"N-nothing!" I said, my voice shaking afraid.
Rainbow Dash just stared at me, her magenta eyes still piercing into my own and she finally said slowly.
"If you did nothing... than... WHY AM I REAL!?"
I shrunk back on the couch, her angry voice scaring me. I didn't mean to make her real... I don't even think I knew how to do that. Maybe it was the TV? It was really old.
"I don't know, Rainbow Dash..." I said eventually. She just stared at me, her eyes swelling more pony tears around them, and I continued, still afraid of this conscious cartoon. "I don't know how you are real now. Maybe... maybe it was the telly...?"
The blue pony sighed when I said that, nodding her head a little reluctantly.
"I was hoping it wasn't that..." she said back sadly. A tear streamed down her cheek and she looked at me once more, before turning her body around slightly and looking at the white static that surrounded her.
"But... but... shouldn't you be happy...?" I asked, my voice quaky and afraid to ask this pony anything.
"Should I be...?" she responded, not looking at me. She wiped her cheek with her hoof roughly, and folded her wings together closer. It was clear she wanted to fly but was stuck in that tiny static space, not able to move at all.
"Yes...?"
"Thanks, kid... but no... I'm not happy..." she finally said.
In a flash of lights from the TV, that lit up the whole room, I looked to see she was gone and all that was left was the white static that existed on it own.
"Rainbow...?" I stuttered, so confused. Why had she disappeared? Where had she gone? I stood up, creeping up to the television and tapping the glass screen. When my finger tip tapped it for the third time, lost in why there was only nothing, the TV switched off by itself and I stiffened right up. I let out a little peep of a scream, before running back to my room and throwing the covers over me.
I lay in my bed, my body frozen and stiffening up. Not moving, not even blinking. Until I forced my eyes closed and soon darkness came.
I dreamt of wild things that night. Yet none of them were remembered when I opened my eyes again in the morning. I lay there still frozen on my bed. Laying on my back in exhaustion as I woke to the dawning day, and could hear humming around the house.
I stiffened for a moment, thinking it was Rainbow Dash's voice again from the darkness of the world before. But no, it was granny's.
I got out of my bed, and looked around. The house was dusty and cold... even in this heat. I thought wood houses were meant to heat up quickly?
I pulled my curtains and the blasting sunlight burned my eyes as it exploded into the room and lit every inch of it up.
I rubbed my blue eyes in pain.
After I had gotten dressed, I crept out of my room and stood nervously in the hallway. I looked back and forth, before straight on to where the living room door was. It was still ajar from last night.
The humming could still be heard, coming from the kitchen, and I sighed as I walked away, through the dining room to the old woman.
Granny was over the stove, stirring something in a pot. She turned when she heard my small footsteps and looked behind her to see me.
My blonde hair was in tangles around my shoulders and down my back and she just laughed a little at the state at me. And my slightly bloodshot eyes.
"Did you get enough sleep last night missy? It's twelve o clock in the day."
"It... it is?" I said in a peep. She nodded her head, giggling a little and got a scoop from a dish rack to her side. She scooped up some of the sticky white goo she had been cooking, and I watched, wide eyed as she plopped it into a bowl. I stuck out my tongue, not liking the look of it and she said with a giggle.
"It's porridge, silly."
"Porridge...?" I said disgusted. I suddenly tightened up in myself, afraid I had insulted but Granny just laughed.
"Yes. Porridge. Good for the heart." she said with a little wrinkle of her nose and she slid the bowl down the kitchen counter towards me.
I waited a second, before sticking my finger in and tasting it. It tasted like sticky clumpy goo.
I swallowed it down. I knew I had to eat it, no matter how much I didn't want too.
I obeyed sadly, and took it away.
Though my mind was lingering on Rainbow Dash, the whole time I ate it.
X
After I had finished the yucky goo, and had gotten dressed into normal clothes- A pretty yellow dress with white sleeves- I went back into the living room and stood at the door, just staring at the television in the distance. The room was alive with creaking sounds, and the beaming light from the blasting sun outside. I took a few steps towards the TV. Walking on the wooden floor in a way that, if I made one bad misstep, I could fall right through and die. I reached the screen, and pressed the on button... but the strangest thing happened.
The TV didn't switch on.
I skewed a confused look, and pressed it again.
"Come on, TV..." I mumbled to myself. I looked back and forth, in case anyone was watching and whispered into it quietly. "Rainbow Dash...? Are you still there...?" I whispered even quieter. "Are you controlling the TV?"
I pressed the on button a few more times when suddenly white static flashed on the screen for a minute before a voice, a familiar pony's voice, screamed at me.
"GO AWAY!"
I stumbled back terrified, tripping over onto my bottom, and I looked up to catch a whiff of blue in the static, before the telly switched off again and all was silent.
I was breathing frantically in and out, looking at the grey blank screen and nearly had tears in my eyes. Didn't she like me anymore...? Was she not my friend?
I whispered to the turned off TV, standing up and slamming my little foot forward afraid. "Well, f-fine, Rainbow D-Dash!"
I had tears welling up around my eyes and I cried determined. "I thought we were friends! But c-clearly... we're not!"
I stormed towards the door when the TV flashed on again and Rainbow peeped out in a quick afraid voice.
"Wait!"
I spun around, and saw her looking at me, with a bruises on her body. I blinked confused and she only muttered, pain in her voice and tears in her eyes.
"You were hurting me."
"I... I..." I stuttered out, so confused.
"I felt jabbing in my sides, when you were doing something to the TV just then... and it was hurting."
"All I was d-doing," I said, swallowing down my quaky words and getting stable again. But feeling scared that I had caused her pain. "Was pressing the on button."
"It hurt." Rainbow said. She sat in that static... the dark bruises on parts of her body and I wiped my tears. I felt so bad just then and begged to ask.
"I-I... I didn't mean it."
"I know... just don't touch the TV... it hurts when you do..."
"Okay..." I said, confused. I was still standing at the door and she was still watching me from the screen... in pain.
"Anna."
I froze up when I heard that voice from behind me, and Rainbow's eyes widened, before the TV screen flicked off again. I swung my head around and up to see my granny was looking at me concerned and worried.
"Who were you talking to?"
"Rainbo-" I stopped myself from finishing my sentence, as my granny looked at me and she said to me, slowly.
"Who?"
"Oh... no one..."
"An imaginary friend, me thinks?" my granny said with a cheeky smile and I looked at her, my eyes wide and terrified.
"She's not imaginary!"
"Honey... maybe you should stay away from the TV..."
"N-no..." I said quickly, my voice shaking in terror at that. "I imagine my friend all over the house... not j-just in the TV."
"Really...?" my granny said slowly. Folding her arms and I nodded my head again quickly.
"Uh huh... I- I swear." I said, and nearly crossed my heart, but didn't... as I didn't want to lie completely and swear an oath on it.
"Okay." my granny said, with a wink and twinkle in her eyes. As if I was just playing imaginary games like an other little child she had known.
She looked over at the TV in the distance, and said, still with a warm smile on her face.
"You know it was your grandfather who made that TV, back in the sixties."
"R-really...?" I said, confused. She nodded her head with a cheeky giggle and continued, ruffling up my blonde hair with her old wrinkly hand.
"Yup, made seven of them... though they kept malfunctioning so... we usually had to stop using them."
"But this one is fine!" I said, flipping out nearly at the thought of granny getting rid of this one and of Rainbow Dash.
"Oh I know... well I don't know... see, I only bought it down from the attic a couple of days ago, for you to use... hoping it would be the lucky one that didn't malfunction." she looked at me slowly, as she asked suspiciously. "Has it been turning on for you alright this morning?"
"Y-yes..." I said quickly. If I told her Rainbow was alive in it now, and that she felt what the TV felt... granny might just get rid of it soon.
"Y'know..." Granny said to me, and I stared up at her, my pale blue eyes still wide and alert for whatever else I needed to know. "That TV is battery powered. Not the stupid electric powered ones people still seem to have. It can be taken anywhere... he made so it would take six A4 batteries. He was a genius."
"I guess so..." I said. I didn't know... my grandfather died before I was born. My granny was eighty-five and seemed quite happy in herself... but she had rarely ever spoken about grandpa before now.
"I just put it down here a couple of days ago to replace his last one. But if it plays up in the slightest... let me know... okay...?"
"Y-yep..." I said, my body trembling at the thought of the TV dying... and Rainbow... d-dying-
No... I mustn't think of that. It would be too scary... too hopeless a situation.
I couldn't be a murderer... if she died because of me.
"Well... go outside, and play. And please, Anna," my granny said, shaking her head with a cheery disposition, "Stop talking to yourself. You'll worry the neighbors."
"O-okay..." I said... my voice trembling under my own weight of pressure to be a good child and obey my grandma. I hurried out of the room, and just stood at the end of the hall, watching her looking into the living room and at the same thing I had been enslaved to with my curious eyes.
When she turned her grey eyes to look my direction, I squeaked afraid, and ran off.
I wasn't sure what to do outside... besides explore the forest more. I headed deep into it... but as soon as I heard a howl of a wolf echo throughout the mountain region, I froze right up and ran all the way home.
My footsteps were heavy in the speed of the terrified sprint. I skidded across the hallway floor once I had arrived in the door, nearly tripping over myself. I stumbled to regain composure and ran out to the kitchen to see my granny was drinking some tea and looking out to the blustering leaves on the trees outside.
"Granny! You have wolves!"
"Oh yes... be sure to not wonder to far from the house, Anna."
"YOU HAVE WOLVES?!" I said again in terror and she just giggled.
"They're just big dogs, Anna."
I nearly fainted when she said that, she looked at me with a wryly grin and I headed for the living area to drop down on the cushy couch and forget what I just heard.
But as I went to open the door, I found it was locked.
My eyes popped wide opened and I said to my granny in a weak scared voice.
"G-granny...?"
"Yes...?"
"Why is the living room l-locked?"
I could hear her steadying herself in the distance as she eventually came into the hallway and looked at me with an amused look.
"Why do you want to go in there so much?"
"B-b-b-"
"B-b-because...?"
"Because... I want to... sit down..." I half lied. I wanted to see Rainbow Dash again too.
"I think you need to stay away from that room for a while, Anna," my granny said slowly, looking at me with quiet, distant now, eyes.
"Why...?"
"I don't want to have to repeat myself, Anna." my granny said, crossing her arms and her eyebrows lowered dangerously. "I don't want you to get scared... I just want you to listen to me and trust me."
I looked at her, slowly... feeling the 'scared' approach me now even more than before.
"O-okay..." I obeyed, feeling really scared now. She smiled at me warmly.
"Okay... I have a nice cushy seat in the conservatory if you want to sit down. I go there to read books."
"Okay."
"You'll be allowed back in there. Soon."
"Okay..." I mumbled, my voice getting wimpier and wimpier, quieter and quieter with every time I said that word and my granny just winked at me. Replying quietly back.
"Okay..."