//------------------------------// // Chapter II - A Life In A Nightmare // Story: A Secret Never Told // by NightmaresKiss //------------------------------// A Secret Never Told By NightamresKiss Chapter II – A Life In A Nightmare Rainbow Dash woke up with a start. Her face was covered in sweat and tears. Her sight was blurry, and she could barely see. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her bloodshot eyes with her hoofs. Now her vision was coming back, and she could see her room. Her little bedroom in her cloud house. The walls were decorated by posters of the Wonderbolts, ribbons and medals from several competitions, including her prize from the best young flier competition and pictures of her and her best friends. She looked to her left. Her tiny night table was covered in tissues. Several empty bottles lay on the floor, and almost every furniture in her room was out of place. The night before Rainbow had had a fit of rage, and she had taken it out on her bedroom. The only thing unharmed was her mirror that was standing in the right corner of the room. It was an oval mirror with an oak frame. She looked around the room, trying to remember what had happened last night. She thought backwards, but she really didn't want to know what had happened. She slowly got out of bed and walked to the wall with the pictures. Her feet felt heavy, and she had a hard time walking. The wall was almost covered in photos. Some were framed, some were not. She looked at them all, but her glance stopped on one particular picture. It was from the day of the Running of the Leaves. Rainbow and Applejack stood together after they had ran through the forest. They were laughing together, and they looked happier than ever. Rainbow couldn't look away from the picture, but every second she looked at it made the felling inside her hurt even more. Just the sight of Applejack's face made Rainbow's stomach twist. She felt sick, but she wouldn't look away. It was now three days since the accident on the hilltop. Three days of living in a nightmare. Three nights of Rainbow having the same dream. The dream were they fell together, in each others arms. Rainbow looked away from the picture, she turned around and closed her eyes. How she wished she could have fallen with her. Instead of standing there, watching her fall. Rainbow had never picked up the courage to go over to her, and tell Applejack how she felt. So when the cliff cracked and Applejack fell down, Rainbow was a safe distance away. The moment it happened seemed like all hell had broken loose in Equestria. It was the worst thing that Rainbow could imagine. The screams Applejack cried. She could not get the screams out of her head. The screams of terror, and the cries for help. Rainbow had been in shock, she couldn't move. She just stood there, watching as Applejack fell to her death. She didn't do anything but watch. And she loathed herself for it. The screams seemed so distant, but still so close. The screams echoed in her head. Not just Applejack's voice, but she heard her own voice too. Her own voice shouting inside her own head. “WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY TO SAVE HER!” Shouted the voice in her head. “I don't know” Answered Rainbow in a feeble voice. She walked toward her mirror, looking at herself with disgust. It was like she saw a different pony, and she didn't even want to look at it. She was a mess. Her mane was uncombed and pointing in every direction and her tail had only seen better days. Her eyes were blood red and sadness was in her expression. She wiped a tear from her cheek with her hoof, as she stared deeply into the mirror. She hated the being in that mirror with a passion. The pony in the mirror stared back at her. “You could have tried” said the pony in the mirror. “Why didn't you try?” “I don't know” Answered Rainbow in the same feeble voice, yet in an angrier tone. “You could have tried, and died with her” said the pony. “You just stood there and let her fall”. She stared into Rainbow's eyes with a piercing glance without uttering a single word. After a few seconds, the pony in the mirror shouted with rage in her voice “WHY DIDN'T YOU DIE WITH HER?!” “I DON'T KNOW!” Shouted Rainbow at the pony in the mirror. She grabbed the lamp on her night table and threw it as hard as she could at the mirror. “CRUSH!” The mirror shattered in hundreds of small pieces. Every piece fell to the floor. A small glint on the sun through her window shined in every piece. Nothing was left but the frame of the mirror. Rainbow fell to the floor sobbing. “Why did this have to happen?” “Why did I get to live?” “Why do I have to live through this nightmare?” Rainbow laid on the floor for what felt like hours and the tears seemed never ending. She had no control over herself as she wept. Her voice became hoarse and her cries softened a bit. After some time she became quiet. She laid on the floor with her eyes closed. She started seeing pictures in her head, pictures of Applejack. Then memories started to pass by in front of her eyes. Happy memories of her and Applejack. A smile erupted on her face, but soon it disappeared. The moment when Applejack fell started playing in her mind. She was forced to watch it. The same moment happened over and over again in her head. “Make it stop! Make it stop!” Rainbow sobbed loudly. She was still lying there, haunted by her thoughts. “She will never know the truth” Rainbow said in a low whisper, silent tears running down her cheeks. She tried to stop thinking. Tried to calm her mind. But her thoughts kept coming back to her, until she fell into an uneasy sleep.