"A Rainbow's Tail isn't quiet as nice as the story we knew of Sugar and Spice. But a Rainbow's easy once you get to know it with the help of the magic of the Pegasus Device."
Wooden Toaster's Rainbow Factory
Prologue: The Devices
All my life I've been in this place. This black hole that everyone seems to avoid. This hellish place that once used to be peaceful and cheery. I remember the old days before those.... things came in by order of the guard. The fools put us a bunch of Pegasi to open up or destroy the devices but we were not prepared for what happened. The machines were indestructible and none of the Factories equipment could break through the outer skin. Not even the grated sections where the joints were. All attempts to penetrate them either failed or backfired on us. At first they just sat there weightless and useless as well. We thought that they would do nothing so we placed them in a storage portion of the lower factory expecting nothing to go wrong. We couldn't be any further from the truth.
The machines didn't harm us physically but mentally. At first every one of the original team that tried to penetrate the device went insane. We had to detain them to protect all other workers of the factory. We had to isolate the entire lower section of the factory in case if it was some disease. Funny I look back now and that seems like a stupid theory. All victims had symptoms of psychopathic tendencies. At first we thought it only effected them but we were wrong. Soon all in the factory including myself experiencing this strange sensation. Before we knew it the devices were released and to our amazement they could walk and talk like any of us. But only the were machines. They change in appearance an looked more like anypony at the factory.
Before we knew it everything changed. Everything went darker at the factory as two of the three Device's became overseer's of the factory. The last one took total control of the lower section of the factory sealing it off from the wrest of the factory and taking over all automated systems. We call him 1A and he is the most intelligent of the three. Sadly he is also the less known of the three. He is only seen a handful of times outside of his command center. The female variant is the one we call 1B. She is the most passionate of the three as far as we tell. She greets all the failures into the factory and tries her best to make sure they are as comfortable as 1A will allow. On the down side she has split personalities and can turn on an instant. The one that has no color except the blood on it. We call him 1C. This one appears to be the strongest and least caring one of the three besides 1A. He brings all failures to the factory and runs the "Processing" of the failures. a process which can et messy. He is a common sight at the factory and everypony fears this insane machine.
Then there's me Old Marcus. They call me Old because I've survived here the longest. I used to be one of the executioners before I realized what was going on. The machines mind control everypony here into doing their bidding. When I returned I was scared by what I was doing. The memory still haunts me. Then I tried to escape. 1A didn't like that much. He dispatched 1C and five guards to recover me. Took out two of his sentries before getting captured. Now I try my best to just survive with the brutal treatment the guards give the failures. I often wonder why 1A keeps me alive. Maybe it's because it's curious? Maybe it wants me to be an example? I don't know. But the longer I spend here the more screams I hear. This place can drive you insane now. But I'm getting out. I have a plan to get out of here. Now if only I had someone that could and would help make this plan reality.
But I have seen no one like that lately. But I have noticed a new worker. The one with the rose colored eyes. I don't l know but she seems familiar to me. But I can't remember where.
Chapter 1 Test
"Welcome to the Colosseum everypony." The instructor yelled out to his students as they approached the entrance to the Colosseum.
in the medium sized crowd of Fillies and colts was a young colt by the name of Zach his friends called him Z or Zap after an incident that happened when he got hit by lightning. He was a sort of dirty blonde pony with a blonde mane. He was intelligent the top of his class but he was a weak flyer. He kept his wings folded up behind him since he didn't use them much. Beside him was a sky blue pony that had a long mane colored with multiple shades of blue. Her name was Blue Lightning and was a close friend of Zach's she grew up with him and tried to encourage him a lot to use the wings he had. But Zach never got the encouraged by Blue.
"So Zap what do you think it's going to be today?" Blue asks Zach.
"Well I don't know exactly. Maybe another hour long lecture on how our heritage created Cloudsdale or how the Weather Factory is important to all of Equistria. There's no real telling with Mr.Specter these days. I think he's getting old."
"Old Specter was around when Luna and Celestia were born." Blue replies then two laugh a little as their teacher opens the doors to Cloudsdale's Colosseum.
To Zach's astonishment the Colosseum wasn't empty like he'd expected. All around the stadium was full with Pony's in coats with the Cloudsdale Weather Factory symbol on the side. There was one that stood out. A single Pony that no one was near and seemed to be the most important one there. All he could tail was that it was female and it was covered in a cloak that covered it from head to toe so Zach couldn't tell what it looked like under the hood or what it's color was. The cloak had the Cloudsdale Weather Factory symbol on it as well but it was colored differently. But Zach couldn't make it out. His vision was great like a hawk so that allowed him to notice everything going on around him as the last of his classmates enter the Colosseum. The doors come close and Mr. Specter starts to speak again.
"Now then as all of you know or hopefully half of you know today is when you receive your future position in cloudsdale. This course will show the overseers how you are and they will position you to match your qualities. This is a new practice as requested by the Overseer of the Weather Factory and I am looking forward to seeing all of you pass this test with flying colors."
"That's not right. All of these overseer's are from the Weather factory." Zach whispers to himself but loud enough for only Blue to hear him.
"Well maybe there's a reason why." Blue says trying to remove Zach's tension. She could tell he was tensed by this observation.
"No there's something off about that one." Zach says pointing a hoof to the one that stood out from the wrest. "Whoever she is she gives me shivers like it's not even a pony but a monster."
"Your worried that's all. Listen I know you're not a good flier but I'll help you out when it's your turn."
"Isn't that cheating?"
"No. It's not if there's no rule against it. Trust me Zap everything will be fine."
"Alright I have your word." Zach says reassured that his friend was there to help him out.
"Now then here are the rules that the Overseer's will judge you on. The obstacle course will test your flying ability to the best of your ability. You are to navigate through it without hitting any of the obstacles or slowing down too much or that will effect your grade with the Overseers as you can plainly see in the stands. Now this course is designed for one pony only so that means that there will be no assistance from friends or classmates." Mr.Specter says to his students.
Zach looks angrily at Blue who just looks over at him and smiles. How was she supposed to know? Zach sighs and focuses his attention back on Mr.Specter who was still talking about what was going to happen. But then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He say a Pegasi fly down to the one Overseer that gave him shivers. The Pegasi seemed to be carrying a clipboard with a medium sized stack of papers attached to it. Then it occurred to Zach that the Pegasi was wearing a black leather suit that covered the body like a loose fitting suit of skin. The Pegasi had rose colored eyes. Zach could tell because she was wearing goggles that were colored to match the suit. The cloaked one grabbed the clipboard and started checking it over as the Pegasi landed beside the cloaked Pony thing and stared at the students and noticed Zach looking at her and grinned sadistically. Zach looked instantly away hoping she didn't know who he was. Then he toned into what Specter was saying.
"Now for your information if you are injured during this exercise that doesn't mean you fail. What it does mean is that it will rate your performance in the eyes of the Overseers. If somepony is injured during the test medical personnel are on stand-bye just in case of serious injury. As for you passing the test this should be simple for all of you. Just do what I've taught you all and a pass will be assured. Now any questions?"
One pony raised his hoof in the air for Specter to see. It was a pony Zach knew from class his name was dan. He was brownish colored but had a light mane and tail. His eyes were light green as well. He was a bit tall for his age and often pushed Zach around. Next to Dan was a light pink Folly. She had red mane and tail. Her eyes were pink and she was caring in nature. Her name was Rose and she knew Zach and Blue but not that well.
"So what exactly happens if somepony fails the test?" Dan asks Specter.
"Ah a good question Dan. Well I can't really answer that. The Overseer of the Weather Factory isn't exactly handing out that information but nothing that bad I can assure you. Anyone else?" Specter answers then looks through the crowd to see if anyone else would raise their hoof.
Another one did. His name was Stardust and he was black colored with dots of yellow all up and down his body. His man and tail were gold and from a distance he blend in with the night sky. He knew Zach but only as background student that he never related or spoke with. So they didn't even know each other that much.
"So who exactly is watching this?" Stardust asks.
"Well the Weather Factory of course. They sent their Overseer specifically for this test. They've also brought some of their Foreponies here as well. There is nothing wrong here I can assure you. Remember. "With all great things comes a great responsibility." Now anyone else before we start?" Specter says looking through the crowd one last time before he started the test.
No one rose a hoof this time but there was some whispering going one between the students. Specter coughed and got their attention back as he turned and waved to the cloaked pony that was sitting at the opposite end of the Colosseum. The cloaked pony nodded it's head and tapped the Pegasi beside it and pointed to the control station that control the obstacle course. She nodded and flew over to the control station and maned the controls. ready for someone to enter the course. So she could have some fun.
"Okay let's start with our best flier so everyone can see how it's done." Specter says then looks at Blue Lightning. "Blue you're up first."
"Alright Mr. Specter coming right up." Blue says turning to face Zach who seemed a bit upset. "Hay don't worry. I know you're not the best but I'll see at the end along with everyone else." Blue says trying to lift Zach's spirits before pushing through the crowd to stand next to Specter.
Blue prepared herself stretching her wing out and in making sure they wouldn't cramp later while she was flying. After she stretched she awaited the signal to begin. She saw the signal and jumped from the platform. She spread her wings and now she was soaring through the sky like an eagle. She flew fast knowing that how fast she was would effect her grade in the eyes of the Overseer's. She looked at the opposite end of the Colosseum and saw that one pony Zach was talking about. It did give her the creeps. But then there was a ping as a steel pole came from the clouds below. It sprang up in front of Blue so fast she had trouble evading it but she did. She then knew that she would have to keep her eyes ahead to keep flying in this course.
Zach is astonished as he observes the Pony running the controls and Blue Lightning as she ran the course. Typically what you would see here at the Colosseum all except for the cloud pillars being replaced with steel ones. That was new to him. But that meant that somepony would get hurt if they weren't paying attention. He took a few steps forward to see what the crowd was gasping about. Then he saw what was going on. Blue was evading flying disc that were getting tossed at her. There was so many it was impressive that she could evade them. Like the pillars the discs were also steel. Forget injured with those somepony would get killed before hitting the ground.
After watching Blue for three minutes she finally passed through all of the obstacles and came back to where she started and did a loop in the air and smiled. She knew she passed. After all she was the best flyer in the class. Zach looked back the cloaked Pony noticed that it was checking a single piece of paper then put it down and picked up another as another student came up and went through the course. Blue came over and stood beside Zach who was keeping an eye on the cloaked pony.
"Well I passed. That was harder then I imagined it would be." Blue says then notices Zach staring at that pony again. "She's not going to bite." Blue says.
"I know but there's something wrong about that one. I still can't shake the feeling."
"Well maybe you'll figure out what her big secret is about when you try."
"I don't think I want to. I noticed they replaced the soft clouds with cold steel. With a change like that someone's going to get hurt or worse."
"So? I made it through it."
"I know I'm just saying. I know that she has something to do about this. I don't think that everything Specter said was true."
"About what?"
"About this being a test and all. I think there's something he's not telling us." Zach says turning his head to look Blue in the eyes.
"What are you saying? Specter is the kindest teacher we've ever met. He calls you a genius and he treats us all like his children. He would tell us all if he was hiding something."
"What if the secret he was hiding would kill him if he said it?"
"He still would. He just wouldn't let anyone harm us."
"You're right. I think too much. Let's just see how this will play out."
Student after student come up and go through the course and most of them pass easily but other took a bit longer. Stardust was next. He stepped up to the platform and prepares to lift off and start the course. He lifts off as he sees the signal and evades the first of the steel pillars. But then a gust of wing swoops by and slams Stardust into the next pillar. The sheer force snaps Stardust's wing out of place and he tumbles to the bottom of the Colosseum in pain and lands with a crack. Specter gasps in horror as Stardust screams in pain as two nurses rush to his aide. But these nurses were different. They get Stardust and haul him off through one of the two doors. Specter looks at the crowd of students and sees them whispering to each other. Specter knew what they were talking about.
"Well Stardust is alright. He'll be back out when the nurses are done patching him up. That was an accident. The Overseer's obviously forgot that the wind would have picked up today. Remember the wind is n more control then you are in flight. Now Rose you're next." Specter says getting the student's attention back.
Rose got up to the platform and readies her wings before take off. The signal comes and Rose soars through the sky evading the pillars with relative ease. Next came the disc. Which caught her off guard. The first disc zoomed by and barely touched her skin. The second disc she noticed and tried to swing herself away from the disc but it was too late. The disc sliced through her right wing and she plummeted down to the ground as a stream of blood came from her wing.
Specter gasped again. Stardust was an accident but Rose was certainly a failure because she saw it coming and didn't overcome it. This time the nurses come out get Rose but to Specter's suprise they go back through the same exact door they took Stardust. Specter was a bit curious of this and thought for a moment what that meant. Then he looks over and sees the Pony in the cloak again who seemed to be staring at him awaiting his reaction. He just turned to the students there was a lot more commotion now then when Stardust crashed. Specter continued on like no0thing happened hoping that what he thought happened really didn't.
"Rose will be alright I can assure you. She and Stardust will be taken care of. Now we need to continue on there are only a few more hours left that we can do this. So Dan step up hopefully nothing will o wrong this time." Specter says turned his attention to the Pegasi manning the controls to the course. It was like he knew who she was.
Zach was shocked by this and looked at Blue as she was trying to figure out what was going wrong for everypony that went up before now it was simpler then this. No one got injured. But now it was like the accidents were happening on purpose. Zach looked up at that one pony who was shifting through documents as Dan went up to the platform. Then he noticed the pony do some motion with her left hoof. Zach then looked over and saw the Pegasi nod at the Pony's movement. He was right.
Dan took off and was in the air mere seconds when the first pillar delayed and shot up. The pillar shot up just as Dan flew up over it. The pillar slammed into Dan's chest breaking a couple ribs and making him spit out blood as the pillar retracted back into the ground. Dan hit the ground staining it with his blood as the nurses came over and collected Dan like the others and took him away. At that moment Zach knew that he was right. This wasn't a test it was natural selection. Survival of the fittest.
A few more students went up and went through the course with ease. Then it was finally Zach's turn. He was analyzing everything going on. The pony in the cloak was thinning out the students with what he assumes were profiles of everypony in the class. That is what those papers are. The pony decides who stays and who leaves by this process. The weak leave and the strong stay. The Pegasi and the Pony were obviously working together in sync. So Zach knew what to do if he was chosen to leave. That's what he was doing in his mind while everyone else going through the course. He couldn't bare leaving his friends behind.
"Don't worry the other were accidents. Zap you'll be fine out there. Just keep focused and you'll pass." Blue says encouraging Zach to step up.
"Thanks Blue. But I know I'll pass. See you on the other side."
"I'll be right here Zap."
Zach steps up and preps his wings looking up at the pony to make sure he would pass or fail. The Pony picked up his file and waved her hoof. Zach felt upset he knew what that meant. But he was prepared. They can't fail him he get's through the course. Or can they? That Overseer has been handing out pain and doesn't show any emotion. Zach wasn't sure who he believed here anymore except Blue. He could always trust Blue. He ignored this awaited the signal.
Zach saw the signal and lifted off. He looked down and noticed the pillar delay again. They wanted him to leave like Dan well he'd prove them wrong he wasn't going to fail. He fly up in an angle and balanced out as the pillar shot up and went back down beneath him. The Pegasi at the controls was shocked. "He learned the system." She thought to herself then looked back down at the controls and started the next set of traps.
Zach evades the pillars and heads to where discs were going to be launched. He keeps an eye out awaiting for the first disc to come his way. He heard the sound of the disc getting launched and rolled to the left as a disc zoomed by him. Then another and another came at him and he barrel rolled as the two zoomed by. The Pegasi at the controls was getting furious as trap after trap evade Zach. She was getting more and frustrated after every fail. Zach was now on the last part of the test and was almost back at the platform when a thought went through his mind. What about them? The others that were taken away. What if they were banished from Cloudsdale or worse. Zach couldn't bare the thought of it. No one would ever know of what happened to them. He had to do something. Then it hit him. The only way he could help them. Fail.
He stopped instantly a few feet away from where he started and then turned around. Just as Disc came flying at him. Shocked he moved to the right but it was too late. The disc had left it's mark. It went in and embedded itself in his back right leg. Everything seems to go in slow motion as Zach sees the disc go into his leg and the blood come out squirting everywhere as it went into a vein. He then realized he was falling. He failed the test. He was leaving soon. But as he closed his eyes he looks over and sees Blue Lightning flying towards him. But she is held back by Specter who whispers something in her ear.
Zach slams into the ground so hard hs vision is blurred as the impact pushes the disc in deeper. Before his eyes close again he sees the nurses coming towards him with a stretcher. They lift him onto the stretcher and take him through the door. He closes his eyes as they start operating to remove the steel disc. He briefly opens his eyes for a moment as the cloaked pony enters the room and stands at the door. Then everything went black as he slowly went unconscious from the blood lost.
"I know I did the right thing but now I realize that by trying to save them I have gotten myself a ticket. A ticket to the gates of Hell." Zach thinks to himself as he blacks out.
Author's Note
This is the first chapter. Now before you leave a hate comment. I thought of all this in my head. I did not steal this from Aurora Dawn's fiction. I'm a fan of it so why would I steal from the story. The Factory awaits Zach and his friends. Will they survive or will they not. Find out in the continuation of the Pegasus Devices. I think I should change name but I'm at a lose as to what to change it to.
Please help and leave a like if you like it. It will help boost my enthusiasm and help me complete the story faster.
