"AHHHH!"

Rainbow bolted upright. Her breaths came out in short, panicky bursts. She braced her hooves against the hard, cold wooden floor as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Slowly, as her breathing slowed to a normal pace, she was able to make out a few shapes. The flat-topped mountains of boxes and crates. The dark outlines of shelves. She then remembered where she was.

After she had gotten the box of weird-looking pills from Huffer, she had gone back to the office. Diana told her that Tyler was out, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. After the sun went down, Diana had gone back to her house, leaving Rainbow alone. She had chosen to stay here instead of getting a hotel room. It was closer, likely not too different in quality if what she had seen out this place was any indication and a whole heck of a lot cheaper. So, she had pulled out her bedroll again, laid it out in the surprisingly warm storage room, and passed out.

Of course, her dreams just wouldn't let her catch a break. She couldn't pick out much of it in the jumbled mess of her awakening, but some she was able to recall. Mostly words and phrases; short snippets of conversations. She clutched her head and began to cry a little bit as some of them popped into her head.

"How could you, Ms. Meanie McMeaniepants!?"

"Why you no good varmint!"

"I'm ashamed, Dashie. Of both you, and myself for seeing you as a friend."

"Shut up! I can't believe I thought you were cool! You're just a bully and a jerk!"

"You are no daughter of mine. I'm very disappointed in you, young lady."

Rainbow groaned, trying to filter it all out. It's not real. It's not real. It's just a nightmare. No matter how much she repeated this to herself, she couldn't shake the feeling. Something was wrong. She had screwed up somehow. She was hated back in Equestria. Not just by the princesses and her former friends; they could all rot in Tartarus for all she cared. No, she was scared that Scoots or even her own parents hated her and didn't want anything to do with her. She knew this was likely not the case. Scoots ran her fan club in Ponyville, and she wouldn't be surprised if her parents had a shrine to her somewhere in her house. But the fear persisted.

She sighed, eyes drooping once again. She knew what would happen: Like clockwork, she would fall asleep, have a nightmare, and wake up a few hours later, feeling barely any better rested. This was the cycle for almost the whole time she was out here, and it showed no sign of stopping. She needed something to stop it. No point nor practicality in looking like a zompony. Then, she remembered the box she had gotten from Huffer.

She fumbled around in the dark for a few minutes, finally pulling the small box out from her bag. She slid open the cover, then reached inside with the tip of her wing. After a few pats of bare wood, the tip of the feather finally slid into a small notch in the box. Feeling something wet and sorta sticky, she wrapped her wingtip around it and lifted it out. She slid the lid back on and dropped the pill into her hoof.

Even in the darkness, she could make it out somewhat. Then she could make out the muted colors of the pill: a light red with splashes of cyan and green. The muted aspect of the color came from the wrapping; she didn't want to know what it was but had a sneaking suspicion it was something to do with animals. It also smelt weird, like a mix of salt and her mom's alfredo sauce. Not wanting to chicken out of something that could help her, she clenched shut her eyes and tossed the thing into her mouth.

Unsure of what exactly she was supposed to do with it, she just let it swirl around in her mouth for a bit. Nothing seemed to happen. She figured that swallowing it probably wasn't a good idea. Maybe she had to bite it? Shrugging her shoulders, she bites down. It had a bit of a weird, almost fatty texture, and tasted like slime. An equally weird liquid spread out over her mouth as the innards of the pill leaked out. It then either slid down her throat or leaked into her mouth, leaving just the rubbery shell. She swallowed that, then sat waiting for a second. Then, it hit her like a train.

It was as if all the world was flying as fast as she could, streaks of colors and lights shooting through her eyes. All the while, she was seeming to stand perfectly still, just taking it all in. A rush of sensations rushed over her. She was both alert and drowsy. She was flying at the speed of light and standing still as Discords statue. She winced in pain and moaned in euphoria. All this in under a minute. The blurring and lights faded from view, yet the sensations failed to follow suit. A dopy grin spread over her face, likely the first legitimate smile she cracked since waking up in that cell in Canterlot. She didn't entirely know.

And that was another thing. The pill made her thoughts scatter and jumble, becoming an incoherent mess. She was barely able to form any coherent thought. A thought of fear, anxiety, panic or of regret. All of it was washed away under a tide of pure, unfiltered bliss. She didn't care; it felt great, freeing. She didn't mind one bit.

About five minutes passed with her just sitting there, grinning and maybe even letting out a light giggle or two. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end at some point; here was no exception. As the feeling came, it seemingly just disappeared. The smile faded, and she shook her head to recollect her thoughts. Or, at least attempt to.

The portcullis of her eyes suddenly roared back to life, trying to force themselves shut. At first, she resisted, though she didn't really know why. She was tired after all and had no reason to be awake. But, some sort of unclear feeling wanted for her to maintain even a sliver of consciousness. Some strange, urge, for lack of a better term in her addled state, wanted to keep her awake. However, her brain signals finally died down, and the part controlling sleep assumed control. In a second, her head fell back, and she was swept away back into the void.

And for the first time in nearly two weeks, it stayed a void. No fire, no fear, no betrayal; no nothing. Just the bliss and serenity of a deep, peaceful sleep.

Next Chapter: 23~Future with the company Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 18 Minutes