Their Names Across The Multiverse

"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DAMN VINES!?" Alice screamed, slashing a path through the area they were in.

Alice kept moving forward but stopped. She turned around and saw Twilight and her new friends far away.

"Why are you guys keeping your distance?"

Rozelle rosed her bandaged arm, making Alice upset.

"Oh, come on, I said I was sorry! I'm not going to hurt you or the rest of you." she swung her knife at them, quickly catching herself in doing the act. She sighed as she put the knife away. She sat on the ground. "Okay, I get it. Sorry."

Rozelle walked over to and sat in front of her, smiling. "Gosh, we were only joking. No need to get all upset."

Alice just gave her the stink eye, causing Rozelle to laugh.

"Oh my, you do look cute when you are upset."

Alice felt a blush appear on her face, and she quickly looked away.

"No, I'm not. You don't need to keep making fun of me!" Alice replied, all flustered, which made Rozelle smile.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. It's okay to take a compliment," she said, placing her hand on Alice's, but it was smacked away, causing the girl to feel hurt. "I'm sorry. Did I-"

"Leave me alone. Just leave me alone."

Alice turned her body around, leaving Rozelle with a sad expression. Alice didn't want to see her like that, but she didn't want her near her either. She just wanted her to leave her alone.

Dash and Twilight watched everything. Dash asked what her deal was, and Twilight answered.

"In her universe, she was bullied a lot, and she told me that once, she was tricked into believing someone liked her by complimenting her. But, it was all a big trick and a cruel one at that. They humiliated her, and ever since, she's had trust issues with people who are nice to her."

Dash just blinked as she listened to her.

"Damn. That's terrible..." She looked at Alice and saw Rozelle trying to apologize. "But she trusts you, right?"

Twilight nodded her head, agreeing.

"Yeah, but only because she is...well, me." Twilight looked up, seeing the vast branches being covered by the vines. "Alice opened a rift to here and saw tons of different universes and saw into mine. She saw how awful I had it. She felt a connection with me. That was why she trusted me more than you two right now."

Twilight looked back down and faced Dash. "Still, I'm surprised that Fayth came to you guys as well but..." she placed her hoof under her chin, thinking about something. "Why didn't she tell us about you and vice versa?"

Dash didn't know either and shrugged her shoulders.

"Who knows? All I know is that we need to help her and stop Spark! We can't let her send us back home!" Dash started to panic as she held her body, feeling like her body was on fire again. "I don't want to go back home! I don't want to burn anymore!"

Twilight felt so sorry for Dash. She didn't know why she was like this, but whatever happened to her in her universe was very traumatic.

"Don't worry, we won't. Let's hope Fayth is doing well."

"Come on, don't be like this, Alice! I'm really sorry!" Rozelle cried, trying to apologize for her actions.

"I said, leave me alone. You're making this harder," Alice replied, keeping her back to her.

Rozelle started to whimper but stopped. "Making this harder? Making what harder?"

Alice felt terrible, hearing the sadness in her voice.

"Rozelle, I...I can't trust anyone." she slightly eyed her. "Not even you."

Rozelle became angry when she heard that. She stood up, pointing at her. "Why? Is it because of my legs? Hate being around a cripple. A freak like me!"

Alice was surprised by her anger.

"What!? No! It's nothing like that. It's-"

"Then, what is it?" She walked around her, stood before her, and poked Alice's nose. "Tell me! What happened?"

Alice was getting annoyed as Rozelle poked her nose like a button.

"Stop it!"

Rozelle stopped and backed off. Alice was breathing heavily.

"I can't trust anyone because in my world, everyone hated me, okay! No matter what I did, no how much I tried to make friends, everyone hated me! And the one who pretended to be my friend just to get me alone with other bullies and beat me up! So, yeah, I don't trust anyone, including you!"

Alice stood up and turned away, not wanting to show her face to her.

"How can I trust you!? I bet you are working with Spark or something! You probably just wanted to stab me in the back or something. Yeah, that's what's going on!"

Rozelle was shocked by what she was saying to her.

"Alice...that isn't true. I would never do that to you. I would never hurt you!"

"WE DON'T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER! SO HOW DO I KNOW!?"

Her response took Rozelle aback, and tears started to fall.

"Is that it, Alice? Is that how you think of me? Just another bully like those others who hurt you." she wiped her tears and became madder. "Idiot!"

Alice looked behind her, shocked by her words.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Calling me an idiot! I'm not an idiot!" Alice fired back.

"Yes, you are, Alice. Big dummy, dumb dumb! You are right; we don't know each other, but I'm trying to change that. However, you don't trust me. You won't let me get close."

Rozelle turned her back, walking away, not caring about where she was going.

"Fine! Be that way! Go on, keep being a big dummy!"

Alice didn't care where she was going and walked away, too. Dash saw this happening and wanted to stop it, but when she turned to Twilight, she could see her on the ground, covering her ears. Dash could see Twilight was scared, but why?

"...is she scared of the yelling?"

Alice stopped and looked around. She had been walking for a while and wondered if she was lost.

"Ugh, damn it, I got too mad and forgot where I was going..." she groaned, pushing the endless vines away.

She took out her pocket knife and wanted to cut down the vines, but she remembered how she hurt someone other than herself. She looked at her knife, seeing the dry blood on it.

"...I better not. I might bump into someone else."

She put away the knife and was about to walk when she heard someone running near it. Soon, bursting out of the endless vines was Rozelle, running like she was in a race, but her form was awful. She took notice of Alice but didn't have enough time to stop herself and ended up crashing into her. Both girls fell to the ground, and Rozelle landed on Alice.

"Ow! God, you're heavy."

Alice opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a pair of small breasts above her face. She blushed at the sight of their position, realizing the position they were in. Rozelle blushed, too.

"Oh my, I'm sorry!" Rozelle apologized, standing up and helping Alice, but quickly remembered her comment and dropped her to the floor. "Wait, did you call me fat?"

"OW!" Alice shouted, falling on her butt and glaring at her.

"No, I didn't. You are just...a lot heavier than I thought!" Alice corrected.

Rozelle looked away and didn't say anything. Alice sighed, feeling stupid. For a girl like Rozelle, hearing someone call you heavy was basically like calling you fat.

"Look, I'm sorry. You're not fat or anything. I'm sorry. It was wron-"

But Rozelle didn't let her finish as she pointed at her. "DAMN RIGHT, I'M NOT FAT!" she took different running poses. "How can I be fat when I look like this!? I'm fit as fuck!"

Alice watched her doing warm-ups, and soon, Alice felt annoyed. She stood up on her own and dusted herself off.

"Okay, I get it. You aren't fat, just really muscular and really, really heavy." Alice sighed, rubbing her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I'm so skinny that the wind blows me away." Rozelle mocked, pointing at her.

Alice felt insulted and glared.

"Oh, come on, I'm not being mean to you. It would help if you ate more. Your bones are going to show soon." Rozelle said, grabbing Alice's shirt and lifting it. She poked Alice's tummy. "See! Bony."

"HEY, STOP IT!"

Alice backed off, grabbing her shirt and blushing as Rozelle laughed.

"You should see your face. It's so red!"

"S-Shut up! Why are you even following me!?" Alice asked, now the one doing the pointing.

Rozelle stopped laughing and crossed her arms. "What? I'm not following you?" she got closer and pointed at Alice. "You are the one following me!" but she smiled at her. "You must be fast to keep up with me! I was a star runner, you know! I was going to make it big..." she became somewhat sad.

Alice gave her a confused look.

"Keep up with you? No, you were following me, weren't you?"

Rozelle shook her head.

"I wasn't following you. I started to run in the direction I went." She smirked at her. "Oh, you were worried about me?"

"Wh-What? No! I wasn't!"

"Oh, you were! You were worried about me and followed me! Admit it, Alice!"

Alice kept shaking her head. She looked up and realized something. "Listen, it looks like we are going in circles. We should stop and-"

"No! Not until you admit it!"

"Admit what?"

"You are worried about me, Alice! Admit it!"

Alice started to get annoyed by this girl so much. "NO, I AM NOT! LISTEN, WE SHOULD GET BACK TO THE OTHERS!"

"NO, ADMIT IT, ALICE!"

"ADMIT WHAT!?"

"THAT YOU CARE ABOUT ME!"

Alice screamed as she looked away from her. "I wasn't worried about you, okay!? So stop thinking that!"

Rozelle didn't say anything as her smile left her face, and she looked away. She was upset that Alice honestly didn't care about her. She'd been trying her best to prove that she was trustworthy, a friend and all her hard work was thrown back in her face.

"...you don't have to act nice," she said, looking down at the ground. "If you didn't want me here, you could have just said so."

Alice looked at her, and she was silent but looked sad.

"You need to be more assertive than that, you know? Say what you feel, you know? Like, really show it!" Rozelle started to punch the air. "Like, say 'FUCK OFF! YOU STUPID BITCH!' or something like that!" she stopped, giving her a sad smile. "Don't hold back. I can take it."

Alice didn't say anything, and Rozelle walked off, leaving her alone. Alice sighed, and she turned, heading in a different direction. She didn't know where to go but had no idea where the others were.

Dash didn't know what to do, but Twilight acted strangely after Rozelle and Alice screamed at each other. They had been doing that for a while now.

"Uh, are you okay?"

"No," Twilight responded, her body shivering as she held herself. "I hate it. I hate loud noises, and the way Rozelle and Alice yelled made my heart race."

Dash wasn't sure what to say. Should she ask why or not?

"It's just that it reminds me of my parents when they fight...it always ends in yelling, and one of them would leave. But the worst part is the silence." Twilight closed her eyes, holding her body.

"Twi-"

"I HATE SILENCE!"

Dash jumped back, surprised by her screaming. Twilight started to cry as she held her ears now.

"Hearing nothingness reminds me of..." Twilight cried, looking up at Dash. "That is my fault!"

Dash blinked, confused. "Your fault? What do you mean?"

Twilight was scared, remembering everything that happened in her life. "I'm a huge failure! I ruin everything! Even my family's lives! I ruin everything!"

Dash could feel her pain and guilt. She wanted to comfort her, but she was a stranger to her. She looked at her hooves, tapping them together. She was thinking, trying to find something to do. She couldn't comfort her, and it seemed that Rozelle and Alice couldn't help since they had gone off somewhere. She looked at Twilight again, seeing her repeating the word, failure repeatedly.

Dash was getting angry at herself. She didn't know what to do.

"God, come on, Dash! Think!"

Dash tapped her head. She needed to think of something. Twilight helped with her bandages and didn't ask about her burn scars, as she was kind to her. Dash closed her eyes and sighed.

"Twilight..."

Twilight turned to her, confused, and shook. She saw Dash removing her bandages, revealing her burn markings.

"What are you-"

"This is who I am," Dash explained. "I'm a failure too..."

Alice stopped and looked around. She could see she was lost, but it hardly mattered. What mattered to her was whether Rozelle was okay. Alice believed maybe she was wrong to push her away.

"Why did I do that? She was a huge annoyance, but she wasn't bad." Alice said, kicking a rock.

Alice continued walking but soon encountered something on the ground. She became worried as she picked up Rozelle's prosthesis leg.

"Rozelle!" Alice called out, worried that something happened to her. "ROZELLE!"

Alice was freaking out as she couldn't find her.

"What if something bad happened to her!?" she thought as she ran randomly, hoping to find her. "Stupid! You should be using your brain, the smartest woman in the world, my ass! There be monsters here; you should have stayed with her and-oof!?" Alice tripped over something and fell face-first into the wooden bark. "Ugh, what the hell did I trip on? A stick? Oh, no, wait." Alice looked down and saw the other prosthesis. "Rozelle..."

Alice picked it up and became more worried. Although there wasn't blood, it still felt warm. She stood up and looked around, trying to find her.

"Where is she?" Alice wondered.

"ROZELLE!" Alice called out.

She ran again but started seeing something ahead as the vines finally started to thin out. She heard something like water, and when she finally exited the vines, she came across a lake. Alice was breathing hard, and her fears faded as she sighed with relief.

"There she is..." Alice sighed.

Alice walked up to the lake and could see Rozelle at its shore.

"Rozelle!" she called out to her.

Rozelle was surprised to hear Alice as she flinched and wiped her face. She put on a robust and cheerful face and waved at her as she turned around.

"Hey, Alice! What brings you-"

"FUCKING DUMBASS!"

Rozelle blinked, confused. "Huh?"

Alice stormed up to her and stood before her. She yelled again.

"I THOUGHT SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO YOU! WHY THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LEGS BEHIND!? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS!?"

Rozelle didn't respond as she stared at Alice.

"YOU ARE A BIG IDIOT!"

Rozelle gave a soft smile and became smug. "Well, you can worry about someone other than yourself, huh? Looks like-"

But Alice dropped to her knees, confusing Rozelle. Before she could ask why she did that, Alice cried.

"Be my fault if you die. I would have never forgiven myself for letting you get hurt because of me! Not again!" Alice broke down, remembering all the people she killed when her invention went into meltdown and blew up.

Rozelle was shocked to hear her crying and reached out to her, worrying about her now, but she was caught off guard as Alice hugged her.

"Please, I don't want anyone else dying because of me...I already have blood on my hands...please..."

Rozelle was surprised by the hug but more confused by what Alice had just said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Alice said nothing, only crying on Rozelle's shoulder. She didn't let go of her as she kept her eyes closed.

"Alice, are you okay? What happened? Did you have a bad past? Tell me, please." Rozelle pleaded, but no matter how much she asked, Alice didn't answer, only repeating how she was a murderer. "What happened to you, Alice?"

"Dash?" Twilight whispered, seeing how Dash tried to be brave as she let someone see her burn scars.

"Yeah, I'm a failure too, so you aren't the only one..."

Twilight watched her, curious, as Dash started talking about her life and how she got these scars by burning up as a fireball when she pulled off a fiery sonic rainboom.

"When I looked up in the sky, I remember the feeling, the wind blowing through me, and my mane flying behind me. Then, I heard a boom of sound as my speed pushed me far, higher and faster than ever. It was the most powerful, quickest, and incredible thing I had ever done...then I can feel the fire coming down on me, burning and melting my flesh. I was in so much pain that I didn't realize I crashed back to the ground." Dash used her wings to cover herself now, as she felt too ashamed about her body. "I can't fly anymore. I'm a Pegasus who is afraid of flying, and my whole body looks disgusting."

Twilight didn't say anything as Dash was silent for a few seconds.

"The doctors told me I was lucky to survive, but I know the truth." she slowly eyed Twilight. "I died that day. The real me died, and now the only thing left is a shadow."

"A shadow?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, a shadow of my former self. I'm not the same Rainbow Dash everyone knew anymore. I can't even remember the old me anymore."

Dash curled into a ball, crying as she remembered her old life, but she stopped as she left Twilight's hoof.

"Can you tell me...more about yourself?" Twilight asked with a soft smile, but she remembered she needed to be careful with her. "As long you are okay with it. Don't force yourself if you can't."

Dash looked at her, surprised and confused. She sniffled and wiped her tears.

"Why are you being nice to me? Considerate, even? Why?"

Twilight thought, and then she smiled. "Because I don't want to see someone cry."

"That's all?"

"Also, I want to understand you more." Twilight sat down next to her, now smiling sadly. "I don't know why, but I feel we are alike. You have a horrible past and seem to be scared of what you have become."

"And your point?"

"My point is, I feel I should help you because...I've been through the same thing. I can't even remember who I used to be or how I used to act."

"How?"

Twilight closed her eyes, remembering the exam day she was a filly. "There was a test at the School of Gifted Unicorns. We were tasked with hatching a dragon egg. Before the exam started, Princess Celestia told me she saw a spark in me. Something..." Twilight started to have a mental breakdown as she began to laugh. "DIffErEnt frOm thE rEst! shE bELIEvEd In mE! shE gAvE mE sO mUch hOpE thAt I wAs spEcIAL!" she gave Dash a creepyly smile, scaring her. Twilight was breathing, slowly realizing she was losing control and had to stop herself. She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry..."

Dash had no idea what to do or say. The two just awkwardly sat there, not looking at each other.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Twilight opened her eyes. "Huh?"

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Dash offered, giving her a gentle smile. "...if you can, I mean. I'm not pushing you or forcing you!" Dash was the one who started to freak out now. "Don't be mad; I'm not forcing you or anything! Please don't take it the wrong way!"

Twilight looked away, and this caused Dash to believe she had done something wrong. She wanted to apologize, but she, too, looked away. But she wasn't unaware that Twilight wasn't mad; she realized something.

"...no one ever asked me what was wrong. To ask me what was bothering me. I guess the fact is that no one cares; no one has ever asked me about my troubles...I can't explain how I feel." Twilight sighed in her thoughts. She eyed Dash, seeing her pounding her head softly as she called herself an idiot. Something within Twilight is lit, making her feel a warm blush.

"Dash..."

Alice and Rozelle sat on the shore, watching the lake's surface moving from the soft wind.

"I was stupid, leaving my prostheses behind. I didn't even consider that you'd come and look for me. Sorry..." Rozelle apologized as she gave up on asking what was wrong with Alice.

Alice handed her back the legs and asked a question. "Why did you leave them behind like that? Wouldn't that make it harder for you to move around?"

Rozelle took them and tossed them into the lake, shocking Alice.

"Why did you do that!? You need-"

"I DON'T NEED THEM!"

Alice was silenced, shocked by Rozelle's sudden anger. She turned to her and saw the look in her eyes. Rozelle looked so mad and frustrated.

"I don't want them! Those stupid cheap legs! I hate them!" Rozelle punched the ground, scaring Alice.

"What is wrong with you!?"

"Those legs! They are fake! They aren't the real thing! They aren't my real legs!" she closed her eyes, remembering how she lost her legs and dear friend. "They are just a reminder of what happened to me!" She could see everyone giving her nothing but pity, not truly being there for her but just making a bunch of empty promises. She saw her parents acting the same way.

"What?" Alice didn't know what was happening. She could see Rozelle was distraught. She looked at the lake, seeing the legs going under.

"I hate them! I-huh?" she opened her eyes and heard something jumping into the lake. She could see Alice swimming in the middle of the lake. "What are you doing!?" she shouted as Alice was swimming back with her legs.

Alice threw them onto the ground, panting hard as she looked up at her. "The hell!? Threw them far. Do you play baseball or something?" joked Alice, hoping to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "Sorry, I'm not good at jokes. Anyway, I'm not letting you throw away something that you need. You might not like them, but they are yours."

Alice grabbed one of the legs and was about to hand it to her as she lowered herself to her, but Rozelle slapped her face, shocking her.

"Don't you dare hand it to me! If I wanted to keep them, I would have! Please don't force yourself to be nice to me! Don't pity me like the rest!"

"Why the fuck are you so mad!?" Alice shouted, throwing the leg to the ground and standing up.

"You wouldn't understand! No one understands! You don't know what it's like having people treat you differently and look at you with pity! You don't have to deal with losing something! I lost my legs and..." Rozelle started to sob as she looked away. "Someone I saw as a dear friend, even a big sister. She was someone I cared about, but she is gone."

Alice didn't say anything as she stood still, not knowing what to do. She understood Rozelle's pain as she remembered how she lost her parents and Cadence. She ruined her brother's family by taking Cadence and her unborn child away from him. She wanted to tell Rozelle this, but something was stopping her.

"I don't need any help! I don't need anyone's pity! Everyone thinks that, and I'm sick of it!"

Alice looked at the legs on the ground, slowly kneeling down to grab them. She looked at Rozelle, who was too busy with her thoughts and sadness to notice her.

"Rozelle...I'm sorry what I'm about to do."

Rozelle didn't notice until Alice pushed her down to the ground and pulled up her sundress, causing her to turn red and scream at her. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU PERVERT!?"

Alice ignored her and tried to put Rozelle's leg stump into the leg.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"Shut the fuck up and let me focus!" Alice yelled back, trying to force it.

"No! Don't you dare put it on!" she started to punch her in the back, which Alice will give her credit for. Rozelle was hitting her pretty hard. "You don't know what it's like! You are healthy and strong! You don't have to deal with what I deal with!"

"Rozelle shut the fuck up and listen!"

"NO!"

Alice finally got the stump into the leg and made sure it was secured and not loose.

"Shut the fuck up and listen!" Alice screamed, now grabbing the other stump. "You need them! How else can you move around!? I'm sure as hell not carrying you around!"

Rozelle stopped and glared at her.

"YOU REALLY DO SEE ME AS FAT!"

Alice couldn't believe this girl. She didn't mean it that way, but she was glad Rozelle was angry about something else rather than before. "That's not what I meant! But seriously, I can't carry you around everywhere!"

"I'M NOT FAT!"

"Jesus Christ!" Alice shouted, now wishing Rozelle went to being mad at her for putting the legs back on her. "I'm not calling you fat, okay!? By common logic, you can't walk and only be a burden!"

Rozelle said nothing, feeling hurt. "Fine..." she muttered, turning away from her.

Alice looked at her, wanting to do something to cheer her up, but nothing came to her mind. She just put the last leg back on her and stood up. Her back was facing Rozelle, and she finally said something to her. "...also, I can't carry you because I'm not strong."

Rozelle looked at her, seeing Alice hating herself as she closed her hands into a fist.

"I'm not strong, I'm weak, okay? I can't carry you. I'm not the person to depend on or to be around, alright?" Alice took a deep breath, now turning her head. She saw a confused and worried Rozelle. "I'm just a weak girl afraid of what's ahead. I'm scared of the future and what I can do. I did something bad, and I can't forgive myself for it. I don't want to fail you, okay?"

Alice didn't know what to do as she felt a tear falling down her cheek.

"So please, don't think I'm pitying you. I don't want to see you throw away something important—something you need to be..." Alice looked away. "You."

"What?"

"I just met you, but I can't picture you without them because I see them as a part of you, who you are." Alice sighed, knowing she wasn't making any sense and might be making it worse.

Rozelle blinked and looked at Alice back. At first glance, it looked frail, but upon a closer look, she saw someone trying their best, not for themselves, but for her. It looked strong.

Rozelle felt her cheeks burning up. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. The warmth of her face, her beating heart, and her soft breathing were all new experiences. Rozelle could feel something bubbling within her, wanting to get out. She opened her mouth but stopped; she couldn't express what she wanted. She didn't want to lose someone else that she cared about. She realized she had fallen in love with Alice, and the thought of losing her scared her. Rozelle couldn't let this happen again. She had to bury these feelings deep down and keep them locked up.

"Alice, I..."

"Huh?"

Alice looked at her and could see her blushing and looking away from her.

"My stupid cheap legs are broken. That's why I left them behind and tossed them in the water. They are useless," Rozelle said, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm useless."

Alice could hear Rozelle's voice shaking and saw she was trying to hold back her tears. Alice sighed, walked over, and sat down.

"Show me."

Rozelle quickly looked at her with a surprised and deep blush.

"I said, show me. Maybe I can fix them? I might not look like it, but I build and work with machines, so let me try and see what I can do."

Rozelle stared at Alice before slowly nodding. She slowly looked down at her legs, covered by her sundress. She tried to lift her dress but became shy, as she didn't want Alice to look at her thighs.

Alice could see Rozelle was now acting weird, but she chalked it off as being uncomfortable showing her legs to her after she told her, "It's fine. Take your time. I'm not rushing you."

"Um..."

Rozelle nodded and slowly raised her dress and hid her blush with her dress. She could feel her leg moving up as Alice held it. She peeked and became somewhat upset. Alice mumbled to herself as she looked at the leg of the cheap robotic prosthesis, and she was more amazed at it than she was looking at her.

"You are you sure these are cheap? Sure, it has cheap parts, but most are high-end parts. This isn't a brand. Not even cheap will be like this. Whoever built these did an amazing job with the parts they had, like many parts shouldn't be working with each other. Hell, it's waterproof, too!"

Rozelle didn't know how to feel; Alice wasn't looking at or complimenting her, but it was about the legs. She lifted her dress even more, showing her a bit of her thighs now.

But Alice didn't notice as she was focused on the legs.

"Whoever made these is a genius in craftmanship and building. How the hell can you do all this with mostly cheap parts? Like, you really need to be a specialist. I wonder how much the legs cost?"

Rozelle looked at Alice, seeing her entirely focusing on the legs. She dropped her dress and puffed her cheeks as she gave up and looked at Alice's work.

"Egghead..." she whispered but smiling, happy to see Alice being...well, herself. She wasn't being so gloomy anymore.

Dash tried to think of a way to apologize to Twilight, but she worried she might make it awkward and didn't know how to handle it. "Umm...do you like cookies?" she cursed at herself for saying something stupid.

Twilight opened her eyes and was surprised by her question. "What?"

Dash started to sweat. "Do you like cookies? I like sugar cookies; they are delicious."

Twilight was confused, and she wasn't sure how to respond. "...yeah, I guess, but why are you-"

"I can make you some. After becoming a shut-in, I started to learn how to cook for myself when my parents were at work. Even cleaning and other things. I can make it up to you for making you feel awkward."

Twilight looked at Dash.

"So please don't hate me..."

Twilight was taken back, hearing her voice breaking. She could see Dash was on the verge of crying.

"I had a friend once, but I pushed her away cause she saw someone that needed to be cared for. I could live alone and not need anyone other than my folks. But it's hard. It's so hard..."

Twilight saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"Please..."

Dash couldn't hold back as she started to cry, causing Twilight to panic. She tried to think, but as ideas began to fill her mind, deep within, she could hear a voice telling her that she was going to fail them all. Her trauma of failing was coming back, and she couldn't shake the feeling. Something inside her wanted to get out, and the fear she felt before was returning.

"I can't..."

She could feel the pain she had locked away and the anger. She could hear them telling her she couldn't change or make up for it. She will always be a failure.

"I can't fail again..."

Dash wiped her tears as she turned and looked at Twilight, shocked by what she saw. Twilight's horn was sparking like she was trying to cast a spell, but she couldn't.

"Twilight?"

"I can't be a failure!"

Twilight's trauma and fear were making her use magic, a magic she had never used before. She remembered how her entrance exam went, where she couldn't use magic. To the point that she forced herself so hard to use her magic that there was a magical feedback that caused damage to her horn, and it was happening again. She could feel the feedback building up within her horn. She couldn't stop it and looked at Dash with fear.

"RUN!"

"Huh?"

Twilight couldn't hold it back. "RUN! PLEASE RUN!"

Dash could see the sparks getting more potent and hear Twilight screaming in pain. Before Dash could do anything, the feedback in Twilight's horn blew up, and everything around her was gone from the blast.

"Ahhh!"

"What!?"

Dash went flying back and landed on the ground hard. She slowly got up, and her vision was trying to focus. Her ears were ringing, and the last thing she remembered was...

"TWILIGHT!?"

Dash got up and saw the area around them was in magical flames as the vines and wood burned. As she watched the fire burn everything, Dash remembered her trauma—burning alive as she fell out of the sky. Her heart was racing as she remembered how much it hurt, and she began to shake as she looked around.

"Twilight!?"

She tried to calm down, but the heat of the flames was getting to her. She was remembering how she burned, the pain, and the fear. Dash could feel herself losing it, and she was hyperventilating. She couldn't stop shaking, and the flames were starting to reach her. She wanted to run away and be safe, but something kept her in place.

"TWILIGHT!"

It was for Twilight. She couldn't leave her after being so kind and caring to her. She had to help her. She had to save her. Dash took a deep breath and began to move through the flames. The heat was unbearable, and her skin was burning from it. She was sweating bullets and panting. She kept moving forward, ignoring everything as the only thing on her mind was...

"Twilight!" Dash called out, thinking only of her. She jumped over the burning bark, seeing the clearing ahead. Flames were in a small crater, and she could see her, Twilight, in the center of it.

"Twilight!" Dash cried, jumping down into the crater. Twilight was lying down. Her body was slightly burned, but nothing like how Dash remembered her body was like when she became a fireball. She was glad that Twilight escaped the same fate as her. Dash was panting as she helped her up. She ignored the flames, as all her focus was on Twilight. She slowly lifted her onto her back and began to climb out of the crater. Dash was sweating buckets and panting as she reached the top. As she got out, she was surprised to see the burning area become normal again. She couldn't question it as she put Twilight down. Dash could tell she was alive but passed out from the blast. Dash was still panicking and hyperventilating. She couldn't help but look around, hoping something or someone would come to their aid, but nothing ever came.

"Twilight..." she cried, laying down next to her and putting her head next to her. "Please don't die...please don't go..."

Dash slowly closed her eyes and hoped for the best...

"Okay, I think I know what's wrong," Alice stated, finally putting the legs back on the ground. She faced Rozelle and was going to explain, but she could see her looking upset and mad for some reason.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Alice asked, seeing Rozelle turn away from her.

Rozelle was upset with Alice. She thought that Alice would at least glance at her thighs or something, but nope, all her focus was on the stupid prosthesis legs. What was so amazing about them? She was the one who was amazing! Not some stupid legs. She should be looking at her, not those things. She was the one who was important, not some cheap fake legs.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Egghead."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Egghead?"

Rozelle smiled as she explained. "Yeah, Egghead. Looking at you, you seemed to be a tomboy at first, but looking at how you were so amazed and focused on my prosthesis legs, you seem like a girl who loves technology. So since you are a nerd, an egghead."

Alice chuckled as no one really called her that before. If she and Rozelle were friends, that would be a cute nickname, but she doesn't think they are.

"Yeah, I'm a tomboy. I like wearing boyish outfits and not stupid dresses or girly things. But I'm also a nerd. I love reading, building, and learning. I want to travel the world and learn everything. I'm a nerd, but I prefer egghead. Sounds cute, so thanks."

Alice didn't overthink what she had just said. She just liked the nickname. She looked at Rozelle, but her smile quickly faded as she could see Rozelle blushing madly. She didn't know if she said something wrong.

"Um...did I say something bad?"

Rozelle was blushing, thinking how adorable and cool Alice was.

"Cute...so cute...Alice..."

"Huh?" Alice didn't hear her and was confused by Rozelle's weird behavior.

"SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH THOSE STUPID LEGS OF MINE!?" Rozelle exclaimed, turning away, blushing.

Alice was shocked by her outburst but answered. "Well, from looking at it, nothing is broken. Just the wires to the computer interface came loose. So all I need is to open it and reconnect the wires. First, I need to remove screws, so..." Alice was about to take out her pocket knife to use as a screwdriver but stopped. She remembered and worried she might scare Rozelle again after hurting her.

Rozelle could see how Alice couldn't let go of the previous events. She was joking but now saw that she had gone too far.

"It's okay. I know you aren't going to stab me or something. I was joking..." She looked sad. "A bad one, too. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything. I just got carried away. I'm sorry..."

Alice was a little upset but knew it was her own fault, too. She did cut her. "Don't worry, and I'm sorry, too. I should have been more careful when swinging my knife..."

Alice took out her knife and started to unscrew the screws. One was giving her trouble, and she held her palm more rigid and more close to the screw. She tried to twist it with more force, but the knife popped out slightly and cut her hand.

"Crap."

"Alice!" Rozelle said, worried, seeing the knife pop out and Alice's hand bleeding. "Huh?"

Rozelle was shocked to see how little Alice cared about the wound, almost like she didn't feel the pain. "Oh man, it's not too deep but bleeding." Rozelle could see Alice laughing all nervously. "Sorry if I get blood in there. Hold on." What Rozelle saw next left her speechless.

Alice rolled up her sleeve, not wanting to get blood on her purple jacket. But by doing so, she revealed all of the scars on her arm and the bandage wrapping, hiding the new scars she made. She used her knife to cut a piece of her shirt and used it as a bandage wrapping. She smiled at the quick first aid she did.

"There we go. All done. Now, to get back to wor-huh?" Alice saw Rozelle touching her arm, feeling it up. That's when Alice realized she exposed her self-harm scars. She tried to back away and hide them, but Rozelle grabbed her arm to keep her in place.

"...you hurt yourself?"

"Please...let go..." Alice was trying to hide her arm.

Rozelle wasn't letting go. "Why are you hurting yourself? Why do you keep doing it? Alice, you don't have to do this to yourself! It's not right or good. Why do you keep harming yourself?"

"..."

Rozelle could feel Alice shaking. "Alice..."

"..."

"Alice?"

"Because I should have died...not my parents or my brother's girlfriend! ME!"

Rozelle was shocked and didn't know what to say. Alice wasn't holding back anymore.

"They died! They are dead! And they are not coming back! All because I was too bright for my own good! I made something that killed them! I WAS SO STUPID! I HATE MYSELF, OKAY!?" Alice pulled free from Rozelle's grip, and with her trauma of seeing the burned remains of her family, she needed to cope right away. She held the knife and was ready to cut her arm.

"STOP!"

"NO! I NEED TO DO THIS!"

"THAT WON'T FIX ANYTHING! PLEASE STOP!"

"SHUT UP!"

"ALICE!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" She was about to do it when she saw Rozelle's bare arm being pushed into her view. "Huh?" She looked up and saw Rozelle with her eyes closed, trying to be brave.

"CUT ME INSTEAD!"

Alice didn't understand.

"Cut me instead. You won't fix anything or solve anything by cutting yourself. You will just be hurting yourself, and you will feel worse than before. Please cut me instead! If you need to cope by cutting something, then CUT ME! USE ME! CUT ME!"

Alice couldn't understand the logic behind that. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

"YES, I CAN! I DON'T CARE IF YOU CUT ME! I DON'T WANT YOU TO HURT YOURSELF ANYMORE! BECASUE...because..." Alice could see her crying now. "Because I don't want to see you covered in more scars, not when I can do something about it. So please...please...cut me..."

Alice didn't understand what was happening, and her heart was beating. Why was she offering her arm, telling her to use her as a coping device? That was wrong on so many levels. She shouted as she was crying.

"Stupid! You are a stupid moron!"

"I know."

"You can't solve my problems by allowing me to hurt you like that!" Alice's lips started to tremble.

"But...it's the only thing I can do..." Rozelle said softly. "So please, stop cutting yourself."

Alice's eyes widened when she saw her older brother in Rozelle's place, begging her to stop cutting herself. Alice needed to cut herself as a way to make herself pay for hurting him. He always worried for her, but seeing Rozelle, someone who had just met her, was worrying for her and even going so far as to stop her by offering up her own body. It was stupid yet sweet, and Alice felt her heartache. She couldn't cut Rozelle. It was wrong. It was wrong seeing her in pain...that's when it hit her.

"...brother..." Alice started to sob as she dropped the knife, realizing the pain she was feeling was the same as when her brother saw her cutting herself and begged her to stop. "I'm sorry..."

"Alice?" Rozelle saw her crying, and her heart broke. She moved closer to her and hugged her. "It's okay, Alice. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I was hurting myself because of a bad thing that happened. I was punishing myself for it."

"You did nothing wrong. You shouldn't punish yourself over that."

Alice wanted to tell her she was wrong, but she couldn't. She didn't know why. Maybe she wanted someone to tell her that. "It hurts so much. The memories...the pain...I can't forget..."

"It's okay, Alice." Rozelle rubbed her back as she was holding her.

After a long while, Alice was fine again and back fixing Rozelle's leg. She gave the knife to Rozelle, as she didn't want to hold it anymore. Rozelle unscrewed the screws and got the covering off, allowing Alice to go in and reconnect the wires. It wasn't a perfect job, but it would do.

"All set."

Alice closed the prosthesis covering, and Rozelle screwed it back up. She set the knife down and quickly stood.

"I'M SO BACK!"

Alice was confused about why she suddenly got up and tried to stop her. "Wait, I haven't fixed the other—" but Alice couldn't finish as Rozelle fell forward because her other leg didn't move.

"I'M SO NOT BACK!" screamed Rozelle, falling on top of Alice and making her fall back onto the ground.

Rozelle was panicking as she felt her leg wasn't working, and she looked down at Alice, who was underneath her, face-first in her chest. Rozelle slowly became red, realizing where Alice was. She tried to stand but couldn't and fell back down on Alice.

"I'M SORRY!"

Rozelle felt so embarrassed, but she felt Alice's hands on her sides, lifting her. Rozelle looked at her, seeing she was also blushing.

"You don't look it, but you are damn heavy." Alice smiled, hoping to ignore the weird situation they were in.

"Heavy!?" Rozelle shouted but then started to giggle. "Stop calling me fat!"

Alice started to laugh while Rozelle joined her. "I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are! Admit it! You think I'm fat!"

"No!"

"You do, and you love it!"

Alice laughed but stopped. Rozelle did the same. Rozelle didn't know it, but she slowly moved closer to Alice's face, her lips nearing hers. Alice didn't move, not wanting to stop it.

"..."

"..."

"Alice..."

"Yes, Rozelle...?"

Rozelle wanted to kiss her but chickened out and quickly got off her. She looked away. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall on you."

Alice lay there, all red, as she felt something in her chest. She sat up and looked at Rozelle. Alice felt her face burning but pushed the thought away.

"It's fine. Anyway, we need to fix the other leg." she tapped her lap. "Put the other leg here, and we can start."

Rozelle said nothing and did what she was asked. She placed her leg on Alice's lap. She pulled her sundress up and started to unscrew the covering for the computer section. As she did that, she eyed Alice, who was blushing. She tried and failed to not look at her thigh, which made Rozelle giggle.

After a while, Alice was done, and she stood up first. "Okay, it should be fixed. Trying standing and walking but slowly, ok-"
Rozelle didn't listen as she quickly stood up.

"I'M SO BACK!"

After walking a bit, Rozelle looked at Alice, smiling, but noticed that Alice had her hands out, almost ready to catch her. When Alice realized she wouldn't fall, she sighed with relief.

"Good. Looks like I did a good job."

Rozelle smirked and let herself over, making Alice catch her in her arms.

"You did great," she said, winking at her.

Alice's heart skipped a beat as she blushed. She helped Rozelle stand up. She didn't realize Rozelle had her hands in hers, but she quickly let go when she noticed.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"Nothing..."

Alice quickly changed the subject and looked around.

"We better find our way back to Twilight and Dash. They must be worried sick about us."

"Right."

As the two looked around, trying to guess where to go, Rozelle noticed Alice was attempting to make mathematic equations using the area's layout and the branches above them. She quickly tuned out as Alice kept thinking out loud to the point that she grabbed her hand, pulling her in a random direction.

"Come on, this way," Rozelle said, pointing.

"Wait, hold on, I was trying to think-"

"We don't have time for that. Let's go."

Alice was going to protest, but she saw how serious Rozelle looked and let her lead. She knew she wasn't ever going to win against her anyway.

After a while, the two kept walking, not realizing they were holding hands. The walk through the vines was different, as they could see the vines were alive as they slowly moved away from them, making a path to follow. Alice was shocked and believed the vines were a living animal or something, while Rozelle just said it was magic. Alice wasn't happy about that, as she wasn't used to magic being real outside of her universe.

"Speaking of the universe," Rozelle said, turning to her. "What kind of universe do you live in? It must be like mine, no? We both are humans, after all."

Alice thought about it as she looked down but soon saw her hand holding Rozelle. She quickly let go, making Rozelle realize the hand holding too. The two blushed. Alice tried to think of something to say and kept looking down, she eyed Rozelle legs.

"...how did you..." she stopped herself, realizing that was being too rude to ask.

"How did I lose my leg? Is that what you wanted to ask?"

Alice said nothing but nodded.

"Well...I was in a car accident."

"Oh..."

"My coach and friend to the family, who I also looked up to as a big sister, died. While I lost my legs...I still miss her...I wonder if things could have been different...if I was the one who di-"

"Don't say that..." Alice whispered, not wanting her to finish her sentence. "I know how it feels to lose someone. Trust me, it hurts, but don't think of dying, okay? Because..." Alice blushed harder. "I don't want to lose you. Even if we only just met, I don't want you dead..."

Rozelle couldn't help but smile and blushed. "Okay...I won't think like that anymore. Sorry, I brought that up."

The two became quiet as they continued to walk. Soon, they could see something ahead—Twilight and Dash in the distance. Rozelle became happy and was about to run off, but she felt her hand being held. She looked back and could see Alice blushing but also looking worried.

"I don't want you to get somehow lost and crash into me again," she joked, trying to cover her blush.

Rozelle smiled and gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her. "Then let's go together."

Alice smiled and nodded. They walk back to the two mares.

Before all that, Twilight regained consciousness, but her vision was still blurry. Her body was aching, and she could hear a familiar voice.

"Dash..."

"Twilight? Twilight? Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." answered Twilight, slowly sitting up. Her vision became normal again, but she froze, seeing Dash's wing over her body. She quickly pushed her wing off, her face flushed. "Dash, your wing..."

"Huh?" Dash looked and saw her wing but didn't understand why Twilight pushed it off. "I was trying to keep you warm. I didn't know what else to do."

Twilight looked down, knowing she was overreacting. "Thank you, Dash, but warn me before touching me next time."

"Sorry?" Dash said, rubbing the back of her neck.

Twilight sat up and remembered what had happened. She felt her horn, feeling so ashamed she let it happen again. When it first happened in the school classroom, it destroyed half of it, but she noticed the area was fine.

"Odd, the feedback should have damaged the surrounding area, but didn't?" Twilight wondered what had happened.

"No, it did," answered Dash, still sitting like a loaf of bread.

Twilight was shocked by Dash's answer. "But where is the damage?"

Dash shrugged as she spoke. "The area just...healed itself. Magic, I guess? I don't know how, but I saw the area healing itself."

"How?"

"Beats me."

Twilight sighed, not liking the answer. Dash finally sat up, making Twilight look at her...which made her heart drop at what she saw.

"DASH!?"

Dash became spooked when Twilight yelled at her and asked her what was wrong. Twilight pointed at her chest. Dash looked and slowly started to hyperventilate when she saw it, and soon, she felt the pain.

"W-What!?" questioned Dash, touching the new flesh burns and flinching from the pain. Millions of questions filled her mind, like why didn't she feel any pain until now? She started to envision herself burning again. She wanted to scream.

Twilight realized the burns must have been when the magical feedback in her horn was released. It hit Dash, which is why she was hurt. She could see how Dash was reacting and going to have a breakdown. She needed to calm her in some way. She quickly grabbed Dash's cheeks, making her look at her.

"Look at me! Focus on me!"

"T-Twilight..."

"You're going to be okay, Dash! You're not burning anymore. Just focus on my eyes. Just my eyes. That's it. Just keep looking at me, okay?"

Dash did what Twilight said. She focused on her purple eyes. Dash took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"Just focus on my breathing and listen to the sounds around us," Twilight suggested, trying to hold back her tears. This was her fault. She was the reason why Dash was hurt. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't let her emotions get the best of her.

After a few moments, Dash had calmed down. She was still staring at Twilight, and Twilight was still looking at her. Dash had the same feeling again. She felt safe when she was around Twilight. Maybe that's why she didn't feel the pain before. She was only thinking about her and nothing else. She slowly moved closer to her. Their noses were close, and Twilight noticed the movement, not backing away.

"Dash..."

"Twi..."

They got closer, their lips almost touching, but Twilight pulled away. She wanted it to happen, but the other part of her knew better. It kept telling her she was a failure and that even having a marefriend would end badly. She didn't want to ruin Dash's life because of her.

"Dash...I'm sorry, but we can't...you deserve somepony better. I have problems, and the same is true with you. I know we can't work out."

"I don't care."

Twilight was shocked, but she still refused.

"It's my fault you got burned., because of failed magic. We can't fix each other, Dash. Please stop, okay? I don't want to hurt you again."

Dash was hurt but knew Twilight was right. They weren't in the right place, and the timing wasn't right, but being around her made her feel safe.

"I don't care; we can't fix each other, but can we at least be friends? Please?"

Twilight knew Dash would keep asking, and it would be best to accept her request. She agreed but told Dash to stop trying anything and that they were just friends.

"Yes," Dash sighed, knowing Twilight would tell her off if she didn't.

"Good." Twilight smiled, happy they agreed on something.

"What's good?"

Both mares jumped, surprised, and turned and saw Alice and Rozelle. They soon darted their eyes at them, holding hands. They looked at both girls, seeing them slightly blushing. Dash did a small laugh.

"Well, the last version of me can get a marefriend..."

"Shut up, Dash," both girls said in sync, their faces all red.

"I'm kidding," laughed Dash, waving her hooves in surrender.

"Anyway, we should start looking for a way out," Twilight said, standing up.

They all agreed and started to walk.

It felt like hours as they walked in the endless area of vines. The four girls felt bored.

"So...Twi."

"Huh? Yeah?"

Sticking to her like glue, Dash asked what kind of universe she lived in. Was it like her universe? Twilight asked her what it had, and she said something.

"Summer Sun Celebration just ended, then Alice's machine pulled her and somehow me into this place."

Dash got closer to her. "Wait, did you also have the Summer Sun Celebration in your universe? Same! It ended as well. I was walking in Cantorlot when something pulled me here with Rozelle."

Twilight stopped, finding that very weird. "What are the odds?"

Dash was confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, what are the odds that our universe had the Summer Sun Celebration on the same day?" she needed more answers. "Dash, what happens in your Summer Sun Celebration? Like what kind of events happened?"

"Well...um..." Dash started to explain what events were held, but she stopped when she saw Twilight looking shocked.

"Dash, what day was it? Was it Juno 10?"

"Yes, how did you-"

"In my universe, that was the same day too."

"So what are the odds that our universe had the Summer Sun Celebration on the same date?"

Alice chimed in. "Will the odds be...hold on." She started to do the math and finally concluded. "The odds are... 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000-"
Rozelle and Dash tuned out Alice, but Twilight listened to every number, from right down to the last.

"Yes, the odds are beyond low since the multiverse is endless, but still...I wonder..." she turned to Dash. "Maybe our universes are the same one? It will make sense."

Dash looked shocked and excited. "Really!? If true, we can see each other if we ever return."

Before Twilight could answer, Alice chined in again. "Why would Twilight go back? She told me her life is awful, just like mine; she doesn't need to return there. Besides, we're helping Fayth get to the Tree of Elyndra. She can undo all our problems! She can even undo your scars, Dash!" She then turned to Rozelle. "Give you back your legs!"

The others remembered why they were there: to help Fayth reach her goal and stop Spark from destroying her plans. Dash nodded, and everyone started to walk again, but Alice turned to ask Rozelle a question.

"By the way, you said you were in a car accident, right? How did it happen? Did someone crash into the car?"

Rozelle nodded and explained that she and Reginn were heading to a Sia concert on the highway when a dark-looking rainbow pillar of light appeared, creating an emp. That's when the accident happened.

"After what happened, I heard the reason for the light, and the emp was because of some weird explosion from a meteor that landed in some neighborhood. That's what the news said...huh? Alice?" Rozelle noticed that Alice had stopped walking and looked odd as if she had seen a ghost. "Alice?"

Alice couldn't believe it. Rozelle was from her universe and lost her friend and legs because of...

"Me..." she whispered, sweating and backing away from Rozelle.

"Alice? What's wrong?" Rozelle asked again, feeling her trying to let go of her hand.

Twilight and Dash stopped and turned around, seeing what was going on. Alice started to freak out and tried to let Rozelle's hand go.

"Let go, Rozelle!" she shouted, but Rozelle didn't.

"Tell me what's wrong, Alice. Talk to me, please! Why are you acting like this?"

Alice kept shouting at Rozelle, demanding to be let go.

"No! I won't! Not until you tell me wh-"

"I WAS THE ONE WHO TOOK YOUR LEGS AND YOUR FRIEND! IT WAS ME!" Alice screamed. She couldn't keep it in anymore. She was holding back her tears.

"W-What?"

"It was me! I created a device with an endless power supply, but something happened. It blew up and created what you said. A dark-looking rainbow light created an EMP that knocked out the power in the town and most of the city." Alice explained, not daring to look at her.

"..." Rozelle said nothing; she finally let Alice's hand go.

Without hesitation, Alice ran off, not caring where. Twilight and Dash tried to stop her, but she was already gone. Twilight turned to Dash, telling her she was going after her and telling her to stay with Rozelle. Both turned to her, seeing Rozelle standing there, not saying a word, just staring off where Alice had run off.

"I think it is best you stay with her, Dash. She's going to need you," Twilight said, turning around and running off.

"I understand, but..." Dash didn't want to leave Twilight's side, but she was right.

Dash turned to Rozelle, who was now looking down. The bang of her hair covered her eyes. Without warning, she fell to the ground, landing on her rear. She put her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and buried her head between her legs.

"Hey, hey. Come here." Dash slowly sat down next to her and wrapped her wing around her, pulling her close and comforting her.

Dash could hear her sobbing...

Alice didn't care where she went; she needed to be away from her. She didn't want to hurt her again, and she didn't want anyone else to hate her. Because of her stupid actions, she took away Rozelle's legs and her best friend. She kept running until she tripped and fell to the ground.

"I'M A MONSTER!" She screamed, punching the ground. "A STUPID MONSTER! I TOOK AWAY HER LEGS! SHE HATES ME! SHE WAS A STAR RUNNER FROM WHAT SHE TOLD ME! NOW SHE CAN'T BE ONE ANYMORE BECAUSE OF ME!"

Alice kept screaming. She didn't notice as Twilight finally caught up and hugged her, trying to calm and comfort her.

"Let it out," Twilight told her, holding her tightly.

Alice turned to her and hugged her back, letting out all her emotions. Crying out the pain, she held her tight.

"She hates me, Twilight! She hates me! She won't even talk to me!"

Twilight shushed her and stroked her head. "She doesn't hate you."

Alice dug her face into Twilight's chest.

"...she does. Everyone does after what I did. She is no different. I am a monster. I ruined her life. She can't run anymore. She can't run...she can't run..." Alice said, repeating the same thing.

Twilight kept holding her. Trying her best to calm her down, but unknown to them and the others, the area around them started to change; the wood bark created a shrine around them. For Twilight and Alice, there was a purple star under them and on the wooden walls, while Dash and Rozelle had a rainbow thunderbolt with a cloud over it. A rainbow brick path was created out of the shrines and went down until they met with each other and continued until it stopped under a large group.

"I think we are close," Snake stated, chewing on a sugar stick.

Brigitte rolled up next to her. Snake handed her a stick, and she took it. They and the group could see two large shrines ahead of them. "What made you think that?" she smirked, making Snake laugh. "Let's go. Those kids are waiting for us."

The group started to head to the shrines, but vines burst out, spitting the group back into the original two groups. They wondered what was happening, but the vines pointed to the shrine. They didn't question it and headed off to the shrines.

Unaware by the groups, Fayth was floating above and glaring at them.

End of Chapter 29