Rainbow Factory Twisted

Crunch was ready for his flight test, the final hurdle before he and his friends could earn their wings and join the elite Aerial Corps. With the wind at their backs and the sky stretching out before them, Crunch’s heart leaped into his throat. He took a deep breath and summoned all his courage. “Alright, are we all ready?” he said, his wings fluttering. “No more goofing around. This is serious business. We’ve trained for this moment.” His friends nodded in approval. “Let’s do this!” He called, looking at the others as he waited. “And may the best pony win.”

Crunch flew through the first few obstacles, weaving through the cones and hurdles with ease. He was doing great, and he could finally taste victory. But, the last obstacle was the hardest. He had to fly through the fire, which was blazing hot.

He thought to himself, “I can do this!” and charged straight toward the flames. He felt them burning his wings, but he kept flying, determined to make it to the other side.

Then, he looked to the other side of the course, looking at his friend as he waved at him, and while he was distracted, he hit a pole, and then all of a sudden, blackness.

Crunch opened his eyes, feeling confused and dazed. He looked around and saw 3 masked pegasi looking down at him with blank expressions. “W-what happened?” he asked, his ears drooping. “I-I swear I wasn’t distracted. I’m s-sorry!” he stuttered, feeling panicked.

”We’re sorry, but you failed your flight test.” said one of the masked pegasi, her voice sounding stern and cold.

“W-w-what?!” Crunch said, still panicked.

“You failed to meet the minimum requirements to graduate, and thus, are being transferred to the Rainbow Factory.” said another pegasus, their voice sounding sympathetic. “Don’t worry, everything will be explained once you arrive. For now, please get up and follow us. I promise it won’t hurt.”

Crunch immediately calmed down after being reassured. “Alright. The Rainbow Factory doesn’t sound bad.” He says with confidence. He stood up and followed the masked pegasus to a brown wooden carriage with no windows in it.

The masked pegasus didn’t say much as they led Crunch to the carriage. They didn’t want to scare him, after all. But once he was inside, they shut the door and the carriage started driving off.

The ride was bumpy and uncomfortable, besides the other pegasi who failed the test, but it wasn’t too long before the carriage came to a stop. The door opened, and the group along with Crunch stepped out, seeing one guard gesturing for them to follow them. They led him and the group into a dark, cavernous room with rows of machines and tubes running along the walls.

Eventually, the group of failed pegasi along with Crunch were lined up in front of one of the machines, waiting for their turn. Crunch felt scared for them, but he couldn’t do anything to help them.

“You’re next,” said one of the guards, motioning for Crunch to step forward.

“Is t-there anything I do to avoid this horrendous fate? P-please!” Crunch said, desperately trying not to anger the guard.

“No!” The guard said sternly while trying to prod him onto the machine. He mumbled, stupid pegasi... but was interrupted by Dr. Atmosphere flying down onto the floor. The guard got out of the way while Dr. Atmosphere slowly walked over to Crunch.

“Heh heh, as long as you stay quiet about what happens in this place, you can work here.” Dr. Atmosphere said, slowly lowering her voice to a whisper as she leaned in closer. “Nothing will happen to you if you stay quiet... Nothing at all...”

Crunch shuddered. That last line had sent a chill down his spine.

“A-Alright.” Crunch said, surprised that he can manage to say even a single word.

“Good,” said Dr. Atmosphere in a satisfied tone. “You won’t get in the way of our work, and you’ll be well-compensated for your silence. And who knows, you might even find the work... Rewarding.”

Crunch looked at the pony with a mixture of fear and intrigue. She was going to do something horrible, but there seemed something strangely appealing about this offer.

“Just sign here,” said Dr. Atmosphere, gesturing to a piece of paper. “You’ll be ours before you know it.”

Crunch took the pen from Dr. Atmosphere and signed the paper without even reading it. “Welcome to the team...” said Dr. Atmosphere, smiling at Crunch. “Go to your sleeping quarters so you can get some rest.”

The rest of the failed pegasi looked at him in shock while Crunch walked away scot-free.