Darkened Corners

When the bunch had arrived at Canterlot in the castle Fluttershy was rushed off to be attended to in a small hospital room within the castle. Scootalo had excused herself to a bathroom and followed a guard there, immediately puking into the toilet after locking the door behind her. She’d never teleported with anypony in her entire earth. After she flushed the toilet she looked at herself in the mirror, washing her hooves slowly with warm water that soothed her. In one of the drawers she found a bottle of mouthwash and used some, thinking about how it was probably here for this specific reason. Finally she made her way back to the remainder of the group, who stood in front of Princess Celestia, listening to her every word.

“…and so you will all be kept her under my watch to keep certain that no more harmful events occur to any of you ponies,” Celestia said, looking at each of them with worry. When her gaze fell on Scootalo she looked slightly shocked. “Who is this filly?”

“I’m Scootalo,” Scootalo replied, dipping her head respectfully at the Princess.

“Pleasure to meet you my little pony,” the Princess replied, smiling. She then turned back to the rest of the ponies. “All of you can choose a bedroom on my corridors level. Good evening every pony. Twilight, I wish to see you in my room later, after you get comfortable.”

Twilight nodded to the princess and led the group upstairs, a different way than the princess took. The first room they approached had a single, mahogany door that led into a smaller bedroom with a queen sized bed that had purple, thick covers on it. To the right of the bed lay a massive window that overlooked Canterlot and the forest beyond it. In front of the bed was a mahogany dresser with an oval mirror. All the walls were done up in a violet color that seemed earthly. Scootalo was decided for this room and she walked in slowly, approaching the bed then launching herself into it, bouncing a few times on it before settling into the velvet blanket.

When they approached the second room there was two doors in a shining white paint that seemed to glitter like snow. The bed frame of the king sized bed on the inside glistened the same way with a velvet comforter in sapphire upon it. Most of everything else was made up in the crystal-like white paint. The window was shaped in a heart. However, the walls and ceiling were a pale blue, like the sky. Rarity immediately claimed the room for her own.

After that room came a simple room done up in different shades of browns and tans. This room was chosen for Applejack. Rainbow Dash took the next room, which was painted with yellow walls, a red comforter, a green dresser, blue doors and a purple bed frame. The last bed chamber, the one closest to the princesses was Twilight’s, done up in hues of purple and blue. Twilight ignored her room though and immediately went to meet with the princess right after.

She knocked on the door three times and it magically opened. On a warm colored carpet, next to a small fire lay the princess. Cautiously, Twilight walked forward, seeing her princess entranced by the dancing flames. Celestia sighed and lifted her head to face Twilight as she approached and settled next to the princess. Like she did when Twilight was a filly, the princess draped her wing over her students back. Twilight was thankful for the comfort. Her head throbbed from her mind attacks.

“I remember when you used to come in here so we could read stories together,” Celestia said distantly, looking out the window next to the fireplace.

“I miss those days. Nowadays it seems like we are always trying to stop some bad things from happening all the time. It almost feels like there’s never truly any real harmony happening,” Twilight observed.

“You may be right my student, but just because we have not achieved harmony yet does not mean there is none. How can there be harmony without disharmony? We would not know the difference,” Celestia commented.

“So why did you call me down here in the first place?” Twilight asked, looking up at Celestia.

“I worry about you a lot. And if Discord is on the loose then I feel he may to be to blame for this. However I’m certain he is working with others. What bothers me also is how Rainbow Dash is able to control the stop of it,” Celestia admitted.

“She wouldn’t turn against us though. She’s the element of harmony for ponies’ sake!” Twilight said protectively.

“I wasn’t accusing your friend of anything Twilight. I trust that she is as loyal as ever,” Celestia said quickly.

Rainbow Dash curled up into the red velvet, twisting it around her like a cocoon. In the room next to her she could hear Applejack talking to herself. The words were soft and urgent, as if she were trying to comfort herself. Dash uncurled herself from the velvet wrap and went next door to see if Applejack was okay. She knocked on the door twice before entering. The covers were strewn about from the bed and beneath the comforter was a shivering shape, muttering. Cautiously, Dash lifted the blanket, finding dilated pupils Applejack beneath it.

“Applejack? What’s wrong?” Dash asked, pulling the cover away completely.

“The…voices…I hear them now,” Applejack whispered.

“What’re they saying?” RD asked.

“They’ll burn down the farm, with my family in it,” AJ whispered, hanging her head and sighing. “And truth is…I believe them.”

Rainbow just stared at her friend for a moment, her eyes going unfocused. When she refocused, she saw Applejack had laid her head on her hooves. Her eyes fluttered as she drifted in and out of sleep. For now the voices seemed to have stopped in her head. Carefully, RD lifted Applejack into her bed and wrapped the blanket around her, flying out and back into her room. Scootalo greeted her upon her return, for she had wandered in there to talk about all that had happened. However, she never took her gaze from the window, where in this round corridor, she could see Ponyville from here.

“What’s going on?” Scootalo asked, sounding much older than she was. “Everything is turning upside-down. Threats to kill you guys. To harm others. It’s sick. Why is it happening? And why to you guys? All of you are so nice and generous and helpful.”

Rainbow Dash could only look at her friend. She didn’t have any of those answers. “I…I don’t know Scoot…I really don’t. All I know is I won’t let any harm come to my friends. Especially you. You’re the only thing that I have for a family now.” RD pulled her cousin into a hug and the two looked out into the starry sky, seeing the distant glow of Ponyville’s lights.

Princess Celestia called for all the friends to meet downstairs in the throne room. As she watched the tired ponies plod up to her she sensed an aura of unease. Something was different this time. The only two who seemed well slept were Scootalo and Rainbow Dash. Perhaps they weren’t being affected by the voices yet.

“So what has all happened since we last met?” Celestia asked, looking at each pony in turn.

“I started hearing voices. And all throughout the night I had nightmares,” Applejack spoke up.

“I’m having nightmares too,” Twilight said. Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity nodded in agreement.

“What were these nightmares like?” Celestia asked, watching as all of them looked at Rainbow Dash uneasily.

“In the nightmare, we were on a battlefield. Good against evil. Dark against light. And at the front of the evil ranks stood Rainbow Dash. She looked sad but determined and called to battle for her ranks and a war began. My dream ended when I was on the ground and Rainbow was standing above me, a look of sadness and darkness in her eye as she crushed my skull,” Twilight explained, not looking at Rainbow anymore. The others hearing voices murmured that they had the same dream.

“So what you’re all accusing me of turning on you?” Rainbow asked incredulously.

None of them said a single word but looked at her in fear. “We don’t know what to believe anymore,” Twilight whispered.

Rainbow flattened her ears at her friends. She shook her head and looked at the princess desperately for her to say something. Celestia looked utterly confused and didn’t really look at Rainbow, or any pony in particular. She seemed to be mulling over something in her head.

“For pony’s sake I’m able to save them from their voices!” Rainbow cried.

Celestia hung her head and spoke, sounding very, very old. “All the more reason to think you’re on their side. I’m sorry Rainbow but I will need to imprison you until further notice. Guards!” Celestia called and they chained a furious Rainbow Dash, leading her away with Scootalo trailing behind.

They took her down a long corridor painted with gentle colors of the land. They descended a staircase, the colors becoming colder in more hues of purple and blue. As they got to the bottom of the staircase they took a right and Rainbow began to recognize Luna’s corridor. At the end of the hallway was a circular room with two doors. One was a large oak door with Luna’s cutie mark engraved onto it while the other was a barred cellar. The grey unicorn guard opened it with his green magic and Rainbow obediently walked into the cellar. Gadget Grey, the unicorn who introduced himself to Rainbow at the top of the staircase, then locked the cellar with his magic and looked at her sadly before leaving the cousins to talk.

Neither of them spoke for a long ten minutes. Rainbow shook her body out a few times, trying to get the wing restraints to settle on her body more comfortably. However much she tried to though, the clasp just wouldn’t sit right. Finally she just gave up and lay down, finding it hard to with the leg restraints containing her leg motion by a few inches. She huffed a few times before sniffling, tears starting to form in her eyes. Quickly she blinked hard a few times. Right before she was about to say something though Luna walked out of her bedroom.