Rainbow and the Factory

She felt so wrong as she flew back to Ponyville. Spritz could have been right behind that door for all Rainbow knew, but she just couldn't open it herself. Now she had to fly all the way back and again to get Twilight; looking at the sun's position she knew it'd be dark by the time they both made it to Mount Thunderclap. While she was pretty sure she'd be more than happy to help, Rainbow also hoped she hadn't made the trip for nothing. It'd be rather embarrassing if all she had to do to the door was pull instead of push.

Indeed, the sun was just beginning to paint the sky orange when she reached Twilight's castle. Rainbow skidded to a halt, almost slamming into the front door before frantically pounding on it with her hooves. "Twilight! Twilight are you home?! C'mon, answer the door!" So wild was her knocking that she didn't even notice the door had opened until she heard yelling slightly below her.

"Ow! Hey!" Spike cringed, flailing his claws in an attempt to stop the beating.

"Oop, sorry Spike." Rainbow smiled sheepishly for a moment. "Is Twilight home? I really need her for something, like, right this second."

"Yea, she's just doing some research down in her lab. C'mon, I'll go get her," Spike motioned for her to follow as he turned around and jogged off. Rainbow hovered behind him, resisting the urge to zip around and peek inside every door they passed in case Twilight wasn't where he said she was. They stopped a few moments later in front of a thick, metal door at the end of one of the castle's corridors. It looked really out of place considering the castle was made of purple iridescent crystal.

"When did this get put in?" Rainbow asked.

"She had it installed a couple weeks ago, she said she's experimenting with some really volatile chemicals," Spike explained rather nonchalantly. "Something to do with Thaumetic Sulfite, you know how she is." After a shrug he began banging on the door. "Hey, Twilight? Rainbow's here, she wants to talk to you!"

"Okay, hang on a minute," replied Twilight, although barely audible. A few moments passed before Rainbow and Spike heard a grinding noise and a heavy clunk as the metal door opened. Peeking inside, Rainbow saw tables covered in books, bottled liquids, glassware and other science-y stuff. "Sorry about that, how are you this afternoon, Rainbow?" Twilight smiled.

Her sense of urgency returned. "Twi, you remember that filly from the Wonderbolts demonstration, Spritz?"

"Yes... why?"

"I need your help. That Shrouded Mountain place is real, it's really Mount Thunderclap in the Storm Peaks Mountain Range. She went there!"

"What?! No way... it's just a filly's story-"

"I went there, too! There's a door she went through that I can't open. I need your help!"

"Wait, you went-"

"GAH! I'll explain on the way there!" Rainbow grabbed Twilight's' hooves with her own and rocketed out of the castle, Twilight screaming and protesting until they were out of earshot. Spike just stood there, confused.

"...Uh... see you guys later...?"

~

"I see... so part of that map was real, and she thought that was enough evidence as to where Dewdrop might have gone?" Twilight had calmed down enough to listen to Rainbow's explanation ten minutes into their flight, now they flew side by side together.

"Yea..." Rainbow stared vaguely at the ground far below, wracked with guilt.

"And this mountaintop, with it's violent storm cover and the lethal lightning clouds near the little building... Rainbow, are you really sure you weren't just seeing things? I'm sorry, I just can't believe she would have made it there in one piece."

"I saw the tail hairs. She's inside that building, I'm positive she is!"

"Well, shouldn't we go back and tell the police? Let them handle this instead? It sounds really dangerous-"

"The police haven't listened to her or you this whole time, why would they start now?!" Rainbow snapped, now starting to hyperventilate to keep from crying. "And if I had listened to her in the first place, I could've found Dewdrop and this whole thing never would've happened!"

"You don't know that," Twilight's voice lowered sympathetically.

"And neither do you!"

For a few moments, only the rush of wind past their wings could be heard.

"...Sorry, Twi. It's just... I've already failed her once. I'm not going to let that happen again. She needs me now more than ever."

Twilight sighed. "It's alright... if you're this set on rescuing her from this... Mount Thunderclap, then I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thanks," Rainbow smiled at her.

"Of course... just be careful, okay?"

~

The sun had fully set by the time the mountain range came back into view. If the Storm Peaks hadn't looked ominous before during the day, they looked outright hellish at night. Mountains and clouds were lost together in a black skyward mass, the lightning seeming to strike even more powerfully than before, the thunder echoing throughout the air as if hundreds of beasts surrounded the two ponies from all sides. And high above it all sat the summit of Mount Thunderclap, wrapped in the blackest tempest of them all. Noticing Twilight had fallen slightly behind, Rainbow slowed her flight to a hover.

"Twi?" She peered back. Twilight was hovering in place, her eyes transfixed on the menacing mountain.

"The Shrouded Mountain," the Alicorn breathed. "It really does exist... I wonder..."

This elicited a confused noise from Rainbow. "Wonder about what?"

"When I was still a filly under Celestia's tutelage... she was the one who first told me the Mountain's story," Twilight spoke softly, almost reverently. "The story about the sky pirates and the treasure was only one of it's many legends."

"There's more to it?" Rainbow gulped. What else was up there?

"A mountain who's peak is shrouded by an eternal storm... there was another part of the story that most ponies have forgotten about. Many centuries ago, an entire legion of the strongest Pegasi in the world tried to clear away the storm, said to have been led by Princess Celestia herself."

"And? The storm's obviously still there," Rainbow gestured.

"Yes, yes, there were many casualties," Twilight grumbled, annoyed she had to speed up her storytelling. "Nearly all the Pegasi lost their lives battling the storm's fury. Celestia then decreed that the mountain was forbidden, that nopony ever approach it again. Thus, it was lost to history."

"Alright, alright, nice little story," Rainbow tugged on Twilight's hoof to get her moving again. "Tell me the rest on the way up there."

"Well, that's about it," Twilight said as they began flying again. "I asked Princess Celestia about the story a long time ago... she said it was just that. And I've never found any version of it in any library." Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes, tuning Twilight's droning out. She always found time to wax poetic in the midst of something important.

They approached the outer layers of the summit's storm a few minutes later. Rainbow's fur bristled; somehow the clouds felt even more wild and violent than before. Suddenly her fur stood on end, and she flapped her wings powerfully to launch herself upwards and away from a lightning bolt that seemed to shoot out right at her. Very soon afterwards, a bubbly aura of pink light enveloped her.

"Whoo, that's some nasty weather!" Twilight exclaimed, already shielded in her own magic. "I can see why you wanted me to come now."

"Heh, this wasn't even the worst part," Rainbow smirked. "C'mon, we gotta get to the middle."

And so they flew. The storm did all it could to tear Twilight's shield apart. The wind howled balefully, the hail buffeted, the lightning pulsed. Though now safe from the weather's effects, Rainbow couldn't help but stare in awe and fear of Nature's unnatural fury. And as they flew through the clouds that fury only intensified, though now it seemed even stronger in the utter darkness. The hail smashed and shattered against the magic barrier while endless bolts of lightning struck, each sending worrisome ripples and crackles of static around the bubble, as if threatening that the next would be the one to pierce through. Soon the winds were strong enough to crumble a castle, and sharp and cold enough to shear through the shield, forcing both ponies to quake and shiver from the sheer force and harsh temperatures.

"Rainbow, stop! This is too dangerous!" Twilight pleaded. "My shields are barely holding together!"

"No... almost... there..." Rainbow grunted, compelling herself forwards. "Just... a little... further..."

At last, with a final scream of exertion from Twilight, the two ponies reached the peace of the summit, the shields failing and disappearing just moments after. Now in the midst of a moonless night, Rainbow could see that the clouds that floated along the blackened ground glowed a faint blue. And in the distance sat the small building, almost invisible amongst the darkness.

"Alright, there's the building," Rainbow pointed with her right hoof as she wrapped the other around Twilight in an attempt to direct her attention. "And those are the clouds I was talking about."

Twilight squinted. "Huh... those aren't ordinary lightning clouds."

"No kidding... I said they were lethal before, didn't I?

"Besides that, which I agree is also unusual." Twilight's head craned forward as her horn flared to life, a tendril of pink magic carefully reaching out and lightly tapping the closest cloud. "It would appear these clouds are magical in nature."

"What? Somepony made these?" Rainbow glanced at the lightning clouds, counting at least thirty of them. "Why?"

"I dunno... maybe to guard their sky pirate treasure?" Twilight shrugged. "At any rate, I think my shield will be strong enough to withstand a couple blasts. We should still hurry, though."

"Yea... alright," Rainbow began her ritual of deep breaths. "Do your shield thing, then get ready to fly to that building as fast as possible. There's a little opening where we'll be safe." Twilight nodded, and two magical pink barriers popped into existence around them as she also took a few deep breaths.

"Okay... three... two... one... NOW!"

Being a much faster flyer, Rainbow shot out ahead of Twilight in a split second, causing the other's flight to waver slightly in her wake. While she reached the safety of the building's alcove with minimal lightning aimed at her, she suddenly heard Twilight shriek behind her, followed by the sound of a glass sphere shattering. Fearing the worst, Rainbow called out to Twilight and frantically looked around the skies for her, but saw nothing.

Her pounding heart sank into her stomach as she imagined what befell her friend. Then she heard another shriek from a distance, and then another closer by. Finally, a purple blur exploded past her and slammed into the wall to her left, gasping for breath.

"Note to self," Twilight coughed, "...those lightning bolts can break my shield with one hit. Should find a way to dispel them first on our way out."

"Don't... scare me like that," Rainbow exhaled, moving to help Twilight off the ground. Once she was up they turned their attention to the split wall with the emblem.

"So this is that door you couldn't open?" Twilight moved closer to examine the emblem better.

"Yea, as far as I can tell, there's no way to open it," Rainbow spoke as her eyes searched their surroundings. "I couldn't push it open, and there's no handles to pull. And have you seen this emblem before anywhere?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, can't say that I have. I'm sure I'd remember something like this in all my studies if I had."

"I wonder what it means, then." Now Rainbow's eyes traveled along the floor, suddenly locking on a certain spot.

Wait... where's Spritz's hair?

The singed strands of pink hair that had been caught between the seam were gone. Rainbow blinked uncomfortably; her eyesight was top notch, surely this was a trick her mind was playing on her, right?

"Hm..." Magic seeped out of Twilight's horn and grazed the emblem, sinking into its lines like water in a straw. Once fully illuminated, the strange emblem pulsed, its color changing from pink to blue. Then, as it faded away, the ponies felt the ground gently shake, and they heard a grinding noise from the walls beside them as the door ahead slowly split open. A blast of hot, stale, dusty air accompanied the opening, assaulting their faces. As they coughed, the door ceased its movement with a final, sinister clunk, tiny bits of dirt, soot and other debris falling from the ceiling onto their heads. Rainbow peered into the building, seeing only a metal staircase illuminated by a tiny red light, leading down into darkness.

Something twinged deep inside the rainbow Pegasus. It was only for a brief moment, but it was strong enough to give her pause. Something screamed within her that this was a terrible idea. But with a nervous gulp she forced it down.

"Well... wasn't expecting that," Twilight leaned away from the door slightly, eyes wide with alarm. "So... Spritz is really in there, huh?"

The memory of the missing hairs came to her mind. There was only one logical solution to this mystery. "Yea... I guess so," was all Rainbow was able to eke out of her muzzle. Magic flowed through Twilight's' horn once again, this time taking the form of a small ball of light attached to her horn's tip, illuminating the staircase with pink-tinged light.

"There, hoofprints," Twilight pointed out. Small hoof-shaped markings in the dust clearly led them down the stairs, as if freshly made. The Alicorn glanced over at her companion. "Well, we've come this far. Ready to go in?"

Rainbow blinked. She inhaled deeply and puffed out her chest, shoving her fears and worries out of her mind. It was time to be brave. Time to be loyal to one that needed her.

"Let's go," she nodded.

And the two ponies entered the building, the sounds of their hooves on the metal staircase disappearing along with Twilight's light. Slowly, the door closed behind them.