My Little Pony: Through Space and Time

by Magic Step

Something Scary

More ponycodes! Remember to erase the spaces.

Jet Black (the black soldier with the fireball cutie mark): 33341D30600000007C7C7C006010 0BB96IN1837205000001S1CC983F 994D4D1Y107F3FCC004CB2

Shield Wing (the other, younger soldier): 2T3O0X1062DEFEB5A36565200000 0BA16RP1837000020001H1B3BC6A 49562B13107F3FCC004CB2

Princess Twilight Sparkle paced the length of the room, her mane flowing gracefully despite the lack of wind.

Rainbow Dash thought she was showing off.

Scootaloo remained on her knees, her eyes following the Princess's motion.

Then they flashed back to Rainbow Dash. "Captain, what are my orders?"

Rainbow Dash opened and closed her mouth, afraid to say anything.

Princess Twilight turned around. "Ahem."

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Yes, Princess?"

"Let me brief you on the situation. A portal has been opened to the past. Versions of me and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony from the past have infiltrated our fair city. These must be aprehended or we risk damaging the space-time continuum."

Scootaloo rose to her hooves and stood at attention. "So you are saying we have not captured Applejack? Just a past version of herself with no knowledge of her crimes?"

"Essentially."

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "But, you majesty, this is excellent news!"

Princess Rarity, who had been moodily studying her bracelets during this discussion, turned to meet Scootaloo's eyes. "How so?"

"We now have Applejack at our mercy! We can now fix the timeline so that she never committed any crimes against Equestria or you our fair rulers! We can change everything for the better!"

Rainbow Dash managed to keep her jaw from dropping. What had happened to Scootaloo?

Princess Twilight turned, her expression blank. "As desirable as it might seem to you to stop Applejack before she even has a chance to do anything wrong, we would risk causing the universe to collapse on itself. I don't want to have to explain all the possible paradoxes that might arise from that. Or the past could become even worse. My younger, foalish self would see the destruction of her innocent friend as senselessly cruel, and this might cause her to become withdrawn, emotionless, and a dominating tyrant. We can't have that." She turned to pace to the other side of the room and caught a glimpse of Princess Rarity rolling her eyes. "What?!" She shoved herself next to Rarity. "Are you trying to say I am cruel and evil in this timeline? How could you say such a thing? You are damaging our friendship." And she reared back, as though that was the greatest threat she could have possibly pronounced.

Princess Rarity blinked and studied her bracelets again.

"But that isn't why I wanted you, Scootaloo," said Princess Twilight Sparkle, turning to the orange pegasus again. "I just want you to find the remaining infiltrators- Fake Fluttershy, Fake Pinkie Pie, and Fake Rainbow Dash."

"Fake Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo screamed, as if the most ancient laws had been broken. "How could they? Nothing they can concoct can compare with the utter awesomeness that is the real thing! No fear, Princess Twilight. If there are any fake Rainbow Dashes running about, I'll destroy them all!" Scootaloo seemed to have little flames in her eyes.

Rainbow Dash resisted the urge to shiver.

"You can't just destroy the Rainbow Dash clones!" Princess Rarity said.

"No, you're right," Scootaloo said, the flames vanishing.

Princess Rarity sighed with relief.

"I'll destroy the clones of EVERYPONY!" Scootaloo screamed, flailing her hooves wildly.

The two princesses exchanged disturbed looks.

"Um, excuse me," Fluttershy said.

Everypony whirled around to stare at two Fluttershys standing at the door.

"I'm sorry," one of the Fluttershys said, "I didn't want to interrupt, but you see there's this strange pony here who looks exactly like me and claims to come from the time when Celestia ruled..."

Scootaloo pounced on the other Fluttershy, drawing a dagger from a pocket in her black suit.

Fluttershy screamed. Rainbow Dash and both princesses converged upon Scootaloo, shouting for her to stop. Rainbow Dash seized Scootaloo's tail and flew backwards with her as the two princesses formed a protective barrier around both Fluttershys.

The Fluttershy from the past was lying on the ground, crying. The other Fluttershy lifted her hoof, shocked. Then she turned and snarled at Rainbow Dash, "She's clearly your special pupil."

"Fluttershy!" Princess Rarity gasped.

The Fluttershy who was from the timeline that they were currently in turned her head away from Rainbow Dash, her nose in the air. "I just remembered I'm not speaking to you," she said.

"Oh, Fluttershy," Twilight Sparkle sighed.

Just then a blur of pink entered the room.

Two Pinkie Pies crashed landed, one on top of the other.

"That was fun!" the one with the curly mane said. "Can we do it again?"

"No!" the straight-maned one screamed. She slipped out from under the other Pinkie Pie and screamed at Twilight, "THIS PONY IS AN IMPERSONATOR!"

"NO I'M NOT!" the curly maned one said, matching her volume but with a much more light hearted tone. "I'M AN IMPONYATOR!"

"I am the real Diane Pie!" the straight maned one said.

"I am twice as real as you are!" the curly maned one replied.

"I'm the element of laughter, you idiot!"

"I actually laugh, you smarty!" The curly maned Pinkie Pie then demonstrated, rolling on the floor as she chuckled.

Princess Rarity pounced on Scootaloo and held her down.

"Hey!" Scootaloo screamed.

"I'm afraid if you can't act mature and demonstrate discernment, you will have to stay on the floor for now," Princess Rarity said.

"Captain Dash, Rarity," Princess Twilight Sparkle said, "A word."

Princess Rarity went behind the two thrones, dragging Scootaloo behind her. Princess Twilight followed. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and flew after them. She had avoided saying anything if she could help it, so as to avoid blowing her cover.

A purple shield surrounded the two princesses and Rainbow Dash while shutting out Scootaloo.

"Well," Princess Rarity said, "You've gotten your wish. You now have two of the three remaining imposters in your grasp."

Princess Twilight turned to look at the ponies outside, a pained expression on her face.

"I didn't think fake Fluttershy would turn herself in," she said.

"She doesn't even know she's causing a problem!" Princess Rarity said. "What are you going to do with her, Sparkie?"

"Captain Dash?" Princess Twilight said. "You seem pretty quiet today."

Rainbow Dash shifted her hoof. "Oh, my mind is just on other things," she said, hoping they wouldn't ask what.

"Scootaloo?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Or... Fluttershy?" Princess Rarity asked, looking concerned.

"Don't let her get to you!" Princess Twilight said, without waiting for an answer. "Fluttershy has... changed."

"Reign her in, for Celestia's sake!" Princess Rarity said. "I mean- oh, is it Scootaloo?"

"Or... Fluttershy?" Princess Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash just shrugged. "Uh, sort of all of them. Sort of. But, what about Pinkie Pie?"

"Diane Pie?" Princess Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash resisted flinching. Had she given herself away?

Princess Twilight studied the two pink earth ponies, who were still arguing. Only one was smiling.

"She said she was going to get a manecut," Princess Twilight said.

"She might have done it for old time's sake," Princess Rarity said. "Maybe she has heard us arguing."

"And she dyed her coat to a deeper pink?" Princess Twilight said. "And she asked us to call her Pinkie Pie? And she is..." Princess Twilight didn't finish, but she waved her hoof at the curly maned Pinkie Pie, who was now standing on her head.

"Maybe for old time's sake?" Princess Rarity said again, her voice softer.

Rainbow Dash saw it on both of the princess's faces. They knew full well which one was the 'fake' Pinkie Pie.

But they desperately wanted it to be the gray, straight-maned one who was fake.

Maybe she could give them a little nudge.

"There's one thing we could do," she said, stepping forward. "I could take one of the Pinkie Pies into another room and ask them some questions only the modern Pinkie Pie could answer correctly. Then I can tell you if she's real or fake."

Princess Twilight turned towards her. "I should be the one doing the questioning," she said. "I can remember better than you can."

"Maybe," Rainbow Dash said, "But your emotions would get in the way. No offence, I mean, but you might give her clues that could alter the results. These clones might be clever, and you know Pinkie Pie."

The two princesses smiled at each other.

"Yes," Princess Rarity said, "We do know Pinkie Pie."

"And you are the most emotionally resilient among us," Princess Twilight said. "Go for it, Captain Dash."

Rainbow Dash got on one knee. "Thank you, your highness."

---

"All right," Rainbow Dash said, pulling the straight maned Pinkie Pie into the other room, "This is just to see if you are real or fake."

"I'm obviously the real one," Diane Pie said, tossing her short mane. "In fact, I am mortally offended that you feel the need to test me! Am I not special enough?"

At Rainbow's shocked expression, Diane Pie started giggling. "Heh heh. Yeah, right, Dashie. I know you follow the rules like a... like something that follows the rules really well. A ruler! Like a ruler!"

"Er, okay," said Rainbow Dash. "So. Question 1: What happened to Princess Celestia?"

"Ha!" Diane Pie booped Rainbow on the nose. "Trick question! I wasn't there! Gotcha!"

That wasn't the answer Rainbow Dash had been looking for.

"Well, maybe, but you should at least have a vague notion of what happened," Rainbow Dash said. "That is, if you're the real Pinkie Pie."

"DIANE Pie! DIANE Pie!" Diane Pie shouted. "I am too real! Twilight sealed Celestia in the sun and Luna in the moon. Simple as Diane Pie!"

"But how could she have done any sealing if you weren't there?" Rainbow Dash demanded.

Diane Pie leaned waaaay back and rubbed her hoof under her chin. "Hmm. I dunno. Sparkie never explained that bit. How did she do it if I wasn't there?"

"I have no clue," Rainbow Dash said.

"Next question! Or have I already won?" Diane Pie lept to her feet.

"Nope! That stuff is common enough knowledge! You need to answer a harder question!"

"Okie-dokie-lokie."

"Question 2: Did I ever join the Wonderbolts?"

"Duh!" Diane Pie said. "Next question!"

"Is that 'duh yes' or 'duh no'?" Rainbow Dash said. "You could just be saying 'duh' to hide the fact that you don't actually know the answer."

"Oh, come on!"

"You're stalling! You must be fake!"

"Fine, then, if you insist." Diane Pie tossed her mane back and strutted to a corner. "You sorta made the Wonderbolts join you, didn't you?"

"What?" Rainbow Dash blinked.

"After you were appointed Captain of the royal guard, you told Twilight that you felt the Wonderbolts were becoming obsolete, as they flew around doing tricks when ponies of their skills were needed in the royal guard. So Twilight told the Wonderbolts to either join the army or stop performing trick shows, and most of them joined you."

"Um. Question 3: What's up with Scootaloo?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it!"

"She idolizes you, you trained her in combat, now she's almost as much of a louse as you. What else is there to say?"

"What about Fluttershy? Why does she hate me?"

"You're asking a lot of questions about yourself."

"Well, those are the kind of questions where I'd best know the correct answer."

"Oh, well, Fluttershy is still mad at you for killing your pet turtle."

"For- I mean, how did I kill it?"

"Neglect. It fell off a cloud. Fluttershy claims it committed suicide because you never played with it or fed it or gave it water. But I don't think turtles commit suicide."

Rainbow Dash decided she utterly detested her future self.

"What about you? What happened to make you all gray?"

The question seemed to make Diane Pie turn even grayer. She stalked silently into a corner, hanging her head. In a low, menacing voice, she said, "I thought I told you never to ask me that question."

"I-It was just for the quiz," Rainbow Dash said, but she knew she would get no answer. "Erm. Game over. Heh heh." She shoved Diane Pie into the throne room, where all the ponies looked at her expectantly.

"I'm going to question the other Pink- Diane Pie now," Rainbow Dash said, seizing the curly maned pony and dragging her into the next room.

"Um, Twilight- I mean, your highness," Future Fluttershy said.

"Yes?" Princess Twilight asked.

"I was hoping... I mean, this younger Fluttershy isn't doing any harm, so I was wondering if maybe I could take her home to help me? ...That is, uh, if she doesn't mind." Fluttershy turned to herself, smiling sweetly.

Past Fluttershy smiled. "That sounds wonderful! I'd love to see what your work is."

Princess Twilight shuffled her hooves. "Um. Er. That sounds... acceptable."

"Thank you," the two Fluttershies said in unison, bowing out of the room.

---

"Okay, Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said.

"I am the real one, you know," Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, I know. And I'm the 'real' Rainbow Dash. As in, the one from the world where Twilight Sparkle and Rarity aren't princesses."

"Funny coincidence! I'm from that world too!" Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Yeah, so, this is important: If we don't want to get arrested, we have to make the princesses think we're the ones from the other world, our older selves so to speak."

"Oh, is that what that grumpy pink pony is? My older self?" Pinkie looked at the door. "Gee, Dashie, I don't ever want to grow old if it means getting so... gray."

"That's not important right now," Rainbow Dash said. "Listen, I learned a lot about this future world from your older self."

Rainbow Dash repeated all the information she'd learned from the questions.

"Wow," Pinkie Pie said. "You're a jerk!"

Rainbow Dash glared at her.

"I mean future you, of course!" Pinkie Pie laughed, then stopped, locking her legs together. "Oh! Pinchy knee!"

"Pinchy knee?" Rainbow Dash said, backing off. "What does that mean?"

"It means that something scary is about to happen, and it's gonna happen... out there!" Pinkie pointed at the door.

Rainbow Dash yanked the door open. Aside from the missing Fluttershys, she couldn't see anything amiss.

"Are you done?" Princess Twilight asked.

"Er, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "I've concluded that-"

"Princess Twilight!"

Rainbow Dash spun around, staring at the pegasus that had just entered. She wore armor, and her wings were done in the style of the royal guards, but other than that she looked just like Rainbow Dash.

The new arrival had only enough time to open her mouth in shock before she was attacked. An orange blur whized past, slamming the future Rainbow Dash into the ground. Scootaloo growled at her, yanking out her dagger.

"How dare you impersonate Captain Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo growled around her dagger before plunging the blade into Rainbow Dash's wings.

"No!" Rainbow Dash shouted, twisting away. Several of her feathers were bent, but there was no blood. "Princess Twilight?"

The princess gave no answer other than a glowing horn. With a snap, Rainbow Dash's royal guard wings vanished.

Captain Dash gasped. "Twilight?" she said, her voice more panicked.

"Guards!" Scootaloo called.

The cream-and-brown spotted pony and the black pony from before charged into the room, pinning Captain Dash on the ground and dragging her away.

"Princess! No! What are you doing to me? Your highness?!" Captain Rainbow Dash screamed as she was dragged from the room.

From her place next to Pinkie Pie, the Rainbow Dash from the past left her mouth hanging open, unable to wrap her mind around what she'd seen.

"See?" Pinkie Pie whispered in her ear. "Something scary."