//------------------------------// // Waking Up // Story: "Well, this sucks." // by AwkwardInfo //------------------------------// “Well, this sucks.” That was all Flash could really say about the situation he was in. And he was right. It did suck. Like a lot. After the Rainbooms’ fight with Hoity Toity in the secret portal room beneath Castle Hoofbeard, Flash figured out too little too late that Hoity’s battle with them was just a diversion to destroy the foundations holding up the castle and steal the Portal stone from them while they would frantically try to escape. However, Hoity didn’t expect poor, normal, magicless Flashy to reveal his plan to the girls, with Twilight snatching away the stone before he could get away. However, that left him in a bit of a dilemma. With the whole place coming down, threatening to bring them all to an unlucky grave, Flash saw the ceiling nearly fall onto one of his unsuspecting friends and tackled them before it could crush her, the rubble separating the two from the rest of the group. Twilight had tried her best to hold up the castle with her levitation, but he knew that it would only be holding back the inevitable. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before the end, and asked his friends to remember him as a hero before asking Twilight to let go, practically sealing them in their own tomb. It took a bit of convincing from him, but that, combined with the nerd girl’s own exhaustion, led to the complete collapse of the cavern on top of the pair, with Flash practically wrapping himself around his friend in a vain attempt to possibly save her, even if he couldn’t save himself… … … … But apparently, having an entire castle made from stone fall on top of you didn’t actually mean that you would die immediately. In fact, he’d go as far as to say that he got incredibly lucky. Absurdly luck, even. Perhaps it was even impossible for him to survive those circumstances. But there he was, underneath enough stone to fill up maybe twenty graveyards, and yet he was still alive. Granted, it felt like he had slept under a rock for the past few weeks, but considering the circumstances, it could’ve been worse. He didn’t know how long he was out. For all he knew, he really could’ve been there for weeks. All he did know was that it was heavy and it hurt and that explaining this was only gonna give him a worse headache than he already had to begin with. When he came to, he had no idea where he was for the first few seconds, completely blanking on why he wasn’t in his bed in his father’s mansion. It didn’t take long, however, for his throbbing head to catch him up to speed and remind him what had happened, and so, he said the first thing that came to mind: “Well, this sucks.” Yes it did, Flash Sentry. It really, really did. … … … Well, he might as well try to get out of here. If the universe tried to bury him alive and failed, then surely he wasn’t supposed to stay there. He was gonna get up and find some way to get back home. Everyone was probably worried sick about him, especially the girls. I mean, seeing anyone get crushed by huge pieces of stone would be traumatizing, but actually having a connection with them would probably kill anyone, especially after he went out of his way to… Wait… Oh no. He forgot that he was laying on top of one of them. He frantically tried to move his hands around, trying to figure out if she was still breathing, but to no avail. However long he had been sleeping for had been long enough to completely numb his arms, so he couldn’t really feel much, if at all. Darn rocks had cut off all the circulation from his shoulder down. He hoped she was still alright, and given her track record against many magical entities, she’d probably be fine… Probably. A blinding light suddenly caught his attention, burning brightly through the cracks in between the damaged castle’s walls. Flash only knew of one thing that could shine this far into a war-torn cavern: the sun. And if that was the sun, then that meant the surface had to be nearby. And if the surface was nearby…then maybe they weren’t buried underneath as deep as he’d thought. At least, that’s what he hoped, anyway. Well, he’d never know unless he tried, right? With a newfound sense of purpose, Flash dug his feet into the ground beneath him and put all of his strength onto his back. One… Two… THREE! He hoisted himself up as hard as he could, pushing the rocks aside, breaking through to the surface to get himself a nice gulp of delicious, non-seawater smelling air. At least, he would’ve gotten that if he didn’t just push the rock onto his leg. He tried his best not to scream… He failed miserably. “AHHHHHHHHH!” The poor boy’s scream echoed throughout the island, shaking the snow off of the trees and waking many unsuspecting animals out of their hibernation. Some residents from Filthy Rich’s resort thought they heard something, Quibble Pants believed that he had finally gone insane from the lack of human interaction, and even Gloriosa swore that the wind sounded a bit…higher-pitched than normal. Flash’s cries of pain lasted for all of ten seconds before he finally got a grip on himself…or he ran out of breath. It was one or the other and he couldn’t really tell which came first. He gasped in huff and puffs of air, trying to get as much oxygen into his head that he desperately needed, billowing out into white clouds from the chilly winter temperatures. Jeez, when did it get so cold out here? How long had they been in there for, because it couldn’t have been this bad when he was last outside. The wind was awful, completely ignoring his jacket and just piercing straight through him, especially around his arms. It felt like needles were being jabbed wherever they felt like. Seriously, if you can’t make a custom jacket that looks cool and also protects against the weather, then what’s the point of having a jacket in the first place? He’d have Edmund find another tailor when he got back, because this is ridiculous… … Wait, weren’t his arms supposed to be numb or something? He looked down at his arms to see that he had, in fact, dislodged them from their spot underneath the poor girl he had been holding, the heat rising rapidly as his blood flow overcompensated and tried to fill them back up again after being blocked for so long. Honestly, it felt great that he could feel his extremities again, but that only left him wondering… If his arms were here, then where..? Flash looked over and confirmed exactly what he had suspected. “Yep. She’s in the hole.” He sighed. Figures he’d do that. Letting her and the other Rainbooms down again. I mean, he didn’t think he’d do it in a literal sense, but now he could say he’s done both. … Right, he’s gotta get her out of the hole. That’s what people who are human shields do. Of course. But first he should probably take care of the huge thing on his leg. Shaking the blood back into his arms, Flash grasped the piece of ceiling tightly into his grip. It was cold and wet, which made him pause for a bit. Why was it wet? Did it snow when they were down there? He had no idea. Nonetheless, he threw it away, hoping it broke in half like it had done to his pride a minute ago. He moved over some more rubble and picked up his companion, gently placing her on his lap. Unfortunately, laying her down anywhere on these shards of rock would probably stab her in her sleep, so he decided to take the more gentlemanly approach this time, even if she freaked out once she woke up. Best to own up to it than to cause her any more discomfort. She looked…well, he wouldn’t say she looked bad, but she definitely looked better before the roof literally fell on them. Her hair was covered in dust and broken pebbles, dulling her usually bright and vibrant colored hair. Her shirt had a few rips and tears (which he purposefully tried not to stare at), and her legs looked pretty battered and bruised. She was breathing, thankfully, her chest rising and falling pretty normally, so she probably didn’t get any debris stuck in her throat. All in all, he could’ve done a worse job at saving someone. He’d give this rescue attempt a solid 7/10 at the most. That is, if she’ll actually wake up. You’d think that after hearing him let out a super manly and not at all feminine scream that she’d at least be somewhat awake, but nope; she was out like a light, not even mumbling or drooling like he’d seen her do plenty of times in class. It was pretty adorable, all things considered, but he wouldn’t tell her that, unless he suddenly lost feeling in his leg and needed a good kick. Alright, time to stop stalling. The longer they stayed here, the more worried everyone else was gonna get, and while he was a sucker for a pretty face, they didn't make for good food and certainly weren’t gonna keep him warm. Shaking her slightly and patting her face, Flash tried to stir her from her sleep. “Dash?” It took a few tries, but soon enough, he could see her beautiful magenta eyes open up again as she let out a small, scratchy moan. “Ugh…” She tried to sit up, wondering why her bed felt so nonexistent before she nearly fell over onto the hole again. Luckily, Flash grabbed her by the hand and hoisted her back up onto his lap. “Okay! I’m up, I’m up!” Dash cried, eyes wide as the adrenaline kicked in. “I know that I put shaving cream on your ice cream, Pinkie, but this is going too…far?” Dash frantically glanced around, a million questions flowing through her head. What happened last night? Why did it feel like she had slept on a rock? What was Flash doing here? Where’s her Wonderbolt plush toy that she always sleeps with? Wait…Flash? “Flash?” She asked, rubbing her eyes to see if this was a dream, but nope; that was definitely Flash Sentry alright, although he looked a bit worse for wear, with his hair standing on end and his tattered clothes that was the complete opposite to the rich gentleman their group had come to know. “You alright? You didn’t break anything, did you? I see some bruises, but I can’t see everything. How many fingers am I holding up?” And like a gentleman, he was also being as overbearing and overprotective as possible. “I’m fine.” Dash grumbled, pushing his hand out her face before groaning again. “Ugh, what happened last night?” Flash gave her a worried look. “Do you not remember?” “Not really. I kinda just woke up and nearly fell into a hole, so I’m gonna say I’m not at home right now.” Flash chuckled nervously. “Yeah…” Dash picked her brain, trying to remember what had happened. There was some kind of pageant going on, and Hoity Toity was apparently scouting out where to go on some island? There were some vague memories of the gang going to a castle, getting chased by some snakes…they found Flash somehow, even though they didn’t invite him…Twilight was in danger…then Hoity showed up and they had a huge battle before— “OMIGOSH TWILIGHT!” She suddenly exclaimed, nearly deafening her companion. “Did she make it out okay?! The room started falling apart and I had no idea what I was doing and then I was on the ground and then—” “Hey, hey! Calm down, Dash! She and the others made it out alright…I think.” He muttered that last part under his breath. “Then where the heck are they?! They didn’t just leave us here, right?!” An uncomfortable silence filled the air when Flash didn’t respond. “They…didn’t leave us here…r-right?” She repeated, a little bit of fear starting to grip at her heart. “I mean…if I saw someone get flattened by a giant castle made from stone, I wouldn’t stay around. What if the police showed up? I’m about to be the mayor’s kid! That would kill his career! Hehehe…hehe…he…” Flash’s chuckles trailed off. Rainbow Dash blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. … … … “Uhh, Dash?” Flash asked, raising an eyebrow. “That was a joke. You’re supposed to laugh.” … “You alright there, Rainbow?” He snapped his fingers in her face which stared into the endless beyond. “Look, I know it was in bad taste, but that’s how all political humor—” “YOU MEAN WE’RE STUCK HERE?!” … “…okay, ow.” Flash put a finger in his ear to pull the bell that had been suddenly thrust into his ear. Dash, meanwhile, began to have a complete nervous breakdown. “Omigosh, what if they told my parents what happened? I mean, we’ve been on dangerous adventures before, but I never thought about what we would do if someone actually got hurt or anything! Oh, they’re probably gonna freak! And then they’re gonna tell Principal Celestia and then they’re gonna take me out of school and then I’ll be stuck out on the streets like a hobo and then I’ll have no chance of joining the Wondercolts team because they don’t accept anyone who isn’t enrolled in the school and then they’ll cancel my phone plan and use my savings on my funeral and then—” A sudden pair of arms wrapped around her, silencing her from her mental spiral of ‘what ifs’ right then. “Shh, shhhh.” Flash soothed, rubbing her arms with slow and calm motions. “It’s alright. We’re fine now. It’s gonna be fine. Just breathe.” Dash took a few deep breaths. She took a few breathing classes to try and increase her stamina out in the field, so she knew how to handle this. Just in and out.  In and out. In…and out. In…and…out. “You good?” Flash questioned, still a bit worried. “Yeah…yeah, I’m good now.” Dash breathed out, her nerves subsided. They sat like that for a few moments, relaxing into the sound of their own heartbeats and breathing. After everything that had happened in the past few weeks, what with this new magic, a secret society bent on taking over the world, and literally having a building fall on top of them, they felt they deserved a bit of a break. At least, until they realized that they had been hugging for quite a bit longer than any normal person should. The two high schoolers tore apart, a burning blush spreading across their cheeks. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to—” “N-no, I shouldn’t have tried that—” “Still, I was the one freaking out, and you were just trying to help—” “Really, it’s fine, I was just overreacting, and—” “I just wanted to say that I was—” “All I want to say is that I’m—” “Sorry.” An awkward silence filled the air, the pair not daring to look into the other’s eyes. … … … “S-so, anyway…” Flash coughed into his hand, trying to ignore his boiling red face. “What’s the plan, then?” “Plan? What do you mean, ‘plan?’” Rainbow asked incredulously. “Well, I mean, we’ve kinda been living under a rock…or two…or ten—” “Get to the point.” “How’re we gonna get home?” … … … “Ehehehe…I was hoping you’d come up with something.”  Dash replied, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Yeah, I figured as much.” The blue haired boy rolled his eyes playfully. “Luckily for you, I do have an idea of how to get us back.” “Really?” She raised an eyebrow. “Then why did you ask?” “Cause I like messing with you. You look adorable when you’re flustered, and I’m a sucker for a cute face.” He flashed his signature grin, giving her a little wink. Whatever remained of her blush instantly came back full force as the tomboy pouted, pursing her lips and crossing her arms as she tried to ignore his teasing. “Yeah, just like that!” Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be working. “Whatever, rich boy.” The girl grumbled, not looking him in the face and definitely not thinking about how shiny his teeth were. “What’s this ‘idea’ you have that’ll get us out of this frozen wasteland?” “I’m so glad you asked.” Flash gave one last chuckle before continuing. “So, you know that theory proposed by Occam Razor from science class?” “No, I’m not an egghead like Twi or Sun-Shim…or you, apparently.” “Okay, first off: ouch, my pride.” He clutched his heart in mock offense. “And second: Occam Razor was the guy who came up with the idea that the simplest solution to a problem is the correct one. Sooooo…” The rocker trailed off as he put his hand in his pocket. “I thought that we should call your friends and tell them what happened so they can pick us up.” “Ooohhh, good idea!” Dash perked up at the idea…before remembering that she was mad at him. “I mean…duh! Of course I knew what you were gonna do. I was just…testing you! Yeah!” “…riiight.” Flash deadpanned, not believing a single word coming out of her mouth. “Well, whatever the case, we’ll give ‘em a ring, they’ll find us, patch us up, and we’ll be on our way back like nothing happened! Problem solved!” He gave her a small smile as his hand gripped on the super rectangle in his pockets. “And no one will be the wiser! Not Celestia, not Luna, not Dad, not your parents; we’ll be…fine…” He trailed off as he pulled out his phone. At least, what used to be his phone, because what he had grabbed was definitely shaped like a phone, but sadly…it wasn’t anymore. The screen was completely busted, with long, spider-like cracks webbing the glass in a way where you’d definitely cut your hand if you tried to touch it. It had obviously been squished from the heavy weight of an entire castle, considering that it somehow looked even flatter than normal, with bits of wiring and circuitry bulging out of the sides like someone performing amateur surgery and trying to find where the organs go. But hey, they at least knew that it could still receive calls and messages, since the antenna was sticking out from the phone. What was this, the 80s? “Eheh…maybe it’ll still work?” A piece of the screen promptly fell onto the broken floor, making a soft plink on the stone. “Dude…I think your phone might be broken.” Flash gave the blue-skinned girl a hard glare. “Really, now?” “Well, I was bound to break sooner or later.” Dash shrugged off his  “I mean, it’s definitely not one of Nokia Brick’s phones. Those things are completely unbreakable!” Flash sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “Well, that was a bust. What about your phone?” “Aww, if you wanted my number, you could’ve just asked.” “RAINBOW!” “Alright, alright! Jeez, you can tease me but I can’t do it to you? Sounds like hypocrisy to me.” Despite her annoyed attitude, Dash fished her own phone out of her pocket and showed it to him. And somehow, either by divine intervention, Flash protecting it from harm, or a plot hole, her phone seemed completely fine. If anything, it seemed like it hadn’t been touched at all. “Wha…how…why…ehh?!” “Like I said, Nokia Brick knows her stuff.” Flash shook himself out of his stupor, not bothering to try and logic his way out of this one. It was like Pinkie Pie: an enigma, unsolvable by life, the universe, and Twilight Sparkle. “Well, call them already!” “I’m gonna, I’m gonna!” She rolled her eyes as she dialed the number, held the receiver to her ear, and… “OH, COME ON! NO SIGNAL?!” Wow, this girl had some lungs on her. If he hung around her any longer, he’d probably go deaf before he turned 30. “Well, that’s just great!” Dash ranted, angrily shoving her phone back in her pocket. “We’re stranded on an island, with no way to get back, no way to send our friends a message to let them know we’re even alive, and we have no place to stay, no water, and no food for us to—” “I’ve got a granola bar.” Flash chuckled nervously, spurring the girl out of her tirade. The poor boy could practically feel the sensation of someone trying to burn a hole through his body from the glare that the hothead was giving him. “We’ve got…one…granola bar…” She repeated, her eye twitching. “Umm…” Flash gulped. “I actually have two—” “I DON’T CARE ABOUT HOW MANY GRANOLA BARS YOU HAVE!” Rainbow Dash exploded. “I CARE ABOUT GETTING OUT OF HERE BEFORE WE FREEZE TO DEATH IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!” A sudden blast of chilly wind blew past the two, making them shiver. Dash was right. The longer they spent here, the sooner it would be before the sun went down and it got colder. The sky did not look pretty, and it didn’t seem to be filled with sunshine and warmth at the moment.  “You’re right.” Flash relented, sighing. “But how are we gonna get back then? There’s no way you plan on us walking all the way home, right?” He let out a laugh at the absurd idea. Until he saw that she wasn’t laughing with him. “You’re…kidding, right?” He asked again, a lump forming in his stomach. “It’s either that, or we stay here and become dinner for the wolves. And Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash won’t allow being eaten by a couple of dogs.” She replied, a determined look in her eyes. It was such a shame that he didn’t feel the same. “Seriously?!” He exclaimed, standing up from his rock. “Could this day get any wo-OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH, SWEET MAMA, THAT HURTS!” Flash clutched his leg in pain as he fell over on the ground, whimpering softly as tears formed in his eyes, curling up in a ball. “Dude, you alright?” Dash asked worriedly, immediately kneeling by his side. “N-no…” The blue haired boy groaned, grasping his calf tightly. “I pushed a rock on myself earlier when I was trying to get out of the hole.” He heaved, his vision going fuzzy. “I think I may have broken it.” Dark circles were starting to form in the corners of his eyes. Were there always three Dashes there? He couldn’t remember. “Hey, hey!” The trio of blue-skinned pony women slapped his cheek as they all suddenly became one very clearly annoyed girl. “Stay with me here. I don’t want you passing out on me. I’m not gonna carry you by myself.” His mind cleared up as the pain began to fade a little, but only slightly. “O-okay…” Flash took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. “I’m good now.” “Good.” Dash replied simply, nodding. “Now, give me your leg.” … …what. “…what.” “Your leg. I need to see it.” She repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Unfortunately, Flash didn’t live on Planet Rainbow. “Umm…” He gulped down the lump that had suddenly made its way into his throat. “I’m not sure that’s…a good idea…” “Oh, don’t be a baby!” Rainbow chastised, scooting a little closer to the boy. “I’ve had a few pretty bad wipeouts in my day, and I know the difference between a sprained ankle and a broken bone.” She shuddered. “I’ll never forget how Bulk’s leg looked after falling on the skate ramp from a stunt gone wrong. I learned how the femur looks pretty quick, especially after seeing just how far it had popped out of his knee—” “TMI, Dash! T. M. I!” Flash squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to shake the thought of Bulk Biceps’s bones being broken from his body. “The point is, I know how to fix a bone.” She continued. “You should see some of the lines in gym class of all the people that need me to check them out for injuries. The guys are always begging me to help ‘em out, since I’m apparently really good at massaging the sore spots.” She chuckled. “They make all these weird noises when I get at juuust the right place, and a few of them really like it when I slap them on their—” “Okay, okay, fine! Just stop talking about your weird cult of massage hungry teenagers!” Flash finally gave in, trying his best to stop the raging heat on his face…and the sudden fantasies he was imagining in his brain. Dash pursed her lips as her brow furrowed in confusion. Normally the guys would be blushing after she had given them her treatment… Eh, whatever. Boys were too complicated for her to understand. Flash begrudgingly rolled up his pant leg as he stuck it out for the tomboy to feel around with, and so she reached out and began kneading the muscles. Her hands felt…awfully smooth. He didn’t know why, but he thought that they would’ve felt much rougher, seeing as how she’d constantly complain about anything being “girly” at the school, yet it seemed that she still had a bit of her feminine side shine through, just in very small, almost unnoticeable ways. And the way she moved them, with a little pressure here, a squeeze there, gliding across his calf with near expert precision made the experience feel…nice. He slowly began to relax, the gentle prodding beginning to fade away as the adrenaline from earlier faded away, his eyes growing heavy while his thoughts wandered, resting his head on the rock like it was a pillow, drifting into the land of dreams that a falling castle that knocked him unconscious couldn’t possibly provide… … And then she squeezed his ankle, and the wave of pain immediately forced him awake again, cringing and letting out a wince. “Does that hurt?” Rainbow Dash questioned, completely focused on his ankle and completely oblivious to the torture that her fingers were causing him. “No, I’m just twitching over here for fun; of course it hurts!” Flash snapped angrily. He didn’t care if he started another fight or not; he just wanted the pain to go away! “Well, from what I can see, you haven’t broken anything.” She took her hands off his leg as the blue haired boy haughtily pulled his pant leg back down. “But your ankle is definitely sprained, judging by the swelling. You won’t be putting weight on it for a few days at least, a week at most.” Flash groaned. As if not having any transportation wasn’t enough, now he couldn’t even walk properly! Their trip would’ve been slow regardless, but he’d hoped they’d make it to an actual building before the day ended and the snow kicked in, but with this? He didn’t know how long it’d take. “Dang it…” He murmured under his breath, shaking his head wearily. “Sorry, Dash.” Dash gave him a look. “What? What’re you talking about?” “For being useless.” He replied with a frown. “Okay, did that rock fall on your head, too, cause you’re speaking nonsense right now.” Flash sighed. “It’s just…you girls go on these grand, magical adventures together all the time, beating up the bad guys, having fun with each other, and looking pretty good doing it, too.” His statement made her blush a little, but she forced it down. “And I’m just…here; your normal, average guy, with no special powers or abilities of any kind, and somehow I’ve wrapped myself into this situation where I’m forced to fight off these monsters that you face every day…without any way of helping.” Dash’s breath hitched. “Flash, what—” “I mean, look at that last battle.” He continued. “I was a sitting duck that whole time. When Twilight was battling it out with Hoity in the portal room, I was busy getting myself trapped in a broom closet away from all the action. And then, when we finally got back down there to face off against him…I was told to sit back and watch while you did all the dirty work…” He huffed, staring at a now very interesting looking rock. “And when I actually tried to help you girls fight back against him…this happened.” He gestured to the ruined site. “I couldn’t even keep from hurting myself when the whole place started coming apart.” He shut his eyes tight and grimaced. “I’m just another useless bystander, watching from the sidelines, while you go ahead and save the world for the fiftieth time over in the span of a week.” He let out another sigh, ducking his head low. “You would’ve been better off without me butting in like one of your fans…” “Flash…” The air was dead for a few seconds, save for the sounds of the wind whisking through the trees and the gentle crashing of the sea against the rocks in the distance… And the Rainbow Dash punched Flash in the stomach. “Ack!” He doubled over, the wind knocked right out of him. Once he got his breathing back in order, the rockstar boy gave the rainbow haired girl a glare. “What the heck, Dash?!” “What the heck’s with me?!” She retorted, matching his gaze in kind. “No, the heck’s with you, ya idiot!” Flash stared at her incredulously. “What’re you talking about?” “You!” She responded simply. “Do you honestly think that you were actually useless that entire time we were fighting Hoity?” Flash blinked. “Uhh, yeah? If I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t have said anything?” “Well, you’re wrong! If it wasn’t for you warning us about him bringing the castle down on us, then the rest of the girls would’ve never gotten out in time!” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “Also, you were the one that found Twi when she fell down that hole in the floor, and you were the one that led us right back to her when she was beating the crap outta him with her weird clone crown or whatever. And…” She trailed off, her sudden stop not going unnoticed by her companion. “And if it wasn’t for you…I’d probably be a pony pancake right now…so thanks for that…I guess…” It was her turn to look away now, studying that very interesting looking rock. Oh. Oh, wow. That…wasn’t what he expected. Flash felt his heart flutter at her compliment. He knew Dash could be pretty…proud a lot of the time; always talking about how ‘awesome’ she is, boasting about her music skills, and basically just showing off her powers every chance she got…but getting a genuine ‘thank you’ out of her was a goal that not many people could say they’ve received from her. And it felt…nice, to say the least. So of course he milked her praise for all it was worth. “D’aww, c’mere, ya cutie!” He wrapped his arms tightly around the off guard tomboy, who struggled furiously against him, mumbling curses he couldn’t hear against his shirt. It was really adorable watching her try and wriggle her way out of his grip, but this was more out of spite than anything. He’d been in a lot of pain since waking up, and he really wanted to get back at her for that punch earlier. Eventually, however, Dash managed to pry her face away from the grinning teen, her face bright red from her struggle and definitely not because of any other reason. “Stupid, sexy rich boy…” “What was that?” “Nothing!” Her voice cracked a bit hard on that last bit, but she hoped he didn’t notice. “Aww, you’re blushing!” Flash gushed, trying his best not to squeal in delight. “I just wanna squeeze those cute cheeks of yours—” “Touch me again and I’ll break your other leg.” She growled. … “…alright, you make a pretty compelling argument.” The boy coughed into his hand, hoping to get back on topic. “So, anyway, how are we gonna get me back on my feet?” He thought for a bit before snickering. “Unless you plan on carrying me the whole way, hehe…” “Yeah, that’d…that’d be weird!” Dash laughed with him. “Like, why would I even want to do that?” “Exactly!” “It would be pretty hot though…” “What?” “What?” … “You know what? I don’t really care anymore.” The boy pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a heavy breath. “I don’t suppose you have a pair of crutches that I could use?” He gave a worried glance at the rubble. “Playing hopscotch over a bunch of very sharp rocks doesn’t sound like a good idea, y’know?” “Yeah, sorry bud, but I don’t exactly carry things like that in my pocket.” Dash looked around before she gasped suddenly. “Wait a minute! Stay there; I’ll be right back!” She rushed away without waiting for a response. “Don’t worry; if I could, I would.” He shifted in his makeshift seat. “I swear, there’s no way to get comfortable in this thing. And I’m pretty sure it’s sticking me right up the—” “Got it!” Dash exclaimed proudly, practically teleporting back. “No need to thank me; I know I’m awesome.” “Riiight.” Flash rolled his eyes. “And you got me…” He glanced over at the object in her hands. “…a stick?” “Uhh, no!” The rainbow girl scoffed. “It’s a branch. If it was a stick, it’d be smaller.” “…and you only got one of them?” “One’s all ya need!” “It’s not even my size! That’s gotta be, like, twice my height!” “…is it?” She gave it a look over before looking back at him. “Huh. I guess it is.” The blue haired boy facepalmed. “You know, the longer we stay here, the less time we have to—” “Hi-yah!” CRUNCH! Flash didn’t have time to finish before Rainbow suddenly karate kicked the wood in two, a solid clean cut through the middle, just enough for him to rest both of his arms. Flash blinked dumbly, his brain not registering what had happened before Dash brought him out of it. “AJ might have super strength, but without it? I’m still the strongest Rainboom in the group.” She gave him a smirk, flexing her muscles. “So, whaddaya think?” He shook himself out of his gaze, remembering that he had to talk sometimes. “Oh, that’s, umm…cool.” … Apparently that was not the right thing to say, given the stare that was now freezing him in place. “What?” She asked, her tone sending chills down his spine. “W-well…” He sputtered out. “I-it was pretty cool, don’t get me wrong.” He gulped audibly, hoping she didn’t catch it. “It’s just…I don’t really get why you did it, is all. Ya get me?” He let out a nervous laugh, trying to diffuse the situation. Her glare only hardened more as the intensity doubled, making him sweat nervously. Forget the cold; Dash’s eyes were gonna turn him into a Flashcicle at this rate. … … … “Whatever.” She suddenly spoke, looking away from the poor teen. “Come on; we gotta get moving.” She started walking away from him before he answered, her direction already chosen. “Umm…can you give me the crutches, please?” Flash asked meekly. The sound of the wood clattering to the ground was the only response he got. He frowned. “Thanks, I guess..?” She didn’t respond. And so, with a plan in mind, the pair began their journey to make it back home, away from the cold, the wilderness, and this stupid castle. Flash just hoped they’d make it back before they killed each other first.