Demon Days
Chapter Two: Sick Little Games
=========
Rainbow Dash drags herself to the bathroom, bile ascending up her throat, hooves clutching at the sides of the toilet bowl as she lowers her head to retch into it – for the third time this morning. When she finishes giving a good heave, she lingers over the toilet for a while longer, panting heavily, breath degrading. Her throat feels raw from all the vomiting, and her mouth and stomach fair no better. Tears prick the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision, some droplets wheeling across her lower lids before rolling silently down her cheeks. Her stomach festers, and another wave of vomit convulses her like a frothing, bubbly stream and she finds herself hurling her guts out into the bowl once again.
She’s never felt this sick in her entire life, she’s sure of it. She can barely get food down into her system – not even water or ginger ale to make her stomach tranquil again. Albeit she persists to heave, even though her stomach is empty, as barren as a desolate wilderness in the middle of July.
Rainbow Dash woke up this morning, as usual, a sudden, violent surge of nausea striking her back onto her pillow again. Her head swelled, her rose eyes were bloodshot, and she was plastered to the fluffy mattress as beads of sweat cascaded down her skin, lathering up her coat in a sticky mess. She couldn’t recall ever feeling this ill in the middle of the night. Although, she could recall feeling a bit nauseous the night before, when she was established in the middle of the Everfree.
The thing that bothers her the most, though, is what happened in the middle of the Everfree. What was that horrible sensation that travelled up her skin and made her blood turn to ice? It tugs at her mind in a provoking manner, sending compelling chills up her spine every time she thinks about it. Could that somehow be the reason why’s she’s so ill now? Everything does point to the same conclusion, but she doesn’t want to believe it. It was just so unreal, so agonizingly vivid – she doesn’t know how to place it. She wants to believe that the whole sickness is probably just something she recently caught from another pony – but something in her mind nags her that that suspicion is slandering.
When Rainbow Dash is certain she’s done retching, she flushes the toilet and wipes her mouth with a washcloth. She moans, her head reeling, limbs aching and shrieking in protest when she tries to position herself on all fours. A malicious dizziness immediately smacks her in the face, causing her to stumble back, whacking her rear against the back wall in the process. She manages to regain her balance, but when the mirror in front of her casts an eerie glow, she instantly recoils in surprise at the reflection in the glass staring miserably back at her.
Her eyes expand as wide as dinner plates as she gazes at the pathetic image reflected in the glass – her. It’s her.
Her usual vibrant, flowing spectrum of a mane is now heavily disheveled and dull, little curls and knots sprouting up in every direction, as if ruffled by an intangible hoof. Her cyan skin is now ghostly pallid, revealing dark pools trapped beneath her rose-coloured orbs. She reaches one hoof up to gently caress her cheek, and the flocculent skin distinctly feels hot and chilly at the same time. Her expression of horror emulates into that of a crestfallen, dejected pony, her lips and eyes drooping at the hideous sight.
“That stupid forest,” she chokes, stomach beginning to slowly churn again. “Stupid cockatrice. Stupid Twilight!”
Rainbow suddenly lunges, as if something else is taking over her actions, slamming her hoof against the delicate glass, her face contorted in rage and anguish. The mirror promptly shatters on impact, some serrated shards of glass biting into the nearest skin encompassing her hoof. Liquid vermillion oozes from the deep cuts, and the cyan Pegasus rears back, letting loose a cry of pain. She cradles her bloodied hoof, flopping down against the back wall, tears streaming freely down her face.
“What in Equestria is going on with me?” she asks herself in a hushed voice, staring up despondently at the webbed ceiling.
A thousand questions race through her mind, but the harrowing pulse of an internal headache coming on fuzzes them all out. She rests her head against the wall, breathing shallowly, chest rising and falling with every short pant. The churning in her stomach seems to be speeding up a bit, and it isn’t long until she’s gripping the toilet bowl again, expelling the invisible contents of her stomach once more.
: : : :
An abrupt rapping on the door to the library startles Twilight Sparkle out of her novel, and she throws an annoyed glance towards it. She almost calls for Spike to answer it for her, but she instantly remembers that the baby dragon is running a few errands and won’t be back until later. Letting a gruff sigh escape her lips, she marks her page and clops over to answer the door.
“Oh, hi, Applejack – “
“Twilight, have ya seen Rainbow Dash at all today?” Applejack inquires haughtily, a look of irritation crossing her features. “Ah told her to mosey on down to Sweet Apple Acres and bring a few clouds with ‘er this afternoon to water mah beanstalks, but the silly filly never came. Do ya happen to know where she is? Mah stalks will be stone-dry if she doesn’t come sooner or later!”
Twilight rubs her chin with her hoof. That explains the lack of weather-caretaking around here today. “No, I can’t say that I’ve seen her at all today. Maybe Pinkie Pie knows, why don’t you try asking her?”
“Already have, said no. Fluttershy ‘n Rarity haven’t seen ‘er either. Where do ya’ll suppose she is?” Applejack’s irate expression switches to one of concern.
Twilight knits her eyebrows together, clearly perturbed. Usually Rainbow Dash would be up and running, despite her usual capricious laziness, weaving through the clouds and carrying out prodigious barrel rolls and other breathtaking feats in the clean summer air, but obviously she is nowhere in sight. It isn’t like her, Twilight knows this. Does the effects of last night’s venture into the forest somehow connect with all this? Was she lying when she said she was fine? Twilight chews on her lower lip, serenely thinking things through.
“Twi?”
Twilight looks back up at Applejack. “Maybe she’s still up in her house. Fluttershy is the only other one who can go up there, so we should ask her to fly up there and check if Rainbow Dash is alright.”
Applejack nods in agreement. “Let’s get ‘er then!”
: : : :
The butter-yellow Pegasus gingerly flutters her wings in diminutive circles, feeling the current of brisk wind buffet her lengthy locks of rose as she gradually heightens in the air, Rainbow Dash’s cloudominium edging closer with every wing beat. She can almost feel the sparkling drops of rainbow from the brimming pools next to her home plummet onto her head, tickling the peaks of her ears before they dematerialize into the air.
She hopes that she won’t be interrupting anything when she checks to see if Rainbow is alright – she absolutely hates to intrude on anything anypony is busying themselves with, it leaves her feeling badly. She hopes Rainbow Dash won’t get angry at her. Oh, she would hate to see that happening. Maybe it would be best if she just turned tail and flew home…
…but Twilight specifically asked her to check on Dash, and she doesn’t want to disappoint her friends. Besides, what if Rainbow Dash is hurt, or sad, or scared? Or what if she’s not in her house? Somepony would have to report back, for sure.
Fluttershy reaches the entrance to the mansion, her cerulean eyes advancing towards the gossamer of the door. The rainbow pools trickle peacefully down into the atmosphere, the miniscule droplets disappearing with a little pop, like a snowflake hitting the ground, the only sounds between Fluttershy and her thoughts. She begins to backtrack on her askings; after all, the demure Pegasus has never really been comfortable knocking on other pony’s doors, unless it’s urgent or important. She begins to recede from the door when she witnesses a vehement coughing fit, followed by a couple of tedious moans from beyond the cloud walls.
Fluttershy elevates an eyebrow tentatively before flying closer to the house. She hesitates for a few moments before lifting a hoof to knock timidly on the door.
There’s a slight pause, before somepony speaks in a husky voice, “Go away, I’m busy.”
“Oh! I’m so sorry for bothering you, Rainbow Dash, I guess I-I’ll leave now – “
“Fluttershy?” the voice says, recognition crawling into it. The Pegasus behind the door clears her throat, hesitating before speaking up again. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you. Please - “ a short coughing fit. “- come in.”
The timid Pegasus pushes on the door before stepping hoof inside the mansion. A wary darkness immediately shrouds her vision, her eyes not being able to instantly adjust. She notices that the only decent shedding of light is a few rays streaming through an ajar window that is on the separate wall, and carefully shuts the door behind her. She searches for the light before flicking it on. And, what she sees next makers her give a little scream of fright and bewilderment.
“Rainbow Dash!”
“H-hi, Fluttershy.”
The cyan Pegasus lays stretched out on her sofa, a box of tissues and a metal bucket by her side. Her sky-blue skin is not as pale as it was before, and it gives off a strange, unearthly glow, and the slightest tinge of grey is mixed in her coat as well. Her rainbow-streaked mane and tail are disarrayed, also bearing small streaks of grey here and there. The feathers on her wings are ruffled, her usually bright, fuchsia eyes are lacking in color, and the air around her gives off a wretched stench of vomit and sweat. And, puzzlingly, her hoof is bandaged messily with toilet paper, red seeping through the delicate tissue. The Pegasus seems like a horrible mess – and by the looks of it, feels like a horrible mess, too.
Fluttershy has taken care of loads of woodland patients in the past, and she does know a great deal about medical help. Even though she hasn’t necessarily had experience with illnesses that affect ponies, she knows that this isn’t something that normally lurks the viruses of common colds and bed-ridden diseases.
“R-Rainbow Dash, what happened to you?”
Before Dash can answer her friend, she breaks into another violent fit of coughing, although is doesn’t seem like coughing at all. It seems more like a croaky hacking. She spits bile into the metal bin beside her before turning her dull eyes to the awfully concerned Fluttershy. Her eyes are as bland as a plain, dirty piece of paper, or a rough, dry wall – and the butter-yellow Pegasus nearly recoils.
Rainbow Dash decides to relive the vile details of this morning, and she opens her mouth to explain everything to her friend. By the time she’s finished, the other Pegasus looks like she’s just seen a puppy get hit by a car, and her delicate hooves are gingerly wrapping around the ill pony’s neck, resting her chin on her shoulder. Dash’s skin feels scalding against her own, nearly sizzling the soft fur to ashes, but Fluttershy doesn’t care. Her friend needs her right now.
“F-Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash rasps, her hooves hovering stiffly above her friend’s back. She’s always been an awkward hugger. “I don’t want you getting sick e-either.”
Fluttershy doesn’t respond to that. Instead, she leans her head back, hooves still wrapped securely around Rainbow’s neck. Her face bears a somber expression, one that isn’t like her to wear, usually. “We need to find Twilight, she’ll know what to do.”
: : : :
Fluttershy did have some slight troubles bringing the sickly Rainbow Dash to the ground, but she wasn’t willing to leave her friend behind, and involuntarily pressed on, no matter how much it made her withers smart. But, fortunately, the cyan Pegasus felt surprisingly lighter than she usually has been in the past, so that did give Fluttershy some sustenance. Rainbow Dash is in no condition to fly now, and something pessimistically tells Fluttershy that she won’t be soaring through the air anytime soon.
Now, the pair are standing – with the exception of Rainbow Dash, of course, lying sorely on the wooden planks – in the middle of Ponyville’s library, anxiously watching Twilight Sparkle leaf vigorously through various books strewn about on the floor. The lavender unicorn is chewing tensely on her lower lip, pupils dilated in distress, growing smaller every time she needs to toss another book onto the shag carpet when it doesn’t bear the information she needs.
Rainbow Dash lets a blatant, gurgling moan rip from her throat, and much to everypony’s dismay, begins to writhe in her spot. Erratic hissing sounds begin to bubble from her gullet, and she starts frothing at the mouth. Fluttershy dives to her friend’s side, gently coaxing her and caressing her hairline with a gentle hoof in an attempt to make her mild again. Alas there is fright behind the words she’s solicitously whispering to her ill friend. She shoots a distressed look at Twilight, who’s still prudently flipping through books or slinging them irately to the side.
“Twilight, wh-what’s happening to h-her?” the butter-yellow Pegasus asks, her voice trembling, clearly on the verge of tears.
Twilight shakes her head rapidly, continuing to pitch books in a frustrated manner, knocking them against the wall with a new anxious force. “I – I don’t know! There’s absolutely nothing in my books that describe her symptoms! If only – “
A book titled ‘Inner Demons and Means of Excorcism’ lands in her hooves, but before she can crack it open, she hears Fluttershy scream.
Twilight whips around, dropping the book to the floor. A whiplash of beaming light immediately meets her, blinding her momentarily. But, then she hears a familiar voice – although she can’t quite place it at the moment.
“Endless night! Peril is paused but not ended! Embers fade away! Darkness shall shroud the land!”
The voice booms, nearly knocking the ponies off their hooves. The refulgent light succumbs, but only insignificantly. Twilight and Fluttershy back up against the wall, clutching one another as the image in front of them commences to exist.
Rainbow Dash hovers in the air as if somehow being held by invisible strings, whereas her wings aren’t flapping, and the scariest part is her eyes are glowing, emitting black, blue, and green, the black lambent peeling off her orbs before becoming elusive in the timid air. A blinding cerulean flame engulfs her, sparkles taking the shape of bright stars materializing off her coat. Her teeth are as sharp as fangs, and when her gaping mouth opens wide, bright illusions of blue snakes pour out, snapping their jaws in the air before disappearing altogether. Her mane waves like reeds in a tranquil summer breeze.
The voice continues to thunder, and it doesn’t sound like Rainbow’s voice at all. “Forbid, foretold! Eternal obscurity is inevitable! The night shall return again!”