Fear of Failure

by Creed

Rating: mature
Tags: Dark, Sad
Length: 13546

Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, is haunted by her own element. Every night she wakes up in a sweat, her nightmares harming her health. She needs to get to the bottom of this quickly...

"Death…"

This is a story about Rainbow Dash and her element of loyalty. In this case, she is not gifted by being the element of loyalty. Rather, she is haunted by her own element, the fear of failing to guard her loved one shaking her entire being.

She is Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo is her only true remaining family member left and she will find a way to guard her, even if it kills her.

Written by: ! ~ Creed ~ !
Cover Art (Original) created by: UC77
Cover Art (Edited) created by: Creed

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-22 09:23:38 UTC

The Fear

Fear of Failure

Nighttime: an alluring time of day where ponies lie in their beds, imagining other realms and ideals that they wish could be. Others dream of horrible and inequine atrocities, which causes them to stir in their sleep or wake up in a cold sweat that drips from the tops of their foreheads.

This nightmare-like state is a horrifying reality for a certain pony.

That certain pony is staring out their window from the skies above.

The moonlight pierces through the window, casting a light, white glow upon the cyan fur of the pony. The light grey tinted rings around their magenta colored orbs showing clearly by the night’s rays. A little water fixated slightly beneath the pony’s right eye escapes its prison, the moisture sliding down their cheek. The pony’s eyes are red, puffy, which clashed with the magenta colored irises that has been part of their being since they were born.

“I can’t…” the feminine tone whimpers out, the depressed melancholy evident in its voice.

“I need this to stop!” the pony says with venom, her cyan colored hoof slamming down on the window sill. The sound reverberates throughout the sill, the window quaking by the sudden force.

While the glass shakes, the pony’s tears continued to escape.

“I…” she begins, bringing her gaze to the vast landscape outside her window sill. The hills roll far into the distance, the moonlight casting a soft, white glow upon the green treetops that dot the terrain. Alongside these trees are the mountains, their white snowy tops clearly defined by the light. The edges of these land formations imperfect, yet astounding to those who admire nature’s creations. Lastly, the more dark and scarred landscape pierces her vision. The trees no longer appear alive, their rotted bark and battered states show no signs of improvement. The grass never existing, the dirt almost black, the plants wild and unkempt; all of these characteristics describe the deathly sight in front of the mare.

The sight of death shakes her to the core, her hoof sliding off the sill as she slowly turns her attention away from the outside world.

I still can’t stop thinking of that dream…

The thoughts of her dream that replays in her mind begins to haunt her every waking moment as she slowly clambers into her bed, the tears still cascading down her cheeks…

___________________________

“So how’s the camping trip going so far for you girls?” A studious feminine voice says, a large crackling noise impacting Rainbow Dash’s eardrums soon after.

“Well,” a more pronounced female voice announces, drawing out her voice as she continues to speak. “If there was a spa around here, Fluttershy and I would be in complete relaxation!” The mare looks over to her yellow pegasus friend, her friend’s long pink mane contrasting the moderate cyan orbs that are peeking out from behind it. “Right, Fluttershy?”

Another small crackle hits Rainbow’s eardrums.

Where is that noise coming from?

Rainbow takes a glance at the fire in front of her, the fire’s small size annoying Rainbow. She gently knocks her hoof against a piece of wood, adding fuel to the flames.

Fluttershy lets out a small squeak and nervously responds, “Well, Rarity…”

“Yes?” Rarity says, fluttering her eyelashes.

Another crackle occurs, this one a bit smaller than the others.

“I-I don’t mind this…” Fluttershy says, her voice gradually lowering as she speaks.

“Pardon?” Rarity asks, raising an eyebrow. “Can you say that louder, Fluttershy?”

Yet another small crackle, the noise causing Rainbow to twitch on the wooden log she has been sitting on since this campfire was started.

“I-I don’t mind this trip…” Fluttershy answers, moving her mane out of her vision.

Rarity sighs and turns her attention to the rainbow-headed mare, her azure eyes peering. “How about you, Rainbow Dash?”

A large thunderous boom releases, the sound shaking Rainbow Dash’s entire core.

What do I say?

“Uh…” Rainbow Dash says without thinking.

“See! Even Rainbow agrees!” Rarity declares, pointing her right fore hoof at Rainbow Dash.

Are you crazy, Rarity?

“No I don’t!” Rainbow Dash finally shouts, standing on all fours. “I would never do that!”

Rarity sits down on her haunches, her eyebrows slanted. “Dash,” she growls. “Don’t you say that.”

What's her problem?

“What’s wrong, Rarity?” Twilight jumps in, sticking her left wing in front of Rarity. “Rainbow Dash didn’t do anything wrong.”

Rarity’s gaze did not leave Rainbow’s those azure irises gazing into her. Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, the azure pigments change to darker purple shade.

What the hay?

Rainbow quickly blinks and looks away from the offending gaze of her friend, the white unicorn clearly beating her stare.

“Ha, you couldn’t stand me,” Rarity says, her pitch changing dramatically lower as she speaks. “You couldn’t even beat me in a staring contest.”

This is not the Rarity I know…

“But Rarity, why does that matter?”

A long drawn out sigh comes from the designer. “You know, Twilight, I appreciate you, but I want to bask in my small victory over the best pegasus in Equestria,” she replies. Rainbow ears perk up at this as she brings her attention back to her friends, noticing Rarity’s countenance suddenly shifting to a calm, collective state. “I can’t let her stand up to me, can I?” Rarity flutters her eyelashes once again at Rainbow, causing Applejack to step in.

“Shoot, Rarity. I’ve neva knew ya had that competitive nature in ya,” Applejack says, her eyes plastered upon Rarity’s gaze.

That’s odd...

“I have to be very competitive, you know…” Rarity states in reply, her voice trailing off. “I can’t let Canterlot’s top designers out match my beautiful wardrobe creations.” Rarity flicks her mane, the curls poofing as she does this.

Didn’t Applejack know this about her already?

“Well that’s true…” Applejack sighs, retreating to her spot and sitting on her haunches.

“Exactly, darling,” Rarity says, leaning back. “Standards are high and I can’t let those ponies in Manehatten beat me. I need to keep the name of the Carousel Boutique alive and well!”

Why do I feel like I’ve had this conversation before?

“You shouldn’t have a problem with that Rarity!” Twilight says cheerfully. “After all, you’ll have the support of us there, right girls?”

Wait a minute...

A resounding chorus of yes’s are all that are heard.

Except the one of Rainbow Dash.

I did have this conversation...

“Rainbow?” Twilight says, getting up from her seat to seek her friend’s attention.

This isn’t right...

“Hello?” she says, waving her hoof in front of Dash’s eyes.

Run.

Rainbow Dash doesn’t take her sweet old time, galloping away from the campfire with speed.

As she runs, she hears the sounds of her friends behind her, their voices layering over each other with different statements and questions.

“Dash!” One shouts from her left.

“Stop runnin’!” Another sounds off to her right.

“Where are you going?” One sounds off behind her.

And she pays no heed to those voices.

She takes a hard right, diving deep into the dark depths of the forest, not caring about her friends not finding her.

She needs a place to think, not a place to be antagonized by the likes of them.

“What is going on here…” Rainbow Dash says quietly, approaching a large yet eroded boulder, sitting on it as she views the sight in front of her. Death: the whole landscape had changed from the pleasant trees she was surrounded by at the campsite, replaced by the rotting remnants of life.

Why was Applejack unable to remember that?

She notices the trees, their entire beings cracked by the pressure of nature or pony intervention.

Why was Rarity upset with me all of a sudden?

She notices the dirt, the soil of life now black, burnt, scarred.

And why did her eyes change color?

She notices the ponds, the once blue she knew of the great rivers and streams near her now polluted and brown.

What is happening to me?

Her wings slowly flare open, only for them to sag down.

I can’t...

“Rainbow Dash?”

Scootaloo?

The mare turns around to see her, a dark, orange-colored filly with her cerise mane coming from the trail Rainbow came from. “What are you sitting here for?”

“I…” Rainbow begins, losing her voice as she looks at Scootaloo, the filly’s eyes bloodshot. “What happened to you, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo shakily sighs and nuzzles against Rainbow’s chest. “I was worried about my sister…”

She…

“Scootaloo…” Rainbow says, her voice wavering. She sighs and nuzzles Scootaloo back, her cheek rubbing against the filly’s.

Scootaloo continues her concern, “Rainbow, when I heard you ran away from the others, I just had to find you. They just... went back to the campsite because they assumed you’d come back!” She shouts, her voice gradually rising as she speaks. “Even Sweetie and Applebloom stayed behind! I cou-”

Rainbow sighs and pulls Scootaloo closer, wrapping her large cyan wing around her friend. “Scootaloo, I’m fine…” Scootaloo pulls her head away from Rainbow’s chest, her desaturated purple eyes shimmering.

“Are you surrreeee, you’re okay?” Scootaloo asks, staring into Rainbow’s gaze.

No, I’m not.

“Yeah…” Rainbow reassures. “I’m sure.” A small tear falls down her right cheek.

“But you’re crying, Rainbow,” Scootaloo says, raising a hoof to Dash’s cheek.

“They’re happy tears, Scoots.” Rainbow gently pulls her into her chest once again. “Happy…” she says, her voice collapsing.

I’m not happy.

“Yeah…” Scootaloo mumbles. “Happiness.”

Rainbow Dash nuzzles her again and closes her eyes, attempting to close the floodgates. “Thank you.”

I need you.

It’s Scootaloo’s turn to return the gesture, nuzzling her as she wraps her left foreleg around Rainbow’s foreleg. “You’re welcome, I always know you’ll watch over me too.”

Scootaloo...I don’t know why but I can’t lose you. You’re just so important to me…

Scootaloo pulls away and looks up at Rainbow.

Don’t leave…

“You bet! You and I are sisters, remember?” Rainbow says defiantly. “I have to be there no matter what!”

“Yeah sis…” Scootaloo says quietly, her mane rubbing against the tuffs on Rainbow’s chest. “We always have each other in the end…”

The two sit upon their stony perch, wrapping each other in their wings, neither caring about their surroundings.

That is, until a loud roar sounds off in the distance.

The two open their eyes, the sudden roar cutting them off guard. They look at each other and nod, turning around and hightailing it back to the main trail, their wings folding up in the process. As they reach the main trail, the scenery turns back to the forest green that glistens in the night’s shining white light.

As they start to come closer to the campsite, Scootaloo asks, “Rainbow?”

Rainbow looks over at Scootaloo, the tears no longer present. “Yes, Scoots?”

“What do you think that roar was from?”

“Probably another manticore getting a wooden shard stuck in it’s foot.”

Scootaloo giggles. “That happened?”

“Of course it did, Fluttershy figured that out for us on our way to stop Nightmare Moon,” Rainbow says, looking at Scootaloo. “Didn’t I tell you about that whole situation?”

Scootaloo looks down at the ground. “No…”

Now Scootaloo doesn’t remember…

Rainbow opens her right wing, putting it over Scootaloo’s back. “Don’t look so down, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo sighs and looks up at Rainbow. “I know, I just thought that I knew everything about you…”

Rainbow smiles, nuzzling Scootaloo’s neck while she removes her wing from Scootaloo’s back. “You learn something new everyday, squirt.”

Scootaloo smiles and nuzzles back. “Yeah, from the most awesome pony in all of Equestria!” She says with excitement, her wings fluttering rapidly. “I can’t wait to be just like you!”

Trust me, you don’t want to be like me.

Rainbow Dash simply perishes the thought. “Just like me…” she murmurs, tearing her gaze from Scootaloo to see the trail.

As they walk towards the campsite, the crackles begin to come back.

“Do you hear that, Scootaloo?”

“What?” Scootaloo replies, tilting her head in confusion.

You can’t hear that?

“That crackling noise…” Rainbow hisses out, her wings flaring out. “Scootaloo, stay behind me.”

“D-dash?” Scootaloo says nervously, slowly slinking behind Dash. “You’re starting to scare me…”

“It’s okay,” Dash begins, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. I have to protect her… She turns her gaze to Scootaloo, the pegasus looking at back at her fearfully. “It’s just to keep you safe.” Rainbow Dash turns her attention back to the frontlines, keeping her wings stretched out.

“W-what i-is the noise you’re h-hearing, Dash?” Scootaloo stutters, her voice cracking as she begins to shake.

“I-I don’t know,” Rainbow replies calmly, curious yet cautiously approaching the source of the noise.

“Scootaloo…”

“D-dash?”

…

“We’re at the campsite.”

Scootaloo cranes her head around Rainbow’s backside. “What the…” Scootaloo steps to the left of Rainbow Dash, coming to her side. “Where did they go?”

I haven’t the foggiest…

“I don’t know, but I know one thing,” Rainbow says defiantly.

“Hmm?” Scootaloo hums out. “What is it?”

Another large crackle sounds off.

We need to find them.

“We need to search the area, maybe for some clue that could tell us where they went.”

Scootaloo nods slowly. “So you want to split up?”

Those crackling noises are bothering me and I don’t want to leave her…

“Let’s stay together, I don’t know what’s out here,” Rainbow states. “They could’ve been taken for all we know.” Rainbow moves up towards the tent areas with Scootaloo in tow. With each step they take, Rainbow could hear various sorts of cracking, the noises gradually growing louder with each step.

“Scoots?”

“Yeah?”

Rainbow pulls Scoots towards her, using her wings as protection. “Stay by me.”

Scootaloo blushes lightly and looks away. “O-okay…” Her flank bumps against her idol, the two walking close together.

Upon seeing the tents, Rainbow gasped.

Each roll of thread, needles used, fabric placed and sewn, and all those blasted spikes; all that effort wasted.

They were destroyed, the tents Rainbow once knew now in shambles.

“What…” Scootaloo says quietly. “Dash, what happened to them?”

“I don’t know,” Dash responds quietly. The shock coming full circle. “Let’s get a closer look at these tents.”

The two walk towards one formally known as Twilight’s Mini Library, the purple and indigo shaded tent no longer existent, the remnants of it clearly showing. The fabric is torn in more ways than one, the spikes that held it down now bent in several places, and the star on top now shattered into millions of tiny pieces. The only pieces left standing are a large, white pole that kept enough of it intact to keep the remaining fabric up.  It is a complete mess. This couldn’t have happened by natural causes.

What...happened here?

“Rainbow?”

Rainbow looks over at Scootaloo. “Yes, Scootaloo?”

“Is that...blood?” Scootaloo says, pointing her hoof at the offending spot.

Oh my Celestia…

On the spot between Twilight’s and Fluttershy’s tents is a puddle of blood, the blood splattered on Fluttershy’s tent.

“Let’s…” Rainbow begins before her voice collapses. Did they… She slowly approaches the puddle, Scootaloo staying right beside her. ...get… She cranes her head around the divider. ...oh my.

In the dividing space lies Fluttershy, her body bathed in her own blood. Her chest is opened up for the two ponies to see her entrails. Most of her organs were still in tact, while others, such as her stomach, were ripped to shreds, the acid that was previously in her stomach now leaks onto the ground, the bile mixing in with the red, splattered blood. Her heart still beats and pumps blood, but the deoxygenated blood is squirting out onto the tattered tent that Fluttershy owned. Her hooves are cut open, blood collecting at the edges of her toes.

How is she still alive?

Fluttershy looks at the two girls, her red colored irises staring into Rainbows’ coldly.

“Save them…” she says, a bit of blood spurting out of her mouth as she speaks. “Save…”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow says, running up to her. Scootaloo stays back, looking at the other tents for survivors.

What happened here?

“Rainbow...the edge of the forest…” Fluttershy breathes out, her eyes slowly closing.

“Don’t worry Flutters, you’ll going to be okay…” She says, nuzzling Fluttershy’s neck.

She’s dying...

The other mare whimpers before giving her one last breath, one last word that she’ll never forget.

“Death…”

With that, Fluttershy lies limp, her eyes gently closed, and the last of her blood slowly sliding down her neck.

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash says quietly. She continues nuzzling her friend for a few more moments before pulling away. Her friend is gone, yet she has no time to mourn.

I need to find the oth-

“Dash!” Scootaloo screams.

As Rainbow looks beside her, she realizes that Scootaloo didn’t stay next to her.

“What the hay?” Rainbow questions, yelling back at the same volume. “I thought I told you to stay by me!”

She rushes over to the shout, her mind running rapidly due to the sudden turn of events.

What attacked them?

Rainbow Dash exits the tent area.

Why was Fluttershy’s eyes red?

She looks around and hears the shout again, this time, fainter.

What happened here?

As Rainbow approaches turns sharply around the corner, she gasps.

The edge of the forest...

“Scootaloo!” She screams, her wings snapping to full span. “I’m coming for ya!”

As she catapults herself into the dark forest, she remembers what she saw.

A green mush hoofprint engraved on the floor,

Accompanied by several others of the same size,

And two large claw marks, their swipes curved and long.

But among the markings was the horror of all things:

The blood of the young filly Scootaloo, the red trail of the forest.

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow shouts loudly. She continues to fly, batting her wings rapidly in an attempt to go faster as she follows the small trail of blood. As she flies, she begins to notice the trail of blood growing wider, the surroundings around her being covered in blood. The trees were painted red, the bushes were red, every little thing became the color of red.

After a few minutes of following this trail, Rainbow Dash looks up and sees a bright light at the end of the trail of blood. Along with the light, she hears shouts of her name, the shouts seeming to resemble a certain somepony.

Scootaloo!

She flies forward into the light, the bright flash suddenly blinding her.

Why is it so bright?

The light slowly fades away, leaving a clearing in its place.

The clearing has one large hole in the middle, a different trail of blood leading to its edge.

Rainbow Dash lands on the ground, her wings still out as she cautiously approaches the edge of the hole. Her mind begins shooting out random possibilities.

Where is Scootaloo?

Is she dead?

I hope she’s not like Fluttershy...

She slowly peers over the edge, gazing down into the black abyss.

Everything she could possibly imagine..

...came true.

They’re gone…

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Applejack lie in this very hole, their bodies torn. Bones are missing; limbs are torn, their muscles lay scattered in the pond of blood.

The sight of this made Rainbow Dash turn her head, her wings sagging down as the unexpected rise of her healthy eats now lies beside her, the green, brown, and orange mixture becoming mixed with blood.

Rainbow returns her gaze to the hole, having her stomach now finishing its reaction to the entire scene. She knew her friends were dead, the only ones left are the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

They must have hid somewhere, they couldn’t be dead too.

As Rainbow brings her gaze up, she looks around the clearing. Not much else was there, just blood, claw marks, and bones of every sort.

There must be a reason to this.

Where are they?

Turning to her right, she spots an odd set of eyes appearing at the edge of the forest.

“Hey, wait!” Rainbow Dash shouts, her wings flaring up again as she takes flight. “Don’t move!” The figure in the dark; it’s her only chance.

In seconds, she comes to a slow as she arrives in front of the unmoving glare.

“Hello?” Rainbow says, waving her hoof in front of those…

...greyish purple eyes.

A rather unnatural light shines upon those eyes, revealing who they belong to.

It’s Scootaloo, her eyes are as wide as her sadistic looking grin.

“Behind you, Dash.”

As she turns, she is confronted with the rest of her body, its hooves now turning into claws.

“Death…” Scootaloo’s head says from behind Dash.

And then, the claws came upon her.

______________________________

“Gah!” Rainbow Dash yells as she pops off her pillow, looking around the room frantically. She flails and kicks off the remaining sheets and curls herself up in a ball.

“Why…” she whimpers, looking at the room in sudden fear, her muzzle scrunched up and her eyes closed tightly.

Death…

Suddenly, Dash’s eyes snap open. She didn’t want to go back to sleep, she didn’t want to close her eyes. She wanted to just be happy and with her family, nothing else.

She looks at the window again. Maybe she’ll stay awake and watch the stars go by.

Nah, too boring.

She shakes her head and brainstorms for other ideas.

How about going to Twilight’s house? Maybe she can help me with these dreams.

The idea is certainly appealing for Dash. She wants these dreams to end and Twilight would know what to do. And if she didn’t know, then the Princesses would certainly know, right?

As she slides out of bed, she lands on all fours and gasps. A sudden stinging pain racks her whole being. She doesn’t remember getting hurt before she slept.

Why am I in pain all of a sudden?

Rainbow looks at herself and screams.

Her right foreleg is bleeding, the claw mark stretching all the way to her shoulder.

“Death…”

The Reactions...

Rainbow Dash, the pony that will back up her friends on any day of the week, now sits on her bed as she stares at her white cloud interior. The yellow rays shine into her room now, the day is just beginning. Her eyes peer up at the rays entering her vicinity. Her eyes are completely red, puffy. Her gentle appearance now looks ragged, the two black rings showing underneath her cyan lids. She sighs and brings her right foreleg up to the sunlight, the wound flashing memories of the dream. Scootaloo, Fluttershy, all of her friends; gone. Nothing but the salts in her wound and the light that shines upon her accompany her now.

She sighs and gets up, stretching all the rest of her while she pays careful attention to her wound. The claw mark wasn’t too deep, however; it still appears fresh and red. It really freaks her out. How can a dream suddenly attack me in real life? Then, another thought replaces her original, causing her eyes to widen. Or was it a dream? She gasps and quickly flutters down the stairs and into the kitchen. There has to be an explanation to this.

“I need to see if they’re alive or not!” she shouts, causing her sleeping companion that was lying on the kitchen floor to slowly emerge from his shell. Rainbow looks down and gasps, realizing that she woke up her pet.

“I’m sorry, Tank,” she begins apologetically, her voice lower, calmer. “I’m just a bit jumpy today.” She lands on her cloud floor, four hooves in all. “Want some breakfast?”

The little tortoise nods ever so slowly, a grin gradually appearing on its face.

“Alright, one mighty delight coming right up!” she announces, opening up her white cabinets. With swift and easy movements, she grabs some parsley and strawberry leaves from the cabinet, turns to Tank’s food bowl, and brings it closer to her. As she is about to put the leaves in the bowl, she stops, her eyes widening as the hairs on her back stand up.

Death…

She shakes her head and grimaces, the images of the dream flashing before her very eyes. A small tear rolls down her cheek as she puts the strawberry leaves in the bowl, forming a circle in the middle to place her second ingredient: the parsley. After she adds the parsley, Rainbow Dash adds some water into the mixture, swirling it around for added effect. After all this, she presents her treat to the tortoise, the beady eyes looking upon Rainbow with intrigue. He, then, looks down at his food bowl and slowly begins digging in. Rainbow Dash awkwardly smiles as she pats the tortoise on his head, the imagery still affecting her psyche.

“I’ll be back later, Tank,” she says with a slight grimace, the pain from her claw wound still bothering her. “I’m heading to Twilight’s.”

The tortoise nods while eating his food, giving her the “okay” to leave. “Cya!” she shouts and slams the door and locking it shut with her hoof. She smiles, the wind today is fierce. According to weather reports, they were supposed to be vicious at high altitudes. For Dash, flying in hazardous weather conditions wasn’t a problem. However, her foreleg was still an issue.

I’ll just have to be a bit more careful…

With her wings snapping to attention, she carefully prepares herself, spreading her forelegs out.

“Let’s do this,” she whispers to the air.

In seconds, she leaps up and begins her flight, the wind gliding underneath her. The wind, the feeling between her feathers, the ability to fly; this is her past time. She looks down at the ground and looks for her target. The Golden Oaks Library still stands tall, the tree never losing it’s brown chic.

The cyan pegasus spots it and begins her descent. While she flies, a thought appears in her mind.

What will Twilight say when she sees my wound?

She looks at the clouds she passes by, the speed of her flight growing as she falls.

Depends on if she’s alive…

She looks back at her target, the library appearing closer and closer as she moves towards it.

She has to be alive.

As she begins to open up her wings to slow her momentum, she sighs.

There’s no way that she’s dead.

As her two hooves plop on the dirt pathway, she looks around. Nopony is out and about, the birds; however, are chirping, signalling the time for a new day. She’s like those birds, except the signal for Twilight to wake up.

With a quiet couple of knocks, a young masculine tone responds to the knocks shouting, “Coming!”. The pegasus mare stands back and sits on her haunches, waiting for the wooden door to swing open. The door eventually does, but the person she expects does not arrive.

“Hello, Rainbow,” a purple and green scaled dragon announces, looking at Rainbow’s tear stricken face. “What’s wrong?”

She tries to dissuade him from looking at her legs. “Well, I just need to talk to Tw-”

“And what happened to your leg!”

Buck.

“Well, um…” Rainbow Dash says awkwardly, the reminder of her wound making the pain attack her entire being. She grimaces and yelps, causing Spike to approach her left side, holding her foreleg tightly. “Come on in, Rainbow, I’ll get ya Twilight.”

Thank you…

With a pained smile, she gasps out, “Thank you”. The dragon nods, while pulling her into the comfortable confines of the library. As they enter, the oak door smacks shut, locking in place once again. The dragon continues holding onto Rainbow, leading her to the purple couch. “Sit here while I go get her,” he says, relinquishing his tight grip on her. She nods and lies on the couch, snuggling into the comfy pillows. She always does this when she visits Twilight’s house, it’s almost her second home thanks to her desire of reading the Daring Do series.

Daring Do, her favorite explorer, adventurer, hero. Daring could do almost everything: grave robbing, finding lost treasures in weird mazes, even scour around in temples and break everything in sight. It’s Daring’s talent, after all. While she’s doing this, she always runs into her arch nemesis, Ahuizotl, the huge intimidating ape-like being with a hand at the end of his tail. Unfortunately, his inability to capture Daring is astounding, which makes the series all the better. Rainbow doesn’t want it to end, otherwise, she’ll have nothing to read…

That is, until Twilight gives her something new to read.

“Rainbow!” a more feminine voice shouts. “What in Equestria happened to you?”

Right on cue.

“I’m okay, Twilight,” Rainbow says, stretching out her legs and sitting up. “I need to talk to yo—”

Then, the unexpected happen.

Twilight throws herself forward, hugging Rainbow close into her chest, causing Rainbow to yelp in surprise. “Twilight!”

“Rainbow!” she begins, tears falling down her cheeks. “When I heard how Spike described you, I couldn’t bear it!”

Twilight…

A few tears escape Rainbow as she brings her wing around Twilight’s back, pulling her close. “It’s okay,” Rainbow says, petting Twilight’s mane. “I’m fine…”

No, I’m not.

Rainbow grimaces, pain shooting throughout her, especially in her right foreleg. “Twilight, can you please get off my foreleg?” Rainbow pleads.

Twilight shies away, blushing wildly. “Sorry, Rainbow…”

Typical Twilight…

“It’s okay, Twilight.” Rainbow looks over to left and pats the spot beside her. “Why don’t you sit down on the couch with me?”

Twilight smiles awkwardly and trots over to the couch. “Alright…”

She carefully slides herself on the couch and lies back into the cushions. “So…” She begins, turning her attention to Rainbow, who is currently staring back at her, her magenta eyes shimmering in the sunlight. “What did you want to talk about?”

With a large, shaky sigh, the pegasus replies, “Well, I... have a problem.” Rainbow turns away from her alicorn friend to hide her tears. The thought of losing her returns to her conscious.

“What type of problem, Rainbow?” She asks, voicing her concern. “Are you in Estrus?”

Estrus?!

“What?” Rainbow asks in astonishment, her attention snapping back to Twilight.

“Are you having trouble releasing your excretions from your canal?”

Rainbow stares back at her, dumbfounded.

“Are you being tempted by Pinkie Pie to search the very depths of her kitchen sink?””

“Um…Twilight?”

Twilight shakes her head and peers over at Rainbow, the blush apparent on Rainbow’s cheeks. “Yes?”

Rainbow shifts in her seat, the red shades clashing with her cyan cheeks. “I…have problems sleeping.”

“Sleeping?” Twilight’s countenance shifting from being excited, to a blank, yet concerned expression.

Rainbow gives a shy nod in response.

“Why?” Twilight asks, scooting closer to Rainbow, observing her face.

“Well…” Rainbow begins, the memories of her dreams causing her wound to sting her entire being. “I-I need you to stay alive…” A tear escapes down her cyan cheek.

“What?”

Death…

Another shock of pain courses within her, causing her to yelp in agony. Twilight quickly catches this, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow and nuzzling her side. “Rainbow, I’ll tell Spike to stay in his room.”

Twilight simply turns to her right. “Spike!”

“What?”

“Stay in your room until we’re finished talking!”

“Why?”

Twilight’s brow lowers, annoyed by his question. “Because I said so!”

“But I don’t have any food up here!”

Twilight sighs. “Are you kidding me?” She says, muttering underneath her breath. She looks at Rainbow, the pegasus shaking in her forelegs. “Look, I’ll get this dragon his gem collection, which…” She begins, raising her voice near the tail end of her speech and glancing at the closed, wooden entrance to their room. “...he forgot for some reason!”

“Well it’s not my fault I get hungry while I work!”

Rainbow giggles at the two, the argument taking her mind off the haunting memories for a brief moment. These two bicker like siblings.

“Ugh!” Twilight groans, rolling her eyes. “I’ll get your gems!”

Spike sounds off for the last time, his voice loud and high. “Could you please get the green ones?”

Twilight facehooves. “Alright!” she shouts, stomping her hooves into the kitchen to grab Spike’s delectable gem stash.

This sight causes Rainbow to laugh loudly, her entire body shaking from the argument. Rainbow has never seen these two argue like this before. Even though they’re not siblings by blood, the fact that they still act like brother and sister at times is amusing. The drama is real.

As Twilight brings back a basket full of green gems, she passes a glance at Rainbow and calmly says, “Be right back.”

She turns her attention back to the task at hand, sighing loudly as she parades up the stairs, holding the basket in her magic. Rainbow never noticed how annoyed Twilight would get sometimes at her own assistant. Sometimes, she’d be agitated, annoyed, and very hostile. On other occasions, she’d be nice, appreciative, and caring. It’s just an odd sight seeing them like this.

And she liked it.

“Alright, Dash, sorry I took so long...” Rainbow ears perk up at the voice of her friend. Twilight walks down the stairs, a smile painted across her face. “Spike was arguing with me because technically his room is my room and we both share the same room, which was all true, so I had to side with him…” She looks away for a moment and coughs, before looking back at Rainbow with a concerned expression as she plops onto the couch once again. Once Twilight’s comfortable, she asks, “So what is causing you not to sleep?”

Dash sighs. “Twilight, can you promise me that this doesn’t leave this building?”

“Why?”

“Just do it, please…” Rainbow begs, looking at her friend with tears building in her eyes.

Twilight sighs and nods, reciting the well-known promise of all promises that has been handed down from generation to generation of Pies. “Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Luckily, Twilight realizes how close her hoof is to her eye and retracts it in the nick of time.

Rainbow smiles awkwardly, the pain seething up once again. “Look, I’ve been having dreams…”

“Dreams?”

“Yes, dreams.” Rainbow proceeds to look away from Twilight, staring at the door. “Actually, hoof that. I’ve been having the same dream, over and over,” Rainbow says as the moisture in her eyes begins to slide down her cheeks.

“What is particularly in this dream?” Twilight asks, her concern for her friend growing. “Is it bad?”

Bad? That’s a complete understatement.

Rainbow shivers. “Horrifyingly bad.”

Twilight sighs and nuzzles her friend, wrapping her purple wings around the shaky pegasus. “Better?”

You don’t even know.

“Yeah…” Rainbow says, nuzzling her back. The pain starts to stop, the fear of telling her in its place.

“W-well. The d-dream starts out with us at a campsite,” Rainbow stutters, her body beginning to shake.

“Like the one you, Rarity, and Applejack went to for your Sisterhooves Social?” Twilight inquires, her left eyebrow raised slightly.

Now I know I’m not in a nightmare.

“Yeah, exactly,” Rainbow confirms, nodding. “But you and Fluttershy were there.”

“Well, didn’t you know you were dreaming at that point?” Twilight asks, tilting her head slightly to the right. “Because that would make me wake up instantly.”

“That’s the thing, Twilight,” Rainbow says, her body still shaking, the shaking becoming more violent. “I-I couldn’t…w-wake up…”

“Rainbow?” Twilight asks, the shaking causing her to hold Rainbow tighter with her wings. Twilight spots Rainbow’s injury, the red marking still bleeding and fresh, yet not seeping out. “What happened to you” she begins, holding the offending appendage, the long, curvy scar showing in the light. “...that night?”

“I’m getting to that, Twilight…” Rainbow says, the shakes racking her entire body as if she was just in an earthquake. “Our conversation at the c-campsite was different…”

“How so?”

Interjecting when I’m speaking, Twilight’s main talent.

Rainbow shakes the thought away and sighs. “Well, Rarity wasn’t being herself, she just… told me off and then stared at me angrily.”

Twilight brings her left forehoof up in thought, rubbing her chin. “That doesn’t seem right…”

“Exactly, and then, while staring at me, her eyes changed color.”

Twilight’s eyes widen. “Really?”

Rainbow nods quickly.

“To what color?”

“A darker shade of purple,” Rainbow says, rubbing her head with her left forehoof. “It just... got to me.”

Twilight nods. “I can understand that, so her eyes changed to a darker tint, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Did anything else happen that was unusual?”

A ton of things…

“Fluttershy…” Rainbow Dash begins, the dream flashing before her eyes. The blood, the acid, the red eyes…

“Rainbow?” Twilight says, waving a hoof in front of her friend. “Hello?”

Just like the dream…

“Rainbow!”

“What?”

Twilight wraps her hooves around her, pulling Rainbow closer to her as Twilight nuzzles into the back of her neck. “Don’t zone out like that again, you made me panic for a bit.”

Twilight…

“I’m sorry…” Rainbow mutters. “If I explained it to you, you’d be horrified.”

“Why?”

“Well…” Rainbow begins, nuzzling back into Twilight’s mane. “She died.”

“WHAT?” Twilight shouts, causing Rainbow to lean back. “She died?”

Rainbow nods sullenly, the mere pictures of Fluttershy in her brain, the mutilation…

“How…” Twilight says lowly, her voice quiet, yet gravelly.

“That, I can’t explain…” Rainbow says, tears beginning to form once again. “She just laid there, bleeding out all over the ground, blood splattering on the tents... her organs were—”

“Stop there,” Twilight says, her whole entire being shivering. “I can’t deal with descriptions like that.”

Rainbow whimpers, holding Twilight close to her. “Her eyes were red and she said one word to me in the oddest tone…”

“What did she say?” Twilight asks, holding Rainbow just as tight.

“Death…” Rainbow mutters.

“Death?”

Rainbow pulls away from Twilight’s neck and nods for the umpteenth time. “Then she died.”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like her at all.”

“Exactly,” Rainbow begins. “But that’s not all, everypony died, including Scootaloo, who was helping me search the tents for you guys.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, you all died…”

Twilight’s position shifts, scooting away from Rainbow in sudden fear. “Then... how did you wake up?”

Rainbow looks down at her scar, the wound still on her like a birthmark. “I was about to be killed when I woke up.”

“B-by w-what?” Twilight asks, now stuttering in trepidation.

Rainbow stares blankly at Twilight, her magenta eyes focusing on Twilight’s eyes. “Scootaloo’s beheaded corpse…”

Twilight gasps, her eyes widening. “She... killed you?”

“Yeah, Twilight it was a dream.”

“But, how many times have you witnessed this same dream?” Twilight asks, the worry in her voice bleeding out in several octaves. “It wouldn’t affect you this much if you only saw it once…”

How many times did I witness it?

Rainbow pulls up her forehooves, counting her only two toes on her forehooves. She sighs and looks at Twilight, the tears still sliding down her cheeks. With a nervous voice, she announces the number.

“Twenty times.”

“Twenty…” Twilight begins, her eyes wide, her mouth dropping open, her voice shaky. “...times?”

“Yes…” Rainbow quietly says.

Twilight looks away from Rainbow, tears beginning to slide down hers cheeks. “You… didn’t tell us about this?”

Rainbow looks away as well, looking down at the wooden floorboards of Twilight’s library. “I didn’t want you to worry and I…” Rainbow looks over at Twilight once again, her right, scarred foreleg slithering over to grasp Twilight’s parallel purple forehoof. “I was afraid of being weak.”

In a split second, Twilight grabs Rainbow’s forehoof and pulls her close, her lavender wings and forelegs wrapping her like a burrito. “You’re not weak!” Twilight shrieks, her voice strained, her tears pouring out as she nuzzles Rainbow’s neck. “You’re one of the strongest ponies I’ve ever seen!”

That’s a lie…

“How? Applejack is wa—”

“No she’s not!” Twilight exclaims. “You’re much stronger! You keep your head up high, even if failure is in sight! You have so much confidence!”

Right...

Rainbow shifts her gaze, unable to view her friend’s face. “Twilight, I don’t have that much confidence...I’m always been afraid…”

“Of what?” Twilight snaps, her face streaked from her tears, the moisture still flowing down her cheeks.

“Of failing!” She snaps back, causing Twilight to recoil, leaning back on the couch as Rainbow moves forward, their blue and lavender pairs of wings still wrapped around each other’s backs. “You don’t understand! How can I be strong when I’m just failing every time? I can’t even get into the Wonderbolts! They say I am amazing, a perfect applicant for their roster, yet I don’t get in! They take somepony else! I keep my head high, so I don’t feel as bad, when, on the inside, I’m practically dying!” she bellows in front of Twilight. She shakily sighs, tears falling onto Twilight’s fur, matting her chest. “I just…I can’t take it! I want something better! I want to be... loved.”

“Loved?” Twilight says shakily, gripping her friend’s hoof. “You are loved, Rainbow…”

“By whom?” Rainbow says, her face red from yelling, the fatigue of yelling beginning her to strain her voice.

“Your friends!” Twilight shouts, pushing Rainbow’s hoof to her own chest. “And everypony in Ponyville! Ponies look up to you! Think about Scootaloo!” Twilight nuzzles into Rainbow’s chest. “They all love you!”

Rainbow slowly cracks a smile as she cranes her neck down, weeping with her.  “You do?”

“Yes, Rainbow? Why would we not?” Twilight asks, her eyes shimmering.

“Because I always upset yo—”

Twilight raises her brow. “That’s because you crash into the library and break everything.”

Rainbow shies away, looking down at the ground, her hindhooves connecting with the wooden floors.. “So you are upset…”

“Well, how would you feel if somepony crashed into your house daily?” Twilight asks, sitting up and swinging her hoof around Rainbow’s back. “I know you’d feel upset.”

Rainbow giggles. “More devastated than upset at first,” Rainbow begins, looking up at Twilight as she continues. “Then exceedly angry as I take in the damages.”

Twilight chuckles right back while playfully shoving Rainbow in her shoulder. “See! You understand!” she exclaims, giggling underneath her breath. “Look, just remember this: even when times are tough, remember that there are so many ponies out there who love you, even if they don’t tell you.” Twilight scoots over and looks Rainbow in the eyes, those magenta pools staring back at her. “We all do…” She slowly wraps her left purple wing around her friend, the light purple shading clashing with the cyan shading. She sighs and lays her head on Rainbow’s shoulder, causing Rainbow to turn red.

This is why I’m friends with her…

Rainbow begins wrapping her right wing around Twilight, smiling all the while.

Because she’s my savior…

She lays her upon Twilight’s, being especially careful to not impale herself on Twilight’s horn and closes her eyes.

...in the dark.

With the sunlight shining upon them, two friends embrace, the finality of the situation settling in.

The only problem is…

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Hmmm?”

“Since you poured yourself out to me, now I have to figure out how to fix it.”

“Right…”

“So, can you get off me?”

Rainbow’s eyes snap open, flushing furiously at the sight of Twilight, their coats rubbing together. Rainbow's blush matches her friend's, the two staring at each other. It was simply too much for Rainbow to handle. The pegasus mare yelps as she slides off Twilight, falling to the ground in a heap of cyan forelegs, twisting in every way, shape, and form.

Twilight sees her friend’s discomfort and giggles, causing Rainbow to glare at her. “This isn’t funny, Twilight.”

“I beg to differ there, Rainbow,” she replies, wiping her tears away with her hoof. “You simply must get up, we have work to do.”

Rainbow gets up and smiles. “Did you just mock Rarity?”

“WHO JUST MOCKED RARITY?” a voice bellows from the room above them.

And the two mares laugh, while a dragon hisses in displeasure, the one who he loves most being mocked and rocked.

Distorted Lavender

Libraries: the safest warehouses where ponies can find millions upon millions of books, their bindings giving readers a vast selection of knowledge that nopony else shall encompass. Many ponies do not read these informative texts, instead, they simply sit there in silence as the ones who do, otherwise known as bookworms, tend to interact with one another on a subject referring to the texts that they have both read.

Twilight is one of those types, her knowledge knowing no bounds, having read all the books in her supply.

“Now I know I’ve read about this topic before, Rainbow,” Twilight says as she bends over to find the book she is looking for.

On the other hoof, we have Rainbow Dash: an athletic, loyal, cyan pegasus who only reads Daring Do on occasion, her limited knowledge on several subjects making her a perfect candidate for Twilight to ramble at while Twilight talks all about her latest digs.

“About what?” Rainbow mindlessly asks, clamping her forehooves over her mouth after she says the phrase.

Oh no…

“Rainbow,” Twilight murmurs, her tone low and deathly. “I told you this two times already…”

“I’m sorry!” Rainbow apologizes quickly, her magenta orbs showing clear as day. “I just… forgot. I have a lot on my mind.”

Twilight sighs, still searching for the book she has been looking for for the past two hours. The two mares look at the tall, dusty oak bookcase, the amount of books on each shelf simply astounding Rainbow. She has never seen such a dense collection of books before. Every time Rainbow comes here to see Twilight, she has to imagine how long it must take for Twilight to read all the books. After all, Twilight says she has read every single book in her possession, there must be some secret to it.

“Hey, Twilight?” Rainbow asks.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight replies venomously.

“Jeez, don’t get your horn stuck between the pages,” Rainbow says, a crackle suddenly hitting her eardrum. “I was thinking about how you’re able to quickly read all your books.”

Twilight ears perk up, her body suddenly freezing as she takes in what Rainbow said. She, then, takes a quick glance over at Rainbow, her mouth wide open in astonishment. “You…”

Twilight snaps her head back to the bookcase, her eyes as big as saucers. “You want to know how I read so quick?”

Rainbow quietly murmurs an affirmative. “Yes…”

Twilight looks up at Rainbow and returns to her eye level. “Would you want to read with me after we find this book?”

Rainbow nods. “You always wanted to show me something new to read, right?”

Twilight smiles. “Of course,” she begins, turning her attention back to the bookcase, pointing her left foreleg at it. “This book we’re trying to find may help us in explaining why you’re having these dreams.” She, then, returns to finding this book, the bookworm’s eyes glazing over every book title she finds, only to grumble in frustration as she moves on to the next book in line.

Another crackle happens.

“H-hey, Twilight?”

“What now, Rainbow?”

“I’m scared…” Rainbow nervously says, her body beginning to shake. She sighs and looks at the ground, the wooden flooring not before her anymore, the cold stone floor now in her vision.

Twilight continues keeping her sight upon the bookcase. “Why’s that?”

“I hear a noise…” Rainbow nervously replies, backing away from the bookcase in front of her. “Twilight, can we go back up?”

“Why would we do that, Rainbow?” Twilight questions, her eyes still glued to the books she is looking at. “I need to help you, Rainbow,” she says, her voice tone dropping once again, gravelly and raspy.

Rainbow eyes widen. “Twilight, are you okay?” The pegasus backs away from her friend, her hooves clicking on the stone surface, echoing in the dark depths of the basement level. “I…”

“You?” Twilight says, the tone of her voice sounding more raspy by the second. “I don’t think you want my help, Dashie.”

“I-I do,” Rainbow stutters, continuing to back up as she speaks. “I-I ju—”

“If you want my help, then why are you backing away?” Twilight interrupts, turning her attention towards her friend, her eyes black. “Maybe, you’d like me to just leave…” she growls, her eyes changing to an orange hue. “Or maybe,” she begins, facing her friend as her wings snap out, causing books to fall left and right. “Maybe, you want to leave…”

This is a dream!

Rainbow closes her eyes, wanting the images of Twilight to leave her mind.

Then why can’t I wake up?

As she turns her head, Rainbow feels a warm, single breath tingle her backside, her hairs up at end. “That’s because, you can’t…” a more venomous female tone announces. “You’ll never leave.”

She opens her eyes as she takes in the sight. Her friend, Twilight, is right in front of her as a red liquid slowly falls down her cheeks. The alicorn’s eyes still dark as night, the completely black irises staring into her, almost gripping her soul. She turns herself around to see the… thing that is breathing on her neck.

Rainbow screams.

“Death...”

Then, the claws came upon her.

“GAH!” Rainbow screams while falling to the ground on her rump. She brings her gaze up to see the pony of her immediate nightmare. Her eyes widen, taking in the scene before her.

“Wamph?” Twilight asks while holding a book in her mouth. The lavender alicorn lays the book on a small table nearby and looks up at Rainbow, her violet orbs full of concern. “What is wrong?” Twilight snaps her wings out, accidently knocking one of the shelf full of a books on her right, causing her to groan. “Darn it!” she exclaims as she looks over at the shelf, her purple aura surrounding the fallen knowledgeable texts and slowly levitating them back on the shelf.

Meanwhile, Rainbow stares in awe, frozen in place by the sheer identical happenings of what she previously saw.

Was I just dreaming?

Suddenly, her legs finally start responding, using her back hooves to scoot across the floor, her rump sliding easily across the stony surface.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asks. “Where are you going?”

Rainbow’s breath begins to pick up. “I-I, stay away!” she shouts, tears forming before her eyes. As she continues to move, another shot of pain enters her system, her right foreleg oozing out blood, a trail leading from where she was previously laying to now.

Twilight looks down and sees it as well, causing her to scream.

With concern upon her face, Twilight quickly trots over to Rainbow, her wings closing to her sides. “Rainbow!” Twilight calls out, keeping her eyes glued to her bleeding friend.

Rainbow, on the other hoof, continues to move. “Stay away!” she shouts, closing her eyes as the images of Twilight eyes oozing out blood, her evil grin, the voice from behind her…

Then, a warm, subtle breath tickles the neck Rainbow’s neck as her back hits a cold, wooden surface behind her. “Stay away,” she whimpers, tears trying to escape her closed eyes. “I-I…”

Then, she feels…

Feathers?

Rainbow Dash shakes as she feels the warmth of another surrounding her. Rainbow Dash shakily sighs, her ragged breathing beginning to slow as she realizes what’s happening. She slowly opens her eyes and looks at what’s surrounding her.

In front of her is Twilight, her violet orbs shimmering, tears pouring out of her as she too quakes. “Rainbow…” she says, gazing upon those magenta irises with concern. “Don’t move away like that…”

“But Twilight, you were going t—”

Twilight cuts her off swiftly, her voice wavering. “Going to what?”

“Kill me…” she states, her voice losing all emotion. “You were going to kill me, your eyes were oozing blood and then I heard that phrase again…”

Twilight gasps upon hearing these words and pulls her close. “Rainbow, I would never do that to you, you’re one of my best friends!” She explains, her voice rising as she speaks. “You’ll always be, didn’t I tell you that?”

Rainbow nods in apprehension. “I just… forgot.”

Twilight groans. “Rainbow, we’re going to get to the bottom of this and I need you to stop forgetting,” she begins, holding Rainbow’s right foreleg, inspecting it. “And if you don’t focus, then we’ll never figure this out.” She sighs, and pulls Rainbow up with her with her magic. “We need to take you to the hospital, that injury needs to be healed up before it becomes infected.”

Rainbow groans. “Twilight, I don’t need to go,” she says, tears still forming in front of her eyes. “I can’t, I don’t want to be alone.”

Twilight sighs and nuzzles Rainbow, her magical purple aura keeping Rainbow in place. “You won’t be, I’ll be right beside you.”

“You promise?” Rainbow whimpers, nuzzling her friend back.

Twilight nods, pulling back to get a better look of Rainbow. “I do.”

With that, the two begin their ascension, going up the creaky wooden steps to the lights above.

Meanwhile, a certain book starts to shimmer, the red book opening by itself…

___________________________________

“Spike!”

“What?!”

“Keep watch of the fort, I’m taking Rainbow to the hospital!”

The door to Twilight and Spike’s bedroom suddenly flies opens, the doors smacking with a loud crack as the dragon races out of the room with speed, the sudden burst of energy making Twilight and Rainbow surprised, their mouths wide open. The dragon presents himself in front of the two mares. The two parties gazing at each other, waiting for the other to say something.

“Why?” The young dragon asks, his tone much quieter than before.

Twilight relocates her jaw, the sight of Spike running fast as lightning still in her mind. “Rainbow’s foreleg,” Twilight says as a matter of fact. “Remember?”

Spike looks down at Rainbow’s foreleg and gasps. “Twilight! It wasn’t bleeding before!”

This gets Twilight to raise an eyebrow and turn her attention to Rainbow. “When did you get this wound?”

Rainbow looks down at the wound, the memory of it plastered in her mind. “I was dreaming when I got it Twi’, remember? I told you that I woke up with it up on my foreleg.” Blood continues to slowly pour out of her leg, the curvy mark appearing even larger. “Twilight…” Rainbow says slowly. “Let’s get to the hospital an—”

A shock of pain courses through her, causing more blood to spill out onto the wooden floor. Her face contorts, causing Twilight to pick her up with her magic. “We’ll be back, Spike,” she says quickly, before rushing out of the library, her cyan pegasus friend floating in front of her, wrapped in her purple aura.

The poor dragon sighs and closes the door. He silently saunters over to the couch, laying on top of it as he pulls a cushion near him, snuggling into it. “I hope Rainbow is okay,” he mutters, before falling asleep on the couch, the purple and green colored drake napping away in the quiet confines of the Golden Oaks Library.

Hospital Mayhem

The silence is deadly as Twilight waits outside, the room filled with black padded wooden chairs, the lack of occupants disturbing Twilight’s mind. She couldn’t quite handle the silence, that cyan rainbow maned pegasus clearly being the only thing on her mind.

“She just didn’t tell any of us about this…” Twilight whispers to herself, her head lowering slightly, her eyes gazing upon the tiled floor pattern of the hospital waiting room. How the white tiles lay in a uniform pattern gives Twilight a sense of hope, knowing that Rainbow Dash will be okay.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle?” a feminine tone announces to her right.

Twilight looks at the direction of the voice, hearing that dreadful title in front of her name making her slightly cringe. “Yes?” Twilight responds, putting her facade on that Celestia taught her at the castle, her eyes full of pretend happiness, her mouth casually smiling brightly upon the pony that she is looking at.

Unfortunately, the facade doesn’t work with medical employees, the white mare with her pink cap upon her head sighs at Twilight’s reaction. “Princess, you don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Twilight says in reply, a slight tinge of nervousness appearing in her voice.

“I know you’re nervous,” the mare begins. “I’ve seen several patients with that same expression, and I know you too well, Twilight.” The mare begins walking down the hall to the left of her, causing Twilight to get up from her seat, her eyes full of concern as she catches up to the nurse.

“Everypony who walks through here knows they have a slight chance that they’ll never leave this place alive,” the nurse says calmly, causing Twilight ears to perk up. The lavender alicorn looks over at her, getting a better look at the mare. Her white coat, her red medical cross for a cutie mark, the pink mane hidden just barely underneath her small pink medical apparel; the mare was an absolute perfect example of an ordinary nurse. However, Twilight had a gut feeling she knew this mare, her eyes gazing upon the mare’s focused sight.

“Twilight.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re here,” the nurse says, pointing towards the room to Twilight’s right. “You can go in,” she begins before smirking slightly. “Or you can stare at me for the rest of the day.”

Twilight sheepishly smiles, her light red blush kissing her lavender cheeks. “I’m sorry, nurse.”

The white mare sighs. “I can’t believe you don’t remember me, Twilight.”

“Wait,” Twilight whispers, her eyes widen by the sudden realization. “You’re Redheart!”

The now identified nurse smiles. “Glad you remembered.” Redheart looks at the door in front of them and says, “Now go and see your friend, she’s waiting for you.”

With that, Redheart motions for Twilight to enter the room. Twilight smiles and nods, turning her attention to the brown door. She sighs and opens the door, her aura clutching the knob and turning it until the lock disengages.

As the alicorn enters the room, she gasps.

On the floor lies her friend…

...shaking and crying.

“Rainbow!” she says, approaching Rainbows position and lying beside her, nuzzling her cheek. “Are you okay?”

“N-n-no,” the cyan pegasus stutters out. The nurse behind her also bends down to Dash’s level, causing the cyan pegasus to scream. “Stay away!”

Twilight sighs and wraps her wings around the shaking pegasus. “Redheart, do you have any idea why my friend is acting like this?”

Redheart sighs. “I’m not too sure, all I know is that Dash is definitely suffering from something,” she states, backing away from Rainbow. The white mare looks at Twilight and says, “I’ll go get her doctor.”

The nurse exits the room, her hooves rapidly clip-clopping away from the area.

Rainbow Dash sighs and snuggles into Twilight’s fur, her tears matting the lavender alicorn. “Twilight,” Rainbow whispers, her voice wavering. “Y-you promised you’ll stay beside me.”

Twilight nuzzles into her neck. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I’m here now.”

“Can…” Rainbow says, unable to complete her thought.

Come on Rainbow, you can do this.

“Do what?” Twilight responds, her violet eyes gazing at Rainbow.

Just tell her! You’re not weak if you do!

Rainbow gives into her thoughts as she inhales deeply, her voice shaking as she nervously asks, “Can you please s-stay here when the doctor comes?”

“Of course,” Twilight says without hesitation. “I’m not going to leave my friend here alone.”

Rainbow smiles and leans her body onto Twilight, the warmth soothing her panicked heart. “Thank you…”

The silence is clear as the two mares accompany each other. After a few seconds, Twilight looks over at Rainbow and asks, “So what did they do to your foreleg?”

Rainbow smiles and shows Twilight the damage. “It’s wrapped up snug in these bandages.”

The once open wound now covered by its white wrapped prison, the wound no longer showing its glory.

“Did they say anything about it?”

“Well,” Rainbow begins, looking away immediately. “They said it was a deep claw mark…”

“How deep?”

“Deep enough to almost cut my veins…”

Twilight’s mouth forms a small “o” at the statement.

“Yeah…” Rainbow awkwardly says and lets out a long drawn out sigh.

Twilight snuggles into Rainbow more and sighs with her, dropping the subject at that point.

A few moments later, a random thought appears in Rainbow’s head.

“Hey, Twilight?”

Twilight lets out a low hum in response.

“What was that book you had in your mouth?”

Twilight’s eyes widen. “I can’t believe I forgot the book!” she cries out in despair.

“I noticed that,” Rainbow says quietly, nuzzling into her chest. “But I’m glad you didn’t grab it.”

Twilight raises an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“Because this is so much better than reading,” Rainbow replies, giggling slightly as she nuzzles the tuft of fur on her lavender chest.

Twilight nuzzles Rainbow back and closes her eyes. “Yeah, much better.”

“Hello, Rainbow Dash, how are you…”

The two mares cuddling on the floor look up at the voice who entered their vicinity. A tall brown stallion with a clipboard in hoof looks down at them, his eyes wide and his mouth wide open, the drawbridge ready for anypony to cross.

“Am I interrupting anything?” The stallion asks, recovering from the shock of the two mares on the floor by snapping his jaw back in place and shaking his head rapidly to cleanse his brain.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight, on the other hoof, with both apparent blushes on their faces, quickly shuffle away from each other, leaving a proper distance between the two. The two look at each other with terrified looks on their faces, both attempting to signal to the other party to say something to the poor previously-shocked stallion.

Finally, Rainbow Dash musters up enough courage, her pride showing well as she looks back at the doctor. “No, sir.”

The doctor laughs, his guaffing heard all the way down the hall, the sound of his low, hearty laughter bouncing off every wall and object. “Just call me Doctor Life.”

Did he just do…

Rainbow facehooves, the pun of the day causing her to smack her forehead in response. The doctor sees this and moves to her side. “Don’t hit yourself, I know it was a pun and a half, but hurting yourself any more may cause issues.”

Well if you didn’t have a pun for a name, I would stop.

Twilight sighs and moves towards the doctor, carefully spreading her wing out by his outstretched hoof. “Doctor Life, please, she’s been upset since this morning,” Twilight states calmly. “I don’t think you want to upset her more.”

The doctor looks over at Twilight and sighs. “I guess you’re right,” he says in defeat.

Thank you, Twilight.

“Anyway, let’s check your charts, shall we?” He picks himself up from the ground, trots over to the end of Rainbow’s bed, carefully picks up her charts and hums, scratching his somewhat odd amount of stubble at the end of his muzzle with his free forehoof.

It felt like hours to Rainbow Dash, the stallion rubbing back and forth over his muzzle as his eyes glide across the papers on his board, his brow slanted, his eyes zeroing in on the words.

This guy is weird.

Twilight, on the other hoof, couldn’t stop but admire the stallion, his dedication to reading the chart thoroughly with such an intense glare made her smile dumbly at his direction.

Rainbow snaps herself out of her trance and turns her attention to Twilight. Upon seeing her dreamy smile, she attempts to not laugh and lightly taps Twilight on her cheek, causing the alicorn mare to sputter out random words.

“Ugh. Happy. Sad. Trees.”

This sent her over the edge, her small chuckles turning into full blown laughs as Twilight looks at Rainbow, her cheeks appearing tinted a light red.

This causes the doctor to leave the chart for a moment to observe the scene, causing Twilight to become flushed, the light red shifting into the red on an apple from Sweet Apple Acres.

The doctor sighs and turns his attention to the chart, picking it up with his hoof, and slowly bending down to the mare’s level to tell them the news.

In seconds, Rainbow looks into the eyes of Doctor Life, his blue orbs peering into her magenta ones. “So what are the results?”

“You’re…”

A small crackle emits from Rainbow Dash’s left.

No…

“...going…” the doctor of life slightly growls.

Oh my…

“...to…”

Another crackle sounds off to Rainbow’s right.

Run.

Rainbow simply pushes Twilight’s wings away and bolts out the room, much to the chagrin of her former friend and doctor, the two disturbing growls of the stallion and mare behind her shaking Rainbow to the core.

“Die…” A voice to her left says as she flies down the hallway, dodging nurses and patients alike.

“Move!” Rainbow repeatedly shouts as she steers herself away from harms way, taking a sharp left to exit the hospital. As she turns the corner, she stops to a grinding halt, realizing something is missing. The exit to the hospital is gone, replaced by a large long hallway similar to the one she just left.

But I entered through this very pathway!

Rainbow Dash ears perk up, the sounds of growling coming from behind her.

“Rainbow!” a familiar feminine voice cries out, her voice raspy and cold. “Come back!”

“No!” Rainbow shouts impulsively, turning around to face her fears.

Only it was much, much worse.

It front of her lies several dead corpses of the ones she passed by, the blood of many staining the white tile that once brought many comfort and hope. The blood of innocence now covers it, the limbs of many slashed and dispersed among the other bodies. Caps, apparel, destroyed medical equipment, and many other items strewn about, some covered in blood while others lay bare, the red substance not splattered upon them.

Oh my Celestia...

As Rainbow begins to view the utter devastation, she decides to investigate, knowing her exit lies elsewhere. Slowly opening her wings, she begins to flutter towards the main desk. Rainbow cranes her neck, looking down the very hallway she currently resides in, the same results down both directions. Dead bodies, limbs hanging from the ceiling, blood splattered on the walls…

...and the sounds of a simple cry of a young filly coming from a room far down the hall to her left.

Who the hay is that?

“Hello?” Rainbow Dash says aloud, her voice rather shaky as it echoes down the hall.

As she continues fluttering towards the crying, she begins to think to herself.

I don’t hear the noises anymore, but I know I’m still dreaming…

Without thought she flutters, her magenta orbs glazing over the dead bodies, their eyes shut tightly, their deaths looking grim.

“H-hello?” Rainbow says once again, her voice now weak, wavering at sheer thought of speaking.

The cries suddenly shift, the sound becoming faint as she realizes the cry wasn’t as close as she thought.

What?

Rainbow approaches the end of the hall and cranes her neck around the corner. She is still paranoid by the thought of these two demonic versions of her friend and doctor roaming the hospital grounds. She does not want to encounter them, they would certainly get her killed. Death is not one of the things on her list of things to do, and Rainbow hopes it never will be, even in her own realm.

Seeing that nopony is there, she turns the corner and continues her journey. The amount of corpses are equivalent, some without heads, others without eyes. The carnage is truly sickening, the grumbles in Rainbow’s stomach agreeing with her thought.

Rainbow shakes her head. She can’t have the thought of death on her mind, she needs to focus.

You’re much stronger! You keep your head up high, even if failure is in sight! You have so much confidence!

The passing thought zooms on past her, the idea of being confident soaring inside her. She can do this, she just needs to believe in herself.

With the much needed boost, Rainbow Dash flutters down the hall, still cautious of her surroundings. She looks around as she moves, her ears perked up, attempting to hear the noises of the young filly.

“Ah!” the voice shouts, the sound coming from the hallway to her left.

Rainbow sighs and cranes her neck around the corner, only to slip back behind the corner at the sight she sees.

For a split second, she sees a nurse walk out of a room adjacent to the room where the cries of the young filly are.

Only this nurse did not look like a normal pony nurse.

She has white forelegs, black hind legs, a pink body with a cyan heart for a cutie mark, her neck is white as well, her pink mane laying to her left, and a pink blood-smeared cap on top of her head. She couldn’t see much else because the nurse was turned away from her, but judging by the swift glance Rainbow took, she definitely isn’t normal.

She peeks around the corner again and takes the opportunity to go into the room, the filly crying still sounding from the room.

Slowly and silently fluttering along, she sees the door to the room suddenly shuts loudly.

“Who’s there?” a voice from across the hall announces groggily.

Buck!

Rainbow Dash dashes back to her corner and whips herself onto the wall, breathing heavily from the sudden encounter. “I know you’re here somewhere!” the voice shouts again, the sound of clip-clopping coming towards her direction. With no choice left, Rainbow makes a drastic move and goes into one of the rooms and silently closes the door shut, the lock clicking in place.

“I heard that!” the voice shouts, the sound of hooves rapidly leaving the area.

“What did she hear?” a voice behind her says quietly.

Rainbow’s heart stops at the sound of the voice behind her.

“Scootaloo?”

Rainbow turns around and sees Scootaloo, her eyes wide at the appearance of her idol.

“Rainbow? What are you doing here?” the orange filly questions, her greyish purple orbs full of concern.

“I could ask you the same thing…” Rainbow mutters, approaching the side of her little sister’s bed. “Are you in this dream with me?”

“Dream?” Scootaloo asks, raising an eyebrow. “You mean you and I have been dreaming together?”

She is able to connect the dots that quickly?

Rainbow nods, her eyes glistening with tears. “It’s a nightmare outside that door, a mutated nurse was outside there looking for me.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widen. “Well if this is a dream, why can’t you and I both wake up?”

She can’t…

“I don’t know,” Rainbow begins, looking down at the bed that Scootaloo is in, the white covers concealing Scootaloo’s body. “Scootaloo can you lift the covers off, please?”

“Why?”

“Just do it,” Rainbow demands, trying not to sound harsh. “It’s important.”

Scootaloo groans. “Okay.” With a swift kick from her hind leg, the covers fly off, revealing Scootaloos normal body. Nothing seems wrong with it, except for one small thing.

Or rather, one large, curvy thing.

“Scootaloo?”

“Yeah, Dash?”

“When did you get that mark?”

Scootaloo gazes over to her right foreleg, a long, curvy claw mark covering her entire leg. “It’s been there since this morning,” Scootaloo states emotionlessly.

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. “When this morning?”

Scootaloo’s muzzle scrunches up, her left forehoof rubbing her chin. “Probably around two o’clock.”

“Really?”

Scootaloo nods.

When we both wake up, we need to meet up.

“Then when we wake up, you need to meet me.”

“Why?”

Rainbow sighs and shows her her foreleg. “I have one too, mines just bandaged up.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widen. “So you and I were at a campsite…”

“...together?” Rainbow finishes her sister’s question.

Scootaloo silently nods, a single tear gently sliding down her dark orange tinted cheek.

Rainbow sighs and wraps her right foreleg around Scootaloo, causing the little filly to look up Rainbow. “Don’t cry, we’ll figure this out,” Rainbow says, gently rubbing Scootaloo’s neck with her leg. “Okay?” Rainbow nuzzles the filly’s cheek, causing Scootaloo to nuzzle her back.

“Yeah…” Scootaloo says back. “I hope so…”

The two stay there, reveling in each other’s comfort.

“Where did that mare go?” a male voice growls out in frustration. “Even that good for nothing dull colored pony wouldn’t be able to find her!”

Rainbow pulls away from Scootaloo, causing Scoots to panic.

“Rain—”

Rainbow moves her hoof to her mouth and whispers a drawn out “Shhhh” in her sister’s ear. She turns away from the bed and slowly moves towards the door, putting her ear against the wooden entrance, the only thing that covers her from the enemy outside.

“Shut up you sexually frustrated stallion!” a feminine voice bellows. “You’re going to blow our cover.”

Cover?

“I could say the same for you, Miss Smart Cookie,” the stallion replies back in a suave tone. “Besides, she’s not around here, we’ve checked this hallway already.”

“Let’s check the next one,” the mare says angrily.

A loud smack across the back causes the stallion to laugh heartily as the sounds of hooves begin to leave the area.

Rainbow turns her head away from the door and looking at Scootaloo with utter fear. “We need to get out of here.”

“R-rainbow?”

Ignoring Scootaloo’s comment, she asks her sister, “Can you walk, Scoots?”

A slight grimace appears on Scootaloo’s face, a bead of sweat slowly sliding down from her forehead. “I… I can.” She lands on all four hooves, her hooves landing on the carpet beside her.

“Good,” Rainbow says, a slight twinge of pain coursing through her as well. “Let’s move.”

The filly nods as she slowly clip-clops her way over to Rainbow’s side while the cyan pegasus carefully cracks open the door, revealing the blood splattered hallway she once left from.

Rainbow checks both directions, craning her neck out to see the same blood stained, body ridden, gorefest in the hall. “It’s clear,” she mouths off to Scootaloo. “Stay by me.”

Scootaloo nods. “I won’t leave you this time.”

Fast learner…

Rainbow smiles at her, before turning back to the hallway of death. “Let’s move.”

Rainbow creeps out of the room, her hooves gently colliding against the tile floor. She takes a left, knowing that going right would do her and Scootaloo no good. The orange pegasus follows close behind, checking her backside to make sure nopony was behind them. As they take another left turn, Rainbow stops, her eyes wide in shock. Scootaloo raises an eyebrow and appears beside Rainbow.

When the hay did this get here?

“Scoots…”

“Yeah?”

“Why is the exit right down this hall?”

Scootaloo looks at Rainbow. “Rainbow, this hospital has had this exit here for ages.”

“Am I the only one who has never been notified of this?” Rainbow asks in disbelief. “I’ve been here more times than any other pegasi, and I’m just realizing this now?”

Scoots giggles quietly. “I guess I know more than you now…”

“Guess so,” Rainbow grumbles to herself in annoyance.

As they continue to walk down the hall, they notice the thing that separates them from freedom is a long corridor to their left. Rainbow turns around and says, “One corridor, I’ll check, okay?” She taps her hoof to the ground. “You stay here.”

“Alright,” Scoots replies, leaning up against the white wall. Rainbow nods and turns her attention to the corridor, leaning herself against the wall to her left. As she reaches the corridor, she takes a deep breath, and cranes her neck around the corner.

“Death…”

Oh no…

Rainbow ducks, the claw missing her by a hair. She turns around and runs back to Scootaloo, yelling, “Run!”

Scootaloo nods and follows in right behind her, the two running down the hall, stepping on bodies of ponies of all colors. “Quick! Scoots!”

“What?”

“Right!” Rainbow says, suddenly shifting to her right and into a room.

The filly copies her exact move, sliding right into the room. The two lay silent, huddling in the corner of the room they landed in. Above them lies several cleaning supplies: mops, buckets, soap bottles, containers of sponges, and several tools.

Why the hay are these in here?

Rainbow looks to her left to see Scootaloo, apparently wondering the same thing as she, her eyes looking at the objects above. “Hey, squirt.”

Scootaloos turns her attention to Rainbow. “Yeah?”

“Remember what I said,” she whispers quietly. “Meet me when you wake up.”

The orange filly sighs, dragging her right foreleg over Rainbow’s left foreleg. “I know.”

The two lie there awaiting their demise.

The silence is deadly…

“Death…”

And then, the claws sliced through the equipment, coming upon the two hiding occupants.

__________________________________

“Rainbow, Scootaloo?” A voice says from afar, the sounds causing Rainbow to stir awake, her eyes snapping open in an instant. The rainbow maned mare looks down at the filly beside her, her eyes closed tightly. “Scootaloo!”

The orange filly shakes as she opens her eyes. “Rainbow!” she says with tears in her eyes.

The two hug, tears flowing down their cheeks. “But, how?” They ask each other in unison.

A lavender hoof pushes the medical equipment aside, causing the two to flinch. “Are you two done exploring the hospital?”

“Huh?” Rainbow asks, her muzzle scrunched up.

What?

“Rainbow…” The owner of said hoof sighs, lighting a nearby candle in her purple aura to get a better look at the two. “Oh my Celestia!”

Rainbow raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“Doctor Life!” Twilight shrieks in terror, her eyes wide and her mouth dropping to the floor.

Doctor Life cranes his neck to see his patient huddling with his other patient in the janitor’s closet. The brown stallion  gasps as well, the sight too much even for the doctor to fathom.

“Get out of that closet, now!” he bellows.

What is the matter with them?

“R-rainbow?”

“W-what?”

“Why are they shouting and screaming?”

“I d-don’t know, Scoots,” Rainbow says in trepidation, the looks on the doctor and Twilight were not so appealing to either of them. The two get up from their secure positions and exit the room.

As they exit the dimly lit room and into the light, the two who fought through so much look at each other fully.

Blood oozes out of their chests as a new, long, curvy claw mark adorns their bodies. Rainbow gasps, while Scootaloo looks at Rainbow, tears still cascading down her cheeks. “Rainbow…”

Rainbow looks at her sister and nuzzles her neck. “Scoots…”

“You two, we are going to move you to Canterlot Medical Center, asap!” Doctor Life says with defiantly, his hoof stomping on the tile floor. “This is nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

“I can take it from here, Doctor,” Twilight says, causing the doctor to snap his gaze to her. “I know Celestia personally, she’ll help me out.”

“How?” Doctor Life says.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle ring any bells?” Twilight says, rolling her eyes. “Look, you don’t need to worry about this, Doc—”

“Just call me Destined Life.”

“Destined Life,” Twilight says, her right brow twitching. “These two are in good hooves.”

Destined Life shrugs and says, “Alright, if you say so…”

His name is even more of a pun now…

Twilight nudges Rainbow, causing her train of thought to derail only seconds after she left the station.  “Let’s leave, I’ll write a letter to Celestia when we get back to the library.”

The two siblings look at each other before nodding. “This hospital stinks anyway,” Rainbow says, glaring at Doctor Life, who is still in shock, his eyes wide.

Scootaloo giggles and wipes her cheeks clean with her left forehoof. “You said it, sister.”

The duo trot out of the correct hospital doors, not having to worry about tripping over a dead body of some sort. “Scoots, don’t you like it when there isn’t blood on the floor?”

Scootaloo nods. “They need a new janitor to clean up their messes because the last one was terrible." She gently smiles as Rainbow Dash chuckles heartily at her sarcastic comment. "If that happens again I don’t know what they’ll do.”

Twilight stares at them in awe. “Why are you two joking around?” she yells, jumping in front of them with her wings flared. “You two are bleeding like civs!”

The two look down at each other’s chests, the mentioning of their bleeding not apparent to them, the claw marks adorning their chest not bleeding anymore. “Um, Twilight, are you sure you’re not seeing things? It’s not like it’s flowing out like a waterfall…”

Scootaloo looks up at Rainbow and says, “She’s right, Twilight.”

Twilight growls, “We’re going to the library now,” Twilight pauses and glares at Rainbow. “And you do not backsass me when you’re like this.”

“Okay!” Rainbow says, waving her hooves in front of Twilight’s face. “Let’s go.”

“No,” Twilight says as she  grasps Rainbow’s right foreleg with one hoof, while grasping Scootaloo with the other. “Now.” Without a moment to spare, the trio teleport away, a purple aura whisking them to the destination of the caster’s choice...