THE MAGIX:CHAPTER 2: Bugged

Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof onto her alarm clock, which she had conveniently forgotten to turn off. She stretched and yawned in her plush cloud bed. "I had the weirdest dream last night," she said to herself. "They are watching you... hm, I wonder who that guy was." Lazily she went through her morning routine, preparing herself for a day at the Ponyville mall with her friends, thinking about her dream all the while. Her mornings had been this way for a long time. She always woke up from an impossibly realistic dream, dazed and confused, feeling as if she hadn't gotten any sleep. This happened to her all the time, but she felt there was something exceptional about this dream, something that she couldn't quite figure out. Who knows what it is? she thought. She thought nothing of it as she flew out the door.

"Is this real turquoise?" Rarity telekinetically sifted through a rack of gemstone bracelets, horn glowing. She held up the bracelet to Twilight Sparkle, who looked at the price tag and shook her head.
"Obviously not," she said. "If the gems were real, these would be too valuable to be sold at these prices."
Rarity nodded. "Good! Another thing is that if you look very closely at how it catches the light, you'll notice that..."
In the nearby clothing racks, Rainbow Dash watched the glamorous unicorn giving another "lesson" to her geeky friend. "Rarity thinks she's so smart," she said sarcastically. Applejack looked at her from behind a graphic tee she was reading.
"'Cuz of all her gem 'n fashion know-how?" She tossed her hastily tied mop of unruly blond hair. "Honestly, the girl has a heart o' gold in the right place, but all that prissin' gets on mah nerves. She's gotta learn bein' pretty ain't the most important thing in the world."
Pinkie Pie bounced over, wearing a ridiculous, oversized, feather-covered hat. "Does this color suit me?" she asked.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack burst out laughing. "Where in tarnation did ya get that thing?"
Pinkie looked confused. "You don't like it?"
Dash grinned. "No, Pinks. It's perfect for you!"
Pinkie Pie looked at herself in a mirror. She made a few faces, posed, then said, "Okey-dokey-lokey then! I love it!" She zoomed over next to Rainbow Dash. "So did you have fun last night?"
"Last night?"
Pinkie cocked her head. "Yeah. At Glitterati, remember? Wow, you forget everything these days. You're such a Forgetty McForgetterson!"
Rainbow Dash remembered the plans she'd made weeks ago. She and her friends were going midnight raving for the Equinox. Had she missed it? Then she remembered her dream.
"Oh, yeah! That... yeah I had a great time." What is she talking about? she wondered. I could have sworn that party wasn't real. Before she could think about it any further, Rarity and Twilight trotted up to them. Twilight was putting her cell phone back into her saddlebag.
"Fluttershy just called," she said. "She can't come shopping today. Angel is a little cranky from being up too late last night, so she has to stay home and make sure he gets some sleep."
Rainbow's heart froze. Oh no. Not you too! It was all a dream. How is this possible?
Luckily nopony noticed her distress. "I simply had the most wonderful time," Rarity fantasized. "The outfit I picked was coordinated perfectly. I fit in perfectly with the rest of the ravers, yet still stood out. Classic combination. And normally normally I'm not much for club music, but last night, the song choice was fantastic! And the BOYS! Oh, the stallions just wouldn't let me out of their sight!" She eyed Rainbow and a coy look crossed her flawless face. "Speaking if stallions, who was that simply de-licious young thing you were talking to, Rainbow Dash?"
The pegasus was even more baffled. "Who, me? I wasn't talking..."
"Oh yes y'all were!" Applejack elbowed her, grinning.
Pinkie hopped forward. "You know, tall, dark, handsome, totally awesome-tastic-looking and almost as colorful as you?"
"Ummm..."
"Come now, Rainbow Dash, you have to know his name. What's he like? What did you two talk about? Did you get-*gasp*- digits? Come on, spill, spill, spill!"
I'd like to spill you right about now, Rarity, Dash thought. It seemed everypony had gone crazy. The party was just a dream, she knew it was! Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Just tell them what you dreamed. She took a deep breath. "Actually, I don't know his name."
All the ponies joined in one collective "Awwwwwwww!" of disappointment.
"Oh, well," Twilight sighed. "You never were the flirtatious type. But there was this weird thing that happened on the dance floor. I had just gone up to the DJ booth to put a request in, when-"
Rainbow Dash zoned out as she usually did during conversations like this. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the store, from the dresses, to the jewelry, to the other shoppers. Then she noticed the strangest thing. Dash blinked. Was her mind playing tricks on her? No. There he was, clear as daylight, standing so still she almost mistook him for a mannequin. He was a tall, basic brown stallion. Why was he just standing there? Was he a security guard? He was dressed in a black suit and mirror sunglasses, nothing that any mall cop she had seen would wear. He almost appeared to be waiting for someone... No, searching for someone.
Suddenly his head turned toward Rainbow, sending shock waves through her. She quickly looked away. What just happened? It was as if he'd known she was staring! Rainbow Dash's heart began to pound. Something about that stallion made her uneasy. She looked back up to study him better- And he was gone. What the... She hadn't heard hooves moving across the hard tiles of the floor, and it had been only a few seconds since she'd seen him last. Her eyes began to drift again, to the other side of the store-
And there he was again, watching her, even closer this time. Something like a warning echoed in her brain.
He's dangerous. Get out of there. NOW.
Rainbow Dash's mind raced. She needed a distraction, fast.
"Dammit!" she blurted out.
"She was so strange. It looked like her fur used to be pink, but she'd dyed it, and- what is it, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, interrupting her story.
"I- um- I...,"Dash stuttered, groping for an excuse to leave. "I have to... practice! Yeah, I scheduled a flying practice for today, and I just completely forgot. I have a race coming up, and-" She flexed her muscular sky-blue wings. " I've got to keep these babies in shape! Gotta dash! Bye!" She galloped off without another word.
Once out of her friends' sight, Rainbow Dash broke into a full-on sprint. She didn't dare look back to see if the strange stallion was following her. All she could do was run away as fast as she could. Once outside, she could fly all the way back to her house. There was no way that creep could keep up with her. Even if he did have wings, which he obviously didn't, he would never even come close to catching the world's fastest pegasus. She was almost out. The exit was right in front of her.
Suddenly somepony stepped directly in front of her. Rainbow Dash slammed into them, too panicked to see where she was going. She peeled herself off the ground and pushed herself forward. She was almost out the door, her hooves just inches from the metal handle, when somepony jumped her, knocking her helplessly to the ground.
Next thing she knew she was fighting against a pair of incredibly strong forelegs, which dragged her, kicking and screaming, into a dark corner. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to scream for help when a hoof clamped over her face. She felt hot breath on her neck, then heard somepony speaking directly into her ear in a harsh, angry whisper.
"Keep quiet and cooperate, and we'll both get out of this alive."

Rainbow Dash sat quietly in the empty office. She drummed her hooves on the desk in front of her as she waited for the suited pony to return. All she remembered after being jumped was being blindfolded, hoof-cuffed, and forced into a car. At least she thought it was a car, judging from the vibrations she felt and all the engine noise. It had taken several minutes to get where she currently was. Where, she had no idea. Her blindfold wasn't removed until she was already in the building. By then, it was too late to figure anything out. She wanted to leave as soon as she could, but she wouldn't know where to go. She didn't know where that stallion had taken her. All Rainbow knew was that she had been kidnapped, or arrested, or something of the like, and she wasn't safe where she was. She heard hoofsteps outside the office's single locked door. Rainbow stayed silent as the suited pony entered, followed by two other stallions in suits and shades who looked almost exactly alike, as if cut from the same chestnut-brown fabric. One carried a very thick file folder, which he promptly dropped on the desk before going to stand guard at the door with the other. The main pony sat in front of Rainbow Dash on the desk's other side. He opened the file folder. "Dash, Rainbow D, I presume?"
"Yes," Dash answered uneasily. "My name is Rainbow Darcy Dash."
"I am Agent Steel," he introduced himself. He had a deep, intimidating voice, with a sharp, steely edge that matched his name.
Rainbow began to ask him a question. "Why am I here? I haven't done anything wrong."
"Your record says otherwise," Agent Steel calmly stated. "Apparently you have been living, for quite some time, what most would call a double life."
Dash started up again. "Double life? What is that supposed to-"
"In one life, you live as Rainbow Darcy Dash, an average pegasus mare, age 21, athletic, cares about her social life. The other, I must say, is very different."
She once again tried to put a word in. "I don't live a double life. What are you-"
Agent Steel proceeded to cut her off again. "In your second life, you live under the hacker's alias Rain. You're a rule-breaker, a risk-taker. We have records of you hacking music browsing sites and pirating songs as opposed to purchasing them legally. We have also caught you breaking into online accounts, hacking public online browsing sites for your own exploitation, hacking city records and changing events, even one incident where you hacked your high-school principal's school website account and added several- how to say it ?- unmentionable sites to his list of favorites, causing him to lose his job. In this file alone, you have committed nearly every computer crime Equestria has a law for. It also seems you have used your computer knack to earn yourself money. We have files containing evidence that you have sold pirated music to unsuspecting clientele and also have been paid to hack others as a sport of revenge. As of now, you should have a Royal Guard criminal record."
Rainbow Dash tried to speak again. "That's not me! I'd never-"
"Miss Dash," Agent Steel continued, completely ignoring her, "You can deny it all you want. You may not believe me, but all the evidence you need is right here. We know the truth. Now you do as well. One of your lives is stable. You'll finish college, get a job, possibly even join the Wonderbolts or raise a family, just like every common young pony dreams of doing. In the other, you're likely to get caught or die young. We need you to make a decision, Miss Dash." He removed his sunglasses, revealing icy blue eyes. "Are you Rainbow Dash or Rain? Take your pick."
By now, Rainbow Dash was done with this pony's rudeness. She had never cared much about manners, but the way he constantly interrupted her was really pissing her off. He was so cocky, so self-important, so... Oh, he was going to get it now.
"I have a few questions of my own," she hissed. "Like, why won't you let me talk?"
Steel responded, irritatingly calm. "This is an interrogation. Your input isn't needed unless asked for."
This only got Dash angrier. "Why? Why are you being such a freaking snob about this? What are you going to do, torture me for answers? I'm telling you now, cutting me off won't stop me from screaming!"
Agent Steel smiled. "Miss Dash, what use is screaming when no one can hear you?"
He seemed to be trying to get her mad. "What the hay is that supposed to mean? That doesn't make any sense. Of course somepony would hea-"
Silence. Suddenly Rainbow Dash's voice cut off, becoming a dry, bat-like squeal, then disappeared completely. She clutched at her throat. "What is this?" she mouthed. "What did you do to me?" No matter how hard she tried to speak, no sound came out of her mouth. Agent Steel replaced his sunglasses. "Grab her."
Before she could react, the two guards at the door took Rainbow Dash by the forelegs and pinned her against the pristine plaster wall of the office. "What are you doing?" she mouthed frantically, struggling in the guards' grip. "Let go! Put me down!" Steel opened a drawer on the desk and removed a small metal ball. A single green light blinked on its surface. He pressed it, and the light turned red and stopped flashing. "I'm sorry I have to do this, Miss Dash," he said, approaching her, watching her squirm. "But with crime comes punishment. And yours is long overdue."
Slowly, the ball in his hoof began to twitch, then its surface seemed to shift and peel back, morphing into something horrible. The smooth metal surface cracked open and split apart, some sections sinking toward its core, others pressing forward and spreading out or telescoping into long, thin extensions. Rainbow Dash watched in horror and the simple metal ball became something completely unearthly. When its disturbing transformation was complete, the end result resembled a robotic parasprite, with tiny, stubby legs and huge black camera-lens eyes. The only difference was the wings. It didn't have any. Instead, six long, whip-like tendrils extended from its back where its wings should have been.
Rainbow Dash automatically began to panic. Whatever her was planning to do with that parasprite, it couldn't be good. The guards' grip on her tightened. "Now hold still," Steel said, coming towards her with the parasprite. "This won't hurt... much."
Without warning, he grabbed her face, forced her mouth open, and jammed the parasprite inside. Dash silently screamed. The thing rolled itself further back into her mouth. She writhed, kicking the wall, trying desperately to twist out of the guards' grasp. Rainbow Dash silently shrieked in pain as the robot's sharp tendrils spun to life, scratching at the back of her throat, pulling itself in deeper. She gagged and tried to cough it up, but it didn't move. It continued dragging itself down her throat, scratching at her flesh, choking her. In her panic, she realized she couldn't breathe. The parasprite was in deep enough to suffocate her. She coughed and gagged, trying to breathe, trying to scream, but Agent Steel was right. No one could hear her. The lack of air was making her dizzy. Her struggling slowed. She was about to pass out. I can't breathe, she thought, I'm going to die...
She could still feel the parasprite pulling itself deeper and deeper inside her. It hurt. Oh, Celestia, it hurt. Dash couldn't take it anymore. Then everything went black.