Chapter 4: Seein' through...

I was still sitting there.

I closed my eyes again and violently rubbed them until it hurt. I wanted to wake up. But when I opened them again I was still sitting there.

I sighed deeply.

"Ugh, somebody pinch me..."

Reluctantly I rolled over on my side and got off of the tree branch I was sitting in. The sun shone down on me casting a shadow down the path. My shadow was that of a proud young pegasus. And as the wind swept past my mane and tail and the shadow responded by moving accordingly.

I began to walk down the path. I didn't know where I was going and I didn't want to know where I was going. I just need some time to think...

The image of remembered the five mares that tried so hard to care for me just like my friends would have.

I looked around the forest hoping that there would be someone I could talk to. But all I heard was the wind gently rustling the leaves of the forest. Not a single soul to be spoken of.

I took a good look at myself. My mane and tail were a tangled mess, all matted and sticky from tree sap.

'Oh boy Rachel is going to kill me...' I though to my self. But that thought was quickly swamped by the images of the white unicorn that resembled my friend so much. I shook the images from my head.

'Was this really happening?'

I thought of the things I said before I flew out into the forest as far away as I could from the ponies that were only trying to help me.

'You ponies aren't real! I'm dreaming!!'

'No my name is Darcy!'

'Your not my real friend!'

'You aren't my real friends, you are just made up!'

Those last words stung. My mind was confused, it couldn't make sense of what was happening. These ponies resembled my friends in every way. I didn't know what to do. But my heart knew exactly what was going on. I had hurt my friends deeply.

'No! I would never do that to my friends. But I had. I remembered what I had said to all of them. They all cared for me and were doing everything in there power to help see me through without needing to be asked. Just like great friends would do. They would put everything aside to come help me.

But I shunned them, I deemed them imaginary, fake, not my real friends. I felt a small tear roll down my cheek as I cried softly to myself. My crying was interrupted when I heard something in the bushes jump out onto the path.

"Rainbow Dash?"

I looked up and faced the voice. There standing in front of me was a small orange pegasus.

I turned away covering my face with my wings. I couldn't let her see me like this.

"Rainbow Dash? Are you okay? The others told me that you flew out into the forest by yourself. I came out to look for you."

I didn't say anything, even if I did want to say something I was sobbing freely now not even trying to hold back the tears.

With out warning I felt arms wrap themselves around me and hug me tightly.

"I can't to see you like this Rainbow Dash! Please come back!" I looked behind me. The filly had me in a death grip trying to bring me back to reality. She looked up at me with misty eyes.

I didn't know what to do. My mind was telling me that Scootaloo wasn't real, but my heart wanted me to believe in her. I shook my thoughts again. I need to think about what was going on. I needed to be alone.

I shook the filly off of me and I stretched my wings and took to the sky. I didn't look back, I knew it would just crush me to see the little pegasus there crying her eyes out. So I flew out in the direction I was originally going in and flapped my wings harder and harder gaining speed. I flew down the path until I was out of the forest, but I didn't stop there. I just kept on flying, rocketing down the path at blistering speeds. I loved the feeling of going this fast. It took my mind of all of my troubles for a bit.

For a moment I felt like I didn't have a care in the world. I just flew around in the sky slowly making my way down the path now. I was doing tricks too, rolling over on my back. Soaring high in the sky before diving towards the ground. I was surprised on how quickly this all came to me. I didn't remember flying before, but if somepony was watching me they would think I was born to do this.

I continued down the path keeping high in the sky, right above the clouds. In the distance I could make out some movement coming in my direction. Silently I flew over to a cloud and crouched low. I blocked the sun with one hoof as I squinted and peered over the edge of the cloud and out into the distance.

There walking down the path were five ponies. And I recognized every single one.

Quickly I fell back into the cloud. Did they see me? I needed to find out. I punched the cloud a bit. My hoof sunk into it but the cloud was solid. Carefully I brought myself up off the cloud and gently guided it to some of the lower lying clouds in the sky next to the group of mares. The parts of my heart that hadn't broken up from the encounter with Scootaloo crumbled into dust as I gazed down at them.

There they were walking down the path talking to one another with looks of concern on there faces, but what really ate at me was the sight of the normally cheery pink pony slowly walking behind the group. Her mane still flat against her, the same look of extreme sadness on her face. I peaked over the cloud to listen in on their conversation.

"I hope Rainbow Dash is okay... She looked like she was really hurt and confused..." The purple unicorn said.

"Yeah. I wonder what's gotten into 'er. Did yew see how she was yellin' at Pinkie Pie?" An orange pony said as they looked back at their sobbing friend. "Poor thing. Dash said that she wasn't her real friend. I cud hear it from all the way down the hallway. Pinkie hasn't been the same ever since."

I fell back into the cloud again. The sight just ate away at my very being! I had said those things and now look at her. She was barley keeping it together.

I looked ahead, we were coming up to the forest again. And I looked away as soon as I saw Scootaloo sitting next to the tree I was sitting in earlier, weeping to herself. I just sat back and listened to the conversation unfold. My mind was starting to take the blows that my heart were to weak to withstand.

"Dearest me! Scootaloo is that you over there? Come over her sweetie! You poor thing! What happened?"

All that answered her was the sobs and sniffles coming from Scootaloo. The crying died down as she began to speak.

"I saw R-Rainbow Dash cr-crying here. I asked her why but sh-she didn't say anything! She just looked at me with a sad look on h-her f-face before she flew down the p-path!" Scootaloo said as she then continued crying. Remembering those recent memories must of been so hard for her. I heard a soft calming voice come from below me, trying desperately to calm the filly.

"It's okay... Rainbow Dash is just confused right now... She just needs some time to think... She just needs some time to figure out who she is..."

I closed my eyes again. Those words struck me at my very core. I turned over in the cloud cleared my mind. I wanted to escape this, I wanted to wake up.

~~~~~

I opened my eyes after a while and I found myself in the hospital bed again. Slowly I pulled back the covers to reveal my tattered jeans and light blue socks. Had I woken up from that terrible dream? I looked to my side, the little pink cupcake that had been placed there earlier was still sitting there untouched. It still had the little name tag on it.

~Darcy

I reached over to grab it, but as my fingers made contact with the cupcake it vanished leaving a small pile of dust that blew away in the wind. I pulled my hand back surprised. Suddenly the door swung open and I barley caught a glimpse of someone in pink running past the door.

Quickly I got up and ran to the door to see what It might of been but as I turned the corner the figure in pink had already rounded the corner down the hallway. I ran down after the figure, but as I rounded the corner no one was there. All I saw was a small girl standing at the end of the hallway. She was crying, I tried running to her side to comfort her but it as if every time I took one step forward, I only ended up two steps back.

I eventually stopped running after her when a group of familiar looking girls came and gestured the little girl around the corner. I frantically ran towards them pouring all my of my will into making it down the hallway. I almost made it to them but a young woman in pink stepped in front of me blocking my path. Her light brown hair lying flat against her head hiding her face.

"What do you think you are doing?" She said to me.

"I'm going to my friends!" I screamed at her.

"Those aren't your friends." She said as she moved her hair to the side of her face revealing her face. I was terrified. It was a mixture extreme anger and sadness. She stared at me peering deep into my soul.

"You said so yourself..."

I fell onto the floor and onto my knees as she walked around the corner. I didn't get up, I just sat there alone. One by one the lights around me turned off leaving one right above casting a long shadow down the hallway. I looked at the shadow. It too was on its knees, but slowly it brought itself up and walked into the shadows leaving me alone in the hallway. Now I was truly alone.For a moment I stopped crying. Thinking about what had happened.

I didn't want this. I wanted everything to change. I wanted everything to go back to what it used to be like.

The final light went out, leaving me in the dark.

~~~~~

No authors note! :( Please comment though! I am open to suggestions and critique! I take it all to heart!