An Inconvenient Attachment // Appledash

chapter 41

Later that day, the girls had made their way to the park where a sheltered stage already had a variety of different-sized speakers lining the back that sat in front of a sweeping mauve curtain, ensuring their instruments were correctly tuned and microphones positioned. AJ and Dash had arrived together, similar to Sunset and Twilight, whilst everyone else arrived individually. Upon noticing the contrasting orange and blue girls turn up, Sunset and Twi eyed eachother knowingly, neither girl yet to figure out how they were going to deal with them before they could perform. They were on the clock. If they couldn't perform the counter spell with bonds strong enough to overpower the Dazzlings, they'd lose their one chance where it's confirmed their whole grade and Dazzling are in the same place again. As some salty looks between Rarity and Rainbow Dash were exchanged, Fluttershy and Pinkie began conversation, the only two oblivious to the unspoken rivalry, and brought up how weird it was they were the group to make it to the finals. Twilight and Sunset were not ready to share their findings yet as they had not gathered enough evidence and a foolproof plan, but they were running out of time, they were sure of the Dazzling's motives for doing this, but they didn't know how to explain it to the girls without further causing dismay between them. 

Alerted by a new voice, Trixie, approaching the girls, Applejack resumed a place next to Pinkie, as she watched Rainbow send a blow in the devious, uptight, magician's direction. A small smirk appeared on her face with a form of pride in the girl and her ability to confront people, snark remarks flowing from her in an effort to defend herself and her friends easily. Yet feeling eyes on her, she dragged her gaze away to an all too familiar face, Rarity with a somewhat heartbroken expression plastered across her as if she read AJ's expression like a book. Feeling a short guilt, she mentally noted how she'd have to have a long, apologetic, discussion with the girl after this mess was over. However, before her thoughts were concluded, she felt instability beneath her, stomach jumping to her throat and the solid ground beneath them was suddenly gone. As she began to fall to below the stage, she could see Trixie's minions with their blinded leadership hands on a large lever. It was not a long fall but it was enough to hurt when bones hit concrete, nothing else in the room except for wooden walls and empty microphone stands. 

A taunting, "See you never," echoed down to the trapped students as the flap began to seal back up, leaving the girls in temporary darkness, all with synchronised frowns of anger and annoyance exhibited as their visions faded to gloaming. 

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Eventually, Rainbow, working with Sunset, the two bravest to face the dark, were able to find a switch on the far side of the room, letting a dim glow illuminate the below-deck area from a singular light suspending from the non-trapdoor roof. In an urgent, off-the-top-of-her-head idea to escape, Dash began to ram her form into the wooden door, trying her best to budge it open, Applejack also volunteered after some time as she was the strongest of them all. Yet with no success and no one realising their disappearance, enraptured with the competition, most girls concluded that no one was coming for them. 

Rainbow was the only one who had not given up hope, still pursuing different methods to force the door open despite everyone's attitude fading into negativity, Pinkie falling asleep on the ground with a miserable Fluttershy and Twilight nearby. Rarity stayed far away from AJ and Dash, fanning herself from the other side of the room as a troubled Sunset watched the light slip from her friend's eyes, her brain still thinking strategy and trying to think of anything they could do to salvage the time they had left. With Dash's continuous banging on the door, shoulders unsuccessfully coming into contact with unmoving wood, the noise began to annoy them, each hit reminding them of their failure and their instability. Even Applejack was getting annoyed, being the only one straight up enough to speak up about it.