Dreams of Loyalty

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 10
Chapter 1
Chapter 9

Chapter 2

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 2

In which Pinkie clarifies a few things, and Dash is sick.

“So wait, you knew about Dash’s nightmares the whole time an’ you didny tell nopony?” Applejack asked as they entered into the library. The three had decided to take a break from the farm work and to head back to Twilight’s abode after collecting Spike from the confused and concerned Apple family members he was attempting to distract. They had decided on the library; both so that they could discuss the matter of Rainbow’s nightmare privately, and so Twilight could cope with the problem the way she coped with almost every problem, research it.

“I didn’t think it had gotten this bad!” Pinkie replied, “I only saw Dashie napping on her clouds a few times last week, but when she woke up she seemed okay and when I tried to ask about it she just said she had it covered and not to worry about it, and like I said I haven’t even seen her for a few days. I’ve been super busy with party planning all this week, I mean do you even know how many foals are born in the early spring? It’s like the most busiest time of the year for birthday parties! Plus, she hasn’t been in her usual napping in places even when I did get some time off.”

“I remember reading that where a pony sleeps can have a big effect on what she dreams about. She probably took to sleeping in new places to try get rid of her nightmare,” Twilight added as she began perusing through her shelves. “Spike, where is that copy of "Lullabies and Lucid Dreams: a Study of Sleep?”

“That was the book you rented out to Rainbow Dash,” The baby dragon answered as he hopped off her back.

Twilight blinked and then blushed in embarrassment. “Oh yeah, hehe…”

Spike sighed and shook his head. He often wondered why she was the librarian when he was the one who kept track of all the books.

“Well do ya have any other books about dreamin’? Ah don’ think Dash is gettin’ much help from tha’ one anyway.”

The “librarian” shook her head. “No, that was the only book on the subject we had in the Ponyville library. I remember now because that was all we could find for Dash when she asked for it.”

The purple dragon scratched his head. “So why did you go looking for it again?”

Twilight’s blush deepened a little. “Well I’m not used to having somepony else check out the book I’m looking for. It’s not like anypony here ever checks out anything other than those ridiculous fiction books! I mean what good did that shlop ever do anypony?”

“Oh? So you weren’t up reading 'The Little Seapony' all last night?” Spike countered with a sly grin.

“That is a literary classic. It can hardly be lumped together with the fanciable twaddle that passes for fiction these days. Like those ridiculous Japonies comic books or ‘that series which shall not be named.’” The unicorn growled through gritted teeth.

“Oh come on you could share a name with worse things.” Spike pointed out.

As the two began arguing about contents of the Ponyville fiction section (again,) Pinkie and Applejack decided it best to retreat to the kitchen until they had calmed down. Wordlessly they agreed to begin making some tea as it always seemed to calm Twilight down whenever she threw herself into a tizzy about literature.

After a few minutes spent trying to find where Spike had hidden the teakettle, Applejack noticed a distinct lack of the impromptu musical numbers which seemed to spring up whenever Pinkie Pie entered a kitchen. Turning to look at the usually talkative and bouncy pony she was surprised to see Pinkie not only quietly; but also slowly hunting around in the cupboards for the sugar and other additives. Thinking back, she recalled that Pinkie had actually walked the whole way back to the library as well.

“Hey ah, Pinks? Ya okay?”

“I’m fine,” Pinkie said simply as she continued to riffle through the cupboards and drawers. Applejack scowled. She was beginning to dislike that phrase today.

After finding and filling the teakettle and setting it over the heat, Applejack moved closer to her balloon flanked friend.

“Ya sure don’ seem like yer… fine,” she said carefully. Pinkie’s hair was still bright and poufy, but there was something wrong with the way she was moving. She looked… heavy.

“Really Applejack I’m okay, I’m just…” Pinkie’s shoulders tensed as her voice trailed off. Applejack came to a stop beside her usually open and cheery party pony, but the mare turned her head away so the farmpony couldn’t’ see her face.

“Yer’ jus’… what?”

“I’m just STUPID!” Pinkie yelled, slamming her hooves angrily down onto the counter and startling Applejack into taking a step back. “I shouldn’t have believed her when she said she was okay! I should have known better! I should have told you girls about it, I should have…” Pinkie’s voice choked in her throat as hot tears began rolling down her cheeks.

Applejack quickly grabbed the frantic mare by the hooves and turned her to face the Stetson clad earth pony.

“Hey, easy there Sugar Cube. Ain’t nopony blaming you fer any o’ this.” The blond mare tried to give her a comforting smile. “It ain’t yer fault.”

“But it is my fault!” Pinkie argued, tears streaming from her shining sky blue eyes. “She was always there for me when I needed her. Even when I tried to push her away! But when she needed somepony I… I just let her go…” Her eyes fell as her voice choked again. Some of her hair began to flatten and her coat seemed to darken a bit in color.

“Hey, come on now.” Applejack put a hoof under the now almost magenta pony’s chin and brought it up to look at the other mare face to face. “Blamin’ yerself ain’t gonna help anypony.” Then she gave a nervous smile. “Plus, Ah don’ think Ah can handle two friends acting so plum out o’ character in one day.”

“I’m completely in character,” Pinkie sniffed as she wiped an eye. “I just happen to be a bit deeper into character then I usually am. ...Or maybe I went so deep I'm into another character, ” she added with a confused look.

“Well Ah don’t rightly think I know what you’re talking about Pinkie Pie, so I reckon that’s a good sign,” Applejack chuckled. “But Ah do know tha’ we’re gonna need ya if we’re gonna help Dash. You being the element of laughter an’ all Ah expect ye’ll be able to giggle away what’s scaring her same as ye did with them there trees when we all first all got together.” She punctuated her statement with an enthusiastic wave of the hoof.

Pinkie smiled sadly. Her mane was still a bit flatter than usual, but was keeping most of its curl. It looked strangely a bit like Fluttershy’s usual hair style.

“Ghosties are one thing, nightmares are entirely different.”

“Well didn’ ch’yer Granny Pie teach ya any tricks to get rid of those?”

Pinkies smile became a bit more genuine at the mention of her family. “Well… kind of. But I think the best lesson I ever got on the subject came from Dash.”

“Beg yer pardon?”

“Well, I didn’t know it was Dashie at the time.” Pinkie Pie giggled. “It was when she did her first ever Sonic Rainboom. Didn’t I ever tell you how I got my cutie mark?”

“Yeah Ah remember, ya’ll were working on yer families farm when Dash’s rainboom nearly blew ya clean off yer feet. Then ya saw her rainbow an’ that cheered ya up so much ya threw yer first party.”
Pinkie shook her head with a soft smile on her lips.

“It didn’t just cheer me up, Applejack. It was the first time I had ever felt so wonderfully happy. We lived just under Cloudsdale, so the sky was always dark and overcast. My family’s always made it’s living selling and refining rocks and minerals specifically for the pegasus ponies that lived there. We’ve always had a steady income even if it is a bit meager at times, but-”

“Wait, ya mean yer family actually does own a rock farm?” the cowpony interrupted.

“Ohm, yeah? What, did you all think I was making it up for sympathy or something?”

“No it’s just… Well, Ah don’ think anypony’s ever heard of a rock farm before ‘round these parts.”

Pinkie Pie just waved her hoof dismissively.

“Trust me, there’s a certain level of demand in an airborne city for minerals and weights of specific size and density. Especially with how strong the winds can get up there.”

“Oh… I reckon tha’ does make sense.”

“Yeah, but anyway, because we lived in a constantly overcast area everything was always really dull and grey. The only sun we got was during the mornings and evenings, and those always made everything look kind of dull and orange. Everything was always dull! I think that kind of atmosphere really got to my parents, because they were always really dull too, and super serious. It was like the joy and happiness was sucked up by constantly dark sky. Of course I didn’t really realize that at the time, since my sisters and I grew up with it.”

Pinkies eyes glazed over as her hair and color went back to normal and a small smile crept over her lips. Not a smile Applejack had ever seen on the sugar buzzed mare either. This was a gentle smile, the kind of smile that most older mares get when they think back to their wedding day.

“And then Rainbow Dash blew it all away. Literally, she must have blasted away part of the outside edge of Cloudsdale! Suddenly, I could see all the colors around me for the very first time! But what was most super amazing of all was the sky. It was so wonderfully blue, and Dashie’s Rainbow was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! I had never felt joy like that before, not ever! After that I tried throwing my very first party for my family so that they could feel happy too, and… the rest is history.”

Pinkie gave a contented sigh as she let the memory wash over her. Applejack, meanwhile, had a renewed appreciation for her story, now that she understood some of the finer details.

“Gee, Pinkie Pie, I’m awful sorry I didn’t believe yer story before. Ah thought ya was just spoutin’ off some random hooey.”

“Aww, it’s okay Applejack,” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Though it is a lot more believable then you talking like a Manehatten.”

The farm pony quirked an eye brow.

“Why darling, why ever would you ever believe that I could not speak like a proper and sophisticated lady? Why your very inference of such a thing is outright scandalous.” Applejack said, with such exaggerated theatrics that even Rarity would call her corny.

Pinkie’s expression was priceless as she gawked at the yellow earth pony. Applejack managed to hold back her smile for about thirty seconds, and soon she and Pinkie were in a fit of giggles as the teakettle began to whistle.

“No!”

Rainbow Dash shot up from her bed, once again panicked and drenched in a cold sweat. As she began to take in her surroundings she felt her stomach churn and she doubled over.

Her head swimming, she quickly drug herself to her bathroom and deposited the remains of the apples she had eaten earlier in the toilet. Resting her face against the side of the cool porcelain, tears of frustration and pain streamed from her rose colored eyes.

The nightmare was getting worse every time. This time she woke up still feeling ghosts of the agony that had wracked her body within the horrific dream. Her body felt like she had just competed in six Iron Pony competitions. Every muscle ached and her wings felt like they were made of lead, but worst of all was the icy-cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that seemed to be creeping up into her chest.

Her head pounded as she whispered prayer after prayer to Celestia, Luna, Discord, anypony who would listen to help her. Then, to her horror, she realized her world was growing dark again as the adrenaline left her body.

Fresh tears streamed down her face and she slid down to lay on her side as what little strength she had left was drained away by the oppressing darkness. She could hear the announcer’s voice becoming clearer as he said those words, those terrible, horrifying words.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts, welcome to the Wonderbolts national try outs!”

Authors note,
For those of you wondering how toilets in cloud homes work, it’s magic. I don’t have to explain everything. ;P

Chapter 3

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 3

In which Twilight takes inventory, and Dash makes a decision.

As Pinkie Pie and Applejack opened to the door to the library proper holding their freshly brewed tea, they found a familiar but none the less confusing scene. Spike was standing at attention with a ridiculously long scroll and quill while Twilight paced back and forth with her eyes closed as her number one assistant read off another title from the list.

“A Fillydelphian Werepony in Trottingham?”

“Mmmm, keep it. I suppose it is something of a classic, even if it isn’t for a family audience.”
“Much Ado About Ponies?”

“Keep it, and everything else written by Hoofspeare.”

“Parties and Ci-“

“Wha’ in tarnation are you two doin’?” Applejack interrupted as she set down the still steaming teakettle.

“Oh, hi girls,” Twilight greeted them cheerfully. “Spike and I are taking inventory of what books we have in the fiction section here so we can decide which ones to keep and which to send back to the Canterlot library. Is there anything in particular you two want us to keep or send for?”

The blond earth pony rolled her eyes.

“Oh I don’ know. Got any books on curn’ rainbow maned weather ponies of cripplin’ nigh’mares?”

If Twilight’s eyes could have swollen any bigger they would have popped out of her head.

“Oh my gosh I completely forgot about Rainbow Dash! Oh Celestia, how could I do that? I can’t believe I completely forgot my own friend and started taking inventory of some silly fiction books. Spike! Why didn’t you do something?”

“Settle down, Sugar Cube,” the farm pony interupted, stepping in to save the startled and confused baby dragon from the (misplaced?) wrath of his employer/caretaker. “Here, why don’ cha drink some ah’ this an’ sit down.”

The librarian nodded and shamefully took a seat at the table along with the cup of tea, while her assistant sighed in relief and began rolling up his ten foot long inventory.

“So what should we do? Should we tell Rarity and Fluttershy about this?” Pinkie Pie asked as she began shoveling several spoonfuls of sugar into her empty cup.

“Ah reckon we ought’a. They’re prob’ly gonna find out eventually, an’ Fluttershy migh’ have some clue how to help the poor filly, seein’ as she’s known her the longest an’ bein’ a pegasus herself an’ all.”

“What about Rarity?” the pink pony queried.

“Ah don’ know what help she migh’ be specific like, but five heads ‘er better than four. Hehe, think we all learned that from that there Hydra, remember?”

Twilight groaned into her cup.

“Don’t remind me.”

After finishing her drink the unicorn turned to look at the only male life form in the room.

“Spike, take a letter please.”

Spike, who had just finished putting away his quill and other writing apparel, gave a defeated sigh and began collecting it all again.

“Who to?” He asked wearily.

“To Mr. Dewy Decimal, head librarian of the Royal Canterlot Library.”

“Mr. DeeDee?” Spike asked in confusion. Pinkie choked a little on her sugar with tea which suppressed a giggle. “But we haven’t finished the inventory yet?”

“Just do it, Spike.”

Grumbling, the dragon fished out a length of parchment and scratched out the header.

“Dear Mr. Decimal,

Please assemble together the best research material available regarding dreams immediately. Particularly those volumes related to nightmares and their eradication. This is to be given the highest priority, as I myself will be arriving at the royal library shortly and will require them for a most urgent matter. Also include any spell books that may be of relevance.

With all haste,

Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yer leavin’ now?” Applejack asked aghast as the unicorn gave her signature.

“The sooner I leave the sooner I’ll be back with some way to help Rainbow Dash. The Royal Canterlot Library is one of the most comprehensive libraries in Equestria, next to the Manehatten Public Library of course. I’m sure I’ll be able to find something to help her. …and if all else fails I’ll ask Princess Celestia. I’m sure she wouldn’t refuse to help, especially with Dash being an Element of Harmony.”

“Ya really think we need involve the Princess in this?”

Twilight nodded solemnly.

“Call it a hunch but something doesn’t feel right about this. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but there was something about Dash’s that didn’t seem right.”

“Ya mean aside from all the cryin’ an’ huggin’ an her acting like she was never gonna see us again?”

“Yes.” Twilight answered seriously. Applejack quirked an eyebrow.

“Well, if yer sure… wha’ should we all do here?”

“Keep an eye on Dash and help her any way you can. I get the feeling that having friends around might be the best thing for her right now. I’ll have to take Spike with me to help operate the balloon so there’ll be no way to contact me quickly if something comes up. I suppose you’re in charge until I get back, Applejack.”

The blond pony shook her head. “Ah know Ah’m usually second in command on our little adventures, but Ah reckon we better put the expert in charge of this here sit’chuation.” She gestured at Pinkie Pie.

The party pony looked up in surprise, somehow sporting a sugary mustache.

“Me?”

“That’s not a bad idea.” Twilight agreed as her assistant sent off the letter by fireline. “Pinkie, think you’re up for the job?”

The candy floss maned pony snapped to attention and saluted the purple mare.

“Sir, yes Sir! …I mean Ma’am.” She added sheepishly.

Pain was the only thing Rainbow Dash felt. Pain aching in her limbs, pain sharply stabbing into the back of her skull, and worst of all, the pain burrowing deeper and deeper into her heart like a tiny, ice cold parasprite.

Her head felt foggy and light as she tried to focus her eyes, wincing as she felt the angry bump where the pain in her head throbbed worst. Some random thought that floated through her swimming head said that she must have cracked her skull on the toilet behind her when she was thrashing around in her sleep. Perhaps that was why she had woken up before the worst of the dream had hit. Although it was still getting worse every time.

As she tried to stand up, another random thought floated through her mind and said that she might have a concussion, whatever that was. Her brain just felt too fuzzy to remember.

Walking drunkenly back into her bedroom, she noticed something pink out of the corner of her eye. The cold pain in her heart deadened a bit and for the briefest of moments she felt warmth and relief rise up in its place, but it was only her blanket, and the feeling of warmth died horribly as the cold pain returned.

As she stumbled out of her room, she vaguely tasted something unpleasant in her mouth. Smacking her lips in an attempt to get rid of the horrible taste, yet another thought echoed up from the back of her brain.

She was… hungry? Yes, she was almost certain that was what that feeling in her stomach meant. She couldn’t remember eating that day, of course she couldn’t remember much about what she had done that day, or any day for that matter, but eating sounded like a good idea so she decided to go with it.

Eating… that meant she had to go somewhere right? Yes, she had to go and get something. Food; that was it. She had to go and get food. But where was the food? She just couldn’t seem to remember. Her head felt so numb except for the small knife twisting in the back of her skull. She tried giving her head a little shake to clear her mind but immediately regretted it when the pain roared at her for making such sudden movements.

As the pain settled back into a growl, a word floated through the haze: kitchen. That was it. Food was in the kitchen, and the kitchen was on the bottom floor of her house. Good, at least she could remember things now. She must be getting better.

As she neared the edge of her indoor balcony however, a new problem presented itself. Getting to the bottom floor meant flying, or at the very least a controlled glide, and flying was bad. It had to be bad, that’s what she did in her dream, fly, and anything that had to do with that dream was bad without a doubt. So flying was out of the question.

Maybe, she wondered, maybe if she never flew again she wouldn’t have that dream again? Yeah, that made sense all right, she agreed with herself as she sat down with a plop. Was it just her or was the house spinning even worse now?

If she never flew again, they would be no reason to have that dream. That’s it. Just don’t fly. Ever. For the rest of her life she would sit on her balcony and not fly. She smiled to herself. Yeah, that would work, she could do that.

Only why was it suddenly getting so dark? Was it night time? Was she sitting or lying down, she couldn’t tell. Oh, it sounded like there was a parade outside, or at least an awful lot of excited ponies. They seemed to be coming closer, maybe they would be friends?

As that last word floated through her mind, the image of a smiling pink and magenta maned earth pony suddenly popped into her mind’s eye and in a moment of clarity she realized what was happening. She tried to struggle, tried to fight it off, but as the image of her beloved friend faded away and the waiting room of the Cloudiseum washed into view, all she could do was weakly whisper a few words.

“No… Pinkie … Run.”

And she was lost again.

A few miles away, outside of the local library, two earth ponies, one yellow, the other bubblegum pink, waved good bye to a purple hot air balloon and its passengers. Almost as soon as the balloon had disappeared from sight, the pink pony shot up like a rocket and then flew back in a heap as if she had just been kicked hard in the stomach.

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack exclaimed as she jumped back in alarm. “What in Equestria?”

The other mare lay still on the ground for a few moments before slowly lifting herself up onto her hooves. Something was wrong. Her hair and tail were completely pin straight and her coat was dark and muted, as if she were standing under a heavily overcast cloud. Then she spoke. Her voice was low and emotionless, but there was an icy edge to it that chilled the apple farmer to her very soul.

“Applejack, go get Fluttershy and Rarity and meet me at Rainbow’s house as quickly as you can. I’ll get nurse Red Heart and meet you there.”

“P-Pinkie Pie?”

The pony turned to face Applejack and for a moment the farm pony’s breathe caught in her throat. Two steely blue eyes look at her back at her, eyes that did not belong to the excitable Pinkie Pie that she knew. The mischievous sparkle was gone and in its place was a dull fire that burned powerfully and, for the moment at least, controlled.

“No time for questions, something’s happened to Rainbow Dash and she needs our help.”

Applejack nodded, her mouth agape at her friend’s sudden transformation. Then she turned and ran as fast as her hooves could carry her to the Carousel Boutique. The other pony bolted for the hospital as soon as the famer began to move. As the now completely magenta mare sped through the town, zigzagging between surprised townsponies going about their day, two thoughts roared in her mind.

First, something had, and was possibly still hurting her Rainbow Dash. And second, whatever that thing was, it was going to pay.

Pinkamena style.

Chapter 4

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 4

In which Nurse Redheart has a very strange day, and Applejack and Rarity reminisce.

Nurse Redheart had been involved in plenty of strange and frightening events during her time as Head Nurse of the Ponyville Medical Center. There had been the outbreak of food poisoning dubbed the “Baked Bads” incident last year, quickly followed by the attack of an Ursa Minor (an event she was forever thankful ended without anypony seriously hurt.) Then the sudden infestation of adorable, but voraciously hungry little monsters called “parasprites” not long after, and most recently there had been brief episode during which Ponyville had become Equestria’s new Capital of Chaos, though she didn’t actually remember much about that particular incident other then ever since that time she had developed a strange fondness for propeller beanie caps.

But today may well have taken her proverbial cake for strange and bizarre, at least in actual memory.

It had started normal enough. The usual cases of allergy sniffles and fourth quarter checkups for expecting mares, but a little after lunch she had been going through some paper work at the front desk when a sudden breeze blew in from what should have been a closed door.

She looked up to find her view of said door obstructed by an unfamiliar magenta earth pony with a pin straight mane leaning over her desk and panting slightly.

“Rainbow Dash is in trouble. She’s hurt badly inside her house. Get your doctor stuff and meet us there.”

The Nurse wasn’t sure if the pony was threatening or begging her, but she nodded and reached for her medical bag just the same. By the time she had looked back, however, the strange pony had disappeared in another gust of wind.

To say she was confused would have been an understatement. Still, if a pony needed her then she had to go.

Finding Dash’s home had not been difficult. There weren’t many cloud homes in Ponyville and only one with a rainbow waterfall. As she arrived beneath the house, and was starting to wonder just how an earthy pony like herself was supposed to get up there to tend to her patient, she noticed three other ponies rushing towards her that she quickly recognized.

“Fluttershy? Applejack, Miss Rarity? What are you three doing here?”

“We came to help Rainbow Dash, Pinkie says she’s hurt.” The yellow pegasus gasped in a rush, panting hard as she landed next to the nurse and her friends.

“Applejack came to fetch us and said Pinkie had gone to get you. Where is she? Have you seen to Dash yet?”

“Miss Rarity, please come down. I only just arrived myself and I haven’t seen Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash, nor do I have the slightest idea what’s going on.”

Applejack suddenly gasped and pointed over the nurse’s shoulder. “Look!”

At first the white earth pony didn’t see anything. Then a strange squeaking sound above her head caught her attention and her jaw nearly dislocated.

There, flying in the air, was the same magenta colored earth pony she had seen in the lobby. Only now she was riding some strange whirling and squeaking contraption which was flanked by two pegasi and had what looked like a stretcher hanging from beneath it.

As she watched agape, the two pegasi sped into the house and the strange contraption moved up so that the stretcher was positioned in front of the open door. It then hovered there like some giant humming bird as it seemingly waited for the two pegasi to return.

“Oh! Oh my…”

“Oh my stars!”

“Wha’n Equestria is tha’ thing?”

After a few minutes, the pegasi re-emerged gingerly carrying a third unconscious pegasus with a distinctive rainbow colored mane. Once she was carefully loaded onto the stretcher, the pegasi helped slowly lower it down to the awaiting nurse. Looking at her, one might have thought Nurse Redheart checked over injured pegasi while they were suspended from gravity-defying, hoof powered, machines made out of candy on a daily basis. Actually, the head nurse had learned two very important things when it came to living in Ponyville; never panic in an emergency (or anything resembling one,) and never question anything Pinkie Pie was involved, mentioned in connection too, or associated with in any way.

As she checked for any major external injuries, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity looked on helplessly. Dash looked so weak and lifeless lying there, even as the wind from the flying machine tasseled her sweat drenched mane. The only signs that she was alive were the shallow rise and fall of the blue mare’s chest, and the occasional pained wincing of her sleeping face. Despite the rushing wind and the nurse’s careful prodding and examination, the pegasus gave no indication that she was aware in any way of what was going on around her.

Applejack held on to her Stetson with one hoof as she watched the nurse check Dash’s plus and eye dilation. She couldn’t believe this was the same pony she had seen fly off from her orchard just a little more than an hour ago. Rarity was trying to comfort Fluttershy as she looked on in shock. The terrified pegasus had turned away from the sight, unable to look at her friend in such a state.

Once Nurse Redheart had finished her quick preliminary examination, she looked at the two pegasi and then yelled up to the earth pony operating the flying machine.

“Take her to the hospital, I’ll meet you there! She seems to have a slight concussion so be careful not to jostle her around too much!”

The pony waved down at her to show she had heard the instructions, and machine and passenger rose into the air with the two pegasi the nurse now recognized as Cloudkicker and Raindancer steadying Dash’s stretcher. As they took off, the other four ponies raced back to the hospital while Applejack explained the whole story to the still confused nurse.

They made it back in record time and to their surprise found Nurse Mercy already helping the weather ponies lower Dash onto a gurney in front of the hospital. As they approached, the pegasi unhooked the stretcher from the flying machine and the straps lifted away leaving Dash and the table like stretcher.

Oh, she simply had to get one of those for her hospital.

Once Dash was inside the nurses began a closer examination of the unconscious pegasus. According to Applejack, Rainbow Dash had been suffering from reoccurring, and terrible nightmares for the last week or more. That explained the signs of extreme exhaustion. The concussion, she reasoned, probably happened while she was thrashing about in her sleep and struck a headboard or perhaps a bed side table. Even now Dash began to twist and moan weakly as they examined her, her lips mouthing incoherent warnings to somepony. It was perhaps lucky that her exhaustion made it so difficult for her to move now. Cloudkicker has said they had found her on the edge of her second floor balcony. Even if she had landed on nothing but carpeted clouds, any sort of jarring fall could have severally worsened her concussion. It really was a miracle she hadn’t rolled off the edge in her sleep.

After bandaging up her head, both of the nurses agreed that what their patient needed most right now was rest. A long, peaceful, dreamless, rest. Unfortunately, they also agreed that it would be too risky to give her any kind of sedative or sleep aid given her concussion. If they administered the wrong drug at the wrong time, Dash could slip into a coma. Perhaps permanently.

Her friends hadn’t taken the news well. Fluttershy had collapsed into tears, Rarity had continued to try to comfort her even as she fought to hold back her own. Applejack had pulled her hat down to hide her face from view, and the magenta earth pony whom she finally recognized as Pinkie Pie just asked if she could go in to be with her unconscious friend. The nurse’s had shown her in without argument.

Cloudkicker and Raindancer were upset by the news too, but didn’t seem to take it quite as badly as the other four. When Nurse Redheart had asked them how they had gotten involved in the whole affair, they had said they’d been lounging on a cloud after completing their work for the day and were just commenting on Dash’s suspicious string of sick days when Pinkie Pie had pulled up in her strange looking contraption asking for help. It had taken them a few seconds to recognize her, but once they had she quickly explained that Dash was hurt and that she needed their help to get her out of her cloud home so that the nurses could reach her. Both had quickly agreed and had taken off without another word.

That had all been close to an hour ago. Now the head nurse allowed herself to collapse in the break room while she waited for the results from Dash’s blood work to come back. Perhaps there was some chemical explanation for the rainbow-maned pony’s horrible dreams.

All in all, she thought as she absentmindedly spun the propeller of one of her beanies, it had been a very strange day.

The hospital waiting room was almost completely empty save for one lone orange earth pony who sat on one of the padded benches while she played nervously with the hem of her hat. It was a habit she had gotten from her father before he had passed down the Stetson to her. The old worn brim showed considerable restitching, both from her mother’s needle, and more recently, from Rarity’s.

After her parents had moved out west to help their relatives on the frontier, the Stetson and the rest of the farm had been left in her hooves. At first she had argued that Big Macintosh should have been the one to take over as head of the farm while her parents were away, since he was the eldest of the three siblings and did most of the actual hard labor, but the stallion had stubbornly refused.

“Ah may be a few years older, little sister, but there ain’t no doubt in mah mind who this farm belongs to.”

He was right of course. While Big Mac may have been the work horse, nopony had ever shown nearly the same passion and devotion to the farm and its family as Applejack. However, while Sweet Apple Acres did manage to prosper somewhat under her care, even given the Parasprite infestation and her own stubbornness during her first Applebucking season as head of the farm, the Stetson had developed a frightening number of tears and frayed edges when the weekly letters from her parents suddenly stopped.

At first she had assured the rest of the family that they had just gotten caught up in the new Applebucking season on the frontier and probably hadn’t had time to write. After an entire month without word however, even Applejack couldn’t deny she was worried, and as the weeks of silence dragged out even longer, the symbol of her standing within the Apple Family began to become almost as frayed and torn as her nerves.

Twilight’s first sleep over, while unexpected and a bit unpleasant in the beginning, had given her a chance to temporarily take her mind off of her family worries and eventually enjoy herself for the first time weeks. The time away from the farm and her eventual bonding with a certain alabaster unicorn had done wonders for her stress levels.

The morning after the sleepover, as they were exiting the library for their respective homes, Rarity had ambushed her regarding the state of her “only accessory” and had volunteered to repair it. The earth pony had politely declined the offer, saying that as it was a family heirloom its care should only been seen to by Apple family members. Her new friend had accepted her answer, but just before they separated added that if the farmer should need any help, “you know where to find me.”

As another week passed, marking the second month without word, the tension that had fallen over the farm had become palpable. Sales and production began to plummet as the stress of not knowing took hold over the entire family. Despite her friend’s attempts at cheering her up, or at least ease her mind, Applejack became almost mechanical as she went through the motions of her day; every spare moment consumed with thoughts of her parents and increasingly outrageous theories for their continued silence.

The tension finally broke when a sudden gust of wind from the Everfree Forest snatched the Stetson from her head and threw it under Big Mac’s plow. The stallion had apologized over and over again, but the middle sibling insisted that it was her own fault for letting it escape in the first place, even as tears brimmed in her eyes while she cradled the two halves of her beloved hat to her chest.

She had tried fixing it herself that evening, but she only succeeded in further damaging the dirty material. The next morning, in desperation and defeat, she finally took the remains of her cherished memento to the steps of the Carousel Boutique.

Upon seeing the terrible state both Applejack and her hat were in, Rarity had immediately closed her shop and put every order on hold, including one for a very important client in Canterlot. She took both pony and hat into her workroom and sat the almost hysterical farmer on her sofa while she took the two halves of the Stetson to her sewing table.

While the seamstress worked to repair what Applejack knew to be a lost cause, everything the earth pony had been holding in had spilled out of her like a swollen river breaking through a leaky dam. Her fears about her parents, her worries that she wasn’t helping to raise Appleboom right, Granny Smith’s sporadic bouts of mobility, the fact that Rainbow Dash had cheated at horse shoes again, every fear, worry, and frustration came pouring out of her as the fashionista worked and listened.

After close to two hours of ranting, in which Applejack had voiced concerns for and/or chewed out everything from the economy to why sheep needed to be kept in corrals, she collapsed on the sofa, competently spent and burning with embarrassment over some of the things she had said in her tirade. As she lay there, face buried in her hooves and thinking that the snowy white unicorn must think her an absolute foal for asking her to fix a destroyed hat and then saying so many “uncouth” things while she attempted the impossible, she felt something fit itself around her head.

She looked up she saw the then bespectacled seamstress smiling sweetly down at her and a familiar purple glow taking up most of her upper vision.

“There, I think that ought to fit correctly now. Tell me what you think, my Dear.” She said as the glow faded away and was replaced by a familiar tan color.

The cowpony sat up immediately and whipped the hat off her blond mane to look at it. It was just as it had been before the accident, a bit better in fact since all the small rips in the brim had been mended as well. As Applejack stared at the hat she could just make out the subtle, professional stitch work which had mended every tear and fray but left the hat with its familiar worn-in feel and appearance.

“I probably could have mended it in a few seconds with my magic,” admitted the unicorn nervously, “but since you said that it was a family heirloom, I felt that doing the repairs by hoof would be best. The hardest part was getting all that dirt out of the frayed edges so I could mend them.” She added with a hint of her usual melodrama. When the earth pony didn’t react she began to bite her lip nervously.

“I... trust it’s to your satisfaction? Applejack?”

She barely had time to react as the famer threw herself at the fashionista in a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you.” The blond mare repeated over and over again as tears streamed down her face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“You’re… welcome, my Dear…” The unicorn wheezed through a smile as her ribs cracked under the strength of her friend’s gratitude, “Now perhaps… you’d let me… breathe?”

After Rarity had recovered and Applejack had apologized close to fifty times for almost strangling her in her relief, the farm pony had promised that she would do anything to repay the white mare for all she had done for her. The unicorn had refused to accept any form of payment, barring that that the earth pony promised that she would come to her immediately if the Stetson should require even the slightest mending. The blond mare had given her word and repeated that should the unicorn need anything, anything, to not hesitate to ask.

Not long afterward, Sweet Apple Acres had received a letter from the frontier. It seemed that a terrible storm had swept through the area, and while her parents and their plantation where unharmed, the heavy rains and winds had softened the dirt and swallowed up nearly six miles of train track in mud and debris making any traffic in or out of the settlement impossible until it had been cleared. Fortunately, the storms had also brought enough water to last them well until the track was repaired and also caused an astonishing flourish in the local vegetation and crops. The settlement was now doing better than ever thanks to the rains and the apple family was especially booming with business.

The relief that washed over the farm was beyond description. They had broken out their best cider to celebrate the good news, and had even asked Pinkie Pie to throw a massive party for the occasion. While most of Ponyville had been invited to the open house, Applejack had spent most of the night close to a certain azure-eyed unicorn whom she secretly credited for the turn of good fortune.

Thinking back on these happier memories had been the only thing that had kept the blond mare from going crazy as the minutes slowly ticked by while she sat alone in the hospital waiting room. Cloudkicker and Raindancer had left shortly after speaking to the nurses, and Rarity had had to take poor Fluttershy into an empty examination room while she tried to calm down the sobbing pegasus. Applejack hadn’t felt like following Pinkie in to see Dash’s unconscious body, so she had remained there alone to await any word on the medical results.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the door open and a violet-maned unicorn quietly step in from the hall.

“Darling, you’re going to tear that hat in two again if you don’t stop twisting it like that.”

Applejack visibly jumped and looked up to see the white mare she had just been thinking about give her a weak smile.

“Oh, hi ya Rare, didn’ hear you come in. How’s Fluttershy doin’?” the farm pony asked as she stood up and placed the Stetson back atop her golden mane.

“She’s asleep in the other room,” the unicorn replied softly, crossing to sit next to where Applejack had previously been seated. The earth pony eased back down next to her as the white mare continued.

“I think she may have cried herself to sleep actually, poor dear. She seemed absolutely convinced that she’s to blame for Dash’s condition, no matter how many time I told her she didn’t know and there wasn’t anything we could have done given the circumstances.”

“Pinkie Pie felt the same way,” Applejack added quietly. “Only difference being tha’ she actually knew ‘bout it ‘fore anypony else did, but Dash managed ta convince her she had it under control.”

“Dash can certainly put up a brave front at times, can’t she?” The unicorn sighed as her head slowly fell to rest on the farm pony’s shoulder.

“Yep.”

Applejack gently rested her head against the fashionista’s purple mane as well.

It wasn’t the first time they had found themselves in that position. Sometime after Rarity had mended the Stetson, Applejack had begun stopping by the Carousel Boutique on her way home from market to offer the unicorn anything off of her cart that hadn’t sold that day. On days when Applejack didn’t need to hurry home, and Rarity wasn’t swamped with work, the farm pony would often park her cart outside the boutique while the seamstress closed shop for a while to enjoy a pleasant lunch with her fellow business pony.

Within the comfort and privacy of Rarity’s home, the two would discuss everything from fashionable gossip and the state of the apple market, to how their sisters were doing in school. It surprised both mares when the other had attempted to show an interest in the world and trade her counterpart. Even more surprising was that they had discovered some small amount common ground between them. Applejack had been genuinely interested when Rarity had revealed that she was a competent cook and that the first successful (and edible) food Sweetie Belle had created had been a pie of the apple variety, and Rarity had come close to needing mouth to mouth resuscitation the first time Applejack had spoken in the Manehattan accent she had learned as a filly.

Then, sometime after the disastrous gala, they had found themselves in the position they currently occupied. Neither pony had been sure it had happened. They had been sitting next to each other on the fashionista's favorite red sofa after lunch, listening to a pleasant song on the radio, when Rarity lazily laid her head down the cowpony's shoulder. Applejack returned the jesture almost immediately, and that that had been that. They hadn’t spoken, just sat together, eyes half closed while listening to the golden tones of Flank Sinatra’s “It Had to be You.” They held the moment together for a minute more after the song ended. Neither pony moved or said a word until they heard the front door open and an all too familiar chorus of “Cutie Mark Crusaders Runway Models!” Then Rarity had moved quite quickly indeed.

When it happened again a few weeks later, neither of them felt like mentioning it or pulling away until Rarity realized it was time to reopen her shop and Applejack remembered she was needed back home.

As time wore on it began happening with increasing frequency until every private meeting either ended or began with a few minutes sitting quietly together while enjoying each other’s company. They never spoke of it, they never broke the moment until they had to, and nothing ever came of it. It was just nice for the two mares to take a small break together from the hectic world of their business oriented life styles. So what if Rarity had recently begun cooking for the farm pony during their lengthening lunch breaks? And so what if some of the treats Applejack came back from market with were beginning to be too good to have not sold that day? It didn’t mean anything, right?”

“Applejack, I do believe we are in, as you would say, ‘ah right mess,’” Rarity mumbled, breaking the silence of their position for the first time. She made no motion to remove her head from the nape of Applejack’s shoulder however, so the farm pony made no effort to remover hers.

“An’ to what,’ exactly, are you referrin’ to, Rare?”

“Everything.” She could feel the white mare sigh as she nuzzled her head a little more into her shoulder. “Fluttershy is completely distraught, Twilight is unreachable in Canterlot until she returns when Celestia knows when, I have no idea what has happened to Pinkie Pie, Dash has been hospitalized, and we…” The unicorn’s voice trailed off as she tried to decide what to say next.

“An’ wha’ about, ‘us?”

The designer sighed again into her shoulder.

“Please don’t be coy with me, Applejack. I’m too exhausted after dealing with Fluttershy and racing all over town with you.”

“Aww, ya needed the exercise anyway,” the cowpony chuckled.

Rarity moved her head so that her horn was pressed dangerously close to the orange pony’s neck.

“Are you implying that I may have gained some weight thanks to your frequent visits?”

The farm pony gulped. “Nope. Just… Nice ta see ya work up a sweat now’n then. Makes yer coat sparkle all… perrty like. Heheh...”

The horn stayed at her neck for few nerve racking seconds more before it moved away and its owner resumed her previous position, though the earth pony could feel the amused smile against her coat.

“Good recovery.”

Applejack breathed out a deep sigh of relief and relaxed back into the ‘less dangerous’ part of the unicorn’s head.

“Seriously though Applejack, what are we going to do? This can’t keep going on like this. Either somepony’s going to find out or…”

“Or what?”

“…Or things may go too far.”

Applejack sighed again and repositioned herself so that her chin was resting near the unicorn’s ear.

“Tha’s the problem with you, Rare,” she whispered. “Yer always lookin’ at every little problem stead o’ focusin’ one the big one that’s crashed through the gosh dern window.”

She felt the mare under her smile at the reference.

“We got two bedridden pegasi an’ a flat maned Pinkie Pie that what scared me half to death in front of Twilight’s library, an’ here you are wantin’ to bring the little matter of our futures in to it too. How’s about we do this my way fer once an’ just focus on the immediate concerns for right now? Shoot, Ah’ll even let ya pick which one we should deal with first, how’s that?”

Despite herself, the fashionista let out a quite laugh.

“Alright, Applejack. Alright.” She twisted her head slightly to smile fondly up at the earth pony. “We’ll do it your way. But promise me, after this is all over we’ll take some time to sort out our own issues?”

“Ah’d Pinkie promise ya, but Ah think our girl’s a bit off rigt’ now.” The earth pony said, glancing nervously in the direction of the hospital rooms. “But Ah’ll give ya my word, Rarity. Soon as this is all behind us, we’ll get things sorted out.”

“Thank you.” The white mare whispered and nuzzled back into her shoulder with a relieved smile.

“Side’s, Ah reckon ya’ll forgot something when you was making yer list of catastrophes earlier…”

The unicorn looked up at her in confusion.

“It’s nearly two o’clock.” The orange mare said.

“What!”

Rarity gasped as she pulled her head free to check the time for herself. Applejack lifted her head away as the white unicorn stood up and saw that the clock on the wall did indeed read less than a quarter to two.

“Oh my stars, afternoon classes are about to let out and…”

“An’ after that little show we put on with Pinkie’s flying gizmo getting Dash to the hospital, everypony in town’s gonna be talking bout Dash being here,” the farm pony finished, also standing up.

“Scootaloo,” the unicorn realized, “she’s going to panic when she finds out.”

“An' Ah reckon Applebloom an’ Sweetie Belle ain’t gonna be too calm neither. One of us should probably go get them fillies ‘fore some rumor from Lilly or Roseluck sends’m into a worse tizzy then need be.”

Rarity nodded.

“You’d better go, Applejack. The girls will probably trust you more than they would me, especially Scootaloo, since you’re such close friends with Dash.”

“Ah reckon yer right’. I’d best get going.” Almost as soon as she started for the door however, the earth pony slowed to a stop. “Only… Rarity?”

“Yes?”

Applejack leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on the unsuspecting mare’s lips. The kiss only lasted a second but for Rarity the world seemed to stop as the farm pony's chaste lips touched her own. A spark of electricity raced up her spine before the earth pony nervously pulled away.

“Ah… Ah reckon Ah wouldn’t mind it if things did go… too far between us,” the orange mare said quietly, her cheeks burning and her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her.

Rarity stared at her for a moment before her own cheeks flashed scarlet and her eyes also dropped to stare at the ground.

“I… I don’t think I would mind either… Applejack,” she whispered.

Both of the mares stared at each other’s hooves while they smiled and blushed furiously. After a minute Rarity’s senses returned and she shook herself out of her daze.

“But that’s for later. You have to see to those fillies!”

Applejack snapped back to earth and nodded.

“Right, I’m off.”

“Go!” the red faced unicorn yelled, almost shoving the orange mare out the door with her magic.

As she watched the blond mare gallop away, Rarity felt another spark of electricity shoot up her back causing her to shudder happily.

Perhaps this day was finally looking up?

Chapter 5

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 5

In which Dash wakes up, and Twilight goes to the Library.

It had been a long time since Pinkie Pie had been in a hospital. Not since the infamous “Baked Bads” incident. It was actually pretty surprising how infrequently she or one of her friends ended up in here considering how dangerous of some of their adventures were. Not many ponies walked away from Hydras and Dragons with little more than a few scuffed up coats. Still, every pony’s luck had to run out sometime.

But this still seemed so wrong to her. Rainbow Dash, her brave, amazing, and completely reckless Rainbow Dash was lying unconscious in a hospital room with a bandaged head, not from some fight with a Manticore or some failed extreme stunt, but because of a dream. A thought had crippled the greatest young flyer in Equestria, and worst of all, there was nothing she could do about it.

That, more than anything, seemed wrong the most. She was Pinkie Pie, she could create a flying machine out of bits of candy and an old bicycle, she could predict the future with twitches and spasms of her body, she was reasonably sure she had broken the laws of physics on more than one occasion, she had even baked a soufflé for crying out loud. But against a bad dream that was torturing her best and most treasured friend, she was completely helpless.

She buried her face in her forelegs, leaning over the side of the unconscious pegasus’s bed. Hot tears of frustration and emotional exhaustion burned in her eyes. This just wasn’t right.

“…No… leave them…”

Her head sprung up as she heard the whispered cry coming from the sleeping mare. She was at her side in an instant.

“Dash? Dash can you hear me? Wake up! Dash, please wake up!” Pinkie Pie repeated franticly as she gently tapped Dash’s cheek. The mare groaned and slowly opened her eyes a fraction of an inch to peer up at the magenta pony hovering above her.

“…Pinkie Pie?”

Tears of frustration turned to tears of joy as the earth pony smiled down at the bedridden pegasus.

“Yes, yes it’s me, Dashie! You’re awake! Hold on, I’ll call the nurses,” Pinkie Pie gushed as she reached to pull a nearby bell cord to signal to the staff.

“…Your hair’s different.” Dash observed, weakly lifting up a hoof to brush the limp mane out of the magenta mare's eyes. She let the hoof remain there to cup friend’s cheek tenderly. “You haven’t been talking to rocks again, have you?”

Pinkie half laughed, half sobbed in relief as she held Dash’s hoof to her face.

“No. No I haven’t been talking to any rocks. I’ve just been worried about you. We all have. But I’ll be better soon, and so will you! You’ll see, once Twilight gets back she’ll fix you up good as-”

Dash’s eyes suddenly went wide and she tried to sit up.

“Twilight! Applejack! You guys have to run! If they find you they’ll… They’ll…” The effort of trying to sit up and yell was too much and the pegasus began to collapse back onto the bed as she deflated like a balloon.

“Dash? Dash!” Pinkie panicked as she realized what was happening. She gripped Dash by the shoulders and tried to hold her up. “Don’t you dare fall asleep again! Dash! Dashie, please stay with me!”

But it was too late, the pegasus was fading fast. The few tears she had left in her body wet her eyes and her voice trembled as she spoke in a fading whisper.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” she sobbed as she fell back, pulling Pinkie on top of her as she desperately fought to hang on both reality and the pink mare. “I didn’t mean to choose… I couldn’t… I’m so sorry, Pinkie…” Her eyes fluttered shut as she forced out two final words,

“Please… Run.”

And she was lost to the confines and tortures of her mind once more.

“Dashie? Dash?” Fresh tears began to form as Pinkie repeated her name in a pleading whisper, still holding the rainbow-maned pony cradled in her forelegs.

“Dash no, please… don’t leave me again. Come back. Come back!”

The door flew open as Rarity and Nurse Red Heart rushed into the room to find Pinkie leaning over Dash’s unconscious body, calling her name over and over again. Fearing the worst, Nurse Red Heart rushed to the unconscious mare and began checking her for signs of life. Pinkie backed away to let the nurse tend to her patient until her rump hit the wall behind her. Sliding down against it, she put a hoof to her mouth and clenched her eyes; trying to hold in the scream of frustration and panic that was building in her chest.

Rarity crouched down beside the magenta earth pony.

“Pinkie, what happened? Did Dash wake up?”

The earth pony nodded, not trusting herself to speak yet. She sucked air through her nose and tried to push down all the emotions writhing in her gut and trying to leap up her throat.

“She… She woke up, and she seemed okay. She recognized me. Said my hair was different.”

Pinkie tilted her head back and took as deep a breath as she could. Rarity squeezed her shoulder to help relieve some of the tension.

“Then I mentioned Twilight and she freaked out. Started yelling that we had to run or… something was going to find us. She kept repeating that she was sorry and she didn’t mean to choose… something. Then she faded away, right there in my hooves…” Pinkie buried her face in her forelegs and curled up into a ball as she fought to keep back the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

Rarity wrapped the trembling pony in a hug and let the other mare quietly sob into her chest. The unicorn gently rocked her friend like a young foal, unable to think of anything else she could do or say that might help. After a few minutes a practiced bedside cough from the left drew their attention; Nurse Red Heart had finished her examination.

“Is she?”

“She’s alive.” The head nurse answered the unicorn quickly. Before Rarity could feel any sense of relief however, the nurse added, “But her condition has gotten worse. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s as if her body is just giving up the will to live. If it continues like this, she… she may not make it past night fall.”

The two ponies could only stare at the nurse in shock. Not even past night fall? That was only a few hours away, hardly enough time for Twilight to reach Canterlot, find the information she needed, and then return in time to cure Dash, if she could find a cure. Their gaze moved to the unconscious face of the blue pegasus. Time was running out, time they hadn’t even known they had been losing.

As Rarity pleaded with the Nurse to check Dash again, that she might have made a mistake or overlooked something, Pinkie felt herself withdraw from the world as one thought repeated over and over again.

It wasn’t right.

She had been victorious over dragons and gods alike, defied the conventions of society and physics, even looked into the fourth dimension once or twice without meaning too, but against a bad dream; a thought that was killing the one pony who had shown her true happiness and changed her life forever, she was completely powerless.

It just wasn’t right.

“And, touch down!” Spike called out as the balloon’s basket lightly grazed the stone floor behind Celestia’s castle. The two pegasus guards who had escorted them to the landing zone once they had reached Canterlot airspace steadied the balloon and began tying it down.

“Another perfect landing, Spike,” Twilight complemented as she hopped out with a smile.

“Thank you, thank you,” the baby dragon said, giving an exaggerated bow to his caretaker before jumping onto her back. “Scroll writing, book keeping, ballooning, my talents are endless.”

“To bad they don’t include humility,” the unicorn chided teasingly. Then she turned to the two armor clad pegasi. “Thank you, Sirs. Please have the balloon deflated and loaded into a chariot for our trip back to Ponyville immediately.”

The guards stood at attention and saluted the mare before turning to begin disassembling the balloon. As they turned and made their way inside the castle grounds, Twilight turned to her assistant.

“I don’t see why they have to treat me like I’m some decorated general every time I come back,” She remarked, glancing back at the two guards as they deflated the enormous balloon in a matter of seconds.

“Well, you are the Princess’s personal student. Plus you’ve been declared a national hero like three times, and you’re one of the Elements of Harmony!”

“I’ve only been nationally honored twice, Spike. The Princess praising us for destroying the Gala doesn’t count.”

“But didn’t she send you all medals for “Great Service to Crown and Country” the next day?”

“I’m sure that was just for tax reasons or something.”

“She’s the ruler of Equestria. Who’s she gonna pay taxes too?”

As they continued to argue about how many times Equestria was officially indebted to Twilight and her friends, the two turned onto the familiar path leading to the Canterlot Royal Library. It felt good to be back. Although Ponyville truly was their home now, the two would always feel a certain fondness for the palace. It was unfortunate that they always seemed to return under such dire circumstances.

As Twilight opened the door into the library, her argument about the necessity of parades to qualify a deed as “nationally honored” died off as she breathed in the familiar smell of dust, ink, and wood varnish. They were the same smells that accompanied all libraries, including her own, but there was a certain crispness about the Canterlot air that made this particular library feel like a truly sacred place of learning. As she stepped inside, she noted that the enormous hour glass up on the observation deck, the rows and rows of books, and even the cushions in the lounge area all seemed exactly as she had left them when they had departed to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. It was like stepping a year into the past.

“And I don’t have to organize a single one,” Spike said smugly as he looked about at the shelves of carefully categorized spell and reference books.

Twilight rolled her eyes and made her way around the shelves to the front desk. As expected, a bespectacled old unicorn stallion was sitting behind it; still stamping in books that had been returned late just as he had been doing the first time Twilight had visited the library and every time thereafter. As they approached he looked up at the familiar pair and smiled.

“Well, if it isn’t the prodigy daughter,” the grey stallion said in a gruff voice. “And little Spike too! Excellent timing, somepony put the encyclopedias back out of order again. Mind running along and alphabetizing them?”

Spike groaned as Twilight giggled, “Hello again, Mr. Decimal. It’s been a long time.”

“Too long, I think. Been almost an entire year since I’ve seen you two last, hasn’t it? The place hasn’t been the same without you. Why, we even had to cut down on our staff after you left and odd books stopped turning up all over the place.”

This time it was Spike’s turn to chuckle as the purple mare blushed in embarrassment.

“Ah, I may be eighty three years old but it looks like I can still make a pretty filly blush.” The aged stallion laughed heartily at Twilight’s crimson cheeks before turning his horn to a nearby pile of books. “Now, I believe your note said this was an ‘urgent matter?’”

Twilight nodded as the small stack floated over to her. When no other books followed she frowned and began sorting through the volumes present.

““A Midsummer Neigh’s Dream,” “Do Cyberponies Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Nightmare Moon on Apple Street?” Dewy, I said I needed the best research material available, not the least checked out fiction!”

“That is the best we have available right now,” the elderly pony replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “Everything else we had has already been checked out.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed that statement.

“Come. Again?” Twilight asked through grinding teeth.

“Mhmm, checked every one of them out after she had finished all we had on nocturnal flora and fauna, and let me tell you that didn’t take nearly as long as you’d think it would. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a pony with such a thirst for reading since… well, you.”

The elderly stallion was going over his records as she spoke so he didn’t see the mare in front of him begin to slowly turn white with rage, or Spike’s frantic waving at him to stop talking.

“Though I don’t believe we will be getting back those volumes anytime soon. Not for a few days at least. That mare can devour a book quicker than anypony I’ve ever met, but I hear that she likes to test herself over what she’s learned afterwards to ensure she’s retained everything she’s read. A lot like another young mare I used to know… Twilight, are you feeling alright? You seem to be… smoking?” he added as he finally looked up and noticed the embers forming in the other unicorn’s mane and tail.

Remembering that she was in a library, one of her favorite libraries in fact, Twilight took several deep breaths and slowly faded back to her normal color while Spike patted out the scorch marks. She could handle a certain degree of setback and frustration, uncooperative dragons, insane gods, Pinkie Pie, but there came a point where a unicorn simply had to draw the line. Being denied a book she was looking for, that happened. It was a school library; books got checked out all the time. It should come as no surprise that a few of the more popular volumes she was after would be temporarily unobtainable, but to be denied every book she was looking for because one mare had decided that now might be a good time to try to gain a masters in the subject over the course of a few days? That had to be some kind of mortal sin. If not, she would have to have a word with the Princess later about making it one.

After a few more deep breaths she asked, in a very controlled and even voice,

“Where are they?”

“Excuse me?”

“The books. Who checked them out?”

The elderly stallion looked at her in as if she were speaking 'fancy.'

“Miss Sparkle, you know I’m not supposed to reveal that kind of information. This is a professional establishment.”

Twilight, however, was not in the mood.

“Listen,” she said, slamming her front hooves down on the desk and towering over the other unicorn. “I don’t care if you rented those books out to the Emperor of the Ursa Majors, you are going to tell me who I need to talk to to get them, understand?”

The stallion was taken aback by the show of force from the mare in front of him. After a heavy swallow and a few seconds to carefully choose his words, he replied,

“I’m sorry Miss Sparkle, but even if I were to tell you, you wouldn’t be able to retrieve your books until nightfall. Though, I’m sure once she’s awake she’ll be more than happy to give them to you!” he quickly added when the unicorns eyes flashed a terrifying shade of red.

“What do you mean awake? What kind of lazy pony doesn’t get up until nightfall!”

“The kind that raises the moon and has let me enjoy a good night’s sleep for the first time in a thousand years.” A kind yet teasing voice answered from behind her.

Twilight jumped a mile in the air. When she landed again, she turned around and beheld the tall and royal figure of Equestria’s most recognizable monarch.

“Princess Celestia!”

“Hello, my faithful student.” The Alicorn smiled down gently at them as Spike waved and Mr. Decimal went into a deep bow. Twilight, however, had long since given up bowing to her mentor outside of public events and apologies.

“Wh-what are you doing here?”

“Investigating why my favorite pupil would suddenly travel all the way to Canterlot by balloon without so much as saying hello to her old mentor.” The Princess’s tone was wise and motherly as usual, but there was a hint of concern in it as well.

“I’m sorry Princess.” This time Twilight did bow. “But I’m here on an urgent matter and I was hoping I could find what I needed without disturbing you.”

“You will never be a disturbance to me, Twilight,” the tall princess pony corrected, leaning down to catch her student’s eye. “After everything you have done for Equestria, and for me, I would have hoped that you might allow me to assist you for once.”

Twilight raised her head and smiled at the Alicorn. Celestia returned the smile and brought herself back up to her full, royal height.

“Now, what seems to be the trouble?”

For the next few minutes, teacher and student walked to a more private area of the library as the unicorn told the short story of her friend’s terrible nightmares. As she spoke, Celestia’s face became more and more grim and troubled.

“And when we got here Mr. Decimal said all the books I asked for were already checked out by some silly…” as Twilight finished her story and recalled Celestia’s response, it dawned upon her who it was who had checked out the library’s entire collection on sleep.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to call-“

Celestia cut her off with a raise of her gilded hoof. “It’s quite all right, Twilight, but you said that Rainbow Dash’s nightmares had been going on for at least a week?”

Twilight swallowed, her mentor’s serious expression not entirely convincing she wasn’t about to be sent on a very prolonged vacation to the moon.

“Well, Pinkie said she saw Dash having a nightmare sometime last week, but she didn’t check out the book until that Monday and I don’t think she would have gone so far as to try self-help unless it was already really bothering her.” The unicorn thought for a moment. “If I really had to guess, I’d say nightmares probably started more around one and a half to two weeks ago, but I can’t say for sure.”

The Princess nodded once and stood, her expression still unusually serious. Twilight had only seen her mentor wear that expression once before, when eternal chaos had threatened to swallow all of Equestria.

“Princess?”

“Twilight, there are a few matters which require my attention right now.” The Alicorn stepped toward the library’s exit and waited for her student to follow. “You were right to act as quickly as you did, and in coming here for aid.” Stopping briefly to allow Spike to jump onto Twilight’s back as they crossed the front desk where he had been talking with Mr. Decimal, the two opened the front door and stepped into the bright sunlight outside. “I want you to retrieve a few specific volumes: “Dreams and Dream Walking,” “Nightmare Neurology,” “Figments of Fright,” and “Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide.” You should find that one here in the library under “E,” I trust you already know where to find the others.”

“But they’re with-” Twilight tried to protest, but the Princess cut her off once more.

“Don’t worry; she’s a very heavy sleeper. Once you’ve retrieved the volumes I mentioned meet me in my private chambers. I won’t be long.”

And with that the first royal Alicorn of Equestria took flight into the open air and flew off in the direction of the throne room and royal offices. The unicorn and baby dragon stared after her in astonishment.

“So… what do we do now?” Spike asked finally.

“We’ve been given an order from the Princess; we’ve got to follow it.”

“But-“

“Look, you go back and get the Elements of Harmony reference book; though I don’t have a clue what she wants it for. I’ll go get the other three and meet you with Princess Celestia in her chambers.”

“Well…okay. But be careful.” The baby dragon cautioned as he slid off of his caretaker’s back.

Twilight groaned in aggravation. “She’s not evil anymore, Spike. How many times do we have to go through this!”

“I know, I know, I’ve been sending the letters you two have been writing to each other for months,” Spike groaned as he remembered being awoken at odd hours to belch up another letter from Twilight’s nocturnal correspondent. “But I know how grumpy you can get when I accidentally wake you up after you’ve been studying all night. I don’t want to even imagine what she’s gonna be like.”

Twilight gulped. He had a point.

“Well I’ll just be extra careful not to wake her up, then.” And with that she left for the castle proper.

Shortly after entering the regal hallways she realized there was a new problem impeding her.

Where was Princess Luna’s bedroom anyway?

Chapter 6

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 6

In which puzzles are solved, unicorns are cuddled, and we learn a bit more about Luna and the Element of Loyalty.

It turned out that the answer of where Luna was sleeping was easier then she would have thought. Some months before the fateful one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, Princess Celestia had ordered construction to begin on a new “observatory tower.” The new addition to the palace was to be taller than any previous expansion, and was also to be connected to the same hall as her bed chambers. This was understandable enough, but then she began making stranger and stranger demands about the tower such as the inclusion of a large bedroom near the top in case she became tired while looking at the stars, or that it also be fitted its own bathroom complete with shower and tub. The Princess had also stressed that the tower had to be completed and completed properly before the night of the Summer Sun Celebration. It was widely gossiped about amongst the servants and guards that the tower was actually meant as a permanent residence for Twilight and that the Princess was intending to crown the unicorn as her successor during the celebration and perhaps even make her an Alicorn.

In truth, Celestia was preparing for the long awaited return of her beloved sister. The tower had been the Alicorn’s way of showing she had not forgotten her younger sibling’s return and had kept the faith that she could be cured of the corruption that had twisted her mind and body. Being welcomed back with a new room decorated and built just for her had brought the long lost Princess to tears. The inclusion of a personal observatory with the latest and most powerful telescope available had been a nice touch as well.

After making her way to hall leading to the Royal Chambers, Twilight immediately spotted the doors leading to “Luna’s Tower” as it was referred to now. It was impossible to miss really. On one side of the hall were the large ivory double doors leading to Princess Celestia’s private rooms, all done up with shining gold with a large familiar sun engraved over the center. Almost directly across from it was another set of double doors, colored a deep, midnight blue and adorned by what looked like black iron mixed with glittering specks of silver that stretched over the entrance like clinging ivy. A single large waning crescent moon adorned the middle of the doors and unlike its golden counterpart there were no handles to open it.

Twilight approached the midnight doors slowly. They seemed so out of place compared to the rest of the castle, almost as if they marked the entrance into another world. After giving the doors a gentle push, followed by a much harder push, she reached out with her magic to feel if they were controlled by some magical enchantment, such as the one she had seen protecting the Elements of Harmony in Canterlot Tower. She felt no magic within the doors or in the room beyond. If push came to shove, she could probably teleport around the obstacle, although she was always wary of teleporting anywhere she couldn’t see. Besides, the lack of traditional handles without any magical barrier had piqued her curiosity.

Taking a step back, she examined the entrance again. Her attention was pulled immediately toward the waning crescent that held the two doors together, almost like the lock on a chest. Experimentally, she put out a hoof and slid it over the lunar emblem. To her surprise it rotated easily against the door and the image slowly changed to that of a waning half moon. Enthralled with this new puzzle, Twilight thought back to when she had last seen the Princess at the Nightmare Night Festival and turned the lunar dial until it showed a waxing crescent, the symbol of Luna’s cutie mark.

Nothing happened.

She glared at the lock. She had been sure that was the answer, it was Luna’s door after all. Closing her eyes, she again called up her mental photograph of the younger Princess. She focused her attention of the mare’s flank trying to clearly see the symbol that rested there. Despite the blush she felt creeping on to her cheeks as she tried to keep from focusing too much on the Princess’s royal curves, she was able to clearly envision the white waxing crescent moon painted there, set against a black night’s sky which spilled over the Princess’s flank and down her leg like drops of trailing ink. The crescent was thicker than the actual phase of the moon and differed in another way as well… it was tilted!

Opening her eyes, she reached out and felt around the outside edge of the moon this time. After a moment she found a shallow groove and used it as leverage to twist the dial clockwise. She felt it click forward into an engraved notch and watched the crescent tilt upwards slightly. Smiling in triumph, Twilight clicked the dial a few more time until she was certain it rested at exactly the same angel as the symbol on its owner’s flank.

Still nothing happened.

With a grown, Twilight leaned against the door and its puzzling lock in frustration. To her surprise, she felt the dial slide inwards under her weight and heard the soft click of some kind of mechanism. Stepping back she watched in awe as crescent separated in two halves and the sparkling iron and wood doors glided open to allow her entrance.

Just beyond the archway, a flight of spiraling stone steps wound up and around the corner. Stepping inside Twilight made her way up the dark steps as quietly as she could. It really was as if she had stepped to another world. There were no torches or windows along the stairway; instead, the dark walls were speckled with thousands of scattered pinpricks of light that cast the winding stairs in a soft glow. As she examined the tiny specks, she realized she was looking at a recreated strip of the night’s sky, each tiny dot of light in exact correlation to its fellows as the artificial stars formed recognizable constellations. Traveling higher and higher, the amateur astronomer quickly realized she was also traveling across the night’s sky as well, passing by the symbols of the zodiac and their neighbors with each step she took in the ethereal glow.

Just when the unicorn was beginning to feel that the stairway was almost as endless as the actual night’s sky, she came to a trap door bearing the same tilted crescent she had made below. Gingerly pushing on the symbol with her hoof, the door swung up easily and silently. Peeking over the side, Twilight’s eyes widened with delight as she took in the personal chambers of the country’s second Royal Alicorn.

The floor and walls of the circular room were made of large grey stone blocks reminiscent of the architecture she had seen within the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. These walls, however, were covered in posters and charts depicting not only the night’s sky, but unexpectedly the terrain and settlements of Equestria and its borders along the frontier. A few thick, violet rugs covered the stone floor and an elegantly designed desk and cushion sat near two large midnight blue curtains, drawn shut block out the light of the day outside. The only sources of light were a few magically powered lamps that sprouted out from the walls and emitted a soft dusky pink and violet glow; giving the impression that the room was in a perpetual state of late twilight. A large Gothic looking four-poster bed dominated the room, its frame made of the same glittering iron/silver alloy she had seen on the doors below. The expensive looking satin curtains were drawn around the frame concealing its contents, but several stacks of books lay on the floor within easy reach from the bedside.

As quietly as she could, Twilight crept up to the bed side to examine the books. Using her magic to lift each book and bring it closer to the dim light so she could see their titles, the unicorn began searching for the volumes she had been sent to retrieve. After going through each book in the pile she was able to find two of the three titles, but after double checking the stack again and looking on and around the desk as well as everywhere else in the circular room, she was still unable to locate the third.

The sound of rustling sheets behind the satin drapes caused Twilight to freeze. She faintly heard the sound of soft murmuring, and then the room fell silent again. Letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she'd been holding she was stuck by an idea. It was absurd, and risky, but it seemed the only possibility left. Tiphoofing back to the bed, she slowly peeled apart two of the drapes and peered inside.

There, half covered in a sheet of almost liquid black silk, slept the ruler of the night and creator of the stars themselves, Princess Luna. The sleeping face of the Alicorn was blank and emotionless, and she was devoid of her usual chest piece and black tiara; letting her enchanted mane spill freely over her neck and velvet pillows. Her hooves were also free from the elegant shoes she had worn to the festival, and between them, hugged close to her chest like a teddy bear was a book entitled “Dreams and Dream Walking.”

The unicorn swallowed involuntarily as she watched the sleeping Princess. Using magic to retrieve the book was out of the question. Aside from the glow and shimmering hum that came with her telekinesis, the Alicorn would undoubtedly sense the foreign magic if used so close to her. No, the only way to retrieve the book without waking the sleeping midnight beauty would be to get up close and… personal.

Unfortunately, the bed was enormous; far too large for any one pony, even one of an Alicorn's size, and Luna was sleeping right in the middle of it. Carefully, Twilight poked her upper body through the gap in the drapes and gingerly put her weight on the bed. When the Princess gave no sign she detected the unicorn's presence, Twilight slowly began to lean forward to grip the book in her teeth. Everything seemed to be going well, until Luna suddenly frowned and turned over with an unhappy groan, taking the book with her and curling up into a tight ball as if to protect her treasure.

She made a few more indiscernible mumbles as Twilight silently cursed and tried to decide on her next course of action. Since moving around to the other side of the bed would be futile with the Princess curled up around the book so defensively, the unicorn had little choice but to swallow again and ever so slowly begin lifting herself up onto her hooves until she had stepped completely onto the gigantic bed.

After close to three minutes of agonizingly slow movement, she was finally standing behind slumbering Alicorn. Looking down on the Princess, Twilight couldn’t help but note that the stubborn pout on Luna’s lips was unquestionably adorable. Clearing her head of such thoughts, the amethyst-eyed unicorn slowly leaned down and stretched her neck out over the Alicorn’s side. Taking the book in her mouth, Twilight very slowly started to lift it free from the Princess’s grip. She froze when Luna suddenly mumbled something under her breath, but once she had fallen silent again Twilight quickly lifted the book completely out of her grasp and held it up with a proud smile. Now, all she had to do was get off the bed, retrieve the other two books, and get back to Spike and Celestia.

Her moment of triumph was short lived however when Luna, feeling the absence of the object she had been cuddling, reached out and found Twilight’s outstretched neck instead. Wrapping her powerful forelegs around the unsuspecting unicorn, she pulled Twilight down into an awkward hug. The position didn’t last long however, as after finding that a warm and soft pony made for a much better cuddle buddy then a cold square book had, the slumbering Princess smiled happily and turned over, pulling her new bedfellow right off her hooves and onto her side so that the Alicorn could snuggle into her back.

Gripped round the neck by a pony that could easily snap her like a daisy stem if she tried to escape, Twilight’s mind was somewhere between the grips of panic and denial. This was simply not her day. True, the bed was the most comfortable she had ever lain on, and the feeling of Luna’s embrace wasn’t entirely unpleasant either, but she had an important job to do and she had already gotten sidetracked once before. Not to mention the threat of being caught in such a compromising position with Equestrian royalty was not only embarrassing and probably scandalous, but could also prove to be very detrimental to her health and continued existence beneath a lunar orbit. At least she had managed to keep from dropping the book. Granted her teeth marks would never come out of its binding, but still hurray for small victories.

Any further musings on her predicament were interrupted as Luna snuggled a little deeper into the unicorn’s back. Griping Twilight around the chest the Alicorn pulled her up so that she could better nuzzle the somewhat smaller pony’s face and neck. A wing stretched out to cover her like a blanket and Twilight felt the warm breath of her captor against her ear as the Alicorn unconsciously began mumbling again. This time however, Twilight was finally able to make out some of what it was Luna had been saying. As the Princess’s unconscious words filled her ears, Twilight stopped worrying about trying to escape. She stopped worrying about being discovered. She stopped worrying about everything. In fact, she just stopped thinking all together as she tried to process not only the words, but the voice that had just whispered into her ear.

The book fell out of her mouth as she simply stared at the dark satin drapes in front of her, eyes wide as saucers, while a very happy Princess cuddled her limp body. She was so preoccupied with coming to grips with what she had just heard that her mind didn’t register the light tap of gilded hooves as they climbed through the trap door outside the bed. Nor did she notice when the dark curtains behind her were pulled apart slightly and a royal eye peered inside.

After a few minutes the eye disappeared, only to return again a few seconds later as if to confirm what it had just seen. Neither pony in the bed noticed the eye, or the stifled giggling of delight that followed. After a few minutes to regain her composure, Princess Celestia fully drew back the curtains with her magic, finally attracting the attention of her shell shocked pupil who looked back at her in panic as the Alicorn smiled lovingly down at her and reached over to gently prod her sister with a gilded hoof.

“Luna? Luuuna?”

The smaller Alicorn began to stir and stubbornly hugged the now confused and terrified unicorn tighter as her sibling continued to gently prod her awake and almost forcing the air out of Twilight’s lungs.

“Luna, I apologize for waking you so early, but I’m afraid there is an urgent matter with which I require your assistance.”

The younger Princess blearily, and grumpily, looked up at her sister. The white Alicorn smiled kindly before adding,

“And I also need you to return my protégé. I know you mean to be gentle but I require her assistance and she seems a bit… overwhelmed by the strength of your affections.”

Now confused, and even grumpier, the midnight blue Princess glared up at her sibling until a weak wriggling drew her attention to the pony under her wing and forelegs. Teal eyes quickly widened as they met amethyst and the Princess realized what, or more exactly: who, she was cuddling with.

“Ah, hello again… Princess Luna…” her bedmate said nervously as she strained for breath under the Alicorn’s embrace.

The speed at which the two separated could easily have been entered as a passing entrance time for the Wonderbolts.

“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” the younger Alicorn declared, making use again of the Traditional Canterlot Voice. “WHAT ARE THOU? HOW DID?”

“Luna, please stop shouting,” Celestia calmly chided. “I’m sure it was just an innocent misunderstanding, isn’t that right Twilight? Twilight?”

Between the speed at which Luna had departed, and the almost Nordic power of her lungs, the unfortunate mare had been spun into the air and flung off the bed in a tangle of satin drapes.

“I’m okay!” the Unicorn wheezed as she tried to make sense of what had happened, and if in fact she actually was okay. A golden glow encompassed her body and the dark cloth, freeing her from its confines and gently levitating her down to sit (perhaps a little too closely) next to Luna. She felt her mentor’s magic flow briefly through her body and mend any bruising her ribs and neck had sustained before dissipating.

“Princess, I swear I didn’t mean to-“

Celestia held up a hoof.

“As much as would like to hear how you two found yourselves in such a… position, I need you to tell Luna your reason for coming to Canterlot today.”

Twilight blinked at her mentor but did as she was told, though she was careful not to make eye contact with the younger Alicorn next to her. As she told her story for a second time, Luna’s expression became almost identical to Celestia’s when she had first heard it.

“And then Princess Celestia sent me to your bedroom to get the books and… well you had one of them in bed with you and when I tried to get it-“

“Later, Twilight,” Celestia said, stopping her again. Then she turned to the other royal with a serious expression. “What do you think, Luna?”

The midnight blue Alicorn was silent for a minute as she reviewed Twilight’s story.

“I… shall admit that the similarities are far too striking to be ignored,” she said hesitantly, her gaze not moving from the dark corner of the room she had watched while listening to Twilight’s story. “However…”

“You are unsure as to why it would have taken so long to take effect?” Celestia finished for her.

Luna’s gaze finally rose to meet her sisters and gravely nodded.

“As am I, though I feel that this may not be connected to Discord’s return and may have been triggered by chance.”

“I wouldst agree with thou, sister.”

“Wait a minute!” This time it was Twilight’s turn to interrupt. “What are you two talking about? What’s Discord got to do with Dash’s nightmares?”

The royal sisters looked at one another gravely.

“Forgive us Twilight Sparkle, but thy friend’s ailment dost bear a frightening similarity to… to how I became Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight gapped at the Elizabethan mannered princess. “What?”

“When Luna and I first discovered the Elements of Harmony, they were split evenly among us. I took on the Elements of Kindness, Honesty, and Laughter,” the elder sister explained.

“Whilst I was chosen to bear the Elements of Generosity, Magic, and… Loyalty.” Luna spat the last word as if it were a bitter piece of crabapple.

“Once we took on the elements and had defeated Discord, we both noticed a change in each other’s mannerisms and personalities. In my youth, I was actually quite the trouble maker; I would tease and annoy Luna to no end when we were fillies.”

“Thou teased me even after thou took on the Elements,” Luna grumbled. “Though admittedly thy pranks did become less malicious, if one may call lemon juice in my tea less malicious than chili extract.”

“As I was saying,” the white Alicorn quickly continued, “I began to exhibit the traits of the elements I possessed while Luna began to exhibit the traits of hers. Or at least, she tried to.”

The younger princess gave an indignant "harrumph."

“I didst take on the attributes I had been empowered with. However, my position as ruler nocturnal didst make it difficult to properly demonstrate either generosity or magic as few ponies were awake to accept them most nights.”

“But what about Loyalty?” Twilight asked. When Luna did not answer she continued, “What is it about that element you seem to dislike?” Luna paused for a moment before responding.

“Loyalty is a most… treacherous element,” she said finally. Twilight blinked at her.

“… I don’t understand.”

“It is an element biased around sacrifice,” Celestia explained. “As is generosity and kindness. Your friends Fluttershy and Rarity represent the truest balance of those elements, rather than their truest embodiments. Rarity understands that her generosity, while it may come with some personal sacrifice, will often pay off for her in the end. That is why she is such a skilled business pony; she has an innate understanding of give and take, which makes her the perfect bearer of the Element of Generosity. A pony who gives all she has, will soon find she has no more left to give.

“Fluttershy, however, while I have sometimes wondered if she perhaps embodies her element too well, has attracted some fiercely protective friends, such as Rainbow Dash and her pet rabbit, who keep her from being taken advantage of. Her kindness attracts her protectors, and she in turn is very protective of them. She represents the balance of her element, not as a single pony, but as part of an ever continuing cycle,” Celestia concluded.

As Twilight took in what her mentor had explained, Luna spoke up.

“Though thy friend Rainbow Dash’s impressive ego may be irksome and, judging from thy reports, even unbearable at times, it is that same ego which allows her to balance the tremendous devotion she feels towards her friends, country, and ideals. In the darkest of hours, and when given the choice between her own salvation and that of her friends, she is able to see clearly and calmly all options before her and choose the best course of action for all involved. When I didst tempt her in my guise of the Shadowbolts, she fell under my spell and believed whole heartedly that I was who I portrayed myself to be and that my promises of fame and power were real and absolute. However, she was still unable to betray her friends, and within her heart she knew that she couldst still achieve her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt if she turned down my offered position as captain of the Shadowbolts.

“Within the Element of Loyalty however, there exists a most inevitable flaw. The Elements drive thin bearers to exhibit the qualities of each as best thine can and in the manner of thy bearer’s choosing. Loyalty dost drive a pony to be passionate and unshakably committed to the groups or ideals of her choosing, and in there lies the flaw.”

Twilight looked at the mare in confusion, unable to see the paradox.

“Whilst the bearer may judge with complete and perfect clarity between her own hearts desires and her loyalties to friend and ally, to where do those loyalties ultimately lie? The Element dost drive its bearer to be completely passionate and committed to everyone and everything which she believes in or holds dear. If there is ever a confliction, if ever she is made to choose between two groups or ideals she has pledged her allegiances to, the force of the Element pushing her towards both sides at once will strain the mind of its bearer until it shatters, just as mine did…” Luna finished, looking away in either shame or pain.

Celestia took over in their explanation.

“Before we imprisoned Discord completely in stone, he made one final attack against us. He attempted to convince Luna and I that eventually one of us would become too thirsty for power and overthrow the other. We both easily dismissed his words as nothing more than a last futile attempt to create some spark of chaos between us, but I believe Discord knew of the strengths and weaknesses of the Elements even then, for with those words, he planted the seeds of corruption in Luna’s mind.

“At first, we were both hailed as equals and our subjects laughed and played under both moon and sun. But, as is the nature of most ponies, they eventually settled in to a more diurnal schedule. In truth, I believe they loved Luna more than me. She was their guardian, their protector from the terrible beasts that once hunted them from the shadows so that they could sleep in safety. They even took to leaving food out for her as a way of showing their appreciation.”

“So that’s what you meant when you said you wanted to turn Nightmare Night into a ‘feast!’” Twilight realized. Luna nodded.

“Yes, I wouldst also ensure that nopony was out in dangerous territory during my reign as well. Some of the more adventurous young foals wouldst sometimes attempt to hide from me so they might sneak about in the dark of my night. It never worked, and I wouldst send them back to bed immediately. One night a young pegasus whom had tried to hid herself amongst the low branches of a tree refused to come down after I had discovered her by explaining that she was a nightingale. She was so adorably persistent about it that I decided to play along and insisted that I take her back to her “nest.” The next night, several of the other young ponies had dressed up as various other night creatures in an attempt to “hide” from me. I suppose that was how the custom of dressing up on Nightmare Night began, though it seems that a thousand years time has muddled its history.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. Thinking back to Zecora’s story of Nightmare Night’s beginnings, it was easy to see how its origin could have become so misconstrued over the centuries. It must have been terrible for Luna to find out how feared she was as Nightmare Moon, after being hailed as Equestria’s most loved protector in the past. No wonder she tried to change Nightmare Night.

“But I dally in reminiscence, let us return to the topic at hoof,” Luna continued. “Even though I didst love my sister dearly, that… vile element wouldst not allow me to forget Discord’s poisonous words. In my heart, I knew that Celestia would never harm me or any of our subjects, but in the back of my mind the voice of Discord whispered that she couldst become a threat them if ever she desired power. A threat which I mightst not have the strength to stop if I dallied to long.

“It started with the nightmares. At first, they were nothing more than unpleasant dreams of Celestia becoming a tyrant and lengthening the period and intensity of her sun. Though with each passing day my visions became more exaggerated and terrible. I began to see Equestria burning under an unsetting sun. Lakes boiled away into wastelands whilst crops and villages were consumed by fire. I tried to hide my nightmares from my sister and my subjects. At first I felt ashamed and did not want to admit that I could feel such distrust for my beloved sister, but then I… I began to worry that she might believe I suspected her.

“To add to my tortures, once I had begun to believe that my sister could be capable of the atrocities my mind told me she was planning, my nightmares began to alternate between her unending day, and the eternal night which I almost brought to pass. My loyalty towards my sister had fallen into question, and my ever so helpful Element of Loyalty saw it fit to enlighten me as to what might occur should I listen to its previous advice. I hid myself away from all of Equestria, attempting to flee from the never ending visions that burst forth, each more terrible than before, every instance I dared shut my eyes. I became delirious and sick of mind, and by the time Celestia finally found me, my nightmares had become my reality.”

Luna bowed her head as tears began to form in her eyes. Celestia was at her side in an instant, wrapping a wing around the smaller Alicorn and nuzzling her cheek.

“It wasn’t your fault, little sister.”

“I know,” Luna whispered. Her whole body began to tremble as memories of her horrific visions began to resurface. “But I couldst not stop myself. I suspected you would… that I… the screaming…”

Celestia shushed her sister as she held her close. The scene reminded Twilight of a similar event she had been a part of earlier that day.

Once Luna had recovered, the unicorn spoke up.

“I’m sorry but, Luna, are you saying that Rainbow Dash is going to turn into… into another Nightmare Moon?”

The younger princess breathed deeply and shook her head, both as a negative and to clear her head of her terrible memories.

“No, that wouldst be quite impossible, Twilight Sparkle. The corruption which took hold of me twisted my magic as well as my mind to change me into that monster. When Celestia discovered me, I was a madpony wreathed in magic and evil that lashed out at her like a wild beast. In the end, she had no choice but to call fourth the Elements of Harmony against me, but while I couldst not wield the three which I possessed in my insanity, she couldst not wield them either nor bring fourth their full power. Instead of releasing me from my magic and curing my mind, they simply severed my bonds to the elements I once held and imprisoned me within the moon I had so faithfully tended.”

“If I had known that the Elements were going to rob me of my only sister I would never have used them,” Celestia confessed as she held the smaller mare under her wing. “Once I activated them, I couldn’t control what they did.”

“You had no choice, sister. You had to protect yourself, and our people. To think of what might have happened if I had succeeded… and what almost did happen when I broke free…”

Watching the love show itself between the two sisters as they apologized for their pasts in front of Twilight not only made her own element radiate throughout her entire body but it also reminded her of her own friend and the pain she was going through at that very moment. Rising to approach the sisters, she put a hoof gently on each of their shoulders and spoke softly.

“Discord’s evil is even more twisted than I thought, if it could drive apart such devoted family.”

Luna chucked grimly at Twilight’s observation.

“Yes, though his sense of revenge seemed just as twisted when he escaped and immediately imprisoned me within the moon again whilst I was sleeping.”

“So that’s where you were! We all wondered.”

“Yes, and I apologize for being absent during your commemoration ceremony, but the blackness of space is much colder when one is not wreathed in several layers of magic and insanity, and the warm waters of the royal baths were attempting to thaw my unprepared body from its penetrating chill.”

Celestia looked down at her sister with guilt evident on her face.

“I will never let him harm you again, little sister. Even if I have to hold him in his granite prison with my own hooves.”

“Thou shouldst still have spent thy time assisting Twilight and her compatriots in putting him back within his prison; rather of spending that time attempting to bring me home.”

“After leaving you there for a millennium, I wasn’t about to let you spend another second there longer!”

“Princess,” Twilight interrupted again, though seeing her wise and regal mentor fret over her younger sibling like a mother hen was very amusing, “what I don’t understand is why Discord would attack Rainbow Dash like this if she can’t become another threat? If anypony, he seemed most focused on Pinkie Pie while he was loose. I still get shivers when I remember going into Sugar Cube corner to rescue her.”

“Discord delights in any manner of chaos, Twilight, but as I said I am not convinced he is behind this.” Her mentor clarified. “As Luna said, Loyalty is a very unstable element. It’s possible that Rainbow Dash may have encountered some challenge to her loyalties on her own which forced the Element to begin corrupting her mind. We secretly kept a very close eye on Rainbow Dash in the months after Discord’s escape, but all reports were that she was, if anything, even more boisterous and self-confident then before.”

“I can attest to that.” Twilight added with a roll of her eyes. “So if Discord isn’t behind this, and she can’t turn into another creature of darkness, what is going to happen to her?”

“If she is unable to silence the conflict within her mind, then the nightmares will become darker and more horrifying until her mind shatters beneath the strain, or… she may simply give in to the oblivion of an eternal sleep.” Luna answered sorrowfully. Twilight brought a hoof to her mouth in horror.

“You mean?”

Luna nodded gravely.

“A mortal life is only made to bear so much.”

“Is there anything we can do to stop this? A spell of some kind or maybe emotional therapy or something?”

“I believe both of those options have merit, Twilight. I have already sent word to the finest counselors I know to be ready to leave for Ponyville, and I believe one of these books may also hold-“

Celestia’s words were cut short by an avian screech echoing up from the spiral stairway. A second later, a fire colored bird flew up from the trap door and landed on Celestia’s crooked foreleg with a rolled up parchment in one of its golden talons.

“Philomena!” Twilight exclaimed, recognizing Celestia’s mischievous pet.

Celestia took the scroll in her magic and unraveled it before her.

“Yes, I sent her to Ponyville to request that your friends keep Dash close by. A Phoenix can make for almost as good a mail carrier as a dragon…” The Solar Princess’s voice trailed off as she read the letter. Her expression became dark. “Oh no…”

“What is it? What’s happened?” Twilight had returned to an almost panicked state as she watched her mentor’s expression darken.

“It’s as I feared. The response isn’t from your friends; it’s from the Head Nurse of Ponyville Medical Center. She says Dash collapsed within her home and had to be “air lifted” to the hospital, whatever that means. She has suffered a mild concussion and she is in a state of near coma. Your friends are all with her, and she is being given the best care possible, but her health is failing rapidly.”

Twilight felt her heart stop. She had heard her mentor’s voice, but she just couldn’t understand the words. How could Dash have collapsed? What did she mean “her health is failing?” Hadn’t she seen her fly off that morning? She just couldn’t make sense of what Celestia had said, it was worse than when Discord had taken over.

Discord. The thought of the wicked draconequus made her recall all the pain he had brought her and her friends, and to her mentor and Luna. While there was a chance the spirit of Disharmony wasn’t behind Dash’s illness, Twilight knew in her heart what she had to do, and more importantly, where she had to be. Jumping off the bed, Twilight silently made for the trap door.

“Twilight Sparkle? Where arest thou going?”

“Back to Ponyville. Dash needs her friends right now, and I’m sure the other girls are going to need me too.” At the top of the stairs, she stopped to look at the royal pony sisters. “If you find something that may help, send it through Spike. I need to go to my friends.”

Celestia looked at her once unsocial and reclusive student as if seeing her for the first time. Then she closed her eyes and nodded, smiling proudly.

“Then go, my faithful student. If that is where you feel you should be then you have no reason to tally here. I’ll send you in my personal carriage, you should return within the hour.”

“No, we shall take mine!” The younger princess said jumping out of her sister’s embrace and using her magic to fish out her shoes and glittering chest piece from beneath the bed.

“We?” both student and teacher asked skeptically as they watched Luna fasten on her royal accessories.

“Yes, "we." As a both an Alicorn and as a former Element of Loyalty I may be of some help.”

“Luna I don’t think-“

“Sister,” Luna interrupted, giving her protective sibling a determined look. “…Celestia, since I returned I have done almost nothing for the ponies I once protected. I have hid myself away in this tower and studied every subject I can find in our library, while stepping out only to raise the moon. I have rarely left the palace, and both times were at your behest. Besides, I am the most qualified mare in Equestria to help Rainbow Dash outside of the other Elements of Harmony and thou dost know it!”

Celestia looked doubtfully at her little sister’s unwavering stare. Finally she sighed and gave her blessing.

“Very well, but don’t do anything foalish! You are to watch and advise only!”

Luna smiled and hugged her sibling before joining Twilight on the stairs and disappearing out of sight. Celestia sighed and let herself descend fully onto the enormous black bed. Her avian companion trilled at her inquisitively.

“I don’t know, Philomena. It seems as if I’ve only just gotten her back and she’s already running off on adventures with my favorite protégé.” Then she smiled. “I think I may need to keep an eye on those two in the future.”

The bird made a few casual whistles which caused Celestia to huff indignantly.

“I don’t know that you’re talking about. I’ve never “manipulated” anypony. I just sometimes give my students a subtle push in the right direction, that’s all.”

She was replied to by a disbelieving squawk.

“Don’t make me send you to the moon, bird.”

Chapter 7

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 7

In which Pinkie has a revelation, there is a lot of rhyming, and someone is very sneaky.

(Author's Note: Super big thanks to jcel4569 for helping out as an amazing prereader since the last chapter!)

Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy sat quietly together in the waiting room of the Ponyville Medical Center. What they were waiting for, none of them knew. Perhaps they were waiting for Applejack to return so they could tell her Dash was going to die in less than three hours. Perhaps they were waiting for Pinkie to come out of the almost comatose state she had entered upon hearing the news. Perhaps they were just waiting for a miracle.

Rarity had struggled briefly with herself over waking up Fluttershy, given how badly she had taken Dash’s hospitalization, but the unicorn had needed somepony else there with her. Pinkie had completely locked up after she had heard the nurse’s diagnoses, and almost needed to be dragged out of the hospital room so the nurses could set up equipment they hopped might give Dash more time.

The demure pegasus had been surprisingly calm once she heard the news. Perhaps it was due to her element of harmony, or maybe just her natural veterinarian instincts, but upon hearing Dash’s life expectancy she had immediately switched to 'Doctor Fluttershy' mode. Rarity was thankful for change; she just couldn’t handle having to be the strong one any longer.

“Do… do you think there’s any chance at all, Fluttershy?” the unicorn asked. The silence in the dim waiting room had become oppressing, and, though she dreaded the answer, she needed to hear the sound of another pony’s voice.

“I think there’s always a chance. We just need to believe in our friends. Dash has always been very strong, I just know she’ll hold on until Twilight gets back.”

“But there must be something we can do until then?” the frantic seamstress pleaded. “Maybe if we go back to the library we could find something to-“

“I think that if there had been anything at the library Twilight wouldn’t have gone to Canterlot. Um, of course you can go look if you want, but I think the best thing we can do right now is wait here until the nurses finish so we can go in and be with Dash. As long as we’re with her, she’ll be alright.”

“How can you say that with such confidence, Fluttershy? Has this happened before?”

“Well, I do take care of all the injured animals I find. I’ve pulled lots of hurt bunnies and sparrows over the hump with only a little bit of medicine and a lot of care,” the pink maned pegasus answered soothingly. “Sometimes, just showing that you care is the best thing anypony can do.”

There was a pause as Rarity mulled over the veterinarian’s words, and then,

“Say that again.”

Fluttershy jumped as Pinkie Pie’s voice came from behind her. Turning around, Fluttershy saw the enigma less than an inch away from her face, and staring at her as if she held the power of life and death.

“I… I said that sometimes the best thing anypony can do is show that they care.”

“Any… pony?”

Fluttershy and Rarity could almost see the gears turning inside the earth pony’s head as it worked overtime to unlock the secret of that phrase. Her eyes darted from side to side, her brow furrowed in concentration, and they could almost hear the snaps and clicks of the synapses as thoughts were connected together in ways only Pinkie Pie’s brain could, until…

Pinkie’s face shot up, and her hair sprang into large, poofy curls as she grabbed the startled pegasus by the shoulders and screamed,

“FLUTTERSHY, YOU’RE A CHICKEN! I mean, GENIUS!”

And with that completely nonsensical 'eureka,' the once again pink and fluffy maned mare shot out of the hospital like a bubblegum colored bullet.

As she burst out the door, a familiar southern voice cried out,

“What in tarnation!”

“Applejack! Is that you?” the fashionista exclaimed as she quickly got up and made for the door herself, Fluttershy following close behind.

Just outside the door, lying on her back in the middle of the road was a very startled and confused orange earth pony, her Stetson clutched to her head as if she were afraid a tornado might blow it off any second.

“Rarity! Wha’ in Equestria was that?”

The unicorn reached down to help her “friend” to her feet.

“I think,” she answered slowly, looking off in the direction of Pinkie’s dust trail, “we may have just gotten Pinkie Pie back… and perhaps that means we’ll be getting Rainbow Dash back too.”

Applejack followed her gaze.

“Well, ah don’ reccon ah know what she s’pects ta find in the Everfree Forest, but ah sure hope she knows wha’ she’s doin’.”

Rarity smiled as she realized where Pinkie was headed.

“I think she does, Applejack, and now I’m sure we’ve still got a chance after all.”

Pinkie skidded to a halt in front of Zecora’s exotic and out of the way home. Five minutes her flank; she had made that trip in record time. Rapping her hoof on the door like an overzealous woodpecker, the earth pony waited desperately for the zebra to open it.

“Oh please be home, oh please be home, oh please be home,” she repeated over and over again as she danced on the tips of her hooves.

“A pink pony at my door? This sight is most rare.”

The cotton candy maned mare turned at the sound of the voice to see a cloaked figure exiting from the woods, carrying a covered basket atop her back. Flipping back her hood, Ponyville’s most exotic resident smiled warmly at the anxious pony on her door step.

“What brings you to my home, my unusual mare?

“Zecora!” Pinkie rushed to the zebra and began explaining the situation. Of course, being Pinkie Pie, the lyrical minded pony couldn’t resist doing so in the zebra’s own style of communication.

“Zecora, please listen, we’re in need of your aid.
Dashie is dying, and I am very afraid.
She’s plagued by such nightmares, so evil and cruel,
That her life’s now in danger, of this I don’t fool.
She’s trapped in her mind, by fiends we can’t reach.
Is there any cure that you know, so her sleep she might breach?”

Zecora nodded her head and moved into the house.
Pinkie followed inside, watching, still as a mouse.
She watched as the zebra hung her hood on a stand,
and gathered up herbs, rare spices, and… sand?

“We will have to work fast, if a life’s on the line,
I know of only one spell that that could be ready in time.
I must warn you, it’s dangerous, both for her and for you,
But if your feelings are as I see them, then I’m sure you’ll pull through.”

“For Dash and for me? What do you mean?
But if it can save Dashie, then I totally keen!”

The zebra lit up the fire beneath her great giant pot,
While she worked and explained of the dangers it brought.

“It is a mind melding potion, from my ancestral home.
For the nightmares in her mind, she must not face alone.
You must travel in spirit, to source of her fears,
And knowing you, pony, you will leave them in tears.”

“So I’ll go into her mind, and kick those bad dreams right out?
Well that sounds pretty cool, and your right, I’ll win without doubt.
I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll be indebted forever.
Though this rhyming thing’s hard… wow, you must really be clever.”

“Focus pink pony, we have little time,
Though you get better with practice, when speaking in rhyme.
This potion is called, in your native tongue,
“Star Crossed Lover’s Slumber,” but not the Hoofspearean one.
It is a potion for lovers, to share together their dreams,
So that they might be connected, however far they may seem.”

“L-lover’s connected?” Pinkie Pie stammered in shock,
“But I’m not… We aren’t… Whatever you’ve heard is a crock!”

Though it was tricky to see, Pinkie was blushing quite hard,
Though the zebra was smiling, as though she had played a trump card.

“My pony friend please, you cannot be serious.
If you mean to say you don’t love her, then you are completely delirious.
It has been clear to me almost from the first, once I meet all of you,
That you were completely enamored, with that pony of blue.
Have you not longed for her company? Not treasured her touch?
If you cannot be true to your heart, then all hope I must crush.
To the one who hides from her heart, this potion is poisonous.
Drink it like this, and you’ll find death waiting most ravenous.”

The potion was lethal if drunk by those who loved not?
That kind of plot twist came only in books Rarity bought!

Pinkie looked at the cauldron as its contents swirled ‘round.
Then her gaze fell to her hooves, and she pawed at the ground.

“I guess… I might… like her…” the earth pony said.
The potion hissed briefly, and then turned a pale red.

The zebra frowned down at her bubbling brew.
If this mare could not be honest, she knew not what to do.

“Why must you deny it, my pink pony friend?
If you cannot speak your heart, then of Dash this is the end.
I have watched many ponies, secretly from afar,
So that I might better fit in, and your town I not mar.
Please, forgive me my spying, but your customs are strange,
Though there is one thing I see, no location can change.
The quite glances of love, that you pony folk share.
And I have seen such looks shared between you and that mare.”

Pinkie was speechless, rooted right to the spot.
The game was now up, whether she liked it to or not.
Bowing her head, she took in a deep sigh.
Then she spoke, her voice sullen, as if ready to cry.

“You’re right. I do love her, with all of my heart.
She means so much to me, I… I don’t know where to start.”

Though the admission was muddled, it was more then was needed,
For the brew suddenly frothed, sparked, then receded.
The two equines watched the liquid smoke and reduce,
Till just a small portion was left, only enough for one use.

“Then your mind, my good pony, please put at rest.
This reaction comes only, when true love is confessed.
Your feelings are right, though your mind is unsure.
But there is no cause for doubt, of this I can assure.”

Pinkie stared at the zebra as she worked without tarry,
But though she wished to believe, her heart was still wary.

“But she doesn’t love me, not in the way I feel for her.
I’m just her best friend, nothing more… I am sure…
She’s stuck by me through it all, even if I was my worst,
But… Gah! All this rhyming’s so hard! I can’t be angsty in verse!”

The zebra smiled in good humor as the poor pony conceded.
She had rhymed well, for a beginner, but more practice was needed.

“The potion’s almost complete, so you need no longer speak.
But I must give one final warning, else your future look bleak.
For just as you have done now, she must too realize,
that she loves you in kind, or else one of you… dies.”

“Now hold on a minute!” Pinkie Pie cried, aghast.
“You mean if she doesn’t love me, then she still will not last?”

“While it’s true that this potion, is a dangerous brew,
I think I can promise, that she loves you too.”

Pinkie Pie stared at her blankly. This was too much for her brain.
But her options were thin, and she had no time to refrain.
The zebra dipped into her cauldron, a small transparent vial,
She filled it, then corked it, and let it cool for a while.

“In my home country, to love but not act,
Is considered by all, the most distasteful of tact.
Remember always my friend; life is short for us folk,
And in matters of love, you may as well go for broke.”

Pinkie heard and took strength from the sage zebra’s advice.
She knew she could do this, and would not get this chance twice.

“Now, take this cooled vial back home to your mare,
Give her three drops, and three for you, if you dare.
Lay down and be ready, for you will fast fall asleep.
There will you fight your mare’s demons, so her life she may keep.”

Pinkie picked up the vial, on which all her hopes lay,
Then looked back at the zebra as though trying to say,
“Thank you Zecora. For all you’ve done for us today.
I swear to Celestia, this… I cannot fully repay.”

The black and white equine smiled back in turn,
Then she noticed the time, and began quickly to spurn,

“You must go, hurry, be quick! You must now make great haste!
The sky is starting to darken; you have no time to waste!”

Seeing that the shadow’s outside we beginning to become longer then they should have been, even by Everfree standards, Pinkie gasped and ran out the door, the sealed vial containing the precious concoction held carefully in her mouth.

Zecora smiled fondly as she watched the pony race back to Ponnyville. Though many might have said it was ill advised to the mare to give the pony such a dangerous potion, but she felt certain she had done the right thing. She had felt a growing disturbance in her meditations of late, and was not to difficult the surmise that that it was the pegasus’s grievous nightmares that had cause the spiritual upset. As she put away her ingredients, taking stock of which ones she would have to replace, she thought back to the event she had witnessed that made her so sure she was right about the two mares' feelings for one another.

It had been late in evening on the day she had received her official citizenship of Ponyville from the mayor. Deciding to check up on little Applebloom and perhaps share her good news, Zecora had stopped by Sweet Apple Acres of her way back from town. As she approached the farm house she noted that somepony else had been celebrating there earlier, judging from streamers spreading out from the barn door and the lingering smell of cake and punch. Not wanting to disturb, or frighten, any party goers that might still be inside, she elected instead to travel around and behind the barn rather than cross in front of it.

It was perhaps rude, but she always avoided being seen if she could help it. It was a habit that had been taught to all amongst her tribe at a very young age and one which had saved her life one more than a few occasions while living in the Everfree Forest. While she crept quietly in the shadows around the barn, her sensitive hearing picked up two voices speaking in hushed tones behind the building. As she got closer, she recalled them as belonging to two of the ponies who had become infected by poison joke and then broken into her home some months previous.

“I still can’t believe you had to see me like that, Dashie… I don’t know what came over me I just… I couldn’t handle you guys not wanting to be my friends anymore.”

“Hey, don’t worry, Pinks. I mean, we all crack up a little sometimes. You should have seen me right before the Best Young Flyer’s Competition!”

“Oh? Were you talking to rocks and vegetables?”

“Well… no. Okay, so you kind of took things to a whole n'other level. But hey, you always go all out on everything; that’s something to be proud of, right?”

“Yeah, everything except believing in my friends…”

There was the sound of wings unfurling and then the second voice continued in almost a whisper.

“Listen to me, when we first met, I thought you were just some totally annoying, random, weirdo who’d only ruin my reputation if I hung out with her. “

“…Dash, have you been taking lessons in tact from A. J. again?”

“But as I got to know you,” the second voice continued, “I started to see the real you. You’re amazing Pinkie Pie! You can do things I’ve never even heard of anypony ever doing before! I mean, you can predict the future with your weird twitches, you can create all sorts of crazy contraptions to do anything you want, you can even out race me! Me, the fastest flyer in Equestira! I don’t know how you do it Pinkie, but you have to be like, the best pony ever!”

“…better then Twilight?”

“Psh, way. No offence to the egghead of course.”

“Of course.”

“What I’m trying to say, Pinkie, is that you’re… special. Really special! To me, to Twilight, to Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Gummy, to all of us! So I don’t ever want you to think that we’d ever not want to be friends with you again, cause that is just totally not gonna happen.”

Zecora frowned as she tried to work out what the voice had just said. And they she spoke strangely.

“…Thanks Dashie. That means a lot to me, especially coming from you.”

“Wha’da ya mean? “

“Well, it was your Sonic Rainboom that made me the Pinkie Pie I am today! I know it affected all of our friends but-“

“Yeah, that was kind of weird. Awesome, but weird.”

“Like me?”

There was sudden spout of laughter between the two.

“Yeah,” the second voice laughed. “Exactly like you.”

Once they’d finished their giggles the first voice continued.

“Anyway, I know it helped all of our friends discover their special talents, but for me, it was like I was discovering my life.”

“Wow, Pinkie… I don’t-“

“Let me finish. I wouldn’t be Pinkie Pie at all without you, just boring old Pinkamina Pie, and… I like being Pinkie Pie a lot better.”

Zecora’s curiosity finally got the better of her and she peeked her head around the side of the barn. On a nearby hill, two ponies sat silhouetted against the low moon and the star lit sky. One a was a very curly maned earth pony, the other was a pegasus who’s rainbow patterned mane and tail were visible even in the dim light. The pegasus had her wing around the earth mare, who was leaning down to rest her head on the pegasus’s shoulder.

“I like Pinkie Pie better too... but I’ll take you anyway I can get.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Thanks Dash. You’re… you’re the best friend a pony could ask for.”

“…You too Pinks, and happy birthday.”

Chapter 8

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 8

In which Twilight goes for a ride, Pinkie Pie comes clean, and Luna gives a warning.

The darkening sky above the Everfree Forest was not due to the setting sun, but rather due to a sudden gathering of swirling storm clouds. The weather coming from that “unnatural” area of the world was always strange and unpredictable for the local weather ponies, but this storm had come literally out of nowhere. In fact, it had formed so quickly the weather patrols barely had time to report it in before it was almost at the edge of town.

As the winds picked up even stronger, lightning began to pop and crackle within the swirling thunderhead. The impressive light show grew brighter and louder until a sudden flare of energy burst forth from its center and from it emerged a sleek black chariot. Pulling the carriage though the thundering sky were two of the most fearsome pegasi anypony had ever seen. Their coats were both identical shades of stormy grey, and their eyes were a dull golden yellow. They were clad in pale violet armor, somewhat similar to Celestia’s royal guards. Though unlike the royal guards, whose chest pieces blank, these ponies’ torsos were adorned with a large, sapphire-blue, cat’s eye. What truly set them apart, however, was their wings; devoid of feathers, they stretched out from their armor clad backs as if grafted on from a small dragon or exceptionally large bat.

Within the carriage road two more unusual ponies. One of them was none other than the ruler of the night herself, Princess Luna, clad in her traditional royal garments with a sizeable bulge under her right wing. Beside her sat an unrecognizable unicorn clad in armor similar to that of the two monstrous pegasi. Her coat and eyes were the same colors as theirs as well, but as she leaned forward and removed the crested helmet of her costume, the gray and gold of her face and eyes faded away, and was replaced by the varying shades of purple and single strip of pink that made up the recognizable features of Twilight Sparkle.

“That was amazing, Luna!” the armor clad librarian exclaimed. “I had no idea ponies could teleport in large groups like this!”

“Tis only the Alicorns and a select few unicorns whom have ever mastered the art of teleportation, Twilight Sparkle. Even after the spell has mastered, tis still a most dangerous endeavor to carry more than thyself and one or two passengers in a single endeavor,” the Alicorn warned. “Such attempts can lead to extensive scorching from magical energies, hence the necessity of the royal guard’s armor during travel. Of course, my personal guard is no exception, even though I have modified both the design and illusion spells of the uniforms for a more pleasing appearance then that gaudy gold and white appearance my sister is so fond of.”

“Yeah about that…” the unicorn said gently, looking over the fringed helmet her lap. “I’ve been meaning to ask, if you were trying to make a more… friendly impression when you came to Ponyville for the Nightmare Night Festival, why did you alter the armor to look so… scary?”

“Scary?” The Princess looked at Twilight in confusion. “I didst not design these uniforms to look, ‘scary.’ Tis quite the contrary! In truth, I didst take inspiration in their design from one of the most noble of all the night’s creatures, the bat.”

Now it was Twilight’s turn to look confused. With a heavy sigh, Luna closed her eyes and took on a well practiced air of pride and intelligence before explaining.

“The bat tis a most helpful and majestic creature. As a species they are both social and intelligent, and are excellent eliminators of bothersome insects such as flies and mosquitoes. They make only soft, charming, squeaks as they make their way through the night. Much unlike those loathsome, feathered beasts, which peck at farmers crops and do nothing save squawk and trill outside windows all day. But I digress, I adorned my personal guard in the likeness of such wonderful creatures as the bat so my subjects would see I came in good faith.”

Living in Ponyville, Twilight often found herself in situations in which she had no idea how to react, or how to feel about. This was one such occasion.

“Eer, and just what did Celestia have to say when she saw your… designs?” The unicorn asked, hoping her mentor’s reaction might give her some clue.

“Oh, she was thrilled of course,” Luna said smugly. “She said I was truly, ‘getting into the spirit of things.’ She even suggested that I add the Eye of Nightmare to the uniform, so that our subjects couldst know at a glance who created them. She seemed completely of the mind that I would leave a most ‘unforgettable’ second impression.”

Luna held her proud profile for few seconds longer before her eyes slowly opened as an unpleasant realization dawned upon her. Her posture soon changed, and her face to on an expression that was equal parts embarrassment, and furry. Twilight was quick to intervene.

“I’m sure it was just a misunderstanding, Luna. The Princess would never intentionally try to embarrass you in front of your subjects like that.”

“Clearly, Twilight Sparkle, thou dost not know my sister as well as thy thinks,” Luna said, still glaring towards, though not at, the descending sun. “Though I suppose this does explain the absence of any strange additives to my tea that evening.”

Deciding it would be best to not to appear as if she were taking sides between the two most powerful siblings in Equestria, Twilight opted instead to change the subject as quickly as possible.

“How’re you doing, Spike?” she called to the large bulge at Luna’s side.

The Alicorn opened her wing slightly to reveal the curled up form of the Twilight’s number one assistant; only half awake as he lay nestled between the dark coat and feathers of the princess. He yawned and looked up at his caretaker blearily.

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” he said, giving her a dismissive wave. “Just close the wing already, it’s really comfy in here.”

Pulled out of her plans for revenge, Luna allowed herself a small smile as she looked down at the adorable baby dragon under her wing. It was a scene which reminded her of happier times, when she would carry wayward foals back to their parents at dusk. Her pleasant reflections were abruptly ended however, when Twilight suddenly yanked her passenger out by his telekinetically gripped tail.

“You only got to ride in there because we didn’t have any protective armor for you when we teleported,” the unicorn warned as she set her assistant down next to her, and away from Luna. “Don’t get used to it.”

Luna looked at the irritated unicorn in surprise before suddenly feeling dreadfully uncomfortable. Perhaps, she reasoned, she had inadvertently encroached upon Twilight’s maternal territory. She decided quickly that it would be best to leave the unicorn and her charge alone for while, so as not to risk further offending one of the few ponies she called friend. It did not even cross her mind that Twilight felt it was Spike who was done the ‘encroaching.’

“Geeze,” the young dragon grumbled, as he tried to get the feeling back in his marehandled tail, “somepony sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

At the mention of “bed” Twilight’s cheeks suddenly flashed scarlet, and quickly busied herself with intensely studying a passing puff of cloud. As she attempted to bring her blood flow back under control, her mind floated back to what had been inadvertently whispered in her ear during Luna’s embrace. The glow faded from her cheeks as she replayed the words over and over again. She couldn’t possibly have heard what she thought she had. It just couldn’t have been that voice, it was impossible, completely absurd. She must have imagined or misheard it. The stress of the day had probably gotten to her, that’s all. And yet, it had been so clear…

Twilight stole a sidelong glance at the pony behind her. Luna was busy watching the town pass by beneath them, seemingly trying to discern their destination amongst the buildings below. Shaking her head, the unicorn leaned over her side of the carriage, and Spike’s head, to help the Princess look. After a few seconds Twilight spotted the medical center and called out to the Princess and the drivers.

“There it is,” she said, pointing to a large red and white building with a peculiar looking device parked in front of it.

Luna nodded and spoke to the pegasi.

“Adam, West, set us down before the building. Thou may return to Canterlot at thy leisure, as I shall be returning separately.”

The two guards nodded and did as they were told, causing a small scene as they descended into the almost empty street below. It was perhaps fortunate that they had arrived so late in the day when most ponies were already either at home, or else just beginning to close shop. The last thing Twilight wanted now was to be hung up just outside the Medical Center by crowds of curious ponies asking questions she didn’t have time for. The chariot came to a stop beside the flying machine and the two ponies, and dragon, disembarked. Just as Twilight was reaching to unfasten the straps of her chest piece, they heard the thunderous pounding of hooves and turned to see a familiar pink earth pony galloping at them at full speed.

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight called out to her friend, waving to her as she rapidly approached.

The charging pony leaned back and slammed on the brakes, sliding up to the armored unicorn and kicking up a large cloud of dust in the process. Fortunately for Luna, Alicorns had wings, and she was able to make use of hers to prevent the dust cloud from settling on her coach or herself. Twilight was not so fortunate however. After the dust settled, the now brown unicorn coughed once before opening her eyes to glare at the pink enigma in front of her, or at least she would have if said enigma had been in front of her. Looking around, they heard the tinkling of a door chime and turned to see Pinkie already had the hospital door open and was frantically waving at them to follow her. Twilight also noted the earth pony was somehow completely devoid of dust, and that she was carrying a small vial in her mouth. Sharing a quick look with Luna, Twilight scooped up Spike and the three of them accepted the invitation, the unicorn shaking her head first and returning again to her proper color.

Pinkie barely waited for them, and was already turning a corner as they entered the building. They were only just able to follow the fleeting glimpses of her cotton candy tail to Dash’s room, arriving a good few seconds after the pink mare. Inside the room was Rarity, Applejack, Nurse Redheart, the unconscious Dash with her foreleg now hooked up to an I.V., and a concerned Fluttershy seeing to a panting and now thoroughly exhausted Pinkie Pie; the glass vial of red liquid still held safely in her mouth.

“Twilight, there you are!” Rarity exclaimed, relief filling her voice. Then she noticed the other unicorn’s apparel. “What are you wearing?”

“Later,” the unicorn dismissed, as she stepped inside with Spike riding uncomfortably atop her armor clad back. Princess Luna followed closely; causing everypony in the room to bow, save for Pinkie Pie, who simply collapsed.

“Please, my subjects, let us spare the formalities,” the Alicorn said quickly. “Tell us, how fares Rainbow Dash?”

As most of the ponies stood up and looked at each other uncertainly, Nurse Redheart stepped over the still horizontal Pinkie Pie and answered.

“She doesn’t have much longer I’m afraid. The nightmares seem to be putting a great deal of stress on her body, as well as her mind. Judging from her facial expressions, she seems to be stuck in some kind of loop, with less than a forty five second gap in between each relapse. The severity of her concussion has made it impossible to administer any sleep aids, without risk of stopping her brain functions completely.”

Luna nodded once, and then spoke.

“Pray, let me see her.”

The Head Nurse stepped aside as the Alicorn approached the bedridden pegasus. Closing her eyes and directing her horn at Dash’s head, a pale blue glow began to cover both. After a few seconds, Luna frowned and the glow intensified, moving around Dash’s head to the back of her skull and lifting her head from the pillow slightly. The glow became stronger and stronger until it appeared the unconscious mare had a small star fixed to top of her spine. Then the glow dimmed back to its previous intensity expanding to encompass her whole body. For a few minutes, nopony spoke or moved as they watched the Alicorn concentrate on her unknown task.

Then suddenly, Luna flinched as if she had been struck across the face. Dash moaned and the princess gasped as she flinched again. The ponies watched as Luna’s breathing became labored and the blue glow surrounding Dash’s body turned a sickening crimson. It was the same exactly shade red as the lightning emblem on Element of Loyalty, but as it quickly swallowed up the flowing blue magic like an infectious blight, the color looked angry and menacing. The princess growled as she fought with the strange magic, struggling to keep it at bay, but her voice quickly changed to a pained yell as the blue glow surrounding her horn began to form streaks of crimson as well.

Thinking quickly, Twilight pointed her own horn at Luna’s and cast her failsafe spell. There was a bright flash and both colors vanished from the Princess’s head.

“Luna! Are you alright?” Twilight cried, rushing to the Alicorn’s side as she collapsed onto her knees. The glow surrounding Dash faded away as the princess shakily gasped for breath.

“I… I shall recover, Twilight Sparkle, though it seems I am yet again in thy debt,” Luna gasped, smiling weakly up at the unicorn. Twilight returned the smile and helped the Princess to her feet. “However,” the Alicorn continued, “it is as we feared. The Element of Loyalty is responsible for thy friend’s nightmares. I was able to mend her injuries and breathe some life into her body, but when I didst attempt to peer into her mind, I felt the presence of a corruption similar to that which once consumed me. Upon sensing my intrusion, the element did as it was designed, and protected its bearer from any outside influence.”

“Now wait jus’ one minute, Nelly,” Applejack spoke up. “What’a ya mean, ‘the Element of Loyalty is responsible?’”

Spike and Nurse Redheart were asked to leave to room as Luna and Twilight retold the story of the Alicorn’s fall into madness. The others were completely silent as they spoke, listening with rapt attention as Luna spoke; Twilight sometimes taking over when the memories became too much to bear for the younger Princess. By the time they had finished Fluttershy was nearly in tears again, and Pinkie was now leaning over the bed, her precious vial carefully placed on the bedside table as she gently stroked Dash’s mane. Applejack was the first to break the silence.

“Whew… so that’s what’s going on. But hold on a tick, does this mean our element’s migh’ turn on us the same as Dash’s?”

Twilight shook her head.

“No. From the Princess’s explanation, it seems that the only element prone to forming a paradox like this is Loyalty.”

“Ah pair o’ what now?”

“She means an unsolvable problem, Dear,” Rarity answered the cowpony. Then she turned back to Luna. “But if that is the case, is there anything we can do to stop it?”

The Princess shook her head sadly.

“I fear the element has pulled her too deeply into her mind for even I to reach. Were she an Alicorn, or perhaps even a powerful unicorn such as fair Twilight, she wouldst undoubtedly have already been consumed by her own magic, and been transformed into a creature similar to that of Nightmare Moon. If I had only been made aware of her plight to her sooner, I may have been some assistance. As it is, I am only able to keep her body alive with my magic, and with no means of reaching her mind, all that I may hope to accomplish through such action, is to prolong her pain.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not gonna have to prolong anything,” Pinkie said, a fierce fire in her voice. “In fact, we’re about to proshorten some things, cause I’m gonna rescue her!”

The other five shared looks of complete confusion.

“Pinkie, what in Equestria are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “Look, I know you’re … impossible at times, and I mean that literally, but surely you don’t think you can just jump into Dash’s nightmare and pull her out?”

“That’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” Pinkie replied, “and don’t call me Shirley.”

The pink pony gestured towards the vial.

“I got this from Zecora,” she explained. “It’s a special potion that lets ponies share each other’s dreams. She said I can use it to go into Dash’s nightmares and save her!”

“Zecora…” Luna said softly, “she is the zebra whom I met at the festival, is she not?”

“Yes she is,” Twilight said, looking at the small vial with reverence, “and she’s helped us more times than I care to remember.”

“Well, looks like we’re all gonna owe her again big time after this,” Applejack added. “But Pinks, how come there’s only a little bit o’ the stuff? ”

Pinkie Pie swallowed. “We only need a little bit because… I’m the only one who can use it to help Dash. If any of you drank it you’d either go into another pony’s head or… or you’d die.”

“Die! Darling, you don’t mean to say that stuff is poisonous?” Rarity asked, aghast.

Pinkie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Well, she was going to have to tell them eventually.

“It’s only deadly to ponies who aren’t… who aren’t in love with each other.”

“But then how can it help you get into…” Rarity began, but then gasped dramatically. “Darling, you don’t mean to say you and Rainbow Dash are… an item?”

Pinkie fidgeted uncomfortably, playing with the hem of Dash’s sheets and trying her best to look anywhere but at her friends.

“Well… no, not really. But… I do… kind of… like her… and Zecora said she’s pretty sure Dash likes me, so... It should work.”

“Should?” Twilight echoed, looking at the vial uncertainly. It could have just been the fading light from the window, but the potion inside seemed to turn a little darker as she looked at it.

“Look,” Pinkie snapped, “I love her okay! I love Rainbow Dash! She’s more important to me than anything else in all of Equestira! I know it’s kind of a slim chance, but I’ve gotta try. She gave me my life, so if I have to risk it to save hers, well, that’ll just make us even-Stevens, right?”

Twilight and the others looked doubtful. Pinkie sighed and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice soft, and fragile.

“I owe her, Twilight. I owe her everything. I wouldn’t be the Pinkie Pie I am today without… Eeerrr, I’ve already made this same speech like twice today! Can we just cut the drama and get to the part where I kick some nightmarish patootie already?”

Everypony in the room nearly fell flat on their faces as Pinkie completely shattered every shred of tension in the room. The potion, however, was once again a vibrant pink.

“Well, least we know she’s back to normal,” Applejack commented as she recovered from the emotional whiplash. Then she looked at Rarity. “But Ah reccon she does have a point.”

The fashionista nodded.

“Indeed, but Pinkie Pie,” Rarity added, turning to the exasperated earth pony, “be careful in there.”

The pink mare looked at her nervously. “So… just to be clear, you guys are okay with me being a…”

“A fillyfooler?” Applejack finished for her. “Why shoot, course we are. What’n the world’d make ya think we wouldn’t be?”

Pinkie looked around the room at her friends. They were all smiling back at her supportively, just as she knew they would. All except for Luna, who looked slightly confused as she tried to figure out what the word “fillyfooler” meant.

“Nothing,” the earth mare answered, smiling back at them. “Nothing at all.”

Fluttershy was the first to move forward and hug the pink pony, the other three soon joining in.

“Oh, you and Dash are going to make the most adorable couple!” the yellow pegasus squealed as she gave the earth pony a final squeeze around the neck.

“We’re all behind you on this, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said. “Now, go get your girl!” She added with an enthusiastic wink.

“Ooooh,” Rarity cooed, as they broke apart. “This is going to be simply fabulous! To think there would be another couple in our group already! Oh I simply must call Siegfried’s to set up a double date, once this horrid nightmare business is over with, of course.”

“Double date?” Twilight asked, looking at the other unicorn curiously. “With who? Didn’t you say Spike was a little too young for you?” She added teasingly.

“Spike?” Luna asked, now even more confused. “Thy dragon assistant?”

The seamstress blushed deeply.

“No, um, I… I’ll explain later. The important thing is we should be focusing on Rainbow Dash now!”

“An’ you say Ah can’t keep a secret.” Applejack whispered, just loud enough for Rarity to hear, although a certain pink ear also gave a slight twitch in her direction, followed by a knowing smile.

After that, Pinkie explained how the potion was to be administered, and asked Twilight to help her measure out the correct dosage. Nurse Redheart was also called back in so they could request a second bed for Pinkie Pie. She agreed, but only on the condition that only the ponies who absolutely had to be present be allowed to remain in the room, so as not to crowd her patient.

Unfortunately, when it was explained that the nightmares were being caused by a rouge Element of Harmony, it was agreed that the remaining four should be present while Dash and Pinkie were unconscious. Princess Luna, being not only an Alicorn but also an ex-Element of Loyalty herself, also insisted upon being present as well. In the end, the only ones the Head Nurse had managed to keep out of the room were Spike, and herself.

“Remember Twilight, three drops,” Pinkie repeated. The unicorn nodded and carefully tipped the potion into the sleeping pegasus’s mouth while Fluttershy held it open. Dash gagged a little as the first drop hit the back of her dry throat, but after Twilight quickly added the remaining two drops, Fluttershy released her and the unconscious speedster swallowed them greedily.

“She must still be really dehydrated from all that sweating and crying,” Fluttershy remarked quietly as she looked down at her friend. Her rainbow mane was still weighed down by heavy perspiration, and the dried trails of countless tears made her cheeks sparkle with salt crystals. All in all, she looked terrible.

“Right, you next, Pinkie.” Twilight said, turning to the mare on the bed behind her. Pinkie nodded and stuck out her tongue as the floating vial slowly tipped forward.

“A moment, Twilight.”

The vial pulled back up as every head turned towards Luna. Twilight stepped aside as the Alicorn approached the pink pony, her expression grim.

“Before thee enters the mind of thy lover, I must warn thee-“

“Yeah I know,” Pinkie interrupted, “I’ll see terrors beyond my wildest dreams and stuff, Zecora already warned me, but don’t worry,” She added with a wink, “Scary stuff is kind of my specialty. Well, that and parties. And my twitches. And Inventing, that’s kind of a specialty too I guess.”

“I pray thee, listen,” Luna interrupted, her teal eyes cold and unwavering. Pinkie stopped in her list and blinked at the Alicorn.

“There shall be no monsters or phantasms such as thou might find within the Everfree where thou is destined. Within the mind of your tortured mare, thou will find nothing save pain, betrayal, and death.”

Pinkie was taken aback by the Alicorn’s words, as was everypony else.

“Within her mind, thou will see true horror. Atrocities of such cruelty and scale, that the only words which might describe them have been lost to our tongue since the discovery of harmony. Whatever paradox it is which drove her to this state, thou shall see the very worst possible outcomes, exaggerated to a terrifying intensity. There will be misery. There will be suffering. There will be bloodshed, and the world thou will enter will be nothing less than apocalypse, of this I do assure thee. Thou may very well see thyself becoming victim, or even perpetrator, of such wicked and evil acts, that not even the twisted heart of Discord would take joy from their execution.

“Even if, by some miracle, thou dost somehow manage to cure thy love of this affliction, the memory of the visions she has witnessed will continue to haunt her until her dying breath; just as they shall haunt thee as well. Thy love may never recover, condemned to live out the rest of her life as nothing more than an empty shell of mistrust, and fear. It was only through the power of the elements that thou prevented me from suffering such a fate, though even now I still feel the ghosts of paranoia and guilt haunting my mind.”

Luna paused for breath as she gathered the courage to say her next words.

“I may sound monstrous, perhaps even evil to you for suggesting this,” the princess all but whispered, her eyes pleading with the pink mare, “but if thou wouldst stop now, before thou art forced to witness such scarring travesties, I have, within my power, the ability to slow thy lover’s heart. Slow it until it beats no more, and she may pass into the next world peacefully, rather than be forced to live out whatever time she has left in tortured insanity. It may be best for both of thee if thou wouldst… if thou wouldst let her go. If thy Rainbow Dash does love thee, I do not believe she wouldst wish for you too to be condemned to such an existence as I have described. I beg you, please heed my words. Do not force this upon thyself.”

Pinkie swallowed as Luna finished, her eyes drifting to the sleeping pegasus on the bed behind the Alicorn. For almost a minute, the room held its breath, as Pinkie watched Dash’s face wince and flinch under the terrible onslaught of her dreams. Then the earth mare did something that shocked the entire room.

She stood up, and got down from the bed.

“Pinkie!” Twilight exclaimed, looking at the mare in disbelief. “What are you-“

“I’m sorry,” the earth pony said, her head down and her voice almost a whisper.

Nopony in the room could believe what they were seeing. Nopony, except Luna. The princess closed her eyes and nodded solemnly.

“Thou art making the correct decision. Nopony shall think the worse of -“

“I’m sorry,” Pinkie repeated turning to face the Alicorn, “that nopony could save you, until it was too late.”

Luna’s eyes shot open as she gaped at the earth pony, who looked at her with the saddest blue eyes she had ever seen.

“I’m sorry for everything that happened to you, I’m sorry that we couldn’t have saved you sooner, and I’m so sorry that you still have to live the pain and loneliness of your scars. I understand what you’re telling me, and I am grateful for your warning, but… I think… you also made me realize something.”

Every eye watched as Pinkie pulled herself onto Dash’s bed, and carefully made her way to lie down next to the pegasus. She slipped a foreleg under the other pony’s neck to cradle her head, while she used her other hoof to stroke the cyan mare’s tear stained cheek.

“She’s been saving me since before I even met her,” Pinkie continued, “but she’s saved a lot of other ponies too, and even more ponies look up to her. I used to think I was one of them… another fan. Another pony who had fallen for the super cool, sonic rainbooming, Rainbow Dash. But I’m not… not anymore. She’s not just my hero, she’s Dashie. She’s my best friend, the one I love playing pranks with, talking to, or just lazing about with when there’s nothing to do… and that’s what I realized. It’s not the big things that really make me feel the way I do about her, it’s the little things. Those little moments that add up so quickly. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, those little things that make her the mare I want to spend the rest of my life with.

“You made it sound like even if I win, I’ll never get to have those little moments with her again. I can’t believe that. Maybe it’s my element, but something inside me says we can still have those little moments, if I’m only willing to try.”

Pinkie tore her eyes away from Dash, and looked back at the stunned Alicorn.

“You said that the Element is flawed, right? That it’s always going to turn on itself when it has to make a choice between two of its loyalties? Well, maybe it isn’t flawed so much as… incomplete? Sometimes, you just need somepony who will be beside you, no matter what choices you make. Somepony to be there for you through those tough times and those impossible decisions. Somepony who loves you, just for who you are. I mean, we call those kinds of feeling love, but… isn’t it also a kind of loyalty?”

The Princess stared back at her. She could feel something moving inside her chest; a feeling that was familiar, and yet at the same time very foreign. Though her eyes remained fixed on Pinkie, she suddenly felt the desire to look at the violet unicorn beside her.

“I hope you do find your somepony, someday,” Pinkie said, “but if you’ll excuse me.”

Pinkie Pie turned her head and stuck out her tongue at Twilight. The unicorn looked at her as if she had just gone completely insane, until she remembered that she was still holding the vial. Gently, she tipped out the three drops into her friend’s tongue. Almost as soon as she had swallowed the potion, Pinkie felt sleep threaten to overtake her.

“I have,” she yawned, her head slowly being pulled down to lay beside Dash’s on the pillow, “a pegasus… to save…”

And with that, she finally descended into sleep, and into the horrific nightmares of pony she loved.

Chapter 10

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 10

In which Pinkie gets lost, Twilight gets suspicious, Luna loses her cool, and Dash loses something else.

For a long time, Pinkie Pie just wandered. Every step forward took a tremendous effort, one which was rewarded only by the stabbing pain of the razor-edged grass as it curled around the cusp of her hoof to cut at her tender cuticles. Breathing wasn’t much easier. The warm, arid atmosphere seemed to be comprised mainly of coarse salt rather than air. It tore at her sinuses like a rasp and burned her eyes like a splash of vinegar. But for all of her efforts to continue despite the malicious air, hostile foliage, and the burning protest of her own muscles and punctured skin, there was no sign or even the slightest clue as to Dash’s whereabouts.

Perhaps it was the life sucking nature of the world, or maybe it was simply her own despair setting in, but as the steps grew harder and harder to make, her coat grew darker and her mane and tail began to lose their curl. When she finally reached the top of a low hill, the red and orange streaked sky cast her in a deep shade of magenta, while her maroon hair hung loose and flat about her face. She stood atop the mound of wretched earth, panting. She was exhausted, hot, uncomfortably dry, and her hooves were in terrible pain.

She was also royally pissed.

“Enough!” Pinkamina screamed suddenly, raising her forehooves to the sky in fury. “I have had it up to here with this stupidy meanie-mean-pants world! I mean, come on, the grass hates me? How the hay do you even piss off a lawn? Seriously, between that and the creepy stalker trees earlier, I’ve had my fill of angry plants! What next? A pack of rabid thistle bushes? Perhaps some rabid begonias? Or maybe an evil ficus, yeah that’d be really scary.” The magenta pony glared around at the distant tree line and the grass underhoof. There was no response from any of the surrounding vegetation. “Come on!” she yelled. “Epic salad time! Right here, let’s go!”

The foliage continued to remain indifferent, or at least inanimate. With one last bellow of rage Pinkamina fell back onto her flank with a soft 'plop.' Surprisingly, the grass was soft and unobtrusive beneath her rump, though she honestly could have cared less. Actually, she would have welcomed the prospect of sitting on what amounted to a bed of chlorophyll rich nails at this point. It might have given her enough of an excuse to defy physics and comically launch herself halfway across this hellish nightmare of Ponyville. Maybe she could even catch a glimpse of Dashie from the air.

The exhausted pony gave a deep sigh as she again cursed the unpredictable nature of her fantastic abilities. If only she had some control over them, but they seemed to have a mind of their own. It was like her Pinkie Sense, it just sort of happened when it happened. Now more than ever she wished she could do real magic, the reliable kind. What she wouldn’t give to be able to cast a homing spell like Twilight, or teleport around so she didn’t have to step on this ridiculous ‘evil grass.’ The sky grew darker as, for the second time that day, the defeated earth pony felt the powerful guilt and frustration over her remarkable, yet completely frivolous, powers weigh down on her heart.

She could feel tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes as one haunting question repeated over and over again in her head. How could she be so utterly useless when it really mattered? The moment it mattered, the moment she came close to losing what was most important to her, she became nothing but an average, completely powerless, rock farmer. If she was happy and carefree, however, then the world was her playground. She could do anything, be anywhere, as long as it was funny or made somepony smile.

Her eyes slowly opened as the realization dawned upon her. Then she closed them again and smiled bitterly through the fresh tears, her limp maroon hair covering her face like a curtain. It was so obvious. How could she not have seen it before? How had Twilight not figured it out when she had done those tests all those months ago? The source of all Pinkie’s sporadic and fantastic talents was her element, Laughter. Though it seemed to have just as big a flaw as Loyalty did, but for different reasons. Pinkie Pie could use the power of her element to perform feats that defied explanation; contort herself into impossible poses without the slightest pain, make a jump rope skip itself, do anything to make anypony happy. …anypony, except herself. Laughter was something that had to be shared. If you only laughed with yourself, well, then there was probably something a little loco in your coco. Like you talked to rocks or something.

Pinkamena looked around the bleak landscape. She had to admit, it was a pretty good trap. Nopony around to make smile, and an entire world tailor made to break her spirit. It had tried to scare her with the most basic of fears back at the forest's edge: the fear of the unknown, and of the inability to escape it. Unfortunately for the trap, Pinkie knew just how to deal with fear, and when she had turned to face it, (or blindly leapt at it as was the case,) she saw there was nothing to be afraid of because there had been never been anything there at all. Then the nightmare had changed tactics. It had made her work towards a seemingly unattainable goal, forced her to be creative and clever, and when she finally persevered and reached goal she was rewarded with… nothing. Of course it had taken the ‘nothing’ part pretty literally. Now it seemed to be resorting to raw punishment, making every step she took bear a painful consequence. It was changing the rules of the game every time she beat them.

Only now she was done playing.

The time had finally come to unleash her secret weapon. A never fail search and rescue tactic that had been passed down through her family for generations. Getting to her feet, Pinkamena looked out at the barren, inhospitable horizon before her, took in all the air she could pull into her earth pony lungs and screamed as loud as possible,

“DASHIE, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Twilight could not help but feel distinctly underwhelmed by the raising of the moon.

Even on uneventful mornings, Princess Celestia never failed to make the raising of her sun an impressive and reverent event to behold. Seeing her mentor welcome, and bid good bye, to each day was one of the many advantages that came with living at the royal palace. Each morning, the first Alicorn of Equestria welcomed the dawn with wings spread wide and head held high, practically bathing in the light of dawn as it broke over the mountain and rooftops below. When it came time for night to reign over the land, Celestia put her sun to rest with a solemn smile, as if parting ways with a treasured friend.

The raising of the moon, on the other hoof, was much less heartfelt, and much more systematic. Celestia always waited for her sun to completely disappear behind the horizon before she began dotting the darkened sky with the brightest stars. Once they were in place, she checked a small lunar calendar she kept with her, and brought forth her sister’s prison in its correct phase before adding the remaining pinpricks of light to the velvet sky. Celestia had always seemed so different when performing that particular duty. She seemed distant and focused, but at times she would look up at the moon with sad, almost tearful eyes.

Twilight had hoped the night’s true owner might have been more… happy about its creation, but Luna was, if anything, worse. She seemed almost annoyed by the entire process, and while she did not consult a lunar calendar before beginning, she was even more systematic than her sister in the order she prepared the evening sky. Every star was brought into being in a precise order, the angle of the moon’s orbit was checked repeatedly using notable landmarks before it was pulled over the horizon, and the exact amount of shadow across its surface was painstakingly measured twice before the luminous orb was allowed to fully ascend into the waiting sky. The Princess’s lack of tools, such as telescopes or reference charts, was a testament to the incredible physical and mental abilities she possessed as an Alicorn, but aside from that, watching the five minute process had been incredibly boring for the lavender unicorn, which was a feat in and of itself.

Usually, the young librarian appreciated such organization and meticulous care to detail, especially when they were so underappreciated amongst her other friends, but watching the Princess of the night mutter to herself as she made complex calculations and squint up at the violet sky was almost painful. Luna took absolutely no joy in her creation; no pleasure or pride out of bringing the entire cosmos into shimmering life. She seemed to treat it as an unfortunate duty of the crown, just a job that needed to be done, though done perfectly.

Twilight frowned as she wriggled out of the rigid, yet not entirely uncomfortable armor she had been wearing since they had left Canterlot. Nothing about the Princess’s behavior seemed right. Luna was the sovereign ruler of all things nocturnal; it was her domain and its beautiful sky’s creation was her special talent, or so her cutie mark would lead to believe.

“Um, Luna?” Twilight’s voice seemed to startle the starry-maned Princess, causing Luna to jump. The Princess looked back at the unicorn as if she had forgotten the other pony was there.

“Oh, I apologize Twilight. I am afraid I often become absorbed in my work. I did not mean to neglect you,” Luna said, seemingly almost glad for an excuse to stop.

“Oh no, that’s perfectly alright,” Twilight replied, waving her forehooves apologetically, “I know what it’s like when you get wrapped up in a project. Happens to me all the time actually.” The unicorn laughed nervously. “It’s just… um…” The Princess looked at her expectantly. “You just don’t seem very… happy, doing it. Your work I mean.”

The Alicorn’s expression fell somewhat at those words, and she seemed at a loss as to how to answer.

“It’s just… it’s your special talent isn’t it,” Twilight continued, gesturing at Luna’s cutie mark, “the night? You always seemed so happy to discuss it in our letters, but you don’t seem very happy actually… making it.”

“I have enjoyed talking of the stars with thee, Twilight Sparkle. Not the night.” Luna clarified, glancing down at her blue and silver flank before turning her head to stare up at the half finished sky. “The night has… The night is not what it was a thousand years ago…”

“Oh?” Twilight turned her gaze upwards as well. “Well I guess planetary drift would cause things to shift around a bit over a millennium.”

“Tis not the stars I speak of.” Luna insisted, her tone becoming agitated. “It is…”

“What?” Twilight asked gently.

The Princess seemed to ponder her answer for a moment before asking, “What color is the night’s sky, Twilight?” The unicorn blinked at her in confusion.

“Purple,” she answered. “Well, more of a deep violet really. I once read a book about modern art that said that most artist prefer to mix their own colors when doing a night scene because the widely distributed ‘midnight purple’ colored oil paints don’t-”

“Fascinating, Twilight,” Luna hastily interrupted, “Trivia I will gladly hear at another time, but for now, both you and the artists are wrong. The color of the night’s sky… is black.”

The unicorn looked at the Princess as if she had suddenly grown a second set of wings out of her ears. She then looked up at the distinctly purple sky and then back down at the mischievously smiling princess several time before wisely replying,

“Huh?”

The Princess giggled before tapping a spot in front of her. “Take a seat, Twilight. It seems my sister neglected a lesson during thy education.”

Twilight frowned and hastily took the seat indicated for her as Luna began.

“What thou see’s above us now, is not the night. It is a pale imitation which my sister was forced to invent after my imprisonment. It is a perpetual dusk. An evening which flows directly into the beginning of dawn. The faint stars we can see above are less than half of my true creation. The remainder are lost to this accursed light pollution which fills the skies and drowns out the true beauty of my masterpiece. Each evening I must call forth my stars into this… atrocity, is akin to commissioning a brilliant artist to paint her Pona Lisa upon a sponge. No matter how great her talent, or beautiful the colors she uses, the piece will never truly capture the painter’s true abilities, for the canvas conspires against her and consumes her most detailed work before it can be seen. My once fondest duty as Princess, is now a Sisyphean torture.”

Luna sighed deeply and looked up sadly at the incomplete heavens above.

“I wish that I couldst show thee my true canvas, Twilight. The sky alone is breathtaking. When I describe it as ‘black,’ I do not refer to any color one might find in inks, or upon scorched earth and soot, but a true, pure black. It is a vast sea of perfect shadow, flawless in its expanse, and completely devoid of any marring light save for the stars and galaxies which shine and glimmer within. The only analogy thou might understand would be to compare its like to that of a slab of pure obsidian, bespeckled with countless shavings of diamond, sapphire, and ruby which shine and glimmer with a beautiful ethereal light. Yet even that simile does not do it justice, nor describe its astonishing depth. You see above you an almost flat, painted backdrop for the worlds cover, but to look up into the true night is to peer down into a bottomless ocean of stars. Nay, no ocean could be even comparably deep. If thou were to lay upon thy back on a cloudless night, and simply stare into the heavens above, thou might fear falling up into its beautiful and beckoning abyss.

“I may speak of my night as though it were something to fear, but such is the sheer feeling of awe it inspires. And there is so much yet I could not hope to put into words! Thy modern telescopes wouldst become capable of seeing wonders beyond all description. Galaxies, Twilight. Thou couldst see Galaxies! My Pinwheel, my Andromeda! All swallowed, up or else blurred beyond recognition, by in this purple swill! Even my constellations are eaten away by its corrosion. Hast thou ever seen the scales of Draco? The smiling face of Canis Major, or even the strings of Lyra? So much has been lost in these one thousand years! My sky was not meant to be only a means of navigation, but a source of wonder and inspiration for all who ask of it! Were I but able to reveille it I feel certain it would begin a renaissance of the arts such as Equestira has never seen before in all its days! Oh, but if I couldst only show thee…”

Luna finished her speech by taking deep breath and slowly exhaling. She seemed glad to have finally said what she did, and looked the better for it. Some of the tension in her shoulders and wings melted away, leaving the Princess looking a little smaller, but much more relaxed. Twilight, meanwhile, seemed almost bewitched by the Alicorn’s fluent descriptions of all the wonders she had been missing. Slowly her eyes rose up to the specks of blinking light above her. Could everything Luna had told her about really be up there?

“It sounds… amazing, Luna.” The unicorn said finally, still staring up at the violet sky.

“It is, Twilight,” Luna whispered in reply, also looking up at the heavens. A pained and cheerless smile rose on the Alicorn’s cobalt lips. “Thou may think that I exaggerate my work, as most artists do. But please believe me when I say that everything that I was, my joy, my pain, and every ounce of love I had for my people, I built into that sky. It was my gift to them, for every echo of laughter they gave me, and every tear we shared over the loss of a comrade. To see it diminished to this…”

“But why can’t you and your sister change it back to the way it was? And how did it get this way in the first place?” Twilight asked, tearing her eyes away from the incomplete cosmos to look at the forlorn Princess. Luna sighed and also forced herself to close her eyes and look away. After exhaling her painful memories, she smiled more sincerely and turned to the unicorn.

“My sister and I, while we possess power and magic beyond that of most unicorns, thyself notwithstanding, are not without our limitations. One such restriction is that one sister cannot truly control the domain of the other. Myself, whilst I could move and direct the sun through sheer force of magic and will, have no means of altering its intensity. If it had been my sister and not I who had been dubbed the bearer of Loyalty, Equestria wouldst have spent a millennium without change of seasons; a thousand years of unending summer. I cannot foresee how the land would have fared under such conditions. Fate, however, saw fit that I was the owner of that thrice cursed artifact, and our subjects lost their true night instead, for Celestia cannot manifest even the simplest shadow.”

Twilight gawked at the younger Princess. “It goes against the very nature of her abilities,” Luna continued smugly. “Of course, she has tried. Oh, for ten centuries she has tried, but it is as impossible a concept for her as would be for a bird to breath underwater. Though my sister has been known to inhale sugared confections from time to time,” she added with an impish smile. Twilight gave the Alicorn a disapproving look.

“But I digress,” Luna continued. “Though she can control my moon with raw force, and dot the sky with crude stars, she has no means of darkening the land beyond the weakest rays of twilight. In my absence, she was forced to perform to the best of her abilities, and over the course of so many generations, ponies have come to see her ‘mock-night’ as the norm.”

“But even so, why haven’t you taken back control?” the unicorn repeated. “I know you have enough power now, why don’t you bring back the true night?”

Luan’s frowned sadly. “I have regained control of my domain,” she replied. “My sister was all too happy to return it to me once I was strong enough. Thou should understand, the realms of dusk and dawn are one of the few points where the powers of my sister and my own overlap. I am the one who keeps this never ending dusk now, for two reasons. Firstly, because I have not yet found a suitable occasion to return the night to its true magnificence. My sister and I did speak briefly of doing so as a surprise upon the Nightmare Night festival last year, but we soon agreed that doing so may have brought about far more panic than was necessary.”

Twilight gulped and nodded. She could just imagine the chaos that could have ensued if the sky had suddenly gone pitch black on the eve celebrating Nightmare Moon’s original defeat. If Ponyville was any indication, there probably would have been mass panic and stampeding all across Equestria.

“And the second reason?” Twilight asked, saying a silent thank you for the Princesses’ good sense.

“The second reason,” Luna replied, her expression gravely serious, “was that for I to suddenly change the night’s sky on such a scale, at any time, would have caused even more unrest within the royal court than had already existed. The bureaucrats, whom my sister felt the unfortunate need to appoint during my absence, apparently became quite upset when the ‘Mare in the Moon’ disappeared. In truth, during the my first breakfast following my return to Canterlot, they approached my sister and I, and made a formal request to have the symbol of my imprisonment returned to the moon’s surface at once; calling its removal ‘the defacement of a national landmark.”

Twilight gawked at her in disbelief.

“You have got to be joking.”

“I do not jest with thee. Those were their exact words. Though, I cannot quote my dear sister’s response, for she did not make one verbally,” Luna laughed. “I can only tell thee that I have never in memory seen any mare consume a banana with such smoldering fury before. Needless to say, nopony, bureaucrat or otherwise, has approached me regarding the matter since.”

The unicorn groaned and buried her face in her hooves. “Not the best way to introduce you to modern politics I take it?” she said through her hooves.

“Quite the contrary,” Luna argued, smiling brightly. “If anything, I was assured that politicians are still as nonsensical and inefficient as they were a thousand years previous. In fact, I am almost certain one of the ponies present when they made their request was a descendant of Princess Platinum. A pity that none of Cookie’s common sense seemed to have been passed down to her as well…”

“Wait, what do you mean, Cookie’s…” Twilight began before realizing they were getting wildly off topic. “Never mind, but I still don’t fully understand why you won’t make the true night.”

“The ponies of this time do not wish for change, Twilight,” Luna explained, her words calm and accepting, if somewhat melancholy. “My return upset much of Canterlot’s hierarchy. Even the common ponies have found my sudden resumption of the throne strange and frightening. For generations upon generations, there has been only one Princess of Equestria. Now there are two, one of them the very demon they have feared in macabre celebration for nine decades. Their world is changing, and at a pace far faster than they are comfortable with. Things they have taken for granted all of their lives are being permanently altered in the single beat of a heart, even something so timeless as the face of the moon. They whisper and gossip among each other, wondering what may be the next pillar of stability to irrevocably change. There is unrest among them, and distrust of me in particular, both due to my place in their history, and because they see me as the herald of these new and frightening alterations to their world.”

“Well I think it’s horrible,” Twilight replied angrily. “You shouldn’t have to suffer like this because a bunch of stuck up fancy-pants ponies are afraid of a little change, especially over something like your night.”

“Actually, Mr. Fancy Pants has spoken out several times for the return of my night.” Luna corrected. “Quite a delightful stallion, though his influence over the bureaucrats does not hold nearly the sway he seems to over the Aristocrats… Never the less, I pray thee not to worry over the matter, Twilight. Governmental stubbornness and refusal to see reason is nothing new to a monarch; even one from several centuries past,” the Alicorn said with a wink. “Also, since the return of Discord, much of the hostile attention posed at me has been directed towards other, more pressing, threats. I am now only waiting for the proper time to bring back my night. Tis only a matter of time, and I must be patient, just as my sister has been.”

Luna smiled at the unicorn. It was a reluctant smile. The sort that Princess Celestia would often give Twilight before leaving her to attend another meeting with the Bluebloods or perform some unfortunate duty of the crown. But before Twilight could say anything, the smile began to change. It became more sincere, yet at the same time almost sad. When she spoke again, her words came a bit slower, her voice low and honest.

“In truth, the most painful remnant of my insanity, even more so than the state of my night, was the fear and mistrust I instilled from my beloved subjects… But that cantankerous wound is finally mending, thanks to thee, my dear Twilight.”

The lavender pony felt herself blushing at the praise and looked away from the now genuinely grateful smile the Alicorn was giving her. The expression became mischievous when Luna added, “In fact, thou almost seems to make a habit of saving me from own folly. Perhaps I should take thee on as my personal assistant, if thou shouldst ever find work as a librarian too exciting.”

“It’s quite exciting just living in Ponyville.” Twilight corrected the Alicorn, her cheeks almost glowing pink. “And I’ve only ‘saved you from your own folly’ once, and I didn’t really do anything. All I did was show you how to fit in around modern ponies.”

“Thou didst far more than that,” the Princess argued, then quietly added, “Far, far more.”

It was only thanks to the complete stillness of the night air that Twilight was able to make out those last words. The suspicion that had been nagging the unicorn since the incident in Luna’s bed began to resurface again, causing the librarian to frown unconsciously. She hated to feel mistrusting towards her friends, especially one as special to her as Luna. The Alicorn had been the first friend Twilight had made all on her own, and on top of that, the lavender unicorn felt a peculiar kinship with the Princess of the night. Apart from their obvious shared interest with the stars and constellations, they had also discovered a mutual love of learning and magic during their time as pen-pals, yet another first for both of them. The very notion of accusing such a treasured friend of being…

Twilight gave a sidelong glance at the Alicorn. Luna had taken notice of several excessively shimmering stars during the unicorn’s ponderings, and seemed to be trying to make her insubordinate creations behave. It was amazing how she could manipulate the heavens as nonchalantly as the librarian rearranged her books for shelving. Luna truly was an extraordinarily talented magician, and not simply due to her natural abilities as Alicorn either. There was a certain amount of grace and skill that accompanied each flick of the horn as the Princess fought with the improperly lit sky. The royal had clearly put many hours into the study and practice of her craft, probably far more even than Twilight had. Luna’s repertoire of spells most likely far surpassed the unicorn’s as well. At the festival alone, she had demonstrated levitation, transfiguration, voice amplification, control over the elements, even the ability to completely change her size and appearance at will, all performed flawlessly and without even the slightest hint of effort. Actually, Twilight had seen many of those same abilities put on display for Ponyville not long after she and Spike had taken up residence. In fact, it was possible she had unknowingly seen all of them…

Twilight scowled again. This just wouldn’t do. She had followed Luna here alone in hopes of getting answers, and while she had learned an incredible amount about the Alicorn’s past, she now found herself with even more questions than she had started with, which was doing very little to ease her growing suspicions. It was like reading a chapter of that silly J.J. Neighbrams series “Misplaced” that had been so popular a few years ago. At least Luna hadn’t inexplicably brought a polar bear into the conversation, though another type of bear was currently haunting Twilight’s thoughts. If only there was some gentle way of asking the Princess if she... she… Oh for hoof’s sake, there wasn’t even a gentle way of thinking it!

“Is thou… vexed, Twilight?” Luna asked, looking warily at her now grimacing friend with concern. “Thy seems… agitated.”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine,” Twilight replied quickly, standing up and walking towards the edge of the roof. She didn’t feel like facing the starry-maned Alicorn at the moment, not while she was harboring such guilty thoughts about her.

“Thou dost not seem… fine,” Luna replied uncertainly, “but rather quite the contrary.”

The Alicorn stepped closer to the now barebacked unicorn. The princess awkwardly opened one of her wings as if to as if about to take the smaller pony under it, but hesitated and brought it back to her side nervously before adding, “Thou… You are still worried about your friends, aren’t you?”

“What, no! …Well, yes, but that’s not what I…” Twilight stammered, struggling to find a way to describe her predicament without offending the Princess. “…Actually, I was thinking about something else. You see, when you came to Ponyville for the festival, you… reminded me of somepony I had seen before.”

“Hmm, given the response I elicited that evening it must not be a fond comparison,” Luna deadpanned.

Twilight adjusted herself a little in her seat to face the Alicorn. “That would depend on who you asked,” she replied. “Someponies loved her, while other’s couldn’t stand her, especially Spike and my friends. You see she… she was a traveling showmare, and also quite the… um… braggart.”

Luna became visibly uncomfortable and shifted nervously in her seat. “Yes well, I was attempting to adhere to the traditional Canterlot royal mannerisms. It is tradition to be proud and boisterous of thyself when addressing thy subjects. There is… was a certain image to be maintained.” Luna explained, beginning to slip back into a traditional Canterlot posture and tone as well.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean that you were… well, no I guess you did actually come off as pretty egotistical when you first arrived. All that ‘grace you with our presence,’ stuff. But it wasn’t your fault! I mean you were just… I mean…” The flustered librarian buried her face in her hooves and groaned. ‘Good move, Twilight,’ the librarian thought. ‘Let’s just go and repeatedly offend the Princess of the Night just as she finally starts to open up to you.’

When Twilight finally surfaced again, she kept her eyes off the Alicorn and chose her next words very carefully. “I didn’t mean too compare her to you that way. What I was meant to say was that her show was very… splendiferous? She may not have been quite as, ‘Great and Powerful’ as she claimed to be, but she was an extraordinarily talented pony.”

“Unsurprising,” Luna replied suddenly. Twilight jumped slightly and turned to look at the Alicorn. The Princess was sitting straight as a rod with her eyes closed and her nose high in the air. It seemed that the Traditional Canterlot Luna had made a return, fortunately without the deafening volume. “Unicorns are often a tad overzealous when it comes to their magic. Yet another trait which has not changed since the pre-harmony age.”

“True,” Twilight agreed. She felt her stomach knot guiltily realizing she had made Luna raise her defenses again, just as she had on the chariot ride over the forest, and just when they had been starting to relax around each other too. Despite her growing feelings of shame, something about the Alicorn’s words had stood out to her enough to want press the matter. “… but I don’t think I said she was a unicorn.”

There was only a heartbeat before Luna hastily replied, “My sister sometimes shares with me the reports which thou sends to her. I recall reading one such letter, wherein, thou described a unicorn using the title ‘Great and Powerful,’ who had arrived in Ponyville and inadvertently caused an Ursa Minor to attack the town. Twas a most obvious connection,” she added, waving a hoof as nonchalantly as possible.

“I suppose it was…” the librarian replied distractedly. Was it just the Princess’s mane, or was Luna’s neck and face beginning to glisten a little with sweat? “But you know, she wasn’t all bad,” Twilight continued, looking away before the Alicorn caught her staring. “True, she was pretty mean to my friends when they tried to show her up, but when the Ursa came she did at least try to fight it. Her magic wasn’t nearly enough to slow it down, but I was surprised she didn’t just run as soon as she saw what she was up against.”

“Then I hardly see the connection,” Luna snapped. “I was nothing but cordial with thy friends, even when they refused me the same courtesy. And besides, my power is far beyond that of any common stage magician. Why, were a Dragon or Ursa Major to attack the town at this moment I wouldst fell the monster with but a single blow. Nay, a single look wouldst be enough to send it fleeing in terror!”

The silence that followed was one of the more awkward in Twilight’s memory. Luna had ended her inexplicable tirade by standing on her back legs and striking an impressive pose with one hoof in the air, her wings outstretched, and her eyes closed in disregard to anything but herself. It was not unlike the stance she had taken several months previous when declaring that Nightmare Night was now a 'glorious feast.' She held her tableau of magnificence for several seconds before opening an eye and noticing the lost expression that adorned her companion’s face. The Princess self-consciously sat back down and began uncomfortably looking about the roof. Twilight, meanwhile, was trying to both shake, and place, the multiple feelings of déjà-vu she was experiencing.

“I should complete my work,” Luna said finally, gesturing at the sky above with her hoof, though her eyes stayed fixed on the rooftop at her feet. “It would not do to have the night be anymore incomplete then it needs be.”

“Oh, um, go right ahead,” Twilight nervously replied.

Uncomfortably, the two ponies drifted apart; Luna, focusing as best she could on the uncooperative sky, and Twilight, attempting to fend off the overwhelming feelings of guilt and regret over so horribly insulting and angering her friend. Worst of all, the unicorn couldn’t deny that the Alicorn’s inexplicable behavior had only added fuel to her own burning suspicions.

The librarian closed her eyes and silently cursed her unquenchable curiosity. Why couldn’t she have just left well enough alone? There had been no pressing reason to spoil her first special moment with the Princess? No, not with “the Princess,” her first special moment with Luna. This was the first time she had seen the pony she somehow knew had been hiding behind all that traditional rubbish. Luna had seemed so alive when describing her night. Her words had a flow and rhythm that carried like poetry when she had described her beauty that was had, and still was lost during her banishment. It was the Luna Twilight had somehow always known was there. The mare who had once borne the elements of Magic and Generosity, as well as Loyalty. She wanted to know that mare better. She wanted to understand the real Luna and all the unusual things that she did. Why had the Alicorn briefly dropped her traditional accent and used “you” instead of “thee” or “thou” when she had asked Twilight if she was alright? Why did she use that ridiculous accent in the first place when Nightmare Moon had spoken normally as soon as she had returned? Were those really stars in her mane, or were they just sparkles of magic? There was so much she still wanted to know about the cobalt Alicorn, and she wanted to learn it all first hoof.

But now she’d be lucky if the younger Princess ever wanted to speak to her again, and all because she couldn’t keep her stupid curiosity in check.

The magenta earth mare collapsed onto her side. She had been screaming Dash’s name in every way she could think of for the last five minutes. Everything from Dashie to R.D. and all as loudly as possible, but the only thing she had accomplished was to make herself go hoarse, though there did seem to be something ironic about that. Unfortunately, however, her family's patented tactic of screaming the name of the pony you were looking for did not pan out.

Curses, how could this dream know her every trick?

The flat maned mare glared at the stiff, uncomfortable grass beneath her. Out of pure spite, she suddenly reached out and tore off a section of it with her teeth and began to chew. It had the same taste and consistency of cardboard. Not even the fancy cardboard that the sprinkles from Canterlot came in. It was the cheap yucky cardboard that they used to mail boxes of fillyscout cookies in. She probably should have just spat it out, but she continued to chew angrily on the nightmare grass as she rolled over onto her back and stared at the crimson and orange sky above. Eventually, she swallowed the disgusting stuff and stuck out her tongue making a 'bleck' noise.

Well that had been productive.

She sighed. There just seemed to be no winning here. She was powerless, she was lost, the pony she loved was still at the complete mercy of an unfeeling magical doohickey, and now she was going to have the taste of that grass in her mouth for at least an hour. It was like some two-bit adventure story where the author had written himself into a corner and couldn’t figure a way out of it. If only she had her powers… if only there was somepony around to make happy…

Pinkamena closed her eyes in defeat. If only she had some kind of miracle…

Luna groaned to herself as she cursed the prevailing light for swallowing her stars yet again. Before her banishment, the creation of the night had taken little more than a matter of seconds. Summoning forth the stars had been an almost instantaneous and gratifying process. Now, her night took close to a quarter of an hour to finish, what with all the tedious adjusting it took to ensure every crucial navigational star was visible and distinct. It did not help that she still yet to shake off her unease from her conversation with Twilight earlier.

The Princess glanced nervously at the smaller mare. The unicorn was standing near her discarded armor near the edge of the roof. Her expression was again troubled, as if she were fighting with herself over something. The same expression she had been wearing before when Luna had again spoiled her attempt at comforting her friend, and this time she had no one to blame but herself. Twilight probably hadn’t meant anything by bringing up that… that incident. She couldn’t have, and she certainly hadn’t done anything to warrant Luna snapping at her like that.

She should apologize. In fact, that was exactly what she was going to do right now. She would look Twilight right in the eye, speak from the heart, and tell her she was sorry for… for being a, uptight royal pain! Yes, that was exactly what she had been. Okay, now to get Twilight’s attention and,

“Luna?”

The Princess jumped yet again before looking around and noticing the unicorn was now looking directly at her with tentative, honest eyes. “Y-yes?”

“I wanted to say… I’m sorry I made you angry by comparing you to that stuck up showmare like that. It was an unforgivably rude thing to do. I just… sometimes I get carried away when I’m working on some new discovery or investigating a new theory and I forget how it may hurt my friends feelings until it’s too late.” Twilight looked away then, biting her lip as if she had more she wanted to say or apologize for, but couldn’t. Instead, she suddenly bowed deeply to the shocked Alicorn. “I hope you can accept my apology for... for everything.”

Celestia must have had a hoof in this. Fate alone could not be so sadistically cruel as to force Luna to not only miss her chance to mend ways with her friend, but have Twilight beg her forgiveness, on bended knee, for transgressions that belonged solely to Luna! Guilt and shame were not strong enough of words for the feelings that were causing her insides to writhe about like angry snakes. The Alicorn tore her eyes away from her from the unicorn and sputtered, “S-stand up, Twilight Sparkle, for the star’s sake, stand up!”

The unicorn did so immediately, owing no doubt to her surprise at the Princess’s urgent command. The Alicorn attempted, and failed, to look at her before saying, “Do not bow to me… You, of all of the ponies, should never bow to me! There is no circumstance in, or beyond, comprehension that could possibly warrant you do such a thing.”

Twilight stared at the almost frantic Alicorn. The Princess was beginning to slip out of her traditional accent, and almost seemed close to tears as she continued to look at anything but the unicorn. Cautiously, Twilight reached out towards the quaking monarch.

“Luna…”

“And do not apologize!” Luna interrupted, unexpectedly locking eyes with the librarian. “You have nothing to apologize for! I am the one at fault, I should not have taken such an atrocious attitude with you, or… or…”

The Alicorn’s frantic energy faded along with her voice as she found herself unable to complete her sentence. The Princess broke eye contact and stared at the floor at her hooves. Tears began to fall from her shimmering teal eyes, and Twilight found herself too stunned to move or speak.

“I am a terrible Princess,” Luna whispered. “I said below that I still feel the ghosts of guilt and paranoia since I was returned to my senses, but I feel more than just that. At the deepest throngs of my dementia, I believed myself a hero, and the sole savior of Equestria. When I fought with my sister, my subjects did not recognize my shadowy form, and cheered for Celestia to defeat me and save them from the 'salvation' I sought to deliver onto the world. My memories of that time are faint at best, but I do remember an incredible longing to hear the crowd beneath cheer for my victory. I was their hero, yet they plead for my sister, the enemy, to defeat me. My craving for their praise twisted into resentful hatred during my imprisonment, yet it did not diminish for that same longing for my people’s praise and support still holds sway over me. If given even a taste, I become in danger of losing myself to the euphoria of my swollen hubris. Once under its spell, I become desperate to maintain the elation, and spiteful towards all who seek to break me from its rapture."

The Princess paused for a moment to wipe her eyes and take a shaky breath.

“Thou hast seen me in such an episode before,” Luna continued, having regained some of her composure, as well as her accent. “When I declared the cancellation of my own holiday, after foalishly using transfigured arachnids to calm thy townsfolk. Whilst under the sway of this mania I become selfish and tyrannical, uncaring for the well-being of others, and often putting all around me at risk…”

Her confession finished, the Princess fell silent, still facing the now moistened roof at her feet. Her starry mane seemed dull and lifeless as it fell down around her shoulders and back. Her wings also hung heavily at her sides, as if covered in lead rather than feathers. Twilight had never seen the phrase, 'weighed down with guilt,' so apt before. The unicorn had watched the Princess silently throughout the entire heart wrenching scene. The last few pieces of the puzzle had fallen into place, and while she now felt certain in her theory, the librarian no longer felt any need to pursue it. Instead, she wordlessly walked up to the despondent Alicorn, and hugged her.

The Princess gasped at first when she felt the unicorn’s forelegs encircle her neck and pull her close, but she soon began to relax and slowly sink into the other mare’s warmth. She was careful not to lean on the smaller pony, but she did eventually lift her own forelegs off the ground and carefully wrapped them around the other pony’s waist. They stayed like that for some time, neither pony speaking or moving, both mare’s completely still in silent embrace. Eventually, Luna began to pull away. Twilight released her without protest and sat back on her haunches to face the taller mare.

“Thank you… Twilight,” Luna said, wiping her eyes of any remaining tears.

“You’re welcome,” Twilight replied softly. She smiled reassuringly at the sniffling Princess, a gesture Luna returned in kind. The Alicorn’s star spotted mane began to lift and shimmer again as she finished wiping her face and folded her wings back at her sides. "Feel better?”

“Verily,” the Princess chuckled. The monarch closed her eyes and took in a deep lungful of the night air. She exhaled slowly, as if savoring the aroma, and opened her eyes to stare once again at the heavens above. “Let us retire inside,” she proposed, still smiling gently. “We have been away from thy friends’ company for far to long, and I am not of the disposition to fight with this mess of lights any further.”

Twilight followed the Princess’s gaze. The sky looked complete to her. All the proper constellations and navigational stars were visible. A few stars twinkled a tad too over zealously perhaps, but overall, the ‘mock-night’ seemed as beautiful as ever. She turned back to the Alicorn and nodded approval. Luna’s smile grew a little in response, and together they stood and walked towards the door that would lead them back inside, and too some unexpected news.

It wasn’t right.

How could they have done that to her?

After she had sacrificed everything,

Everything to just keep them safe?

How could they just betray her like that?

It just wasn’t right…

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes weakly as the smell of moist dirt and… something else filled her nose. Lifting her head up and groaning, the cerulean blue pony tried to get to her feet and heard a sickening crunch. A sharp, searing pain shot through her right forehoof and up her leg, causing her to cry out and collapse back onto her bruised stomach as her head began to swim from incredible pain. Squeezing her jaw shut as tight as she could to keep from screaming again, Dash opened her eyes to look down at the throbbing limb. A small stream of crimson liquid was drizzling out from several splits in her jagged hoof. It must have broken when she had made that spectacular crash landing back to Equestria a few minutes ago. She always hated crash landings; it was like adding insult to injury. Not only had she failed at landing, but she had hurt herself in the process too, though that probably made it more like adding injury to insult…

Another wave of pain engulfed her as she tried to move again, this time from her right shoulder. Stupid thing probably got itself dislocated when her hoof had shattered. Taking a deep slow breath in an attempt to vent out the agony wracking her right side, the athlete eventually began to wonder where she was. Opening her eyes again and looking around, Dash saw that she was in what seemed to be some rocky gully, much like the one where Rarity did her gem hunting. There wasn’t a single sign of anypony else to be seen. But then, that was sort of the idea of being banished wasn’t it?

Dash laid her head back down on the hard, stony earth, trying to block out the memory of everything that had just happened. She had to. She had to force herself to believe that her entire world hadn’t just shattered worse than her hoof had. Like she hadn’t just lost everything that meant anything to her in a matter of minutes; her dream, her home, her friends, even her…

The broken pony felt her eyes begin drifting to her back of their own accord. She began to plead with herself, not to look behind her, not to verify what she knew was there, but her body just wouldn’t listen. Turning her head, the former fastest flier in Equestria looked and saw a splash of crimson trailing down her cerulean coat to her rainbow patterned tail. The trail ended at two ragged, glistening holes positioned just behind her shoulder blades, right where a pegasus’s wings should have been. Where her wings should have been.

She felt her head spin again, and this time, she let it fall limply onto the ground. Gone. Everything was gone. Her dream, her friends, even her wings; all torn from her in a matter of minutes after what was supposed to be the crowning achievement of her lifelong goal. Her brain felt numb and foggy as it was taken over by shock. Somewhere, in her clouded mind, she felt a fleeting feeling of déjà vu, but it was swallowed as her mind caved in to the enormous sense of despair that took hold of her.

She was alone. Thrown away, and completely betrayed by everypony and everything she had ever believed in. The former pegasus felt the tears welling up in her eyes and did her best to pull her torn and broken body into as tight a ball as she could manage. She could feel the warmth pouring out through the tears and cracks in what remained of her body. She was going to die here. Die in some Celestia forsaken patch of dirt and rocks, completely alone.

“Daaaashiiiieee,” an empty, sickeningly sweet voice called in the distance.

Dash’s eyes popped open in terror as the sound echoed through her ears. Sweet Celestia, no. No, please, please let her die soon. Die before that voice found her.

“Daaaaaaashiiiiieee,” the haunting voice called again, sounding considerably closer than it had before.

The trembling pony clenched her eyes shut and began willing herself to let go, to die. She prayed for death to take her before-

“There you are, Dashie…”

Dash’s heart had already been slowing, but it still skipped a beat when she heard those words come from only a few feet above her head. She opened her eyes unwillingly, and found herself staring at a set of pink hooves directly in front of her. Not bubblegum pink, but a bright, fluorescent pink, so vibrant that looking at it made her eyes sting. Her gaze traveled up the hooves and toned legs to a perfectly proportioned body, then up a voluptuous neck… to a smile. A horrible, sparkling white Cheshire grin that bore down at her from a doll like pink face with polished blue eyes. A mane of fluffy, cotton candy colored hair draped down across its features in an alluring manner. The figure was beautiful, yet terrifying and unnatural. It was as if a sculpture had tried to create the image of the perfect mare, but had made the smile hideously too large for the rest of it.

“I was looking for you, Dashie…” the pony thing said slowly. Its mouth didn’t move when it spoke, as if it was wearing some grossly disproportionate mask. Its words were coated with a sadistic sweetness, sounding almost euphoric over seeing the wretched state of the mare at its perfect and shining feet. “We’re going to throw a party, Dashie… A farewell party… just for you…”

“Please,” the broken mare pleaded in a terrified whisper, tears of pain and fear beginning to flow down her face, “please, go away…”

“I came to tell you that you aren’t invited…” the creature said, leaning closer to the crying mare. “I wouldn’t want you getting the wrong idea… It’s a party about you… but we don’t want you there… Do you know why?”

“Please…” Dash sobbed, trying to hide her face behind her injured hooves.

The pink thing only leaned closer, its doll like blue eyes sparkling in mirthfully cruelty. “Because we hate you,” it said, almost drinking in the words. “We all hate you… We’ve always hated you… Always boasting about how great you were… Always talking about how amazing a flier you were… And now look at you… Not a pegasus, not even a proper earth pony… You’re a nothing.”

“…stop…”

“I especially hated you, you know…” the pony thing continued, its glistening smile now less than a foot from Dash’s head. “I know how you let me stare at you when I thought nopony was looking… The way you let me hug you... touch you all I wanted, just so you could brush me off and put me in my place… Did you like seeing me pine after you? Did it make you feel like a celebrity? You knew how I felt, but you never did anything about it…”

“I didn’t… I never meant… I’m sorry, Pinkie… I’m so… so sorry…”

Dash whimpered as the smile on the monster above her grew wider; perhaps wide enough to swallow her whole.

"But now, it's my turn to say..."

“Ehem!”

The pony thing drew back quickly as a third voice suddenly coughed off to its right. Dash heard the sound too, and opened her eyes to look around for its source. What she saw stunned her right out of her tears. Less than ten feet away sat a very familiar magenta earth pony. The mare’s pin-straight mane was maroon in color, and she was seated in just such a way that Dash could see three balloons adorning the side of her flank. She also had a hoof politely covering her mouth and her eyes closed, as if to leave no doubt that it had been she who had coughed. As both Dash and the creature watched, the earth pony put her hoof down and opened her eyes. Twin sapphires flashed dangerously back at them from underneath a scowling brow.

“Sorry to interrupt your audition for ‘most psychopathic creep on the planet,” the pony said, her icy tone cutting through the stale air like a knife. “But that is my mare, and I would very much like to have her back. Now.”

Rainbow Dash stared at the magenta earth pony. A sudden rush of emotions ran through her; confusion, concern, guilt, but most of all, hope. The creature also stared at the new arrival, though its mask like face gave no indication of how it felt about her sudden appearance. After a few seconds regarding the flat maned mare, the creature silently tilted its grinning head to the side, as if confused.

“What’s the matter? You look surprised to see me,” the mare said, getting to her feet and walking towards them. “You must have known I was coming, I mean you tried so hard to stop me. Or maybe you just didn’t think I’d escape all the traps you set for me back there. Oh don’t feel bad, they were very good traps, you just made one teeny tiny little mistake.” The pony came to a stop in front of them, standing less than a foot away from the still smiling monster. The creature stared back with its cold, unblinking, soulless eyes.

“You made them to stop a scatterbrained party pony with the element of laughter,” the mare said, one fiery blue eye partially obscured by her pin-straight mane, “but what you got… was me.”

The creature remained completely frozen as the mare’s gaze seemed ready to burn holes in its disfigured head. Dash watched the two with baited breath, the pain and fear that had wracked her body and mind just minutes ago completely forgotten. The scene was so intense it just didn’t seem real. Actually, none of it seemed real. The rocks, the dirt, even the alluring and terrifying pink monster all had a strange ambiguity about them. Nothing seemed entirely stable, like the world kept changing and readjusting itself slightly. The only thing that didn’t seem ethereal was the magenta earth pony who was still staring down the less than identical doppelganger in front of her.

For almost a minute, nopony spoke or moved. Even the wind seemed to be holding its breath as the tension between the pink and magenta equines continued to build. It was the magenta mare that broke the silence, squinting and bringing herself almost nose to nose with the grinning creature.

“…Hold on, I think you got a little dirt on you face there,” the pony said, lifting a foreleg to point at the creature’s smile. “Here, let me just…” The mare licked the side of her hoof and began rubbing on the creatures face with it, making a small squeaking sound. Dash blinked open mouthed up at them. Any doubt she had had concerning this mare’s identity had gone completely out the window. Along with the tension.

“Pink…” Dash quickly looked from the mare to the creature. There was no doubt who the real one was now. “…Pinkie, what are you doing?” she asked, her face and tone filled with disbelief.

“I’m saving you, duh,” Pinkamena replied distractedly. Putting her tongue between her teeth, the magenta earth pony got up onto her back legs to grab the creature by the head and began grinding her hoof against its face even harder muttering, “It’s not… coming… out…”

The creature gave absolutely no sign of protest as it allowed its head to be grappled with and furiously spit shined. Maybe it was just as stunned and confused Dash as was.

“Ugh, it’s no use,” Pinkamena groaned, letting go of the creature and putting her forehooves on her hips with a dramatic sigh. “I think it must be a natural blemish or something. There’s nothing I can do, we’re just gonna have to send it all back and have it replaced.”

Dash’s eyebrows skyrocketed as Pinkamena went back on all fours, reached under a small, nearby rock, and pulled out an impossibly large wooden crate from beneath the less than six inch wide stone. The crate was almost as big as a pony and had the words, 'in case of shipping crate emergencies,' stamped across the front in large, cautionary red letters. The antics didn’t stop there however, as the earth pony then grabbed the creature’s face again, and gave it a sharp twist like she was trying to break the thing’s neck. Instead of making a stomach turning crack, the whole head turned completely around to face front again. The earth pony began batting at it across the muzzle until the head began to spin like a top, whirling round and round until it unscrewed from the neck and fell off, still smiling, into Pinkamena’s waiting hooves. She nonchalantly tossed her catch over her shoulder and into the crate, kicking up a small jumble of packing peanuts as it landed within.

She then began to dismantle the rest of the creature, popping off limbs and segments as if it were nothing more than a giant snap together model, and tossing each piece into the crate. When she finished, the earth pony reached back under the rock and pulled out the lid which she put on top of the crate. Reaching behind her back, the maroon haired enigma pulled out a hammer and nails and used them to quickly fix the lid in place. Once she had finished, the earth pony reached behind her back again and produced a stamp and return address which she promptly slapped across the side of the box. Then she leaned casually against the crate and began to impatiently whistle, politely ignoring the look of complete befuddlement Dash was giving her.

Just when the rose eyed mare had collected herself enough to speak, the sound of flapping wings from above drew her attention.
A grey and blonde pegasus was flying towards them. As she approached, Dash realized that the pony wasn’t a pony at all, but another of the strange frozen faced creatures like the one Pinkamena had just packed away, but this one was… different. As it landed next to the crate, Dash saw that while it had the same distorted grin as the pink creature it appeared less threatening and more... goofy. The creature was almost cartoonish in the way it stumbled and skidded to a halt in front of the flat-maned earth pony and her package. Its eyes were looking in different directions as well, and its head tilted from side to side loosely as it steadied itself, almost if it really were just an overly elaborate mask. The winged creature reached into its saddlebags and pulled out a clipboard and pen, which it handed to Pinkamena. The earth pony took the clipboard, signed, and returned it along with what looked like a freshly baked banana nut muffin. Where she had gotten the muffin Dash hadn't seen, but the mail-creature seemed satisfied with the payment and put the pen and clipboard back in its saddle bag. The creature then gave both of them a walleyed salute and put the muffin on top of its wobbly head so it could grab hold of the crate with both forehooves. Then, with a slight grunt of effort, the creature hoisted it up by the crate by its side and flew off with it, somehow keeping the muffin perfectly balanced atop its head as it left.

“They just don’t make nightmares like they used to,” Pinkamena said, waving good bye to the walleyed creature as it flew away in a zigzagging trail. Then the earth pony turned back to smile back at Dash. Not a wide, toothy grin, but a small, reassuring smile. The kind of smile that said everything was going to be okay.

Dash continued to gape at her, unable to believe, or even process what had just happened. Then she began to chuckle. It started out nervously but soon became a fully-fledged laugh. Her laughter slowly dissolved into tears, and when it did she felt two hooves snake around the tops of her shoulders and pull her into a tight hug. The crying mare reached up and tried to pull her friend closer as well. After a minute of confused and frantic struggling, both ponies laid on their sides, wrapped in each other’s hooves as Dash laughed, sobbed, and hiccupped into Pinkamena’s shoulder. All the while, the earth pony gently stroked the trembling mare’s multicolored mane and fought back tears of her own.

“You are so… random,” Dash choked out, gripping the magenta pony with all her strength.

“I know,” Pinkamena answered in a whisper, still smiling, her eyes closed as she cradled the wingless speedster.

Dash’s tears eventually stopped and she simply clung to her maroon haired savior. For what felt like a long time, the two simply held each other, breathing in each other’s scent, as all the stress and pain of that horrible day began to ebb away. The sense of relief both ponies felt was immeasurable. They were together, and for the moment, safe. Under normal circumstances, they probably would have fallen asleep in each other’s hooves right then and there. When Dash's tears had finally stopped she gently pulled away.

“What’s going on?” Dash asked, rubbing her eyes and nose with the back of her foreleg. “Where are we? What was that thing? How did you find me?”

Pinkamena put a hoof over the speedster’s mouth and shushed her. “Dash, it's okay. You’ve been trapped in a nightmare by your element of harmony because of a 'pair of ducks' or something that caused it go a little haywire,” she explained calmly. "But, as to that last question..."

The flat-maned pony reached behind her back and pulled out a small book. On the cover was a colored drawing of a pink and puffy-maned Pinkie Pie plummeting upside down through the air, while a fully healthy and winged Rainbow Dash sped towards her from above. The Dash on the cover looked to be speeding down at near sonic rainboom speeds, wearing a determined expression, as the Pinkie Pie reached up towards her with a tearful smile. Both ponies were shown from the side and set against a swirling pink and blue background. At the top of the book were the words, “Sraemd fo Yolaytl!”

“It's a long story.”

Chapter 1

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 1

In which Rainbow Dash has a nightmare, and Pinkie Pie acts far too self-aware.

“Thanks again fer help’n me with these here apples, Twilight,” Applejack said as the two of them carried the last of that days harvest in from orchard. Accompanying the two ponies was the ever-present Spike, facing backwards while riding atop his caretakers back as usual.

“It was no problem at all, Applejack," Twilight replied, smiling back as Spike continued to mutter to himself while he “sorted” though the apples in her saddle bags.

Celestia’s sun hung high in the early afternoon sky, warming land below while a cool breeze carried with it the smell of freshly turned soil from Big Macintosh’s plow, and sawdust from Applebloom’s latest construction project. It was a beautiful day all things considered, though somehow it all seemed so…

“Say Twilight,” Applejack suddenly asked, slowing down and furrowing her brow as she looked out over the vast fields of her beloved apple trees. “Does this all seem a migh’ bit… familiar to you?”

“Now that you mention it I am getting a strong feeling of Déjà vu,” Twilight agreed as she glanced back at her fireproof assistant. Spike paused in his digging to look back at her in confusion.

“Day jar what now?” Applejack asked, coming to a stop to stare at her.

“Déjà vu,” Twilight repeated, also coming to a stop. “It means the feeling that this moment has happened before, and you’re right, this does feel an awful lot like the day we got our tickets to the Gala last year.” Spike’s face dawned with comprehension before he and Twilight both gave small shudders as they remembered the terrible mess that day had become after the arrival of said tickets.

“Let’s hope we don’t have to go through that again,” Spike added as he went back to his rummaging. “No…. Nope… Na ah…”

“It does seem an awful lot like tha’ day don’ it?” Applejack’s gaze again drifted to the tops of her family’s prized orchard as they resumed walking.

“An if Ah remember correctly, there was a certain lazy blue weather mare nap’n in mah…” The farmer’s words were interrupted as a disgruntled moan came from one of the lower branches of a nearby tree. The three friends looked up and there, sure enough, was a familiar cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail, sleeping on her back along one of the thicker limbs of the apple tree, complete with fluffy white pillow and pink blanket.

“Gosh darn it, Rainbow,” Applejack swore as she slid off her heavy saddle bags and stomped over to the tree her feathered friend was currently occupying. “How many times have ah told you not to go nap’n in mah appletrees!” She was just about to give the tree a good buck to shake the unconscious pegasus from her perch when Twilight stopped her.

“Applejack, wait!” the unicorn called out in a heavy whisper, putting up at the tree branch.

“Don’ worry none, Twilight. Ah’ll make sure to catch her ‘fore she hits the ground. Ah’ve done this plenty of times,” the farm pony assured her. “Though you would think she’d of gotten the hint by now…” She mumbled, rearing up on to her front legs to give the tree a well practiced kick.

“No, look!” Twilight interrupted again, pointing at Dash worriedly. The blue speedster was tossing her head back and forth on the pillow, her breath coming in heavy gasps and her wings furling and unfurling over the sides of the tree limb. Deciding that knocking the pegasus out of a tree might not be the best way to wake her obviously troubled friend, Applejack let Twilight levitate down the sleeping mare, along with her pillow and blanket.

“Rainbow?” Applejack asked as she shook her friend by the shoulder. Dash only tossed her head and continued to moan. Spike slid off of Twilight’s back as she moved closer and began gently prodding the pegasus as well. It only seemed to make things worse however, as Dash began kicking her legs under her blanket and tossed her head more violently. Her breathing became faster and her face contorted in pain.

“Dash? Dash, please wake up!” Twilight almost begged as she grabbed the pony by both shoulders.

“NO!” Rainbow screamed as she bolted upright with a start, nearly cracking skulls with the unicorn as she did so. Half awake, or perhaps just disoriented, the mare looked around in a panic as tears fell freely from her rose colored eyes.

“Easy there, sugar cube,” A.J. said carefully as she reached out a hoof to rub Dash’s back. Twilight also reached to steady the trembling mare. Dash continued to blink and look around until she seemed to recognize her friends. She looked at both of them for only before she suddenly reached out with both hoof and wing to pull them into a tight hug. Stunned, the unicorn and earth pony sat down beside her and wrapped their forelegs around their friend, cradling the tomboyish pony as she gasped and tried to fight back the tears leaking from her clenched eyes. They glanced at each other trading looks of concern and confusion. Neither of them had ever seen the fearless Rainbow Dash so scared and vulnerable before, even counting the hours prior to the best young flyers competition.

“I-it’s ah’ll right Rainbow. It was just a dream. Come on now, shh. It’s ah’ll right,” Applejack continued, trying to comfort her friend by rubbing her back and giving her a gentle squeeze.

Spike meanwhile stared uselessly at the trio. Rainbow Dash, one of the bravest and coolest ponies he knew was practically sobbing as she clung to two of her best friends like a scared filly. It just didn’t seem real. It was like if Rarity had suddenly decided to work in a garbage dump, or if Pinkie Pie began to make sense. He just didn’t know what to do.

Some movement off to his right caught his attention. Looking over he saw a large red stallion and a small yellow filly galloping up from the farm house, no doubt coming to investigate Dash’s earlier scream upon waking up. That wasn’t good. Dash prided herself on her reputation as fearless top flyer of Equestria, and while Big Mac might keep his mouth shut, little Applebloom…

Damage control! That’s what he could do. He’d be doing something helpful and it would get him away from this… this scene.

While the little dragon took off to intercept the Apple family, Rainbow Dash was beginning to collect herself. Twilight and Applejack felt their friend's wings begin to slowly slide away as her breathing started to relax and resume a normal rhythm. The two glanced at one another again before cautiously removing themselves from the cyan pegasus, watching carefully as she quickly wiped her eyes and stood up, her expression stern and almost… angry?

“Easy there, Nelly,” Applejack cautioned as she put out a hoof to steady Dash by the shoulder as the mare stumbled slightly, her legs still weak from her sudden emotional collapse.

“I’m fine,” Dash spat as she glared down at her wobbly limbs. The earth pony ignored her and kept her hoof where it was. The pegasus closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Tossing her head so her rainbow pattern mane could loosen itself from where it had stuck to her sweat drenched face and neck, Dash let the movement carry down to the rest of her body, trying to shake loose her feathers and getting rid of the trembling in her legs, as well as forcing the earth pony to remove her hoof.

“Rainbow, you are not fine,” Twilight argued as Dash continued to violently twist this way and that. “Whatever that nightmare was it had you scared to death!”

“I said I’m fine!” Dash snapped as she stopped twisting to glare up at the unicorn.

“Rainbow Dash! Wha’ in the hay has gotten into you?” Dash jumped as Applejack rounded on her. “First ya wake screaming like Nigh’mare Moon ‘ad come back ta gobble yer flank, then ya bite our heads off for tryin’ to help you!” Rose colored eyes met emerald green and for a moment Dash wondered if the cowpony had been taking staring lessons from Fluttershy. They held the glare for only a moment, then the farmer’s eyes softened into a look of concern. The earth pony's tone also became more sincere as well, almost big sisterly. “We’re yer friends, Dash. We're worried about ya, so please just tell us what’s wrong?”

After holding Applejack’s gaze for another second, the pegasus blinked and turned her head to look away.

“It’s nothing,” She said quietly, her eyes fixed on the ground. “It’s just a stupid dream. I’ll be fine.”

“Rainbow please,” Twilight began, but Dash cut her off, although her voice was still quiet.

“Really, it’s okay. Look, thanks for… ya know… helping me, but it’s fine, really, I got this under control.” As Dash began gathering up her blanket and pillow, Applejack and Twilight watched her dubiously. Bedding securely in her mouth Dash looked back at her friends before sighing and dropping belongings back on the ground again. “Honestly guys I’m fine! Look!” Dash took to the air, rising well above the tree line before she began doing a series of flips and turns to demonstrate she was still in possession of her “mad skills.”

“See?” she said landing gracefully in front of her audience with her trademark grin. “I’m totally cool. Nothing wrong.” Twilight and Applejack looked at each other. Dash certainly seemed to be back to her usual self, but still…

“Well… ah’ll right then,” Applejack said, still not entirely convinced, “If yer sure yer okay,”

“Positive,” The pegasus confirmed as she began to gather up her bedding again. “An do’n werwy.” She mumbled though a mouthful of pillow. Putting it under a foreleg she continued. “I’m totally okay now. But… thanks again for… ya know.”

“Any time,” Twilight said, moving forward and giving Dash a quick hug before she could take off again. The pegasus blushed, but returned the hug all the same. Then she picked up her blanket and took off.

“Oh, one other thing,” The speedster added, stopping in a hover to look down at the two terrestrial bound ponies. “Could you guys not mention this to anypony, especially Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie? I mean, Fluttershy will just worry and Pinkie'll probably try to throw me a party to cheer me up or something.”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said. “But if you do have any more problems promise you’ll come by the library, okay?”

“I already did,” Dash called back, and with that she sped off for home leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. Twilight blinked in confusion as she and Applejack stared after the retreating pegasus.

“Ya’ really think she’s gonna be okay?”

“Maybe. She seemed alright once she had shaken off… whatever it was she dreamed about. I read somewhere that nightmares can sometimes be caused by stress or bad food. Maybe she just ate some bad hay or something?”

“Maybe…” Applejack trailed off, watching Dash disappear into her cloud crafted home in the distance. “But what did she mean, ‘Ah already did?”

“I don’t know…” Twilight said, frowning. “Wait…” She looked up at the sky and tapped a hoof on her chin as if trying to remember something. Then her eyes lit up. “Oh! Last week she came into the library and checked out a book on dreams!”

“Wait, last week?” Applejack asked, a look of disbelief slowly coming over her.

“Yes!” The librarian replied cheerfully. “At first I thought it was weird that she was actually checking out a book, I mean that pony is always more interested in racing then reading, but I was so happy she was looking to expand her horizons that I…” Her cheerful expression died as she realized the implications of what she was saying.

“You mean that Nelly’s been having those nigh’mares since last week?”

“Well… ohm… I only know that she checked out the book last Monday.”

“It’s WEDNESDAY!” the Earth Pony yelled in horror.

“Oh! Does that mean it’s time for a middle of the week party?” Pinkie Pie asked bouncing up and down next to Twilight.

"No Pinkie it does not-" Twilight stopped mid sentence and jumped slightly upon realizing they had been joined rather suddenly by Equestria's greatest living mystery.

“Consarnit, Pinkie,” Applejack muttered after jumping slightly as well at Pinkie's surprise appearance. “Ah swear ah’m gonna tie ah bell ‘round you one ah these days.”

“Oooh! Can it be a twinkly kind of bell? I just love twinkly bells! Although knowing you you’ll probably use a great big thunky cow bell, which I guess would be fine too. I mean, we gotta have more cow bell.”

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight yelled, snapping the sugar charged earth pony out of her rambling. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh! Well I was on my way over to the joke shop cause I thought of this totally awesome idea for a new kind of party prank using a rubber chicken, some confetti, and a bit of fireworks stuff, when all of a sudden my tail started a twitch-a-twitch’n like crazy! Before I knew it, my whole body started twitch’n too! It was another doozy and it was coming from right here at Sweet Apple Acres! So I ran over here as fast as I could, but before I could figure out what it was, it stopped.

“At first I felt really bad cause I missed it, but then I saw Rainbow Dash doing some of her super awesome tricks and I thought that maybe she knew something about the doozy, but then she did look pretty tired so maybe she didn’t, but then I hadn’t seen her for a few days so I thought I should probably go see her anyways, but then I saw her leaving with her pillow and the pink blanket I gave her so I figured she must be going to get some sleep and she looked like she really needed it so I thought I shouldn’t bother her, but then I saw you and Applejack and Applejack looked really freaked out and you looked really happy until you looked really freaked out too and then Applejack said it was ‘WEDNESDAY’ and so I said, ‘Oh! Does that mean it’s time for a middle of the week party? Pinkie asked bouncing up and down next to Twilight.’ Oh… no wait I only said the first part of that, sorry. Anyway, so have you two seen a doozy anywhere?”

Pinkie smiled pleasantly at her friends as they blinked back at her and tried to process the waterfall of words that had just poured out of her mouth.

“…You gave Dash ah blanket?” Applejack asked finally.

“Well duh! Who else would give Dashie a pink blanket?”

“Well… Ah reckon tha’ does make sense…”

“…Anyway,” Twilight said, trying to get back on track, or as on track as one could be when dealing with Pinkie Pie, “So there’s going to be another doozy sometime soon?”

“No. I told you, it already happened,” the mare replied, looking a little put out. “I came over as fast as I could but it still took me a whole five minutes! I guess I really do need to cut back on the cupcakes…” she sighed, looking back at her flank with a glare of distaste. “It’s so hard living in a bakery sometimes…”

Ignoring for the moment that Pinkie had apparently traveled the hour’s walk from Ponyville central plaza to Sweet Apple Acres in roughly a twelfth of the time, and still considered that slow, Twilight thought back to the last doozy Pinkie had predicted. How had she described it again? Something’s about to happen that you least expect?

“Something you never expect to happen is about to happen,” Pinkie said, startling Twilight out of her thoughts. “That’s what this doozy felt like. It was just like the last one, and since the last doozy had to do with you, I was worried that this one might also have to do with another one of my friends, especially since it was at Sweet Apple Acres. So have you two seen anything recently? I mean it just happened a few minutes ago.”

Twilight and Applejack glanced at one another. Something you never expect to happen. Rainbow Dash suddenly waking up in tears in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres certainly seemed to fit that description. But Dash had asked them to promise not to tell anypony about it, Pinkie especially, and telling a secret was the fastest way to lose a friend.

“Forever!” Pinkie yelled, startling Twilight out of her thoughts for a second time. “It’s going to take forever to work off those silly cupcakes!” She continued glaring at her flank. Twilight blinked at her. Sometimes Pinkie’s randomness seemed to bit too… well planned.

“Well, I’d say ya’ll were predictin’ Dash’s nigh’mare,” Applejack answered, her eyes looking off at the pegasus’s levitating home. Twilight facehoofed. Leave it to the element of honesty…

“Ohm, Applejack. Didn’t Dash just ask you not to tell Pinkie Pie about that?” the unicorn whispered.

The earth pony blinked. “Oh… yeah. Ohm… forget I said anything, Pinks.”

Applejack’s poor excuse at a recovery fell on deaf ears however. Pinkie Pie’s gaze had fallen to her hoofs and her expression had changed from her usual bright and energetic smile to a frown that looked strangely like guilt. An emotion which was echoed in her voice as she said,

“So she is still having those dreams…”

Rainbow yawned as she drug her hooves through the doorway of her cloud crafted mansion. 'Well that was a complete disaster,' she thought as she closed the door. Not only did she still have that horrible dream again, but now her friends knew about it. Well, two more of them did, but considering one of those two was the living embodiment of honesty, and she thought she’d seen a familiar pink blur rushing towards Sweet Apple Acres as she had left, it probably wouldn’t be long before half of Ponyville knew about her little… problem. Her weather team was already suspicious after she had taken her fourth sick day, though they probably thought she was taking some down time to recover after a failed stunt. It wouldn’t be the first time she had skipped work for that reason.

Her wings felt heavy as she flew up to the second floor of her “house.” There were no stairs in the levitating estate. Who needed them when you could fly? After all, it wasn’t like any unicorns or earth ponies had ever stopped by for a visit. Well, one had. Rainbow smiled sleepily as she thought back to the day Pinkie Pie had shown up to deliver a singing telegram inviting her to gummy's birthday party. She could only gape in shock at finding the earth pony on her door step. Of course she had been in a balloon at the time, but still, only Pinkie Pie.

As she entered her bedroom, Dash let her pillow and blanket slide off her back and onto the soft rainbow patterned carpet. Using enchanted carpets was a lot cheaper than having to enchant every piece of furniture and knick-knack to keep it from falling through the floor. The carpets were woven with a few pegasus mane or tail hairs, usually the pegasus who made the order, and then given a simple enchantment to spread the hair’s cloud resistant properties and color throughout the rest of the fabric. She had to hoof it to the unicorns for coming up with that one.

As she made her way over to her desk she tried to focus her eyes on the print of the book that lay open there. She had tried almost everything it had suggested for getting rid of nightmares. Warm milk before bed, playing music, flooding the room with pleasant smells, changing her surroundings, but nothing had worked. She had tried sleeping in the trees of Sweet Apple Acres as a last ditch effort to combine all of those. The warm spots of sun shine peeking through the rustling leaves of the tree, the song of Fluttershy’s birds, the smell of A.J.’s delicious apples, but in the end it had all backfired on her. The nightmare had been worse than ever.

She sighed and began rereading the chapter in front of her for what felt like the hundredth time; hoping against hope that she had missed something, some miracle cure that might allow her to get at least a few hours undisturbed rest. As she read through pages she came across a passage she had purposefully skipped over before.

“Sleeping with a trusted partner has also been found to help calm bouts of night terrors. The partner should be someone the patient trusts and feels safe with. In many cases just the presence of the partner in the same room has had a positive effect, however best results were reported with the partner held or ‘spooned’ the patient or engaged in other,”

Rainbow closed the book. None of that mushy nonsense would help her now. The only way she would be rid of this stupid dream was if she did it on her own, she was sure of it. Besides, it wasn’t like she could face her friends now. Not after they had…

She gave her head a little shake. No, that had been in the dream. Her friends hadn’t done anything to her. They were still her friends, and they would always be there for her, no matter what any stupid dream said. Still, she would rather they hate her, then be forced to watch them…

She shuddered, trying to block out the memory. Best not to think about it, she thought to herself as she retrieved her blanket and pillow from the doorway and tossed them onto the bed before trotting into the adjoining bathroom.

After a quick shower to rinse off the sweat and try to relax herself, Dash crawled onto her soft cloud crafted bed and pulled the pink cloth over her exhausted body. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes and inhaling the faint sugary scent that still accompanied the blanket after almost a year of being in her possession. It was a comforting smell, one that made her think of pranking and laughter, and of the mare responsible for those laughs. Smiling, she tried to keep her mind focused on those memories as she said a quick prayer to Luna that she might finally get at least a few hours undisturbed rest. Ever prayer to Celestia on the matter had gone unanswered. Her smile faded quickly when, even before she had fallen completely unconscious, her memories of mirthful giggles were drowned out by the roar of the crowds. She shuddered, tried to bring herself out of her fall into darkness, but it was already too late.

Chapter 9

Dreams of Loyalty Chapter 9

In which Pinkie Pie traverses a nightmare, ships are mentioned, and doors don’t always lead were should.

Dreams are funny, Pinkie thought as she floated in a cool, and gentle, endless sea of white. She may not have had a body, at least none that she could see, and there may not have been any kind of ground, or again, at least none that she could see, but she was relatively certain she was floating. Of course, she was also relatively certain the emptiness around her was white, but then sometimes it looked blue, and sometimes it looked pink too. Either way, it was a very funny kind of experience.

She floated like that for what felt like hours, or perhaps it felt more like seconds. Either way, she seemed to float for some amount of time, and then she simply wasn’t floating at all. She didn’t know what she was doing, but it wasn’t floating. As she half-heartedly tried to work out what it was she was doing instead of floating, the large ocean of white in front of her began to form small patches of grey. The cool sensation that had surrounded her like a blanket of clouds disappeared, leaving a warm, coarse, and uncomfortable feeling. She quickly realized she had a body again, because she could feel the warm, scratchy something rubbing against it, like she was taking a shower in desert sand. The dark spots in her vision became pitch black, and started to spread out across the white sheet in front of her, like cigarette burns on a piece of clean paper. The burnt places fell away, revealing harsh streaks of fiery red and orange. A wet smell filled her nose. It was pungent, almost metallic, and horrifically familiar.

Her eyes widened as the recalled the source of that smell. When she had still worked on the farm, before the Sonic Rainboom, she and Inky Pie, or Inkesta as she had been called back then, had been breaking apart some of the smaller rocks in the field to be used as weights. The pick she had been using was very old, and when she swung it down to onto a particularly sturdy slab of granite the end had shattered. A sharp piece of the debris had hit Inky, and cut her badly across the side of her neck. Fortunately, her parents had taught all the girls first aid and what to do in case of emergency. Pinkie had stopped the bleeding quickly, holding her sister’s wound closed as tightly as she could without strangling the injured filly while she screamed for help. Her parents had come running, bringing with them the first aid kit and bandages. Inky had recovered, and their parents praised Pinkie for her quick actions, but the magenta filly had had nightmares for weeks about that horrible crimson liquid that had poured out from her sister’s neck. Every time she had closed her eyes, she remembered its nauseating, pungent, and almost metallic smell.

Pinkie shut her eyes and covered her nose and mouth as the terrible memories resurfaced and her stomach became sick. How had she forgotten something like that? And how could she forget it again? She began wishing she hadn’t drunk the potion. If these were the kind of horrors Luna had been talking about, then…

Her whirling mind slowed as she remembered the Alicorn’s speech, and then her own. Her pulse, for she realized it had been racing, slowed too as she remembered why she was here. She took her hoof away from her face and breathed in. The smell was faint, but still present. She took another breath, forcing herself to relive that memory completely. Inky had been hurt and scared, but she survived. Better than that, she had made a full recovery, and told Pinky how lucky she was to have such a brave and amazing big sister over and over again, even when that same big sister woke up sobbing from another crimson colored nightmare. She had saved her sister, and she would save Dash.

Pinkie breathed in again, and the smell was gone. Opening her eyes, she saw the same reds and oranges she had seen before. The same colors, she realized, that had been cast over her family’s world every morning and evening, only these colors weren’t quite so dull.

Blinking, she looked around to discover she was lying on her back in a grassy field near the edge of a heavily wooded forest. Turning over and getting to her feet, she slowly began to recognize the area as the edge of the Everfree forest not too far away from Sweet Apple Acres. Only… it wasn’t.

Everything was in its proper place according to her memory; she could even see the bright red farm house in the distance, though it was slightly muted from the fiery glow of the sky. Still, there was something… sinister about the world now. The trees looked taller and more threatening then she remembered, and the grass seemed to stab sharply into her hooves, as if she were standing on the ends of dried hay. Even the air seemed hot and oppressive. It was as if all of Equestria were radiating with a subtle hatred for her very existence.

“The world thou will enter will be nothing less than apocalypse.”

Luna’s words echoed in her mind as Pinkie continued to look around the foreboding landscape. Well, one thing could be said for the Princess, she certainly hadn’t exaggerated. There was also no sign of the cerulean speedster, or of anypony else for that matter. Still that wasn’t too surprising considering how close she was to the Everfree. She was just contemplating where to begin her search when the sound of snapping twigs from beyond the tree line made the choice for her. As she began briskly walking towards 'anywhere but here,' she silently agreed that, considering how dangerous the normal Everfree forest was, it would probably be best to avoid apocalypty, doom, and gloom Everfree as much as possible.

The world did not seem to share her opinion, because the sound of the next breaking twig was considerably closer. Pinkie picked up her pace slightly and casually glanced back over her shoulder. She did a double take when she realized she was only a few feet away from edge of the forest, even though she was certain she had been farther away when she had started leaving. The snapping grew louder, causing the earth pony to go into a full gallop. But no matter how fast she ran, every time she looked back she seemed closer to the forest’s edge, and closer to whatever was making that horrible crunching sound as it lumbered towards her though the dark underbrush. Her frantic pace made her think back to when she and her friends had raced a hydra though Froggy Bottom Bog, and to her horror the crunching noise was soon joined by the sound of huge, thundering feet and crashing timbers. Despite the hot air, a chilling cold shot up her spine, and without even looking back, Pinkie knew there was no escape.

She stopped, slamming her hooves into the ground and skidding on the dead earth, the prickling grass reaching up to stab into her feet like a bed of needles. The stiflingly dry air scorched her lungs as she tried to draw breath. Though she had only run for minute at most, she could feel the perspiration dripping down her body, as she heard a final, sickening snap from just behind her, and the sound of something huge, something enormous, breathing in a deep hiss some fifty feet or so above her head.

For another instant, she stood with her back to whatever horrible monstrosities waited behind her, her eyes hidden behind a pinstriped, magenta curtain. She clenched her teeth and swallowed. No, she would not run anymore, that wasn’t how she handled her problems anyway. She was going to take whatever aberrations had crawled out of those woods head on and force them to limp right back in, after she made them tell her where Dash was. A sound grew in her throat. It began as a deep growl, but quickly became a thunderous roar as she turned and leapt blindly at her pursuers. Her eyes filled with fire, her voice bellowing with courage, she flew in to the air, her forehoof pulled back and ready to strike down her foes with all the strength her rock farming heritage could grant her, and… slammed face first into a tree.

Pinkie hung in the air for a few seconds, her head well and truly lodged in the burly pine she had just thrown herself into. Then gravity began to take effect causing her body to fall limp against the tree, her embedded firmly in its bark. She remained like that for some time, silently hanging there like some giant, magenta stag beetle. Then she began to giggle. Muffled though tree though it was, the sporadic giggles of the limp maned mare were easy too discern in the otherwise silent forest. As her laughter grew louder, her color became lighter, and her hair and tail became curly and full. The now cotton candy tailed pony brought her hooves up to the tree and began pushing to dislodge herself from its bark. She came loose with a soft ‘pop,’ and fell onto her back amongst a pillow of crunching, fallen leaves. Her laughter faded a little as she looked around, and, to her surprise, found herself completely alone amongst the tall timbers and scattered leaves. Then she began laughing again. She laughed long and loud, both out of relief and at her own ridiculous antics.

Once she began to settle down, she sat up and began looking about for any sign of whatever had been stalking her, but there was no hint of it. She had been certain she had heard trees crashing to the ground as they were brushed way by the one or more of the things pursuing her, but every tree she saw was perfectly fine and vertical. There wasn’t so much as a footprint, or a disturbed blade of grass anywhere to be found in the dim forest that surrounded her. Pinkie blinked and looked around again. No, she had seen correctly. She had somehow ended up inside the forest. The edge was only a few yards away, but there were still a fair number of trees between her and the open field she had arrived in.

“Hmmmmm,” Pinkie said to herself, rubbing her chin and eyeing the forest suspiciously.

She stood up and began carefully walking toward the outer edge of the tree line. To her surprise, (or perhaps not to her surprise, it was hard to tell now,) she cleared it without incident and continued on into the open air. She stopped and looked back to check if the forest was following her again, but the Everfree remained where it was this time, completely silent and inert. After taking a few more steps and double checking that she wasn’t followed, she sighed gratefully and began making her way toward the first land mark she could see.

The rolling orchards of Sweet Apple Acres.

“This can’t be good,” Twilight said, peering over Fluttershy’s shoulder as the pegasus wiped away another sheet of sweat from Pinkie’s brow. The earthy pony’s hair was limp, and her face showed nothing less than absolute terror. “That definitely can’t be good.”

“Hold on to yer hooves there, Twilight,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder and gently pulling her back so Fluttershy could go back to her pony tending. “Fer all we know, that could be a sign the potions workin’ proper like. We don’ have a clue how Zecora’s fancy concoctions are suppose’ ta work.”

“But look at her face,” the librarian protested, “she’s obviously in pain! Or scared, or something!”

“Settle down, Twi,” the farm pony repeated. “Gettin’ all worked up in a tissy ain’t gonna help nopony. Though, ta be honest, Ah sure would like ta know what we could to ta help…” she added, looking meaningfully at the midnight blue Alicorn in the corner of the room.

Luna straitened up upon being addressed. After Pinkie Pie had taken the potion, the younger Princess had silently slunk away to a far corner of the room to organize her thoughts, as well as her feelings.

“What? I…” the Alicorn stammered briefly. Then she took quick breath and collected herself. “I apologies, fair Applejack. But to answer thy question, I believe that kind Fluttershy has the… “right idea,” as thou would say. We shouldst be calm, and make every attempt to refrain from causing strife or panic to permeate the room. I believe a lost ship will find a calm harbor easier to return to, if thou will forgive the metaphor.”

“Right, no panicking,” Twilight agreed quickly, though clearly not calming down at all. “We should make things as calm as possible for ships. Fluttershy, go get some of your birds and have them sing calming music; Rarity, you go to the spa and get some calming aroma therapy candles; Applejack-“

“Twilight!” Applejack and Rarity yelled in unison, snapping the purple unicorn out of her ‘team organizer’ mode. Twilight blinked at them in confusion before realizing what she was doing.

“Oh, right,” she said, blushing. “Maybe, I should work on calming myself down first…” She gave them a nervous smile before turning to the corner opposite Luna’s. She slowly crossed to it and sat down with her still armored back to the room, hunched over so her face was hidden from view.

Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all looked at each other uncertainly. Luna watched them as well, once again seemingly forgotten about as she sat in her dark corner. She shook her head. Now was not the time for such self-pitying thoughts, there were more important things to worry about then her bruised ego, namely the lives of two ponies, and now the mental state of her best friend. Though, what was she to do?

After a minute's reflection, the Princess started to get to her feet. As a friend, the best thing she could do right now was speak with Twilight and see if she needed either space or comfort. If she needed space, Luna would let her be. If she needed comfort, then she would offer all she could. Before the Princess could rise fully however, she noticed Applejack had already taken a several steps towards the sulking pony. Luna quickly settled back down again, though nopony took any notice of her. Perhaps it would be best to let Twilight’s best friends comfort her, rather than somepony she knew mostly through letters. Sadly, the princess watched as the cowpony approached Twilight’s armored form.

“Listen Twi,” Applejack began, “I know ya usually cope with this kinda stuff by coming up with some clever plan an’ gettin’ everypony worken together an all, but right know we…”

The farmpony was cut short by the sound of crying. Surprised, she stepped closer and gently turned Twilight around to face her, and was met by two wet, amethyst orbs. Tears streamed down the unicorn’s face, even as she tried to wipe them away with the back of her hoof.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said shakily, as she fought back the flow of tears. “I’m sorry girls, I just… I never had any friends until I met all of you and… and now we might lose Pinkie and Dash, and I… I just don’t…”

Twilight was saved the difficulty of continuing as the blond mare gathered her up in a strong hug. Everpony watched as Applejack let the unicorn sob quietly into her shoulder for a few minutes. Once Twilight had let her fears and anxieties out through her tears, the earth mare gently shushed her and began rubbing her back. At least she tried to before realizing she was trying to comfort her friend through a sheet of plated metal. The cowpony quickly switched to patting the unicorn on the back of the head instead.

“Listen ta me,” Applejack whispered, pulling the unicorn back so they could be face to face. “Do you remember what Ah told you the first night we all met, and you was dangling on the edge of that cliff?” Twilight nodded as she rubbed her eyes, still sniffling. “Ah said that if you let go you’d be safe, and that Ah was tellin’ you the honest truth, remember?” Twilight nodded again. “An’ you were safe, weren’t cha?”

Twilight nodded again, this time beginning to grow impatient. “Yes, but I don’t see what-”

“Ah’ve known those two fillies ever since they first came to Ponyville,” the apple farmer interrupted her. “Dash and Ah have been friends fer years, and Pinkie made certain everypony in town knew her soon as she rolled into town. In all the time Ah’ve known’em, Ah ain’t never seen neither of’em give up on anything, or anypony, even when it might'a been a better idea ta throw in the towel. Dash'll keep goin' long as she's still got breath in her, an' Ah sometime wonder if Pinkie even needs ta breath what with the way she carries on sometimes. Mah point is, ain't nothing in Equestria or where ever hay Pinkie goes is gonna keep those two apart. They're gonna come back to us just fine,” Applejack said, looking Twilight in the eye. “And what Ah’m saying ta you, is the honest truth.”

In friend's eyes, Twilight saw the same strength and certainty she had seen that night on the cliff; the same reassuring honesty that had made her trust her life to a perfect stranger. Twilight looked a bit longer, and then closed her own eyes and relaxed, breathing out the remaining tension and stress in a gentle sigh.

“Thanks, A.J.” Twilight said, opening her eyes to smile at the Stetson clad pony. “I know I shouldn’t have gone crazy like that, but-”

“Darling,” Rarity interjected, stepping up to the two. “I think we’ve all had a bit of a break down today. Some of us more so then others,” she added, with a quick glance at the still sleeping Pinkie Pie, “but it’s nothing to fret over.”

“Rarity’s righ’, Sugar Cube,” Applejack agreed. “We all understand how ya feel, and we’re all righ’ there with ya, so-”

She was interrupted by an excited gasp from the bed.

“She’s smiling!” Fluttershy exclaimed, almost dancing up and down next to the sleeping ponies. “Pinkie’s smiling!”

Everypony, including Luna, rushed over and nearly pinned the poor pegasus to the wall as they crowded around the bed to take a look. The pink party pony was smiling. A gentle, and almost amused smile, but a smile none the less.

“Ya see,” Applejack said quietly, “nothin’ to worry about. An’ Ah’ll bet mah farm she’ll have Dash smiling twice as wide in no time.”

The purple mare silently agreed. If anypony could turn a terrifying nightmare into something to smile about, it was Pinkie Pie. After looking down at the unconscious couple for a few seconds, the unicorn felt somepony's gaze lingering on her. Glancing up, she managed to catch the briefest glimpse of two beautiful, teal eyes before their owner turned away. Twilight smiled as she realized what she should be doing. She could trust Pinkie to deal with Dash's dreams. Right now, there seemed to be another nightmare that could use Twilight's attention, or rather an ex-Nightmare. There was also the small matter of those words that had been whispered in her ear back on the bed. Of course, it would probably be best if she got the Alicorn alone first for such a discussion. Fortunately, the view from the hospital room window presented just such an opportunity.

“Princess Luna, isn’t it almost time for you to raise the moon?” Twilight asked innocently, indicating her slowly fading namesake outside.

Her friend turned and noted the time with some surprise.

“It would appear as such, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna concurred, walking to the window and peering out at the setting sun. Was it really so late already? It seemed like they had just arrived.

“Why don’t we go up to the roof? It looks like thing’s are well in hoof here, and you’ll have a great view and plenty of room up there.”

“We?” Luna asked, looking at the purple unicorn uncertainly.

“Um, well you see, I… I'd like to get some fresh air! Yeah, hehe, after a good cry it’s always good to get some fresh air, you know?” Twilight giggled nervously. When the Princess continued to look unsure she added, “Plus I’d really like to see you raise the moon. …if you don’t mind of course.”

Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy looked back and forth between the dusk and midnight colored mares as the Alicorn weighed her options. If she was completely honest with herself, Luna wasn’t sure if she wanted to be alone with her thoughts or not right now. Pinkie’s words still laid heavily on her, among other things. Part of her longed for her tower, and some seclusion with which to analyze or perhaps even research the flurry of uncomfortable feelings that were dancing about in her chest and skull. But still another part of her, one with a voice that sounded uncomfortably similar to her sister, whispered that perhaps the answers she sought could only be found with the unicorn in front of her.

“...Very well, Twilight," Luna said finally. "I wouldst be most grateful for thy company.”

She could not sneak away to her tower while her responsibilities to her subjects, no, to her friends kept her here. She may as well give her inner voice of reason, or perhaps mischief, a chance. Either way, Twilight’s smile at her response seemed to confirm she had made the right decision. Luna felt the agitating butterflies in her stomach settle a bit as the unicorn opened the door for her.

Rarity watched them leave with a curious expression, and after the door shut, her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hmmm.”

“Uh-ho,” Applejack muttered, watching the alabaster unicorn and drawing the mare's attention.

“What?” Rarity asked.

“Ah know that look,” the farm pony replied, her expression guarded. “It’s the same one ya gave me righ' before ya went after mah head with tha' brandin’ iron an’ a can of frilly perfoom.”

“For the last time, Darling, it was a curling iron and hair spray, not perfume, and I only wanted to see what you would look like with a more… stylized coiffure.”

“Ya nearly singed mah ears off, Rare,” the earth pony deadpanned.

“Well if you had just sat still instead of making me chase you halfway across the boutique, and stopped struggling so much I could have been more careful.”

“Mah point is,” Applejack continued, prodding her violet maned friend in the chest, “you’ve got ’cher eye on somethin’, an’ yer not gonna let it be till you’ve gone an’ fiddled with it.”

“Applejack, I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about,” Rarity said, turning up her nose with a resentful flip of her mane.

“All the same,” the earth pony said, stealthily reaching out with her long straw colored tail and interweaving it with the unicorn’s own violet curls. “Ah think Ah’ll be keepin’ an eye on you.”

The fashionista’s face flashed scarlet at the contact, and she quickly looked over her shoulder towards the bed. Fluttershy had her back to the pair, once again busying herself with making Pinkie and Dash as comfortable as possible. Content that they hadn’t immediately been discovered, the unicorn turned back to the farmer with a slightly cross look.

“I think that’s a bit more then just an eye on me, Applejack,” the unicorn chided quietly, even as she wrapped her own tail around the farmer’s.

“Now, what did Ah say ‘bout frettin’ over them details?” Applejack replied, her voice also barely more than a whisper as she leaned a little closer to the mare.

Rarity was about to voice some sort of cleaver banter in return, but suddenly became far to interested with how captivatingly green the farmpony's eyes were in the fading light. As she began leaning forward as well, the moment was shattered by a panicked gasp from the bed behind them. The two broke apart and turned to see Fluttershy still standing with her back to them, though the pegasus's posture told them all they needed to know. They rushed over to her and immediately saw what had prompted the reaction; Pinkie’s face was once again wracked with pain. Her hair was still bright and springy, but her breathing was even heavier than before and sweat was pouring down her face and body.

“I’ll get Twilight and the Princess,” Rarity said almost immediately. She started for the door, but Applejack kept her hold on the unicorn's tail and pulled her back.

“Hold on there Missy!”

The fashionista came to a jarring stop as she felt the not-so-subtle tug on their connected tails. Rairty gave a yelp before glaring back at the farmer in resentment at being stopped in such an undignified a way.

“There ain’t nothing those two could do fer her now,” Applejack explained, ignoring the unicorn’s look of indignation. “’Sides,” she added, looking down at the panting pink pony, “It don’t look ta me like she’s in trouble, more like she just finished a marathon 'er somthin’. Also, her hair's still all springy, so Ah reccon that's a good sign, right?"

Rarity and Fluttershy looked at each other, and then back at the sleeping mares. Applejack was right, she did look more exhausted then frightened this time. Perhaps they should give her some time first. Hesitantly, they nodded.

"Righ', so let’s jus’ simmer down an’ give her a chance to catch her breath ‘fore we go panicin’ Twilight again, okay?”

The other two nodded again and Applejack stepped away to let Fluttershy resume her role as Florence Nightinpony; the pegasus still a bit too shaken to notice her two conscious friends were now connected at the back end. Rarity resumed her seat at her Applejack’s side and replaced her head on the farmpony’s shoulder; her worried gaze fixed on the unconscious ponies in the bed. The blond mare did the same, and soon silence fell over the room, punctuated only by the sounds of strained breathing and of Fluttershy occasionally wringing her damp cloth out over a nearby pan.

“What’s happening in there, Applejack?” Rarity asked, reaching around to hug her partner round the waist as she watched the pegasus care for their two friends.

“Ah don’t know,” the pony replied honestly, returning the embrace and putting a hoof around the unicorn’s shoulder. “But Ah sure hope she’s found Dash by now…”

It took a surprisingly short time to make it to the farmstead, even by Pinkie Pie standards. One second she was walking toward the distant red farm house, and the next she was passing through the front gate. Just like at the edge of the Everfree, everything was almost exactly as she remembered it, apart from the red sky and the persistently unwelcome atmosphere. Unlike her memories however, the entire farm was deserted and silent.

“Hello?” she called, looking around the seemingly abandoned farm. “Applejack? Granny Smith? Is anypony here?”

The only answer she received was the whistling of the wind blowing through the trees. It could have been her imagination, but it sounded almost like the cry of somepony in pain. Somepony who sounded very familiar.

“Dashie?” she yelled after the fleeting wind. No answer came, and as she listened, the entire farm, and perhaps all of Equestria, fell into complete silence.

She swallowed nervously as she made her way towards the house. If nothing else, she might be able to get a better view of things from an upstairs window. As she walked, however, she could feel her chest begin to tighten and the air around her grow warmer and dry. The front patio of the house seemed to stretch away from her as she approached. Though it was only about ten yards to the patio from the gate, every inch seemed to stretch out into a mile for the pink pony. Becoming inpatient, Pinkie stepped up her pace to a light trot. The door continued to remain out of her reach however; in fact, it seemed to pull even farther away somehow.

“Okay, this is getting really old,” Pinkie said angrily to the house, slowing to a stop and reaching up and to wipe the beads sweat from her forehead.

Checking around, she saw she was about half way to the patio. Cautiously, she took a single step forward. The large red building remained where it was, though there was a defiant tension in the air. The house seemed to be giving her the same kind of defiant attitude she had come to associate with a certain white rabbit she knew. Actually, that gave her an idea.

Sitting down, Pinkie faced away from the farmhouse and looked up at rust colored horizon. Then she began to hum. She stayed like that for a while, humming her little song and occasionally swishing her tail back and forth in time with the beat. After a while she tilted her head to the side and sneaked a sidelong look at the building behind her. Smiling, Pinkie went back to her humming, throwing in a little whistling as well; completely ignoring that the large red barn had silently closed half the distance between them while she had her back turned.

It was just like Fluttershy had taught her when the excitable earth pony had meet Angel for the first time. Sometimes, you just have to let the more stubborn critters come to you. Of course, the demure pegasus probably hadn’t had two story buildings in mind when explaining why her pet rabbit had kicked dust in Pinkie’s face when she tried to introduce herself. Then again, Fluttershy did keep quite an exotic menagerie around her home...

After another minute of humming, Pinkie stole another quick glance and saw the house was almost right behind her.

“Gottcha!” she yelled, quickly turning and pouncing onto the front door. There was absolutely no reaction, but when she looked back she saw that she had finally cleared the ten yards to the house and everything was at its appropriate distances again.

“Sorry Mr. Applejack’s house,” Pinkie said, nonchalantly opening the door and stepping inside. “But you just can’t beat aunty Pinkie PiiiieeIIIIEEEE!”

Pinkie flailed as her front hooves stepped onto thin air. The doorway ended in a sheer drop into an impossibly deep pit. Blackness stretched out endlessly on all sides from the doorway as Pinkie tumbled forward into the abyss. Fortunately the door had opened inward, and she was just able to grab the handle with her tail and stop her descent. Upside down, the dangling mare thanked every star in Luna’s sky that earth pony tails were prehensile. Unfortunately, her tail wasn’t quite as developed as say, Applejack’s, and thus lacked the strength to actually pull herself up to safety. Mulling over her situation as the blood rushed to her head, Pinkie reasoned that the only way back up would be to swing back and forth until she could reach the edge, preferably without slamming the door shut on her tail in the process, and preferably before she became to dizzy to see straight.

When she began coaxing herself forward however she encountered a new problem. Tails, it seemed, weren’t meant to be hung from by the very tip, and any sort of movement made her tail ache in protest and slip off the knob a little. Okay, new plan. Reaching up with her back legs she grabbed the door between her back hooves and pulled herself up until she was also able to grab on with her forelegs as well. Hanging onto the bottom of the door like some bubble gum pink monorailpony, Pinkie tightened her grip on the door and attempted to readjust her tail for a better grip. She felt her stomach plummet as the door gave a sudden lurch forward. Looking up, she watched in slow motion as the screws holding the top most hinge in place began to strip out of their sockets.

She barely had time to react before the wood completely gave way and the door swung down and over, twisting the flimsily metal of its last hinge and swinging poor Pinkie Pie under the doorframe as she tried desperately to keep her grip on the slick wood and brass handle. The door swung around again, further twisting the whining tin and iron holding it to the world outside the abyss, and bringing its desperately clinging passenger back in sight of her only way to salvation. With a burst of adrenalin, Pinkie flexed her tail and scrambled up the wildly swinging door until she could grab the upper edge with the forehooves. Now right side up, she knew she had less than a second before the hinge completely gave way. Hoisting herself onto the narrow and slanted edge of the door, Pinkie kicked off to leap for the exit, only to feel the twisted and stretched tin break free from its anchors the instant she pushed down with her powerful legs.

Time almost stood still as the terrified mare felt the world drop out from beneath her. She felt the awful pull of gravity drag her down in the blackness, even as she slowly drifted towards the orange light of the world outside. Her eyes looked out at the white picked gate and red sky. Then they were level with the smooth edge of the floor. And then she fell beneath it.

This was it. After coming so far, she would fail here. Doomed to fall eternally in a dark void of nothingness, completely alone, never to see her friends, her family, or her Dashie ever again. No. It wasn’t right. Not after everything she had done. Not after everything she risked. Not with Dash waiting for her rescue. With one last, herculean effort, Pinkie kicked out her legs, stretched up her hoof… and felt it catch on the bottom of the doorway.

With a groan of effort, she pulled herself up and grabbed on with her other foreleg. Her feet dangled helplessly in mid air as she scrapped at the ground with her chin and elbows, trying desperately to gain enough friction to get the rest of her body to safety. Reaching around the side of the door and pulling her torso against the corner, she was able to gain the leverage needed to pull herself all the way up, and onto solid ground once more. She lay there, panting as every muscle in her body seemed strained or pulled after her sudden acrobatics.

“I've gotta remind... Applejack,” she gasped out, feeling her pulse pounding in her head, “... to redo her floors... when I get back.”

Then she fell limp, letting the exhaustion and stress wash over her aching body. She wanted to rest. Oh, Celestia, how she wanted to just lie there and rest, but she still had a job to do. As horrible as her stay in this bucked up world had been so far, she knew it was nothing compared to what Dash must have been going though inside this hellish nightmare.

Her limbs still trembling out of shock and exertion, Pinkie got to her feet, and continued her search.