Revenge of all Colours

Chapter 4
What Used To Be...

“Please... Kill me...”

Pinkie Pie's words of agony echoed through Rainbow Dash's head like the beat of a large drum. Everyone was silent, so quiet the five friends could almost hear each others hearts beating. Rainbow Dash was tired, her mind and heart had taken all it could.

Dash slowly lowered her body onto the cold dirt and lied there, her mind empty. Her last few friends were around her but she hardly noticed. Only one friend was on her mind. And her friend's captor, Pinkamina Diane Pie. Their words shot through her brain like an arrow, piercing her will and pride with every word.

“Please... Kill me...”

“Uhg! Annoying bitch!”

“SHUT UP!”

“That's right Dashie! You killed an innocent pony!”

As the tears flowed from Dash's eyes her friends felt her pain, as if they were all connected. They felt each others happiness and pride, pain and sorrow. They were all one, but there is a piece missing. And everyone could feel the void, but no one could fill it.

Pinkie Pie was gone, forever. Dash heard it with her own ears, and the rest of them felt it from her. They had no other choice, but it was to hard to even comprehend. Amongst the five friends, a voice stood out. One that no one expected to be the first to speak.

“I miss Pinkie Pie...” Fluttershy had her head down trying to hide her tears and pain from the friends. They were so shocked from her voice they nearly jumped. No one wanted to speak but someone had to, who would expect Fluttershy to do so.

Then they began to understand. Losing a friend, losing anyone you truly care for changes you. They were all changing, for better or worse. And when the tear filled eyes of the shy Pegasus met her friend's, She raised her voice in frustration.

“What ever happened to our simple happy life? When we had each other! I would give anything to have Discord, or Nightmare Moon back! The world would be ruined, but at least...” For what seemed like the first time ever, Fluttershy looked all her friends directly in the eyes. “At least we would have each other!”

The audience of Fluttershy's could not speak, but in their hearts they understood her completely. Even Dash gave Fluttershy her full attention. They would all hate to be in a world ruled by an evil goddess or a twisted deity, but they hate losing a friend more.

Fluttershy lost her words and courage and looked back to the floor, her tears still flowing into the puddle she formed beneath her. Still no one could speak, but Rainbow was the first to act.

Rainbow dash stood up and hugged Fluttershy, their tears soaking each others coats. The next to act was Twilight, then Applejack. And finally, when Rarity entered the group there was no holding back. They all lied there and wept for each other for the rest of the night. No one wanted to speak, no one needed to.

Applejack was the first of the four to awake, she first noticed her degraded cyan friend was no longer in the group. Rainbow Dash was just a few feet away looking into the sun rise. She never slept, she snuck out earlier so her deep thoughts would not wake her friends.

She wanted to leave, so she could finish this alone and not endanger the few ponies she had left. But she couldn't. She knew they would stop at nothing to find her again. She had no idea how they found her earlier, but she was grateful. If not for their timing, she would right now be nothing more than a mindless puppet. Another weapon of Pinkamina.

Applejack delicately moved over the hooves and tails of her sleeping allies to go join her awoken friend in solitude. When she patted Dash's shoulder Dash almost jumped at the sudden contact. Applejack spoke in a quiet soft tone, to nether wake her sleeping friends or again shock her awoken friend.

“What's on yer mind Sugarcube?” Dash looked back at her memories, it's been a long time since she was called that. She looked back into the eyes and warm smile of the orange coated earth pony.

“Why? Why does everything have to be so wrong?” Dash looked down to the floor in shame. She could still hardly look at Applejack. All the pain she had caused her. Even if somehow Applejack forgave her, Dash could still never forgive her self. Dash knew the truth, but didn't know if she should share it.

Applejack looked into the warm rising sun, “That's just what fate has fer us I guess...” She looked back at Dash trying to keep her warm smile but her Pegasus friend never looked back.

“Applejack... Im so sorry......” Rainbow Dash's eyes hurt from all the times she's had to cry recently. She felt as though her tears had run dry, but they flowed anyway.

“I know Dashie, I am too. I saw yer message and I gotta say, yer a darn good tree carver!” Applejack attempted to add humor into the conversation, but no such thing existed to Dash right now.

“Applejack, your sister... there's something you need to know.” Rainbow Dash hated what she had to say but her friend deserved the truth. Dash clenched her eyes and tensed her entire body, bracing for the reaction to what she was about to say.

“While I was captive, Pinkamina told me about your sister. Applebloom was drugged by Pinkamina, and if only....” Dash could not continue.

“If only you waited, it would have worn out an' you wouldn't have had to kill my sister.” Applejack finished Dash's sentence and Rainbow's eyes popped open and the tears nearly shot out of her eyes. Applejack raised her hoof and Dash clenched her entire body, trying to make her self as small and as tight as possible.

The earth pony's hoof wrapped around the Pegasus's shoulder and pulled her close to her chest. “Y'all didn't know Dash. If our roles were switched and you were the one in danger, ah probably woulda done the same! An' I kick allot harder than you Sugarcube.”

Dash just bawled, she could no longer restrain her self and the world was spinning to fast. She buried her face in Applejack's arm as if to hide.

“Yes ah miss my little sis' but, and as bad as it sounds to say this...” Applejack rested her head on Dash's. “It is better to have her die, than for her to kill countless others. My poor sis' spent Celestia knows how long, living behind her self as she killed others...”

Dash buried deeper and it almost began to hurt Applejack, but in spare for her friends feelings she said nothing. “She's in a better place now Dashie, think of that.”

The soaked face for the Pegasus finally looked up at Applejack and met her eyes. Still filled with guilt and pain, but it almost felt far away thanks to Applejack. Applejack meant the most to Dash, though she would never admit it. It was more than friendship, it was a companionship to her. Dash loved Applejack. Her friend, her rival, her everything.

For a long time she has wanted to tell Applejack about her feelings but was always afraid of Applejack's opinion, even now. The moment, the emotion, even the setting is perfect to admit such a thing. But fear still had a hold of her, something she may never surpass.

But for now she is content with what she has. Lying before a beautiful sunset, and being held by the mare she loves. Amongst all the pain and hardships before and ahead, this moment was the most important to her. She wanted every second of this to last.

The house was completely empty, baron of furniture and appliances. Just as a new home always is. Zecora's new home was her escape. To escape the memories of her brother and the clutches of his killer. Finally Zecora could breath a deep sigh of relief.

She no longer had to worry about Pinkamina returning to finish the job. Zecora was no longer in the Everfree Forest. Her new home and hiding place was in a barren land, hours away from Ponyville. Hours away from any civilization.

Zecora began to unload her towers of boxes into her new home and came across a small box. It was a box she had personally made to remember her brother. Inside the box we pictures of her and her brother, some were modern and others were back when she was a filly in Africa with him and her whole family.

Amongst all the photos were old letters her brother would mail her from Africa. She took some time off from her stacking and organizing to read her brother's notes to her.

A tear began to form in the zebra's eye. Zecora wiped the tear away and continued reading. As she finished the last letter her brother sent her, she noticed another piece of paper in the box she did not recognize.

She picked up the paper and opened it. The horrified zebra dropped the note and backed into a couch she had recently moved there the heart nearly burst out of her chest and she broke into a cold sweat. The Zebra began to shake with utter fear. The message on the paper was written in blood, “Wanna play hide and seek?”

Zecora felt she sharpness of a knife caress her neck, she was trapped. The Pink earth pony brought her face close to Zecora's and chuckled.

“Found ya!”

Rainbow Dash didn't remember falling asleep, and was disappointed when she noticed Applejack was no longer holding her. She was instead covered with a warm blanket. She presumed it was Rarity's, it just had that “style” to it Dash never cared for.

She looked over at her friends, they had started a camp fire and begun cooking breakfast. The first to notice her was Fluttershy, “Oh! Good morning Rainbow Dash, Twilight was just making breakfast. Are you hungry?”

Fluttershy seemed to be back to her old, shy self. It comforted Rainbow Dash knowing she was still the Fluttershy she knew.

“You should really eat darling! You look like you've just crawled out of a grave!” Rarity quickly realized what she had said and raised a hoof to her mouth, she looked back and forth between her friends hoping no one heard her. Fortunately for her, no one really did. Twilight was focusing on cooking the stew she was making, Fluttershy was worryingly focusing or Rainbow Dash, and Dash her self had noticed the pony she fell asleep on was no where to be seen.

“Wheres Applejack?” the worried Pegasus asked.

Fluttershy smiled and said, “She went to get fire wood. Don't worry, she's fine.” Dash cocked her head at Fluttershy's answer. Don't worry? What did she mean by that? Does she know something about earlier that morning? Do they all know?

Dash tried to pretend she didn't notice to hinder suspicion, “Oh, ok. So when's breakfast gunna be ready?” Dash wasn’t hungry but she mainly wanted to change the subject.

“Just a few more minutes!” Twilight replied.

Applejack returned with a pile of wood on her back and laid it next to the fire place. “Hey everypony! Y'all miss me?” Applejack sat next to Twilight, “Breakfast almost ready? Ah could eat a whole hay bale!”

Twilight replied with the same answer she gave Dash, Applejack nodded and looked at the newly awoke Pegasus. “Well well! Good mornin' there sleepy head!”

Dash nearly blushed at the sudden comical yet affectionate greeting, but she did her best to hide her reddening cheeks. She covered her emotions with a loud, fake yawn.

“Alright! Breakfast is ready!” Twilight eagerly spoke. Applejack almost knocked her over to get to the food, Rarity eagerly followed and then Fluttershy. Dash was the last to get food.

Rainbow looked at her bowl full of soup and stirred it with her hoof.

“Somthin on yer mind there Sugarcube?” Dash lazily looked up at Applejack and her other friends.

“Im just thinking about what we should do next.” Dash looked back at her bowl and took a small sip. To Dash's surprise, she was the first to think of this. And now it made the others deeply think. Who else could they talk to? Where else could they go? There seemed to be few few options left for their adventure.

As the others thought, Dash took out her knife from her saddle bag and looked at it. Her mind drifted away into the blade. She knew what she had to do, but could she? She had already killed, but it was an accident. Could she intentionally end the life of one of her best friends?

Twilight interrupted her brief thought, “We should go see Zecora!”

Dash raised an eyebrow, she didn't tell Applejack anything about Zecora. “How do you know about Zecora?”

Twilight looked around hoping someone else would answer, but no one would take her place. Twilight Sparkle sighed and began her story.

“Applejack gathered us all together and told us everything that happened. Once she had informed us of everything, Zecora just sorta... appeared!” Dash wasn't sure what to think about Zecora now.

Zecora filled us in on the rest, how she used her spell to... well..... you know...” Twilight didn't want to say it and Dash agreed, Dash waved her hoof signaling to skip it an move on with the story.

“Right! Well, after she told us your story, she told us to go find her when we catch up to you. Apparently, she forgot to show you something before you left.”

Rainbow Dash was very curious as to what else the zebra had in store for her. “Well that settles it! All in favor of visiting Zecora?”

Everypony gave a positive gesture and started packing. Dash got her greatest treasures back last time she was there. For the first time in a long time, Dash was excited to go to her next destination.

Rainbow Dash took one last long look at her knife, then put it in her bag. The five friends set off to their next destination. Knowing little about what awaits for them.

“This is all your fault!”

Pinkamina drove the scalpel deep into Zecora's leg, the wounded zebra screamed in agony. She was strapped on her back to a table. Her once clean striped coat was now barely recognizable, she was covered in cuts a bruises made from Pinkamina.

The twisted pink earth pony paced around Zecora frustrated, “Your the one who turned Dash into this... this... Thing!!!” Pinkamina grabbed a large butcher knife from her table and held it to Zecora's throat. “And now your gunna tell me how to kill her!”

Zecora spat in the pony's face, “From me you will never learn a thing, Only failure and wasted time do you bring! Dash has no weakness, your skill will be beaten by her uniqueness!”

Pinkamina wiped the spit off her face, “Everything has a weakness!” Pinkamina drove the cleaver down on the zebra's hoof, cracking it in half. Zecora let out a wail of agony until the crazed earth pony showed her reflection in the shiny, blood splattered cleaver.

“In all my years of doing this I have never let a pony go, not once! But for you, my savior! If you give me the answers I need to kill Dashie, I won't kill you. And you will never hear from me again! How about I Pinkie promise on it!?”

Pinkamina was willing to offer Zecora salvation, she even Pinkie Promised! Zecora found it hard to believe she could be let go so easily but there was something in the back of her mind that said she could trust her. But Dash was her friend too, she could never betray her for freedom.

“The answer you seek does not exist, in the end you will be dismissed!” Pinkamina drove the cleaver down on Zecora's other hoof, cracking it even worse than the one previous. Zecora ground her teeth trying to hold in the screams.

“I am beginning to lose my patience with you, I don't like wasting these but you gotta do what ya gotta do!” Pinkamina grabbed a syringe filled with an odd purple liquid. “This my stripey friend, is a small concentration of a little experiment of mine! Its not as concentrated as the pill but it will last just long enough to get the answer I need!”

The crazed mare drove the needle into the zebra's thigh and Zecora almost instantly began to feel its effects. Her will to struggle was fading, he mind its self was going empty. All that seemed to matter, was Pinkamina's next order.

“Now Zecora, please tell me. How do I kill Rainbow Dash?” Pinkamina eagerly awaited her answer. Zecora fought against it as hard as she could but it was hopeless, she was nothing but a tool now.

“To kill what is already dead, you must carve out the heart and drain the red.” Pinkamina let out an evil giggle. She had finally gotten the information she needed.

“Alright a deal's a deal! Im not gunna kill you!” Pinkamina, bounced around victoriously. Zecora tried to think of the positive, at least she can escape and warn Dash of Pinkamina's discovery! But then all hope suddenly drained from her expression when the pink earth pony spoke her next words.

“Oh boys! Could you come clean this up for me!” Pinkamina called out for assistance. Two unicorns walked into the room, Flim and Flam. Each of them picked up a butcher knife of there own.

Zecora's began to panic, “But you promised...” Pinkie raised a hoof interrupting Zecora.

“I promised I wouldn't kill you, and I won't! They will!” Pinkamina gave Zecora a big smile, “Fooled you!” Zecora lied there helpless as the two unicorns surrounded her.

“Im sorry rainbow Dash, please don't be rash!”

The two brothers began aimlessly and savagely chopping Zecora's flailing body. As the pleased Pinkamina watched and listened to the zebra's screams become silenced, a dark grin spread across her face.

Thanks for reading! Sorry this ones a little short! I like leaving them at spots like these to keep you guessing!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Seeya next chapter!