Elements; Thousand Years Coming

Winter Willow's eye twitched. "What is this, I don't even..."
'I'm not surprised.'
Pinkie was cheerful as ever. "And that's all from just today!"

Willow rubbed her head. "Let me just... First thing's first! Rainbow Dash, how did you know that guy was going to attack us? You just flew in and stopped him before anyone else knew he was even there!"

Dash looked distracted.

"Rainbow?"

"I'm really not sure." Everypony was confused. "It's as if, well, as if I felt him get ready to attack. As if I knew where that bottle would go. As if the air around me was talking to me. Trying to warn me that he was dangerous. I mean, I'm fast, but even I shouldn't be that fast."
'Air is awakening as well.'
Twilight let out a small chuckle. "Yeah! You'd have to consider a Sonic Rainboom to be a walk in the park!"

Crabapple rolled his eyes. "Pfft. That old fairy tale still exists? I thought it would have died out by now."
'It's very popular.'
"Hey! Breakneck almost pulled one off!"

Rainbow Dash stood up.

Rarity lightly glared at the tower of a stallion. "Almost only counts in horseshoes, dear boulder brain."

His wings flared up. "What's that supposed to mean?"
'Light and Dark. Fighting as usual.'
"Dashie?"

She started fixing her mane. "I could explain it to you, but I doubt you'll understand the smallest parts of it."

"...!" His face filled with rage. "Why you-!"

Pinkie, however, demanded more attention. "Dashie, where are you going?"

That's when everyone else noticed Rainbow Dash stepping outside.
'That got them to stop.'
"Uh, Rainbow?"

"Where are you going?"

Rainbow kept walking, the rest keeping an eye on her. She stopped in the middle of a nearby field.

"What -"

She crouched down, before suddenly launching herself into the air. As she was rising, an explosion rang out, colors expanding out from where Dash was. Rook was the first to stop gaping at the sight.

"You were saying, Crabapple?"
'Oh! Burned!... Sun burnt?'
Right after Dash leveled herself, another Rainboom shot through the air. She made a prismatic circuit around Ponyville, and landed in front of the ten that watched her take off.

"Yeah, walk in the park. I'm a freak of nature. Now, come on! Ponyville is under attack!"
'Uh, geez. That wasn't sudden.'
A group "WHAT?" rang out.

"We don't have time! Follow when you can!"

With that, she dashed off. Rook didn't waste a moment before following, with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Luau, Crabapple, and Winter Willow right behind. Rose Petal and Fluttershy watched them as they slowly vanished from sight.

"You're not a fighter either, are you?"

"Um, no."

*WHAM!*

"Told you she'd come."
'Smart kid.'
Rainbow Dash didn't want to start getting a big head at the moment. "What are you three doing here?"

"Getting our paranormal investigators cutie marks!"

"Well get out of here before these things hurt you! What are they, anyway?"

Her eyes met one of the creatures eyes. Or eye, as each only had one. The creature looked like a wheel with said eye in the center, and feather like protrusions around, with blades sticking out of the sides. There were some with black feathers, but most were gold.

"Jeez. From above it looked like there were a lot less."
'There were.'
"You don't say." The white stallion glided down beside the blue mare.

"How did you keep up?" The stallion shrugged.
'Oh, reasons.'
"Dash," The orange filly garnered attention, "The gold ones are making the black ones, but it looks like each one can only make one copy."

"Thanks, Scoots. Now get out of here!"

The orange filly didn't need to be told twice. Her friends followed rapidly, passing the seven grounded ponies that followed the pegasi.

"Wow!" Twilight was awestruck, "I've never seen anything like THAT before!"
'You don't say.'
"You don't say."
'Hey!'
"Crabby, aren't these the things that-"

"- attacked us a thousand years ago, yes. There were even more back then."

Rook spun around, "What? I don't remember these things!"

Luau took to her friends side. "They appeared after you vanished."

"ALRIGHT!" Everyone was thrown off guard by Willow's sudden outburst, "This is for what you did long ago! HIYAAAA!" Willow charged toward one of the monsters... which promptly spun on its axis and knocked her back into Crabapple. "Owwww..."
'Genius!'
"Good job, Willow," Crabapple's voice was flooded with sarcasm, "That was the key to beating these things. Ten out of ten."

"But... but our children!"

"You won't avenge them by being stupid!"

*SHHHHZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

The couple was pulled from their bickering by an ominous sound. One of the wheel creatures was revving up.

"Be careful! We don't know what- WOAH!" Applejack was cut off by the revving creature shooting straight towards her, barely giving her enough time to dodge it. "Hah! Ya'll couldn't hit the broad side of a baARGH!"
'Yeah, don't look away from enemies. Just saying.'
"AJ!"

After the first creature blew through, a second, unseen and unheard, took the same path and struck Applejack from behind, knocking her to the side. Dash and Pinkie were at her side in seconds.

"Come on, AJ! Get up!"

"Do you like my pet?"
'And there's Time.'
An ominously gentle voice went through their ears. They looked and saw a young mare, dressed in an Arabian style, hiding her body, save her eyes and ears. Rook promptly lashed out at her.

"YOU! This is YOUR fault! You destroyed this town once and now you want to destroy it AGAIN!"

"What do you mean by, 'pet'?" Rarity was focused on her words, "It sure looks like there's more than one of these things."
'Technically true.'
"His name is Deja-vu for a reason. He can make as many of himself as I please."

Luau stepped up, "You're in league with that one colt, aren't you?"

"Yes, a very well kept secret, I'm sure." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Rainbow Dash glared at the mare. "I won't let you do anything to this town."

"But I'm not doing anything. At least, not this time. This time it's all Deja-vu."
'Who follows your orders.'
"Even so, you called him here, meaning his destruction is on your head."

"Sorry, but I have further business to attend to. Good luck."
'No you don't! Get back here!'
Before anyone could get a word out, she was gone. Three more of the creatures revved up, forcing their attention from the now gone mare. One aimed for Twilight, one for Willow, and one for Rarity, all of whom dodged easily.
'Crap! I can't chase her yet! They need me!'
"Good job, giiIAAAH!"

Luau was cut off by one of the "echos" aiming for her, with Pinkie and Rook being targeted by the other two. Rook grabbed the one aimed for him and threw it into the one aimed at Luau, causing both to break and vanish, while Pinkie leaped out of the way. Yet one of them hit something. Applejack, who was behind Pinkie, unconscious, was run over by the one Pinkie dodged.

"NO!"

Rainbow dashed over to AJ's unconscious body to ensure her safety, only for one of the monsters to block her path.
'I was hoping not to come out so soon, but...'
"I've... had... ENOUGH OF YOU!!!"
'Wha- Is she?'
She threw her hooves to the sky, as if to call down lightning.
'No way.'
Which is exactly what she did.
'That's... How? How can she use that already?'
With a loud *BANG*, lightning shot from the sky, striking one of the "Deja-vus" and destroying it. Followed by another. And another. Soon enough, lightning struck all of them, and there were no more wheel creatures left.

Wherever she was, Trixie felt proud of Dash.
'That... that was... beautiful...'
With the carnage over and the threat gone, Dash fell into a sitting position. In spite of all the praise aimed at her, she felt like she was a freak. A monster.

"Make sure AJ's not dead." She stood up and left, leaving the ponies she saved wondering what happened.
'Where did she... Dang! Lost her!'

She looked out at the scene. She wasn't quite sure what happened, but her pet was destroyed.

"What. Happened?" She turned to look over her shoulder, seeing her partner angry.

"I thought he would be enough."

He got in her face. "He wasn't. I gave you a simple task, and you botched it."

She held her ground. "Like how you botched that raid I planned out? There's always going to be some variable. A spanner in the works, as they say. Someone you didn't anticipate, there at the exact moment that it ruins your plans."

He smiled. "Now you know that variable."

She smiled. "And I can accommodate."

"Perfect." He walked off.

She turned back towards the scene. "Maybe it's closer than I thought."

Luau tended to Applejack, making sure she would be fine. Rook, Twilight, and Crabapple discussed tactics and how to fend off future incidents. Rarity and Pinkie, meanwhile, watched as Willow approached the distant pegasus, who had just done something impossible. Twice.

"Dash?" Winter Willow, founder of Healer Hall, a place where ponies go to heal unseen wounds, has always had the ability to know another's emotions. So it would clearly bother her when she knew someone else was bothered. That was the case with Dash.

"What do you want?" Rainbow Dash, having never heard her name before, and having just met her, didn't know what her intent was.
'She wants to know you.'
"What's bothering you? You saved us, your friends say you're boastful, but you're skulking over here as if someone died."

Dash stayed quiet.
'Open up, Dashie.'
"What is it? Are you reminded of someone? Is it -"

"What am I?"
'Really? This?'
Willow was caught off guard. The question seemed unprovoked, and there was no reason for her to ask it.

Dash looked shattered, her face showing no emotion, and her wings splayed out carelessly. Seeing Willow's confusion, she continued. "I'm not silent, I'm boastful. I'm not cautious, I'm reckless. I'm not aware, I'm oblivious. No one that met me today would know that without my friends telling them, and even then it would be hard to believe. I'm not me, so what am I?"
'Such poor logic is you, though.'
Dash probably expected Willow to shut down and back out. She didn't know Winter Willow.

"You are yourself. There is no one else you could be. If you doubt yourself, look in a mirror. Look for someone that isn't you. Philosophical or not, you're a hero. But even more, you are Rainbow Dash. That's what matters."
'This is to her what flying is to you.'
Dash looked her in the eyes, then turned her attention back to the spot on the horizon that she was interested in earlier.

Willow tilted her head. "Rainbow?"

"No. That's not what matters." Willow was stunned. Dash stood up. "What matters is my friends, and what they need in me. Come on. Let's check on AJ."

Luau felt around the unconscious mare's hind leg as the pegasi walked up. The other ponies approached as they got closer, eventually surrounding Luau, awaiting her analysis. "She'll be fine, but it would be best for her to stay off of her hooves for a short while."
'Nope!'
Rarity and Twilight looked pained. Pinkie let out a sigh of relief. Dash chuckled a bit. "She won't like that."

Rook smiled. "I'm going to guess she'll kick and scream as much as she can."

"Yeah." Willow shot a glance at her husband. "Apple family members tend to be that way."

The three pegasi shared a giggle at Crabapple's (apparent) expense.

His eyes shot left to right for a bit. "Honeycrisp complained more than I ever did!"
'That's it! Pin it on the psychopath that just tried to kill you!'
That got the pegasi and unicorns laughing hard. Crabapple gave a nervous smile.

"Luau?" Pinkie's voice got them to stop. "What's wrong?"

Luau looked troubled. "Remember where those things hit her?"
'So her spine has healed already.'
Every pony shared a glance. Twilight spoke first. "Uh, didn't one hit her haunches?"

Willow continued. "Yeah, and the other one struck her in the back."

Luau nodded. "The second one was moving as fast as, if not faster than, the first one. What's troubling me is that, in spite of her hind legs being broken, her spine is no worse for wear. How is it that both of her legs broke from one of them being struck, but a direct hit to her back did nothing?"
'It did something, but the damage was already healed.'
The response she got was silence. Until Rarity let out a cough. "Maybe it wasn't the things hitting her, but her getting thrown to the ground. She was already on the ground when the second one hit her."
'Where Darkness comes up with a valid excuse...'
Rook cocked an eyebrow.
'... and Light doubts it due to spite.'
"I'm late again, aren't I?"
'Yup'
All potential discussion was cut off by Celestia.

"HablejiggablablehjigujiguBLA?"
'Fun!'
Willow apparently decided to show her skill in gibberish.

Crabapple, in contrast, was emotionless. "Hello again, your highness."
'Bland.'
Celestia cringed at his statement but looked happy none the less. "I knew you two would be fine."

"Wait wait wait. I thought a thousand years had passed!"

"Ah, so they already explained that to you."

"But how are you still alive?"
'She immortal, foal!'
"It's just what I was cursed with." Celestia looked around. "Where are Rose and Fluttershy?"

Rarity stepped forward. "They stayed at Fluttershy's cabin, likely to avoid getting in our way."
'Where Darkness speaks facts...'
Celestia stared at Rarity with a slightly ominous look. "... Well, it seems Applejack filled that role."
'... and one of Light's followers doubts her out of spite.'
"Ain't that grand to wake up to!"
'That line brings back memories.'
Dash flaired her wings. "AJ! You're alright!"

Applejack cringed as the pegasus death-gripped her. "Where did those things go?"

Twilight smirked. "The Deja-vu's? Just ask Da-"

"DEJA-VU?"
'S-sorry princess. I don't think they heard you in Neighpon.'
Everypony turned to the princess, baffled and startled by her loudness.

Her eyes were wide and her jaw was wide open. After a moment, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Well..." She opened one eye and bit her lip. "Now that I know where to start..." She took a deep breath.
'You should have already known.'

"I've got a lot to explain."
'Yes you do.'