In the year 2365...
A soft snore filled the room. The small sound of ruffling sheets was occasionally heard.
The source of the sound came from a pegasus mare, peacefully sleeping on a mattress with light grey sheets partly draped over her legs. The mattress itself was nothing special. It was rough to the touch. There was little to no plush feeling. The mattress also didn’t have a bed frame. It was simply pushed into a corner one day with some sheets thrown on top of it.
She was wearing a grey hoodie: One piece of clothing in her small collection of three shirts, two pants (which she never wore), and the hood she was currently wearing. The clothes she currently wasn’t wearing was thrown onto the floor beside a nightstand that had firmly stood next to her makeshift bed for years now. The nightstand itself was short to accommodate for the small bed size and had a small lamp on top, emitting a dim warm light and acting like a night light of sorts.
The light shone dimly onto her fur, barely revealing its cyan blue color, and onto her mane, which was barely visible from the hood blocking most of its strands. Her hair was impressively colored with six stripes of the primary colors of the rainbow, which she was naturally born with, surprisingly.
Her eyes were slightly opened while she slept, revealing her two eyes. Her right eye was magenta and her left was purple. A trait she was also born with.
Inside her ears were small wired earbuds that stayed hidden behind her hair. The wire itself was connected to an AUX jack, which plugged into a small MP3 player, something she bought for cheap in an old pawn shop down the road that sold old world artifacts.
Other than the lamp that illuminated the multi-colored pegasus, there were no other light sources in the room. There were no windows. No hole in the wall that would even remotely show a strand of light. Just the lamp, protectively showering its light over the mare.
Then a small beep was heard.
Something rumbled, vibrating slightly and making the same beeping noise once every few seconds, attached to one of the pegasus’s forelegs. The sense made her grumble, before lightly cracking her eyes open to glare at the thing attached to her leg. It was a small watch, wrapped around with a thin, comfortable material, containing a small screen that displayed the time. It also had a small alarm bell that shook, displayed on the screen.
Growling slightly to herself, the mare tapped the screen to snooze the alarm, quickly getting up to a sitting position. Now that she was up, she refused to look at the device attached to her.
It was ironic. That watch was probably the most expensive thing that she owned, never running out of battery even if she tried. If she could, she would sell it in a heartbeat; it would probably make her a good amount of Shards. Sadly, she couldn’t. That thing had been attached to her since shortly after her birth.
Sure, she didn’t have to wear it. She’d just be stupid not to wear it. That thing kept track of the activity in her brain, letting her know if something was wrong. Or, more specifically, if it the activity was too high. She had been instructed to take a mixture of Clozapine and Clorazepate once a day, every day, to keep her brain activity low.
Of course, she thought it was a bunch of bullshit at first. When she was younger, she decided not to take her medicine one day. She immediately regretted not doing so. Soon, she started having migraines. She would get dizzy and tired and start to hallucinate, seeing bright colored outlines around objects. She didn’t let it go any further, though. One pill and all of it went away.
The pill itself was transparent. It was split into two halves which each had their appropriate dosages of Clozapine and Clorazepate, one half colored slightly orange while still remaining transparent. It was decently large for a pill and always acted quickly. Upon taking the medication, she always felt its effects immediately after. Her mind would slow and she would begin to relax.
However, it had multiple drawbacks, as this slower pace severely reduced her critical thinking abilities. It had been severely limiting her ability to focus, or to do basic schoolwork. Because of this, she had horrible grades when she was a filly. She shuddered as she remembered the punishments she got for such low grades.
She didn’t dwell on the thought any longer. It wasn’t healthy and she knew it. She just quickly opened up her bottle and chugged a single pill, swallowing it dry with practiced ease. Afterwards, she looked at the open bottle.
Empty. She thought to herself. Need to remember to refill it later today. The pharmacy is closed tomorrow. She logged the thought in the back of her mind and closed the bottle, carefully placing it back on her nightstand.
As the bottle was placed back where it belonged, she noticed that the drawer for her nightstand was slightly open. Inside was a pink box, filled with small, thin plastic containers of a similar color. She frowned and slammed the drawer shut, sighing heavily and standing up.
Slowly, she pushed her forelegs forwards and arched her back inwards, awarding herself with a satisfying pop. Then, she flicked a lightswitch on the wall near her lamp and the room lit up.
The lights were a harsh white, something you’d find while inside of a hospital. This caused her to flinch, covering her eyes with a hoof while she got used to the new light. From said light, the room was revealed to be quite small in size. The bed itself made up nearly a quarter of the room; the other part of the room making up her kitchen, which was quite insignificant.
The kitchen only had a few drawers underneath the countertop and contained a single sink. On top of the counter was a single mini-microwave, plugged into the small outlet in the wall. The room was barely able to call itself a kitchen, though, to her, it didn’t really matter. The only thing that she used was the microwave and the sink. She didn’t bother putting stuff in the drawers because she had nothing to put in the drawers. The only stuff that she owned was a pack of instant ‘ramen’ made with the same seaweed that they put in everything. And even the seaweed was fake.
That stuff was synthetic, genetically modified seaweed to be able to grow in dark and cold climates, perfect for where they lived. Basically all of ponykind lived underground in artificially lit up cities, so that was a must. And just as if that wasn’t bad enough, the seaweed itself also tasted like salted dirt.
It wasn’t like she could afford anything else, though. This stuff was cheap and imported from other regions, so she grabbed herself a cup of dirt and poured some tap water into it, quickly throwing it into the microwave and setting it to three minutes.
While she waited, she set her headphones aside and threw off her hood, grabbing a dark blue collared shirt and slipping it on. Right after, she put on her nametag and walked to her sink, clogging it with a plug and turning the water on for a few seconds.
After three seconds had passed, she shut off the water and waited for the water to settle. Eventually, the water came to a halt and she could see herself in the reflection. She straightened her name tag which read ‘Rainbow Dash’ and ran a hoof through her mane. She paused as she met eye contact with herself and sighed, opening the plug and letting the water drain.
The microwave beeped the end of its task.
Rainbow walked over to the machine and opened it, grabbing the slightly steaming cup of ‘noodles’ and chugging it down her throat. Her eyes teared up at the temperature, but she didn’t complain, instead throwing the remains of the food product into the trash.
Begrudgingly, she approached her front door and reached for the front handle, stopping halfway through. Her eyes spotted an envelope slipped between the door frame. Groaning quietly to herself, she grabbed the slip and examined its front, reading ‘RENT IS DUE’ in bolded red letters. Grumbling, she threw it at the trash, not even caring if it landed and stepped out the front door.
The apartment building was six stories tall, her room being on the third floor labeled ‘15’. White lights similar to her room lit up the hallway. The hallway was thin, barely able to fit two ponies squeezing past each other, leaving small gaps between the hall and the entrances to the apartment rooms in case some huge stallion came through.
Walking past the other apartment rooms, she reached a staircase at the end of the hall which connected each floor to each other. She chose to head down, making her way towards the lobby and out the double doors that led outside.
Stepping out onto the hard, rocky floor, she took in a breath of fresh air. The streets were thin, dimly lit by small lights that were attached to the walls. It was much like the hallway from before, only this time, it could fit a small transport car if it ever came along, not that it was likely at all. Though, it did leave room for the occasional biker.
As she made her way down the quiet streets of Ponyville, a grey stallion walked out from a side street and stepped in front of her. The stallion towered over her easily, as Rainbow Dash was below-average in terms of height.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he spoke, blocking Rainbow’s path, looking up and down her body.
Rolling her eyes, she responded, “Hi, Can I help you?” Her voice had a tinge of annoyance.
“I was told by a friend I could find you here. Turns out they were right,” the stallion spoke, smiling as he looked at Rainbow.
Dash’s face fell. “I’m on off hours,” she spoke harshly and shoved her way past the stallion, continuing on her walk. The stallion grunted slightly as he was shoved out of the way, though his smile was not phased.
“750 Shards,” he smiled. “15 minutes. That’s all I want.” The mare stopped in her tracks.
“No. I told you, I don’t do business off hours,” she said without looking at him.
“You’re a tough one,” he laughed. “I’ll raise it to 1000 Shards, just for you, Buttercup.”
Rainbow growled. “No. I don’t do that kind of stuff off hours. I have standards.”
“You? Standards?” he scoffed. “Really? You can’t be talking when you fuck stallions for a living,” he spoke harshly.
She turned back around and shoved him in the chest, making him stumble back slightly. “Hey, fuck you, man! I didn’t ask for this! You think I like talking to grimy, old stallions who think of me as nothing more than an object?” she shouted in his face.
“And yet you still do!” he countered. “Out of all ponies, you’re the kind who has the least standards.”
She growled at him. “Fuck you!” She turned around and stormed off. The stallion kept following.
“Really? You can’t spare 15 minutes in your schedule, even for 1000 Shards?” he called after her.
“I have work to do. Other thank fucking stallions like you,” Rainbow didn’t look at him.
“1250!” She kept moving. “Fine, 1500! Final offer!” She looked down and stopped walking.
The back door creaked and a small light shone in as a pony entered the room. Inside the room was a white stallion with a blonde mane in a blue collared shirt.
He turned to eye the new arrival. “You’re late,” he stated.
“You’ll live,” Rainbow grumbled.
“15 minutes late to be exact,” he ignored her. “Where were you?” He sniffed the air. A devious grin grew on his face. “Oh. I see. I thought you only worked after hours?” he asked.
“Shut up, Silver,” she spoke bitterly.
“I mean, the guy must’ve offered you a lot for you to-”
“I said shut the fuck up!” she shoved him into a wall.
The sound of hooves signaled a new pony entering the room. He had brown fur and hair that was a darker shade. “What the fuck is going on in here? We have customers, you know! I don’t want them driven away by you two roughhousing!” he spoke, wearing a black collared shirt with a name tag labeled ‘Caramel Sugar’. His eyes landed on Rainbow. “Where were you? You’re late.”
“Sorry. I slept through my alarm,” she lied, glaring at Silver.
“I guess that’s fine,” Caramel spoke. He put a hoof on his muzzle and shook his head in disappointment. “Try to arrive on time, though. You’re one of our only employees.” He looked at Silver. “Don’t let this happen again,” he said, pointing at him.
“Yes, sir,” he rolled his eyes.
“Alright. You two get to work,” he eyed both of them before leaving the room.
Silver turned to Rainbow, grinning as he walked away. She growled, clenching her teeth tightly as she walked in the opposite direction.
She made her way towards the closet, opening and closing the door behind her. Inside was a bunch of cleaning supplies, including sprays, a mop, a broom, and equipment replacements in case any got damaged. Sighing, she grabbed the mop along with a small bucket filled with soapy water.
Is it even worth it? She asked herself.
She stood there, silently for a few moments, staring at the mop in hoof. It doesn’t matter. She decided, and continued on with her job, exiting the closet to work on mopping the floors.
Her job was easy, but tedious. She cleaned the floors, counters, dishes, and basically everything else in the restaurant she worked at. It was a shitty job, and she hated every second of it, but she needed the money. She didn’t qualify for any other job. Her social skills were shit and she didn’t graduate school.
When her job at the store was done, her other job would begin.
Opening the door to her small apartment once more, she discarded her work clothes and changed into one of her other shirts. It was a basic white tee with a pink heart painted on top as a design. As for comfort, the shirt was thin and barely covered anything. If you looked closely, you could even see through the shirt at times.
Then, she opened up her nightstand drawer and examined its contents. Reaching in, she pulled out a small golden ring and passed it to her wing, reaching towards her left ear and slowly piercing it through a pre-existing hole. Letting go, it dangled semi-freely. Reaching into the drawer once more, she pulled out eye shadow and patted her eyelids with the makeup before putting it back and taking out a pink box. Looking at the opening, she saw that there were still a good amount of packets left inside and nodded, putting it back where it came from and shutting the drawer.
Afterwards, she headed outside once more. This time, her destination being the local casino.
The walk wasn’t too far; the perimeter of Ponyville took only about an hour to traverse. It took about 15 minutes to get to her destination, her arrival signaled by the bright lights and flashy designs covering a giant sign that hung on a huge building that was bustling with ponies inside.
A dreadful feeling pulled at Rainbow’s stomach as she looked at the sign. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly. Upon exhale, she relaxed her body and focused her mind. Opening her eyes once more, she put on a practiced smile and went through the entrance.
Where is she? A grey pegasus thought to herself as she waited outside her front door. She had blonde hair and was wearing simple clothing. She was off work and was supposed to meet up with a friend, but she hadn’t shown up yet.
Something’s wrong. She pushed herself off the wall and headed towards the darker end of the street. Knowing the route by heart, she made her way towards a six-story apartment building.
She pushed open the double doors and climbed the stairway to the third floor, where she quickly approached a door with the number ‘15’ on it. Nervously, she rapped her hoof on the hard wood and shouted through the door. “Rainbow Dash! Are you home?”
She waited outside impatiently, bouncing up and down slightly in nervousness. “Damn it,” she muttered to herself after there was no answer.
There’s just one place left to check.
She arrived at a small building. A sign hung above its entrance that read ‘Cozy Cabin’ with the outline of a small blue bottle that lit up next to the name. She looked around. No one was nearby. It made sense; the place wasn’t very popular and barely anyone visited this area of town.
Holding her breath, she pushed open the front door.
Inside was a small bar owned by a local resident that sat by the counter, sleeping. They drooled slightly as they slept. Other than that, the bar was completely empty, save for a few seats and small tables spread across the room. Except for one pony that sat by herself at the bar table.
“Rainbow Dash…” she sighed in relief.
The pony in question was still wearing her white t-shirt, slouched over her chair and leaning into the table. A collection of seven empty bottles stood next to her. Her eighth currently in her hoof.
You didn’t even change? She thought to herself. Slowly, she approached Rainbow and sat down next to her, eying her friend worriedly. “Hey, Rainbow Dash,” she spoke softly.
The mare took a large gulp from the bottle. “Hi, Ditzy,” she spoke in a dejected tone, slurring over her words.
“Are you okay?” Really? She mentally slapped herself in the face for asking such a stupid question.
“‘m fine,” she responded.
Ditzy frowned. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened!” Rainbow raised her voice slightly and looked away, resting her head on the counter.
The sight of her broke her heart.“Rainbow…” She put a wing around Dash. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I won’t judge you.”
“I-” She hiccuped. “I know…” Her voice cracked. “It’s just…” she struggled, trying to find the right words.
Rainbow turned to look at her.
“Some random guy approached me this morning,” she started. “He said a friend *hic* told him where to find me. Offered me a shit load of Shards to-” She paused. “You know…” Ditzy nodded. “And I… accepted.” She put a hoof over her face, a tear streaming down it.
Her face softened. “I see…”
“Why am I like this?” Her voice was raw. “I didn’t even want to, but I still did! And I-” She was interrupted as her body was hugged tightly.
“It’s okay. I still love you.” Her voice was soft and calming.
She sniffed. “You do?” Ditzy nodded. “Even though I f-fuck all these guys and-”
“That’s just because you have to. I don’t judge you for that,” Ditzy immediately put an end to that line of thought.
Rainbow’s breathing shuddered. She started to cry. “I-I don’t understand…” She leaned into Ditzy.
“Understand what?”
“...Why do you love me?” she asked, looking at her with tear stained eyes. Ditzy chuckled lightly. “What’s so funny?!”
“Nothing! Sorry,” she stopped laughing and started to speak in a more serious manner. “There are a lot of reasons why I love you,” she told her. “You’re cute. Funny.” She paused for a second. “But more importantly, you’re determined. Brave.” She smiled. “You have more willpower than I could ever imagine myself having,” she added. She looked deep into Rainbow’s eyes. “I love you because you’re you.” She poked her in the chest. Rainbow blushed.
“That’s not true,” she spoke up. “You’re the one who is brave and… uh… what’s that word again?”
Ditzy tittered. “Determined.”
“Yeah, that! You’re who I want to be like. You’re so kind… and smart… I don’t know how I ever managed to get with you.” Now it was Ditzy’s turn to blush.
“Here,” she wiped the remaining drink off of Dash’s lips with her wing. “How about I walk you home?”
Rainbow smiled. “I would like that.”
After that, she slowly helped Dash to her hooves and led her out of the bar.
The walk back was slow but relaxing. There was no rush to get back quickly and the two enjoyed being in each other’s company.
“Alright, this is it,” Ditzy announced when they finally arrived at the apartment building.
“Oh…” her face fell. Ditzy smiled and gave her a squeeze.
“Come on, cheer up! I’ll see you again tomorrow, okay?”
Rainbow nodded vigorously. “You better! If you don’t, I’ll-! I’ll… uh… you know!” she pointed threateningly at her partner.
She snickered. “If you say so, Dash. I love you,” she said before turning to walk away.
“Wait!” Ditzy turned back. Rainbow wrapped her hooves around her and pulled her into a deep kiss, making her eyes widen. They broke apart after a few seconds, panting lightly. “I love you, too,” Rainbow said.
She smiled sadly, separating herself from her companion. “Bye, Dash.”
Rainbow looked at her sadly. “Bye, Ditz,” she spoke.
And then Ditzy walked away.
Author's Note
Wow, this was probably the chapter that's taken me the longest to write, so far. Hopefully it's up to good quality standards or whatever. I wrote and submitted this at like 12 in the morning, so hopefully it's good. Enjoy and leave feedback!
Chapter Edit History:
V1.0 - Released the base chapter. Added small detail later on.
V1.0.1 - Added small character details to Rainbow Dash during her routine.
