Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky from her shady spot beneath the tree. Her rose eyes focused on the several lazy clouds above. Man, what a beautiful day, she thought to herself. It truly was, with the sun shining over Equestria. It made the lake seem to sparkle as if it was filled with diamonds. She only wished that she could've had more rest. She'd been plagued by nightmares for awhile, and she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in some time.

"Alright, I can't laze around here all day," Rainbow said to herself. Slowly, she stood up, her joints popping. She spread her wings wide and looked skyward. She began to flap her wings quickly, and she lifted off the ground at once. She pushed her wings hard, gaining speed as she went. It felt good to be in the air, with her mane flowing in the wind and the rush of the air upon her face. Her blue coat still stood out against the deep blue of the sky. I wonder what Twilight wants to tell us... she wondered, recalling the conversation the two shared the day before.

--
She was blazing through the sky, gaining speed every second. She smirked and swung upward. She climbed higher into the sky, feeling the wind rush through her mane. When she broke the cloud barrier, she quickly turned, folded her wings against her body, and dove straight down, spinning her body rapidly. She fell at an alarming pace, but she wasn't afraid. The ground drew closer and closer, yet Rainbow only smiled. She loved the rush, and the fast approaching ground excited her. At last, she opened her wings and pulled up moments before crashing into the ground in a broken heap. She landed carefully, panting. Alright, that's enough for today. Once she had caught her breath, she again spread her wings and took to the sky above Ponyville.

She flew over the humble homes in Ponyville. Looking below, she could make out several ponies she recognized. Carrot Top was exiting Sugarcube Corner with a bag undoubtedly filled with treats. Carrot Top glanced up and waved happily at Rainbow, who returned the wave. In the town square, Lyra was entertaining a small crowd with her lyre. Rainbow also saw Twilight hastily trotting down the the main road.

"Hey, Twilight!" Rainbow called. Twilight didn't look up at the sound of her name. Rainbow simply sighed and descended toward her friend. "TWILIGHT!" At this, Twilight looked up. Rainbow smiled as she landed next to her, although her smile quickly faded when she saw Twilight up close. Though normally very painstakingly groomed, Twilight's purple and pink mane was frizzy, and hairs stuck out everywhere throughout her purple coat. Her lavender eyes were puffy and half closed.

"Oh, hello, Rainbow Dash," Twilight answered, yawning. She rocked on her hooves, and Rainbow reached out her hoof to her. Twilight managed to steady herself, but only barely. "I'm glad you stopped to say hi. I need to talk to you."

"Hey, uh...are you okay?" Rainbow again reached her hoof to Twilight when she shook. Her eyes fluttered open and shut. "You don't look good... You need to get home and sleep."

"It's a long story..." Twilight sighed. She rubbed her eyes and yawned again. "Could you meet me at the library tomorrow evening around 6 PM? I've already asked the others to come. I have something important to discuss with all of you."

"Sure, Twi," Rainbow replied, feeling uneasy. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks, Rainbow. I have to do some studying, so I'll see you tomorrow." Twilight trotted off unsteadily toward the library.

Rainbow thought for a moment. "Hey, Twilight!"

Twilight stopped and turned around. "Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"Have you, uh... have you had any weird nightmares, lately?"

Twilight looked confused. "No... why do you ask?"

Rainbow looked away, a frown touching her face. "Oh, nevermind."

Twilight gave her a confused look but quickly shook it off and walked away.

Rainbow watched her go in silence. "What the hoof..." She shrugged and spread her wings again. She took to the sky and headed toward Cloudsdale, wondering what could have her friend so flustered. Maybe she missed a letter to Celestia again or something... Or failed a test? Man, I hope she isn't getting called back to Canterlot or something! Or wait... Maybe it has something to do with these nightmares... Even if she doesn't know. I know better than to mess with dark omens and stuff.

"The dreams," Rainbow mused aloud as she passed over Sweet Apple Acres. "I had another one just last night, after I talked to Twilight..." They weren't dreams, really. In fact, they were too brutal to even be called simple nightmares. The images which came to her regularly in her sleep disturbed her beyond reason. Memories of the previous night's dream came back to her at once.

She walked through a dark, desolate wasteland. There were no signs of life to be found. A vulture rested on a dead tree to her right, watching her and waiting. The sky was a dark and cloudy grey. She felt uneasy as she strode through the unfamiliar, deserted land.

"Hello? Is anypony there?" She called out. Her only response was her echo. She shivered and walked on. The lack of life was unnerving, and she was surrounded by desert on all sides. No, it couldn't even be called a desert. The earth beneath her hooves was not sand... but dirt. Dirt caked with ashes. Determined, Rainbow kept moving. It wasn't long before she came to the ruins of a village. There were no signs of life, only smoldering buildings and debris littering the streets. As she trotted through the broken wreckage, she came to realize that she was in Ponyville... or at least, what was left of it.

The ruins of Sugarcube Corner sat on her left, and she immediately went to investigate. When she went inside, she felt sick. Lying there was the body of one of her best friends, Pinkie Pie. Pinkie's coat was matted with blood, and her hide was torn open in three large gashes. The expression frozen on her face was unnerving... as if she had died in the midst of extreme agony. Rainbow fell to her knees and felt her stomach churning. She leaned over and began to gag. She fought it back, but she still couldn't keep the contents of her stomach down. She began to vomit onto the ashy floor, her head reeling. At last, she wiped her mouth and stood. She ran outside hastily, desperate to escape the gruesome scene.

She was no better off in the streets. The ashen pathways were no longer empty. They were now littered with lifeless ponies, each looking as terrible as Pinkie. The gashes appeared unearthly, larger than even a timberwolf's claws. She shut her eyes and pressed her hooves to her temples. "No! This can't be happening! Somepony! Anypony! MAKE IT STOP!" She fell to the ground, rocking back and forth. It was too overwhelming... too much death. She lied on the ground in the same position for a very long time, until she at last awoke. Her pillow had been stained with tears.

Rainbow felt sick again. She glanced below herself in an effort to distract her thoughts. She was just entering into Ponyville, now. Rainbow sighed. Ugh... so much crap on my mind... Maybe Twilight can put all this junk to rest. She spotted the library and began her descent, which was slower than usual. She landed gracefully just in front of the door to the library and folded her wings against her body. She brushed some dust off of her coat and knocked on the door. After a moment, Spike answered.

Rainbow smiled at Spike. "Uh, hey, Spike. Is Twilight around?"

"Oh, hey, Rainbow!" Spike answered happily. "Yeah, Twilight's inside. She's been waiting for you."

"Oh, cool. Anypony else here, yet?"

"Yeah, Fluttershy and Rarity are already here." At this, Spike turned around and began to blush. Rainbow looked behind him to see that he was looking at Rarity. Oh, Spike... she thought to herself, chuckling a little. Spike let her inside and she casually walked to the table where her friends sat. Looking around, she could see the library was a mess. There were books everywhere, along with parchment, quills, and trash. Wow... Twilight's been hitting the books pretty hard...

"Hey, girls," Rainbow greeted as she sat down at Twilight's table. Her friends each gave her a hearty smile.

"Oh, hello, Rainbow! How are you, darling?" Rarity chimed. She looked her usual best, and Rainbow was pretty sure she took at least an hour to get ready that morning. "We were just talking about next month's vacation to Canterlot!"

Oh, Celestia...She's gonna try to get me into some prissy dress that I don't wanna wear...I just know it, Rainbow thought, groaning. She was about to object when Twilight descended the stairs.

"Hi, Rainbow," Twilight greeted without much enthusiasm. She looked even worse than she had the day before.

"Twi, what's wrong?" Rainbow called, alarmed at her friend's condition. "You look terrible!"

"Like I said, it's going to be a long story," Twilight replied, sighing. "We'll wait for Pinkie Pie and Applejack to get
here before I tell it."

Rainbow simply gave her a concerned look, and then shook it off. She sighed and looked at her friends. Fluttershy was smiling, although she was still her quiet self.

"So what's up, Fluttershy? Have you been practicing that cheer?" Rainbow asked her childhood friend, smiling.

"Oh, um, yes, but, uh...I don't know if it's good enough, yet..." Fluttershy responded with all of her usual timidity.

"Well let me hear it!" Rainbow demanded. She was sure Fluttershy would have it in her if she just kept trying.

"Oh, no, I couldn't..."

"Come on, Fluttershy! Let's hear it!"

"Oh, okay..." Fluttershy drew in a deep breath. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The three mares were knocked from their chairs.

"SWEET CELESTIA, FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow exclaimed. Wow, guess she DOES have it in her!

"Wow, Fluttershy! Bravo!" Rarity applauded.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Fluttershy began to say apologetically.

"What?! That was perfect! I want you to cheer like that from now on!" Rainbow happily told her friend as she got back into her chair. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it, guys," Rainbow announced as Twilight began to get up. She flew to the door and opened it to find Applejack and Pinkie Pie together. Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down, and Applejack was drooping slightly. Her mane was untidy and her eyes were puffy.

"HIYA, Dashie!" Pinkie greeted. "Are we late?" She continued to hop in place.

"Not really," Rainbow answered with a smile. As random as Pinkie was, Rainbow was always happy to her smiling, pink friend. "Everypony's waiting inside. How's things, AJ? You look exhausted!"

"Well," Applejack began with a tired note in her voice, "Ah finally finished the apple harvest for this year. Ah'm glad Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle helped us out this year, else it woulda taken a heckuva lot longer than it did."

"Well, why don't you come sit down?" Rainbow told her. "Plenty of room."

"Don't mind if Ah do, sugarcube." Pinkie and Applejack came inside and took their seats at the table.

"Great," Twilight sighed, "now that everypony's here, we can start." Twilight looked around and groaned. "Ugh! I forgot the materials... I've been so distracted ever since... well, I'll tell you once I gather my things. I'll be right back, girls." Twilight trotted upstairs and left her friends to converse amongst themselves.

"So, Dashie," Pinkie began innocently, "how's your training for the Wonderbolts going?"

"Honestly," Rainbow replied, shifting her eyes, "I've been kinda...slacking off a little. I know, I know! I need to practice harder, but it's just that I've been so preoccupied lately. I've been having these weird dreams, and I just feel like I'm getting some bad vibes or something, I dunno. It's had me really distracted."

"Sounds like you need to buckle down and get serious, sugarcube," Applejack replied sharply but not unkindly.

"Yeah, I guess so, but I still feel like--" Rainbow began.

"Okay, girls, I have everything I need," Twilight interrupted, descending the stairs with a book and several research notes.

"Alright, then, darling, let's hear it," Rarity said to her friend, fidgeting anxiously in her seat.

"Here we go." Twilight opened the book and laid out her research notes. "Get comfortable, because this may take awhile.

"Basically, I've noticed some strange phenomenon in the sky lately. At first, I thought it was just a comet or another planet or something, but...Once I examined it through my telescope, I...I found something very strange and disturbing." Twilight placed several pictures on the table, all of which depicted a strange, greenish-black orb. "This is what I saw when I examined it. I don't know what it is, but this picture shows it zoomed out a little. I don't like the looks of it." Indeed, the next picture she showed them had the same orb, except that now, a black aura was visible surrounding it.

Rainbow Dash began to shiver uncontrollably. Whoa, that's pretty scary...

"I've been doing research through every book in the library to see if any of them mention something like this, but...none of them do." Twilight opened the book on the table. "This is the closest I came to finding a reference of it." She pointed to a passage which she had circled. It read 'Numerous unidentifiable objects have been seen in the skies, but this has mostly been attributed to the lack of proper stargazing materials or insufficient magic to power the telescopes used. Astronomers have dismissed these strange findings for years, calling them nothing more than a fluke.'" Twilight looked up. "But it definitely doesn't look like a fluke to me. My magic's always worked just fine, and I can't see how it can be failing now. I...I'm scared, girls. This isn't natural, and I'm afraid that this could be more dangerous than anything we've encountered." Twilight was twiddling her hooves.

"Twilight, whatever it is-" Rainbow began, but she was quickly cut off.

"Darling, don't you think you're overreacting a tad?" came Rarity's reply. "I mean, it's possible that your telescope could be malfunctioning. Magic isn't perfect, you know, even for you."

"But, Rarity, I-" Twilight tried to answer, but she was again interrupted.

"Yeah, Twi," Applejack cut in, "Ah don't think it's really anything ya gotta worry about. Ah don't know much about unicorn magic, but Ah do know that it can be a little iffy from time to time."

"But you're not listening to-"

"Aw, come on, Twilight!" Pinkie happily interjected. "You can't let a little mistake get you all down! How about we have a party to cheer you up?! It'll be so much fun! I'll bake cupcakes and we'll all have a great time! There'll be games, and sweets, and..." Pinkie Pie continued to talk to no one in particular.

Twilight looked at Fluttershy and Rainbow. "You two believe me, don't you?" She pleaded.

Fluttershy looked away. "Well, um...I don't know, Twilight..." came her answer. "I think it's probably some kind of mistake..."

Rainbow just looked silently at Twilight. She had begun to cry. Rainbow left her seat and walked over to Twilight. "...I believe you," she whispered. "Let's have them go home and we'll talk. I understand this probably as much as you do." Twilight only nodded.

"Well, I guess we should all head out," Rainbow quickly burst out. "I'll stay here, because I need to check out the last few books in the Daring Do collection, but I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Mm, yes," Rarity yawned. "I should really be getting home. I have an order due for Filthy Rich tomorrow."

"Ah guess Ah should catch some sleep," Applejack announced. "Ah'll see you girls later."

"Oh, I should probably get back before Angel Bunny gets angry..." Fluttershy said quietly. "I'll see you later, girls."

Rainbow and Twilight watched as their friends began to leave one by one. When everypony had left, Rainbow turned to Twilight and said gravely, "I know what you're talking about, and I believe you."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad at least somepony does. But... why? Why do you believe me?"

Rainbow put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Well..." She began to recount her grim nightmares, sparing no details. Twilight listened intently, nodding every so often. "... but it just seems like bad mojo to me," Rainbow finished. "I don't play around with dark omens and stuff."

Twilight scratched her head. "Hm... I couldn't tell you for sure if your dreams mean anything, but I will say that this is a strange coincidence. I've been pouring over texts for days... Nothing even mentions anything CLOSE to this! I know that whatever's up there is definitely not good." Twilight glanced at the pictures on the table and hastily flipped them over with her magic.

"Twi..." Rainbow began, "Whatever happens, I'll stay by your side. I promise you. Even if nopony else will believe you or help you, I will be here. I won't let this happen to Equestria, and I won't let you face this alone. You have my promise as the element of loyalty." Rainbow's expression was unwavering. Her determination was clearly visible.

Twilight hugged her friend. "Thank you, Rainbow."

Rainbow walked toward Twilight's desk, examining the book titles on the ground. All about Stars, A Complete Encyclopedia on Constellations, The Moon and Beyond: An Extensive Guide to the Night Sky... She looked away and turned to Twilight. "So, have you contacted the Princess?"

"Yes," Twilight responded shakily. "I've sent her a letter asking her if she knows anything. I'm hoping that the Canterlot archives will have information on this object." Just as she finished, Spike belched across the room. Twilight and Rainbow looked over to see a letter fall to the ground. Spike quickly picked it up and read the names on it.

"It's from the Princess!" Spike announced. He hastily brought the parchment to Twilight, who levitated it with her magic.

"Thank you, Spike. Let's see what it says...

"Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student," Twilight read aloud, "I thank you for your concern, but I don't think that anything is wrong. Perhaps your telescope's magic needs calibration? I have seen the same anomaly you mentioned, but it appears to be just another star. You should try to relax, and maybe even take a vacation. You certainly deserve one. Signed, Princess Celestia.

"That's it," Twilight said, defeated. She dropped the letter and fell to her haunches. "Not even Celestia believes me. What do we do now?"

"Well..." Rainbow began. "You said the Canterlot Archives could have some information, right?" Her eyes gleamed.

"Yes, but I don't know that for sure..." Twilight responded. She twiddled her hooves.

"So let's find out!" Rainbow jumped into the air and hovered just above Twilight. "We should go check it out ourselves!"

"Hm... I suppose it's our only option." Twilight nodded. "Yes, we can catch a train tomorrow!"

Rainbow raised her eyebrows. "A train? Pfft, I'm not doing that. Follow me." She motioned to the door, and Twilight followed her outside.

Rainbow turned to Twilight with a grave face. "Alright, grab onto me."

"But, Dash, can you handle my weight?!" Twilight asked, concerned.

"HEY! You're talking to the best flier in Equestria! Don't question me!"

Twilight was unsure of it, but she still wrapped her hoof around Rainbow's midsection. Rainbow spread her wings and took to the sky with Twilight in tow. It wasn't as easy as flying by herself, but she had no trouble staying airborne. Okay... so we're in this alone. We'll just have to figure something out. I'm not letting Equestria die, and I'm not letting Twilight do this by herself. She prepared herself for whatever lie in wait for them. Bring it on.

Author's Note

This was something for which I had an idea for awhile. I finally decided to go ahead and write it. It might be a long one, but hey, I hope it entertains. Should be regular updates to it, so keep checking back.

Also, I just did some editing. It looks less crappy now and I explained a little more (why they keep dismissing her finding as a mistake and how Rainbow could carry Twilight.) Chapter 1 is coming soon, so stick around.