Rainbow was always different, which wasn't a surprise, since she was the daughter of Sombra. She had unknowingly left behind traces of her magic the firstborn time she 'visited' and now the mane 6 are hunting the pony down, all expect for Rainbow.
Rainbow Dash knew from the start that she was the daughter of King Sombra. When they were in the Crystal Empire the first time, Rainbow had used shadow magic, powered by her strong wings, and moved around to inform Applejack about the Crystal Heart. Now, Twilight found out a few traces of dark magic Rainbow had left behind the first time. She immediately informed all the princesses and the mane 6 are in the Crystal Empire, hunting, unknowingly, for one of their own.
This is after Secrets and Pies but before Shadow Play.
Twilight's POV I know that I'm waiting for the train to arrive to travel to the Crystal Empire! I can't now wait to see Flurry Heart once more. I even bought presents for her and other stuffed animals that reminded myself of her. The train finally arrives and I step into it, finding a seat before staring out the window. I just hope that I'll be able to recognize her once more. I look at a Spike, who as usual, travels with me. Spike is busy trying out wigs and different costumes, as if he is going to be mobbed, which he probably will be. Last time, even under the threat of Thorax, the crowd still lifted him up and threw him up and down in the air.
The train finally arrives at its destination. Spike and I walks out of the train and we both see guards stationed everywhere. At first, they point their spears at us before recognizing one of us. They grab Spike and began to shout out his name once more. I stifle my chuckle before looking at all the guards.
I ask, "What's going on?"
One of the guards looks nervous before replying, "Well-"
Another guard nudges him, "Stop. We don't know what magic he or she many contain. Keep everything to yourself." Something is definitely going on here for sure.
I say, "Where's Cadence and my brother?" Then I see the palace and mentally slap myself on the forehead. I grab Spike before teleporting into the castle easily. I walk around, looking for them before seeing them in the throne room. Flurry is sleeping, on her blue bed and her little head is on a soft, green pillow. I almost didn't want to disturb them but I need to know about what is going on. I walk in and my brother looks up. I can tell that he is tired by his bloodshot eyes and how frazzled his mane looks like. Candence didn't look too much better.
She sees me and trots across the room, "Sunshine, sunshine."
I smile and say it with her, "Ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake." We both fall down and laugh our heads off before Flurry wakes up from the noise. Flurry stands up and flies out of her crib, flying into my hands. I kiss her before showing one of the presents. She opens the plain orange box to see two monkeys in there, one pink and one red. She does some hand motion before I laugh and levitate the red monkey. I made the monkey do some acrobats while Candence and Shining looks at us, smiling.
Shining sighs, "Twily, I know that you want to know about what is happening outside." I nod, signaling him to go on.
He continues, "Before Spike took the Crystal Heart to banish King Sombra somewhere, or vaporize him, honestly I don't care, there were traces of dark magic. It's been recently found by one of our subjects that was made a day before it happened."
Cadence says, "That's why there are extra guards. None of us want a repeat and the creature with the dark magic is against us and probably with King Sombra. In fact, he or she is probably related to King Sombra."
I begin to put the pieces together, "Is that the real reason I'm here?"
My brother sighs, "I'm sorry Twily, but after, you could spend days with Flurry. Also, this threat is really big and we need to solve it. If intercepted, it wouldn't tell too much to the creature."
"Are you sure that the pony or creature won't talk?"
"Anypony who is related to the King can't be good. Sombra can't be a good influence. Besides, we don't even know who the pony or creature is."
I nod, "Maybe the pony or creature would be willing to talk. Thorax wasn't that scary."
My brother replies, "Sombra was a lot worse than a rogue changeling. Do you remember what he did?" I nod, of course I remembered.
I say, "I'll get the other six here."
"Six?"
"Fluttershy, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Starlight."
Candence nods, "We will need all the help we could get. Get them here immediately please." I nod before focusing on a teleportation spell. Usually, I would let them arrive on the train, but seeing how dire this is, I need to tell them about this.
Rainbow immediately crashes into a wall, "Twilight! I was at Wonderbolt's practice. You can't just teleport me here."
Rarity nods, "Darling, I'm sorry to say this but my sewing machine is still on and Sassy is waiting for an answer to her question."
Fluttershy says shyly, "I was... I was um... Reading a story to Angel. I'll have to start all over again."
Pinkie glared at me, "And I was planning a super duper fantastic party for Apple Bloom for her birthday or almost birthday."
Applejack rubs her legs, "And Ah was about to buck a tree. Why did you teleport us like that?"
I sigh, "I'm sorry girls. Candence, do you mind sending letters to the ponies?"
Candence nods, yawning, "Of course Twilight." She trots out of the room.
I look at the others, "Girls, I have some bad news..."
Rainbow's POV Shoot. They know about my small feat in magic when I was trying to get to Applejack quickly. I had shadow traveled to the flag, grabbed it, and placed it on the statue. I look at the others who has disbelief, horror, and other ranges of emotion. I pretend to have disbelief.
Twilight continues, "And that's why we must hunt the pony down."
I ask, "How do we even know that the pony is in the Crystal Empire? For all we know, she could've fled."
"Perhaps so, but we still should look around and at least talk to the pony. We don't want any risks in this, especially since the Crystal ponies are still sore with King Sombra." If only they know that I am actually the daughter of King Sombra and that it's actually a Pegasus.
Twilight sighs, "We need a secret code to just make sure that the pony won't shapeshifter into us and discover all of our plots." I don't even need to shapeshift right now, but I nod to make her happy.
Starlight says, "How about if you say Crystal, then you say-"
Pinkie interrupts, "Cupcake!"
Starlight raises a hoof, "I was going to say-"
"Cupcake!"
"As I was saying-"
"Cupcake!"
Twilight chuckles, "Okay Pinkie. Crystal cupcake it is. Anyways, I will make up a small plan. For now, we should travel in pairs or trios. I will be with Applejack. Rarity will be with Pinkie. Fluttershy will be with Starlight and Rainbow. Spike, you could stay here and eat gems." I notice that there is at least one unicorn in each group but I didn't say anything about it.
Twilight opens a map and points to different areas, "Rainbow, Starlight, and Fluttershy will head East." I zone out the rest as Starlight leads Fluttershy and I East.
I sigh, "What's the plan?"
Starlight replies, "Well... I was thinking that we should act casual and draw him or her out that way."
Fluttershy nods, "I wouldn't mind casual." I put on my sunglasses and nod before flying towards a cafe with the others.
Starlight raises an eyebrow, "I honestly don't think that he or she will be in there."
I smirk, "You won't know unless you try. Besides, I'm starving!" Fluttershy and Starlight sighs before following me to a table. One of the Crystal ponies levitated a menu to us.
I say, "I would like a coffee with a lot of sugar as well as a donut with sprinkles on them. I would also like a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles." I look outside to see other Crystal ponies being tense around the street but acting normal since it isn't a too well known fact with all the details provided. Meanwhile, I am nervous that they are hunting me down, intentionally or not. The others ordered something and we all eat our food. The coffee is delicious but the cupcake is the best by so far. I sip my coffee as I listen to the others.
Starlight sighs, "We should lay a trap for her."
Fluttershy looked at her food, "That doesn't sound nice."
"You're right. She could just teleport away or disband the trap. Maybe we need to study her style by luring her to use some magic."
"Umm.... Doesn't she have dark magic?"
"True, but there are other signs with a signature like that. Also, we should set up cameras to catch her." I didn't even want to tell them that I could blend in with the shadows and avoid the cameras.
Fluttershy looks at me, "Rainbow, is everything alright? You've been really quiet."
I smile, "Nah, it's cool." It is not cool of how they are unintentionally talking about me without knowing it. Also, how they are hunting me down, thinking and being certain that it's a bad pony.
Starlight asks, "Are you sure Rainbow? You look a little glum." Before I can make another excuse, the cafe bell rang and another pony walks into the cafe. The pony lights up when he sees Starlight and trots to the seat next to her.
Sunburst says, "Hi. What are you all doing here?"
Starlight smiles, "Sunburst! I can't believe you're here."
"Actually, I can't believe that you're here since you live in Ponyville. I just came here for a small drink." Sunburst levitates one of the free samples on the counter over while two bits float to the table. He sips the drink, relaxing.
Starlight looks at Sunburst, "Did you hear about the magic issue?"
He looks around before whispering, "Yes, I'm was the one to detect it. I suppose that you were sent here."
"Yes."
"Then let's all trot together since I'm also doing that."
Fluttershy looks at her drink, "Are you sure? Twilight did her best to make pairs and four ponies could definitely split up."
Starlight barely notices her, "Well, you could come with us." I sigh, Starlight is clearly in love with Sunburst while Sunburst is completely ignorant. I look outside before finishing my food.
Sunburst looks around, "We can't really do anything besides walking around unless the pony leaves another trace of magic behind. Until then, we will have to keep looking. Hey, maybe when we finish the task and I go to Ponyville for a visit, we could do one of my favorite activities. Looking and buying antiques. Did you know that Ponyville is antique central?" I yawn before looking at Fluttershy. The mare is still eating her food slowly. Basically, we are going to continue searching until the pony gets discovered. I'm still afraid of what will happen if they would discover that I had performed the magic. They will be likely rob bombard me with uncomfortable questions.
Fluttershy whispers to me, "Rainbow, is everything actually alright? You look a little sad." Sad is one way to describe it but I shake my head, not wanting to let her know who I really am.
She pats my back, "Don't worry, we will find the pony and you will go back to train with the Wonderbolts." That is exactly what I am afraid of. If they discover that it is me, will I need to give up my position and face some consequences? When I was a filly, I thought that there was magic in the show instead of special effects of going through storm cloud so and what's not. If ponies find out I have magic, I can be accused of using it during shows. Also, my reputation can be tarnished. I realize that they are all staring at me.
I look at them, "What?"
Starlight replies, "You were staring off into space."
I give them a fake smile, "I just missing being a Wonderbolt's and becoming 20% cooler again."
Fluttershy gives me a small stare, "I don't think that is why. I know you Rainbow and I just want to help you."
I snap at Fluttershy, "I don't need help."
Fluttershy stands up in her and spills her drink a little, "Rainbow, for your on good, just tell us." I know that Fluttershy barely gets like this but I can't tell her. I just can't!
I reply, also standing up, "I'm sorry for snapping at you but I just really don't need help. Now, I thinks that's we should go and continue scouting or something."
Starlight sighs, "You know what? She really does have a point. Let's go."
Fluttershy's POV I know when my friends are hurting since I hang out with many of my adorable creatures. I keep glancing again Rainbow, who seems to be staring off the space more than usual. The thing that gets me a little worried is the fact that Rainbow isn't hovering in the air. She's actually walking and looking around. I give a smile at her that is hopefully reassuring. I watched as her eyes meet mine and her eyes showing signs of fear and sadness. Since when is Rainbow ever scared though. I hear the chatter of Starlight and Sunburst talking about magic, as I watch Rainbow.
I fly to Rainbow, "Rainbow? Are you feeling all right?"
Rainbow turns to me, a little shocked and quickly manages a fake smile, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Not wanting to press her further or make her feel worse, I nod and trot with her to the castle. The silence is deafening from Rainbow, while the two unicorns remain oblivious to this. We finally reach the castle and the guards look at each other before letting us in. We trot to the living room, where the others are waiting.
Twilight asks, "Any luck?" Her voice is a little sad. Rainbow shakes her head. I sigh since it didn't seem like the others had better luck than we did.
Twilight turned to Sunburst, "Hi Sunburst. Knowing Starlight, she already asked you to join us so yes, you are allowed to search with us. Now, we just need to discuss a plot."
Rarity says, "Darling, I think that you should be the only one that's making a plan. I need to see the new fashion around this empire and hopefully get inspired by it."
Twilight sighs, "Fine. Just come back in two hours." She levitate a few quills and a blackboard to start formulating a plan worthy of Twilight. I trot out with Rainbow, still really worried for my friend.
Rainbow turns around, "Why are you following me?" I pause, unsure if I should tell her.
I decide that honestly will be the best after some thinking, "Rainbow, you said that you're fine but I-I don't believe you."
Rainbow retorts, "Look, Fluttershy. I know that you're worried but I'm just a little... hungry. That's all. I think I'll grab a bite to eat."
I shook my mane, "Didn't you just eat about thirty minutes ago?" Rainbow's eyes widens, knowing that I caught her in a lie.
"Yes... But my stomach is complaining again?"
I sigh, not wanting to make her more uncomfortable, "Rainbow, you can trust me with anything. I pinkie promise to keep it. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Rainbow hesitates, knowing that it was impossible to break a Pinkie promise unless the pony wants the Pinkie revenge.
She finally sighs, "I'll go to your room tonight. For now, I would like some privacy." I smile before trotting away.
Rainbow's POV I should've known that Fluttershy will be the one to figure it out. Although she isn't good at facing beasts or as willing to charge in battle, she is stubborn when finding out about what is wrong with her friends. She has changed a lot since Twilight came to Ponyville and when we all got Elements. To be honest, I think that the Elements choose us. I trot to my room, formulating plans on how to erase Fluttershy's memory. I wasn't really good at controlling my powers, but I was good at using them. For example, before fath-King Sombra sent me to limbo, he made me torture everypony who didn't like him. I used torture methods from my lessons from him and killed them.
I could never wash off my blood off of my hooves anymore, the damage was already done. I fly to my room and close the door. Plans are such a Twilight thing to do, not Rainbow. Well, my name isn't actually Rainbow. That is my fake name, just in case they manage to find a record saying what my real name is. I stare at myself in the reflection before taking a quick shower. I chip off the paint off my tail, since it can't be washed off, and stare at myself once more. I have a black tail and mane as well as dark blue fur. My eyes remains the same since I hate contacts. I don't have a horn since I generate power from my wings. It's a family trait, passing down from Sombra to me. My first child (who I am never going to have) will have powers like I do, and my father and his family. I relook at myself being walking out as Twilight is just about to walk in. We almost crash but Twilight levitates me out of the way just in time.
Twilight says in excitement, "I think that I found a few leads on whoever the pony is and how to capture them!" It's impossible to get me contained though. Sombra had tried everything to contain me when I got a time out of some sort, either for refusing to kill my friend that I manage to make, doing a magic spell, or anything that ruins his title of being a feared pony. He never succeeded, although magic has really changed. I follow Twilight, certain that she didn't find out about me that much. The others are already there. I sit down on a beanbag, wishing that it's a comfortable cloud instead.
Twilight looks at a board, "There aren't a lot of books on this pony. Her name is apparently Spectrum Crystal. She is commonly known as the hornkoda fellao. It's old Ponish but not even I can translate it. I think that it might even be a lost language. I'll continue to try to find out what it means though." It is a lost language. When I first entered this world after Sombra was banished the first time, I was a little filly who painted herself and went to flight school. I also twisted a few minds to make them think that they're my family and get into flight school. I created the first Sonic Rainboom a few days after with paint on my tails. It will be called a Sonic Shadowboom if I did it without it. Nevertheless, I earned my cutie mark. Hornkoda fellao means The Shadow Killer.
Twilight continues, "We won't be able to catch her on the camera, since her most common skill is blending in the shadows and spying for her father." He stopped becoming my father as soon as he banished me to limbo.
The alicorn continues, "We need to talk about false information and try to trap her that way." Yeah, as if I need to do that anymore. I'm standing right here, listening to the conversation. Twilight found out about my real name, my title, and some of my common moves such as shadowing blending.
Twilight uses magic to point to the board as if it is a laser, "We need to talk quietly about a new passageway there is to the castle. Lure her to the throne room through an unlocked window that is usually locked. Make sure that it's really random. Now, Sunburst found something in his books, very vaguely."
Sunburst nods as he reads from a book, "Yes. There's a few paragraphs on this Spectrum Crystal. I'll read it out loud to all of you."
He starts, "Spectrum Crystal is the daughter of the infamous King Sombra. Nopony really knows what she looks like as she travels in the shadows. Whoever sees her draws their last breath as a 'reward'. Only one pony is lucky enough to see her and record images in a few of what seems secret and symbolic messages. The pictures are not recorded but will be talked about. The first picture is a picture of white wings surrounding a black heart with the night sky behind it. The pony obviously is able to fly by levitating herself and has a black heart. She also seems to like the night time and to follow her father." Can this book even be more wrong? I'm a Pegasus, I can levitate but why levitate when I have perfectly good wings. He meant my father by the black heart. I remember this painting.
Memory A green stallion turned to me, "Spectrum! You're here. Thank goodness."
I had laughed bitterly, "Let's just say that I'm skipping an 'important' meeting to come here. Father is considering to use the mind controlling helmets to have another's battle."
He sighed, "Again? Wasn't there one around five days ago?"
I stared at the ground, "It's not up to me. Say, we've met a lot of times and I still don't know your name."
His eyes widened before going back to his normal size, "I've been meaning to tell you, Spectrum, but I... I can't remember. The Lord-"
"Don't call him that."
"Force of habit. I mean that S-Som-Sombra just calls me Slave 516."
I had thought for some time before saying, "You deserve a name. Let me think... I will simply call you Pega."
He raised an eyebrow, "Pega?"
"Short for Pegasus. I mean, you are one right? So what do you think?"
He bit his lip, "I think it's a really bad name." I knew that he was still a little afraid of me, although he was the only pony that actually knew me.
I said, "It's better than no name. It would be a better place than being constantly reminded that you're a slave. Besides, I'm going to insist on calling you that."
Pega brightened up, "You know what? I'm going to spread that idea around. Maybe it would lift spirits up and power the Heart."
"The heart? It's fake. Father-I mean Sombra would never allow an artifact to be left in a middle. If I had to guess, it would be in his throne room somewhere in secret that's only able to open in dark magic."
"You know what? You are a really good thinker. You really are a pair of bright wings around his black heart, radiating stars to everypony who you don't kill."
I shrugged, "I know, I'm very smart."
Pega chuckled, "Okay Spectrum. Why don't we make another drawing on that together? I know it'll take some time to make, but in case somepony manages to come across it, maybe they'll have a clue about you."
I nodded, "Good idea." I felt my magical senses tingle.
I quickly gulped, "Pega, you must go. Father is coming. There isn't time!" Pega nodded and flew away, knowing how important it was so neither of them were caught.
The next day, I snuck out out of the castle and painted with Pega. It took months to create the perfect painting. We both had signed out names, although I made mine an unlegible scribble so nopony would know that I drew it.
Twilight waves a hoof in front of my face, "Rainbow? Are you listening?"
I shook my mane, smirking, "You already know the answer, Twi." Sometimes, I hated about how stupid I needed to seem so I would contradict my past self. Unknown to Twilight, I read every single book in the Crystal library and just about everywhere in my past. Daring Do was just a new book that was new and not read by me. That's why I had tried to sneak the book from the hospital a few years ago.
Twilight sighs, "I should've expected that. Anyways, you only missed a few passages. I'm going to talk about the plan anyways."
She turns back to Egghead Mode, "We need to cover a lot of ground, and look semi suspicious. I will travel with Rainbow. Fluttershy with Starlight. Sunburst with Applejack. Rarity with Pinkie. You already know your positions, well, besides Rainbow, but she can just follow me. Come back here in a few hours." We all nod, although I knew that this is going to be another useless search. Twilight teleports us to different locations. Twilight and I appear in the middle of a library.
I raise an eyebrow, "Seriously Twi? Of all the places, a library?"
Twilight looked away, embarrassed, "It's a possibility. Let's just sit and read. I hear that they might have Daring Do."
I smile, "Awesome!" I know that they don't have Daring Do as it's mostly non fiction. I fly away and grab the only fiction book in the place and sit next to Twilight before reading.
Twilight looks at me and winks before whispering, "Did you hear about the secret passageway to the palace?"
I decide to play her game and whisper back, "Yeah, I've heard that Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor can't even seal it." We continue talking like this for some time before I skim the pages of the book that I already read in the past.
Rainbow's POV I finish the long book that has the genre of historical fiction while Twilight is taking notes and analyzing a long textbook about history. I poke Twilight and she looks up, surprised. Her eyes glanced to the clock before nodding and teleporting out. The others are already waiting for us.
Rarity asks, "Any luck?" We shake our heads, while the others show faces of downcast expressions. It is dark already and Twilights talks about trying another day to catch Spectrum Crystal. I ignore her and we all go back to our rooms. Well, all of them except me. I'm still uncertain of telling Fluttershy the truth or erasing her memory of the event. I probably should tell her about it though, just in case my unpracticed magic doesn't work. I may be good, but I didn't practice for a long time with ponies to torture.
The Shadow Killer
I ignore my morbid thoughts as I knock on Fluttershy's door. The crystal door opens with a creak and I step into her room. I sit on a chair, not caring that I'm not invited to do so. Fluttershy closes the door and sits on the chair across from me. We stare at each other for some time.
Fluttershy finally says, "Rainbow? Will you tell me? I already Pinkie promised to never tell any other pony."
I remember the best thing to swear on before saying, "I have another superstition that would make it a little easier to tell you. Can you swear on the River of Shadows? I kind of read a book about it."
Fluttershy nods, "Of course. I swear on the River of Shadows that I will not, in any circumstances, release any information on what you are going to tell me, unless you give me permission to do so."
I nod, "I accept." The bond stretches between us and ties into knots. If she breaks it, I will know and I will have three choices that I can make. One of them is to kill her and to make her suffer in Hell, one is to make her fully under my command, and one is to make her fight eternal pain that will increase. Then, I secretly cast a sound proof spell while concealing my magic.
I finally say, "I guess I'll tell you. Fluttershy, I am Spectrum Crystal."
Fluttershy whispers, "You don't look like her."
I say, "Precautions. Under the paint, I am Spectrum."
Fluttershy hugs me, "We will always be friends, Rainbow, and I will never see you in any way but that way. I'll always be here for you, even though I know that the hunt wouldn't be useful. Rainbow, when are you going to tell them?"
I hesitated before saying, "When I have enough confidence or when it's absolutely necessary. Look, Fluttershy, I k-killed many ponies in my past and they wouldn't welcome me with open hooves."
Fluttershy said, "They'll hate you more if you lie to them."
I smirk, "Technically, I didn't lie to them, I just never told them the truth. They never asked me." Fluttershy nodded and we stared at each other for some time before Fluttershy looked away.
She asks, "What if you were caught? What if you needed to show up for some reason?"
I ponder on this before saying, "I'll think of something. I should probably get back to my room. Since I don't need to hide the secret, I might as well as use my powers. Might convince you about me." Fluttershy nods and looks at me, waiting. Now, if I could remember how to remove the traces of dark magic it might help. Suddenly, I remember that all I needed to do was not think about it too closely since the impact of magic would be more visible if I used a lot of magic on it. I think of my traces floating to a bottom of a bowl of water before stepping into the shadows. In a few seconds, I disappear and appear at my room.
I stare at myself in the mirror. Magenta eyes met itself. It is the exact same pinkish color of when I tried to wash the blood stains off my hooves on the worst battle ever imagined. I break the gaze before taking a shower and I sleep on the bed.
Fluttershy's POV I look at the spot where Rainbow disappeared and it got me to think. I still have plenty of questions for her but I have the feeling that I shouldn't ask for more than she says. I couldn't just tell them who Rainbow was; I Pinkie and River of Shadows promised. While the River of Shadows were definitely fake and made up since I had never heard of it, a Pinkie Promise will be really bad if broken. Thinking about it, what were the punishments for breaking a Pinkie Promise? I have to tell Twilight, at the very least, while making up for a broken promise. I paced around the room before falling into a restless sleep.
I wake up to a sound of a hoof knocking my door and I say, "Please come in." The door slowly opens and Twilight steps through it. I glance at the window and see that it was barely dawn. The sky is still black.
Twilight says urgently, "There are a lot of urgent news. We need to get going. Rainbow is still sleeping but you need to be up."
I yawn, "I'm up." Twilight nods before leading the way to her planning room. There are a lot of guards around the doors but seeing the princess of friendship, they bow in respect. Everypony except Rainbow is there and they all look at Twilight. I follow their gaze.
Applejack breaks the silence, "Ah reckon that ya didn't bring Rainbow for a reason, d'ya Twilight?"
Twilight sighs, "Yes. Fluttershy, I know about the conversation that you two just spoke a few moments ago."
I say, "B-But I was asleep."
"Yes, for an hour or so. Anyways, I need all of you to watch this. I think that Rainbow soundproofed the room also, since I couldn't hear a pin drop from outside. I didn't even hear you calling my name until I opened the door halfway, Fluttershy. Unfortunately for her, video cameras stationed inside each room is not affected. The guards and I would've ignored the camera if it weren't for the shadow travel in the end." We all watch the video on the board. When it is finished, we all stay silent, unsure of what to say.
Pinkie squeals, "I'm going to plan a few parties for all of us! Fluttershy, you didn't break the promise as you weren't the one telling us and you actually manage for to side step a Pinkie Promise legally unlike you Applejack and stuff like that! Also, should we plan the party for her? Of course I should. It'll be called-"
Twilight interrupts, "Pinkie, as much as I appreciate that you're planning a party for her, Rainbow, or Spectrum, does not know that we found out. Guards, get Rainbow Dash here. Do not attempt to poke her and do not be hostile unless she harms you." Two of them bows and gallops out of the door.
Pinkie's POV I can't wait to throw Dash a birthday party! It'll be humongous and contain all of the crystal ponies. Wait, maybe I should leave the crystal ponies out since she did do something to them before. Or maybe I could improve their relationship by throwing the most awesome amazing super duper party! That sounds like a plan. Now I have to decide on the cake. I giggle to myself, note pie. It is strange, I, Pinkie Pie, can't make Rainbow a pie. Before I have the time to think about this party more, the door opens slowly and Rainbow flies in. Or should I call her Spectrum? How about Raintrum?
Raintrum yawns, "D'ya find something important?"
Twilight nods at her, "Yes... Rainbow. We did find out compelling evidence of the pony who is Spectrum. You are her, aren't you?"
Rainbow freezes, which is funny because there isn't ice around her, before replying, "Nah, I'm too cool for that."
Applejack glares at the pony angrily, "If it ain't you, it ain't anypony!" Aww, come on Applejack! You aren't smiling!
I jump around, hoping for a positive reaction, "Hi Rainbow! We know something about you! First, when do you want to reveal your large secret to the whole entire population that currently hates you? Well, they won't hate you any longer if they have a parrrrtay!"
Twilight sighs, "Pinkie, calm down. We are here to talk. Rainbow, we caught you on camera. Watch." She levitates a camera to Rainbow. We all wait super quietly, even me, and the video is finally done.
Rainbow blinks, "Uhh..."
"We aren't mad at you Rainbow," Twilight says. I glance at the steaming Applejack. Maybe I can fry a egg on top of her head! Yep, Auntie Pinkie Pie with an egg! I break the fourth wall and grab a pan with an egg and begin to fry it on top of Applejack. The others look at me before sighing.
Rainbow smiles, "Yeah, sure. Well, I've got to go to uhh... clear a few clouds to help the empire!" She began to fly but a color surrounds Rainbow's tail. I look at Twilight, and start to eat my egg.
Twilight says firmly, "Stay Rainbow! I said that we aren't mad at you but we have questions for you."
I nod and appear there,"Yeah! I need to plan your 'Welcome back Spectrum or is it Raintrum or Rainbow party to the Crystal Empire which you hopefully won't harm anypony'."
Twilight sighs and I am dragged someplace else, "Rainbow or Spectrum, whatever you want to call it... The Crystal Empire is going to know about this."
I screech, "But what about the par-tay!" Can't they see how important it is?
Twilight sighs once more, and I begin to wonder if she has a sighing problem, "Actually, Rainbow Spectrum. Why don't we talk alone. The others can walk around the city and tell ponies."
I sigh, "That's a bummer! I reeaaalllyyy wanted to plan a party." Then something made me appear someplace else.
I use my Pinkie randomness to pop up in front of a pony, "Hey! Do you know that..."
Rainbow's POV I knew that I should have thought about the cameras that are recordings. With maximum security, they won't take any risks. How could I have been so stupid? Now I have to answer a few annoying questions.
We stare at each other before I break the silence, "As much as I appreciate you holding off the questions, it might be a little quicker and proper to talk."
Twilight narrows her eyes, "I never saw you speaking this way without 'awesome' or 'cool' in every other sentence. What do you want us to call you?" I hesitate. Being Rainbow Dash has been selfish. I made up personalities that rival my own such as being Daring. If I continue with the Rainbow name, I'll continue to live a lie. On the other hoof, there is a reason that I changed my name, to not remind myself of the past. Still, nopony is going to forget this and the news travels quickly. I might as well...
I reply without too much emotion lacing my voice, "I suppose that you may call me Spectrum. Do not call me Crystal. It is okay for you to call me Spectrum Crystal but once again, do not call me Crystal. If I catch anypony doing it, it will be their last word before they die. Got it?"
Twilight replies quickly, "Of course Spectrum. Next question, what are your powers?"
I reply in the same tone, "That will reveal too many things. I shall not answer." She hesitates and I can tell that she is eager for information.
She finally says, "I insist that you tell me. If you don't then-"
I interrupt, "Then you will kill me? Torture me? Throw me in prison?"
"N-No but I am a princess. I hate doing this but as the princess of friendship, I demand that you tell me your powers and weaknesses."
"No."
"I am immortal and you aren't. I can ask for an eternity without dying but you are mortal."
"Sorry Princess, but I am also immortal. It runs down in the family. Have you ever wondered how Sombra managed to live for so long? If you continue asking, you will regret it." She opens her mouth to ask one more but I already spent all my patience sooner than I thought. I glare at her, using visual communication to tell her to shut it but she didn't seem to see me. My eyes turn darker and the green began to spread, begging to be let out.
Rainbow's POV (I'll be calling her Spectrum after this) Spectrum... Unleash me. Don't be afraid of me anymore... Voices. I always hear voices whenever I want revenge or if I didn't use my powers in a long time. Over time, I have learned to control them. Otherwise, I would turn into King Sombra, who couldn't resist the whispers of greed. I blink a few times and tell myself to calm down. My eyes turn back to their normal color and I am Rainbow once more. Not completely Rainbow but enough so I won't kill another pony.
Kill...
Twilight glances at me, "Look, Rain- I mean Spectrum. It's not too late to accept friendship. I will make sure that you are accepted here once more."
I say, annoyed, "Twilight, as much as you know about me, I am also Rainbow. I have long accepted friendship and even the Element of Loyalty has accepted me into your group of ponies." Actually, my element isn't from that. Loyalty has to run deep in order to show up. Simply refusing an offer to ponies to become a show pony in order to stop the most evil pony at that time is easy. For example, Applejack has proven to be loyal when she decided that her apple trees didn't even stand a chance to having Fluttershy as a friend. She also had given up her greatest thing (for her anyways) for her friend who wasn't herself at that time. No, my element came from something deeper. My brain tugs at me to remember and I do.
Flashback King Sombra glowered at me, "What do you mean, you have a friend? Do you no longer understand me?" Pega and I had been friends for two years at this point. I had decided to reveal some facts to my father on this very day.
I stammered, "Y-Yes father. I have a friend, father. I don't understand why you would forcefully push them to be slave. He is the nicest pony around."
"None of my slaves are good to look at. You may have enough magic... Enough to rival mine, but you will never have my skills." With that, he blasted me with some magic (I found out that it was a walking memory spell, to see my memories) and found out that it was Pega. My father had used his magic to teleport Pega here and Pega stood up quickly. His green eyes found my pink ones and he saw father.
King Sombra laughed, "And now, Spectrum, let me show you what would happen if you ever have friends. I shall send him to limbo. Not just any kind but the type that he will feel forever. Every type of torture that you have ever used, every type that ponies have used shall be on there and he shall suffer through them all." His horn began to light at that moment and it grew brighter with each passing second. Pega already knew that there wasn't an escape from this never ending torture so he stood still, staring at Sombra. I couldn't just stand there. Just as he threw the powerful spell at Sombra, I flew and blocked the spell with my own body. His eyes widened in surprise and I turned to look at Pega. His green eyes were the last eyes I saw until I disappeared and felt my bones starting to crack.
Twilight hesitates, "Yes but Spectrum, you have never really accepted it. I must be driven to believe that you managed to fool the elements long enough. I am friends with Rainbow Dash, not Spectrum. Wait, did you replace her? Where is she?" I think that her mind is in denial. I am Rainbow, in a way, but my origin is Spectrum.
I replied, "I assure you that Rainbow Dash is just a figment of my imagination, a figure to replace me. A pony that I became. If you will excuse me, I am going to leave now."
Twilight said, "Wait. I have one more thing to ask of you."
"You have been asking a lot of questions. I reserve the right to not answer." I am making my voice as bland as I can.
"Wash off the paint and show me what you really look like." I freeze. I expect questions about the picture, the past, how I tortured ponies, and father. I never expect anypony to ask how I really look like. Should I though?
I reply, "No." I have spent years trying to avoid somepony that I can't run from. Myself. I have dyed my hair and painted my paint while enchanting it so I won't need to look at myself. I learned lost spells that let me block my memories from other ponies so they couldn't get stolen or read. I used spells to enchant myself.
Twilight unfurled her wings, "I hate to do this but as one of the Princesses of Equestria, I command you to reveal your true form."
"And I will, within time."
"Now." I see. She is afraid that I will never do it. Unfortunately for her, I am not afraid of her at all. Twilight will never hurt me, in fear that I am really Rainbow (which I am) and there is that fact where she will never hurt anypony intentionally.
Twilight twitches, "Please?" There is another part of me telling me to tell her. I owe a lot to her anyways. Twilight could've told the guards to hurt me before I was awake. Well, that would've ended in the guards' death but still. Also, Twilight is my friend, even if she sees differently. Besides, she is also very understanding and willing to accept them. One example will be Starlight. It is a good thing that I'm not the Princess of Friendship because I would've blasted her into oblivion.
I sigh, "Fine." Head high, I exit the room. Or try to anyways. There are rows of guards guarding the doors and they didn't make way for me.
You can finally unleash me now. They are blocking your path. You know that you are the true ruler of the Crystal Empire. They should be your guards. Kill them.
Never.
Instead, I fly over them. It feels good to be free again, even though I am in my room, which feels more like a prison. I look at myself and sigh. Maybe I could go somewhere else and disguise myself. What would I do if I was Rainbow? What would Pega do?
Rainbow isn't exactly from my pure imagination, if I am to be honest. When I am pretending to be Rainbow, talking about how cool and awesome something is, I remind myself of Pega. The way Pega is when I finally got him to open up to me. If Pega was here, then he would've told me to do it and then hope. I miss you Pega.
I scrape off the paint with a special roller I had created a few weeks ago. I see my dark blue fur that is bordering on black. My cutie mark was never painted on. The part of an identity I will always remember will be my cutie mark and how much I love to fly. I freeze when I finally got to my face. Fa-no Sombra did something to it when I was a little filly.
Flashback I was flying around, grinning in the dark costume of mine. The guards made way for me. My dark blue wings were in their slots, beating as quick as a hummingbird. I loved flying but father never did. When he saw me flying, he stopped me and pulled me into a place.
Father hissed at me, "What did I say about flying? I told you that you would be punished. I always keep my promises." He levitated a knife from his desk and it floated slowly. I tried to back away but it was hard to back away when my back was already leaning onto a wall.
Father continued, "I'll make this small." The knife came closer and closer. It touched my cheek's far left side and it wrote something.
After I went back to my room, I looked at the mirror. He had written Murderer.
I gulp before closing my eyes and rolling the roller on my face. When I open them, I see my own face. It seems familiar yet so different at the same time. Now I have to do my mane. After some time, I finish scraping the paint off of my mane and I see the familiar black mane that drapes over to my left. It's smooth and down, very unlike me. I make sure that it hangs down to my left so my marking on my cheek will be hidden. There is no need for any of them to see it.
I trot out of bathroom before peeking outside. Many of the ponies don't know how I look without my costume so I should be safe. Or I can just teleport to the room. I teleport to the room with ease and surprise Twilight. She slams her book down and teleports the book out before I can make out the title.
Twilight examines me up and down, "You look very different from what I expected."
I ask, "What did you expect?"
She hesitates, "I don't know. The other girls and Sunburst are coming though. I asked the guards to get them here."
Perfect. You could kill all of them now.
I mentally kick the voice on the head.
The doors open and the girls step through. Immediately, I notice a few changes in them. Applejack is steaming, Fluttershy won't meet me in the eye, Rarity won't come close to me, Sunburst is outright staring at me, Starlight is looking down, and Pinkie Pie is blowing her party cannon everywhere. Wait, the last one is actually expected. At least somepony won't treat me differently in this place.
Pinkie blows her party cannon once more and smiles at me, "I'm almost done planning your party! I'm calling it the 'Rainbow-turns-out-to-not-be-Rainbow-but-Spectrum-and-she-is-cool' party."
Twilight put a hoof up, "Pinkie Pie. No parties yet."
Applejack says, "Actually, Ah think that a party is a great idea. Y'know, none of us are accepting Dash as Crystal." Did she just call me Crystal?
"No! Applejack, don't call her Crystal. Spectrum, please. She doesn't know about it." Crystal is reserved for Pega and Pega only. He's the one to call me that nickname. When Applejack did it, it gave me a shiver of fury,
Yes... Torture.
Maybe one simple spell won't kill her. Let me think... The bone breaking spell may hurt too much. The tongue twister will prevent her from speaking, which sounds perfect.
Applejack rolls her eyes, "What's the worst that the Pegasus can do to me?" That is the last straw for me.
I taunt, "What's the worst that an Earth Pony can do to me?"
"You're on."
Twilight's eyes widens and she teleports in between us, "No! Don't! You two are friends."
Applejack sneers, "Ah only see a pony who replaces mah friend."
"She is Rainbow as much as she is Spectrum."
"Ah don't believe it."
I interrupt Twilight, "If she doesn't believe it, then she doesn't. But this is my final warning. Do not call me Crystal." Remember how alicorns have royal voices? I do too, even though I'm not officially an alicorn. That may be because I'm still technically the ruler of the Crystal Empire or because I am trained in it.
Twilight pleads to Applejack, "Please just stop. You don't want to hit her. We are friends here."
Applejack sighs, "All right but Ah still don't accept it."
Twilight asks, "Who votes for a party?" Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity raises their hooves. Rarity probably just wants to attend a Crystal party.
Princess Cadence trots in, "I already heard about what is going on. I believe that your friend, Pinkie Pie, has already alerted ponies that there's a party in this castle." Everypony looks at Pinkie who nervously chuckles.
The princess continues, "I believe that is a great idea, although I don't want you to tell ponies that the Element of Loyalty is Spectrum. We will only pretend that it is for publicity for Flurry, who has matured more than last time. I need you to make sure that she doesn't cause massive trouble." Controlling a baby alicorn who has as much power as a powerful unicorn and as agile as Fleetfoot? I think that I may prefer to be known...
Spectrum's POV Nopony really notices my cutie mark staying the same, especially Fluttershy, who can barely glance at me. Prior, I looked similar, but now that I barely even look the same, she just wouldn't accept it. Pinkie, as usual, is blabbering something about balloons and party cannons and other things that I will probably never figure out. Twilight is planning the party, Applejack is baking and making apple cider, and Rarity is apparently fainting from the prospect of making some of the decor. Me? I'm just standing there, trying to not be awkward. I am apparently failing thought. I feel awkward standing there and not do anything. The Crystal Guards stand there and the ones who know about me whisper. My heart pounds, waiting for somepony to stab me on the back.
The Crystal ponies stare at me, suspicious and fear growing in their eyes. I pretend to ignore them, although I don't think that I did a really find job as they avert their eyes from me. Maybe the Crystal Guards already gave them an impression on how I look like and told them that I am Spectrum. No, they stare at my cutie mark instead of my mane or my fur. I quickly use my tail to cover my cutie mark but the news is already around. Besides my tail can only cover one side of my body, not both. They know that I'm Rainbow for certain now. Twilight looks over and flies over.
She says, "Everypony, there is nothing to see here. Please leave her alone because I don't think that there's is anything interesting here to see. Come on, I'm sure that there are a few treats that Applejack will be giving." She smiles at them, but I know her long enough that the small twitch in her tail means that she is going to have a nervous breakdown soon.
One of the Crystal ponies shouts, "That's Spectrum Crystal!" A few of them shouts in surprise along with the pony and they run away, continuing to spread the news around.
Twilight sighs and wraps a wing around me, as if forgetting that I'm Spectrum, "Sorry Spectrum. They would've figured it out anyways. Your cutie mark."
I roll my eyes, "Yeah, I know that but there's no use trying to use magic to put another one. You've tried on Apple Bloom years ago and that got her nowhere."
She hesitated before sighing, "I can't deny that, obviously. Anyways, Spectrum, do you want to be in the party?"
I firmly say, "Pinkie is hosting this party for me, not for Flurry. I'm not disappointing her. Besides, everypony already knows that I'm here and keeping me a secret wouldn't do anything."
Behind my back, I hear a small voice whispering, "That's her. Come on everypony, we need to kill her before she causes more havoc. Do you remember what her father did and what she did to our friends? To our own family?" There are murmurs of agreement behind me. Do I deserve to die? Images flashes in my mind and I am forced to relieve another memory that I have kept hidden.
Flashback Father laughed, his eyes sparkling with madness, "Well well well, look who it is. This is Daylight Sunburn and she has failed to kill one of Celestia's little minions." The pony, Daylight, looked up, her blank blue eyes staring off into space. Meanwhile, I waited for my cue.
He said, "I won't even do you the honor of killing you myself. I have a daughter which you have heard of. Plenty of times, I assume. As a gift, I will allow you to see her and she shall kill you." I teleported in, with my cloak intact and my wings tucked in completely. I took off my cloak slowly and I enjoyed seeing her start to shake.
Daylight stammered, "D-Don't Kill me. My family doesn't know that I'll be dead."
I smirked, my teeth bared, "Don't worry about telling them. We'll bring your dead body to them to let them give you a proper sendoff, which you Crystal Ponies believe to be. Come on Daylight, any last words?" Her lips quivered and she looked around quickly.
Daylight kept silent and I took that as a cue to say,
"It is impolite to not address me as I am your princess!" My wings flared and I leapt on top of her before pressing her down with my magic. My glowing wings and my eyes that were flaring green was all that she had to look at before starting to hallucinate in her mind, her hooves kicking around. She was living in her darkest nightmare and worst fears. Daylight practically begged for death after five minutes and I smirked before snapping her out of it. The last image she saw was my glowing red eyes. I made sure of it.
She was and is my first kill.
And I have never regretted it.
I whisper into Twilight's ear, "There's ponies behind me that have weapons. Do you want to teleport or should I?"
Twilight sighs before turning around and I follow her lead, "There isn't anypony there, Rain-Spectrum. Besides, they wouldn't just attack us. All of us always have some sort of monologue before doing it." A pony jumps out from the bushes, holding a dagger. That pony is followed by around twenty other ponies who are holding weapons of varies shapes and sizes,
The pony grins, "I'm right here, Spectrum Crystal and I will kill you for killing my grandmother." Stupidly, she charges forwards with a knife. For a split second, I consider letting the voice do what it wants.
Stop her... Torture her...
But I don't after glancing at Twilight's eyes that are widened. I tackle Twilight out of the way of a poorly aimed knife and teleport both of us out of the place. Twilight pants when we finally land at my room and she gulps in air, obviously nervous. Of course she wouldn't dream of anypony hurting us intentionally that Princess Celestia didn't tell her prior. I am trained to think of all situations and take necessary steps to protect. Although, knowing how paranoid she is in every single little thing, it may have been a good thing that she didn't learn from fa-King Sombra.
Twilight pants, "What was that?"
I reply, my voice edgy, "That is called a mob that wants to kill me. I warned you that there were people behind me and you didn't listen to me at all. Why? I am the Element of Loyalty and I helped reform others such as Nightmare Moon and helped unleash Discord. Why am I to not be trusted?"
Twilight answers, her voice hesitant, "You remind me too much of Rainbow her not at all. Your voice sounds the same and your eyes are the same. I still don't know what do think of this. My analytical chart doesn't have enough space." Analytical chart?
I sigh, "Twilight, you know that friendship, something you studied, can't be shown on data. It's just a bond and it isn't logical at all."
She mutters, "I like graphs and I will do this too. I've been graphing everything, from my first night in Ponyville to everywhere."
"Maybe it's time to stop. Also, stop avoiding my question. You obviously trust Princess Luna now, don't you?"
"Princess Celestia said-"
"She doesn't have control over your thoughts and emotions, Twilight. You have the same status as she does and even though she was your mentor, it doesn't mean that she is always correct."
Starlight heads over to where we are standing, "Twilight, Rainbow-I mean Spectrum is correct, you know. You put your faith with me, after-"
I say, my voice bland, "If Princess Celestia told you to torture and kill somepony when you were younger, would you do it? Especially if she mention she that it's a criminal." The alicorn pauses and looks around, her mind thinking frantically. I can practically see the wheels spinning on her head.
Luckily for her, Princess Cadence trots to us regally, "Spectrum Crystal, Twilight Sparkle, the party is starting. According to the mobs outside, they already know that you are you, Spectrum." I force down a remark.
She continues, "I will speak about you and try to make them to stop attempting to kill you."
I wave my hoof, "Nah, it's fine. It keeps my skills intact and I don't want to be unprepared for the unpredictable anyways. So, where's the party?" I fly up, eager to drink some apple cider, which was rare when I was born. She points outside and I fly out the window. It's just like the carnival the last time we prepared but a lot more tense. They look around and whisper my name before averting their eyes from me. I just trot ahead and go to the cider station. I grab a cup and pour some cider before lifting it to my mouth. Then something crashes into me and I look around quickly and get into a pouncing position. The filly who is on the floor looks up fearfully.
I stand up and offer her a hoof, "It's fine. I won't hurt you." Instead or taking my hoof, she backs away quickly and gallops away, shivering in fear. I sigh before refilling my cup with apple cider and drinking it.
Applejack trots to me, "Howdy there, Spectrum. Ah'm sorry for how Ah acted before. Ah was a teeny bit surprised when one of mah friends turned out to be somepony different."
I give her a grateful smile, "No problem AJ. I probably would've acted in some similar fashion. Bet I could still beat you in a competition though."
"We'll see about that. Now don't drink too much cider or the other ponies won't get any. See ya later Spectrum." She trots away with her hat still on her head. I'm not ever sure of how the hat isn't ripped to shreds yet.
She's too nice... Kill her...
I cuff the voice, mentally, with a cowboy hat and proceed to stop on it mentally. My face has to be looking all weird. A light tap startles me and I snap back to reality.
I calm down, "Fluttershy."
She squeaks nervously, "Hi Spectrum..." She stares at the ground, as if wishing to disappear into it.
Fluttershy continued, "I'm sorry that I didn't keep your secret. I keep imaginaing you as Rainbow though. I'm sorry."
I sigh, "It's cool but it's not really cool. See? I could always say it but you're too afraid to even look at me. My cutie mark is the only thing that didn't change, besides my eyes and everypony says that it looks too similar to Rainbow Dash."
She nods before glancing at me and looking back down, "I-I'll try."
"That's all I ask." Fluttershy backs away and turns around the corner. I sigh once more and proceed to stare ahead.
A hyper voice says, "Hey Rainbow I mean Spectrum but not really since I only really know Rainbow but it's kind of strange since you're both and do you like the party?"
My mind and my mouth say the same thing, "What?"
Pinkie pops in front of me, "Do. You. Like. This. Party? Hey, you're my friend and you were getting all frowny. I have to do something and my Pinkie Sense told me that you probably didn't want to get your mane blown with confetti and stuff like that. Say, what is on your left cheek?" She leans in to get a closer look but I jump backwards, using my mane to cover up the word on there again.
I say, perhaps a little too quickly, "It's nothing."
Pinkie says, "Oh come on! Pretty please with a sugar cube on top of a mountain cupcake with chocolate frosting and icing?" I back away, crashing into Rarity and we both fall down, crashing on to the floor. My mane gets ruined but the worst thing? The words on my left cheek are visible.
Spectrum's POV I stand up quickly and I quickly shake my mane to cover up the scar. Pinkie sees the word anyways, probably breaking the fourth wall as she does so. I flap my wings and bolt out of the place, choosing flight over fight for once in my life. Pinkie looks at me and from her bouncing hooves, I know that she's going to appear where I fly to. I land down, knowing to never bet with Pinkie Pie. I glance around before looking in front of me. The pink pony is already bouncing in front of me, getting closer to my face. My wings ruffle but I don't flee this time.
Pinkie flips me over, "Specty! Wanna play hide and seek again? I win!" Specty? I squirm in her firm grip, even though her hooves seems like jelly at times.
I gasp, "Pinkie. Too. Tight."
She gets off of me quickly, "Oops, sorry." My mane falls out of my left cheek and the worst thing is that the scar is bleeding once more. It's painful but I don't say anything. If I try to teleport, Pinkie will only follow me. Although that pony isn't the brightest bulb, she is a really bad secret keeper.
Pinkie looks at me closely, "Did you pour red paint on your cheek 'cause that thing looks a little red."
She gasps before I can do anything, "Those are letters. M is for Maze. U is for Urgent. R is for Race. D is for Day. E is for Eggs. R is for Rain. E is for Equestria and the R is for Rainbow."
I sigh, "This isn't an acronym, Pinkie."
She bounces, "Oooh... Let me guess. Let me guess! It's another way to say PBFs but in ancient times."
"No."
"Another way to bake a cake?" How does she pull out that from the word, 'Murderer'?
"No." I am starting to wonder when I'm going to snap. Sometimes, she really sounds like she's only playing dumb, like now.
"Does it mean Rainbow in Spectradurian?"
I think out loud, "What in Equestria is Spectradurian?" Maybe asking Pinkie that particular question isn't the best idea but it slips out of my mouth without a second thought. Within five seconds, she grabs me and stares at me as if I have gone insane. Have I? I've been tortured for what seemed to be eons, I killed and murdered, I basically took on my best friend's personality... Who am I?
Pinkie says, "No wonder you don't know. I just made it up." She releases me and I take a few quick breaths, happy about the fact that my lungs have not been squashed apart into pieces.
She chuckles, "Spectradurian is a language that you make up, silly filly. You're Specty and you're making up a language. Duh. Sometimes, I wonder how much Twilight has rubbed on to you."
"Twilight rubbing on me? Pinkie..."
"No silly. It's still you Rainbow, you silly filly. You can't be something for so long and then completely go back to you. You're still Dashie but even better because you're Spectrum." With that, she bounces away to bug the mare who is selling cotton candy. Meanwhile, I flap my blue wings and my hooves lifts off from the ground. Almost out of habit, I use my mane to cover the scar again, although I do glance at Pinkie for another moment. I want some time alone, to think that I used to. Is Pinkie right? Do I no longer have the real me in me?
"Hey Rainbow Dash! You're a really cool flyer," Scootaloo said years ago.
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" The crowds cheered my name after I saved ponies.
"I'll let you on to a little secret Scootaloo," I had said when I revealed my secret about nightmares.
"Go Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cheered when I was practicing.
I did enjoy it a long time ago. Will I ever be able to again, but with my real name? I glance around, my eyes darting around as I check my surroundings. Everypony is still looking at me as if I am a deadly murderer, which I was. I flap my wings and go back to the palace, not allowing the guards to notice my, lest I draw attention to myself. I disappear into my room and trot around, my hooves clapping against the crystal floor.
Kill... Murder... Torture...
The voice echoes in my mind as I trot around.
Be free to kill and to torture. Remember how much fun we had?
I mentally slap the voice in my head and shout, "Shut up!" Immediately, the door to my room opens up and Twilight rushes in.
She asks quickly, "Is everypony okay? Rain-Spectrum, who are you talking to?" She asks the latter question after noticing that I am the only pony there.
Applejack trots in behind her, "Howdy Twilight. Ah heard a shout here. Need somethin'?"
Fluttershy crawls in, her mane covering most of her face, "I'm so sorry for interrupting but I heard something here. Is everyone intact?"
Rarity trots in, face looking very annoyed, "I was just going a very important meeting, darlings, and I would appreciate it if I was not to be disturbed. Twilight, did you need something?"
Twilight says, "No, I don't but Rainbow here does."
I say, sounding annoyed, "I am Spectrum."
She hesitates before sighing in defeat, "I mean Spectrum."
"It's nothing, Twi."
Pinkie pops up from absolutely nowhere, holding a large cotton candy stick, "It's not nothing, silly filly. I bet that you cheek is hurting lots right now! Want some cotton candy?"
Rarity steps forwards, "Darling, does your cheek hurt?"
Fluttershy rushes forwards with a kit and she quickly began taking out bottles of medicine, "Quick, Spectrum. Where does it hurt? Can I help?"
I put a hoof up, "Everypony, my cheek does not hurt. Pinkie's only exaggerating a little bit."
Applejack moves closer and glances at my face, "Wait for a gosh darn moment, Spect. Is that blood on your cheek or am Ah wrong about it?" She pulls my mane aside and they all see the scar and that it's bleeding, if only slightly. Fluttershy began to clean the cut, sending pain through my body.
I shout, "Enough! Fluttershy, I don't need any help. The rest of you have no trust in me and if you could just stop either looking at me like a timberwolf or a wounded bunny, then I would be happy! I'm out of here."
Twilight holds a hoof up, before blocking the windows, "Rain-Spectrum, you don't know what you're doing." With my mind clouded by anger, I use my wings and blow her away from the window before flying away.
As I fly, I think a lot. Am I right to shout at them when they have been standing by me the whole time? Even though I've been lying to them ever since I've met them, they still treat me kindly. My scar on my cheek throbs once more and I look down before seeing that I'm dripping blood down.
Twilight's POV I watch Spectrum fly away and I flap my wings, ready to chase her. I didn't care that she knocked me down to the floor but if she dared hurt a single fur on a pony, it is my responsibility to stop her. It hurts me with how little trust I give her but for the sake of Equestria, I must. Still, she is my friend and no matter what she says or looks like, she is still one of my best friends. Rainb-Spectrum is still the most loyal pony I know and she will do anything for her friends, if we are even that right now. If I let her go, she might as well as be gone forever.
I use my magic to open the windows all the way and prepare to fly through it to catch up, when Fluttershy whispers, "Stop." Out of everypony, she is the one taking this the hardest, yet she is still one of the ponies who are the most accepting of Spectrum. Against my conscience, I stop and look down, waiting for a reason.
Fluttershy says, "Twilight, I know that you are taking this rather hard but please, we aren't giving her any room. She needs to accept this part too. She's been hiding for so long but I know that she can do it. Let's just give her a little room and time, okay?"
Applejack throws her hat down, "Fluttershy, Ah think that you are wrong. Ah've seen when that darn pony gets angry and that is something we don't need for the Empire. She could be out there torturing and we ain't thinking about it? Ah agree with Twilight. We should do somethin'."
Fluttershy takes a deep breath, "I know that you want everypony to be safe, Applejack, and I do too but when we gave Discord some space and time, look how much he has improved."
I say, "Actually, we had a fail save thing back then with the elements, even if you did refuse to use yours. There was always an alternative option during those events."
"Why is she the element of loyalty then?" I am not listening. I can still see some of Spectrum's dark tail from this place and this is my last chance to catch up to her. I flap my wings and leap out of the window. Fluttershy didn't even try to grab me but a pull from my tail stops me. I look behind and I see Applejack pulling on my tail with her mouth. I look at the skies and scowl at the blue sky. Spectrum slipped away and I lost my only chance of catching up to her. Applejack pulls me back into the room and Rarity uses her magic to close the windows.
Applejack releases my tail, "What was that all about? Ya know that ya can't catch up to her, right?"
I sigh, "I-I know but-"
Fluttershy takes a deep breath, "Twilight, the problem is that you... I warned you to not go. She needs to cool off."
"That's not Rain-"
"I know that's not Rainbow," she half-shouts, sounding like a normal pony instead of her whispery voice, "I know! But is it possible to hide her personality and her heart for that long! No! It isn't!"
"I-"
"No, I need to finish. You are only caring about your own curiosity in these matters."
Pinkie squeals, "Ooh, that reminds me. Remember the teeny tiny scar she has?"
Fluttershy takes a deep breath, "Sorry Twilight."
I shake my head, "I deserve it. Remind me to apologize to her after."
Rarity replies to Pinkie Pie, "Of course I do. I can only imagine how the red stands out in her magnificent coat."
Pinkie asks, "What does M, U, R, D, E, R, E, R, stand for? I know that it's an acronym of some sort."
I snap to attention, "An acronym? I seriously doubt it. Those letters spell murderer and she would never carve that onto herself for sure. Unless it was a style back then... I wish that there are more books about the past. The Crystal Library only covers so much and nopony wants to talk about their pasts. They say that it brings back too many unwanted memories."
"Oooh. Murderer! You are so smart Twilight."
"Did someone say murderer?" A regal voice asks from the door. I turn around to see Cadence.
Before I can stop Pinkie, she quickly explains, "So you know how Specty has a scar on her cheek and wouldn't let us see it for random reasons that I can not remember. Actually I do remember that I forgot to take the cake out of the oven from Sugar Cube Corner but this is waaay more important so this is first. Anyways there is a scar that says murderer and we are trying to figure it out."
My sister in law turns to me, "Twilight?"
I sigh, "Long story short, there's a small scar on Rain-Spectrum's cheek that has the word Murderer on it. Cadence, why are you here?"
She gulps, "The remains of King Sombra has been found. Twilight?"
Spectrum's POV I flap my dark wings as I fly. I didn't know where I am heading to nor do I know why I am flying away from my friends. The wind whistles in my ears and I see the clouds in the air, beckoning me to take a quick rest. I refuse to take a break on the seemingly luxurious clouds. The sun is setting for yet another night, powered by Princess Celestia's magic and the moon is beginning to rise, thanks to the magic of Princess Luna.
It is then when I realize that I am at the border of the Crystal Empire, circling around the place hundreds of times. I wonder if Twilight or Fluttershy or any other of my other friends are searching for me, calling my name. I know that Pinkie can find me if she tried and the dark streak that I leave behind isn't making it any less obvious. How will the ponies react when I land back into the palace? Will they welcome me and let me in because of Princess Cadence and Twilight or will they shun me out? I know that I deserve the latter from my previous actions but I hope that they won't judge me on that.
I land in front of the gates and immediately, the guards say, "Halt!"
I reply, "Let me in. I am one of Twilight's friends."
"We can not let any enemies in."
Kill... Torture... Don't be such a pushover, Spectrum Crystal.
I snarl, "This is your last warning, guards." At that moment, Twilight trots out and sees me. At that very moment, we stare at one another. Slowly, Twilight trots to the guards and whispers a few words in their ears before trotting away without even looking at me. The guards put their weapons away and step aside to let me into the place.
I gallop to Twilight, "Hey Twi. What happened while I was gone?"
The princess replies, "Traces of King Sombra's return. I don't suppose that you know about it?"
"About what?"
"King Sombra is returning someday soon. Studies show that it will be between anything from three to five days." My wings flares without my permission.
I shout, "No! We need to stop him."
Twilight corrects me, "No, we need to stop him. You, meanwhile, will not leave the room and will be under the watch of the guards."
"Why? What did I do?"
Twilight says quietly, "You killed ponies, Spectrum. The Crystal Ponies don't want to fight with them, in fear of you fighting against them instead." Her eyes looks down at the floor. I didn't talk. She didn't either. Twilight leaves me in the castle, trotting away slowly. She glances at me one last time before joining the rest of her friends. Meanwhile, I go to my room.
I stare myself in the mirror for what it seems to be the millionth time today. I can fight and I want to fight. The Crystal Heart clearly isn't working on him. The Elements of Harmony may be able to destroy him and permanently kill him. My mind even toys with the little chance that he may be redeemed and that he would apologize to me and... and maybe I would have a real father figure in the future. It is a wishful thought though and he can never really become a dad to me again.
I pace around my room, wondering what to do. I need to help them defeat my father. It's my only revenge and I'm not going to waste this opportunity. Besides, what Element of Loyalty will I be if I left my friends to their doom? Sombra will not underestimate the Crystal Empire again, I'm sure of it, and they have no idea what horrors he can create with a simply look.
"Spectrum Crystal," my father snarled, "Get back this instant, you worthless pegasus. You have some things to do. I want you to kill Slave 420. He has betrayed me many times and I'm certain that he's a spy."
I shook my head, "Father-"
Sombra continued, "If you don't do it, I'll have you suffer too. Go and do it, daughter."
I said, "Father, I don't want to kill again. I've killed six ponies already and I don't want to kill too many. Father? Please forgive me for this but I no longer want to do any killing again."
"You will do what I say. This is your last warning, Spectrum." Once again, I shook my head and turned away, refusing to kill. Immediately, he teleported in front of me and stared into my eyes, sending me into horrors that I couldn't turn away from.
"Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" The crowd roars outside the palace. I look outside to see mobs of Crystal ponies shouting in fury at my existence. I haven't seen them like this ever. They never tried to resist my father when he was around. In my heart, I like their spirit. My eyes scours through the crowd before landing on one pony who is telling the others to shut up. Can it be...?
I whisper, "Pega?" I glance at the pegasus, trying to catch a better look at him. The crowd pushes him back and starts to beat him up for just saying that they shouldn't kill me. I am not so heartless to let him die. Damn my reputation. It's already into shreds anyways. I open the window and flap my wings to the crowd.
I shout, using my voice, "Stop! Release him now." The Crystal Ponies looks up and sees me. They begin shouting things at me.
I continue saying, "Go back to your homes. This is your last warning."
Twilight flies up, "Spectrum! What are you doing?" Like the good friend I am, I decide to ignore her.
Fluttershy flaps her wings and looks at me in the eyes, "Rainbow Dash! I don't care that you're somepony different but you are still you. Stop this right now. You're not helping matters... If you can." She retreats back into her shy self at the last second.
I warn them, "Girls, if you wish to not get hurt, I need you two to move away." They move back a little bit continue talking. I didn't even pay attention to what they are saying. How will a Sonic Shadowboom affect the Empire? I have no wish to destroy the place but if they didn't get their hooves off of Pega, it will be worth it.
I decide to use a spell instead, "I gave you warning already." I focus the power in my wings and then I make most of the ponies fall asleep. I try to not let the spell affect Twilight or Fluttershy but they are way too close to me to dodge the spell. Immediately, they become limp and start falling to the ground but I catch them easily. I set them to the ground before racing to Pega.
Pega gasps, "Crystal!"
Applejack races over, "He ain't know, Spectrum. You ain't tell him about no calling you Crystal."
I shrug, "I said that you can't call me Crystal. AJ, I want to talk to him, alone preferably. Don't worry, I'm not killing him." I lead Pega away from the crowd and we fly into my room.
Pega says, "So you're also Rainbow Dash, the Bearer of Loyalty?"
I nod, "Yeah, but I'm Spectrum Crystal now. Pega, I'm really glad to see you again." I hug him, not even caring that he's a stallion and the fact that we kept out distance due to fear in the old days.
Pega smiles and hugs back, "And you're as awesome as I remember, Crystal."
"You're cooler Pega," I reply with a smirk, "Don't you dare argue with that."
Pega releases me from the hug, "Nah, you took that blast for me and suffered through the spell. How bad was it, Crystal?"
I shudder uncontrollably, "It was horrible but I'm glad that you didn't have to go through it. If it wasn't for my immortality and the limbo like state the spell sent me, I would've died for sure."
"Is it true that Sombra is coming back? I don't know what to believe," Pega says, "I hope that the rumors are not true."
I sigh, "Pega, fath-Sombra is coming back. He's reforming and probably will enslave as many as possible to turn ponies up against one another."
Pega puts a protective wing around me, "I'll protect you as much as I can."
I reply, "And I to you. Except for the fact that I'm not allowed to fight."
Pega smirks, "Do you think I'm allowed to fight either? They are going to prohibit me because I stood up for you."
I smirk back, "When has a law ever prevented us from doing something we aren't supposed to?"
"Never," Pega replies, "And I'm not letting it stop us this time either."
I fly to the ceiling, "Pega, they're going to think that we're on his side."
He flies up to my height, "And we are going to stop him. It should be pretty clear about which side we're on if we're fighting him."
"They'll think that it's a ruse or something similar. Twilight thinks that I'm going to spy for Sombra on this side, which is something I would never do."
Pega laughs, "I would rather die than ever fight on his side. By the way, you did soundproof this room, right?"
My face turns a little pale, "There's cameras in here. C'mon, we can go to the clouds and talk in peace. Are the Crystal Ponies also residing in clouds?"
"Dunno. Guess we'll have to find out, Crystal." We fly out the window quickly and we burst into the clouds. Unfortunately, there are pegasi already there, sleeping and working in the skies. When they see me, they call the others up. Holding spears and other weapons, they charge towards us. Needless to say, I am thankful that I am expecting it and I teleport both of us into a random house of a Crystal pony. Before the pony can call reinforcements, I make the pony fall into a deep sleep and quickly erases her memory of us teleporting in there. All she can remember is that she has decided to take a nap on her bed.
I sigh in relief, "She should be asleep for the next four hours. I can continue to fix her memory of doing things so we can rest here." Normally I will feel bad for doing these things, but the ponies aren't giving me a choice on what to do.
Pega nods, "I'm going to make some food. You should probably continue manipulating her memory." I nod before making the pony think that she had grabbed a quick snack and ate it before she napped. After Pega finishes making the sandwiches, I eat one in a huge gulp. Pega does the same thing.
I say, "We need to find a place to rest. Let's go to my house in Cloudsdale. We can come back in the empire tomorrow."
"Sure! I'm interested to see all the awesome changes modern times has made," Pega answers. I teleport the two of us into my cloud home.
I sigh, "If the news of the two of us didn't already make it into this place, then I'm an idiot. Go ahead and look out the windows. Just make sure to cover them up with the curtains afterwards. I'm going to lock the door."
"Can't you set up a couple wards?"
"That'll immediately tell ponies that we're here so it's not wise."
Pega sighs, "So how long do we need to be here? I want to stretch my wings." I see his wings twitch and I open mine.
I reply, "Tomorrow when we get back to the empire, I'm sure that they'll chase us around. We'll have to fly around no matter what, assuming that the princesses don't stop the crowd. Still, we can flap our wings there."
"And we can finally race so I can show you my awesome skills?"
