Chapters Chapter 1: A Horrible Start
Chapter 1: A Horrible Start
The entire sky through the whole land so far the eye could see, rain gushed down and lightning penetrated the dark clouds frequently, as Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie rushed away from their home. Canterlot stands in flames and Ponyville is in ruins, the fate of Cloudsdale is yet unknown but nopony hoped too much on its condition. The team had been fleeing for hours to the south and at one point, Rarity couldn’t take any more, she stopped and almost fell to the ground by exhausted and shouted out panting.
Everypony dropped everything and looked in a second over to Applejack, because on her back a extreme shocked and lost to mind Pinkie Pie was at. Slowly Twilight and Rarity closed in on Applejack and while they did that, Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack and helped her put Pinkie Pie on the ground. They all formed then a circle around her and looked down with strong concern at her. Pinkie Pie's whole face was pale and she held up her front hoofs just like a bunny, she was shivering uncontrollably and her eyes were stuck in place to look only forward. Twilight waved slowly her right front hoof in Pinkie Pie's line of sight for a reaction but didn't get anything from her, she was just like a vibrating statue. But the worst was that her whole face, was covered in no one less blood than Princess Celestia.
Applejack looked after Pinkie Pie as good as she could together with Rainbow Dash and Rarity did like Twilight and just sat down in the cold, wet mud in a deep sigh. Nopony said or did anything special, not much hope was left in their hearts and the weather sure didn't help the mood. Rarity just by a habit started to feel on her mane softly with one hoof as it was muddy and soaking wet.
Rainbow Dash pulled a pair of angry eyes on Rarity, but before everything got out of hoofs, Twilight stepped in and exclaimed.
With no more time to go to waste, they did just like Twilight had said and got back to working their way down the road. Night passed on quickly with a couple of more hours of running and just before the darkest hour arrived, they searched their way in to the Everfree Forest for protection. But in their luck, despite that no one of them ever had been in these parts of the forest, they randomly found a cave, far in to the surroundings of the trees that created a roof of leafs above their heads and that they took shelter in. The cave was far from deep but it's entrance was small and tight so the cave wasn't to exposed to be seen from outside, they just had the luck to notice it in their wandering.
Rainbow Dash was floating around on her back and used her wings to paddle around while having her front hoofs rest behind her head. She didn't however have her relaxed smile on her face as she usually had when she was swimming around in her own little way, she instead held her eyes closed and her facial expression completely dead, while having thoughts she wished she could forget. Applejack was sitting in the water close to the platform further in to the cave and just rested her head on its upper level, her face was depressed and she just stared in to the wall while sighing once in a while. Twilight was laying on the platform next to Applejack, away from the water with her head hanging off its edge and just watching her own reflection, while thinking so hard that she looked angry and extremely tired. Last but not least, Rarity and Pinkie Pie was sitting away from the others and while they did that, Rarity tried to wash of Pinkie Pie. She still had some blood in her face that the rain hadn’t reached to wash off, and that was what Rarity tried to fix.
Pinkie Pie felt at the moment much better, but she was still far from the normal Pinkie Pie. Rarity also tried to clean of Pinkie Pie's mane from the mud and even if there was no way for Pinkie Pie to feel cold in a place like this, she was shaking. She had at least started to blink again properly, instead of having those pair of giant open eyes, staring into nothing, and while Rarity looked after Pinkie Pie, she couldn’t resist in feeling an extreme sympathy for her and in that say and ask.
Rarity looked away immediately down in to the warm water with a miserable face on her.
No pony did really know what was going on, all that they saw was Rainbow Dash standing on top of Applejack and waving her front hoofs wild. But Rainbow Dash wasn’t the only one waving her hoofs, Applejack waved every single one of hers, desperately to get free so the whole area she and Rainbow Dash was at were a mess with water splashing all around the cave. Twilight and Rarity had since long jumped up on all four and started to scream that both of Rainbow Dash and Applejack would stop. But Rarity lost it early and fell apart in crying, it was simply too much for her, so incredibly much had happen the past couple of days. Pinkie Pie next to Rarity manage somehow to ignore everything going on in the cave just like she was deaf and blind, she only stared forward empty. Twilight jumped down in the water from the platform, scream even louder and especially to Rainbow Dash. She held Applejack in such advantage that she couldn't do a thing and before the situation got out of hoof even more, and before Rainbow Dash had seriously hurt Applejack, Twilight shouted in Rainbow Dash's ear.
She tried to move but Rainbow Dash was completely caught in Twilight's magic and could barely move a muscle.
Twilight was about to turn around to face Rarity and so Applejack, even Rainbow Dash turned her head to be able to see her but what the three of them saw, made their hearts skip a beat and they all entered a vision of nightmare. Because away from them, closer to the exit of the cave, Rarity stood up on her hind legs, held from behind by a Cangeling that had its enormous white fangs, driven in to her neck and ripped apart half of her throat. Rarity's face was just like stone, with her weeping eyes wide open and her mouth likewise. Not a muscle did she move, only a couple of nerves was twitching randomly and the Changeling, it was looking directly over Rarity's shoulder on to the three of them with its cold blue eyes. Pinkie Pie was surprising, still sitting in her exactly same place in the hot spring, and at the moment, the one closest to the Changeling. But she didn't give away any fear, she just sat there calmly, glancing at the Changeling while it was twisting its teeth in Rarity's flesh.
Then all the suddenly, Rarity's lifeless body fell forward in to the water right in front of them all in a big splash of water and blood. The Changeling then roared hatefully while escalating and kicking with its front hoofs wildly in the air. Before the creature landed back on all its four legs again from its display, Twilight quickly grabbed everypony with her magic and threw them and herself on to the platform together. No one did really get a soft landing, except for Rarity and Twilight herself, and when the Cangeling saw that, it screamed out its battle cry and rushed towards them all. But before it reached them, Twilight's horn exploded in small, purple fireworks and created in its explosion a thin, dark pink shield around them for protection. The Cangeling rammed the shield with its blunt horn first but it did nothing, it tried however again to repeatedly cut through the shield by thrusting its head again and again against it and when it realized it was in no use, it attacked the shield with its whole, sharp and edgy body. But it realize even there that it was just a waste of energy so it jumped down from it. Creepy it started to walk back and forward with a disturbing smile and all the ponies could do was to watch it frightened. Then after a moment it changed its form into Rarity, but it wasn’t a pleasant eyesight. It had change into her currently state with the throat open in a big wound and covered in blood, it even had its mouth covered in blood after the bite.
Wicket it smiled and even talked with Rarity's voice that they all were forced to listen to.
Twilight asked Rainbow Dash something but Rainbow Dash didn’t listen to a single word, she was too busy focusing on to the Cangeling. Its laugh drove Rainbow Dash's head mad from inside and her fury grow larger for every second. Her body got slowly but steady tense to every muscle, every nerve and when her mind had left her consciousness, no fear was to be find in her and a wild instinct in her awoken. She leaped out of the shield, right at the Changeling just like she had on Applejack but this time, she didn't hold in to anything and no Twilight was going to stop her. The Changeling's laugh stopped abruptly as its lungs got a pressure on them by Rainbow Dash's body and once again she was struggling in the water. Twilight got so shocked by Rainbow Dash's act against the Changeling that she lost her concentration on the shield and let it fail unaware.
The fight between Rainbow Dash and the Changeling was nothing than a complete mess. They roller over each other in the water, and regardless if Rainbow Dash took some heavy hits by the Changeling's hoofs to her head, it didn't hinder her to do the something. But she did get some nasty hits, especially to her ribs.
The Changeling lost all its life and was now only a rag doll under the water, its state was unsure but easily figured out, because when Rainbow Dash looked down at her hoofs, a massive cloud of extreme dark blood spread pass around her. First now Twilight and Applejack returned to reality and got their mind working as they should. Twilight wanted to ask if it was dead, but her tongue inside her mouth didn't comply and she just stood there with enormous eyes and a scared face.
The whole hot spring started to turn more and more into a revolting hot soup from everything that had been mixed in to it. But Rainbow Dash did sincerely not care at all what was swimming around her, she was just so tired, exhausted and her body was filled with small painful cut and bruises that her legs gave away and she was just floated around with her head above the surface, breathing hoarsely.
Author's Note
Well here it is... my very first story or at least the first chapter of it... I hope you like it and that you can endure the English and with that said... enjoy!
Chapter 2: Blood Filled Clouds
Chapter 2: Blood Filled Clouds
Rainbow Dash leaned against the cave wall for balance for the first couple of seconds after she stood up from the water and just tried to gain enough air for her head to work clearly again. Twilight wandered around in the cave lost and confused and Applejack just stayed in the back.
She just decide to stare deeply into Rainbow Dash's eyes quietly with her mouth half open and when Rainbow Dash notice she wouldn’t say anything she continued.
Rainbow Dash looked in a twitch over to Twilight nervous which gave Twilight a concerned face for a moment, but Rainbow Dash then just answered calmly and also exited the cave.
She was laying there on the ground for a good while till she calmed herself and when she finally did, she didn't bother to go in to the cave again. She instead slowly pushed herself up sitting and just looked up in the sky with her heart still beating fast. For a good half hour Rainbow Dash tried to gather her mind together alone, but the amount of thoughts that was flying between Rainbow Dash's ears was too much to handle. Her heart never stopped beating in its quick rating, not until a voice from behind broke her free from the tormented fog her mind was bound to.
After that Applejack didn't know what to say, she felt how something was heavy on Rainbow Dash's mind and very much was she right, but Applejack's words wasn't required because Rainbow Dash actually decide to speak by herself.
She held her head low to the ground and shamefully she answered.
Rainbow Dash then with no more time to spill took off in to the air in a small jump and left Applejack and Twilight behind her. Twilight and Applejack was quiet for a while as they watched Rainbow Dash disappear, but at one point Applejack couldn’t resist to ask.
It must been the best thing she ever done in her whole life because on the other side of the black smoke clouds, nothing than the pure blue sky was above her with the orange sun blinding her. It was like a new world that actually contained hope and beauty, the suns beam was warm and just by imagination it felt like her whole body became lighter and easier to fly, almost like she was floating without effort. Her mind finally felt relaxed but far from completely at peach. She was thinking a lot about Pinkie Pie, where she could be and why she in the name of Celestia would in the first place walk away on her own. But her Concern for Pinkie Pie thinned out when Cloudsdale appeared and started to be visible in the distance and Rainbow Dash just knew she had to be on her edge of her horseshoes, because Cloudsdale didn't rest in its former state. It was dark and gloomy but easiest thing to note was that it was empty. Not a single living creature was in sight or a single movement could be spotted and that in Rainbow Dash's eyes was a bad sign, it literally was in the same ruins as Ponyville. Rainbow Dash lowered her position in to the clouds under her for a better chance to approach Cloudsdale without being spotted, only her head was above the soft dark smoke that passed around her body as she was flying.
She landed on a discreet balcony, connected to a small structure and in the outskirts of Cloudsdale but enough for a view and to see most of the city.
She flew down from the tower to the entrance and entered the archives through its giant gate, she right away ended up in an enormous hall with pillars at the sides and the floor shining like a mirror in its black, polished stone blocks. The hall was weakly light up and had a dark, creepy atmosphere to it and Rainbow Dash had to go to the other side of the hall to be able to gain access to the tower. She closed the gate behind her and with her head low and her gaze flying from right and left, Rainbow Dash worked her way forward tense. Finally at the other side there was a door that would lead up to the tower but the door wouldn’t budge and that for Rainbow Dash was sort of a positive sign. That would have meant that somepony maybe had looked themselves in for protection. Rainbow Dash tried again to open the door with her whole body strength but it was stuck solid, she turned around to the empty hall behind her and saw that alongside the walls through the giant room, sets of empty armours was standing posing and faced to the middle of the hall. Moving in the shadows, Rainbow Dash went closer to one of them and stopped right in front of it.
Its rod wasn’t longer than Rainbow Dash herself in height but its blade and hook was big and harsh, thin however for mobility and lastly its spear was extremely long but thin as a nail. The whole thing was made in shining silver and decorated in beautiful pattern and symbols.
The three in the corner that was one light green and two dark blue pegasus ponies gave a similar reaction and just looked happily at Rainbow Dash.
All three of the pegasus ponies behind her didn't really have time to process Rainbow Dash's words but her words wasn’t required for them to understand the situation they were in. Because behind the first pair of pillars from the gate, three Changelings appeared quietly and each of them had an amused facial expression.
She looked down and there right in front of her hoofs, nothing else than the halberd that she had used to open the door was laying. Rainbow Dash looked in a twitch up at the Changelings and when she did that, they lost their disturbing smile and prepare their stance for an attack. She turned her head back to the ponies behind her and saw how incredibly scared and helpless they looked, she felt bad for them and really wanted to help them. Calmly she turned her head back to the Changelings and in a slow deep sigh, she picked up the halberd with her mouth. The eyes of the Changelings turned quickly from evil amusement to pure hate, but they weren’t the only ones, Rainbow Dash took a couple of steps towards them and her eyes as well were burning with rage. Like a duel they just stared at each other for a long time but then just like that, all three of the Changelings at the same time threw themselves back on their hind legs and roared out into the hall. Then one by on one they landed on all their four legs and rushed straight towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash too rushed forward to them as she wanted to increase the distance of the fight from them and the frightened ponies at the broken door. When they were in reach she did the only thing she could, she swept her halberd from one side to the other but she missed the first one when it reacted so quickly and dodged under the swing. It basically lowered itself down on to the smooth floor and maintained its speed forward sliding. Rainbow Dash had to let of her halberd because otherwise she would have got the first Changelings horn in her chest, but before that happen and before Rainbow Dash lost the halberd. Her swing hit the second Changeling that didn't have the same reaction as the first one and it was its hook on the backside of the halberd that landed in its head. It penetrated its right eye and went far into its skull, it died immediately as the brain got a fatal stab by the edge of the hook.
The silence and dead Changeling together with the halberd fell to the ground and to evade the thrust by the horn of the first one, Rainbow Dash had to jump up and fast get her wings moving. The sliding Changeling missed her as Rainbow Dash flew over him, she tried to get to the halberd again but she stilled had a third on its way and that now stood right over the dead one. She accidentally rammed him in the speed with her head, right in his jaw and because the Changelings have extremely hard skin, the impact was worst for Rainbow Dash. But she did manage to push away that Changeling to deal with him later at least, he landed on his back a couple of meters away from her but left her dizzy by the hit. Rainbow Dash still regardless her blurry vision got a new grip of the halberd with her mouth and pulled it lose from the dead skull it was stuck to, but she grabbed it to close to the blade for being able of swinging well. The first Changeling at this moment was literally right in front of the three helpless ponies when it finally had stopped along the floor, but it didn't care for them, it knew they wouldn't do anything so it immediately turned around and went for Rainbow Dash again. Rainbow Dash saw that but she couldn’t swing with the grip of the halberd she currently had and she couldn't ether change it to be lower. Luckily, combined with the already smooth stone floor and the blood from that had been pouring through the eye of the dead one during the cause of time, the Changeling slipped when it got close to her and lost control of its body. But even luckier, that Changeling was heading right towards Rainbow Dash with no control and all she could do was to stand still and let the Changeling go in to the blade of the halberd by itself. It did so too, the thin blade of the halberd landed right in the neck and Rainbow Dash got a giant explosion of blood right in her face.
She by the sudden feeling of warm blood covering her whole face released the halberd and closed her eyes harshly. The blade of the halberd got stuck deep into the Changelings body and with it fell backwards. Rainbow Dash got a bit shocked and didn't do anything for a moment but she then shortly realised that one more threat remained. She was intended to pick up the halberd again but instead she thought of quickly look behind her which was a big mistake. The first thing she saw was the last Changeling launch itself towards her and hit her back, its horn scratched a medium large wound on her left side under her wing. She made a short and light scream in pain and landed right in the blood covered floor. She didn't have any time to stand up when the Changeling immediately jumped up on her back and tried to bite her neck, she did however manage to turn her body around a bit and stop its head to reach her. They both desperately were fighting for the other ones death but Rainbow Dash had more to lose than it. She had three young ones that stared in silent panic at her.
But it was in no use, the halberd was too far away and Rainbow Dash started to feel how her body was getting tired from the struggle. In the next second the Changeling snatched with extra power towards Rainbow Dash and it actually reached her, it bite her close to her collar bone and manage to tear of a small piece of her skin. The pain was burning and in that pain she lost even more strength, she started to whimper and the situation was getting more and more grim, but in a flash Rainbow Dash saw something that maybe could save her life. It was a long nail that had came from the lock she broke earlier and it was sitting right in front of her head in the pool of blood. The Changeling was literally at this point so close to her neck, so if it had stuck out its tongue from its mouth it had touched her skin. Its warm heavily breathing was down her whole neck but in the last second of a chance of surviving, Rainbow Dash shoved her muzzle in to the blood, grabbed the nail with her teeth and drove it right in to the Changelings temple. It died slowly with its every muscle to the cost of blood entering Rainbow Dash's mouth, it was more disgusting than anything else but well worth it for making her the one still standing.
She pushed of its body and without even a second to catch her breath, she jumped up on her hoofs, ripped of the halberd from the dead Changeling and said loudly with the halberd in her mouth.
But they didn't come far from Cloudsdale before they discovered that they were followed by a handful of Changelings. Rainbow Dash stopped and did her best to catch her breath, she looked back at the small group of bloodthirsty beasts coming directly at them and was awfully calm.
Rainbow Dash watched them as they flew away and later disappeared in to the clouds, she smiled in comfort and knowing that they were safe now, but she at the same time made a sigh and threw a glance behind her. They started to get really close and to be honest, Rainbow Dash didn't have a clue of what her chances were, to survive that is. But regardless of that, she licked clean the piece of the halberds rod that she had in her mouth from blood for some bizarre reason and after that, it was on. In a quick loop she turned around towards the Changeling and charged right at them.
A little smile somehow even manage to reach Rainbow Dash's two corners of her mouth in the grip of the halberd and why she didn't know, she was pretty much rushing towards her death. Her little plan did however closing in to take its action and what she did was that just before she and the Changelings hit each other, Rainbow Dash used her advanced flying skills and did a extreme manoeuvre and pulled her whole body abruptly straight up in the air. She past just over all the Changelings head and every single one of them missed her, she did however in her quick move do a low wide swing and it actually hit one of the many beasts she passed by. She didn't know exactly what her hit did for kind of damage, but she quickly after that stopped and looked back. The Changelings was a bit surprised and didn't really know what just happened, they also stopped and from their little group, a lifeless Changeling fell straight down and disappeared in to the clouds.
When the Changelings was in to her and just about to throw themselves at her, Rainbow Dash simply pulled in her wings and let herself fall down like a rock. The Changelings once more missed her and in that, Rainbow Dash managed to end another life. She immediately after she got away from the Changelings and let them bump in to each other above her, thrust her way back up again with a strong push from her wing and drove the spear head of the halberd in to one of the Changelings visibly chest. It screamed in pain but its voice quickly died out, Rainbow Dash pulled lose the halberd in one flexible motion and the bleeding beast lost its ability to fly and fell down through the dark clouds. But after that it was over for Rainbow Dash, like a swarm of bees they all dived on to her from every angle and in that they disarmed her. The halberd went flying in to a random direction spinning and now it was the Changelings turn to do some damage. Rainbow Dash tried to fight back but it was futile, she could at best keep two of them away from her and that wouldn’t cut it. One of them manage to jump up on her back and bite her at the base of her right wing, it tried to tear it off with violent moves but the bones and muscles it was made of was too strong to be teared apart. It did however leave a terribly open wound and a lot of pain for Rainbow Dash, but that wasn't it. The rest of the brutal group also tried to bite her almost were ever they could like at her neck and legs.
They also kicked her at the areas that were open of her body and soon, Rainbow Dash didn't know if she could handle any more pain. Like a lone wolf against the rest of the pack, Rainbow Dash tried desperate to resist her beating but it was all over when the one on her back changed its biting target. It let her wing go and instead drove its long and large fangs right in to the wound that was created close to her collar bone, there a piece of flesh was missing. In the sound of twitching muscles and nerves, Rainbow Dash screamed out her agony to the sky and made it be ruled by her strong voice.
Rainbow Dash continued to cruise unknowing her way down to the ground and all she could she was darkness, but she was still alive somehow for some miraculous reason. Rainbow Dash herself however thought she was gone, preparing to pass over to the other side or whatever awaited after death. She heard a voice shouting her name in weak echoes in her head and that actually pulled her consciousness back to wake up.
She would never survive the impact in her current speed and had to even it out and the only thing that could do that, was her wings. Crying she looked back at her almost completely destroyed and bloody wing and in a reluctantly roar she spread them out anyway. The pain wanted Rainbow Dash to pass out again but it was ether pain or death. But regardless her will in to surviving, she could not manage to pull up as much as she wished to. The feeling her wing gave away was like it was about to break of from her back, but some altitude she actually was able to pull off and just in time.
Chapter 3: The Crying Forest
Chapter 3: The Crying Forest
“Where I'm I?”
Every step she made pulled her body in to an uncomfortable shaking state that she couldn't prevent from happening. Regardless of all her wounds mostly only being superficial, the pain was cutting in to her bones and Rainbow Dash was actually laughing in how much it hurt, despite the tears from her eyes. But she didn't come too far away from where she crashed at till she stopped and turned around wobbly. She remind her halberd that was stuck to the ground and decided to turn back for it. For a short while when she came up to it, she leaned against it to recover for the whole ridiculous ten step she had been taking but that felt like days of walking.
It was a burden to have with her for the moment, but Rainbow Dash just couldn't ignore what it had done for her, it had not only saved her life but also three others, it even returned to her like it was meant for her. But despite all that, Rainbow Dash continued in her extreme crippled state through the open and grassy field and beyond that towards Everfree Forest. She knew she wouldn't reach the forest before sunset and she also knew another thing, a thing she didn't look forward to. Because for her to find back to the same place as she left Twilight and Applejack, she had to get a view from above which in that meant she had to fly. Not for a long time, only for her to be able to see the one of many small mountains she, Twilight and Applejack stopped at last night, she would defiantly find it when she saw it. But that moment came faster then she wanted to. Rainbow Dash found herself standing at the edge of Everfree Forest after a long walk and knew what had to be done. Luckily the pain in her right wing and rest of her body has been significant better and she could actually walk normally, almost. She grabbed her halberd at a better place on its rod and then prepared herself to take off. She manage to jump in the air and let her wings carry her, it did hurt in her wing but nothing she couldn't handle for now.
A lot of the time she tried not to flap with her wing too much and instead just calmly glide through the sky, close to the ground. Without trouble, she discovered quickly the little tip of the mountain she was looking for and smiled at the same time lightly. The strange shape the mountain had couldn’t be missed and she immediately headed her way over there. But she didn't come too far, because right after she saw that particular mountain, her next flap with her wings gave away both a disturbing and painful noise at the base of her right wing.
In a concerned expression, Rainbow Dash swallowed her worriers and made herself in to a small ball. She closed her eyes and hoped for the best as she like a stone launched from a catapult closed in on impact. In an explosion of leafs and branches, scattered all over the place Rainbow Dash went through the forests celling and struck the ground under it. The ground was soft and drastically made the landing more merciful, but it also made her to bounce without any stop for a good while. When she finally however started to slow down her movement, she rolled a couple of more meter in to a small open spot in the forest that wasn’t easily visibly from above and hit a tree brutally with her back. She stayed at the ground with an extreme shocked face by the pain and her whole body tense in to the slightest muscle.
“Pssst.”
“Oh Rainbow Dash... it makes me happy to know that you care so much for me.”
Pinkie Pie was just a second from starting to guess random things from the look of Rainbow Dash, but something got her mind caught on something else. She saw the light coming from the sun passing the leaf and branches of the tree above them and got a shocked face.
Rainbow Dash unfortunately landed on her right which in that sentence meant she landed on her poor wing. Pinkie Pie ran right over the little opening in the forest which Rainbow Dash landed in and disappeared like a frighten animal in to the forest. Rainbow Dash rolled around for a moment in pain on the ground with a quiet but suffering face but quickly shouted towards were Pinkie Pie went to.
But then after a while Rainbow Dash passed some kind of line were the nature no longer had its greenery of growth, expect for the grass she stood on.
The last of the of the suns warming, orange beams passed over the valley that rested in front of them and slowly disappeared over the horizon where there actually was a crack in the tense clouds. But despite everything being a really comforting thing to see and experience, so couldn't Rainbow Dash ignore how Pinkie Pie looked like, it was like she had been wiped across her whole body and tortured brutally. Having her skin hanging lose at many places or even missing so you could see her exposed fleshy muscles, but she still didn't look to care or feel anything.
After Pinkie Pie's lap around Rainbow Dash she stopped right next to her and bumped her rear into Rainbow Dash's for fun. It was by a friendly force but the fact that Rainbow Dash's whole body was extremely sore by everything that had happened to her, so was it rather demanding on her. She draw all her muscles in together extremely tense and gave away both a weak moan and an anguished facial expression.
“OOoooo... is that your halberd!?”
“What weapon would I want to have... there is so many to choice from!”
When Rainbow Dash finally had got Pinkie Pie in a more controlled state she actually didn't know what to say, but Pinkie Pie however had a lot to say it seemed like but at least she wasn’t as tedious as before.
Rainbow Dash sighed but did however look down the valley as Pinkie Pie said her to do. The last of the sun’s rays reflected at the calm lake at the bottom of their little cliff and blinded Rainbow Dash's eyes lightly. Rainbow Dash sighed again but this time when a fresh wind passed by them and just made her want to grab that air with her lungs. She felt calm, and especially now in presence with a friend and also when even Pinkie Pie was at harmony with her mind.
“Where is it now?”
Her second time looking at it, she raised her eyebrow’s in surprise and that expanded even further to extreme shock. Rainbow Dash even leaned forward almost so far that she fell and then she with enormous eyes said with an extremely stammer voice.
“Pinkie Pie!”
She went to Rainbow Dash's halberd and jumped up on its long handle, pushing its axe blade deeper to the ground and then she started to balance on it with a playful gloss in her eye. Rainbow Dash watched Pinkie Pie having her strange fun and just sighed out heavily, she also looked more careful at Pinkie Pie's wounds and couldn't believe how she could ignore them. It must have been so painful Rainbow Dash thought for herself but still Pinkie Pie acted like there wasn't a scratch on her. Slowly Rainbow Dash closed in on Pinkie Pie and on the way she threw a gaze behind her on the last shine from the sun.
“You're hopeless Pinkie Pie... but come... let’s go to Twilight and Applejack now... it’s getting late.
Rainbow Dash actually jumped a bit in Pinkie Pie's little burst of stronger feelings than usual for her and just stared at her, maybe even a bit frightened. But Pinkie Pie's frustrated eyes quickly disappeared in to what Rainbow Dash saw as sadness and then she whispered out extremely sore.
It wasn't usual for her to be this deep, or for her to watch as deeply as she did in to anypony's eyes, but when she saw that she held Rainbow Dash's all focus, she smiled as wide as she could with a tear leaving her eye and said.
Pinkie Pie was still in consciousness but a tired glance was easily visibly in her, she was fading away fast.
Rainbow Dash in that moment found herself in panic and in a explosion of hysterical mix of strong feelings. She hugged Pinkie Pie's dead body as hard as she could and just let everything out, she didn't try to be tough or anything, she didn't care the slightest about that now.
They hated her Rainbow Dash felt, even if she couldn't her a single word what they was saying and that awoke the next thing Rainbow Dash's mind created, guilt. She stepped up and went towards the shadows that actually didn't exist and yelled at them that it wasn’t her fault.
She pulled herself together and took her time in sitting up, her eyes kept realising tears like a waterfall but not a sound came from her. She looked up into the air with her mouth half open and gave away a face like she didn't know who or were she was, she stayed in this position for some time but then all the suddenly she yelled so loud out that her echoes would be heard far away and stay in the air for a long time.
Rainbow Dash could hear how her shout scared away birds and other wildlife close to where she was, her voice in the air seemed to never die out and in that she could swear on that her Element of Loyalty started to vibrate weakly around her neck. On the edge of passing out, Rainbow Dash once more broke out in crying screams, but regardless of that she went to were Pinkie Pie was and behold her body. Gently she lowered herself to the ground and hugged Pinkie Pie's cold body carefully, her big wide wound in her throat got squeezed against Rainbow Dash's shoulder but Dash didn't care, the feeling of blood and open fleshy wounds was irrelevant, but her goodbye to a dear friend wasn't.
Chapter 4: The Uniting of Sorrow
Chapter 4: The Uniting of Sorrow
Night was falling and most of Everfree Forest was left in shadows, the only light source that existed was the long timed passed sun that succeeded to brighten up some of the dark clouds.
They both were silent and only held their eyes stuck to the sky, they had been searching for Pinkie Pie over a large area around the mountain but not found a trace of her. But for the moment they were more concerned about Rainbow Dash and wondered for her safety.
It didn't scare them however because the time between the light and the sound was so far apart that they could prepare themselves and expect the loud explosion in the distance. They watched were the sudden bright light came from and just waited out its following echo, the second after that, rain started to fall but only in a dripping amount.
Twilight pushed herself back in a short girlish scream and landed on her back, Applejack almost jumped out of her skin by Twilight's scream and turned in a twitch backward. Rainbow Dash just stood there while holding a stone face and didn't even flinch by the reactions she got from them, Twilight and Applejack however was far out on edge and didn't at first recognize Rainbow Dash in how that she looked like.
“D-Dash?”
But before Rainbow Dash's mind total went to madness, Twilight showed herself and appeared above the fire.
“What kind of trouble exactly did you pull yourself in to?”
“How... how did you wash me of?”
Another moment with nothing else than the fire to fill the empty air passed, Twilight must have made the largest sigh in her entire life and also got the most miserable face ever. Applejack went wobbly away from Twilight and Rainbow Dash and leaned towards the cave wall, she cried gently for herself but hid that from to be seen or heard. She then cleared her voice to cover up her cry and pretending it never happened and asked total wretched.
But how could Rainbow Dash not, she kept hearing her promise she yelled out across Everfree forest echoing in her head and setting her blood on fire.
She leered at Applejack discreet and felt her tongue tingling behind her teeth.
Applejack pulled her eyebrows up in surprise by what Rainbow Dash just had asked for and also Twilight shaken her head tenderly by shock.
She tried not to look up at Applejack's face or over at Twilight because she knew they would have given her a strange face. They did also do that, both Applejack and Twilight was staring into each other’s eyes confused but shortly after that, Twilight also stood up and went over to her two friends. She did just like Rainbow Dash did but only differences was that Twilight did it to her, she crawled up next to Rainbow Dash and really squeezed Rainbow Dash between her and Applejack. Finally Rainbow Dash dared to look up and saw how both Twilight and Applejack smiled wide towards her. She blushed even more which of course amused Twilight and Applejack greatly, they were just not used to see Rainbow Dash like this, so soft and vulnerable so speak of. But even Rainbow Dash manage to get a little unsure smile on her face and after that, it didn't take long till all three of them was in a deep sleep.
The following morning was the first day in a long while with the sky almost completely clear from clouds and the sun actually warming the land with its beams. Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had got up early and had the plans to not linger to long before moving. They left the little cave and were just about to parry their way through the forest and hoped to reach the outskirts of Ponyville to the evening. But just before they was about to leave, Rainbow Dash stayed behind with a bit confused face which of course Twilight and Applejack saw and Twilight asked.
“Come on Rainbow Dash... leave it... it will only slow you down.”
The three of them was at first completely quiet without a single words be utter, but Applejack couldn't resist in thinking what actually had happen Rainbow Dash while she was gone. Though Twilight herself nether could resist in think exactly like Applejack, so didn't she take that step in asking Rainbow Dash like Applejack did.
Rainbow Dash saw that and decided just to force words out of her mouth and keep her answer simple.
The three of them stayed quiet for a while but then, Applejack couldn't stand the silent and asked.
Applejack held her head high towards the trees and Twilight held low towards the ground, she walked some steps back from where they had come from and while doing so she thought she heard something in some bushes next to her. Twilight locked her head in a blink towards those bushes and think she saw some movement in them as well. Unsure she turned her head to Applejack behind her, just to make sure she wasn't alone and when she saw Applejack holding her gaze up to the treetops she turned her head back to the bushes.
Applejack however a bit further away didn't feel as concerned as Twilight did at all, she jumped up on one of the trees with her front hoofs and asked up towards the top of it a bit frustrated.
Like a lightning hitting the ground, Applejack turned around just as fast and saw that further away from her how Twilight was laying on the ground with a Changeling over her.
“No stop Applejack!”
The Changeling stayed in its position and looked passed Twilight's wet face of tears with a rather calm face, immediately after that Twilight started to twitch like her skin crawled infinity and exclaim.
Twilight felt how she barely could breath and how her ribs got bend towards her insides and pushing distressful on her organs. A long painful scream Twilight made in to the air, totally breaking her apart in weeping and the Changeling didn't seem to have any hurry to let her scream to die out.
This time the Changeling didn't do anything to Twilight, it just kept its eyes on Applejack and figured that she regardless of what Twilight just said would submit anyway, and it was right.
She was swinging it down with its axe blade first, hitting the Changeling right in its back and breaking through its thick bug shell and completely destroying its wings. The sound of the impact was a loud cracking that even felt painful just to hear, but the Changeling of course was the one suffering, it literally had its whole back exploded in blood. It roared out its pain to the sky in an ear-splitting sharp tone and while it was too busy dealing with the pain, Rainbow Dash twisted her halberd and broke completely of one side of its bug shell. The Changeling at this point wasn't a threat, at least not for Rainbow Dash and while its scream just continued to cleave through everypony's ear, Rainbow Dash then tackled it of Twilight. In a quick jump Rainbow Dash went over Twilight that immediately started to crawl away as fast as she could after she got free from the Changelings grasp. She headed towards Applejack in pure panic while Rainbow Dash finished her business and it was definitely not going to be clean.
The Changeling was currently laying on its side a short distance from where Rainbow Dash pushed it of Twilight and it was kicking wildly with all its legs in pain. Rainbow Dash moved quickly towards it and without any kind of delay, she drove the spear of the halberd in to its belly that was visibly. She then in a quick movement ripped up its whole chest in a clumsy small roar and backed up as its all inner organs got spilled out on the ground. The Changeling lost all its sign of life in matter of seconds and was now laying there, silent and still just as anyone would have done if they were dead. Its bloody pale intestines flowed out on the blood, together with other things that wasn't to attractive to watch. Twilight and Applejack that was a bit further away stayed down on the ground, holding each other firmly and only watched paled as ghost at Rainbow Dash. Luckily for them they didn't need to see too much of the butchering, because the Changeling had its back towards them and in that hiding its belly. Rainbow Dash however saw everything and she really wished she never had stared at the mess so long as she did.
She wanted to throw up but avoided to do so, she instead sharpen her ears and looked up to the sky and said stressed.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack made sure to take good care of Twilight, they even leered at each other discreet to make sure that both of them was willing to do anything for Twilight.
She however didn't find any and she also could hear how the Changelings rustles wings got closer.
Twilight nodded carefully and target the Changelings with her eyes, she stared at them deeply and concentrated like she was in some sort of trance and soon words started to exit her mouth which was what one of the Changeling was saying.
Both Applejack and Twilight then looked over at Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash clearly saw how they putted all hope on her and Rainbow Dash just couldn't understand why.
“I... have a plan.”
“Why!?”
“No... she's not.”
“No... no!”
“Good... but we still need them further away from Twilight but... why did you follow me... I can handle myself!”
Both of Rainbow Dash and Applejack fell forward and rolled right next to each other, they didn’t have a clue of what was happening in their surrounding but soon it took stop for them. They landed on a small dirt cliff with dust delirious all around them and they could hear regardless of being dizzy and somewhat lost in their minds how the Changelings were getting closer.
The cliff they were on was rather big but it was a dead end everywhere, at the cliffs end another just as steep ramp of dirt led to a thick part of the forest. Rainbow Dash saw her halberd in front of her hoofs and without hesitate she grabbed it and said clumsy while playing with her tongue around the halberds rod.
In an explosion of body’s, the Changeling group got scattered all over the cliff and some even fell off and continued to roll even further. The dust cloud around them once more made an appearance but this time more dense then before, the remaining Changelings on the cliff was now in the stadium that Applejack and Rainbow Dash was in and took themselves a couple of second to get up. But before they had time, Rainbow Dash struck down another one with her halberd with a carefully swing that landed in its neck. She almost got its head to come off as she cut through its thick and hard skin to the flesh and making its open throat to a fountain of blood. But Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one doing things, when Applejack finally could see pass the powder smoke in the air she notice how a dizzy Changeling was on the ground right in front of her and with its back turned to her. It was slowly standing up but before it had time to do so, Applejack turned quickly around and launched her hind legs right in the back of its head.
Applejack had some serious strength in her legs but the fact if she killed the Changeling or just putted it out for the moment was unsure, regardless it fell to the ground with its whole body relaxed. The Changelings that now had landed on the cliff and was still alive, started to get a better approach of the situation as all of them now stood up and had Rainbow Dash and Applejack surrounded. Rainbow Dash and Applejack was touching butts and had half of the view of the platform for them self. They were both breathing so heavily that they barely could talk but Rainbow Dash actually manage to get an idea and said.
Rainbow Dash didn't react to much, she just stood still with her muscles tense and when the Changeling in the front was close enough, she yelled and jumped a step to the side.
She dropped her halberd and started to jump and just make it as difficult as possibly for them to stay on her. They were persistent to get off but at the same time they couldn't do anything to hurt her, Applejack of course saw this and in a quick moment of planning she for the third time kicked with her hind legs and managed to get of one from Rainbow Dash. But now Applejack was total open and vulnerable and the Changelings took that to their advantage. Two of them jumped on Applejack, pulling her of the cliff together with themselves.
There were three more Changelings in Rainbow Dash's present but they all for a brief moment went up to the cliffs edge and looked down to see what happen to the others. Rainbow Dash thought they were going after Applejack so she felt the adrenalin hit her body in a second, igniting her anger at the same time.
Its skin was rough but she managed to penetrate it and then warm blood taste spread through her mouth. Like a dog she started to shake the Changeling like a toy and thanks to her solid grip of its throat, she pulled of a major part of its front side, seeing how that was enough for making it bleed to death in time. Rainbow Dash immediately pitted out that bloody flesh piece she had ripped off and stared for a half second on the Changeling. Its pain was easily spotted and how it reached up to its neck with its front hoof which immediately got drowned in blood. It looked surprised and even scared at Rainbow Dash while dying and without the slightest sympathy for its life Rainbow Dash yelled with pure hate towards it.
The last three Changelings at the edge of the cliff turned around in Rainbow Dash scream but more than that they didn't have time to do, because Rainbow Dash grabbed her halberd in a wink and threw herself at them. With help of the rod on her halberd she managed to pull all three with her and she was now on her way down the ramp uncontrollable just like Applejack a moment ago. Before hitting the bottom it was a lot of other things Rainbow Dash bumped into, some were the Changelings she was travelling with and some was bigger rocks on the ramp. When they reached the thick forest at the bottom it was still surprising enough far to the real bottom. The just passed a ceiling of leafs and branches, both thick and thin. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and felt how weak branches snatched all around her together with the Changelings but she also unfortunate hit a fully grow branch that didn't budge the slightest by her body.
She got it right in her stomach and felt how her ribs took the blow, she almost passed out or she maybe even did it for a couple of seconds for the last thing she remember was that it was completely quiet and how something warm was in front of her. Her eyes was closed but when she tried to move she felt something extremely painful stinging in her chest. She open her eyes and saw right in front of her how the Changeling that she had broken its lower jaw earlier basically was leaning towards her chest.
Her surrounding was a nightmare, there were some trees but not many, the main thing that was growing here wasn't either bushes or other plants, it was these strange locking wooden stakes that came from the ground. They looked like giant stings on a rose and they were exactly everywhere, it was a minefield of them. The worst part of it was that the whole area was scattered with Changelings body, Rainbow Dash could at least see four other Changelings that had suffer the same fate as the one with the broken jaw. They were dead every single one and it wasn’t a pleasant sight, one for example had three stakes driven in to its body and was hanging in the air. Blood was pouring from every entrance of the stakes in to it and the ground quickly took its red colour, the ground also was completely made of dried dirt and maybe even some sand, it looked strange and it was filled with dried cracks, making it hard and were the stakes was growing out from. Rainbow Dash stood up and in panic she looked around while screaming.
Rainbow Dash stayed quiet and she actually heard a short distance from her in a weak voice.
Applejack was laying on her side, breathing irregular and making strange noises every time.
She then all the suddenly started to cough up blood which scared Rainbow Dash so much that she forget to breath in the gaps of her sobbing. She quickly helped Applejack up but not too far, the pain the stake gave her pulsated extremely in every movement she did and made her moan in grief. Applejack cough up even more blood but this time with not as much problem, Rainbow Dash got some on her but she didn't care, she instead in panic and stress said.
Applejack immediately steered back up Rainbow Dash's red eyes of tears and created an eye contact with her and said.
“Quick... you must go to Twilight... she needs your help more than ever.”
“I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for everything I done and said to you in the past... for picking that fight in the cave... and everything else.”
A couple of hours later towards the sunset, Rainbow Dash had managed to drag her body and her halberd all the way to Ponyville through the forest. She stopped at the end of Everfree Forest and behold its downfall, it was literally standing in ruins but without delay, Rainbow Dash started to move towards Twilight's house, it was the only place she could imaging finding her at.
Rainbow Dash entered the house, immediately seeing how the floor was far from straight, it leaned to the right and everything was in a mess. Dozens of books were laying on the floor and in the corners were the house was tipping to. Rainbow Dash closed the door behind her and didn't realise till then how dark it actually was. Only small amounts of light came through the windows but it was sunset now and when the darkest hours was about to arrive it would be total pitch black Rainbow Dash could guess.
“Oh Dash... I thought I never would see you again!”
Later that night when both of them had calm themselves down, Twilight's whole house or what's was left of it, had a thin gloomy atmosphere to it and Rainbow Dash was actually sitting at the frame of a window on the second floor. Thanks for the house tipping, it made that window Rainbow Dash was at to be facing a strange angle up and the view it had, was nothing else than Canterlot itself in the distance. She stared empty up at it as darkness was falling and consuming everything and after a while, Twilight joined her. She sat next to her but didn't say a word, she still could get weak sobs to struck her throat but nothing major. For a long time they just stared at nothing else then the sadness of what was left of Ponyville, but there was one thing Rainbow Dash couldn't stop in thinking at, something that couldn't be ignore. She looked over at Twilight and knew very well that she was very wise and decided in that to ask when she knew the answer she would get was going to be the truth and nothing made up.
Twilight looked to her left at Rainbow Dash and waited patiently at the question, Rainbow Dash swallowed before she said anything and when she did she had to look to a different direction.
“Rainbow Dash!”
Chapter 5: Twilight's Heavy Words
Chapter 5: Twilight's Heavy Words
The leaning bed was a strange feeling to sleep in, but the fact that it was impossible to sleep away from each other and instead literally on top of each other felt even more awkward. It wasn’t uncomfortable or so, it was the exactly opposite, the bed was soft and wide and its thick dark blue cover rapped around them kept them warm. Rainbow Dash was laying on top of Twilight, having her head over her shoulder and resting right next to Twilight’s, which she had a peaceful look on to and resting on her giant white pillow. Twilight’s warm back was against Rainbow Dash’s chest and sometimes when Rainbow Dash moved, Twilight’s mane tickled her neck. It was dark in the whole house and a layer of coldness was flouting in every room that came from the outside through damaged areas on the tree. The sky outside didn’t have a single cloud on it and the moon shined bright together with stars over what was left of Ponyville.
A medium thick fog was slowly passing by the town which came from Everfree Forest. Rainbow Dash waked up by a chill running down her spin and that continued through her legs. She looked tiredly outside the window, seeing the grey fog outside and above it the moon in the clear black sky. Carefully she turned her head back to the rest of the house, seeing that everything stood in shadows. It was really quiet but regardless of that so could Rainbow Dash hear strange noises that were similar to whispers. It wasn’t disturbing she thought though, she could feel that it was caused by the fog outside and that it was the mist that made these sounds while slowly flouting around. She looked down at Twilight that was sleeping deeply and smiled in her tiredness when she saw that Twilight was dreaming something. It couldn’t be a nightmare Rainbow Dash knew, Twilight was to calm and only twitched in small movements time to time. Rainbow Dash lay back down onto Twilight, placing her mouth next to her ear and whispered extremely slow and quiet.
Not a single reaction did she get from Twilight and at the same time she got her answer.
“Are you awake Dash?”
Both of them were quiet for some time without a single word being uttered, but Twilight then said with heavy words.
“What are we going to do today?”
Other than that Rainbow Dash couldn't say that she liked the whole idea of not doing anything, but she also thought how Twilight actually was right in her words and decided in that to reply.
Twilight then crawled off the beds edge under Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash just stared at her a little bit scared for some reason.
Rainbow Dash gave it another one or two tries to relax and maybe even fall asleep again for a shorter nap, but it was impossible. Her whole body tingled like she was nervous, but she actually only did so because she couldn’t stay still for another moment, she needed to do something she felt. In a loud and annoyed sigh she threw her head up in the air, staring at the celling for a half second before stepping of the bed. Rainbow Dash went downstairs to see what Twilight was doing and saw that she currently stood on her hind legs, leaning towards one of her many bookshelves and looking as far back she could in it.
She then just threw all of the books in the shelf in front of her and jumped down. Without saying anything, Twilight kept a concentrated face while passing by Rainbow Dash and walking upstairs to her other books she had there. Again Rainbow Dash could hear how Twilight moved books everywhere and bumped them in to other objects. She was really looking for something but what, was a mystery, all Dash did was to hope it would actually help them in the end because Dash herself had no idea of what they could do. Rainbow Dash went up to a window next to the door out and was really amazed in how thick the fog really was. She even decided to go outside, knowing that there was no chance for her to be seen by any Changelings if they didn't stand right in front of her. But when she opened the door she immediately heard from upstairs.
Twilight stayed a bit on edge even after what Rainbow Dash said, she looked out the window next to the door at the fog and then added.
The pain in her wing was almost completely gone, only small itching stings that felt just like muscle soreness was left. The rest of her body felt just fine, some areas hurt more than others but overall, only one or two more days would have even out that also. She jumped up in the air and flew very slowly another lap around the tree. Rainbow Dash smiled big for herself in that she could fly without major pain and at the same time, realize how much she actually loved to fly. It was her whole life, it was what she was made to do, she only wished she could launch herself up to the sky and fly above the clouds once more where the sun was visibly. But she would never leave Twilight, no matter how much she desired freedom around her. She continued to fly some more around the tree till she found how silly it actually was of her and then landed on a thick branch. The branch was just outside the window she yesterday together with Twilight sat on its frame and stared at Canterlot in the distance.
Rainbow Dash did look towards where Canterlot was, but she couldn't even see the slightest part of the mountain it was built on, she could barely even see the ground from where she was. Anyway, regardless of there not being too much to see or do, Rainbow Dash laid down on the branch and felt warm inside by her little flight. There wasn't much more that happen that day, Twilight was inside, working with her books in search of something unknown and Rainbow Dash was resting outside. Towards the night at sunset when it was like the fog got so thick that not even light could pass through it but actually only was the sun falling over the horizon. The window not far from where Rainbow Dash was at open and there stood Twilight.
Rainbow Dash sighed in a hopeless breath and felt how every wound on her body twitched.
“How about you then... how do you feel?”
Rainbow Dash grabbed Twilight's enormous pillow with her mouth and pulled it away from where it was. She then started according to Twilight, making a fuddle with the sheets and the cover and not seeing at all what she tried to accomplice.
“You’re right... this worked really well.”
They were now literally touching noses and the only place to look was in to the other ones eyes. Both of them went completely silent, not saying a single word for a long time.
They then decided to stay quiet for some time, close to a half hour passed without any of them saying a single word or move more than their breathing torsos against each other. They both could feel the other ones heart beating in their chest, making the situation all strange.
“Why do we make ourselves endure this... we don't deserve it!”
“Look at me!”
Twilight got more and more tears to show themselves, but not even close to what Rainbow Dash had, without any hesitate she then jumped down from the bed and walked downstairs in a fast pace. The sound of the door out opening echoed through the darkness and then, everything went quiet again. Rainbow Dash was now alone and in a quick series of breathing that got louder and heavier for every time, she broke out in pure grief by the loneliness. She shoved her head down in to the bed among its sheets and covers and just screamed out. She cried so much that she almost felt dehydration and how that made her extremely tired and weak. Dash cried so hard that she barley could breath, but her body didn't tell her to do anything else then that. For minutes she did this and heard over the time how the wind swept through the open door downstairs over and over again, making her wish it was Twilight that was returning every single time.
But Rainbow Dash heard then something else all the suddenly and that wasn't coming from downstairs. At first she didn't care what it was, but she then realized it was coming somewhere beneath the bed. She looked up and tried to make out what the sound was while breathing irregular and confused but it had a strange and unfamiliar tone to itself. In a quick move Rainbow Dash wiped of her face and crawled to the edge of the bed towards the sound. She then leaned out of the bed so far that she could look under it and what she saw there made her face broke out in pure shock.
The little red lightning on it gave away heat Rainbow Dash felt before she even touched it and when she did touch it, an incredible bright flash struck her eyes that both hurt and made her fall of the bed. She hit her head and moaned quickly for herself while recover from the impact with the floor. Slowly she then rolled over to her belly and when she saw her Element of Harmony again, she felt how the flash just a second ago had images in it.
Frightened she looked over to the stairs down in a twitch and held a facial expression of panic.
Chapter 7: A Heavy Price
Chrysalis lowered her shield around Twilight and Twilight felt immediately how the air around her got occupied by Chrysalis magic and for whatever reason made Twilight's horn start itching. Twilight was unable to use magic she felt, Chrysalis influence had done something but for the moment she didn't care. She rushed away to Rainbow Dash in a straight line without even throwing the slightest glaze at Chrysalis or her Changelings. In loud splashing sounds Twilight walked in the thin layer of blood surrounding Rainbow Dash and just stood there.
“Don't worry... it may look brutal but I can asssure you... ssshe isss far from dying... a pony'sss body may be sssmall and sssoft to their sssurface... but as one... they are rather sssussstainable.”
Chrysalis smiled big and made another hand out of her hair and reached over to Twilight there she pinched loosely at Twilight's cheek. Twilight pulled immediately away her head from Chrysalis little grasp which made the Changeling queen to laugh some with her mouth closed and then right after that, continue to speak.
“So... what you're saying is that... you're willing to let my friend go?”
“You're to hurt to be a part of thisss dissscusssion... jussst relax and let usss with a clear mind take care of thisss... I'm sssure your friend over here sssee reasssoning in her few but exisssting choicesss... am I right... Twilight... Sssparkle?
Twilight looked down at Rainbow Dash that desperately tried to break free but Twilight couldn't bear to watch her for too long. She changed her gaze over to Chrysalis and expressed her words with haste.
“Then it isss decided!”
“I'm sorry I couldn't keep that promise you wanted... and I'm sorry for what I said earlier... you will always be my friend no matter what... always... remember that.”
“Twilight.”
The first thing Rainbow Dash did was to make her way over to Twilight in her limping movement and make a turn so she appeared on her front. She stopped and felt her whole body tingling, her eyes was shaking in their sockets of her skull as she looked down on Twilight.
“I tried to protect you... I really did... but I failed.”
“Stay away from her!”
Chrysalis actually gave away a rather angry look to Rainbow Dash, it appeared that Rainbow Dash's words hit a weak spot in insulting her. Without saying anything, Chrysalis just continued to hold her highly unfriendly face and made her way slowly up to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash actually expected Chrysalis to kill her on this very spot by what she had said and just continued to lay there on the floor next to Twilight. She stared with a tough face right into Chrysalis shining eyes by a lightning that appears outside through a window and awaited death with acceptances.
Dash covered up immediately the two small wounds Chrysalis fangs had made on her neck with a hoof and gave away a painful, stinging facial expression. But the pain quickly just from nowhere disappeared and so did it from her wounds under her wings. She was surprised and confused by the strange feeling of no pain and stranger it become. In just matter of seconds later, Rainbow Dash could barely feel her body, everything had went numb and she looked up surprised and asked rather frightened with heavy breaths.
Chrysalis just shaken her head back and forth and then just turned around to leave and go further into the castle. Everyone got a bit surprised by that, even the Changelings followed her with their eyes rather chocked. Rainbow Dash then looked around her at all the Changeling and saw how they did the same thing. Slowly started Rainbow Dash to back off towards the balcony in the end of the room and the second Dash thought all of them would swarm over her by the look they all gave her, they just stayed quiet and hurried up in the same direction as Chrysalis disappeared in.
With not too much time spending in the air, Ponyville quickly appeared through the mist down at the ground. Rainbow Dash steered herself right away to it when she couldn't think off any better place to go to and it was lucky she did to. All the suddenly Dash felt how her body started to turn normal and she could actually feel the proper cold from the rain surrounding her, but that also meant that her pain would return. Slowly but sure her sides itched like needles got pushed into her and how Twilight's weight on her back there she had been whipped started to sting.
Her wings were giving away for the weight and soon she knew she would crash. The ground under her and that was the streets of Ponyville was just a short distant away, if she was to land from here that wouldn’t have been too bad but she wanted it to be as smooth as possibly for Twilight's sake.
She felt fine expect from the marks Chrysalis had left on her body, the landing hadn’t hurt her at all but she just couldn't believe what she saw and what she was doing. The beautiful and once peaceful Ponyville was no more and here she was in what was left of it with one of her dearest friends. The grass tickled one side of her face in the fresh and heavy winds the storm contained of and she emitted for herself that she had no idea of what to do. It was still night and far from morning, Dash just continued to lay there on the ground and so would she have kept doing if it wasn't for Twilight shouting her name hoarse and scared.
Twilight was literally shouting to Rainbow Dash in concern but Rainbow Dash could see it in her eyes that Twilight was in some sort of chock. Her breathing was irregular and loud and thinking about her wound in her chest so was this no place for her. Rainbow Dash ignored what Twilight was saying and started to work her way to get Twilight on her back again.
But just as they passed through Ponyville's town square, Twilight leaned forward to Rainbow Dash's head and whispered something directly into her ear, something that made Dash to stop and feel how her spine shivered brutally.
She continued then her way over to Twilight's house where she stuffed Twilight in her own bed and tried her best to look after her wounds.
By her thoughts she could feel the taste of blood coming back from the Changeling she had once torn apart its throat when she was fighting together with Applejack. Her sorrow quickly faded away and got replaced with the strong feeling of wanting to destroy something. But in Rainbow Dash boiling body she got interrupt by Twilight.
“But there is maybe still some hope... a small shard of light... one last thing we could try.”
She leered back over her shoulder to the bed and on Twilight and just watched her as she could she Twilight was waiting for an answer. But Dash saw something else too, something that was shining red from underneath the bed and she knew immediately what it was.
Chapter 8: The Disorganized Mind and Soul
Chapter 8: The Disorganized Mind and Soul
“Twilight… you… you can’t be serious.”
Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything this time, she just kept holding Twilight and stared down at her with fright for her life. Twilight was trying to catch her breath and when she did, she continued to speak a few words.
“To be honest… nothing… but in the end what does it matter… if Chrysalis isn’t stopped here… all is lost anyway.”
The rain was also perfect angled towards the window and just in matter of seconds the whole floor in front of it was wet. Rainbow Dash then helped Twilight over to the window just as she wanted and there she hanged over the window frame with her front hoofs and just enjoyed the cold the rain gave her. Dash thought the icing cold was unbearable and backed off from the window and waited for Twilight to ask for help to get over to the bed again. But Twilight under a rather long time didn’t say or do anything, the cold that had taken her entire body neutralized the feeling of the burning fever she had and the warm pain in her chest. Rainbow Dash could just feel from there she stood that the weather was freezing by the wind she felt and asked by worry for Twilight.
Without saying anything more, Rainbow Dash moved up next to Twilight and kept her company in the freezing rain. She immediately became soaking wet and started to shake by the icy feeling, Twilight however seemed not to be bother by it so much and just continued to smile out to the storm with her eyes closed. There they stayed for a while without trading a single word with each other, but it wasn't too much time that passed before Rainbow Dash just couldn't bear the rain and said.
“Dash... you can't stay her in Ponyville anymore... it's not safe... you need to hide for a while from Chrysalis while you have the chance.”
Rainbow Dash just continued to stay quiet but after a while she finally broke her silence.
After that both of them shortly fell asleep and when the morning arrived, only Dash woke up. But despite not acting like it yesterday so knew Rainbow Dash very well that this would happen and she grieved harshly over have lost the only thing left in life that she really cared for. She left Twilight's house early and with Twilight peacefully in her own bed. There was only one place to go to felt Rainbow Dash and that was directly to Discord's statue, just outside Ponyville in the park next to the labyrinth there she remember how she completely failed her friends under Discord's influence once. Dash really didn't know what her honest feelings towards Discord was like, she obvious didn't like the idea of freeing him but at the same time she saw how Twilight most likely was right in that he maybe sadly was the only hope. In time she reached his statue and there he stood, in the exactly same and surprised pose as when he had been trapped. The rain poured down his stone form and it was in this moment Rainbow Dash just got the feeling in how this was a really bad idea.
She took her time and didn't hurry, she went around him thinking and speculate in how it would end and what she possibly could choice in terms of words towards someone so unpredictable. But in the end she wasn't any wiser as before and just decided to do it. She went up to him at the front, looking up his long body for a couple of seconds before pressing her Element of Harmony against his leg. The little shining light in the gem immediately died out and at first, nothing happen at all. Rainbow Dash took a step back and just waited patient while observing. Awhile passed and still not a thing had happen, Rainbow Dash looked down at her Element, thinking it had lost its power and meaning. But it was then how she notices something on Discord's statue, she looked at his griffin arm and saw how small fragments of stone fell from his fingers.
Soon the entire statue was set in motion and small stone pieces fell from every limb of his body, his tail tried desperately to break free and his lower jaw vibrated brutally. Dash expected this to be a rather long process for him to break completely free but as soon as she thought so for herself, a giant crack appeared in his chest and followed with the entire statue to literally explode. Stone pieces flew to every direction and Dash raised a hoof to protect her face from its splitter that wasn't that bad to be honest when it hit her. Discord after the explosion reached to the sky with his head and made a satisfied roar. Rainbow Dash lowered her hoof and there she saw him, a worrying eyesight. He stretched his long back in a disturbing sound while gasping just like he woke up from sleep. After that he straighten his body and looked down at his hands in a way like it was the first time he saw them and said to himself cheerful in his rough voice.
“You have no one else to blame then yourself for that!”
“And her name is Chrysalis... the queen of Changelings.”
“I have been fighting for my very own survival for days now... I have seen every last one out of my friends die right in front of me because I couldn't protect them... my mind is about to explode by all the struggling and you think that's fair?!”
“I don't know... most likely leave Equestria.”
Silent he leered up at Rainbow Dash with an unamused face and when Dash saw that she continued yelling with the feeling in her throat of the desire of weeping.
“These lands are dead... and I don't think there is any more to them at this point... which you also should see while you have the chance.”
First it was just some few tears passing by her eyes silent but later, it broke out more, she started to sob and feel how her eyes twitched and then the actually weeping started. It was rather quiet but that also changed with time, after just a short moment her emotion broke wild with screaming and crying into the wet grass that she was laying on.
She gazed with a miserly face around her at Ponyville, it was so quiet and still, not a movement was to be seen anywhere. House by house she passed with each of them barely being standing.
Smoothly she left Ponyville behind her and moved up the small hill at the front, it was then how Chrysalis turned her head slowly and looked directly at Rainbow Dash with a harmless facial expression. Dash stopped with an extra heartbeat in her chest and awaited while swallow a bit of fear. But Chrysalis didn't do anything, she just stared for a while at Rainbow Dash and returned her head into its former position. Without hesitate, Rainbow Dash continued up the hill and funny enough, she sat down on the grass next to Chrysalis, facing the same way as she did. In front of them, they had Ponyville and beyond that, the mountain with Canterlot on its side. The rain as usual poured down as it had for days now but the air was somewhat clear from the fog. Rainbow Dash felt horrible, her entire body was shaking but not enough to be notice by the eye. Her eyelid wanted to fall down and make her fall asleep, she could feel the soreness of her two black eyes as she blinked and it didn't take long for Chrysalis to say.
With great delay before adding something, Rainbow Dash wiped of her face slowly as her eyes hurt when her hoof passed by them.
“I'm not relaxed... or any of those other things... I'm just to tired.”
“But you however...”
Chrysalis actually made a warm looking smile when she was done and slowly returned her hand into her mane. Confused out of her mind, Rainbow Dash watched her as Chrysalis did the same thing but with a much more certain facial expression then herself.
“But you know what... even though I have come for you... ssso will I give you a head ssstart.”
“Thaaatsss... a sssecret... you're a ssstrange one I must sssay... when you thought that I was going to kill you... you don't even flinch... but when you hear that I have come to take you with me... you're actually preparing to flee.”
She then looked back into Dash's eyes and showed that she was a bit disappointed but none the less accepting the easy work.
She was capable of tearing lose her right front hoof from the ice but as soon as she putted it down again on the ground to do the same on her other hoofs, it froze back into pure ice and this time in a worse state. Her entire leg from top to bottom got trapped in thick ice and after that, the rest of her legs did the same to prevent her from breaking free again. But that wouldn't happen again because Rainbow Dash was too busy shouting out the freezing pain that had occupied half her body. She could feel how her heart in tearing beats struggled to keep her limbs warm and shortly followed with her shaking, in just matter of seconds she went pale and also at that moment so had Chrysalis shadow reached over her. Dash which was in a lot of pain looked up futile at Chrysalis and actually tried to beg, but her voice was so shaken and barely a single word was understandable that came out from her.
Not though that would change Chrysalis mind as she determined grabbed Rainbow Dash around her throat with a hand from her mane and looked deep into her eyes.
Chapter 9: A Sore Back
The dripping sound of water, hitting a flat surface of stone echoed through the air and reached Rainbow Dash's consciousness. Before opening her eyes she felt how her body was weak and sore and how she was laying on something strange. She really had to force her tiresome eyes open and when she saw her surrounding and current state she was in, so couldn't she help it but to feel fear creep up her back. She was laying on top of some kind of odd triangle shaped thing with its top cut flat and which were she had her chest resting against. Its length was about as her own and it was actually not uncomfortable to lay on when the whole thing was covered in dark red cloth which was both soft and thick. It was however strongly uncomfortable due to the fact that she was strapped and tied to it with some kind of thin leather strips around her all four legs that then connected to chains that pulled them towards the floor. She was firmly stuck to it and couldn't move at all.
By fright Rainbow Dash immediately tried to break free, but all she manages to do was to make the chains echo through the room she was in. Speaking of the room she was in so couldn't she say it made her feel any more calm as she looked around. She was surrounded by a few candles but that was it, everything else was pitch black. No rain or lightning could be heard which could only mean two things, the storm had either stopped, or she was somewhere deep, far away from the outside.
“Ssso we are finally awake.”
“W-w... what are you going to do with me!?”
Chrysalis after a while went up to the other sheet on the floor next to Dash and while she did that, Rainbow Dash asked.
“W-what have I possibly done to deserve torture... why isn't killing me just enough for you... do you want me to beg for mercy... because I will do that if it means an end to this?!”
The fear of more pain and the imagination of the suffering these tools could provide to Rainbow Dash were overwhelming. It was almost like Dash already could feel how Chrysalis picked up one of the many hooks laying next to her and shoved it in her already existing and on-going healing wound on her side, just to rip it wide open and tear out her organs.
“It'sss... complicated... but sssoon... you will underssstand.”
Sobbing without a stop didn't really affect Chrysalis that much more then she trying to comfort Rainbow Dash with patting her on the head and then saying.
She wasn't the slightest afraid in showing Chrysalis her wrecked face and her true emotions, but if it just had been a couple of days back when she wasn't alone, so would it have been a big different.
It must have been one of the scariest things Rainbow Dash had ever seen which made her to look down at the floor when she couldn’t bear to watch what was happening in the mirror any more. She cried for herself while feeling her back being gently touched, but then all the sudden a cold wave hit Rainbow Dash's entire back and that spread quickly through her body. She threw her head up to face the mirror and screamed terrified out, but all that had happen was that Chrysalis had poured some water over Dash's back with a bowl she apparently had the whole time next to her. Surprised she looked up at the mirror and saw Rainbow Dash's facial expression, she found it rather sad that Dash was so twitchy already before she even had started.
She knew at this point that nothing could calm her down, but at the same time she could understand why and knew that what was coming up next wouldn't help.
“You really deserve the Changelings as a family... because no one else would ever want you.”
A disgusting sound was created as she made a long cut in the same motion as she pulled it free along her lower back and made Dash to moan in pain.
When Rainbow Dash's shouts of pain faded out, placed Chrysalis each of her front hoofs on each side of the line on Dash's back she just had made and stretched out the wound.
“You sssee... cutting in sssinge linesss makesss relative thin ssscarsss... making them hard to be visssible.”
“And then... you sssimply peel of the ssskin... in the thin ssstripes you made.”
“Sssave your agony... and your preciousss voice... thisss isss far from done little one... I didn't think I would enjoy thisss but it'sss jussst sssomething with your voice that makesss my ssskin crawl!”
During the course of time so started Dash to throw up at a regular base, probable just a different reaction to the pain that she now couldn't feel anymore, she didn't want to know how her back looked like but she could guess it was completely destroyed. But after a couple of hours that felt like an eternity, so straightened Chrysalis her body from have been leaning over Rainbow Dash's back and just sat their quiet. Rainbow Dash didn't believe it was over yet and didn't hope for anything, she felt like there was no more hope for her in the first place. She could hear and partly see how Chrysalis reached for something behind her as she stared into her own eyes in the mirror.
“Now little sssky pony... I'm going to pour thisss fluid over your back to make sssure your woundsss ssstay clean... now... as you may guesss... it'sss pretty ssstrong and I don't expect you to be able to take thisss without passsing out... but the next time you sssee me... I will tell you everything... why I did thisss to you... and more.”
Author's Note
As you may have notice, my story is now cancelled due to lack of interest and inspiration from my part. I don't even know if there’s anyone following the story but if that's the case, I guess no one got disappointed. I had tons of fun writing what I did and I have no clue if I ever will finish it.
Chapter 6: To The Beast's New Lair
Chapter 6: To The Beast's New Liar
With a solid bite and grasp around her halberds handle, Rainbow Dash took off from the fogy Ponyville and made her way in a straight line over to Canterlot. The rain was thick as a shower on its maximum effect and she regular had to dodge lightning that struck down from above like thin and unstable pillars. As a flexible and slippery eel she passed them in quick turns without any problems, flying was after all a part of her. She ignored all her wounds, not knowing if they actually hurt or not while creeping up toward the mountain to Canterlot. Her wings flapped at full speed and her warm breath passed her nostrils in a dense steam. The rain was ice-cold and almost like freezing needles that struck her skin and melted immediately on impact. Rainbow Dash’s mind was only set on one thing for the moment and that was Twilight. But she didn’t think too much on her to be honest, she couldn’t dare to let her fantasy go free and think of everything that possible could have happen to her at this point.
Twilight was alive, Rainbow Dash knew that, she felt it in her heart but she was more concerned about what would happen to her next and why Queen Chrysalis had the interests of having her alive. Rainbow Dash passed the mountain on its side and appeared from beneath, she was flying straight up and despite the thick mist both at the ground and the air, she felt watched. She tried to look around at all time as carefully as she just could to see if she was followed or if she juts was observed from a distance. But there was no one there, she was alone in the darkness and surrounded by the night all alone and that really frightened her. She expected to have to fight her way to Canterlot, being forced to kill more Changelings than she ever had in her life which she wouldn’t have hesitated in doing if she knew that could lead her to Twilight. But that wasn’t the case, she reached the edge of Canterlot without have seen a single living being and that made her feel far from at ease. She landed on a rather large balcony with the feeling of something being horrible wrong and looked in to where the balcony lead. It was dark inside with some few torches on the wall, Rainbow Dash didn’t see too far in thanks to the lack of light but she saw at least that it lead to some sort of giant hall. Strangle alike the one in Cloudsdale where her halberd for the first time got the taste of blood.
Rainbow Dash stayed on the balcony and felt unsure to walk inside, she more than one time looked back over the edge of the balcony to its view but saw nothing then mist and the heavy raining night. Lightning of course echoed in the air together with the rain and Rainbow Dash started to feel how her wet and cold body started to shake by it. She wanted to make sure that she really was alone but regardless of how much she tried to look around and not seeing anyone, she still felt far from eased. Before the cold really made Rainbow Dash’s body stiff and total numbness so swallowed she loud and decided to walk in. Immediately when she got roof over her head, the sound from the storm outside changed to be quieter. The entrance in was huge with soft turning sides and where they met in the middle with a pointy spike. Some windows was on the left side of the hall that was few but enormous, they had many images in them in their colourful glass and almost told a story just by watching them.
Rainbow Dash made small and slowly steps forward with her head low and with her halberd firmly griped between her teeth. About one third through the hall, a quick cracking sound came from Dash’s left that made her jump in to a battle position towards the sound. Her heart immediately started to beat so you could dance to it and her body got tense and still. She searched with her eyes what had made the sound but found nothing, she was confused and felt more and more worry but then the cracking sound appeared again and this time, she had her eyes at the right place. It was one of the big windows along that wall that started to crack at the bottom by the weather. She could see and hear how the many small cracks grown further up the window by the cold outside. Rainbow Dash was expecting the whole window to explode at any second and made herself prepared for it to do so. But the window went quickly quiet again and it appeared so it was only a strange timing for it to have happen right now. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and looked back to the balcony where she had come from.
A trail of water was behind her and that she had made across the halls floor to where she stood right now. Rainbow Dash sighed in how edgy she was and turned back to the hall, she walked some couple of steps deeper in and then something else happen. The torch in the end of the hall went out with heavy smoke from it almost like it was shoved into water. Rainbow Dash stopped and only stared for a while at the abruptly extinguished torch and made then a small step forward. When her hoof reached the floor, another torch burned out just as suddenly and left the end of the hall pitch black. This time Rainbow Dash took a step backwards by the feeling of something really being strange, but that only trigged another event. The opening out to the balcony had two giant doors on each side and these door by a pure gleam, closed themselves fast in an extremely loud bump that echoed through the hall.
By surprise Rainbow Dash looked back in a twitch and saw then how the two wooden door now blocked the way out and how the sound of a lock go off also echoed weakly. The torches behind her then also went out just like the ones further in and left now both ways in complete darkness. But the torch closest to Dash stayed in flames for some reason and she heard after that how another torch in front of her hissed in its death from being burned out.
Her head searched desperate the voices owner, but there wasn't much space left that was lighten up to see and less space it also became when the touches deeper in continued to burn out one by one.
Not a single thing could she see, it was completely pitch black but soon enough her halberd started to glow in a soft orange colour.
Rainbow Dash flinched back a couple of steps by surprised and gave away at first a scared face in the sight of the Queen of Changelings. Chrysalis was far bigger than Rainbow Dash and had her hoofs wide and solid with a crude look to themselves. They were covered in strange holes and her skin almost looked like black stone. Her eyes were enormous with a poison green mist to their colour and both her pupils were a deep dark green like two shining gems. The horn on her forehead was massive, almost like the head of Rainbow Dash's own halberd and it had an awfully strange shape to itself.
A gaze made of pure hate she gave Chrysalis and which amused her greatly, she even had to smile bigger and say half laughing.
She transformed a strand of hair of her mane in to big solid hand with three big boxy fingers that she grabbed the burning hot halberd on the floor. Rainbow Dash don't know how but the sound the hand of hair made when it came in contact with the halberd and small parts of the stone floor was just like it was metal itself.
It was impossible to fight the hands strength and it stopped her right in front of the glowing blade. Rainbow Dash tried to pull back her head as far as possible to get away from the weapon and her eyes actually was filled with fear and worry in felling the heat from it.
Chrysalis for the first time lost her smile and amusement and only looked at Rainbow Dash with a thoughtful expression. It took some time for her to say anything but when she did, so didn't Rainbow Dash like it.
In the next second everything went dark, the halberd lost it glow to it and Rainbow Dash tried to quickly ask what Chrysalis was going to do. But she didn't however have time to utter a single word because the next thing that happened was that Dash heard how the halberd got dropped to the floor and how a made up hand from Chrysalis mane grabbed her muzzle. It stopped Rainbow Dash to say or make any sound and then she felt how she got carried away in the darkness. With time they exited the dark hall and Rainbow Dash could actually now see her whole surrounding. She was laying on Chrysalis back, rapped in her mane and stuck in place. They walked through the castle and the whole way, Dash saw how Changelings were following them. They looked curiously at her and she couldn't lie, they were many. Later they entered a similar hall to where they had left from and though Dash didn't see what waited in that hall, so was it Twilight in the end, completely surrounded by Changelings.
She was sitting on the floor with her eyes closed and her face turned down to the floor, she was concentrating to hold up her little pink coloured shield around her and outside it. Queen Chrysalis herself had made her own shield so Twilight impossible could go anywhere or even teleport pass it.
The next thing Chrysalis simply did was to reveal Rainbow Dash and throw her with her mane towards Twilight. Dash landed brutally on the floor between Twilight and Chrysalis and when she looked up so could she clearly see the chock in Twilight's face.
“Oh ssso touching... but I think it'sss bessst for ussse to get to the purpossse of thisss reunion... now... Twilight... thisss isss the lassst time I will asssk nicely... lower you ssshield and give up your resssissstance... or I maybe jussst have to hurt your friend over here.”
Dash looked back right in to Chrysalis eyes and she without knowing it smiled when she heard that particular sentence from the Changeling Queen. Chrysalis got a blizzard facial expression and whispers quietly for herself.
She used a lot of power in her throw but that was merely the beginning.
She was pinned to the wall by them all and took a harsh beating, she didn't even try to fight back, they were way too many for that. She only laid down on the floor with her back against the wall, accepting what she got and while trying to protect her head. Constantly she got kicked and hit by the Changelings and also for a long time. Twilight had turned around because she simply couldn't stand to watch, she heard everything happen behind her and she held her eyes closed firmly to hinder her tears to pass by.
Twilight turned back to see how Rainbow Dash was holding up and though she technical was fine from injure, so didn't it look like it. She was completely covered in bruises and light scratch wounds with minimal blood coming from them, she had a black eye on both her eyes and was currently trying to be standing up that took some major time.
It was a frightened sight Rainbow Dash had to admit, the giant Changeling Queen was her true self now. When Rainbow Dash got a bit closer but still had some steps to make to reach her, so charged Queen Chrysalis unexpected towards her and tackled Rainbow Dash violent in to her shield she had made around Twilight's.
Chrysalis went up closer to Rainbow Dash but kept some distance. She then made a hand out of her mane and transformed it even more after that.
Immediately after that Chrysalis launched another hit with her hair-made-whip and that struck Dash right in her back. She held in her scream but barely, she crawled in to be as small as possible against the shield next to her and then just try to endure everything. Chrysalis went early wild and just preformed hit after hit with an angry face and Twilight was just broken-hearted, she fell to the floor by her legs giving up and made a facial expression like she was insane.
Chrysalis saw that no progress was really made, she only wanted one thing and that was to break Twilight. She made another hair-whip on the other side of her head and putted it in action immediately. The whole room echoed in Rainbow Dash's poor scream and the sound of her getting lashed every second. Twilight had shoved her head down to the floor between here front hoofs and cried while trying to blocking out everything, but that was a purely impossible thing to do. All the Changelings around them just stood there, watching the torture with a neutral facial expression and not giving a single reaction away. They were many, the hall was big and maybe even around eighty of them stood there but still rather far away from their queen. More of them were outside in lack of space for them to fit, they wanted after all just to stay close to their queen or was just curiously about the screams that flowed through the castle. But Rainbow Dash's screams started to go more and quieter for every hit by the loss of strength she had suffered from.
She was just crying now while laying there on the floor though she continued to receive a heavy beating from Chrysalis.
The Queen of Changelings then stepped forwards and stood now over Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash herself manage to roll over to her back that made her give away an extremely painful gaze back up at Chrysalis. Chrysalis stared deep into Dash's eyes and Dash in to hers. Both of them were silent which Chrysalis in person found odd, she actually expected Dash to beg of an end to this, which she maybe should have done.
Dash was indeed persistent, maybe too much to be honest because all she did was to shake her head tiredly and weak. Chrysalis only sighed and made then without delay four hand out of here mane. She used them to flip Rainbow Dash so she had her belly against the floor and held with one pair of her hands Rainbow Dash front hoofs in place.
“W-what are you going to do with her?!”
Chrysalis twisted the thumbs back and forth, focusing in making the pain constant and remaining.
Rainbow Dash's screams after that became awfully strange, she could barely breath and when she did, her lungs that expanded by the air only pushed her insides for more suffer.
“It's... it's down... do you hear me... it's down... I give up!”
Chrysalis continued to tormenting Rainbow Dash and Twilight felt how she was going to pass out soon. She did fall to the floor in front of her smoking lava pile and said this time not screaming, she was too weak to yell.
