Equestrian Slaughterhouse

“So, now what?”
That was a great question. One Rainbow Dash couldn’t answer. The Rainbow Factory had been a success through and through. No one yet knew about the twisted horrors hidden behind the vague cover of Cloudsdale. Delightful. But what could be done now? Was there a second step? A higher goal? Rainbow quickly brushed the intertwining thoughts aside and sharply turned to face the blue pegasi before her. Blue Bun stared back, unsure of her answer.

“I’m not sure yet, but we’ll have to keep going like this for now,” she replied. Truth be told, she knew where this was headed.

“Ma’am, you know that this will get out eventually. Ponies lie, they betray. Maybe someone will find us in a way no one imagined. We need to step this up. There’s no other way around it.” And she knew he was right.

“What do you have in mind? As far as I know, what more can be done?” Rainbow Dash inquired. She knew the oncoming reply.

“War. It’s as simple as that.” Rainbow sighed. She had seen that from a mile away.

“And how exactly do you plan on executing this? We have no formidable army, and even less of a government. I’m telling you, we have to wait.”

“Watch me. I have to introduce you to somepony. If anyone is going to get this running, it’ll be him. The colt seems like two different egos, two sides to the same monster. Simply amazing what he does.” Blue said. Rainbow paused, and then sighed. Let’s hope he’s right, she thought.

The factory was a truly beautiful thing. Blood bathed every inch and corner, consuming the blunt hue of the gray tile and soaking through it. Walking down the halls granted you the rare experience of hearing the shattered limbs clank down the chutes and the liquid spectra flow. Every second, one imagined the sharp snapping of another pony’s mind. Every day, more and more lost their minds. Yet they were so replaceable and unchanging. How it made things easier!

“So you’ve already brought him here?” Rainbow inquired. She had requested traveling limits recently, and she didn’t want to risk breaking her own law.

“Of course. In this room,” Blue replied as the two ducked into a side room labeled “Private Visitor Room”. Rarely was this ever used, but now he was glad to have it.

Rainbow took in the room. It wasn’t anything she was used to. Most rooms in the factory were either an optic white color or the dull gray tiles. This room, however, was a blood red, which was quite fitting of the establishment. A lavish premium leather sofa sat at the far left while a desk and an assortment of other comfortable chairs found themselves at the center. Sitting in the inquiry seat was a colt like many others: a light brown color. His hair stood out, however, being a dirty blonde. That, however, did not stand out to Rainbow. The minute she noted him, she became aware of an aura, one of insanity, emanating from him. It was not the frantic insanity of many a frail pony pushed one time too many, or the quiet, repressed, anger of the little old mare down the road. No, this wasn’t normal. This feeling was one of true love, a love for all that brought despair and agony, one that spoke of knowledge and a controlled rage. A rage that hadn’t found something worth exploding over. But what a rage it truly was. As Rainbow took the head seat on the right part of the desk, she knew. This colt, whatever he may do, was big. A smug grin played at the corner of her mouth.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

The colt didn’t seem to have much of an expression on his own face, as though time and time again he had gone through what was his life sitting in the position he was in, always trying to remain stable, at least in finances. He hadn’t been told why he was brought here, nor did he understand the truth of the Rainbow Factory.

“Alright, right down to business. What’s your name, chump?” Rainbow asked. She wasn’t here to waste time.

The brown pegasi sighed. “Coffee Sparkle.” Rainbow had to try hard not to hold back a laugh. It was a pretty funny name. This was too good to pass up.

“Why the hell is your name so stupid?” Rainbow bluntly asked, still restraining a laugh. Blue Bun poked his head out from behind the colt.

“Funny name, yes, but let’s put it this way. Rainbow, you strive to be the best and aim high. Well, Coffee here, how ironic his name is. He simply enjoys the feel of energy, and the main way he gets this is, you guessed it, coffee. Oh no, he doesn’t restrain himself to the little coffee shops in Ponyville. No, he makes his own, many with their own little side effects. Takes ‘em when he needs ‘em. Battle coming up? You got it, coffee time.”

“Alright, I’ll let that slide. But first, you understand where you are, no?” Rainbow inquired.

“Ah, yes, mighty Rainbow Factory, mixer of spectra, creator of weather. And of course, the truth behind it,” Coffee leaned in. Rainbow froze.

“W-Wh-What?!” she stammered. There was no way he knew. Had Blue said anything? This was not the way she imagined this meeting.

“And before you ask, your colleague has told me nothing. I’ve observed things before. Even read up on the subject, no matter how boring. What you do here is obvious. And it’s safe with me,” he winked. Rainbow leaned back in her chair for a bit. He seemed trustworthy enough. She was at least a little glad that formalities were done. Now, for talk of war.

“Let’s put this simply. We’ve held this operation up long enough, and we need to put forth a second step.” Rainbow said.

“Understandable. What would you need of me, exactly?”

“As of now, we need an army, and of course the weapons to make it of use.” Coffee almost burst out into tears from laughing.

“Y-you, you, of all ponies, of all the possible groups, see yourself fit to start a war? I can’t take that!” Coffee exclaimed, trying to hold back his laughter. Rainbow sighed. She wanted to stand up and scream in frustration. She knew he was right. They needed to move forward, but it was such an impossible goal. But she knew that if he was on their side, they could do it. All she needed to do was convince him.

“Look, you love the heat of battle, I want an empire. If you can help us at all, we need it now. So if there is anything helpful you can do, spit it out.”

“If you must know, I’ve lead in weapons design for a long time up till now. I used to work under Celestia, despite my young age. I had given her ideas as to what the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Army needed. At some point, she wanted to stop my field altogether, because she didn’t want ponies making weapons to fight each other. ‘Not what a princess would do’ I recall. So when I’ve shown her different plans, she’s rejected them all and eventually threw me out. So if I’m what you need, then so be it.”
Rainbow stood up in excitement.

“You, are exactly what we need,” she said with a grin, and then suddenly sat back down as though disappointed.

“We still, however, lack an army.” Rainbow said.

“No you don’t! Are you blind?” Coffee exclaimed. “You have an entire factory of loyal workers. Take about half of those and make them an army. You don’t need all of them to run the factory. As luck would have it, many of my friends were the Royal Guard of Celestia and rebellious Army members. They left because they were discontented with the lack of improvements made, specifically the ones I suggested. They’ll follow me into this. They tally about 40. It may not be a large army, but if you give me the time, we’ll be advanced to the point where the Equestrian Army couldn’t harm us if they lost their soul to the task.” Rainbow pondered the idea. Possible, but difficult. Before she could respond, Coffee started again, “I’m also a great bodyguard.”

“Why would I need a bodyguard?” Rainbow asked quizzically as she sat back down.

“Hehe. You’re going to be a hated figure. If we really manage to overthrow the government we have now, and word of what we’ve done here gets out, and it will, many are going to disagree. Wouldn’t you need some form of protection? You’re strong, no doubt, but it’s hardly enough to stop a mob.” Rainbow thought about it, and finally agreed.

“Alright then. You’re in. There’s not much more we can do right now, so gather your friends and bring them here. We’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” The trio slowly got up and trotted out of the door, back into the endless halls.

The operation was going strong. Every day, more and more of Coffee’s friends piled in, willing to overthrow their leaders. 20 ponies became 40, then 60, and soon an army had risen far beyond anything any of them had expected. Rainbow nearly burst out in evil laughter at the thought. The laughter subsided as quickly as it had begun. The monumental stress hit her like a wrecking ball. So much had to be done and prepared, and soon, before the army grew tireless and impatient. As she trotted over to the newly created ‘Weapon Research Area’, she wondered why she was confiding in the insane pegasus that would just as easily kill her as work for her. She pushed open the door and quietly walked in. Coffee turned quickly to respond, expecting a command, but she merely walked in and sat down.

“So, watcha doin’?” Coffee turned around, confused.

“Odd question. Since when were you so casual?” Rainbow sighed.

“ Stress is a pain. So much to be done,” she said wearily.

“Well, if it’s the weapons you’re worried about, fear no more. I’ve already got them set up. Testing will begin tomorrow. By the end of the week we’ll have them ready for production.” Rainbow quickly stood up and dashed over.

“Really? Good job! But what have you done, exactly?” She cocked her head sideways.

“Rainbow powered weapons. Common assault rifles, a few sniper rifles, and a high-power launcher.” Rainbow gazed at the array of machinery before her. She hadn’t seen much more than a spear on the Royal Guard, and now her colleague was mass producing weapons powered by rainbows. She smirked. Not even Twilight could think of something like this. Then, it had dawned on her.

“Are you and Twilight, related or something?” Coffee turned to reply, and then sighed.

“Yes, although it’s not something I like to brag about. She’s always been the bookish type, never doing something useful, going after Celestia as though she was an absolute god. I’m her not so mentioned brother, older than her, younger the other one. Shining Armor, I think it was? Either way, the two are unimportant. Wise, but not clever. May as well have been the motto of the whole damn family!” Coffee exclaimed with a final shout, then sighed. “So what did you want, Ma’am?”

“It looks like I’ve got everything I came to ask about,” she said as she handled one of the assault weapons. It was heavy, but a comfortable heavy. “Final question, however. How many of these can you make, say, in a week?”

“Oh, one of these, especially the launcher would take a month for me to make alone. I take it we don’t have that much time. Get your workers here to produce these. I only made them as an example model. It’s far beyond anything anypony else has seen. But it won’t be hard to make. Creating them is simple; it’s the concept that confuses.”

“Alright. Say you’ve taught about 40 of them to make simply the assault rifles. How many could you put out in, say, a month?”

“More than anypony here needs. And I plan to train much more. So, call it a few days, and your army is ready.” Rainbow nearly beamed. This was too good.

“Well, all is on-track. Good work, good work.” She took a final glance at the weapons and left. Soon, so very soon.

More than a little confused. Definitely worried. Twilight wondered a multitude of things, and all at the wrong time. This isn’t normal, she wondered. Where was Rainbow Dash? She wasn’t the type to disappear for a few days, especially when something so important was just on the horizon. Her own big day, her coronation later that week. The stress of being dubbed a princess was more than a little heavy on Twilight’s shoulders. Was Rainbow planning something? Was there a big surprise in store? She tried her best to clear her mind. She was usually never too worried about her friends, at least never this worried. Something about this two-day disappearance didn’t seem right. She had always disappeared at some points during the day, doing who knows what. No pony questioned where she went; she was just doing whatever she does. But for two days straight was a little abnormal. As Twilight paced back and forth in her little treehouse, she reassured herself. Rainbow will be there, she thought. Everything is as normal. She repeated these until the familiar smile of clarity shone on her face again. Yes, everything is fine.

Rainbow couldn’t believe it. She checked her calendar again. Twilight’s coronation, and launch day, on the same day?! This wasn’t a big problem. She could just go along with it until Coffee and a small team had gotten in. Twilight was surprised to have gotten her wings. Surprise number two was on its way.

Twilight slowly walked down the aisle. Her day had finally arrived. The choir full of ponies all dressed in the same attire singing her name, the young fillies throwing flowers in her way. The joyous music and cheering, it was all too good. She stood before Luna and Celestia, where they had stood once before at the time of Chrysalis’s invasion. Twilight could hardly believe that she would be one of them. An alicorn, doing whatever they do. She was gratified to know she had made her mentor proud, her friends proud, and her whole family proud. Speaking of her friends, Rainbow had finally shown up! She’d ask questions later. Now was a time of joy. Celestia beamed at her student. Spike presented her with the all too familiar tiara, which was set on her head. They walked to the balcony, greeted by the multitude of cheering ponies. Twilight motioned to make her speech, and the cheering gradually died down. She took in a breath, and was interrupted by what appeared to be the shattering of glass. The crowd gasped as a team of 6 black-coated stallions dived from above and took hold of Celestia and Luna. A strange steel mechanism was encased the two separately as each were hoisted into the air. Before anyone could react, another sound pierced the commotion. Another sharp crack of glass. Twilight looked up helplessly at the two princesses stuck mid-air, seemingly unable to cast any magic. She turned to face the sound. She saw her friends, all 5 of them…wait, 5? Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. At the end of the aisle waited a face she hadn’t seen in a long time. One she had hoped would stay that way. Twilight gasped in horror. The princesses had been hoisted away, Equestria knows how. The visitor gave a gentle chuckle before approaching the balcony entrance.

“Hey, sis.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. The look on Twilight’s face said it all. From horror, to shock, to confusion, and finally rage.

“Wh-what have you done with them?” Twilight screamed.

“Ugh, you are so superficial it disgusts me,” Coffee replied. “That’s really your biggest concern right now? The princesses? Pull yourself together. They’re nothing now. Soon to be even less.” Even less? What the hell was he talking about?

“What of Rainbow Dash?”

“Oh, her? You’ll find that in your own due time. Right now, however, you’d best comfort your people.” Twilight reeled back in shock. He was right. The princesses were gone. This was up to her. The crowd had gone wild, and many of them had ran home in fear. She wanted to appear brave, get them to rally under her, anything.
Coffee laughed.

“Leave her to govern her people. You’ll fall apart quickly. You can hardly handle a deadline, much less a country.” He pushed her aside and took to the balcony. He had waited for this. Never much for speeches, but this one would be fun.

“This is what you’ve had to live with for years on end! Frail monarchs who leave you to die! They don’t bother to listen. As far as they’re concerned, we will prevail through peace. And look where it’s gotten us! Absolutely nowhere! Do you need another like her? She shan’t be different! Here, see your princess as she is!” He turned shoved her back out to the balcony. She turned to speak, but she was alerted to a humming behind her. She glanced back, quick enough to see the burst of light that knocked her unconscious. The explosion flung her body into the air and into the crowd, which promptly caught her.

“Prepare yourselves. Change is coming, and it is coming soon.” And with that, he launched into the air, flying his way back to the Factory. Step 1, finished. Now, for the princesses.

The princesses, of course, were standing before the monstrous machine of metal and blood that was to end them. They couldn’t move much of their bodies stuck in the mechanism, nor could they see much through the small visor that granted them vision. They were both forced down the small aisles before the mass of gears themselves. Rainbow laughed in the background. She didn’t want any speeches made here. Into the gears they went. Rainbow was a little disappointed to see the two vanish, and even more so to see that their spectra wasn’t unlike anypony else’s. To think royalty would have something special. She walked off the gruesome scene and was confronted by Blue Bun, in the same place this had all started.

“So, you’ve actually done it?” he asked.

“Surprisingly easy. How have things gone here?”

“Regular as usual. Much can’t be expected here.” Rainbow sighed. She had been wholly sucked into this. So she was to become a leader? What happened as of now?

“We move into power tomorrow, I guess. I’ll give a speech.” Rainbow didn’t wait for a reply. She sleepily wandered to her room in the factory. She didn’t have the strength to fly home tonight. She quietly opened the door and climbed into her bed. She pulled the covers over herself and waited for sleep.

“This isn’t you.” Rainbow shot up. Someone in her room? She flinched as a bright light came to life from above. It illuminated the figures of her friends. She knew she was dreaming, but not sure of how to get out of it. She sat up and stared back.

“The hell you mean this isn’t me?” Twilight approached her calmly, an expression of concern on her face.

“Is this what you really want?”

“Wh-of course it is!” she yelled. Twilight just looked back, with a face colder than the night outside.

“Why do you want this?” Rainbow looked frustrated, about to respond, and then recoiled, as though bit by a snake. She took in the past events. Everything went right. The capture, the murders, and soon the power. She had wanted this before, it made her so excited and worked up about it. What had happened? She looked up into the faces of her friends. She wasn’t ready to letting her life go. There wasn’t a way back from this. She didn’t want this.

“Oh, no, no no no NO NO NO!” Rainbow screamed louder than she had thought possible. This wasn’t possible. How had she gone this far over? Thousands, murdered. What had she done?! She wanted to take it all back, before the Factory was put into usage. She rushed to meet Twilight and apologize, to scream, cry, and let every emotion rushing through her out. Her pleas were met with cold air and silence. She sank back down into her bed in sorrow. If she felt this way, then surely she could stop this now. She was calm again. It had gone bad enough, but she slept again, knowing she could stop it now.

“Cut, c-c-cut it off? What in the fuck are you talking about?!” Coffee exclaimed. Rainbow gruffly ignored his tone. She was a bit shocked, but she couldn’t show it.

“You heard me, right? We’re stopping this. The Factory, the murders, everything. We’ve done wrong, can’t you see that?” Rainbow had won. The last day she had them take orders, and she had just rattled off her final ones. And they would listen. She was the chief, after all.

“No.” Rainbow snapped up.

“What?”

“No, we’re not leaving this. If you’re gonna try and stop us, then I suggest you leave.” What the hell was this?

“You can’t just throw me out! I’m the leader of this! And I demand that we shut it down!” Coffee chuckled.

“You WERE the leader. I’m not sure what’s gotten into you. Come to your senses!”

“I’m not willing to live like this, and I won’t leave until you feel the same.” Rainbow stood her ground there.

“Then you won’t live at all. Get her out!” Guards coated in black surrounded her. Hell no this wasn’t over. She spread her wings and took off, leaving Coffee and the small group in dust. The group prepared to follow, but were stopped.

“Let her go. She isn’t necessary anymore. Come, much is to be done.”

The march to Canterlot wasn’t a hard one. Coffee and his small battalion met little resistance, Blue flying next to him. It was a bit funny to watch the citizens cower in fear, running from the monarch. But there wouldn’t be a king, not this time. A tribunal was the original plan, and it was the one that was still intended, even with the absence of Rainbow Dash. They’d find another, or try to get her back. Perhaps even Twilight would accept, but he brushed the thought aside. He’d ally with anyone before he accepted her. He couldn’t possibly take her in.

Rainbow collapsed on Twilight, sobbing the guilt away as the group of friends stood in the treehouse. They had all condemned her, but now they found it hard to. Everyone knew she was truly sorry for the horrors she had done. Rainbow had revealed everything she could. It wouldn’t be the same among them, at least not for a long time. Usually, Rainbow should have been thrown in jail by now. Bigger problems, however, were on the horizon. No one enforced the law. To many, the laws were gone. What good was it to keep the peace? Twilight looked around at her friends. They had stood by her side in hard times before; she was sure they would do it again. As though understanding her thoughts, they nodded. Twilight turned back to face Rainbow.

“We’re glad you’re safe, but what are they planning to do?” Twilight asked patiently. She didn’t expect much of a response, and, not receiving one, took it as a lack of information. The group agreed something needed to be done.

“Tribunal is out of the question. Her joining is impossible.” Coffee explained as though they had a major loss.

“Fine. I doubt we’ll have much to disagree on either way. They’d only be there to break a tie, but it’d have to be an informed decision. How many people do we know who could do that?”

“Zero, of course.” Coffee replied to Blue with a smug grin. He was right, this wouldn’t be too hard. Standing side by side on the balcony, they already knew that it could be done. Word of their takeover had spread fast, and changes were going to be made. Mostly to the military and government, because this was an absolute mess. They had both read about Communism in the fantasized “human world”. Yeah, something like that, Coffee thought. But it seemed a bit brutal. They would figure it out as they went.

“What became of Rainbow?” Coffee asked. He didn’t want to seem too concerned, and he really wasn’t, but he figured he may as well know.

“For all I know, probably back to Twilight and company.” Coffee bolted up.

“What?! That, that is not good.” He was now nervously pacing back and forth in the throne room. Blue turned to face him.

“What’s the problem? We never needed her in the first place. I hadn’t exactly planned for her removal, but I knew she wasn’t necessary.”

“We’re seen as a force of evil by them, right? What do they usually do when faced with this?” Blue looked back. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, King Sombra.

“They’ve all needed each other, but I don’t see how…” Blue looked at Coffee.

“Elements of Harmony.” Coffee nodded, then sighed.

“Yeah, that wasn’t a problem beforehand. I should have thought of this before I threw her out. They couldn’t have used them before, but now….”

“Wait, don’t we have them here, at the castle?”

“No, Celestia gave them to Twilight to manage Discord incase he started fucking around again.”

“So should we make it a priority to kill her?” Coffee thought about this.

“We could kill any of them. They’re entirely useless if one bites the dust. But I’m mostly afraid of Dash and my sister, if you want to call her that. Powerful magic and the whole basis to our plan. Two things that could screw us over.” Coffee thought this over once more.
“My sister is too frail to handle everything that’s come about; we could leave the two of them alone.” They slowly walked out of the room and soon out of the building. Things would go well. They always have. Coffee wondered about how anyone could see us as a ‘force of evil’. They’d given people back their freedom, advanced the military, and still gave people the rainbows they wanted. What more could one ask for?