//------------------------------// // Break Free // Story: Mysterious Ways // by Peridork //------------------------------// Twilight woke up. Trying to move hurt right now though she did not know why until she glanced down. Little bits of tape kept monitors on her body and the slightest move made them irritate her arms and legs. Blinking to clear some of the confused mess her head was she heard a faint noise to her right and she turned to see two girls that now seemed familiar. Fluttershy rested her head in her hands as she quietly listened to the Mixer to catch up with the news. Rainbow was laying her head on the back of the white walled room and snoring. Twilight could make out the radio station's DJs at this level of silence. "Octy, haven't you heard about the strange happening at Crystal Prep today? It's all over Twitter and that's news here. Heard it might be the new Captain, or was it Lieutenant, of the Police. You know that one you are kind of crushing on." "Vinyl, I never said that and if I ever would have, I said that in a moment of complete and utter confidence." "You know I can't keep a juicy secret like that. And anyway people saw Shining Armor yelling at the current heads of the school- Dean Cadance and Starlight Glimmer. Seems like he has a stake in this somewhere. Let's check the amazing new aggregate site Twitter to see any new developments." "I have told you time and time again that Twitter isn't a news site." "Whatever. Looks like the damsel in distress is one new chick. Sounds like she got into some trouble then. See Octy, this is why I always say Canterlot High is the best. We don't have kids jumping off roofs like daredevils or something." "Show some tact. Do I have to put you in timeout for being one of those shock jock types I find so repulsive?" "Pssh, you know you like it- next up on our show, first world problems and existential angst. But before that I do have to mention the school dance and I don't have a date. How about you Octy?" The quiet broadcast soon was put out of its misery once Fluttershy glanced over and noticed Twilight was awake. FLuttershy fumbled for the pause button on her. Ipod and nudged Rainbow awake. "What is going on? I was having a great dream." "Dash, she's awake." Dash looked and almost fell out of her chair. "I mean I was having a bad dream so waking me up was a good idea. How are you anyway?" Twilight shrugged. "Could be better since it feels as if I was hit by a truck but it's completely satisfactory all things considered." "Yeah sorry about that. I mean I tried the thing that happens in superhero movies where I'd save you from your death and you'd be super fine but I guess catching you still broke something." "Did any of my family come in yet?" Twilight wondered out loud. "Well they haven't come by yet. Though your brother has his life together well when compared to mine." Fluttershy tried to be a calming influence on her new friend. "He said he'd be by later since he had to gather evidence and have a talk with the faculty about this." "That's Shiny for you. We've always been pretty close and I hope he's not being too harsh on the faculty. I rather liked them letting me do what I like." Twilight sighed. "Actually Twilight, we were kind of confused why you'd even be up on the roof in the first place. Isn't like that school policy to not let students on the roof?" Dash scratched her head in confusion. "Well that's where my lab is. I can't just do science in the science lab. I mean I could but that's not what science I'm doing." The two of them tilted their heads at their purple acquaintance. Fluttershy spoke first to break the awkward silence. "Really? Because that's exactly where to do science and that includes all types." "Not if it involves magic and anti-monster serum." "Woah, wait what? Run that by me again cause that sounds like something you just made up." "Dash, maybe we should hear her out. I mean she did fall off a roof like two hours ago." Dash crossed her arms and pouted. "I will since you are asking but seriously anti monster serum? What does that do? I don'r know. I can't figure out if its a thing that causes or cures monsters. Either way, she's been running a lab that does crazy experiments. Are we sure we befriended a good guy, cause by action movie roles, she'd be an evil scientist." Twilight frowned and fidgeted in her bed. "Well, I mean I'm the mission control and weapons guy in that kind of scenario- though I always did wonder why my friends called me a mad scientist. I guess that is a reason. Though I don't get what's really wrong about it. I did the correct lab safety requirements and made sure my science was sound." "But isn't there like a board of super scientists talking about the ethics of not doing magic research?" Dash waved her arms around in emphasis. "Dash, I don't think magic has been on the forefront of science since Isaac Newton studied alchemy. And magic is one of those things that any self respecting scientist would normally stay far away from." Twilight rested her head in her hands thinking of the possibilities of magical research. It was almost endless in scope. "Then why would you study it?" Dash let that thought echo through the room. Fluttershy wondered herself. It was a valid point. "Well I guess its just who I am really. Always been interested in the possibilities of science upon our world and discovering another aspect of our universe and proving something out of myth and stage acts as a perfectly valid area of study would be really helpful of the world. I mean think of all the possibilities magic has with work efficiency, medicine, food preparation, et cetera. Maybe my methods are unorthodox, but the best thinkers thought of things outside of the box and the broke free of their constraints." "Fine. But you went on my list of crazy. I'm watching you." Dash crossed her arms. "Are we done here cause I feel like we are, unless you want to here the next coming of a supervillain." "Wait, Dash, you didn't even ask Twilight if she saw who hit her." "Thank you, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled, "Now that is truly a pertinent question and not one that questions my moral right after I fell off a building. But, sorry. I didn't see who did it since I was lost in thought and working on a new serum or two. Had my back turned the whole time. Though I'd guess it had to be one of the Shadowbolts. They are pretty much the only ones besides Starlight Glimmer who know I have a lab up in the rafters. And I highly doubt a teacher would throw me off their own building. That'd just be reckless." "Well that's understandable. And thank you for your time. I hope you do get better, but it seems that Dash really wants to go now." Dash crossed her arms and looked at an invisible watch. She grimaced at Fluttershy and tapped her foot impatiently. "Yes, well. I hope we see each other in better circumstances. Oh! I know! I could put my number in your phone, so we can hang out more. That sounds like a friend thing to do." Twilight motioned for Fluttershy's phone. Fluttershy quickly gave it to her and waited as Twilight geeked out over how awesome friends and friendship activities could be. Getting her phone back, Fluttershy quickly smiled as she was pulled out of the room by Dash. With a slam of the door, the two girls were walking out in silence until they got to the elevator. "So?" Fluttershy asked. "So what?" "I mean you did kind of freak out about Twilight for a few minutes." "Well, Shy, if you stood in my place I think you'd be mad too." "I mean she's helping us and all that, that seems like a pretty okay thing to do. It's not like she's the next coming of Doctor Frankenstein." "She has a lab where she experiments with magic. And you don't think she has a lab full of magical creatures. Magic has to come from somewhere. It's not just a thing you can wish up and it exists. Yet here she is thinking this new thing could fix every problem ever. That's impossible." "Well Dash, I don't have a lawbook of magic in front of me every day." Dash turned and looked at Shy. "It's something I just know okay. I just look at something and see the magical amount of everything. It's kind of obnoxiously loud when things are just shooting a laser light show everywhere. And I know. Twilight would think that's so cool. But its not. Everyone has a color of magic. And they have a limit. I tried once to help someone with magic, okay." "How did it work out? Did they do well?" Fluttershy looked at Dash and the vampire could see the beginnings of tears in the corner of her friend's eyes. "No, Shy it did not. Okay? It kind of backfired." "Well what happened?" "I figured out I was a magical creature at six years old. Just took my brother going into the hospital to figure it out." "Wait, you have a brother?" Fluttershy wondered why Dash had never brought up the fact that she even had a sibling. And then she thought about all the things her friend had said and it clicked. "Oh." "Yeah, I had one. He was pretty awesome and I tried to cure him. Do you know what happens when you add a new magic user and their magic to a wound? It's pure chance. I saw my brother- well, it wasn't pretty. And here's Twilight saying how awesome magic can be in a hospital setting? She's crazy. I know what happens in that situation. I think about it every day." "I didn't know Dash." "Yeah. Can we go do something fun? I want to enjoy my day off of school, not think about something I can't change." "What about the new Daring Do movie? Would that be a good idea?" Dash smiled. "Yeah." *** Applejack sighed. Working at the movie theater was not her favorite rodeo but it gave her something to do. She had to pay off Granny Smith's car repair after it got hit by a really large animal a few weeks back. At least that was what Granny said. All Applejack remembered of that night was waking up with a splitting headache. She stretched her aching muscles and glanced up. Printing off tickets and working the cash register was not her preferred line of work because it was just so clean. "Well at least it's not so bad. I mean I could be in one of those frilly stores. Rares would love that." Leaning on the desk, she noticed Fluttershy and Dash from across the street- Fluttershy lazily walking, while Dash was running as fast as she possibly could. "What's got into Dash?" Applejack quickly found out as Dash tried to slow down as she met the other side of the street and almost ran smack dab into the ticket booth. "Two for that new Daring Do movie-" Dash paused as she figured out who she was talking to. "Applejack, I didn't think you worked here. Is this a new thing?" "Yeah, have to help my family with some car problems." Fluttershy finally caught up to Dash and waved at Applejack. "Oh so this is why you haven't been at any Eco Club meetings." "Yep. So two? That'd be fourteen fifty. Enjoy the movie." "Thanks. Have some fun here, I guess." Dash shrugged. "Yeah." Applejack looked up and the two of them were gone. "Now back to figuring out Google again. Ah, here we go. 'Why I am attracted to the moon' Ten Reasons Why? That has to be a joke site. . ." *** Lemon Zest stared at the collection of things that Twilight held in her lab. Seriously this bitch had been holding out for so long if she'd been doing this kind of research. Glancing at the labels, she saw things like a whole number of salts and what they did to magical creatures, wolfsbane, silver compounds and if they could be added to food, gases and what they did. She wasn't Doctor Frankenstein. She was a complete and utter genius. Lemon Zest noticed one vial with DO NOT TOUCH!!!- This means you! written on it and, well, if Twilight wasn't here it was something fun to see. "Now what do we have here? Gas version of anti magic weapon? Twilight you just bumped yourself up my list of usefulness. I almost feel bad about what I did." Grabbing a few other vials, just in case, Lemon Zap smiled. Lemon Zest sauntered out and left Twilight's refuge from normal life open. She pulled up the radio app on her phone and started to listen to the Mixer. "Octy, why don't you and I go to the dance? It's coming up and all the cool kids will be there." "Fine. This gets you off my back about it." "Wicked. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Remember kids, the Canterlot High dance is coming up in a few days. Don't be square." Lemon Zest smiled. Those three girls she met in the diner were right. She was special. She was the good guy. She glanced at the vial again and knew exactly what to do. They had told her what to do so far and they'd been right. Everything was awesome.