//------------------------------// // Miserably Ever After // Story: Jewel Of Nightmares // by Darksonickiller //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Miserably Ever After It was three days till Rainbow woken from her slumber, at times while Twilight and her friends tended to the sleeping mare. They tried to be cautious and let her rest as soundly as can be, only to find each little creak of the floor, every light step of their hooves, any little thing that seemed out of place startled their sleeping friend. Causing Rainbow to jump at them in a frenzy with full intent to kill whomever disturbed her, at times even Twilight found it difficult to contend with this change in her friend. The only one of them who found little to no challenge in dealing with Rainbow, just happened to be Pinkie Pie. Yet even still she had her complaints, “Do any of you know how hard it is to dodge darts at the last minute?” She groaned while digging into her mane and pull out a sharpened elongated bone, “Where is she even hiding these things?” She shouted before curling up to whimper her following question, “And how does she know where to throw them without looking?” “I have to agree with Pinkie on this darling.” Rarity sighed as she tried to remove some strange substance from her mane, “You say she’s been sleeping this whole time, yet she’s clearly booby trapped that room. I took one step into there and found myself…” Blushing she lowered her head, “well Spike found me before going to get you for help, and I’d rather not talk about it.” “At least yours was just some gunk she got you caught up in with some embarrassment,” Applejack groaned as she tapped her hoof on the table, “I’ve lost three good apple barrels to her. And almost ended up on a cast. What all did she go through in that other world?” “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” Rainbow yawned as she walked into the room, “How long was I asleep?” “Three days.” Twilight replied as she walked up to Rainbow who only jumped back when Twilight came within hoof’s reach. Looking at Twilight and the others in shock, Rainbow cleared her throat as she rubbed her shoulder, “Y-yea, its been a long time and a lot has happened.” “Well it’s always bes-” Pinkie began to claim as she popped up out of nowhere only to be interrupted as Rainbow punched her in the face. As Pinkie Pie landed on the ground sobbing, Rainbow stood there unflinching as her pupils narrowed and her eyes shook. The sudden surprise from Pinkie caused Rainbow to flash back to the first shapeshifter she had faced, at the time it appeared like one of her friends happy and ready to greet her. But when her guard was down it vanished from Rainbow’s sight only to pop up as something horrifying, making every attempt to swallow her whole at every chance of every second it could. While in that world there were still some nights Rainbow would relive every horrid experience, all as she slept recalling how close she had always been to death. “Rainbow?” A faint voice ringed in her ear slowly pulling her out of her current state of mind, “Rainbow?” The voice called again this time much clearer, “Rainbow!” Twilight shouted tapping Rainbow on her shoulder causing her to tackle Twilight. “FUCKING SHAPESHIFTER!” Rainbow cried out as she tried to strangle Twilight. Without hesitation Applejack, Rarity, and Starlight struggled to separate Rainbow from Twilight while Fluttershy did what she could to assist Pinkie. “Rainbow we are your friends, you are home now.” Starlight groaned trying to hold Rainbow back, while Applejack and Rarity struggled to keep Rainbow from swinging her hooves. “When did she get this strong?” Aj asked as Rainbow’s hoof slipped through her grasp, “Oh nelly.” She shockingly claimed as Rainbow’s hoof swung back striking Applejack square in muzzle. As Applejack fell back holding her now bleeding nostrils, Rarity soon felt herself being flung around similar to a rag doll. As Rainbow tossed Rarity across the room, Twilight cast a spell to catch Rarity and set her down gently. Looking towards Rainbow, Twilight quickly cast a spell to teleport Starlight away from the rampaging mare. With the sensation of being touched gone, Rainbow stood there hyperventilating as her heart rate rushed faster than it ever had. No pony knew what to make of this outburst, or what to make of Rainbow’s sudden frozen state and shocked expression. “Rainbow?” Twilight softly called out as she calmly walked to the now sweating mare, “Rainbow it's us, your friends. You came back three days ago and passed out after an outburst towards Princess Luna, you just woke up after sleeping for three days.” Slowly Rainbow began to come out of her fractured state of mind as tears rolled down her face, “It’s okay Rainbow, you’re home now, you’re safe among friends and loved ones.” Looking around the room Rainbow took in the devastation she caused to her friends, “Fuck me.” Rainbow sobbed as she looked at the friends she harmed and scared, “Twilight, I’m so sorry. I-I don’t know what came over me.” “Well darling,” Rarity softly spoke while keeping her distance, “why don’t you tell us what you remember happening just now.” “A shapeshifter popped up out of nowhere, it was like my first time facing one of them all over again.” Rainbow sobbed as she sat down, “But this time there was five of them, when normally they hunt alone. One startled me so I punched it, another tried to grab me and I didn’t have my runes so I tried to strangle it. But more just kept coming at me, they were going to eat me.” Looking at the others Rainbow slowly buried her face into her hooves, “But that’s not what happened is it?” Twilight held out her hoof to Rainbow letting her make the choice of what to do next, “Rainbow are you alright?” Twilight asked as she tried to make sense of what had just transpired. “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME!?” Rainbow cried out as she backed up to the wall, “I don’t understand what just happened, I know I was here and then I was there, and now I’m back here again.” Laying next to the wall Rainbow continued to cry as the others looked at her with pained expressions, “Come on egghead you know things, please tell me what’s going on.” All of them stood there in silence unsure of what was wrong or even how to move forward from this point. “I-I don’t know.” Twilight claimed as she turned away in shame, “I really wish I did, but I don’t know what’s wrong.” Several days had passed since Rainbow’s outburst, and with each passing day she only seemed to grow worse and worse. At first her outbursts seemed to show signs of being controllable, that Rainbow could keep a tight lid on the way she acted out and how she acted out towards what triggered her. In the end it only appeared that the steps they had tried taking only seemed to make matters worse. Sure they had talked about all she had been through, Rainbow had learned how to cope with what she had gone through and how it affected her now. But even still she found it hard to get a handle on everything as it was. The chaos and horrors she had come to accept as part of her life, now instantaneously exchanged for peace, harmony, and pretty things. On the darkest night to have struck Ponyville, Rainbow ran out of her home in Cloudsdale with a crazed look upon her face. The darkness reminding her of that stalker constantly hunting her down. “Come on!” Rainbow cried out waking those close enough to hear her, “I know you’re out there, I’m ready to die if you are!” She laughed expecting to face that glowing white bitch once more. Twelve ponies were harmed that evening by Rainbow Dash alone, the first three had been attacked when they went to yell at her for causing such a disturbance. The last nine had come in reactions to screams, and were injured in their attempt to restrain Rainbow Dash from harming any other ponies. She was finally stopped when Applejack and Twilight managed to step in, Applejack had her front right leg broken and Twilight learned how threatening Rainbow was with her use of runes. The following morning Rainbow woke up behind a barrier in Twilight’s castle, the only thing she recalled from the night before was a fight with several creatures like her stalker. All of them hungry for her flesh and eager to take her down. When she saw how badly damaged Twilight and Applejack were, she cried in horror as she pieced together what had really happened. “Please,” Rainbow sobbed to them as she pressed herself against the wall of the barrier, “send me back to that world. Things are so much simpler there, I know what to expect, I know what could come after me. I don’t know what’s real here and what’s just my mind playing tricks on me.” As her tears dripped from her cheeks Rainbow cried as she continued to beg, “I can’t keep going through life like this, please send me back there.” “We can’t.” Twilight groaned as she rubbed her leg, unable to make eye contact with her troubled friend, “Princess Luna tossed it back into the dream realm where she found it.” With a sigh she sat down keeping her back to Rainbow, “She said that she tossed it so far that not even she can find it again.” Twilight did her best to hide the shame she now felt, fearing she had failed her friend. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Discord’s voice chuckled from out of nowhere, “I had heard of such a thing that existed in another world, but never thought I would see it first paw or claw. Whichever I’m going to be holding out in your time of need.” As he popped into the room Twilight sat in, he bowed to the two ponies as he faintly nugged Fluttershy towards them, “We were having tea at Fluttershy’s place when she told me all about what had happened, and through I find this quite entertaining.” Discord groaned as he rolled his eyes before smiling, “But Fluttershy asked me to help in anyway I can, and so far I’d have to agree with your troubled friend. Sending her back could solve all problems.” “Discord!” Fluttershy shouted as she stomped her hoof, “That is not the kind of help I was talking about, and you know it.” Clearing his throat Discord blushed at the fuming yellow mare, “Yes well…” He groaned tugging at his neck like a collar, “it was only a simple suggestion. Another solution would be to let me take her to my home in the lands of chaos, there I’m sure I can help get her back on track.” As the mares looked at him with suspicion, Discord snapped his fingers, “I think I can help, look I even have a book on the matter. And here it recommends Electroshock Therapy to help reset her brain right he-” He paused only to groan and speak under his breath, “wait, no, this is for schizorenia, schizophonia, schizo-something that sounds made up to me. Okay so that book is a bust, but I’m sure I can help her.” Before anypony could respond they soon heard the tapping of Rainbow’s false leg as she paced back and forth, “Are you sure that you can handle me, and help me?” Rainbow sobbed as she tried to make sense of what she now knew. “As sure as I am that your leg is about to break.” Discord claimed holding up his right claw with his two outer fingers folded in, and the two inner fingers pointed straight up. “My wha-” Rainbow began to ask as she took one more step only for the old bone to crack under her weight, “MOTHER FUCKER!” Rainbow shouted as she used her remaining back leg to dive towards Discord, “I’m going to rip out your spine, and use it as a pitching wedge. Then I’m going to remove your guts and entrails, and craft your corpse into a meat toboggan so I can ride your sorry mix-matched-misshapen-ass into the lowest depths of Tartarus.” Rainbow ranted and raved as her friends stared at each other and Rainbow in shock, as she went into horrifying details about what she intended to do to Discord for his lack of action. “Right, should have done something about that.” Discord blushed as everypony now glared at him and his lack of action, “Okay, okay I’ll fix it.” He groaned snapping his fingers together, with a faint flash of light Rainbow’s false leg turned into a candy cane, “There, now if she’s ever hungry she has a snack.” Rainbow cursed the spirit of disharmony as she continued to threaten how he’d need a colostomy bag when she was done. “Discord.” Fluttershy faintly scolded as she tapped his thigh. “Fine.” He sighed snapping his fingers again turning it into a sturdy piece of mahogany, “So Ms. Dash, care to take a chance and let me try and help you?” Discord asked the slowly claming mare as she began to heave and pant, having now spent her energy and making her voice sound more raw than before. Looking around her confinement Rainbow rubbed the tears that slowly began to form in her eyes, “I don’t have much of a choice, egghead can’t help me though I know she tries.” Slowly Twilight opened a hole in the barrier allowing Rainbow to step out, “And I can’t keep living like this, I don’t know when I’ll snap and lose control, and there’s no telling if my friends will ever make it in time to stop me. I could have killed somepony with my last outburst, there’s nothing to say I won't with the next one.” Walking up to Discord she wrapped her hooves around his right leg, “If you can help me then I’ll take the help.” Looking around the room Discord looked at every pony only to sigh, “Very well,” Raising his right hand he prepared to snap his fingers, “just please do remember you made this choice to come with me. There is no telling when you’ll be able to return home to everypony, or if you can return. This is a whole new experience for both of us, I just happen to have the magic to better understand your situation.” Rainbow sobbed as she nodded and gave a faint farewell to her friends, leaving Equestria with Discord hoping for the best while only expecting the worst.