Death Unbound: Days Gone By

Rainbow Dash woke up to the sounds of metal clanging on metal. She swung her head around, but couldn't see anything but walls all around her.

“Up here dumbass!” A voice from above her spoke.

Rainbow looked up, getting bits of dog food thrown in her face, “What is this? And where am I, where are my friends?”

“That is your food for the day, and your friends are far from here. I suggest you get comfy, you're going to be here for a long time,” The green Pegasus spoke as she turned away from Rainbow Dash.

“Wait! Dammit come back!” Rainbow screamed after her, but she didn't come back. After accepting defeat she looked down at the dog food on the floor. She groaned in disgust, she wasn't gonna eat this, she wasn't just going to give in. She had to break out. She looked up at the iron bars above her. One solid punch, or kick would do it, she knew she was strong enough to do so.

‘I'm coming guys!’ She thought as she lifted up and bolted at the bars. As her hoof collided with the metal bars a loud clang echoed through her makeshift prison, however the bars didn't break, not so much as bend. All that was left was Rainbow’s hurt hoof, “Ow.. “
‘Why didn't it break?’ She thought to herself, she could've sworn she had the strength to do so.

Unable to admit defeat she reared up again, prepared to strike again at the bars that held her. She launched up again and again, and again, but to no avail. Throughout the base, the clanging could be heard, as well as Rainbow Dash, “I AM AN ELEMENT OF HARMONY! *clang* I HAVE SAVED EQUESTRIA ALONG WITH MY FRIENDS COUNTLESS TIMES *clang* THESE BARS WILL NOT STOP ME!”

After numerous more failed attempts, Rainbow finally gave up. For the first time since all of this began, Rainbow finally broke down. Tears streamed down her face as the harsh reality of the world hit her. For the first time since the world fell apart, she was alone. It suddenly hit her how empty she felt inside, the dark realization that she might never see Twilight or Applebloom again was enough to make Rainbow sob, and cry out in pain, but not from her hoof.

She slumped down in defeat, letting the floor catch her as she sobbed. It was hard enough seeing the death of her other friends, but at least she knew what happened to them. She'd doubt even Celestia knows what is happening to them, if Celestia is alive. They could be alive, they could be dead, or worse.

The hope slipped from Rainbow’s mind as she considered the options, her pride and endurance started to die from her as she realized she's no better than a dog who's about to be put down, and how worthless she's become, even more so than when she failed to save Scootaloo.

She couldn't believe it's been over five months since Ponyville fell. Out of all the deaths their Scootaloo’s was the one that stuck with her the most. The poor kid trusted her life with Rainbow Dash, and she had let her down.

She continued to sob for hours, but this time quietly. It wasn't until her exhaustion from the day’s events caught up to her that she stopped. She had cried herself to sleep.

The next day the same green pony from before dropped the dog food into Dash’s cell and left. Rainbow just stared at it. Her eyes were hurting from the crying she did the night before, and she couldn't bring herself to move. The pony that was Rainbow Dash was destroyed, replaced by a shell of her former self.

The green pony was staring at Rainbow Dash, she almost felt bad for her. How had a pony who required five others to stop her from killing somepony, be reduced to something so pathetic.

This went on for a few days, Rainbow wallowed in self pity, while food was dumped in her cell on a regular basis.

“Hey! Wake up! You're being moved!” A light blue earth pony yelled while he beat on the metal bars with a pipe.

Rainbow Dash very slowly rose up. Not saying anything she backed up against the wall. The cell doors opened and the green Pegasus from earlier flew down, handcuffs in hoof.

She placed them onto her arms and flew up, “Follow me,” she ordered.

Rainbow flew up, and out of the manhole they kept her in. She followed the green pony down a long hallway, and into a dark, interrogation like room.

“Sit down.”

Rainbow Dash complied, sitting down on the only chair in the room, “What? What do you want?” She asked, her voice was no more than a whisper.

“Well, how does a pony like you get reduced to that? You're weak, but you were strong before, I just barely survived fighting you before. So what happened, I know I'm not exactly supposed to talk to you, but it's killing me not to know.”

Rainbow Dash looked down, she was ashamed. That mare was right, she WAS weak. As much as she wanted to rise up, she just couldn't will herself to, “I-I just can't.”

“But why?” She growled

“Because I don't have any reason left to try… Damn near everypony I love is dead. I don't even know what happened to most of them, I just know they didn't make it. The only reason I'm even trying is for them… Twilight and Applebloom, and now even they're gone,” Rainbow sobbed. Her spirit had long since died, and she was forced to relive it.

The mare interrogating frowned. She legitimately bad for Rainbow. Everypony has lost something, but she knew who Rainbow Dash was, she was an element of harmony. Much more importantly, the element of loyalty, ‘She probably believes their deaths was her fault’

In a way she wanted to help, she wanted to get her back to her friends, but she knew if she was caught she'd be killed. She didn't survive up till now to get killed.

“Fine…” She waited a few moments before continuing, “Well you're suppose to be working for us, you're being sent down to clean our weapons. Do you think you can manage that?”

“Sure..”

The sounds of squeaking could be heard as Rainbow Dash cleaned a large butcher knife. The urge to use it died down every time the spears being held against her poked her.

The two spearman shifted ever so closer, each giving each other an agreeing nod. Rainbow picked up on this and saw their spears being pulled back. As they thrusted them forward, Rainbow Dash dodged and flapped against the wall. They both rushed her and used their spears to hold her against the wall. One of them grabbed one of the knives Rainbow cleaned and pushed it into her stomach.

Rainbow slowly slipped down, this was it, this was her time.

“After you, it's your friends! If they're not dead already.”

“What?” Her energy returned, what did they mean, next it was her friends?

“We were given an order to execute you, and the other bases were given the same one. Your friends are all going to d-”

Rainbow swung her head forward, and snapped down hard on his neck. In one fluid movement she tore out his jugular. He slowly started to lower and suddenly dropped. Rainbow took advantage of the other guard’s shock, and ducked under the spear holding her. She grabbed the knife that was used to stab her, and swung her arm. The tip of the knife entered through his temple, and out through the other side.

She pressed against her wound, trying to stop the blood flow, picked up one of their spears, and proceeded to walk out of the weapons room. She opened the door and ran down the hallway she walked through previously. As she ran her eyes locked onto multiple ponies, at least ten she counted, surrounded her on both sides.

Rainbow felt something growing inside her, it was not fear, it was pure rage. She quickly turned around and threw the spear into the closest pony, as she did she flew and grabbed the spear, pushing it further through her original victim, and through another. With a flap of her wings she went back words, the spear came out and she took a wild swing. The tip of the spear slashed over a mare’s eye, as she screamed, Rainbow took the chance to fly through the middle of the group, knocking many of them over, and to the end of the hallway. As she was going to hit the wall she quickly spun around and placed her back hooves against the wall. She mustered every bit of her slowly draining strength that she had, and kicked off the wall. She flew as fast as she could. She had a plan, she needed to take them all out at once, usually she would have to flying down to achieve this, but she couldn't, she had to do this now. With one last powerful flap of her wingspan she could feel the the air entrapping her, she could feel it closing around her as she approached the ponies. She pushed one last time. She could feel the barrier breaking, and as she was back at the place she began, it broke. She rocketed forward, a rainbow wave spread throughout the hallway, crushing her previous assailants, and plastering them onto the wall as a permanent ornament.

Rainbow approached the opposite wall in less than a second after achieving a rainboom, she didn't even have the time to slow down, much less do anything. She crashed through the wall, but was still going. Room from room she crashed into, however her physical body never touched them, as they simply withered away before she hit them, the intense energy from the rainboom in such a small place had started to disintegrate the base. From room to room, it seemed that she passed slower and slower, however she knew that wasn't the case, she still could feel the rush and speed, and something else. She could see little beams of light, and in the distance a little fuzzy orb. This experience was short lived however as she finally she “hit” the last wall and a wave of fresh air hit her for the first time in days.

She pushed herself up and tried to slow down. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was a few seconds, she finally came to a stop.

She spun around, and in the distance she saw a much larger base in the distance. She looked back down on the half melted base, and she saw that same green mare from earlier. A long ominous smile came across her face as a plan formed in head.