Awesome As I Wanna Be

Chapter 4: Madam Gradient

A breeze still remained around the trio of adults long after Rainbow had run out the door. The door shook slightly on its hinges though and the bang of it shutting still rang in their ears. Windy was the first to break out of her stunned state and turned to Madam Gradient. "Well, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure that Rainbow will return soon."

"No she won't." The headteacher replied as she started walking around the house, surveying the living room.

Windy blinked. "Okay... You know, Madam Gradient we are pleased to see you. Although I have to ask why you are here? And how you came to know our address?" She watched the woman come out of the living room, heels clicking on the wooden floorboards.

Madam Gradient turned to her. "Oh, do you have to?" She looked up the carpeted stairs. "Is Rainbow's bedroom up there?" They nodded. "Thank you." She began to make her way upstairs with Windy and Bow following her closely.

He had managed to regain his composure now and was aware of what was happening. Bow gently pushed passed his wife before getting in front of Madam Gradient. "May I ask why you wish to see my daughter's room?" He barred the door from visitors and crossed his arms, forcing the two woman to stop.

The young woman merely smiled. "You may ask. However I just wanted to see what type of room a demon sleeps in." Her words caused her to be crowded on both sides by both parents.

"Our daughter, Rainbow Dash, is not a demon!" Windy hissed ferociously in her ear.

Their guest simply shrugged her shoulders. "Your emphasis on what she is not, suggests that you believe she is. You deny yourself the truth." Somehow, she managed to slip pass the pair and ended up downstairs. The two parents looked at each other as if to say how impossible this woman was. Madam Gradient turned up towards them. "Oh, and feel free to call me Pearl."

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Rainbow allowed her feet to take her away from whatever evil was in her home. Granted, Madam Gradient probably couldn't actually do anything in her home. However, while she loved her parents, Rainbow doubted that they would hold out against gentle, yet permanent, persuasion. They were rather keen to return to the village and wanted to give her any help she needed with her powers. Although Rainbow sometimes consider it would be better to have help with her Equestrian magic.

After a few minutes, she stopped running and took in her surroundings. She'd surprised herself with the actual distance she'd covered. The outskirts of town was a place Rainbow had little reason to visit as no one she knew or cared for lived here. Many cars and buses passed here though as it was the main entrance road from the city. Crystal Prep came this way. This area was also home to a large woodland area a little way up a hill and up in those woods was a cliff. Rainbow had found it a few months ago and it always helped to clear her head.

Jogging through the undergrowth, she took note of the time. It was easily evening and probably getting too late to stay out for a long time. A chill wind whistled through the branches and rustled the leaves, sending goosebumps scattering across her arms. Getting to the edge of the cliff, Rainbow smiled at the good view of the sunset. Just above the horizon, the sun cast a warm, orange glow across the area. Rainbow fell backwards until her head hit the grassy and slightly dusty ground. Folding her arms behind her head, she looked upwards and started imagining the clouds shapes. It was a game she had always been good at.

Madam Gradient still plagued her mind though. Nothing about her screamed evil or menacing but she had influence. That could be dangerous. She wasn't overly concerned with her school's reputation or was controlled by ambition like Principal Cinch was but she also wasn't warm, friendly or caring like Principal Celestia. No, Madam Gradient was mostly worried about keeping her students separate from everyone else. That wasn't difficult, the village was rather remote and very few people knew of its existence, much less cared for it. Rainbow certainly considered herself part of the latter, she couldn't care less what happened to the school.

In lessons, Rainbow had vague but vivid memories of teachers taking certain students out of lessons and then... She didn't know what happened to them. All she could identify was that as the year progressed, her classes became smaller and smaller. Rainbow had never known whether to feel relieved or frightened that she'd never been taken out of the classroom. Rumours flew of course but anyone who was taken never returned to explain what happened. Fear was a strong emotion Rainbow associated with her childhood.

Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pocket to see a message from an unknown number. Opening it, Rainbow felt her heart sink. 'Your parents are surprisingly unwillingly to relocate you for your advanced training. I think my visit may have upset them. Now that you have had time to clear your head, I ask you: What do you think? Keep in mind, that I know everything about you Rainbow Dash but I'm not even your friend. I would imagine that your current friends, who I believe share a different magic with you, would have something to say on your past. Of course, I would never dare to reveal your personal life to them without your consent. I merely wonder what would happen if an accident was to occur, that would be awkward. Nevertheless, I wish to hear your final answer although I won't wait forever. Tick tock, Rainbow Dash. Tick tock.'

If that wasn't an ominous and threatening message, Rainbow didn't know what one was. Madam Gradient was more than just a woman with a lot of influence, she was crazy. This text proved that much. Fear gripped Rainbow's throat as she tried to imagine what kind of accident would cause her to lose control of her powers in public. Another thought suddenly occured to her, one that made her childhood much, much darker. All the children who had been taken had previously spoken up against the way the school was run. They were never heard from again. Silenced. And a disaster always seemed to happen soon after, a flood, hurricane, wild fire. All things that were related to what people in her village could do.

Rainbow knew from that moment exactly what happened as she put the pieces together. One conclusion could most certainly be drawn from it: Madam Gradient was a madwoman who couldn't be trusted. She would need to keep an eye on her parents to keep them safe, she could do that. However deep down, Rainbow knew that she stood little chance. If she wanted her life to continue as normal as possible, for now, she would have to follow the rules.

Checking the message, she read it through once more for any clues before typing the reply that changed her life...

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, cliffhanger ending. What did you think of the message? I will try and update again tomorrow. Bye, bye.