//------------------------------// // Nothing Happened // Story: Spare Parts // by Crack-Fic Casey //------------------------------// “Are you sure about this?” Rainbow Dash lashed her tail irritably. “Ditzy, we’ve had this conversation twice. I’m even surer now than I was when we started.” Ditzy glanced down, and Rainbow bit her lip. “Look, I promise I’ll be as careful.” She paused. “Which isn’t super careful, because I’m letting an evil… you know, whatever in my brain, but still! Basically careful.” Ditzy used her Motherly Gaze™ on the other mare, which Rainbow managed to ignore through sheer practice. Spending most of her time around Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had allowed her to build up a limited immunity to maternal disapproval. “Look,” she said, “I’m sorry I’m disappointing you, but what do you want me to do? Everypony I know is going through this, and what kind of a friend would I be if I didn’t help?” Their gazes clashed, and eventually Ditzy looked away. "I get it," she said, "I really do, but..." Rainbow shifted in place as the grey mare chose her words. "look," she finally settled on, "promise me, whatever happens in there, you'll remember your friends are here for you. Okay?” Rainbow sighed. “Ditz, I promise.” Rainbow Dash breezed into the room with the casual gait of somepony who was committed to other ponies noticing her casual gait. “Alright, guys; who's ready to get this done?” The guards stared impassively at her. Rainbow flicked her ears and ignored them. “Whatever,” she grumbled. She strutted up to the podium and put a hoof on the Amulet. She felt a slight tingle under her hooves, but otherwise everything looked the same. “How long is this gonna take?” She asked expectantly. “No idea,” the one on the left replied. “It depends on the pony. For somepony as brave as you, it could be awhile before anything happens.” The sarcasm went a bit to high for Rainbow to catch. “Well, it’d better have something big planned. Like a dragon, or maybe an evil Princess Celestia!” The guard stayed silent, having apparently given up. Flicking her tail rudely, Rainbow picked the Amulet up and stared at the jeweled center, expecting a mesmerizing glow or perhaps a spiral. When none came, she poked it carefully. “Is it broken already? What’s taking it so long?”   Nothing happened. Rainbow frowned. “Think it just gave up?” she asked. When the guard didn’t respond, she turned around to complain some more, but they'd both left. Rainbow glanced around. The room was amazingly silent. She'd expected the background whir of the various magical sensors and traps, but the only thing she could hear was her heartbeat. Rainbow lifted the Amulet and whacked it against the podium a few times. Is it broken? she thought, not-at-all desperately. The room felt a lot more cramped than it had a moment ago. She tried to stretch her wings, but the tips of her feathers brushed against the walls. She stretched her legs, and unkinked her neck, and felt her head brush the ceiling.    “C’mon, what are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Show me a giant monster, or zomponies, or those weird plants with all the teeth! Do something!” Silence greeted her. “Hey Twi,” she shouted, “I think there’s something wrong with the thing! Can you let me out?” Nothing happened. Rainbow turned around and once again, tried too find the door. “Hello?” she shouted. “Is anypony there?” Nothing happened. Rainbow frowned. “Is this my nightmare?" she said, trying to scoff. "You’re boring me into submission? What kind of a lame fear is that?” Unable to find the door, she turned back to face the Amulet. Stuck to it was a small note that hadn’t been there before. It only held one short sentence. We are alone. Rainbow paced back and forth in the small room, as she had for days. It should be an easy test. She just had to do nothing; a task she had spent her entire life practicing. She'd already slept as much as she could, she could barely turn around, and worst of all she could stretch her wings all the way out. And there was the hunger too; not constant enough for her to adjust to but frequently enough that she felt like she was losing her mind. Rainbow tried to stretch her neck, and once again the top of her head bumped the ceiling. She ground her teeth together. “What are you waiting for?!” she snapped. “For me to let my guard down? Is this just a set-up for something? Are the walls gonna turn into spikes, or start to crush me or something?” There was no reply— the seamless walls simply reverberated her words back at her. A mocking echo of her own voice rang in her ears. “Well, it’s not gonna work,” she said. “My friends will figure out a way to save me. I’m gonna get out of here, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!” She tried to turn around, but couldn’t work around the podium in the middle of the room. Growling, she tried to shove it over, but it refused to budge. Rainbow sank back against the wall and let herself briefly rest. There was an odd prickling on her back, like she'd leaned against a piece of paper. Grimacing, Rainbow moved forwards and awkwardly stretched her wings around to try and grasp it. After several tries, she managed to shift the sheet in front of her. Squinting, she pieced together the awkward hoof-writing. You are correct. At some point, your friends will free you. It has been accounted for. Rainbow frowned. “ ...What do you mean?” The words remained still, but Rainbow could hear an odd scratching sound from somewhere behind her. Awkwardly, she twisted around and saw the second note. Do you know how long you’ve been here already? “A few days,” Rainbow replied cautiously, “give or take.” She knew something was wrong, but whatever it was Twilight would be able to fix it eventually. She didn't have a reason to worry about whatever the Amulet wanted. Rainbow found her self looking for the next note anyway. It gave her something to do. Eventually she felt a piece of paper gently fall on her muzzle from somewhere above. She tried to snatch it but hit the wall with her knee. She flinched, biting down a grunt of pain as she tried to maneuver the note around to where she could read it. You’ve been here for less than one minute. Rainbow blinked. She rubbed her eyes and tried to read it again, but it still said the same thing. “What? But… That’s…” There’s no way. It’s gotta be lying to me, to freak me out. What else could— Another note fell on her face, and she managed to snatch it out of the air This is more efficient than previous attempts. You will wait here until you agree to be my Bearer. "I won't!" Rainbow shouted. . A second note drifted down, tickling her ear, but said the same thing. A third one followed but she didn't bother to read it. "I can handle this!" A torrent of notes began to fall. Her ears flicked with a troubled annoyance as paper crunched underhoof every time she took a step. Uneasily, she grabbed one of the loose sheets and began to read. Then handle it. The notes fell faster now, an onslaught of pathetic, lightweight paper pressing down with the force of an avalanche. She fought her way out from underneath them, but it didn’t matter as it just kept falling. Rainbow tried to fight her way to the surface, to just find a way to breathe under the never-ending cavalcade. Rainbow shouted for help, but nothing happened. Rainbow once again tried to shove her way free, but she could barely move. Everything was black. She could barely breathe. The weight bore down on her, leaving one long bruise across her entire body. She hadn’t been able to move in… How long has it been? However long it was, it had been an agonizingly length of time. Cramps stretched her wings, making her gasp in pain. Any sounds she made were muffled by the tons of paper all around her, forcing her down and holding her in place. What am I gonna do? “Oh, let me help.” Rainbow hissed as light suddenly flashed across her vision. All at once, tension fled her body, and she could relax. Her mane fell against her neck instead of her shoulders, and when she reached up to feel it, it was drawn up in one of the few styles she liked. She blinked the spots from her eyes and looked around. Rainbow was sitting in an outdoor café, one she’d frequented back when she lived in Cloudsdale. The sun slowly slipped under the distant horizon, and the pleasant coolness of night was gently settling over the land. She didn’t see anypony, but she could hear the clopping of hooves somewhere behind her. She leaped out of the chair and spun around to see Ditzy, dressed as a waiter and holding a large covered plate. Rainbow fought to control herself as she tried to not pull the mare into a bone-crushing hug. It’s not her, it’s not Ditzy, that's the Amulet messing with me, don’t you dare hug it, don’t lose it, not now— The Ditzy Doo doppelganger trotted over and set the plate down before Rainbow. Cautiously, Rainbow lifted the lid. Inside was the Alicorn Amulet. Rainbow gave the waitress a harsh look. “Was that supposed to be funny?” The mare’s face fell. “Aw, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, I’m not very good with humor.” Rainbow scooted back from the facsimile's body, unnerved. It sounded just like Ditzy; unassuming and simple in an odd way that wasn't weak or annoying. But something was wrong; something about the way the face was shaped or a hissing, broken noise she barely heard under Ditzy's words. "So, you’re still the Amulet, right?” “Yep,” the Amulet said cheerfully. “I thought looking like this might help put you at ease.” She smiled just a little too wide. “Is it working? A piece of Rainbow wanted to say yes, wanted to pretend for just a moment, that she wasn’t all alone. She tried to scoot further away from the Amulet’s body, but her chair refused to move. The Amulet’s grin didn’t shift an inch. “Soooo…” it began, “what’s a mare gotta do around here to get some cooperation?” Rainbow glared at it. “Well, you could try letting me go.” The Amulet snorted and shook its head. “I already told you how to leave.” “But that’s not fair!” Rainbow snapped. “You won’t set me free, you’ll just make me go crazy like you did to everypony else!” “Oh, those weren’t my fault,” the Amulet said dismissively. “I just give ponies power, what they decide to do with it is up to them.” “That’s nuts! What about the vision you showed the real Ditzy? You tried to steal her daughter! You drove Trixie crazy!” The False Ditzy didn’t stop smiling, but whatever it was that was wrong with it, was growing worse. Is it her eyes? The way it was sitting was odd, almost like it had frozen in place.  The scene around them trembled slightly, twisting a little around them like Rainbow was looking through a fisheye lens. “H-having a Bearer is my function,” it said stiffly. “I will do whatev-ev—” Rainbow jumped backward as the entire scene folded up on itself. She momentarily had the sensation of becoming flat, of watching the colors bleed away and the brief vision of nothingness. As quickly as it came, it was gone. The fake Ditzy smiled gently at the now-terrified mare. “I told you, I don’t make ponies go crazy. They do that on their own.” Rainbow backpedaled frantically to get away from the thing. “What the hell was that? What is wrong with you? Let me out!” “Not until I get what I want.” The Amulet’s voice was a perfect imitation of Ditzy’s own, but the polite tone made her threats all the more creepy. “I’ve decided to try being honest with my Bearers. I won’t hurt you; I’m not sure I directly can. But you will not leave until you agree to use me.” The room disappeared with no warning, and Rainbow found herself back in the test room. It was completely empty, but still utterly tiny and cramped. Rainbow sighed, and started trying to pace again. There was nothing to do now but wait for somepony to come and save her. Nothing happened. The room was a little larger than it had been. It was probably big enough to hover in, but it didn’t matter. Rainbow had long since lost the strength to so much as shiver. Feebly, she tried once more to shift her legs, to huddle tighter around herself, but she couldn’t manage it. Her body had grown thin, almost skeletal. Her mane had started to fall out in patches ages ago. Her hair had begun to turn gray, and her skin had shrunk around her bones until she looked like a skeleton. Rainbow Dash the Magnificent, dying of old age. Somewhere overhead, Rainbow heard the scratching of chalk on stone. Defiantly. she forced her head up and pried her eyes open. The words were still blurry, but she could just make them out. Don’t you want to see them again? Rainbow didn’t bother responding. She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. In and out, she thought, in and out. Each breath had to be forced out of her lungs, just like she had to pry the air out. The cold bit her, stinging as it passed through her mouth. She wondered if one day soon, she would just... stop. The scratching carried on, despite Rainbow’s efforts to ignore it. The sound grew louder, grating against her ears until eventually she just gave up and looked again. I understand this isn’t the best time to talk, but we’re not going to get one again. Don't you wish to see them again? Rainbow didn’t say anything. Slowly, the words erased themselves and began a new sentence. This time, the words were written silently, and it was easier to make them out. It’s near the end. Your mind is deteriorating. Your friends have no time to effect a rescue. You don’t have any options left. Rainbow didn’t say anything. She couldn’t, she was worried her voice wouldn’t work after so much time. Despite her best efforts, her mind hovered over the Amulet’s offer. Is it really too late for me? Just let me help you. I can make you young again, give you strength beyond imagining. You don’t have to do anything at all; just accept me. Rainbow could feel a small surge of strength pass through her decrepit limbs, and she was able to lift her head. The Amulet lay in front of her. It was so close, and she could feel warmth flowing from it. I don’t want to die. You don’t have to die. Just reach out. Just touch it, and we will both live. Rainbow could feel the fear in her, pushing her foreleg forwards.Just one touch… “No.” The words were small, but it was enough. The world around her seemed to shiver, and Rainbow found the strength to stagger to her hooves. “No, I don’t care if I die. My friends will be okay.” EXPLAIN The words were jagged and seemed to float off the wall for a moment before they blurred and returned to normal. Why? Your friendship has failed to preserve you. What do you get out of it? “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “I don’t get anything out of it. I’m doing this because they’d do the same for me.” Don’t be absurd. Despite all their kind words, everypony I’ve ever met was just one bad day away from abandoning all they’ve claimed to stand for. “Other than this one, you mean?”   No new words answered her, and Rainbow managed a chuckle. It felt good to chuckle. “I don’t know about those other ponies you’ve met, but my friends are better than that. Ditzy didn’t give in, Twilight didn’t give in, and nopony else will either. It doesn’t matter what you do; you’ll never win.” Rainbow shouted in pain as the Amulet suddenly bore down on her, wielding feeling and emotions like weapons. Rage burned her, loneliness ripping out her heart. She screamed as the pain tore through her body, before she finally, mercifully, passed out. Rainbow awoke slowly, coming back to life in small pieces. No part of her was in any sort of pain, which was nice, and she didn’t feel anything holding her down. Heart hammering, she forced open her eyes. She couldn't help but notice how open the room was. It looked like a hospital room, with stark white colors and monitoring equipment, but somehow Rainbow felt small standing in it. The machine next to her bed lit up, sending magical pulses down the hallway to alert whoever was on duty as to her status. Rainbow looked down. She tilted her hooves, checking them from different angles. They were still thin, but not the skeletal remains they had been a second ago. She wasn’t freezing cold anymore, and her mane no longer felt like that of a wild animal. Is… did it… She got up and walked to the window, nearly loosing her balance because of her trembling hooves. Opening it, she could see Canterlot in all of its glory. Crowds of ponies and various other species milled about, rushing to go about their business. She breathed deeply, smelling food carts and restaurants and flowers and everything that wasn’t sweat. She could hear ponies shouting at each other, hawking wares and ordering each other about. I did it. I’m free. Behind her, the door slowly creaked open. “Rainbow,” Ditzy— the real Ditzy— called out. “Are you awake? I’m sorry the other’s aren’t here; Twilight has to monitor the test, and most of the girls had already gone back to Ponyville before they heard...” Ditzy’s voice trailed off as she saw the look on Rainbow’s face. She approached the Dash carefully, like one would when trying not to spook a wounded animal. “Rainbow, you’re shaking.” It’s real, right? This isn’t another dream? Rainbow shook her head weakly, trying to play it cool but unable to hide her fear. Ditzy took another step closer, and she shied back. “Rainbow, it’s okay.” Slowly, Ditzy moved forwards, and Rainbow held herself still. Cautiously, Ditzy folded the younger mare into a hug. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered. Rainbow waited for something to try and hurt her, but nothing happened.