Aviation Industries

"Soarin!" Spitfire calls. Soarin, bruised and bloody, stumbles into her office.

"Y-yes?" He asks, afraid.

"What you hear in the next few hours, we never speak of."

"Understood mam." He stares at the knife on her desk, used specifically to open mail.

Spitfire notices this and holds it up. "You want out, don't you?" He stands there, looking back and forth between her and the knife. "You know Soarin, we are a company. We work together, for each other. If you were gone, I'm not sure what I'd do. That, and my debt still isn't paid."

"No mam, I-I don't want out, it's just, everyone thinks I'm dead. The only reason that I'm here is because of you, and I'm very thankful for it, but I just, I don't want to be hurt anymore, and-"

"Shhhh." Spitfire goes up to him, holding the knife against his wing. "You won't be. Just as long as you're a nice, cooperative, understanding worker. Is that understood?"

"Completely." She takes away the knife, throwing it away from them.

"Good. Now then, code blue is still active. She is still much too stable, too happy. If our plan is going to work, then we need to break her. This isn't a simple chess game with a bunch of diamond dice in our corner anymore, it's now a war. Find out what her worst nightmare is, and report it back to me. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that there is no such thing as a bad asset, or liability." Soarin bows, and stumbles out of the office. Spitfire looks at a picture of her and Soarin at the grand galloping Galla. "I wish I hadn't saved you, then at least I'd be able to kill Jackie without remorse." She stares at it more, her anger building until she eventually throws it off of her desk.

"Is everything ok mam?" A guard asks, rushing in.

"Yes, yes everything is ok. Thank you." He nods and closes the door. "Stupid glass."

"Twilight, stop or I will banish you to-"

"Oh stop it princess, it's not like you'd do that a second time, and besides, if you truly cared about us then you would have saved Applejack."

"You are going to regret this!"

"Maybe, maybe not. But first, let me take Equestria off your hooves."

"AH!" Twilight sits up, gasping for air. "It just nightmares. Why are they getting worse?"

"Twilight?" Fluttershy sits up, concerned.

"Oh, you're still here. I think the lockdown is lifted, you can go home now." Twilight lays back in bed. Fluttershy stands up, and walks out of the room. She walks down the hallway, but is pushed through the wall. She struggles to open her wings, and realizes that Soarin is on top of her. She bucks him off and flies onto a nearby cloud. He regains control and lands near her.

"You told me that you'd have this figured out by now." He says though his teeth.

"I told you that I'd do my best, sorry if I can't make the princess of friendship go completely insane!"

"We don't need her insane, just worried. Like how I am with you not getting this done." He walks up to her, making her lean against the edge. "If you are starting to prove useless, then listen very, closely. I have no patience for useless things." He flies off, heading back to the factory. Fluttershy sighs, and follows. She meets Twilight again.

"So, Twilight, want to go to breakfast?" She asks, feeling horrible.

"Sure, let's go." Once there, Fluttershy swallows her pride and begins asking.

"So, what did you dream of last night?" She asks, trying to be as normal as possible.

"Well, between you and me, and don't tell anyone else, but I've been having these dreams lately. I'm beginning to think that they're some sort of visions, but according to my psychiatrist it's just my brain going through healing. It's always the same thing, I'm yelling at Princess Celestia and trying to, well..." She trails off.

"I'm always here for you Twilight." Fluttershy smiles, although a fake, forced smile, it gives Twilight some comfort. Fluttershy tries talking, but chokes on her words. Tears start rolling down her cheeks, and her hooves shake.

"Are you alright Fluttershy?"

"I-I am so sorry Twilight, I'm just, I'm sorry." She gets up, and trots down the hall and into the restroom. The door opens, and Spitfire forces Fluttershy out of the stall.

"Now you listen, when we made an agreement you said that you'd have no feelings of sympathy. I need you to stay strong, and tell me what she said."

"O-ok, she said that she is dreaming of overthrowing the p-princess." Spitfire backs up.

"I didn't plan for this. That's my mistake, we need a counter action. She will figure it out before we break her, we need to re-think our strategy."

"Can't you do this yourselves?" Fluttershy asks, calmed down. "I don't want to be the messenger for you anymore, to betray my friends."

"Oh, honey, you don't need to be. Here, go to Twilight's library tonight. We will talk this out. Ok?" Fluttershy nods. "Ok, go on now." She sends Fluttershy back to work, and heads back to her office, having Soarin follow. "Do you realize that a random civilian did more in a day then you have in an entire year?"

"Ms. Fire, I-"

"No. I want her gone, she is too close just like Jackie was. You need to get rid of her. She'll be at Twilight's library in ten minutes, you better get going." Soarin bows, and flies to the library.

"Fluttershy?" He walks into the house, looking for the yellow mare. "Fluttershy!"

"Fluttershy isn't here." He turns.

"Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?"

"Exactly what you're doing here, trying to protect Fluttershy. Except my methods don't include killing her." They stare at eachother, and Rainbow Dash begins to walk around him. "You know Soarin, you can end it all. The pain, the suffering, the fear, it can all go away. All you need to do is-"

"No! I will not betray her."

"But yet you'll betray the ones that look up to you at her command." He looks down. "You can end it, forget all of the things that she has taught you, but you have to be willing. I can't make you do it."

"I don't want it to end though, I help her fix the broken world we live in."

"Is it really broken? Or are you breaking it?" He avoids complete eye contact, and Rainbow Dash holds his head up. "Break it all you want, but it's a lost cause. Because there will always be those who pick up the pieces and puts them back together. You're just delaying the future, but you can help it speed up."

"I, I don't, we can't-"

"Shhhh, I think that I can trust you to do the right thing. Have fun." She flies out of the house, leaving Soarin alone.

He gets up, but is immediately pushed back down. Streaks of purple begin flashing in front of him.

"You know Soarin, I thought you were dead. But no, no you're not."

"T-Twilight?" He tries to get up, but realizes that he is tied to the chair. "Twilight, I can explain what happened. We had a stable relationship, but-"

"No, no we didn't. Don't try to lie yourself out of this one like you do with everything we talk about, you're just a sad excuse for a pony! You don't deserve the things you have!" She pulls on the rope, constricting him. "I bet Spitfire wouldn't even miss you."

"She saved me from you, she will do it again."

"Will she?" Twilight pulls as hard as she can. "I didn't think so."

The sun brightens the room. Twilight opens her eyes, looking around. Her hooves are tied and she is in an orange suite. Spitfire walks in. "Hello Ms. Sparkle."

"Why am I here?"

"Simple, you killed Soarin." Twilight freezes. "Don't worry, I was torturing him after all so you're forgiven. Now, I have an assignment for you. You'll be breaking a few laws but it'll be well worth it."

"But, but I killed a pony." Twilight says through tears.

"A pony who pretended to be dead, broke your heart, and was forced to be tortured by me just so I could figure out why he turned evil. My dear, don't be sad that it happened, be mad he ever even existed." Twilight stares at her. For the first time, Spitfire feels sorry for the mare. She can feel her sorrow, her frustration, her fear. Spitfire grins. "The workers here have been working on a helmet. It's designed to go on the head and have attachable wings. This will be your final test, then you'll be given the bits to remake the library. Deal?" Twilight stares, but reaches out a hoof.

"D-deal."