• "Sorry to interrupt" - Blooming said, her voice soft, but with a hint of urgency. She approached the bed where Moonflower rested. - "I heard what happened and couldn't wait until tomorrow. We wanted to see how you were doing, Moonflower." - Her eyes scanning every detail of the multicolored mare.

Dash's muscles tensed under the sheets as she replied, trying to keep her tone neutral - "I'm feeling better now. You were not to bother." - Each word was laden with barely contained sarcasm, with little eagerness for the sisters to be there, feigning normalcy. She's not stupid, they had heard it all through her elaborate spells, Dash knew it wasn't a casual visit,

• "we're glad to hear it" - Shinning mentioned - "Aster, could you give us a moment alone and take the dishes to the kitchen please" - she asked without wasting time on formalities, her tone authoritative without hesitation, Aster nodded silently and Moonflower just rolled her eyes in annoyance, of course it wasn't casual

• "Sure Shinning" - with this, he took both plates with his magic and approached Moonflower again - "I'll see you later" - without further ado he gave her a quick warm kiss on the forehead and departed for the exit, leaving the colorful mare wide-eyed, totally stunned at the steed's sudden gesture. The warmth of his lips lingered on Dash's skin, adding confusion to her already turbulent emotional state.

Once outside, Shinning resumed her speech, cutting through the air with the sharp tone of her intentions - "We know you understand why we're here, Rainbow Dash." - ¨So they want to start fast¨ Dash thought to herself, anticipating what was coming next.

• "Well, I'm glad you know" - she replied defiantly. She felt her blood boiling. - "that way we'll save a lot of time arguing" - She slowly sat up, ignoring the pain that still pulsed through her body. Her eyes, normally lively, now shone with a mixture of decision.

• "Relax, if you think we came here to argue, then you're very wrong"- Blooming interjected, her voice soft but firm, receiving a snort in response from the multicolored mare-"we just wanted to know what was all that about with Aster?"

• "What was that all about?" - Dash repeated in the same tone, meeting the royal sisters' gaze.

The sisters looked at each other and then back at Dash - "yeah, what was that all about?" - replied Shinning

• "I'm asking to you" - mentioned Dash, turning her body towards them, Her multicolored mane fell messily over her shoulders as she faced the royal sisters.

• "I think you're misunderstanding" - said Shinning shaking her head - "we mean..."

• "I understood perfectly well" - She stood up completely, ignoring the twinges of pain that coursed through her body. - "you know very well what you did, Now not only do I have to deal with this expectation of being the one who will help save your kingdom under Moonflower's face" - Her voice rose, echoing with restrained frustration. With careful and slowly dangerous steps she approached the unicorns

• "but I also have my entire team watching me like complete strangers, waiting for me to fulfill some sort of destiny bestowed upon me and worse" - she continued, her voice bouncing rigorously off the walls of the room - "now that they know, they will help me achieve it, because you don't need to tell me, I know that their response to your call was positive."

Shining stepped forward, her posture rigid and defensive. - "well yes, we need all the help we can get, Rainbow." - Shinning emphasized earnestly - "The Wonderbolts are not just your team, they are the best flyers in Equestria. Their protection and skill is invaluable."

• "Exactly Dash, we require their knowledge and skill on our side. You could have died if it weren't for them" - agreed Blooming, positioning herself close to her sister.

• "I know and I don't dislike it" - Dash stressed firmly before continuing - "but seriously was it absolutely necessary to reveal everything to them?" - Her eyes burning with indignation - "about Aster and I? Wasn't it enough just to mention the curse to them?"

• "I don't see what your problem is with that, they would eventually find out about your crucial role in all this, Rainbow Dash." - Blooming said, trying to defuse the moment with a voice that countered the tense atmosphere.

• "And that's why, along with Princess Celestia's order, we decided to be as necessarily transparent from the beginning" - explained Shinning - "And before you say it, no, Princess Celestia doesn't know that you are Dash, that yes only the three of us know" - She hurried to clarify before the cyan mare snatched again.

Dash moved towards them, ignoring the pain that shot through her body with each step. Her voice trembled with pent-up emotion that threatened to boil over.

• "What if it doesn't work out? What if I'm not the one after all? Have you thought about that?" - The questions came out in rapid succession, each one laden with anxiety and doubt. - "They'll all have expectations of me, expectations I may not be able to meet" - Her look was noticeably troubled, as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. - "And I know you are desperate to get help and to free your own, but we had a deal. If you don't trust me, that's on you for choosing me, but stop tying me to your life by involving mine because that's not how I work."

Shining maintained her stance, her voice echoing in the room with an authority that could not be ignored. - "We understand your frustration, Rainbow, but you must understand that the situation is critical. With each passing day, our kingdom suffers. We need reliable allies, who can help and protect us." - She closed her eyes for a moment, searching for the right words - "besides if we didn't trust you we wouldn't let you have control of Moonflower."

• "At the cost of my autonomy?" - Dash replied, her voice rising again. - "You're making decisions for me without considering the consequences to my life, to my career, to everything I've built." - Each word was a cry of desperation for the control she felt slipping from her hooves. Her voice cracked briefly, the fear of losing her identity and her dreams tightening her heart like a noose

• "I need to breathe"-She said abruptly, determination and pleading intertwined in her tone, as her footsteps hurried toward the exit of the room.

• "You can't go out in your condition, besides you're going to be recognized Dash" - Shinning warned, her voice tinged with genuine concern, interposing herself between the exit and the mare.

Rainbow growled - "Are you sure I don't?" - She asked, though deep down she didn't want an answer. Without waiting any longer, she turned to a large cupboard in front of the bed, yanking it open. Her eyes frantically roamed the contents. Finally, she grabbed the first thing she found: a simple beige robe, which she hastily put on, it was a bit big and draining on her, but she fastened it with a knot around her side.

She approached the door, feeling twinges of pain that disturbed her veins with every step. But before she could leave, Blooming stood in her way, her face marked by a mixture of concern and determination. - "You're going to put yourself at risk, you still need to recover" - she said trying to stop her.

• "I don't care about that anymore" - Dash replied firmly. She pushed Blooming away with a sharp movement, making her collide with Shinning, and walked out into the hallway, her body protesting loudly, demanding that she stay and rest, but her pride and unbreakable will wouldn't let her hear.

• "Agh, it can't be true!" - Shining exclaimed, exasperation evident in her tone as she followed Dash along with Blooming out of the room into the hallway. Worry filled her gaze, each step she took after her a reminder of how out of control the situation had gotten.

With lunch concluded, the Wonderbolts began to disperse, some heading for their rooms, as was the case of High Wings accompanied by Surprise and Rainbow Dash, who preferred to go alone to her distant Suit, claiming to be too tired to stay and chat. No one protested at her decision; her incredibly quiet and serious demeanor during lunch had made it clear that she was not in a mood conducive to anyone's company. Her friends' concern was reflected in their looks, but they respected her space.

Meanwhile, Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot decided to take a stroll towards the area where their rooms were located. With no definite plan other than to walk and chat, carrying a rhythmic conversation along the way. Suddenly, a nearby noise interrupted their chatter, a commotion was foreign.

Intrigued, the three exchanged quick glances, a silent understanding passing between them. Cautiously, they approached the source of the noise, sheltering behind a column that offered them an undetected angle of vision. What they saw left them dumbfounded: the unicorn princesses were engaged in a heated argument with Moonflower.

They watched the scene attentively, not knowing exactly what the discussion was about. The princesses seemed exasperated, they were following Moonflower with energetic gestures and serious countenances, they seemed to be fighting against an invisible current, trying to make their message heard. Meanwhile, Moonflower maintained a firm posture, her expression determined and angry, although her walk showed no apparent direction.

-"For the last time, come back here," - said Blooming, her voice firm, but with a hint of pleading. Royal authority was intertwined with genuine concern.

Moonflower stopped abruptly, turning to face the sisters. Her eyes flashed with a fierce intensity, her multicolored mane fluttering with the sudden movement and her neck claiming her in pain from the subdued motion. - "For the last time, no" - she retorted, each word laden with disgust and resolve. - "Leave me alone."

Shining took a step forward, approaching the little mare with a rigid posture - "You're making me do it the hard way" - she mentioned, hoping that statement would arouse some reason in Dash.

She had no desire to resort to the body control spell, aware of the physical pain she might inflict on the mare if she did so - "Your health is at stake, and there is much more at stake here than your pride and stubbornness."

Moonflower stepped back, her wings instinctively spreading - "Don't you dare" - she warned, her voice echoing down the corridor with a mixture of defiance and fear - "You only care about my health for the sake of convenience. This is about more than my pride. This is about my life, my identity, did you ever think about how I feel, what this means to me?"

Blooming tried to get closer to her, her tone loud but not shouting next to Dash's - "Do you wonder? You don't even trust us" - she looked away, letting out a bitter laugh that reflected her irony. - "And you're already going to talk about consideration, with how resentful and sarcastic you've been all this time with us."

• "Please, you have been no different with me" - Moonflower advanced with determination towards them, closing the space even more and increasing the tension - "What you did shows me that there is no trust on your part either, and now you come to threaten me under your benefit. No, not with me!"

In a swift and fluid movement despite her condition, she approached in quick strides towards one of the overlooking walls that surrounded the open corridors of the hallway and soared into it, ready to take flight and escape from those walls that caged her in.

• "What are you doing, stop!!!" - Blooming shouted in an urgent voice, her horn glowing with magic, preparing to intervene, as did Shinning's.

• "You're being irrational and we're not going to let you put yourself at risk" - said Shinning, looking for a way to reconcile with her - "come back right now" - her tone was caring but authoritative

Moonfower took a slight step back, her hoof brushing the edge of the wall. Reluctance at the idea of returning burst her sisters' patience.

• "I swear that if you take one more step you will regret it" - Shinning mentioned tired of the situation with the pegasus, her horn flared with more dexterity, ready to take control at the slightest movement of the stubborn mare.

A dense silence followed Shinning's words, a duel of wills was the only noise present in their minds. Finally, Moonflower sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing her expression as she closed her wings at her sides. The tension in the sisters' horns and defiant countenances eased at the pegasus' apparent surrender.

But, as we well know, peace could not last long between the three of them, and without warning, Moonfower leaned back, dropping backwards from the overlooking wall. Time seemed to slow as her body descended, robe billowing in the air, her wings still closed.

• "No!" - Blooming and Shining shouted in unison, running toward the wall and leaning out of it, their horns glowing brightly as they tried to conjure a levitation spell. But the mare, even in her weakened state, was fast.

A few feet from the ground, her wings unfurled with an audible snap. With a grace that defied her condition, spinning through the air, transforming her fall into an upward flight. She soared quickly, leaving the princesses gaping, hooves stretched out uselessly towards her, as they watched her disappear into the horizon, her figure growing smaller against the evening sky.

The princesses, overcoming their initial shock, exchanged a meaning-laden glance. They knew the situation had escalated to a critical point.

Shining, still with magic crackling in her horn, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. -"We must follow her. We can't let her run away like this."-The weight of her responsibility was pushing her to act.

She turned with determination, a glint of resolve in her eyes as she took a step forward. Before she could give action to her intentions, Blooming stopped her by the shoulder, her voice tinged with frustration and concern

• "We must give her space. Chasing her will only make things worse." - she placed her hoof on her sister's shoulder, her horn muffling as she let out a shaky sigh. - "We're only pushing her further away."

Shining, though initially determined to act, was forced to consider her sister's words. She nodded slowly, though the tension in her jaw revealed her internal disagreement. "But we can't leave her all alone. It's too dangerous, she's in no condition to maneuver or be that high up." - Tears were beginning to gather at the edge of her eyes.

Blooming encircled her in a reassuring hug - "she'll be fine" - with reciprocated support they both looked in the direction by which the multicolored mare had escaped from them.

The reaction of the three recognizable Bolts to the scene they had just witnessed was indescribable. They watched in awe and concern, but also with a hint of confusion and perhaps distrust at the lack of context that would allow them to understand the discussion from their perspective. Fleetfoot held back a gasp, her wings quivering with the desire to intervene as the mare fell off the wall. Soarin, usually unconcerned, frowned and kept his mouth ajar, his eyes following Moonflower's every movement with attention and wonder. For her part, Spitfire maintained an indecipherable expression that reflected the amalgamation of emotions that gripped her, previously said and yet to be said. Her mind working at full speed to process what they had just witnessed.

Fleetfoot was the first to react as she caught a glimpse of where the mare's figure disappeared. - "Come on!" - she whispered urgently to her companions as she pulled herself upright. - "She won't stay airborne long in that state."

Spitfire and Soarin exchanged worried glances, aware that the situation could get worse in an instant.

-"We have to reach her before she gets hurt," - Spitfire declared with determination. Without further words, the three pegasus took to the air, following the colorful trail that marked Moonflower's path in the sky. Urgency and determination were reflected in their movements, as they followed her cautiously.

Rainbow Dash, still wrapped in Moonflower's costume, soared through the skies with breakneck speed, determined to distance herself not only from the princesses, but also from the flood of emotions that gripped her. The icy wind whipped at her face, wiping away the tears of frustration forming in her eyes with her helmet. Each flutter was a reminder of the physical pain that gripped her; her body protested, tired and worn, as exhaustion threatened to bring her down at any moment.

• "Why now?" - She muttered between her teeth, her voice a whisper drowned out by the wind. She scanned the horizon for a safe haven, a place where she could drop the mask of the mare she had become. Her eyes fell on a lone cloud, large and fluffy, floating in the distance.

With a final effort, Moonflower headed for the cloud, landing with less grace than she would have wished. She dropped onto the smooth, cool surface, her breath hitching and her body trembling from the effort. The cloud enveloped her, almost like a comforting, safe embrace.

For a few moments, only the murmur of the wind and her agitated breathing broke the silence. However, the frustration and anger she had been holding back began to bubble up like psychophonies, like a volcano about to erupt. the stars seemed to begin to emerge and spin in a frenzied dance as memories and voices assaulted her sanity.

-I can't take it anymore! -she cried out, her voice echoing in the loneliness of the sky. The echo of her despair was lost in the vastness, unheard by anyone, as if her words were only a whisper in the vast darkness as she thrashed the cloud like a filly throwing a tantrum, as if she could vent her pain in that ethereal contact.

"(...) Intruder" - whispered the wind suddenly, causing Moonflower, still lying on her stomach, to perk up her ears.

"Yeah, you know, to break the curse" - She sat up with a jolt, heart pounding in her chest. what had that been?

The cloud under her hooves seemed to grow denser, as if it wanted to engulf her. Moonflower shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, but the voices persisted.

"And you're already going to talk about consideration, with how resentful and sarcastic you've been all this time with us"

A shiver ran down her back, the now night sky seemed to close in on her, the stars now forming indecipherable patterns as they moved around her opposing her natural movement.

• "What's going on?" - Moonflower asked aloud, rising from the base of the cloud, now standing on her hooves. Frantically watching as her surroundings began to shrink her space.

"That's enough Rainbow Dash! This has gone too far already."

The cloud began to ripple under her hooves, as if responding to her emotional turbulence, no longer embracing her but drowning her, and, like a vacuum cleaner, a hole began to suck through the middle of the cloud, which no longer even had a familiar shape. Moonflower quickly moved away from the middle, walking backwards as she watched in sheer horror.

"What if it doesn't work, what if I'm not the one after all? (...)" - The voice came from her left side, sharp and piercing. She turned, but saw nothing. Only emptiness.

"if anyone discovers your true identity or the nature of this spell, the consequences could trigger an unfortunate outcome for both of us" - This time, the voice came from her right. She turned around suddenly but again found herself alone.

• "Please, Luna, wake me up from this nightmare" - pleaded Moonflower aloud, searching the sky for the moon and stars. But there was no sky, no darkness, no light. There was nothing. Only an abyss that swallowed her voice.

"I hope I can repay you someday for your help and for keeping this involuntary secret."

Each sentence was like a blow, making her breathing become more erratic. The wind around her disappeared along with her physical pain; she didn't feel, she didn't see, she just walked backwards, or what she thought was backwards. It was as if her body was selling her senses and her reason to those manipulative memories at an exaggeratedly cheap price.

"Moonflower is a refined lady, Dash. Quite the opposite of you."

The hole that was sucking in the cloud began to grow visibly larger, its edges deceptively blurry. She had to run if she didn't want to fall. But where to? Confusion enveloped her, and panic was beginning to take hold.

"besides if we didn't trust you we wouldn't let you have control of Moonflower."

The cloud vanished beneath her legs, and the emptiness that surrounded her seemed to want to devour her. The cloud was crumbling, and the truth she had tried to elude manifested itself with brutal clarity: she could not run away from herself.

As she ran hopelessly, her hooves suddenly encountered a flat, glassy surface: a mirror. She stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that she was trapped in a cube made of mirrors. Six faces reflected her distress, but four versions of Moonflower stared back at her.

In front of her was the first Moonflower, the one who had started it all. Her purple dress, adorned with gold accents, draped gracefully over her figure. The flowers in her wavy hair, half pinned back with precision, gave her an air of sophistication. Posture erect on those golden heels that tortured her hooves, her face was millimetrically made up, from her pink lips to her mocking eyes. Yes, she was mocking her.

On the right side of the cube, the second Moonflower, the one who announced the tour, was portrayed in the short dark blue dress, decorated with silver trimmings, contrasted with her look of disapproval and contempt.

"You have to be like her, if we want this to work."

On the left side of the cube, the third Moonflower was quite the opposite. Her dark blue dress was destroyed, torn and burned. Her wings were spasming, and her hair was a dust-covered mess, as was her face, which reflected uneasiness and physical exhaustion. It was the version of the second Moonflower, but after the battle, this one looked at her with regret and confusion.

Finally, at the back of the cube, was the fourth Moonflower, her current state. No fancy costumes, no makeup, just a robe that did not fit her. The wounds properly treated for her speedy recovery were a reminder of her fragility. Her look reflected anger and frustration, nothing more.

At this point, Rainbow Dash resigned herself to struggle to understand what she was witnessing. Madness seemed to have taken over what sanity she thought she had left, but that didn't mean she wanted to stay there forever. Each reflection confronted her with a part of herself that she had ignored in her commentary, she knew she had to find a way out.

The silence was broken when the first Moonflower, the one in the purple dress, spoke in Shinning's honeyed voice-"(...)what do you intend to accomplish with your unconscionable acting, Dash?"

The aforementioned one blinked in astonishment, ¨it can always get worse right? ¨ she thought. She took a step back, bumping into the fourth Moonflower.

• "I swear if you take one more step you're going to regret it" - added this fourth one disdainfully and hitting the mirror, which made Dash jerk away.

• "Please stop" - she mentioned with a noticeable desperation in her voice.

The second Moonflower was the one who answered him - "oh, but why?" - a wide, horrible grin spread across her face - "don't you believe in destiny?" - Now with Aster's voice, it seemed that every voice revoked from the memory took on the voice of the one who said it, further torturing her ears and mocking her reason.

The third Moonflower, looking disheveled after the battle, looked at her with false compassion - "you're the piece that doesn't fit in this puzzle, the one that could disrupt everything!"

• "Enough!" - Dash shouted, her hooves pounding the mirrored floor. - "You're not real!"

The four mares burst into cruel guffaws, the fourth Moonflower continued - "I'm definitely convinced that you're the right pony!"

The four Moonflowers began to speak in unison, their voices mingling in a disturbing chorus. Dash felt her heart pounding, the pressure in her chest becoming unbearable.

Dash closed her eyes, trying to block out the voices, but the sound was deafening - "Shut up!" - she shouted, banging the mirror under her hooves. - "Shut up, all of you!"

Despair washed over her, and each guffaw echoed like an echo of her own insecurity. She felt trapped in a maze of reflections, where each version of herself confronted her with moments she didn't want to accept.

The Moonflowers laughed in unison, the sound reverberating in the mirror cube like an echo of her own mental confinement. The laughter intensified, becoming a macabre chorus that filled the space, to the point where they didn't even seem real.

The mirror began to crack under the force of her blows, fissures spreading like veins about to burst.

Dash hit the ground harder, desperate to escape. - "Let me out!" - she shouted, her voice echoing with a mixture of fear.

• "You'll understand, I can't let you get in the way of my plans...Moonflower."- said all 4 at the same time.

With one last desperate blow, Dash shattered the mirror under her hooves. The sound of the glass shattering filled the air, a burst of freedom that echoed in his soul. And suddenly, the mirror cube vanished, as if it had never existed on the planes of reality.

Dash felt her body fall into the void, the wind whistling in her ears, a muffled scream accompanying her. The voices and laughter of the Moonflowers faded, replaced by the roar of the air around her as she fell towards the distant ground, no longer so distant....

Reality hit her hard: she was really falling. It was no longer a nightmare, but a terrifying descent to certain death. Panic seized her, a rush of adrenaline that made her feel the gravity of her situation. She tried to spread her wings, an instinctive act of pegasus survival, but they did not respond to her call for help, they did not work, leaving her with no other alternative, snatching in an unrealized act, her hope.

¨No, this was not her fault, had she provoked it?, she had not right?, could she have sensed that something like this was likely to happen that day, of course not, or had she, but how?¨

With every inch she descended, Dash felt the life drain from her hooves. The sky above her was rapidly receding, becoming an impossibly high ceiling. Below, the ground approached with torturous slowness, as if she was reveling in the agony of her fall with longing and hunger.

¨So far away but so close...¨

The cold of the abyss seeped into her bones, chilling her to the depths of her being. Her muscles contracted in a spasm of helplessness, while her tears were dried by the wind.

¨What had she gotten herself into?¨

In the midst of that lonely descent, Dash faced the cruel reality of her insignificance, the brutal truth of her mortality despite all she had accomplished in her short life. There was no turning back now, she could not save herself, no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not avoid meeting the end of her infinite fall. Only the dark and merciless abyss, waiting to welcome her and tuck her in before taking her to sleep on its cold and eternal maw, with the sole purpose of erasing her existence as a mere speck of dust on the sandy ground and commemorating her memory to those who would never know what she had known, but what she had done.

Author's Note

ooooh I can't believe it, I'm back at last. It's been hard days and getting back to writing after these days has freed me up a lot.

I literally cried writing and reading this chapter, you don't know how excited I am that you enjoy it, just as I enjoy your comments, which I adore and keep in the deepest part of my inspiration to give the best of me in the development of this story.

I love you all very much and I trust you will like what's coming.