"Concern should drive us into action, not into depression."
-Karen Horney
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BBBBBRRRRRRRRAAAAAAKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!
"WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!"
Rainbow Dash screamed bloody murder as her entire body was propelled forward at such a speed, light itself would throw a tantrum.
The entire world around her blurred into splotches, making her stomach feel sick as she felt her eyes sting from trying to focus on what exactly she was seeing. Her arms flew almost lifelessly behind her like a trailing tail, her shoulder bones screaming in anguish and frustration at the awkward angle. Silencing her scream by clenching her teeth in a vice-like way, she closed her eyes as the forming tears evaporated from the fast wind before they even left her lids. Why was this happening!?
Like everyone else in the entirety of Canterlot, Rainbow Dash was well aware of the terrorist attack from the Changlers. Earlier that morning, she was struggling not to fall face first onto her desk after a boring lesson about... about... something, Mrs. Cheerilee fished out of the garbage, when what could only have been similar to a missile busting down their classroom door snapped her out of her sleep deprived state, and the form of Shining Armor nose diving into the room, yoinking Twilight out of her seat and leaving with a slam of the door filled her field of view.
Although her exhausted brain had yet to register what exactly had just happened, Rainbow had attempted to follow the two in in both curiosity and rising worry's sake, when she was stopped midway out the door by Cheerilee, who was sure to make it abundantly clear Rainbow wasn't going with Twilight and her brother.
A startled gasp caused her to turn her head. One of the students had ignored Shining Armor and was looking out the window, gaping at a billowing, black, smoke cloud rising from the far-off city in the distance. Her pupils dilated as the teenage girl almost immediately understood the situation.
When Rainbow Dash got her powers, there was not a single doubt that she felt like the luckiest and most powerful girl in all of Equestria. Everywhere she went, she'd use her speedy magical powers: Going to the mall, going to school, going to grandma Thin Streak's house, going to the bathroom. If it required using her legs, speed was key. After all, why waste such an awesome gift given to you by another freaking world full of magical pony princesses and dragons!?
It made her feel almost invincible, like she could finally do everything she couldn't before. She was a superhero now, no matter who said differently. It excited her! She'd be like Daring Do, protect the innocent, beat up the bad guys, go on awesome adventures! There was almost no downside to this.
But like every superhero, there was always one thing that consistently haunted them. And unfortunately for Rainbow Dash, her obstacle wasn't an equally powerful enemy.
Every so often, her mind ventured back to memories of the past: The Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, the Friendship games. Back then, when she first laid eyes on the Sirens, Midnight Sparkle and worst of all, Sunset's demon form in all their evil glory, she had resisted the tempting urge to grab her friends by the backs of their shirts and run for cover. They looked like something straight from her nightmares. Seeing people turn into absolutely terrifying beasts like that, monsters that could do untold amounts of damage, lets just say it had been quite the hassle to keep her legs from shaking like leaves, which nearly made her fall over at times.
And if SHE was scared, there was absolutely no doubt what the other girls felt like. Back at the battle against the Sirens, when the three hags shed off their teenage girl disguises and tauntingly flew around her and her friends like predators circling prey, Rainbow had caught a glimpse at Fluttershy just in time to see the younger girl grow sickly pale with tears in her widened eyes, chattering her teeth like a gag toy. The athlete had never seen her childhood friend so mortified. Later that evening, when the girls were busy celebrating their victory, it finally clicked in Rainbow's head like a dark light bulb.
Rainbow Dash was always viewed as the tough girl of the group. The one person who faced danger straight on and was never afraid to chew the largest piece. But in those earlier memories of terror, when the monsters she had believed she could laugh in the face of, had nearly scared her to the point of faint, she realized that she wasn't as strong as she thought she was. That time and time again, she was forced to the sidelines, watching Sunset or Twilight save the day just by the skin of their teeth. The bad guys and their size did matter, and that there would be times when her friends would be in danger and she wouldn't be able to do anything other than stand to the side.
At that moment, she had never felt so small in her life. So less-awesome, so weak, so... useless and scared.
Every now and then, horrifying images of unspeakable "what if" scenarios swarmed back into her mind, scenarios of her being too slow to save the ones she loved. Those of which caused her to have appalling nightmares and anxiety attacks. She shuddered whenever she recounted the amount of times some of the girls nearly caught her having silent crying fits while they weren't looking. Faust, for them to see that would have been torture. For many, many reasons.
But when she first slammed into that cabin wall way back in Camp Everfree, when she realized she could run at the speed of sound, the rainbow haired girl couldn't have been happier. What were the chances!? She could save lives, be a famed hero, teach bullies a lesson. No more fearing for her friend's lives, no more hiding behind Sunset or Twilight; Now whenever a bad guy decided to abuse good Equestrian magic, they'd have to watch out for Rainbow Dash too!
Knowing that her friends also had been given powers made Rainbow feel even better. Now that they all were superheroes, baddies like the Dazzlings probably sweated bullets in fear. And they had every right to do so, together all seven of them were undeniably unstoppable. There wasn't a single enemy they wouldn't be able to defeat.
That initial thinking had been tested today.
Today was one of the days that Rainbow Dash despised with all her being. A day that showed her that even with all her powers, she as a person, was still weak.
As a kid, Rainbow loved everything about Canterlot city: It's pristine colors and exciting scenery, the beautiful parks, fun attractions, and most of all, the smiling, happy people. It had all the awesomeness to it that just felt right to the young girl.
Then the Changlers came in and ruined everything.
In those dark days, she remembered being in her room in the suburbs, watching the billowing smoke that would flow from the distant city. In those first few years, her parents didn't even let her out on the front porch without either one of them glued to both her sides. Much less hang out with her friends.
Luckily, throughout her life, the rainbow haired athlete, as well as her friends, were always safely far away whenever the Changlers decided to attack the people. But in the back of her mind, a lingering thought silently clawed at her subconscious every now and then. What would happen when her little lucky streak broke, when there'd be no option left and she'd finally have to face actual terrorists? What would happen, if her childhood friends fell into said terrorists' hands'?
Her stomach felt sick at the thought. As tough a girl as she was, the teen always struggled not to think of the absolute horrors the people of Canterlot went through every time the terrorists attacked them. Your whole world seemingly blissful in one moment, almost like a peaceful picture, and in the snap of a finger the painting shatters like glass. The world shaking and crumbling as shrieking gunfire obliterates concrete and brick. The feeling of ten thousand hungry eyed killers gunning for you and those around.
The feeling of a cold, unfeeling metal barrel positioned straight towards your heart as you lay petrified on the broken floor.
Even before she got her powers, Rainbow Dash promised to herself that she would never, NEVER, let that happen to the ones she loved.
Although that was easier said than done. Speedy powers had a wide abundance of uses, but it required more than legs to fight an army. Although for a while, that information took a while to process in her mind. The rest of the girls had told her exasperatedly that she was in no way capable of taking down a Changler soldier, no matter how small those jerks were. She just wasn't skilled nor experienced enough. This was something Rainbow silently realized over time yet hated with every fiber in her being to know.
Even with superpowers, her life and theirs' would constantly be in jeopardy with the Changlers.
And now one of Twilight's family was attacked this very morning. Waiting hours for school to end (even though the principle had canceled the rest of classes after lunch just to be safe.) had been brutal for her. As soon as she heard that glorious announcement over the speakers, her feet were out the front doors in no time. Although she might've flung a few classmates on their backs due to her high velocity and the closed space of the hallway on the way out.
But there was no time for apologizing! When she escaped the double doors, she immediately called Twilight, asking the book smart girl where she was going. When her friend had informed RD that she was headed towards the hospital, Rainbow Dash sped off towards her destination. After settling a large debate in her head on whether or not she should tell the rest of her friends what she was doing and where she was headed off to, Rainbow had settled for catching up to Twilight first, her mind in too much of a panic to deal with that particular scenario. She knew she'd get quite the talking too from Applejack and Sunset Shimmer later, but she could take it. It’s not like those two didn't mother her enough.
The young girl bolted past people and trucks as she made her way to the hospital, the world around her turning into slow motion while her speed increased. Although she wanted to get to her destination as fast as possible, Rainbow made an effort to fight back her nature and not to push her limit now. She had learned the hard way that pushing her powers, while it brought fun and awesome results, also brought consequences to both her and the many people around her.
Last month, during a weekend hangout at the mall, her old bully Dumbbell had decided to inform her that even with superpowers, she still wouldn't be accepted into Wonderbolt College, because she was too weak minded in her ideals. That her rule breaking habits would stick with her forever, and she'd always amount to nothing. Although she was certainly fast, Rainbow's control on her powers was wonky and uncoordinated, as was her control on everything else. His words, not hers.
But worst of all, the jerk had guts, the absolute gall, to say straight in her face that she was too reckless, too weak, and too brain dead to save the day from bad guys because she'd just run face first into the ground or a tree. People would be looking for a savior, and she'd be too busy trying to look cool, ending up tripping over her own feet in the process. What's more, he also brought up that Rainbow was still considered slow, and that she didn't have the skills to get herself to "superhero level". That when the chips were down and everyone was counting on her, "Rainbow Crash" would be too slow to save her friends.
Oh, after hearing those words spill from Dumbbell's lips, her friends nearly took the laughing jock's head off right on the spot. At one point in an actual literal sense. But as the girls were busy prying an enraged Pinkie Pie's hands off Dumbbell's neck, Rainbow herself had separated from the crowd, taking refuge alone at a deserted picnic table. Ignoring the others, the teenage girl, after a moment of internal struggle, begrudgingly allowed Dumbbell's words to float in her mind, replaying themselves over and over.
Rainbow knew Dumbbell well enough to define him as a selfish, childish, envious and stereotypical jockey bully through and through, a definition no one disagreed with her on. He took an almost unnatural enjoyment in other people's distress, watching people's struggles like a funny TV show. Or a comic book, like he said. She guessed he liked that idiom because he probably couldn't read anything without pictures in it.
But the longer she sat on that picnic table, the more his words embedded into her mind. As much as she hated her old "friend" and did her best to ignore almost every insult he spouted from his trap, that one day his words actually held a little value.
For one thing, he may have been right about her not having control, both for present and future's sake. Well, just not in the way he had said. Ever since she gained her powers, like earlier stated, she used them on a day to day basis, which meant her steering had improved greatly over time. But as for controlling the powers themselves, that Dash would admit later (but only to herself) she struggled with. She loved to push herself, it was her nature to do so. But she often pushed herself too much to where the line between when to stop and when to keep going blurred to nothing.
So as for her speed, Rainbow thought she was unstoppable, that nothing could beat her awesomeness. But as Sunset had warned her about before, that thinking could lead to her and/or her friends getting in danger. A situation she'd find herself in soon enough.
But her not being able to save her friends? Her? HER!? Then fastest girl in Equestria not saving her friends because she was too slow? Despite her doubt, anxiety scorched her stomach as she sat there, both Dumbbell's repeating words and more horrifying images plaguing her mind. Her nails ceased scratching the wooden tabletop, curling her hand into a tight fist. Her friends. Getting hurt. Because she and her powers weren't good enough.
While she certainly used her powers whenever she got the chance, Dash did often feel like she wasn't pushing herself to her absolute best. Like she still had more miles to go. And now that Dumbbell had brought it up, it might as well have been spelled for her, clear as day. She made a promise to herself that she'd always be there for her friends, that she'd never let anything bad happen to them. And she was going to keep that promise with all her will and mind.
Puffing her cheeks with a determined look in her eyes, Rainbow challenged Dumbbell, telling him straight in the eyes that when the time came, she WOULD be fast enough to save her friends and she’d prove it to him. As soon as she was satisfied with the confused look on his face, she marched out of the mall and out onto the sidewalk. Ignoring the shouts of initial protest from her friends, Rainbow, with her mind full of many, many emotions, flexed her legs and bolted down the street, determined to push herself to her absolute limit. Increasing her speed with every step, it was safe to say RD had gone the fastest she’d ever been that day
In doing so however, the amount of speed and force she put into her run had created a very visible rainbow colored EMP blast that had made such an incredible force, it had instantly shut down Canterlot’s power grid for days. She would never forget the look of rage on all her friend’s faces when she made it back. But oh, did she savor the stupid look on Dumbbell’s face, replacing his once smug smile earlier.
Snapping her mind back to the present, the rainbow haired soccer player once again surveyed her situation. She was getting closer to the hospital now, the smell of gunpowder, burned concrete and a strange static in the air filled her senses, making her eyes tear up and teeth clench as it got stronger the deeper she went into the city.
With worry growing in her stomach, she felt in need of a little reassurance and couldn’t help but look over her shoulders every so often to see and chuckle at the bug-eyed expressions on the civilians’ faces as she passed them. It never failed to get a laugh out of her seeing other people’s silly reactions to her powers, her speed causing the world to go in slow-mo only adding to the hysteria. Feeling better, Rainbow Dash let a small smile as she carried on down the twisting streets of Canterlot, trying her hardest to ignore the broken buildings and thousands of ambulances she passed.
Now just only three blocks away from the hospital, the teen had felt glad her little trip was almost over, the dreary atmosphere creating a very uncool feeling inside her. But as she turned a corner, her eyes automatically shifted to the sidewalk and found on something she’d likely wouldn’t ever forget.
A family running towards what she assumed was the hospital, frantic clear in their eyes. A mother, a little girl, and a father with a young boy cradled in his arms.
The obviously terrified mother was basically dragging the little girl behind her, as the smaller was doing her best to keep up, her sweet innocent face full of confusion and worry.
The father on the other hand, wore the same expression his spouse had, his eyes widened in fear with his skin an almost deathly pale. The only difference was a spot on his chest closest to the young boy resting against him, a thick, splattered damp spot that made his dark, navy blue shirt deepen in color. Looking down, Rainbow scanned her eyes over the man’s body, past the weird splat on his shirt and towards the boy. Though she couldn’t see much, the athlete saw through the father’s stained arms and noticed that the young boy’s black hoodie also seemed overly deepened and wet, much, much more than his father’s attire. She also noticed he wasn’t moving an inch despite the rather harsh speed his dad was going, and that his face was the whitest pale she had ever seen in her life.
Hold on a sec, “stained arms?”
Switching her attention from the boy and back to the father, Rainbow peered at his arms again, before doing all she could not to vomit on the spot.
Though his natural color was a sunny yellow, the father’s arms and face were caked in a thick crimson, some of it getting close to his eyes and mouth, not that he seemed to care. Rainbow Dash’s blood froze as her dilated pupils locked back onto the boy, her mouth starting to feel like sandpaper. It didn’t take a genius to know what that color was, nor who it was coming from.
No words could describe how exactly she felt at that moment, heck, she might have not been feeling anything at all, she genuinely didn’t know.
The image of the boy burned into her mind; she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing before receiving such a horrendous fate. Was he playing cops and robbers with his sister? Buying groceries with his mother? Helping his dad pick out fishing supplies at the Trot Pro shop for their future vacation? As the questions clouded her mind, she offhandedly felt something stir inside her, yet couldn’t put her finger on quite what it was, nor did she realize it slowly started growing.
Soon, red hot, burning rage and defiance began to replace her cold shock. This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t fair at all. How old was he?! At least 6 or younger, he was just a child for Pete’s sake, A CHILD! A bright, little innocent soul who had done nothing to deserve such a twisted punishment. Her eyes flashed as she thought about the people responsible his wounds, for the whole entire mess that was today. The Changlers, a bunch of egotistical jerks who took a sick enjoyment in tormenting civilians, children too apparently. Oh, how she hated them. How she loathed them.
What kind of person finds that fun? Harming someone in an inhuman way, making them suffer just to satisfy some kind of sick lust. To watch as a person’s life and soul leave their eyes, their last thought thinking they’d never see the ones they love again, or the future they had planned for themselves.
While the bitter thoughts swirled in Rainbow’s mind, her body had started to spaz and blur, she hadn’t taken notice she was still running throughout the entire experience, the clothes on her becoming hard to see. Although she was far too distracted with her anger to realize it.
The Changlers had ruined Canterlot City, a place that was meant for peace and prosperity. The worst part was no one could stop them, not the people, barely the police, and much less she and her friends. Those terrorists knew it too. Every time someone stood up to them, no words could describe the punishment they’d suffer from the Changlers’ grubby hands.
As her expression darkened, the spazzing and buzzing of her body increased, making her face feel tingly and the hairs on her neck stand up.
What she wouldn’t give to get her hands on the monsters that would dare toy with the lives of so many. To stop them for good, Faust, it’d be amazing. She imagined standing over them, their weapons destroyed, their bodies bruised and battered, the once fiery, proud look in their eyes snuffed out like a match. All of them seeing their once disgusting, hard earned work crumble before them. Years of comrades’ lives lost for the sake of their ultimate win over her people, only for all their sacrifice’s and plans ruined by a young girl defending her hometown-
And just like that, Rainbow’s powers forfeited from her control. Next thing she knew, as soon as her foot contacted the ground, the teen was rocketed forward by an invisible force, an explosion of rainbow-colored energy exporting from her body. The force of it knocked back every living and nonliving thing within a 2-mile radius from her as it gave off a loud, headache inducing roar. The suddenness of it all nearly gave her neck splitting whiplash. No warning, no control, just boom.
She was too distracted with her predicament to notice the massive rainbow ring scraping up the buildings and into the sky.
Completely caught off guard by the unforeseen, crazy reaction of magical power, Rainbow let out a startled scream as her legs carried her through the streets of Canterlot, the world around her starting to splotch and blur.
So now here we are, a teenage athlete running at supersonic speed across a hurt city, with a girl sized, sparkling rainbow tail following behind her, carving her trail into the gravel road. With each street she passed, trash cans, newspapers and people jerked as the strong wind created by Dash slammed into them.
Her body strained from the increasing, immense pressure as it pulled her skin backwards, almost to the point where she felt as though it would break. She scrunched her eyes shut as she struggled to take back control of her powers, tensing her muscles as she desperately tried to slow down her moving legs. But judging from the freezing magic seeping through her veins, making her waist down feel numb, she quickly realized any and all control had completely abandoned her.
Squinting her eyes, she instead focused on a different problem her predicament brought upon her. If she couldn’t control her speed, she could at least try and direct it. Running into a concrete wall or a car at Mach 1,000 didn’t necessarily sound appealing, so a nice clearing or a lake was on her list of places that might be safe for her.
The problem was, it was hard enough to open her eyes due to the high wind drying them up rather quickly, she could barely see anything, the only sense of direction for her was the splotchy outlines of the buildings and street turns.
Terror burned in her chest as the speed seemed to increase, what was she going to do? If she didn't stop herself soon, she'd either turn into a human spaghetti noodle, or crash into something that most likely wouldn't be a fluffy air mattress.
“OKAY, THAT’S ENOUGH! YOU CAN STOP NOW! YOU HEAR ME?! I’VE HAD ENOUGH, PLEASE STOP!”
Rainbow screamed at the magic, in hopes Equestria would have mercy on her soul and cease this horrifying experience.
The only answer she received was more splotchy vision and force pulling her backwards, the feeling in her legs almost non-existent now.
Petrified tears continued to form, her mind a bundle of thoughts. So, this was it huh? This was how it all ended for her? Rainbow Dash, the fastest, most awesome girl in Canterlot, taken down by her own speed. The irony of the situation would have made her choke on her own laugh if she could.
In a dark corner of her mind, a voice spoke out.
You deserve this.
She blinked as her brain registered the sudden, bold thought. What?
Again, the same voice whispered again into her ears. What’s the point of fighting this? You never could control your powers. Too abrasive, too reckless, too focused on being cool than the mission that’s actually important. It’s a wonder this didn’t happen much earlier. Rainbow’s mind went blank at the harsh statement, her stomach slowly starting to churn with tension. Where was this even coming from? The voice took her silence as a sign to keep going, like a dark cloud in her mind slowly becoming bigger with every word.
Denial automatically took the reins, her brows furrowing. “Shut up. You don’t know me.” She inwardly snarled. Though faint, she felt a small whoosh skim edges inside her mind, like the voice was scoffing.
This is your punishment, your deserved fate. It’s a perfectly fitting end for you. An egotistical brat never gets a happy ending. You never deserved such powers; They belong to someone else.The voice spat the last sentence as if it were cud, making her wince.
“I said SHUT UP!” she screamed aloud. Each word cut deep, almost to the bone. She wanted to ignore it, tell the voice it was wrong, but something continued to retaliate her defiance. The words just felt, right.
A splitting headache added to her stress, making it harder to think and even harder to resist. Maybe she really was weak, maybe it was time to stop the stupid tough girl act, after all, what was the point of it? It wasn’t really helping anyone, much less the people she cared about.
Who was she kidding? She couldn’t save her friends from danger. They needed a truly fearless hero to come to their rescue, someone who could face incalculable odds in order to save them. Meanwhile she was just a sports captain, if she had barely been able to stop a mad driven gloriosa at a summer camp, she’d be destroyed going toe-to-toe with someone like as Midnight Sparkle or the Changlers. How could she hope to save the people she loved if even after all this, she still wasn’t strong enough? The voice seemed to revel in her inner plight, it’s words darker and more spiteful.
You’re weak, you’re useless, you’re selfish. You are and always will be an insolent speck. Who do you think you are, stealing magic like this from them?! Foolish girl, you think you’re impressive with something that does not belong to you?
With her body and mind tired, she could do nothing but submit to the voice.Feelings of self-loathing and spite boiling in her as building upon building zoomed past her. With a gulp, she realized the voice was right, her powers didn’t belong to her, they belonged to Equestria. She didn’t even know how to really use them.
Sunset Shimmer, Gia Everfree, Midnight Sparkle, you could do nothing against them, what makes you think you will make any difference next time?
Tears spilled from her eyes as all her emotions continued to beat her to the ground. Due to the high wind drying her mouth and eyes, her tearful crying turning into more of a choked sob.
You cannot save them.
The voice growled lowly as the dark cloud expanded. Her sobbing continued to the point of her throat starting to scratch.
“I’m sorry girls.” She whimpered.
But as the claws of the voice engulfed her mind, in a flash, a memory rose from her subconscious. Of her and Fluttershy at a booth advertising the animal shelter. It wasn’t a life changing memory, but a peaceful one. Suddenly, the claws of the voice shrunk back. Intrigued by this, Rainbow pulled out another memory.
The time when she stood up to Blitzball coach/ex-player Comet Chaser, challenging his all boy team against her all girl team. She had never felt so proud of herself when her team won. She had stood up for what she believed and hadn’t backed down in the slightest. The claws shrunk further back as she suddenly began to feel… better.
Smiling, she wiped her eyes and searched her subconscious for more.
Thoughts of her life flashed before her eyes, of happier times with her friends. Times she now wished she could transport herself too.
The first time she and Applejack met back in elementary school. The farm girl helping Rainbow Dash fix her broken skateboard, before the apple farmer herself tried to ride it. (with Dash’s permission of course.) The sight of Applejack waving her hands in the air like a blow up airdancer while accidentally doing a perfect kickflip never failed to gain a chuckle out of Rainbow.
The time when Dash and Rarity had gotten lost in the forests of Camp Everfree. Rainbow loved her fashionista friend to death but being stuck with a girl who shrieks at the smallest scampering mouse, it got old after 30 minutes. However, in the 1 hour they suffered alone in the dark forest, the two of them finally had the chance to have a heart to heart with each other, something they hadn’t done in a long time.
Or when she, Sunset and Pinkie had an overnight camp out on her trampoline. The three of them nearly stayed up all night jumping, telling spooky stories and eating candy while watching the forming stars in the sky.
With each memory that filtered through her brain, it was like a nice warm towel had been laid on top of it; Erasing the stinging cold thoughts once plaguing it seconds before. As the memories played like a movie projecter, the tension in her stomach decreased. It made her feel, happy.
An image of her and Scootaloo chatting outside of Canterlot city mall on a nice summer day. Suddenly, a car bursting out of the parking lot at top speed filled her, vision, followed by it slamming into a light pole right next to the two girls. Within seconds the metal underneath the pole split, and the entire thing groaned as it began to fall.
At a moment’s notice, Rainbow had scooped up the little 6th grader in her arms and quickly zipped her to safety. While trying to slow down her rapidly beating heart, the teen received a tight, bear hug from her younger friend as a thanks.
So what if she wasn’t very experienced now? Inexperience meant harder training, and training was Rainbow Dash’s middle name. she’d show the voice, she’d show it! She’d prove herself! She wasn’t some weak, scared little runt, Rainbow WAS a valuable part of the team. After all, there are times when team members get stranded from the group, thus the world wouldn’t end on her watch. She would make herself prepared for that coming day, she wouldn’t allow anyone to get hurt. She wouldn’t allow her friends to get hurt.
Narrowing her eyes, she visibly and inwardly shook her mind to clear any and all thoughts. It was time to focus. She narrowed her eyes as she took in her surroundings, mainly towards the buildings. The concrete towers in question had gotten noticeably smaller, which Dash had no doubt in her mind meant she had far since past the hospital and was getting closer to the outskirts of the city. She clenched her fists; it was time to end this.
She’d been gifted powers, and she was going to use them.
Gritting her teeth, she strained with all her might, trying to get the feeling back into her legs, attempting to pull her muscles to get them to stop or slow down. No avail, her legs were completely and utterly numb. No matter, back to plan B.
She switched her concentration back to the road, trying to see if there was some way through the splotches to direct her path with. Unfortunately, that also proved futile what with it being next to impossible for her to get a clear view on what she was looking at.
However, she did notice that the colors and blurred shapes still stuck with whatever objects were in front of her, such as cars and people. Trying to scan the world around her, she found herself looking straight ahead and instantly noticed a lengthy horizontal black and greyish blotch slowly coming into view. Squinting her eyes, she strained to get a decent look at what she was seeing, only to feel goosebumps raise on her neck once figuring it out.
She was headed straight for a road turn, and she had yet to control her steering. Growling in frustration, Rainbow Dash continued to try and get the feeling back in her legs while also switching to gain control. This back and forth of switching tactics went on as time skipped past, with neither of them working and the corner street turn drawing ever so nearer.
“Come’on Dash, you got this, don’t give up.” She encouraged to herself as she strained her leg muscles even harder, but the blood just wouldn’t go to her feet!
All the sudden, the splotches in her vision decreased making her eyes go wide in surprise. The world around her getting clearer, Rainbow could see the outlines of the city buildings and the road in front of her. It was still difficult to fully see, as only a portion of her vision had begun to recover, but that didn’t matter; Her vision was coming back!
But why? Why all this suddenness with her magic? Why were her powers all over the place? They were starting to calm down almost as fast as they riled up earlier. Did she do something she wasn’t supposed to, did something trigger it? She had absolutely no idea, her mind packed to the brim of so many unanswered questions that burned into her curiosity. She shook her head, questions later, she had an opening, so she needed to take it.
Glaring at her path, Rainbow observed the street corner, noticing it’s right turn and heavy traffic. So far, she’d been lucky not to run full speed into a moving or non-moving vehicle through her uncontrollable speed burst, and she wanted to keep it that way. She did acknowledge that the sidewalk on the corner was relatively clear, although there was the risk of the other side of the building being inhabited, so she made the only decision available.
A warm feeling began to trickle through her legs, the numbness slowly decreasing from the muscles like a case of pins and needles. Her face brightened instantly, so this whole scenario wasn’t going to play on forever!
“Thank Faust.” She muttered.
With the street corner just one mile away, the teen curled her fists and shoved her upper body to the right, hoping the force of her chest area would help direct her legs into a right turn. However, the feeling from her waist down was still dominated by cold paralysis, she’d be surprised if her shoes didn’t start to melt at any given rate.
“Come’on, come’on, come’on, please.” She chanted as the corner grew closer and closer.
She continued to pull her body to the right as her legs began to shift slightly, but they still stayed in a straight direction, there was no turning on they’re part.
She scrunched her eyes shut as cold sweat dripped down her face, her mouth forming a nervous grimace. More images of her life flashed before her eyes, memories of her whisking her fellow students to safety from the out of control plant vines made by Gloriosa, to her zipping through the streets of Canterlot a few months before, a much happier and relaxed run compared to now. Back then, the world was ripe for the taking, the day was beautiful, school was ending, and her friends were too busy with other things to hang out. It was a perfect day to go for a run.
And boy did she run, she sped past cars, hopped over a semi-truck like a superhero and even saved her friends from near accidental disasters. She had been at her best that day, her powers had never felt more a part of her, it was like she’d had them her whole life. Yes, that day was one of her favorites.
She had always been a brave, adventurous girl. She practically worshipped challenges, they were almost in her blood. Rules? She laughed in their faces. They wouldn’t stop her from reaching her goals in life, no one would. No parent, no principle, no villain, no voice. While some were good, certain rules were like chains, and she’d be struck by lightning if she ever allowed chains to hold her to the ground, unable to fly and reach her full potential high in the sky. No matter how strong the metal was, she’d always break free. She was born to break free.
Break free.
Rainbow blinked. Break free.
She smiled.
Break free.
Eyes narrowed even more; She kept her smile as blue electric magic sparked off her shoulders.
Break free.
“I was born to break free.” She whispered as the surging magic on her shoulder fizzed more erratically. Before she could blink again, the muscles in her legs exploded and her vision cleared, like someone just snapped their fingers and feeling came as quick as it left. The suddenness almost stunning her into shock when she felt control immediately being shoved back to her, her hands automatically waving in the air as she bent over yelping.
The corner was right in her face now with a truck blocking her view, and she had only a flash of a moment to move.
Thinking quick, Rainbow hauled her entire body to the right, turning her legs to the side as easy as she could. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t stop too abruptly, or she’d skid across the concrete. Reacting to the force she put in her turn, her body obeyed her command and she turned right, almost hitting a scared civilian on the other side of the building corner.
Her eyes widened as she realized she’d passed the turn, her mouth forming an “o” shape. It quickly crept into a full-blown smile as she pumped her hands in the air.
“YES!! THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! TAKE THAT VOICE! GO RAINBOW! GO RAINBOW!” Dash cheered as she began a little dancing jig with her hands.
While she was distracted, she had yet to grasp she was still in fact running, unconsciously this time, and she was beginning to veer off the sidewalk and onto the street, right into traffic. Still dancing, rainbow continued chanting when a loud car horn blared in her ears. Opening her eyes, she saw the front of a small red car entering her path.
Gawking at the metal mood just centimeters from her, she nearly forgot how to breathe as her face paled to a ghostly white.
“AAAAAAAAA!”
Screaming, Rainbow Dash hoisted herself to the side as her shoes just barely grazed the car’s front light. Now in the air, she fell forward and toppled back onto the sidewalk, rolling on the floor like a less than majestic tumbleweed flurried with arms and legs between pedestrian legs while letting out a couple “Oofs!” and a “Ows” along the way. After tumbling for about a minute, her rolling was cut short when she hit a metal trash bin blocking her path. Her back slammed into the railed, dirty metal with force, making her choke and gag at the sudden pain spiking through her spine.
With her entire body halted, her legs sprawled out onto the concrete as her arms fell limply to the sides, her heart thrummed in her chest like a pounding drum. Ignoring the stares and passerby’s, she sat there, head swirling around dizzily as pain entered her back and warm feeling poured into her legs.
“Ow, ow, ow, oooowwww.” RD drawled as she massaged her swimming head. The pain didn’t leave however, as it surged through her back and into her now aching/sore feet.
It was official: Today sucked.
She groaned miserably as stars danced mockingly around her forehead, making her sport a headache. Slowly shaking her head, she grit her teeth and tried to collect her thoughts.
What in Equestria just happened? She didn’t know, and she was too sore, terrified and tired to try and understand what had made her powers go off the fritz.
Sitting on the dirty sidewalk for a few minutes, massaging her temples, she waited for her head to stop swimming and the muscles in her legs to fully wake up when she finally stood. Grabbing the lip of the trash can with a shaky hand, she pulled herself up, with her other arm holding her now queasy stomach. Once fully up, she smiled confidently as she moved her hands to her hips.
“I-I th-think that w-went pretty well.”
Then she whipped to the side and retched in the trash, her body halfway in the cylinder dumpster.
Once she was done spilling her guts, she gently lifted herself from the trash, wiping her mouth while speaking her mind.
“Ya know, maybe next time I’ll just take the bus.”
Twilight ran through the halls of CHS, her footsteps clacking across the hard, cracked floor. Taking a quick look over her shoulder, she surveyed the dirty, abandoned halls behind her. Only emptiness greeted her, the hallways were devoid of any life.
Seemingly satisfied, she brought her head back while keeping her pace. Hopping over a scattered, stray backpack, Twilight fidgeted with her glasses while looking ahead, instantly seeing the hallway form a two-way fork approaching her path. Without hesitation, she automatically took the left route, all the while keeping an ear out for danger. Speeding down the unstable, dark hall, she lifted her head up to examine the surroundings of her once favorite school.
The walls, once pristine and pearly white, were now a muddled mess of dirty tan and ugly cracks, some of the areas with the tiles gone revealed stringy wires and wood poking out of the holes like bones. The ceiling was completely torn apart, with the broken lights flickering randomly and giant lengthy curves pierced across the top ceiling tiles exposing insulation and the attic, making it look like something had raked it with massive claws.
Gulping, Twilight continued her trek, ignoring the other claw like gashes on the student lockers and the creaking doors of empty, pitch black classrooms.
The shadows of the hallway certainly didn’t offer any comfort to her distress, she avoided them like they were fire, as if she was afraid they’d burn her. The floor for the most part was clean, except for a few scattered shoes and notebook papers. Everything felt so stuffy and claustrophobic, like she was deep underground, but that couldn’t be it. Could it? She huffed out a breath, sweat beading down her forehead as the shadows began closing in on before her very eyes. Whimpering, Twilight picked up her speed and bolted forward down the corridor, eyes widening in fear.
The hallway seemed endless, with no end in sight, causing her already high anxiety to escalate. The shadows now engulfed the walls, making her entire surroundings pitch black. Her only source of comfort being the ceiling lamps, which only gave off dimming balls of light through the blackness.
Petrified, Twilight ran while scrunching her eyes shut, afraid of what would befall on her. Tears threatened to burst from her eyes as her breathing more panicked, when she suddenly slammed face first into something hard.
The surprise of the impact startled her, making her let out a squeak as she fell to the floor with a thud. Clutching her rapidly beating heart, she opened her eyes to see just what she’d ran into, fearful of what she might see.
A tiled wall stood before her, it’s appearance like all the others she’d seen throughout this horror of a school. Quirking an eyebrow, she turned her head to the right and saw that the slab of concrete led to a dimly lit up hallway, just like the one she was in before. Her face morphed into confusion, the brilliant, logical scientist in her screaming for answers to this absurd predicament.
Suddenly, she felt a dark, sinister chill crawl up her back, making her breath hitch. Deciding to leave the scientist guessing for now, Twilight hopped up like a spring and flung herself down the only possible route left.
As she ran, a familiar aura sank into her, like she was being told something. Then it clicked. She was in the corridor of CHS that housed the music room!
Letting out a small smile, Twilight recounted the path to the room in her head, easily dodging past torn down lockers and open doors. Her logical mind raced with a million thoughts, straining itself to the point of cracking while trying to figure out what was going on. What happened to CHS? Where were all her friends? Were they safe?
A sick feeling burned in her gut, almost making her nauseous. No, Faust no. They had to be okay, those five always got out in the end. Nothing could hold them down for long, they were way too stubborn to go. Right?
Slowly but surely, the music room approached her view, making her heart swell in excitement. Thrusting out a hand, she latched onto the rusted knob and shoved the wooden door with her shoulder, hard.
Nothing happened.
Confusion visible on her face, she brought her body back and slammed her shoulder into the door again. It didn’t even budge. Her breathing quickened as she tried once more. Still the same result. Icy terror began building in her, as she slammed even harder into the door, pain aching in her shoulder.
TWILIGHT.
She froze, her body stiff as a board. Turning her head to the side, she peered back at the hallway. Nothing was there, just the same dimly lit and destroyed corridor as before. The air stilled in deathly silence, the doors ceased their rickety swaying, now just hanging out wide open in the hall. The only sound she could hear was her own shaky breathing as she stared, hackles raised for the impending threat.
Then, the light far on the other end shot out, leaving the far portion of the hall pitch black. Seconds ticked by, tenseness in the air as Twilight gripped the door nob tighter, her knuckles turning white. Suddenly the light next to the one that popped broke, causing the blackness to engulf that portion as well. After a couple seconds, the third light went out.
Twilight’s breathing increased even more, to the point were someone would think she was hyperventilating. Swinging her head back, she slammed into the music room door harder than last time, ignoring the searing pain in her arm. She rammed into the hard wood harder and harder each time, letting out grunts of pain and dread every so often as more pain surged through her, but the door stubbornly held its ground, not even letting out the tiniest of squeaks.
One by one, each light burst with a mocking pop, with the shadows swallowing up the portion of the hall every time. She continued to hit the door, desperateness making her ramming more sloppy and unfocused as the darkness drew nearer. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she began whimper, near giving up on her escape.
With the last of her energy, she heaved her shoulder into the door, her body screaming in painful protest.
But with her last hit, the door burst open, breaking the lock and sending her sprawling onto the floor of the room. When she landed, Twilight coughed as her sides took the brunt of her fall before she realized her luck. Jumping to her feet, Twilight quickly slammed the door shut and turned to study the room.
The music room was arguably the liveliest place in all of CHS, it was were she and the girls usually hung out or played music. It was were they used their magic the most, the magic of “Ponying up.” Because of the extra magic released from the pony version of Equestria, whenever the girls played music together, they gained pony ears, wings and tails, just like a fantasy story. She often wondered why the other kids in the school didn’t have that ability, though Applejack had told her it was because the seven of them had “the magic of friendship.” Which wasn’t technically an answer in her book, but she had accepted it.
Now, the room didn’t look so lively anymore. The walls were cracked and broken, with even more claw marks skidding across them. The ceiling looked half decent, not appearing to have any claw marks or massive pieces taken out like the rest of the school. She looked down, covered her mouth with a hand, gasping.
Their instruments laid destroyed all over the ground, with Rainbow Dash’s guitar broken in half, Fluttershy’s tambourine jingles torn off the frail instrument as well as Pinkie’s drums sporting large busted in holes.
Then she heard something from behind her. Whipping around, she studied the door before she realized that the door didn’t have it’s lock any more, which meant whatever was on the other side could easily get in now. Hurryingly, Twilight grabbed all the girls’ instruments and hurled them in a pile right in front of the door, ending with tossing her microphone on the cluster. Backing away from the door until her back bumped against the window, Twilight chewed her bottom lip as she waited intently, rubbing her arms as a sense of comfort.
All was quiet in the room, her heart beating slowly and quietly like it knew about the danger. Few a few minutes of tense silence, Twilight brought her hand to her chest and breathed out a sigh, her shoulders loosening in relief.
TWILIGHT.
She immediately went on alert, eyes darting back to the door. The instruments held firmly on the ground, with no movement coming from them. Was someone on the other side?
BANG!
In a split second, the door jerked forward, sounding like someone had hit it with a sledgehammer. She jumped at the sound, before the banging began again.
BANG!
she jumped once more, her body now visibly shaking. Someone was breaking down the door.
BANG!
The hits were getting harder now, she could feel it, feel the amount of force being added to it. Gritting her teeth, Twilight pressed her back more firmly to the window. There was nowhere to hide in here. Whoever it was on the other side would surely catch her as soon as they broke down the door.
BANG!
Wouldn’t be long now. She could swear she saw a hinge fly off the wooden barrier. Folding her arms together, tears spilled out of her eyes as the banging continued, each hit harsher than the last. What would they do when they finally got in here? What would they do to her?
BANG!
Was this really how it ended for her, alone in the darkness without her friends, left to rot in this horrible place without anyone able to find her. Forgotten and unwanted.
BANG!
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” she screamed with a cracking voice.
….
….
She waited.
And waited.
....
Nothing.
….
Nothing but silence.
Unfolding her hands, Twilight eyed the door warily, scanning for any kind of motion. More seconds ticked by as she waited eagerly, never straying her eyes for a second.
She dared not speak, keeping her breathing quieter than the smallest whisper, afraid that if she were to make any sound, the person behind the door would finish what they started on the poor wooden barrier. So, she stood there, waiting. Listening. Watching.
Her foggy breath huffed into the air, the dead silence starting to make her itchy.
YOUR FAULT.
She withheld a startled shriek when a breath of chilly air brushed across her neck, making her hairs stand on end, words housed in the air far from gentle. Her heartbeat with rapid force as she stiffened straight, her hands clenched to her sides as her face went pale.
The air turned freezing, almost like she’d been dumped into a picnic cooler full of thick ice. Widening her eyes in surprise, she winced at the cold air nipping her skin, before closing her eyes and gulping down a tidal wave of fear. With a cautious step, she ever so slowly turned her front around towards the window, terrified by the thought of what she’d find.
Keeping her eyes screwed shut, she took the last twisted step, her front now fully facing the window. Breathing in deeply a couple times, she mustered up her courage and opened her eyes.
Then she screamed.
A cold fog spiderwebbed across the window frame, making it hard to see anything on the other side, while icy air bled through the glass, the breeze stabbing into her exposed arms like knives.
But her mind was far from interested in fogginess.
Standing behind the glass, was Midnight Sparkle.
Twilight couldn’t speak, she couldn’t think, she couldn’t breathe. She just stared, petrified, at the monster that ruined her life, the creature that was with her in every step, and every dream. The monster she’d became not long ago.
Each day was a nightmare for her, for when she went to sleep, Midnight Sparkle emerged from the dark corners of her mind, filling her vision and digging deep cuts into her soul. At first, she seemed to take enjoyment in tormenting poor Twilight, taunting her for past mistakes, assuring the teen she’d return one day to exact revenge on her and her friends.
Days turned into weeks, which soon turned into months; Months of endless tormenting and taunting, with little to no way for Twilight to fight back. She tried everything she could to stop the nightmares, but nothing helped. Incense? Worthless. Dream catchers? Really?
It was only until the school field trip in Camp Everfree did the nightmares finally stop. After getting some supportive help from her friends, Twilight prevailed against her evil counterpart in a battle of wills, expelling the demoness from her mind forever with all her might. After that, Twilight was sure she hadn’t slept better in years.
After a while, it seemed that everything was finally somewhat going back to normal in her life.
Oh, how wrong she was.
Midnight Sparkle returned only weeks later, clouding Twilight’s mind once more. But it was different this time. Gone were the taunts and jeers, now Midnight Sparkle quietly haunted the young teen wherever she went. Much to Twilight’s surprise, her counterpart didn’t speak a word, not a word. Instead, she trailed Twilight like a dark shadow, standing unmoving in reflections while giving off a harsh, judging glare, making the purple haired girl feel uncomfortable and fidgety whenever their gazes met. The Midnight Sparkle she knew was a loud and boisterous villain that reveled other’s suffering, she wasn’t a silent, watchful stalker.
Twilight herself was beyond unhappy with this new change, often finding herself debating whether or not she wanted the old Midnight Sparkle back. She’d see her in almost every mirror and window that passed her view, mostly in her house, and even on several occasions when she was out with her friends in public. But in all those times, not one peep was made from either side. What was there to say really?
She was prepared for the day when Midnight Sparkle got bored of this silent routine and decided to just snap. This whole thing was probably just some sort of test, and Twilight Sparkle never shied away from tests. Why Midnight Sparkle was doing this, she didn’t know, but what she did know was that the when the snap finally came, it was most likely going to be absolute torture for Twilight. Midnight would probably go to extreme lengths to prove whatever point she was trying to make, and considering the type of vile person she was, those lengths looked quite far. Knowing this, Twilight had gathered all her mental strength and kept it in a secret storage deep in her mind, saving it for the day her evil counterpart let loose.
Fine, she’d play Midnight Sparkle’s little game, but Twilight would be prepared for her this time. She was scared yes, but also a bit angry.
And now, just like all the times before, Midnight Sparkle stood there, stock still while giving off her signature glare at Twilight from behind the glass. Though the fog would make any other persons’ vision of her hard to see, Twilight could see her old self in all her evil glory just fine.
Her shining white/blue eye liners and horn lit up like blinding lights, towering above Twilight. Her deep purple skin glowed inside the darkness of the other side, making her the only living source in the mirror. Twilight suppressed a wince when she saw her massive, owllike wings stretched outward, only half of them visible through the edges of the window. She remembered when those wings sprouted from her back, the wing bones popping into existence and attaching to her shoulder bone like a forced puzzle piece.
Whereas before, Midnight Sparkle’s eyes were once full of mischief and mayhem, now her eyes looked plastic and hollow, with deep dark bags underneath them. her mouth was etched into a clenched frown, almost as if Twilight had committed the worst possible sin upon her.
The both of them stared down each other, with Midnight not moving a single inch and Twilight shaking in fear and the increasing cold.
Twilight waited for her alter ego to make the first move, but like every other time, Midnight Sparkle stayed in her place, not even breathing. Mustering what little courage she had left, Twilight cleared her throat gently, afraid any movement she made would set the other off.
“Y-y-yes?” she just barely murmured.
Suddenly, the door behind her swung open, the sound of instruments being thrown out of the way and the handle slamming into the plaster wall filled room. Nearly fainting on the spot, Twilight whipped around to see who had burst in, terrified of what she’d find.
The door was wide open for her to see through, with the band instruments scattered uselessly all over the floor. Her breathing turned into short gasps as she peered at the opening of the door. Instead of some imposing monster like she expected, nothing but darkness and smoke flowed from the opening. But other than that, nothing else could be seen through the door. Gulping, Twilight watched the doorway for any sign of movement.
It seemed as though there was no threat at the moment, taking a breath, she remembered the other threat and turned around.
Midnight Sparkle was gone.
All she could see was pitch blackness on the other side of the mirror, with no sign of her evil counterpart in sight. Rubbing her arms again, Twilight took a meek step forward and began to inch closer to the window, keeping a watchful eye and ear out for anything. Stepping up to the glass, she cocked her head to the side as she inspected, scanning for any sort of explanation. She couldn’t see a thing beyond the window, nor around it, everything seemed as it should be.
Cautiously, she placed her shaking hand onto the glass. It was freezing to the touch, it almost hurt. What was going on?
Before she knew it, hands burst through the glass, grabbing onto Twilight’s shoulders in a tight grip. Spluttering in surprise, Twilight wriggled in the hand’s grasp. And just like that, Midnight Sparkle was in her face, with no glass holding her back. The teen struggled not to scream as Midnight’s hands constricted into the other’s biceps, pain shooting through her arms like a rocket. Midnight Sparkle simply watched as Twilight fought, giving off the same glare as before. Through all her struggling, Twilight felt her energy start to deplete, causing her to panic and flail uncontrollably.
“LET ME GO! LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GO!” Twilight screamed as she shoved her alter ego. Rather than retaliate, Midnight Sparkle simply continued her glare, before bringing Twilights' face centimeters from her own. Noticing the new scenario, Twilight stopped her struggling and looked Midnight right in the eyes, her face full of fear and paranoia.
And for the first time in months, her alter ego spoke.
YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE.
Furrowing her brows in confusion, Twilight could do nothing as Midnight pulled her upper body back and dragged the purple teen with her through the window.
The last thing Twilight heard was her own screaming as she was pulled into the void.
---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0----0-----0----0----0-----0--- OoO ---0----0----0---0----0----0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---
“NNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Twilight shot up from her chair while screaming bloody murder, rapidly wiping her body with her hands as she kicked her legs in the air.
Quickly ceasing her yelling, she latched her finger onto the arms of the chair, letting out deep heaving breathes as her eyes darted around the room.
The portion of the hallway she was in was empty, having all the people inside the closed rooms working. Looking to the right, further down she saw doctors and nurses running frantically from room to room, much too far to notice her freak out. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead as she slowly took off her glasses and caressed her face, her body trembling like a leaf.
Her mind went blank as she processed her surroundings, easily taking notice of the posters and musky smell of the hospital. She stayed on high alert for a few minutes, keeping a watchful eye on every moving thing and wincing at every sound near her.
Soon as she understood there was no threat, her shaking drifted away as her breathing calmed, allowing her to relax.
“Ugh, what a dream.” She uttered as she scanned her body for any sign of unfamiliarity.
Seated in her chair just outside the room Cadence resided in, Twilight looked over her shoulder to the door, noticing it was still closed. Shining Armor must’ve still been talking with her, so she’d be out here for a while longer.
Everything seemed ok now, the hospital, of all places, radiating a much better aura than the broken, desolate CHS she was in earlier.
Putting both her hands into her lap, Twilight took notice of her still rapidly beating heart and decided now was a good time to practice that breathing exercise Cadence had taught her.
In.
Out.
In.
Ou-
“HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!”
Popping her eyes back open, she jumped in her chair as she turned her head back to the right. The doctors and nurses looked agitated about something, as evidence from their shocked looks and pointed fingers.
Next thing she knew, Applejack, Rarity, Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy barreled from across the corner and hauled their tails towards Twilight’s direction. Skidding to a stop just a couple feet from her, the five of them simultaneously collapsed into a heap on the floor, panting for breath. Twilight looked closer and noticed that they all appeared disheveled, with Rarity appearing close to faint, Sunset clutching her ears with a pained expression, Pinkie shaking her hand as if it were on fire, with closer inspection showing a portion of her hand was charred black, and Futtershy was sprawled on the floor, pale as can be. Seemingly unbeknownst to the yellow teen, a small mouse peeked his tiny head out of her messy hair, curious and confused.
Unsure of what to say, Twilight simply watched her friends as they caught their breath, laying on the ground of the hospital.
After waiting a few seconds, Twilight opened her mouth to say something, when something else beat her to the punch. Hearing the sound of shuffling feet, Twilight looked up to see Rainbow Dash appearing from behind the corner, face drenched in sweat while shuffling her feet across the ground in a flurry. Quirking a confused and admittedly amused eyebrow, Twilight watched as her rainbow haired friend desperately tried not to lift her feet off the ground, instead “fast walking” to the pile of friends that lay in front of her.
Once she reached the group, she too dropped to her knees, turning over on her back while staring at the ceiling. Twilight sat in her chair, watching her friends as they ignored her and the bewildered bystanders, instead focusing on cooling themselves off. Looking over them all, Twilight cleared her throat and said the only thing she could in this certain scenario.
“What happened?”
Instantly, all heads snapped towards her direction, an annoyed expression on each of their faces.
""""""DON'T EVEN ASK!""""""