//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Something Darker 
// Story: My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - The Soul Complex 
// by Nasic the Amazon 
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The cafeteria was null. The same groups were together again as they interacted at their individual desks while eating. The techs with the techs, the sportspeople with sportspeople. The individuality and separation could be seen even from the window of the entrance to the cafeteria. In the hallway of the entrance, a feeling of nervousness could be felt in the air. 

“I don’t know about doing this anymore,” Fluttershy said, shaking while looking through the window of the door that leads into the cafeteria. 

Everyone seemed nervous but acted as if nothing was wrong. But it was. It seemed so long ago when Austin could feel what they were feeling, but from watching other people he knew exactly the signs. Who could blame them tho, it wasn't every day you plan to make a song and ACTUALLY make it. 

“Come on y'all, we gotta do this for Twilight to have a better image,” Applejack said while standing in front of everyone.

“Yeah! It's just a song, how bad could it be?” Pinkie backed up Applejack.

Austin looked at all the girls. It seemed like they were willing to do this, but needed a little push. He turned towards Rainbowdash, who seemed to be shaking the most. It was clear she was still uncomfortable with this. He walked towards her just as their eyesight met.

“You holding up?” Austin asked while examining her expression for changes.

“I…. YUP!” she said with her shaking voice.

Austin gave her a look that questioned her answer.

“Fine… I’m not good… Even if I wanna do it… I just can’t shake the feeling that everyone will be watching me while I… I just… can't explain it. But I guess you've felt it before right?” 

“To be honest, I haven't really done this before. Especially in front of a school crowd” he responded.

“Then, how? How are you so calm?” She asked with a worried face.

Austin looked up and thought about his answer.

“I accept reality for what it is. Even if it makes me nervous or it’s painful. You can’t do anything to change what life throws at you, so you just gotta go with the flow” 

Rainbow looked at him while thinking. She saw the logic in his words because it’s something she also believes in. Going with the flow of life was their way. But just as she finished thinking, Austin continued.

“In this case, life has thrown up something really special. A chance of being with your friends again. Remember what we talked about at the cafe? You are not alone in this”

Austin turned to look at the others just as Rainbow followed him.

“They will be with you, I will be with you” 

He turns towards Rainbow and looks at her shining eyes.

“Think about the feeling of accomplishment you will have after this. Think about celebrating with them, about remembering the memory you are about to create”

His words were calming her, making her feel better about herself.

“Think about this as if it were a game. A simple football game. Every word you sing is a kick to the ball. One kick at a time” he finished.

As she finally calmed herself, she regained confidence similar to how she did in Sugar Cube Corner. 

“One kick at a time,” she told Austin with a relaxed face.

“One kick at a time,” he said back while walking towards Fluttershy, but before he could get to her, Rainbow stopped him.

“Hey, Austin! Thanks” she said with a soft smile. 

He waved at her and smiled back. It was nice getting to talk to Rainbow Dash, but his mind wasn't focused on fanboying, he had a goal in mind and knew he needed to focus.

“Hey Fluttershy, are you good?” he asked while she was looking through the glass door again.

“I’m…. trying… to… manage…” she said while still looking through the glass.

“Fluttershy, I need you to listen to me for a second,” he said while trying to make her stop looking at the people in the cafeteria.

He needed to treat her with care, he needed to make her understand how important this was without making her even more nervous. Just as he managed to take her attention, Austin looked at the clock on top of the door. They needed to hurry, recess was going to end pretty soon and if they didn't sing today, then the timeline would truly be messed up.

“I can't do this Austin!” she finally cried out “It’s too much for me”

“Look, it will only be too much for you if you let it be. Remember that everyone is here with you, you won't do this alone” 

His words were doing no good. Fluttershy was getting even more nervous as she realized everyone else was counting on her.

“Crap” Austin thought while stepping back for a second.

Before he could continue, Twilight walked past him and towards Fluttershy. 

“Fluttershy, you don't have to worry about a thing. Being in the spotlight can be quite nerve-wracking, but we gotta fight through it and be strong. I know you are strong” she said.

It wasn't working. Nothing they said was getting to her. But suddenly Austin remembers something.

“The Animal Shelter!” he said with a smile.

This finally caught her full attention. 

“What about the animal shelter?” she asked while looking at him with wide eyes.

“You said that no one was paying attention to you about the animal shelter yesterday right? What if you take this opportunity in gaining popularity and use it to help the animals there? Maybe with this performance, people will pay more attention to what you wanna say later on. This could help out the shelter in the long run” he finished.

She understood every word. It was true that if she did this people might start taking interest in her, which in turn could lead to more interest in the shelter. She made a wide smile and stood up. 

“You’re right,” she said, still a little nervous.

“If you’re still struggling, just imagine that every person in the cafeteria is a rabbit. If you do that then you’ll have an easier time singing” Austin said while putting a hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him and nodded. It was clear that she wasn't as nervous as before, at least enough to willingly do this. Twilight also smiled at him. She was impressed at how he handled the situation. But before anything else could happen, Austin looked at the clock and knew it was time. 

“Alright everyone, let's do this,” he said while walking towards the door. 

“Everybody knows their parts?” Rarity asked while handling the tiara ears and belt tail to the group.

“Yeah” they all responded.

“Let's do this y’all,” Applejack said while walking through the now opened glass doors of the cafeteria.

All the girls passed as Austin and Twilight stayed behind. His part wasn't as important as the rest of the girls, but it was still necessary for him to be there. 

“I’m a little nervous,” Twilight said as she looked at the radio device Pinkie was carrying. 

“Don’t be, you’ll be great” Austin responded while everyone started getting into position.

“Hey, I… I wanted to thank you for helping me with this. It was all your plan after all”

“No problem, what are friends for, right?” he responded with a gentle smile.

“Right!”

Just as they finished their conversation, a beat could be heard starting to form inside the cafeteria. Spike turned up the music that emanated from Pinkie’s radio device and sound filled up the whole room.

Austin couldn’t help but be excited about this, he was a big part of what was about to happen and the cafeteria song was one of his favorites from the original Equestria Girl movie. 

“HEY HEY EVERYBODY! WE'VE GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!” all the girls started to sing as they began their dance choreography.

Rainbow Dash seemed different. She didn’t seem as nervous as before, as if she were a different person, the REAL Rainbow Dash. Austin smiled as he felt the confidence in her tone. He then turned to Fluttershy who had also changed. She sang with beauty and grace as if an angel came down from heaven. Every one of them was doing an amazing job. 

“SO GET UP, GET DOWN, IF YOU’RE GONNA COME AROUND, WE CAN WORK TOGETHER HELPING TWILIGHT WIN THE CROWN!” They sang with wide smiles.

While hearing this something inside Austin happened. As if for one single instance he felt something. A little feeling, so small but large enough to be felt. 

Happiness.

Twilight and Austin prepared as it was almost their time to join the dance, but all of a sudden something caught Austin’s eyes. He turned towards his right only to be met by something at the end of the hallway. A dark figure with a coat. It looked tall as if it were an adult, but what troubled him was that no other student was aware of that thing’s existence. Students were passing to its sides and they didn't seem to know it was there.

“What the heck is that?” he thought, trying to get a better glance at it.

But before he could identify it, the figure moved towards the entrance of the school. Austin wasn't sure what it was, but his body was acting as if it was… “Dangerous”.

“Austin, you okay?” Twilight asked with a worried face.

“Did you see that?” he responded, still looking at the end of the hallway.

“See what?” 

“I'll be right back,” he said while running to the end of the hallway.

“Austin, wait!” Twilight exclaimed before Austin’s head turned towards her.

“Don’t worry, I'll be here in less than a minute,” he said with a smile.

He turned to the left at the end of the hallway and followed where that thing was supposedly going. It was as if he already knew where the thing was headed. Just as he reached another hallway, he finally made it to the entrance. There weren't any students around in the large room, only Austin and that thing in front of him.

The black figure was facing the glass which held gold trophies and a large picture of the wonderbolts team. It was as if that thing was looking for something among the trophies. Just as Austin was getting closer, the large dark figure reached out toward the glass and its hand phased through it. He picked up a small shiny piece of a black emerald and retrieved it from its display. 

Austin could see it. It was the same shard he saw when he entered the school yesterday night.

“Hey!” Austin exclaimed as he walked closer to the figure “Don't you know it isn't right to steal from school property? You are practically stealing from the government” 

The figure stood still for a few seconds, then continued with his mission. He placed the shard in his left leg as a small black mist engulfed it and entered the entity’s body.

“Who are you?” Austin asked with an analytic face.

This thing wasn't from the movies at all. There wasn't a glimpse nor a sign of anything similar either. 

“I am just like you,” the entity said with a British accent “An otherworldly creature that seeks escape”

Austin stopped right behind the entity. His body was sensing danger coming from that thing, but he needed to know what it was.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked “And why do you need that shard?”

The black figure didn’t move an inch for a couple of seconds. 

“Tell me, child… Do you wish to go back to your own world?” the figure finally asked, still facing away from Austin.

“What is happening?” Austin thought “How does he know?”

He ignored that comment. It seemed that shard was important to the creature and from the way he looked and spoke, it wasn't with good intention.

“I’m gonna need you to put that back” 

The creature turned slowly towards Austin. It was unlike anything he's ever seen before, it was as if the creature was fully covered with dark mist.

“I’m warning you, leave now before you get hurt,” he said.

“That’s not happ-” Austin said before he felt a huge pain in his stomach. 

All of a sudden, his body lifted from the ground and went flying towards a concrete wall where he made impact. The wall cracked due to the large force, knocking off a few papers that were glued there.

On the other side of the school, Twilight looked through the glass door as Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were still singing. She was getting worried because Austin was not coming back and they needed him.

“GENEROUS, HONESTY, LAUGHTER, KINDNESS, LOYALTY!” They sang as the dance continued.

The song was working, the students were listening and the girls were enjoying themselves. Rainbow was having the time of her life and Fluttershy was still singing like an angel. As good as everything was going, Rarity and Pinkie noticed that the doors to the cafeteria were still closed. The plan was for Austin to open them a few seconds ago so that Twilight could come out, but no one was there. 

Coming back to Austin, just as his body fell to the ground, the dark figure ran to the stairs and into the second floor. 

“AW!” Austin exclaimed as he got up.

He felt a HUGE pain in his back and he could feel his face burning. 

“THAT...HURT!” He thought while looking at the cracked wall “No normal person has the strength to do that. Is he from Equestria?”

He immediately set his way towards the stairs and into the second floor, attempting to follow the figure. Students looked at him as he ran. It appeared only he could see him.

“How did he know I was from another world? Did he mean he's just like me? A person from the real world?” he thought while following glimpses of darkness through the hallways. 

He entered a set of stairs that lead to the roof but before he could continue his path, the black figure surprised him from the side. The figure lifted Austin off the ground with his hands and pinned him to the wall. Austin was starting to be choked while hanging 3 feet off the ground.

Back in the cafeteria, Rarity and Pinkie were getting even more worried as the doors were still shut. If Austin didn't open them now it would be too late and the whole choreography would be ruined. Twilight was still getting worried. If this went wrong then everything would be ruined and her chances of becoming a formal princess would go down significantly. 

She grabbed the door handle herself as she prepared to open it without the help of Austin, but before she could the door opened by itself as white light emanating from the cafeteria engulfed her.

Austin was going to pass out if he didn’t do something. Being stuck 3 feet off the ground while a person 2 times his size was choking him was bad enough, but knowing that this guy had the answers he was seeking made it extra hard to keep composure. Just as he was about to pass out, his body moved on its own. He grabbed one of the arms that were pinning him to the wall and with all his strength pushed him away. It was slow, but he was pushing the dark entity’s arm back. He suddenly lifted his right leg and placed it in his chest, then pushed as hard as he could. This made the entity lose a little balance and fall back. As Austin got free, he fell and hit the ground. He was finally able to breathe, but the entity was way ahead of him. As the entity grabbed Austin and lifted him up again, he punched him once, then again, then again, and once he was about to punch him in the face one last time, he stopped right before making contact. Austin had a large bruise on his left cheek and a bloody nose. He couldn't stop him now.

The entity threw him to the wall and walked to the stairs. Austin tried to get up, but the pain in his back was too much. 

“S… stop…” he tried to say as the entity looked back at him.

“I spared your life today, I will not do it again. If you interfere with my plan you will have the pleasure of dying by my hands” 

And just like that, the figure continued his path to the roof. A few minutes passed before Austin got up and went up the stairs to follow him. It was hard to go up the steps, but his will was more powerful than his pain. Once he got up and opened the metallic door, the bright sunlight hit his face and the warm heat of day engulfed him. He looked around but didn’t find a trace of the dark entity. 

“Who the hell was that?” he thought while holding his back in pain.

“OW! OW! OW!” he exclaimed as questions began to be made in his mind. 

Before he could think any longer, he remembered Twilight and the girls. He moved as fast as he could towards the stairs and towards the first floor, but just as the metal door closed, a small piece of black fog disappeared at the edge of the roof. Austin made his way and managed to walk all the way to the entrance of the school. A lot of students were present as a couple of security guards cleaned up the debris from the cracked wall Austin was thrown to a few minutes before. 

“Did anyone see anything?” one of the students asked his friend.

“No, they say a group of 3rd graders heard a large crash and came to see what was happening” he responded.

Just as the gossip was spreading, Principal Celestia entered the room and told the students to clear out. 

“Nothing to see here, only a small accident,” she said.

Austin covered his face as fast as he could, then he continued his walk towards the cafeteria. He struggled but finally managed to imitate a normal walking cycle. As soon as he entered the cafeteria he knew he messed up. Almost all the students were finished with their food and were getting ready for their next class. 

“Oh no…” he whispered as he passed through the door and exited the cafeteria. 

He moves around the school, trying to find Twilight and her friends, from the library to the classroom where they originally met. He couldn’t find them and it was starting to worry him.

“Come one!” he said trying to think of something “Wait! The soccer field!”

He made his way towards the outside of the school only to be met by Vice Principal Luna. She was wearing office attire and was apparently waiting for someone.

Austin walked past her and managed to enter the soccer field before being stopped by a familiar voice.

“It’s him!” A girl with sunset-colored hair said.

“He’s the one that challenged Rainbow Dash to gather information for Crystal Prep?” Luna asked while looking at Austin.

“Yes!” Sunset Shimmer responded with a smirk.

Austin turned to look at Sunset but Luna stepped forward.

“Mister Jake, please follow me to my office,” she said while walking towards him.