Rainbow Dash lay on her side in the small windowless room, her breath coming in feral snorts through her nose. Occasionally she struggled against the buckles that held her strait jacket firmly in place. This was a far cry from the violent thrashing and bucking that she was doing earlier; she had since worn herself out, and resigned to eventually slumping over onto her side.
Despite the fatigue however, this did nothing to quell the Pegasus' anger. Then again, this was nothing new. Rainbow was angry most of the time. Her violent fits of rage were why she was admitted to Broadhoof in the first place. They were also why she frequently found herself in predicaments such as this particular one, bound by a strait jacket and tossed into a special cell, with an orderly posted outside the door.
Rainbow seethed within her confines. Her multicoloured tail lashed in frustration, adding a splash of colour to the otherwise muted gray padding that covered the room from floor to ceiling. She knew it would be only a matter of time until she was let out. However, how long she had to wait was another story. Deliberately injuring a doctor was a pretty serious matter, even if she did deserve it.
That was a big problem with being in this stupid room. The Pegasus wasn’t alone; she had thoughts and memories to keep her occupied, whether she wanted them or not. And right now, they were trained on Dr. Applejack. It was because of her that everypony else laughed and stared at Rainbow. Or more specifically, her bare flank, which was devoid of a cutie mark. The thought of this made the Pegasus wince and flick her tail over her haunches. So she was a full grown mare with a “Blank Flank”. So what? Doctors were supposed to be nice and respectful and not make a big deal about it in front of everypony else. But not Applejack.
“Hold on a second, sugarcube!” she’d exclaimed as soon as she’d seen and examined closer. “Hey, what happened to yer—wait, you never got a cutie mark, did you?”
She just had to say that around that freakish little pink mare, who immediately burst into giggles, thinking that the term “Blank Flank” was the most hilarious joke she’d ever heard. In a flash, Rainbow was on top of the other pony, determined to silence her laughter by means of slamming her head repeatedly against the floor.
Of course, this resulted in her first visit to the room that she would become a frequent visitor to over the next few years. But the damage had already been done. It didn’t take long for other patients to pick up on the pink one’s “joke” and either snicker or poke fun at Rainbow wherever she went. And even if no pony said anything, she knew they were staring. She knew they were judging.
Everypony that is, except one.
Rainbow didn’t have any friends at Broadhoof, let alone anywhere else. The closest thing to an exception was the “Bird Girl”. The yellow Pegasus didn’t stare or laugh at her lack of cutie mark at all. Then again, she didn’t say anything to anyone. Instead she stared fixated out the window at the trees outside, and never moved. Rainbow remembered the yellow mare being a little more active when she first arrived at Broadhoof. But an unfortunate incident with one of her pet birds unhinged her a little more than she already was, and the aftermath led her to become the anxious shut in that she was now.
For a reason that Rainbow herself couldn’t explain, she was strangely drawn to the other pony. It started out as fascination with how the other Pegasus would curl up and breathe funny and wrap her wings around her any time anypony came near her. But over time it became less about approaching her to see her reaction, and more about just…sitting near her. Just because.
Of course, this stirred up concern with the hospital staff and orderlies, wary of the temperamental blank flank sitting near the unstably anxious bird girl. All it took was for one to set off the other, and then disaster was sure to ensue. But the only incidents that came up involved Rainbow fighting off anyone who tried to take her away from her new companion. As for the Bird Girl, she remained in her own world, continuing her intense watch over whatever held her attention, unaffected by the chaos nearby.
Eventually staff left her alone, albeit under close observation, and Rainbow continued to sit near the other mare, whenever she got the chance to do so, neither of them talking or moving.
At this last train of thought, Rainbow snorted again and struggled into a sitting position. When she got out of here again she would make that stupid Earth Pony doctor regret ever messing with her. She would regret ever setting Rainbow off and making her visit this room again. But more importantly, she needed to get back to her companion. She knew how cruel and nasty everypony was, and how everypony here judged. Sure, everyone left the Bird Girl alone. Staff and orderlies made sure everyone stayed clear of her; lest she have a screaming fit or go nuts or something. But Rainbow didn’t trust anypony at Broadhoof. It was only a matter of time before another patient did something to push the other Pegasus over the edge. If that happened, then she would be taken away and be put into a room like this, and Rainbow would lose the only individual that didn’t judge or laugh at her or make her feel a like a freak.
The Pegasus narrowed her eyes. If that happened, if they took the Bird Girl away from her, they would pay. The staff, the other patients, that stupid pink mare…and Dr. Applejack.
But first, she needed to be let out of here. So she sat quietly and waited. Eventually they would let her out. From there, she would assess the situation, and decide what to do next and to whom.
Author's Note
I'm an artist. I don't write. Well, let's now say I don't write OFTEN.
Based on "Asylum" by Daemon of Decay.
