"How much more can you take away from me?" Her breathing was sharp, eyes filled with tears and rage. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean too." An angry laugh echoed through the halls. "You didn't mean to? Oh that's just great. I guess everything is better then. I cared for you, and you leave me with nothing. You stole my dream, none of my friends will speak with me, and the whole town thinks I'm a freak."
"I… I didn't… mean too" sadness filled her voice. "I hate you. I never want to see you again. Just… just go. Please…" the once angry voice now sounded defeated and empty. "I'm sor-", "JUST GO! NOW!" the voice boomed. The Pegasus obeyed running away as fast as her legs could carry her.
The air whipped violently at her as she ran, the cold stinging her as it blew. The sky was dark, heavy black clouds covering it, hiding the moon and stars from the world below. The hard snow crunched and stabbed into her hooves. Her eyes filled with sorrow and regret. Salty tears rolled down her cheeks. The frozen air scratched at her throat as she breathed heavily. Nothing happened the way it was supposed to. She didn't look back, and would keep running, and she would never stop.
Her legs ached and weighed heavily against the earth, yet she continued running. Her breathing labored, nearly unable to sustain the oxygen needed, yet she kept running. Her heart felt tired, it beat ferociously trying to keep up she didn't stop. Her hooves began to crack from the immense repetitive pressure that was placed on them, she ignored it.
Everything began to blur, a soft glow was soon all the Pegasus could see, her pace didn't slow as she ran toward it. Soon the light was blinding, running deeper into the unknown light, until finally she could run no more. Rainbow Dash collapsed, and let the light and warmth wash over her.
The light vanished and was replaced by a brightly glowing sun, the rays warming her cold damp coat. The wind no longer cold and violent, it was gentle and comforting. The hard frozen earth beneath her became plush and welcoming grass. The sharp aching in her hooves and legs no longer present, the tense muscles relaxed and melted away. Everything was serene and beautiful, but somehow, in some way it just felt wrong.
The Pegasus pushed away these feelings and laid down on the soft blades of green. Rolling on her back, and tilting her head up, she gazed at the pale blue sky. Apart from the whistling of the wind, no sounds could be heard. Feelings of the place being askew returned. She adjusted her position, and ignored it.
Hours passed, and nothing changed. The sun still floated in the position it had since her arrival. The grass, despite the pressure she had placed upon it, bounced back up when she moved. The sound, or lack of sound, remained. The silence, the endless silence continued. Feelings of loneliness filled her mind. She called out, hoping for an answer from anything. The silence still did not cease.
Fear soon drowned out the emotions of loneliness. She pleaded for something, anything to break the silence. Her efforts were in vain. Curling up into her hooves, she began to cry, when she noticed something. The pony called out once more, but heard nothing. Again, louder than before, silence still prevailed. Inhaling deeply, she let out one last desperate yell, and still the calm did not break. It didn't end, because silence could not be broken from nothing.
Hours turned into days. Days grew into weeks. Nothing changed, not a single minor alteration was detectable. The Void, she called this place. The Void, it was an unchanging place, where time itself seemed to pause. Weeks had crept by, or at least she thought, though she wasn't sure of anything here.
First, her sense of time began to leave her. At first she tried desperately to keep track of it, counting the seconds pass, converting them into minutes, and so on. Eventually though, her memory failed her, unable to recall how many minutes and hours she had reached, the pony gave up.
Soon, her ability to recall any place or anything before The Void had left her. It was maddening, just as she reached through her mind to recapture any events, it slipped away. She had continued trying to recollect even the slightest memory, each attempt exhausting her. Soon after each endeavor, it caused her head to sear with pain, and she abandoned the task.
Laying there, The Void still remaining as it had been, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Shifting restlessly, she couldn't recall if she had ever slept since finding herself here, let alone the need to sleep. Several hours elapsed with no luck in acquiring the desired slumber.
Frustrated, she rose up from the grass, and attempted to spread her wings hoping to fly away. Despite her many efforts, her wings refused to budge as if bound by invisible coils. The sensation of hopelessness flooded through her. As this feeling coursed through her, the fiery red faded from her mane and tail, into a dull white.
Emptiness began to consume her, the solitude hardened her, draining her of all the joy she had possibly ever experienced. Her magenta eyes no longer sparkled, they were cold and blank. Her once smiling mouth now embedded in a permanent frown. The peaceful forest green soon turned to the same dull color as its partner had.
Hatred flowed through her. She despised The Void, an eternal prison that contained her. Her cage was ever so still, never moving, never changing, always silent. The Silence, the awful nauseating silence that she loathed she wished there was some way of tarnishing The Silence. The shimmering sky blue streaks were replaced once more by colorlessness.
Fear overwhelmed her. Afraid of what wasn't to come. Scared, she could sense her sanity slipping away from her. Anxious that she could not identify where she truly was. Terrified she would be trapped here, unable to break free from captivity. The comforting purple was next to go, intermixing with the other white strands.
Loneliness trickled into her heart. It weighed her down, slowing her thoughts. Anything to keep her company would do. Being alone bothered her the most, the need to reach out to something and not being able to stung at her. The friendly golden locks converted to the same blank empty color as the others had.
Darkness loomed over her. Everything seemed so bleak and pointless now. The darkness washed over her, and she let it. There was no point in denying it; there was no hope here, no comfort, no closure, no joy, and no one. Finally, her energy faded away, as did the powerful orange.
As the last strands of color began to depart, something sparked in her brain. A memory, it only flashed itself for a moment, but it was vivid and clear. It was the image of a smile, a smile of a friend she held close to her heart. Her spirits began to return to her, the memory gave her hope. The hope gave her desire to fight for freedom. The desire to fight comforted her, and the comfort let her feel joy.
The earth trembled beneath her, as if it sensed her newfound outlook. Her wings may have been helplessly bound by an unknown force, but one thing still remained. Her ability had not left her, and now she would use it. She ran, and as she did, the grass beneath her turned hard and rigid, separating behind her leaving a chasm.
The fissure chased her as she dashed away to an unknown destination. She was uncertain of whether she would escape, but she was certain of one thing, she would try. Her muscles burned with each step, her breathing rapid and heavy, she couldn't keep her pace much longer, and the gorge was gaining on her. It caught up, and when she felt the ground giving way, she pressed her hooves down hard and pushed off with as much force as she could muster, propelling herself into the air.
The growing crater surpassed her, only nothingness waited below, and she began to fall. A lurching sensation filled her stomach as she plummeted into the abyss. Flailing her hooves around aimlessly in a blind hope to find something, she did. She looked up, a single orange hoof clutching hers tightly. The unknown pony pulled her up slowly, until she was once again safe on solid ground.
The air was no longer warm; it was cold and nipped at her cheeks. The soft grass was gone, replaced by dirt and rock. The sun was not halted in its place, and did not shine brightly; a silver moon had taken its place. The sky was no longer a pale blue, it was black, and stars were scattered throughout it.
A hoof was placed gently on her cheek, and water splashed on her face. The Pegasus finally opened her eyes and looked up at the pony that held her tightly. Her rose quartz eyes met soft emerald green eyes. The orange mare squeezed her even tighter, and smiled with relief at the sight of her recently awoken friend. Rainbow Dash spoke softly, "Thank you, Applejack."
