Hours Once Gone

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.