Author's Note: Now to find out Twilight's response to the situation....So, don't just sit there and expect me to say something important....Read on!
Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic or The Number 23, the cool movie this story is based on.
THE NUMBER 22
Chapter 14
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I couldn't believe it.....Rainbow Dash was the Italian Blonde,....or at least an altered version. This couldn't be right. I mean, sure, it did explain why she would be having these visions, but...she just couldn't be like him! She wasn't blonde, she wasn't cursed, she wasn't a colt, and, most important of all, she was still alive! I had to figure this out,.....but how was I supposed to tell her this?
"You okay, Twilight? You look like you just seen a ghost,...or, worse, Orlando."
"....Huh? Oh, no! I'm fine, Dash....Um, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, anything."
"Okay, um,.....where does your family tree descend back to?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"Um!...It's nothing important! I'm just....wondering, that's all."
"Oh. Well, my family did descend back to Italy."
Great.
"Well, um, have you ever had blonde hair or have thought about dying it blonde?"
".....Um,....well, to tell you the truth, that's actually the color I wanted when I was a filly. I thought the rainbow colors were a little tomboyish, but, eventually, I just decided to accept them as who I am."
"Oh, that's....great...."
"You're acting strange, Twilight....Well, stranger than usual. What's going on?"
"I....I'm just-"
"And don't say you're asking me these questions to pass the time! I know you're not! Something's bothering you and I want to know what!"
What was I supposed to say? "Oh, it's nothing, really. I just found out that you're an altered version of a suicidal colt in my book." Yeah, like that was gonna happen.
"Well, you see, Dash. The truth is that I.....I'm still upset with Orlando!"
I could see her thinking on that answer, running it through her mind to see if it was believable. I could see traces of doubt on her face. I was almost for certain that she wasn't gonna buy it....But, she did.
"I'm sorry, Twi. I should've known you'd still be a little upset over him. I promise that, when this is all over, I'll make sure to give him a hard buck out of Ponyville.....the hard way!"
"Thanks, Dash,....I guess."
She continued to write down her visions like I told her to. I had almost forgotten that I was supposed to read them after I got done reading that chapter....The one that revealed the horrible truth. I yawned. Looking at the clock, I discovered it was 1:22 A.M.
"Man, it's getting late, huh Dash?.....Dash?"
I looked over to find her asleep on the couch. The notebook she was writing in had fallen to the floor. I went and picked it up. I decided to give it a look.
"Hmm.....These visions are almost all exactly the same!"
It was true. All of them seemed to have her jump off a balcony,....with me watching from below. She would fall right in front of me, me not bothering to try and catch her.
"Oh, Dash,.....I'm so sorry."
I started crying. I figured letting out some tears would help rid me of sadness. However, my moment of relief was interrupted when I looked up at the ceiling. I saw a shadow stretched across it, illuminated by a desklamp I had turned on.....One of a horned figure....One of my demons. I didn't want to yell at it and wake up Dash, so I tried to speak to it with my mind.
"Go away. I don't want you here. You messed with Hoofling's subconscious, but I won't let you mess with mine!"
"But isn't the curse already doing that job? I mean, come on, look at what it's done to you, Twilight! You look awful!"
It was true. Every morning, I had looked at myself in the mirror, slowly decaying. Bags were forming under my eyes, knots were tangling themselves in my hair, and paleness was slowly spreading over my face.
"I don't care what you say....Neither you or the curse is gonna hurt Dash. I'll make sure of it!"
"Will you now?....We'll just see about that."
With that, the voice stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief.....and then choked on it when I looked back at the ceiling. The shadow was stretching itself over to the other side of the room.....It was heading towards Dash.
"No.....No! Don't you hurt her!"
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
He was laughing at me. He knew I couldn't do anything to stop him. The curse was something far beyond my control....and it wanted my friends out of the way.....But, even though I wasn't supernatural like the curse, I wasn't gonna let Dash down. So, I galloped over to her and tried to shake her awake.
"DASH!...DASH, WAKE UP!"
But, it was no use. She was in a deep sleep....and I knew why. She was having a vision while she was asleep.....She was dreaming it. The curse had trapped her while she was vulnerable and now it was going to finish her off.
"NO! DASH, COME ON, NO!"
The shadow came right off the ceiling. Not down the wall.....It literally unstuck itself from the ceiling and started lowering down towards the couch.
"It's no use, Twilight. She's ours now."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Dash finally managed to wake up. I don't know how, but she did.
"Twilight?!.....Thank Celestia that's over with!"
I pulled her into a tight hug and kept it for what seemed like hours. As she was gasping for breath, frightened at what just occured, I began to realize why the curse hadn't taken her life.....It was playing with me, trying to toy with my emotions. This was both good and bad. It was good that Dash was still with me, but it was bad that, since the curse had spared someone, something it doesn't normally do, it will wait for an even better opportunity to do its job. It was gonna come at me when I least suspected.
"Dash, I'm so glad you're back!"
".....Yeah.....Me too..."
I felt her loosen herself from my arms. Her tone of voice had convinced me that something was wrong. She brought her face in front of mine....It showed surprise. The type of face someone attending their own surprise party has.....It also showed fear.....The type of face that someone who just found out their spouse of 15 years has been cheating on them the whole time has.....I knew she had just had a revelation.
"Dash,....what's wrong?!"
"Isn't it obvious, Twilight? She's remembering who she is!"
The demon voice. It was back. What was it talking about, though?
"What are you talking about?"
"Listen and all shall be revealed."
"Twilight,......I was supposed to die."
"WHAT?!"
"Yes,....go on, Rainbow Dash."
"I met you before you came to Ponyville,...back in Canterlot. It was when I was just starting out on my own. I had rented myself an apartment to live in while I began training for the WonderBolts.....But, the curse found me. It was passed on to me from my daddy.....and I had to get rid of it before it could do any further harm."
"Dash.....What are you-"
"And now I have to finish what I started...."'
"Dash, what are you trying to say?!"
"She's saying that, after she jumped off the balcony, she survived. She suffered some brain damage on account of it and forgot it all....The curse....You....Her past life. She then moved to Ponyville, hoping to start over....But, now,...she has to end it all...."
"It's the only way, Twilight."
"No.....NO!"
I couldn't stop her. She pushed me down and ran to the window. She flung open the shutters and stretched out her arms, like a baby bird preparing its first flight. I got up and started to run over there, the demon laughing in my head all the way.
"HA HA HA! It's all over now! She's finished!"
"SHUT UP!!"
I got within a few feet of her, but, before I could say something, she looked back at me and spoke....I'll never forget the combined look of determination and sadness she had on her face.
"Good-bye Twilight."
It happened so fast. She was out the window before I could start screaming. Before I reached the window, it was too late. She hit the ground face-first. I looked down at her limp figure. She didn't move.......She was gone.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
By the time the paramedics arrived, I had already run out of tears. The curse had won this round and I was just gonna have to accept it. The real problem was going to be telling the girls. We all treated Dash like family....and now she was just.....gone. I walked back inside, not wanting to see her body carried away. When I got back, I saw the book on the table. I decided to see what it had to say about this. This chapter was very short, not even going over a page.
Chapter 14
The Only Way?
My life has no purpose anymore. Officer Hoofling's phone call didn't give me a lead on anything.
"BULLSHIT! You're messing with my head, you bastard!!"
It seems no one can help me. The demons seems to be the only ones that actually still talk to me.
"Yeah,...and I'm stuck with the worst of them all."
"There's no one left for you, Hoofling. You should just give up. The curse will eventually drive you to madness and you'll just end up hurting others in the process. Why don't you just give in?"
".....Because, unlike you, I have a future to look forward to. I can still get married to somepony special,....have some kids to call my own......I could have a family to care for,....while you're stuck tempting random ponies over and over again."
".....You cut me deep, Twilight. Real deep....But, even you have to admit that there is no way out of this. Your future's set in stone.....How are you going to respond?!"
I though about that for a while. The demon was actually making sense in his own twisted way. If there really is no way to fight the curse off,....then what's the point of even trying anymore?
"You know, Hoofling, even though you didn't kill Orlando with the knife,....you can still carry out a job with it..."
I knew what he was wanting.....What the curse was wanting.....They were wanting me to end my own life.....And, sadly,....at that point in my life,.....it seemed to be a fair solution.
"......Is that what I'm supposed to do? End my life.,....like Dash?.....I guess it would be fair to others, seeing as how it would stop the curse from spreading.....But it still just doesn't seem right........What should I do?....?
End of Chapter 14!
Author's Note: I know what you're thinking...."YOU BASTARD! YOU KILLED RAINBOW DASH!!" Well, I just want you all to know that she's my favorite pony in the show and it's real terrible that I had to have her die.....But, that's just the way this story goes...If it's too much for you, then you have the chance to stop reading....But, I wouldn't suggest that!....For, if you keep reading,....you may be surprised at what happens!....Tune in next time!
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