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Ch. 1: I've never had a lucid dream before2,167 words
Ch. 2: The Art of Distress1,427 words
Ch. 3: Refresh My Memory2,026 words
Ch. 4: Intro of Darkness, Then Redness, Then Whiteness3,145 words
Ch. 5: What is Real?3,611 words
Ch. 6: Mind Crush in Stereo2,430 words
Ch. 7: Wake Me Up Inside2,506 words
Ch. 8: It's Super Effective!3,628 words
Ch. 9: Brutal Jill3,385 words
Ch. 10: Take Your Time1,311 words
Ch. 11: Full Circle3,187 words

Ch. 2: The Art of Distress

Chapter 2: The Art of Distress
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"Ahhhhhh!" I yelled in the most ladylike fashion. I threw off the blanket and leaped off the bed. Frantically, I searched for any hint that this was a dream, a hallucination, or at least bad vision. I tried slapping myself in the head with my 'hand'. I tried rubbing my eyes. I even went as far as running straight into a wall. No matter what I tried, I wasn't waking up from existing in Rarity's room. I couldn't get rid of the white coat or the purple hair attached to me.

"This can't be real," I said on the verge of hyperventilating, "This can't be real!" But every time I said that, I heard Rarity's voice. I heard her stressed out tone. I could even hear her drama. All physical evidence was pointing to the contrary of what I was trying to convince myself. Breaths were getting shallower. Coherent thoughts were blessings that I didn't have.

A knock from the other side of the door was followed by a voice calling, "Rarity? Are you okay in there? I heard screaming." My heart was beating faster now. What would Sweetie Belle think if she found out a creature that didn't exist in Equestria had taken over her sister's body without any viable explanation as to how, why, or how to fix it? I had to get out. I think the walls were closing in and I wasn't even claustrophobic.

"Rarity?" asked the voice again as the latch on the door started to lift. I looked left. I looked right.

Hide! I thought Find a place to hide or run! Now! I turned around and started running for an opening. As long as it wasn't here, I was just fine with that. It kind of looked like a balcony, but I couldn't be bothered to be sure. I heard the door behind me opening all the way.

"Rarity?" the voice of Sweetie Belle called again. I put my 'hands' on the railing and took a leap of faith.

"Rarity!" shouted the voice behind me. I had to shock myself awake. Nothing conventional was working. This was the only answer. Impact with the ground was my only salvation right now.

My mind fogged over with blackness.

---

*Beep* *Beep*

I opened my eyes feeling as if I had a migraine. I raised a hand to hold it as I slowly collected my thoughts.

A heart monitor? Am I in a hospital? I internally asked, Did I go insane in the real world and actually try to kill myself? I groaned quietly in pain. I barely noticed how high-pitched that my groan sounded. I let my eyes wander what I presumed was a hospital room. It seemed like the right setup. I was in a simple bed in a simple room with simple sheets and simple curtains to divide the room between two potential patients. It was okay. Now I had some order to hold onto in my mind.

"At least that dream is over," I said before I realized what my voice sounded like.

"No," I said barely above a whisper. But there was no mistaking it. I still sounded like Tabitha St. Germain.

"No," I said again in that feminine, British accent. I looked down at my 'hands' only to see white, soft, and flexible limbs.

"No, no, no, no, no," I repeated starting to increase my volume. This couldn't be. I was still Rarity. But, that was in the dream, wasn't it? How could the shock not have woken me up?

Is it because I really am Rarity? I thought before shaking my head and closing my eyes, No! I can't be Rarity. This isn't possible! All the while, the heart monitor's beeping fluctuated between fast and slow rhythms.

I heard the door opening and opened my eyes to watch. In entered five of the main six characters of the show. Sweetie Belle walked in right behind them. I think my lower jaw fell a few inches.

"Rarity, oh my goodness! Are you all right?" softly exclaimed the shape I recognized as Fluttershy.

"What in the hay were you thinking jumping off the balcony like that?" asked the seven-colored flier I could identify as Rainbow Dash.

"Now, now, hold on, Rainbow," said the thick, southern accent of Applejack, "Give her some breathing room. She's probably confused right now."

Confused? I thought, More like downright flabbergasted! How the heck do you all exist?

"Yeah, she'd have to be really confused not to know that falling from a height of more than two stories really hurts," babbled the pink mess I knew to be Pinkie Pie. She then when on to some tangent about hurting skirts, skirt laces, and glazing cakes. I kind of droned her out after that.

"Rarity, what happened?" asked the unicorn with the highlighted mane. It sounded like Tara Strong so I could assume that was Twilight Sparkle.

"Why did you make that jump?" asked Sweetie Belle. Everything here was too real to be just a lucid dream. I didn't know if I was hallucinating or not, but I had to make some kind of response to what I was experiencing.

"Um... I... uh..." I stammered, not really sure what to say in this situation. What was I supposed to say, that I was a human from the planet Earth and that I've somehow been placed into the body of their friend Rarity for reasons even I didn't know? Yeah, that would go swimmingly. Heavy sarcasm emphasized on that last sentence.

"All right, all right. That's enough every pony," stated a new voice that was entering the room. The coloration of the newcomer looked like the one called Caramel, but this was a unicorn in a white coat.

"Miss Rarity is most likely suffering from head trauma right now," said Dr. Caramel(?), "She needs some more quiet rest to recover." The visitors hesitated a moment before slowly filing out of the room one by one. Then I realized that my chance to possibly explain my situation was fleeting.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, as the last pony was about to leave the room. I didn't like putting myself on the spot. At the same time, however, I felt that this was important.

"Could... Sweetie Belle... stay for just a little longer?" I asked delicately and almost muttered the last word. This seemed to catch the doctor by surprise.

"Well, I suppose I could oblige by the request of a patient," he finally conceded, "I'll let you have a few minutes." He stepped out and let the door shut behind him as the filly scampered over to my bedside.

"Sweetie Belle," I said slowly, trying to figure out how to put what I was about to say in the best light.

"Yeah, sis?" she chirped. To this, I sighed regretfully because I almost wished she was my sister. Then, in a Pinkie Pie-esque fashion, my words all tumbled out in a torrent.

"I'm not Rarity. I'm a person from another universe that somehow ended up in her body and I don't know how or why, but I really need to find a way home so that you can have the real Rarity back, but again I iterate that I don't know how to go about doing that." I had to breathe and pant quite rapidly after that because I forgot to take pauses between phrases. Well, I had unleashed the crap storm. It was only a matter of time before it hit a fan.

Sweetie Belle... laughed. That, I was not expecting. I had expected at least some form of confirmation or tears of anger and hatred. I was not expecting her to laugh.

"Oh ho, Rarity," she said in between smaller chuckles, "You had me worried when you fell. Thanks for helping me know you still have your sense of humor."

What? I thought.

"Well, I'll let you rest now. I'm already late for school," said Sweetie Belle as she headed for the door.

What?

"I'll come back and check on you later," she said, "I love you."

What?!

The door closed. I couldn't believe it. She thought I was joking. She didn't believe me.

My own sister didn't believe me, I thought before shaking my head at my own thought, Wait, my sister? No, she's Rarity's sister. But...

I felt tears being squeezed out of my eyes as I held up one of Rarity's hooves to her heart area.

Why does it hurt like my own family has just stung me?

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