Reborn

Darkness.

That's all I can see.

Why am I here?

What's my purpose?

Who am I?

I want to say my name is 067138, but, deep down, I feel as if there's more to my identity than just six numbers. It's weird and alien to my mind, as if there's some sort of wall or obstacle that's guarding what I need to know.

All of my memories…

My old life…

I can see a picture in my mind of my old life, but two figures are blanked out. Who were these ponies, and what purpose did they serve to me?

I try so hard to remember it all, but it's as if the "wall" I mentioned is made of concrete. I can't break through, and, if I tried, my hooves would either end up a bloody and broken mess, or I'd fall asleep again.

I don't want to fall asleep…

I want the ache in my head to stop…

I want to see the light that's missing in this place composed of a heaviness that feels like it's crushing my body at a very slow pace. I want to feel something; for my heart to circulate warm blood to seize the endless cold, for radiant light to shine down on me, and for the dreadful atmosphere permeating my soul to be extinguished by happiness.

I don't even have a voice in this place.

I can't talk.

I can't laugh.

I can't scream for help.

All I have are these thoughts.

Hopeless fragments of my remaining sanity that are clouded by something I can't see or recollect.

How did I get here?

What did I do to deserve this?

Why doesn't somepony come save me?

Was I ever loved by anypony?

Did anypony care about my existence?

All questions I can't find the answer to, a recurring phenomenon that seems to repeat every day I'm here.

How long has it been since I last awoke?

It feels like eternity, but I know it hasn't been. The darkness just makes it seem that way, because it's all I see in this wavering sea of tranquil madness.

It's dreadful but also peaceful.

As if something was making this place just bearable enough for me to feel comfortable.

Is this life after death?

Limbo?

Somewhere in between both?

More questions with no answers.

Why do I even bother trying to figure out hopeless things that I can't even begin to understand?

Why do I even bother living a life anymore?

Is this the life I've always wanted? A life of silence and hollow existence?

More questions.

No answers.

I close my eyes again in an attempt to escape the void and hopelessness around me.

Maybe I should just listen to the darkness and sleep.

What's the point in staying awake anyways?

To just stare at the same view I receive whenever I sleep anyways? To step even closer to the brink of insanity? To be crushed even more by the strength of this sea of black?

I decide to just stop questioning myself in hopes of my pounding headache to go away.

It doesn't.

My eyes have been shut for five minutes now, and I can feel the claws of slumber beginning to drag me into submission.

Another minute passes.

Another minute.

Another minute.

Another…

…

…

…

A sound caresses my ear, pulling me out of slumber's embrace. It's faint, but it's also familiar to my every thought and instinct.

Could it have been me slipping in and out of a dream? I decide to test that theory by listening for it to hopefully repeat.

…

…

The sound meets my ears again, this time more clearly.

A scream. A dreadful and painful one.

It's familiar, but I can't seem to point it out, due to the "wall" cloaking it along with everything else.

It goes off again, and now I know that it's something I needed to find. No sound hadn't come through as clear as this one in all my time here, so I needed to listen and find the source.

The only problem is that I can't move a muscle.

Or could I, and it was only my mind playing tricks on me?

In fact, was this all just an illusion?

An agonizing pain suddenly strikes my head like a bolt of lightning, and, while the pain is horrid to my every nerve, I realize something within the time of being attacked by the ruthless jolt; anytime I begin to think logically about my predicament, the pain of my aching head escalates.

It's as if somepony or something doesn't want me to realize that I have more power over this place than it seemed on basis.

With the scream I had heard moments ago on my mind, I now know that I have to try and figure out what this unknown force is keeping from me. Something vital is right in front of me, and I can't let this opportunity escape me.

Slowly, as I begin to feel the pressure of the void release, and the numbness that had enveloped my body dissipate, I begin to recollect things I'd been searching for.

Memories that had been hidden by an invisible wall begin to take full form again. The two ponies of my past life are revealed, and I start to remember them. The memories come in waves, like a slideshow playing in rapid succession.

Apple…

Apple…

"Apple Bloom!" I shout, remembering my old friend's name, following with the second pony as well.

Another raging ache attacks me, to which I grunt and grit my teeth, but I power through it.

"Her name is Sweetie Belle, and…those two…were my best friends!"

Another charge hits, but I stand tall as the memories continue to become clear.

My years of crusading with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, my sessions with Rainbow Dash, my success in passing the test to qualify for the flying exam.

However, as soon as I reach that particular memory, things begin to change.

I took a failure in order to aid another pegasus who had broken her wings during her attempt.

Me and…

Once Orion becomes clear to my mind, everything comes back to me.

Orion's death.

Rainbow Dash's betrayal.

My death.

The void.

Absentia.

My mission and purpose returned to me, and upon my realization, I know exactly why I'm here and how I got into this mess.

"My name isn't a number! My name is Scootaloo, and I'm in the Rainbow Factory to end the horrors of it and the twisted mare who runs it!"

The darkness immediately shifted, twisting and disappearing, revealing a lit room behind it. It's massive and carries a warmth, as if somepony connected to me had called out and led me here. I look out, catching the image of a face I recognize very well.

"Orion!" I call out as I begin to trot toward the figure, tears escaping my eyes as I approach.

However, upon reaching the pony I thought was Orion, all I meet is a door. It's nothing particularly unique or symbolic; just a casual door that you see in any house. I stare at it, saddened by the figure being only a trick of my eyes. However, I quickly calm down in realization of what I've been led here to do.

It's time for me to wake up and return to finish what I started.

Destroy Rainbow Dash and her empire of nightmares.

My heart pounds every second my hoof gets closer to the knob, knowing that, as soon as I walked through, I'd immediately be initiated into a battle against the Overmare.

It would be do or die, but I was ready to end it all.

"Thank you, Orion," I state proudly as I turn the knob, open the door, and step back into the void of the Rainbow Factory.

I opened my eyes to a place that I didn't recognize, my surroundings being a dashboard of two levers and buttons. I was seated and my head was pounding like a drum, causing me to grunt and rub my head in an attempt to ease the pain. However, my blurry vision and aching skull are immediately forgotten upon the sound of an agonizing scream that made my fur stand up straight.

That's when I realized that a long glass window was right in front of me, and the sight outside of it immediately made me sick to my stomach.

Absentia was hanging from the arm of a lift by chains, and her back legs were gone. With that, I immediately knew where I was, and exactly what I needed to do.

I was in the control room for the Pegasus Device, and I was running the mechanical arm that she was connected to.

I immediately panicked and lifted her from the entrance of the death machine, hoping I could still save her from dying an assured horrid fate. However, upon seeing just how much damage had already been done, I connected the dots and began to cry.

Blood was pouring from her open wounds and she was convulsing from the unimaginable pain.

She was in shock.

I wanted to scream and cry massively, but I knew it was useless. I knew what was best for Absentia, but didn't know if I could do it. I just stared out at her, pounding my hooves on the glass and screaming like a banshee.

However, upon looking up, I saw that Absentia was looking at me. Her eyes were full of tears, but she was also smiling. I wasn't sure why, but I had some guesses as to why, in her final moments, she'd be happy.

It could be that she was finally going to be freed from this place or that she knew I had come back to my senses. However, once I saw her mouth move, I could read her lips clearly.

Do it.

She was begging me to free her, and, in that moment, I knew that both of my assumptions were true, and that meant that I couldn't fail. As much as I didn't want to push the button to end her life, I knew I couldn't just let her suffer. I wiped my tears and fulfilled her last wish, pushing the button to release her into the blades.

It was as if time were slowed down as she fell from the arm, into the machine, and into death's comfort. I couldn't watch, so I turned my head, fell to the floor, and weeped, silencing out the horrid sounds of her body being grinded to spectre.

"I'm sorry…I am so s-sorry, Absentia…"

It had felt like an eternity by the time I stopped crying, finding my way back up and wiping my swollen eyes free of my dried tears. Upon getting up, the door to the control room opened, entering a much too familiar face.

"What the hell was that!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, storming towards me. "You were ordered to make that traitor experience pain unlike no other! That was pathetic!"

Anger rose up. Grinding her legs to paste was not enough punishment for something I wasn't even aware of!? What kind of sick and twisted monster do you have to be to toy with a living being!?

"Hey! I'm talking to you, 067138! Explain yourself! Explain why you didn't obey orders!" she continued to yell.

My rage grew more, my blood boiling and teeth gritted.

"Whatever. I'll just have the boss up your dosage to assure that little bitch can't influence you again. For now, get out of my sight, you worthless scum! You'll be getting a visit later."

That was it. She'd insulted me, used me, brainwashed me, killed me, and forced me to do horrible things for too long! I didn't care if it wasn't the right time anymore! I played my ace and attacked!

"Y-you ignorant evil bitch!" I yelled as I threw my hoof straight into her face, surprising and throwing her back against the wall.

I wasn't little helpless Scootaloo anymore, and I let her know it clearly with that attack. I had thrown everything into her ugly and scarred face, and I made absolutely sure that it was powerful enough to stagger her. She had hit the back wall and bounced off it, putting her into a very vulnerable position, so I took advantage of it.

I trotted over and bucked her so hard on the right side of her body that it made her scream, knocking the wind out of her.

"That was for Aurora!" I yelled, bucking again, and, this time, striking her jaw.

I didn't hear a crack, but the hit had been enough to disorient her to where she couldn't recover fast enough for my next strike.

"That was for Orion!"

I followed up with an uppercut to the underside of her chin, causing blood to start leaking from the right corner of her lips.

"That was for me!"

Too out of it to fight back, I used every bit of my strength to pick her up and lift her over my head like a trophy.

"And this is for Absentia!" I shouted with pride and anger, throwing her through the glass window and all the way to the death machine below.

I didn't care if she had broken her back or met the blades in a poetic manner of revenge and karma as I ran from the control room and made my way to the top of the Pegasus Device. Upon making it all the way up, the crowd of workers were in absolute shock and fear of what was happening, but I didn't care as I approached Rainbow Dash.

She was squirming and attempting to drag herself to the blades in hopes of escaping my wrath.

Not on my watch.

She muttered little moans of pain and agony as I approached her and grabbed her left back hoof, dragging her away from her only mercy.

"No. You won't get mercy that easily. Not after all you've done!"

She was at my mercy now as I walked around to where I could see her bloodied face clear as day.

"W-wait!" she spoke through her unadulterated agony.

I ignored her and kicked her in the left side of her face. She groaned, coughed, and gritted her imperfect teeth, having lost some from my assault.

"P-please, listen to m-me, Scoo-

Another kick. More blood. More coughs from the monster before me. I could tell from the damage of the fall that she didn't have much longer to live, so I used every bit of that time to give her as much pain as I possibly could.

I kicked, punched, and abused her without any hint of remorse, up until I knew it was time to end her for good. While it had felt good to just beat her up relentlessly, I knew I had to finish it at some point. Therefore, I started the elimination of Rainbow Dash in a fashion that I felt was retribution for Crystal and several other pegasi who had met their fate by the blades no more than five feet from me.

I grabbed and extended Rainbow Dash's left wing towards the blades, allowing the ligament to be the first thing to lead her into the machine. As the wing was just about to make contact, something immediately caused me to stop.

"Scootaloo, please stop!" Rainbow Dash had yelled so loud that it had shook my will.

I froze.

The way she'd spoken wasn't like before in all my time here. It was different, more like the voice of the mare I'd grown up training with. I wanted to ignore her, but, for some reason, my instincts made me stop and listen. I turned back to her, immediately noticing tears in her eyes.

Not from her wound and injuries, but from something else.

"Please, Scoots," she spoke, and upon her addressing me by name, I immediately knew there was something different about her.

As much as I didn't want to, I let her wing go, hoping that I hadn't just made a grim mistake.

"Hehe, thanks, squirt," she greeted, causing me to jump.

Now I definitely knew this was a different pony entirely. Rainbow Factory Dash had never addressed me as that, not even when I was brought here all those years ago. I was confused, angry, and lost.

"R-rainbow Dash?" I muttered in disbelief.

"I-it’s been a l-long time, Scoots," she answered. "Y-you've gotten so b-big."

There was no doubt. This was the Dash I knew as Equestria's greatest flier and a sister, but how?

"B-but how are you…"

I lost my words instantly, but Rainbow quickly caught on and began to explain everything.

"Y-you must be s-so confused, so l-let me explain. I-it all began r-right after that day I-I performed t-the Sonic R-rainboom. A-after the Wonderbolts d-departed, I-I was approach by some p-pegasi that asked if I-I wanted to help produce t-the next r-rainbow. I-I was curious, so I went w-with them, and, u-upon finishing t-the rainbow, w-was offered a job to h-help cover the cost of l-living in my h-house.

H-however, it t-turned out to be a t-trap, and I was k-knocked unconscious by the t-thugs who were my g-guides. A-after that, I was t-taken and given some k-kind of medication that made m-me into that m-monsterous alter e-ego. I couldn't d-do anything, b-because they threatened t-to kill you and my o-other friends if I said a-anything.

I-I'm so s-sorry, Scoots! I-I wanted to not train y-you, but t-they forced me t-to! I-I wanted to s-stop, but I c-couldn't!"

She was crying now, and the cold truth of how Rainbow Factory Dash had come into being had made my own tears form. All this time, my sister had been a victim, just like the other pegasi who had been led here through false promises.

I wiped her tears, now aware of who the real enemy was.

"I forgive you, big sister," I stated between tears. "I now see that you were always a victim and never the villain. All I wanna do now is make things right, so please tell me what I need to do to end this nightmare."

It took a moment, but eventually Rainbow gave me the answer.

"D-do you always remember what I t-told you whenever y-you wanted to give up on y-your dreams?" she questioned.

"Reach for the skies," I answered, those four words being a very fond memory that I never forgot.

"T-that's right," she clarified. "G-go to the office on the third floor, a-and you'll f-find everything. T-that's my dying wish for you to accomplish. G-go and put an end to all of this!"

"What do you mean, big sister?" I asked, doing my best not to cry in realization that I had led her to this point. "I don't understand."

"J-just trust me, S-scoots," she answered. "P-Please do whatever y-you can to destroy this p-place. For me a-and all of the pegasi who died h-here!"

I still was unsure, but I trusted her enough to know that I'd be able to find the key to this place's demise. Therefore, I just nodded my head and trusted her intuition.

"T-thank you, S-scoots, a-and know that I-I'll a-always…b-be… p-proud of…y-yo…."

Her last breath faded, and Rainbow Dash was finally free of the control of Rainbow Factory Dash. I wanted to, but didn't cry or mourn, knowing that's not what she would've wanted.

I had a mission to finish.

I had to find what Rainbow wanted me to seek in her dying breaths.

I needed to go to the third floor and finally uncover the secrets that this factory had hid away for far too long.