//------------------------------// // A Pinch of Danger // Story: A Dash of Friendship // by Twotailedfox8 //------------------------------// Chapter 3 A Pinch of Danger The sunshine struggled to break through the drawn curtains, attempting to let its light shine through the fabric barrier to illuminate the inner confines of Rainbow’s bedroom. Slowly, but surely, the sun rays sifted through the azure coloured curtains and streaked across the room, falling on the sleeping frame of the magenta skinned mare-turned-girl. Twilight felt her eyelids flutter, straining against the harsh light of day. Slowly, they began to flicker open as she lifted her hands to her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. She raised her arms above her head and let out a long yawn, shaking off the remnants of sleep that hitched a ride to the world of consciousness. Twilight took in her surroundings finally when she noticed the mattress lying on the floor on the other side of the room. She froze. Realization fell upon her as she noted the cloud covered bedsheets that were slung over her legs. She turned her head slightly and noted the sleeping frame of the cyan skinned, rainbow haired girl next to her. The only signs of life that emanated from the peaceful girl was the slow rise and fall of her chest, coupled with the slight, snuffled snores that escaped from her mouth as she breathed out. Twilight couldn’t help but notice how cute Rainbow Dash looked while she slept. She shook her head, trying to eliminate those thoughts before deciding what to do next. ‘How did I end up here?’ she thought, remembering back to the night before. ‘Rainbow began telling me about her nightmare and then… I got into her bed and must have fallen asleep. Why did she let me stay? Why did she pull the covers over me and tuck me in?’ Twilight tried to connect all the dots to arrive at a sensible conclusion but the only one she could draw indicated that Rainbow had a crush on her. ‘That’s impossible, isn’t it?’ she questioned herself, studying Rainbow’s sleeping body thoroughly. She took out her notebook from the small back pack which she took with her throughout her small detour to Equestria. She began to draw parallels between this girl and her Equestrian counterpart, noting behavior and facial expression when around Twilight. ‘They clearly both act and feel the same way as each other,’ she concluded. ‘But what that feeling is, I can’t say for sure without some further research.’ Twilight then began to reflect on her own feelings for the athlete. It was true that she had begun to suspect that her feelings for the soaring Pegasus back in Equestria had grown stronger than mere friendship. She had originally thought that it was simply because Rainbow Dash had transcended that barrier and had gained best friend status, but now, Twilight began to doubt her assertions on this. ‘My knees grow week when she arrives to read Daring Do with me. My stomach fills with a strange feeling that I can only describe as butterflies flying around inside of me. My cheeks grow red and hot and I feel woozy and unsure of myself when the time comes to talk to Rainbow,’ she thought to herself. Twilight had read through some books on how to know if you are in love with somebody and she showed signs of it but her mind had still not accepted this conclusion. Rainbow stirred in her sleep, turning over so that she was on her side, facing Twilight. Her eyes were still firmly shut tight but she seemed restless, slowly crossing the threshold from sleep to awake. Twilight knew that the athlete would awaken soon and if she wanted to test her theory, her time would soon be out. Twilight steeled herself for the worst, closed her eyes and began to lean down with puckered lips. However, when she was mere centimeters away from the alluring lips of Rainbow, the girl stirred again, banging her head into that of Twilight. Rainbow’s eyes shot open as she clutched her head in pain, screeching out in pain. Twilight mirrored her actions, trying to sedate her own throbbing pain that emanated from her forehead. “What happened?” Rainbow asked. “Um, Uhhh,” Twilight stammered, pushing past the pain to search for an adequate excuse. “You must have stirred in your sleep and smashed into me. Thanks for waking me, jerk,” she punched Rainbow’s arm playfully, putting on a small smirk. “Heh, guess I’m a pretty restless sleeper. Sorry, Twi,” Rainbow laughed. That was the closest Twilight was going to get to an apology, despite the fact that it was her fault but Rainbow didn’t need to know that. “By the way, what are you doing in my bed?” the rainbow haired girl asked, tilting her head in confusion. “I don’t quite recall,” Twilight lied. “Oh, I remember! I was telling you a story and you fell asleep. I just decided it would be rude to wake you so I let you get some much needed shut-eye,” Rainbow replied, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. “Hope you didn’t mind.” “No, it was… good. The sleep, I mean,” she corrected herself suddenly. They both stared at each other, eyes fixated on each other for seemingly hours when in actuality they had been lost in their intense gaze for only a few seconds. The buzzing of Rainbow’s phone was the catalyst that led to a break in the moment. “Oh crap, it’s rare. We need to get to school,” Rainbow sighed hastily, shooting off a reply to their fashionista friend. … Rarity and Apple Jack waited around on the steps of the brick-layered high school, chatting away with nonsensical small talk whilst keeping an eye out for their friends. “Ah don’t think they are coming,” Applejack decided to speak after a short silence fell upon the two girls. “This is horrible behavior. I shan’t begin to imagine what they must be doing but this is no excuse!” Rarity exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her small phone, wrapped in a case that had been encrusted with a variety of magnificent gemstones of all shapes and colours. “Ah’ll never get used to that ol’ case you have there,” Apple Jack mocked. “Some people just can’t appreciate the beauty in the finer things in life,” Rarity scoffed, winking at Apple Jack as she flipped her hair backwards, turning her attention to her phone. Her thumbs moved at rapid fire speeds as she shot off a quite annoyed message to her compatriots. Rarity: This is not appropriate behavior! Apple Jack and I have been waiting at school for ages and none of you decide to show up. I won’t stand for this. Rainbow: Sorry Rare, Twi and I just woke up. Be there in 15 Sunset: Fluttershy and I stopped at a small coffee shop to indulge ourselves to a small treat. Fluttershy: Sorry we didn’t invite you guys. I’d love it if you joined us next time, you know, if you want to. Rainbow: You even text shy, Shy :P Fluttershy: Sorry Rainbow: Don’t apologize. I think it is kinda cute Sunset: Rainbow? Are you feeling okay? Rarity: Did you just call Fluttershy cute? Apple Jack: Rainbow’s got a crush! Apple Jack couldn’t help but retrieve her phone and join in on the group conversation after learning of the sudden development. Rainbow: No! That was auto-correct. I meant to type cool. COOL! Rarity: Whatever you say Darling Rainbow: Look, we are going to be late so just go to class. We’ll meet up at lunchtime. Sunset: Sounds good. Sunset smiled at Fluttershy who noticeably radiated heat, displaying a deep, crimson red on her cheeks. “I told you everything would turn out fine,” Sunset laughed, placing an arm around Fluttershy. “You just need to talk to her. If you do then I’m sure you’ll be dating in no time.” “But she said it was a typo,” Fluttershy said in dismay, staring down at her shoes. “C’mon Fluttershy, you know she was lying to get out of the embarrassment,” Sunset smiled at the tentative girl as the duo picked up their things and began the rest of the trip to the school. … The cafeteria was surprisingly bare that afternoon. Most students were nowhere to be seen and had unexplainably disappeared from class that day. Sunset noticed the two girls enter the room, both holding trays stacked high with all sorts of food from the multitude of food groups. She waved them over, patting the seat next to them. Sunset jumped up and threw her hands around the two, giving them a hug, much to their surprise. “Nice to see you girls,” she cooed, whilst expertly led them to the table, she made sure to position Rainbow Dash next to the pink haired girl. “Hey Shy,” she winked as she sat down at the table and began hastily munching down on her sandwich. “Couldn’t you be a little more… civilized?” Rarity remarked, turning her head in disgust. “I need my energy,” Rainbow retorted. Small bits of bread and meat surfing on balls of spit flew out of her mouth as she spoke. Fluttershy couldn’t help but stifle a small laugh, noting how cute Rainbow was when she ate. “It’s just gross.” “You don’t think I’m gross, do you Fluttershy?” Rainbow turned to the shy girl who shook her head slightly in response, concentrating on hiding the blush that threatened to emerge on her cheeks. “That’s not fair. Fluttershy always takes your side,” Rarity sighed in an exaggerated fashion. “Sorry to break up this riveting conversation but has anybody seen Pinkie Pie lately?” Twilight asked, ceasing the argument in its entirety. “Ah didn’t see her in any of my classes today,” Apple Jack chimed in. “No sign of her on my end,” Sunset added. “You gals stay here, Ah’ll go look for her. She might be in the school kitchen again. You know how she gets.” The group nodded in agreement as Apple Jack waltzed out of the room in search of the pink girl. “I’ll go with her,” Sunset said as she got up to rush after the country girl. She swiftly motioned towards Fluttershy as a slight nudge of encouragement as she exited the room, leaving the four girls to talk. … “Apple Jack, wait up,” Sunset called out, waving her hand frantically in order to slow down the blonde haired girl. Apple Jack, upon hearing the frantic calls of the exhausted, orange and red haired girl, stopped in her tracks and turned around to see who was calling. “Oh, hey Sunset, you coming to join me?” Apple Jack asked, standing with her arms folded. Sunset slowed to a walk as she tried to slow her rapid breathing. Apple Jack, smiling as Sunset made her way over to her, leant against the Wonder Colt statue to rest. It had been a tiring night’s work and she had gotten little sleep. “Apple Jack, look out!” Sunset screamed, her eyes widening in horror as she noticed some sneaky, white mist billow around Apple Jack’s ankles which was billowing out of the portal. “Wha?” Apple Jack screeched as she felt an incredibly strong force grip her and slam her down to the ground. Sunset broke into an incredible sprint that could rival that of the fastest runners in all of Equestria. However, she was far too slow to save Apple Jack who watched on in horror as she felt herself be pulled ferociously into the portal, her screams muffled by the marble that she had been pulled into. Sunset arrived just too late to save her flailing friend. Yet, danger hadn’t left as a second smoky hand whipped out of the portal and wrapped itself around Sunset’s arm. Sunset, in a panicked state, ripped off her black, leather jacket and began slapping the misty hand. She pulled and tugged with all her might as she continued her onslaught of barrages onto the tangible hand which seemed to be made up of a solidified mass although had the visible properties of a gas. Sunset sighed in relief as she broke free of the creatures grasp and bolted up the nearby stairs and into the main building of the school and across the hallway into the cafeteria, not looking back as the mist retreated back into the portal. … “Girls, stand back,” Twilight commanded, adopting a leadership role in the group, like usual, as she stood between the others and the glowing portal with arms outstretched. She studied the frantic and faltering state of the un-contained portal, noting its patterns. “Do you know what’s wrong?” Sunset queried, stepping forward to join Twilight in front of the people. “Where have our friends gone?” Rarity added. “I think I understand what is going on here,” Twilight concluded, spinning around to face the four remaining girls. The four faces looked up to her, searching her facial features for any sign of happiness, sadness, regret, disappointment or hopelessness. Twilight steeled her emotions as she began to speak to her audience, adopting a didactic tone in an attempt to eliminate any fear that was highly present in her presentation of both body and voice. “The portal is growing unstable. Ever since the incident with the Sirens, we have been able to keep a constant connection between the two worlds required a lot of energy which our two words could not supply. This created a rift between our two worlds, a space between spaces, if you would. “So some sort of purgatory?” Sunset asked. Twilight nodded in agreement. “Clearly, someone or something has taking this chaotic energy and is using it to kidnap students and ponies alike!” Twilight finally finished, catching her breath in the process. “We need to stop this!” Rainbow rallied, stepping forward towards the portal. Fluttershy, knowing full well of her friend’s stubborn and quick acting nature, rushed forward too and gripped Rainbow’s arm. “What are you doing, Shy? Our friends need our help!” Rainbow protested. “No, Dashie! We can’t let anybody else get captured until we think of a plan. I can’t lose you too!” “What… what do you mean, Shy?” Rainbow tilted her head. All eyes of the remaining girls were fixated on this conversation, especially those of a certain violet skinned one. “I mean… you know… we have lost so many friends already and I don’t want anyone else to be lost.” Sunset raised her palm to her forehead, shaking her head vigorously in disappointment of Fluttershy backing down. ‘Just tell her!’ Sunset’s mind screamed but she dared not move in case she ruined it for her tentative friend. Rainbow thought for a moment before she wrapped her arms around Fluttershy and brought her closer, allowing the two a brief hug before breaking apart. “I know, Shy. I wouldn’t want to lose you either, but we can’t just sit around here and do nothing, you understand?” Rainbow admitted finally, staring into the eyes of Fluttershy. The shy girl had an urge to look away in fear but was unable to because of the overwhelming beauty of the athlete’s pupils, causing her to get lost inside Rainbow’s eyes. Twilight cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the intimate moment as she began to speak. Sunset took much notice of this strange behavioral display, jumping to her quick conclusion that made her sigh in annoyance. “I need time to think of a plan. Until then, we all must stay as far away from this portal as possible.” The others all nodded in agreement and set off to their own homes. “Um, Rainbow?” Twilight piped up, rushing up to the cyan skinned girl as she set off in the direction of her home. “Yeah Shy, what’s up?” she replied nonchalantly. “I just wanted to see if you, maybe, wanted to come stay at my house for a bit, you know, until Twilight came up with a plan. It would be… um… safer, maybe.” Twilight hid her flushed cheeks behind her long, pink coloured hair to avoid any further embarrassment. “Oh, sorry Shy. I’d love to but Twilight is staying at my place and I’m going to try to help her figure this out. How about we chill when this all blows over, k?” Rainbow winked before racing off to catch up to Twilight. “O…Okay,” Fluttershy sighed, casting her gaze to the ground below. … “Rarity,” a malicious voice cooed, startling her. Rarity sat down at her large bedroom mirror, applying some more makeup when a mysterious voice seemed to speak from nowhere. “Who is there?” Rarity inquired, but no answer came. “Rarity,” the voice repeated again finally. “Look, this isn’t funny. I don’t know what is there but this is definitely not the time to pull such a heinous and poorly timed joke!” Rarity lectured in anger, flipping her hair angrily. “I thought it was pretty funny. Just like how you thought it was pretty funny when Twilight and her little friends of her, which includes you, decided to ruin my plans,” the voice continued. Rarity followed the sound of the voice until she noticed the shadowy figure of somebody standing in the corner of her room. “YOU!” she gasped in horror and anger, running up to the figure. “I should have known that you were the culprit!” The figure simply stepped out of the way, revealing a small, white hole in Rarity’s bedroom corner. It was unlike anything the fashionista had ever seen in her life. It was as if the air itself had been slashed by a sharp blade, opening up a wound in the fabric of reality. However, instead of blood oozing out of the wound, a white mist seemed to billow out, filling up her room. “Let’s see Twilight stop me this time now that her little friends are out of the equation,” the voice bellowed in triumph. The figure’s laughs drowned out Rarity’s screams as she was slowly pulled into the dead space between the worlds, never to be heard from again.