Chapter 20: Blood Runs Thicker Than Water
Authors Note: South Padre was pretty awesome. Hope you all are having an awesome summer just like I am. Went to Six Flags the other day with my best friend and his parents. Again, totally awesome! I missed all the rides, haven't gone there for like four years. Also what's up with Christmas lists? I'm so terrible at deciding what I want. I'll probably end up with a bunch of useless junk, like every year. –NinjaDino4
Disclaimer: I do not own mlp. Duh.
Jaden was suffocating beneath Rainbow's powerful grip. Her arms were wrapped around his torso clutching onto him for dear life. He gasped as he tried to force oxygen into his lungs. Dash recovered from the noise which had caused her to fall off the couch.
She looked down only to see Jaden squirming on the ground in panic. Loosening her grip he was able to take a bunch of deep breaths. "Heh, sorry."
"Remind me…to…never mess…with you." Jaden muttered between his breathing. She was about to reply, but he cupped his hands over her mouth. Not a moment later they could hear faint, yet audible noises coming from outside the room. If they had been asleep they would've never been able to pick up on the hushed disturbance.
Their eyes flicked around the room trying to determine the direction it was coming from, however the source was too complicated to pinpoint. Jaden's palms dropped from Rainbow's mouth. Dash pulled herself up into a sitting position, holding out her hand to which Jaden grabbed to hoist himself up as well.
Jaden grazed Rainbow's shoulder with a light touch. His body language appeared serene; however his voice was quite shaky. "You...stay here, I-I'll be back."
Just before he had the chance to leave Rainbow grabbed his arm. Jaden turned around, a nervous glint in his eyes as the noises started to grow in quantity. She tried to speak, yet no words would come out. Flustered in the failure to produce any term the corners of her lips began to create a scowl. Catching him off guard Rainbow embraced him careful not to squeeze too hard, as she had suffocated him only moments before.
He blinked rapidly unsure if he was dreaming, not a second longer he slowly returned the hug albeit a tad apprehensive at first. Their breathing begun to slow down into a sort of rhythm. His adrenaline felt twisted, part of his heart wanted to beat steadily, yet race all at the same time. Just as he was beginning to get comfortable she pulled back, Rainbow's eyes began to wander away, scanning the ground as she avoided eye contact.
She hesitated to find the right words, yet what she was trying to say didn't come out how she intended. "Just...just don't...I mean-good luck." Smooth, Dash.
He nodded slowly, a tad unure, but crawled to a tunnel entrance in the room. Slowly flipping it open to keep from making much noise he gave her one last look before disappearing into the wall. Once he was gone she feebly smacked the tips of her fingers onto the middle of her forehead.
"Celestia, I'm such an idiot." Rainbow groaned quietly. "Stuttering like a babbling idiot." She mockingly stated moving her hand in the air dramatically. "Ugh, what's wrong with me?"
As she continued to ramble on she made her way over to the window to sneak a peek outside. When she did she noticed an odd van parked in the driveway, one that she hadn't seen before. Although just looking at the van brought back memories of her incident, rippling a whole wave of shudders over her body. Rainbow started to tremble slightly, figuring that forcing herself to stare out the window any longer was enough torture; she changed her line of sight towards her sleeping friends.
She hadn't thought of waking any of them up. They all looked peaceful in their slumber, something she wished she could feel at that moment. Even in a room filled with her friends she felt more alone than ever.
Fluttershy rolled to her side her face towards the window. Her face scrunched and her jaw clenched. Sweat started to form on her forehead. Small whimpers started to escape her gaining the attention of Dash.
Her eyes batted open, the first object in her disoriented vision being the window. Only, there was a dark blurry, yet terrifying figure lurking on the opposite side of the glass. Fluttershy's first instinct was to scream, but Rainbow quickly slammed a hand over her lips silencing the frightened girl.
Fluttershy started to hyperventilate, her chest quickly moved in a stressed rhythm as she tried to catch her breath. She traced the arm to Rainbow Dash who only motioned her to remain quiet by placing a finger over her own mouth. The figure pressed their face against the window trying to peer inside. Fluttershy tried to hold as still as possible, meanwhile Rainbow pressed her back against the wall letting her body camouflage into the shadows. Just as quickly as the silhouette appeared it vanished into the night.
Rainbow Dash inhaled slowly contemplating whether it was safe to make any sudden movement in case somebody came back to the window. It was now or never, if there was any good time to take action it would be that moment. She used her knees to rise off the ground just high enough to be face to face with Fluttershy who was still shaken.
"I think it's gone...don't be loud though. We don't want to attract any attention." Rainbow whispered as he removed her hands from Fluttershy. "Or wake up the others."
Meekly nodding in reply her body was physically quivering in fear. Her eyes darted around scanning the room as if a person was going to pop out of the closer.
Rainbow frowned from the reaction her friend was giving. "Okay. Don't panic, buuut...i'mprettysurepeoplebrokein."
Fluttershy's eyes widened in fear, she pulled the blanket over her head, the entire bed started to vibrate from her intense shaking.
"Th-there's bur-burglars in the h-house?"
"I'm not sure if it's exactly burglars. It could be just some house noises, perfectly harmless house noises." Dash bit her lip as the bed continued to rattle. She began to panic thinking of everything that could go wrong from this point on. "Fluttershy, you really gotta calm down. You're gonna end up waking Rarity or Sweetie Belle or something!"
Her pink hair clung to her face as she peeked out from under the covers. Fluttershy had managed to keep her shivering to a minimum, but was impossible to eliminate it all. The bed shook slightly slower than it had been.
"But what if it is burglars and th-they come in the r-room?" Fluttershy stuttered in fear.
"No one's gonna come in the room." Rainbow whispered back, stalling as Rarity began to talk in her sleep.
"The speed...yes...quite lovely. Do keep...the pace..." Rarity mumbled under her breath.
Rainbow and Fluttershy looked at one another with confused expressions.
"What the hay is she talking about?" Rainbow pondered out loud. Fluttershy shrugged in response to the thought.
"...The aroma of mint...such delicate touches..." She babbled on letting out a tiny snore. Rarity twitched in her sleep, her body colliding into Sweetie's who then in turn nudged into Fluttershy causing her to fall off the bed.
Rainbow Dash swiftly caught her friend before she fell to the ground. Fluttershy gasped as quietly as she could.
"Thanks." The only word Fluttershy managed to say.
Rarity stretched her arms and rose from the bed. With the eye mask still on she managed to walk flawlessly towards the door without tripping on anyone or anything.
"Wait! Rarity, don't go!" Rainbow called out faintly.
Rarity ignored the noise due to being extremely groggy, she continued on with her late night trek. Opening the door and stepping out into the hall she was oblivious to her two friends panicking by the bedside.
"Come back!" Fluttershy whispered, but Rarity soon became engulfed in the darkness, the door silently shutting behind her.
Rainbow Dash shook Fluttershy, her face giving off nervous ticks and twitches. "What are we gonna do?! She's out there with whoever's out there! Now Jaden and Rarity are both in danger!"
"Jaden? Wait...where'd he go?" Fluttershy asked glancing over towards the empty area Jaden would have been had he not left.
"Through the walls, not sure how he's doing though..." Rainbow shook her head flailing her arms around. "We've got more important things to worry about! Like how Rarity just walked into danger without a care in the world! We have to do something before somebody gets hurt!"
"And just what are we going to do?..." Fluttershy weakly replied having a gut feeling this was going to involve some crazy scheme. One she didn't really want to be involved in.
"Stop waiting around like ducks and take some action! You know, go all Daring Do on these punks, if there are any that is!" Rainbow hopped up, the cast somewhat impeding her ability to stand. However, that was the furthest thing on her mind.
Fluttershy's arm was grabbed by Rainbow and she was practically dragged against her will towards the door.
She sheepishly smiled trying to escape Rainbow's grasp. "You have fun with that...I'll just...stay here and make sure nobody wakes up..."
Dash did a double take frowning at Fluttershy's coward tendencies. "What? No. I need all the help I can get."
"But isn't there anyone else more qualified to help you...like...Applejack or Pinkie or Twilight?..." Fluttershy muttered in desperation.
Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by shifting on the air mattress. It was small, roughly to be made by an animal.
"What are you two doing?" Spike mumbled stretching his back before lying back down. "You know what, I don't even wanna know."
Rainbow got a glint in her eye, her mouth forming into a smile. Fluttershy noticed the devious smirk appearing on her friend's face.
"Spike, stay here and make sure nobody leaves the room." Rainbow stated yanking Fluttershy to the area of the wall that led inside the tunnels.
"Mhm...whatever you say." Spike mumbled; he laid in deep thought. His memory was hazy of the day before, he couldn't shake the fact that something had happened, but for some reason he just couldn't figure out what it was. Deciding not to think too hard on it he snuggled closer to Twilight, who despite the noise in the room was still sound asleep as well as the other three.
"Great." Rainbow swiped Jaden's phone and handed it to Fluttershy.
"His phone?...Why are you giving it to me?" Fluttershy questioned timidly fumbling with the device.
"Cause you're gonna go through the walls, meanwhile I'm gonna go out the door. Once I find Emma's phone I'll send you a message and we'll keep in touch that way." Rainbow explained quickly. "I'll go after Rarity and Emma. You look for Jaden; he could still be in the walls somewhere."
Fluttershy sighed, her face flushed, but regardless of how scared she was she complied with the plan. "A-alright. Be careful."
"You too." Dash replied. With that they parted ways, Fluttershy climbed into the tunnel as Rainbow Dash exited the room into the hall.
/
Rarity yawned as she collected all of the necessary morning products to begin her day. There was an assortment of different facial and beauty products spewed out on the vanity.
Pulling her hair up into a loose bun she began to tidy herself up a bit. Minutes of tender care to her skin left her feeling refreshed however today she felt a bit flushed. Needing a sort of uplift Rarity applied an exfoliating mud mask, making sure to grab a couple of cucumber slices from the mini fridge on her way out.
She exited the bathroom contently, one step out into the hall she felt a pair of hands jerk her backwards, the cucumbers falling onto the floor. Rough material grasped the front of her face inhibiting any sound escaping her lips to the point of being anything more than incomprehensible mumbles. The other hand from her assailant was wrapped around her abdomen holding her still.
Rarity thrashed to escape the clutches of the person not only seizing her into captivity, but completely ruining her mud mask as well. A tight rope was fastened around her ankles and tied in a complex knot. Not a second later her wrists were being restrained in a similar fashion, except her arms were forced behind her back.
Struggling against the sheer force only proved to be a failed attempt with every drop of effort. Rarity could feel the change in altitude, as she could no longer touch the ground with her feet. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she made out a person dressed in all black with a ski mask step towards her, a piece of damp looking cloth and duct tape in the individual's possession.
Rarity moved her head in multiple directions avoiding contact with the cloth. The frustration rose in the two trying to gag her. Needing a better grip on keeping her still the stronger built of the two allowed Rarity's lower half to drop to the floor while he held her head firmly, his hand still covering her mouth.
Unintelligent noises were the only thing coming out beneath the gloves silencing her. The smaller of the two nodded his head to signal that he was ready to proceed, which the other nodded back to quickly. Instantly Rarity felt the damp fabric shoved into her mouth making her cough in response. Pieces of tape were slapped on her face, further damaging the beauty product she had used in turn causing her to make a multitude of incoherent muffled sounds, the tone behind the noises clearly noting that they weren't happy words.
The stronger of the two thugs carelessly flung Rarity onto his shoulder making her grunt from the impact. What felt like the longest stroll ever finally ended, not that they were any more gentle after ending up in the living room. The man tossed her on the couch without much thought.
Rarity rolled over only to see Emma strapped to the recliner, who was staring at Rarity in defeat. They both gave each other the disheartened look; it was as if their hearts were connected because they both knew exactly what the other was feeling.
Despair.
/
Rainbow placed her back against the wall, peeking around the corner. She didn't see anything suspicious, let alone hear anyone in the direction she was going. With no time to contemplate any major decisions she instinctively continued on.
Her adrenaline was pumping, her heart was racing, it was almost the same rush she felt from flying. Well, except she wasn't feeling anywhere close to blissful at the moment.
"Come on, you can do this." She mumbled to herself slowly walking in a crouched position down the hall. It seemed as though the house grew even larger in size as she made her way to the front of the house. Finding the phone was a priority, but locating her friends was even more important to her.
Making her way down the last hall she slowed to a halt upon hearing mutters. She couldn't make out exactly what was being said, but if she had to guess it couldn't be good. Holding her breath Dash quickly took a sly look to determine what she was going to be going up against. One dark figure leaning against a wall was the only thing she could see from her current position.
Just out of sight Dash slowly, yet swiftly moved to the small room connected to the kitchen and living room. She surveyed the table for Emma's phone, but was left empty handed. From the new vantage point she got a better view of the living room, spotting Emma tied to the recliner and another figure lying on the couch who she guessed must have been Rarity.
There was no room for error; she had to make a choice. One person in the room and two of her friends were being held hostage. She had a chance to take down the punk while she wasn't outnumbered. Acting on instinct Dash made her way into the kitchen grabbing the first item she could find, a frying pan.
Silently moving to the living room she noticed what looked like a phone on the counter. It for sure was Emma's thus Rainbow swiped it and stuck it in the pocket of the hoodie she was wearing.
Rarity had noticed movement coming from the kitchen, staring at the source the figure started to become a bit clearer as it came closer. She realized it was Rainbow Dash with some type of pan in hand, most likely an improvised weapon. She could see Dash signaling her, not certain what the hand gestures meant Rarity improvised herself.
Her arms were getting extremely agitated from the position they were in. As difficult as it was Rarity managed to toss her body off the couch and onto the floor.
"Damn it, can't you stay put?" The man groaned rolling his eyes as he walked over to Rarity who was lying helplessly on the ground. He grabbed the bottom of her chin tilting her head up so they're eyes were locked. "Ya know, even with all that crap on your face you're still hot. A shame I'm not allowed to consort with you."
Rarity shivered in disgust, if she was able to move it would have been far, far away. Even with the gag in her mouth and the duct tape across her face she managed to respond to the point of being understandable, although it was one single word.
"Ew." Rarity stated, her eyebrows furrowing.
Rainbow Dash took the chance and moved quickly. In one swift act she hit the man across the head with the frying pan instantly knocking him out. Her heart kept out of her chest, it was racing even faster than before. If it wasn't for the complete terror and fear coursing through her veins she would've been enjoying the rush.
"Hold on, I'll get you two out of this." Rainbow whispered placing the pan on the floor and dropping to Rarity's side. She yanked on the rope wrapped around her friend's wrists, in turn pulling on Rarity's shoulders who squealed in anger and pain in response. "Sorry, sorry...there's gotta be an easier way..." Rainbow's eyes lit up and she took off to the kitchen. Moments later she returned to the living room with a knife in her hand.
Rainbow Dash used the knife to cut the rope in half freeing Rarity's arms which she moved immediately in glee. Quickly keeping pace she sliced the remaining rope around her ankles.
"Alright, try not to make any noise." Rainbow warned gripping the duct tape on Rarity's face. She ripped the tape off expecting the worst; however Rarity just winced a tad, otherwise remaining quite still. A little surprised Dash continued on and removed the gag.
"Oh thank you, darling. It's a good thing you came when you did, my mud mask was starting to crack." Rarity stated silently walking into the kitchen to get a towel and a bottle of water from a cabinet, and then proceeded to clean off the cracked mess.
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she freed Emma in a similar manner. "Are you serious?"
"Why of course. Those ruffians not only ruined it, but they made me leave it on too long." Rarity explained which didn't really change Rainbow's reaction.
Quick to pick up on any sounds Dash realized somebody was coming closer. Instead of panicking she picked up the frying pan and nudged the two towards the wall.
"Go into the tunnels and stay there. Find Fluttershy, she's somewhere inside." Rainbow ordered opening the hatch.
"Without you? Are you crazy? We can't-" Emma and Rarity protested, but were immediately cut off by Rainbow.
"Go. Now." She commanded shoving them to the entrance. The two sighed in defeat quickly scurrying into the wall.
As soon as she shut the hatch she heard footsteps enter the room. Rainbow turned around slowly, hiding the frying pan from sight. Two figures stood still in shock, their heads looking down on their friend who was knocked unconscious. Their eyes trailed up landing on Rainbow Dash who was standing completely still.
"Yeah, yeah. I know the drill. I'm not gonna try anything." Rainbow stated calmly despite the circumstances.
The two men grabbed rope and tape from their pockets moving closer to her. Once they were in range Rainbow swung the hidden pan hitting one of them in the head, only it sent him to the ground in pain. The other man tackled her to the ground, the force knocked Dash's head into the corner of a table drawing blood.
"Ow!" She squeaked in pain, growling in anger afterwards. "Watch where you're throwing me, jerk."
Tying her up he tossed her into a nearby bathroom figuring it was the only way nobody was going to sneak from behind. A heavy piece of furniture was placed in front of the door to prevent Rainbow from escaping.
"Guess this is it for me...only one thing left to do." Rainbow squirmed on the floor inching closer to the toilet, quite a difficult task when it was pitch black. Eventually she managed to find the object and yanked herself up to sit on the edge.
Taking a deep breath Rainbow Dash maneuvered her arms from behind her back. The sheer pain building up in her shoulders caused her eyes to well up. No matter how much effort Rainbow put into it she couldn't manage to get her arms to tuck underneath her legs.
"Come on! Just...a little more." She grunted yanking in ways that set her muscles on fire. Slamming her forehead into the side of the vanity she collapsed onto the tile floor.
The phone sat helplessly in her pocket. How was she supposed to communicate in such a useless state? To be completely restrained, as if she hadn't already been in that position before. Her mind began to wander, thoughts dripping in and out as the seconds went on. The darkness surrounding her body started to consume her imagination.
/
Fluttershy sat still in the tunnel, her nerves had not settled since she was given the task of finding Jaden. She was completely failing at her objective, and was beginning to worry about Rainbow. Time was ticking by and she hadn't heard from her at all.
"Wouldn't hurt to check again." Fluttershy sighed sadly pulling out the phone hoping for a sudden change. Clicking a button the screen lit up, yet revealed no message. Her face fell in fear; it was starting to mess with her mind.
Realizing she was on her own for now Fluttershy put away the phone moving farther down the tunnel. She felt somewhat useless; Rainbow was out there risking her well-being meanwhile she was stuck trekking what seemed like an endless supply of twists and turns.
Fluttershy stopped momentarily mustering up a bit of self-encouragement. "Come on, Fluttershy. If Rainbow's capable of doing something productive and heroic, so can you."
She pondered the thought while continuing on. "But how?..."
Fluttershy turned a corner knocking heads with someone else.
"Terribly sorry."
Fluttershy looked up smiling at who she ran into. "Rarity. You have no idea how glad I am to see you. And you too, Emma."
"At least we found you, Rainbow told us you were in here, darling." Rarity explained rubbing her head.
"I'm so glad you found me, it's been so lonely and scary crawling around in here." Fluttershy shivered responding to her friend.
"What about the others? Are they doing okay?" Emma questioned in deep concern.
"Rainbow left Spike in charge of keeping everyone in the guest room. Jaden is the only one I know that left the room, I've been trying to find him, but it's just a lost cause." Fluttershy stated in response a frown growing. "I've tried my best to find him...but..."
"Don't worry about it; I'm sure he's just fine. You'd be surprised at how well he can handle himself." Emma assured, although she herself was uncertain of how well he would handle the danger.
/
"These people are complete idiots." Jaden laughed walking out of a closet. He had just taken out a thug that passed by, but played it smart and hid the body in the shadows stealing the man's clothing in order to disguise himself.
"Hey, hurry up. The boss ain't gonna be too happy if you don't get your ass to the safe." A man stated looking back at Jaden, unknowing it was an intruder.
"Oh...right...the safe. That's what we came for." Jaden replied back changing his voice to sound much deeper. Damn it, why. Why did I have to be dragged into this.
"Yeah. And this is the last stop before we get the hell out of here. Time is ticking and we've gotta get outta here soon, sun's gonna come up in an hour or so. So quite yappin and let's get snappin."
Jaden followed the thug to a room which held two more people. Both had sacks filled to the top with priceless objects and money. It seemed apparent that they were completely cleaning out the house for valuables.
Three against one was an extremely stupid move, so it didn't seem intelligent to make any sudden gestures giving away his disguise. Jaden had no idea what he was going to do. I mean he didn't exactly have his phone at hand so calling the police wasn't optional. Not to mention that it apparently never occurred to him to take his cell phone in case the noise wasn't just a false alarm. No turning back, he had to act fast.
"So this is it? Mind if I carry the bags?" Jaden asked in his deepened voice.
Getting the loot from them seemed like the first step, but what came after he had no clue. Improvisation was the only thing running through his mind. Well, that and adrenaline.
The two sighed, but nodded handing over the sacks. It was so close, just right in front of his arms. Not long before he took back the priceless valuables.
"We've got a problem! Somebody is dressed up like me! Stole my clothes and everyth-" A man in just his undergarments ran into the room, Jaden began to sweat, it was the same guy he had knocked unconscious or so he thought. The man pointed straight at Jaden, a scowl slapping across his face. "That's him! He's the one!"
Jaden swore under his breath. He quickly began to panic as the four individuals in the room all turned against him. I'm dead.
"Trying to steal my loot aye? I don't think so. No one steals from a thief!" A gruff woman, whose voice seemed awfully familiar, stated in fury.
A kitchen knife swung slicing Jaden's leg causing him to fall to the ground in pain. The four made a break while they had the chance and left him in shock in the room all alone.
"God...dammit...I gotta catch them..." Jaden grunted as he stood up. The wound was deep, blood ran down his leg coating it in crimson.
Forcing himself into a uncomfortable run his footsteps echoed throughout the house. He made his way in the direction of the burglars, leading him to the front of the house. When he arrived to the front door, which was wide open there was no one there. No one, not even a getaway car. Completely gone.
"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit! I screwed up; if I had just knocked that guy out none of this would be happening!" He yelled, flipping on the lights, the rage consuming over the affliction in his voice. His leg was on fire, but at this point it was nothing compared to letting the four thugs get away. That stung his pride, more than the cut stung his leg.
The wall collapsed open revealing three girls who tumbled out. Their faces had looks of shock and fear.
Emma jumped up from the ground rushing over to her best friend. "Oh, Jaden! What happened? Your leg, i-it's bleeding!"
"Your mom, that's who! I'm like a million percent sure your damn mom cut me! She robbed you, Emma! We gotta call the police!" He screamed wigging out.
"Her mother did that to you? That fiend. Such a revolting women." Rarity stated in disgust.
"...I don't suppose you'd call the police on a phone?..." Fluttershy mumbled pulling out Jaden's smart phone from her pocket.
Jaden's jaw dropped, annoyance clearly taking over him. His patience had run out and had no time for the ignorance of anyone. "Are you kidding me? You had this the whole time and never called the cops?!"
Fluttershy moved back scared of the words that came from his mouth. She let out a small whimper before replying. "...I-I didn't know h-how to..."
Jaden blinked and took a deep breath. It wasn't her fault for being clueless and he knew it. Rarity and Emma were taken aback at how he snapped at Fluttershy, who was still a bit shaken up. "Right, sorry. It's not your fault...I gotta wash this cut. Maybe find some towels to stop the bleeding...I'll be back."
Fluttershy thought to herself, it was as though she was forgetting something. Something very important. She tried not to dwell on it, as her mind was consumed by a void of nerves.
Emma nodded taking the phone from Fluttershy who was being comforted by Rarity. Jaden limped off to the bathroom as quickly as he could.
Upon arriving he noticed furniture blocking off the doorway.
"That's...peculiar?" He questioned before sliding the object out of the way. Jaden opened the door expecting the worst, shutting it behind him.
But instead was met with the exact opposite of what he had in mind. Rainbow Dash had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor, albeit in a position which looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Uh...okay. This isn't exactly what I pictured." Jaden muttered to himself silently walking over to Dash.
He bent down and grazed the side of her cheek with his hand hoping to wake her up. Instead she swatted his hand rolling to her side.
"Dash. Wake up." Jaden stated gently tapping her on the shoulder.
"Go away. I'm not ready for school." Rainbow groaned frowning in her sleep.
"What? No, get up." Jaden grabbed her shoulders and shook her as carefully as he could to snap her out of it.
Rainbow's eyes snapped open, her body flying forward on reflex. Her forehead collided with his nose, both buckled back in pain.
"Jesus Christ!" Jaden groaned falling on his rear end.
"That's your own fault!" Rainbow snapped massaging her throbbing forehead. "Now I've got a massive head ache on top of it all. Gee, thanks."
"Yeah, well I've got plenty more to complain about." Jaden groaned clutching onto his injured leg.
Rainbow studied his leg; blood was seeping onto Jaden's hands as he covered the cut for a moment.
"Oh my gosh. You're bleeding!" Dash broke out of her disoriented attitude and brushed up next to Jaden.
"Yep, it's fine though. Not that bad." Jaden winced as he removed his hands from the site of the injury. He looked over at Rainbow only to notice that the back of her head seemed to be flaked over with patches of blood, some minor bleeding still fresh.
"Not that bad? Are you kidding me, it's terrible." Dash raised an eyebrow gesturing to his leg.
"You're one to talk. I mean you got your head bashed." Jaden pointed out as he gathered up various first aid items.
"Fine. I guess we're equal." She sighed with a pout. "Anyways, you mind getting these ropes off me? My wrists feel like they're getting rubbed raw."
"No problem." Jaden dropped the supplies and untied the knots in a flash. It was pretty simple, to him probably one of the easiest knots to undo.
Dash's jaw dropped as she moved her arms and legs which were now free. "How'd you do that? I've been trying to get out of them and nothing's worked."
"There's your problem. This is a special kind of knot, if you work against it you'll only make it tighter. Ya gotta undo it a certain way." He replied his face scrunching up as he addressed his wound.
"Special kind? And how do you know so much about knots?" Rainbow inquired grabbing a towel and handing it to him.
"My mom pretty much forced me to be in scouts when I was younger. I didn't wanna do it, but I guess some of the stuff they taught us was useful." Jaden responded putting pressure on the cut with the towel.
"Well, uh. Thanks, ya know...for helping me out." Dash stated a small blush forming on her cheeks.
"It was nothing. Just doing the right thing." He replied still fixed on his leg, not paying any attention to Rainbow visually.
As he tended to his injury he felt Dash's hands rest on his shoulders. Jaden felt warm inside, like butterflies filled up the pit of his stomach. He felt a pair of lips graze his cheek with a kiss.
Rainbow noticed that Jaden became extremely pale. She had no idea why she had done that, it just happened without her thinking about it.
"Oh. Sorry. I don't know why I- are you okay?" Dash questioned a tad embarrassed of the kiss.
"Uh..." Jaden couldn't think of anything to say. He was conflicted, as if his heart and mind were crashing into one another. All words flew out the door, leaving him speechless.
"If you want to be alone, I totally understand, I can go and-" Dash stood up disappointed with how awkward she had made the situation.
"No, you can stay." Jaden quickly replied grabbing her leg. "I'm flattered, about the kiss, that is...But, I don't really know about...everything. About you and me."
"Oh, um...yeah...me too. I don't really what came over me..." Rainbow stated, looking around the bathroom.
"Everything's just really complicated. I mean...you're from another world on top of the fact you're actually a pony. It feels a little weird to me, honestly." Jaden responded softly putting pressure on the towel.
Dash kept her stare fixed on the ground. What was she supposed to say? How would anything she said change the way he felt? Or help her express her feelings in a way that wasn't completely awkward and as far from romantic as it gets. The only bright side she could think of is that at the very least she didn't have some annoying embarrassing laugh every time she was around him. Babbling, fine. Scaring him off, at least that would never happen.
Rainbow sighed trying to conjure up her thoughts. "Look, if this whole thing makes you uncomfortable I'll take the hint and get over it. I don't want any of this to ruin our friendship."
Jaden felt his heart tug against his head. He was running out of time, sooner or later Rainbow was going to move on. Piling on excuses wasn't doing much good. His heart told him to go for it, to do what would make him happy, but his head told him that it was a huge mistake that would only result in both of them getting hurt.
Fuck it. Jaden grabbed Rainbow's chin lifting her head gently.
"What are you-" Dash started, cut off when Jaden pressed his lips up to hers. His eyes were closed and fully leaning into it. Rainbow caught off guard had her eyes wide open, but not long into the kiss her eyes began to wander shut.
Jaden leaned back onto the floor allowing Rainbow to gently fall on top of him. His hands moved down her back and through her hair which fell into his face on occasion. She placed one hand on the side of his cheek letting the other one run through his hair.
As time went on Jaden went faster and faster making it hard for Rainbow to keep pace. Her movements started to become less in synch and much sloppier. She pulled back to give herself a moment to breath, both panting from exhaustion. Dash caught herself back to speed and re-initiated the kiss this time with cleaner movements. Jaden's tongue was begging to be let in, which Rainbow obliged to parting her lips slightly.
The simple kiss turned much more passionate with each passing moment. Jaden let his hands wander farther down her back. One hand unconsciously moved to her thigh, making her gasp and jump off him putting pressure on his injury with the sudden jerk.
Jaden groaned in pain clutching his leg. Rainbow darted towards him in remorse putting the palms of her hands on his leg carefully.
"I am so sorry, I didn't- you just- that was totally an accident." Rainbow spat out.
"No. No. It's cool." He managed to get out. "Totally my fault."
"It was-I can't-ugh just forget it." Rainbow groaned slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand. She stood up and opened the bathroom door. "I think we should get outta here."
/
Fluttershy was sitting on the couch with Rarity while Emma looked over to report all the missing items. The police were still looking for evidence. Only one guy had been detained, the thug that Rainbow had knocked out earlier. It seemed as if the group of burglars didn't stick together, what a great practice of friendship.
"...What exactly did we miss?" Twilight questioned in confusion to the mess all around the house and the countless officers examining every inch they could. Emma turned around, giving them an exhausted stare.
Applejack, Sweetie Belle, Spike, Twilight and Pinkie were looking at one another completely lost on what had occurred.
"The worst possible thing, that's what." Emma simply stated "Don't worry about it, go out back or something."
"Are ya sure, sugarcube?" Applejack meekly asked.
"Since you weren't involved in anything, yeah. It'd be best if you all sat out by the pool. Too many people, it's kinda crowded." She dismissed the small group with a simple wave.
"Okie dokie lokie." Pinkie happily complied dragging the small group through the back door.
Rainbow sat on the floor contemplating every thought running through her mind. A couple of paramedics tended to her minor injuries. A few scrapes and bruises, the only wound that was even covered was the one on the back of her head. Some gauze wrapped around her skull did the trick. On the other hand, Jaden was taken to the hospital, the cut requiring a few stitches at worst.
Rainbow felt a vibration on her stomach. Reaching inside her pocket she pulled out the cell phone which was lit up. There was no name, just a bunch of random numbers. She looked over only seeing that Emma was completely wrapped up in the situation. So of course, that left her with just two options. Ignore the call or...
"Hello?" Rainbow quietly said more along the lines of a question than a statement.
The other voice on the line kept silent for a moment. "Emma?"
"...Um, no. Not exactly. She's...kinda busy at the moment."
"and who exactly is this?"
"Oh. I'm...uh..." Rainbow racked through her brain trying to recall her name. Pathetic human names, why are they so hard to remember? "Rebeka! Yeah, Rebeka." Looking over she realized that Emma had started to walk her way. There was no way she could stress her friend out even more. Hitting the end button she slid the phone back into her pocket giving a sheepish smile.
Weird. Emma continued walking down the hall only giving a second glance back at Dash.
"As much evidence as we have gathered it should be enough to follow through with a clean investigation." One of the officers stated.
Emma felt ready to rip out all of her hair. Her life had just kicked it up a notch in stress. Forget essays and exams, she had to worry about drug dealers and break in's. When did things become so complicated?
"Just keep our involvement to a minimum. I've got enough to deal with. As long as the people who broke into my house are taken care of I'll be fine. The items, I could care less about at this point." Emma sighed rolling her eyes. This is all gonna be the death of me.
Hours rolled by, bringing about exhaustion for the group. They all laid out the living room, asleep, except for one.
Rainbow stared at the ceiling; sleep was something that seemed so distant for her now. Sure she could drift off every night, but it was starting to become increasingly difficult. She shut her eyes, flashes of the drug dealer pulsed through her mind. Shuddering, she carefully got up and tiptoed to the bathroom.
Splashing cold water onto her face she stared into the mirror. Peering into her own eyes she could only be hypnotized by the piercing gaze. Only, she couldn't recognize the person staring back at her. She felt different, less confident, tainted.
"What happened to me?" Rainbow whispered under her breath. Shaking her head she hung it down, her hair falling over her face. One hand slid down the mirror until it reached the bottom. Letting her other hand fall limply Dash gazed at the floor as she exited the room. The tips of her fingers grazed against the glass before being dragged away.
"Anything you need to talk about?" Rarity asked coming around the corner halting Rainbow in her tracks.
Dash took in air breaking her mindless stare from the floor. She pushed past her knocking their shoulders together "No."
"Are you certain?" One of Rarity's hands caught Rainbow's shoulder.
"Yes. I'm fine." Rainbow jerked her shoulder forward, walking off at a decent pace.
Rarity stood still staring up at the ceiling pondering the strange behavior, not to mention the rude attitude. All she wanted to do was help. Something's up. I know I can get her talk. "In due time."