Especially If You Don't...
Welcome to my humble….abode.
It’s kind of funny, really. This whole episode.
I don’t even know who you are.
My name is Hotshot. I am the lone escapee from the Rainbow Factory.
Funny word, “escape”. Even if you do “escape” from death, the scars from your experience never fade. The sound of the grinders is still fresh in my mind. Almost as if I never left. I remember every minute of it.
I was taken in my sleep. I was only 9 years old, barely a colt. They took me, and I didn’t know where I was going. I saw the weather factory, and I thought they were going to make me work.
Life has a weird way of turning on you.
I was taken to a back room, where nopony was allowed. There were surprisingly other ponies there. I knew most of them. One of them was my best friend, Dusk. Neither of us could fly.
I heard a voice that I knew. It was a voice of a filly I knew that was very special to me. But now I hear it as a demon’s voice.
“By now, you’ve all clearly determined that you are not going into exile. There is no deportation. There never was. You are in The Factory. You will never leave The Factory. And while you may be called useless, that’s also not entirely true. You’re worthless to The Flock as a Pony. But you still have purpose! Purpose to all the ponies in this land, far and wide. You get to help us make rainbows! Beautiful, magical rainbows, doesn’t that excite you?”
Something about it didn’t seem right. The idea of helping make rainbows...hey, I don’t know.
Dusk walked over to me. “Hotshot….this isn’t what you think it is.”
I scoffed at him. “Dusk, they’re just rounding us up to help them out with some work. We should help them.”
Dusk shook his head, his eyes going wide. “Hotshot, THE FACTORY!”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah...the weather factory. That’s where we are.”
Dusk looked insanely frantic. “Hotshot! They KILL ponies in the factory!”
I slapped him. “Goddamnit, Dusk! Get a hold yourself! The Rainbow Factory is an urban legend!”
“Really?!” Dusk seemed hysterical at this point. “Would we be standing here if it was an urban legend?”
I sighed, exasperated. “Yes, we have pulses. And it’s a legend.”
Dusk bit his lip. “Not for long…”
I shrugged it off. Dusk had a little bit of a reputation of being insane. He even claimed his parents worked in the Factory. Everypony that was a lie.
Or was it?
No, Hotshot. What are you saying? The Factory doesn’t exist.
“Good. Keep thinking that.” I wasn’t sure if it was the voice in my head or was part of this whole “Factory” business.
Ponies were herded out one by one.
And they didn’t come back.
Our numbers thinned. I saw an old pony get herded out. A pregnant mare. If they WERE being killed...that’s sickening.
Eventually, it was just Dusk and I. I started to think Dusk wasn’t as insane as I made him out to be.
Dusk hugged me. “Hotshot...do you believe me now?”
I silently nodded. This was it. We were in the Rainbow Factory.
Doomed to die.
After a moment, one of the guards came and took Dusk from me. From what I can remember, he didn’t go down without a fight. There was a lot of yelling. Oh god, the yelling. I can only describe it as primal.
After a minute, there was just silence.
That was it.
Dusk was dead. They killed him for whatever reason they felt was justified.
One thing was for sure. If Dusk, the class coward, went down with a fight, I should too.
After one more minute, I had convinced of myself of something.
That day would NOT be the die I would die. I was going to escape from this god-awful death trap.
But there were guards at the exits. So what I had to do was wait for the angel of death to come.
And he did just that.
He came to take me. By that time, I had so much adrenaline coursing through my veins, I had sworn to Celestia I was going to kill him and escape.
I let him take me, and when we were out the view of guards, I went absolutely ape-shit on him.
He put up a good fight, he broke my nose. But he wasn’t really a match for an absolutely furious colt. I broke his neck (because I was smaller and quicker than him, I could get up on his neck) and threw him aside. I knew that I couldn’t take on armed guards by myself, so I took a razor from the death machine, kicked open the doors, and embraced what I thought was certain death.
Again, life has a funny way of turning on you, just when you least expect it. One guard was at the escape door, instead of two. I threw the razor into his jugular, which near instantly killed him.
I then threw open the doors and walked out of the Weather Factory, soaked in blood that wasn’t my own.
Feeling the sun on my skin once again, I felt reassured of my ability to survive.
Those words still resound in my head to this day.
By now, you’ve all clearly determined that you are not going into exile. There is no deportation. There never was. You are in The Factory. You will never leave The Factory. And while you may be called useless, that’s also not entirely true. You’re worthless to The Flock as a Pony. But you still have purpose! Purpose to all the ponies in this land, far and wide. You get to help us make rainbows! Beautiful, magical rainbows, doesn’t that excite you?
Those words should not be heard by living by any living pony.
Ever again.
Which is why I’m telling you those words. Because you’ll never escape. If you haven’t figured it out yet, you’re not the brightest, are you?
Welcome to the Rainbow Factory.
