The Sleepless Horseby IanpiersonjdavisChaptersAnother Night with Rainbow DashThe Sleepless Horse ReturnsThe LegendShadow DanceEpilogueAnother Night with Rainbow DashThe Sleepless Horse By Sterling Davis "Scoot?" "Huh?" The young filly cocked her head at hearing her idol's voice. They were in Rainbow Dash's Cloud House and the sun was beginning to set, and after speaking with Twilight she had offered Scootaloo to come and spend the night with her once more. "I want to talk to you about...something." she replied, uncertain how to proceed. "Like what?" she asked, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement, but stopped when she caught the solemn expression on Dash's face. "It's about...your parents." Her wings stopped, almost instantly as her expression fell. "Wh-what do you want to know?" she asked, timidly. "Why did you lie to me?" There was no anger in her tone-only hurt. "Huh?" "Why couldn't you just tell me the truth about them?" she demanded. "I-I was scared..." she replied softly, her voice barely louder than a squeak. "And you were afraid, that I would think that you were crazy by pretending that they were still around?" she added, remembering the conversation she'd had with Twilight, earlier. "I...I was afraid to lose you..." she admitted, with tears in her eyes. "And if I didn't have you...I'd have nopony-do you have any idea what it's like to be all alone?" she almost shouted. "Yes...I do." Rainbow admitted, sadly. "I understand what your going through, probably better than anypony in Equestria..." "But, you don't have to anymore..." she wrapped a wing around Scootaloo and pulled her closer. "You have me now, and I promise you, that I will never, ever hurt you or abandon you." Scootaloo wiped the tears from her eyes and embraced her mentor and starting up again. "I'm truly sorry, if I had paid more attention-I would have realized sooner how much you needed me..." she trailed off, before softly running her hoof through the sobbing filly's mane. They stood there in Rainbow's kitchen like that for a few more moments, before releasing each other and Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from one of Scootaloo's eyes. "Why don't you get ready for bed, 'kay squirt?" she asked. She merely nodded before walking off as Rainbow Dash sighed, she had been slightly ashamed of herself for not realizing that she'd never seen or even heard of Scootaloo's parents when she spent the week over last time, it wasn't until she talked to Twilight about it that she began to understand. Twilight theorized that Scootaloo might have made them up to come up with a sense of stability and normality to be more like her friends; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and the more Dash thought about it, the more sense it made-after all, at the time she found it kind of weird that her parents didn't show up to see their own daughter at the talent show. So what had happened to them? Did they die...or did they just abandon her? Apparently nopony-not even Scootaloo knew. But, more than anything Rainbow Dash felt disgusted for herself for not knowing these things-what kind of big sister was she, anyway? Twilight had tried to convince her not to worry about it, but she couldn't help feeling like she'd failed her...and at that point Dash decided she'd find a way to make it up to Scootaloo...somehow. The Sleepless Horse Returns'All of that crying must've really taken a lot out of the squirt...' Rainbow thought to herself, while watching the sleeping filly across from her. 'Poor kid...' She then let out a yawn before laying down herself and didn't realize how tired she was herself, until she closed her eyes. The landscape reminded Rainbow Dash of the fall, specifically Nightmare Night, thanks to the dark sky and full moon above, the trees around her were dead with branches like claws reaching up towards the night sky, as if trying to grab any creature unfortunate enough to fly by. While she wasn't entirely sure, the grim scenery reminded her of the Everfree forest, the home of some of Equestria's nastier creatures like Hydras and Timber Wolves with clouds that moved all on their own. She took a step forward, but her heart skipped a beat as she heard loud CRACK! from beneath her hoof, she lifted it to reveal a broken twig and chuckled to herself, feeling like an idiot for being startled by a- "HEEELLPP!!" A voice screamed from deeper within the forest, Rainbow jerked her head up to see Scootaloo running towards her frantically. "Scoot! What's wrong?" She slid to halt before she could crash into Rainbow Dash, her face covered in hot tears along with scrapes and bruises. "It...it's him!" she shouted. Before she could respond, they were interrupted by a whinny cutting through the night air like a knife, as they looked to see a large black stallion standing on his hind legs, with the front ones rolling in the air. He was wearing what looked like chains around his muzzle and shackles on each leg, his eyes were blood red and his tail and mane were flaming versions of the same shade, his black wings also spread out revealing that they had lost some feathers with a few bones sticking out and a gaping hole through the other. "The Sleepless Horse is...a Pegasus?" Scootaloo exclaimed incredulously, forgetting her fear momentarily. "I don't care what he is!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "He's going down!" He then came back down to the ground, standing on all for legs, and they both realized with dawning horror that the bones from teeth and bottom jaw on one half of his face were exposed, as he breathed a fine mist expelled from his mouth and nostrils. "Rainbow Dash..." it spoke, although she didn't see his mouth move. "You are extremely gifted, creating a Sonic Rainboom while being just a filly is truly impressive feat, indeed." he continued, before turning his head towards Scootaloo's direction, who was holding onto Rainbow Dash desperately, shaking. "Far too gifted to be associating with this flightless piece of trash..." "R-rainbow?" "Get behind me, Scoot." she commanded. "It's a shame, really...a Pegasus who isn't able to fly is just as worthless a filthy Earth Pony." he mused. "What do you want?" "Want?" he repeated, "I want you Rainbow Dash...you and I are so much alike, after all." thI'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!" she shouted angrily. "Oh, no?" he asked, "We have the same attitude, the same drive for greatness-to be the very best...and you very well could be if it weren't for your so-called 'friends'." "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "They're holding you back-they see you're potential for greatness and it scares them so they sabotage you at every turn to make you feel worse about yourself." "THAT'S A LIE!" she shouted. "Is it? They all have in their own ways almost destroyed Ponyville or let their egos and individual talents get the best of them-yet, you're the only one the decided to show up and publicly humiliate, did they even make an attempt to talk to you beforehand?" he asked. Dash was taken aback, the whole Mare Do-Well fiasco was still a sore spot for her. "Even the one cowering behind you, completely abandoned you without a second thought-your Element of Harmony-your Loyalty has always been and always will be your greatest weakness, it's what keeps you tethered to everypony, no matter how much they abuse you." "Yeah, but...I was...out of control..." she said the last part with uncertainty. "Oh, really? Tell me then, did they even try to apologize?" he pressed. "Well, no..." "They're hypocrites they even complimented aspects of Mare Do-Well that they'd attributed themselves, just to rub salt in your wounds with no regard whatsoever for how you might be feeling, does that sound like something 'good' friends would do?" "Well, no...but..." she knew that he was trying to trip her up, but for some reason she couldn't get her thoughts together and the more his words sank in, the more she felt they were true. "And you're the best known flier in recorded Equestrian history, help defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and saved the Wonderbolts twice. And yet, they still refuse to let you join them...and do you know why?" he asked. Rainbow Dash just stood there speechless. "It's because Spitfire thinks your weak, in her eyes-only the strong survive, which was why she made Lightning Dust lead pony, which was why nopony supervised the tryouts, and she eventually made you lead pony after storming out of her office, by doing so you made her look weak." he explained. "And how do you know this?" she demanded. "Because," although his face couldn't physically convey it she could sense that he was grinning, "I visited her before you went to the academy, didn't she seem like a completely different pony to you?" "Yeah, but I thought it was just because she was in a different environment..." "You naïve foal..." he chuckled, "There's a reason she never recognized you or any of your talents-she learned that the fastest way to the top is by stepping on everypony else...why do you think Soarin' was mysteriously absent? She just had to break his wing so he couldn't steal her spotlight again." "You brainwashed her!" she shouted, angrily. "Guilty as charged, and I had to do the same with Lightning Dust as well, so you could see how your undying loyalty smashes everypony's dreams." Furiously, she prepared to charge before hearing some crackling sounds coming from behind her, she stopped and turned to see large tree roots sprouting up from the ground and entangling Scootaloo. "Rainbow Dash! HELP!" she screamed. Taking off at top speed, she flew towards the Sleepless Horse at top speed, doing a U-turn at the last second, slamming her head into the hardened bark, but to no avail. The recoil sent Dash rolling backwards onto the ground, before getting up to her hooves and shaking her head, in an attempt to rid the stars that had appeared in front of her eyes. She then bucked it, before trying to pry it apart with her hooves, and when both of those failed, she tried gnawing on it to no avail. The Sleepless Horse laughed hysterically at watching the two ponies struggle before a lase blast of concentrated magic grazed his left foreleg. "WHAT!?" From behind Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo came Princess Luna, who shot another laser at the bark which had entrapped Scootaloo, blasting it to splinters. "Princess Luna..." his voice grew with increasing bitterness. "I see that even after all of these years of confinement, you still haven't learned your lesson..." she replied, sternly. "And neither have you or your sister-Equestria belongs to the pegasi, and yet, you put them on the same footing with Unicorn and Earth Pony? It's disgusting but, I've given up on you and now I've found somepony else to help me-Rainbow Dash." "This has nothing to do with her-besides, she would never abandon her friends." "Never is a long time, besides we have so much in common and Dash is a big girl-why not let her speak for herself?" While the two were talking, Rainbow Dash was more focused on helping Scootaloo. "Are you okay, squirt?" "Y-yeah, I think so..." she tried getting up, but fell flat on her stomach again. "It's alright, don't get up." Dash instructed, before laying down next to her a putting a wing around her as if it were some kind of shield. "R-rainbow Dash...?" she stammered, "Please...please, don't leave me..." "Don't worry, kid. I won't." Suddenly what appeared to be a red flare shot up into the sky before exploding into a huge ball before raining down and flashing like fire works, before slamming into the dead trees below, breaking them into pieces with huge explosions as Rainbow Dash held Scootaloo tighter, trying to shield her from the destruction going on around them, the tip of Luna's horn began to glow indigo as a protective, magical dome encircled them. After a few minutes when the explosions stopped, Luna lowered the field to see that the Sleepless Horse was gone. "Coward." she spat, in disgust. The Legend"It think it's about time you told us the whole story on this guy." Rainbow Dash spoke up, getting Luna's attention. "Oh, yes...you see Rainbow Dash he and I were...very close when we were younger..." she replied, choosing her words carefully. "WHAT!?" She exclaimed in disbelief, "You mean you actually went out with a creep like him?" "He wasn't always the way you see him as now, he used to be very sweet and compassionate with a large circle of friends...he was also the first Element of Loyalty we knew about." "LOYAL!?" She repeated, "HIM?" "Let me finish; he used to be athletic and competitive just like you-as I was, only while he remained loyal to his friends, right when he needed him most-they all abandoned him, his friends were not only Pegasi, but Unicorns and Earth Ponies as well, but after they refused to offer him their aid, he became isolated, and paranoid trusting nopony...not even me." she added sadly. "Eventually our love was shattered once I learned of his plans to enslave the Unicorns and Earth Ponies...and when I refused to help him carry out such a horrifying task he was furious-calling me a traitor like all of the rest of his friends and telling me he never wanted to see me again-and while heartbroken, I sought the council of my elder sister who thought it best to give him some time to cool off." "So what happened?" pressed Rainbow Dash. "It wasn't until a few years later, that I learned he was practicing the darkest of magics..." "Wait, I thought only unicorns and Alicorns could use magic?" she asked, confused. "Usually, yes-but, there are ways around this even those who weren't born as unicorns still have that magically blood running through their veins, passed down from generation to generation-but it usually only gets awakened under extreme circumstances, he tried to force it through sacrificing live ponies..." she explained. "That's horrible!" Dash gasped. "Yes, and unfortunately it only increased his thirst for power as he became a powerful tyrant-so powerful was his hatred that even my attempts to appeal to his better nature failed, and that's when I was left no choice but to use force to get him to see reason, however his dark rituals and capacity for hatred made him more powerful than I possibly could have fathomed...I nearly lost my life that day-and I would have had Celestia not stepped in and saved me." "But, why does he hate Unicorns and Earth Ponies so much?" "I believe it is because he still feels betrayed by his friends, who were ponies of those species and since he could not exact revenge upon them in their lifetime, he's decided to target everyone else and spread his hate, which is why he wants you." she replied. "Me?" Dash repeated, "Why?" "It's because only through love can he break the seal that keeps him imprisoned here, my sister and I thought it best to give him an opportunity for a second chance instead of completely destroying him-actually it was more at my request than anything else...your attitude, your loyalty, your impressive speed and aerial feats are so much like him, I can scarcely believe it-but, he's found a loophole-if he can corrupt you just as he was and get you to fall in love with him, then he will be freed to oppress all of Equestria once again." "That's not gonna happen..." Dash replied, sticking her tongue out like she'd just eaten a cupcake with worms in it for a second time. "I have faith in you, Rainbow Dash-but, I though it best to know what you are up against...if you wish I can take care of Scootaloo when she awakens." she suggested. "I...don't know..." "I assure you, I am more than capable of protecting her from anything that comes this why-it shames me to admit this but-I fear I do not have the emotional capacity to face him again..." "Alright," said Dash reluctantly, "I'll be back for ya in a bit. Okay, kiddo?" Scootaloo just nodded weekly as Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane once more. Turning around, she broke into a gallop before spreading out her wings and soaring through the night sky. Shadow DanceAs she flew a large, sinister looking black octagonal coliseum came into view with large spires protruding from each corner, the floor was covered with white and black tiles resembling a chess board and while there seemed to be no spectators present, she knew that this would be were she would find him, thanks to his penchant for over-the-top dramatic flair. For a brief moment, she wondered how he could possibly build something like this before realizing that since this was the dream world, he could probably do anything he wanted-which meant she had to stay on her guard- Her thoughts were interrupted as a searing pain ripped through one of her wings, she lost her balance and fell into a tailspin, unable to pull up or regain her balance she crashed into the center of the arena. What she saw before her were two more Rainbow Dashes, shaking even after shaking her head, the images didn’t go away and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Nice moves, Rainbow Crash!” one taunted, she even had the same voice as her the only difference being that instead of wings she had a horn. “Yeah, why don’t watch where you’re flying next time?” The other joined in; this one had neither wings nor a horn. She slowly stood up, as the Unicorn Rainbow Dash lowered her head and released and concentrated cyan laser beam from her horn, which Dash narrowly dodged by jumping to the side. “What the-“she began, before the Sleepless Horse himself emerged from the tiles, creating a ripple-effect as he entered the coliseum. “Do you like them?” he asked, “In case you haven’t figured it out-these are you as a Unicorn and an Earth Pony, I could have just made them exact clones-but what fun would that be?” “I thought you hated them.” Dash replied, confused but unimpressed. “Yes,” he agreed. “But, this way when you destroy them it won’t bother me as much-even if they’re not real, everything about a Pegasus is precious-which is why I’m actually rooting for you, it’s just a shame there’s no audience here to enjoy the show…” he lamented. “Audience?” she scoffed, “You really are some piece of work, y’know that?” “Of course!” he hissed, “Do really believe that one’s sanity could remain intact after countless centuries of imprisonment? Do you have any idea how painfully boring that is-to see the dreams of others, while you, yourself are condemned to be awake for an eternity!?” “You brought that on yourself!” she shouted. “Really?” he asked, incredulously. “After everything I’ve done to show you the error of your ways-to help you-you’re still going to stand there and defy me?” “I know you’re the one who was really behind Mare Do-Well!” she exclaimed, this was a bluff of course but the shocked expression he made seemed to confirm this accusation. “My friends would never go around and stab me in the back like that!” she continued, “You’re just a bully and coward-all you do is manipulate people through their feelings, their hopes and dreams, and if they don’t do what you want-you just try to rip it all away from them!” “You don’t-“ “I do understand, yeah it was lame what your friends did to you-but you know what? They didn’t make you act like a total jerk; you chose to do that all on your own! All you’ve done is blame them, or Princess Luna-the one pony who tried to help you, who actually cared about you-just because you’re too much of a coward to admit your own mistakes!” “Kill her.” He snarled through gritted teeth to the other Rainbow Dashes standing to either side of him. “Kill her now.” “With pleasure,” The Unicorn Dash smirked as the two advanced on the Pegasus. The Earth Dash charged after her in a full gallop, while the Unicorn lowered her head and charged up another magic-powered laser blast from her horn. Jumping back, Rainbow Dash was able to avoid the charge of her Earth Pony doppelgänger and thanks to her well-timed movements and possibly a bit of luck to, the clone had inadvertently become a meat shield, blocking the laser’s path to Rainbow Dash. The Earth Pony shattered into a million pieces of what appeared to be some kind of black glass, before clattering to the tiled floor. Both Rainbow and the remaining clone were shocked, while the dark stallion appeared to be indifferent at the loss of his subordinate. Snapping out of her daze, the remaining Unicorn lowered her head once more, making her think that she was going to attack her with another laser, but caught her off guard when she started scraping her hoof against the tiled surface like she was preparing to charge. Rainbow was about to do the same before she remembered the horn and instead waited, her heart racing as she saw herself coming at her full force, waiting for her to get close enough while focusing on the horn. Once again, just like with her aerial stunts timing was everything and if she missed by even a split-second and it would all be over. At the last second she raised her hoof and brought it down on her doppelgänger’s horn, creating a large crack down the middle, before dropping to the ground and breaking apart, she looked up in horror to see her master raise one of his front legs before bringing his hoof down on her and shattering her body to pieces. “Worthless.” He spat, in disgust. His attention then returned to Rainbow Dash, “But that’s to be expected from non-Pegasi, you understand how much influence I truly carry in this world now that annoying spell has weakened, don’t you?” She offered no response, merely standing there, glaring at him. “I can help you realize your wildest dreams!” he exclaimed, “Or, I could make you suffer through your darkest nightmares…” he added. But before she could respond, there was the sound of clattering chains as shackles shout out of the ground, through the tiles and the night air, clapping themselves around her legs as six more chains appeared-three on either side of her-with sharp hooks at the ends of them. She cringed as they dug into her feathered wings, blood trickling down them and onto the links of the chains. He stomped his hoof and the chains tightened their grip on her legs and wings, spreading them out as hooks dug deeper into her wing muscles. “If I continue to tighten them like this, you’re entire body will be ripped apart.” He explained. “Then how will plan to get out of here?” she asked smugly, while fighting back the tears of pain. “My dear girl, you misunderstand-this will not kill you, here I am a god-I can easily stitch you back together with a mere thought.” He replied. “So?” she asked, still unimpressed. “Your arrogance is cute.” He commented, “But my patience is wearing thin, so I’ll spell it out for you; I removed your wings once and I can do it again, only this time it will be slower and much more painful.” “And if I still refuse?” she pressed. “Then your torment will continue until you agree-if not, then you’re suffering will continue until you are on the precipice of death, and while you are barely conscious and down to your last breath-you will see the unspeakable horrors I will inflict upon your precious Scootaloo.” He replied, sadistically. “Bastard!” she shouted, tugging at her restraints, causing the hooks to dig in even deeper “If you put even one hoof on her and I’ll-“ “You’ll do what?” he taunted, “Without the other Elements of Harmony or the use of your wings-your completely useless-a failure.” Instead of using words, her only response was growling at him, while vigorously flapping her bound and injured wings as cackled at her futile attempts to escape. There was a low creaking sound that rang out as she desperately flapped even harder and he stopped laughing. “What!?” One of the chains binding her to the ground was starting to come loose as the hooks in her wing fell uselessly to the tiled floor. The Sleepless Horse began to feel a huge gust of wind as her tired and sore wings persisted, causing the links from the other chains to snap one by one. “S-stop it!” he commanded, “This is *my** world and you succumb to my whim! I order you to stop!*” The final bolts from base of the last chain were now beginning to detach from the ground. “[i[Cease! Desist!” he shouted in desperation. As the last bolt was stripped, the repeated forward motions of her wings caused Rainbow Dash to torpedo into him, colliding with his chest, making an audible CRACK! as he felt the wind get knocked out of him, he was flung backwards before hitting the ground and rolling a few feet, before landing on his side before his mind could fully registered what was happening. He saw Rainbow Dash standing across from him, looking furiously at him while snorting and scraping her hoof against the tiled surface, preparing to charge once more. Before he could think up a counterattack, he caught a brief glimpse of Rainbow charging towards him before her head collided with his, causing stars to appear in front of his eyes he was assaulted yet again, this time from the side of his face and his jaw before realizing that the enraged Pegasus had bucked him. How? How could this be happening? After countless years of being in the Dream World, he’d completely forgotten what physical pain felt like-one of the few benefits of being trapped in this prison-but now this Pegasus, this mare was beating him and for the first time in a long time he felt it. The one thing that gave him power over all other sleeping ponies-fear. He didn’t like it, not one bit-the feeling of powerlessness that had washed over him, the paranoia he was feeling-wait, where was she? Looking around the arena frantically, all he could see were broken chains and tiles with scattered bits of black glass that remained of the duplicates he created earlier-was she behind him? Jumping up quickly, turning around-he didn’t see the cyan Pegasus like he’d expected-that’s when he heard a sort of whistling sound to see a small blue dot flying high up into the air. ‘What’s she doing…’ he thought before the horrific realization dawned on him, ‘No, no, no, no, NO!’ “NO!” he screamed out loud as Rainbow reached max speed and arced, dive bombing straight towards him. This was impossible! As Rainbow got ever closer, he could see the Mach cone forming around her briefly before the collision as a multi-colored mushroom cloud plume of smoke rose into the night air, the remaining tiles were blown apart as the rest of the arena was reduced to shambles. When the smoke finally dissipated, he began hacking and wheezing while feeling the numerous bones in his body that had been fractured and broken by the collision and the blast. Rainbow Dash stood across from him. Her mane was frazzled and she still had the remaining cuffs clamped around her legs with the broken chains trailing behind her. She was panting heavily, covered in sweat, blood, and bruises with tears of both fatigue and rage in her eyes. She was preparing for another charge and screaming before a voice stopped her. “That’s enough, Rainbow Dash!” They both looked up to see Princess Luna, who had been flying overhead land between them. “No.” she growled, through gritted teeth. “It’s too soon to be over for him.” “I said; that’s enough Rainbow Dash!” Luna commanded with more authority in her voice this time. “I can’t.” she breathed, “Not after everything this…freak has done, I can’t-it’s too dangerous to let him go again, to hurt my friends…to hurt Scootaloo-that’s why I’m gonna finish him off, right now!” She was mounting another charge, before Luna stopped her speaking kindly, yet sternly. “I understand how you feel, Rainbow Dash-you’re desire to protect your friends is admirable, but don’t let it cloud your judgment or you will become what you hate-just like him…is that what you want?” “I…well, no…” she conceded, “Sorry, Princess…” Luna then turned to the Sleepless Horse, “You’ve clung to all of that anger and hatred for all of these years…and where has it gotten you?” she asked, softly. “Grhnnuh…” he grunted in response, reacting from the pain of trying to get up on four broken legs. “For over a thousand years I have felt the same as you towards my older sister, but I’ve learned that all of that spite is only good for hurting oneself, if you learn to accept and trust others-you can perform unimaginable feats, Rainbow Dash has proved that tonight.” She lectured. “Rainbow Dash,” she added, turning to the mare in question; “You have fought bravely and once again proven your loyalty to your friends and loved ones and I thank you for your assistance.” “Wait!” she exclaimed, “What about Scootaloo? I thought you were protecting her!” “Scootaloo awakened some time ago…and when she did, her conscious mind exited this plain.” She explained. “Well, what about him?” she asked, gesturing to the Sleepless Horse. “I will try and talk to him…I’ve learned from you and your friends is sometimes it is best to try and talk to someone and give a little compassion, when you awaken your wounds will be healed and your bonds removed and to Scootaloo this shall all have been just a terrible dream.” “Okay,” Dash replied skeptically, giving a long hard look at the injured stallion. The world became blurry as Rainbow Dash began to awaken, the last thing she saw was Princess Luna walking over to the Sleepless Horse to talk to him. EpilogueEpilogue: After Rainbow Dash awoke, she noticed that Scootaloo was already up and getting ready for school, which Dash realized she was going to be late for if she didn’t get her flank out of bed and get her safely back on the ground. While she was in the nightmare, she had realized something about herself when the Sleepless Horse had threatened to harm Scootaloo-she would do anything for her-and she would never, ever let anyone or anything hurt her. She had been busy that day, filling out forms and paperwork, which was far more tedious than cloud pushing and other weather management jobs in her opinion, and dropped by the orphanage before the part of the day came when school let out. Dash waited outside for Scootaloo, before seeing her as one of the last ones out the door along with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, the three were talking about possibly getting their cutie marks in fortune telling, before Scootaloo spotted her. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!” she approached her friend, mentor, and big sister figure excitedly. “What’s up?” “Well, just out of curiosity how would you feel if you could live with me?” she asked, trying to hide her grin. “Live with you? Like, not just spending the night-but stay with you-like a family?” she asked, excitedly. “Yeah, at least that’s what all those papers I had to sign said…” she added casually. “Y-you mean…I get to-with you?” she asked, happily as her eyes began to tear up. “Yep.” “Rainbow Dash, I…” she jumped up, wrapping her forelegs around her, bringing her into a crushing hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ve always dreamed of this!” She said all of this, forgetting that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were still behind her, seeing and hearing everything that was going on, now that she’d dropped her cool façade. “Good, ‘cause you’re gonna eat nothing but vegetables, do all of the house work and wait on me day and night.” She replied, sternly. Scootaloo released her and backed up, “Huh?” “Just messin’ with ya, squirt!” she grinned, before ruffling the young filly’s mane. And all four of them shared a laugh. Princess Luna talked with the Sleepless Horse for a bit, after a few hours he began to warm up to her again and agreed to help protect the ponies who dreamed to relieve some stress and make her job less difficult, she also healed his wounds, making his appearance less grizzly and allowed him to finally sleep after thousands of years of deprivation. He even brought the notion of rekindling the romance they had, but she said she thought it was too soon, secretly worrying that he might snap again if things didn’t go his way and resolved to watch him for a while just to make sure he was really trustworthy and then she would consider it. While appearing slightly miffed, he agreed that was fair, as Luna also suggested him at the very least trying to apologize to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash sometime in the near future for any grief he’d caused them along with anyone else he may have harassed, while he was doubtful they would accept-he promised that he would try. As she left the Dream World, Luna had decided to report to her sister herself, on the events that had transpired recently, being far too numerous relay in a single letter-besides, she felt that she could use Celestia’s council on the way she had been handling everything.
Another Night with Rainbow DashThe Sleepless Horse By Sterling Davis "Scoot?" "Huh?" The young filly cocked her head at hearing her idol's voice. They were in Rainbow Dash's Cloud House and the sun was beginning to set, and after speaking with Twilight she had offered Scootaloo to come and spend the night with her once more. "I want to talk to you about...something." she replied, uncertain how to proceed. "Like what?" she asked, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement, but stopped when she caught the solemn expression on Dash's face. "It's about...your parents." Her wings stopped, almost instantly as her expression fell. "Wh-what do you want to know?" she asked, timidly. "Why did you lie to me?" There was no anger in her tone-only hurt. "Huh?" "Why couldn't you just tell me the truth about them?" she demanded. "I-I was scared..." she replied softly, her voice barely louder than a squeak. "And you were afraid, that I would think that you were crazy by pretending that they were still around?" she added, remembering the conversation she'd had with Twilight, earlier. "I...I was afraid to lose you..." she admitted, with tears in her eyes. "And if I didn't have you...I'd have nopony-do you have any idea what it's like to be all alone?" she almost shouted. "Yes...I do." Rainbow admitted, sadly. "I understand what your going through, probably better than anypony in Equestria..." "But, you don't have to anymore..." she wrapped a wing around Scootaloo and pulled her closer. "You have me now, and I promise you, that I will never, ever hurt you or abandon you." Scootaloo wiped the tears from her eyes and embraced her mentor and starting up again. "I'm truly sorry, if I had paid more attention-I would have realized sooner how much you needed me..." she trailed off, before softly running her hoof through the sobbing filly's mane. They stood there in Rainbow's kitchen like that for a few more moments, before releasing each other and Rainbow Dash wiped a tear from one of Scootaloo's eyes. "Why don't you get ready for bed, 'kay squirt?" she asked. She merely nodded before walking off as Rainbow Dash sighed, she had been slightly ashamed of herself for not realizing that she'd never seen or even heard of Scootaloo's parents when she spent the week over last time, it wasn't until she talked to Twilight about it that she began to understand. Twilight theorized that Scootaloo might have made them up to come up with a sense of stability and normality to be more like her friends; Applebloom and Sweetie Belle and the more Dash thought about it, the more sense it made-after all, at the time she found it kind of weird that her parents didn't show up to see their own daughter at the talent show. So what had happened to them? Did they die...or did they just abandon her? Apparently nopony-not even Scootaloo knew. But, more than anything Rainbow Dash felt disgusted for herself for not knowing these things-what kind of big sister was she, anyway? Twilight had tried to convince her not to worry about it, but she couldn't help feeling like she'd failed her...and at that point Dash decided she'd find a way to make it up to Scootaloo...somehow.
The Sleepless Horse Returns'All of that crying must've really taken a lot out of the squirt...' Rainbow thought to herself, while watching the sleeping filly across from her. 'Poor kid...' She then let out a yawn before laying down herself and didn't realize how tired she was herself, until she closed her eyes. The landscape reminded Rainbow Dash of the fall, specifically Nightmare Night, thanks to the dark sky and full moon above, the trees around her were dead with branches like claws reaching up towards the night sky, as if trying to grab any creature unfortunate enough to fly by. While she wasn't entirely sure, the grim scenery reminded her of the Everfree forest, the home of some of Equestria's nastier creatures like Hydras and Timber Wolves with clouds that moved all on their own. She took a step forward, but her heart skipped a beat as she heard loud CRACK! from beneath her hoof, she lifted it to reveal a broken twig and chuckled to herself, feeling like an idiot for being startled by a- "HEEELLPP!!" A voice screamed from deeper within the forest, Rainbow jerked her head up to see Scootaloo running towards her frantically. "Scoot! What's wrong?" She slid to halt before she could crash into Rainbow Dash, her face covered in hot tears along with scrapes and bruises. "It...it's him!" she shouted. Before she could respond, they were interrupted by a whinny cutting through the night air like a knife, as they looked to see a large black stallion standing on his hind legs, with the front ones rolling in the air. He was wearing what looked like chains around his muzzle and shackles on each leg, his eyes were blood red and his tail and mane were flaming versions of the same shade, his black wings also spread out revealing that they had lost some feathers with a few bones sticking out and a gaping hole through the other. "The Sleepless Horse is...a Pegasus?" Scootaloo exclaimed incredulously, forgetting her fear momentarily. "I don't care what he is!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "He's going down!" He then came back down to the ground, standing on all for legs, and they both realized with dawning horror that the bones from teeth and bottom jaw on one half of his face were exposed, as he breathed a fine mist expelled from his mouth and nostrils. "Rainbow Dash..." it spoke, although she didn't see his mouth move. "You are extremely gifted, creating a Sonic Rainboom while being just a filly is truly impressive feat, indeed." he continued, before turning his head towards Scootaloo's direction, who was holding onto Rainbow Dash desperately, shaking. "Far too gifted to be associating with this flightless piece of trash..." "R-rainbow?" "Get behind me, Scoot." she commanded. "It's a shame, really...a Pegasus who isn't able to fly is just as worthless a filthy Earth Pony." he mused. "What do you want?" "Want?" he repeated, "I want you Rainbow Dash...you and I are so much alike, after all." thI'M NOTHING LIKE YOU!" she shouted angrily. "Oh, no?" he asked, "We have the same attitude, the same drive for greatness-to be the very best...and you very well could be if it weren't for your so-called 'friends'." "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded. "They're holding you back-they see you're potential for greatness and it scares them so they sabotage you at every turn to make you feel worse about yourself." "THAT'S A LIE!" she shouted. "Is it? They all have in their own ways almost destroyed Ponyville or let their egos and individual talents get the best of them-yet, you're the only one the decided to show up and publicly humiliate, did they even make an attempt to talk to you beforehand?" he asked. Dash was taken aback, the whole Mare Do-Well fiasco was still a sore spot for her. "Even the one cowering behind you, completely abandoned you without a second thought-your Element of Harmony-your Loyalty has always been and always will be your greatest weakness, it's what keeps you tethered to everypony, no matter how much they abuse you." "Yeah, but...I was...out of control..." she said the last part with uncertainty. "Oh, really? Tell me then, did they even try to apologize?" he pressed. "Well, no..." "They're hypocrites they even complimented aspects of Mare Do-Well that they'd attributed themselves, just to rub salt in your wounds with no regard whatsoever for how you might be feeling, does that sound like something 'good' friends would do?" "Well, no...but..." she knew that he was trying to trip her up, but for some reason she couldn't get her thoughts together and the more his words sank in, the more she felt they were true. "And you're the best known flier in recorded Equestrian history, help defeat Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra, and saved the Wonderbolts twice. And yet, they still refuse to let you join them...and do you know why?" he asked. Rainbow Dash just stood there speechless. "It's because Spitfire thinks your weak, in her eyes-only the strong survive, which was why she made Lightning Dust lead pony, which was why nopony supervised the tryouts, and she eventually made you lead pony after storming out of her office, by doing so you made her look weak." he explained. "And how do you know this?" she demanded. "Because," although his face couldn't physically convey it she could sense that he was grinning, "I visited her before you went to the academy, didn't she seem like a completely different pony to you?" "Yeah, but I thought it was just because she was in a different environment..." "You naïve foal..." he chuckled, "There's a reason she never recognized you or any of your talents-she learned that the fastest way to the top is by stepping on everypony else...why do you think Soarin' was mysteriously absent? She just had to break his wing so he couldn't steal her spotlight again." "You brainwashed her!" she shouted, angrily. "Guilty as charged, and I had to do the same with Lightning Dust as well, so you could see how your undying loyalty smashes everypony's dreams." Furiously, she prepared to charge before hearing some crackling sounds coming from behind her, she stopped and turned to see large tree roots sprouting up from the ground and entangling Scootaloo. "Rainbow Dash! HELP!" she screamed. Taking off at top speed, she flew towards the Sleepless Horse at top speed, doing a U-turn at the last second, slamming her head into the hardened bark, but to no avail. The recoil sent Dash rolling backwards onto the ground, before getting up to her hooves and shaking her head, in an attempt to rid the stars that had appeared in front of her eyes. She then bucked it, before trying to pry it apart with her hooves, and when both of those failed, she tried gnawing on it to no avail. The Sleepless Horse laughed hysterically at watching the two ponies struggle before a lase blast of concentrated magic grazed his left foreleg. "WHAT!?" From behind Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo came Princess Luna, who shot another laser at the bark which had entrapped Scootaloo, blasting it to splinters. "Princess Luna..." his voice grew with increasing bitterness. "I see that even after all of these years of confinement, you still haven't learned your lesson..." she replied, sternly. "And neither have you or your sister-Equestria belongs to the pegasi, and yet, you put them on the same footing with Unicorn and Earth Pony? It's disgusting but, I've given up on you and now I've found somepony else to help me-Rainbow Dash." "This has nothing to do with her-besides, she would never abandon her friends." "Never is a long time, besides we have so much in common and Dash is a big girl-why not let her speak for herself?" While the two were talking, Rainbow Dash was more focused on helping Scootaloo. "Are you okay, squirt?" "Y-yeah, I think so..." she tried getting up, but fell flat on her stomach again. "It's alright, don't get up." Dash instructed, before laying down next to her a putting a wing around her as if it were some kind of shield. "R-rainbow Dash...?" she stammered, "Please...please, don't leave me..." "Don't worry, kid. I won't." Suddenly what appeared to be a red flare shot up into the sky before exploding into a huge ball before raining down and flashing like fire works, before slamming into the dead trees below, breaking them into pieces with huge explosions as Rainbow Dash held Scootaloo tighter, trying to shield her from the destruction going on around them, the tip of Luna's horn began to glow indigo as a protective, magical dome encircled them. After a few minutes when the explosions stopped, Luna lowered the field to see that the Sleepless Horse was gone. "Coward." she spat, in disgust.
The Legend"It think it's about time you told us the whole story on this guy." Rainbow Dash spoke up, getting Luna's attention. "Oh, yes...you see Rainbow Dash he and I were...very close when we were younger..." she replied, choosing her words carefully. "WHAT!?" She exclaimed in disbelief, "You mean you actually went out with a creep like him?" "He wasn't always the way you see him as now, he used to be very sweet and compassionate with a large circle of friends...he was also the first Element of Loyalty we knew about." "LOYAL!?" She repeated, "HIM?" "Let me finish; he used to be athletic and competitive just like you-as I was, only while he remained loyal to his friends, right when he needed him most-they all abandoned him, his friends were not only Pegasi, but Unicorns and Earth Ponies as well, but after they refused to offer him their aid, he became isolated, and paranoid trusting nopony...not even me." she added sadly. "Eventually our love was shattered once I learned of his plans to enslave the Unicorns and Earth Ponies...and when I refused to help him carry out such a horrifying task he was furious-calling me a traitor like all of the rest of his friends and telling me he never wanted to see me again-and while heartbroken, I sought the council of my elder sister who thought it best to give him some time to cool off." "So what happened?" pressed Rainbow Dash. "It wasn't until a few years later, that I learned he was practicing the darkest of magics..." "Wait, I thought only unicorns and Alicorns could use magic?" she asked, confused. "Usually, yes-but, there are ways around this even those who weren't born as unicorns still have that magically blood running through their veins, passed down from generation to generation-but it usually only gets awakened under extreme circumstances, he tried to force it through sacrificing live ponies..." she explained. "That's horrible!" Dash gasped. "Yes, and unfortunately it only increased his thirst for power as he became a powerful tyrant-so powerful was his hatred that even my attempts to appeal to his better nature failed, and that's when I was left no choice but to use force to get him to see reason, however his dark rituals and capacity for hatred made him more powerful than I possibly could have fathomed...I nearly lost my life that day-and I would have had Celestia not stepped in and saved me." "But, why does he hate Unicorns and Earth Ponies so much?" "I believe it is because he still feels betrayed by his friends, who were ponies of those species and since he could not exact revenge upon them in their lifetime, he's decided to target everyone else and spread his hate, which is why he wants you." she replied. "Me?" Dash repeated, "Why?" "It's because only through love can he break the seal that keeps him imprisoned here, my sister and I thought it best to give him an opportunity for a second chance instead of completely destroying him-actually it was more at my request than anything else...your attitude, your loyalty, your impressive speed and aerial feats are so much like him, I can scarcely believe it-but, he's found a loophole-if he can corrupt you just as he was and get you to fall in love with him, then he will be freed to oppress all of Equestria once again." "That's not gonna happen..." Dash replied, sticking her tongue out like she'd just eaten a cupcake with worms in it for a second time. "I have faith in you, Rainbow Dash-but, I though it best to know what you are up against...if you wish I can take care of Scootaloo when she awakens." she suggested. "I...don't know..." "I assure you, I am more than capable of protecting her from anything that comes this why-it shames me to admit this but-I fear I do not have the emotional capacity to face him again..." "Alright," said Dash reluctantly, "I'll be back for ya in a bit. Okay, kiddo?" Scootaloo just nodded weekly as Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through her mane once more. Turning around, she broke into a gallop before spreading out her wings and soaring through the night sky.
Shadow DanceAs she flew a large, sinister looking black octagonal coliseum came into view with large spires protruding from each corner, the floor was covered with white and black tiles resembling a chess board and while there seemed to be no spectators present, she knew that this would be were she would find him, thanks to his penchant for over-the-top dramatic flair. For a brief moment, she wondered how he could possibly build something like this before realizing that since this was the dream world, he could probably do anything he wanted-which meant she had to stay on her guard- Her thoughts were interrupted as a searing pain ripped through one of her wings, she lost her balance and fell into a tailspin, unable to pull up or regain her balance she crashed into the center of the arena. What she saw before her were two more Rainbow Dashes, shaking even after shaking her head, the images didn’t go away and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Nice moves, Rainbow Crash!” one taunted, she even had the same voice as her the only difference being that instead of wings she had a horn. “Yeah, why don’t watch where you’re flying next time?” The other joined in; this one had neither wings nor a horn. She slowly stood up, as the Unicorn Rainbow Dash lowered her head and released and concentrated cyan laser beam from her horn, which Dash narrowly dodged by jumping to the side. “What the-“she began, before the Sleepless Horse himself emerged from the tiles, creating a ripple-effect as he entered the coliseum. “Do you like them?” he asked, “In case you haven’t figured it out-these are you as a Unicorn and an Earth Pony, I could have just made them exact clones-but what fun would that be?” “I thought you hated them.” Dash replied, confused but unimpressed. “Yes,” he agreed. “But, this way when you destroy them it won’t bother me as much-even if they’re not real, everything about a Pegasus is precious-which is why I’m actually rooting for you, it’s just a shame there’s no audience here to enjoy the show…” he lamented. “Audience?” she scoffed, “You really are some piece of work, y’know that?” “Of course!” he hissed, “Do really believe that one’s sanity could remain intact after countless centuries of imprisonment? Do you have any idea how painfully boring that is-to see the dreams of others, while you, yourself are condemned to be awake for an eternity!?” “You brought that on yourself!” she shouted. “Really?” he asked, incredulously. “After everything I’ve done to show you the error of your ways-to help you-you’re still going to stand there and defy me?” “I know you’re the one who was really behind Mare Do-Well!” she exclaimed, this was a bluff of course but the shocked expression he made seemed to confirm this accusation. “My friends would never go around and stab me in the back like that!” she continued, “You’re just a bully and coward-all you do is manipulate people through their feelings, their hopes and dreams, and if they don’t do what you want-you just try to rip it all away from them!” “You don’t-“ “I do understand, yeah it was lame what your friends did to you-but you know what? They didn’t make you act like a total jerk; you chose to do that all on your own! All you’ve done is blame them, or Princess Luna-the one pony who tried to help you, who actually cared about you-just because you’re too much of a coward to admit your own mistakes!” “Kill her.” He snarled through gritted teeth to the other Rainbow Dashes standing to either side of him. “Kill her now.” “With pleasure,” The Unicorn Dash smirked as the two advanced on the Pegasus. The Earth Dash charged after her in a full gallop, while the Unicorn lowered her head and charged up another magic-powered laser blast from her horn. Jumping back, Rainbow Dash was able to avoid the charge of her Earth Pony doppelgänger and thanks to her well-timed movements and possibly a bit of luck to, the clone had inadvertently become a meat shield, blocking the laser’s path to Rainbow Dash. The Earth Pony shattered into a million pieces of what appeared to be some kind of black glass, before clattering to the tiled floor. Both Rainbow and the remaining clone were shocked, while the dark stallion appeared to be indifferent at the loss of his subordinate. Snapping out of her daze, the remaining Unicorn lowered her head once more, making her think that she was going to attack her with another laser, but caught her off guard when she started scraping her hoof against the tiled surface like she was preparing to charge. Rainbow was about to do the same before she remembered the horn and instead waited, her heart racing as she saw herself coming at her full force, waiting for her to get close enough while focusing on the horn. Once again, just like with her aerial stunts timing was everything and if she missed by even a split-second and it would all be over. At the last second she raised her hoof and brought it down on her doppelgänger’s horn, creating a large crack down the middle, before dropping to the ground and breaking apart, she looked up in horror to see her master raise one of his front legs before bringing his hoof down on her and shattering her body to pieces. “Worthless.” He spat, in disgust. His attention then returned to Rainbow Dash, “But that’s to be expected from non-Pegasi, you understand how much influence I truly carry in this world now that annoying spell has weakened, don’t you?” She offered no response, merely standing there, glaring at him. “I can help you realize your wildest dreams!” he exclaimed, “Or, I could make you suffer through your darkest nightmares…” he added. But before she could respond, there was the sound of clattering chains as shackles shout out of the ground, through the tiles and the night air, clapping themselves around her legs as six more chains appeared-three on either side of her-with sharp hooks at the ends of them. She cringed as they dug into her feathered wings, blood trickling down them and onto the links of the chains. He stomped his hoof and the chains tightened their grip on her legs and wings, spreading them out as hooks dug deeper into her wing muscles. “If I continue to tighten them like this, you’re entire body will be ripped apart.” He explained. “Then how will plan to get out of here?” she asked smugly, while fighting back the tears of pain. “My dear girl, you misunderstand-this will not kill you, here I am a god-I can easily stitch you back together with a mere thought.” He replied. “So?” she asked, still unimpressed. “Your arrogance is cute.” He commented, “But my patience is wearing thin, so I’ll spell it out for you; I removed your wings once and I can do it again, only this time it will be slower and much more painful.” “And if I still refuse?” she pressed. “Then your torment will continue until you agree-if not, then you’re suffering will continue until you are on the precipice of death, and while you are barely conscious and down to your last breath-you will see the unspeakable horrors I will inflict upon your precious Scootaloo.” He replied, sadistically. “Bastard!” she shouted, tugging at her restraints, causing the hooks to dig in even deeper “If you put even one hoof on her and I’ll-“ “You’ll do what?” he taunted, “Without the other Elements of Harmony or the use of your wings-your completely useless-a failure.” Instead of using words, her only response was growling at him, while vigorously flapping her bound and injured wings as cackled at her futile attempts to escape. There was a low creaking sound that rang out as she desperately flapped even harder and he stopped laughing. “What!?” One of the chains binding her to the ground was starting to come loose as the hooks in her wing fell uselessly to the tiled floor. The Sleepless Horse began to feel a huge gust of wind as her tired and sore wings persisted, causing the links from the other chains to snap one by one. “S-stop it!” he commanded, “This is *my** world and you succumb to my whim! I order you to stop!*” The final bolts from base of the last chain were now beginning to detach from the ground. “[i[Cease! Desist!” he shouted in desperation. As the last bolt was stripped, the repeated forward motions of her wings caused Rainbow Dash to torpedo into him, colliding with his chest, making an audible CRACK! as he felt the wind get knocked out of him, he was flung backwards before hitting the ground and rolling a few feet, before landing on his side before his mind could fully registered what was happening. He saw Rainbow Dash standing across from him, looking furiously at him while snorting and scraping her hoof against the tiled surface, preparing to charge once more. Before he could think up a counterattack, he caught a brief glimpse of Rainbow charging towards him before her head collided with his, causing stars to appear in front of his eyes he was assaulted yet again, this time from the side of his face and his jaw before realizing that the enraged Pegasus had bucked him. How? How could this be happening? After countless years of being in the Dream World, he’d completely forgotten what physical pain felt like-one of the few benefits of being trapped in this prison-but now this Pegasus, this mare was beating him and for the first time in a long time he felt it. The one thing that gave him power over all other sleeping ponies-fear. He didn’t like it, not one bit-the feeling of powerlessness that had washed over him, the paranoia he was feeling-wait, where was she? Looking around the arena frantically, all he could see were broken chains and tiles with scattered bits of black glass that remained of the duplicates he created earlier-was she behind him? Jumping up quickly, turning around-he didn’t see the cyan Pegasus like he’d expected-that’s when he heard a sort of whistling sound to see a small blue dot flying high up into the air. ‘What’s she doing…’ he thought before the horrific realization dawned on him, ‘No, no, no, no, NO!’ “NO!” he screamed out loud as Rainbow reached max speed and arced, dive bombing straight towards him. This was impossible! As Rainbow got ever closer, he could see the Mach cone forming around her briefly before the collision as a multi-colored mushroom cloud plume of smoke rose into the night air, the remaining tiles were blown apart as the rest of the arena was reduced to shambles. When the smoke finally dissipated, he began hacking and wheezing while feeling the numerous bones in his body that had been fractured and broken by the collision and the blast. Rainbow Dash stood across from him. Her mane was frazzled and she still had the remaining cuffs clamped around her legs with the broken chains trailing behind her. She was panting heavily, covered in sweat, blood, and bruises with tears of both fatigue and rage in her eyes. She was preparing for another charge and screaming before a voice stopped her. “That’s enough, Rainbow Dash!” They both looked up to see Princess Luna, who had been flying overhead land between them. “No.” she growled, through gritted teeth. “It’s too soon to be over for him.” “I said; that’s enough Rainbow Dash!” Luna commanded with more authority in her voice this time. “I can’t.” she breathed, “Not after everything this…freak has done, I can’t-it’s too dangerous to let him go again, to hurt my friends…to hurt Scootaloo-that’s why I’m gonna finish him off, right now!” She was mounting another charge, before Luna stopped her speaking kindly, yet sternly. “I understand how you feel, Rainbow Dash-you’re desire to protect your friends is admirable, but don’t let it cloud your judgment or you will become what you hate-just like him…is that what you want?” “I…well, no…” she conceded, “Sorry, Princess…” Luna then turned to the Sleepless Horse, “You’ve clung to all of that anger and hatred for all of these years…and where has it gotten you?” she asked, softly. “Grhnnuh…” he grunted in response, reacting from the pain of trying to get up on four broken legs. “For over a thousand years I have felt the same as you towards my older sister, but I’ve learned that all of that spite is only good for hurting oneself, if you learn to accept and trust others-you can perform unimaginable feats, Rainbow Dash has proved that tonight.” She lectured. “Rainbow Dash,” she added, turning to the mare in question; “You have fought bravely and once again proven your loyalty to your friends and loved ones and I thank you for your assistance.” “Wait!” she exclaimed, “What about Scootaloo? I thought you were protecting her!” “Scootaloo awakened some time ago…and when she did, her conscious mind exited this plain.” She explained. “Well, what about him?” she asked, gesturing to the Sleepless Horse. “I will try and talk to him…I’ve learned from you and your friends is sometimes it is best to try and talk to someone and give a little compassion, when you awaken your wounds will be healed and your bonds removed and to Scootaloo this shall all have been just a terrible dream.” “Okay,” Dash replied skeptically, giving a long hard look at the injured stallion. The world became blurry as Rainbow Dash began to awaken, the last thing she saw was Princess Luna walking over to the Sleepless Horse to talk to him.
EpilogueEpilogue: After Rainbow Dash awoke, she noticed that Scootaloo was already up and getting ready for school, which Dash realized she was going to be late for if she didn’t get her flank out of bed and get her safely back on the ground. While she was in the nightmare, she had realized something about herself when the Sleepless Horse had threatened to harm Scootaloo-she would do anything for her-and she would never, ever let anyone or anything hurt her. She had been busy that day, filling out forms and paperwork, which was far more tedious than cloud pushing and other weather management jobs in her opinion, and dropped by the orphanage before the part of the day came when school let out. Dash waited outside for Scootaloo, before seeing her as one of the last ones out the door along with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, the three were talking about possibly getting their cutie marks in fortune telling, before Scootaloo spotted her. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!” she approached her friend, mentor, and big sister figure excitedly. “What’s up?” “Well, just out of curiosity how would you feel if you could live with me?” she asked, trying to hide her grin. “Live with you? Like, not just spending the night-but stay with you-like a family?” she asked, excitedly. “Yeah, at least that’s what all those papers I had to sign said…” she added casually. “Y-you mean…I get to-with you?” she asked, happily as her eyes began to tear up. “Yep.” “Rainbow Dash, I…” she jumped up, wrapping her forelegs around her, bringing her into a crushing hug. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ve always dreamed of this!” She said all of this, forgetting that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were still behind her, seeing and hearing everything that was going on, now that she’d dropped her cool façade. “Good, ‘cause you’re gonna eat nothing but vegetables, do all of the house work and wait on me day and night.” She replied, sternly. Scootaloo released her and backed up, “Huh?” “Just messin’ with ya, squirt!” she grinned, before ruffling the young filly’s mane. And all four of them shared a laugh. Princess Luna talked with the Sleepless Horse for a bit, after a few hours he began to warm up to her again and agreed to help protect the ponies who dreamed to relieve some stress and make her job less difficult, she also healed his wounds, making his appearance less grizzly and allowed him to finally sleep after thousands of years of deprivation. He even brought the notion of rekindling the romance they had, but she said she thought it was too soon, secretly worrying that he might snap again if things didn’t go his way and resolved to watch him for a while just to make sure he was really trustworthy and then she would consider it. While appearing slightly miffed, he agreed that was fair, as Luna also suggested him at the very least trying to apologize to Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash sometime in the near future for any grief he’d caused them along with anyone else he may have harassed, while he was doubtful they would accept-he promised that he would try. As she left the Dream World, Luna had decided to report to her sister herself, on the events that had transpired recently, being far too numerous relay in a single letter-besides, she felt that she could use Celestia’s council on the way she had been handling everything.
