High above the Everfree Forest outside of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash is soaring at incredible speeds, attempting to lap the forest and return to Ponyville in 3 minutes. As she speeds over the old Castle of the Two Sisters, Rainbow is attacked by a blur of light blue fur. The collision causes Rainbow and the unknown figure to crash into the cave holding the mystical Tree of Harmony. “What the hay is the big idea?!” Rainbow screams as she shoves the collider away and stands up, waiting to attack. But she notices that the figure looks a lot like her. “Who are you, are you a Changeling? I’ve taken on hundreds of them before and I’m not afraid to attack!”

“Changeling?” The mysterious pony replies, with a voice sounding exactly like Rainbow Dash, “how in Tartarus do I know that YOU’RE not a Changeling?” The mare gets up and Rainbow Dash comes eye to eye with herself. “How can I tell you’re th-A Rainbow Dash?” The two stand there and think for a moment, but an idea hits Rainbow over the head.

“Who was to dub my favourite aerial squadron, the Wonderbolts?”

“General Firefly. What’s Celestia’s favourite trick of theirs?”

“The Icaranian Sun Salutation, duh.” The two gasp as they come to the weight of the revelation. “You’re me…”

“You’re me…” The two sniff and examine each other, commenting in their whispers.

“Is my mane really that poufy?”

“Am I really that fat?”

“Does my breath really stink that much?”

“Is my voice really that loud?”

“Hey, I heard that one!”

“What about the one about my breath, you know what it feels like to eat nothing but stale apples for months without end?”

“Odd choice of diet, but who am I to judge myself, wait, are you from the future? I recall our friend talking about being visited by her future self once.”

“Not sure, what day is it?”

“Nightmare Eve the last time I checked.”

“Apparently not, has Empress Midnight taken over Canterlot yet?”

“Who?!”

“You don’t know about Midnight, how do you,“ the second Dash hesitates and takes a moment to think.

“Who’s taking over Canterlot?!”

“Midnight was spouting something about similar ponies; maybe it isn’t time travel, maybe it was parallel worlds,”

“Now you’re speaking egghead and nonsense together, what are you going about?”

“Rainbow Dash, I believe to come from a different Equestria, one that is yours, but is not.”

“…”

“Let me explain, me and our friends overheard Midnight talking about ‘other worlds’, many Equestrias that are similar, but have slight or major differences to them.”

“I think I understand,”

“And Midnight was about to enter this, ‘world’, but I’ve manage to sneak into her first attempt and it appears to have landed me in a world where Midnight is not here.”

“Who’s this Midnight? You keep bringing her up,”

“The reason I’m here,” Suddenly, a loud crackle burst from the Tree of Harmony deep inside the cave. “Quick, hide!” The second Rainbow grabs the first one and pulls her behind a boulder.

“What’s going on?”

“She’s coming!”

“Who?”

“Empress Midnight, now shut up!” They glance around the rock to see a large swirling tunnel rip through the air as vast amounts of smoke pour out. They then see a shadowy figure appear into the smoke as it dies down. It appears to be a brown stallion wearing black and purple heavy armour with the helmet having odd red glass visors over the eyes.

“Is that the emperor?”

“No, that’s one of Midnight’s minions, a pony under some form of mind control.” The unusual stallion looks around and hops back into the smoky tunnel.

“What’s he doing?”

“Probably sending the all clear.” Shortly after, a group of then of these guards hops out and stand at attention as another unusual looking pony steps out of the tunnel. The two tone their voices to a whisper,

“Is that,”

“Yes.” The first Rainbow looks and sees the creature, a large mare covered in heavy black armour with black dragon scales as chainmail, making it impossible to see her skin. Armed with two large boxes against her sides, but impossible to see what they are under the smoke, and a long, sharp horn, and red glowing eyes. A red aura glows softly around her, beaming a magical presence to the two Rainbow Dashes. “Behold the destroyer of Equestria, Empress Midnight.” The empress walks around and to the side at the line of minions. Midnight opens her mouth, releasing an echoing, demanding female voice,

“Five of you, get the others, the others survey the area in case that pest is here.” The stallions follow her orders as several minions fan out across the case and the five selected enter the tunnel. A white guard approaches the boulder as the second Dash prepares to buck her hind hooves at it around the corner. The first then notices that her duplicate has lots of bruises, cuts, and mangled fur across her back and mane. The second notices her shock and replies to her nonexistent question,

“Yes, Empress Midnight and her goons did that to me.” The guard turns around the corner and is met with two hooves in the face. He stumbles over as Midnight slowly approaches the boulder.

“Okay, time to run!”

“Why not fly?” the first Rainbow Dash asks, “she doesn’t have wi-“ Her statement is cut short by five steel fingers, each the size of the pegasus, pierced through solid stone. Rainbow follows the claw to a long metal arm attached to Midnight’s side, exposing a second one on her other side. “RUUUUUN!”

“FOLLOW ME!” The two fly up to the edge of the forest and run along the ground as they hear the monster’s voice,

“GET THEM!!!” The two Rainbows dash deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest, but are being caught up by the guards.

“Why don’t we fly into the sky again?” The first asks as they run across a pit of mud. She then hears loud flapping from above and through the branches and leaves, she sees Empress Midnight, flying overhead with her giant steel arms generating four giant green wing flaps made of energy. “Never mind that I asked!” They soon hear the stomping hooves of the minions treading across the mud like it was nothing as the two heroes get out of the mud. “How do we lose them?!”

“Just keep running, they’ll lose us eventually!” The two proceed to continue running away as Midnight and the mind-controlled stallions.