//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: ...Is Found // Story: Our Name Across The Multiverse: 10 years later // by DATONETWIxDASHFAN //------------------------------// Pinkie and Penny hop around the group, singing, "Let's go find Scoots and Trixie!" Sunset and Cozy turned to Dash and Starlight, asking the same question. "What are we waiting for?" smiled Sunset. Cozy gave a pissed-off look. "If you know where they are, we should get moving!" Dash and Starlight looked at each other and gave a slight nod. Dash turned to Twilight and the others. "I know where Scoots's is, but I think it's best if I go alone." Twilah and Twilight raised their eyebrow at the same time. "And why is that?" they both asked, getting close to Dash. Dash could see they both had puzzled faces, so they flew up into the air to be away from them. "...look, I promised Scoots that I wouldn't tell anyone about her secret place, okay? So, let me deal with this, and I'll try to get her to hand Sky over to me." Twilah was the first to speak. "That's a dumb reason, Dash. Why-?" she was stopped as Dashie placed her hand over her mouth. "A promise is a promise; you should never break it, right?" Dashie looked up at Dash and gave her a thumbs-up, which made Dash smirk, knowing that she agreed with her. "But..." Twilight wanted to object but couldn't as Dash took off, heading in a direction. "Don't worry, Twilight. I'll get her." Dash headed out and was soon gone, making Twilight sigh, and Twilah shake her head. Soon enough, everyone turned to Starlight, which made her a little scared with all the eyes on her now. "Right, Trixie! Just follow me!~" Starlight took off, leading the way. The group followed behind as they headed to where Trixie could be at. As everyone was running off, Twilah suddenly noticed that Dashie wasn't nowhere to be seen. She could guess that Dashie had gone after Dash, so she decided not to worry too much about her, as she could handle herself. She quickly hurried to catch up with the others as the reality around the world started to fall apart even more. Dash soared across the Sky, leaving the town behind and flying above the farmlands. She had a good idea where Scoots took Sky and couldn't help but laugh, knowing exactly where Sky was at. Dash suddenly felt like someone was behind her, and she looked back but didn't see anyone. She did see a rainbow blur below her, running across the fields and keeping pace with her. "Dashie." She flew below and was now alongside her human counterpart in her pony-human hybrid form. Giving her an upset, she asked her question. "Thought I said I'd go alone, so why are you following me?" Dashie smiled at her. "Come on now, we're the same person. You thought I wasn't going to tag along with you?" Dash looked back and sighed, seeing a smile on her face. "Okay, fine. You got me there. Just promise not to tell anyone where we went. I know Twilight and the others will ask questions." Dashie shook her head, and the two raced across the fields. Soon, they could see apple trees, which were Applejack's apple farm. Dash flew higher into the Sky and flew over the trees as Dashie ran past them. Soon, the two finally arrived where they wanted to be. They stood at the entrance, and both looked at it, seeing an old run-down tree house. Dashie pointed at it and asked if this was it. "Yep. I know it's not much, but this was Scoots and her friend's old tree house. As they got older, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle lost interest in hanging out here, and Scoots would often come here and fix things." when she said that, a piece of wood fell from the tree house. Made Dash rubbed the back of her head. "Tried to fix things. She's not a fixer, but one day, she invited me over and redid the inside to be well; I'd rather I show you." Dash and Dashie flew up to the door, and Dash tapped it a few times. Soon, the door slowly opened, and a light purple eye looked at her and went wide. Suddenly, the door swung open, and Scootaloo came running out and hugged Dash tightly, almost knocking her down. "Rainbow Dash!" "Whoa! Careful, kiddo! You know I'm getting older here!" Scoots looked at her, realizing what she was doing, and pulled away from her, rubbing the back of her head. "Heh, sorry. I'm just so glad that you're okay! Heard that you disappeared into some portal or something like that. Glad you are okay...ay?" she finally noticed Dashie and started to freak out in joy. "Oh my gosh! It's 'her'! Your human counterpart, whom you told me about all those years ago! I also heard she was in town, but being a friendship teacher, I couldn't get a chance to say hi! So!" she hugged Dashie Dash, but it was much different, as Dashie messed up Scoot's mane. "Always wanted to me you, just couldn't with everything going on." Scoot's eyes were filled with joy as she looked at Dashie. "Really? You wanted to meet me?!" "Yeah! When I fused with Dash here, I saw all of her memories and all the wonderful memories of you." Scoots could feel her heart beat fast, and her cheeks became red as she stared at her idol counterpart. "...is she going to be okay?" asked Dashie to Dash, looking at Scoots was just frozen and blushing. "She's fine, just let her have a moment." Dash looked inside. "Anyway, Scoots, can we come in? Need to-" "Of course, you can come in!" she hurried behind them and dragged them into her tree house. As they entered, Dashie couldn't help but admire it. The floor was nice and clean, and the walls were painted with Wonderbolt colors. On said walls were Wonderbolts, and in those posters were Rainbow Dash. Dashie knew that Scootaloo was a big Rainbow Dash fan, to the point that both of them acted like sisters. She couldn't help but feel happy to see all this. "Take a seat!" said Scoots, pushing them past a blanket covering a pony-shaped object. The two sat on the bean bag chair, and the moment they sat, a cloud of dust shot out, causing them to cough a bit. "Sorry, I've been too busy to clean the place up." she opened a cooler and asked them if they wanted anything to drink. "I have sodas and juices!" The two shook their heads, not wanting anything. Scootaloo grabbed a soda and chugged it, as she was thirsty. After finishing, she burped and sat on her chair, looking at them. She wanted to ask many questions about Dashie, but Dash stopped her and explained what was going on. As she explained everything, Dashie noticed that Scoot's face slowly went from overwhelming joy to a blank stare. Once Dash finished explaining, the three were silent for a bit, but then Scoots broke the silence by getting up and saying one thing. "Sky? I haven't found any pony like that. Maybe Sweetie is lying to you? Yeah, she was probably lying to you." This caught Dash off guard. "Huh? Why would Sweetie lie?" "Because!" Scoots was sweating and was starting to get nervous. Dashie could clearly see that, making her wonder why Scoots were acting like this. "B-Because....mmmmm..." Scoots looked around the room and saw the powers on the wall, getting an idea. "Hey, Rainbow! You said you are getting too old, right? Are you retiring from the Wonderbolts? I have been hearing rumors that you are getting slower these days!" Dash glared at her, and Dashie could tell she was trying to change the subject. Dash knew this but didn't want to force Scoots to answer. She decided to play along. "I'm not getting slower, just a...bit is all. Besides, if I was getting old and slow, why I can still do this!" Dash flew around the room at great speed and landed, breathing heavily. "See?" Scoots smiled and sat back down. "All I see is you breathing like you did a marathon." Dash pride took a hit, and Dashie could tell that Dash wasn't playing along. "What! I'm breathing normal!" "Are you sure? Because from here, you are wheezing a bit. Maybe it's your age." Dash glared at Scoots again. "Scootaloo, cut the crap! I'm not old and slow, and you know that!" "Oh, I do? So you're telling me that you haven't lost your touch?" Dash couldn't believe that Scoots was saying that to her; it felt like she was mocking her. She could see Scoots had a sly smile while she had a puzzled look. "Okay then! If I'm old and slow, I'll prove I'm not! Just watch!" Dash flew out of the window and ordered Scoots and Dashie to watch as she started to do air tricks in the cracking skies. Scoots sighed with relief that her plan to change the subject worked so well—until a blanket fell over her head, prompting her to quickly remove it and look at Dashie, who found Sky. "No!" shouted Scoots, rushing over and getting between them. "You can't take her! She's mine!" "Scoots, why do you want Sky? She's not a toy or something; she's a living... er...ghost? Whatever, you can't keep her." told Dashie, trying to push her away from Sky. Scoots tried to stop her from touching Sky, but she couldn't help but scream and cry. "BECAUSE I NEED HER!" Dashie looked at her, seeing her eyes were full of tears. "I...I...I don't want to be alone anymore..." Dashie was a little confused. She placed her hand on Scoot's head, petting her and asking her what she meant. Scoots looked at her, tears still flowing. "It's like I said, I'm all alone now. Sweetie and Applebloom have both been very busy with their lives and new jobs, so I hardly see them anymore. I don't want to bother them." She looked out the window, seeing Rainbow Dash still flying around, not noticing what was going on. "And Rainbow, it's the same thing, too. I hardly see her anymore. It doesn't help that she has a daughter now." "Hmmm?" Dashie could see the anger and hurt in Scoot's voice, making her wonder why. "What's wrong with her having a kid?" "BECAUSE SHE WON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO ME!" shouted Scoots, making Dashie jump back. "All she does is talk about her when we do meet up! Rainbow promised me that she would be like a big sister to me, but she only talks about Braver! She doesn't care about me anymore, as long as she's busy with her new kid and family! What's so good about Braver than me, huh!?" she faced her back to her and sat down, crying a bit more. Dashie could understand a bit how she felt. Back home at her job at the YMCA, she saw some sibling-less kids becoming jealous of other kids because of how better of a family they had. "Scoots," said Dashie, walking over to her. She could see Scoots flitching a bit, which made her worry a bit. "Leave me alone, Dashie! I don't want to talk about this anymore! Not even to another version of Rainbow Dash. I bet your Scoots feels the same way because you have Braver, twin sister, right?" she waited for an answer and got none. "Exactly, leave me alone. I just...I just want-" "Scoots, my universe version of you...died long ago." Scoots was caught off guard by that. In the reflection of the window, she could see that Dashie was holding in her tears. "When I was a teenager and was still doing track and field competitions for my school, I had a huge fangirl. She was seven years old, as she was an elementary school student. She came to every one of my races, cheering me on. Her name was Sue. I could always count on her, as I would always find her in the crowd, cheering me on." Dashie searched through her pockets, taking out her wallet and searching through it until she found what she was looking for. "This is her by the way." Scoots could see the photo being placed near her face, making her take it with her hoof. "What?" She could see her human counterpart. Her body was so small, like a reflection of her tiny wings. "She was born with Achondroplasia, making her smaller than everyone. It's a genetic disorder that affects bone growth." Scoots was a little confused and wondered why she was telling her this, so she asked her, and Dashie just gave a sad smile. "When I quit running, she heard the news and was very upset with me like everyone else was at the time. But then, out of the blue, she came and begged me not to stop. I said how cool it was and how much fun it was. She even told me she missed hanging around me. I told her no because I didn't want to go pro in running and told her to stop seeing herself in me and be who she wants to be." Dashie could remember her words and her tone as she told her this. "She was angry and sad, leaving without saying a word. After a few months, I learned she had an accident and was killed; a drunk driver hit her, killing her instantly. My last memory of her was when she was yelling at me, saying she wanted to be like me, where she could run and be free." "Sue..." said Scoots, feeling terrible. "Why...why are you telling me this? You haven't answered that." "Because." Dashie kneeled and pulled Scoots into a hug, letting her tears flow. "Because I couldn't tell her how sorry I was for letting her down and couldn't be there for her. And now, you're going down that path with Dash. If you have so much hate for her and then die after telling her, how will she feel? That there's a part of her that thinks she could have chance things..." Scoots was taken aback as she looked at the photo and then at Dashie. "She still cares about you, you know that, right?" Dashie leaned back, smiling. "On the first night, after Braver was saved. Dash talked a lot about you and was proud of where you ended up in life. She loves you like family and even told me that she wishes she could see you more often but couldn't. People's lives never stay the same; we all end up on different paths in life. Dash isn't going to leave you alone; as long as she's alive, she'll always come back to you, no matter what. It may seem like you're all alone, but you're not... right, Dash?" Scootaloo quickly realized that Dash was in the window, worn and tired from all the flying tricks, but overheard a bit and learned why Scoots didn't want to give Sky up. "Scoots, listen to me. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but that doesn't mean I don't care for you. I do! I still see you as my little sister. I'm just...I'm busy with being a Wondewrbolt and my family." Dash landed and walked over to her, hugging her. "But that doesn't excuse me from not seeing you more often; I'm sorry. I love you, you know that, right?" Scootaloo wasn't sure what to say or do, and her anger vanished, replacing it with guilt and sadness. She hugged her back, crying a bit. Dashie could smile at the scene, but suddenly, she and others started to see a light coming from behind, where Sky was standing. "Sky?" she whispered, putting her hand over her eyes. Dash pushed Scoots out of the tree house door and closed it. "Is Sky...dunno, awake or something?" Dash asked as she joined Dashie's side and looked at the glowing Rainbow Sky. Dashie shrugged, and without warning, Sky opened her wings and took off towards the forest. "hey!" screamed the two, as they quickly gave chase towards the fleeing Sky. As they chased Sky, Scoots, who was left behind, saw what had just happened. She got out of her scooter and took off to find Sweetie and the others she was with. She needed to find them and tell them what had happened. Meanwhile, Twilight and the others followed Starlight to the closed School of Friendship. Twilight stopped before the shut entrance and placed her hoof on it. "It's been a long time since I've been here. It feels strange not to hear or see the kids here." She looked over at Starlight and had to ask her something. "But why are we here?" Starlight started to sweat and darted her eyes. She had to come up with a lie but couldn't, so she sighed and told the truth. She led them behind the school grounds and explained herself: "Twilight, I know you trusted the school to me after you became the ruler of Equestria, but please don't get upset." Twilight raised her eyebrow and asked her what she was talking about. Starlight showed her the reason why she didn't want her to know the truth. "Starlight, what is that? What have you done?" Everyone came to a stop, and in front of, behind the school, was trailer(well, wagons, really) park, but it was lifeless as the creatures and ponies who lived there were gone after the town was ordered to move its citizens out in a hurry. "Well, I knew you wanted me to run the school, but...I had a little problem with the budget...this past year, so I and..." Twilight quickly looked at her, with her eye twitching. "You're broke? How!? I gave you your funding!" "No, not at all!" replied Starlight, with a big worried smile. Twilight pointed to the wagon park and the sign near it. "Then why is there a sign of Trixie on it that says renting a spot will cost 200 bits!?" Starlight took a gulp and quickly told Twilight and the others to follow her as she entered the park grounds. They followed her inside, and she explained herself. "Okay, look! The school has been doing poorly lately, as more and more schools have started popping up over the years, and many of them are much better at teaching kids about friendship. Heck, some are cheaper." "Isn't the school free to everyone?" AJ asked, not liking the direction this was taking. "Yeah, it's free...for the citizens of Ponyville and its allies like the Dragons and others. Other races, like the deers, had to pay to get in or move here. Some didn't like that, so they..." "And they created their schools..." said Twilight, now understanding. "But why are you forcing outside races to pay, Starlight? That doesn't make any sense." Starlight stopped and turned to them. "It wasn't my decision; the current Mayor did that! I tried to protest, but he told me that outside races not befriended by you or our friends would have to pay to attend school here. I refused, and we have been..." Starlight used her magic to summon a letter and handed it to Twilight and her friends. "Fined for not following this law that he placed. That's another reason the school has been hurting. Refused outside races and not being fine, but in doing so, new schools are being created to reflect that. Not doing what the Mayor wants, we will allow anyone in for free like always, but we will be fined..." Twilah understood what was happening now. "Be damned if you do, and be damned if you don't. So you and the other teachers started to rent the land to the outside races and made a profit to counter the fine. It's a smart move, but..." Twilah looked at the school and saw that the upkeep needed to improve. "I don't think it's helping. You are using a band-aid for a deep cut." Twilight looked at her friend, who had a sad face. "Yeah...parents were complaining about the wagon parks behind the school, and with the increased fines, we have been hardly able to keep the school looking good." Twilight couldn't believe it; she asked her friends if they knew about it. "Honestly, no Twilight. Ever since Applebloom moved from teaching school, I fallen off the loop," said Applejack, a bit annoyed for not keeping herself updated on it. Rarity sighed. "I thought Sweetie would have told me this, but she didn't...to be fair, it wasn't her job to keep me in the loop about the school after she moved on from it as well." Fluttershy became small as she told Twilight her reasons. "...I'm busy with Sweet Feather Sanctuary, as more ponies and creatures wanted to help...I'm sorry, Twilight." "Girls...." Pinkie scratched her head and asked them one thing: "Wait, you girls didn't know about this? I've been helping Starlight protest at every board meeting with the Mayor." "WHAT!?" they all shouted, surprised at her. Twilight grabbed Pinkie with her magic. "Why didn't you tell us!? In fact..." she turned to Starlight. "Why didn't you come to me!?" Pinkie looked at her friends, wondering if she was missing something. "Twilight, since I was a kid, I have been keeping up with school, and Starlight has problems. I thought you and the girls would always be checking up on the school, as it's been one of our biggest projects... Not. Like, we don't see each other that often, so it makes sense..." Twilight's eyes went wide, and she lowered Pinkie to the glassy ground. She and her friends had been so busy with their own lives that they hadn't checked in on the school as they should have. Starlight patted Twilight back. "And I tried to get your help on this, but I was forced to go through paperwork to speak to you. I tried to speak with you a few months back at that dinner party you were hosting, but when word got out that I would speak with you with a problem rather than going through the proper channels, I was threatened to be blocklisted if I tried again. I couldn't risk that, and if I did become blocklisted, the school would be done, and I didn't want to see all the hard work go to waste. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this, and please, don't blame yourself, Twilight. You and the girls have your own lives and problems with your jobs. Besides, making you bend the rules just for me won't sit right with me. I wanted you to have as few problems as possible since you have a family now. If we do this the right way, I'm sure we can save the school...well, that's what I've been telling myself, at least." Twilight wanted to argue her reasoning, but she knew Starlight was right. She didn't like this one bit. "I understand, but let's put a pin in this for now," said Twilight, turning her attention to the wagon park and then the rift-filled Sky. We've got a bigger problem right now, and that's finding Nightfall and then stopping all this by helping my daughter!" Everyone nodded and followed Starlight to a small wagon, which was Trixie's home. She knocked a few times before the door slowly opened, and a spotlight appeared in the doorway. "WELCOME TO THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE'S!" she shouted before she saw Twilight and her friends, and the door quickly slammed shut. Starlight banged the door and yelled for Trixie. "Go away, I'm busy right now!" "Trixie, it's Starlight! We need to speak with you; open the door! We know you have a ghost-looking version of Twilight!" A few moments later, the door opened, and Trixie looked at the group before smiling. She allowed them inside, and they all completely did not notice Nightfall as the coat rack when they entered. They watched as Trixie hopped into her bed and turned to Starlight. "How did you know that the great and powerful Trixie has said version of Twilight?" Starlight quickly explained how they knew, making Trixie sigh loudly and cross her arms. "I knew those three would rat me out! Fine, you can take her..." Twilight and Twilah smiled, but their smiles quickly faded. "BUT, you need to promise to save the school and help the other creatures that are still living here." "I understand about the school. I'll fix the pro-wait, are creatures still here? I thought everyone was ordered to leave the town," Twilight asked, surprised. Trixie opened her window and called out to the creatures in their wagon homes. Soon, every single wagon's lights turned on, and creatures of all kinds stepped outside, waving at them. "Wow, the town isn't empty after all..." whispered Pinkie, surprised. Starlight looked at the creatures and was shocked that they didn't leave as well. "I don't understand; why is everyone still here? It wasn't safe when the black water was still around." She turned to her friend, looking for an answer, one she found but with her friend's face filled with rage and hatred that sent a shiver down her spine. "The Mayor told them that they couldn't leave. No matter how hard they tried, the Mayor promised that if they left with the other town folks, he would order the town guards to destroy their homes when they returned. So, they were forced to stay here. They couldn't risk losing their only homes." Starlight was utterly dumbfounded, as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How!? How could the Mayor do that!? Why didn't you tell m-" Trixie looked at her sadly. "Because you are already going through a lot with your daughter, Starlight. Trixie couldn't put that on your plate; Trixie couldn't do that to you..." "But we're friends, Trixie. It would be best if you didn't hide something like that from me. That's not what a friend would do..." Trixie felt guilty now as she turned her head away from her. But suddenly, everyone could feel a heat of burning magical energy in the room. They all turned to Twilight, who was burning with flames and her purple body becoming pure white. "Oh dear, she's pissed off..." whispered Rarity, as she and everyone quickly moved away from Twilight, whose eyes started to glow. "HOW DARE THE MAYOR TREAT THESE CREATURES AS SOME LOWER THAN DIRT!! HOW DARE HE MAKE THEM PAY FOR A FREE SCHOOL PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY'RE RACES I AND MY FRIENDS HAVEN'T BEFRIENDED AND NOW THIS!?" Her voice was echoing, and her flames started to become wilder and hotter. Twilah backed to the window with her friends and looked back, seeing the creatures, who were now afraid and quickly returning to their homes. "Darling, I understand you are mad, but please calm down. You're scaring everyone," Rachel begged. April agreed and lowered her trucker hat to shield her eyes from the burning fire. "Yeah, cool down before you burn everything. Including us!" Twilah walked over to Twilight and placed her hands on her shoulder. "Come on, Twilight, calm down. I know this is bad, and something should be done about it, but it's like you said before, you need to put a pin in this for now. Focus on the task at hand. We can handle the Mayor and the school situation later. Right now, it would be best if you focused on getting Nightfall, getting to our daughters, and stopping Rainbow Dawn before she restarts the multiverse." she could see Twilight finally calming down and looking out to the few creatures that didn't hide in their homes and stayed outside. Twilight, she and the rest could see creatures they never met before, from deer to what seemed to be magical foxes. "It's just not fair! Why should they be treated like this?" asked Twilight, wanting answers. "Be outcasted because I and our friensds didn't befriend their race! Why should they pay to go to a school that our friends built, which is for free to all creatures? Why!? This almost feels like what Zecora and..." She turned to Tempest, remembering how she was treated for her past actions. "It's wrong! If I never knew about this, I could see ponies starting to treat other creatures like that...and then soon, treating other ponies like this will be a cycle of hate!" Twilight eyes started to water up, tears finally flowing down her cheeks. "Somepony will come along and use this to gain power and harmony with everyone will be a thing of the past...only fear will remain between everypony and creature!" She quickly wiped her tears away and looked at the creatures watching them, wondering what would happen. "Twilight..." She turned around, seeing everyone looking at her. Her close friends reminded her they wouldn't let it happen, while braver friends told her something she had never considered. "Other ponies hating other creatures and other ponies? HA!" Chrysalis dismissed with a wave of her hoof. I highly doubt it since Braver proves that can't ever be a thing. With Braver being a Slime, she's proof that everyone can live together without fearing each other. She's proof of that!" Tempest agreed to that, pointing to the creatures that were now gathering. "She is! In fact, over the years, Braver and us met some of these races on our adventures. Like over there is part of the Kitsune clan, they are known for their big fluffy tails and are very friendly...some love pulling pranks and the ones in the back are the Ruru Deer trible, they have a very unique sense for the earth, that when they reach adulthood, they leave behind flowers where they step. So, they are very caring towards nature. So, don't worry, Twilight. You have nothing to worry about." she smiled as a few creatures she talked about noticed her and waved. "Braver is just like you, Princess Twilight. She cares about all living things and would never allow such a thing to happen." Cozy smacks her hooves together, grinning hard. "Straight up! Some of these creatures have been living in New Ponyville for a while, and they're treated like anyone else, and no one bats an eye! It's thanks to that blockhead. From that day, she saved everyone from the flood. She showed every pony and other creature that you can be different but still care about others." Tirek poked his head through the small window, as he was too big to join everyone inside. "What everyone has been saying, Braver, without knowing, has been like a bridge between other races. She doesn't look at one's skin or magical powers but the heart within them. It's almost like..." Luna cut him off and continued where he left off. "It's like what you once told me, friend Twilight. All those years ago, when I was Nightmare Moon. Don't you remember?" Twilight turned to her, her eyes wide open, remembering her speech, which she slowly repeated out loud. "A different kind of spark. I felt it when I realized how happy I was to hear and see you and how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that..." She looked over to the girls, all smiling and crying a bit. "...you all are my friends. The spark that resides in the hearts of us all..." Twilight wiped her tears away, looking out to all the gathering creatures who had started to bow towards her. "My daughter did the same, not just with her friends but to others she met on her adventures, proving that no matter the race, no matter the looks, everyone has a place to belong, no matter how different they are..." She turned back to everyone, smiling hard now. "It's a different kind of spark, but it's ignited with the same flames of friendship—a spark of Harmony." Her friends couldn't stop their tears; they knew she was right. They watched her speak to the creatures, telling them they would bring the Mayor to justice for treating them like this. As this was going on, Trixie gave a small nod and turned to Starlight, pointing to the coat rack. Starlight walked over to it, removed the capes, and saw Nightfall just standing there. Starlight turned to her friend with an upset look. "Really? Using her as a coat rack?" Trixie shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Trixie always wanted a Twilight coat rack." she chuckled, making Starlight roll her eyes. Before she could tell the others, Nightfall opened her wings and soared out of the wagon and towards the forest. "Nightfall!?" shouted Twilight and Twilah in union, both giving chase while the others followed close behind. The only ones to stay behind were Sweetie, Sandbag, Gallus, and Trixie. They watched the gang get off to the forest, but soon, Scoots arrived and told them what had happened, as she noticed the purple light coming from there. "Yeah, the same thing just happened. I wonder why they headed to the forest?" Sweetie asked, looking back into the forest and seeing the purple light disappearing over the trees. "Man, she's pretty fast!" grunted Dashie as she and Dash tried their best to keep up with Sky, who was flying at high speeds. Dash smirks, and sweat drops from her face. "Well, she is a version of us, remember? Of course, she's going to be super fast!" Both kept flying until they could see her looking at them and her wings glowing bright blue. Before the two could question what was going on, Sky unleashed blue shiny energy balls that quickly shot out laser beams at them. Dash grabbed Dashie and moved out of the way as the lasers nearly hit them. "What the hell!? Why is she shooting lasers at us!?" shouted Dash, holding Dashie closer. Dashie grunted, remembering something about Sky. "Remember, she's a super soldier fused with the element of loyalty! Maybe this ghost version of her is a past memory of her when she was in the war! We can't lose her, but we need to keep on our toes!" Dash nodded, and both followed Sky, who was still flying away. "She's still heading that way," Dash said, dodging a blue laser that almost hit her face. Sky kept going but suddenly stopped and hovered over an area. As the two got closer, Sky unleashed red orbs, and she moved toward them, as the red lasers followed close behind her. "MOVE!" Dashie kicked Dash away in time as Sky created a purple energy beam sword from her wing, slicing the air that once had Dash. "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!" cursed Dashie, seeing Sky leaving behind purple orbs, which created mini-versions of themselves. All the tiny orbs spread out like wildfire, unleashing tiny lasers all over the place. Dash recovered from the kick and quickly dodged the red lasers that Sky had sent out before. She quickly regrouped with Dashie, who was dodging each purple orb. As both got together, they could see Sky starting to shine brightly. "What now?" asked both in union. Sky spread her wings and unleashed nonstop lasers at them while other lasers flew off in random directions, causing massive damage. "She's going crazy! What should we do?" shouted Dash, quickly pushing her and herself to the left and dodging a huge laser. "We need to find a way to knock her out! I'm sure the others are already on their way after seeing this light show, but we can't let Sky do more damage to the surrounding area!" They tried their best to dodge the nonstop laser attacks, as they needed to get closer to her and knock her out, but it was easier said than done. No matter how much they dodged, another laser was getting closer and closer to hitting them. Dash saw her chance as the lasers finally stopped and saw Sky panting and catching her breath. "Now's my chance! Stay here!" ordered Dash to Dashie; she blasted towards Sky with everything she had, hoping to tackle her. "Huh!?" she suddenly saw that Sky was creating a rainbow cone shape in front of her, realizing she was breaking the sound barrier just by standing still. "How is she doing that!?" Sky blasted forward, hitting Dash with a cone shape, which caused a small explosion and smoke. Both pegasus came out of the smoke, heading up into the air, but Dashie could tell that Dash was pretty hurt as she was missing parts of her Wonderbolt bomber jacket. "Stay awake!" said Dash to herself, feeling the blood dripping down her eye and her vision becoming blurry. She turned her head to Sky, who was looking ahead until she passed her and entered a cloud ahead of her. This made Dash stop and stare at the cloud, waiting for the next attack. From within the cloud, sun rays shone, almost like it was under the sun. Soon, tiny white lights began to come out. Dash reaches out with her hoof, catching one. It felt like a warm snowflake as it shined in her hoof. Dash was so puzzled by this, but she could quickly see Sky exiting the cloud at great speed. Dash dodged the first ramming hit but was hit by a blue laser on her back. She looked back, seeing that Sky was leaving behind purple orbs and lasers. "She's comb-" but Dash couldn't finish as she felt Sky ramming into her from behind and being tossed like a ragdoll right into the lasers. 'DASH!" Dashie blasted towards her and grabbed her in time, dodging the lasers and trying to flee, but Sky kept trying to ram her as well, and with each hit dodged, Sky was getting faster with each pass. "How is she getting faster and stronger?!" screamed Dashie, seeing Sky leaving behind purple orbs that were creating even more lasers and tiny orbs that were spreading toward them. "I don't know, I don't care! Keep dodging!" shouted Dash, holding on to Dashie's yellow jacket. The ramming attack didn't let up, as Sky became a blue blur now. She was making it almost impossible for Dashie to keep up. "Shit! I won't be able to keep up like this!" When she said that, Sky finally stopped her attack, and her wings started to glow once more. Dashie freaked out as she saw two energy blades being created. She almost didn't have time to dodge the first slash, which cut the clouded Sky in half. "Oh fuck!" Dash looked back and saw Sky was going to use her other wing as a follow-up slash. She pushed Dashie off her, allowing both of them to dodge the follow-up slash, which flew between them. They could feel the air being cut by the energy blade. "Are you alright?!" shouted Dashie, looking around the Sky and seeing that Sky was nowhere to be seen, as if she had just disappeared into thin air. "I'm fine! Just a little banged up, but I can still fly!" Dash gave a cocky smirk, but it quickly faded as rainbow light shined above them, making them look up, seeing Sky and rainbow halos behind her back. Within those halos were raw magical energies. She unleashed them, but none of them targeted the two pegasus below but just the surrounding area, creating rainbow explosions, making both pegasus cover their eyes. "Why didn't she hit us with those?" asked Dash. "Maybe a warning shot or-" "Or a chance to strike..." finished a voice, making the two look up and see Sky flying down to them, with her wing glowing. "AHH! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" shouted Dashie, but she knew they couldn't dodge it in time. This would be it for them—strike down and never get a chance to help their daughters. Suddenly, a purple blur passes them and clashes with Sky, pushing her back. When she is blasted far away from them, they realize who saved them, and it is... "Nightfall!?" She didn't say anything, just glowing her horn and creating a barrier around herself and Sky. They watched as Sky tried to attack her, but Nightfall created a magical energy around herself and other orbs that spun around her like planets. Sky was hit by the large orb and recovered, trying to get closer, but Nightfall fired off laser beams at her, knocking her back and crashing into the barrier. "What is she doing here?" asked Dash, watching the magical beams and lasers firing off. Dashie was silent, thinking about that. She looked where Nightfall came from and saw a group heading their way. It was Twilah and others. When they arrived, both sides quickly explained what happened and looked towards the fighting above them, seeing it ending now as Nightfall spent most of her magic creating that attack, while Sky was tired from being hit by Nightfall's attacks. When the barrier faded, both slowly flew below them, passing the group into an open field in the forest, where Twilight, Dash, and their human counterparts realized where they were. They all landed and watched Nightfall weakly approach Sky, slapping her. "Ouch! That's one hell of a slap..." grunted Sky, rubbing her cheek. Nightfall smiled at her. "You were sleepwalking again, silly." Sky blinked and looked around the area, seeing the damage. "...crap." "SLEEPWALKING!?" screamed Dash and Dashie in the union, clearly unhappy that Sky was attacking because she was sleepwalking. Sky could see that both were pretty banged up because of her. "Oops, sorry about that. I hope I didn't cause too much damage." Both wanted to scream at her, but Sky and Nightfall raised their hooves to stop them. "We came from Braver Core to help her, but someone needed our help, so we were sent where we were needed. Now, after learning from them about what was going on, we're here now," explained Sky, as she let Nightfall take over. But to get to our daughters, just as you thought, you need to fuse with us again." Nightfall and Sky walked up to their counterparts. "So Twilight and Twilah were right, huh?" whispered Dash, feeling a headache coming on as she, Dashie, and Sky started to glow. Nightfall started to glow, along with her counterparts. "Another reason we're out here, where it all started ten years ago, is to get the leftover rainbow shards. With those shards, we can cross over." Everyone watched as Twilight and Twilah started to glow, and they were slowly pushed towards Nightfall by an unseen force. Same With Dash and Dashie with Sky. Sunset watches it happen with the others, seeing the six people become two. Standing before them were anthro versions of Sky and Nightfall. "Twi? Dash?" called out AJ, while the rest of their friends were surprised at what they were seeing. April and her friends called out for Twilah and Dashie, and they were also somewhat surprised by what they saw before them. Nightfall and Sky smiled at them as they took a step forward. "Hello, friends." Nightfall and Sky looked into the rifts, seeing their daughters fighting and losing their fight with Rainbow Dawn. They looked back down at their graves. Smiling, they closed their eyes and summoned the shards around the area floating before them. They started to spin faster and faster until they became one. A rainbow orb necklace floated between them, but there was a piece missing. They held it together and raised it into the air... Blitz grabbed Rainbow Dawn's waist, trying to hold her down with all her strength, but couldn't, as Dawn tried to enter the rift. "Let go of me!" Rainbow Dawn yelled, struggling in her grip and starting to kick Blitz. "No! We can't let you reach Elyndra! Please, understand what you are doing!" Blitz tightened her grip as Dawn started to kick her harder than before. Blitz could feel the blood dripping down her stomach, knowing the kicks were breaking the skin. "Dawn, stop it! I know you in there somewhere!" cried out Blitz, her grip loosened until she fully let go and was grabbed by her hair and tossed aside, landing near where Braver is, who was severely beaten. Blitz looked over to her sister, who was kneeling and shaking from the pain. Blitz couldn't stand to see her like that and couldn't help her. Blitz slowly turned her head, seeing Rainbow Dawn slowly making her way into the rift as if it were calling her. Blitz slowly got to her knees, reaching out for her. "Dawn, please! If you do this, everything will be lost. The world will end, and I don't want that!" Dawn said nothing, only walking towards the rift and using her magic. She dragged the twins with her, but unnoticed by them, the necklace that Blitz was wearing started to glow. The piece of the rainbow shard started to pulse with rainbow energy, almost like it was answering a call. Above Sky and Nightfall, the necklace started to glow brighter until it created a rift leading to where the twins and Dawn were, leading the two to turn to the group. "When we step through, there's no going back. If any of you want to back out, now's your chance." Sky said as everyone else started to look at each other, knowing what they needed to do. "You don't need to worry about us, ya hear. We're going to save those two, and I highly doubt anyone here is yellow!" April answered, and AJ followed up with her. "She's right, and besides, we got our friends and family by our side." Sunset gave a thumbs up. "She's right; all of Blitz and Braver's family and friends are here. Plus, we're not just saving them but also..." Cozy rubbed her nose, trying to act like she didn't care about what she was going to say. "Also, going save Dawn and her human counterpart. Our Dawn didn't care about us or our friendship...but..." She was suddenly group-hugged by her friends, making her somewhat annoyed, but she continued. "We saw her as our friend; no matter how much she disliked us or how she treated us, we didn't give up on her. Even though our feelings weren't returned, we will save her, no matter what!" Wallflower nodded in agreement. "We need to save our Dawn for Blitz. I won't ever forgive myself if I didn't go, and the rest of us feel the same way." She turned to her friends, who agreed with her. "We all already made our choices in this matter!" Nightfall and Sky step aside, allowing all of them to walk through. As the last one to enter it, Nightfall held her chest. Twilight and Twilah, their voices coming out of her. "Nightfall, I'm sorry." Nightfall placed her other hand on her cheek as she spoke to herself. "For what, you two?" Sky started to cry, and she didn't know why as her voice became Dash and Dashie, speaking towards Nightfall. "If we were better parents, maybe if you picked one of the others, your daughters wouldn't have to suffer so much. We let Braver bottle up her trauma over the years, never seeing she was suffering. We felt like we failed in raising Blitz like a real mother will do or..." "Or never being around Blitz as she was growing up and admitting to her that she was better off dead, along with her sister. Then hurting Braver in the things we said to her...All because of us, and we can't forgive ourselves. So, we're sorry, and we hope you can forgive us." "We're sorry, sorry we couldn't be like you two." said both in union, tears flowing down their cheeks. Sky and Nightfall looked at each other, grabbing each other's hands, looking into each other's eyes, and smiling. "Being parents isn't easy, we know that. No parent is perfect. All you can do is keep moving forward, and that's what you four did," said Nightfall, placing her hands over Sky's cheeks and her forehead against her. "You were there for Braver and Blitz, raising them the best you could and being parents. You never stopped caring for them. Never think otherwise." "And we weren't the greatest parents, too, you know. Do you four really see us as that? Even though we hurt them..." replied Sky, placing her hands over Nightfall's cheeks. "I hit them after seeing Nightfall's body in front of them...I showed that the moment I saw them as a weapon, I didn't love them." She shed some tears. "Or when I showed my fears of them being something completely different. I was so scared that I used that broom to attack them. I didn't mean to. It was just instinct...but it still hurts, seeing them looking at me with those hurt eyes." added Nightfall, starting to cry. "It's hard being a parent, we get it. We understand you four more than anyone else. You did the best you could, and that's all that matters. That's why." She and Sky looked into each other's eyes, slowly leaned closer, and kissed. They stood there for what felt like minutes before pulling away, staring lovingly at each other, and then starting to smile. Both held each other's hands and said something together as they rushed towards the rift. "Thank you for taking care of our three sweet peas!" Once they entered, the rift was sealed up. Braver and Blitz saw they were getting closer to the rift, leading them into the Elyndra tree. From what they remembered, Dawn had told them she needed to write in some book within the tree and had no clue when, but she would eat them as she did with their Dawns. "Sis, I can't see anything," said Braver, too hurt to sit up and look where they are being dragged. "Are we boned?" Blitz turned to her, her face defeated. "Yup, we're boned." As Dawn was still dragging the two, she looked up at the tree. She's finally going to have her rainbow comet light back; all she needed to do was eat these two and write in the book. That's all she needs, and everything will be over. She will be with her once more. "I'm so close." thought Dawn, a wide grin on her face. "Once I write in that book, my light will be mine, and we'll be together again. Just hold on a little longer, my love." The closer she got, the bigger the rift grew. Soon, the overflowing black water started to mix with the white water until it became completely dark, and then the white void slowly faded to black. Just as she was about to step inside the rift, two lasso ropes wrapped around her body and pulled her away from it, sending her flying and hitting the water-filled ground far from the rift. "What is the meaning of this?" asked Dawn, getting on her feet, ripping the ropes with her wings, and glaring at the person who had stopped her. AJ and April are standing side by side, their hats lower on their faces, and they are taking a serious look at her. "We're here to stop ya!" "And beat ya hind rear, lil girl!" "AUNTY!?" shouted Blitz and Braver, seeing the two AJ's. Dawn glared at the two and charged at them. "You will pay for that!" "I think the heck not, darling!!" Dawn was suddenly wrapped up in a roll of clothing fabric, holding her in place. She glared at the source, which was Rarity, and alongside her was Rachel. "Good heavens, what type of fabric is this? Looks and feels so good against my hooves." "I made it special for her!" replied Rarity, proud. "How dare you interfere, you fools!!" When she noticed the two unicorns, she also noticed the Pinkies setting up something, Dawn blasted the fabric off, ready to strike the white unicorns down before the pink earth ponies. Rachel and Rarity passed the two, telling they're up next. One was in a canon, while the other lit it. "PARTY TIME!" shouted Pinkie, entering the canon and flying towards Dawn after the fuse was lit. Dawn jumped back, dodging the headbutt attack, but wasn't quick enough to dodge the incoming cake to the face, thanks to Penny, who was tied to Pinkie. "NOOOOO!!" She shouted, trying to remove the cake but had difficulty doing so. Fluttershy and Faith landed next to her and helped remove the cake while telling her she needed to stop this madness. Dawn could only glare at the two, making them scared and backing away. "Madness? I'll show you!?" she couldn't finish as Tirek smashed his giant fist into her side, sending her flying towards Cozy, who smirked with glee. "I always wanted to do this! Get ready, Dawn!" Cozy became her twisted red alicorn form and gathered all magical energy into her hoof, ready to punch Dawn into next week. "HERE COMES COZY POW!!!" She struck the punch, punching Dawn right in the gut and sending her flying once more.—right towards Luna and Chrysalis, who used their magic to freeze her in mid-air "This is gonna hurt, friend Dawn!" "And we only do it in love! So, take this!" The two slammed her into the black water a few times and sent her flying towards Tempest, who was gathering her firework magic within her horn, ready to blast her with it. "Eye for an eye!" shouted Tempest, blasting her fireworks towards Dawn, which blasted all around her and soon fell to the ground. Dawn stood up, her face filled with anger. She was ready to end them all when the ground started to shake. She looked around, wondering what was happening, only for tree roots to burst out and wrap her up. "I won't let you hurt Blitz! Give us our Dawn back!" demanded Wallflower, using her power over nature to hold her in place. Dawn was going to break free like before, but thunderbolts rained down from the Sky, shocking her. She looked up to see Brishen being carried by Sunset magic. "Not this time!" smirked Brishen, shooting more thunderbolts down toward Dawn. "You are all going to regret this!" she shouted, breaking free before the bolt hit her. "I'm going to kill y-" Her speech was cut short as a bullet struck her in the face, making her stagger backward and placing her hand over the spot where it was shot. She could spot Tempesta, using her hooves to fire her handgun a few more times. "Damn it!" cursed Dawn, flying towards the unicorn. Tempesta lowered her handgun, smiling as she looked up, making Dawn look up, revealing Sunset falling from the Sky with her guitar above her head, ready to smash it down on Dawn. "Time for a lesson!" "You won't beat me! I'm unstoppable!" She moved out of the way, making Sunset hit the ground instead and shattering her guitar, leaving her with only the neck. The magic within it slowly repaired it back to normal. Dawn was about to charge at Sunset when Sunset teleported and reappeared at her side, smacking her face with the guitar. "Hope you enjoy that fucking sunset, Dawn!" "That's the last straw!" shouted Dawn, charging up a magical aura around her body, making powerful shockwaves that blasted everyone away from her. Her breathing was heavy when she stopped, and her eyes were glowing white. "I'm going to rip out every one of your lungs!" she stepped forward, only to stop as she heard a voice. "Dawn! Stop this!" She looked back and saw Starlight. For whatever reason, she faced her and listened to what she had to say. "Please, Sweetie. Don't do this. I know you're still in there; fight it! Don't let this evil version of you take control of your magic! You can overcome her!" Starlight approached her, getting up on her hind legs; she touched her stomach. "Please, fight it! I know you believe you are all alone, thinking Braver is the only pony in your world...but she isn't. She's not the only pony. Look around. Your friends are here to save you! I'm here..." tears started to flow down her face. "I know I hurt you when you were younger, not giving you any form of love...and for that, I am sorry. But I want to compensate for that and show you how much I love you." Dawn's eyes stopped glowing, and they stared at Starlight. She wasn't sure what to say to her, as the words were stuck in her throat. Starlight smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug. "I promise to be a better mother to you. You'll never feel alone. I will be here for you." Starlight felt Dawn's arms holding her. It was working; she was coming back. She just needed to keep trying. "Come back to us, Dawn. Come back to m-AAAAHHH!" Everyone could see Dawn crushing Starlight with a bear hug, laughing as she did so. She stopped hugging her and let go, making Starlight fall to the ground and gasping for air. "Nice try, but your daughter is gone! I'm the only Dawn around." she lowers to Starlight's face. "You know, my mother left my dad when I was born. She went to live with some other guy and started another family. That broke my dad so much that he killed himself, leaving me all alone." she grabbed Starlight's neck, crushing it but not enough to kill her. "I had to live off the streets, fighting to survive until I met 'her'!" she chuckled. "She was my savior. If she hadn't saved me, I wouldn't had the chance to fall in love with her and finally be happy." she put all of her weight on Starlight's neck, making her go under the water, drowning her now. "But after she died and I became this, I killed everyone! My whole universe and the last person I let alive was you. I killed you so slowly, making sure you suffered greatly. It was so fun hearing you beg for me to kill you." she smirked, her eyes glowing. "Now, I'm going to enjoy killing you a second time, 'mother'!" Everyone got up and tried to hurry towards them, hoping to save Starlight, but Dawn blasted them away again. She wasn't going to let anyone stop her....until she quickly sensed something and jumped away, dodging an energy beam sword that almost sliced her neck. She looked and saw it was... "...you." Sky guarded Starlight while Nightfall helped her up, hoping she was okay. Starlight was fine as she coughed up the water in her lungs, breathing heavily. She was able to breathe again. "Are you alright, Starlight Glimmer?" Nightfall asked, and she saw her nod and sigh in relief. Sky looked behind her, happy to see Starlight was okay. She looked forward, seeing Dawn glaring daggers at her. "I killed you in my universe. I can't believe I'm going to kill my mother again but also my rainbow comet light parents again! I'll make sure to tear your legs off again!" Sky gave her a sad look, knowing her story. Within her mind, Dash and Dashie were asking how she knew and why memory was locked away from them. "Yeah, sorry, but you can't see those memories. If you do, it might change things for the future," Sky thought. "Never mind that; just get ready. She might going to attack!" Everyone gathered behind the two, while Sunset and Wallflower helped Blitz over, and Cozy helped Braver over as well. Both twins were shocked to see 'them' here, and they knew that if they were here, then that meant... "...no, you two didn't..." cried Blitz, pushing her friends off and walking towards her parents. "You need to defuse before it's too late!" her parents could see tears rolling down her cheeks, and they could tell what was running through her head. "Please...not like this. I can't lose you," cried Braver, joining her sister's side. I don't want to lose my mommy and mother!" She rushed forward and hugged Sky, begging her to let Rainbow Dash go, but Sky only petted her head. "Sorry, sweet pea, but it was the only way to get here." Sky hugged her. "I'm happy to see you again. Look at you! You look just like Nightfall! A spitting image of her!" She could see the anger but also happiness in her daughter's eyes, as she was happy to see her and yet mad that her parents sacrificed themselves to recreate their dead parents. "Why, mommy! Why did you do it!?" yelled Braver, looking up at her. Nightfall walked past them and hugged Blitz, who hugged her back and cried on their chest. "You two can't fight her by yourselves!" Dawn started to laugh when she heard that. "Even with all of you here, you won't and never will stop me! I'm unstoppable, a higher being! You will all be crushed!" Nightfall and Sky let go of their kids and glared towards Dawn. "Wow, someone has a big ego. Do you really think we were talking about you?" Sky asked. Dawn glared at her, puzzled at what she meant. "Then who are you talking about-!?" It happened so fast that no one could see it. An arm was poking out of Dawn's chest hole, holding a feather pen. Everyone could see Dawn's eyes becoming wide with shock but then rage as she turned to the person who stabbed her. "'ǝɯ ʇnoqɐ ƃuᴉʞlɐʇ ǝɹǝʍ ʎǝɥ┴" smirks the floating young cloak girl, picking Dawn up and tossing her to the side. "'ǝɯ ʇnoqɐ noʎ ploʇ sɹǝʇdɐɥɔ ǝɹnʇnɟ ɯoɹɟ ǝuoǝɯoS" she says, taking out a book and opening it. "˙ǝʇᴉɹʍǝɹ ʇuǝɹɹnɔ sᴉɥʇ uᴉ ǝɟᴉl s,lɹᴉƃ ɥsᴉlooɟ ʇɐɥʇ puǝ oʇ ǝʇou ɐ ǝʞɐɯ oʇ pǝǝu I ¿uᴉɐƃɐ ,ɹǝɥ, ʇᴉ sɐM ˙ʇsnɐℲ sɐʍ ʇᴉ ʇqnop I" Blitz and Braver stood by their parent's side, and for some odd reason, they felt like they had seen this young girl from somewhere. "...who is she?" whispered Braver, feeling uneasy. Sky and Nightfall narrowed their eyes at the child. Nightfall answer. "She has many names, but she's the walking embodiment of fate itself." "...fate?" questioned Blitz, looking over at the child. Sky nodded her head. "Yup, she's the walking embodiment of fate, the one who watches all life and where their story takes them. It's like reading a book and knowing where a character will go or what they will do. It's her other name: Reader. She stopped being a reader and is now a writer, changing everyone's fate." Blitz and Braver looked away from their parents and towards the child, who closed her book and smiled. "¡ɥʇʎɐℲ ǝɯ llɐɔ 'ǝsɐǝlԀ"