//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: New Body 
// Story: Against the Rules 
// by Dashabel 
//------------------------------//

    "... Rainbow Dash!" A faint shriek echoed in my head,  like somepony in pain. Twilight. I'm here! I was unable to find my voice, my throat closed. I wanted to find Twilight, but I couldn't move. My muscles were stiff and I couldn't find the will to contract them. For the first time in my life, I was scared. All I remember was being in Twilight's library, surrounded by the giant green funnel, swallowing me, trapping me. I had tried to call for help, but I couldn't even hear my own voice, let alone anypony else's, against the tremendous, deafening winds. Poor Twilight, she must have been terrified. Every time I tried to uncover more of what had happened, a tall, strong wall just blocked the memories out. Everywhere was black, tinted by orange beneath my lids which I recalled as sunlight (that, I could feel warming gently on my cheek); only my lucid memories played like a film over and over again in my mind that guided me and reminded me of who I was. 
A sudden blaring noise blurted through my absent-mindedness, shattering the silence into a thousand pieces. Within seconds, it had passed. I had jumped out of my skin, still blind and oblivious to my surroundings. Aching awfully, I let out a moan, bewildered by the sound that left my mouth - not only because I didn't recognise my own voice, but because I didn't even remember having a voice. My head was swimming, and suddenly I felt like a completely new soul. I had no clue where I was, what I was doing. Who I was. What I was.

The nerves at the end of my limbs twitched with an intense desire to know what was at the end of them. They felt surprisingly loose and free to flex. My whole body - or at least I think so - was sprawled on this rough, sharp surface, pinpoints jabbing into my forehead and my bare arms. I shuffled a little in discomfort, feeling the relief as the pressure released, but instead they just dug into a different part of my body. I winced, my lips turning into a snarl, and my tongue ran across my bottom and top teeth: they were small segments, pristine and minute like a young... Person? Now, where have I heard that word before? 

I hadn't.

But there was no hesitation in thinking it, it came naturally, even if I didn't know the definition. I guess it's like you just know that your mum is your mum: nobody ever literally tells you, you just know. Nobody. There's another foreign word. What's going on? It's starting to really tug at my curiosity. If I don't find out soon, I think I'm going to freak out. 

That's unusual. I've always been the one who kept pure certitude out of... Out of whom, exactly? 

Right. That's it. I'm going to open my eyes.

Radiant sunlight illuminated all that I could see, dazzling me. There was no restraint as my arm shot up to shield my frail eyes, squinting and turning my head as if to escape the light. Catching a glimpse of the limb that flew across my face, I choked in shock. What is this? What is this? That was all my brain seemed to shout momentarily. This was not me. 

A slender, beige arm, stretching and clicking as I rotated and examined it. Tiny bumps that shivered on the bare skin, minuscule hairs that stood up on end. No magnificent, sky blue coat. Gulping, I casually pushed myself up with my other stick of an arm, scanning every inch of my new body. No, not my new body: this was not me. At the end of the lean arm, tenuous tentacles that clasped with no extremity of the space before them; their only fascination to explore and grab everything, travelling in spasms down my arm. Not my arm. The arm. So bony and fragile... It made me dizzy. Dropping my head downwards, I was dumbfounded by the structure in which I now seemed to be. An outstretched, gracile figure, curved every now and then. The legs - I think - were long, aciculate, bowed inwards, and at the end were a pair of bumpy red, blue and white trainers. They were oddly perched, stubby projections, and although I could not see beneath them, I felt a number of more joints wiggling and cracking, deprived of major movement by the shoes. Extending and folding the legs, I observed in the middle of each leg the round caps that separated the two broad muscles, wobbling and rolling in directions. My eyes bulged at the grotesque anatomy. 

I investigated the new body over and over, sighed as I came to terms with the fact that Rainbow Dash was no longer a pegasus from Equestria, but this abnormally skinny creature, tossed up in some place I'd surely never seen or heard of. My thoughts glided back to Twilight, a memory that had just returned to me. The unicorn must be distraught. She'd done nothing more than taken my life away as a pony. I tried not to feel convictive, but it was hard to forgive. I had no idea what future lay ahead of me now, whether I would ever return home, or whether I'd have to start a new life here... I shuddered at the thought. Twilight wouldn't let that happen, she'd find a way soon enough. 

Accepting that this was the form I was sticking to for the time-being, I was no longer able to resist the urge to run my fingers - the word had shortly registered with my brain - over my peculiar self. I smoothed over my legs, traced the curves and reached up to my face. Oblivious of what I would actually look like, I began to wish so very much to see my face. The only ways I could have judged myself so far was by seeing my elongated body, and I wondered how pretty or ugly I appeared. I ran a hand through my new mane; soft, loose hairs, clear of my face and trailing down my shoulders. I could just about see the colours: a rich, vibrant red looking like fire merged with orange and yellow to my right and a deep emerald green with a hint of royal blue to my left. I smiled contentedly; I still had the same awesome rainbow hair. I wasn't too let down by the absence of my tail, it had always got in the way anyway. My hands brushed and tugged at my clothing: tight, frayed denim tie-dye shorts, fastened by a braided belt; a grooved teal tank top, just big enough to hide my flat stomach. Despite being totally unaware of what species I was, I was beginning to warm to the figure as quite attractive. 

Eventually, I figured that I couldn't sit here (on the stabbing concrete, as I had determined) forever. Might as well but these sporty legs to use. Or at least, they looked sporty. How different could athleticism be portrayed in a different body than to my original? Hauling myself from the ground, my legs automatically swept under me until they pushed from a crouch, up, up, till I stood at my full height. I staggered unsteadily, the alien body flailing it's arms to keep my balance. Unsure of how to make the next step, my knee buckled forthwith as I rolled on the balls and the heels of my feet aimlessly in attempt to walk forward - I tumbled to the ground, feeling the uncomfortable stones jabbing into my back this time. I moaned. 

Primarily, I could now take in my surroundings. Swaying trees of pink and white blossoms, appealing to me as if they were delicacies, although my stomach refused any thought of food right now. Other trees flourished with green sprouts, their leaves tinged with yellow. The layout reminded me of an avenue I'd once walked down in Canterlot, the pavement scattered with a few fallen buds. The rich mahogany trunks on which they stood were thick, blocking the view beyond them. I chuckled to myself. I wasn't ever going to find out what was beyond them if I can't even walk! Shuffling towards one of the trees, I grabbed it's rough surface and dragged myself up. Still holding onto the tree for support, I peered round the edge. A road. That was the simplest way to put it. A grey, wide road, desolate of any vehicles, but different to any road back in Equestria. Divided into halves by white dashed lines, lined with a selection of walls and fences. Gardens. Not such a common thing in Ponyville, as everypony just shared the land and parks. Behind the walls were rather bland, contemporary rooftops, some huffing out black smoke from chimneys. I gagged... This place seemed horribly industrial and boring. I longed to see the cheerful, colourful houses of Ponyville again, the jolly faces of my fellow ponies. My stomach churned up a vile sickness: homesickness. Turning away from the abhorrent buildings, I closed my eyes tightly, trying to block it all out. I puffed, forcing back down the panic that slowly made it's way up my throat, but my shivers made it hard to control my poignant state. I was quivering distressfully by now, scratching at the tree bark with fumed agony, beads of sweat in the creases of my frown, I did only what my instinct told me: run. Some petty little conscience told me that I could run away from all the pain. My feet were thundering, as well has my heart, on the concrete as I scarpered across the yard. Though I had opened my eyes, I could barely see as my hair blew in my face and stuck to it. Suddenly, all the aching in my muscles and the violent nausea came back to me and raged. Despite how much I wanted to stop and recover, my only desire was to keep running. Away from the buildings. Away from this world. Whilst I considered the impossible prospects that staying here would do me any good, I knew that there was no way to escape so effortlessly. Huh, effortless? What am I thinking? I'm going to be stuck here forever...

There was no time for thinking ahead as I dashed, no reason to stop. Reaching the end of the yard, I found myself at the edge of another road, and I was forced to halt. The swooshing trees I had left behind me, and where I stood now was more like a high street corner. Just beyond a crooked wooden gate, I spotted luscious grass, the long blades waving in the wind as if they were calling for me to lie on their comfy bed. Scorching as ever, the sun glinted and hazed the road in the distance, and I could not focus my tired eyes very far. Without any hesitation or clue where I was to go next, I stumbled like a drunkard into the middle of the road, shuffling now, out of breath from fleeing. My heartbeat was starting to slow back to normal. How cowardly I had acted. All I needed was a rest, to clear my head. Everything around my vision now was blurred, my only goal to reach the welcoming grass. I had noticed how dry my throat was, but I still had no desire to eat. Nearly there... Just a few more steps...

That same blaring noise. An anguished, boisterous noise. It's honk was deafening me. I spun around, and my eyes were met by a huge metallic machine that barged it's way toward me. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out; every inch of my body froze to the spot in pure terror. Another humongous boom, yelling at me, followed by an excruciating squeal, wailing, shouting. The monster failed to detain it's speed as it charged toward me, and in the few seconds that seemed to slow down in motion, I was glued there securely in place. My heart now raced more than ever: the vast machine circled in attempt to decelerate, but it was too late. 

I'm not sure whether I closed my eyes to hide myself from the hideous advance, or whether I just faded away, as an unknown force hit me and my nerves lost all feeling. In a way, I was flying again. But as soon as the thump echoed through my lost head, and my mind began to cloud into a deep sleep, I knew no more.