Dead Rising: Case Equestria

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait you guys! I would've had this posted up yesterday but I was at a friend's house and my computer didn't get internet there! I was actually back in my hometown visiting my old high school buddies for the day, but fear not! For I managed to write a chapter while over there! So hooray!

TIME BEFORE ROYAL GUARD Arrives: 64:01:23

“Twilight! We’re back!” Spike called out in an urgent tone as he and the stallions burst into the safe room.

“Oh thank goodness Spike! I was getting a bit worried!” Twilight said as she trotted over to the dragon, giving him a quick hug before noticing the other ponies he had with him. “Oh hello Big Mac, and Caramel too…and is that Dinky Doo?” She asked as the ponies nodded in response to hearing each of their names. “Wait, but if Dinky is here where is Derpy?” She asked confused, knowing that in a situation like this that the wall-eyed pegasus would never leave her young one alone.

“Well she’s holding off this mail pony that tried to kill and told us that she’d be alright.” Spike informed her as she nodded.

“Alright, tell me the whole situation, but first we’d better figure out what happened to Rainbow Dash. If what you said is true then the moment she wakes up then she’ll be after you again!” Twilight said as the ponies took the rainbow-maned pegasus into the main room. As they brought her into the room everypony rushed over to see what had happened. However, Applejack and Applebloom were more surprised to see her brother and Caramel, and rushed over to give their brother a quick nuzzle.

“Big Mac you’re alive! We were worried sick about ya’!” She said with a couple of tears as her brother chuckled slightly and ruffled her mane as he felt Applebloom jump onto his back and give his neck a big hug, to which the siblings all got a laugh out of.

“Big Mac you’re okay!” The little filly cried out happily as she buried her face in Big Mac’s mane.

“Aw come on little sisters!” He said, his heart warmed by his sister’s actions, “you and I both know it’d take more than a couple of those things to keep me down! Especially when I had Ms. Derpy and Caramel to help me out!” He said tilting his head towards the tan stallion, who smiled and gave a wave.

“Well even so that didn’t stop us from worriyn’ about ya’ none!” Applejack wiped her tears as Applebloom nodded in agreement. She then looked over to Caramel, “thanks for helpin’ out Big Mac Caramel! It sure means a lot to us!” she said as she tilted her Stetson hat towards him in a gesture of thanks.

“Hey it’s no problem!” Caramel said as he waved off the thanks, “I’ll always be glad to help out another pony in need! It’s really Ms. Derpy you should be thanking! She saved both of our lives believe it or not!” As this was going on, in the other half of the room everyone else was gathered around Rainbow as Spike began to explain what had happened.

“So is Rainbow Dash going to be…ok?” Scootaloo said worriedly as she looked upon her unconscious sister.

“Yes Scootaloo, she should be just fine, she’s just unconscious, but she hasn’t really gotten injured as far as I know, so she should be just fine.” Twilight assured the filly, which seemed to calm her a bit.

“Spike darling, could you please tell us what exactly happened to you though, you look positively exhausted!” Rarity asked the dragon as he nodded.

“Well you see,” he started, “before I had last seen her we had agreed to meet up in three hours or so to collect some more bits in order to buy some Ponybrex, and I had agreed to go to the Yucatan Casino, and she decided to go to the South Plaza. Of course, we know what happened to me because Twilight and Fluttershy were there.” He said as both the aforementioned mares nodded, remembering how they had ended up befriending Thunder Tumble, the hulking stallion, and his pet tiger Snowflake due to Fluttershy’s kind nature.

“So after that what happened next?” Twilight asked as she scanned over Rainbow, who seemed to be having a bit of a nightmare, as she was tossing and turning.

“Well after that I left the Casino and went up to the scheduled meeting place, and as I looked around for her I couldn’t find her. I noticed on the ground a staff of some sort. It looked like some sort of combo weapon that Apple bloom would make.” He recalled. The red-maned filly heard her name being mentioned walked over and joined the conversation.

“What’s going on ya’ll? What happened to Ms. Rainbow Dash?” She asked confused as she didn’t know what was going on exactly.

“Well you see, Spike was just telling us about what happened in the Strip with Rainbow Dash, and he said that he might’ve found one of your combo weapons.” Her friend Sweetie Belle said, filling her in on all she’d missed. The yellow filly frowned as she heard this, and scratched her head as she began to remember second.

“Wait, was it a couple of chainsaws mounted onto a steel rod?” She asked Spike who nodded to her as she gasped. “Then it was one of mah designs! Rainbow had come up to me and asked me to build it for her!” She said remembering what the pegasus had given her to work with.

“Well, that proves that she got it from Applebloom.” Spike said as he turned to continue the story, “anyways, as I went to check out the weapon, she suddenly yelled at me to stay away from it. I turned to find that it was her, and I laughed a little, thinking that she was just playing around or something, but…something was wrong…” he said as he grimaced.

“What was it?” Scootaloo asked him as she held an anxious expression on her face.

“Well, she didn’t recognize me. It’s like she had never met me before. She apparently still knew everyone else, because she mentioned Scootaloo and you guys, but me, she acted as if I was a stranger.”

“That’s terrible Spike, it must have been such an awful experience to have her not remember you!” Fluttershy interjected sadly as she felt sorry for the dragon, who nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, but that’s not even the worst part. After that I tried to get her to remember me, and even tried to tell her my name, but immediately she just became hostile towards me, and began to attack me!” He said remembering how Rainbow had lashed out at him.

“What! But why would Dashie act like that? You’re one of her friends, and she’d never try to hurt one her good friends, and I mean never ever ever!” Pinkie Pie said in disbelief at his statement, trying, and failing to fathom how Rainbow Dash could actually hurt her friends.

“Well, I didn’t catch much of what she said, as she was going after me with a chainsaw staff, but I seem to recall that she thought that I’d hurt Scootaloo somehow…” He said trailing off as he tried to recall her exact words. You’re just one of those nutbars! You just want to hurt her! You want to keep her from getting her Ponybrex! He gave a look of sadness at the memory of her accusations.

“Wait, but you never hurt me at all! Why would she say that?” Scootaloo said confused as everyone shrugged.

“Wait Spike…” Twilight interjected as he turned toward her. “You said that her hostility began as soon as you said your name right?”

“Yeah but I don’t see what that could possibly-“

“Wait a minute, let me think…” Twilight said she began to recall one of the books she had said. The other ponies and Spike simply shared a look of curiosity, and wondered just what it was the lavender unicorn was thinking about. Before long however, Twilight gave an “ah-hah” of triumph and turned back to the group.

“What is it Twilight? Did you figure it out?” Fluttershy asked her book-ish friend.

“I believe I have!” Twilight said as she nodded in confirmation. “You see, after I heard Spike mention that Rainbow only became hostile after she heard his name, I began to recall that you can place locks on a spell so that they only activate after certain keywords or phrases are said. I think that Spike’s might’ve been a keyword that unlocked whatever spell was placed on Rainbow!”

“Hm, yeah that would make sense!” The dragon agreed. “However, that still doesn’t explain why she thought I hurt Scootaloo.”

“I think it was a memory alteration! Something must’ve happened to her in the South Plaza, and altered her memory, but the only thing that could’ve altered her memory that drastically would have to have a high level of magic…” She said puzzled, having no idea what kind of pony could have done this to the athletic pegasus.

“Hm…what about Blueblood?” Spike asked as he recalled the time he had seen the prince with the doppelganger of Rainbow in the underground.

“Yes I suppose he could do it, but what makes you think that he might’ve done it?” The unicorn asked bewildered by his question.

“Well…” Spike told everyone about the time he and Rainbow had seen the prince talking to Rainbow’s doppelganger in the underground tunnels.

“Hmph, so he’s a narcissist and an evil mastermind as well!” Rarity said indignantly, “now I feel foalish for even falling in love with him in the first place!”

“Well if we’re going to treat Rainbow, we better do it now before she wakes up.” Twilight said, to which the others all agreed. As the unicorn began to scan her over she took a moment to go and take a look at the memories of what had happened from Rainbow’s point of view. “Oh my…” the mare gasped as she took a look at the memories.

“What is it Twilight?” Spike asked with worry.

“Her memories were tampered with, and she was made to believe that you had hurt all of us and Scootaloo because we got in the way of your story…” She explained in a hushed voice, as everyone went silent, feeling a mixture of sadness and pity for their pegasus friend.

“…It’s no wonder she came after me then…” Spike said quietly, “is it reversible?”

“Yes a simple memory restore spell should take care of the tampered memories, so that part should be easy, but working around the locks Blueblood placed will take some time.”

“Alright, then I’ll go check on Derpy, she may need some help after all.” Spike said turning to leave, but not before Big Mac and Caramel stopped him.

“Hold it Spike, we’re coming with you!” Caramel spoke up, while Mac let out an “Eeyup” of agreement, much to everypony’s surprise.

“Are you sure guys?” Spike asked, the stallions simply nodded their heads in return. However, Applejack objected towards the decision.

“Now hold on Mac, ya’ just got back and now yer’ leavin’ again?” She asked in disbelief.

“Now sis’, “Mac said in a calm tone, “me and Caramel owe Ms. Derpy our lives, and it would be mighty disrespectful of us if we didn’t go to at least check on her.” The stallion rationalized as Caramel nodded in agreement.

“But Mac, me and Bloom were worried about ya’, ya’ can’t just keep on makin’ us worry like this!” She said with a bit of anger, but it was only masking the worry she felt underneath, which Mac suspected. Mac simply chose to scoop up both his sisters into a gigantic hug.

“I’ll be fine, I promise, ‘sides I got Spike and Caramel to help me out so I’ll be fine.” He said in a reassuring tone.

“…Alright…” Applejack agreed hesitantly, “but I swear if ya’ll come back with so much as a bite mark on ya’ I’ll buck you so hard you’ll wish ya’ll would’ve been getting punished by Celestia herself!” Applejack warned, to which Mac chuckled and promised that he’d be ok. He gave his sisters one last nuzzle as he, Spike, and Caramel went to leave.

“Be careful big brother!” Applebloom called out as they left, the stallion smiled and gave her a nod as the trio crawled into the vents.

[Underground Tunnels]

The Rainbow Dash imposter rubbed her hooves together nervously. Blueblood had summoned her after his recent plan hadn’t worked, and didn’t seem too pleased with her.

“Now my good mare, I ask you once again, why did you not do anything to stop that dragon after he defeated that pegasus you’re impersonating?” He asked in a frustrated tone.

“W-well s-sir I just figured that if I revealed myself then he might call for help!” She tried to explain, but he simply scoffed at her statement.

“Any help he would have had was a good ways away, and you probably could have stopped him before they had gotten there!” He yelled, making the mare flinch. “Now because of your failure, they’ve probably traced the memory alteration back to me, and suspect my involvement now more than ever.”

“P-please sir I never intended-“

“That is why I’m giving you one, and only one more chance!” He said, cutting her off as she tried to defend herself. “You must find a way to stop that dragon once and for all!” He ordered. “I’ve gotten reports from some of the guards that in the Royal Flush Plaza that one of the mares from Ponyville, that wall-eyed mare, Derpy was it, is currently fighting one of the psychopaths that have sprung up during this time. I’m betting that if you capture this mare, you can use her to lure that dragon out and you can finish him off!” He said to the mare, who tried to respond.

“Y-yes sir I will do that.” She said, gulping as she sensed his annoyed tone.

“Good, oh and one more thing…”

“Y-yes my lord?”

“If you manage to fail this mission…don’t bother coming back, do I make myself clear?” The prince said in a menacing tone.

“Y-yes sir.” The mare responded as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head. She then turned back into her Rainbow Dash disguise and immediately left for her destination.

[Royal Flush Plaza]

(Dead Rising 2: Carl Schliff’s theme plays)

“Bring it!” Derpy said, trying to goad the stallion on as she brandished her frying pan. The stallion rushed her, swinging the bowie knife he had in his hoof at her face, fully intending to cut her as much as he could. However, Derpy was ready for this and blocked the clumsy swing with the pan’s circular face, the knife bouncing off harmlessly as the stallion was thrown off by the change in force. The gray pegasus took advantage of this as she managed to make a good swing with her pan, hitting the stallion directly in his face as he got knocked to the ground by the impact.

“Urgh, you’ll be sorry you messed with me.” He said after pulling himself up. He then took a package out of his bag and threw it at Derpy. “Special delivery!” He cried out in glee as he saw the mare gasp at the package, noticing it was the same type that Spike had gotten before. She managed to dodge the explosion’s blast radius, but the force threw her into a wooden display case, disorienting her. As she tried to regain her bearings the stallion took advantage of this and ran over to her. The stunned mare tried to dodge, but still got cut on her side, making her grunt in pain as she flew away, creating some distance between her and her opponent.

“Oh man that smarts!” She thought to herself as she felt the sting of the cut coming in. “I gotta be smarter about this!”

“Here comes another package for you, express this time!” The stallion said with a smirk as he threw another explosive gift. Derpy however, grinned as she came up with a quick plan to combat the threat. She switched over to the soccer ball she had found earlier, and using quick thinking she launched it into the air with a mighty kick, and her aim was true as the ball sailed towards the package and knocked it back towards its sender. The insane mail pony was obviously surprised as he didn’t expect his package to be returned to its sender, and got burned by the explosion that ensued.

“Bingo!” Derpy thought as she rushed towards the stallion with her frying pan at the ready. She managed to get a couple more hits in, but over swung the last one as the stallion rolled out of the way and managed to get a couple of more cuts on her. Derpy however knocked the knife out of his hands, and knocked him to the ground with a mighty buck. The stallion cried out as he was knocked down.

(Music Stops)

It took a second for Derpy to realize that the fight was over, but after the stallion didn’t get up she remembered that Spike had said that he needed the Ponybrex that the pony had carried. Trotting over to the mail pony’s bag, she searched around a bit, being careful not to set off any of the other bomb packages inside the bag. After a bit of rifling through, the bag finally yielded the item she desired, and she pulled out a package labled “Ponybrex.” She smiled, but then heard a groan coming from the pony next to her.

“Just gotta get this checked off…” he said as he struggled to check off something on his clipboard. Derpy realized that he had been watching her the entire time, and felt pity, as he was only trying to finish his last job. She remembered how hard it had been for her in Ponyville as a mail-mare, and took the clipboard from the stallion and checked off the item for him. He gave a grateful smile to her, his disposition finally reverting back to the state that he’d been in before he had ever gone crazy, before closing his eyes one last time.

“I’m sorry it had to end like this…” Derpy said sadly as she saluted her fellow mail-pony, taking the hat that he had worn and wore it, placing the Ponybrex and her own mail-carrier hat into her saddlebags. She then began walking towards the place she had seen Spike and the others walk off towards, but before she left, something tapped her shoulder. She whipped around as her eyes widened, her irises almost straightening from shock. “Rainbow Dash?” She asked as the pegasus didn’t repond, only proceeding to swing the lead pipe at her, and knocked her unconscious as the gray mare was caught off guard.

“All too easy…” The doppelganger said as she smirked and left a note near the spot she had taken Derpy. She then lifted the mare up onto her back and left quickly. A couple minutes later, Spike, Big Mac, and Caramel came running into the area.

“Hey…where’s Derpy?” Caramel wondered aloud as the trio searched around, but could find no trace of the mare. Big Mac then saw something out of the corner of his eye and went to pick it up, he glanced over it and frowned. Noticing this, Spike walked over to him.

“What’s up Big Mac? Find something?” The dragon asked curiously.

“Eeyup.” The stallion responded as he showed Spike the note, who showed it to Caramel in turn. If you ever want to see this wall-eyed friend of yours, the note read, then you’ll come to Uranus Zone as quickly as you possibly can. I’ll be waiting… The trio frowned as the read the note, noticing a map that lead to the spot that they were to meet at.

“Alright guys, you up for a little rescue mission?” The dragon asked the two stallions.

“Eeyup.” They both responded as the three set off to the Uranus Zone, fully determined to get their friend back at all cost…

TIME BEFORE ROYAL GUARD Arrives: 63:45:34