaxed. She decided that she finally needed a rest, avoiding all of her problems, and just forgetting about everything. She thought about her career as a Wonderbolt. Would she get to talk with her other friends at the Celebration?
'They were concerned about me when I fell so unexpectedly.... I'm guessing they would want to talk? What about Soarin?- Rainbow thought as she slightly blushed.
'He was the one that carried me to the hospital.... He does care about me, right? Oh cut it, Dash.... He would never consider us something more than friends. He's just being the caring, handsome, friendly stallion he is.......'
Rainbow Dash was beyond grateful of her friendship with Soarin, but she couldn't fight the tingling feeling whenever she was near him. She did a great job of hiding her feelings, though, and she couldn't help but think if he felt the same way.....

'Oh what the hay am I doing? Equestria is in danger and the only thing I'm doing at the moment is fantasizing about my crush...!'
She rolled over when she heard the beating of wings above her, and saw her friend, Fluttershy. Her face flushed red, since somepony had caught her lying in the grass while fantasizing about Soarin. She knew ponies couldn't read minds, but still..

Fluttershy smirked as she sat next to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow also sat up, trying to hide her face.

"Who is he?"- Fluttershy said, still with a smirk on her face.

"I-I d-don't have a c-crush!!!!! I swear!"- Rainbow dash stammered, still hiding behind her mane.

"Oh come on, I'm bound to know when my childhood friend has a crush."- Fluttershy triumphantly said.

Rainbow sighed and swept her mane away from her face.

"You pinkie promise you won't tell?"- Rainbow Dash said, as Fluttershy did the entire pinkie promise thingie-magigy.
Rainbow gestured for Fluttershy to lean in closer, afterwards whispering in her ear with a tint of embarrassment in her voice.

"S-S-Soarin... maybe...."

Fluttershy immediately gasped and flied up, doing a weird dance of some sort.

"Soarin and Rainbow Dash, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! OMG, RAINBOW DASH HAS A CRU-"- Fluttershy was interrupted by a cyan hoof in her mouth.

"Fluttershyy!!!! Somepony could have heard you!"

Fluttershy chuckled, and afterwards the friends sat down on one of the various benches in the castle's breathtaking garden.
Rainbow sighed, and a frown crossed her face.

"Fluttershy, are we still friends...?"-the other mare looked at Dash with a confused look on her face.

"Of course, best friends I'd say! I-I'm incredibly sorry if i did something that hurt y-you... Just so you know if I did, I wasn't aware of my terrible deed!"- Fluttershy whimpered.

"N-no I j-just.... Everypony is acting so weird lately, and I wondered whether or not you were effected by their behavior, hence hanging around them. I feel like I'm weighed down by all of the pressure on my hooves, and I just feel weak and powerless... And thank you for fulfilling my hopes, Flutters. You have no idea how grateful I am to have a friend like you. For a second I thought you were gone too."- Rainbow smiled warmly, afterwards receiving a smile from her friend.

"I didn't know you felt this way, Rainbow. Be sure that I will always be by your side, no matter what. You know you can trust me with anything."- Fluttershy said with a wink.

"Trust.... yeah....."

"Anyways, what's with Soarin, Dashie? I never expected my tough friend to fall for somepony."

Rainbow felt her face flush bright red at the mention of Soarin's name. She laughed awkwardly while rubbing her head.

"Cut it off, Flutters."

"Oh, don't worry, I won't tell anypony.... Your secret is safe with me."

The day passed by as the two mares exchanged various stories, laughing along the way. They walked around the garden, admiring the nature scene, and astonished by all the hard work the gardener's put into this masterpiece. It soon got dark, and the friends said their goodbyes and head towards their rooms. Rainbow Dash saw Twilight, already asleep in her bed, and quietly made her way over to her bed, aware of the circumstances if she awoke the alicorn mare after an exhausting day.
Rainbow Dash couldn't fall asleep. The thought that she still had a friend who possibly cared for her was very comforting, but she still didn't have anypony that she was sure that she could trust.

Author's Note

Hey viewers! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Just so you know, I'm going on vacation in Greece on 19th of August and I'll be back on 26th. I can't take my laptop there, so I won't write for seven days.

Chapter 10

The night was serene, and a cool summer breeze swept by the Castle's corridors, due to the few opened windows. Luna had long ago brought up the moon. The view outside, like always was remarkable. The moon glistened and the mountain range beyond Canterlot would have blended in with the blackness if it weren't for the stars illuminating it's peaks, therefore creating an even more pleasant sight to the eye. Too bad almost nopony paid attention to the late night scenery, since everypony in Canterlot was always worn out by the end of the day, looking forward to a good night's sleep and tucking their selves under their snug blankets. The previous set of guards was replaced by those taking the night shift. It was necessary by all means that the castle was observed and watched over non-stop for any intruders. It was almost impossible for anypony to sneak into the castle grounds without getting caught. The guards weren't known to fall asleep, since nopony cared to stay up that late, and the princesses had too much faith in them. Talking about the princesses, Celestia had already fallen asleep a long time ago with no worries at all. It was a long day for her, and she wanted to enjoy her rest as much as possible. Princess Luna, however, as usual stood on the same balcony she always came to to admire her night sky. She didn't sense that there were any nightmares she had to enter, so all was well. She gazed upon the stunning city. Everything was made out of rich material, and there were many minor details and patterns that she didn't even know where to look anymore. Everything was organized and just looked downright flawless. How much everypony cared about detail in Canterlot fascinated her.

"This really is the perfect place for Rarity."- Luna said in a near whisper once catching a glimpse of an entire street with modern boutiques. Luna didn't really have the eye for fashion, but she appreciated it a lot, since she knew how much time and effort many ponies put into assembling just one piece of art. Luna sighed. It was a shame that all of this could end with the possible danger ahead of them. She wasn't sure exactly what said danger was, but alicorns always sensed when something was wrong. Well, probably only her and her sister since Twilight hasn't gone into full panic-mode like the last time she was warned... Heh.

Luna was pretty surprised at the fact that Cadance seemed pretty preserved and calm. It could've been the fact that she, too couldn't sense when something was wrong, or that she was too caught up with her own life with Flurry Heart and Shining Armour that she didn't even care. Perhaps Luna was overreacting, since that didn't sound like Cadance at all, so she decided to go with the first option.

"And what's wrong with Celestia? She is unnaturally calm, and when the same thing happened years ago, she prepared forces for the situation. She was organized and determined to solve everything. Ever since the Elements came, she put all of her trust in them. But this time, she has too much faith in them. Something could be wrong with their friendship, and it is particularly odd when she lashes out at me when I state that we could... warn them? "- Luna said. It was a habit of her's to talk to herself, since she is the Princess Of The Night and for the most part she was alone.

"Overall, my dear sister could be right. We still don't know what is after us, and it could've changed the elements in a way or captured them? I don't know if we can trust them enough to give them details of our knowledge. I suppose all of them seemed a bit out of character to me. "

Rainbow Dash blissfully slept half the night away. A part of her felt that some of the pressure had weighed down a teensie bit. She still hasn't returned to her self- confident and enthusiastic self yet. It was almost unbelievable how somepony could change his/her personality and mental health in such a short period of time. Rainbow Dash was awoken easily this time. It was the middle of the night, ( as mentioned previously) and earlier a loud noise occurred ( it sounded like stomping hooves?). It was odd and Dash couldn't figure out the cause of it. Maybe it was Rarity frustrating over her unfinished designs. Seriously, that pony was so caught up in her designs, it was almost as if she had forgotten about the environment surrounding her..... The sudden desire to fly reached Dash's thoughts. How much she missed to soar in the sky, perform with the wonderbolts... With Soarin. Her broken wing said otherwise. She found out that her other wing recovered before she went to bed, at least.

Dash was so engulfed in her other thoughts, that when she realized something shocking the pressure overwhelming her gained weight again. The 'dreams', as she would call them, had stopped. They had stopped, and she still hadn't received any answers. She still didn't know what to do, she didn't have any plans, and she would fail... She would be a disappointment to everypony if they found out. She didn't know who to trust, and she was on her own.
'I'll probably try to figure out something last minute when something bad actually happens..! Like always... I just wished that this was passed on to my friends. They would have figured something out in no time.'
She just wanted answers.

It was so tempting now. She felt as if her life depended on the very existence of those dreams. They were the only possible things she could think of that could provide the knowledge she so longed for. She was clueless, and at this point she would beg anypony that seemed capable of giving her answers. She knew who stayed up late and the only available pony she could ask, and questioned herself why she didn't think of it earlier.

Luna decided to make breakfast instead of her sister this time, for a surprise. She had a few hours before everypony woke up, so she decided to roll with it. After a short period of time, Luna had already put the finished eight pancakes on the table where they had breakfast everyday. They weren't quite appealing to the average eye, but Luna always told herself that with food the taste was the only thing that mattered. She froze when she heard the sound of hooves coming this way, and quickly magicked her girly apron away.

Rainbow Dash opened the door and came in. She didn't bother to bow, since she didn't feel obliged to do so.

"Hello Princess."- she bluntly said. She was pretty tired, and wasn't used to getting up this early.

"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. What brings you up so early? I thought you slept like a foal."

"Oh, Rarity woke me up I guess. And I was wondering, maybe, if you could possibly do a favor for me."- Rainbow said , while glancing down at the floor. She felt kinda awkward asking one of the royal and important princesses for a 'favor'.

"No problem at all, as long as it isn't anything bizarre. Also if you want to fly, I'm pretty worn out to do a wing mending spell so I can't do that for you."

"No, no, I do want to fly, but that's not why I came here. I want to ask you something about my most recent dream."- Dash said.

"Oh, what about it? As far as I could remember, your most recent dream was the one with the, uh, singing flowers. Do you want me to recall it for you? Alright, so it went something like-"

"No, not t-that.... o-one...- Dash said with a horrified look on her face,- The one with the darkness and the mare...? Do you not know about it?"- Luna glanced at Dash with a curious look on her face.
'Oh, shoot....'- Dash thought.

"Rainbow Dash, I am really concerned about this... I know about every dream or nightmare that goes on around Equestria, and I would've know if something like that happened. I'm sure what you had wasn't a dream, more of a hallucination or flashback. Although, there is a possibility that your mind hasn't produced that dream, leaving you unconscious for the amount of time that dream continued. What I'm trying to imply is that another consciousness could have given you this dream, and it takes somepony really powerful to do that. Mind if you tell me about the events of said dream?"- Luna inquired, and Dash stared at her with her jaw hanging, and eyes wide. There was a rush of excitement going through her body, maybe it was possible to get answers after all. And yet she was still shocked with what Luna had just stated. What she had wasn't normal, and she needed to expand her explanation to receive more answers. She longed for answers.

"W-well I can't remember it really well.- said Dash, regaining her calm.- But I'll try to summarize it. So I was floating in this, like, pitch black void. Then a tall mare appeared. I don't really remember any of her features. She just told me that there was something dangerous ahead of Equestria or something like that, and that the fate of Equestria was in my hooves. She also said that I shouldn't trust anypony, and at this moment I'm praying that I made the right decision talking to you. I usually had similar dreams like this last week, and tonight I didn't dream at all, which made me kinda worried. That's why I came to talk to you."- Dash said, And Luna sat down on one of the chairs, holding a hoof to her chin.

"Well, Rainbow Dash, I think we can work this out togeth-"- Somepony busted through the door. Twilight Sparkle yawned, and afterwards Celestia came in, sharing an identical yawn with her fellow student. They sat down on two of the seven remaining chairs, and Dash decided to sit next to Luna.

"Hmmm..... Luna you need to work a little on your baking."- Celestia said, as she teleported Luna's pancakes to God knows where and magicked fresh and new pancakes on top of the table. Luna muttered something under her breath, and Celestia smiled with glee while admiring her mastery. Twilight drooled over her pancake before taking a large bite out of it. She must've been really hungry, she didn't even use her horn but just dived in. Dash felt as if a ruckus was going on in her stomach. It had this unpleasant feeling whenever anypony was worried or stressed about something. But, since everypony present in the room had started eating and she didn't want to seem unappreciative of the Sun Goddess, she took small bites and tried not to catch anyone's attention by acting extremely awkward and uncomfortable, even though her stomach was screaming in protest.

Twilight suddenly eyed Rainbow Dash with sorrowful eyes.

"Look Dash, I'm sorry about yesterday... I was way too overwhelmed by the preperations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and I unfortunately took my anger out on you."- Twilight said with a slight frown on her face.

"Sure, it's okay Twilight, don't worry. I'm kinda used to this I guess."- Rainbow dash replied bluntly while rolling her eyes. Twilight's frown widened, and she continued eating. Princess Celestia looked like she just blocked out any form of conversation from her ears since she was so tired, and focused all of her attention on her pancake. Suddenly, somepony busted through the door, again, (seriously, does anypony have manners nowadays?)

This time it revealed Rarity. Her usual gorgeous purple mane was messier than a bird's nest, and she had bags under her bloodshot eyes. Dash thought that she may or may not have spotted a few pencils and pieces of paper in her tail. So not like Rarity to show up like this in front of anypony, not even Apple Jack, let alone the royal sisters. She yawned heavily and sat next to Twilight. Everyone, except for Celestia, who was devouring her pancake looked at Rarity.

"What?"- Rarity said whilst fluttering her eyelids in bemusement, as she sat next to Twilight.

"Ummm....... You have a little something in your tail.'- Dash said, barely avoiding a snicker, while Twilight rolled her eyes.

Rarity looked at her tail and smiled widely.

"Oh, these? I keep it for inspiration, darling! It is said that when your old designs are in your tail, ideas for better designs keep flooding your head!"- Rarity said, managing a nervous laugh after she noticed the way Twilight face-hooved.

"Who is this pony of wisdom that passed on that saying, may I ask?- Twilight looked towards Rarity while inquiring. There was not a single sign of amusement in her face.

"Lo, behold. Tis pony of wisdom is sitting next to you."- as Rarity said that, with a serious look on her face, even Celestia interrupted her peaceful eating to chuckle a bit.
'Man, Rarity has gone mad.'- Thought Rainbow Dash. Her smile soon faded away. If she wasted her time laughing like this the whole time they had left until the Summer Sun Celebration, then.......... She didn't even know what evil would happen. Hopefully Luna would figure something out. She could be trusted, right?

This time, somepony gently opened the door, much to Rainbow Dash's shock. It was Fluttershy, of course. Rainbow waved at her, but Fluttershy avoided her and sat next to Rarity. She looked kind of...... weird. With that frown on her face.

"Fluttershy, darling, whatever is the matter my dear?"

"Well, I just found something about one of our friends that made me..... mad."- Fluttershy whispered quietly, so that it only reached Rarity and Twilight's ears. Twilight put on a smug smile, muttering something that sounded like ' told you so'.

Fluttershy's change in attitude deeply concerned Rainbow Dash. She wasn't acting like her usual, kind self. Well the same would go to all of her friends. And if Fluttershy changed like the rest of them.... Then........ She would feel isolated. Again. She just hoped that all of this was a misunderstanding, and that they could talk it out.

Two muffled voices could be heard from the hall, and, as expected Apple Jack and Pinkie Pie came in. Pinkie Pie was her usual self, bouncing merrily over to her seat next to Rainbow Dash, and Apple Jack casually occupying the seat next to her joyful friend.

"Well ah'm mighty sorry Princesses, but those fancy- shmancy cooks won't stop bickering about how apple fritters, apple pies, caramel app-"

"We get it."- Rarity hurriedly said.

"Alright, those cooks won't stop complaining about mah choice of food! They keep saying it's for 'common' ponies only!"- Apple Jack stomped her hoof on the table in frustration.

The girls continued talking all about the celebration while the princesses began a chat of their own. Rainbow Dash sat in silence, her heart beating abnormally fast. If only they knew what sort of place she was in. The fate of Equestria was on the balance, and the only thing that they cared about was the Summer Sun Celebration. Not only that, but most of the time, they for some reason acted harsh towards her. What sort of friends were they anymore? And now, possibly her childhood best friend, Fluttershy, began acting like the others. What worried her even more was that she possibly made a mistake telling Luna. She did need a helping hoof, though.... But what if she made the wrong choice?
'Geez, Dash.... you just couldn't do it on your own, could you?'- Rainbow thought. She was desperate to just go back to her old life, and forget about this. Perform with the Wonderbolts. Chat and go on adventures with her friends, together, like they used to. But now, it's as if their bond was suddenly broken. As if the bond between her and her friends faded away. And, as if their friendship was torn apart.

Chapter 11

Everypony left the room, leaving Rainbow Dash and Luna behind, and fortunately not questioning why they didn't accompany them. They sat in their seats in an awkward silence. Rainbow Dash was squirming in her seat, waiting for Luna to say something. By now she was probably drenched in sweat because of the uncomfortable position she was in. By the look on Luna's face, she was absorbed in deep thoughts. Maybe trying to sort everything out? Make it seem more realistic? Dash couldn't get the fact that she was involved in something so serious and important out of her mind. The fact that somepony so powerful could get into her head just to warn her. Why her? She wasn't in any way prepared for something like this. Whoever drained his or her energy just wasted their time, she thought. She didn't even know who this pony was. Or if they could be trusted. At the moment, Rainbow just wanted her old life back. She wanted her friends by her side. Just to return to their daily picnic days. To put this all in the past, and just to go back to Ponyville. Maybe have somepony wipe her of all the memories of the past few days. She felt herself slightly shudder at the thought. The way her friends acted. It just wasn't normal.
She desired to fly again. To perform with the Wonderbolts, specifically with Soarin. If everything went according to plan this week in Canterlot, she would train with them everyday, practicing for one of their most important performances. She imagined her friends cheering her on as she zoomed through the sky, making various maneuvers, twists and turns. Oh, and she finally got used to that routine...... Of course she had to break her beloved wings. Wait...... Did the hospital even notice she escaped?
Luna cleared her throat, and Dash snapped out of her imaginary world and back to reality. Back to discussing this hideous situation.

"Rainbow Dash, do you remember any other details in your dream? Minor details, even. I am not sure yet if you can trust whoever did this. You haven't mentioned any particulars signs of danger. Please consider that this matter is important, and that now isn't the time to fool around. Somepony that possesses extremely powerful magic is capable of interrupting your normal dream routine, and replacing it with one of their own. They might be trying to confuse you further with every passing dream. And I assume that they may be right, actually. There is danger ahead of us. But, I want to be sure, so recall other similar dreams. Your last dream isn't enough to confirm my worries. But, then again, it might just be the truth, and.... This is too unbelievable for me, but you may be the only one to save Equestria."- Luna said with a look of seriousness on her face. She surely wasn't kidding. And she seemed very determined about this entire thing. After all, despite her wanting to go back ever so desperately, Dash knew she had to do everything in her power to save Equestria. Even if it was the only time she didn't want to snatch the spotlight.

"Well, there really isn't much to say. Every dream started with me ending up in some sort of endless black void, I guess. And I was floating without using my wings. I couldn't move, and there was always the same cold wind, like the last one. But in the first dream the scenery just completely changed. I was in this castle's hallway, where all the stained glass windows were, and.........."

"Yes?"- Luna asked with pleading eyes.

"Sorry, Princess.. I-I don't remember......."- Dash sighed, and Luna slumped her head on the table.
"Here's what I suggest,- Luna started- Do you feel confident in sharing what you've told me with your friends? Yes, you possibly could be the only one to actually save Equestria, however I'm still not sure whether or not we can trust this pony, and your friends could help you a lot."- Dash froze at the Princess's sentence. A voice in her head was telling her to reject. It felt wrong. She already told Fluttershy a part of her story. But the others? And the whole story? No. They didn't deserve to know. Dash shook her head in response.

"No, I'm sure it'll be awesome with just you and me knowing about this."- Dash said more enthusiastically, without admitting to the princess about Fluttershy. She still hoped that her friend hadn't blurted out her secret somewhere in public, or else it could be game over..

"Well, Rainbow Dash, we'll talk tonight again. For now I need to get my rest."- Luna waved goodbye to Rainbow and started heading towards her room.
The pegasus decided to do the same. She looked at her broken wing again and sighed. A nice fly could have cheered her up a lot. Just soaring through the skies, as the breeze swept by her mane, maybe even practice some of her stunts. Only now she realized how much she must have missed out on training. And knowing how strict Spitfire was, her schedule might get a little preoccupied once she got out of Canterlot. Wait, if she ever got out of Canterlot and back to her normal life. As she walked down the castle's corridors, she started to remember some cool scenarios when her and her friends were heroes. Together. As a team. No pressure. No damage. No separation. That's why the magic of Friendship never failed.

Rainbow silently opened the door to her room ,hoping for privacy, and, of course, Twilight was there. She was casually sitting on her bed and reading her book. She instantly recognized that Rainbow was in the room, and quit reading.
"Look, Dash, can I please talk to you?"- Twilight asked, putting aside the book she was reading with her magic and placing it on top of her bed. Dash wondered for a second.... Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to talk with her friend for a while. What if she had an update for the release of the new Daring Do book? Hay, that would be awesome. But, judging by the look on the purple mare's eyes, that was definetly not the reason she wanted to talk.
"Sure."
Rainbow sat on her bed, and Twilight decided to sit opposite of her.
"I've been considering talking to you for a while now, but was unsure whether or not it was the right decision. I want to explain the cause of my actions, hoping you would forgive me? And that we could stay friends? I've been thinking about this the whole time since I left breakfast. I acted like such a... a.... disgrace."

"Twilight, I already know your stressed out about the Summer Sun Celebration. It's fine. Everypony isn't acting like themselves. Except well, maybe Pinkie, but.. Anyways, of course, I guess we are still friends.."

"No, the real reason, Dash. I was so eager to tell somepony. I can't bare to keep this secret locked up inside me anymore. Even if your the last pony I should tell..... I believe that I need to let this all out. Even though Celestia prevented me from doing so, I need to tell somepony. A friend that I can trust? A friend that can support me, despite the fact that I wasn't there for them? "

Rainbow sighed and nodded, confused at first by what Twilight had just said. Her element just wouldn't leave her body, even with all the anger she experienced in the past. She couldn't just let Twilight down. Or any of her friends, for that matter. It wasn't in her.

"My dreams, Dash. It all started from my dreams."

Fluttershy was humming a melodic tune in Canterlot's gardens. She had just finished another training session with her bird choir. Their performance still wasn't perfect yet, but Fluttershy knew and always reminded herself that they would be perfect by the end of the week, and in time for the celebration. She wasn't concerned about them at all.

This was the only time of the day that she could be alone. She was overjoyed by the peace and quiet that she received this pleasant afternoon. The sunshine illuminated her light pink mane with a yellowish tint while the breeze swept by it, causing it to beautifully flow all the time. She left all her emotions and worries aside, just enjoying this moment between her and nature. She slowly lifted herself into the air, fluttering her wings at a perfect pace. All the animals that could hear her beautiful singing dared not interrupt this memorable moment and just let the pegasus be. Fluttershy landed on the grass, relieved from her peaceful and calming flight. The sharp grass tips brushed against her hooves as she continued her walk, gazing at all the various animal species. This was what she hoped for when she first attended the Grand Galloping Gala. Ah, the good old days. When she and her friends had nothing to worry about. As she was remembering the different events of her life, she suddenly bumped into somepony.

"Oh, I'm sorry...."- she whimpered, then lifted her head to see a mare with sparkling emerald eyes upon her. She had an orange coat and a golden mane tied with a red elastic, and of course, had her brown hat.

"Fluttershy, here for a walk too? Ah have to get mah mind off of those cooks for once. And ah couldn't do it in mah room, since ah'm with Rarity and y'all know how that goes...."- Applejack said while adjusting her hat so that it didn't cover her ears.

"Well, I'm sorry you can't get along with them.... Maybe if you just made amends and set your differences aside, everything would be settled."
Apple Jack beamed.

"Oh, sugar cube, you're just too understanding, y'know that? If only everypony was like you....."
Fluttershy frowned and looked directly at Applejack, with those teal shimmering eyes.
"Apple Jack, aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what? Ah'm not like Twilight, you know, ah don't get too stressed out about some fancy cooks not appreciating mah work."

"Actually, never mind.... Nothing's wrong...."- Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane and attempted to back away slowly.

"Fluttershy, I know when somepony is lying. Just let it all out. Ah won't judge you. Unlike some ponies..."- Apple Jack held her hoof out and put it on Fluttershy's shoulder. Fluttershy readjusted her mane so it didn't get in the way of her eye sight.

"It's about our friendship with the others. What if...... we stopped being friends anymore?"

"Us? The Elements of Harmony? Sugar cube, ah'm sure everything's fine."

"Apple Jack, it doesn't always depend on our magical connection with the elements. It also depends on us, to keep this connection safe and unharmed. To remain respectful and caring for our friends. Even if they sometimes don't deserve it. Even if they don't deserve such affection, such time and effort, even i-if-"- Fluttershy began sobbing quietly, as reality soon returned to her. Apple Jack couldn't stand seeing her friend like this. She just hugged her tightly, barely noticing the single tear descending from her eye to her cheek. It wasn't only her friend that was having a hard time. Even Apple Jack doesn't always cry on the inside.

Celestia merrily walked to her room with great enthusiasm. Everything was in good hooves, and was going to be settled. She just knew it. The Elements of Harmony were the most powerful forces against evil, and the six bearers have proven to be qualified, eligible and smart. Each bearer perfectly represented the element of harmony entitled to them. Generosity, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty and Magic. You fuse them together, you receive the most powerful magic ever know to Equestria: Friendship. If they already faced every evil in the past with ease, then this one would be no different. Her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle would follow her advice each day, and maybe even try to cooperate with the others. It would be quite useful if everypony knew what was going on, not just her. And the most important thing was to keep a healthy connection in the six mares' friendship, easily provided hence the actual Elements of Harmony's constant magic.

Celestia calmly opened the door ajar, revealing her comfy atmosphere . Before relaxing in her bed, however, she needed to fill in some papers. Like always. It was necessary, since she was the official ruler of Equestria, that was looked upon on and inspired many ponies to achieve their dreams or some stuff, and the most important thing was filling papers. Simple, yet important. Very important, indeed.

"Now, where did I put the government stu.... AH!"- A midnight blue figure with a blue, sparkly flowing mane that resembled the night popped in front of her with a blinding flash of light. Celestia sighed and took a step back, keeping distance from the other mare. She knew exactly why she was here, and thought it was very silly of her to bring up the same topic over and over again. It just got tiring.

"Luna...... We already discussed this."- Celestia yawned, putting away her royal attire as it started to disturb her skin. Luna adjusted her crown and flared her wings open.

"Sister, you are taking too much on faith, yet there is little time remaining."

"Yes, because it has always been this way, Luna. And i'm assuming you haven't informed anypony of this, as I suppose I can rely on my own sister. Matters such as these can only be in the hooves of ponies with a high-standard, and can arrange a well-thought out plan and strategy."

"And I suppose you haven't told any of the Elements of Harmony about this, either?"

"Twilight Sparkle is an exc-"

"Twilight Sparkle is no better than anypony else! And how do you even imagine she can take on these responsibilities with such overwhelming pressure, on her own, without her friends by her side, Celestia? I didn't think I'd see the day in which I can't tolerate your behavior for the second time in my life!"

"My faithful student found out about this on her own, may I inform you. I just explained it to her further. She came to me personally, telling me about some dreams of hers. May I tell you, no wonder you haven't seen them, they weren't anything ordinary, and should be kept a secret just between us."- Celestia said, and proceeded to look for her papers, leaving Luna with shocking information. She was convinced this pony couldn't be trusted. Well, if Twilight Sparkle's dreams were proven to be the same as Dash's.

Author's Note

Sorry if it's rushed or if I made any grammar/spelling mistakes. Recovering from my writer's block.

Really enjoyed writing this chapter, nothing more relaxing than just forgetting about everything intense in my life (i'm probably exaggerating) and letting my imagination take over me. And sorry if the main six were way out of character in past chapters.I intentionally made them that way, for this story's purposes.

I thank everyone who has made it this far! I'm really glad that some people like my writing, even if i'm just a newbie.:pinkiehappy:

Chapter 12

The silence between the cyan and lavender mare wasn't a pleasant one. Twilight was glancing at anything but Rainbow Dash's magenta eyes, which were scanning her blank expression. 'She seems pretty off. Also I need to get my ears checked next time I visit the hospital. Wait... How are the doctors handling the fact that one of their patients is gone? Eh, whatever. I don't want to bother the egghead now, though. Time for a Daring Do marathon! I'm sure I have enough time before my next meeting with Luna.' Twilight began awkwardly brushing her hair with the brush she lifted with her horn's magical aura, even though her hair didn't have a single strand out of place. Rainbow Dash rolled over to the other side of her bed, slightly hurting her wing and attempting not to wince in pain. She picked up the first Daring Do book from the piles upon piles of other cool Daring Do books stacked on her bedside table.' Time to get some awesomeness into my life. Hmm, I wonder what Daring Do has been doing lately. She's absent from her writing career I guess. Oh, probably doing hero stuff. Heh. Can't wait to see what new adventures are in store. She probably needs some more time. She hasn't announced when the new book is coming out though and I literally just can't wait!' She was just about to open the adventure novel when Twilight spoke up.

"So, you don't want to hear what I have to say?"- Twilight levitated the brush and placed it on the porcelain, polished vanity that was currently in the room. Rainbow Dash closed her book and carefully placed it on her bedside table. She felt the enthusiasm about her reading marathon slowly washing off, quickly reminding herself that Twilight probably had something really important and bizarre she wanted to tell her. Before she could open her mouth to utter a word, she was interrupted by Twilight again.

"Forget it, this is stupid. I shouldn't tell anypony about this, either way."- the alicorn flew up to the door and placed her hoof on the doorknob. She looked back at Dash, hoping for a response, her eyes filled with... guilt or regret. Rainbow Dash sighed, she didn't have a choice. This was going to be beneficial, right? She did want to talk to somepony she could hopefully relate to in this matter. She did mention dreams, right? There was nothing to lose except for some quality reading time. Even though it felt safer to discuss the topic only with Luna, Dash decided to roll with it. Twilight would probably lose her respect for her even further if she didn't listen, which didn't really matter at the moment, but still, it didn't feel good. She remembered it like yesterday: Her friends gossiping about her behind her back. She remembered how they looked: with those smug smiles on their faces while laughing about her. Back then, she felt like dirt. As if she was just a joke. As if everything they've been through was just some big joke. As if their friendship was a joke. Did anything matter anymore? They were just masking their true colors. They were only giving their best to show some sympathy towards her just so they could have a good name and reputation. Was it all a lie? A dream? A facade? But, even when she knew that they thought of her as trash, her loyal self always had to give in, didn't it? How pathetic.
She got out of her comfy foam mattress bed, instantly feeling sore in the back afterwards, trying her best to keep a small, crooked smile, and walked over to Twilight, who now removed her hoof from the door gently.

"Alright, Twilight, of course I want to hear what you have to say, but you just surprised me, that's all."- just as those words escaped Dash's mouth, Twilight embraced her tightly, almost squeezing out the pegasus's ability to breath. This took the pegasus by surprise, and she choked a few times, definitely not flattered by the alicorn's action.

"Twilight..... I didn't know you're Pinkie's twin when it comes to hugs."- Twilight let go of Dash and blushed a crimson red. Was she really that excited? Dash sensed Twilight was humiliated at that moment. Just as humiliated as she felt when her own friends replaced her as Ponyville's hero.... Boasting in front of her of how good a job they did as Mare Do Well. Their true intentions were clear to her now. They wanted to crush her, and make it seem harmless. But that surely did not work. After regaining her senses, she exhaled deeply and looked into Twilight's eyes.

"Right, so..... I really wanted to tell somepony.... About the dreams. Not only the dreams but..... A voice in my head that forced me to do things I wasn't accustomed to. I felt like I was obliged to obey the voice's command. And I could actually talk to him when I was dreaming, making my dreams very unpractical and unusual."- Twilight explained. Rainbow Dash's expression turned into a curious one, she was intrigued. She sensed something very familiar about this. Right when she heard the word dreams, though, she felt a pit in her stomach. This 'him' Twilight was referring to sounded dangerous. Someone that contained a huge force of power to... mind control someone? Entering dreams was one thing, but mind control? Wait, why did she even believe what Twilight was saying? But, as usual, her curious side gave in.

"Wait.... Hold up. So you're telling me this dude is in control of your mind whenever he wants or something?"- Twilight nodded, and resumed her explanation. She sounded so..... calm. As if this was completely ordinary. What Rainbow thought of this was just.... Something from a different universe. Yes, extremely powerful magic in Equestria did exist, but this was way too over the top. Again, Twilight could be lying. If only she had an Apple Jack here with her. Apple Jack, who turned her back against her, just like her other friends.... Rainbow let that sink in. What if the mare in her dream was telling the truth. That she shouldn't trust any of her friends?

"Well... I didn't want to listen to his commands all the time. He just sounded pretty wise and I couldn't resist....It was as if I was obeying against my will, but it felt like the right choice. In the beginning it started off with small things. Like one or two insults but then.... It evolved to something so much more and got out of hand. According to Princess Celestia, he was telling the truth, and that I should listen to everything he says, since one of the only things I informed her about is of him predicting danger in Equestria. But, I didn't tell her the part about him saying that one of my friends is going to betray me. And the insults I have said in the past. He didn't say anypony in particular about the betrayal part, but I gained some trust issues afterwards. It could be anypony. You, Rarity.... You get it, right? Even if I'm anxious about telling this to you, I just felt a huge weight being lifted up from my shoulders..."- Twilight stated. 'Trust issues. Those...... Sound familiar......'- Rainbow thought.

"Twilight. This is downright outrageous.... How do you know you can believe this guy?"- Dash said. Now that she thought about it..... She wasn't sure who to listen to anymore. There was the mare, Luna..... And herself. She wanted to trust her friends. But, she couldn't. Not now.

"I believe he was right in some ocassions, though, Rainbow. Celestia confirmed that Equestria is in danger, and he warned me about it in detail. She thinks he is my guide to success in defeating the villain, even if some of his statements sound uncanny. Dash, I'm so scared. Maybe, just maybe, what if he is right? Will someone betray us? It could be you, or any of our friends!"

"Twilight........."

"Now that I'm digging deeper into this, I'm the only pony that can solve everything! Because I have even larger clues that I've already delved deep into, and have an idea about who the betrayer might be....."- the alicorn merely started talking to herself.

"Twilight."

"Think, think, think.... Ah, yes! It's pretty weird that somepony in particular was staying mute the entire time, avoiding conversation because she always had somewhere to be, and was eerily happy."- Twilight continued, completely forgetting about the presence of the pegasus, and levitated an obese book from her saddlebag. She positioned it in front of her face and fiercely started flicking it's pages, until she finally stopped in a halt.

"Ha! I've got you there, little liar! I'll find you out now -"

"TWILIGHT!"

"Pinkie Pie..................."- as soon as Twilight said that, she noticed she was indeed, not alone. She blushed yet again, covering her face with her wing in humiliation. Rainbow Dash looked at her with stern eyes ( just like the one and only Spitfire had taught her) and gently placed a hoof on Twilight's back, slowly regaining her peaceful posture. Something triggered her to go talk to Twilight. Make things right. Maybe, just maybe, they could sort this out. No matter what they did to her in the past..... She needed to let go of those memories and make new ones. And at the moment, what she needed to do was solve this entire thing. But first, she needed to calm down Twilight, of course. She sounded like a madmare when she said Pinkie Pie was the culprit. Wait, now that she thought about it..... Pinkie Pie didn't really seem to talk much the past few days.....Nah, that was nonsense.

"Alright, take deep breaths. That's right, just like that, inhale and exhale. Now, we'll stop with the accusations.... And you'd better sit down 'cause I've got a long story for you."- Dash motioned for Twilight to sit on her bed, and Rainbow herself decided she needed to make dramatic movements with her hooves throughout her story like most narrators did, and for a better effect she needed to be standing up. She wanted to look cool when she explained to Twilight everything. Well, except for one thing.......
She needed somepony else. Somepony useful. And following Luna's advice probably wasn't going to be such a bad idea, after all. Rainbow left all of her feelings of fury and anger towards Twilight slip by, and started.

Pitch black. There was an eerie tranquility piercing throughout the dark space. She felt something harsh. Something rough, ragged and sharp beneath her skin. She wasn't aware of the small amount of blood trickling down her skin, painting her coat a crimson red, as she lied against a tiny, yet very harmful shard of crystal. After regaining her consciousness, she suddenly felt a huge shot of pain in her hoof. She rolled sideways, a tear trickling down her face and dripping onto the floor. A few sweet, melodic tunes from nightingales would occur from the outside world every now and then. She knew she wasn't that far away. Even though the warm sunshine didn't caress her mane, even though the summer breeze didn't sweep by her tail, creating a flowing illusion. Even though she couldn't breathe in the sweet, fresh air. The essence of life wasn't near her. She was weak now. Meaningless. She tried to muffle a few of her cries, but she only kept a ginormous amount of her tears inside. They increased in size, and she burst out crying, the barricade she tried to keep secure cracking open. No matter how loud she screamed, nopony would hear her. No matter how much she prayed, all was useless. She wasn't sure where she was. The darkness surrounding her was eternal, not a single form or shape of life seemed to be around. She tried. She tried to break free, to allow her strength to take over. She banged her hooves on the dark walls, even more crystals piercing her flesh, but she didn't seem to care. The cuts were minor and didn't hurt, even for somepony as gentle as her. Her friends have gotten far worse bruises. She brushed the shards off and resumed her attempts to escape. She tried. She tried her best. That's what her teachers told her in flight school. She tried her best. But in the end, it didn't matter. Failure, after failure, after failure. It was always that way. Cast behind everypony's shadow. She wasn't good enough. Not smart enough. Not strong enough. Not fast enough.

She realized the situation she was in and snapped out of it. No, she wasn't going to let anypony take advantage of her. Everypony had their strengths and their weaknesses. Perfection wasn't the answer. She kept reminding herself. She wasn't that far away. Everything was going to go back to normal.
Her friends will notice. They care. She could trust them with her life. She always has. They weren't going to let her down. They were going to be the heroes they always had been. Equestria needed them.
A ray of hope shined in the mare's eyes.
' We won't let Equestria down.'

Chapter 13

After Rainbow Dash's long and well-described explanation, which Twilight certainly did not expect from her athletic friend, there was yet again, a long silence between the two mares. Rainbow Dash was relaxing in her bed, waiting for Twilight to do something, even if it's ranting out some egghead stuff she wouldn't understand. Although Rainbow thought the situation she was in was awkward, she felt calm, and as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her back. She, hopefully, had a friend that understood her misery now that she let it all out freely. Even though it was somepony she was still slightly frustrated with, she was glad that Twilight listened to her in exchange for listening to said pony's side of the story.
What Dash had seen back in Sugar Cube corner and her friends' overall behavior made much more sense now. But, still... If only Twilight had these 'dreams' and the voice in her head, this ' he ' still managed to manipulate the others to turn their backs against her. Rainbow didn't know what to think of her friends. She didn't know what the 'he' in Twilight's mind did to convince them that she wasn't worth talking to, but it must've been something harsh. Either way, even if it was something awful, why did they still act this way to her, without even bothering to reason with her? They had to be really dumb to not notice she wasn't acting well the whole stay at Canterlot, too. Why didn't they ask her if she's fine? If something's bothering her? They didn't care. That was the answer. They didn't care for her like in the past. They weren't the caring, loving and sweet friends anymore. Dash pictured them as liars and hypocrites. The only thing they cared about was themselves. Maybe, all this time they were thinking about her this way, and now they just decided to show their true colors. And what if Twilight was just making up an excuse for her past actions just to make herself look good?

No.... Even Twilight would never come up with a lie so serious and accurate to her own dreams without being too obvious and stammering. Rainbow didn't know what was happening to her. Her peace and enthusiasm quickly washed off. She didn't know what was happening anymore. What was this feeling inside of her? Anger? Sadness? Despair? She wanted her old life back. She wanted everything to go back to normal. She wanted her normal friends. To soar freely in the skies. Maybe practice her complex maneuvers and stunts that usually landed her in the hospital. Attempt getting that desired, romantic flight with Soarin. How Rainbow showed herself even to her closest 'friends' was being that cool, independent mare that didn't have a single worry in life. She always tried to keep that bold attitude, and to always flaunt her achievements and show off, in order to hide the other side of her. The softer, more feminine side. The only way to keep her tomboy nature was to pretend in front of others that she considered stuff that normal mares would like 'sappy', 'over the top' or way too girly. Another side that she hid very well, was what she liked to call her 'deep' side. Basically, deep inside her soul, she didn't think of herself as the cool, awesome, spectacular, amazing pegasus many considered her as. She had many self insecurities, and her heart shattered when her own friends confirmed just that. Her own friends.......
She longed to have a peaceful night or two, and to not have thoughts that required her to stay wide awake at night, with that piercing feeling in her stomach while being drenched in sweat. To not shiver and stress every single breathing moment about something she didn't know anything about.
Rainbow was so absorbed in her thoughts, that she didn't notice Twilight eagerly levitating various books and afterwards ferociously flickering their pages.

A concerned expression graced Twilight's face. She closed the final book, stained with dried out tears. She probably used that book when she didn't have anypony's shoulder to cry on... Which was kind of sad.

"Rainbow."- Twilight boomed with a stern voice, her expression becoming more and more comprehensive by the second. A tear dropped down her face, and she didn't even bother to wipe it. Rainbow glanced over to her, trying to not look worried and to manage that cool smile that crept on her face.

"Good news, Twilight?"- Rainbow said, afterwards noticing the death glare that Twilight gave her.

"Dash, seriously, are you that dumb? Hay, how could there ever be good news in a situation like this? Geez, I don't know if you deserve to review the information I gathered! Or do you not understand what I said just there too, yet alone anything else!?- Twilight angrily screamed, afterwards taking deep breaths. Rainbow Dash stared at her with her blank expression, yet again.
Twilight put her hoof on her head, realizing the immense pain gathering up in her brain....

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean too..... It wasn't me.....It happened again....."- Twilight apologized with a sorrowful tone, and the same look of guilt building up in her eyes.
Loyalty. Pathetic.

"Twilight, it's fine.. I know what you mean. Now, what is this stuff you want to show me?"- Dash inquired, looking over at the enormous amount of piled books, rivaling the amount of cupcakes Pinkie made per day.

"I-I've done some research.... And this isn't a laughing matter. Dash, this is dangerous..... Something we've never, ever faced before.... It's-"
The door cracked open, revealing a worn out Rarity, this time lacking any pieces of crumpled paper in her mane. Instead she had dust and stone pebbles scattered all over her precious fur.

"No time for your nonsense, Fluttershy is missing!"

"Ah, this is the life, sister."- Her highness princess Celestia half whispered, lying on her deck chair. The sun illuminated her multi-colored hair a soft yellow, which also blended in perfectly with her pearly white coat.

"Your right, dear sister, this truly is a thrilling experience."- called out your majesty, goddess of the night sky, past villain that wrecked havoc upon Equestria, princess Luna, whilst sipping from her freshly squeezed lemonade, mere inches across from her own deck chair.

"And to think that I worried this much about something that happened on a regular basis. Psh. "- Luna readjusted her shades for the billionth time. Staying up the whole day had it's benefits, even if it did exhaust her. This, gorgeous, luxurious experience was worth it. She did want to relax.

"I did find it quite amusing. I told you, the elements have it settled. Whether or not my student has dreams and a voice in her head that I should be concerned about, the magic of Friendship always wins in the end. I mean, it's not as if another one out of those six is tearing apart mentally, the other vanishing out of the blue, and the other having health issues, am I right?"- The sisters exchanged a short laugh, afterwards their minds ascending further up into the relax zone.
What ruined the tranquility between the two sisters was a death stare from Celestia.

"And you aren't keeping a secret from me, are you?"- the alicorn questioned sternly, afterwards receiving a smile from her sister.

"Why would you think such a thing, dear sister?"
The two alicorns and leaders of Equestria resumed their chillaxing. The nice summer breeze swept by their already flowing manes, creating a deceiving yet pleasant illusion to the eye. The scenery was stunning, and Luna realized how much effort Celestia ( and of course the pegasi in control of the weather) put into creating such a dazzling day. She was too focused on her own night, that everything else didn't seem to matter anymore.
'Wait, am I forgetting something?'- Luna thought, feeling a wave of anxiousness splash over her body.
'Nah.'-She brushed it off, continuing to look at the fantastic scenery displayed in front of her very own eyes. Such a miraculous sight to behold.
It rarely occurred, but it still existed. The peace, quiet, and relief were a few of those things that Luna experienced almost never. And it felt good to still have a caring, loving sister beside her throughout the entire time. Celestia was right, right? Like always. You shouldn't misjudge the words of somepony older than you. Otherwise, it sounded believable. The magic of Friendship got through anything. The Elements Of Harmony, the most powerful force against evil in all of Equestria. They wouldn't get corrupted, right?

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapter. My schedule was jam-packed this week, with my school starting soon and many other stuff.