//------------------------------// // Nine Months Later... // Story: The Adventures of The Dash // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// About Nine Months Later… It was about nine months later (round about and approximately a very rough estimation) when Rainbow Dash finally woke up from her coma at last. “Hey Spitfire,” a boy’s voice said (the first thing that she heard and later on could even remember and recall), “Come over here now, I think that she’s finally waking up, I mean her eyelids are moving, and now she’s making some kind of strange unusual face at me, oh, I think that she’s just waking up.” “The face isn’t that odd when you consider it and compare it to yourself,” a girl said back to the boy who stood over her (or so she assumed, and she was right, he was leaning over her bed even if she hadn’t opened her eyes to see yet). That was the second thing that she remembered and later on recalled, but not the last and certainly not the most important or relevant piece of information. “You take back right now,” the boy said. “Never,” the girl said, “And you can’t make me either.” “Alright,” the boy said, “Fine then, you win this time, but next time I’ll get you.” Rainbow Dash groaned as she very slowly got up from her bed. “Hey there, easy,” the boy said putting his arms behind her back and gently easing her back down on the bed to rest, “You just suffered a major injury and you need to rest, but do you think that you can open your eyes now?” Rainbow Dash did so and saw a blue skinned boy with blue hair and green eyes and he was smiling at her very kindly, “My name is Soarin,” he said, “And it’s finally nice to see you awake, it sure has been quite a while you know.” “How long was I out?” Rainbow Dash groaned as she tried to get up. “Nine months,” Soarin said, “That lightning bolt really did a number on you and ever since then you’ve been here with us under our care.” “And where is here exactly?” Rainbow Dash groaned. “STORM Labs,” the girl said coming over and she noted that she had yellowish skin with fiery orange hair and golden eyes, “The name’s Spitfire, and it’s also nice to finally see you awake, and I’m sure that you have a lot of questions, but don’t worry, we will try to answer them, and Lightning Dust as well too.” “Wait,” Rainbow Dash said, “Lightning Dust? Isn’t she a scientist?” “Yes, she is, but she’s also the one who was so kind and generous enough to take care of you when no one else would,” Spitfire said with a slight smile. “And why would that be exactly? Couldn’t the doctors do that?” “No, they couldn’t, they didn’t know what was happening with you.” “It was only a lightning bolt, I mean it wasn’t like it was anything special or unique or different, right?” Rainbow Dash said grinning at them. “Right?” she said nervously when they didn’t answer her for quite some long time. “No, it was all that, the lightning bolt wasn’t natural, it was caused by the explosion of the particle accelerator, and ever since the night of the accident you have been unconscious, and of course you have been here for a while too.” “Well then, that’s just great,” Rainbow said to Spitfire, “But what about school? What about Celestia and Luna and the whole entire school? What happened?” “They’re all fine,” she said, “It’s just you that we have to worry about now, but since you’re awake now I guess that things will start to change again.” “Yeah, I guess that they will now, won’t they?” Rainbow Dash said. “Yes, for one Lightning Dust is going to be very pleased when she hears this.” “You keep on mentioning her, but where is she exactly?” Rainbow Dash said. “Out on her business as usual, she does have important things and stuff to do,” Soarin said as he idly tossed a rubber ball into the air repeatedly. “Stop that,” Spitfire said taking the ball away from him at once. “Hey,” he said, “Give that back to me right now, it’s not just a toy you know, it also helps me concentrate and focus just like your music can and does too.” “I know that,” she said, “But you need to find something else that’s completely different before it’s too late, we wouldn’t want you becoming addicted to this thing, now would we? After all, something bad could happen to it.” “You wouldn’t dare,” Soarin said with a very friendly playful growl. “Oh you never know, I just might,” she said very playfully. “When are you two ever going to stop fighting?” A very familiar voice suddenly said, and Rainbow Dash slowly lifted her head to see that it was Lightning Dust that stood there with a look of not quite hate, but very mild anger instead. “I see that Rainbow Dash here is awake now, that is very good, but tell me this, have you told her about the night of the particle accelerator accident yet? How about the lightning bolt? What about these labs, anything about them yet?” “Calm down and relax Lightning, we told her about the lightning strike that resulted from your particle accelerator explosion and the accident that night, but we haven’t explained to her anything about these labs of to what was the full extent of the damage caused that night, yet,” Soarin said. “Very well then, I shall,” she said stepping closer so that Rainbow Dash could see her from pillow without lifting her head, “Welcome to STORM Labs." “Don’t you mean START Labs?” Rainbow Dash said very weakly. Lightning Dust smiled very slightly, “That’s what I want everyone including the news and media to believe we are, but in truth and reality, who we really are and what we truly do are very completely different things. So as you can see even I have my secrets, but this one I will gladly share, the name of START Labs was just a ruse to hide the truth about what we really did of course. But what did we really do? Well the clue and hint to that is within the name, STORM Labs stands for this; The Scientific and Technological Organization of Research and Magic. And that is our real true name and what we really do.” “But there’s no such thing as magic…” Rainbow Dash said very weakly. “But isn’t there?” Lightning Dust said still smiling very slightly, “I can assure you that there is just despite what you may or may not have read in a book, and honestly, who’s to ever really say that there isn’t a thing such as magic? Your teachers? Your parents? The government? No, they won’t ever do at all. The only person that can decide what you really truly believe is yourself. Besides, I have seen evidence in the past of magic, I mean I get, or rather I listen in onto phone calls that have anything strange or mysterious or odd or unusual in them, oh, and also videos too as well. In fact sometimes I don’t need all my resources if I just so happen to spot it on someone as I did quite some time ago with three very strange mysterious girls that were definitely unusual and odd. But come now, their story shall not be told now or ever because I didn’t ever get their magic. And also you must know this Rainbow Dash, magic is just science that we can’t explain yet. And we, well we are the ones that try to find it, contain it, bag and store it right here, and just forget about it and keep it locked up here forever so that it may stay far away from any hands that may want to use it for nefarious purposes because if there is one thing that I have learned and something that you should learn, it is never to trust people. You can only rely on yourself in the end, and in the end, that’s all that really truly matters because someday the person you like or care for or even love the most, the one that is your best friend or just a friend instead, they might turn on you, and then you’ll be in real serious trouble because now they are not your friend anymore, but now they are instead your worst enemy and also nightmare too, one that you must face and live with constantly and forever. And after that you’ll still never be the same as you used to be no matter what happens or changes because the scars and imprints they left on you would be far too deep to ever remove or erase, and they will always stay with you.” “That’s a very bleak view and outlook on the world and people in general.” “Some might say so, but I think it’s just a very realistic and objective point of view even if it just so happens to be very bleak and gray and dim and negative as other have said to me before many times over again,” she said. “Yes, well I see your point, but why do you have this perspective?” “My unique perspective is based upon my own life and influences just as everyone else, and just like you with your parents too I am sure enough.” “Please don’t mention my parents,” Rainbow Dash said trying to push away the thoughts and ideas and memories that all came back flooding her mind instantly. “I’m sorry, that was rude and harsh of me, but it is true, if you have a hard life then you’re more likely to be hard and cold and cruel just like I am, but I try not to let the past define me just as you shouldn’t, instead I always try to look forward to the future so I can imagine and see what it will be like then.” “Yeah, that’s what we all try to do here, move on and forward constantly and always, that’s basically our motto,” Soarin said trying to interject now. “Thank you for that Soarin, but I don’t need your comments and I can explain to her very well enough without your help, but I do still thank you very much.” And with that said Soarin looked down with some slight shame and Lightning continued to talk. “Now then,” she said “As I was trying to say we here at the labs don’t look back on the past and see our mistakes or failures, instead we see a process of learning and discovery, trial and error, but yes, Soarin did sum up our goals and quest here very well, but now our only goals and quests have to do with you because ever since that dreadful night I have been trying to fix my mistake, but that has been very hard to do ever since they shut down this place because it was a safety hazard to the public, but technically it still is operational even if I don’t have quite as many employees now, it’s just these two left, they decided to stay for some strange odd mysterious reason that even I can’t figure out still, which is of course unusual and very highly odd as well. But still I hope and pray and have faith that by saving and helping you out that I can eventually redeem myself, or at least start to travel down the pathway and road to that. But I can still see why you wouldn’t trust me after all that I and we have told you, and what other may and will surely tell you too as well. But if you want to help me out then you’ll stay here and do exactly as I ask, and for one thing to start off with we’ll need to run a few tests to make sure that you’re fit and good enough to actually walk and run and so on.” “Look guys I’m good,” Rainbow Dash said standing up from the bed, “Really I am, and I thank you for all your help and even though I’m not sure what this is or where it is exactly, or even what’s going on, I’m still pretty sure that you might and must be crazy Lightning Dust, but still, thanks for the help but I have to go home now, I’m sure that my friends will still be waiting for me too.” And with that said she started to walk away towards the exit (which just so happened to be a very clearly marked elevator that was literally just right in front of her), but before she reached it Lightning Dust spoke up again. “Be safe, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt after you’ve just woken up, and especially since it would look very bad for the both of us you know.” “Okay, fine then, I will,” Rainbow Dash said as the doors closed behind her. “Do you think that we should have stopped her?” Soarin said after she left. “No, she would have gone anyways, we’ll just have to wait for her to come back, and she will if she ever wants answers, but in the meantime we’ll just have to wait and see what happens to her, and as for myself, I am very anxious and excited to see what she might become,” Lightning Dust said smiling very deviously. And with that said the team went back to work once more again. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash pulled out her cell phone (which just so happened to still be intact after all this time) and amazingly she called a ride despite the fact that she had been struck with lightning, and yet it still worked out somehow. “Thanks for coming to take me,” she said to Celestia. “You’re welcome, but to be quite honest with you, I’m just glad that you’re finally awake and alive and safe again, there’s just so much for you to do now and so little time in which to do it, oh and also don’t you worry about school, I’ll find some way that you can make up the credits and still graduate on time.” “Thanks a lot,” Rainbow Dash said as Celestia drove her to her home. “I just wish that the others could see you here now, but don’t worry, by tomorrow I’m sure that I can have somebody plan a big party for all of us.” And with that said Rainbow Dash nodded because she was too tired to talk now for some strange mysterious reason, how odd and strange, she thought. (Many things would very soon become this way so please just remember this.) And then Rainbow Dash decided to go to sleep and rest after promising to talk to Celestia tomorrow, and of course she took time to joke by saying that she better not fall into another nine-month coma, but she wouldn’t, she would just dream instead, but what she would face would be far worse instead, memories.