My eyes opened, brimming with tears.
I was falling the whole time.
I gasped into the shadow of Cloudsdale. Spreading my wings, I pulled up at the last second. Trees and gnarled branches slashed at me. I twirled through them, smashing through the leaves, and glided towards a crystal blue lake beyond.
I skimmed the surface, bouncing several times, and came to a sliding stop along the sandy shore. I hissed and winced all over. Pulling myself onto my hooves, I realized that they were blue.
My breath came out in steady pants. The spiraling sensation was gone. I stood up, wet from tears and pond water. I saw a tangled mess of rainbow colored mane in the corner of my vision. All the gray was gone, as well as the cloudy haze of paranoia.
And in its place...
My vision went foggy. I lurched forward, choking on my own bile. I shivered, watching as a tear drop or two littered the pond's edge below me.
Then, my jaw hurt. A rippling reflection showed an enraged equine with gritted teeth. My nostrils flared. I looked up, eyeing the southern horizon. I stretched my wings out, kicked my feet, and took off like a rocket.
The air immediately thundered. A crater of grass and dirt formed beneath me, and the clouds parted ways even before my blurring figure heatedly reached them. With the resolve of a burning comet, I made straight for Ponyville, leaving thunder and vapor trails in my wake.