Rainbow Dash soared through the sky, kicking clouds that marred the otherwise clear sky. It reminded her of the old days, when Celestia would raise the sun and Nightmare Moon was just an old ponies tale. But those days were gone, never to return. Now Nightmare Moon ruled, and Equestria was a land of eternal night. Kicking the clouds angrily, Rainbow Dash imagined each one as Nightmare Moon's face. It gave her a certain amount of satisfaction. Violence always did. It allowed her to let out her feelings, and imagining the clouds as Nightmare Moon let her vent her anger without beating up another pony.
At least there was a resistance meeting tonight, or at least during what passed for night. 'Day' was when there were no stars in the sky, and 'Night' was when there were stars. But the moon was always in the sky. The resistance was secret, spoken about in hushed whispers and in dark alleyways. If Nightmare Moon found out that ponies were planning a revolt, she would have them stripped of their magic or killed. Rainbow wasn't sure which was worse.
Saving the last cloud, she laid down on it, watching as the stars started to appear in the sky. One by one, the twinkling points of light in the sky appeared, revealing constellations and serving as a countdown clock of sorts. Roughly five minutes after the final star had appeared, Rainbow Dash swooped down from her cloud and down to the streets of Ponyville. Approaching Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow looked around briefly before seeing somepony she knew. Sugarcube Corner was the perfect place for the resistance to meet. It was open all the time, and its basement was connected to an old network of tunnels. Walking over to the partially shadowed form, she greeted the pony. "Hey, Lightning Dust. How're you doing?"
The blue and yellow pony replied cockily, hoofbumping Rainbow Dash. "Doing good. Found something interesting. Come see?" Normally, the two's competitive personalities would have made them enemies, but they were united by a common enemy. Nightmare Moon. Or Tyrant Moon, as they called her.
"Sure," Rainbow replied eagerly.
"Come on. It's this way," Lightning Dust responded, pointing a hoof discreetly in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Grinning, Rainbow Dash followed her, and the two ponies made their way quickly to the edge of the ancient forest.
Upon arriving there, Rainbow Dash started turning over leaves and looking behind trees. "Where is it?" Rainbow asked, looking around for anything odd. "I don't see anything."
"Good," a strange voice whispered in her ear. "That means nopony can see you."
Rainbow Dash whirled around in a fighting stance, ready to take down the source of the strange voice. "Who are you? Show yourself!"
Odd hoofsteps came close. "You don't know me?" The voice sounded wounded, almost like Rainbow Dash should know who it was.
"Do I know you?" Rainbow snarled, looking in the direction of the hoofsteps.
An odd creature stepped out of the shadows. "Hello, Rainbow Dash."
"Gah!" Rainbow jumped backwards in surprise and disgust. The creature was black and insect-like, with its legs full of holes. But that wasn't the part that startled her. The part that startled her was that the creature had Lightning Dust's head. "Who are you, and what have you done with my friend?"
An odd clicking noise emanated from the thing's mouth. Laughter. "You thought I was your friend? How ridiculously sentimental! But it doesn't matter. I haven't done anything with Lightning Dust. I am her." Upon saying that, the thing lunged forward, trapping Rainbow Dash beneath it and knocking her out.
*****
Groaning, Rainbow Dash tried to rub her aching head, only to be stopped by something heavy around her hoof. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was chained to the floor of a cage thing. Looking around, she realized she was in a dungeon of some kind, probably Nightmare Moon's dungeon, judging by the armored thestrals. Opening her mouth, she tried to yell at them to release her, but all that came out from her dry mouth was a squeak.
As she began plotting her escape, the dungeon door creaked open as a tall alicorn strode in, accompanied by the bug thing from before and another armored pony. Waving her hoof, Nightmare Moon dismissed the bat pony guards, leaving just her, Rainbow Dash, and the other two ponies.
"Hello, Rainbow Dash," Nightmare Moon hissed. "Welcome to my dungeon. What do you think?"
"I think you need a better decorator," Rainbow managed to say despite her dry mouth and throat.
"Jokes won't save you, traitorous little pony. Amber Owl, please read the crimes committed by the prisoner."
The armored pony stepped forward and removed her helmet, preparing to list off the crimes. Amber Owl was an amber color, with a spiky purple mane that Rainbow Dash instantly recognized. Her eyes were draconic, but otherwise she was Scootaloo's twin.
"Scoots? Is that you?" Rainbow Dash croaked. "Why are you here?"
Amber Owl tilted her head. "Who is 'Scoots'? Have I met them?" Amber turned her head towards Nightmare Moon, inquiring curiously.
Grinning at Rainbow Dash, Nightmare Moon replied calmly. "No, you have not met her. The pony that Rainbow Dash is referring to is from Ponyville. Scootaloo doesn't matter. She looks similar to you, but her coat is slightly darker and Rainbow Dash is seeing things because she was knocked out."
"Ok." Amber Owl's reply was simple and child-like.
"Would you please list the crimes of the accused?"
"Rainbow Dash, you have committed heinous crimes against her majesty, Nightmare Moon. They are as follows; conspiracy to commit murder, participating in illegal activities, name-calling of her majesty, and uttering the name Celestia with a title. Your punishment is to have your wings clipped and the magic drained from your body. Any attempts to escape or resist are futile." Amber Owl delivered the condemning words in an expressionless voice, showing no sign of pity or emotion.
"What? My wings are being clipped?! What?!" Rainbow Dash spluttered as Nightmare Moon yanked on her shackles, dragging her to a set of clamps on the wall. "My magic is being stripped?! What?!" Rainbow had heard Twilight talking about magic being stripped, but she had never imagined that it would happen to her. "TRAITOR!" Rainbow snarled towards the changeling who had just stood and watched. "YOU'RE A TRAITOR!"
Calmly, the bug replied, "I'm not the traitor. You are."
Flapping her wings frantically, Rainbow Dash tried to escape, but it just caused the shackles to cut into her legs, and blood dripped onto the floor. Grinning, Nightmare Moon lifted Rainbow Dash up with magic, aligning her with the clamps. With resounding clangs the clamped around her hooves, legs, wings, and neck, allowing her no movement. Yet still she struggled, trying to escape.
"Would Amber Owl please step forward for the cutting of the wings?" Nightmare Moon gestured towards Amber Owl, prompting her to step forward.
Stepping forward with a small, sharp knife in her mouth, Amber Owl sliced the tips of Rainbow's primaries off, causing her to scream in despair.
"Please don't scream. It's so tiresome and gets really annoying," Nightmare Moon said as Amber stepped back. "Now it is time for the draining of the magic. Pity your shattered Element didn't kill you." A black hoof traced the scars on Rainbow's chest. "You know how you haven't seen Scootaloo recently?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head furiously, but her shakes died down when she realized she hadn't. She had just assumed that Scootaloo was hiding inside. "What did you do to her?" Rainbow demanded in a growl.
"Things. Stuff," was Nightmare Moon's vague and smiled response. With that, Nightmare Moon's horn begin to glow fiercely, prompting Amber and Dream Dust the changeling to look away as the colors from Rainbow's mane and cutie mark began to fade and her screams filled the room.
Author's Note
Later, when Nightmare Moon was returning Rainbow Dash to Ponyville, both Amber Owl and Dream Dust went back down to the dungeon. Collecting Rainbow's bloodstained feathertips, Amber Owl asked about Scootaloo. Dream Dust told her that Scootaloo was a young filly that looked almost identical to Amber, and was Rainbow Dash's number one fan/'sister'. Searching her memory, Amber remembered something bright, like a rainbow, but then all there was was darkness and laughter.
Edit: changed 'bat ponies' to the more socially acceptable and correct 'thestrals'.
