Decelerate and Decompose

Waking up again was hard. Especially when you know that you shouldn't have the privilege of opening your eyes again after closing them.

Even after falling asleep, the human body of the former pony-princess was still restless. She had taken in all of the surroundings of nature, even while she slept. Knowing so, that was most likely the reason she had barely been able to pry her exhausted body off of the ground just a few moments ago. The fatigue seeming to only take control of her after realizing how bad of a situation she was in the day before.

Some part of her really didn't want to move, what would she do? Where would she be going? Was there even any use in trying anymore?

The purple-skinned girl let her tired eyes stare blankly at the sky as several birds flew overhead. Chirping and the flapping of wings followed them, just as it should. She never realized how beautiful birds were before. Did trees always look so lovely when the sun shone through their canopies as it had been shimmering now? Who needs diamonds when you have the smell of wildflowers and pine cones right at your fingertips?

'I don't want to move. Everything hurts. My leg is most likely infected, and it feels like I am being pinned down, despite nothing being around' Twilight thought to herself as she went to try and situate herself to sit up from where she was. As per-usual, out of her several attempts, she had not budged more than a few inches. 'Maybe if I just lay here, I can perish. I have nothing to go back to, and nothing to lose...'.

The birds chirp overhead, and the sound of a bubbling brook reaches her ears. She considered attempting once more to stand. However, it seemed her body still did not want to obey her commands and move toward the possible means of nourishment and a way to clean her ailing leg of it's pesky wound. Her stomach grumbled, and numbness ran through the limb once more in a sense of clear protest.

'What's the point. Even if I were to go, and try to help myself, what would I need to help myself for? I don't know where I am, I have no food, and a possibility of water that MIGHT not be clean. I have nothing to go back to. ' She briefly reminds herself, her face scrunching up in even more disdain than it had shown before. 'I have failed. I might as well pay for my failure in a way that can be compared to how everyone else had fallen in my world.'

She didn't even know if there was anymore of her world left. All she knew was that Ponyville had been obliterated. Any help she could have possibly received (depending on whether or not that messenger pony made it there alive) might not have even been there by the time they arrived. Meaning their travels would have been for nothing.

A stinging sensation, followed by numbness and a small twitch caught the attention of the princess and makes her turn her head, craning her neck in an attempt to see the limb. It took a lot of effort, but eventually, it was done. She was already exhausted by the time she had managed to crane her neck up for just 3 seconds. With a withheld sigh, she let her head drop back down and flop in the grass and leaves that rested underneath her body.

Her leg had a long cut running from her mid-thigh to just below mid-shin. Th cut was still bleeding, though, by all means, it was generally modest in comparison to what she had seen in the last day alone. Numbness continued to practically radiate through her body still.

Its funny how beautiful the world looks when all of your hope is lost and your can't enjoy the materialistic things in your life anymore. It was astounding how big the world really was around oneself when they were truly alone. How did Twilight enjoy sitting there, reading her books in isolation before she had met her friends? How did she not like to have a friendly conversation, or just to see the happy fellow-townspony chatting with each other every day?

Closing her eyes, she forces herself to think back to what happened right before she had been thrown wherever she had. She had entered her library, and had been looking for first aid supplies. Check. Next, she heard an explosion, check. The area she had been in was used for storage, however, it was worth noting that the portal to get to Canterlot High School was nearby. Check-

Wait-

The portal to Canterlot High. That's right, that portal is most likely where that explosions pressure had thrown her into. She had been in front of it, she was sure. That doesn't explain why she was... wherever she was.

Her scientific mind started to spin, several possible ideas flow through her thoughts at one time, leading to a small headache. The closest thing Twilight could come up with was that the explosion was magically produced. If it was magically produced, there was a good chance that it caused the original placement of the door to this world to be somewhere else. Meaning... there was MAYBE a possibility for her to get home-

No. She can't just go back.

She needed to find a way to reverse all this damage before anything else. That meant getting out of here, and finding her friends from here in the human world as it had been called.

'I HAVE to get up. I can't just lay here. The longer I do... the more prone I am to failure.' Twilight reasoned with herself as she went to try and pry herself off of the ground with a painful grunt. 'I need to go and find some water first... before my dry throat starts to itch...'

She attempted to move with her new-found energy, coughing a bit as her side starts to throb in pain. Several tiring struggles, and rasping breaths later, she was kneeling. She was half way there, just a little more! She just needed to get moving. She once heard Celestia say that being careful, and using any damaged limbs (as long as you do not overdo it) is an okay way to build up pain tolerance.

The star pupil really hoped she was right, otherwise, she just might be doomed... well, even more screwed over than she was now, anyways.

A light, painful heave, stained muscles, and aching pain paid off, the girl inching her way to successfully standing up. After situating herself on her legs, she lurches forward, almost falling down again. 'Keep it steady, Twilight. Steady. you can't afford to be so weak, especially at a time like this. If I can find Canterlot high school, I can try to find something that will undo everything that had happened. I can save all of them...'

Stumbling forward, the princess looks around, attempting to find the easiest way to reach the water source without stumbling over too many obstacles of even running into something she would not be able to escape from. Even after being here a couple times, she had no idea how to use magic without her friends around.

Considering the notion more, she grimaced. She had only used magic when her friends were around in this world. She had no idea how this world was like outside of the school, and Pinkie Pie's house. The world seemed so wonderful, until there was no was no one around to protect her anymore. Maybe that is part of what went wrong in her last world. She always relied on her friends to be there to help her out if ever she needed it.

'Come on, Twilight, move faster!' She had tried to urge herself, leaning up against a tree in an attempt to steady her un-level walk on the terrain. 'You need to get this cleaned, and wrapped up, that way it doesn't get any worse....'. She winced once more as an awkward step caused her to bite her lip and flinch.

The brook sounded closer, which was good. The pony-princess just hoped that her ears were not playing tricks on her. Giving her hope , just to pull it away once she discovers it was just the mind of a tired, and delusional scientist and ruler at play. Coming in to try and further punish her subconsciously for every wrong she had inadvertently commit upon her poor subjects and her friends.

The mind was truly one of the most disturbing things. It always sends signals to the host to let them know or remind them about something. To warn, or protect, or even help a host. It could be one of the most helpful natural functions, as well as the most destructive.

Twilight was frightened, to say the least. She didn't want to have these same thoughts forever, if she ever did manage to accomplish getting home, and saving everypony. The blame, and the anguish would linger with her forever. It is so easy to fail when you are not prepared. Not all villains come in large, well-known packages and that is part of what is so scary about it. You never know what is going to happen next.

'Come on, you are almost there, Twilight. Just a little further. A little more, and I can rest a bit, clean myself up, and try to find some supplies...' Twilight thought to herself; almost bitterly, at that. She felt her chest throbbing, and limbs trembling. Her ears popped and her world blurred for a second. Taking a deep breath, the overwhelming sensations stopped.

It seemed she was holding her breath and hadn't even realized it.

Tripping out into a small clearing, she spots the clear waters of the brook just a few paces ahead. It seemed so close yet so far away. The brook bubbled as it rolled over rocks, leaves, and fallen branches from overhead trees. Small fish swam along, most likely trying to find their ways from one body of water to another. Maybe there was a lake nearby.

Her body tilts and she finds herself almost sitting down again.

"I am not giving up... I already walked this far. Get up. If the townsfolk can keep trying to help each other during the crisis in my world, I can get up, and get over there to help myself. Now is not a time to be weak. Not when I have so much stuff I need to fix..." She hissed to herself, pulling her body up again. She stumbled forward, tripping once- twice, three times. Her body wanted to rest, but she would not let it, not yet at least.

She makes it to the edge of the water and falls down in an attempt to kneel. Inspecting the water with somewhat clouded, and tired eyes, she depicts it would not be too harmful to drink some of the water. Enough to hold her off, for a little while at least. Just before she could cup her trembling hands to to try and intake some of the water, she heard some footsteps from in front of her.

The footsteps were light, and sounded almost rubber-soled. There was a good chance that whoever was in front of her was a human. Animals usually didn't sound like that when moving around. Shakily, she let her head turn itself up, spotting the figure almost immediately.

"Why are you here?" came a voice. The voice seemed concerned, more than anything. It was somewhat surprising, seeing the source that the weary word had come from. "You look really beat up..." The voice continued, more or less in a matter of statement rather than mockery.

"Sonata..." Twilight called the name out to the other, rather on edge. "I guess I could ask you the same thing... right?"