It was early on a Monday morning, just after twelve o'clock in fact, and everything was quiet.
Or it was until Astral Plane slammed the castle doors open and sprinted through the town, ducking through streets and alleys in a crazed attempt to get out.
Get out of where? Ponyville? My home?
She came to a stop at the edge of the Everfree, and for a moment, she just stared up at it, before the warning echoed in her ears and she sprinted into the thick undergrowth.
The last time Astral had been in here, she had been young and inexperienced, scared by everything, and not that physically fit.
Now though she was a brown belt, one of the best Bladecasters there was and enough magic that her joints ached from the strain of it's power.
Though said aching made it quite hard to navigate, especially as she had not been in here for a long time. A hydra roared as she passed, and she shot a laser into it's mouth, startling it even as she climbed a tree, and started using branches as stepping stones.
She should of have taken that stupid Advanced test when she had the chance.
Eventually Astral came to a breathless halt on the branches of a mighty oak. She leaned against the trunk as she tried to catch her breath, and looked up at the sky. Everypony was definitely awake now, and probably looking or her. Search parties had probably been sent out, and Pegasi were probably scanning the Everfree from above.
But she had a good two hours on them.
Swallowing at the dryness in her mouth, Astral leaped down to the ground, rolling to break down the shock, before breaking into a light jog. She would be running for a long while.
A 'long while' actually translated into ten minutes of running, because she came across a little spring of fresh water, and stuck her muzzle into the cool liquid for a long drink.
She relaxed for a moment, listening to the sound of an owl hooting and staring up at the bright blue sky overhead. Until she heard the sound of wings flapping. Pegasi wings.
Rainbow Dash would be crying tears of envy at how fast she sprinted away.
That is, of course, until Rainbow Dash herself landed right in front of her. Startled, Astral ran into her chest and stumbled back with a squeak, landing on her butt.
Behold, the graceful unicorn.
Rolling backwards to stand back up, she rose onto her hind legs, watching the Pegasus warily. The owl's head swiveled between the two, playing spectator in the strange showdown.
"Astral" Rainbow said, cautious for once. She knew the standard Karate pose, and her niece had it down. "What are you doing out here? Everyone was really worried."
Astral kept her eyes on Rainbow. Running was not an option, that much was clear, Rainbow Dash's title of 'The Fastest Pegasi' did not come from nowhere, and she would be on her if she even tried to run.
Kicking her ass it was then.
She could use Bladecasting or Karate, but time was of the essence. So, instead, she used the air spell to knock Rainbow into a tree, where she slumped to the ground.
Without hesitating, she stepped over Rainbow and made a break for it, only for a hoof to grab her hind leg and flip her backwards onto the ground. The wind knocked out of her, Rainbow put both her arms around Astral's chest, and took off, breaking the sound barrier almost immediately.
The wind blew her mane back and made her eyes water, and her stomach felt like it had been left behind on the ground.
Teleport, now!
Frantic, Astral reached out, somewhere, anywhere, and vanished with a pop . . . only to reappear in the air a lot further away from Rainbow.
Instantly plummeting, Astral's scream got caught in her throat, even as she watched Rainbow Dash spin around, eyes wide, to try and catch her.
She hit the forest floor.
Astral Plane woke up at home.
She had no marks on her skin, nothing to show she just died. But she did. It was the beginning another loop.
And her body was in agony.
The aching in her joints had evolved to full on suffering.
Underneath the haze of pain that clouded her mind, one thought was very clear, she needed more Advanced spells. Maybe her moms could be convinced to let her take the test?
But when she tried to get up, the pain grew all encompassing, and she flopped down under the covers.
Panic clawed at the edge of her pain. She was trapped, stuck in her room, being watched by something and if she couldn't get up, even more magic would enter her system.
Unbidden, tears flowed down her cheeks.
What do I do now?