Hours Once Gone

Chapters

Remnant of the Past
A Handful of Questions
Just One Hour
Ticking Silence
Bleeding Memories
Clockwork Tears
Princess of Dreams
Alicorn of the Hour
Last Sunset
Destiny Calls

Remnant of the Past

Rainbow bowed before her majesty, stained glass windows lining the walls in the beautiful throne room. Iridescent light poured through the windows, bouncing off Rainbow's multicolored mane.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. I was about to deliver a message to Spike in order to summon you, but it seems you found your way to me on your own." Princess Celestia smiled, standing in front of Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow stood up, immediately flapping her wings and springing off the ground. Her manners lasted for all of about thirty seconds. "So what's the deal? Somepony causing you trouble? I'll handle them for you. The map clearly brought me here so I could beat somepony up for you."

Celestia maintained her smile in the face of Rainbow Dash's eager attitude. "Unfortunately, my little pony, it's not quite that simple…" Celestia turned her head and levitated an object to the two of them.

It was strange. It had the appearance of a disembodied unicorn horn, but it wasn't normal. The coloration was red like blood, and it curved backwards like the horn of a rhino. The malformed shape and crimson hue were somewhat unsettling. It almost felt as if Rainbow had seen it before. Her eyes were glued to the object with interest.

"This horn once belonged to someone I knew," Celestia said. "A unicorn who I thought I'd never cross paths with again… I thought that by removing their horn, they wouldn't cause anymore trouble. However, they've returned, and I fear it's without good intentions." Celestia's expression grew somber as if reminiscing about this pony was painful.

Rainbow put a hoof to her chest confidently. "Hey, just tell me where this hornless unicorn is and I can show them what's up! What threat can they be without a horn?"

Celestia shook her head, before levitating the horn back to the container she took it from. "Somehow, she's stolen the Alicorn Amulet from it's hiding place. Normally, without a horn it would be useless… however, she's taken it through the Crystal Mirror."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "What, you mean she's trying the same thing as Sunset Shimmer."

"I'm afraid this is a much more dire situation, but…" Celestia glanced at Rainbow's cutie mark. "If the map puts its faith in you to solve this… then I will as well."

Rainbow felt her heart jump in her chest as if it wanted to take off and fly. Her eyes lit up, feeling those words echo through her. Princess Celestia was putting her faith in her to stop a great evil. Really, it didn't get much more exciting than this. Rainbow squealed before pumping her hoof into the air.

"Alright! You got it princess, I won't let you down." She smiled from cheek to cheek. "Whatever this pony is planning, I'll put a stop to it no problem!"

A smile found its way onto Celestia's worried face. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Before you go…"

Celestia levitated a small chest over before opening it. Inside was a pair of goggles, somewhat similar to the ones used by the Wonderbolts. Although, it looked kind of antique. The rims were gold with a black strap. On the right side of the goggles was a small cog wheel that could be turned.

"These were the goggles used by the Wonderbolt Light Speed, said to be enchanted. What they're enchanted with… I don't know, but I'm sure it will be of use to you." Celestia gave them over to Rainbow.

With those goggles in her hooves, Rainbow's wings began to flap even faster with excitement. "Wait, hang on, you mean the legendary Light Speed? The super duper world famous Light Speed who broke every record of her time? And these… are the goggles made famous by the Wonderbolt's outfit designer Yester Hay?" Rainbow Dash stared up at Celestia, who nodded in response. "Oh. My. Gosh."

Rainbow's heart was beating in her chest. It was a childhood dream fulfilled to be holding such an awesome relic. Her wings fluttered even faster and faster as she looked down at the accessory.

"I don't know what to say, this is awesome!" Her voice squeaked with joy. This would be a day to remember.

"The one you're after is named Scarlet Snow," Celestia interrupted. "It's very important that you keep your guard up around her, especially now that she has the Alicorn Amulet in her possession."

Rainbow nodded. "No problem, Scarlet is as good as dealt with!" She laughed, before putting the goggles on her head and twirling around like an overexcited filly.

Celestia lowered her head and smiled. "Right, I have faith in you…" She then turned to face a particular stained glass window.

The image depicted two alicorns working together to remove the horn of a unicorn below with beams of magic. That unicorn with a mane black as coal and eyes as red as rubies.

A Handful of Questions

The Crystal Mirror stood before Rainbow Dash, its mystical nature bewildering all who stared into it for too long. Her reflection was there, but it seemed so distant and so unfamiliar, like another pony. Behind her were all her friends, here to see her off on her journey.

"I can't believe you're off to another world, RD," Applejack said, adjusting her hat. "Seems like quite the adventure!"

"I do hope things go more smoothly than they did when Twilight went…" Rarity said.

Rainbow turned around to face them, a look of worry on her face. "Aaaah, I'm sure it'll be fine! I mean, there's a reason the map picked me." She paused, waiting for someone to answer. "You know, cause I'm awesome and stuff."

Everypony else suddenly nodded and agreed as if to say "oh, right," even though they didn't get it.

Pinkie Pie chimed in as well. "Bye Dashie! Stay safe! But I know you will be safe because you're Rainbow Dash and you can do anything and are the coolest most successful pony in all of equestria so there's no need to wish you luck or tell you to stay safe, but do it anyway! And tell me all about it when you get back, I already can't wait to hear everything you experienced there. It's gonna be so much fun, I wish I could go with you!"

Rainbow's expression went blank as she blinked her eyes. Was this really such a good idea? Would things turn out alright? Why did the map choose her of all ponies?

"Haha, sure thing Pinkie Pie," her voice cracked with uncertainty. "I'll handle things just fine." She faked a smile as sweat trickled from her forehead.

"And whatever you do, be super careful, okay?" Fluttershy said, walking up to Rainbow. "We wouldn't want something terrible to happen to you…"

"Hahaha that's enough!" Rainbow lightly pushed Fluttershy back. "I'll obviously do just fine! After all, I have this!" She showed off her Wonderbolt goggles Celestia gave her. Everypony wowed in response.

Twilight looked the most worried of all of them, putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I know I don't have to tell you this, but remember, we're all connected through the elements of harmony. That's why I have faith that you'll be just fine."

They had faith in her. All of them did. But why? Why couldn't all of them join her? Why was the map calling her specifically? She'd feel a lot better if her friends were by her side.

Rainbow gave a bittersweet smile. "Well, it's about time I go now. There's no point in waiting any longer," she said. "Thanks, I'll be sure to kick that unicorn's butt!"

They all smiled and agreed. After all, when has Rainbow Dash ever lost to anypony? She was Ponyville's most awesome flier. And so, one hoof at a time, she stepped through the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her before a ripple distorted it and she was brought into the portal, traveling through space and time. Like a whirlpool, the current spun her into a spiral as she felt her body transform.

In that colorful void she traveled through, she felt her wings disappear from her back. Her body began to break down as she lost all sensation, and she watched her hooves turn to strangely shaped limbs with multiple long appendages. She saw her muzzle disappear from in front of her own face and heard her ears shift to a lower position.

It all happened so fast, Rainbow only had a moment to take in all that was happening before she was thrown onto rough, hard ground face first. She lifted her head, instantly being put off by the fact that she had different ways to articulate her neck. Her nose was less visible, but she could still see it slightly in the middle of her face, although extremely small. As she reached her hands out to feel her face-

"Wait, hands?" Rainbow said aloud, putting the new limbs out in front of her, and then shrieking in terror. "What the-" she wiggled her fingers, almost gagging at how bizarrely they moved. They almost reminded her of Ahuizotl from the Daring Do books.

"Oh my gosh, I need a mirror now!" Rainbow panicked and quickly noticed more of her own features, such as her long bipedal legs behind her. "Mirror mirror mirror…" She looked back at where she came from, but funnily enough the exit of the portal wasn't a mirror but a stone base of a statue. "Are you kidding me?!"

Then suddenly, Rainbow heard a familiar voice. "A mirror? Ah, here…"

In her peripheral, Rainbow saw a handheld mirror being handed to her, and as she looked up, she saw the most uncanny sight she'd ever seen in her life.

"R-Rarity? What's wrong with your face!" She shouted and scurried backwards.

It was only moments ago that Rainbow saw Rarity back in Equestria, but now she was seeing what must have been Rarity's human form. A terrifying sight. She had strange folds of skin on the side of her head with a hole in them going into her skull, and her mouth had weirdly shaped lips. What must have been her nose was small and didn't protrude far at all. Worst of all, she had those weird limbs- arms, Twilight called them. Those arms and hands that were unnaturally skinny and long, that could easily pick up and hold objects. Twilight spoke of them frequently, but Rainbow never thought they'd look this weird.

Rarity gasped. "Excuse you! There's nothing wrong with my face…" she sighed. "You must be a different Rainbow Dash then, seeing as you came through the portal."

Rainbow's eyes widened in horror as Rarity spoke. This anatomy was going to take some getting used to for sure… "Y-Yeah… right- Twilight said I shouldn't run into my other self or it could cause a paradox…"

"Oh, don't you worry dear, I can distract you- er… other you," Rarity corrected herself. "I'm guessing you're not here to visit."

"Right…" Rainbow Dash tried standing herself up, her legs wobbling like a baby deer's. She managed to plant her feet on the floor, but couldn't straighten her knees out to stand up. "Um, I'm actually here on a super important mission, so-"

Immediately, she fell back on her behind. These limbs were useless and spindly. How she was ever going to get around with them was a mystery.

Rarity grabbed Rainbow's hand and pulled her up slowly. "Here, no rush. Just try standing on two legs first."

Rainbow's legs were shaking, not because they were weak, but because she couldn't find the right muscles to control them. "How in Equestria did Twilight manage this?" Rainbow said, nearly falling backwards again. Luckily, Rarity was there to hold her hand.

"One moment, let me call Applejack to tell her what's going on," Rarity said before pulling out a tiny, rectangular device with glass covering it. She then proceeded to speak to it, as if it were Applejack, telling it about how Rainbow Dash came through an otherworldly portal.

"Uh, Rarity? You know that's not Applejack, right?" Rainbow said, knees still buckling from her weight.

Rarity simply shook her head, continuing to talk into the device. Only a few minutes later, Applejack came up to the two of them. It was like she was summoned somehow.

"Woah! How did you-" Rainbow was baffled by the technology before her. A tiny object that can let you talk to anyone anywhere. "This world is something else."

Applejack gave Rainbow a thumbs up, not that she knew what it meant. "No worries Rainbow, the other Rainbow is already clued in on what's going on. But uh, mind telling us what on Earth is going on?"

"Earth? I guess that's a human thing…" Rainbow replied. "Let's just get away from this portal first- I don't want to accidentally fall back in."

So, the three of them slowly and painstakingly managed to walk to a bench that was about ten meters away, but it felt like one hundred. As Rainbow sat down in a horse-like manner, Applejack chuckled and handed her a bottle of apple juice. Rainbow nearly dropped it with her butterfingers and stared at it for a moment, wondering how to open it. Eventually, she just used her mouth to twist the cap off, nearly spilling it in the process.

She then proceeded to tell them everything involving Scarlet Snow, the Alicorn Amulet and Light Speed's goggles which she still couldn't keep her excitement contained about. Unfortunately, neither Rarity nor Applejack saw Scarlet exit the portal.

"Thanks anyway." Rainbow stood up from the bench, this time managing to stay stable. "I shouldn't waste any time, I have to find her."

Just before she started walking away, Rarity called out to her. "Wait, are you sure you don't have a phone or something we can use to message you? Check your pockets."

Sure enough, when Rainbow put her hands into her pockets, she felt the tiny object called a cell phone. "You're right! Uh… now how do I use it?"

Truly, this was going to be a tough adventure. It was an entirely new world, a new body and a new enemy. For whatever reason, she was meant to take it on by herself. The map and everypony else had put their faith in her, but she didn't have the slightest faith in herself.

Just One Hour

Eventually, Rainbow made her way to the downtown crowded city, past the suburbs. Her goggles were strapped over her head, which must have looked somewhat strange to passerbyers with their steampunk aesthetic. Compare that to her jacket and leggings, they looked kind of out of place. Regardless, those goggles were important, not just sentimentally or in value, but Princess Celestia claimed there were some magical properties to them. Needless to say, Rainbow never figured out what was magical about them.

The surrounding area began to get more noisy and crowded the further she went into the city. The sun was just about going down, as Rainbow took far too long learning to walk. Although, she had gotten the hang of it somewhat quicker than she expected. She wasn't amazing at walking, but she wasn't falling over every five seconds anymore.

Rainbow's thoughts were interrupted by red and blue lights flashing around the corner. As she turned the street corner, she saw a few humans all dressed in blue. The area they were in was surrounded by yellow tape saying "Crime Scene Do Not Cross". So they must have been investigators or guards of some kind, and it seemed they had something similar to cell phones, except they were black boxes with strings attached.

"Well, I guess it's my time to shine," Rainbow mumbled, before ducking under the tape and approaching one of the officers. "Hey, what's going on here? Can I help in any-" Rainbow stopped herself as she took in the scene surrounding her, a look of shock rising onto her face.

Rainbow couldn't help but keep staring. There was a body, a lifeless corpse, splayed across the sidewalk like a rug. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The body was split in half, its insides producing a ghastly smell. That wasn't the strangest part though.

"Ma'am, this is a crime scene. If you don't know anything regarding the victim please step away," the officer said, putting a hand to Rainbow's shoulder and lightly guiding her away.

"I… I do know something," Rainbow realized. There was something incredibly wrong going on.

"Then speak to that officer over there," he pointed. "They'll take you in for questioning."

There was a crater where the body was split in half and from the looks of it, a burning crater. Burning with magical energy that glowed brightly. Most strange of all though, this corpse had something around its neck. That being the Alicorn Amulet.

The girl's corpse had hair as black as coal and eyes as red as rubies.

"Scarlet?" Rainbow muttered before stepping backwards.

It couldn't have been anyone else. The Alicorn Amulet couldn't be taken off by anypony but the one wearing it. But how did this happen? Who did this and why?

She stepped away from the area, wobbling from side to side. It was a mixture of not knowing how to walk properly, but also feeling sick to her stomach. She'd never seen an actual corpse before, and for the first to be such a gorey mess, insides on the outside… She was having trouble breathing.

Rainbow left the crime scene with more questions than answers, being taken to the police station where she was put in a room where she could be questioned. None of it made any sense. If there were remnants of magic then someone else must have had magic other than Scarlet. Someone who followed her through the mirror, but then why would they kill Scarlet?

The white room taunted her, as if saying she'd never figure it out. At this point, she'd have to go back to Princess Celestia and tell her what happened, but how could she know if her job was done yet? The map existed to tell Rainbow and her friends where to go to solve friendship problems, but how could this be a solved friendship problem? It was just a murder scene.

In order to distract herself, Rainbow had taken Light Speed's goggles off her head, staring down at them. The gold rims shimmered in the light.

"Speaking of magical artifacts… what's your deal?" She spoke to the goggles, lightly laughing to herself. "I guess I… haven't had time to try putting you on, huh?"

Ever since getting them from Princess Celestia, she'd admire and fiddle with them as much as she could, but never put them over her face. Sure, she'd put them on her forehead but nothing more.

For some reason, she was hesitating to wear them over her eyes. It was stupid, but she felt the intense urge to avoid putting them on at all costs when she received them from Celestia, as if someone was telling her not to do it. But then, how would she know what was special about them?

The glass lenses reflected her image, something she hadn't gotten used to seeing just yet. That human reflection with familiar features, but so far away from her pony self. It was odd, it almost seemed like that reflection was trapped in those lenses.

Curiosity eventually got the best of Rainbow, as she lifted the goggles above her head. "With how things turned out, I feel like I need Light Speed's power more than anything else," she said to herself, before strapping them onto her face.

They felt like normal goggles. Too normal, in fact. She could see just fine and they felt perfectly comfortable. In fact, it seemed they were just right for her.

"Okay… nothing's happening." She lifted her hand to touch the cog wheel on the side of the goggles. "I'm guessing you adjust the strap…"

How wrong she was. In the very moment she turned the cog, everything changed. Her vision grew hazy, her mind felt numb. And then she saw a vision. A vision of her walking down a road, but for some reason, walking backwards and at an incredibly fast speed. When finally the vision came to a stop, she still saw that road. It was there, in front of her.

She heard the faint sound of a car passing by, before seeing it in her peripheral. Finally, she felt her senses return, but she wasn't in the police station. She was still on that road and the sun was up. When she turned her head, she could see everything around her. It wasn't a blank white room, but a whole street with houses. How in Equestria did she get here?

She finally thought to take the goggles off, but when she did, nothing changed. She was still on that street. In fact, it was familiar. She'd been here before. She'd seen that same stop sign that shook if you leaned against it. She wasn't just somewhere else, but in some other time. An hour in the past.

Rainbow's jaw had completely dropped at this point, as the cogs turned in her head of what was happening. When turning the wheel on her goggles, time reversed and she ended up where she was just an hour before. This could only have meant one thing for the Wonderbolt of old.

"Wait a minute…" Rainbow said. "Light Speed… was a time traveler?"

She stood dumbfounded on the sidewalk, staring down at the goggles in her hands. It was unbelievable. The wonderbolt, real life myth and legend, a time traveler. With these very goggles, she traveled into the past.

Time travel wasn't unheard of. After all, Twilight was able to do it, but a Wonderbolt? And there was no telling how many times these goggles could turn back time if they were reusable.

"That's… that's awesome!" She shouted, raising the goggles into the air and spinning around with a childlike sense of wonder. "Wow- oh my gosh- this is so much cooler than I thought…" She had a stupid grin on her face, but quickly shook her head and snapped back to her senses. "What am I saying… Now isn't the time."

She exhaled and leaned forward, letting out all of the stress that had built up. She just couldn't move past the revelation of Light Speed being a time traveler though. What did that mean for the Wonderbolts and even the entirety of Equestria's history? This was something even Princess Celestia herself didn't know, and yet Rainbow Dash held a time machine in her hands.

"An honest to goodness time machine…" Rainbow pondered aloud. "Ah, but what about Scarlet? Isn't she…" Rainbow quickly realized that this wasn't the future, it was the past. "No, she's still alive. Then I can see what happened to her!"

Rainbow retraced her steps, trying to remember what streets led where and how to get back to where she was. Would an hour be enough to get back in time? Even then, what would she do if she did make it in time?

"Dangit, Rainbow Dash… no time for questions like that, let's pick up some speed!" She yelled before attempting a light jog with her unfamiliar legs.

At the pace she was going, she managed to make it to the street she was on just before the crime scene with only a few tumbles on the way. The sun was still bright in the sky and luckily, there were no police sirens going off.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned the corner seeing… nopony. A good thing really, but she'd hoped to see Scarlet. Still alive, that is, but the street was empty, apart from the occasional stranger and cars driving past.

"She's still alive then… but where?" She wondered.

Rainbow Dash spent the next few minutes searching each and every store along the street, but turned up with nothing. Wherever Scarlet was, she wasn't here. Whoever killed her didn't seem to be nearby either, but there was no telling who could've done it. Rainbow sat on the sidewalk and let out a sigh. What could she do but wait? By then wouldn't it be too late?

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Rainbow turned around to see a walking corpse. Or, what would've been a corpse in the future. That jet black hair hung over her right eye, which shined a bright red. Scarlet had found Rainbow.

"Excuse me…" the girl said. "Those goggles… where did you get them from?"

Her tone was sheepish and quiet, reminiscent of the way Fluttershy would speak sometimes. Not at all what Rainbow expected from somepony who used dark magic. Why was Scarlet here? And now, of all times when Rainbow looked all over for her.

Rainbow stood up with a defiant expression. "I-I know what you're up to!" She yelled, grabbing the attention of various strangers. "And you're not getting these goggles, they're mine- er… temporarily!"

Scarlet twirled her hair nervously and shuffled her feet. "Oh, I'm just asking because… they look like Wonderbolts goggles. Ah, I sound crazy don't I?" She hid her face in her hands.

"What- well yeah, they are…" Rainbow shielded herself with her arms, waiting for a blast of magical energy, but Scarlet did nothing of the sort. "Aren't you going to… I don't know, turn me into a frog or something?"

Scarlet lowered her hands from her face. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere more private. Don't you think, Light Speed?"

Ticking Silence

Rainbow sat across from Scarlet on a bed in a hotel room. Scarlet was sitting in a chair by the window. This was where she'd been staying during her time in the human world. Before anything else Rainbow made sure to clarify that she wasn't Light Speed, and that was when Scarlet suggested they go to her hotel room. Scarlet sat with one leg over the other. While her aura gave off the impression of confidence, her facial expression was bashful and self conscious.

"First things first…" Rainbow started. "That amulet, hand it over."

Scarlet's eyes widened in surprise. "You're just asking for it?"

Rainbow's eyes swept back and forth with self doubt. "Yeah, what about it? I mean… that's why I'm here."

Scarlet smiled, in a mocking way. "You really didn't come with any other plan? You know I'm not going to give it to you, right?"

True, she wasn't going to hand it over. Rainbow didn't know what she expected, but this was just the way she was. Straightforward and to the point. That's how she'd been since she was a filly and it wasn't changing anytime soon.

"How about a trade," Scarlet continued. "I know there's something special about those goggles, so can you tell me what? After that I'll hand over the amulet."

Scarlet was being surprisingly reasonable. It was a simple request and a favorable trade. It was almost suspiciously simple.

"That's it? I mean, I'll do it, but why that of all things," Rainbow said.

Scarlet's eyes drifted to the window. The sun had gone down now, and so moonlight poured past the curtains. "Light Speed never would tell me what those goggles did, and it frustrates me to no end that she took that secret to her grave. But as her successor, you would know, right?" Scarlet glanced back to Rainbow.

"Her successor?" Rainbow felt butterflies in her stomach when she said that. It was a pretty cool title, but now wasn't the time to get distracted. "Right, well, if that's all you want to know…"

The room filled with silence after that, an eerie silence. The only noise came from the air conditioning unit in the corner of the room. Rainbow Dash sat on the bed in complete silence.

"Go on?" Scarlet said.

Rainbow looked around the room in confusion. Didn't she just say? The goggles were used to travel back in time. Was Scarlet hard of hearing?

"Yeah, I just said…" Rainbow paused.

She paused. Why was she pausing? Wasn't she talking? She was about to tell Scarlet about her time traveling, but her mouth wouldn't move. She tried to speak, but her vocal chords were completely unusable. Why couldn't she talk?

"So you won't tell me after all," Scarlet sighed. "I guess you're no better than Light Speed."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed in annoyance and sweat started to trickle down her face. "Aren't you listening? I…"

Again, her lips wouldn't move. She felt as if she was speaking, but it was obvious that none of the muscles on her face were working to vocalize what she'd decided to say in her head.

Then, a moment later, everything stopped. There was no sound, no movement. Rainbow Dash couldn't move any of her limbs. She couldn't even look around with her eyes. Something was very wrong. All she could see was Scarlet and her disappointed frown, stuck there, frozen in time.

Rainbow quickly realized something bad was happening, but she couldn't do anything. She couldn't move, and neither could anything else. But she was still conscious. She could see, hear, feel, smell and taste, but there was nothing. Nothing was happening. Reality was a void, set in one single moment that never moved forward.

An event horizon. Rainbow had heard Twilight ramble about such a thing and even though it was boring science talk, Rainbow remembered because of how chilling the concept was. She was stuck. There was no escape.

Rainbow tried to scream, but nothing came out. She didn't even feel any vibration in her vocal chords. Nothing occurred. All that existed were her thoughts in this space and the room that was present. Scarlet kept staring at Rainbow for a long time, too long. It started to make her feel uneasy, with those piercing red eyes staring directly into hers. The worst part was, she couldn't look away.

Time did pass, but only for Rainbow's thoughts. Everything else was absent from the flow of time. Rainbow was completely alone with herself. The longer it went on for, the louder Rainbow tried to scream. Nothing.

Eventually, it had been hours since time had stopped and Rainbow's mental state had been the only thing moving. For every second that passed, Rainbow sunk deeper and deeper into a coiling insanity. Was she going to be stuck like this forever? When would it end? Why was this happening?

The goggles. They must have been why this was happening. Were they cursed with dark magic like the Alicorn Amulet? Rainbow thought of all the possibilities for what felt like hours. It was all she could do. Think, as Scarlet kept staring at her. Her face was burned into Rainbow's memory now. That black hair swept over her right eye and those bright red irises.

Why, why was this happening? Rainbow kept repeating that same question in her head. What did she do to deserve it? Then, something broke the silence.

A voice, other than Rainbow's, started to cackle. It sounded as if it was flying back and forth through the room, just above her head, but she couldn't see. It started to speak, but Rainbow couldn't understand what it was saying. It's speech was jumbled and nonsensical, swirling above her head. Despite how indecipherable it was though, Rainbow Dash finally understood what it was trying to tell her.

This was her punishment. Her punishment for trying to reveal the secret to someone else. Then she realized the voice was coming from the goggles strapped over her forehead. They were speaking to her and laughing at her, like she was some kind of poor fool.

As the cackles grew louder and louder Rainbow Dash wanted to cry, but she couldn't. Then, as the laughs built up to as loud as they could possibly be, another voice snapped Rainbow back to reality.

"Rainbow Dash?" Scarlet said, her mouth moving as she leaned forward. She was actually moving.

Rainbow screamed and jumped backwards onto the bed, startled from Scarlet suddenly moving. She thought this was her imagination playing some sort of sick game with her, but she was able to move and scream. Rainbow looked around the room, her eyes wide and pupils shrunk from terror. Her heart was pounding, something it hadn't done in what felt like hours.

"I'm… I'm alive?" Rainbow felt her body with her hands, looking down at herself. "I'm still here?" She couldn't believe it. She was back. The punishment was finally over.

"Are you… okay?" Scarlet looked genuinely concerned, but also confused.

Joy took over Rainbow, every inch of her body feeling like it needed to move to make up for all the lost movement. Instead, Rainbow simply started to tear up, grateful that she still existed. Whatever just happened, it changed her from the inside out.

"You don't look okay…" Scarlet looked her up and down. "Forget what I said, we don't need to trade anymore."

Deep down, Rainbow was grateful. There was a sense of unimaginable horror ingrained into her, not wanting to ever disclose the secret of the goggles ever again. The curse was working.

"Thank you…" Rainbow Dash whimpered, before standing up from the bed. "I… I need a minute," she said before rushing out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Rainbow leaned against the door in the long hallway, feeling a sense of dread that hung over her like a spirit. She exhaled deeply, sliding down onto the floor and putting her head in her hands. She didn't want to be anywhere near Scarlet right now. Not after staring at her for hours on end against her will.

What just happened? Was any of that real? It had to be. Rainbow bit her own arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She really was stuck in time, but it was over now. She could breathe again and pump blood through her veins. The stillness was gone. Rainbow's whole body was shaking and her skin had gone pale. If that curse had lasted any longer than it did, she was sure she would've died from pure fear.

She let out another exhale, before laughing quietly to herself. She stood up and now that she was calm again, she entered the hotel room. Scarlet still sat in the corner of the room with the Alicorn Amulet firmly strapped around her neck.

Rainbow closed the door before speaking. "Listen, I…" she shook her head, stopping herself before she'd say anything triggering the curse. "I have reason to believe… you're in danger. That amulet, it's only going to corrupt you more and more until well, you're beyond saving."

Rainbow couldn't be certain why Scarlet was killed in the first place, but she had to make a guess if she wanted to sound convincing. Thinking about it though, Scarlet hadn't shown any signs of corruption at all. She was about as non threatening as somepony could be.

"You don't understand, I need the Alicorn Amulet," Scarlet said. "I have no horn, don't you see? It's only with this amulet and in this world that I'm able to regain my horn."

Scarlet exemplified this as the amulet lit up, and from her head sprouted the horn that Rainbow saw in the Canterlot palace. It had all the same features, curving backwards with a blood red tint.

"You see? Without this amulet I have nothing," she said.

Rainbow could only imagine it would be the same if she'd lost her wings. A unicorn's horn was their most important feature.

"Then why was the princess so adamant you were an old enemy of her's?" Rainbow asked.

Scarlet's gaze drifted to the floor. "If you really want to know, I'll show you."

Rainbow didn't have time to react before a bright red glow emanated from Scarlet's horn, enveloping the entire room in magical light. Color swirled around her horn before spreading outwards and Rainbow's vision was completely cut off. When her vision returned, she stood in front of a filly. A filly with a mane as black as coal and eyes as red as rubies.

Bleeding Memories

A young Scarlet sat by a pond, staring at her own reflection. Occasionally she'd swirl the water around with a hoof, watching her image become distorted. What was odd about this version of Scarlet was that her horn was perfectly straight and had no red coloration to it. She looked like a normal unicorn, completely devoid of any dark influence.

Soon that small filly waddled away from the pond, approaching a wooden shack. Snow littered the surrounding area, though the sun was out and beaming down without a cloud in sight. It was still cold. Scarlet entered the shack, and Rainbow followed, though she couldn't interact with anything.

Scarlet sat at a short table alone. No one else was inside but her, but from the pictures lining the walls, it was clear she had parents. Even still, she sat alone and played with a stack of wooden blocks by herself.

Time fast forwarded and Scarlet was out in the woods. Alone, again. This time, reading a book. The book was filthy and covered in dust, but that didn't turn Scarlet away from reading it. She flipped each page every now and then, while Rainbow got behind her to see what she was reading.

This story was about a young human girl named Scarlet Snow, set in the realm of Earth, far from Equestria. Scarlet didn't have very many friends. In fact, she spent most of her time alone since her parents were too busy working, but one day she found an old dusty book laying face down in the park. It was titled Ouroboros.

This book was about a young filly named Scarlet Snow, set in the magical world of Equestria, far away from Earth. Scarlet didn't have very many friends either, just like Scarlet. Her parents were busy too, and she also found a book laying face down in the forest.

These two had so much in common they might as well have been the same. In fact, they would've made the perfect friends. Both of them thought this, and so they kept reading.

The final chapter of each story both read: "Born in a different world, Scarlet Snow was trapped behind an impassable barrier that divided her from herself. This sorrowful reality was too cruel to accept, and so Scarlet Snow vowed to break through the impassable barrier that was the rift between worlds."

As Scarlet read this text, she felt great empathy towards the protagonist, believing they deserved to meet with their other self and finally have a friend. In fact, everyone in the world deserved to make friends with their other self. Everyone would be happier if the two worlds were brought together.

The last page of the book was blank. There was no continuation, just a cliffhanger. As Scarlet closed the book, she suddenly fell backwards and howled in agony. Rainbow Dash watched on as the filly clutched her head, writhing on the floor like a dying animal.

As she squirmed in the dirt, her horn began taking on a new shape. It bent and became malformed, giving itself a curve as a crunching sound echoed throughout the woods. Scarlet screamed loud as she felt her horn break down and rebuild itself. Finally, as it came to its final shape, her horn was painted a dark red, as a magical red aura swirled around her.

Rainbow was watching the origins of Scarlet's dark magic, a sight that likely no one else had ever seen before. Tears streamed down Scarlet's face and her screams sounded out throughout the forest for all to hear. Rainbow could do nothing but look on in horror, seeing an innocent filly be taken hold of by the dark forces of Equestria and made into an all powerful unicorn.

As Scarlet's voice cracked, time began to move again at a fast rate. It was moving forwards to another vision in the future. It was a battlefield. Hundreds of ponies in gold armor locked in combat with living shadows. The shadows took the form of ponies, draped with black wings and long horns sprouting from their heads. Rainbow instinctively dodged out of the way of other pegasi flying past and crashing into each other, even though they couldn't touch her.

Levitating above the battlefield was an older Scarlet Snow, using her magic to keep herself suspended in air. Above her was a dark mass of shadows forming into a spiraling pillar that rose into the sky. It looked as if it would meet the heavens.

Rainbow soon heard a booming voice, a very familiar one at that. "Scarlet Snow!" It shouted from another sector of the open sky. This was Princess Celestia. "Why have you fallen to this?"

She was covered in gold armor with a lance strapped to the side of her torso. A mass of shadow ponies came barreling towards her, before she twisted her body to slash them out of existence with the lance. She then flew directly at Scarlet before stopping ten meters away.

"This dark power has blinded you, Scarlet," Celestia yelled to her. "Please, return to yourself!"

In Celestia's voice was pain, not from physical injuries, but from the emotions she was feeling in this battle. It must have been personal, but Rainbow had never heard of a battle like this. Granted, she never listened in history class either, but surely she would've remembered a battle as large and intense as this.

"Sister!" Luna called out as she flew to Celestia's side, her midnight mane flowing from her cobalt helmet. "Are we too late?"

The two sisters flapped their large wings side by side, hoping Scarlet would say anything in response, but the whites of her eyes were completely red and her mind wasn't present. The dark magic had overwhelmed her.

Celestia gritted her teeth. "I'm afraid so, Luna. We have no other choice." As she said this, the smallest amount of tears formed in her eyes. "Are you ready?"

Luna nodded, her horn lighting up a dark blue. "You know I was always prepared to do this, sister."

Celestia gave a somber smile, not able to argue. "I owe you an apology after this. Then…"

Celestia's own horn lit up a bright yellow, illuminating the evening sky. The two alicorns emanated enough magical energy to rival Scarlet's. Then, the two of them flew up high above Scarlet, even more magic spreading outwards from their horns.

Celestia nodded to Luna, before releasing a beam of magic towards her. Luna did the same, and the magical light collided, creating a sphere of blue and gold. With their combined efforts, both guided the sphere to be oriented towards Scarlet, who was unaware of anything that was happening around her.

Blood spilled from soldiers below. Pegasi fell from the skies, their wings being torn from their torsos. Magical firepower ripped ponies in half. All of this to unite Equestria and Earth.

Celestia and Luna's eyes both lit up a pure white, as the sphere they created let off another beam of light that shot downwards and straight into Scarlet's horn. The impact created a thunderous boom and crack, as Scarlet's horn began to form cracks in it. Scarlet screamed in agony, unable to move from her position. As light poured from her horn and magic tore it apart from the inside out, it snapped off a moment later.

Everything went blank for Rainbow after that. When her vision returned, she found herself in the same place. The blood stained battlefield, although there was no blood anymore. No soldiers, no shadow ponies, it was all empty. Rainbow only saw a single pegasus by the tree line.

As she flew down to see what was happening, she saw another pony standing in front of the pegasus. A hornless Scarlet Snow. This must've been in the future after the battle.

"How many times have we seen each other now?" The pegasus said.

Rainbow would recognize that uniform anywhere, ever since her history test on the Wonderbolts. Not to mention this pegasus was wearing the same goggles she was. This must have been Light Speed. Rainbow had to contain her excitement during this vision.

"Your horn is gone, you know. You don't need to follow the Ouroboros anymore," Light Speed said. "Why are you still drawn to dark magic?"

Scarlet was crying at this point, her tears staining the blades of grass below. "It was never dark magic," Scarlet whimpered. "It was all out of loneliness."

"And you think by colliding two worlds together, you'll be able to make a single friend?" Light said. "What about the pony right in front of you? What is she worth, huh?"

Scarlet glanced to the side to a flowerbed of lotuses. "I wasn't the only one who turned to dark magic, you know. And even after everything, you still won't tell me a single thing about those goggles on your head."

Light tensed up, digging her hooves into the ground. "I… I have told you, a thousand times over, but you never listen!"

Rainbow could understand this pain. The fear that if you tried to tell anyone what you're going through, you'll be punished for it. Just like Light, she'd never be able to tell Scarlet.

"Then tell me now!" Scarlet shouted in anger. "If you do, I promise I'll listen to everything you say this time."

Light's expression loosened up slightly, and Rainbow could tell she was about to make a horrible mistake. She wanted to tell Light not to say what she was about to say, but there was nothing she could do. This was nothing more than a memory.

"I… for so long, I've…"

Light Speed's expression became blank. Rainbow knew she'd done it. She'd tried to reveal the secret and she'd been punished for it.

Light bit her lip. "Why are you doing this to me?" She cried out in frustration. "I'm telling you, I've been!-"

As Light Speed tried to vent all her feelings, in the next moment, she fell forward onto her face. She didn't scream or cry like Rainbow did, but instead just collapsed. It took about ten seconds before Scarlet said anything.

"Light, are you?-..." Scarlet stopped herself as she reached a hoof out to shake Light.

She didn't move. Scarlet then turned Light over, who still didn't react. Scarlet moved Light's mane out of the way which was covering her face, but what she saw would shake Rainbow to the core.

"After all this time… you still couldn't tell me," Scarlet mumbled, before starting to sob over the corpse of the Wonderbolt Light Speed.

She was dead. Her body was completely still, as if she was still frozen in time. Her eyes were so wide it looked as if they were being stretched open by someone. Her mouth hung open, the last bits of saliva she'd ever produce drooling past her lips. Her expression was that of pure, unimaginable terror. Her cause of death, eternity.

Rainbow stepped backwards, nearly tripping over herself. Was this what happened if you tried saying too much? Light Speed must have spent so long frozen in time that her mind deteriorated into nothingness, and all she could do was stare into the face of Scarlet, just like Rainbow.

"Is this how I'm going to die?" Rainbow said.

Clockwork Tears

Rainbow Dash found herself back in Scarlet's dimly lit hotel room. Scarlet stood in front of her. Rainbow stood idly in thought for a moment, processing the things she'd just witnessed. A book of shadows, named Ouroboros had driven Scarlet to attempt to collide the human world and Equestria, but then why was she still trying? Because of loneliness?

Rainbow finally opened her mouth to speak. "After everything I just saw, I still don't understand… why are you still trying? You're in the human world now, can't you just meet yourself and be done with it? You don't have to bring our worlds together."

Scarlet closed her eyes and shook her head. "Did you not find it odd how I could live for so long?"

It was true, though Rainbow had glossed over it. Scarlet was still alive after all those years. It was at least over a thousand if it predated Nightmare Moon.

"Ouroboros never left me," Scarlet explained. "It's still inside me. I can feel it in my abdomen. It doesn't want me to age, but if I were to stop following its orders, I would surely die."

She was trapped. She could either become a villain and be killed for it, or stop listening to the book and be killed for it. There was no way out for her. No way for her to simply live the life she wanted, a life where she could have a friend.

"I… I realize I'm causing trouble for everyone. For Celestia, Luna and you… but I never had any choice. Not since I was a filly. If I disobey now, the book will revoke my immortality."

In a sense, they were birds of a feather. Two ponies who were shackled by the wishes of their dark masters. Neither could ever burden anypony else with their problems. Nopony except for each other.

"Scarlet," Rainbow started. "I'm sorry."

Scarlet looked up at Rainbow, confused as to what she was apologizing for. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one causing trouble."

"At first, I assumed you were nothing more than evil, but I realize now that you're a victim." Rainbow stared at Scarlet with confidence. "So let's start from square one, and I'll help you make a friend."

Scarlet looked back at Rainbow with surprise, as if she'd never heard such words. "You would do that for a pony like me?"

Rainbow was certain, this must have been why the map sent her. A lonely unicorn who could never make a single friend because of the curse that bound her. Who in Equestria needed a friend more than she did?

"Bet on it," Rainbow's eyes were filled with determination. "But hey, all I ask is that you trust me, even if I have secrets."

Scarlet hesitated, before nodding in response. "I'll try… Thank you, Rainbow Dash." She smiled, and for the first time it seemed genuine.

Rainbow gave a smirk back. "Alright! Let's get started," she put her fist into the air.

Things were looking up. All Rainbow had to do now was find Scarlet's killer and explain the situation. Then she could help Scarlet break the curse. After that, Scarlet would be free of her shackles, even if Rainbow wasn't. After this was all over though, she could get rid of the goggles.

Out of the blue, Scarlet yawned, her eyes going droopy. "Huh, I feel sleepy suddenly…" she lazily leaned against the desk, overwhelmed by exhaustion. "I'm not sure why, I need to lay down…"

"You okay?" Rainbow asked. "You were wide awake a moment ago."

Scarlet nodded, yawning again before dragging herself towards the bed. Before she could make it though, she fell forward onto the floor, asleep. Rainbow went to grab her, turning her over.

Scarlet's eyelids were twitching sporadically, as if she were having a nightmare. Rainbow sat next to her, crossing her legs. She was more concerned than anything else. Hopefully this was just a sleep attack and she'd be okay.

Suddenly, Scarlet started crying in her sleep, her breathing no longer steady. Her legs spasmed and she began to whimper. Something was wrong.

"Scarlet?" Rainbow tried shaking her to wake her up. "Scarlet, wake up."

It didn't work. Scarlet was still sound asleep, despite sobbing and shivering. Then from thin air, a blue magical aura surrounded her face. Rainbow's eyes widened, before waving her hand through the aura.

"What's going on?" She said aloud, lifting Scarlet's head.

No matter where she moved, the blue aura stayed surrounding her head. Scarlet kept crying, groaning slightly when out of nowhere… pop. Her head burst like a balloon. Skull fragments and bloody viscera scattered around the room and onto Rainbow Dash. Rainbow screamed, jumping backwards and staring down at her hands. Some of the meat chunks got into her eyes and mouth, pieces of flesh and blood dripping down her torso. Scarlet's head just exploded.

Rainbow's hands were shaking, covered in crimson. The only sounds in the room were Rainbow's screams of horror and the dripping of blood from Scarlet's neck. She laid there on the carpet, her corpse pooling blood and staining the room.

Rainbow stood up and stepped back further, mumbling to herself frantically. "What- what's happening…" Her breathing was erratic and she choked on her own words.

Where Scarlet's head once was, was a crater. A smoking crater with blue light glowing from it. Remnants of magical energy, the cause of Scarlet's death.

Rainbow Dash began to sniffle, though kept herself from crying as she saw the crater in the floor. Someone with magic had done this, but how? Her and Scarlet were the only ones in the room.

"Scarlet…" Rainbow uttered with a wavy, unsteady voice. "Scarlet! Oh, sweet Celestia…"

She almost fell over and fainted from the sight of Scarlet's remains, a bloody mess. Even her horn was nowhere to be seen in the pile of fleshy goop. Rainbow had never seen anything like this in her life, not even when having to use the Elements of Harmony. Nothing so barbaric and gruesome. Nothing like this ever happened in Equestria with the millennium of peace.

Rainbow fell to her knees, which were not able to hold her any longer. "Scarlet…" she whimpered, staring at the corpse for a minute.

She only had one choice now. To turn back time, but what then? The entire conversation she had with Scarlet… it would be gone. The bond they shared, removed, but Rainbow had to do it, otherwise this reality would be set in stone.

With shaky hands, Rainbow grabbed the cog on the side of her goggles with two fingers. She then brought her goggles in front of her eyes, and with an audible clicking sound, twisted the cog backwards. Her vision grew hazy as she watched her memories from the last hour play backwards. Every single one of them at a fast speed. When time returned to a normal forward speed, Rainbow sat in silence on a sidewalk in a downtown shopping district.

She didn't move, sitting without saying a word as she reminisced on what happened, or rather, what would happen. Her hands were still shaking and her breathing was still wavering.

She lifted her goggles from her eyes and put her head in her hands, her jaw open as she breathed out her mouth. The gore, the popping sound, Scarlet's tears, all of them were stuck in her mind. It all happened so suddenly, there was nothing she could do.

Rainbow felt a tap on her shoulder. She slowly turned around to see Scarlet, looking down at her.

"Excuse me… those goggles, where did you get them from?" Scarlet said.

Rainbow's eyes went wide, and she vomited in response all over Scarlet's shoes. Scarlet shrieked in surprise at the sudden ejection from Rainbow's mouth. Rainbow quickly turned away and covered her mouth, running off. She didn't want to see Scarlet, not now.

Rainbow swallowed her spit. "I…" she coughed. "I need more time…"

With that, she reached for the cog and turned it. One click, two clicks, three clicks, four clicks, five clicks… that was five hours she had sent herself. Time sped backwards and eventually, Rainbow found herself just outside Canterlot High School across the street. Her knees were shaking.

"Right… calm down Rainbow Dash… you can only turn back time to when you had the goggles," she said to herself. "Five hours are plenty… where do I start?"

She took a deep breath, looking around herself, then to the high school. She had to talk to Rarity. Rainbow took her cell phone out, but like an old woman, struggled to even get past the home screen.

"Stupid technology! I don't have time for this," she shouted.

She threw it on the ground, sighing and picking it back up. This just wasn't going to work. She'd have to find Rarity without any fancy cell phone. Fortunately, she'd gotten used to running on her legs, so she swiftly managed to get across the street, looking both ways. Once she was in the school, she navigated through the hallways as best as she could, but the crowds didn't help. Mockingly, most of the people were on their cell phones with no trouble.

Eventually, over the crowd of people she could see purple hair behind a locker door. Rainbow Dash hurried over to her, nearly tripping over. She exhaled, relieved that she could talk to a friend.

"Rarity, I…" she stopped herself.

What was she going to say, that she time traveled after watching someone's head explode? Then the curse would trap her again. She might even end up like Light Speed, killed by the void of infinity.

"There's been a change of plans," Rainbow said.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Rarity replied.

"It's Scarlet, she's… how do I say this?" Rainbow paused to formulate her thoughts. "Scarlet isn't the real villain here, but somepony else is after her and they're going to hurt her!" Rainbow spoke loudly even though she was surrounded by people.

Rarity put her hands in front of her chest, gesturing to Rainbow to calm down. "Not so loud. Dear, what happened? It's only been half an hour."

Rainbow stood there for a moment without saying anything. "Nothing. Nothing happened," she said. "But you have to believe me, Scarlet is the victim here!"

Rarity appeared confused. "Oh alright, but let's calm down first, then we can make a plan."

Rainbow nodded and grabbed Rarity by the hand tightly. "Then let's go, where's everypony else?"

"I said calm down," Rarity slipped her hand out of Rainbow's grip. "They should be in class… I'll just have to ditch and we'll wait for them in the library."

Rainbow's eyes darted back and forth. "Wait… agh, alright fine, but this better not take too long."

With that, the two of them headed to the library, alone. The clock was ticking for Scarlet Snow.

Princess of Dreams

Rainbow finally had a chance to catch her breath and compose herself. Her and Rarity were sitting across from each other at a table in the middle of the library. Rarity had a pen and paper, taking notes of what Rainbow was saying. For the past few minutes, Rainbow had disclosed what she saw in Scarlet's memories. It was the only thing that didn't give away the fact she was time traveling, so she couldn't say anything more. Of course, she had to keep Light Speed's situation a secret too.

"This book sounds rather troublesome… can't we do anything to take it away from her?" Rarity said.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It's in her stomach, she said. If we wanted to even get it out, we'd have to cut it out."

Rarity put a finger to her chin. "And you can't use any teleportation spells?"

"If Scarlet can't use the Alicorn Amulet to get rid of it, I don't think any spells will work," Rainbow theorized. "Unless… the elements…"

Rainbow's eyes lit up with hope. The Elements of Harmony could be the solution she was searching for. But in order to use them, she'd need her friends. She couldn't waste any time.

Rainbow paused in thought. She could use the goggles to turn back time to when she was in Equestria, but was that really a good idea? What would happen to the present? By turning back time, would she erase everything that's happened, including her meeting with Rarity?

Rainbow hesitated, but ultimately someone's life was on the line. She had to go back. "Rarity," she started. "I'm sorry."

The guilt piled onto Rainbow as she turned the cog back one hour. The last thing she saw was Rarity's confused face, before time reversed. Next thing she knew, she was standing in front of the Crystal Mirror.

"I'm back…" she mumbled.

Her hooves, tail and wings were all there. Her skeleton was completely different. No longer was she bipedal with a little nose and ears. It felt good to be back.

She sighed in relief, before turning around. "Hey um…" she flexed her wings, glancing to the side. "I know this is sudden but… could you all maybe come with me?"

Everypony looked back and forth at each other, confused why Rainbow had suddenly changed her mind.

"Rainbow Dash, the map chose you. We can't go with you," Twilight said.

"Well, I don't know about that…" Rainbow argued. "Maybe the map is just saying it's my mission but… I can still have some support just in case, right?"

Fluttershy spoke up. "Rainbow… are you… scared?" She almost couldn't believe her own words.

Indeed, Rainbow was shaking again, both her body and her voice. "S-Scared? No! Just… it could be dangerous, so it would be nice to have the Elements of Harmony…"

"You can be honest with us," Applejack said. "But I reckon Twilight's right, you know. The map specifically called you."

They were right. This was a job for Rainbow Dash, whether she liked it or not. It didn't make any sense though. She needed the Elements of Harmony, but the map was denying her that. Frustration started to boil in Rainbow's chest.

"Who cares what the map says? You're my friends, right! Friends help friends!" Rainbow raised her voice.

"Rainbow…" Twilight said softly. "We're believing in you because you're our friend. Whatever that Scarlet is up to, we know you're able to handle her. You're Rainbow Dash."

Everypony nodded and agreed, but Rainbow simply lowered her head. Why did everypony believe in her? She'd already failed twice. A third try wouldn't do any good.

"Rainbow?" Twilight called out to her, as she was being quiet.

Rainbow looked back at the portal. She tried to think of any cunning plan, something that could save Scarlet, but her mind went blank. She had no theories of who could've killed Scarlet or how to stop them.

Frustrated, Rainbow lifted off the floor and flew out of the room, away from everypony else. After zipping out a window, she flew to the highest cloud she could find, throwing herself onto it and shoving her face into it. She screamed as loud as she could, her voice muffled.

Rainbow laid on that cloud for minutes, thinking of what she could possibly do. She couldn't use the elements with her friends at Canterlot High because they were missing Twilight, the most important element of all. What could she do on her own?

She began to doze off on that cloud, wanting rest more than anything. Her mind had been awake for a whole day after all, even if her body was well rested. She stretched out her limbs and gave into her exhaustion, falling asleep. The world went silent and her senses shut down as her brain began to recharge. Never had she felt so glad to be sleeping, even with how much she loved to sleep on a daily basis.

Eventually, Rainbow started to see. Not reality, but the imaginations in her dream world. What she saw was a city of skyscrapers, echoing creaking noises as if they were unstable. They were so tall she couldn't see where they ended above the clouds. In her dream, she was a pony, but her wings were missing.

As she wandered through the city, eventually she found what looked to be herself. Although, it was her human form. Standing, facing away from her, completely still. Rainbow slowly approached them, circling around them. As soon as she was able to see her face, she saw a horrific sight.

Her eyes were wide, wider than humanly possible, almost as if her eyeballs were about to pop out of her skull. Her mouth was wide open as if she were screaming, with her facial muscles stretched beyond proportion. As Rainbow hesitantly reached a hoof out, the human version of herself fell backwards, slamming against the floor. Her limbs spread out, but her facial expression was the same.

Rainbow stepped backwards, and as she did she heard laughing. It was her friends. All laughing at her, their voices circling around her head like flies, invading her eardrums.

As she tried to swat the voices away, she looked to the sky when a bright light formed. There was a face on the moon, glowing a pure white. The eyes of that figure shone brightly before letting off a burst of light that illuminated the entire city. With that, the laughter faded and the body in front of Rainbow disappeared. Even the buildings stopped creaking and the atmosphere became less eerie.

In front of Rainbow, an alicorn descended from the sky, landing on the street. It was Princess Luna. Her mane flowed with speckled stars sparkling in the moonlight. All fear left Rainbow's body.

"Princess Luna?" Rainbow instinctively bowed. "What are you doing here?"

"You are dreaming, Rainbow Dash," Luna said. "We are the princess of the night. Tis our duty to watch over the dreams of ponies."

"Oooh, that makes sense," Rainbow said. "So that was a nightmare."

Luna nodded. "Pray tell, what is it that has you frightened?"

Rainbow sat on the street, thinking to herself. Being frozen in time, watching somepony die, failing her mission, which scared her most? She was afraid. For the first time in a long time, she was scared. It had been forever since she'd had an actual nightmare.

"I… can't say," Rainbow explained. "If I told you, I'd get in a lot of trouble."

"Have you forgotten? You are dreaming," Luna said. "There are no consequences here. Whatever you have to say won't leave this dream."

"How can you be sure? Just because I'm in a dream doesn't mean that thing won't get me," Rainbow said.

Luna raised her eyebrows with suspicion, quickly catching on. "Whatever that 'thing' is, this is our domain. If something dark is pursuing you, it cannot do anything while we are here." Luna suddenly shot a beam of magic into the sky, before a sphere bursted outward and cleansed Rainbow's dream of all its surroundings, leaving only her and Luna in a starry void.

Rainbow looked back and forth. "You're sure?" she asked. It wasn't like her to be so worried, but she absolutely didn't want to be stuck in time again.

Luna nodded. "You are safe, Rainbow Dash."

Those words gave Rainbow the strength she needed. A simple affirmation that she wasn't in any danger and that they were alone. Rainbow could vocalize her feelings without fear.

Rainbow sighed, closing her eyes. "I've been…" she paused for a moment, before building up the courage to continue. "...traveling back in time."

She said it. She actually said it. Luna wasn't lying, she could really speak here. Luna blinked in surprise, but didn't interrupt Rainbow. Even just blinking her eyelids reassured Rainbow that things were alright.

"The goggles Princess Celestia gave me, they can take me an hour back in time," Rainbow said. "But I can't tell anypony or else I'll be frozen in time… and please, don't tell anypony either, or you could be cursed too."

Luna nodded. "We promise not to tell anypony," she assured Rainbow.

Rainbow sighed with relief. "I don't know what to do…" Rainbow put her head in her hooves, before realizing, she could ask Luna. "Wait! Wouldn't you know all about sleeping spells?"

"Of course, that is part of our duty," Luna said.

"Then, do you know any spells that could force somepony to sleep and… kill them?" Rainbow hesitantly asked.

Luna's eyes widened in surprise, not knowing why in Equestria why she'd ask such a dark question. "We are to assume this is important," she guessed, as Rainbow nodded. "Very well. Certainly, any high level unicorn can put somepony to sleep, but to kill somepony through the means of a dream is reserved for the most talented in Equestria. Unless of course, it is through dark magic."

There it was again. Dark magic. How did it keep coming up again and again? It started to hang over Rainbow like a shadow, following her everywhere she went.

"Is there any way to stop it?" Rainbow asked.

"To stop it? No, but to prevent it, that depends on if it is instant or dormant," Luna said. "A sleep spell that is casted instantly can be prevented if you do not let the caster touch you, but a dormant spell can be set on a pony without their knowledge and be inactive for many years, only able to become active if a requirement is met."

The world around Rainbow and Luna began to rumble. Rainbow's vision started to appear hazy as time was running out for her to remain in the dream.

"W-Wait!" Rainbow shouted. "How am I supposed to know what activates it?"

Luna shook her head. "We cannot be sure. If this is truly of great concern to you, then please, speak to us in Canterlot."

Luna began to drift away into the endless cosmos surrounding them, a great swirling mass pulling Rainbow away for her. She tried to run towards Luna, but it was no use. The faster Rainbow ran, the further away she got. Before she knew it, she was awake.

Alicorn of the Hour

Rainbow jumped up from her cloud, flapping her wings to keep herself afloat. She breathed frantically, before calming down. To her right, she saw Fluttershy, who must've woken her up. She waved sheepishly.

"Oh, hey Fluttershy," Rainbow sighed. "What's up?"

Fluttershy swayed from side to side, clearly not comfortable being so high up. "Oh, I was just looking for you…" she said. "Everypony is worried."

Rainbow sunk back into her cloud, laying on her side. "What for? None of them want to help." She gave a bitter scowl.

"About that…" Fluttershy mumbled. "I came to ask if maybe… I could go with you?"

Rainbow's eyes lit up for a moment, before she regressed back to her pessimism. "Don't bother. It's not like we can use the elements on our own."

Fluttershy frowned. "Well… are you sure I can't help in some other way?"

Rainbow Dash thought about it, but then her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered the dream she had. "Oh my gosh! Princess Luna!" She shot upwards and darted across the sky towards the train station and record speeds.

"Ah, Rainbow, wait!" Fluttershy slowly followed after the rainbow pegasus, barely able to keep up.

Rainbow Dash zipped through the city streets and blasted into the train station. She landed, starting to jog in place anxiously. Fluttershy eventually caught up, panting and flopping onto the floor.

"Rainbow…" she huffed and puffed. "Why are you in such a hurry?" She weakly stood up, her wings trembling.

Rainbow swiftly bought two tickets to Canterlot, rushing to the edge of the station. "Come on Fluttershy, we don't have time!" She grabbed Fluttershy and dragged her into the train.

Fluttershy just let Rainbow pull her along. "Okay, but where are we going?" she asked.

Rainbow threw herself and Fluttershy onto the nearest seats, impatiently looking out the window. "I need to talk to Princess Luna."

"Okay… but why? Weren't you going through the Crystal Mirror?" Fluttershy asked.

"Forget that!" Rainbow shouted. "The princess is the only pony who can help right now."

Fluttershy sighed as the train began to leave the station. "How do I get myself into these situations…"

Several hours later, Rainbow Dash busted through the front door of the Canterlot palace. If she wasn't Rainbow Dash, she'd be put in prison pretty quickly. Fluttershy covered her face with a wing as she walked in after Rainbow, not wanting to be associated with her. Rainbow quickly informed the guards that they needed to speak with Princess Luna, and they were guided into a room to wait for her.

After several minutes of waiting, Luna arrived with multiple scrolls levitating behind her. Rainbow curiously eyed up the scrolls, before remembering to bow. She then stood up and opened her mouth to speak, but Luna put a hoof out to stop her.

"We know you have many questions," Luna started. "However, this is a matter best dealt with carefully and slowly."

Fluttershy tilted her head, not understanding a thing that was going on. "Um, excuse me, princess…" She gave a light bow. "What exactly is this about?"

Luna glared down at Fluttershy, unintentionally frightening her. "Rainbow Dash is having… complicated troubles," she said. "Unfortunately, we cannot disclose what those troubles are with you."

Rainbow nodded, before flying behind Luna and grabbing a scroll. "Sorry Fluttershy- so what are these?" She opened one of them up at random. "Please tell me they have a super convenient solution in them."

Luna sighed, swiping away the scroll from Rainbow Dash. "These are the theories of Yester Hay. We presume you know who that is?"

"Are you kidding? Everypony knows who Yester Hay is!" Rainbow yelled, outraged. Although, truth be told, Yester Hay wasn't very famous at all unless you were a Wonderbolt nerd. "She's only like, one of the most significant Wonderbolts of her time!"

Fluttershy retreated to the corner of the room, just listening to their conversation and patiently waiting for them to be finished. She couldn't help but feel a little left out.

Luna gave a different scroll to Rainbow. "We had not known Yester Hay personally, being trapped in the moon for so long, but we do know that Yester Hay was a controversial figure," Luna said. "Yester Hay was a pony who believed time was not a law governed by nature, but a construct created by ponies. You may think of it similarly to how pegasi control the weather, or how my sister and I raise the sun and moon."

Rainbow skimmed over the scroll given to her. The scroll theorized that indeed, time was not natural but magical, and that somehow, ponies were responsible for time flowing forwards. The paper didn't just detail one theory, but many theories as to what was responsible for the movement of time. Unicorns, draconequus, creatures originating from the everfree or even undiscovered species that could control time.

"You're kidding me…" Rainbow said. "Yester Hay was a conspiracy theorist?" She facepalmed, disappointed in her idol.

"Is she?" Luna retorted. She glanced over to Fluttershy, gesturing to her to leave the room. Fluttershy, being the pushover that she was, left without a complaint. "Rainbow Dash… knowing what we know about you now, are Yester Hay's theories really that outlandish?"

Rainbow looked at the passage at the bottom of the scroll. It read: "If true, we may be taking the time we have for granted. If the passage of time is gifted to us through magical means, then that supply may be limited. Whether or not our time is running out, the answer might come in the form of an apocalypse." Rainbow couldn't believe what she was reading. An apocalypse, really? It sounded like the ravings of a mad pony.

"All that we know, Rainbow Dash…" Luna started. "Is that you are not alone."

Rainbow tilted her head. "What do you mean not alone?"

Luna turned her gaze out the window, looking to the moon. "You may not be the only pony to conquer time."

Right as she said this, Fluttershy entered the room, making both Rainbow and Luna jump with surprise. "Um… sorry," Fluttershy interrupted. "But you have a visitor…" She gestured to a small filly with a white coat, blue and yellow mane and blue eyes.

All three of them looked on in shock. Luna's eyes were locked onto the filly like she was an undead corpse. Although, the reaction was justified. After all, this filly was an alicorn.

Rainbow immediately ran up to the filly and started tugging on her wings, as well as poking at her horn. "What the hay!" she shouted. "Uhhh, Princess Luna? This wouldn't happen to be a… cousin of yours or something?"

The little filly tucked her wings to her sides, her expression nervous from all the ponies staring at her. Luna didn't stop staring. She didn't blink, completely baffled at what she was seeing.

"Rainbow Dash, do you not see the same thing we do?" Luna pointed to the filly's flank.

As Rainbow moved her gaze to where Luna was pointing, her eyes widened. "Her cutie mark… it's moving?"

Her cutie mark, a blue and gold hourglass, was moving. The blue strains of sand were falling through the hourglass. Each bit of sand sparkled as it fell.

"Um, what's going on?" Fluttershy whispered from the corner.

This wasn't what she expected when tagging along with Rainbow Dash. The filly began to shiver, tears forming in her eyes. All this attention was clearly putting her on the spot, and so Fluttershy came to the rescue, approaching the filly ushering her out of the room.

"Let's just… let her calm down for a bit," Fluttershy said in her serious voice, before directing her attention to the foal. "Oh, I know, let's have a look around the castle!" Fluttershy said excitedly, taking her away. Fluttershy's voice became more distant as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"What just happened," Rainbow said, before shaking her head. "Nah, there's no way… right?" She looked to Luna for reassurance, who's jaw had dropped.

"An alicorn with an hourglass cutie mark," she said, before also shaking her head. "Let us not jump to conclusions. For now, we will discuss what we meant to discuss in the first place. Rainbow Dash, what does the future look like?"

Rainbow had forgotten the entire reason she was here. Right, Luna was the only pony who she could talk to. That sudden interruption really threw her for a loop. An undocumented alicorn just happened to stumble into the Canterlot castle. A filly no less. Right outside their room, past the royal guards.

"Right, where were we…" Rainbow said. "Right, sleeping spells! I think the one I'm dealing with is dormant… how can I tell what activates it?"

Rather bluntly, Luna shrugged to say she didn't know. "Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to know. However, you have the ability to see it happen for yourself, do you not?"

True, Rainbow saw the spell with her own eyes, but how could she know what caused it? She wasn't smart like Twilight, not informed like Luna.

Luna noticed Rainbow stuck in thought. "Was there not any indication of a magic spell?" she said.

Then it clicked. "She had her horn again! Right… Scarlet used the amulet to regain her horn."

Suddenly, Luna's face went aghast, as if she'd just watched someone be killed. In her face was horror and shock. She curled her lips and squinted her eyes.

"Rainbow Dash, what did you just say?" she glared at Rainbow with daggers for eyes.

Rainbow gulped, sensing the fury from Luna. "Scarlet… Snow? She used the amulet to regain her horn, and that's when..."

Luna was fuming, her face turning red. She sighed, calming herself down. "If only you had said her name sooner…"

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna began. "We are the one who killed Scarlet Snow."

Last Sunset

Rainbow stood there in shock, feeling somewhat betrayed. "You're kidding…" she said. "But why! Why…"

Rainbow stopped herself, remembering the vision she saw of Scarlet's memories. Luna had fought against Scarlet's dark magic before, but her horn was gone. Why then would she place a spell on Scarlet after the fact?

"It is as you said, that in the future, Scarlet regains her horn," Luna said.

"But how would you know that!" Rainbow shouted. "And why kill her in such a way…" She gagged, covering her mouth with a hoof.

Luna sighed. "We didn't know, but precautions had to be taken. So we put a sleep spell on Scarlet, in case she ever regained her magic somehow. Don't you know how dangerous Scarlet can be?"

Rainbow didn't know. All she'd seen in Scarlet was a pony who wanted a friend. Somepony who was trapped by dark magic with no escape. Somepony who could never live a normal life even if she wanted to.

Rainbow shook her head. "Scarlet isn't the dangerous one," she said, her lips quivering. "It's that book! It's the one forcing her to do all these things."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Even still, she is a threat to Equestria. Our stance should be clear on that."

Rainbow Dash's lips formed a frown. Suddenly, she kneeled on the floor before Luna. "Princess, please…" she begged. "Please, don't kill Scarlet!"

Luna's eyes widened as she looked down at Rainbow. "Why are you shaming yourself, Rainbow Dash? Stand."

Rainbow didn't stand, still kneeling. "Please, please don't kill her!" Rainbow yelled. "I won't ask for anything else, just please, let her live!"

Luna stood with authority, putting duty above all else. However, seeing Rainbow Dash beg so desperately, she exhaled and reached a hoof out to lift Rainbow up. "We just said, do not shame yourself," she said, putting a hoof to her chest. "We, Princess Luna, promise to spare the life of Scarlet Snow."

Rainbow's eyes lit up and she smiled with joy. "Yes! Thank you thank you thank you Princess!" She squealed, grabbing Luna's leg and hugging it on the floor. "I won't ever forget this!"

Luna shook her leg, trying to get Rainbow off. "Why do you love to feel shame?" She sighed, giving up. "It matters not. What happens next, the responsibility falls on you, Rainbow Dash. What is it you'll do to repay our favor?"

Rainbow laid on the floor, hugging Luna's leg. She stood up, glancing to the side. What could she do? She was never the type to come up with a plan.

"As long as I have these goggles… I can do anything, right?" Rainbow said, a mischievous smile on her face.

Luna narrowed her eyes. "That is a dark path, Rainbow Dash. Are you certain you have the heart to walk it?"

Rainbow hesitated. "I'm Rainbow Dash," she finally said. "Losing isn't my style."

Luna sighed, shaking her head. "Then go. There's no telling when Scarlet will start trouble again."

Rainbow Dash gave a salute and flew to the door, stopping. "Oh, and princess," she said. "Thank you."

Luna gave a simple bow, and with that, Rainbow flew out the room, calling out to Fluttershy. She zoomed around the castle until eventually, she saw her outside a window in a garden. She stood there with that mysterious filly. Rainbow found her way down to the two, coming to a screeching halt in front of them.

"Fluttershy, I'm going through the Crystal Mirror," she said. "You coming or…" Rainbow looked down at the filly.

Fluttershy tilted her head, looking conflicted. "Well, Tempora is um… she doesn't know where she is," Fluttershy said.

"Tempora?" Rainbow said, eyeing up the filly. "This thing is suspicious…"

Fluttershy's jaw dropped. "She's not a thing, Rainbow…" she shook her head. "Anyway, it might be best if I look after her. Sorry, I really wanted to go with you, but…"

Rainbow shrugged. "Hey, no biggie."

Tempora tugged on Rainbow's leg, looking up at her. "Miss, what's your name?"

Rainbow was caught off guard by the sudden question. "Rainbow Dash," she smiled. "Aka the most awesomest coolest pony in Ponyville!" She made a heroic pose.

"Rainbow… Dash," Tempora repeated.

Without warning she began to sob uncontrollably. Fluttershy quickly went to rub her back, a look of worry on her face. Rainbow Dash flinched backwards, thinking she'd done something wrong.

However, it wasn't Rainbow's fault. Suddenly, a cloud of blue dust erupted outwards from Tempora, forming a smokey cloud around them. Rainbow and Fluttershy both covered their eyes, and when they could finally see again and the dust dispersed, Tempora was gone. Fluttershy shrieked, frantically backing away from where Tempora was. It was like she just vanished.

"Did she… teleport, maybe?" Rainbow wondered.

Despite what she said, Rainbow had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't just a simple teleport spell. The alicorn status, the hourglass cutie mark and her name, Tempora. They all suggested something else. Time travel.

"Fluttershy, can you make sure she's not somewhere around the castle?" Rainbow asked. "I really need to get going, but something isn't right with that filly."

Fluttershy was crouched down with her wings over her head. "Y-Yeah… hopefully she teleported and didn't e-explode…"

Rainbow shook her head at the poor pegasus, before taking off into the sky. The moonlight reflected off her rainbow mane as she darted down to the train station. She came to a screeching halt, as she waited for the next train to Ponyville.

At the very least, Scarlet wasn't in any danger herself. However, with Ouroboros still having her by the neck, there was no telling what she might do in the name of her dark master.

By the time Rainbow reached Ponyville, it was past midnight, still extremely early in the morning. She ran straight to Twilight's castle, entering without asking. After arriving at the Crystal Mirror, she made sure her goggles were tightly strapped to her head. Then, without hesitating this time, she dove right in.

Rainbow screamed as time and space both tugged at her body, stretching it past the barrier of the universe until finally, she was shot out of the other end. She fell face first onto the floor in front of the familiar statue, however, this time there was no one there. She glanced around, surrounded by moonlight rather than sunlight. She'd already wasted so much time. By now, Scarlet would've been dead, but if Luna had kept her promise, then…

A loud screech echoed across the sky, the sound unlike anything Rainbow had heard before. The closest thing she could attribute it to was maybe the sound of a dying animal. Rainbow stared at the sky, unable to see what was causing it. The screams came from every direction. Then, like a moth flying past a light, Rainbow spotted something dart past the moon. It was so clear, like the sight of a pegasus flying in the sky.

That was when she felt someone grab her hand and tug her backwards. As Rainbow turned to see who this person was, it was a girl with fiery orange and red hair, teal eyes and a leather jacket.

"Get inside!" she shouted, urgency in her voice.

Rainbow was confused, but chose to listen for now. "Who are you?" she asked while running for the school entrance.

"I'm…" she paused, glancing to the side. "I'm Sunset Shimmer, but that doesn't matter right now!" She swung open the door to the school, gesturing to Rainbow to get inside.

Rainbow stumbled into the front entrance, when suddenly she heard screaming from behind her. What she saw made her eyes go wide. Just like in Scarlet's memories, a pony made entirely of shadow. The creature was on top of Sunset, gnashing its jaws at her and flailing its hooves as she held it back. Rainbow stood up to go and help.

"No! Stay inside and shut the door!" Sunset screamed, as suddenly her arms gave out and the shadow pony bit into her neck.

Although conflicted, Rainbow couldn't just leave her. She stepped outside, but the moment she reached out to help, Sunset's eyes lit up a bright white. The dark of night was illuminated by the rays coming from her eyes as she began to levitate from the floor.

Rainbow had no idea what she was witnessing, but she couldn't hesitate now. She grabbed Sunset by the hand and placed another hand on the shadow pony, trying to shove it off her. It was no use.

"Please…" Sunset uttered, grabbing Rainbow by the shoulder as she floated higher and higher. "Don't let this be for nothing."

With that, a burst of light emitted from Sunset, melting the shadow pony before Rainbow's eyes. However, it wasn't just the shadow pony who was melting. With this magical explosion, Sunset was also searing her own flesh. Her screams invaded Rainbow's ears, like that of a dying rabbit. As the spell reached its apex, the screams also stopped.

No longer was the shadow pony assaulting them, but laying at the top of the stairs in front of the school entrance, was a charred, bloodied body of Sunset Shimmer. She turned her head to look at Rainbow. She was still alive, barely.

Rainbow scurried over to her, kneeling down. She tried to hold Sunset's shoulder, but all this did was make Sunset yell in pain. Rainbow quickly pulled her hand away. Sunset's skin was completely burnt, her neck still oozing blood. Despite this, she was smiling through the pain.

"What… what did you do?" Rainbow's voice wavered as she tried to form a sentence.

Sunset's lips weakly moved. Tears began to form in her eyes. "An… e-emergency spell…" she mumbled. Her voice was gruff.

Rainbow's arms were trembling. "To protect me?" she asked.

Sunset barely managed to nod, before wincing in pain. "Please…" she began. "Kill… me."

Rainbow's heart sank as she heard these words. Sunset desperately wanted to die. Even after doing something so heroic, she still had to suffer for it. A fate far worse than death, but what could Rainbow do? Nothing.

More screeches came from the sky and were getting closer. Rainbow could see several black shapes descending from the clouds, towards her and sunset. She had no choice.

"Sunset." As soon as Rainbow said her name, both of them started to cry. "I'm so, so sorry," Rainbow apologized.

Rainbow got up from her knees and ran into the school, shutting the glass doors behind her. As she looked outside, she saw a smiling Sunset Shimmer, with tears streaming from her face looking back at her. Three, black masses of shadow landed on top of her, tearing into her burnt flesh, like vultures to a corpse. Rainbow had to look away, feeling the urge to vomit. She held it back, running deeper into the depths of the school.

Sunset Shimmer, once a student turned a villain, had just saved Rainbow's life. All of that just to be burned and eaten alive. What made Rainbow's chest feel heaviest of all, was that she forgot to say "thank you."

Destiny Calls

Spin, flip, roll and twist around, it was Rainbow Dash's all new and all dangerous stunt, the Sky Shatterer! Well, the name was a work in progress. Whether or not it would actually stick was to be seen.

With a multicolored trail left behind as she soared through the sky, Rainbow Dash screamed and hollered from the thrill of each spin. The wind crashed against her mane, flipping it backwards as she sprung forward through the air. It was like she was unstoppable with her wings. No way could she ever imagine living as anything other than a pegasus.

"Now for the grand finale… ha! This is gonna be so good!" She snickered to herself, barreling towards the ground below, before pulling up at the last second and bursting through a layer of clouds, but then… crash! Rainbow Dash was sent into a twirling daze, trying to regain her senses. She shook her head as she steadied herself. A few meters away was a wobbling Twilight Sparkle, who she'd smashed into on accident.

"Woah, Twilight! You good?" Rainbow flew to her side, holding her shoulders so she could balance out.

Twilight still appeared dazed. "Rainbow Dash, you have to be more careful. That hurt!"

Rainbow crossed her forelimbs, avoiding responsibility. "Hey, you were in the way of my flight path… anyway, what are you doing here? Bored?"

Twilight sighed, rubbing her head. "Actually, that is the reason I'm here." She pointed to Rainbow's flank, and unknown to Rainbow, her cutie mark was flashing.

Rainbow shot upwards in surprise. "Woah! I am never going to get used to that."

"I noticed the map was calling for you… and you're not gonna guess where." Twilight said.

"Aha, a challenge…" Rainbow smugly smirked. "Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus? Oh oh! Don't tell me, it's Cloudsdale!"

Twilight shook her head. "Actually, it's in Canterlot. The royal palace more specifically… I can't imagine why it's calling you there." Twilight almost seemed worried, as if something big was on the horizon.

Rainbow on the other hoof was… a little too excited. "YES!" She flung herself upwards and did a backflip from pure excitement, laughing. "No way, I can't believe the map is calling me to help the Princess! What an honor!"

Twilight sighed with a smile. "Well, I'm glad you're excited. It's a shame I can't go with you."

Rainbow spun around and around, totally pumped it was her time to shine. There was no telling what kind of adventure awaited her, what enemies needed to be defeated and what obstacles had to be surpassed. Of course, whatever it was, it wouldn't be any sweat. Things were gonna be a-ok!