Containment Is Magic

S

Jitterbug was dashing back the way she'd come.

She thought panicking back toward a few moments ago. She'd been coming to another four-way crossroads, the intersection just hovering into view. She was slowly beginning to lose her consummate fear, deep breaths and a lack of ponies around her lulling her into a false sense of security.

Then, she saw a monster.

Well, not a monster. Another pony. It looked scared, and it was running away from something with another pony. She didn't get any better of a look, however, as she bolted the moment she saw scared ponies.

Now her lungs were giving out on her. She decided to slow down and take a rest so she could run away more if something happened to her.

She had backtracked a moderate amount, the corridors she'd entered once again giving way to tunnels as she arrived at the crossroads where she'd seen the pink flank sticking out from a doorway.

Directly ahead was to the cells. To her right was Scootaloo's cage. Behind her were scared ponies. To her left was where she'd seen the pink pony. There was nowhere for her to go. She buckled to the floor and began to cry.

Some time later, Jitterbug shakily rose to her hooves, resolved that staying put any longer would surely get her killed. This was a prison full of ponies, all of whom were crazy, scared, or dead. She was definitely scared; she didn't want to end up in either of the other two categories. She took a deep breath and set off to the left, after the pink pony.

Oh, for Celestia's sake. The tunnel opened into more tunnels. She had no idea where she was going, nor did it really matter to her anymore. She just knew she had to keep moving or she'd be caught. She just knew she would.

In the distance behind her, she heard a pony loudly declare, "Nowhere to run!" her maniacal laugh laced with the screams of her victim as she tormented the unfortunate mare, cutting her limbs off, one by one.

Jitterbug stared pleadingly into the eyes of her murderer. "Please... don't do this...."

The white unicorn tossed back her frazzled purple mane as she floated a bloody saw back into view. "Nowhere to run!"

Jitterbug screamed, leaping into the air. Her hooves stuck straight out beneath her as she shot several feet high, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to open them.

She landed on all four legs, stumbling and leaning against a wall as she realized where she was.

She'd fallen asleep. She'd been having a nightmare.

Who was that? she wondered.

"Rainbow Daaash!"

A shudder ran down her spine as she heard a deceptively happy voice call another pony's name. Another pony she hoped she would never meet.

She was exhausted. Her incessant fear was tiring her out. She needed somewhere to sleep.

She snuck warily down the hallway straight ahead, resolved to find a room she could camp out in. Eventually, she came across a small box-shaped space that served as a maintenance room. With two doors--the place she'd entered and an additional door for her to continue after she'd awoken--she nodded her head satisfactorily, closing the door behind her and nestling on a small office chair located at a desk.

Giving one last fearful glance around, Jitterbug shut her heavy eyes and hoped for the best.

As her consciousness returned, Jitterbug's eyes remained closed, the rested mare slowly becoming aware of the sounds of the facility around her. She was still alive.

Her eyes fluttered open.

Standing directly in front of her, staring straight into Jitterbug's soul, was the pink pony.

She bolted upward, the fear once again overtaking her entire body as she snapped into full wakefulness. "Wh-wh-who a-are you?" she stammered at the creepy mare with a big smile on her face.

The pink pony simply continued to stare at her.

Jitterbug stumbled backward as quickly as she could, her back to the exit she'd established. It looked like the pink pony had come through the same door that Jitterbug had entered through. She reached for the door, turning the handle as she squirmed her way through the slowly opening escape route. A doorway between Jitterbug and the pink pony loomed ahead of her.

She closed her eyes as she slammed the door.

No sooner had the door latched that she felt a bump on the other side. The pink pony had lunged for her.

Jitterbug breathed a sigh of relief and began to trot down the corridor.

Behind her, she heard a playful laugh, followed by the sound of the door opening.

Oh Celestia, of course she can open doors!

Jitterbug, not even bothering to turn around, took off as quickly as she could in the opposite direction of the pony. As she became surrounded by darkness, she came to another intersection, this one branching off to either the right or the left. She took the left.

Behind her, she heard the pink pony say, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie and I threw this party just for you!"

She skidded to a stop as she turned at the intersection and bolted as quickly as her legs would carry her away from the pony that most certainly wanted to murder her.