Rainbow hopped out the shower of her cloudy apartment and began drying herself off. She looked into her mirror...she didn't like her reflection. She didn't like her face. She didn't think she was as pretty as the rest of her friends. She always had to compensate with aggression and personality to stand out from everypony else. Sometimes it wasn't fair. The colts were always macking on her friends...never her. But Big Red had noticed her! Maybe...maybe he was different. Maybe he would see who she was on the inside. It was a sweet dream...naive but sweet. She began drying her frizzled mane, somewhat reveling in the spectrum of color. It was a unique mane. It was one of her few physical attributes that made her stand out. Her friends thought she had never styled or even combed it. She laughed to herself. If only they knew how long it took for her to get that "carefree, windblown rocker-chic" look. She was always trying to get attention...his attention. She smiled. He had noticed her finally.

She grabbed her blue, Wonderbolts-themed toothbrush, squeezing a liberal amount of toothpaste onto the brush with her hooves. While brushing her teeth, she noticed that she had a lot of Wonderbolts merchandise laying around her shared bathroom...Wonderbolts rinsing cup, Wonderbolts hairdryer, Wonderbolts comb and make-up (I only used it for the Gala and Cadence's wedding.), Wonderbolts perfume...she liked the perfume. It was her favorite, albeit she never used too much of it lest somepony might think she was a fashion-obsessed wuss like Rarity. She took a small dab of the fragrant liquid on her hoof and applied it to her neck.

She began fussing with her mane with her free hoof in the mirror, trying to organize the vibrant tresses into a punkish ensemble. All the while brushing her teeth. She could multitask pretty well. It was one of the perks mares had that stallions didn't. Her dad had barely brushed his teeth while getting ready to go out one night for his birthday dinner, while Rainbow and her mother were brushing, primping, and fixing themselves up all at once while trying to agree on what to order for appetizers. And he liked her mane...he had complimented her. The mere thought of how he had smiled at her brought a pinkish tinge to her baby blue cheeks. Maybe she wasn't the prettiest girl around...but she was unique. And he seemed to enjoy her company. He probably had no idea how long she'd waited to even get the courage to talk to him...how much she enjoyed just...being in his presence. The Iron Pony contest had been a pretty good excuse to do just that...that wasn't to say the prize money and awards weren't contributing factors. She rinsed her mouth and spit. Granted the big guy had squashed a mountain lion while drunk, but at least it made for a funny story. Yeah, he was a bit rough around the edges. But so was she.

And Mac had been so much different than she'd imagined. He wasn't just some archetypical, heroic-looking dude who never talked. He was real. He had a personality. And substance. Rainbow had been obsessed with him for years to an almost disturbing degree, but she had never talked to the big stallion long enough to actually know him. She had projected some childish attributes onto him; she assigned him a back story and "hidden" personality of her own invention. A fantasy. While it was true that most of her reason for wanting to be a Wonderbolt was for herself and as a tribute to her dad's memory, a small part of her had thought that becoming a Wonderbolt would make him notice her. She would be cool. Popular. She'd have plenty of money. Maybe then he'd think she was worth his time. But Mac was nothing like that. He was a really decent guy. He didn't care about superficial shit at all. They had really clicked. They were already friends. But she didn't want him to think of her as just another "bro." She had to stand out as something else. She had to make him see her as a mare, too. She didn't really know how, though. But she knew an old friend besides Rarity that could help her out without making a big deal out of it. (Ugh! What am I doing!? Pining over this dude. Such a tool.)

She had better things to do than act like some vapid teen filly with a crush. She needed to pick up Pinkie from the hospital and try to figure out how to get this month's rent. Or at least find a way to keep her landlord off her case until the competition. She was already almost broke. It was a good thing Mac had gone all "gentlecolt" and whatnot yesterday morning and picked up their breakfast tab. She needed every last bit she could save. She sighed and stepped out of the bathroom, feeling confident that she looked presentable. She could see that Tank was still asleep atop his little pile of blankets. She made a mental note to herself that she needed to take him for a walk later. She walked over to the little tortoise and rubbed his shell. She traced the strange runes that Twilight had carved into his shell with her hoof. ("Cloudwalker runes", she called 'em.) She was glad he had those runes, too. Otherwise the poor guy would fall right through the floor. She gave her pet tortoise a quick once over. He looked good on food and water, and he seemed alright. She kissed the top of his shell and bid him goodbye. She grabbed her things and walked out to the living room and out the front door.

She took to the late-afternoon sky and immediately regretted wasting so much time with her mane, seeing as the wind had just immediately fucked it all up again. She looked down towards Ponyville with a bird's eye view. The town was pretty small. She could see the familiar shape of the hospital...the red cross on it's front was distinguishable even from her elevated perspective. She could also see the little, brown shape of her favorite coffeehouse sitting squarely in the middle of the town square. What could a quick cup hurt? Even though she'd been jittery as hell from all the caffeine yesterday, she hadn't had time for a cup this morning after she'd slept past her alarm. She decided to go for it. She drastically dropped her altitude and stopped flapping her wings, allowing herself to glide on the available air currents. As she approached the town square, she could see that it was predictably packed with ponies. It was about 5:45 P.M. after all. Usually by noontime and well into the evening, the square was bustling with shopping stands and customers. Her hooves landed on top the cobblestone street near the coffeeshop with an audible Clack!. She started towards the door...but she suddenly heard a raspy voice coming from behind...it was directed towards her...

"Kind mare! Do you want to hear God's Message for all equinity?!! How Luna, his prophetess, sacrificed herself to the Devil's whims and became Nightmare Moon to sate his wretched lust for destruction, saving us all from damnation? How the holy prophetess was banished for our sins to save us from the Devil's hooves!!? Do not be fooled by the heresy of the Solar dogma!! They would have you believe Celestia was the first anointed voice of the Lord!! But we know the Lunar Prophetess was God's FIRST messenger! We must all repent, lest we be left behind after the faithful ascend to be at God's side!! The sinners will be left behind to suffer the pain of Azrael's punishment during the Reckoning!! So, what say you, gentle mare? Will you hear the good news?! You look to be in need of guidance and moral fortification..." Great.

Apparently her unorthodox style had attracted some crazy cultist's attention. She also thought those cultists had a pretty arbitrary means of defining which religious sect to which they ascribed. The Lunar/Solar cults' contradicted their doctrines predicated solely upon which of the two prophetesses had spoken to God first. That was literally the only difference. But that didn't stop the two cults from screaming nonsense at one another. She turned to get a look at who was calling her...she recognized him... (Here we go...)

It was that one crazy Lunar cultist guy again. The disheveled, yellow-coated old stallion had a bald spot where his steel-grey mane used to be and a thick beard that almost trailed down to his chest. His face and what little hair he had left looked greasy. (He looks like he needs a damn shower...jeez..) He was wearing a dirty, old brown jacket to ward off the unseasonably cold weather. He had a sign propped up against the wall of the coffeeshop that read: "The Reckoning approaches!" And of course he just happened to be standing by the door...right in the path of where Rainbow wanted to go. Constable Steelheart had already warned him to leave ponies alone who didn't buy into his bullshit. He was hurting the local businesses by driving off their customers. But the crazy, old coot was persistent... Maybe if she just told him she wasn't interested, he'd lay off her...she didn't want to get any closer to him than where she was standing. He probably smelled terrible.

"Uhh...sorry, dude. Not really all up into religion an' stuff like you. Thanks, though." That should do it. He'll surely take the hint.

"My dear, it doesn't matter if you don't care for The Word! The sinful who have fallen from His Grace and the nonbelievers alike will still suffer the sting of Azrael's deathly sickle!! You must repent, my dear, so that you receive your salvation!!" He didn't take the hint. What a shock.

"Seriously. No thanks. Kinda' in a hurry right now."

"Oh? You belittle the importance of The Word now, but where will YOU be on Reckoning Day!!! The Word is far more important than your desire to soil your God-given body with caffeinated drinks! Repent and give up all vices! I did! Now look at me!! I'M SO MUCH BETTER OFF NOW!!" He certainly didn't look as though he was doing especially well for himself. And he didn't seem to understand that someponies had better shit to do than listen to him scream gobbledygook outside a coffeehouse.

"Jeez, dude. Think you can scream any louder?" He was starting to give her a headache.

"OH, I'M SORRY!!! YOU MUST HAVE HAD TROUBLE HEARING MY SERMON!!! HOW'S THIS?!! HOW ABOUT NOW?!!" So...apparently he didn't understand sarcasm, either.

"Ow! Lower your voice, man!"

"My mistake. How about now?!"

"Great. Keep that tone of volume while you rant about Crazy Town. Seeya'." She walked inside the coffeehouse right past the old loony and bought a small mocha cappuccino. After quickly downing the hot stimulant, Rainbow paid for it and walked back out the door. But the crazed stallion had been waiting for her.

"I see you've imbibed one of many vile chemicals. You've soiled the sanctity of the temple that is your body! (Do you mean soiled like you? You smell like piss, bro.) Using psychoactive substances is how the Devil ensnares his victims!! Alcohol, drugs, and coffee are abominations and mustn't be used according to Scripture: Book One, Chapter Eight, Line 25-65 of Mephistopheles' condemnations of Medea's sinfulness! Drugs are the Devil's playthings!! Don't play with the Devil's...uhh...things!! And you've defiled your face with metal impregnates! Thou shalt not put pointy, metal thingies in thine face sayeth the Lord!! Seriously? He was still at it? Why couldn't he find somepony else to annoy?

"Yep. I'm a bad pony. I totally suck and have no moral compass 'n shit. Whatever." She tried to keep walking away...but he was following her. She was starting to get pissed off.

"But do you not wish to hear of how you can save yourself from eternal damnation? The faithful will go to join the Lord! But you will be left behind just like all those Solar heretics who wouldn't let me preach The Word by the bookstore, because they were selling keychains and handing out blasphemous pamphlets there!! They said it was THEIR spot!! BAH! God's Message knows no "spot!!" His Will cares nothing for the heretics' petty claims of territory!! One day we too shall claim a spot!! Somewhere really....uhh...nice!!! And they'll want to use it, too!! But it will be His Will that they shall not be allowed on our hallowed ground!! So, they can all just suck on it!!" This guy had some major problems. Clearly.

"Dude...seriously. Leave me alone. I don't friggin' care." Rainbow could see that ponies were starting to stare. This old loon was going to cause a scene.

"Do you not wish to hear of Nightmare Moon's Redemption?"

"No."

"How you can cleanse yourself of toxins through prayer?"

"Seriously. No. Go bother somepony else."

"But what of your carnal desires? Your wants of the flesh? Do you not want to resist the temptations of sin?"

"No way, dude. Sinning is way too much fun." She stuck her tongue out at him while giving him the "heavy metal salute", revealing her tongue stud in the process. She quickly wished she'd just ignored the old fart, as he'd suddenly decided that her pierced tongue was indicative of a perceived "whoredom" on her part.

"HARLOT!! LECHEROUS WHORE!! YOURS IS THE FACE OF SIN AND DESTRUCTION!!!" Even more bystanders were gathering around them to see what was going on. Rainbow was embarrassed enough already without this greasy, old "preacher" getting up in her face and calling her names.

"Dude!! Shut your fucking mouth!! And back the fuck up!! Your breath smells like ass." It did indeed smell of ass. With a hint of ball sweat and onions.

"NAY, I SHALL NOT! FOR YOU ARE THE EMBODIMENT OF SIN!! LOOK AT THIS WHORE, MY FRIENDS!! THIS WRETCH IS THE SORT WHO WILL BE LEFT BEHIND TO FACE THE RECKONING!! SEEK PENITENCE NOW AND EARN YOUR SALVATION!! LEARN FROM HER FAILURE!!" Rainbow was pretty mad now. The crowd somewhat sympathized with her and rolled their eyes at the old coot, but it didn't lessen any of the embarrassment.

"Seriously!! Shut up, or I'll shut you up, douchebag!!" She was losing her temper...gradually...

"DO YOU SEE HOW THE DEVIL'S VILE SLUT THREATENS THE RIGHTEOUS WITH VIOLENCE?!! HER FATHER HAS CLEARLY FAILED TO TEACH HER RIGHT FROM WRONG!!" Oh, hell no. No pony talked about Rainbow's dad like that...no pony!!

"Hey! Leave my dad out of this, or I'll kick your ass!!" She'd do it, too.

"NO! IT WAS YOUR FATHER'S POOR GUIDANCE THAT LED YOU TO THIS LIFE OF DEBAUCHERY AND SIN!! FOR IT IS THE FATHER'S BURDEN TO RAISE HIS DAUGHTER TO BE CHASTE AND TEMPERATE!! HIS FAILURE WILL EARN HIM A PLACE IN HELL!!" No...no fucking pony talked...about her dad like that...

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Before Rainbow even knew what she was doing, she had spread her wings, using them to propel herself into the old coot with a flying tackle. The both of them fell to the ground several feet away.

"OOMMPH!!! AUUUGGGHH!! DO YOU SEE HOW THE DEVIL'S SERVANTS ATTACK THE PIOUS?!! DO YOU S-" She cut him off with a solid punch to the face.

She may not have been as strong as Big Macintosh, but she made up for it with meanness. The old stallion was easily twice her size, but he barely had any fight in him. The bystander ponies clearly had had enough of the old coot's demagoguery and started cheering her on. But she barely noticed. She was far too focused on the task at hand. She was going to teach this old fucker a lesson he'd never forget...

"SHUT UP!! SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!! MY DAD WAS A GREATER STALLION THAN YOU'LL EVER BE!!" She couldn't stop hitting the old codger. The old fool still wouldn't shut up...he was actually trying to give another sermon in between the blows coming from her right hoof!

"IT is the OW! duty of UGH! all of us to ACK! preach The Word...GAH!!" Her last blow had broken his nose...a thin stream of mucus mixed with blood trickled down to pavement.

She had knocked at least three of his teeth out. She didn't care. It wasn't enough...she couldn't stop. She was going to kill him. He had insulted her father. He deserved nothing less. But she had another reason...maybe more than one...she was angry. Always angry. And alone. For so long...for years. This asshole had just happened to be the thing to set her off. Mac didn't love her...she still wasn't a Wonderbolt...she was going to lose her job and apartment...her mother had given up on life...her friends couldn't understand or help her. It was at that moment that she realized it. It was a disturbing catharsis...but it was somewhat liberating and not entirely unpleasant.

Rainbow no longer cared. About...fucking...anything. She didn't have anything to live for anymore. The upcoming contest didn't change that...nothing changed that. She had nothing left. No one needed her anymore. It was the decay...the slow entropy that was killing her. The various stresses, dangers, and tragedies she'd encountered in her life weren't the cause of her depression. In fact, those things were what made life interesting for Rainbow. They gave her context...a chance to grow. No. It was the tedium. It was the mundanity of her grey, little life. It had slowly sapped out her will and motivation over a sum of years. The crises that she and her friends had faced to save Equestria had been the only recent times she had felt happy...or even alive. It had made her bitter. Angry. She hit the mad preacher some more...he was shrieking in pain...good. Old cocksucker. Let him feel pain, too. Somepony else would have to hurt for a change. No longer just herself exclusively.

It was as though this was all life had to offer her...she just wished she'd fulfilled her promise to her father. To become a Wonderbolt...to soar the azure heavens with the greatest flyers of all time... And she wished she'd had the courage to tell Big Mac how she felt...how she had admired him for so long from afar. She had so much she wanted to do but couldn't do. She would never be good enough for the Wonderbolts...Mac would never see her for who she was and love her. Well, then... Fuck it!! She was fully-prepared to face the consequences of her actions. (Fuck it all...)

She wasn't scared of prison. She didn't care if she died or not. Her life was empty...meaningless...barren. She loved her friends, but they couldn't make her happy. They couldn't fill the void where her heart was supposed to be. So...why not go out with a bang?!! And who better than to take with her than this miserable, old fucker who'd besmirched her beloved father's honor?!! It was as though she'd been given a license to unleash her rage on anypony who had ever harmed her...this was retribution for years of misery. This old fool had coincidentally been the unlucky pony who had set her off and become the locus of her anger. That was bad news...for him.

"AUUGH!! Please!! UMFFF! Help!!" The old stallion was begging the crowd for help. The bystanders were no longer egging Rainbow on. They had just realized this was a lot more than a simple beat-down. She cursed him in between blows...in a voice made shaky with rage...hoarse with fury.

"Fucking....die...you...cock....sucking....fucking...old...worthless...fucking..." Not a single pony in the crowd wanted to step in to stop her. Her rage had scared them. Stallion and mare alike. But a young mare finally couldn't take the brutal assault anymore and tried to call for help.

"PLEASE!! Somepony come help!! This crazy dyke is going to kill this old guy!! Call the constable!!" ("Crazy dyke?" You're next, bitch...)

But Rainbow didn't have time to divert her assault to the insult's owner, as an utterly titanic force had lifted her clear of the ground and off the old geezer. She saw that a pair of massive, white hooves were wrapped around her waist. No pony was this strong except for Big Mac and Constable Steelheart. And Mac didn't have white hooves, so that really narrowed it down. The musclebound constable ordered the crowd to disperse in his thick, signature Dappleshore accent. Too bad. Rainbow had really wanted to fuck up that bitch's face.

"OI!! That's enough, you sadists!! Alla' you piss off!! This ain't no bloody boxin' match! I want you all right clear of this street in the next 30 seconds, or I'm pinchin' the lot of ya'!!" Steelheart held her as though she were weightless with his left hoof as the crowd scurried away. After the crowd dispersed, he set her down on the cobblestone street. The old preacher had been pummeled senseless...by a mare no less. She looked down at a single cobblestone...she didn't look Steelheart in the eye. She had just....lost it.

"You know...you don't make my job easy, now do ya', love? What's gotten into you, Rainbow?! Smashin' up daft, old street preachers? You know I just let ya' off the grind not a week ago for that graffiti you done on the side of Carrot Top's house." (Fuck that bitch. She started it.)

She had a good relationship with the overgrown constable under normal circumstances. But lately...she had been acting out more than usual. She finally looked up at the white stallion. He was big. Even for an Earth pony. Almost as big as Mac...but not quite. Big Mac was still considerably bigger and stronger. He had a stark white coat and a buzzed navy blue manecut with light blue eyes. She could see some dark blue stubble on his face...he hadn't shaved that morning. She could see the epic rolls of muscle all over his body...albeit she could see he had developed a little bit of a paunch. Clearly, he'd adjusted to small town life after getting out of the military fairly well. The constable was wearing a dark blue patrol cap with the golden emblem of the Equestrian National Police. He had several leather belts and harnesses containing flashlights, pepper spray, a short-range radio, and the various tools one needed in his line of work. But most notably was the cruelly sharp dagger that hung from his belt in a brown, leather scabbard. Steelheart was a nice guy and usually pretty relaxed about stuff, but that didn't mean he was a pony to fuck with.

"Sorry..." Even though she liked the constable, she had no sincere desire to apologize. She just felt...empty. The crazy, bloodied old codger came around finally, and he started making demands of constable. Rainbow was surprised he didn't have brain damage.

"Ughh....this...Constable!...this harlot viciously attacked me!! I demand that justice is done!! I was only spreading The Word of God!" (Bullshit.) She could barely understand the old wretch. She'd knocked a great many of his teeth out, and his face and mouth were swollen grotesquely.

"Oh, is that right, you old pisser? I don't give a damn. You needed a good smack in the gob. I already told you you couldn't preach in the town square, but you just keep harassin' everypony. I saw you followin' this girl and screamin' at her after she done told ya' to piss off. That's a public disturbance and a threatenin' behavior charge right there. Oh, and another thing... You ain't got a permit, mate. That's a crime, too."

"This...this is an outrage!! I was brutally attacked, and you have the audacity to say that it was ME who broke the law?! I am a gentle servant of God!!" Rainbow smirked at this, but she didn't have the energy or motivation to argue. She had stopped caring.

"Ha! What an arseload! You ain't a "servant of God", you old bag of wank! You're just one of them bleedin' loonies that the other churchos don't wanna' be runnin' with. And if I have to arrest Rainbow, then I'm afraid I'll have to arrest you, too, mate. The law is either all the way hard or whatever I bloody well make it out be. Just be glad you ain't dead and get outta' here. You might wanna' consider checkin' into the hospital, too. For concussions and all that. Ah...he didn't hear me." The old stallion slowly rose to his hooves and had somehow managed to scamper away before the constable finished his sentence, leaving a trail of blood as he went. Apparently, his fear of Rainbow had been an incentive to book it. The constable turned his attention back to Rainbow.

"Okay...the hell was all this then?! Mind takin' it from the top?"

"He was talking shit about my dad."

"That's it?! I know yer sensitive 'bout yer dad, love, but that don't make it okay to smash some old nutter's teeth out his fuckin' gob! You off yer meds or somethin'?! Yer actin' like you've gone mental." Rainbow always thought it was funny how the constable pronounced the word "something." He replaced the "th" with an "eff" sound.

"I already said I'm sorry, man? What else do you want?"

"I want you stop gettin' into trouble. That's what I want. Yer a right decent sort, but you got a temper, sweetheart. I don't wanna' catch you doin' this again. This is the last time. I can't go lenient on you no more. It ain't fair to everypony else. You got lucky that you just went off on that daft, ole' cunt and not some other pony. Read me lips, Rainbow: No more. Understood?!"

"Okay..." She couldn't feel anything...she had just been so angry...and now she felt nothing...

"No, not "okay." Look me in the eye. Promise me, you'll stay out of trouble. Say you understand."

"I understand. I promise."

"Good. Now what's wrong, love? You ain't usually this ratty. You almost buried that old fuck...though I probably wouldn't mind. Right pain in the arse, that one."

"I dunno...i just...I don't wanna' talk right now."

"You sure? I'm worried about you, Rainbow. Ya' gotta' get a grip on that temper, or it's off to the box for you. If ya' ain't careful, you'll do somethin' that even I can't ignore. And I don't wanna' be the one who has to nick ya' for it, neither. Yer too good for this. Ya' need to pull yer head outta' yer arse, girl." Rainbow knew "the box" was Steelheart's word for "prison." The closest mare's prison was the Fillydelphia Medium Security Prison...it was not a nice place....she just kept looking down at her hooves...

"Yeah...sure...I need to go pick up my friend from the hospital..." The big guy's eyes softened.

Rainbow knew he liked her. Not like that, of course. He was married to the town's only dentist, and she was visibly pregnant. They were pretty crazy about each other. She'd seen the two of them together a few times...it was pretty nauseating but still sweet. It wasn't like that between the constable and herself. His affection for Rainbow was an almost fatherly sort of fondness. He might have just felt sorry for her...he knew what had happened to her dad. She still had to admit that he definitely wasn't bad-looking for a 38 year old stallion. Statuesque even. He had some cool-looking scars on his neck and left cheek, but they only seemed to amplify his heroic visage. He wasn't some fat comic con reject, that was for sure. She wondered if there was a commonality between Steel and Mac...they'd both gotten out of the military at about the same time. Maybe they knew one another? They had a lot in common...they were doubtlessly the two toughest guys in town and were completely jacked. They stood out completely from the majority of Ponyville's wussified male population. Maybe they had been in the same unit? She wasn't sure, though, seeing as she didn't know much about military ranks and unit structures.

"Yeah...yeah. You do that. Pinkie again, right? Well...at least it's a refreshin' change dealin' with you for a bit. I've had to practically chase Pinkie all over town all week, puttin' out all the fires. Got into all sorts of lunacy, that one."

"Yeah...she's weird. I know."

"Sure yer all squared? You look like ya' just lost yer best mate." In way, she had. Why did she feel like this all of a sudden?

"Yeah. I'll stay out of trouble, man." Suddenly, the constable's two-way radio emitted a static garble and the voice of a young stallion...Rainbow could barely understand what was being said...

"One moment, love. I forgot I already called this in...didn't take no chances. Come in dispatch. Dispatch...do you copy? I need a 10-5 on that last transmission. Say again, dispatch, over." The constable was trying to get some clarification on the garbled mess. Equestrian radios were primitive, finicky things that barely functioned at all; let alone reliably. But she could somewhat understand the next transmission.

"Unit Fower Niner...come in Unit Fower Niner. Do you read, how copy, over?"

"Roger that, dispatch. Go ahead, dispatch. I hear you loud an' clear, over."

"What's the status of that 10-34 in progress, Unit Fower Niner? Do you still need that 10-13 on your location, over?"

"Negative, dispatch. I'm on scene, and it turned out to be minor squabble. Disregard, Mike...over."

"Uhh...copy that, Fower Niner...but you need to use the right voice procedure. Don't use my first name, Fower Niner. This is "dispatch." The big white stallion laughed heartily.

"Hahaha...oh...fuck...copy that, dispatch. But you do know there are only seven of us usin' these bloody radios, including you and your relief, right? Over."

"Uuuhhhh....copy that, Fower Niner. I just wanted to sound professional is all...over."

"Roger, dispatch. I sympathize...but we're too small a precinct to be pretendin' to be like the LPPD. I already told you to just use my rank for my callsign, mate...over." Rainbow knew Steelheart was talking about the largest police force in Equestria, The Los Pegasus Police Department.

"Uhh...Unit Fowe-uhh...Captain. I'm getting an urgent transmission right now....10-6 for me while I take it, over."

"Copy that, dispatch. Standing by, over." The constable chuckled at his young dispatcher's enthusiasm.

"Good kid, that one. A bit too motivated, though. Hmm...we usually don't get urgent calls like that in Ponyville. Today's been bloody eventful, yeah?" Rainbow merely nodded...she was having a hard time caring about all this. After a two minute wait, the young dispatcher chimed back in.

"Uhh...come in, skipper....I'm back and awaiting your acknowledgement, over."

"For fuck sakes...ughh...copy that, dispatch. Go ahead, over."

"We just got an urgent call on the line from some girl...I think she was saying something about an animal attack...she sounded pretty hysterical...over."

"The fuck?! A bloody animal attack?! Clarify, dispatch!! Over!!"

"Copy that, Cap'n. Will do. She said something about some...uhh...sort of wild animal attacking some guy in her house out by the northern outskirts of town...do we have a code for "animal attack", boss?.....oh, over!"

"Oh, balls!! That's a 10-11, dispatch!! Advise location!! I'm headed to the scene right now, over... This kid's got his head up his arse, I swear on me Mum..."

"Copy that, skip. Will update in route, over"

"Roger that, dispatch. Over and out." The big stallion holstered his radio and turned back towards Rainbow.

"Alright. Sorry 'bout that, Rainbow. I gotta' go take this. Glad I didn't have to arrest ya', love. Stay outta' trouble and try to keep outta' that bloody ole' codger's way from now on, yeah?" Rainbow dumbly nodded.

"Got it." The big stallion turned and went on his way, running towards the source of all the commotion.

Of course. Of course, he left.

Rainbow was left alone in the middle of the street...standing there awkwardly...the leftover bystanders were all passing by...casting looks at her as they went. Judging her. Condemning her. The constable was her friend...and he'd abandon her in the end, too. And she was alone again...he had left her alone. Just like her dad....and Mac...they were all the same. The same as the rest of them. They all ultimately left her in the end. She was just so fucking tired of it...sick of it all.

Being alone. Always alone.

Mac was feeling alright...a bit sore but otherwise alright. That 12 mile wouldn't have been so bad, if he hadn't had to still plow the east field all day. He'd barely been able to grab a quick shower before Apple Bloom and her little anarchists tried to involve him in their new, pyrotechnical ploy for their Cutie Marks. He wasn't sure where the hell they'd even gotten all those fireworks...his first guess was Pinkie Pie...his second guess was Scootaloo. But he had to hurry. It was getting close to sundown. He had to go get Winona before Cutterfly...Rudderfry...whoever the fuck checked out for the day. Then he'd have to pay another 10 bits to keep the stupid mutt there overnight.

He still had that little, blue feather...her feather. It had kept him going throughout the day. It was something to look forward to...something to keep him going. He'd gotten over himself and his self-pitying tangent earlier that morning. He wasn't so bad off. He had his family. His two little sisters and his sweet, little old granny. And he had his old buddy Steelheart...and he had a new friend now. Life wasn't so bad. He had plenty to eat. (Count yer blessin's.) It was easy to pity yourself and whine all day. It was a lot harder to actually improve your lot in life.

A stallion had to be strong. Independent. Tough. Mac had little sympathy for cowards and pushovers. Those kinds of ponies thrived on self-pity and the charitable pity from others, rather than being worth a damn at something other than crying and moaning. He didn't like bullies, either...but he understood them. Bullies were usually passive aggressive, self-conscious ponies with low self-esteem. They had to put other weaker ponies down to bolster their image of self-efficacy. That didn't give them a license to go around, behaving as complete assholes...he merely understood why many of them behaved as they did. He knew that the pushovers only served as fuel for the bullies. Then the weaker pony would take out his anger on an even weaker one...thus the vicious cycle continued. Bullies weren't proud of themselves. They weren't confident or popular. Why would a complete douchebag be popular? Equestrian movies about high school jocks beating up nerds was utter fantasy. He'd really gotten off topic again...

He'd arrived at...Gutterpie...Nutterdry...whoever the fuck's cottage. But something was...off. He could tell. There wasn't so much as a peep from any of the little domiciles outside the cottage. The animals were dead silent. It was though they were...hiding from something. He walked across the little bridge to the door of the rustic, little cottage. He listened before knocking. He could hear...a mare...she was sobbing...not a good sign. He knocked three times and waited. After he heard a bit of scrambling and crashing furniture, the mare inside opened the door ajar, revealing the pretty form of the little, yellow Pegasus whose name he could never seem to remember. Not that it mattered. He could usually BS his way through any interactions with her to keep from hurting her feelings...a feat in itself. Virtually EVERYTHING hurt her fucking feelings.

"Oh!...Big Macintosh!! I'm so glad you're here!! It's just terrible! I couldn't believe it!! You have to help!!" This didn't sound good.

Hopefully it wasn't anything serious. It was likely just another one of her self-esteem related crises. He still didn't know her name to answer her...he looked at her Cutie Mark for a clue...three pink butterflies? Cutie Marks always seemed to be eerily correlative to ponies' names. Was it "Butterfly?" Close enough. He could just mutter something that sounded similar. That's what he'd always done back in the service when he was approaching a SNCO and was too far away to delineate his/her specific rank. (Mornin', Mastergunnerystaffsergeantmajor!)

"Err...what seems to be the problem, Miss Fruttershlyflies?" Yeah. Nailed it.

"Oh, it's just awful!! I don't know what to do!!!" Mac was now concerned. She was completely hysterical...much more so than usual. He could tell the difference between the exaggerations of a melodramatic sad-sack and the frantic panicking of a pony in trouble. It was the latter of the two.

"What happened? Start from the beginnin'."

"I-it was...it...M-milky Way!! He tried to p-pet B-barry!!" Mac knew the Pegasus to whom she referred. He delivered packages for the local mail service. Good kid. But who the fuck was "Barry?"

"Milky Way? What happened to 'im?!"

"I-I...don't know!! Barry just go so...angry!! He bit Milky and dragged him off into the forest!! What should I do?!!" Mac was on high alert. Animals fighting with one another was one thing...but animals attacking ponies? Something was wrong.

"Where'd it happen?!"

"Right here...in the middle of the living room..."

"Lemme' see." She nodded and let him inside.

He could see immediately what had happened. The living room was a disaster area. The couch where the girl usually sat was ripped apart. The coffee table had been smashed flat. There was broken glass and ripped up paper strewn about the place. Mac could see the telltale marks where the angry bear had scored the wooden floorboards with his massive claws...and the back door to the cottage had been knocked off it's hinges. It wasn't hard to figure out where the bear had gone. There was a light trickle of blood that trailed from the living room's center and all the way out the back door. This was a good sign. There wasn't much blood. The kid could still be alive. Mac had to work fast.

"Miss? Imma' need your help, okay? First, I need a long, sturdy piece of wood. Somethin' that ain't gonna break easily. Like a thick broom handle or somethin'." Mac didn't have time to go back to his shed at Sweet Apple Acres to gear up. He'd have to make do.

"U-uhh...okay...there's a garden rake in the corner by the door...I'm not sure what you need it for, though..." He didn't want to tell her. Mac grabbed the sturdy rake by the pole and tore the rake head off. He pulled out a sharp knife from one of his leather pouches and began whittling the pole down to a sharp point. Mac was glad the girl already had a big fire going in the fireplace. That saved him time. But he had two more questions.

"Okay...was he slobberin' at the mouth? Hydrophobic?"

"W-what?"

"Was the bear dehydrated? Did he avoid drinkin' water? An' has he been red-eyed an' actin' all crazy recently?!!"

"N-no...he's been drinking water just fine...he's been a little bit grumpy lately...but not anything like this...oh...God, Barry!!!" That ruled out rabies. Bad news. That meant that the warding runes had indeed been malfunctioning. But he still needed to know why.

"Awww...hell... Okay. Now when is the constable gettin' here? Did he say?"

"Umm...I didn't...call the constable..." WHAT?!!

"Uhh...beg pardon?!!...how long ago did all this happen?!!" He better not get the answer he was expecting from her. She had a phone. There was no excuse.

"It...happened about...30 minutes ago..." Mac was furious. He'd just naturally expected that she'd already called for help. It was the only sensible thing a filly in her position could do.

"Are you serious?!! Why'n the hell aintcha' done already called 'im?!!" Mac's code of behavior around mares held an exception for any mare who put another pony's life in danger. This was exactly like that particular scenario.

"I-I was...scared h-he would hurt Barry..." A cold wave of revulsion passed through Mac's body. He couldn't believe this girl.

"Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?!! Girl, dontcha' know why bears don't mess with ya' if ya' play dead?!!!" It was a grim reality...and she called herself an "animal expert." The girl was mortified, of course. She was trying to answer him through a flurry of tears.

"B-because...of...d-disease?" Bingo.

"Exactly. Which is why they only eat LIVE prey!!! You got any idea how bad you done fucked over Milky Way?!!"

"Oh!!! OH, God!!! I'm sorry!!" She burst into even more tears. Mac took the sharpened pole and held it inside the fireplace, allowing the licking flames to harden it's point. It would have to do. Every second counted. If there was even a chance Mac could save the boy, then it was worth it.

"STOP YER CRYIN'!!" He couldn't take her self-pity anymore...it was revolting. She clammed up immediately.

"S-sorry...how can I help?!! Please!! I just wanna' help Milky!!"

"Call the fuckin' constable...now. Tell 'im to bring a heavy huntin' pike an' a crossbow."

"W-why?!! What're you going to do to Barry?!! Are you going to hurt him!?? Is that what that stick is for?!!" Sickening...pathetic...

"The fuck you think it's fer?!! You think I'm gonna' sit on it or somethin'?!! I don't give even a half fuck about that bear a' yers. I know he's just a wild animal an' behavin' like nature intended, but he's gotta' be put down."

"Why?!! Don't hurt him, please!!"

"Shut up, girl!! If that big tub a' fuck gets a taste fer pony, then he'll start huntin' 'em! Milky Way could be gettin' eaten the fuck alive right now!! I'm goin' inta' the woods after 'em. When Steel gets here, tell 'im where I am an' show 'im the trail. Then maybe you'll have redeemed yerself a little. Until then...yer just garbage to me..." Mac rose to his rear hooves and bolted out the back door in pursuit of the bear and it's prey.

He had to make it...he had to...it was such an awful way to die. That kid couldn't be 20 years old! He didn't deserve this. He knew Milky...the boy had delivered packages of seeds to the farm a few times. He was a good kid. Squeaky clean, too. Didn't so much as have a single beer after work. He was a little slow...but so was his girlfriend. He knew Milky was dating that little, wall-eyed grey mailmare, Ditzy Doo. Mac could tell they were pretty crazy about each other...they were decent kids. If any pony didn't deserve this, it was Milky. He had to save him. Mac entered the cool, green woods...it was a little dark...but he could see the blood trail was thickening. That wasn't a good sign. He had to move faster.

He could see the boy's blood spattered about on nearby bushes, and the brush was flattened in areas. The bear had come this way...all the while thrashing the poor kid about like a ragdoll. Milky would likely have several broken bones and lacerations if he made it...IF he made it. Mac couldn't believe the stupidity of that whiny, self-centered cunt. She played off other ponies' pity for attention. It was the only fucking reason anypony even hung around her!! It wasn't as though she were worth a damn at anything other than feeling sorry for herself!!

But then Mac heard it...it was a sound he dreaded...he knew he was too late. A colt's voice was screaming in utter agony...it was a sound Mac knew well. It was the sort of scream a pony made only in his most abyssal, horrible throes of agony and despair. The boy was screaming bloody murder...and it sent a cold chill throughout Mac's body. The screaming was getting closer...Mac heard the sound of chewing from just past an obscuring, green veil of brush. He didn't want to open it. But he had a job to do. He pushed through the brush and came face-to-face with the worst possible scenario he could imagine. The bear was perched over the colt...his mouth and claws were soaked in Milky's blood. The boy had stopped screaming...the bear had probably just bitten into his diaphragm and/or lungs. Mac could see a sickening pile of the boy's innards piled up on the leafy forest floor next to him. The bear was digging through him to get to the boy's nutritious and protein-laden heart, liver, and kidneys. Too late...too fucking late...

But this fucking bear!!! He could get this cocksucking, fat bag of fucking fur!!! It was the least he could do...he had to put it down. It was wild now. Once the bear got a taste for equines, it would hunt them without a second thought. Most ponies were a temptingly easy target for a huge predator like this one. Mac roared a challenge out to the stupid beast. Barry turned around and greeted Mac with a nauseating mouthful of Milky Way's intestines...the red gristle hanging from in between his teeth...the bear no longer held any semblance of civility or intelligence. It was free of the warding runes' magic. The bear was confused at first...then he became defensive. He thought Mac was another predator, coming to steal his prey. Barry rose to his hind legs and roared at him. Mac wasn't even remotely frightened. He had been waiting for this...he lowered his makeshift spear and charged the beast...the bear took a poorly-aimed swipe at him, just missing the top of his head and knocking off his Stetson.

It was a fatal error. Mac took full advantage. He ducked under the bear's massive clawed paws and rammed the spearpoint through his chest and ribcage with enough force to kill a fucking rhinoceros. The bear made a pitiful whine of pain...Mac pushed the spear farther into the beast, aiming for his heart. He had missed...but he still had the upper hoof. With another brutal thrust, Mac had slammed the spear head all the way through the bear...the point had gone out the back of the beast's shoulder blades. The bear was stuck...fixed there. He tried to fight Mac to get free. The Everfree brown bear was an estimated ten times stronger than the average pony...Mac was twelve times stronger than the average pony. Sometimes it was good to be a freak. He twisted the spear against the beast's side until it splintered and broke off completely. Then he tackled the beast to the ground. It had no fight left. Mac grabbed a nearby rock and commenced to smashing the bear's skull into a pink paste. He couldn't stop...he kept striking him...the black was scratching in his skull. It was agonizing.

"YoU...FuCKing...CuNT!!...FucK!!! AUgghghgh!! DiE!!!" (burnbreakfuckdieburnbreakfuckdie...Now you're dead like me.) Mac's mind was black.

Reason was replaced with a vacuum. He made a final cry.

An animal's noise. Black. It had cracked the sky. It bled down on him. And then he could see it. The stars on the void of black.

Scratch. (Scratching me...)

"MoThErFUCKeR!!!! AAAaaUUUGHHHHHHhh!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Look at what the stars have eaten...look...look at it, John...)

With one savage, final blow, the beast's head had split completely open like a watermelon. Mac threw the gore-covered rock at the bear's corpse in a futile display of rage. Barry was finally dead. Mac wasn't proud of himself. This was a grim necessity. He didn't hate the bear, despite how angry he'd been. It was only doing what nature had intended it to do in the first place. It was the unnatural magic of the warding runes that had made the local ponies too comfortable around wild animals. But Milky...that kid...he had failed. He couldn't save him. But a sudden hacking wheeze caught Mac's attention. Milky was still alive.

Somewhat. The poor boy was definitely at Death's Door. Mac ran over to his side. Mac could see the full extent of the bear's carnage...Milky's entire ribcage had been broken apart by the bears powerful claws. One of his wings had been torn clean off...all four of his legs were broken...his milk-white coat was covered in deep lacerations...his wavy charcoal mane was drenched in blood. The colt's body had been shattered like glass. And the bear had bitten into his diaphragm, as Mac had guessed. One lung was sliced open, and he had lost a good portion of his intestines. It was a miracle that he was still alive...even if barely. But no...it was the exact opposite of a miracle. Mac had to complete another grim task...he couldn't tell Milky what it was. The boy's mouth was crusted with a mixture of snot, saliva, and blood...he hacked up a ball of bloody phlegm. He tried to speak.

"Hugghck....M-m-mac.....pl-ple...pl...ze...help...plea..se...uck..." Mac knew there was only one way he could help the poor kid now.

"Hush up, Milky. I gonna' save ya'. 'S'gonna be alright. Close yer eyes. Think of Ditzy." The boy complied...he closed his horror-filled amber gold eyes...shuddering and sputtering. He was ready.

With a quick stomp of his right forehoof on the colt's neck, Mac had put Milky Way out of his misery with a sickening crack. He picked up his Stetson and placed it back atop his head. He lit up a cigarette and began the disheartened trek back to the yellow Pegasus's cottage. He still had to pick up Winona, and Steelheart would want a full rundown of what had transpired. He exited the treeline of the woods and came into the clearing where the girl's cottage was...Mac could see the big, white form of his best friend talking to the little, yellow Pegasus. Steel had brought a wicked-looking crossbow and two of his deputies to help. Mac knew that the local deputies were imbeciles and weren't ever much help to the constable. All four ponies turned at the advent of his approach. Three of them widened their eyes with horror. Except for Steel. He just returned Mac's steely glare with a grim, knowing expression. Mac looked into the little, running stream near the cottage.

He was covered head-to-hoof in blood and gore. There were fragments of the bear's skull in his mane...pieces of brain in his beard. Mac tossed his cigarette butt into the stream, extinguishing the lit cherry with an audible hiss. He turned back towards the four ponies...he looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. (burning...) This was his favorite time of day. He loved the colors...the deep cerise shades mixing with the blazing orange of the Sun's last rays of light that shone over the horizon. (break...breaking me...now I'm broken. Even more.) But the cerise was familiar. Still.

For what seemed to be the millionth time, he wondered from where else he knew that color...

Rainbow plopped herself down into her Wonderbolts-themed bed, wishing that the events of the day hadn't transpired. She had picked up her manic, pink friend from the hospital over two hours ago, helping her walk back to Sugarcube Corner where she lived upstairs in a rented room. Pinkie had still been drunk. She'd thrown back so much alcohol, that she'd still been shitfaced over a day later and had only just come out her stupor. Her doctor had kept her an extra day, after she had broken three stitches jumping into the ceiling fan above her hospital bed. Pinkie's only justification had been that she was bored...her doctor and nurses were more than a little pissed at her. But Rainbow knew Pinkie was going to get what was coming to her later. She'd likely get the worst hangover of her young life in the morning.

To add to an already shitty day, Rainbow had seen the old preacher she'd fucked up earlier waiting in the hospital lobby while holding an old towel over his broken, jagged nose. She finally got a full assessment of how badly she had beaten him...she'd broken his nose and left cheekbone...he was missing several teeth and his bearded, yellow face was swollen and bloodied almost beyond recognition. Of course, the minute he'd caught sight of her he began wailing that the "vicious harlot" had come back to finish the "Devil's work." Rainbow assumed the old fucker had thought she'd come to the hospital to finish the job...but no. She didn't care about him anymore. Fuck him.

And as though that wasn't already enough hell for Rainbow in one day, the entire town had been staring at the two of them on their way to Pinkie's place. Rainbow had had to prop up her drunken friend with one foreleg to keep her from toppling over...every pony she passed eyed her with revulsion. Except for one partycolt-looking guy...he'd just said "Awww, yeaaaah, gurl!! That's what I'm talkin' about!!!" She had no idea what he'd meant by that. But the others...had they all heard what she'd done? They had all looked at her with such contempt...and Rainbow had since come out of her storm of apathy. Now the embarrassment had set back in. She was consumed with regret and shame. The old fucker had deserved it...but it wasn't worth this feeling. It was the same feeling she'd had back in high school. The dread. The embarrassment. Everypony was laughing at her behind her back.

They probably thought she was a freak. She had just...snapped...like...an angry dyke or something...she was horrified at the possibility of Big Red catching wind of it all. It was a reasonable fear, seeing as the Ponyville Gazette didn't have much else in the way of news to report. At least her mother wouldn't find out...but Rainbow's thoughts were rattled by the sound of her roomie's hysterical weeping. She'd been crying in her room since Rainbow had gotten back...but Ditzy Doo wouldn't unlock her bedroom door to tell her what was wrong. Rainbow was concerned, but she was far too exhausted and demotivated to persist in finding the cause of all that was wrong...she closed her eyes...and tried to sleep...she trailed off. She began dreaming...................................................

She'd had this dream before. She knew it well. It was usually a good dream. A beautiful dream. But once in a while...it was terrible. It would start off the same as the good version, and then the dream would turn into a nightmare. Rainbow didn't know which version this particular dream was...the good version was always the same, but the bad version was always different after the false beginning. She was somewhat aware she was dreaming...some ponies said you could control your dream once you were aware you were dreaming. Rainbow knew that was bullshit. She'd tried to stop the nightmare version of this dream multiple times...yelling that it was all in her head. Fake. It was HER subconscious mind, and she'd tell it what to do!! No cigar. Rainbow knew relatively little of the psychosomatic realm of psychology/neurology...how the real, physical stresses of the conscious world could affect her health and mental state...and vice versa. But the little bit that she'd learned from one of Twilight's rants was that ponies had little control over their subconscious minds...she couldn't change this dream...she still didn't know if it was good or bad yet anyway.

Rainbow loved the good version. It was based on one of her favorite memories. She was her 12 year old self just on the cusp of puberty, sitting in the modest dining room of the cloudy apartment where her mother currently lived. Both her parents were sitting at the little table with her...mom...and dad...he was alive in the dream. They were eating her mom's homemade spinach tomato lasagna...it was her favorite. It was full of every cheese imaginable...asiago, mozzarella, cottage cheese, parmesan...her dad had loved her mother's cooking. Her dad was a pretty good cook himself...he could make the best pancakes ever. Rainbow hadn't at all inherited her mother's universal culinary mastery or her father's natural skill with skillets and griddles. She could burn water. They had laughed about her culinary handicap, making jokes that giving her a cooking apron was like handing an enraged chimpanzee a loaded crossbow. She laughed...they all laughed...they knew she could take a joke. Her dad had always been able to make his wife and daughter smile and laugh...

Just being...around him made them happy. Rainbow felt for her mother. In a way, Cloudia had lost more from Colton's death than she had. Rainbow still had her friends. Her mother had no one except her...she'd lost the love of her life. So Rainbow welcomed the dream when it came...even if it turned horrible, the happy beginning still made enduring the nightmare worthwhile...just for this...this memory. Her parents were both smiling. Happy. Her mother had just gotten back from the plant, and she was exhausted. She had just warmed up the lasagna they were eating in the oven...she hadn't even taken off her lab coat yet. She was making good-natured jokes about what a half-assed job her coworkers were doing in the Experimental Precipitation Department. Her dad was still wearing his Wonderbolts uniform with the hood down...his rainbow-colored mane was messy. In the time the dream took place, her father hadn't yet injured his wing. He was bitching about still not being promoted to the stunt team yet...he was still on the racing team...but at least he was still a Wonderbolt. That was definitely something.

Both her parents were cheerily complaining about their days while eating...they were incessantly going on about what horseshit they had to put up with...but they were happy. They couldn't fool Rainbow. She knew they were happy just being together...and with her. Her dad playfully nibbled on her mother's ear, prompting her to squeal. Rainbow laughed. She thought it was cute, but she would never admit such a thing. She wanted them to think she was cool...Rainbow was one of the few kids in Cloudsdale who thought her parents were rad. She was never embarrassed about either of them picking her from school in front of the other ponies. The other kids at school were jealous. Her mother was one of the most brilliant, scientific minds in Cloudsdale, and her father was a Wonderbolt...they were both attractive. Especially her dad. He was so handsome. Rainbow loved his smile. He still looked so young. He was in his mid-thirties, and he still looked like he had back in high school. All the pubescent, hormone-riddled, preteen fillies at Rainbow's school all swooned and giggled at him, when he came to pick her up. She didn't mind. It had made her pretty popular. This was back when she made friends easily...before it happened. Before she had been broken.

Her mother got up and went to the kitchen. She came back with a small plate of halved grapefruit, saying that they were going to have a healthy dessert instead of the typical apple pie. Her father moaned...he said he hated fruit. Rainbow giggled. Her mother was on a new diet, and she was making her family take part in it with her. Rainbow didn't mind fruit...but she didn't understand why her mother was on this new dieting kick. Her dad told her she didn't need to diet, because she was already perfect. She was slender already...beautiful...Rainbow had inherited her lithe figure. Cloudia only ate a little bit of lasagna. She was too skinny. All three members of the Dash family were slender and athletic. If anything, the three of them could stand to gain a few pounds. Her mother and father were so perfect...intelligent...beautiful...funny...happy. This was her mother back when she was happy. In the dream, she wasn't like the anti-social, self-loathing shut-in that Rainbow knew now. She was confident...happy. Her father, too. It was perfect. This was how Rainbow had always remembered the two of them. This moment. This perfect moment.

Her mother asked her about how school went, using her signature pet name for Rainbow..."pumpkin." Rainbow indignantly upbraided her mother for using it...saying that she wasn't fat or orange, so it didn't make any sense. Her mother laughed. Her father made his usual joke about his wife's pet name for their daughter. He told her that the name fit, because she was "out of her gourd." She giggled. It was a lame joke...cheesy...but she loved it regardless. She told them her day had been alright...that she had some homework to do for history class. She hated history. Said it was boring. Her dad told her that history was important. You needed to know your history, or you would just repeat the mistakes of the past. Her mother agreed. Rainbow said she got it...but that didn't make it any less boring. They all laughed again. They were so happy...

Then it happened. Rainbow suddenly realized the dream was the nightmare version...she could tell. Always could tell. There was always that feeling...a sudden malaise. As though something was off...wrong. She looked over to her parents...they were frozen in place...smiles frozen on their faces. Her dad was holding a forkful of lasagna in midair with his left hoof. Her mother was doing the same. This was wrong. It was as though time itself had stopped. The small dining room was utterly silent...like a mausoleum. The familiar feeling suddenly came to Rainbow...it was a mixture of nausea and fear. It compounded with the foreboding sense of malaise. It wasn't a good feeling. She was frightened. The nightmare always threw her for a loop. It was always different. It always came up with new ways to terrify her...to torture her. She could never get used to it. Get accustomed. The dream always reopened the same wounds...poured salt into them.

Rainbow heard the new and sudden sound of dripping. It sounded like water dripping from a faucet...it was echoing throughout the dining room. It shouldn't be echoing. The dining room was too small...the echo sounded the same as the dripping in a cavernous hall or something. The sound of water dripping...in a faucet...in a large bathroom. The sound would echo off the linoleum. It shouldn't sound like that in the apartment. The cloudy walls and floor were too soft. The malaise and nausea got worse. Rainbow knew the dream was going to get worse proportionately to the malaise. The more nauseous and terrible she felt, the worse the dream became. She wasn't optimistic. This one was going to be the worst one yet. Terrible. Her mind was filled with a frigid, agonizing dread. She pleaded. With no one in particular...she wasn't sure if there was a God or not. She pleaded to just go back to the good part...to let her spend time with her parents for just little while longer. Back when they were happy. Back when her father was alive. She closed her eyes. Maybe it would go away. She knew it wouldn't. She had tried this before.

She reopened her eyes...horror overtook her. Where her mother and father had been sitting, there were now two writhing, chittering masses of cockroaches. They crawled up the backs of her parents' chairs...they crawled onto the table. Toward the grapefruit. Only one grapefruit was left...the center had a vivid pink gash...a deep slit in the bright, pink flesh. The malaise got worse. The dripping got louder. The two masses of insects had merged together. They crawled onto the plate and onto the grapefruit...Rainbow realized what they were trying to do. It was disgusting. They were burrowing into the deep gash inside it. The gash seemed endless. The bugs just kept disappearing...they just kept going. An hour had seemed to pass...but they had all finally gotten inside. Something else was happening...the grapefruit was bulging...contorting...were the masses of insects inside it just now becoming subject to the laws of physics? Then why hadn't the grapefruit expanded earlier? But this was a dream...such things held no meaning. She was becoming more and more afraid. The fruit made one last contraction...and then it exploded a hideous, red orange substance all over the dining room.

Some of the nasty gunk had landed on her and her parents' plates...it was all over the place. It was disgusting...it smelled awful. Rainbow realized that the smell was familiar. It was a repugnant stench...but she knew it from somewhere. The dripping was deafening now. Then she heard the voice. HIS voice. The awful voice. The image of the yellow teeth filled her head...the bloodshot, orange yellow eyes. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there. He kept repeating the same phrase:

"Hush now, baby doll...hush now, baby doll...hush now, baby doll..." The voice endlessly spoke the four words in an ominous whisper.

It was a voice that had haunted her for seven years. Her own personal nightmare...her personal bogeyman. And then it all made sense to Rainbow. She knew what the repulsive, viscous concoction of red orange gunk was that was all over the dining room. She looked down to her plate. Her lasagna had been replaced by the disgusting slime. She recognized the smell. She knew what it was...it was a mixture of two different substances...blood...and semen. The voice stopped whispering. The dripping followed suit. The silence was palpable. Ominous. Worse somehow. Then the silence was broken.

It was a terrible, whooping cry. It was deafening. Terrifying. The noise only a mad pony would make. It was the voice that made it. HIS voice. Rainbow's mind went blank. The terror had consumed her. All faded to black. The dream had ended. Rainbow woke with a start...she looked at her alarm clock...she had only been asleep for an hour and a half. A sudden wave of terrible nausea filled her. She jumped out of her bed and to her hooves. She sprinted into the bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet. When she'd finally recovered, she cleaned up the mess with a bath towel and brushed her teeth. She walked back into her bedroom. Tank was awake. He croaked at her. She smiled. But Rainbow could hear a noise. A quiet, forlorn whimpering. It was Ditzy. She was still crying.

Author's Notes:

Just to clarify: I wasn't making fun of any specific religion or even religion in general. There's crazies in every political ideology and religion.

There's always that one piss-stained, homeless guy who has a "religious experience" and starts ranting about the "end times."

A song for Mac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiXr6qO87c