The rain fell hard, and lightning lit up the dark sky. On the runway, two figures were surrounded by dozens of others, and they stood facing one another. Gilda and Rainbow Dash had a long history, and they both knew each other well. This fight would prove to be a hard one, and the rain only served to cloud the vision of all present. Every bystander, either soldier or survivor, stood anxiously awaiting the fight. Gilda and Rainbow Dash would fence for the right to live, and the fate of both groups rested solely on who stabbed last. With this in mind, Rainbow Dash grinned, and chuckled softly.

"Oh Gilda, Gilda the giffart. Yep, that's you. Now, how about that beer you owed me?"

"That bet was long forfeit. You didn't think after your betrayal I'd actually give you anything, did you?"

"Well, given the circumstance you're in, I'd say it's either that, or I destroy your little gang here."

Gilda laughed, and the sound sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. "You really think you can destroy this? Are you really that foolish? Look around! I have at least a thousand men at my disposal, and even more standing by for orders. But, if you give up, we'll make sure your deaths are quicker. Or, you could join us, and one day my father will become the king of Equestria."

Rainbow hocked, and spat in Gilda's face. "Over my dead, lifeless body, bitch."

"Then we can arrange that, and maybe your slut mother will welcome you into the afterlife. Send me postcards from Tartarus."

And the fight had begun. Gilda swung her sword, and Rainbow Dash ducked and whacked the flat of her blade against Gilda's knees. She swung around to gather force, and bashed Gilda in the shoulder. Staggering backwards, Gilda came up for a return swing at Dash, but got swung around and bashed on the back of her head. Her vision blurred for a moment, and Dash cut at her legs, forcing a cry from her adversary. Dash then quickly used her arm strength and forced Gilda to the ground, and pointed the sword at her eye.

"Tartarus, eh? Don't think it's my cup of tea, but you can tell me all about it in a postcard."

Just as she as about to stab, Gilda kicked her legs out from under her, and picked up her sword. After Dash recovered, she made a slice through the air, and missed Dash's face by an inch. Dash quickly regained focus, and gripped tighter, and kicked Gilda's stomach, sending her flying back. She watched as Gilda got up again, spitting blood from her mouth.

"You really are a piece of work, Dash. But my swords are old, from my father's collection. Try and actually hit something, will ya?"

Rainbow Dash saw Gilda close her eyes to laugh, and took her chance. She rushed forward, and jabbed, marking Gilda with a fresh scar. This enraged her, and Dash had to duck from a swipe towards her neck. Gilda was angry, which was good. Rainbow Dash had been trained to not fight with emotion, and only reflexes and skill. She wanted to let loose, but knew it would be her downfall. So she simply spun around with her leg out, tripping Gilda, but she got dragged down as well. They fought for control again, and Dash got up, smacking Gilda's face with the hilt of her sword. This dazed the girl, and Dash saw her opportunity to make distance to catch her breath. She got five feet from Gilda, and the two stared each other down.

"So, you've gotten better since we last sparred, Dash. Is our old teacher still well?"

"Yep, and now we'll end this, yeah? I think I chipped a nail."

Gilda snarled, and rushed for dash, sword aimed to stab, but Dash sidestepped, and bashed Gilda's head again. Gilda held her head, and focused her vision, but a sharp pain in her stomach made her look down, and a warm trickle of liquid ran down her front. Dash's sword had gone straight through her middle, and she fell backwards. Gilda's body sparked something in her troops, and they scrambled to escape, but Dash took Twilight's M4 and fired, mowing them all down. They dropped like flies, and her friends looked on in complete shock. After she was done, Dash handed the gun back to Twilight, and looked to the sky.

"It didn't have to be like this. If she'd just learned to fucking let it go... she was a bitch anyway, it doesn't matter."

She took a lighter from her pocket, and lit a cigarette. Even after Twilight's warnings, she found smoking helped her. After a few drags, she looked at the base, and its size still amazed her. She stared at the surrounding walls and closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed her C4 detonator. The walls exploded in places, and they watched as they crumbled to the groung, and all that was left were remains of buildings and an airfield.

"Dash... how did you..."

"When we were setting up charges, I set extras around the walls, and Gilda had her self-destruct charges ready, in case they needed to escape. Let's go."

They saw the car, and headed to it, thankful for it finally being over. Now all they had to do was take the drive to Ponyville, and then decide what to do next. Twilight saw Dash's eyes turn back to their normal magenta, and her face was calmer now. Climbing in the car, Twilight saw a flash of guilt cross Rainbow's face, and sat down next to her. Applejack took the wheel, and they set off down the road.

"Rainbow, it's not your fault. She was dangerous to all of us, and you protected all of us..."

"Did I?" she asked. "I didn't protect or help Gilda. She wasn't always like this. There was a time where we did anything and everything together, then... then she kind of lost it, and her ego took over. You saw what she did to Pinkie, and I wish we could rewind, especially before this all happened, but we can't. It just isn't possible. For the first time in my life, I've had to kill an old friend, and in the end, she was just another enemy. It's so... I don't really know. How much longer to Ponyville?"

"It should only be a few hours, Sug." said Applejack. "And you can bet yer trophies we'll take as long as we need there."

As Twilight looked out the window, she saw a light up ahead, in the distance. It looked like a signal, and it blinked in long and short intervals. "Hey, look over there. It looks like Morse code, someone get my book." Fluttershy handed her book to her, and Twilight looked at the light. "Dot dot dot dot, dot, dot dash dot dot, dot dash dash dot... help! Go towards that light! It's a distress signal!"

Applejack sped up, and the light continued its message. No matter what, it only repeated "help," and the closer they got, the more frequent it repeated. Applejack had to squint, as the light was so bright, and she finally pulled up to the source. They were in the middle of nowhere, the road still and silent. A wind blew, carrying the smells of rain, remnants of the past storm. A boy was standing in the open, flashing his light, and he saw them pull up. He ran to them, and Twilight had to calm him down.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you lost, are you safe?"

"Please," ha said. "there are men chasing me, and they're coming from there!" He pointed at something off in the distance. They saw nothing, so they thought it best to get his name.

"I'm Vocal. Vocal Chord, and you've just fell for it."

Just as they wondered what he meant, they heard a muffled grunt, and bags were thrown over their heads. hey struggled and kicked, but their adversaries were too strong. They heard hushed talking, and they heard the boy say, "They were foolish enough to answer the signal. They're all women, save that one. Can I have him? I can't remember the last time I had another boy to play with."

"Sure, but clean up after your 'playing,' it gets the floor slippery."

They heard the doors of a car open, and they were forced inside, heads bashed against the roof. After everything that had happened that day, they certainly weren't getting any breaks, and it looked as if the worst was yet to come. They heard Spike say something, so they must have woken him up, and shoved him in too. They heard laughing and clicking, and then the car moved forward, and they hoped that what these men planned wasn't too painful. But they doubted it would be, and after taking a while to think, they finally realized their plan, and panic overtook them. Bile rose in their throats at the thought, and they wondered when their suffering would end. But the worst was still to come.

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They felt hands grabbing them, and the hard stone of the floor met them. Their bags were taken off, and they got a good look at both their attackers and their surroundings. The walls were cracked badly, most of it was turning to rust, and what looked like blood was smeared on the walls. Chains, ropes, blades and rods were scattered around, and a chair was in the middle of the room. Their attackers were eight in all, and their faces had looks of need, hate and cruelty. One of the men stepped forward, and crouched in front of Twilight, his rotten breath in her face.

"I'm going to enjoy this, girly. Here's some advice, don't scream. We hate the noise, and we might be inclined to kill you slower if we hear it. Got that?"

Twilight looked him in the eyes, and headbutt him in the jaw, making him fall backwards. He snarled at Twilight, wiping his mouth. "Boys, I think we got us a feisty one, here. What do you say we teach 'em exactly what we do to those who resist?"

One of his friends smiled, and walked over to one of the blades. He picked it up, sliding his finger across the blade, and the young colt Vocal smiled at the sight of his favorite knife. The other man saw his stare, and held the knife close to his body. "My knife, scrub. Push off, or I'll rip ya from the inside of your ass, boy." The boy didn't look very deterred, but backed away. The other smiled, and finally approached Fluttershy, holding the knife close to her face. "I'm going to enjoy this."

He slid the blade slowly across her arm, and Fluttershy winced, making the man smile even wider. He slid until he reached her elbow, and nicked her, sending a small wave of pain through her. Standing up he turned to his peers. He handed the knife to the other one, who had been intimidating them earlier, and licked his lips. "They're all yours, boss."

"Good, now, let's see what you have to offer."

He turned to the others, smiling, and walked to the door. He looked at Twilight, and smiled. "Take a good, long look, 'cause this is gonna be the last time you see daylight again." He pressed a button beside the door, and it slowly started to shut, sealing them all inside in the bloody, damp room. The sunlight slowly disappeared, until there was not a trace of it anywhere. The girls were disheartened, wondering how much they could go through in their entire life, but they also knew it was just beginning, and the last light turned to nothing.

Author's Note

I know I repeat a bit, but it has a purpose. Just wait a bit. And before you say "oh, yoo put yor character in der too make urself a protagonist," you're sorely mistaken. You'll see in the next chapter.

Anyway, will our valiant heroes escape this terrible fate? Will they ever see daylight again? Find out next time, in The Wasted Lands.