Note: I REALLY enjoyed writing the Rainbow Dash part of this story. That being said, I have to mention that it is a little disturbing. The Stallion Empire is not a healthy place to be in. You have been warned. Anyway... enjoy!
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The air above the west coast of the Stallion Empire
Time: Twelve days after the Paradox took over Equestria
Rainbow Dash bit her lip as she gazed out of the window of her plane. The flying machine had already made two stops, and now, a day later, it was almost completely empty. No one ever went to the Stallion Empire. The only ponies on now were burly and scarred, and one was eyeing her hungrily. Suppressing a gulp of apprehension, Rainbow Dash continued to look out the window intently, though she could see nothing through the thick clouds that enveloped her.
"Why am I doing this again?" groaned Rainbow after another ten minutes of intent staring. She sighed and picked up the Trixie intelligence file that she had lying next to her. She glanced it over for the thousandth time.
"Oh Trixie," sighed Rainbow, almost mournfully, "Why did you have to go here? What are you doing?
The picture that Rainbow was staring at did not reply. It was a picture, after all.
Suddenly, the voice of the air attendant rang out. Even the air attendant sounded scared and reluctant as she said, "We are now approaching the Stallion Empire. ETA in twenty minutes."
With that, Rainbow could notice that the plane was slowly beginning to descend. It was flying straight from the skies into the jaws of hell.
Taking a deep breath, Rainbow put down the file and shivered. Her nervousness was really getting to her, and she could feel her bladder weakening. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she then straightened up and tried to look nonchalant and brave. It was true that she was practically terrified, but she could not let if show. According to some information compiled by Twilight, the first place Trixie had stopped was the Black Hind Tavern, which was just outside the airport in the city of Stalliongrad. That was one of her very few leads that Twilight had been able to give her. From there, she was going to have to hoof it, using whatever information she could gather, all the while avoiding the customs police of the Stallion Empire and the mercenaries and assassins that filled the streets.
Though the flight attendant had said twenty minutes, it seemed like an instant. There was no time to prepare, no time to worry, and no time to steel herself. They were just there.
Rainbow almost let out a little "eep!" of horror when the voice of the flight attendant's voice rang out over the speakers, "We are now at the international airport of Stalliongrad. The temperature outside is negative one degrees Celsius, and the sky is overcast. Thank you for riding Grand Pegasus Airlines… have a nice day."
With that, the seatbelt lights went out overhead, and the cabin lights brightened. The docking clamps moved up and connected with the front exit of the plane, and the door opened. Butterflies rocketing around in her stomach, Rainbow got up and began to drag her luggage up the aisle. In a moment, she was out in terminal of the Stalliongrad International Airport. She was now in the Stallion Empire. The place was certainly grand, with light blue lights illuminating grand pillars and wide halls, but that was not really what stood out. What stood out were the Customs Police, that infested everywhere… and the silence. Gulping, Rainbow Dash slowly began to work her way towards the exit of terminal area B, and to the main exit. According to the information given to her by Twilight, the Black Hind Tavern was a couple of kilometers away from the airport, forcing her to take a taxi. She was not looking forward to any form of interaction with any of the Stallion Empire's natives, but Rainbow had no choice. Keeping her eyes down, Rainbow did her best to suppress her quivering as several rowdy (and probably drunk) ponies called out to her:
"Look what we have here! That is one hot rainbow rump!"
"Hey pretty one! I would love to have you between my hind legs, if you know what I mean!"
"Come back! We haven't finished talking to you!"
Rainbow began to worry that she would have to fight them, which would end in complete disaster, but they did not pursue her. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Rainbow Dash continued to drag her luggage to the exit. Outside was extremely cold. Snow was drifting from the sky lightly, and a bone-chilling wind was shrieking through the trash-filled streets. Shivering, Rainbow raised a hoof high and shouted, "Taxi!"
In less than a minute, a yellow motorized cab pulled up next to her. Rainbow hopped in and dragged her luggage in after her.
"Where too, little one," chortled the cabdriver in a husky, alcohol-soaked, voice.
"Um… yeah… Black Hind Tavern," said Rainbow, doubt riddling her voice.
"Oh, you don't want to go there, too bland," guffawed the cabdriver, "Why don't you come home with me? Free of charge. We can see if we can make your night more… interesting."
"No," said Rainbow, doing her best to sound stout and determined, "I am the one holding the bits. You want to get paid? Do what the customer wants. Got it?"
Grumbling to himself, the cabdriver nodded and started the engine. With a roar, the taxi shot forward and blasted down the streets at a dangerous speed. Rainbow Dash gripped her luggage tightly to her to ensure it didn't go flying every which way as the vehicle sped forward. At the speed they were going, they made it to her destination in only a couple of minutes.
"There you go," said the cabdriver, still a little disappointed, "That will be six bits."
Thanking Celestia that the world had at least had the sense to standardize currency, Rainbow pulled six bits out of her pouch and handed them to the cabdriver. With that, Rainbow got out and pulled her luggage out with her. She then turned to face the Black Hind Tavern. It was a very large concrete building, with garbage cans overflowing with trash piled around its entrance. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow straightened up and tried to look no-nonsense. She then pushed through the tavern door. For a second, all banter and music stopped within the rowdy tavern as Rainbow made her entrance. But, fortunately, things started again as the ponies went back to their conversations and gambling. Looking about for a moment, Rainbow then trotted up to the counter.
"What can I get for you, pretty one?" asked the bartender roughly.
"I'm not here for a drink. I am here for some information," said Rainbow.
"Ahhhh… information. That is like buying a premium beer, and it is going to cost you. If you buy enough information, though, I might be tempted to throw in a shot of tequila as a bonus," said the bartender, leaning in close and glancing about to see if anypony was eavesdropping.
"I will be buying information, but you can leave the bonus out… it will save you money," replied Rainbow, leaning in close as well.
The bartender winked, and then said, "Very well. What do you need?"
"I need to know about this pony," replied Rainbow Dash, pushing forward several pictures of Trixie, "My sources told me that she was here a while ago."
"Well, your sources were accurate," said the bartender, "However, it will cost you for me to say anymore, as I said. I feel in a good mood today, so I will say about… fifty bits."
Rainbow's eyes hardened. That was an exorbitant price. "Twenty-five bits."
"Forty bits."
"Thirty-five bits."
"Done," exclaimed the bartender. Rainbow pushed forward a small pile of bits and then leaned in close once more.
"Her name is Trixie the Great and Powerful, as I am sure you know," said the bartender, "However, what you don't know is that she was arrested after causing a drunken bar-fight. The custom police burst in here and arrested her and several others. They immediately could tell that she was not from the Stallion Empire, so had her dragged off for 'special' accommodations. You know how the Empire is to non-natives. However, a couple of days later, a special tidbit-gatherer of mine informed me that she had broken out of the jail, and had fled to the Iron Hoof mountains of the north. That is where his sources had lost contact. That is all I know."
Rainbow massaged her temples as she contemplated the information. Then she nodded decisively and said, "Thanks."
The bartender winked, and then reached under the table and pulled out a small glass. He then reached behind him and pulled forward a bottle of silver Tequila. He poured a bit into the glass and pushed it forward with a smile. Rainbow eyed the glass with a worried air. She had never tasted alcohol before, however the bartender continued to grin at her, so she felt pressured to drink it nevertheless. Sighing, she picked up the cup and downed it. Immediately she started to cough, and darkness ate away at the edges of her vision. A warm feeling blossomed forth in her stomach, her nerves began to buzz, and her ears started to ring. She shook her head and swayed in her chair as she struggled to regain her sensibilities. As she did so, the bartender laughed, "Never had a drink before, eh? Well, let's just hope that you aren't also a virgin. We ponies of the Stallion Empire have a bad habit of fixing that one issue."
Rainbow finally pushed the feeling of the drink down, and shook her head vigorously. She decided that that was one of the worst mistakes of her life, drinking that.
"Thanks…" she mumbled, a little embarrassed by the laughing bartender, "Could you tell me the best way to get to the Iron Hoof mountains?"
"Of course, pretty one," chuckled the bartender, too amused to take any more advantage of the innocent mare, "You cannot actually get INTO the mountains, due to a military perimeter being drawn up in the foothills before it, but you can get really close to it. Hop onto a train that is going to Sallianger. When you are there, head west into the thick forest. There is a breach in the security fencing about half a kilometer into the forest… just watch out for the Sliverwolves while you are in there. Nasty things… just like the Timberwolves you ponies have in the Everfree Forest.
"How… how did you know that I was from Ponyville?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Oh, that's easy. You've rarely ever had a drink, your back legs tell me you're a virgin, and your eyes radiate innocence. You are the typical Ponyville pony; seen quite a few die here in my day. Don't worry my friend, if you leave the Stallion Empire alive, I have no doubt you will become one of us. You know what? I like you. When you find the Trixie pony, come back, and we'll have a drink together," chortled the bartender with another friendly, yet creepy, wink.
Rainbow Dash nodded, still a little perturbed about it all. She then turned around and began to trot away. As she did so, the bartender called out, "The train station is not too far from here! Just a block down! Then take a right!"
Rainbow glanced back at him in thanks, and then proceeded to exit the building. She then began to trot down the trash-clogged street in the direction the bartender had pointed her in. As she cantered along, she thought about what had transpired. In Ponyville, she had always considered herself to be the toughest pony around. She could wrestle down the best (with the exception of the resident Dimensional Travelers) and she could easily intimidate a pony if she wanted to. But here… here was a different matter. In this decrepit land of the Stallion Empire, she felt as innocent as a young school filly. Doing her best to push down the creeping thoughts of doubt, Rainbow sped up her pace. Though she had not been in Stalliongrad for long, she knew very well that if she stood in one place for too long, bad things were bound to happen. In a couple of minutes, she arrived at the train station. As luck would have it, a massive iron locomotive was just pulling up to the same station in a hail of sparks and a cloud of soot and smoke. Rushing quickly up to a ticket dispenser, Rainbow checked the train schedule. Yes, luck was on her side this time: the train that was just arriving had its final stop in Stallianger. Quickly Rainbow bought a one-way ticket to the Stallianger and hopped aboard. Like the Black Hind Tavern, the compartments of the iron train were full of smoking fumes, as well as rowdy laughter. And just like the Black Hind Tavern, everypony present stopped their conversation to momentarily stare at Rainbow Dash as she entered the train. Fortunately, the banter resumed once the train resumed motion.
Doing her best to look inconspicuous, Rainbow scurried to an empty train compartment and slid inside. There were two benches on either side of the small room, facing each other with a window on the side. The benches were rusty, chipped, and discolored, and looked like it was being held together with duct tape. The window was broken (allowing the biting wind and drifts of snow to blast inside), and there were several bullet holes in the door. Shivering out of disgust for her surroundings and out of the sudden chilling wind, Rainbow Dash pulled out a blanket from her luggage and wrapped it around her.
Doing her best to not let the doubts about her survival get to her head, Rainbow Dash rocked back and forth in the bench. As the hours passed, the Rainbow got more and more tired. Soon she began to slowly fall asleep. This was an incredibly bad thing, for if one falls asleep in the freezing snow, the chance of ever waking up again is quite slim. Sadly, the thought of that did not cross Rainbow Dash's mind, for the need for sleep drugged her brain. She most certainly would have fallen asleep (and subsequently died) if not for a sudden bang on the door. The loud noise shocked Rainbow Dash into wakefulness. What had just happened? There was a moment of silence. Then, suddenly, the door shook again under the poundings of a firm hoof. Then the door blasted inward as another pony smashed it in. Four burley ponies filed in, eying Rainbow Dash aggressively.
Rainbow Dash, though thoroughly terrified, straightened up and managed to surprise even herself as she snapped, "What do you thugs want?"
"We didn't like the way you were sleeping in here," stated one of them coldly, "We want you to leave the train."
"If you have a problem with the way I sleep, then you are just going to have to live with it!" shouted Rainbow.
The four thugs just laughed. "Whenever Diesel has a problem," chortled another pony, "He doesn't 'live with it,' he fixes it. Permanently."
With that, the first pony, Diesel, whipped out a six-shooter and pointed it in Rainbow's face. Rainbow Dash stiffened.
"I want you to leave the train… NOW," hissed Diesel.
"The train's moving," replied Rainbow, doing her best keep her voice from quivering.
"Do you think I care?!" shouted Diesel. He moved forward, and Rainbow moved backward.
"I don't like you," snarled Diesel, "So you are going… to leave… NOW."
As he said that, he trotted a couple of more steps, causing Rainbow to trot a couple of steps back. Now her back was to the broken window. Her blanket was sucked from her grasp by the icy wind, and tossed away into the snow-infested night.
"Look," said Rainbow, now quivering a bit from cold and fear, "I don't want any trouble…"
She didn't get any further. With a yell, the pony named Diesel seized Rainbow by the throat and hurled her bodily out the window. By some miracle, she was thrown free from the tracks, but her momentum caused her to skip and bounce at least a dozen meters before coming to a rather painful stop in the snow.
She had lost her luggage, she had lost her ride, and now she was trapped in the snow with no coverings, and she was badly bruised to top it all off.
Groaning, Rainbow pulled herself out of the snow and looked around. To her right was a massive forest of pine trees and to her left was a frozen mash. Behind her she could see nothing but snow, and before her were the distant silhouettes of the Iron Hoof Mountains. She was stuck in the middle of it all.
Struggling to all fours, Rainbow spread her wings and attempted to take to the air, but they were practically frozen stiff. There was no other choice but to try to make it to the forest, and hope that there was some form of shelter to protect her from the icy winds. Teeth chattering, Rainbow Dash struggled through the snow as she worked her way towards the pine trees in the distance.
Little did she know, however, that there were many pairs of malicious eyes, watching her from that pine forest.
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: The Ponyville train on the way to Ponyville
Time: Twelve days after the Paradox took over Equestria
"So… How old are you?" asked Twilight, giving Caustic a friendly smile.
Caustic Rain tried to smile a little, but failed. He then looked away and mumbled something unintelligible.
"Okay… What is your favorite color?" persisted Twilight.
"His favorite color is green," Luna replied for him, "His favorite food is spaghetti."
"Oh… okay," said Twilight, looking at Luna in surprise. She did not know of Luna's relationship with Caustic Rain.
"Are you okay Caustic Rain?" whispered Luna to Caustic Rain. He nodded. He was just feeling very nervous around the curious Twilight.
"I believe he is nervous," stated Luna, "I think he wants to be left alone for a bit."
Twilight nodded, a bemused look plastered on her face. She got up and beckoned to Pinkie Pie. The two left the train car.
"What is the matter, Caustic Rain?" asked Luna, draping a wing over his shoulders.
"I don't know, it's just that… I guess I'm still a little nervous about other ponies. I can't stand them watching and judging silently. It's not my fault I had such a history! I didn't mean to…" Caustic Rain's voice choked, and he looked away. He was going into relapse.
Luna looked at him for a moment with pain in her eyes. Then she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Then she nuzzled him. Caustic Rain's heart started racing, and it pulled him out of his depression a little bit.
Unfortunately that was as far as they got, for the train began to slow down, as a voice over the electronic speakers said: "We have arrived at Ponyville station."
"We are here!" exclaimed Twilight, returning to the train car with Pinkie Pie, "Everypony ready to go?"
Luna nodded and got up regally. Caustic Rain, eying the ponies bustling outside in the station nervously, got up as well and began to follow Luna. As the door opened, the group was met by Applejack. Caustic Rain immediately shrunk to the back.
"Howdy y'all!" exclaimed Applejack, "How you doin'?"
"We're fine, thank you," replied Luna amiably (though her voice was a slight bit regal), "How do you find yourself?"
"I'm all fine mahself," replied Applejack, "Just a teensy bit bored. Don' get me wrong, I has mah apples an' the likes, but that is it. Rainbow's got her mission, Twilight's a Princess, and Rarity… we don't know where the hay Rarity is."
"I am sure you will find something worthwhile to do soon," said Twilight cheerfully, "We just need Rainbow to come back from her 'vacation.' Oh! I would like you to meet Caustic Rain!"
Caustic Rain blanched, and tried to pull back a little bit further, but Luna shoved him forward.
"Please to meet you!" exclaimed Applejack jovially.
"Ummmmm… likewise?" stuttered Caustic Rain. He smiled weakly.
Applejack winked. "Don't be nervous 'round me, sugar cube!"
There was an awkward pause. Finally, Caustic Rain somehow found it in himself to break the silence and say, "Well… I really have to get going… I have something I need to do."
With that, he began to trot off in a randomly picked direction. Then he stopped. After another pause, he sighed and came back. "Could… um… could any of you ponies be so kind as to point me in the direction of Sunset Shadow's house?"
"Oh… I was going there myself!" exclaimed Twilight, "Follow me!"
Caustic Rain eyed Twilight suspiciously. Had she just made that up so that she could get to know him better? Sighing in resignation, he began to follow her, with Luna right behind.
Dimension: My Little Pony
Planet: Equestria Earth
Specific Location: Ponyville
Time: Twelve days after the Paradox took over Equestria
Fluttershy and Sunset were sitting together in a diner with Mr. and Mrs. Cake.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Mrs. Cake sweetly.
"Oh, we were just wondering if you know a nice place we could donate our stroller," replied Sunset, "Starlight is trotting around just fine now, so we decided we might as well donate it to a good cause."
"What… not planning on having another?" said Mr. Cake, with a grin.
Fluttershy immediately began to blush a deep red. She looked down at her hooves, and her face became covered by her long flowing pink mane.
Sunset grinned nervously. "Ummmmm… Is that a serious question?"
Mrs. Cake lightly slapped Mr. Cake's hoof. "Of course not! Mr. Cake was just being silly! We're so sorry, Fluttershy. However, I do believe we have a nice place for you to donate the stroller."
Fluttershy peeked through her mane. "You do?"
Mrs. Cake nodded. "Oh yes. A while back, in my younger days, I used to do volunteer work for this nice shelter in Canterlot. They are a little bit underfunded, so they really appreciate any support that is given to them. A donation like that would be quite welcome."
Sunset nodded readily. "Great! What is the name?"
"West Wing Homeless Shelter, Canterlot," replied Mr. Cake promptly.
There was a short pause as Sunset wrote it down on a piece of paper and gave it to Fluttershy.
"Speaking of strollers, where is Starlight Amber anyway?" asked Mrs. Cake.
"Oh, we left her in the care of Flaming Star. He insisted. Something about another argument with Twilight," replied Fluttershy quietly.
"Another argument? Oh dear," said Mrs. Cake, "That doesn't sound good. Do you know the details?"
"Of course I do, but I never gossip, so you will just have to imagine it," replied Sunset with a wink.
"That is probably a good idea," said Mr. Cake, "However, how is Starlight?"
"She is just fine, thank you…" murmured Fluttershy, leaning her head on Sunset, "She's talking in sentences now! It is all wonderful…"
"It is," added Sunset, his face beaming with pride, "However, I do believe we must get going. There are things that we have to do."
"Of course," said Mrs. Cake, getting up, "We do too. It was quite nice touching base with you! Have a good day!"
"You too," said Sunset. With that, he and Fluttershy got up and followed Mr. and Mrs. Cake out the door. On the doorstep of the diner, the group exchanged hugs and went their separate ways. Mr. and Mrs. Cake went to Sugar Cube Corner, and Fluttershy and Sunset went to Flaming Star's house.
In a couple of minutes, they arrived at his house and knocked on the door. Immediately the door opened. Flaming Star smiled. "I'm glad you guys are here," he said, "I was actually going to go and find you two."
With that, he stepped aside and Starlight Amber trotted into the waiting hoofs of Fluttershy. She swept her up and nuzzled her as Sunset said, "You were just leaving?"
"Yeah, there is something important I have to do. I would tell you more, but the cat has the salad."
Sunset nodded his head, "Okay. I understand."
"We should go home now," said Fluttershy quietly. Sunset nodded, but instead of trotting away, he said, "Flaming Star… are you still arguing with Twilight?"
Flaming Star facehoofed. "Yeah… Look, it's no big deal, alright?"
Sunset blinked. "Um… yes. It IS a big deal. She is your future wife. You can't start endangering your bond by arguing. What are you arguing about anyway?"
Flaming Star sighed and looked around, to ensure that no pony was listening. "It's the same as last time. She wants to have a foal, I don't. It's as simple as that."
"Wait… if you don't want a foal, then why did you volunteer to take care of Starlight?" said Sunset.
"I wanted to be sure that I just didn't want to have a foal because I would be a bad father!"
"…And…?"
"It's not that. I love foals! It's something else…" Flaming Star looked away.
Sunset blinked. Then it was his turn to facehoof. "You're still scared of girls. Aren't you?"
"Terrified," agreed Flaming Star.
Fluttershy looked at Flaming Star curiously. Then she moved up and gave him a hug. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" she said quietly.
Flaming Star nodded. "That wasn't so bad. But you're Fluttershy! Twilight is a little bit more pushy than that."
"Are you calling my wife a push-over?" asked Sunset cynically.
"No. I am calling your wife awesome," said Flaming Star, raising his voice a little, "And I really don't want to talk about what is going on between Twilight and me."
"It would be a good idea if you did," murmured Fluttershy.
"I agree," said Sunset, almost apologetically, "If you are having problems, you should talk about it. Fluttershy and I are always here to give you advice if you need it."
"Okay…" sighed Flaming Star, calming down as well, "I do need a bit of advice now…"
"Okay," said Sunset, "What do you want to know?"
Flaming took a deep breath. "Well, how do you think I should go about apologizing, without giving her the idea that I want to have a foal?"
"Just tell her you are sorry," said Sunset simply, "If you love her, and she loves you, an earnest apology will fix things. However, as for the second part… I have no idea how to keep her from thinking that."
Flaming Star groaned. "Aw man… Did you guys ever have this problem?"
"No," said Sunset, who couldn't help but smile a bit, "We did not. It sort of just happened. However, I can tell you that we did not regret it."
Flaming Star sighed loud and long. Then he nodded his head. "Okay. I suppose I might as well get it over with. See you two later."
Fluttershy, Starlight, and Sunset smiled and then began to make their way to their house.
"I do hope that Flaming Star and Twilight get their problems sorted out," sighed Sunset, "It would burn me up inside if they break up."
"They won't, don't worry," said Fluttershy, "I know them both. They love each other."
"Mommy? Daddy? Who's that?" piped up Starlight.
"Hmmm? Who is what?" said Sunset, looking up. Then he noticed the pony lying on his doorstep like a discarded piece of paper. He was just lying there, breathing faitly.
"Oh my gosh," breathed Sunset. He rushed up to him and rolled him over. He put his right ear to his chest and listened. He was indeed breathing, but he was out cold. He then looked up at the ponies face. He looked somewhat familiar…
"Sunset…" whispered Fluttershy, "Look at his cutie mark…"
"Why does that have to sound so feministic…" muttered Sunset as he glanced at the cutie mark. His voice caught in his throat. It was the infinity sign. He was a Dimensional Traveler. Then it all clicked. He knew this pony's face. This was Desmond Butler. However, if Desmond Butler was here… then where was Emilee Walter?
Icy claws of fear gripped Sunset's stomach as he considered the worst possible scenario. At this moment, Desmond let out a groan. He opened his eyes groggily.
"What… the… hell?" he gasped. He got up, fell over backwards, and then tried to get up again.
"Hey, take it easy Desmond!" exclaimed Sunset, "You were out cold. You will feel a bit disoriented."
"What… who… where?" Desmond looked around quickly, totally unsure of his surroundings.
"Desmond, calm down. We are your friends. Tell me… where is Emilee Walter? Where is your friend," said Sunset slowly.
At the sound his Emilee's name, Desmond stiffened as all of his memories came flooding back. A single tear rolled from his eyes and fell to the ground. Light danced through it as it spiraled, almost like in slow-motion, through the air.
That was all Sunset needed to see. "Come inside," he said sadly.
Note: I hope Starlight Amber's maturation was not too accelerated. However, it has been a year, so she should be fine now. I generally base aging and the learning curve off of human parameters, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review! You leave a review, and I might get Sherlock Holmes to sign an autograph for you. Man, that guy is awesome. I cannot wait to write more about him...