Beyond the Rainbow

Chapters

The Key to Chaos
Choosers can't be Beggers
Diamond in the Rough
The Monster in Your Head
Guilty Until Proven Innocent
No Pain, No Gain

The Key to Chaos

BEYOND THE RAINBOW

Chapter One
The Key to Chaos

Darkness.

Pure, unadulterated, unfathomable darkness.

The scholars of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns did not believe such a thing was possible. How could it be possible for light to simply not exist somewhere in the universe? Not even magic could accomplish such a thing.

They were wrong, of course. Princess Celestia knew as much, but some things were better kept secret, for the horror of being so shut off from the world was a worse fate than death.

And death itself was a strictly forbidden punishment in Equestria, as well as an illegal topic to speak of.

Celestia herself was always hesitant to pass such a severe punishment on any being, sentient or not. It actually helped that she didn’t have the power to imprison somepony herself; she required the magic from the Elements of Harmony in order for that to occur. It was a reminder to her that something in this world existed greater than her.

Still, despite her resistance to it, such a fate was deserving of certain creatures. Malevolent beings that could not be at peace with the harmony of life had no place in Equestria. There were very few such creatures in existence however, and even fewer that were sapient. One of those, though, was the draconequus Discord.

Discord was the only creature in existence that had taken Celestia’s throne, and every day for centuries she reminded herself of it.

As long as she ruled, she couldn’t let him escape again. Harmony wove the thread of the universe around her and prevented it from unraveling. If Discord ever had the chance to escape again, it could very well mean the end of all things.

She’d rather suffer a mortal death, than ever let Discord see the light of day again.

Following the events of “The Return of Harmony”

After his defeat, the spirit of disharmony vowed revenge under his rocky prison.

Trapped like a caged animal, all he could do was plot, the passage of time blurring together without any point of reference. It had all happened before, and he’d escaped, but he’d been so careless, so foolish.

To think he’d been defeated by six ordinary ponies!

He didn’t allow himself the excuse that they’d been embued with the power of friendship, because honestly, all that did was embarrass him. So he shifted his thoughts back to something more pleasant, like coming up with a plan of escape.

He soon grew restless again, going nowhere with his thoughts. He was practically a god, yet he’d been imprisoned inside mere rock by the sappiest weapon in existence! No matter what he tried, no amount of force or determination could break his barrier. His last excursion had earned him no troubling fillies to free him either, since he now stood miles underneath the Canterlot castle surrounded by thick crystal walls.

“GAH!” he screamed, though no one could hear him. The only sound that could be heard in the forgotten dungeon was the endless sound of raindrops, falling off of crystal stalactites and echoing throughout the abandoned tunnels as they hit the cave floor. Discord calmed himself once again, having let his anger build in ferocity until it exploded.

"I swear on Celestia’s flowing mane, I will send her to rot on her precious sun!" he shouted angrily. Suddenly, the thought of Celestia burning cheered him up slightly. He'd never considered himself the vengeful type, but then again when your dealing with someone like Celestia as your nemesis, it's hard not to let your less... civil side out.

After chuckling at the thought silently for a moment, he resumed the never-ending process of living out possible escape scenarios in his head. Even if he could free himself, how would he manage to return the reign of chaos for eternity? Especially with those blasted Elements of Harmony lying around, that apparently couldn’t be destroyed.

He knew, he’d tried.

He needed something, some trigger that would cause the foundation of his prison to crumble. Only then could he finally destroy the infuriating sun princess.

“Goddess knows she deserves to rot in Tartarus” he grumbled frustratingly. He could feel an itch in his back progressively worsen by the day, which only attributed to his foul mood. Scowling, he tried thinking of something pleasant to improve his spirits.

Hmm… If only I had a twin.

In his mind, a happy vision of overturned buildings and uprooted trees surrounded by pink clouds and chocolate rain played out, while skipping down a lane with his imaginary relative. He sighed, knowing such a thing was impossible.

Wait, “impossible”?

He was the supreme ruler of chaos. He bent the very fabric of the universe simply by snapping his fingers!

Nothing was impossible!

He perked up considerably. There was something to that idea!

The draconequus thought about it carefully, trying to remember something that was in the far reaches of his mind. Something long forgotten that he’d chanced upon in his endless escapades of havoc and destruction. There was something that could free him, he was sure of it.

What was it though? Was it an object of some sort? A power source? A…

Suddenly realization hit him in a flash, and a wide, unseen smile caused the tiniest of cracks in his stone encasing. A dark cackle emanated from his body, dispersing through the fissure into the tunnels below. It echoed menacingly in the darkness, and if there had been any form of life in a five mile radius, the audacity of it could very well have made their heart stop.

His laugh died down as he realized he still could not escape his prison, unlike before. But his smile remained. He knew what to do now. It was only a matter of time.

“Soon” he whispered silently.

“Soon.”

Choosers can't be Beggers

Chapter Two
Choosers can't be Beggers

“Please?”

“No.”

“Please, please, please, please?”

“I said no!”

“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash cried, bringing her hooves down with an unsatisfying thump onto the cloud she was sprawled on.

The rainbow-maned pegasus had been pleading with the small purple dragon walking below her for the last hour. The dragon refused to change his resolve however, instead doing his best to ignore or deter her frantic pestering, a fact that irked Rainbow to no end.

“For the last time Dash, I’m not going to bother the ruler of all of Equestria…” he emphasized that point to her, hoping it would sink in. “Just so you can get a ticket to the next Wonderbolts show!”

“Don’t be such a baby, Spike!” Rainbow Dash called down from her perch. She watched as her friend attempted evasion by dipping underneath some thick bushes behind the town hall. She waited for his inevitable attempt at freedom, chuckling to herself that Spike thought he was faster than the mare.

She was undoubtedly surprised then when he bolted out of the underbrush quicker than she’d ever seen him run. He didn’t get more than fifty feet though before Dash dropped down from her cloud bed onto the grass, directly blocking Spike’s path.

“Nice try, you’re not getting away so eas-”

Spike abruptly turned to his left and ran off before she could finish her sentence, something that served more to annoy Dash than actually escape. After mumbling in frustration for a moment, she decided to try a new tactic.

With a swift flap of her wings and an acrobatic motion that would’ve impressed even most Pegasi, Dash landed directly in front of Spike once again.

“Come on, please? I’ll do anything!”

Spike spun on the spot, getting ready to dart off again, when the pegasus’s statement registered in his mind. He eyed the cerulean pony questioningly, his frown slowly twisting into a smirk.

“Anything..?” Spike spoke slowly. Rainbow gulped, worrying what she’d have to do just to get that prized ticket. She swallowed her pride instead, determined, and stared directly at Spike in full force.

“Anything!” she said defiantly, and then a little less confidently, “Well, ya know, within reason.”

Spike chuckled at this, deciding he should probably take advantage of this sudden opportunity. It was rare the colorful pony would ever be willing to do favors.

“Alright then.” He dropped the small load of books he’d been carrying, and thought a moment.

“There’s a gem I’ve always wanted to try, a rare one called the Emerald Crystal. I’ve been hearing rumors that there’s one somewhere in a clearing in the Everfree Forest. Do you think you could…?”

“Wait, wait, did you say Everfree Forest?” Rainbow interrupted. “What’re you trying to do, get me killed!?”

“Hey let me finish!” exclaimed Spike, annoyed. “First off, it’s in a pretty big clearing, so there shouldn’t be any dangerous monsters or anything. Second off, it’s like halfway in the middle of the Forest, which is why most ponies I know won’t go near it.”

“So you’d rather ask your best friend to risk her life!” Dash cried, feeling betrayed. Then, remembering her resolve, she puffed up her chest a bit in false bravado.

“…not that I couldn’t do it of course. It’s just that I can’t believe that you…!?”

“Do you want your ticket or not?” Spike said forcedly. Dash promptly shut up and nodded fiercely. The dragon let out an exaggerated sigh of frustration before continuing, insuring the mare wouldn’t try to interrupt again.

“As I was saying, the reason most ponies don’t go near the diamond is because it’s way out in the Forest. But you’ve got something most ponies around here don’t have, at least the ones I know.”

“What?” asked the pegasus, obviously confused. Spike face palmed.

“Wings, Dash. You can just fly into the clearing, grab the diamond, and then fly out again!”

Dash brightened up considerably. “Heh, I knew that!” she said, flapping her wings and staring at them as if she’d forgotten they existed. She turned back to Spike, a large smile on her face.

“Alright dude, you’ve got yourself a deal. I get you this Gerald Crystal thingy…”

“Emerald”

“Yeah, whatever. I get you this crystal, and then you get me admission to the Wonderbolts, right?”

Spike nodded. “I’ll send a letter off to Celestia, soon as I get to Twilight’s”

Dash’s face gave away her increasing excitement, growing more intense by the second. Then something occurred to her, and her elation lowered a few notches.

“Wait, what about the princess, she won’t get mad will she?” Rainbow asked anxiously.

“To be honest, I doubt she’ll mind. Twilight gets all jumpy about stuff like this, but I guess I’ll just avoid telling her that I…”

What happened next nearly caused the baby dragon to choke and die of a heart attack at the same time when he realized he was suddenly several hundred feet in the air, and feeling like he’d just been hit by a train.

A very colorful, flying train.

“D-da…!?” he coughed, the embrace preventing air from entering or escaping his lungs.

“YYYEEESSS!” screamed Rainbow Dash, not noticing her friend’s predicament. A stream of incoherent excitement flowed from her mouth, until she finally heard Spike’s strangled voice.

“A…A-a...!”

“Huh?”

Dash’s hold loosened slightly, allowing some air through Spike’s lungs.

“AIR!” he screeched.

“O-oh sorry”

She lowered the dragon to the ground, and immediately Spike began gulping down oxygen rapidly. After a split second of concern, Rainbow Dash’s mind wandered, and her previous smile returned.

“I bet Spitfire will be there!” she continued ecstatically, thinking of the various autographed trinkets she’d displayed in her home of her idol.

“Don’t get so excited yet, you still have to get the gem.” Spike said between coughs.

“Heh, yeah, like that’ll be hard. Like you said, all I gotta do is sweep in and grab the thing and bring it back, easy peesy!”

She babbled on and on after that, speaking of all the things she would do at the event as the two of them approached the Ponyville library.

The confidence in the prismatic mare was brimming. She was sure to get that ticket now! Sure, it was true she’d been to every Wonderbolt show since she’d been a filly, but this time it was different. This time she’d finally decided to apply to join the prestigious team, something any pegasus could do at the conclusion of a performance, but which few ever had the honor of receiving acceptance.

Of course, she’d never tell her friends how nerve-racking it felt to her. It was embarrassing to even admit she hadn’t applied yet, especially since they’d often voiced it odd she hadn’t been brought on the team already.

If she had to fetch some lousy diamond just to reach her dreams, what did it matter? It was a small price to pay for the opportunity to become a true celebrity.

It was with these thoughts that Rainbow Dash soon took off towards the infamous Everfree Forest after ensuring the dragon had sent the letter. She shot across the sky, the wind resistance bringing a welcome challenge, and closed her eyes to imagine what it’d be like to be a Wonderbolt. Fierce courage caused her to push harder, and she opened her eyes briefly spotting Fluttershy’s cottage approaching rapidly in the distance.

As she returned to fantasizing, any fear or doubt vanished from the young mare’s mind. There wasn’t a thing in the world that could bring her down. Destiny was calling her name. Everything she’d gone through didn’t matter now, because after this weekend, she’d finally accomplish her biggest dream.

There was a fatal flaw in her logic though. Destiny may have been calling her name, but it was for a different reason than she thought. You see, Dash’s life was about to change beyond all comprehension, and it wasn’t from being accepted into the Wonderbolts.

No, it was something much, much bigger, because as hard as it may be to believe, Rainbow Dash would in fact be monumental in causing the end of Harmony in Equestria as we know it.

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter Three
Diamond in the Rough

In the middle of the vast expanse of the Everfree Forest, surrounded by a large field of green grass, there sat an enormous diamond. Its brilliant shades of green cast a kaleidoscope of colors across the surrounding grass, yet it somehow gave off the slightest atmosphere of foreboding. In fact, there were quite a few things that made this particular diamond so peculiar, many of which related to its past.

It’s important to note that diamonds and gems in general are not usually rare in Equestria due to the large over-abundance of mines located on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest. However the jewel in question was not only larger than most gems, but had also only been spotted three times in Equestria’s history.

The first occasion had been before the Discord era, and some scholars believed it to be what brought the monstrosity to this realm in the first place. These theories were not accepted by the larger archaic community; as such claims suggested the existence of crystalline-based life forms and alternate realities, both of which were considered mere fantasy.

The second occasion, almost six-hundred years later, had been by Starswirl the Bearded on a quest to discover the lost remnants of pony civilization after the defeat of the draconequus. Many scholars agree that the unicorn’s obsessive studies of the gem played a part in his eventual insanity, and subsequent self-exile.

The last time it had been spotted was by one lazy-eyed pegasus mail-mare who’d been transporting a package to the frontier town of Appleloosa. After her return to Ponyville, the bubbly pony had spread the news of her discovery to all of her friends in the small town, eventually eliciting the curiosity of a certain baby dragon.

His curiosity led him to question his faithful companion Twilight Sparkle, who relayed the legends of the Emerald Crystal to the dragon. He'd heard of it in passing, but had never put much thought to finding the gem. Like the larger part of the modern magical scholars, the purple unicorn denounced all of it as fiction and nothing to be taken seriously. The only danger the diamond posed, she’d told her assistant, was the fact it was surrounded by the largest and most hostile forest in Equestria.

Naturally Spike had studied for days to discover a way to retrieve the gem, and he eventually resolved to ask the neighboring pegasi if they’d be willing to retrieve it. However, he immediately ran into a few problems. First off, there were a fairly small amount of pegasi in Ponyville with the vast majority residing in Cloudsdale. On top of that, each time he was able to ask one of the few flight-bound ponies, the second the infamous forest was mentioned they immediately refused no matter how much Spike tried to explain to them that there was no true danger.

Even the ditzy mail-mare had refused the offer, apparently forgetting that she flew over the forest almost every day anyway. It wasn’t until his friend Rainbow Dash had approached him with something she wanted herself that he found someone willing to retrieve the diamond. In truth, Spike felt a bit bad about coaxing the prismatic pegasus into getting the legendary diamond, but he reassured himself by stating the infamous last words, “nothing could possibly go wrong”.

In all likelihood, the young dragon had no concept of karma, because if he had maybe none of what happened to Rainbow Dash and the whole of Equestria would’ve come to pass.

Rainbow Dash soared across the sky, her cyan coat glistening against the rays of the setting sun. She let the final warmth of the sun soak into her, closing her eyes in relish.

It’d been almost ten whole minutes since she’d passed Fluttershy’s cottage with no sign of the supposed clearing. She’d been annoyed at first, but that soon vanished as she became absorbed in the freedom of flight, as she often did when she made longer trips. Instinctively, she flapped her wings lightly to catch an upward current of air as she continually fantasized of the day she would get indoctrinated into Equestria’s most famous acrobatic flying team. She was so distracted by this that she failed to notice an ominous glow in the distance.

It wasn’t until a loud thunderclap rang throughout the Everfree Forest that she even bothered to open her eyes. Expecting a distant thunderstorm, she anxiously looked in the direction of the noise, wondering if she’d have to find some cover if the storm came too close. What she saw made her double-take.

There, about a mile away, sat a single cloud about a hundred feet wide. It was such a dark shade of gray that it more closely resembled smoke than any cloud Dash had ever seen, yet it behaved just like any other.

Brushing off the strangeness of the phenomena, she focused on what was coming out of the cloud. It appeared to be supercharged, and was spouting lighting off every few seconds in random directions. She idly noted to be cautious around the thing to avoid electrocution.

It was then, as she approached more closely to it, that she realized where it was. Directly below it sat a strangely large clearing, perfectly circular, with an odd gleam emanating from its center. Curious, and with increasing excitement, she decided to throw caution to the wind and flew straight toward the center of the menacing field.

A Few Moments Ago

The famed diamond in the field was brimming with energy as a dark thundercloud formed directly overhead. Its light green texture began to glow brightly, increasing in intensity until it had blinded all four of the curious squirrels in the vicinity. With a screech of pain and confusion, the small animals desperately scampered back to the relative safety of the forest.

The density of light being expelled from the diamond caused it to shift in tone from a bright green, to a white as intense as the sun. All the while, the storm cloud grew in size until it was unable to contain the build-up of energy within. With an ear-shattering boom, a lightning strike spawned beneath it, striking the diamond below with extreme force.

The energy rebounded off of the crystal, forcing its way back toward its origin and creating a feedback loop. With nowhere to go, the continual build-up of electricity began to tear a hole in space as the energy approached the intensity of a small star. No doubt, the energy would release at any moment, frying and engulfing everything in a hundred mile radius in a ten-thousand degree fireball.

It was then that something extraordinary happened. Suddenly, the diamond supplying the feedback of energy stopped glowing, cutting off the continual buildup of electricity. But instead of the energy violently expanding in every direction, it simply disappeared leaving no trace of ever having existed at all.

The thundercloud above continued to spout lightning for a few moments until it too began to dissipate, releasing one final bolt until it was no thicker than a puff of smoke, and eventually vanishing completely into thin air.

It was as if nothing had happened at all. There were no scorch marks from nearby trees or grass, no signs of a thunderstorm having swept through. The diamond remained, appearing untouched. The squirrels that had recently been blinded began to regain their vision, curiously looking into the field they’d come from, but not yet daring to approach the strange gem at its center.

However, while there was no damage nearby typical of any violent thunderstorm, there was a single solitary creature lying a few feet away from the diamond. It was the only sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened only a moment ago. Well, that, and the incredulous expression of a rainbow-maned pegasus who had just landed a few feet away from the creature, looking at both it and the diamond with her jaw hanging open.

Edited by: Tofty

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, they (hopefully) won't take as long in the future. Expect updates about once a week.

The Monster in Your Head

Chapter Four
The Monster in Your Head

Rainbow Dash landed with a thud below the dissipating thundercloud above. Oddly enough, the first thing she noticed was not the creature lying by the prized diamond. No, it was the strange atmosphere surrounding the field that really put her on edge.

Everything felt wrong somehow. Sure, the dark supercharged cloud had seemed quite peculiar, but it didn’t compare to the unsettling feeling she felt once she’d actually landed on the dry grass below her. In reality, her natural Pegasi instincts were raising red flags in the back of her mind, doing everything in their power to get her to turn tail and fly away as fast as her wings could carry her.

However, they didn’t account for her intense curiosity at the phenomena. In the end, after a split second battle between the two opposing sides, her desire to retrieve the gem overruled her instincts and she cautiously stepped forward observing the scene more clearly. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Rainbow Dash had seen quite a few odd creatures on her various adventures in the Everfree forest. She’d met everything from a ferocious Manticore, to the Diamond Dog slavers, and even several monstrous Dragons. What lay in front of her was nothing like any of those creatures. It most clearly resembled an overgrown monkey, though noticeably with little to no fur on its body. The only kind of hair it possessed seemed to be mostly formed into a short, messy jet-black mane. It didn’t even appear to possess a tail!

Yet normally, such a thing wouldn’t faze her. She’d just consider it to be one of the possibly hundreds of odd creatures living in the Everfree forest that Ponykind had yet to discover, something much more suitable for an egghead like Twilight to look into.

No what truly shocked her was what it was wearing. It very visibly wore fabric wrapping around its upper and lower half. On closer inspection though, it appeared that the material was split across the middle, revealing the upper half to be teal colored, and the lower, smaller half a color much similar to the jet-black texture of its messy mane. It was obvious then that either this animal was pet to a creature as extravagant about fashion as her friend Rarity was, or that it was one of higher-intelligence.

Despite all of this, Rainbow Dash’s attention instantly focused onto the famed Emerald Crystal as it shimmered in the last light of the setting sun. It was hypnotic to look at, so much so that she almost bumped a hoof into the unconscious monkey lying next to her. Holding her breath, she floated lightly over the creature and dropped down directly in front of the diamond, taking in its beauty at face value.

She could see why Spike wanted it so badly. For a split second, even Dash was tempted to take home the gem for herself. Then she ultimately remembered why she was retrieving the thing in the first place, also reminding herself that she considered gem collecting a hobby belonging to frilly ponies like Rarity, or dragons that ate them as sustenance.

So after a short moment of appreciating the light green gem in front of her, she reached out with her muzzle and retrieved it with her mouth, spreading her wings out wide in preparation for take-off. The strange monkey already in the back of her mind, she felt she was in the clear, and began flapping powerfully sending out wind currents that flattened the grass below her.

It was precisely at that moment that two furless claws grasped her hooves, causing her to almost drop the gem in panic.

An ancient sun-princess sat in the center of a bright room, filled with a variety of magical artifacts and symbols carved into the four walls surrounding her. The room itself had no windows, and with the massive door behind it shut, the only light source was seven separate candles organized around her in a perfect circle. The candles shined a golden light over the arcane shapes surrounding the princess, giving off a peaceful, yet slightly ominous atmosphere. The princess herself had both her eyes closed in deep thought, and her fore-hooves sat over her crossed rear legs in a position of intense meditation.

“Everfree, do you hear me?”

There was no response. The princess’s expression shifted ever so slightly, revealing the tiniest hint of frustration. She quickly recovered; her ten-thousand years of wisdom reminding her of the patience such a delicate act required. Delving deep into the recesses of her mind once again, she repeated her attempt with more vigor.

“Everfree, are you there?”

After a moment’s pause, a melodic voice in her head spoke to her.

“… yes my love. What is it that you require?”

Smiling, Celestia continued.

“It has been over three winters since our last conversation. I wondered if you had forgetten my Sister and I after our many failed attempts at contact.”

“Such a thing is not possible. I care dearly for the two of you, I have simply had pressing concerns as of recently.”

“I… see.”

Celestia wasn’t one to often be confused, or mystified. Usually it was she who was the mystical one. Though she shrugged it off when she remembered the entity to which she was speaking to. She’d forgotten how mysterious Everfree could be.

“I sense there is something troubling you. What is it, my love? I am sure I can help put your mind at ease.”

“I felt a great disturbance in Equestria just moments ago. Normally I would have simply asked my sister to investigate or send out the elements to discover and, if necessary, eliminate whatever has caused such disharmony. However, there is… something else; something deeply unsettling.”

“Is it so grave that you cannot call on the Elements of Harmony? Such a thing is surely impossible.”

“I do not doubt the elements, or their ability to vanquish evils which arrive in this realm. However, what I sensed was definitely not of natural origin. I felt the presence of an old foe both my sister and I and the elements have faced on several occasions. I am sure you have heard of him.”

A moment passed with no response, and Celestia began to question whether her connection to Everfree had been lost.

“… Everfree? Are you there?”

“Yes, my love. You speak of the draconequus, do you not?”

The princess was both relieved and surprised at the sudden grave response the entity had given.

“Yes. His name is-“

“I know of his name. Has he once again escaped his stone prison?”

Celestia stopped a moment, considering the increasing emotion present in Everfree’s voice. She even thought she could sense some anger slipping through its melodic words.

“That is actually what is most troubling. We have sent out a squadron of the royal guard to inspect his statue, now located several stories below the castle. It remains untouched.”

“And you are certain you have sensed his presence?”

“I am sure. There is no denying it.”

Another moment passed without communication, to which the princess decided to wait patiently. She knew that the entity must’ve been contemplating her words, deciding the best way to guide her like it always did when she needed it. Finally, after what seemed like twenty minutes, the voice returned.

“…I too sense a disharmony. However it emanates not from the draconequus, but from the forest of my name. It seems that a certain chaos emerald has been reactivated.”

Celestia almost opened her eyes at that. The Chaos Emeralds were legendary among dragons, and even among some ponies, although it went by a different name and the lore usually only mentioned one. She knew the truth about the gem though. She’d spent countless a generation searching for it, only to come up empty.

“I needn't remind you of the gravity of this situation.”

“N-no, Everfree, my sister and I will resolve this swiftly”

“Do so with haste, Celestia, for you know what could be unleashed if we are too late.”

With that, the candles in the room blew out as if a wind had flown in from an invisible window. The sun princess opened her eyes and blinked, confused for a moment before realizing the lack of candlelight. With the slightest effort, she lit her majestic horn with an intense white light, lighting the room as if the sun itself was shining into it. She stood up onto her four hooves and magically poofed the seven candles out of existence, turning slowly toward the entrance of the Spirit room, and thinking gravely of what had to be done.

Rainbow Dash was suddenly overcome with panic. There was only really one response a Pegasi had to any kind of panic: Fly away, as fast as possible.

That was precisely what the rainbow-maned pegasus did. With the Gem safely in her mouth, she took off into the air hoping the furless monkey clinging to her did not have a good grip. She was sourly disappointed when she felt the weight of an average sized pony clinging to her back two hooves.

As she kicked and climbed several hundred feet, she could make out the muffled noises of what sounded like growling coming from the creature. Now even more frightened, the pegasus flew higher and kicked harder, doing everything in her power to relieve herself from the grip of the monster currently hanging onto her from the most sensitive part of her body. Her fear of having her hooves touched only heightened her panicked state.

It was with relief that, after successfully climbing over six hundred feet into the night sky, she began to feel the monster’s grip loosen. With new found determination, she kicked even harder, earning her louder growls from the creature as it realized its end was near.

“Ha! You thought that you could beat me, you furless.. monkey thing! Watch what happens when I-“

At that exact moment, Rainbow Dash looked down at the face of the thing that was barely gripping her back two hooves. There were two things she noticed off the bat:

One, she hadn’t gotten a clear look at the creatures face, and upon closer inspection realized that it more closely resembled a pony’s face than a monkey’s.

Two, she noticed how expressive the creatures features were. And the expression that it was giving her was not the expression of hate and ferocity she’d been expecting. What instead filled the small creature’s face was a look of complete and utter terror.

As if that weren’t enough, she realized that the creature had not been growling at her. In her panic, she’d assumed the noise it was making was one of malice. But now that she had regained her senses, she noticed quite vividly that the sound was actually that of terrified screaming.

… wow. Now I feel like the monster.

As if to finalize the thought, the creature finally lost its grip on the Pegasus’s hooves, its screams of terror rising in intensity as it plummeted to its death.

Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap-

Rainbow Dash hovered there for a moment until the shock wore off; visibly frightened beyond belief, though now for a different reason, the cyan pony bulleted toward the falling body of the furless monkey, praying to Celestia that she hadn’t just accidentally committed murder.

Edited by: Tofty

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Chapter Five
Guilty Until Proven Innocent

The streets of Ponyville were silent as the many ponies that inhabited the town slept, blissfully unaware of the disaster on the horizon. Of all the homes in the small town, only a few were lit as most ponies had retired early in the night. There was usually no reason for the town’s residents to stay up late, especially since many of them had to get up early the next morning to go to work. Whether they were farmers, schoolteachers, or bakers, each pony had their own respective job to take care of.

However, one particular dragon was pacing the inside of the town’s library, twiddling his fingers together anxiously as he thought about what had occurred only three hours previously.

Come on, any second now…

His recent deal with Rainbow Dash had left him feeling excited at the possibility of receiving the prized Emerald Crystal, yet as the hours progressed, he felt a deep discomfort in his stomach. He tried blaming it on the stale hayfries he’d swiped from the cabinet.

“Where the hay are you Rainbow Dash, I thought you were fast!” Spike said out loud, doing his best to tempt fate. He fully expected the prismatic mare to burst through the front door and defend her speed. Alas, Rainbow did not appear, and Spike continued to worry.

Darn it Spike, what were you thinking? What’re you going to tell Twilight when she gets back? Ugh, this couldn’t possibly get any worse!

This time, karma decided it’d had enough, and in that moment the dragon belched up a brand new letter from the princess. Eyes wide in anticipation, Spike unfurled the scroll with his two claws and began reading it to his self.

Dear Spike,

I must admit, I was surprised at your request for a ticket to the upcoming Wonderbolts show. Then I realized you must be doing this as a favor to a certain friend of yours. In light of your generosity, I was willing to send two tickets along so you might enjoy the event with her as well. Unfortunately, something of importance has come up that needs to be addressed.

In fact, due to the nature of what has occurred, I have canceled the performance of the Wonderbolts. As you know they are also a military team, whose expertise may regrettably be needed if my suspicions are correct. I request that you also give this letter to my student Twilight if she is not already reading, so that she can gather the Element bearers in case they are needed. Please notify her that I am to arrive at the outskirts of the Everfree Forest at half past midnight along with the actual Elements of Harmony.

As for the performance, I will properly decide when to reschedule the event after all of this blows over.

Your Princess,

Celestia.

Spike glanced up from the letter with wide eyes, before briefly cursing to himself about having tempted fate. Then, the shock set in, as he realized the graveness of the situation.

Oh no… Rainbow Dash is an element bearer. They can’t use the Elements without her!

Then his eyes turned to pinpricks as another daunting fact hit him like a freight train.

The princess wants to meet outside of the Everfree Forest, which means whatever is going on is probably happening there, which means I just sent Rainbow Dash into danger… by herself…

Spike’s face paled as he slammed the door to the Golden Oaks library open and ran out into the streets, gripping the scroll in his hand and sprinting toward Sugarcube corner where Twilight was staying the night.

“TWILIGHT!” he cried, waking up the sleeping ponies in the homes around him. One or two of them stepped outside grumpily to tell him to keep it down, but he paid them no attention. He was too overwhelmed with fear and guilt to even notice the racket he was causing.

I-I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, he thought as tears began to fill his eyes.

Then they widened in horror.

Oh Celestia, she’s gonna kill me…

Holy crap, it’s a pony!

That was the thought running through the mind of the young talking monkey sitting on a rock behind a crackling fire. What he was seeing could not be described any other way, and it wasn't entirely accurate at that.

The boy was observing the “pony” he’d tied to a tree a few feet in front of him using rope he kept in his pocket. As he warmed his hands, he never took his eyes off of it, watching it breathe in and out and constantly checking if it was conscious. He couldn’t deny that it’d saved his life, though he did wonder why. He’d never heard of a wild animal saving the life of a human before. Then again, he’d never seen an animal quite like this before.

He’d seen ponies in his life. He’d even ridden one or two. But even though the creature in front of him was most certainly an equine, there were definitely a few things that seemed way off about it.

First of all, it had enough colors on it to make even the fiercest predator think twice about eating it. He’d never even seen a horse with a blue coat in his life, or one with as small or angular of a muzzle before. Not to mention its freakishly huge eyes. But none of that was what really bothered him. What really freaked him out was its rainbow-colored mane. He’d never seen anything like it, it practically looked edible!

And then there were the wings.

The fact it even had wings suggested it was a pegasus from ancient Greek mythology. They were small things compared to its overall size, and he’d done what he could to preserve the one that seemed to have broken when the creature saved him from an untimely death. Though he wasn’t surprised, it was a wonder how the creature could fly at all with wings that small.

The splint he’d created from bamboo and rope was a crude one, but it had managed to prevent the pegasus’s wing from further getting damaged, though he could tell it was experiencing pain due to its heavy breathing. He’d done what he could to relieve the pain and make the creature comfortable, without letting the thing simply run away when it woke up. After all, this was the first time that anyone had come across a real live winged horse. No one would believe him if he didn’t bring it back with him.

As to how he was going to convince it to follow him back to civilization… well… he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. Not to mention he didn’t know where he was or how he’d managed to get stranded in a forest out in the middle of nowhere.

Suddenly the pony began to stir. The sudden movement caused the boy to shuffle backwards a bit from fear. That seemed to fully awaken the creature, which now had two large fully alert eyes aimed directly at him, and both ears pointed straight up in alarm.

It simply stared at him, ears twitching slightly, as it lay there in front of the large oak tree as if waiting for him to do something. There was something about the pony that was unnerving; its expression seemed far too… human for a horse. In fact, it seemed the thing was staring at him with the same expression he was giving it: Cautious curiosity.

After several moments, he decided to risk getting a little closer to the thing. He got onto his knees and shuffled forward a little, causing the light blue pony to flinch a bit, but otherwise continue to stare at him with no difference. He took that as a good sign, and continued forward inch by inch, until he was past the fire and only three feet away from the creature. At this point, it seemed to be attempting to hide any fear it might possess behind its narrowing eyes and suspicious glare, an action that seemed quite odd to him.

Suddenly the pegasus got up onto its hooves and began to back away, as if finally deciding it didn’t trust the creature that was approaching it. However this only caused it to land on its belly again and yelp in pain while turning to look at its broken wing. He could easily see the fear etched in its features as it stared at its damaged appendage, which slowly changed to confusion as it noticed the splint encasing it. It snapped its head back toward the boy when it noticed he’d approached closer when it wasn't looking.

Now, the boy in question was not an expert on horses. In fact, the little experience he had with them were not with wild ones, not that it’d likely matter in this situation. But something told him to put both his hands up in a sign of good intentions, as well as to speak in soft hushed tones.

“D-don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”

The colorful pony’s eyes widened at that, its irises revealing a deep rose color that reflected the flames of the fire. This animal was definitely a free spirit, one that might not take too kindly to being tied to a tree when it realized that particular fact. But at the moment, the boy was focused on making a good first impression. As slowly as he could manage it, he moved his left hand down to his side while simultaneously moving his right arm towards the pony’s muzzle. Its pupils immediately focused on his hand, observing the advance warily yet not moving an inch. He waited with bated breath as his hand moved closer.

Ten inches…

The pony kept its eyes locked on his fingers, observing and scrutinizing each one. It too seemed to be holding its breath.

Five inches…

The tension in that moment was so thick, the boy no longer took notice of the cold air around him, or the fact that the fire he’d started was now starting to die off. He was completely determined to not mess up this moment.

One inch…

Suddenly, he made contact with the incredibly soft fur of the pony’s muzzle. He released a breath he’d been holding and closed his eyes in relief, as the tension disappeared. He’d done it; he’d made physical contact with one of the rarest creatures in existence. If only his father could see him now.

“Dad, I think even you’d be proud of me for once.”

Though maybe he spoke too soon, or maybe he should’ve been paying attention, because at that moment a sharp pain ran up through his arm. He shot his eyes open to see a row of white pony teeth clamping down on his fingers.

In that moment, he did what any self respecting person would do.

He screamed like a little girl.

Reviewed by Tofty

No Pain, No Gain

Chapter Six
No Pain, No Gain

A scream of terror echoed throughout the Everfree Forest. The shriek traveled throughout its vastness, waking slumbering creatures that suddenly found themselves in the mood for a midnight snack.

Squirrels and rabbits ran into hiding, in fear of whatever predator might have made such a noise. The predators themselves were not so easily fooled, many of which began to seek out the source of the cry in the hopes of a fresh meal.

None of these creatures though, were as fearsome as the great green dragon of the forest. The reptilian creature yawned loudly, cracking open two enormous, orange eyes, and shoved an immense, scaly head through the entrance of his cavernous cave, sniffing eagerly.

It’d been a long time since his last meal. There was only so much that diamonds could do for a dragon; it simply didn’t compare to the thrill of live prey, something he’d been sorely missing ever since he’d let a certain baby dragon and his purple companion slip from his grasp.

Standing up and stretching his mammoth limbs, the dragon turned to look back at his hoard. The twinkling gems called out to him, whispering sweet, seductive tales of their deliciousness. He sighed deeply, puffing out a stream of smoke from his nostrils as he considered his options. After several seconds, he relented, slowly making his way towards the pile of treasure and plopping down in a comfortable spot next to its base. Once the Earthquake subsided, he reached one lazy claw into the pile and stuck a handful of gems into his mouth, chewing gleefully.

Just five more months…

With that, the dragon returned to his slumber, dreaming of the day when he’d finally leave his cave to hunt.

Not all creatures however, were as lazy as the dragon. Five jagged figures outside of his cave sniffed the air in a similar fashion, their mouths watering at the idea of fresh meat. The leader of the group raised his snout towards the moon and let out a long howl as a response to the shriek that woke him up. Its companions copied the alpha male, creating a discordant symphony that warned any other predator not to interfere.

This was their kill.

The boy felt a sense of weightlessness that could only be described as the feeling you get in your stomach when riding down the crest of a rollercoaster.

He could feel his hair and clothes moving in the grip of the wind, and stinging him sharply in his right palm. But the pain he felt was soon forgotten as his vision swam with a kaleidoscope of color; blues and greens danced in front of his eyes as time infinitely slowed.

The experience was utterly incredible.

As the world finally stopped spinning, he came to realize he was gazing into an infinitely complex array of twinkling white lights, forming patterns he’d never seen before, but which gave him an inexplicable sense of Déjà Vu. Yet he couldn’t appreciate the intricate complexity of sparkling beauty, because at that moment, his brain was screaming at him to breathe.

And then another daunting fact entered his mind, as he felt the cruel grasp of gravity take hold of his body. He was not flying. He was not so much as gliding.

He was falling.

The stinging in his hand was not because of the cold wind around him. He distinctly remembered the sight of white teeth gripping his fingers. The twinkling lights above him were not simply pretty patterns to look at. They were the vast stars and constellations that inhabited the night sky. The world wasn’t spinning because he was in some sort of majestic abyss. Two blue appendages had launched him sprawling into the cold night air.

He felt his lungs deflate as the air inside of them was freed, and he heard the sharp crack that came from his left shoulder when he hit the ground.

Dirt filled his vision and his mouth, along with the bitter taste of an oily liquid in his throat. It took him several moments to finally suck in the fresh oxygen around him, and he did so greedily, clutching his chest with his arms. The pain in his hand was the least of his worries, as he frantically tried to calm the part of his brain screaming for air.

No sooner had it entered his lungs that he let it all out in a howl ten times more powerful than the shriek he’d released moments ago. The impact had been enough for him to forget what had happened, and now that he finally remembered, he feared for his life.

Because after the multicolored equine in front of him had discovered the noose around its neck, it had reacted by violently kicking two powerful fore-hooves squarely into the poor boy's chest.

Needless to say, it hurt.

For the second time that night, Rainbow Dash was panicking. Her breath came in sharp gasps at the pain in her wing. She stood on all fours, after having incapacitated the creature that had tied her to a tree.

She’d never kicked something that hard in her life, and she had to admit, she felt a little guilty at having hurt the monkey in front of her so drastically. From its ear-splitting shriek and glass-shattering howl, it was obvious that it was in a lot of pain. Yet, she shrugged it off when she reminded herself that it’d intended to trap her here.

Serves it right…

However, while the primate would not be moving for several minutes, her mind came back to her current predicament. She was still trapped. And if she didn’t escape soon, she would be dealing with a very, very angry monkey.

She’d tried escaping from the rope with sheer force, but all that had accomplished was causing a few cracks in the tree’s base as well as making it impossible to breathe. She’d tried getting out of the noose by worming her head through it, but her struggle to escape had tightened the thing around her neck so much that it refused to come off. She’d even tried untying the rope from the tree, but the three incredibly complex knots were proving too difficult, and the creature would recover before she could even manage to untangle a single tether.

So with as much strength she could muster, she began to chew. The harsh taste of the rope caused her to gag, but she continued, biting hard into the twine. As it began to give way, the creature began to stir, trying to get up again. She began to chew faster and faster, until she felt the final threads give way to her powerful teeth.

She wasted no time. With nothing holding her back, the mare galloped straight towards the creature, the pain in her wing overwhelmed with the intense desire to escape. She jumped over the creature in a wide stride, and sprinted as fast as she could toward Ponyville.

Then, the rope caught on something, causing her to nearly choke as it dug into her neck. She spun around to see the creature lying there, gripping the end of the rope firmly in its claws. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she watched the creature pull the rope, forcing her to step back in the direction she came.

Oh no… I am NOT going out like this!

In fierce determination she dug her hooves into the ground, restricting her movement. Then, she lowered her head and flared her nostrils, before bolting away with all the strength she could manage.

The boy watched as the pegasus turned to gaze at him with its piercing eyes, and he saw its pupils shrink in horror as he gripped the end of the rope. Wincing at the pain, he used his powerful grip to tug on it, pulling the pony towards him.

The boy was not stupid. He could tell that this creature was terrified of him. But he wasn’t ready to let it go, not yet. He pulled harder, but was met with enough resistance to nearly tear his arm off.

Then he saw its head lower and its breathing sharpen, and warning bells went off in his head. As quickly as he could manage, he wrapped the end of the twine around his left arm, ensuring that the pony couldn't escape.

He realized his mistake less than two seconds later, as he soon felt the familiar sense of weightlessness take over him, and observed the forest transform into a blur of green and gray once again.

Edited by: Tofty