The 88 miles of ...

by Scohinyha Sanka

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad
Length: 6616

A strange unknown “creature” found in the castle courtyard sets off the beginning of an even more strange and shocking journey that will lead to well-kept secret’s bubbling to the surface.

A strange, unknown “creature” is found in the castle courtyard that sets off the beginning of an event. That becomes an more strange and shocking journey that will lead to well-kept secrets bubbling to the surface.

Secrets that will challenge the views of the mane group.

Can an act of darkness be forgiven when it’s the cradle that brought harmony? And will the still recovering pony population be able to understand? Will they even hear the truth about the harmony they all love.

And does the past actually matter when they might lose their hold on the future?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-10-14 17:43:10 UTC

Friend or foe?

Celestia was relaxing from her everyday duties as the ruler of Equestria. Her days were as warm and comforting as the sun itself, and like most days, nothing was out of the ordinary. Ponies were going about their daily routines, enjoying their Princess' beautiful and welcoming day.

“Your Highness.”

A deep muscular like voice called in an almost overly used polite way, one of her dear ponies. Celestia let out a silent sigh and lowered her tea, one was enjoying while it was still hot for her as she got ready to address a next request. She nodded, motioning the colt to speak his request. The colt took a small breath to steady himself.  “ Is it true that there might be a new war on its way?”

Celestia let out another sigh, one that was silent as well but this time being slightly noticeable to the ones in her sight. The question could be heard bouncing off the marble floors and its red fabric covered walls of the room, for so many times the question repeated over the previous couple of days. Putting back on an reassuring smile, she answered.

"There is no need for concern, my dear citizen. Those rumors about the Fox Army invading our lands are simply untrue."

“But what about the large groups being seen at the Eastern border?” the colt asked fidgeting in place.

Celestia let a moment of silence linger as she took a calm. collective sip of her tea. Taking in its flavor and texture, she lowered the cup and allowed it to rest on an nearby table. Where it has been waiting for her during her duties, she replied.

“Those sightings have been proven to be false, dear citizen. Still, I am grateful for your concern and let me assure you. That there is no need to be concerned with this matter, and if such an event should unfold in the future. That The Royal Guards is more than capable of protecting all the ponies.”

The colt considered to express his worries more on the matter, but then firmly nodded, keeping silent. The colt trusting one of the rulers' judgment over his own .

“Thank you very much, Highness.”

“No harm is done, I enjoy helping my citizens when in need.”

The colt bowed to the princess of the sun before he walked towards the exit, which Celestia bowed in return. The Guards standing next to the dark wooden doors opened the exit, only to close them again once the colt had passed.

A heavy sigh escaped Celestia’s lips once the colt was out of sight.

“Your ponies still seem to be very concerned by the increased numbers of fox soldiers.”   A female voice strongly stated.

“I just hope it does not turn into full blown Hysteria, like when the Changelings tried their attempt of taking over your lands.”

The mare firmly stomped her hoof into the carpet making a muffled clank sound as her armor transferred it momentum.

“There is no need for such rash behavior, Commander Thunder Struck.” Celestia voiced with a hint of dislike.

The commander bowed, cringing for letting her anger get to her again.

“My apologies, Princess.”

“But you are right Commander, the Changeling invasion did came with quite a toll, one that my citizens will not forget so easily.”

Both their expressions turned bitter at being reminded those past events. And while her armor and its enchantments that it possessed didn’t show it, the commander had the scars covering her normally deep wine-red coat. Her scars a painful reminder of the horrible events and losses that happened during those events. Their brief moment of sourness didn’t last, for as another guard quickly trotted towards their direction.

“Princess, your presence is needed at once”  The guard was heavily panting as he nearly stumbled over his own hooves, attempting to salute while he rushed.

Slightly caught off guard, the Princess quickly pushed the past memories aside.

“What seems the situation?”  She asked.

“Some…some… thing has entered the castle  courtyard.  It has been attacking every pony who attempts to get close!”

The guard uttered as he was still gasping for air.

The sound echoed throughout the room as the Princess and commander were already well on their way to said location, with the other guard following behind.

“Keep your distance!”  The screams of an officer drowned through the halls. As well as the sound of clattering armor and crumbling against the stone floors.

Loud intimidating growls got more pronounced as the Princess and Commander Thunder Struck got closer to the courtyard. They passed through the final set of doors before laying eyes on the situation.

“Watch out!”  Another guard yelled out in horror as a strange  thing  lunged at a stone wall, roaring loudly and smashing it to pieces making a couple Guards scramble away from the area like roaches.

Then even more quickly than it had attacked, the thing had stopped. A few moments later, it backed away before freezing in place. The menacing sound it was continuously making faded away, which left courtyard eerily silence.

“For what in Tartarus is this foul beast?”  the severely confused Commander Struck eventually broke the silence with her question.

The strange creature not moving an hoof since it has calmed.

“I do not know.”

Celestia closed her eyes as her horn emitted a soft glow to examine the creature, but to no result.

“I have to be closer to know what it is” she announced as she leaned forward to make her way to the creature.

Thunder Struck jumped at this, immediately into action.

“Princess, I cannot allow that! It is too dangerous and we do not know if it will attack again, it may harm you!”  she declared as she placed herself in between her and the possible threat.

While the commander had a point the princess still needed to know what the strange creature was, which she needed to get closer for.

“Who says it means harm to any of us. It might just be lost.”  She countered.

“I understand that your concern for my safety comes first, but that doesn’t mean we have to take assumptions based on a possible misunderstanding. For all we it has came here for a reason. From the lack of panic from the city, it has concealed itself and has not harmed anypony on its way here, otherwise ponies would have already noticed such a beast. And it looks like no guards were actually harmed, it must have used intimidation to protect itself. So I don’t think that violence is its motivator.” she added to put the commander at ease.

Celestia might be one of the princess siblings, but that doesn’t mean that she saw herswelf above anypony else. And she knew Commander Struck well enough that she would not take a simple no for an answer, especially when somepony’s life might be on the line. The look in the guarding mare’s eyes still remained strong as she held firm.

“As you wish, Princess”

Thunder Struck eventually gave in, stepping aside but keeping her guard up.  She accepted her defeat but kept eye contact at the creature, ready to take action if anything was out of the ordinary. Giving the notion all other guards to do the same.

The princess knew that was as good as she was going to get from her, but proceeded to the silent creature who had backed itself against a wall and hadn’t moved since it stopped it’s attack. With gentle steps she made her way down the stairs into the courtyard. An unnerving silence was only broken by the sound of Pegasus wings flapping in the wind to keep themselves airborne and the hoof steps of a royalty tapping against the stone pathway, as she made her way towards the being. Guards watched every movement that Celestia made and the lack of movement by the being, ready to take action along with the commander when things got out of hoof.

As she closed in on the watching guest, she quickly realized it didn’t had any hooves, claws, or even feet. It just had…

Wheels.

Wheels that looked like to be made of some kind of rubbery material. It’s body also seemed to be made of an mix of exotic metals and materials of which she has never seen. Having an transparent glass like surface on its back as well.

Now being about fifteen meters away, it's size became quite apparent. The creature was slightly unnerving to her that it allowed her so close while the ponies it assaulted were far further away than she was now.

Ten meters and still no sign of aggression nor movement. She carefully continued on, noticing that what she assumed were eyes started to focus on her instead of being aimed straight ahead. She suddenly had to flare one of her wings to shield her eyes from a soft jet of light straightly aimed at her, one that the creature was now producing.

All the surrounding guards tensed even more, being a pin drop away from launching into action. Quite literally, any noise would have set them off to protect as of now. The Regal sister was about to turn around and motion them to stand back, but the creature had beaten her to the punch as the light disappeared and the red haze it was producing behind it faded shortly after. It’s eyes that apparently could emit light went from corner to corner frantically looking for an escape route. Celestia noticed as she saw one its eyes had adjusted once again as it checked the surrounding courtyard. Celestia noted that it was cornered with the only way out was through her, a multiple of hedges, statues, benches and other ponies.

“What does it seek here?”  She wondered to herself.

While its metallic face didn’t seemed to convey emotions, but still those trembling ‘eyes’ gave her a feeling that it was lost. There was also another feeling going through her, one of having seen it before but she couldn’t remember where. She took those thoughts in consideration as she next tried to communicate with the creature.

“Welcome, My name is Celestia. I am one of the rulers of Equestria. May I ask what brings you here?”. She worded giving a slight bow.

When she said her own name the creature’s dark spots that look like pupils enlarged noticeably. Yet it gave no verbal response. An brief silence fell.

The situation was becoming more uncomfortable with the passing minutes, for both the princess and everypony involved as the creature stayed silent. As the sound of shuffling armor became audible which it appeared to be picking up on,  its ‘eyes’ moved from side to side again more in a searching motion this time. After which it suddenly produced a single ‘honk’ sound taking some ponies off guard as the flinched, one of which, who was leaning far forward to get a view down on the situation fell face first.

As the metal wrapped colt landed right next to the creature, making a loud clanking sound as pieces of his armor hit together. The now startled being roared into life lounging forward to just stop inches in front of the princess with an intense squealing sound. After which it moved around and behind Celestia, putting her in between it and the noisy guard. Who, not knowing how to react just laid motionless looking at both Celestia and the being that was still clearly visible behind her, holding his hooves on top of his head.

Celestia herself needed a moment to recollect what had just happened.  A creature was hiding behind her from a pony that it dwarfed in size. Furthermore it was remarkably agile for its size as it threw its rear around itself to face the princess. While wearing a hint of disapproval on her façade she looked back at the guard.

“Are you alright?”  She questioned.

A shaky  “Y-yes ma’am”  was all she got before the drop-in got up and scrambled away taking a wide arc around her and the creature. One might wonder who the guard feared most in that moment: the unknown creature, or the princess.  Her eyes watched the guard running up the stairs leading to the grand entrance of the castle which quickly opened and closed, breaking the line of sight she had on the guard.

As the rest of the guards started to regain their composure, she turned around to face the previous state of affairs, the creature. She almost immediately bumped into something quiet solid and immovable causing a small shutter to run down her hind leg at contact. Looking slightly behind of her she saw the solid, immovable object: ‘The Creature’, as she could hear different guards whisper in the background. After having moved back a bit, The Creature slowly inched closer coming to a halt about a few centimeter away from her.

Was the being trusting her or was it playing along to be able to strike when they let their guard down?

She only knew that ‘The Creature’ was like nothing ever witnessed before in Equestria, yet that she could have sworn she had seen before.

She needed to know for certain.

Raising her hoof, she bumped against the creature which made her wince slightly. The creature grumbled in response as it immediately backed away. A slight ‘honk’ came from it as it stopped, being still within her reach. The sound itself wasn’t as loud and energetic as before, more close to the sound of a soft whimper. Celestia raised her hoof again this time not hitting the creature in the process. To her surprise the creature softly moved forward until her hoof touched it’s strange ‘skin’.

She noted how hard, cold, and trembling the metallic looking skin felt. The trembling then stopped, as well as the grumbling sound. Taking it as a sign of trust, a soft yellow glow emitted for her horn as she starts sensing what for creature this was.

Awoken

A strong sulfuric smell hung in the air which made the light blue pegasus cough heavily when it invaded her nostrils. Rolling onto her side, she brought a hoof up to wipe her teary eyes and sore mouth. With a slightly less blurry vision then before she noticed how the fur on her forelimb was covered with a gray ash like powder and a small amount of blood. Subsequently looking around her, she could only see the faint outlines of buildings close to her through the thick saturated air. Aiming her eyes at the sky above only greeted her by more dark uninviting grayness.

A glint of ruby red suddenly caught her attention making her lower her gaze back to the ground, but something immediately dawned on her as she raised a hoof to her chest, her gaze following in hoof. A wince quickly formed on her face at both the sight and the burning sensation that spread across it. A patch of her usually blue fuzzy fur had been replaced by a scorched lightning bolt shape instead.

“Celestia is so going to kill me…”

A volley of deep raspy coughs interrupted her, placing the more urgent situation in the forefront of her mind once again.

“That is, if I survive this mess.”

Not lingering any longer, she rose to her hooves and began to venture down the foggy streets. Being only able to see two or three meters in front of her, the buildings she could see along her side of the road where empty and abandoned as if a hurricane had passed through. In the sliver of her vision there was not a single pony to be found.

A breeze paired with a desolate feeling of loneliness made her fur stand on end and muscles twitch.

“Hello, is anypony there?”  She eventually called out in hope for a response.

“Rainbow?!”  Her ears perked upon hearing her own name. She knew this voice.

“Fluttershy!?”  She questioned surprisingly yet relieved to finally hear someone, let alone a friend.

“Rainbow, I’m over here!”  Fluttershy’s voice echoed between the buildings, the sound coming from seemingly everywhere.

“Coming!!!”  Rainbow howled with a dry voice as she scrambled through the thick almost liquid fog in the direction she thought the voice was coming from.

“Keep calling!!!”

And that was exactly what Fluttershy did, as Rainbow ran from corner to corner in a distressing game of hot and cold, becoming more and more frustrated with the echoing nature of the city as Fluttershy’s voice still seemed to come from every direction.

The ever present fog would cause her to cut the corners to short or trip over the occasional garbage can or abandoned food stall as well. Fluttershy’s voice eventually sounding closer and closer as it kept pushing her on through the labyrinth that this city had become.

________________________________________

“I’m so glad to see you Rainbow!!”  Fluttershy exclaimed the moment Rainbow came around the corner into the alleyway she was in.

Rainbow froze in place at the sight that filled her retinas, being utterly horrifying.

From where she stood in the entrance, she could only see her friend’s head and face, the rest being completely entombed by concrete and rubble.

“Are you okay?”  Rainbow asked with a nervously risen hoof. Worry and fear cursing through both their veins.

“I-I’m fine. J-just stuck.”  Fluttershy claimed with a weak reassurance as she squirmed around in the concrete vise but without success of freeing herself.

Not hesitating any longer Rainbow eyed the prison quickly before commencing to dig her out.

“It gonna be okay, Flutters! I’ll have ya out of here in no time!”

She reassured her as she removed more and more rubble.

Suddenly and without warning, the ground beneath them rumbled. Swiftly dropping a meter making the pile tighten its grip on Fluttershy causing her to audibly display her agony.

“Gahhh!”  Rainbow yelped herself as she lost her footing.

“Dang it!!!”

She recovered, kicking herself into overdrive to free her yellow pegasus friend.

________________________________________

“UGH!”

A door was sent hurtling through the sky knocking over a trash can a little further in the alley.

“Uhhh!”

CLANK!  A sink ricocheted of the surrounding walls.

“UUUUHHWAAA!!”

A slab of concrete flew through the air before hitting the ground, shattering in a large amount of pebbles.

“Just... one more!”

Dash spoke, breathing heavily as she gripped her hooves firmly around a last metal girder that was left holding Fluttershy imprisoned as she began pushing and pulling with all her might.

Yet all the grunts, groans and sailor’s tongue that could be heard echoing down the dust filled streets didn’t make the stubborn piece of metal move as if mocking Dash for her weakened state.

And as if that wasn’t enough, another loud gut wrenching sound of groaning metal reverberated through the city as the ground dropped again by an amount. At this point Rainbow became aware of how much the ground beneath them had begun to slope as varies cans and other objects began to roll in their quest to find the center of the planet.

“Whole Canterlot is coming down.”  She stated frantically before assaulting the metal beam that was keeping them both hostage with her full body weight.

“Where..."

THUD!

“Is...”

THUD!

“AJ...”

THUD!

“When...”

THUD!

“YA NEED HER?!”

BANG!

Rainbow slammed into the wall behind as the metal piece finally gave in, braking off completely.

“Ow. Owwie.”  She groaned leaning hind up, against the wall as she still could hear her previous outburst echo through the city.

“Are you okay?”  Fluttershy worryingly asked not being able to see her.

“Yeh, I'm fine. Just… Uh. A bit, uhm… Rustled.”  She groaned while she tried correcting her position relative to the ground.

“You alright?”  She finally asked, dusting herself off when she had gotten to her hooves ones again.

Silence was her only reply.

“Flutters?”  Rainbow called out again as she made her way to her friend only being able to see her back.

More silence came from the motionless mare.

Stepping closer, Rainbow noticed her covering her own face with hooves as well as the small barely audible sobs.

“What’s going on Flutts?”  She queried as a pit of fright formed inside her gut and voice.

To which Fluttershy abruptly answered in an incomprehensible verbal fashion, shuttering even more vigorously then before as she does.

In an attempt to calm her, Rainbow rested a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder as she spoke.

“It’s gonna be alright. We going to get through this. As long as we’re together everything is gonna be alright.”

Bringing her water filled gaze up to Rainbows reassuring one, she whimpered something so softly that it was masked by the constant groaning of the city.

“Ahm a... I can’t hear you Flutts.”

This time Fluttershy spoke a bit louder but still Rainbow couldn't understand her.

“You what?”

“I can’t feel my lower body!”  She shouted in Dashes face as she instantly broke down into tears and tried to take hold of her, only to be halted by the lack of cooperation of her lower body and limbs making her look as a new born reaching out for her mother.

Rainbow immediately wrapped both her wings and limbs around Fluttershy's mostly limp body to cradle her in a protective embrace as her brain reeled back from shook.

For quite some time they remained in this way, both not really wanting to accept the reality they found themselves in.

Only another metallic groan from the surrounding city was important enough to eventually break them out of their frozen state.

“Okay.”

Rainbow recomposed herself with a sigh, carefully loosening their embrace a bit – still keeping an forelimb and wing around Fluttershy as she contemplated their options.

“We can still do this, just got to get us out of here. Get you a doc.”  She reasoned, looking down the end of the alleyway she came had from.

Barely making out the tip of the mountain where the city was built upon between the fog, she knew that was their way to safety. Bringing her attention back to her friend, she could see deep terror and fright in the mare’s eyes. She knew that there was only one option left; carry the fully grown pegasus on her back through most of Canterlot.

And while Rainbow surely wasn’t weak, actually being quite strong, especially for a pegasus and even a unicorn. Her trip would be long and exhausting, taking what little leftover energy she had within her.

With this in mind she unfolded her free wing, giving it a couple good flaps before folding it back along her side with a heavy exhale.

“What I would do to be able to fly right now.”  She vocalized before looking her companion in the eye.

She knew what she was going to suggest next wasn’t going to be easy, so she decided not to linger any longer.

“I’ll have to carry you okay?”  She brought forth to which Fluttershy shook her features.

“Just go.”

Fluttershy’s expression turned numbed and voice self-deprecated as she spoke.

“Leave me already.”  Her eyes had began to tear up.

Dash couldn’t believe Fluttershy just suggested such a thing. As if she was just going to leave her out here, all alone to die. That was a proposition she was going to deny from happening every way she could. The short of it was no one was getting left behind.

‘Not now. Not here. Not like…’  She thought to herself with her face scorning in anger.

“Are ya freaking crazy?! Am not leaving anypony behind, definitely not you!”  Rainbow snapped, not wanting to accept such a turn of events.

“I’m getting us out of here! And not even the gates of Tartarus can stop us, you hear!”  Rainbow struck the ground with an angry hoof, her joints cracking from the impact.

Fluttershy reeled back from the outburst only to be held in place by her friend’s wing and hoof keeping her upright.

In her friends large eyes, Rainbow saw her own heavily breathing ferocious reflection. She hated seeing herself like that. Looking down at her fore limb she immediately winced at the sound it made when she tried to flex it.

“Sorry”  She claimed as she brought her other hoof to her forehead before running it through her mane as a moment of silence followed.

________________________________________

“Do you really think so?”  Fluttershy eventually broke the silence, doubt and hopelessness still in her voice.

“I know it seems rough right now but trust me that we been through worse than this. We can and will make it out of here. TOGETHER!”

Rainbow claimed with a as confident looking smirk as she could muster but having still she had a hint of unease in her voice.

“You promise?”  Fluttershy asked, still in doubt yet willing to trust her.

“Cross my heart. Hope to fly-“  Rainbow went through a rhyme that her and her friends always used to make unbreakable promises.

“We stick together, like we've always been doing since flight camp and everything will be peachy.”

The immeasurable loyalty of Rainbow brought a tiny smile to the mare’s muzzle filling her with hope ones more.

“Now come on. The others are probably already waiting for us just out of town.”  Dash remarked, quickly laying herself down beside Fluttershy to make it possible for her to get on her back.

Dragging her lower half behind her, Fluttershy pulled herself on top of her living carriage. And after placing her chest on Rainbows shoulders, she looked back to her rear for a while unsure how she should aid it into position.

During this, Rainbow patiently waited, giving her all the time she could ever need. Even one of those terrifying metallic groans couldn’t make her ask her friend to hurry up.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy kept gazing at her lower half of her body hoping it would start moving on its own accord which sadly wouldn’t happen. Eventually with a lump in her throat she faced Rainbow who had been watching her from the fringes of her sight.

Her mouth opened to speak, yet no words came forth. She spoke in silence for a brief agonizing moment as her companion and dear friend just nodded with a slight sadness and empathy in her gaze.

Several tears escaped the yellow mare’s eyes when Rainbow went about the task of laying her loins over her own rear and trying to make it happen in a non-humiliating way.

“Ready?”  Rainbow eventually spoke unsure.

Taking a muzzle brushing against her neck as a yes, Rainbow raised herself onto her hooves carefully, making sure a last time that her friend wasn’t going to fall off.

With a deep breath she turned around slowly, laying eye on the gray powdery streets that appeared in front.

The fog that surrounded the crumbling city had started to settle making it easier for her to see.  Still, this didn’t make the city any more comfortable as the only sound was the wind and the occasional metallic groans that reverberated throughout Canterlot gave an eerie ghost town feeling.

But with no single reason to stay, and many more reasons to go, she exited the alleyway into the main streets. Her heaving chest and eyes slightly stinging from the constant breeze as the sound of her hoof-steps reverberated of the buildings as she passed them. A feeling of being the last two ponies alive went through her as she saw the usual lively metropolis in a state of decay.

And while continuing to step ahead, another large metallic groan reverberated beneath Rainbow’s hooves. Both body and breath held motionless as she could, she felt Fluttershy taking a tighter hold, shaking almost stronger then the vibrations themselves.

As soon as the ground had calmed down beneath her hooves, Rainbow became aware of a sensation on her rear. Searching the source, she could then not only feel but see a liquid starting to make its way through the fur and down her hind leg.

“I-ah uhm….”  Fluttershy trailed of in a squeal of shame and dismay as she quickly realized Rainbow’s expression and why.

“I-it’s okay!”  Rainbow immediately dismissed, her ears flat against her skull and having a grimace of disbelieve.

“We-we uh.. Will keep it between us! No-nopony has to know this.”  Fighting the urge to shake her hind leg, she quickly commenced to march on as if it never happened.

________________________________________

How long has she been walking? Minutes? Hours? Or was it even days?

She couldn’t tell. It was as if time itself had abandoned this place. What Rainbow could tell was how much tiring every step had become after the one before it as every passing moment drained her much needed energy, her reserves becoming dryer and dryer.

Occasionally she would shake her head vigorously in an attempt to fight off her worsening state of fatigue, which became ever more difficult with every taken step. Her body was aching all over along with her legs and hooves while she started to feel light headed.

“Rainbow?”

“Yea?”  Rainbow replied tiredly.

“Is it me, or are those building shaking?”

“Shaking?”  Rainbow groggily questioned, her gaze following Fluttershy’s stretched out hoof to discouragingly distant buildings.

“I don’t see anything Flutts, maybe ya just... Just seeing things?”

“No, look closely.”  She responded gently shaking her head from side to side.

Squinting her tired eyes the light blue pegasus realized what she meant. In the distance buildings where indeed swaying from left to right in an oscillating rhythm ever so slightly.

“That can’t be good.”  She immediatly froze in her tracks, all tiredness and fatigue pushed aside as the ground had begun to rumble.

BANG!

A first wave emanated from the center of the city through the streets nearly sweeping the tired pegasus from her hooves. The buildings close to the center rose violently upward before coming back down again creating a visible ripple that distorted the concrete ground as it made its way down the streets including the one Rainbow and Fluttershy were on.

As the wave hurtled towards them taking everything with it as it went, Rainbow wasn't given much time to react.

While moving her body to the limit of its flexibility she turned on her back, curling herself around Fluttershy to protect her.

“HOLD ON!!!”

Not a moment later then Dash had spoken, they were struck full force by the ripple, throwing them through the air as if they were nothing.

Hanging onto each other, something grey filled Rainbow’s sight mid trajectory.

“Feath…”  THUNK!

As her sentence and consciousness where knocked short by a street lantern, it left both Fluttershy and herself even more at the mercy of the unfolding calamity.

________________________________________

Rainbow shot up to her hooves, gasping for air as her eyes franticly scanned her surroundings. She quickly recognized her bedroom which she shared with other ponies as the two other beds in the room indicated. Also she realized that her breathing was more a hyperventilating pant than actual regular breathing.

Bringing a hoof to her thoroughly sweat soaked chest, she could feel her heart thumping heavily. Just realizing her stance, she seated herself down on her haunches as she kept her hoof above her heart waiting for it to calm down.

But when said heart refused to calm for the moments that followed, she opened a drawer of a nightstand that stood next to the bed with a trembling hoof.  Retrieving from it was a pill container, which she popped  the lid off, it falling back onto the nightstand next to a bottle of water.

Rattling a small pill into the crook of her hoof, she immediately brought it to her mouth whilst her other hoof settled the container on the nightstand again.

The water bottle which she retrieved next, trembled in her grasp making it more difficult for her to unscrewing the cap and take a good gulp to aid the pill down her throat.

She then just waited for the pill to start working with an almost asthmatic, wheezing breath.

When the heavy thumps subsided, she prompted herself up to stand before slowly treading her way out of the room and into the hallway.

As the wooden floor boards squeaked beneath her light blue hooves with every step she took, she passed a set of stairs to her left.

When a small sound to her left caught her attention she looked between the railing into the kitchen a floor below. It revealed a pony that was rummaging through a refrigerator as her plot was still visible behind the open door.

Giving it no more though than need she stepped further, eventually turning to her right.

Before her at this point was a dark wooden door adored with a little gold colored bathtub which opened with a flick of her hoof sounding an audible squeak.

“Good morning Rainbow.”  A voice came from the kitchen below.

“Morning”

Rainbow groaned back whilst proceeding into the small bathroom. Which barely had enough room for a pony to stand or move about. The blue colored tiles that made up the walls nearly perfectly camouflaged the pegasus’ reflection in the mirror - that hung above a small cabinet with a sink on the right side of the room – jet her prismatic mane and tail gave her away.

To her left was a shower with a glass sliding door.

Nudging the said sliding door open, she reached further and opened the tap allowing water to flow out of the shower head above.

As the sound of falling water filled the shower, she turned on the spot facing the sink, nearly brushing her hind against a wall. Taking no time to lay eyes on her morning reflection – which may or may not be deliberate – she opened the small cabinet beneath it to pick her shower necessities together before closing the matching blue doors and draping her towel over the sink’s edge.

Rotating on the spot another time, she slid close the glass sliding doors after she had entered the shower and allowing the relaxing warm water to  run across her body drenching her fur, mane and tail as she went about cleansing herself.

Awoken II

“Fluttershy?!”  Rainbow Dash twisted and turned in her sheets, her limbs trashing around her. It did not went unnoticed to the mare in the bed next to her own.

“Muhhh!”  She moaned in frustrated response, resorting to pulling her pillow over her black coated ears as Rainbows bed groaned and squeaked. Eventually after what had seemed an eternity Rainbow toned down, bringing much wanted peace to the mare.

Said unicorn looked over at her multicolored friend, relieved to find her sleeping peacefully once more. Reassured she turned back to her previous affairs of slumber and a little routine she would do every time before laying herself to rest. After having done so, her pillow's edges straightened and well fluffed, her lime green eyes ventured around the room for what she hoped would be the final time that night.

When her gaze passed one of the windows she immediately spotted an familiar shape. High in the night sky stood a small moon, deep blue oceans and abundant green vegetation covering its surface as the multiple clouds floated through it light blue atmosphere. The mare had seen celestial aplenty jet still it remain a truly mesmerizing sight.

The small blue marble was always a pleasant reminder of her father and the moments they had spent together with her standing on his back just staring in awe at its cheer beauty. Similarly to those times she one again found herself questioning if more complex life than plants inhabited the small satellite. In turn leading to her mind swiftly being filled with visions and theories of all different kinds creatures that might roam it’s surface, her lips curving as figments of her foalhood imagination joined her. All of them incredibly silly to her more critical and mature mind. The silly creatures remained dancing through the scope of her mind as she lowered her façade, her eyelids following suit as the occasional snicker left her lips.

"HOLD ON!! I'M COMMING!!"  Rainbow dash suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking her hooves with fury as if running.

"Galaxy dang it, Rainbow!!!"  She rose her voice, having jumped in surprise and now glaring daggers at her. Only getting an half asleep groan in return. Being fully aware that sleep would be out of the question for the rest of the night, she rolled over onto her other side so she would face her nightstand. Squinted at the timepiece on top of it she quickly realized that the dim bluely hued moonlight wouldn't be enough for her eyes to make out the time. So she focused some energy into her horn, an magical aura that matched her iris instantly forming, shedding some light on the subject. “Four-Thirty-One. NNgghh. ”  She groaned, trailing off into a long exhale.  “This is going to be one loooong night, Spike….  … Spike?”

Her surprise quickly turning into anger, she allowed her hoof to strike her forehead with enough force that the sound echoed through the room. An other much heavier exhale escaped her as she rubbed her tried eyes.

The next time she spoke her voice carried a disgruntled undertone.  “I so got to stop doing that.”  She declared with a dismissive shake of her head before getting up to her hooves, not wanting to remain in bed any longer. An aura formed around her horn for a second time, her untidy sheets enveloping in magical aura. Waiting for the task to complete, her gaze quickly founds it way to the third bed in the room. it being located to the left of her own and on the opposite side of the room then the door.

'She will work herself to dead one day.' She internally remarked about its empty state after which she turned on her hooves and took her leave.

vvv

The stairs floorboards creaked beneath her hooves, her damp violet mane flouncing with every step.

As she eventually reached the bottom of the stairs, her hooves coming into contact with the floor. A ripple emanated from them which traveled all around the room, sparking life to every candle it came across. As said room bathed in a rustic glow, it small size became hard to ignore. Even though it still serving as both a kitchen, a dining room with even a small seating area to booth.

In the center of the room stood a squared little table with four chairs with on the opposite wall then the stairs a few cabinets with a sink and stove which made most of the kitchen area. On the right side of the table was the seating section, it only containing a small bookshelf and two leather couches.

Those in turn belonged to a good friend of her and Rainbow and was the only reason she allowed then into her home. no matter how many times the farm mare had explained her that the animals had died painlessly after lived a long pleasant life, she would still find it an odd notion ever time she would sit in them to read.

Before she could expand on those thoughts a growl of her abdomen asked for her attention. Which she heeded to, passing around the table and opening one of the cabinets which turned out to be a cool storage. Looked through the various food items and ingredients, her ears immediately perked up when the floorboards creaked over head.

"Good morning, Rainbow." She calls out only getting a groggy response in return before Rainbow closed what she guessed was the bathroom door putting an end to any further conversation. Taking her friend's mood in consideration the mare began making breakfast. The room returning to silence again, it was only broken by the flipping of book pages the mare was reading together with the sound of running water and the occasional clearing of her throat.