Dr.Whooves and the Pegasi: Temporal Discord

by Jake8765

First published 24th of March, 2012

Rainbow Dash must go with Dr.Whooves throughout her past to save the future Equestria.

When Rainbow Dash is told of an impending disaster to befall Equestria, linked to a past event in her life, she must go on a time traveling mission to certain points of her life to correct in order to fix the future. However, Discord soon breaks out from the amount of time travel, but even he helps her when he is told of his own fate. Meanwhile, Darkness Flash, an alternate dimention version of Rainbow Dash, receives word of her time traveling, and plans to stop her.
( Please note: This is in no way a parody of anyone else's fanfics. Certain elements of this fanfic will parody parts of Star Trek: The Next Generation with the use of an afterlife scene similar to one in the show, and Doctor Who for the use of time-travel. )

A normal day.

Rainbow Dash flew through the air with wild adbandon, letting the wind flow through her rainbow-colored mane. She tore through the clouds surrounding her with total confidence. As she soared, she began to become lost in her thoughts of flying with the Wonderbolts, the very team she had idolized as a young filly. The excitement was immense, and she was so excited to know that she had finally been accepted into their flight team! And then suddenly a ringing sound blared out, causing Rainbow Dash to plummet to the ground.

Rainbow Dash awoke to the loud ring of her Wonderbolts stylized alarm clock. Reaching over to press the snooze button so she could doze off into her fantasy world again, she fell out of her dark blue bed with a purple cover and lightning stripe with a quiet thud. Rubbing the lasting effects of the Sandmare's spell out of her hot pink pupiled eyes, Rainbow Dash moaned to herself groggily, "Ohh, why did I even buy that clock if I don't even use it 7 out of 7 days of the week?" She then pressed the off button of her clock with slightly numb hoof from her nearly 10 hour sleep along with her sudden jolt of awakening. Her eyes instantly shot open as she had saw that the time on the clock had been 5:00 in the morning! She quickly sprinted to her window to observe the skies, but there wasn't even a sun to speak of, except for a few damp clouds along with the dark purple color in the sky, displaying the barely visible crack of dawn.
"Omigosh, how the hay is my alarm so early in the morning?! I never wake up so early!", she said to herself. Her rude awakening would open be interrupted once more with the blare of her 'Sonic Boom' ringtone to her cell phone. "Oh come on!" she angrily yelled to herself, before turning on her phone with a tap of her hoof on it's screen, and she her eyes widened to see who it was.

It was a rather 'normal' picture of Pinkie Pie with a huge grin on her face. Rainbow Dash thought to herself that only Pinkie Pie would call her at 5:00 in the morning. She quickly changed her irritated face to a grin, her tone to a pleasurably calm. Though it was hard to with her seemingly zero hours of sleep. With a slight hint of tire in her voice she answered her phone. "Pinkie Pie", she yawned, "what do you want at 5 in the morning? Not even Applejack is awake at this time." She suddenly retracted her statement, as she knew that Applejack would be up at this time to buck apples, being the dedicated worker she was.

"OH, OH, OH, DASHIE!" Pinkie hollered, "I JUST WANTED TO INVITE YOU TO MY PARTY TONIGHT!"

"Ugh, why couldn't you invite me at like 3 in the afternoon?" Rainbow asked her pink friend through her phone.

"BECAUSE I WANTED YOU TO GET THE INVITATION AT THE CRACK OF DAWN! IT'S NOT A MAJOR PARTY WITHOUT AN INVITATION AT DAWN, DASHIE!" Pinkie Pie yelled at a volume so loud through the phone that Dash had to cover the ear she wasn't using to listen to the phone, wincing while pulling the phone away from her other ear.

"Pinkie, please, it's 5 o'clock! I just woke up from my alarm clock!" Rainbow Dash said in a hushed tone. She hadn't the foggiest idea how or why her clock was set at 5 o'clock. Perhaps it was a mistake she made after way too much flying. While processing that thought, she winced in fear at the possibility that Pinkie's voice was about to explode through the phone.

"I just wanted to call you to let you know, silly filly! The party's at 5:00 P.M., casual clothing."

"Pinkie Pie, we don't normally wear clothes. And even if we did, what would pass for casual?

"Dashie, I mean accessories! Wow, talkin' to you is not at all like talkin' to Rarity." Pinkie said, slightly serious.

"Ok, fine, I'll be there, Pinks. I'll see you at 5 o'clock in ten, seconds, flat/" she said with a tone of overconfidence. And then she ended her call with a yawn.

Trotting over to her shelf, she grabbed her hairbrush and rushed to the bathroom to get herself ready for whatever the day planned. After somehow being able to brush her teeth, she groggily turned the knob on her shower that it was warm enough to snap the sleep out of her and wake her half-asleep self up. About 15 minutes laters, she opened her shower curtain, quickly shook the Cloudsdale brand shower water out of her coat and multicolored mane and tail. After brushing her wet mane into it's familar windblown style she always did it, even in her fillyhood. She then walked down her cloud stairs to her dining room to her blue lightning bolt refridgerator and quickly pulled out an ice-cold pitcher of apple cider. Knowing that apple cider would soon ferment with alcohol after a few weeks, Rainbow Dash always made sure to make a mental note to purchase her apple cider on the day it was made; never being a drinker and knowing it would surely affect her flying, especially after she had taken DOFUI: 'Dangers of Flying Under the Influence'. She then pulled out some blood red apples and prepared her favorite breakfast, fresh apples with apple cider.

After she finished her breakfast, she flew fast up to her bedroom as quick as lightning, and pulled out the second book of the 'Daring Doo' series. After reading up to Chapter 5, she dozed off and once again dreamed of herself as Daring Doo.

It was 4:55 in the afternoon. After an exercise of flying through storm clouds, the usual weather patrol and rainbow generation, she had remembered the party she was woken up so rudely for. Quickly stopping fast enough for her to hear her screeching halt echo with a sonic boom, she dropped to the ground and decided to take the slow way to the party.

"OH, HOLD ON GUYS! SOMEPONY'S HERE!" Pinkie Pie yelled and answered the door. Seeing Rainbow's pink eye pupils gazing at her, Pinkie practically let out a squee with happiness. "OMIGOSH, DASHIE'S HERE!!" she screamed in pure excitement. Letting her in Rainbow Dash trotted in and posed in a normally overconfident pose.

"Yo, best flier in Equestria in the house!" Rainbow Dash said excitably to her crowd of ponies. However, she barely had enough time to act with a cupcake being practically shoved into her mouth. The taste was chocolate with vanilla frosting. "Whoa, whoa, Pinkie!" Rainbow said before swallowing, "you tryin' to kill me with that cupcake?", she said with a surprised expression.

"Sorry Dashie, I'm just so excited that I wanted to give you a taste of the party right at this time! I just wanted to see you so much!" she said at such a fast pace that Rainbow's eyes rolled around her eyeballs.

"Whatever, whatever, I'm just ready to partay!" Rainbow said with a high-pitch voice crack.

After about 3 hours of non-stopping partying, Dash was totally tuckered out from dancing, apple-bobbing, playing 'Pin the Tail on the Pony', and showing off her flying tricks. She was standing over the balcony of Sugarcube Corner, when she saw a white flash of light on the ground. At first she thought that she was hallucinating from party-overload, but when she saw leaves blowing off the trees, and heard the high-pitch whir of an unknown object, she quickly flew to the ground to see what was happening.

FLASH

A pay-phone appeared with an hourglass and bubbles mark on the top of the booth. As smoke poured from the opening door, a stallion and pegasus walked out of the booth with serious looks on their face.

"Hello, miss Rainbow Dash. We need to have a talk" the stallion bellowed. Rainbow Dash tried to make out the face of the stallion, but the smoke was becoming so dense that her eyesight was blurred.

"W-who are you? And how do you even know my name?" the dazed blue pegasus asked.

"A friend. Now please, we haven't got much time. It could be too late, or too early" the stallion said.

The Time Lord returns.

"H-how do you know my name?" Rainbow Dash asked, "and how am I your friend? I've never met you!"

"Rainbow Dash, calm down and follow me. We don't have much time." the stallion said to her.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get some answers here! Who are you, where did you come from, and how do you know my name if I've never met you?!" Rainbow Dash angrily yelled to the light brown earth pony.

"I will explain it all to you soon," the stallion said while staring his azure eyes into the hot pink eyes of his subject, "I just need you to follow me."

Fazed by the blue eyes of the stallion, almost mesmerized by his stare, Rainbow stammered out, "O-ok. I'll come with you."

"RAINBOW DAAASH!" screamed a familarly happy voice. Bouncing in, Pinkie Pie came to see Rainbow Dash with the stallion. "WE'RE ABOUT TO PLAY HANGPONY--who's your new friend, Dashie?!", Pinkie said.

"Pinkie Pie, I kinda need some time alone." Rainbow Dash said to her hyperactive pink friend, motioning to the door.

"Okey dokey loki! Heehee, have fun with your new friend, Dashie!" Pinkie said with her normal excited tone.

"Alright, mister uh...?" Rainbow Dash pondered the name of this stallion.

"Miss Dash, you may refer to me as Whooves. Doctor Whooves," the stallion started as he walked with his pegasus partner, as Rainbow Dash followed.

"I usually go by an urban name from knowledgable ponies as 'The Time Lord'. This is my assistant, Derpy Hooves, the mailmare of Equestria."

"Hello! It's nice to meet you, Rainbow Dash!" the blonde maned pegasus said in a happy-go-lucky voice. She had a bunch of bubbles on her flank, representing her cutie mark.

"Uh, hi, Derpy...it's nice to meet you and uh, look I'm gonna be blunt, but seriously, what is up with your eyes? One's lookin' up and the other's lookin' to the right. It's barely noticable, but in an obvious way. No offense!"

"I have a lazy eye, and none taken." Derpy said in a nonchalant voice.

"Now that we have the formalities out of the way, I'd like to explain something to you. But before we do, it's late. I suppose we should wait until tomorrow to explain. Ok, Rainbow Dash?"

"Somehow, I feel like I can trust you." Rainbow Dash said honestly. She had no idea what was happening, maybe she still been hallucinating from partying hard enough. But somehow, she knew this was real.

"Then I shall see you at your house. Goodbye for now." Dr. Whooves said before teleporting away with Derpy in his pay phone.

"Wait! I still have questions--!" Rainbow Dash yelled, before the whine of the teleport of the pay phone had cut her off. She caught a glimse of the stallion's cutie mark, an hourglass.

"Oh pony, I need Twilight's help." she said to herself before trotting back to Twilight's house, which doubled as the Ponyville Library. As she came to the porch, she worriedly mashed her hoof on the doorbell of the house, her hoof nearly turning as red as the flushed cheeks on her face.

"Oh what the hay is going on? I'm in the middle of studying! This had better be important!" the purple unicorn said to the visitor before opening the door, and quickly got out of the way for Rainbow Dash to practically crash into the library in a hurry. She had a few strands of rainbow hairs sticking out of her already messy mane.

"Twilight, I need a book about somepony called 'The Time Lord'! Rainbow Dash said quickly. Her worried voice told Twilight she was serious about something.

"OH, you mean 'The Time Lord and the Derp'? I have the original copy right here. You can read it, but please be careful with it!" she requested to Rainbow.

"Great, I will, thank you!" Rainbow Dash practically spoke in hyperspeed as she quickly dashed out of the library in a rush.

"Sheesh, what is up with Rainbow? First she comes here like she got mugged in an alley or something. Ugh, where's the Mare-Do-Well when you need her?" she said in a sarcastic tone. She had remembered that day a few weeks ago when her, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all joined together to prevent Rainbow Dash from becoming a Trixie-style braggart.

Rainbow Dash was sitting in her cloud bed with a cup of cider and the ancient book in her hooves, as she began her book. "The Time Lord: Often goes by Dr. Whooves. Him and his assistant were known as 'The Time-Traveling Duo'. For multiple decades, Whooves has been crossing the time stream to various time points, searching for a new assistant. Wherever the Doctor goes, he can change his form at will, once becoming a pegasus to partake in a cloud kicking contest, to a unicorn to help raise the Sun back in the founding of Equestria. It was only a few decades ago, that he had found his new assistant. Mysteriously, all traces of Doctor Whooves have disappeared off the face of Equestria. He is presumed to be deceased. Whomever Dr. Whooves was, he is thought by many to be an old mare's tale. In fond memory of Doctor Whooves, ????-2012." These words were just enough to send lightning bolt chills down Rainbow Dash's spine. With a shudder, after about 45 minutes of skimming through important parts of the book, she finally closed Twilight's book.

"W-whoa. Dear filly Celestia, I can't handle this." Rainbow Dash quickly put the book aside to return to Twilight at a later time, and she was now about to turn on her tv to a new episode of Daring Do: The Series. The show has long been over, but due to popular demand, it managed to stay on the air in reruns. But to Rainbow Dash, if she hasn't seen the an episode, it's new to her. All she could see was static now.

"Awww horseapples! My cable must be out!" How Rainbow could have cable in a cloud house was beyond her, but she inferred her tv was powered by the lightning rod on her roof. She flew to the top of her house and straightened out her lightning rod, putting it in place to hear the Daring Do theme song play.

"Aw yeah, thank you Luna!" Rainbow Dash praised to the night sky, but her celebration was cut short by an unfamilar voice she had heard about an hour ago.

"Miss Rainbow Dash, it's time to talk." Whooves said, alarming Rainbow enough for her wings to freeze up in fear as she landed on all fours to the ground.

"A-are you, D-Dr. Whooves?" Rainbow Dash said with a wavering voice. "The T-Time Lord? The Time Lord from the ancient book, from decades ago?" A look of both surprise and relief washed over Whooves face.

"Finally, somepony knows of my existance. Rainbow Dash, I am that Time Lord. I am that Dr. Whooves. But I am certainly not deceased. I was born in 1902, until I had an accient in 1952, which caused me to become immortal. Since then, I have aimlessly traveled through time, correcting past mistakes in the Equestrian History."

"But...this is impossible! It says you died in this year, 2012, that you traveled through time for decades! How are you still alive?!" Rainbow Dash asked, a bit frightened.

The Time Lord began his lecture, "I had originally been born in 1902, where starting in 1932, I was fascinated in time travel, so I dedicated 20 years of my life to making a time machine, however, a certain individual hindered my progress, causing an accident to send me into the time stream itself, where for eons itself, I began to learn about the time and space continuum, allowing me to go back the present. I had actually spent an entire week in real time. For almost 50 years, I had spent those 5 decades correcting the past, but for each time period I went through, I've actually existed for 60,000,000 years. When I found Derpy as an assistant, we became 'The Time Traveling Duo', until I had decided to go on hiatus for a while. With my sudden decline of activity, people all over the eons have assumed I have passed away, and that book you've read is in fact written over 20 thousand years ago. Do you understand?"

"Somehow, I do! But why come for me? What purpose do I serve?" Rainbow Dash asked anxiously.

"Miss Dash, I'm afraid that somewhere in my travels, I discovered a horrible apocalypse. It seems that in an unknown point in your life, that one moment will ultimately befall the destruction of Equestria!" Whooves explained.

The cyan mare's jaw dropped, she had thought this was all a dream, but after seeing Whooves teleport to her before his eyes, she was ready to believe anything. "But...why me?! What can I do?!" she asked with wild anxiety.

"Come with us. Please. With you by our side, we can all fix this period of time. If we succeed, the doomsday future will never exist, and Equestria will survive." Whooves said hopefully.

"Um...alright. First let me write a note. I have no idea how long I'd be gone for." Rainbow Dash quickly flew to her bedside table to write her note, but in her rush, she had made the note look as if she was bleeding out while doing so. When she returned, she now had eyes full of hot pink steeley resolve.

"Alright, Whooves, Derpy, let's...do this!" Rainbow said in her most serious tone.

As all 3 ponies stepped into the pay phone, they had realized Derpy had accidently pressed the button saying 'Random'.

"DERPY, NOOO!" Rainbow Dash and Dr. Whooves both yelled out in alarm. Derpy then turned her head to them in confusion, her crossed eyes implying she had just done something stupid.

FLASH!

Suddenly, the pay phone had disappeared with a flash and puff of smoke, with the time trio descending into an unknown period of time. However, this was just the beginning of their new journey...

The former glory.

Somewhere outside the Canterlot castle is the palace labyrinth lies the various statues depictions of several pony heros, all but one statue was in a sense, a hero. This statue in particular was once a former glory of Equestria. It was an out of sorts individual, someone who loved to spread evil, disharmony, and chaos under the cruel guise of a joke. This is the wicked draconequus, and it's name is Discord. His maniacal plans in his inital defeat was ruling over Equestria with a chaotic mix of iron fists; one a lion's paw, and one an eagle. Although he was successful in his endeavors, he was eventually reduced to a stone statue by the soon-to-be Princesses Celestia and Luna. In his second reign, he was no match for the 6 ponies who beared the Elements of Harmony, formerly discorded by his words. Had he been properly sealed in his second defeat, he may have never returned.

The lifeless statue of a simply chaotic being started to move slightly. The center of his chest where his cruel black heart lies started to beat eerily. Slowly, parts of his body had started to take life. The newly frozen horrified expression of fear on his face had started to return to normal, as his body that was made of stone had begun to turn to flesh. In the last moments of this event, a flash of white light engulfed the statue. The unthinkable had once again occurred, the spirit of chaos and disharmony had been freed. After a second to grasp his surroundings, Discord began to chuckle at the sight.

"Mwahahahahaha!",Discord's chuckle turned to an evil laugh. "Well, it appears that I've been freed! Joyous celebrations are in order, and I know just how to start! But before I do, one cyan pegasus must now pay." With a familar snap of his lion fingers, Discord disappeared, to where, or when.

"Pinkie Pie, have you seen Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked Pinkie in a rushed tone, startling her enough for Pinkie to drop the cupcake she was about to eat, causing her to shed a tear in silence.

"I haven't seen anypony with a rainbow mane and hot pink eyes. Ooh, but I have seen a giant red lizard walking on all fours around the bakery. Or maybe I'm just off today." Pinkie Pie rambled on.

"Yeah...ok. So anyway, I haven't seen Rainbow Dash since she barged into my library at like 3 in the morning. She was curious about a book about the 'Time Lord' and --" Twilight started before staring in utter surprise at the scaly lizard walking out the door.

"The Time Lord?! You mean Mr. Kooky, Old, Hermit Whooves?" Pinkie screamed in eagerness.

"How did you know? You've met him? I though he was a mare tale!" Twilight replied in shock.

"He's the old retired stallion who's all over the place, with wings one day, and a horn the other day. That's bonker, even for me." Pinkie Pie answered to the purple unicorn's question. They then both ran off to Sweet Apple Acres to see if Applejack has seen her.

"Rainbow Dash? Ah haven't seen her. Ah'd know if that mare's been 'round these parts. She comes here every Sunday when ah make the freshest apple cider. Girl's crazy about her cider. Ah'm surprised after 16 years she ain't become an alcoholic." Applejack nonchalantly spoke.

"Well, we need to ask the others if we want to find her." The three then headed to Fluttershy's cottege to ask her.

"Rainbow Dash? No, I haven't seen her since the party last night. But maybe I can help you find her if she's gone missing, um, if that's ok with you girls." the timid pony Fluttershy replied quietly. The four of them now were headed for Rarity's boutique.

"Oh dear, we can't have our little Rainbow Dash going off somewhere without telling us." Rarity proclaimed.

"First thing's first: Fluttershy, search Rainbow Dash's house. Applejack, check every cider stand in Ponyville. Pinkie Pie, throw a 'Find Rainbow Dash' party, and Rarity, sew something pretty!" Twilight swiftly ordered to the 4 other ponies.

After about 5 minutes, a scream rang out from the highest part of Rainbow Dash's house, alarming the others.

"Twilight, I found a note from Rainbow Dash! It's really important!" Fluttershy said in a shockingly loud voice. After reading it for a minute, it struck Twilight hard.

"Oh my Celestia. Look at how she wrote it! It's all sloppy and rushed, like she got mugged while writing it!" Twilight shouted.

"It looks more like a bunch of end credits to a tv show from the 1950s." Pinkie Pie blabbered.

"Beg your pardon sugarcube, but it mentions something about time traveling with somepony." Applejack noted, perplexed by the very possibility of time traveling.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, she didn't! She couldn't! It's not possible!" Twilight Sparkle panicked wildly.

"Dearest Twilight, snap the hay out of it!" Rarity hollered at the hyperventilating unicorn, proceeding to slap the mare across the face to bring her back to reality.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried about her! We have to find her! Oh my Celestia, I forgot! I forgot about her element! Her element of loyalty can be tracked by the other elements! We can just find her with the tracker!" Twilight screamed with hope.

"Well, what the buck are we waiting for?!" Applejack yelled. "We got one of our little sugarcubes somewhere in the past, and we ain't gonna find her standin' 'round like the statue of Discord!"

"Speaking of Discord, has anypony seen him lately?" Fluttershy quietly asked, while a sudden cloud of chocolate milk drifted above her.

"Oh pony, can today get any worse?" Twilight asked with a slight pitch of worry. She cringed to wait for something unexpected to happen. All of a sudden, the same red lizard she had saw had returned, but now with a a mace in his hand, and a Greek warrior's helmet. All 5 mares then stared at him with the same confused stare. They then trotted back to Twilight's library, where Rainbow Dash's element of loyalty necklace, along with the others were stored.

"Ok ladies, the element says she's...in 60 million B.C.?" Twilight asked with a bit of confusion.

"Dr. Whooves, where are we?! Why are there dinosaurs everywhere?!" Rainbow Dash asked the Doctor, while also narrowly avoiding a T-Rex's glare.

"Derpy, what did I say about hitting the 'Random' button?!" Dr. Whooves said for about the 79th time in his life to her.

"I just don't know what went wrong." Derpy innocently stated.

"Yeah, it's a mystery." Rainbow Dash sarcastically replied, staring nervously at the velociraptor eyeing her mane. With a quick dash, the three were soon teleported millions of years forward. While they were physically travelling through the time stream, the pay phone abuptly stopped.

"Whoa! What the hay is going on?!" Rainbow Dash asked, knowing that by the face on Dr. Whooves, that he also had no idea at all.

A familar flash of light deafened Rainbow Dash's sight. Her jaw dropped, her eyes widened almost as big as grapefruits. She knew what this light meant, but she didn't dare want to remember what the creature about to appear was.

"Well well well, Dr. Whooves, the Time Lord. We meet once again. Oh, we've got to stop meeting like this. And isn't it Derpy Hooves, the mailmare of Ponyville."

Dr. Whooves narrowed his eyes at the wicked draconequus, who returned his glare with an evil stare of his own, as if he was egging him on.

"Discord, I see you've gotten just as uglier as the eons have passed. I should've finished you off when I had the flying feathered chance!" Dr. Whooves angrily threatened.

"Whoa, hold on dude! You knew, I mean, know Discord?!" Rainbow Dash asked with a hint of fright. She was afraid of any possible answer.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, there's the voice I've been missing for months on end. Yes, your fear sustains me." Discord taunted the shaking pegasus.

"Discord, what could you possibly be doing here?! And why have you come back?! You know about the dangers of interacting with another time-traveler!" Dr. Whooves reminded the chimera.

"Hello, spirit of disharmony and the power to warp reality. As far as you're concerned, I make the rules my slave. Anyway, I'm trying to prevent you from messing with the time stream." Discord said in a voice as if he didn't give a notch about his situation.

"Discord, you do realize that if in fact by some miracle, you do stop us, the destruction of Equestria will also be the death of you," Dr. Whooves retorted to Discord. It was those words that smeered the smug look off Discord's horse face. Discord knew by the serious tone of his voice that he was not bluffing, as Discord was the only one in existance to know the Doctor the longest than anypony in history, possibly even more than Celestia herself.

"I-I see. Well, it appears we've come at an impasse. Allow me to help." Discord said, and with a snap of his eagle talon, the time stream began again.

"Discord, why would you help us? You hate order and harmony. It's the opposite of everything you believe in!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Well, Rainbow Dash, if something in your past causes the death of Equestria, I would die as well. And I certainly wouldn't want that." Discord replied with slight contemplate in his voice.

Rainbow Dash barely trusted Discord, but saw that Discord was genuine in his fears. For the time being, Rainbow Dash didn't like it, but she had to trust the possibly demented draconequus. With this last thought, the now four time travelers were about to arrive at the day of Rainbow Dash's arrivial to Ponyville.

Weight of the world on her shoulders.

Before Rainbow Dash's eyes, the previous volcanic landscape slowly evolved into the familar grassy lands she had lived in for nearly half her life. With a flash, the pay phone flickered into the scenery. One by one, the foursome exited the time travel machine, only to see that it was slightly different to the Ponyville they had once known. The clouds were plentiful, a sight that made Rainbow Dash frown, Rainbow Dash's cloud villa was no longer floating in the sky, and there was no rainbow daredevil tearing through the sky with ease.

"Where the hay are we? Is this...Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash questioned, hoping for a positive answer.

"Why yes, Ms. Dash, it is. The only exception being the arrival of a certain pegasus. And that is you." Discord said to the confused mare. Being around for so long, stretching as long as the beginning of the universe itself, Discord knew all the ins and outs of all history. Even Discord was starting to learn everything after being imprisoned once more.

"And it seems that this day is an important date in Ponyville life." Dr. Whooves said.

"Oh please Whooves, you wouldn't know an important date if it pushed you over a cliff" Discord grimly sniped at the stallion.

"And where were you exactly when I was personified as a unicorn in the founding of Equestria? Still imprisoned in stone. I rather prefer you in that state of suspended animation." Dr. Whooves retorted. Discord hated Dr. Whooves, and just the mention of being imprisoned, especially from Whooves himself, sent chills down the 7 feet long spine of the chimera.

"I was waiting for the day to gut you like a fish." Discord darkly sneered at Dr. Whooves.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm the horseapples down, everypony! We're here for a reason!" Rainbow Dash screamed between the two bitter rivals.

"We came for Calamity Mane?" Derpy inquired, "Because I didn't buy tickets."

"What? No! I'm talking about fixing the past, Derpy! Dr. Whooves, is this the past event that destroys Equestria?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Why bother asking a rookie traveler when I, Discord, am the sole master of time travel?" Discord happily asked the cyan pony.

"Ok, Mr. Great and Powerful Pony Lord, is this the doomsday event?" Rainbow Dash sarcastically questioned the draconequus.

"Well, no, but we are not close. Maybe around the day you graduated -- oh, sorry. I meant, dropped out of flight school. What were you, like 14, 15?" Discord remarked.

"So we're not going to Calamity Mane? I should've bought those tickets on eHay when I could've." Derpy sadly said.

"Derpy, focus your eyes on my lips. We, all four of us, are not going to see Calamity Mane!" Rainbow Dash said, trying to get the gray pegasus' attention, however, her attempts were unsuccessful.

"Oh look, a shiny red ball!" Derpy shouted, taking after a red sphere, obviously paying the light blue pegasus no mind.

"How is she your assistant?" Rainbow Dash asked in her calmest voice.

"You'd be surprised, Derpy is the smartest assistant I've ever had." Dr. Whooves nonchalantly answered, much to Rainbow's surprise. Discord, however, was quickly growing bored, yawning out loud.

"This is boring. Can we move onto the next time period?" Discord impatiently asked. Snapping his talons, all four of them were in the time machine now. With another flash, the pay phone descended into a new period of time; the date that Rainbow Dash was born.

"We're here, everypony." Dr. Whooves said to the other three passengers. As Rainbow Dash peered her head through the door, she realized her location was in Cloudsdale Hospital. Hearing the cry of a newborn filly, Rainbow Dash, Dr. Whooves, even Discord grinned ear to ear to watch. It was a memorable day, the birth of Rainbow Dash.

"Mrs. Dash, Mr. Dash, it's my pleasure to introduce to you your baby. It's a she." the hospital doctor happily said to the parents.

"She's beautiful. No, wait, I'm beautiful!" Rainbow Dash eagerly squealed to herself.

"Indeed you are." Discord complimented the mare. Rainbow Dash was astonished at the kind thing the chaos creature had just said, she had thought the god of chaos had all but sympathy for his enemies.

"Have you decided on a name?" the doctor asked the pegasi couple.

"Rainbow Dash." the couple responded lovingly. The stallion had a golden mane with dark blue fur, and the older mare had a light blue mane with lemon yellow fur. They were the middle-aged parents of the daredevil Rainbow Dash would grow into. The sight of seeing her parents, albeit not physically, was just enough to send Rainbow into tears of joy.

"Discord, how can there be a bad thing here?" Rainbow Dash asked with worry.

"There isn't. I just wanted you to see yourself being born, for closure." Discord replied with no change of tone. With a slight 'hmph', Discord returned to the pay phone with the others to head to new periods of time.

"Can we see the beginning of Equestria? I wanna the beginning of everything." Derpy asked.

"No Derpy, we're only going through Rainbow Dash's past." Dr. Whooves answered to the ditzy pony. With multiple flashes of light, the foursome then ventured through several periods of time to fix the source of doomsday, but to no avail. This began to worry Rainbow Dash, who on the 8th or 9th failed event, started to nervously shuffle her hooves, panicking at the thought of doomsday.

"Rainbow Dash, are you alright? You appear to be tense." Dr. Whooves asked with concern.

"Alright, alright?! Yeah, yeah, I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be alright?! It's not every day that you find out something in your past is gonna eventually kill everypony you love! So, yeah, I'm just peachy keen! Rainbow Dash screamed in near insanity, enough insanity to make even Discord appear frightened. Even after previously discording the mare, he had never seen her act so unlike herself.

"Rainbow Dash, you look like you could use a flower." Discord said to the hyperventilating mare, before pulling a daisy out of nowhere, before facing it in her direction, only for the flower to spout a blast of water into the pony's face, snapping her back to reality. Throwing the daisy into the distance, the flower dissipated into a flame, before fizzling out into ashes. All this was enough to calm down the panicked pegasus.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I got a little freaked out for a second. I'm just a little nervous. You know, having the basic weight of the world on my shoulders." Rainbow Dash said, in a more calmed voice, straightning the already frizzled mane she sports.

"Discord, are there any periods that could end Equestria in any way?" Rainbow Dash practically shouted to the shocked chimera.

"I'll try to put this into riddle format. Your lengthy journey could come to an end; the success or failure is in the stretch ahead. And in the end, the ultimate long run, all of this worry will be done.

"I have a bad feeling about that riddle." Rainbow Dash said with worry. She had no idea what lies ahead for her.

"So, no Calamity Mane? Can we take a vote?" Derpy said in the most random moment. Striking her hoof, Rainbow Dash sighed to herself patiently. She was uncertain if Equestria was safe in the hooves and hands of her, the Doctor, the somewhat insane draconequus, and the ditzy pony. Meanwhile, somewhere else, somepony was beginning to descend into Rainbow Dash's timeline, with an evil smirk on his dark red fur, with a diabolical mission.

The search in need, for a friend in deed.

Starting their search for their rainbow friend, the mane 6 teleported in the scene. It was the exact location Rainbow Dash had been only 10 minutes ago, with the same molten landscape along with the previous dinosaurs roaming. The mane 5 gazed in awe at their new location, the heat emanating from the nearby volcano causing them to sweat.

"I guess we're here, everypony. 6 million B.C. We're in Prehistoric Ponyville. Wow, look at all the fauna." Twilight started.

"Beg pardon sugarcube, but if Rainbow Dash was here, ah believe she wouldn't stick to one time period for so long. Where would she be now?" Applejack asked Twilight. Trotting over to a clearing, Pinkie Pie pulled out her party cannon, ready to fire it.

"By the readings of her Element of Harmony --" Twilight began, only to be inturrupted by the blast of Pinkie's party cannon. The 'cannonball' flew and struck the upper chest of a nearby ankylosaurus. With a pained roar, the creature fell to it's knees, icing dripping from the now-splattered giant cupcakes on it's chest. Pinkie Pie quicked ran to the monster, donning a nurse's hat she had borrowed from Nurse Redheart while grabbing a heart-shaped bandade from her first-aid kit. Wiping the smeared cupcake remains off the dinosaur, she patched up the creature's chest, all the while comforting it.

"It's alright Armorino, every thing's gonna be okey-dokey. Shh shh, it's ok. Mwah." Pinkie softly spoke, finally kissing the dinosaur. Bouncing back to her frightened friends, she nonchalantly babbled, "What? I never leave home without my party cannon! But now I just ruined a perfectly good cupcake on a now-traumatized dinosaur! My poor 'Xtra-Large' cupcakes!"

"Ohh, poor little dinosaur." Fluttershy squeaked, still kneeling in fear on the ground from the cannonfire.

"Anyways, by the readings on her Element of Harmony, the last time period Rainbow Dash was in was the day of her birth, so we need to -- PINKIE PIE, WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU DOING?!" Twilight screamed in fear as she saw the pink pony dancing in the maw of an Iguanodon.

"Glue your hooves, Twilight! This guy's a vegetarian," Pinkie responded to the concerned unicorn, all the while patting the nose of the dinosaur with her hoof. "Isn't that right, Herby?" With that, the partying pony drenched in saliva was manipulated by magenta shaded magical energy, and with a flash, she was teleported away from the dinosaur. Pinkie Pie then proceeded to throw a heart-shaped locket over to Herby, to the confusion of her friends.

"C'mon Pinkie Pie, we're running out of time! For all we know, Rainbow Dash could be --" Applejack said before being inturrupted by the familar sound of Pinkie Pie shuddering, giving total alarm to the other mares.

"Pinkie, what the hay's wrong?!" Twilight shouted with fear.

"The volcano's going to throw a lava party! Everypony run!" Pinkie Pie screamed, probably with the first ever hint of fright in her voice. With a flash of purple magic, the mane 5 began to glow as they were starting to teleport.

"Don't forget about me, Herby!" Pinkie yelled to the Iguanodon. And with a flash, they were gone from the now-doomed landscape. As lava soon erupted from the volcano, lava flows streamed down upon the earth, melting away at any creature in it's path. Opening the locket to reveal a picture of Pinkie Pie with a huge grin, Herby contentedly held the locket to his heart, ready to accept his fate.

"Oh dear, sweet Pinkie Pie, how I will love you always!" Herby shouted to himself as he threw his locket to the closest river, watching it drift away from the lava-stricken plains. And that was the end for the dinosaur. The molten lava soon transcended into the familar sight every newborn pony sees, the Ponyville Hospital swerved into existance. With a flash, the mane 5 teleported into the scene. All except for Pinkie, the mane 5 were relieved to have escaped. Tears started coming from Pinkie Pie's eyes as fast as sparks from a blowtorch.

"Pinkie deary? Are you alright?" Rarity asked the poor little pony who was ready to burst with tears.

"My BDF is gone! Herby was my Best Dinofriend Forever!" Pinkie Pie shouted before she literally exploded with tears. The two streams of her crying was forceful enough to push the other five ponies up against the wall of the hospital like a tidal wave. Forcing up a magic barrier to get to Pinkie, water sprayed in all directions. Finally getting to Pinkie, Twilight and Rarity wrapped their arms around the more blue than pink pony. The waterfall of tears erupting from her eyes started to lessen, with her tears basically stopping like sink faucets.

"Pinkie, cool the waterworks!" Twilight said to the watery-eyed earth pony.

"Pinkie dear, a relationship wouldn't work at all; you being 16, and well, "Herby" being 6 million years old." Rarity said to the sniffling mare.

"He was just so cute, and he's not a meat-eater, just like me." Pinkie said, depressed. A whistle broke out as a younger familar mailmare came with a parcel for Pinkie.

"Miss Pie? This is for you? Apparently, this was supposed to be delivered to you at this exact place, exact time." the younger Derpy said to the sobbing pony. "Bye!"

"What is it?" Pinkie asked while opening the package, revealing a slightly sizzling golden locket with slight burn marks. Pinkie let out a gasp as she opened her locket, revealing a new picture next to the picture of herself: a picture of Herby himself, with letters saying "My lovely Pinkie, I'll always love you."

"Awwww." all 5 ponies said in lovely unison at the gift. Pinkie Pie shed a new tear, a happy tear, as she closed her locket and hid it away. The compassionate moment would soon be inturrupted by the chatter of a doctor. Pressing their faces against the glass, they saw a spectacle happening. The birth of Rainbow Dash was occurring. The simple sight of fillybirth caused all 5 ponies to coo in a hushed tone, as well as a slight hint of disgust as they saw the cyan filly emerge.

"Meh, I've seen grosser things." Pinkie Pie said nonchalantly. At the exact time the doctor spoke, the 5 mares all let out a cry.

"It's a girl." the doctor said, giving a minute for the parents to understand. "Have you decided on a name?"

"Rainbow Dash", the adult couple replied.

"Awwww." the 5 ponies once again said to the sudden beginning of Rainbow Dash's life.

"Oh...my. So this is how Rainbow was born." Fluttershy said.

"I always thought Rainbow Dash was born in a fiery explosion of sonic rainboom energy!" Pinkie Pie blathered.

"My dear Celestia, Ah never knew Rainbow had an apple-shaped head under all that mane." Applejack stated. All 5 ponies then erupted in small laughter as the entire world took in the appearance of being watery.

"Heheh. So this is how my alternate version was born!" said a scarlet red stallion with the exact same manestyle as Rainbow Dash's, only longer and unlike her robust rainbow mane, his mane was only dark black and snowy white. He had pointed ears, an extremely dark-red muzzle, and a small beard of the same color. He was also somewhat taller than Rainbow, almost rivaling Big Macintosh, but was less bulkier than Big Mac. Rubbing a hardened hoof on his muzzle, he contemplated.

"Hmmm, I don't believe I have the advantage right now. Too many witnesses. That mare shouldn't have time-traveled in the first place. Now I have to protect the time line!" he sneered evilly. The stallion's name was Darkness Flash. Stomping his hooves, he spread his wings, his left wing having a barely noticable scar on the main feather. A time portal appeared, as Darkness trotted manically into the portal, beginning his hardened, yet mad search for her alternate reality version, Rainbow Dash. The watery vision disappeared, the scene returning to Twilight and her friends.

"So Twilight, where has Rainbow Dash gone?" Applejack asked.

"So far, Rainbow Dash has been to 6 million B.C., the date of her birth: June 16, 1996, and about 7 other time periods. We have to hurry if we want to get to her." Twilight said. And with a flash, the mane 5 soon teleported to the next location Rainbow Dash was in. In another part of the time stream, Darkness Flash was flying at 700 miles per hour, finally performing the Dynamic Dark-flash, his own version of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom. With a manical grin on his hardened muzzle, he shouted into the temporal discordance, before he disappeared into the horizon.

"ENJOY YOUR LAST BREATHS OF FRESH AIR, RAINBOW DASH!!!"

The Melancholy of Discord

Gilda and Rainbow Dash sat in the lunchroom of Cloudsdale Flight School, with an odd contraption stationed next to them.

"Dash, I'm just asking you to fill up this balloon with ketchup," a confused griffon said to a surprised filly Rainbow Dash. "When Fluttershy walks over here, I pull the lever, and Shy gets covered in it. Easy peasy."

"You gotta be buckin' kidding me. Ketchup? With balloons? And why a catapult? Tryin' to go old-school this time, G?" the rainbow filly asked.

"Well don't you hate that pony or something? She's super shy, and you're all rough and tough, you're complete opposites." Gilda nonchalantly replied.

"I never said I hated Fluttershy! Sure, she can be a little shy sometimes, ok, more than a little, but I'm her best friend! I would never do such a mean prank to her! Don't you know how sensitive she is?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, starting to lose patience with her feathered companion.

"Geez, since when did you become Clutzyshy's mom? Seriously dude, if you like her all that much, why don't you marry her?" Gilda asked jokingly, only making Dash's anger skyrocket.

"How many times do I have to say it?! Read my lips: I...AM...NOT...A LESBIAN! And if you have a problem, you can just leave! 'Cuz I'm not doin' it!" Rainbow yelled, unaware her voice was gaining slight attention from passerbys. Her voice was also getting the attention of a certain pale yellow pegasus.

"Fine Dash. Clearly, you're not gonna do it, so I'm just gonna bail." Gilda finally backed down with a sigh. As she flew off back to the track, she muttered a curse under her breath. "Deserves it for accidently spilling orange juice over me."

"Sheesh, who put a bee in her tighty whities?" Rainbow Dash said, starting to fly back from lunch period. Her flight was cut short by a quiet voice reaching out to her.

"Umm, R-Rainbow D-Dash? Um, thanks for, um, sticking up for me and not going through with that mean prank." the quiet filly said to the rainbow pony.

"Oh, you, uh, heard me yellin' at G?" Rainbow said with a blushing face. "Yeah, she wanted to pummel you with ketchup balloons. Pretty stupid in my opinion, I would've done something more original, like un-screwing the salt shakers or putting gummy worms in the fruit salads. Hey hey look!" Rainbow replied as a gleeful smile grew on her face, as she saw her prank examples come true. A cross-eyed pegasus with gray skin let out a gasp as a large quanity of salt fell onto her muffin. A white, buff stallion with red eyes and dumbell cutie mark angrily growled as he found a gummy word lodged in his fruit salid.

"When I find the mare or stallion who did this, I'm going to rip their wings off!" Snowflake yelled angrily. Several other ponies soon flew in fear as the giant stallion walked off in a rage.

"Uh-oh. Not a good idea to mess with Snowflake." Rainbow Dash said to herself, taking out a notepad with the words "Who to Prank?" spawled on it, before turning her attention to the timid pony with her hooves over her eyes.

"I-Is it over? That pony scares me." Fluttershy asked with a quiver.

"Yeah Shy. He's just a little too cranky." Dash answered before she saw the white stallion crush a metal pen with his bare hoof. "Maybe he drinks coffee?"

Watching from the sidelines, on a conjured up cloud made of cotton candy, sat Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Dr. Whooves, and Discord. Unlike the other three, Discord was lying down on the cloud, while the others didn't enjoy it.

"Ugh, couldn't you have--Whoa!" Rainbow Dash said as she dropped her face into the sticky mess. Finally prying her face off with enough force to rip her eyebrows off, she continued her rant. "Discord, couldn't you have made a white cloud, or maybe one that doesn't rain chocolate milk."

"Hey, I'm just having a little fun before that overgrowl foal locks me up in the STONY LONESOME. A thousand years of fun in one day on a critical mission is nearly impossible, you know." Discord casually said.

"Oh please, that foal you speak of is basically your soul-mate. I remember the way you gazed into Celestia's eyes the day you met her." Dr. Whooves teased the Draconequus. This irritated the chao Lord a bit.

"I do NOT love Celestia! She's simply too boring for my tastes, and right now, my taste is for cotton candy" Discord retorted, before eating a bit of the cotton candy cloud with his long snake tounge, nearly causing Rainbow Dash to puke.

"Oh come now Discord, you're simply discordant with your love life. Do not be ashamed of your failure to admit your affection for Celestia."

"Is he a Lord of Chaos or a God of Chaos, and if he's a God, then who created Discord?" Derpy chirped in.

"Ugh, this sappy tree sap is making me lose my lunch." Rainbow Dash said with a grossed-out grimace.

"ENOUGH, ALL OF YOU! IF I LOVED CELESTIA, I WOULD'VE BEEN WITH HER A THOUSAND YEARS AGO! I WAS JUST--"

"Just what?" Dr. Whooves asked.

"It-It doesn't matter anymore, I've gotten over it! The past is the past! I've let go of that...faithful day in history." Discord answered.

"Though on that 'faithful day', you got rejected, more or less friendzoned, by the princess." Dr. Whooves said.

"Or you could say Discord got friend-stoned!" Rainbow Dash joked, causing a barrage of laughter to further irritate the Chaos Lord. Just the mention of his chilling defeat by Celestia, Luna, and the Elements sent unimaginable chills down his 7 foot tall scaly back. Discord was now in pure melancholy.

"I've had enough of this." Discord said in a quiet tone.

With a sigh, Discord walked off the cotton cloud and fell through the clouds, before spreading his wings and flying down to a nearby cloud platform. The 3 ponies jumped down to the platform, searching for the monster.

"Discord? Where the hay are you?! Are you hiding again?!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Maybe he's hiding behind that really good-drawn door with an oversized handle." Derpy pointed the rainbow-maned mare to the regal looking door. Rainbow Dash flew over to the door, gazing in surprise at the 10 foot tall door, as it appeared to be painted by a skillfully handed, or hooved paintist. Opening the door with a hoof, Rainbow's eyes widened to see Discord wearing an artist's beret, brandishing a paintbrush in his eagel talons, only for the door to close quickly. Shaking her head, opening the door, she then saw Discord without his Leomaredo da Filly get-up. Discord lowered his head in shame at the pony.

"Discord, why are you bein' so quiet and sappy? You're starting to freak me out." Rainbow asked, only to see Discord open his eyes, now completely filled with golden scarlet rage and remorse. She was now expecting to be turned into a coconut or a pineapple, depending on his mood.

"I don't know, Rainbow Dash. It's like something inside me loves Celestia, yet something else craves...destruction, chaos, imbalance." Discord said.

"W-what? That doesn't make sense." Rainbow asked, confused.

"You may not think it, but chaos is an important element in life. Without chaos, peace cannot be perfect. There is no balance, no perfection. When I was encased in that...horrid stone prison, chaos was briefly exterminated from Equestria. Chaos could still survive, but only in small portions; such as evil beings, like Gilda or Trixie for example." Discord said.

"What Discord is trying to say is, chaos is a natural thing. It exists in every possibility. Without chaos, barely any natural outcome can be expected. Discord was simply too...choked up by chaos to realize the more important things." Dr.Whooves said, winking to Discord.

"Yes...I was trying to keep chaos alive. I may have...overdone it a smidge. I never...wanted to infuriate dear Celestia. My chaotic feelings made me her archenemy, but I never wanted an enemy! I wanted...a friend." Discord replied.

"What are you trying to say, Discord?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Maybe he wants a muffin?" Derpy asked with paying attention.

"Derpy...no. I don't think, wait, what?" Rainbow asked. The spirit laid out on the cotton cloud in contempt, shutting his eyes out from the world. Rainbow nudged him with one of her wings.

"Come on, talk to us, Discord," Rainbow pried. No response. Derpy offered a muffin from out of nowhere, but the chimera shrugged it off.

"Look at me, Discord," Rainbow pressed on, grabbing Discord's muzzle with her hooves and pushing the edges of it upwards to simulate a smile, but as she let go, they flopped back into his depressed frown. And Discord laid back down, looking glum. Rainbow Dash then walked over to him, her eyes met the spirit's, his own different sized pupils forming tears that streamed down his face, beside his slightly quivering lip. For the first time ever, the Draconequus was showing total sadness, dispair, and once again mentioned melancholy.

"Discord? You ok?" Rainbow Dash asked the chaotic being. She tried to jump in surprise as her small body was then spawled in the grasp of Discord's arms: Discord, the one who tried to oppress Ponyville, who turned the Mane 6 backwards, was hugging her.

"Oh for the love of Chaos and the Continuum! I'm just peachy keen now, Rainbow Dash! You're right, I do in fact love Celestia, but I was too afraid, and too absorbed and eaten alive by chaos to show it!" Discord gleefully shouted as he practically hugged Rainbow Dash so hard her rainbow colors were literally squeezed out of her like a pulpy orange.

"Whoa, Discord! You're kinda killing me right now! My Luna, I never thought I'd want Discord to not be evil!" Rainbow Dash uttered in pain.

"All the poor guy wanted from Celestia was to be loved, but was rejected. Makes you feel for him, don't it?" Dr.Whooves asked his assistant.

Watching from a nearby portal, led the Mane 5 ponies, 50 feet below the cloud, visibly shocked by the the events that had transpired a moment ago.

"Ok, I'm just gonna say it." Pinkie Pie said in a serious tone. "THAT WAS THE BEST THING EVER!" She then screamed. Overhearing her, Rainbow Dash quickly turned her head and noticed the 5 ponies all grinning ear to ear.

"RAINBOW DASH!" all 5 of the mares screamed happily in unison.

"Guys! What are you doing here?! Did you get my note?" She screamed back in surprise, as the group then jumped down to meet them.

"Yes, we did. It looked so horrid we assumed you were cloud-mugged." Rarity started.

"So we used your Element of Harmony as a tracking device." Twilight finished.

"We need you back, Rainbow Dash. Equestria needs you." Twilight said.

"That's why I left. I left so I could fix something that destroys Equestria! That's why I'm time-traveling with these guys!" Rainbow Dash said back to Twilight.

"Yes, something indeed will happen that will, like Rainbow said, destroy what is Equestria." Dr. Whooves replied.

"Oh but Dashie! We planned this super fun Welcome Home Party for you! I even sent out invites!" Pinkie chimed.

"I'd love to come home now, but I need to find out what destroys Equestria, and so far, nothing's worked." Rainbow Dash said, losing a bit of hope.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find that life is much better where I'm taking you." a mysterious voice said.

"Who said that?! Show yourself!" Rainbow Dash yelled into the distance. Out of nowhere, an emerald green swirling portal opened up a few feet from Rainbow, taking her by surprise. Erupting from the portal, stood Darkness Flash, the very stallion plotting to kill the rainbow mare. Darkness took advantage of the moments of stunned silence to glance at his surroundings.

"What a...colorful bunch of misfit ponies." Darkness spoke, glancing at the fuming mares with a raised eyebrow. Turning his attention to Discord, he and Discord exchanged looks of anger and jealously.

"If it isn't Discord, the creature made of several animals; the rock star of chaos who managed to get himself screwed up from a Princess who doesn't even love you." Darkness said with pride in his voice, although he was unable to faze the Draconequus.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?! And why do you look so much like Rainbow?!" Twilight yelled at Darkness.

"I'm sure you'll know who I am in due time." Darkness replied with a smirk. Trotting slowly to Rainbow Dash, then circling her, he begun making remarks at her.

"So...this is the backwater filly who serves as my...alternate imperfection. Tell me...have you ever seen a pony do...this?" Darkness mocked the pony with a demonstration of his power. Flaring his wings, and stomping the ground with his two front hooves in full force, unleashing a ring of fire slowly edging towards them. At Darkness' will, the ring of fire stopped, and proceeded to grow larger, as the grass burned to nothing, Rainbow Dash stood opposite to Darkness Flash, with a dark grimace of anger on her face, ready for anything. Now completely separated from the others in the circling inferno, Darkness and Rainbow were prime to kill, ready to strike. Darkness then spoke in the most threatening voice possible.

"Been waiting a long time for this moment."

The Animosity of Rainbow and Darkness

The spiral of fire started to consume the two. Rainbow Dash lowered her body into a threatening position, as if at any second she would pounce onto the stallion, her nostrils flaring. Darkness returned the gesture simply with an interested smirk.

"Well? I'm ready anytime. Or are you too much more of a coward behind that rough and tumble persona you let on?" Darkness taunted the rainbow-colored mare. In the distance, Twilight cried out.

"Don't listen to him, Rainbow! He's just trying to tempt you!"

"I wouldn't fight me if I were you. If you're so powerful, strike me. I so buckin' dare you." Rainbow counter-taunted. With swiftness like nothing she'd ever seen before, Darkness Flash has disappeared from her eyesight in a blur. Rainbow Dash couldn't react in time to notice what had happened next. Rainbow Dash was sent backwards when a scarlet red hoof had struck her clear in the jaw. The other mares lets out a gasp of fright, even Discord contorted in fear.

"C'mon y'all! We can't just sit here! We gotta help Dash!" Applejack yelled to her friends.

"How?! He's too fast! And by the looks of it he's really strong!" Twilight asked.

"With the Elements of Harmony." Discord said somberly. Using his eagle talon, the necklaces on the mane 5's necks glowed ominously.

"Don't tell me you seriously wouldn't forget you had them on." Discord mocked. In a second, all 5 ponies galloped towards the fire, but suddenly, ashes flew everywhere, halting the ponies where they stood.

"What do we do?!" Fluttershy asked.

"Improvise something!" Twilight yelled. Within that time, a balloon shaped beam burst into the flames, temorally putting out the flame. Twilight focused her attention on the now breathing heavily Pinkie Pie, with grim anger on her face.

"Nopony hurts my friend! Cut the chatter and start with the splatter!" Pinkie yelled.

"She's crazy." Discord mumbled to himself.

"Derpy, we have to do something, too!" Dr. Whooves said to his assistant.

"But what can we do?! We're not elementaly gifted!" Derpy said with a frown.

"True, but we have time on our side!" Dr. Whooves said. He was hatching an idea.

"I hate that look in your eyes, Doc. It's your thinkin' face." Derpy said, even more depressed.

"How on Equestria could I forget this?" the Doctor said, taking a time medallion out of thin air.

"Whooves, what are you doing?!" Discord yelled to Doctor Whooves, all the while the Elements of Harmony began firing cutie mark shaped bullets into the flame.

"I know what I am doing!" Dr. Whooves said. With a flash, Dr. Whooves and Derpy teleported from the battlegrounds underneath Cloudsdale to Celestial Castle.

"Princess Celestia, we need your help." Dr. Whooves said to the suddenly surprised Princess.

"OW! Ah, that was my good cheek!" Rainbow Dash screamed, as Darkness Flash brought down another scarlet hoof punch.

"If you think I am being merciless, you are wrong!" Darkness sneered, bringing down another hardened hoof to Dash's face, knocking her to the ground.

"It's not working! The Elements aren't dissapating the fire long enough!" Twilight yelled.

"Who cares?! I'm not letting him hurt her!" Fluttershy screamed, using a focused beam to douse the flames long enough for her to fly into the burning wasteland.

"Fluttershy, no!" Applejack yelled. Fluttershy had become Flutterrage for a brief moment. With a swift hoof kick, Flutterrage kicked the stallion right onto the ground.

"Nopony...hurts...my best friend!" Flutterrage yelled to the top of her lungs. Flash suddenly disappeared from sight, and with his own swift kick, knocked Flutterrage to the ground.

"Did you really think a wimpy kick would put me down?!" Darkness angrily shouted at the heavy-breathing Flutterrage. "Nopony puts me in a corner and live!" In a sudden jolt, Darkness whipped Flutterrage with his tail, flinging her upward, and with a final kick with both of his back hooves, Flutterrage became Fluttershy, and she was harshly thrown out of the fire, and to the ground, lightly bleeding from the stomach, as her friends came to her aid. Rainbow Dash watched with horror, as Darkness chuckled madly to himself, her shocked expression quickly becoming a grimace of unstoppable anger.

"Hmm. All too easy. That filly was too weak for me." Darkness said, before he was suddenly thrown off his hooves. Rainbow Dash let out a feral battle shriek as she pushed Darkness' head close to a smoldering flame. Adding her own punches in, blood dripped from Darkness' face. With a back-kick, Darkness launched Rainbow off of him, knocking her to the ground.

"Rrrrgh!" Darkness shouted as he dug his hooves into the ground, highening the fire-encased battleground above the mainland. Rainbow and Darkness were now on an elevated platform.

"I will not be made a foal of!!" Darkness shouted, before kicking Rainbow over to the edge of the platform, where the flames licked at her. Tiny hairs on Rainbow's head burned off, and her position was soon straightened by the demonic stallion. With his hoof, Darkness lit his hoof on fire, making his hoof a flaming scarlet, about to smash into Rainbow's face. With a very insane grin, Darkness prepared his hoof to strike her, as his hardened hoof blistered from the flame licking at it. Almost giving up, Rainbow Dash looked down, depressed, ready to accept her fate, as she saw her 5 friends, looking her on with fear. Down went Darkness' hoof, but somehow, Rainbow Dash was not hit.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash managed to say under the smoke. Time seemed to slow down for her, as she widened her eyes to see who it was.

"YOU WILL NOT...TOUCH HER!" Discord screamed at Darkness, holding back his flaming hoof with his eagle talon, pinching hard and painfully, digging into his skin.

ARRRGGH! HOW DARE YOU?!" Darkness screamed back, before he could act, Discord himself brought down his lion fist into Darkness' face. With another punch, Darkness was sent closer to the flames, his now black and white mane started to burn.

"HYYYAH!" Rainbow yelled out as she kicked Darkness in his daze, sending him head on into the flames.

"AAAARRGGHH!" Darkness cried out in pain as he was fully engulfed in flames.

"Nice." Discord said to Rainbow Dash.

"You too, bro." Rainbow returned the gesture, hoof-bumping Discord's lion fist.

"Hahahahahahahaa. Oh, did you really think you could stop me that easily? You're so daft, the two of you." Darkness spoke, still in the flames. "You only gained the upper hoof because of that foal Whooves' meddling."

"That's right, Flash. I went to Celestial Castle to ask for the Princess' assistance. The most she could do was significantly weaken you" Doctor Whooves stated, emering from a portal.

"Hurts, don't it?" Derpy rhetorically asked.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! YOU MAY HAVE HINDERED MY PLAN SLIGHTLY, BUT YOU'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME NOW!!" Darkness boomed as he emerged from the billowing flames, his mane and tale completely burnt off of his body, his small beard now gone, and his hardened hooves blistered from walking. Darkness was now a maneless, blistered shell of his former arrogant self. With a pained spread of his blistering wings, he flew at top speeds, intending to do his signature move.

"OH, NO YOU'RE NOT!!" Rainbow Dash roared, flying in the opposite direction of Darkness.

"Oh Celestia no." Dr. Whooves said.

"What is it?" Derpy asked.

"Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom is going to collide with Darkness Flash's Dynamic Darkflash! All that concentrated energy will smash together to create a wormhole!" he said.

"But that's muffins' impossible!" Derpy shouted.

"Yes it is, Derpy. Rainbow and Darkness are from different dimensions, and while physical touch does no harm to either dimensions, large amounts of energy exerted from them clashing into each other could create an interdimensional wormhole." Dr. Whooves said. Gaining speed, Darkness soon flew at 700 miles per hour, with a blinding flash, the Dynamic Darkflash occured once again. At the same time, Rainbow also gained 700 miles, and with her own thunderous boom, the Sonic Rainboom also occured.

"COME ON!!!" both mare and stallion screamed at each other and their speed. In near split seconds, the rainbow-colored mare and now bald stallion's front hooves crashed into each other, generating a blue-yellow spark of pure energy. The two were physically unharmed from the sudden invisible explosion, but they soon orbited around the now-forming wormhole.

"NO! RAINBOW!!" all 5 mares screamed in total quaking fear. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to see the mayhem occuring, the flames beneath her were flapping wildly in the hurricane-style winds created, she saw her 5 friends welling with tears, she even saw Discord with his most remorseful face ever, reaching out with his talon, trying to fly over the flames to rescue her. She lastly looked at the slightly charred face of Darkness, who slowly began to be eaten up by the wormhole. His flesh was becoming sucked into the wormhole, and he muttered his last words.

"I will see you...in Tartarus." Darkness bitterly choked out, before his pupil disappeared from his eyes, and he was completely destroyed by the wormhole. Rainbow Dash tried to fly away from the wormhole, but it's intense gravity slowly sucked her in too. She too was about to suffer the same fate Darkness suffered.

"PLEASE DON'T FORGET ME!!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

Her body was too eaten away by the wormhole, her hot pink pupils disappeared from her eyes as her light blue body was inevitably destroyed as well.

"RAINBOW DASH!!!" every single pony screamed at that moment, as so did Discord, as he soon disappeared from the horizon.

"Urrgghh, what the hay happened?" Rainbow Dash said groggily, rubbing her temple with her hoof, as her vision returned to her. With a gasp, she saw absolutely nothing. Pure whiteness.

"Rainbow..." a voice called out. "Rainbow...come closer." a mysterious appendage beckoned for the girl. Rainbow trotted over to the blinding figure, unsure who it was, she lifted her hoof to the appendage, and whatever it was, it gently took hold of her hoof, as if it needed help moving. Rainbow Dash's face contorted in fear, the thing she grabbed was scaly and pointed. As the drama intensified, the familar figure walked from the white blinding light, revealing itself, or himself. It was...Discord.

"Welcome to the Afterlife, Rainbow Dash. You're dead." he said with slight emotion, and a sad expression.
Rainbow Dash eyes darted accross the infinite space, her jaw dropped slightly, as if she had the wind hit right out of her.

Author's note: Don't worry, this is not the end.

Rainbow Dash's Afterlife

Author's note: The next two chapter's layout and dialog will be based on episode "Tapestry" of Star Trek: TNG.

Quickly pulling her hoof away out of Discord's talon, Rainbow Dash managed to speak to him.

"Discord, what is going on?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I told you; you're dead, this is the Afterlife, and I'm God." Discord calmly said.

"You are not God!" Rainbow shouted, with a joking smile.

"Blasphemy! You're lucky I won't cast you to Tartarus, or smite you or something." Discord said, slightly offended. "The bottom line is, your life ended about 5 minutes ago, at the outcome of the collision of your sonic rainboom and Darkness' dynamic darkflash."

"No. I am not dead! And I'm not gonna believe that the Afterlife is run by you. The universe isn't so badly designed!" Rainbow Dash said, in denial.

"Very well. If you really require more evidence of your...post-mortal status, I suppose I'll have to provide you with some." Discord said with a snap, and the two were suddenly transported to the previous fire-stained battlefield underneath Cloudsdale of the past.

"What are we doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"If you need more evidence, there's your evidence." Discord answered. Rainbow Dash cringed as she saw her past self's front hooves smash into Darkness Flash's hooves, creating the fatal wormhole that had just killed her. She then saw the disturbing image of herself being broken down into pieces. The next thing she heard was the blood-curdling scream from her past self, dying, and the piercing screams coming from her 5 friends.

"Discord, I get it! Take me back!" Rainbow Dash pleaded. Discord then snapped his fingers, and the duo were returned to the blank whiteness.

"Discord, where am I? I only see white." Rainbow Dash asked. Snapping his fingers, Discord conjured up a sign.

"I know you can read, Rainbow Dash. You just recently discovered the joys of the 'Egghead' religion, did you not?" Discord mocked. Rolling her eyes, Rainbow Dash read the sign.

"Route 0, Heaven and Tartarus Intersection" Rainbow Dash read.

"So you can read better than I thought..." Discord said.

"Wait, what makes you the 'God' of the Afterlife?" Rainbow asked.

"You may not know this, but my species, the Draconequus, have mystical chaotic abilities." Discord began his lecture.

"No...really?" Rainbow Dash asked sarcastically.

"As...I was saying, the Draconequus are naturally born to be able to use chaotic abilities. Some have even learned enough to the path of immortality, or reality-bending abilities. I learned enough to become one of the members of the Chaos Continuum." Discord continued.

"The Chaos Continuum? Isn't that some kind of heavy metal, rock 'n roll band?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The Chaos Continuum is not a band! My species are powerful enough to bend reality by a whim. While we have many different roles in the Universe, my job is to tally the good and bad deeds of the deceased, to determine whether or not they will go to Heaven, where they will live out their afterlife in harmony, or they will go to Tartarus, the land of where souls suffer for all eternity." Discord finished his lecture, making the blackboard with an animated picture of a Draconequus disappear.

"Whoa, that's the most fascinating thing I've ever heard, and I've done the Sonic Rainboom 3 times! The one I just did didn't count 'cuz I got...killed." Rainbow Dash said.

"Just another one of your pathetic blunders." Discord mocked.

"So...I'm obviously going to Heaven, right?" Rainbow Dash said in a cocky tone.

"Well...judging by your personal record, you've done more bad things than good things." Discord said, conjuring up a clipboard with an outline of Celestia on it, forcing a laugh from Rainbow Dash.

"You, uh...havin' fun with your clipboard?" Rainbow Dash asked, laughing.

"Zip it." Discord said, turning Rainbow's mouth into a zipper, before zipping it shut.

"Mmhpph! Mmmph!" Rainbow Dash tried to say.

"Cat got your tounge, Rainbow?" Discord feigned an innocent tone.

"Mmmhph! I'm trying to tell you I've never done a bad thing!" Rainbow Dash managed to say, struggling to keep her mouth un-zipped, only to have Discord zip it again.

"Now listen," Discord said, before conjuring up a pair of reading glasses, along with an animated screen out of nowhere. "You've...oh, this a good one. You've stolen before." Snapping his fingers, he made the mural animate a familar scene.

"I'm not trying to steal your slippers! I'm trying to steal this book!" Rainbow Dash said to a bald, yellow stallion in a hospital, while she was wearing a black, skin-tight hoodie, before narrowly avoiding a lamp being chucked at her.

Unzipping Rainbow's mouth, Discord allowed her to speak.

"Ok, so I tried to steal the Daring Do book, but I dropped it during the chase! I'm not a thief; and it's not like I got arrested for stealing that stallion's slippers." Rainbow Dash said stubbornly.

"Oh, we haven't gotten started yet." Discord said, before starting his Bad Deed List. "Now let's see, you've cheated at the Iron Pony Competition, and at the Best Young Flier's competition."

"That's it! All bets are off!" Rainbow yelled at Applejack as the rope around her wings were loosed by Applejack accidently, before taking flight, only to be taken down into a hoof-fight with Applejack. The mural then changed to Rainbow Dash, a nervous wreck, switching her numbers to a bunch of other pegasi.

"Well, I only cheated 'cuz Applejack cheated first!" Rainbow shouted.

"SILENCE!" Discord yelled back, causing Rainbow to back away slightly. "Along with that, you've been extremely insensitive to your friends. Including...Fluttershy. Tell me Rainbow, why exactly are you friends with Fluttershy?" he asked Rainbow.

"I stood up for her from those three bullies. And I've never been mean to Fluttershy! Have you been watching the show?!" Rainbow Dash defensively stated.

"Yes you have! You've been mean over...I don't know, 10 times or so." Discord said, snapping his fingers to make several animations.

"You're not a loser, Rarity." Twilight said.

"She kinda is!" Rainbow said out loud.

"SHH!" Twilight scolded. The scene then fast-fowarded.

"What're we gonna do now?" Twilight asked.

"Uh...panic?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's your answer for everything!" Rainbow yelled at Fluttershy. The quote would then be repeated, to the glee of Discord. The scene changed to the mission to quell the Red Dragon, showing Rainbow Dash only.

"My apologies." Rarity said.

"Not your fault." Rainbow said to Rarity, flying over her, glaring angrily at a whimpering Fluttershy.

"Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy along?" Rainbow asked Twilight.

"Oh great! She's scared of caves now!" Rainbow shouted.

"SUCK IT UP FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow Dash screamed to a quivering Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash's ears drooped, as she started to tear up.

"The list continues on." Discord said.

"I-I can't believe what a jerk I am! I was just so angry! I just wanna set things right." Rainbow Dash said, sobbing a bit.

"Oh Celestia, Rainbow Dash. You're tugging at my heartstrings. I'm not going to spend eternity with you if you're going to be a sad sack. Fine, I'll help you, but I'll only do it my-way." Discord said. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash was suddenly trotting up the mountainside, with Fluttershy walking slowly behind. Her memory confirmed it was the mission where they removed the dragon.

"Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah?" Twilight answered.

"Uh...I don't mean to sound rude, but shouldn't we think of a game plan before facing the dragon?" she asked.

"Wow...I thought you were just gonna ask if bringing Fluttershy was logical, like before?" Twilight asked.

"Uhh...no? Why would I say that? I don't want to talk about her behind her back." Rainbow stated.

"Oh...my." Fluttershy said quietly, staring in fright at the smoking cave.

"Fluttershy, don't worry. It's gonna be ok. I don't want you to be so scared. I'm here for you. You want me to come with you?" Rainbow asked in a caring tone.

"This is it. Everypony ready? Rainbow Dash, use your wings to fan the smoke away." Twilight ordered.

"Mmhmm." Rainbow Dash said, before taking flight into the black smoke. After clearing the smoke away, Rainbow descended to the ground, waiting for Fluttershy.

"Alrighty Shy, you ready?" Rainbow asked, gripping Fluttershy's trembing hoof.

"Y-yes." Fluttershy said.

"It'll be alright. You have me with you. I'll give that dragon a good kick if he tries hurting you." Rainbow said proudly. The two then flew into the cave, with Rainbow Dash glaring at the dragon.

"Um...if you wouldn't mind, I would ask if you could, um...leave?" Fluttershy timidly asked, only to be frightened by the dragon's roar.

"Hey! Fluttershy was just talkin' to you!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the Dragon, before getting black smoke snorted at her. Once again, the Dragon ignored them.

"Yo Scaly MacDrago, your little catnap is smokin' up all of Ponyville! We just want you to leave 'cuz if you keep snoring, you're just gonna cover us up in darkness! Ok?! And you know buck-straight not to ignore Fluttershy! YOU HEAR ME?!" Rainbow Dash screamed up to the Dragon. The Dragon cowered in fear.

"Ahem. Listen to me, right now, sir! I want your dragon hide to leave this cave right now! If you don't do exactly that, there's gonna be some serious problems!" Fluttershy shouted angrily at the Dragon. The Dragon literally burst into tears, flooding the cave, sending the two out of the cave. The Dragon then flew straight out of the cave, tears streaming from it's eyes.

"You think we went a little hard on the Dragon?" Fluttershy.

"Nah. I'm sure he'll just blow up a forest or something." Rainbow Dash casually said.

"R-Rainbow Dash, thanks for sticking up for me. You're a great friend." Fluttershy said.

"It's ok, FlutterSHY--!" Rainbow Dash yelped, before being wrapped in Fluttershy's arms. Fluttershy basically lifted Rainbow into the air, to the shock of the other 4 ponies. Fluttershy bear-hugged the cyan mare with all her might.

"S-Shy! Losing...air...capacity!" Rainbow Dash choked out.

"Sorry!" Fluttershy quickly said, releasing the pegasus. Rainbow Dash, along with the rest of the ponies, trotted down the mountain, until Rainbow Dash was unlucky enough to fall into a crack in the ground, falling into a blank white land.

"Hello Rainbow Dash, you've completed the mission with sensitivity. Judging by the statistics, you just need to fix your little mishap at the Iron Pony Competition." Discord said.

"I'm gonna win, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack shouted at Rainbow Dash, with rope tied around her wings. Intending to bite her tail to pull her back, she accidently tore at the rope, freeing her. Rainbow Dash felt her wings becoming unrestrained. Rainbow Dash cringed at wanting to fly, but knowing Discord, she would be scolded. Picking up speed, Rainbow Dash charged forward to the finish line, before, at the last minute, tripped herself, completely throwing the competition. Applejack ran to the finish line, winning the race.

"Rainbow Dash? Ya ok?" Applejack asked, concerned, helping the tripped pegasus to her hooves.

"Eh, just got a little dirt in my mane.", Rainbow said casually, "No big deal." Hearing the cheers from the multiple ponies, Applejack quickly pushed Rainbow into her barn, to the blue mare's surprise.

"Applejack, what are we--mmmphh!" Rainbow Dash said, before being inturrupted by an apple being shoved in her mouth, before spitting it out.

"Rainbow Dash, you just threw the dog-gone Iron Pony race for me. Why?!" Applejack asked.

"I was guilty. Remember the turned around sign, and the tree branch, and the tree stump?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah?" Applejack asked.

"It was my fault. I did that to trip you up, so I could win. But I felt guilty, so I gave it up." Rainbow said, defeated.

"Oh...I'm so...sorry, Rainbow Dash. I tried to trick you up too." Applejack said.

"I'm sorry, AJ." Rainbow Dash apologized to the orange mare.

"Ohh, c'mere, you." Applejack said, before hugging Rainbow Dash tightly.

"This...is too...familar!" Rainbow Dash said, returning the hug.

"Why don't we just...forget about this whole thing?" Applejack asked.

"Sure." Rainbow Dash agreed, spitting into her hoof, smirking, before hoof-bumping Applejack's hoof.

"There're still some leaves that need some shakin' down. Ya wanna help me with it?" Applejack challenged.

"I'd love to stretch my legs!" Rainbow Dash confidently said. The two mares galloped into the forest by each other's sides, with Applejack jokingly racing forward.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Rainbow shouted after Applejack, before accidently stumbling into a bush. Crashing out of the bush, she found herself in the ever-familar white landscape.

"Well done, Rainbow Dash. You've successfully changed two major points in your life." Discord congradulated.

"Uh, thanks." Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm going to send you back now. By my calculations, you may, or may not like the outcome." Discord said.

"Wait! What does that mean?!" Rainbow yelled, before being thrust into the present.

"Rainbow? Wake up! Wake up!" Twilight shouted at the pegasus resting on the cloud.

"O-Oh! Hey, Twi! What's up?" Rainbow asked.

"Nothin' much, except you're about to miss the Second Best Flier's Competition!" Twilight shouted.

"Ok. I'll see if I can win again!" Rainbow Dash confidently said.

"W-what are you talking about? You never won the first one." Twilight said.

"What?!" Rainbow screamed, before flying into her awards display in her cloud house. Letting out a sharp gasp, she recoiled in horror to see her display case empty, with a moth flying out. Flying out of the cloud home, she tackled Twilight to the ground, before shaking her.

"WHAT...DO...YOU MEAN I DIDN'T WIN THE BEST FLIER'S COMPETITION?!" Rainbow Dash screamed.

"W-whoa! R-R-Rainbow D-Dash, I mean you didn't win the competition!" Twilight shouted, before being released.

"What about the Sonic Rainboom I did?! Or when I saved Rarity's life?!" Rainbow asked loudly.

"What do you mean? The Sonic Rainboom is an old mare's tail, and Rarity never even participated. You just watched the competition!" Twilight said. Rainbow Dash's pupils shrunk to an impossible size at the realization.

Rainbow's Return

Author's note: The fact that Rainbow Dash didn't do the Sonic Rainboom is because the 2 events changed were from episodes "Dragonshy", season 1, episode 7, and "Fall Weather Friends", season 1, episode 13, as "Sonic Rainboom" was season 1, episode 16.

"Twilight, you're-you're trippin'. Don't you remember the Sonic Rainboom? I did it at the competition!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"No you didn't! This isn't you! You're never this arrogant! Matter of fact, you're never arrogant!" Twilight yelled back.

"What? I'm perfectly normal! This is exactly who I am! Fluttershy, I need you for a sec!" Rainbow yelled to Fluttershy, soaring in the air low to the ground.

"Oh sure Rainbow. What'cha need?" Fluttershy asked.

"I'm sorry, but I need help. Did I ever do the Sonic Rainboom at the Young Flier's Competition?" Rainbow asked.

"I do not remember that. You were sitting on the cloud with me, watching." Fluttershy said.

"But I -- omigosh. Oh...my...gosh! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! I never saved Rarity's life?! Or spent the day with the Wonderbolts?!" Rainbow asked in a panic.

"No, and no." Twilight and Fluttershy said in unison.

"Me, Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity all came to watch. We all used the cloud walking spell." Twilight said.

"And all 6 of us watched it. Don't you remember?" Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, y-yeah. I must've just been having a nightmare or something." Rainbow said.

"Maybe you should just stay home and take it easy. And aren't you going to be late for your cloud-kicking?." Twilight asked.

"What?! But...don't I clear the sky?" Rainbow said.

"No...you work in a cloud factory. I gotta go, I need to study." Twilight said, before trotting off.

"Rainbow? Why don't you tell me what's going on?" Fluttershy asked.

"You wouldn't understand." Rainbow Dash said.

"I could try." Fluttershy said, and the two then flew up to Rainbow's house, before both of them laid on a blanket.

"Ok...so. I'm from a changed timeline. I died and went to the Gateway to Heaven, and Discord was there --" Rainbow started.

"DISCORD?!" Fluttershy screamed, before creeping under the blanket.

"It's ok, Shy. Discord's changed, I can tell. Trust me. He told me I needed to change some things in my life. Like...during the Dragon mission, and the Iron Pony Competition." Dash continued.

"What do you mean? You were super-supportive to me during the mission, and you gave Applejack the win. You're really patient and apologetic." Fluttershy complimented.

"R-Really? Cuz from my original timeline, I kinda...wasn't that nice to you during it. And I cheated during the Competition." Rainbow Dash said.

"Wait? You're from a different timeline, and you say you're nothing like who you really are?" Fluttershy asked.

"Apparently so." Rainbow said, before Fluttershy started to shake.

"Oh...my..." Fluttershy said.

"Do I still work as the weather manager in Ponyville?" Rainbow asked.

"Yes. But you're downgraded to Weather Patrol; chasing clouds, collecting rainwater, sewing clouds into other clouds, the really low-level jobs."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow screamed.

"That's not the worst part. You said how you met the Wonderbolts at the Best Young Flier's Competition?" Fluttershy asked.

"Y-yeah...why?" Rainbow asked nervously.

"You never met them. In fact, they don't even know your name." Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash's heart sank a bit.

"I'll be right back." Rainbow Dash said, beforing running up the stairs to her bedroom. Reaching over to a dresser-top, she grabbed her PonyPhone, and called her friend.

"Hello?? Hello!" Rainbow Dash yelled out.

"Rainbow? Is dat you?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, uh, do you need a cloud over at Sweet Apple Acres? I really need to talk, too." Rainbow asked.

"Sure. I'm always here, Rainbow." Applejack said, before ending the call. Flying down the stairs, she flew out of her cloud house.

"Thanks for listening, Shy! I'll be back!" Rainbow yelled.

"Oh, uh...no problem." Fluttershy said, before returning to her cottage. About 15 seconds later, Rainbow Dash was on her way to Sweet Apple Acres. Flying at top speed to the barn, she was suddenly stopped by the fast opening door.

"Rainbow?" Applejack said while Rainbow was being hit by the door.

"OWWW! That hurt, AJ!" Rainbow whined in pain.

"Mighty sorry there, RD. Mah fault." Applejack apologized.

"Ugh. It's ok. I just really need a friend right now." Rainbow said.

"C'mon in." Applejack said, putting a hoof around the cyan's shoulder, walking her into the barn. They two then sat on opposite sides of a hay bale.

"Ok RD. I'm all ears." Applejack said, with two shucks of corn in her hooves, prompting a laugh from Rainbow.

"Ok. Listen, AJ. This is 2012, right?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah?" Applejack said.

"And we're in the present day, right? We're both in Ponyville?" Rainbow continued.

"Uh, yes ma'am." Applejack replied.

"Good, good. What's my track record?" Rainbow asked.

"Rainbow, can ya please just tell me what's eatin' at ya? You're not actin' like yaself." Applejack said.

"Yeah, my track record's 1 minute, 12 seconds, by the way." Rainbow stubbornly said, prompting a facehoof from Applejack.

"Rainbow, please." Applejack pleaded.

"Ok. I'm not the real Rainbow Dash, I mean, I am Rainbow Dash, but from a different timeline, me and Discord changed the timeline, so--" Rainbow Dash started.

"Discord?! You're all buddy-buddy with that slippery varmit?!" Applejack asked in shock.

"Trust me, he's kinda mellowed down a bit. He's the God of the Afterlife, so he wanted me to change my timeline. You see, the original timeline had me being a bit of a...jerkface. I wanted to change it to go to Heaven, but I decided I want it to be back to normal." Rainbow Dash said.

"Somehow..." Applejack began.

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"Somehow Ah just knew there was more to you than a cloud-kicka'." Applejack said, hoof-bumping Rainbow's arm.

"Thanks, Applejack. That means alot coming from you." Rainbow said, pulling Applejack into a hug.

"No problem." Applejack said.

"So, what do you think I should do?" Rainbow asked.

"Ah just think you should do what you think is right. It won't really affect any of us, so you'll be ok." Applejack. Before parting ways, Rainbow hugged Applejack again, and then she was off. After rounding up her friends, she was in front of Twilight's Library.

"Well guys. I-I guess this is it. I'll be back in a while. Im pretty sure I'll set things right. I know I'll probably be changing alot of life around here, make myself arrogant, a little impatient, you know, but it'll be alright. I'm gonna miss you guys." Rainbow Dash said.

"We'll miss you too, Dashie-Washie!" Pinkie Pie said.

"I'll miss you too. And don't worry, Rainbow. Everything will be ok." Twilight said.

"Do come back as soon as possible, I have the most fantabulous dress for you to wear." Rarity said.

"Uh-oh. Not a dress." Rainbow mocked.

"Rainbow, it'll be ok. I have faith in you." Fluttershy said.

"Eeeyup. C'mere, y'all." Applejack said, about to start a group hug. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash felt the warm embrace of her 5 best friends in a group hug, as all 6 of them laughed.

"Aww, I love you guys!" Rainbow Dash said. The others then grinned happily to her as Rainbow Dash opened the door to the library. Closing her eyes, she spoke to someone.

"Did you have a good laugh, Discord? Does it amuse you to think of me as Rainbow Dash, the simple cloud kicker of Ponyville?" Rainbow Dash asked. Opening her eyes, the familar white land returned, with Discord standing a few feet away from her.

"I gave you something most mortals never experience: a second chance at life. And now, all you can do...is complain?" Discord scolded the light blue girl.

"I can't live out the rest of my life as that pony. That pony is nothing like me! She lacks in passion, and imagination! That's not who I am!" Rainbow Dash yelled back.

"Au contraire. She's the pony you wanted to be. Somepony who was less arrogant and undisciplined, somepony who was less like me. The Rainbow Dash you wanted to be, the one who had not done the Sonic Rainboom, never fully expanded her flying skills, never coming face to face with her own abilities. Never realized how strong her potential could be. So her life never came into focus, she drifted through much of her career as a simple cloud-pusher, no plan or agenda, going from one cloud cluster to the next, never seizing the opportunities that presented themselves. She never led the Weather Team as Leader during Winder Wrap-Up, or take charge of the Summer Sun Celebration when Golden Blaze broke his wing, and nopony ever offered her a job as Weather Manager. She learned...to play it safe, and she never...ever, got noticed by anypony." Discord lectured the cyan pegasus so much that her head spun. As he slowly walked back, Rainbow Dash spoke back to the omnipotent Draconequus.

"You're right, Discord. You gave me the chance to change, and I took the opportunity, but I admit now, it was a mistake!" Rainbow Dash said. Discord turned his back to face her again, his expression unchanged.

"Are you asking me for something, Miss Rainbow Dash?" Discord asked.

"To turn things back to the way they were. To make my life the same as it was." Rainbow explained.

"You want the past to be changed so your life can be changed?" Discord asked.

"Give me a chance to come back, to be a better mare." Rainbow Dash said.

"You simply want to go back? To the life you lived?" Discord asked.

"I would rather die the mare I was, with true friends, then live the life I just saw." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well Rainbow Dash, considering how I've seen you handle the situation, I'm sure you've got the situation down-pat. I'm sure getting into Heaven will be a snap!" Discord said, snapping his fingers accidently, summoning two cups of chocolate milk.

"Care for some?" Discord asked, handing a glass of chocolate milk to Rainbow.

"Thank you." Rainbow Dash said, eyeing the drink with an arched eyebrow.

"Something wrong?" Discord asked.

"You didn't rig this to blow up in my face, did you?" Rainbow Dash asked suspiciously.

"Heavens, of course not. I can't kill you if you're already in the Afterlife. I may be a spreader of chaos, but I would never kill anypony! Taking the life of another soul?! That's where I draw the line!" Discord said defensively.

"I'll take my chances." Rainbow Dash said, slowly bringing the cup to her lips, bringing it slower and slower by the seconds, while playing dramatic music. After about half a minute of the nonsense, Discord, with a completely bored expression, grew rather impatient.

"Oh for the love of the Chaos Continuum!" Discord shouted impatiently at Rainbow Dash, before tipping the glass, making the chocolatey contents flow into her mouth. Rainbow Dash's eyes instantly widened in surprise, she had never tasted chocolate milk before. It was better than the first cider she ever tasted. The taste was delicious. Rainbow Dash quickly perked up with energy and agility, hovering a few feet above the ground.

"Omigosh! Omigosh! That's, like the best thing ever!" Rainbow Dash shouted happily.

"Oh Celestia, first you troll the Master of Trolling, now you pull a Pinkie Pie. You ponies surprise me every day." Discord said to her.

"Heheh, yeah. She's kinda rubbin' off on me." Rainbow said, blushing.

"But so you know, Miss Dash, you can't always act the way you used to, there's always a consequence." Discord said.

"Yeah, yeah, ok Mom." Rainbow said.

"I mean it, Rainbow. If you had kept acting the way you used to, bad things would happen." Discord warned.

"Oh yeah. How bad?" Rainbow Dash asked, before feeling her head start to ache.

"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked in pain.

"Know yourself. Know the mare you will be!" Discord shouted in an echo. Rainbow Dash's world began to swirl into dark clouds.

"Rainbow Dash, please!" Twilight said, being lifted off her feet, grasping her throat in pain.

"You were my sister, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy screamed, about to bring down a hoof onto Rainbow Dash.

"You have beautiful eyes." a voice said.

"I HATE YOU!" Rainbow Dash could hear herself scream to her former best friends.

"No...no! No! NOOOO!" Rainbow Dash screamed in agony as she saw a vision of herself, with a dark cloak, red eyes, blood spattered on her cheeks. The vision soon faded.

"You forced me to do that, Miss Rainbow Dash. You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villan." Discord scolded.

"Ok! I get it! Seriously!" Rainbow yelled.

"So long as you get the message. Remember that, always." Discord said, before snapping his fingers, creating a blinding white light, whiter than the land itself, engulfing the entire area. Rainbow Dash and Discord were returned to Equestria, the same old one they had left.

"Discord? I-Is this...?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes Miss Dash, this is Equestria. The same old Equestria that you left, it is completely unchanged. I see no change in the future." Discord said.

"Oh thank Celestia. We better go find the others. They must be bawling their eyes out since I died." Rainbow Dash said.

Somber music played, as hundreds of ponies were gathered outside Celestial Castle, around a large picture of Rainbow Dash. Everypony from Ponyville had come, Lyra, BonBon, Rose, Daisy, Big Macintosh, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, all of them. At the front of the mass of ponies, stood the Mane 5, tears streaming from their faces. Among them were Princess Celestia and Luna. Princess Celestia rose to speak, although tearfully.

"W-We gather here t-today to mourn for the sacrified life of Miss Rainbow Dash. The Element of Loyalty, helper in the redemption of Nightmare Moon and defeat of Discord. The only pegasus pony capable of every doing the Sonic Rainboom, short-lived heroine of Ponyville, the one who died to save all of existance, all of Equestria, and we can only remember her for the beautiful mare she was. If there is anypony who wants to say something about her, please stand." Princess Celestia said, to which all 5 mares stood in unison. Twilight walked first, followed by Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

"I only have to say that Rainbow Dash was a great friend. She was such an independent, strong mare. We all loved her, even if she was a little stubborn, a bit arrogant, but nevermind that. What she's done for Equestria throughout her life has made her flaws insignificant. Celestia bless you, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said, trotting away from the podium, sobbing. Next followed Applejack.

"Hey everypony. All Ah have to say 'bout Rainbow is that she was a good friend, all rainbow-y and fun-loving, always up for a race, and just bein' epic. She loved my apple cider, she did. All she did was help me during her time, and I can only mourn for her now. Bless you, Rainbow." Applejack said. Pinkie Pie followed.

"Rainbow Dash was the best prankin' buddy ever! She was my bestiest bestest friend! We ate cupcakes together, drank cider at Applejack's place, played "Pin the Cutie Mark on the Pony", everything! I'll probably never be happy again!" Pinkie sobbed, tears flooding from her eyes, no longer bouncing away, and following her was Rarity.

"Hello everypony. Rainbow Dash was a great friend as well. The fact that she would sacrifice herself to save all of us is a truly loyal and grateful thing, and I will forever praise her for that. We may not have had much in common, but we were close friends! And I only wish she could be with us now!" Rarity said, leaving the podium, finally leaving Fluttershy.

"H-H-Hello everypony. All I can say is Rainbow Dash helped me through everything. And while sometimes, she was a little impatient, I know she meant well. I loved Rainbow Dash just like a sister, and I never wanted to see her die! Please, don't leave me, Rainbow Dash! You're my bestest friend!" Fluttershy cried. Fluttershy then felt tears fall on her head. The tears came from a certain cyan pegasus in the clouds.

"You don't need to mourn, cuz I'm right here!" Rainbow Dash asked, up in a hole in the cloudy sky.

"RAINBOW DASH?!" everypony all screamed.

"Yup! It's me, alright!" Rainbow said.

"R-Rainbow? Are you...a g-ghost?" Fluttershy asked.

"Me? No, no, no, of course not!" Rainbow Dash said, before swooping down. She was then swamped by her 5 friends in a bone-crushing hug, and the fact that Princess Celestia, Luna, and the rest of all of the population had joined in, with Rainbow Dash in the very center of the massive hug, she felt squashed.

"Whoa, everypony! You're all startin' to kill me!" Rainbow Dash warned, causing everypony to back away quickly.

"Sorry, Rainbow." Twilight said.

"It's cool. Phew..." Rainbow Dash, gasping for air.

"How did you come back?" Applejack asked.

"I was brought back, by a certain somepony." Rainbow Dash said.

"That somepony is me!" Discord said gleefully, appearing out of nowhere, causing the ponies to gasp.

"Discord?!" the Mane 6, except Rainbow, screamed, as they expected cotton candy clouds to appear. Wincing, they saw nothing happen.

"Discord, what are you doing here?! I thought you were in stone!" Celestia asked.

"Because of the vast amount of time-travel, I was set freed. After Rainbow was killed, I brought her back to life. She's quite noble." Discord said.

"How do we know you're not playing a game?" Twilight asked.

"I promise on the Chaos Continuum! Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Discord recited, prompting a gasp from Pinkie Pie.

"You never break a Pinkie Pie Promise! He must be serious!" Pinkie said.

"Discord! What are you doing here?! And what are you planning?!" Celestia yelled in anger.

"Hey, I just came to drop off Rainbow Dash. But if you want to turn me back to stone, do it then. Maybe I'll do a new pose." Discord said, trying out the pose of a serial killer, then to a murder victim from Psycho.

"Gladly." Celestia said, charging up her magic, firing a stone spell at Discord, only for the shot to be deflected by Twilight Sparkle herself, before she trotted in front of Discord, facing Celestia.

"Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing? Stand aside." Celestia said sternly.

"...No." Twilight said.

"No?" Celestia asked in disbelief.

"She said no." Applejack said, walking over to Discord. "Anypony who helps one of mah friends is a friend o' mine."

"Very well. If anypony else wants to stand up for him, please do." Celestia challenged.

"I say no too." Rarity said, walking to Discord.

"He Pinkie-Promised!" Pinkie yelled, bouncing over to Discord.

"Um...I'm taking his side too." Fluttershy said.

"Anypony else?" Celestia asked.

"I say no too." Rainbow Dash said, flying down to Discord. This was when multiple stallions and mares started taking Discord's side.

"I can trust Discord. He did help fight Darkness Flash." Dr. Whooves said.

"So can I" Derpy said.

"I can too." Lyra said.

"YEAH!" Snowflake screamed.

"So can I!" the Mayor said.

"Eeeyup!" Big Macintosh simply said. Soon almost everypony was standing hoof in hoof by Discord, bringing a tear to his eye.

"Everypony, you would side with me...after all I've done to you?" Discord asked.

"Everypony deserves a second chance, and some friendship," Twilight stated, "because that's what Ponyville does! We love and tolerate!"

"Hmm. Your loyalty is admirable, Twilight Sparkle. I am so proud of you." Celestia said.

"Thank you, Princess." Twilight said.

"You're all very loyal, I respect you all. I must be off now." Celestia said.

"Where are you going?" Rainbow asked.

"I have to prepare an awards ceremony for you. Be at the Castle in about 1 hour." Celestia said with a wink, before taking off.

"Wow...how perplexing." Discord said.

"What is?" Rainbow asked.

"How easily everypony stood by me, took my side, fully aware of what I have done in the past." Discord said.

"Everypony heard about how you helped. We can't thank you enough for helping Rainbow, holding off Darkness Flash, and bringing Rainbow Dash back to life." Twilight said.

"I am the God of the Afterlife, Twilight Sparkle. I simply follow the orders of the Chaos Continuum. But I do make...exceptions to those I've gotten to know..." Discord said.

"Discord, are you saying you want to be my...friend?" Rainbow asked.

"What?! No!" Discord shouted, only to be stared down by the Mane 6.

"C'mon Disco, you know you wanna be Dashie's friend!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over to the Spirit.

"Pinkie's right, in her own weird way. You're kinda more tame than ya were back when you were just a statue." Applejack said.

"I am not tame. I simply choose my own methods. Those methods may be helpful to others, some may not." Discord tried.

"Nope, not buyin' it." Twilight said, to Discord's further irritation.

"Come on Discord, we all need to be shown a little kindness." Fluttershy said, petting Discord's head.

"Oh Fluttershy, not you. This simply isn't fair." Discord complained.

"Who's a good Draconequus? You know you wanna be our friends." Fluttershy continued, rubbing the black mane running down Discord's neck, Discord then broke out into a sob.

"Oh, you're all...t-too much for me. Just too much." Discord sobbed.

"Oh c'mon everypony." Applejack said, as everypony walked over to the weeping Spirit. The Mane 6 soon wrapped around Discord's long centipede shaped torso, squeezing him all over.

"I'm so sincerely sorry everypony. For all the heinous things I've done to you and your special bond with each other. I only want to be loved by my somepony, but the chaos had consumed me, made me insane." Discord said.

"It's ok, Discord. We forgive you." Twilight said.

"Your tricks were somewhat humorous when you think about it." Rarity said.

"Ooh yeah! Like when Discord made it rain chocolate milky goodness!" Pinkie Pie said happily.

"Or when he made those apple things come to life." Applejack said.

"You could say I was pulling the strings." Discord joked.

"Or when he made me almost have a full-on boxing match with him. That was prime." Rainbow Dash said.

"Do not forget when he made a simple boulder appear as a diamond." Rarity said.

"I thought ya said ta never talk 'bout it again." Applejack scolded.

"It's ok when I talk about it." Rarity said.

"I think that's enough reminiscing. There's a celebration to go to in about an hour." Rainbow Dash said, to which the Mane 6, except Twilight, ran off to get ready, with under Discord and Twilight to themselves.

"You did a good thing, Discord. And here I thought you were a monster, but you're actually pretty sweet. How'd you change so abruptly anyway?" Twilight asked.

"It's all complicated, Twilight Sparkle. Whether it was love that changed me, the amount of friendship you and your friends exhibited, or maybe it seeing Darkness's hoof about to strike Rainbow Dash, and I couldn't let that happen. So I intervened. Something made me change." Discord said, unsure of himself.

"Well, whatever the cause, we're glad you're on our side." Twilight said. Instead of brushing her off or gagging in response, Discord did something Twilight wasn't used to him doing. Twilight soon found herself in Discord's arms, being squeezed a bit.

"You can consider me...a...friend." Discord said, feigning a struggling tone. Twilight soon walked away, staring back at Discord with a grin. Discord soon followed. As he walked the streets with Twilight, he noticed many ponies staring at him with surprised expressions and some, happy grins, to which his only reaction would be a smile back to some.

"Hey Pinkie? Do you have a spare Party Cannon I could have?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sure, Dashie!" Pinkie said, pulling out a Party Cannon, pushing it over to her friend.

"Thank you. I just need some paintbrushes now..." Rainbow Dash said, before trotting over to find some. The door opened in Twilight's Library, and Discord and Twilight soon followed suit.

"Well now, look who's finally here." Applejack teased.

"Ha-ha. Aren't you funny?" Twilight said.

"Oh yes, that's very comical. You just made my ribs hurt from it." Discord teased back.

"I say, this celebration is going to be marvelous." Rarity said, brushing her mane.

"I can't believe it's in honor of you and Discord. It makes me happy." Fluttershy said.

"Aww c'mon, you're sugarcoating it. I couldn't have done it without Dr. Whooves' and Derpy's help. But if I do say so myself, I handled it alright." Rainbow Dash said, taking a breath from painting.

"You've made quite a impression on me, Rainbow Dash. I thought you were this super-arrogant pony who loved to brag about her skills." Discord said.

"Well I may be a greatly-skilled pegasus, but I may not be the best, and I'm certainly not good at baking, or studying, or...modeling." Rainbow Dash said.

"At least you're good at one thing." Fluttershy said.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked, curious.

"Being the best flier I've seen, and the bestest friend ever." Fluttershy said, hugging Rainbow Dash.

"Only because I have the bestest at taking care of others and being the nicest." Rainbow said, smiling.

"Doesn't this just tug at your heartstrings, Discord?" Twilight asked.

"It's certainly beautiful." Discord answered.

"So, everypony ready?" Applejack asked.

"Let's do this!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Take my hand, everypony. We'll get there quicker this way." Discord said, snapping his fingers, teleporting everypony to the train station.

Rainboom Celebration

The solar princess was busy with her sister, finishing up the decorations for the celebration, when Luna broke the silence to speak to her older sister.

"Tia, do you really believe Discord is different now?" Luna asked.

"My sister, Discord is unpredictable, playful and mischievious. And at the same time, he's evil, disturbed, and a suspicious creature. On top of that, he's a mangle of a bunch of random creatures." the solar princess began.

"Tia, Discord may be a bit of a grumpy, crazed weirdo, but he's the only thing that brought chaos, and some say that chaos is a necessary role in the world. Without chaos, harmony has nothing to fight against, like Ying and Yang." the lunar princess said, and as her lecture hit Celestia, her eyes flashed open quickly, full of realization.

"You know that Discord and I had various rough patches, some escalating into violence multiple times in our youths." Celestia said.

(March 24, 1014)

"You know you'll never defeat me, Tia!" Discord said as his goat horn and reindeer antler clashed violently against Celestia's horn.

"You are nothing compared to me! You are nothing more than a peon to me!" Celestia shouted as Discord brought a balled-up talon to Celestia's right cheek in a fit of rage.

"Do not ever compare me to you! I am everything you are not! My chaos is stronger than your harmony!" Discord shouted, when Celestia then got up on her back hooves, bringing her front hooves to strike, only for Discord to grab her hooves in response.

"You will not destroy this world! You'll have to kill me in order to!" Celestia screamed, as Discord leaned closer.

"I am the incarnation of Chaos itself." Discord said softly, bringing his lips to Celestia's. Celestia's only reaction was her eyes instantly widened in shock. Discord then took his lips from Celestia's shocked face, an manical smile forming on his face.

"Do you feel your heartbeat growing faster, Tia? You have feelings for me, don't you?" Discord taunted, still holding her front hooves.

"I WILL NEVER LOVE YOU!" Celestia sneered, shooting Discord in the face with a small harmonic blast. Discord winced in pain, slowly opening his eyes in fury, tightening his grip on Celestia's hooves, as his eagon talon and lion paw soon combusted into flame, burning the solar princess' hooves.

"I hate you...and I love you too." Discord said mockingly, throwing Celestia to the floor, crushing her crown with his deer hoof, before flashing away with a click of his fingers.

Celestia's hoof shook painfully as her memory came to her.

"Discord was insane, manical, and is indeed the incarnate of Chaos." Celestia said with a tear.

"Celestia, you know he has changed, for better or worse, and by what you told me, he is better now. Believe me, his chaos had motives." Luna said in sympathy.

(Hearts and Hooves Day, February 14, 1012)

Celestia was shocked by the sudden appearance of Discord, who, in a stunning black tuxedo, presented her with a bouquet of roses.

"Discord, what is this?" the princess asked.

"Today is Hearts and Hooves Day, and despite our differences, I do have a heart." the Spirit said, handing her the bouquet.

"Discord, I will never love you. Your heart is black, and you'll always be a monster." Celestia coldly rebuffed, dropping the bouquet on the ground, before flying away. Discord could only look in horror and dispair.

"...Tia. W-Why? I-I..." Discord could barely speak, looking down at the bouquet, before a smile of pure insanity spread on his face. Something in Discord snapped.

"If she wants a monster...I'll give her a bloody monster!" Discord chuckled.

Celestia said nothing, her icy stare at herself soon became a stare of regret, humiliation, and sadness. Elsewhere, the Mane 6, as well as Discord, were finally at the Train Station.

"Whoa, we got here fast." Rainbow Dash said, dazed.

"When you've been alive since the dawn of time, you get used to it." Discord said.

"I'll take your word for it." Rainbow replied.

"Is everypony ready?" the attendant asked, "Might I ask how many is boarding?"

"It's a party of 7, 6 ponies, one Draconequus." Twilight said, as if it was normal.

"Oh my Celestia, well i-it's nice to m-meet you!" the attendant said, gazing at Discord, who cast a glare back.

"Yeah, so, we're the Mane 6, the group of ponies in the news alot." Twilight said.

"O-Oh. Of course! Oh yes, you're the ones who saved Equestria, twice." the attendant said, smirking at Discord.

"Yeah, that's us. Have you heard of Rainbow over there?" Applejack said.

"Oh yes!! Miss Dash, I heard you and your friends saved Equestria for a third time!" the attendant said.

"Y-yeah, me, Dr. Whooves, Derpy, and Discord. Thanks, miss." Rainbow said, blushing lightly.

"Please, call me Starlight." the attendant said, handing the 7 tickets to them.

"Ok, Starlight. Where do we get seated?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh don't give it a second though, Miss Dash! Come, come, you and your friends are riding FIRST CLASS!" Starlight said.

"There's a first class on a train? Why wasn't I informed earlier?" Rarity asked.

"You're all getting a luxurious train cabin fit for all of you." Starlight said.

"First class on a train though? Doesn't make a lick of sense." Applejack asked.

"Well, with chariots, and pegasi being able to fly and whatnot, airplane usage is pretty obsolete. And with trains being used much more in Equestria, we've bumped up classes on trains for the celebrities and higher-class folks, like from Canterlot for example." Starlight said, guiding the 7 to the cabin.

"Yeah, they got some good eggs up there." Applejack stated.

"You know Lindsay Lohay's career started out in Canterlot?" Rainbow asked randomly.

"Where'd you hear that?" Fluttershy asked.

"The Ponynet." Rainbow said.

"Isn't she in rehab?" Twilight asked.

"And here we are, everypony!" Starlight said, finally at the first class cabin.

"It looks bigger on the inside." Fluttershy said.

"Yes. We made this cabin officially for the Mane 6." Starlight said.

"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash shouted, instantly jumping onto the bed near the window. "I call this bed!"

"Oh no you don't!" Applejack yelled.

"Finder's keepers, loser's weepers!" Rainbow teased.

"That tears it!" Applejack said, and the two mares bursted into a hoof-wrestle, with Rainbow Dash being the winner.

"Ha! That's what happens when you mess with Thunder and Lightning!" Rainbow Dash said, kissing her left and right biceps.

"I can tell you all must be lots of fun." Starlight said.

"You have no idea." Twilight said.

"Well, if you all have any questions, I'll be across the hall to the left." Starlight said, before leaving.

"I'M GOING ON TOP!" Pinkie yelled happily, going to the nearest bunk bed.

"Can I take the bottom one? If that's ok?" Fluttershy asked.

"Okey dokey loki!" Pinkie chirped. Rarity then went to the next bunk bed, resting on the bottom. Applejack then climbed onto the bed next to Rarity. Twilight settled into her own bed, preferably the purple one.

"Wait, where's Discord going to go?" Twilight asked.

"Oh don't worry. I'll make myself comfortable." Discord said, clicking his fingers, and disappearing. Everypony looked around when the window was being tapped.

"Hey, there he is!" Rainbow said, pointing a hoof at the window, revealing Discord, facing upside down, then going back topside.

"I prefer solitude myself." Discord said to himself, summoning a bed somehow able to stick to the surface.

"I can get used to first class!" Rainbow said, rolling over on her stomach.

"First class or no class, deary." Rarity said.

"Hey RD, what was the afterlife like?" Applejack asked.

"It was all white, but it was pretty cool." Rainbow said.

"What happened to Darkness?" Fluttershy asked.

"I dunno, he probably got screwed up and died from that wormhole thingy." Rainbow replied, rolling onto her side.

"Hey Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah?" Rainbow answered.

"Are you scared of dying now?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know, Twilight. Dying's pretty scary, though." Rainbow said with a yawn.

"You're probably the first one to live and say that." Twilight joked.

"Probably." Rainbow Dash said, drifting off to sleep.

Bang, the train shook a bit.

"Rainbow." somepony said.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"Rainbow..." the voice said.

"Quit shaking the bed, Mom. Gimme 5 more minutes." Rainbow whined, before being woken up by a party horn.

"Surprise!! Wakey wakey, sleepyhooves!!" Pinkie screamed.

"Huh?! Wha-?! Whoa!" Rainbow yelled, falling out of her bed.

"Are you prepared to exit, Miss Dash, Miss Pie?" Starlight asked.

"Argh, what happened while I was asleep?" Rainbow asked.

"You overslept, but we didn't wanna wake you. We kept ourselves busy." Pinkie said, stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked, unaware a mustache was obviously visible on her upper lip.

"Never mind. Let's go, Dashie!" Pinkie said, as she bounced out. Rainbow then walked out, rolling her Party Cannon out of the cabin.

"Thanks, Starlight." Rainbow said.

"No problem, Miss Dash. Enjoy the celebration." Starlight said, with her own stifled laugh. Rainbow Dash was the last one off the train, seeing the wide smiles on her friends' faces.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Rainbow asked.

"Take a look." Discord said, handing Rainbow a mirror. Rainbow's face contorted in shock as she saw the mustache drawn on her lip.

"Oh, you guys can bite my blue flank." Rainbow fumed, rubbing off the ink from the nearest fountain.

"Why couldn't we put rabid parasprites in her saddlebag?" Discord asked, bored.

"Are you insane?" Applejack asked.

"Quite possibly." Discord retorted. Dr. Whooves walked out of the corridor to greet the ponies.

"Hello girls, and Discord." Whooves said.

"Still modest, I see." Discord replied.

"Doc, what's up, you old man?" Rainbow asked.

"Old man? If anypony's old, it's, well it's Discord actually." Whooves deadpanned.

"He's not wrong. And I've known a few of the relics in the royal garden. Hello Eris." Discord said, waving to an grass hedge scupture of an alicorn.

"Pinkie, what are you fidgeting with?" Applejack asked.

"I found this stone tablet with a skeleton on it. It's supposed to lead to something." Pinkie said.

"Well, shall we move on here?" Whooves asked to break the silence. Discord and Rainbow soon followed Whooves into the castle corridor.

"Was there ever an Element of Time necklace?" Twilight mused.

"NECKLACE! That's it!" Pinkie shrieked, searching through her saddlebag. She soon pulled out her slightly burned necklace from Herby.

"You still kept that? Don't you think you're a little--" Applejack said interrupted by Rarity's hoof.

"If I hold the necklace in the exact place as the necklace is on the tablet, it'll show me something!! Oooh, maybe it's candy!" Pinkie babbled, rearing on her hind legs as she shone her necklace on the tablet. The tablet was of an Earth Pony bestowing a necklace in front of an dinosaur skeleton.

"Pinkie, that's so illogical." Twilight said.

"Shhh! It's working!" Pinkie shouted. The tablet began to shine, and a light beam rocketed from the tablet, sending the mares back a foot or so. An angelic choir sung out as a path was revealed to the mares. Pinkie followed the path into a clearing in the grass maze. When the light stopped, Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks, tears of joy streamed down her face.

"Dear Celestia, I found you again!!" Pinkie screamed as she hugged the giant block of ice preserving the body of her familar Iguanodon lover, Herby. Pinkie then dragged the block out of the grass maze.

"How was your journey?" Fluttershy asked.

"It was long, treacherous, and boring," Pinkie said, ripping off a fake beard, "But I finally found my BDF!"

"Pinkie, you were only in the grass maze for like 4 minutes." Twilight deadpanned.

"I'm gonna take him back to Sugarcube Corner and thaw him out by the ovens. The first thing Herby's gonna see is me!" Pinkie said happily.

"So...what celebration are we talking?" Rainbow asked.

"Simple. The four of us, we get medals, Discord gets his powers stripped, Rainbow throws a party." Whooves explained.

"Say that again." Discord said.

"We get medals?" Whooves asked.

"No, after that." Discord answered.

"Rainbow throws a party." Whooves said.

"Oh for Chaos' sake, I get my powers stripped?!" Discord shouted.

"Maybe...but I talked to Celestia. She might go easy on you." Whooves teased.

"Old man indeed." Discord whined.

"Is Calamity Mane going to be here?" Derpy asked.

"I dunno, Derps. I don't keep a joke going that far." Rainbow replied. The four then entered the corridor, with Celestia and Luna at the end. Walking in single file, the foursome each bowed to the Princess.

"We now gather today to honor of the heroic actions, loyal sacrifice, and harmony of Miss Rainbow Dash." Princess Celestia said, giving her a Medallion with her Cutie Mark on it, as the crowds soon erupted into applause.

"So...awesome." Rainbow Dash said, speechless.

"I would also like to thank the actions of Doctor Whooves and Derpy Hooves. May you too be honored forever." Celestia said, giving Whooves and Derpy their own Medallions.

"How grand. Much appreciated, my Princess." Whooves thanked.

"Calamity Mane should see me now!" Derpy said happily.

"Oh, that reminds me, Derpy. He's actually outside waiting for you." Luna said.

"Derpy? Hello?" a stallion's voice said.

"Calamity!!" Derpy shouted, flying out the door, much to the shock to the crowds.

"And now...we move onto our last recipient." Celestia started.

"Gag..." Discord mumbled.

"Discord, for thousands of years we've been...inhabitants of the same world, much different from each other. But now that I think about it, I'm leanent. And I forgive you." Celestia said, bringing her horn to Discord's bowed head. Light shone throughout the corridor, as energy surged from Discord to Celestia, and vice-versa. The light faded, with electricity crackling off of Celestia's horn.

"Snap your fingers." Celestia said. The Spirit then snapped his fingers, and a glass of chocolate milk appeared in his paw.

"My powers...are still here?" Discord asked.

"That's not all, friend." Celestia said, as her horn glistened yellow. Out of nowhere, a red rose appeared, identical to the last one Discord offered to her. The rose was levitated into Discord's talons.

"Remember this?" Celestia asked, bringing her lips to Discord's, and the two were then enjoying it, applause bursted from the crowds once again. Off to the sidelines, Rainbow Dash was sobbing silently.

"What's wrong, sugarcube?" Applejack asked the cyan mare.

"I wish I could have a somepony." Rainbow said depressed.

"I'm sure that somepony is closer than you think." Applejack mused, pointing a hoof.

"Rainbow Dash?" a familar voice asked.

"Who is it?" Rainbow returned. Walking towards her was a stallion in a Wonderbolt costume.

"Soarin'!" Rainbow shouted. Soarin' greeted Rainbow in a hug.

"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen anypony do. I always heard about the stuff you did before, but this just takes the cake." Soarin' said.

"How'd you find out?" Rainbow asked.

"We heard about it from the Princess. We were all shocked, especially me." Soarin' continued. "We thought you were long gone, but I knew you'd be back."

"Soarin', you actually cared about me?" Rainbow asked.

"Hay yeah! I've been crazy into you since I met ya!" Soarin' admitted.

"Well you sure know how to be blunt with it." Rainbow teased.

"Will you two just kiss already, you're making me antsy!" Pinkie shouted to the pegasi. Coming closer, Rainbow and Soarin' slowly brought there lips together, fully embracing each other.

"I love you." the two said in unison.

"Come with me. I have something I wanna do." Rainbow said, trotting away with a smile, motioning the Mane 6 to come. Soarin' followed, along with the 6 mares into a giant empty room, completely locked off by the crowds of ponies.

"Where do you suppose they're going?" Celestia asked Discord.

"I don't know, but I do know I wanna spend some of my new freedom with a beautiful Princess." Discord said. The two then proceeded to walk together into the empty room. The room was dark, and the only sound was the hoofsteps from the ponies, and the faint snickering of two mares.

"Ready?" a voice whispered.

"Okey dokey loki." the other voice whispered.

"1...2...3!" Rainbow and Pinkie yelled as they fired their own party cannons, unleashing an instant party into the room, as the lights flickered on. Rainbow Dash quickly sprinted to her new colt as they joined hooves. She looked over to her friends, giving a confident smile.

"Let's party!" Rainbow yelled as music instantly played. Among her, dancing with Soarin', were the other mares happily dancing to the tune. Pinkie herself was grooving alongside her half frozen dinosaur. Looking on, Dr.Whooves stood.

"I think our work here is done, Derpy," Whooves said, "Derpy? Where are you?" A light shone again as another phone booth appeared, Derpy soon stepping out of it.

"Derpy, you made it!" Rainbow shouted. A figure also walked out, and over to Rainbow, taking her hooves along with her, and she began to kiss Rainbow.

"Oooh yeah, I've always wanted to do that." the mare said. She then revealed herself to be another Rainbow Dash.

"Whoa! Where the hay did you come from?!" Rainbow yelled, pushing the other mare off her.

"Derpy brought me here from my dimension." the other Rainbow said, giving her the bedroom eyes.

"Derpy!" Rainbow yelled, fuming.

"I just don't know what went wrong!" Derpy said innocently. Rainbow Dash let out an annoyed sigh as the mare was soon put back in the phone booth.

The ponies helped themselves to the punch, played "Pin the Tail on the Pony", among other games, and danced to several songs. Eventually, the clock rang 10 P.M., and everything dimmed down.

"I think I'm gonna head out, it's already way past my curfew." Applejack said, trotting to the exit.

"I also need my beauty sleep. A lady needs her 8 hours." Rarity said.

"Angel needs to be fed. I haven't seen him all day, the poor thing." Fluttershy stated with a yawn.

"Yeah, it is getting kinda late. I think I'm gonna head home too." Rainbow said, eyeing Soarin'.

"Night Dashie! I'll see you- urgh - tomorrow!" Pinkie said, grunting as she tried to get Herby's frozen body into the train.

"Seeya tomorrow, Rainbow." Twilight said tiredly, walking into the train after teleporting Herby inside. Princess Celestia walked over to Rainbow.

"You've done well, Miss Rainbow Dash. I'd say you deserve a long rest." Celestia said.

"Yeah, I think I do." Rainbow agreed.

"Wait a minute! I've got something I want to say!" Discord shouted, kneeling to Rainbow's height. "Goodbye Rainbow Dash...and...thanks, for helping me discover my true self."

"It was in you the whole time, you just needed help." Rainbow said.

"Well, we shouldn't keep you here any longer, should we?" Dr.Whooves asked.

"Will I see you again, Doc?" Dash asked.

"Oh, I'll be around. Wherever the wind takes me, maybe as a pegasus, maybe a unicorn, I don't know." Whooves said. Rainbow then flew away with Soarin', back to Ponyville. They were soon at Rainbow's house in the sky, sharing one last embrace of the day.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight." Rainbow said.

"Maybe we can go on a date or something, if that's alright?" Soarin' asked.

"It's perfect." Rainbow said, slowly bringing her lips to Soarin's, as they kissed for the final time.

"Bye Dashie. See you tomorrow." Soarin' said, flying off.

"Oh great, even he's calling me "Dashie" now." Rainbow said, embarrassed. Rainbow then flew back to her bedroom, snuggling into her bed as she pulled out her rainbow-styled diary from her pillow. She took out her lucky quill, and wrote in a new entry.

"Dear Diary, through the epic adventure of time travel, I lived, died, came back, and I even learned a new type of friendship. And that friendship, is love." Rainbow wrote, taping a picture of herself and Soarin'. Finally fully content, she drifted off to sleep.