Demon Days

by carnivale


Chapter Six: Deadlock

Demon Days
Chapter Six: Deadlock

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Rainbow Dash wakes up screaming.

She clutches at the bed sheets with quaking hooves, large globules of sweat cascading down her face, leaving behind vague, dark trails in their wake. Her head thrashes about, knocking stray pillows surrounding her onto the floor, and her eyes are tightly squeezed together, her conscious screeching at her to open them to stop the abhorrent images from plaguing her any longer.

But it’s as if they’re glued together with effective adhesives, not even allowing a miniscule beam of light to filter in between her eyelids, to tell her she’s alright, to tell her there’s life and light beyond the barriers of the beastly visions.

Her throat becomes numb soon enough as raving shrieks continue to roll off her tongue, barraging any sanity she has left. But those screams soon turn into dismal whimpers and small croaks when her voice can’t hold on any longer. Tears squeeze themselves past her adhered eyelids, silently rolling down her cheeks as she blubbers like a foal internally.

“N-No… STOP it… GO away… GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” she wails, her voice grating painfully against her scratchy throat.

The door to her room suddenly bursts open, and in the threshold stands Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus’ motherly instincts rolling off of her like heat waves. Her cerulean eyes are dinner plates, her heart thudding against her chest loud enough it could wake up the whole of Ponyville. She can almost hear Rainbow’s own heart hammering in sync with hers as the cyan Pegasus struggles to unhinge herself from unconsciousness.

She urgently flicks on the lights, basking the whole room in a welcoming, luminous aura. “Dash? Rainbow Dash!”

That’s when Rainbow Dash’s eyes decide to peel open, the magenta irises beneath darting all over the place, her whimpers dying down to shallow breaths as she struggles to regain her composure. The radiant light penetrating her eyes, however, is nowhere a reciprocal to the dreary darkness in her dreams, and she instinctively blinks them rapidly to adjust.

Fluttershy stoops down next to the shivering Pegasus shrouded by waves of blankets, her eyes wide and alarmed. “Are you alright? What’s the matter?” she asks urgently.

Rainbow Dash cringes at the thought of telling her demure friend about the horrific nightmares that she’s been receiving ever since her sickness first plagued her, and she hates to go into that much of detail. She decides to dismiss it with a solemn wave of her hoof. “It’s… it’s nothing. Just a bad dream. I’m fine now.” Her quivering voice gives her away, however.

Fluttershy furrows her eyebrows together quizzically, unsure whether to believe her friend and think nothing of it, or burrow deeper and ask questions. She decides upon the latter, her motherly instincts kicking in again. “Do you want to talk about it?” she inquires softly.

Dash fidgets in her spot. “N-no, really, I’m fine.”

Fluttershy just stares at her instead of responding. A gentle but prodding stare that makes her feel most uncomfortable and causes the hairs on the back of her neck to rise like goosebumps.

“Fluttershy, really…” Her voice comes out like a whine, lower abdomen contracting with nervous sparks. She fidgets again, once, twice, thrice, hoping on winning her out so she can escape her scrutinizing cerulean gaze.

But it never happens, and she finally gives in, throwing up her hooves internally in defeat. “Fine, fine!”

Fluttershy makes herself comfortable next to the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest as Dash dives headfirst into the story and details of the abysmal nightmares that’s been dying to be let out sooner or later. By the end of the story, a welling pit of sympathy grows larger in the butter-yellow pegasus’ stomach, and she’s delicately wrapping her hooves around her friend’s shoulders, pulling her close in a sympathetic embrace. Dash returns it ineptly, glistening tears prodding the corners of her eyes, but is unwilling to let them fall.

Although, now that she thinks about it, Fluttershy has been her friend since the beginnings of Flight School, throughout her trials and errors, and through her good, and her worst times. She knows her tough areas, and her weak ones. If that hasn’t been enough, then she doesn’t know how it wouldn’t be.

Soon enough, before thinking much more of it, the tears escape her hold and spill noiselessly down her cheeks, albeit with the presence of soft sniffling noises. And, before she knows it, she’s clutching her friend tighter, sobbing sullenly in the dip of Fluttershy’s neck, the other Pegasus gently rubbing her back in soothing circles, letting her cry as much as her heart desires. All she can do for now is whisper consoling words and telling her that she’s here, that she isn’t going anywhere, that she’ll be safe in the waking world.

Rainbow Dash’s flow of tears soon calms down, and she earnestly wipes them away with her hoof, her throat tight from the crying. Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy, and her cheeks are tinged darker blue than the rest of her coat. Fluttershy gently tucks a strand of loose, rainbow hair dangling in front of Dash’s face behind her ear, grinning gingerly in the process. A new warmth spreads in Dash’s chest, and a sudden urge to have the other pegasus’ comforting body next to her for the rest of the night dominates her other compulsion to be alone with her nightmares.

“Fluttershy, do you think you could, maybe, stay with me for the rest of the night?” Dash cracks a distorted, awkward smile. “Y’know, if that’s cool with you.”

The butter-yellow Pegasus kindly returns the gesture, and nods, no other words needing to be said other than that. She crawls under the covers with her friend, spreading the blanket evenly over top the both of them, making sure they’re sharing the tranquilizing warmth that makes their veins rush with a pleasant simmer.

Together, they can fight the monsters that lurk in the shadows and that try to overcome their irrefutable friendship.

: : : :

The last few days have been overwhelming.

Rainbow Dash has become more weary and indisposed than ever before, and it’s begun to take a turn for the worst. Although Fluttershy is doing her very best to help her ill friend, rushing in with any medication or a metal bucket or a fresh, steaming cup of her delicious homemade noodle soup when it is needed, it doesn’t seem to be working as well as she initially intended before. Twilight’s and Zecora’s methods have been able to help, if only by a small bit, but nothing really sticks for a while. Something festering inside Dash doesn’t seem to want to rest anytime soon, and what it wants – nopony knows for sure.

The irked complaints being shot from Ponyville’s weather team indubitably isn’t helping any peachy causes as well, in fact, more stormy than usual. All of them are inexplicably wondering why Rainbow Dash hasn’t been doing her part in the weather team’s jobs around the ville for a fair amount of time, and although she’s told them several days too late that she’s under the weather, they brew up accusations of why she didn’t take the time to notify them earlier; she’s the best Pegasus on the team, for Celestia’s sake!

Rainbow just internally rolls her eyes and lets them cool down themselves.

Fluttershy has tried to consult with them as well, but her frivolous attempts have done nothing to help the situation. Anyhow, later, she just agrees to let them sort the matter with their own hooves.

Furthermore, it seems that Dash, because of her bewildering sickly state, presumably, has gotten to be a bit more aggressive than her average physique. But, Fluttershy knows to see past it and know that it isn’t thoroughly her friend’s fault. Although, sometimes, seeing past it can be harder than it looks.

: : : :

Fluttershy placidly traipses down the hallway, a metal tray decked out with various breakfast foods and drink placed in her mouth. She struggles not to gag as the metallic taste soaks into her taste buds.

She gently presses a hoof to Dash’s door once she reaches it and pushes it open, said door swaying open to reveal a rainbow-maned mare with a sleek cerulean coat seething silently in the corner of the room.

Wait. Seething?

“Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy says once she’s placed the tray on the wooden table beside the door. Her eyes steadily, confusedly, fix on the other Pegasus who’s sitting slouched, arms crossed, diagonally across from her. Her friend’s back is arched and facing her, instantly giving the room an irate, scorching atmosphere. “I brought you breakfa – “

“I’m not in the mood,” comes a sweltering response.

“Oh,” Fluttershy says, almost inaudibly, ducking her head lower to the floor. Her gaze flickers up, undoubtedly, her expression glazed over in puzzlement and discommode at Dash’s sudden disapprobation. She decides to probe – although a little amount. “But, um, if you don’t mind me asking – “

“I said I’m not in the mood!” Rainbow Dash snaps, her head swivelling around instantaneously to glare over her shoulder, her fiery magenta eyes burning a hole in between Fluttershy’s own.

Fluttershy flinches, her body dipping so low that her belly nearly grazes the hardwood flooring. “Oh… I’m sorry…” Her voice is barely a whisper.

“You know,” Rainbow Dash says, her voice shrouding a derisive chuckle somewhere inside it. She’s gotten up now, on all fours, and is menacingly taking slow steps towards the butter-yellow Pegasus cowering the threshold. “you’re really quite pathetic, aren’t you? Such a lame, do-anything-and-she-won’t-complain, ragamuffin type of pony, eh?”

“I – “ Fluttershy squeaks.

‘Just ignore it,’ she tells herself. Just ignore it. ‘This is NOT Rainbow Dash. This is NOT her. This is NOT this is NOT this is NOT this is NOT – ‘

Rainbow Dash is now nose-to-nose with her. Smouldering, magenta eyes seem to ignite a live fire in her own soul as they bore past her flesh, past her skull, and oxidizing a charred hole into the wall on the other side. Her eyebrows are creased, jagging so low past her eyes that they could split her face in half in a heartbeat. She thrusts her muzzle hard against Fluttershy’s, earning a disconcerted squeak from the other Pegasus as her hindquarters collide roughly with the incommodious wall behind her.

“Ponies shouldn’t have to deal with a stupid, inferior Pegasus like you acting like a doormat in every waking hour. You shouldn’t even consider yourself a Pegasus, because you can’t BUCKING FLY. You can’t do ANYTHING. You’re NOTHING. So do us all a favor, and GET THE BUCK OUT!!!”

Rainbow Dash’s last, unwarranted words are like a swift kick in the gut. Tears stream down Fluttershy’s face, the yellow Pegasus choking on her own sobs, and she turns tail and stumbles out the door, crisp lamentation growing fainter as it travels down the hallway in her wake.

But Rainbow Dash has woken up early enough to see her friend break down in tears before bolting out the door, her wavering rose-coloured tail the last thing she sees before disappearing altogether.

At first, she stands there, utterly dumbfounded as dull, cheerless sobbing sounds reach past her eardrums, causing her heart to sink accordingly.

YOU’RE REALLY QUITE PATHETIC, AREN’T YOU?

She flinches as those words mull around in her brain, swirling up a storm brimming with bewildering, puzzling feelings, intermingling with her soul and causing her to stumble back abruptly. And the scariest part is:

It sounds exactly like her voice.

PONIES SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH A STUPID, INFERIOR PEGASUS LIKE YOU ACTING LIKE A DOORMAT IN EVERY WAKING HOUR.

There it is again. A terrified squeak rings in her ears, and a swift image of a certain butter-yellow Pegasus cowering in alarm flashes before her eyes.

YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING.

No…

YOU’RE NOTHING.

No NO.

SO DO US ALL A FAVOR, AND GET THE BUCK OUT!!!

NO NO NO NO!

Rainbow Dash grasps the sides of her head, hard, with her hooves. She shrinks to the floor, her voice drowning in the clutches of ruthless, wicked words that had somehow spewed from her lips moments ago.

“How could I?” she whispers gloomily to herself, her voice cracking under the pressure of the identical voice that is a violent tremor in her ears. “How could I say that to poor Fluttershy? What in Celestia was I thinking?”

She wasn’t thinking.

And it wasn’t her fault.

She trots down the hallway, warily calling out her friend’s name, and her heart sinks even farther when no response greets her words. Then, a sudden gust of air wafts around her, and she notices that the door leading outside is gaping wide.
Rainbow steadies herself before dashing out of the door, perilously hoping that her demure friend hasn’t gone too far before she’s able to catch up to her. Swiftly thinking, she extends her wings, but then binds them back against her sides again, her blood boiling in her veins.

‘I shouldn’t try to fly again,’ she thinks. ‘Remember what happened last time.’

Once she reaches open air, a strong, malicious wind instantly whips her in the face, her mane and tail askew in the intense current. She spits some stray hair out of her mouth and squints against the erratic rush of the gust and blazing sun reigning down upon her. Her wandering eyes search everywhere – anywhere – to see if they can locate the butter-yellow Pegasus gone astray.

She breaks into a minor trot, her head swivelling around in all directions, her heart eager to find her friend and give her a sentimental talking to.

‘What is wrong with me?’ she keeps thinking sullenly, the words still sloshing around in her skull. ‘What is wrong with me what is wrong with me what is wrong with me – ‘

Just then, squinting against the brilliant light permeating the sky, she spots a timid yellow figure sitting silently on the edge of the rumbling creek that runs against her home, although she’s far on the other side, it seems. Her back is facing the cyan Pegasus, albeit the flowing light-pink locks waving fervently in the breeze can easily be discriminated as Fluttershy’s.
Relief floods Rainbow Dash’s system, and her thudding heart eases slightly. She runs towards the other mare, only halting when she’s about half a tail-length behind her.

Fluttershy’s ears perk up and swivel around, indicating to Dash that she notices her presence. The reflection in the sparkling water in front of them paints a wavering picture of two pegasi gazing in the cerulean stream, faraway looks in their glassy eyes.

Fluttershy isn’t crying anymore, however, faint trails of darker skin embedded on her cheeks signify that she only stopped a tad bit ago. Rainbow’s heart falters even more.

She opens her mouth to say something, but the other Pegasus cuts her off.

“I know it wasn’t your fault,” she softly reassures, her voice muffled slightly by the creek rumbling past.

“Then why did you come out here?”

A thick sheen of silence passes between them, before Fluttershy dares to speak up again. “Because I was afraid. Those words – I’ve heard them all before, and they sting just as badly as the first time they came around.”

Rainbow Dash wordlessly sits next to the other mare, her hooves dangling gingerly in the bubbling water, the coolness of it all rushing up her spine like tendrils of electric shock.

“I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy turns to face her, pools of cerulean swimming with compassion and despondency. “Don’t act like it’s your fault, Rainbow Dash, because it isn’t.”

“But, I said them! How is not my fault?”

A gentle hoof rests on her shoulder. “Trust me, Dash, it isn’t.”

A tiny lake of frustration bubbles inside of her. “Look, you’re not really giving me enough data, here, Fluttershy. The words came out of my own mouth, doesn’t that count for something?”

Fluttershy twirls a lone flower around with her hoof. “You act like you want me to believe that what you said back there is your fault.”

“N-no! Of course not! I just don’t get what you’re saying, ‘Shy.”

The butter-yellow Pegasus seems to stare deeper into her eyes, deeper into her soul, as if seeking a part of her out, something hidden deep inside. “Did you ever feel conscious, when you were speaking those words, Dash? Was your mind blank, distorted, maybe? I know for a fact that what you said wasn’t on your own will to, it’s something unexplainable. The days that come after this will be a ride, but I don’t want you thinking any less of yourself. This illness, this bed-ridden disease, is NOT you. Take my words to heart, Rainbow Dash, for these words count. I don’t usually talk as much as this.”

Rainbow Dash swears she can see Fluttershy’s cheeks flush with the faintest color of pink, but just as quickly as it spread, it fades away. All she can do is stare in shock at the other mare, jaw slightly ajar, letting her words soak into her brain like a wet sponge.

“What are you telling me, Fluttershy? Are you saying that my illness is much more than I’ve anticipated? Do you… do you know what’s going to happen to me?” Much to her dismay, her last words come out in a dejected crackle, sounding frightened, scared, alarmed. And, in truth, although she’d hate to admit it to anypony, she is completely and utterly horrified.

Fluttershy chews on her lower lip, hoping that she won’t have to go into great detail of explaining everything she learned at Zecora’s that one fateful day. She immediately remembers what Twilight told her after that, once she agreed to take Rainbow Dash into her home.

“Try not to tell her everything yet,” the lavender unicorn had ordered. “We don’t want to take things any further than they need to be, and we definitely don’t need to ruin her hefty demeanor if we can help it. And if she starts piecing it together bit by bit, then we can tell her. But from now on, we’ve got to keep the spirit at bay, and Rainbow’s heart at ease.”

Fluttershy’s throat closes up, preventing any words from suddenly departing her mouth. And for that, she is grateful.
The butter-yellow Pegasus slowly shakes her head, her eyes dwindling, darting everywhere except Dash’s magenta pools that swirl with discomfort and frangibility.

And, much to her surprise, the other mare does look as fragile as any terrified foal would look. She checks twice. Her eyes don’t betray her. Rainbow Dash, in this moment, looks as delicate and aghast as a trembling leaf in a cold autumn breeze. Her usual brash, confident sheen has been stripped away, leaving a bewildered, anxious, puzzled pony in its place. And, as the air surrounding them shifts to a more frigid temperature, she trembles even more.

Fluttershy has a sudden, caviling urge to drape a wing around her friend and drag her into her warmth, but decides against it because then Dash would assume that she thinks she’s nothing more than a pathetic foal that needs comfort from its mother, and she doesn’t want to do that to her most loyal companion. Instead, she gets up on all fours and flashes Dash a heartwarming smile.

“Come on, Rainbow Dash,” she says, her voice drifting like silk on the water’s edge. “I think you should rest again. How about another cup of my special homemade noodle soup to cure what ails you, huh?”

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes jovially, returning the smile. She coughs once before following Fluttershy back up to her sweet-smelling cottage, the only sounds conversing between them are the soft padding sounds of hooves connecting with soil and grass and gentle hums that pass the butter-yellow pegasus’ lips.

After all, Dash has never complained about sleep before.

: : : :

“Absurd! Absolutely absurd!” a sharp, thundering voice booms across the clearing, penetrating anypony’s ears that come in at least a mile-radius from hearing it.

Lord Somber Hooves stands atop the highrock, his scorching amber eyes scanning the clearing, eyebrows and burn marks furrowed in absolute outrage.

“It’s surely gone, my lord,” Deputy Brawny Boulder declares, approaching the rock his leader stands atop. Somber Hooves shoots him a drilling glare, and although not entirely directed towards his faithful deputy, Brawny Boulder flinches and shrinks back accordingly. The next words come out softer than he’s anticipated. “The tribal ancestors are astounded, and we’ve already sent out at least four search parties in the past two hours. We have no idea where it went, or if it was stolen, or merely just materialized into thin air. Even Star Charmer can’t See into the Ulterior to make sure we’ll ever find it, and Look to find out where it has gone.”

Lord Somber Hooves grits his yellowing teeth and stamps his hoof down onto the craggy rock, the splintering sound ringing in everypony’s ears and rustling the leaves on nearby trees bordering the clearing.

His aggravating desperation proves he is stupid enough to send out search parties to look for a missing spirit.

“Well, search harder!” he bellows, flaring amber eyes stabbing into the tranquil green eyes of his deputy. His jaw is clenched, several veins jutting out grotesquely. “We can’t have this mishap, after we’ve come so far! Our goal is to build Nightmare Moon a new body, and now that her spirit is gone, we can’t possibly do that now!”

“Yes, I understand, my lord.” Brawny Boulder’s voice quakes with exasperation, although his eyes remain serene and still. “I will send out more search parties, and shall tell Crimson Remedy to see if she can figure out anything in the Ulterior as well.”

Lord Somber Hooves gives him an abrupt nod, face gruff, and his deputy trots off into the shadows.

When he is sure his deputy is out of sight, he lifts his muzzle up to the star-spangled sky, his expression still and unmoving. ‘Oh, Nightmare Moon,’ he drawls in his head. ‘our experiments have halted, for now. But it won’t be long, my queen.’