With only my feet thudding on the ground and my rasping breath, the streets were silent.
I ran and ran, with my backpack thudding against my back. My hair had long ago come out of its elastic, and it was flying like a banner across my back. The wind streamed through it.
See her run, its chocolate color called. See her flee.
Did I care where I was going? No. I didn't care. Couldn't care.
I hate myself. Hate hate hate. When did my life get so out of control? And how come I only noticed it just now?
Tears blinded my vision and my heart thudded, eerily fast. Still I ran, through alley ways, across streets full of traffic, through a mall and across parks. I ran and ran and ran.
It was so pitiful. I was so pitiful.
All of a sudden, I felt a burning sensation on my chest. It was burning. No, scalding. I pulled myself to a stop. My feet crunched on sand. I tripped.
Agh! Owowowowow! I screamed silently as the burning intensified. I pulled the pendent out of my shirt. The cause of the horrible burning. There was a small, blistered welt on my cheat already. It stung spitefully, as the pendent started to glow.
Stupid neckla-
I stopped. I heard the crashing of waves. The smell of the sea salt. The coarse feel of the silky sand beneath me.
Oh no. Not here. Anywhere but here. I looked up and winced. Not the beach.
"No. Please. Not here." I told the pendent.
Great. I thought. You've gotten in a fight, run away from school, again, and now you're talking to a necklace. Just great.
Memories filled my head.
No. Please no.
I shut my eyes as tightly as I could. Nononono.
And yet, the name still sprang into my head. The unicorn. Some fake, imaginary unicorn friend, one that I haven't even spoken of for more than six years. The one that ruined
my childhood and the rest of my life.
"Tempera Glow." I whispered. The pendent started to burn in my hand again.
I started to walk, on a path I knew all too well. One I have not even been on for almost seven years. The one to the beach cave. The sand crunched under my shoes. The pendent glowed and burned. I shivered in the afternoon sun.
I could see it ahead. It was high tide, so, lifting the hem of my stupid skirt, I waded to the cave, which was above water, but hidden by the steep rock face that towered over it to form Redcliffe Point. It was a secret. Only discovered fully the day the policemen found me, but still mostly kept under wraps to stop it being like, a gang hideout or something. Or where little girls get kidnapped.
I stopped at the mouth of the cave. The white gem glowed fiercely. It was time to find out what was real from the beginning.
I stepped inside.
Memories exploded from me. A six year old me was sitting here, drawing with a white and blue coated, red maned unicorn filly. Here we were again, this time we were talking. And here we were. Exchanging gifts. I looked at the pendant in my hand. Amulet, now.
She... she was real.
I remembered talking about Cutie Marks; Pegasi. Equestria.
I miss you so much. I'm sorry Temp, but why did you never come back?
The peace was broken when I heard shouts in the distance.
"Caaaaasssssssssssssandraaaa! Cassandra! Where are you?"
Oh no. Why here? Already people were looking for me.
I can't be caught again. Help me! I screamed silently, turning around on the spot.
I looked around frantically for another exit. There had to be one! Why wasn't there an exit?
I slipped on a green strand of seaweed still on the floor, still soggy from the last high tide. I cried out, dreading that the people heard it.
Calm down! Try to remember... I'm pretty sure I talked about this once...
I sat up on the soggy floor and thought back to the time, seven years ago, when I was discussing it with Temp.
********
"How do you get out of here? Is the portal to Equestria in here?" Cassie asked the unicorn thoughtfully.
"Yep. Its in here. In the back of the cave, see?" she said, guesturing with her hoof.
Cassie saw a shimmering piece of rock.
"Is that it? You just walk through it?"
"Yep, sure is." Tempera Glow said, swishing her stubby filly tail.
"That seems too easy..." said Cassie skeptically.
"Well, you also have to either have been to Equestria or have something from Equestria. Its to keep y'know... outsiders away."
"Oh. I thought so."
********
It was the only way. I was trapped.
I sped along to the wall, and saw it was still sparkling.
Would I? Tempera would take me in, if I could find her. That was the original plan. I even had something from Equestria. I held up the glowing amulet. It was meant to be, right?
But I never got the chance to ponder that thought, as I heard people walk into the entrance of my cave. I heard my mothers worried voice. She was crying.
"She has to be here. Th-this was the cave we found her in when she ran away from school the first time."
"Are you sure?" asked a different voice, male this time.
"Cassie?" cried my mother.
The exact same tone seven years ago. Sounding heartbroken, but also like she couldn't care less at the same time. It was puzzling.
But wait, did that mean-
Did they ever even want to find me?
They walked closer to me. I heard them, and froze.
I watched as my mother's eyes widened as she saw me.
"Cassie... there you are! Oh thank god you're safe..." she said as she stepped toward me.
"I'm so sorry..." I whispered to her. Her face fell.
"What do you mean? Cassie...?"
I looked at her for a second, wondering. Wondering why.
"Not this time." I told her.
Without a second thought, I turned around and leaped through the sparkling rock. My hair stood on end. There was a bright flash.
What have I done?
And I fell into darkness.