“The device has stopped, my liege; it’s saying the chamber is empty,”
“What?! That’s not possible... At the last shipment there were at least 40 remaining!”
“I-I-I'm sorry, your high-”
“SILENCE! Spare me the tedium of your pitiful excuses! Just send an investigation team, Atmosphere!”
“As you wish, Princess, right away,” The doctor galloped away, not wishing to displease the her. She could be incredibly vicious.
The Rainbow Princess walked to her throne, a dark ebony chair with a tall back, and purple velvet cushions. Despite being the rainbow princess, she would never appear in the light. All anyone ever saw of her were two purple eyes, and on occasion an alicorn silhouette. She sat, and as she did so, contemplated what could have caused such a monumental failure with the device. Her chamber was dark, one could barely make out the colour. That is, they wouldn't be able to, if there was any. The throne room was a dank, dark chamber, always cold. The floor was grey stone, the walls were a dull grey iron. Royal Guards stood ready in the shadows, just in case. But these weren't regular Royal Guard from Canterlot, these were of a different inclination entirely. Grey banners hung upon the walls, and just looking at the place, one couldn't help but get the feeling that the banners were an afterthought- Something similar to wrapping a carcass in fairy lights, and placing it upon a mantel.
Chapter 1
She looked around the bleak, large room. Blood stained both the iron walls and the chrome floor, and the nightmarish artificial lighting gave everything a horrible, blood red tinge. Huge vats of pure colour slowly pumped their fluid round the factory. Guard ponies in suits held tasers at the ready, and Scootaloo couldn't take off faster than the nightmarish cyan psychopath which stood before her. “You have beautiful eyes,” the young pegasus said, holding back her tears. Her life flashed before her eyes, and her lip began to tremble as she realised that the pony who was about to kill her was one of the few she’d ever looked up to. Rainbow Dash had once been the sister Scootaloo had never had. As these thoughts raced through her mind, tripping one another up as they went, a tear rolled down her cheek. She thought about the Crusaders, back in Ponyville. Would they ever find out the truth? Would anypony find out the truth? Scootaloo doubted it; this factory had been here as long as she could remember, and probably long before. If they've covered it up thus far, they probably could cover it up a while longer. Then her thoughts drifted back to the present. She braced herself for the blow that would end her life, and buried her head beneath a wing... but it didn't come. Did she dare remove her head from it’s refuge? Perhaps it was a trick... The psychopath that once was Rainbow had already claimed a factory full of lives, and then some more atop that. Why would remorse choose now to strike? She couldn't take it any more. She lowered her wing, and looked toward what was once Rainbow Dash. She saw the cyan pegasus, wearing her white, bloodstained lab coat, but her eyes... Something was wrong with her eyes. Scootaloo had no idea what to do, or what was going on. She just stood, and stared.
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Rainbow Dash looked down at the pitiful wreck of a pegasus filly cowering beneath her, and as she did, the words Scootaloo had just said echoed around her mind, reverberating around every fibre of her being. She felt a twitch of something she hadn't felt for a long time...
‘What was it? Oh no... Remorse... Regret...'
Her concious mind returned, and then keeled over, taking her with it. Her eyes unfocused and everything faded from her view, but not before seeing Scootaloo’s worried lilac eyes staring into hers, still slightly red from tears. Suddenly, she was floating high in the rafters above the Device Room. A slightly demented looking cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail standing upon a metal balcony was visible, above a hall full of young pegasus foals, each devoid of hope, each filled with despair. Then a claw suddenly erupted from the rafters to her left, which plummeted downward toward a light brown colt stood among a group of three.
‘Orion Solstice... Aurora Dawn... Scootaloo...'
The claw latched onto the unfortunate colt, then yanked him up through the air. Chains shot from nowhere, and began to contort his body, slowly snapping every bone. A slightly crazed smile began to spread across the face of the psychotic cyan pegasus on the balcony. Then Rainbow Dash’s vision faded once more - she was now too shocked to think. Was that really her? Was that pegasus... Her? Words began to ricochet around her mind in a black transition.
Scootaloo‘s voice rang out, her pain was obvious,“I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME!”
Then her own voice shot through her mind, “I DID LOVE YOU!”
Tears welled in Dash’s eyes.
Her own voice was audible again, saying,“You ruined me. Now I’ll ruin you.”
Rainbow Dash now began to sob. What she once was... After she’d killed so many, including friends of one she’d regarded as a sister, could she ever truly once more become the mare she once had been? She even made to kill that one sister she’d ever had.
"Can I ever forgive myself..?"
A new voice entered her mind. She recognised it... A silky smooth tone, with a crazed, and slightly enchanting undertone...
“They’re worthless... Just kill them. Use them to make the world happy; they've no other use.”
“Princess... No! This is a lie! A cruel joke!”
“No, Rainbow Dash. This is the truth. And it must be so. If you don’t do this, you’ll die having done NOTHING to contribute to the flock. Get real, Dash. You’ll never be good enough for the Wonderbolts.”
Maybe she wasn’t so evil... These words... They made it sound as if she were pushed. A hypnosis spell?
Vision slowly returned to her. Despite all she’d done, Scootaloo still stood there looking into her eyes. Still so trusting, so hopeful that what was once Rainbow Dash would still be in there. Dash looked at herself in the reflection in Scootaloo’s eyes.
‘Oh sweet Celestia... It’s true. I did all of those things. I killed them.'
“Rainbow..? Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked quietly and cautiously, not getting too close.
“Scootaloo? Is that really you?” Rainbow said, still pitched over onto the floor.
“Yeah...” Scootaloo managed to choke from herself. Rainbow sat up. The suited guards still stood around them, not sure what to do. Rainbow caught one of them in the corner of her eye. Suddenly she remembered where she was, and what still needed to be done. She also remembered what the guards were expecting her to do. Dash knew words alone weren't going to convince Scootaloo that she was safe, and that the old sister she’d once had was back. She walked over to the nearest guard, who asked, “Is everything okay, boss? You look... different, somehow,”
“Oh, I am fine,” She said, “You, on the other hoof...” with that, Dash leapt upward, and brought her hoof crashing down onto the guard’s skull. She heard it shatter, and the guard pitched forward, bleeding from the point Dash had struck him.
“He’s gonna have one hell of a headache later,” Dash said, hovering in the air. She winked at Scootaloo. Scootaloo was confused; one moment Dash wanted her dead, next she was protecting her?
“What are you doing?!” One guard asked, shortly before getting a kick to the face. He flew into a bloodstained iron wall, and slumped.
“I’m proving myself again. I’m breaking my chains!” Dash proclaimed, triumphantly. The guards had gotten over the initial shock, and began to attack Dash. She flew, over the balcony she’d once stood upon, over the corpses of the broken foals she’d already killed, and up into the rafters. Her wings had sharp metal blades on the front. She extended them, and cut through the chains with ease. The guards gave chase, but it was no use; Rainbow Dash was just too fast. Scootaloo just stood, awe struck. Dash landed in front of Scootaloo, stood upon her hind hooves and extended her wings. She raised her front hooves in front of her face. Four guards still remained. They landed a short distance from Dash and Scootaloo and began to surround them. Rainbow grabbed Scootaloo. She yelped, but then Dash whispered,
“Clear, fly, fall, complete. Make me proud, Scoots,” and tossed Scootaloo high into the air. The guards followed her arc, and Scootloo flared her wings. “Clear!” Dash yelled, now in the air with Scootaloo. The four guards brought their weapons to bear, but they were useless. Scootaloo dived, one front hoof extended. Her hoof slammed into the side of a guard’s face, knocking a tooth loose. The guard reeled, and Dash swooped downward, slicing open the torso of another guard on her wing. A red mist filled the air round him, then he keeled to the left, lifeless. Scootaloo followed her punch with a kick, spinning in the air. The guard fell unconscious, his face cut open by her hoof. Then, a team of four more guards arrived through a heavy bulkhead. “We can’t fight them all, Dash!” Scootaloo shouted,
“I know! That’s why we’re moving to the next stage of your test.” Dash yelled, smashing her hooves into the muzzles of any guard that came too close. “FLY!” Dash yelled, as she took flight. Scootaloo did the same, and the two flew up the chute Scootaloo had come down. Dash took Scootaloo under her wing, and threw her onto her back. The pair dashed away, aiming to put as much distance between them and the factory as possible. The skies were a beautiful azure blue, and there was hardly a cloud around. A rainbow shone in the distance. Scootaloo vomited. “Watch the paintwork, kid!” Dash shouted, giving a slight giggle, though inside she felt the same. She’d created that rainbow. And she’d created it out of foals. Innocent lives. The comment seemed to serve its purpose, however, as a small smile spread across her face.
