How the Tables Turn

Chapters

The Underground
A Day in the Dark
A Rookie's Reveal
New Bonds of Trust
A New Atmosphere
Cloud Kicker's New Friend
Paths That Shouldn't Cross
Tales of Tape and Tears
Of Wings and Wonders
Of Smiles and Sunlight
Choosing Faith Over Friends
Of Skepticism and Strength
Of Returning and Resistance
Of Searches and Subs
Of Bitter Pain and Bed Rest
Of Fear and Misfortune
Of Drawings and Dragonfire
Of Lightning and Life Flight
Of History and Happiness
Of Operations and an Overreaction
Of Knocking and Knuckleheadedness
Of Martyr and Misery
Of Bonds by Blood and a Brotherhood
Of Recoveries and Recuperations - Part 1
Of Recoveries and Recuperations - Part 2
Act 1: The Rousing
Act 2: A Memory Among Madness
Of Worlds and Wonders
Act 3: Start the Clock
Act 4: New Allies
Act 5: Don't You Hate Cliffhangers?
Act 6: Kicker's Revenge
Act 7: Another Day, Another Death (Or Two)
Act 8: WITH A BURNING PASSION
Act 9: Turning the Tables Again
Act 10: Alive for Just Moments

The Underground

The Underground has been White Phoenix's life, terrible as it is. He was born there, he was raised there, and he will probably die there. No one has ever had the luck to escape.

White Phoenix wants to change that, though. All these ponies need is a reason to fight back, a spark to make them realize how great freedom would be, what it would mean to spit in the face of Mistress.

White Phoenix was just itching to be that spark.

Today was White Phoenix's 34th session. Mistress herself watched. She saw him scream, saw his life flash behind his hollow eyes. She watched him look at himself in horror, reflected in the blood on the floor. Phoenix knew that Mistress was disappointed by his reaction. He wouldn't shudder like he used to. He was becoming less sensitive over the years, and the young stallion was beginning to lose his grip.

Just like every other pony in the Underground.

But she knew it wouldn't last. He had looked like this before, and he always pulled through. He fought for strength and control, and losing control of his sanity would be to lose everything, and he wouldn't have that.

Still, only Phoenix and Ashes knew what it was that kept Phoenix going. At the end of every day, he would get to look into his neighbor's eyes. Only Ashes ever got to bear witness to the fire behind his eyes, the glimmer of courage, hope, and bravery that only Ashes could ever bring out.

Phoenix and Ashes were the first two of all the 547 ponies to find love in the Underground. As secret as it was kept, they would visit each other constantly, comforting each other after their sessions, helping each other through tough times, as well as being together for the joy that their better ones brought. Phoenix needed her today, as he walked through the hallways. He couldnt wait to see his marefriend's shining face and beautiful, golden eyes - the ones that always filled him with warmth when he gazed into them. Just a few more doors and he would be there.

He walked through the door and was greeted by Ashes immediately.

"PHOENIX!" She blared happily as she galloped across the room. She stopped herself before she hugged him, checking for a spot where a hug was safe. It was a difficult feat - the guards had really been ruthless this time - but she managed, bringing a smile to Phoenix's face as he felt her warm embrace. "Do you need to talk about it?"

"Nah. I've been through worse from them, and besides, being here is enough." Phoenix spoke with a dismissal wave of his hoof, ensuring her that he was fine, at least in an emotional sense. He brought her into a tighter embrace, not caring about the pain he felt in his cuts and bruises.

"You know your secrets are safe with me, Phoenix."

"I'm fine, Ashes. I'll always be fine, as long as you're here waiting for me when I get back."

"Do you want me to stay the night?"

"Of course. What kind of a night would it be if you weren't here?"

Ashes giggled. "A pretty sucky one, if you ask me. I'm always the life of the party."

"And what would I know about parties? It's not like they exist down here."

Ashes wasn't exactly from the Underground. Well, she was, but not the same way Phoenix was. Ashes had been born there, but she had her family with her. She got to hear stories from the Surface. Stories about parties and friendship and how beautiful the sun is. Stories of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and the skies they controlled with such elegance and grandeur. Stories of animals and plants, and rivers and streams, of the peace and serene beauty that nature held within its core.

But Phoenix had no family. He was an experiment. The moment he was born, his whole family had been killed. Mistress wanted to see how well a foal would fare in the Underground with no family, no one to look after it. That was how he came to love Ashes in the first place. They were about the same age, only four days apart, and Ashes' family found him, alone and scared. They took him in without question.

A Day in the Dark

Phoenix was taken in by Ashes’ family without hesitation. Unfortunately, they couldn’t afford to keep him. They gave him to their neighbors. It was close enough that they could still make sure he was treated right. Ashes’ neighbors were also ponies who could be trusted. They would never hurt a foal, and they never went back on their word.

Even though Phoenix was accepted into Ashes’ neighbors’ family, he spent as much time as he could with Ashes. They made each other happy, and they were close friends from the start. No one knew what it would become. All everyone knew was that Phoenix didn’t believe in cooties, so he wasn’t afraid of hugs. They were heartwarming together, really.

When Phoenix got older, however, even Ashes’ neighbors couldn’t afford to keep him. No one could. Mistress saw to that. So when Phoenix was eight, he was returned to the corridors to fend for himself.

Phoenix was a fast learner. He already knew most of the ponies around the neighborhood, and those he didn’t he became acquainted with quickly. He knew where to go if he needed a meal, he knew where his best friends could be found…

It only took him four years to find the Dark Corridor.

The Dark Corridor is one that no one ever goes down unless they are forced to. There are twenty rooms that branch off, each one housing a torture session. Until he wandered down the Dark Corridor, Phoenix was unaware of what happened if your number was drawn. But now he knew. He knew, and he would never forget the screams that issued from behind the unforgiving metal doors.

Not that it would be the only time he heard them.

Everypony in the Underground had worked to keep Phoenix away from the Dark Corridor. It wasn’t something that he needed to see. They did everything they had to to keep it secret. The only reason he found it was a fluke, really. He had decided to sleep somewhat near it. He was tired, and he had slept in hallways before. It was in the dead of night when he began hearing the screams.

After that, he generally kept away from the Dark Corridor, and the area that surrounded it. He already knew, without having to ask, that when he grew up, he would get a number. Everypony does. He could wait a million years for that day to come. He was scared and helpless.

When Ashes saw him next, she brought him to her house after seeing the look on his face. Ashes would never forget that day.

They walked into Ashes’ house. Phoenix was scared and helpless. Anyone could see it; it was written all over his face. It was written into the tears falling from his muzzle. They walked right past the living room and into Ashes’ bedroom, and Ashes shut the door.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“I found this h-hallway. It d-didn’t look like the r-rest of the U-Underground-“

“Calm down, Phoenix.” Ashes’ voice was laced with sugar as she spoke. “You’re safe here. No one’s gonna hurt you.”

Phoenix sniffled as her words sunk in. He was safe. He felt even safer a moment later, when he was locked in Ashes’ embrace.

“Okay. I believe you.”

“Was it the Dark Corridor?” Ashes knew what was wrong as soon as Phoenix had talked about a hallway.

Phoenix slowly nodded, digging his muzzle into Ashes’ shoulder. He knew that his tears were staining her coat, but he didn’t care at the moment. He needed her comfort, and she didn’t seem to mind anyway.

Eventually Pheonix pulled away, stopping still within her arms, and looked at her face, stared into her eyes as he spoke.

“Why?”

“Mistress is a terrible pony. She doesn’t care about us. She keeps us in line with the rooms in the Dark Corridor. It’s not like we have to do anything to deserve it, though. Every adult gets a number, and twenty are pulled randomly every week. When your number is pulled…”

Phoenix nodded and shifted his gaze to his hooves. So every week twenty innocent ponies have to go through whatever happened behind those doors…

No wonder all the adults have scars.

Ashes pulled Phoenix into another embrace, hugging him tightly, bringing his mind back into the room and keeping it from wandering. Nothing mattered as long as he was here with her. Nothing could hurt him when he was locked in Ashes’ embrace.

“How old do you have to be?”

Ashes hadn’t been expecting the question. She answered it on instinct, without even thinking about what results it could bring.

“Twelve.”

Ashes’ eyes flew open. Her eyes were pinpricks as she realized what she had done.

“TWELVE??? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME WE ONLY HAVE TWO MONTHS???”

“Phoenix-“

“W-when was anyone p-planning on t-telling me???” He resumed his frantic hyperventilating and sobs as his fears enveloped him in full force. His wild imagination sent him down the Dark Corridor and through a door as he wondered what instruments of pain could possibly be kept in these rooms that could make somepony scream as he had heard before.

“Phoenix, calm down. Please? You’re safe here. No one in this house is going to hurt you.” She spoke softly but firmly, in a voice that she knew was guaranteed to bring him to the present, as she was sure that Phoenix was imagining terrible things.

Phoenix's gaze found his hooves again as he regretted his outburst. “Okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout. It’s just… We really only have two months?” His eyes returned to hers. Tears welled in his as he spoke. They prepared to spill over upon confirmation of his new-found fear.

“It’s hard to say. It’s a lottery. No one really knows when their next time will be. But yes, in two months, we will both have numbers. I’m sorry you had to find out this way. We wanted you to be as carefree as possible for as long as possible.”

“It’s not your fault. You were trying to help. And it worked, really. I didn’t know until I really had to.”

Phoenix found himself in Ashes’ arms once more as she hugged him tight. Phoenix knew she wouldn’t let go until he was ready to face the world head-on. And face it they would, together. He knew what they had was love, and so did she. They didn’t need to trade any words to make it official, they just were.

They were in love. They had been for years. Ever since the day they had met, they had been destined for each other. Nothing was ever going to change that.

Phoenix spent the night with Ashes that night, as well as the next couple of nights. They felt their worries fade away, replaced by the love that they felt for one another. They knew they were ready to face the guards, no matter what awful sights were behind those doors. As long as they had each other at the end of the day, all was well.

Even to this day, that statement held true. Phoenix was returning from a session, a rather brutal one, too, but he just didn’t care, because he had Ashes. He had those beautiful golden eyes he found himself so easily lost in. After all the stories he had heard from Ashes about a beautiful golden sun that gave light to the Surface, when he imagined Celestia’s sun, he saw her eyes, glowing bright for anyone caring to see them. They were a beacon of hope, and they would never escape his memory. Not by life or by death. Her eyes belonged to him, and his heart to her.

He looked into her face, remembering their conversation as she began speaking.

“You’d know what I’ve told you. They’re fun little get-togethers where everypony does nothing but have a good time.”

“You know, when we get out of this Celestia-forsaken place, and we will someday, I swear it, we’re gonna have to have a party, just so everyone who escapes with us gets to truly understand what fun is.”

Ashes giggled again. “Who says I wasn’t planning on it anyway?”

Phoenix gave a soft smile. The prospect of having all his friends together, talking and laughing and having a great time, made him wriggle in anticipation of escape. His giddiness was increased tenfold when he realized he would no longer have to keep his marefriend a secret.

But he masked his antsiness, because he knew escape wasn’t as simple as walking out the door when nopony was looking. The only way out was through Mistress’s office. Escape would take careful planning, and perhaps another pony who shared Phoenix’s hopes and dreams, but that was hopeless. Phoenix and Ashes were the only two.

‘It would just take time.’ Phoenix gave a tired sigh.

In the meantime, Phoenix was drained after a day in the Dark Corridor, so he decided it was time for bed. And when it was time for bed for him, it was time for bed for both of them, in case he woke up screaming from what had gone on today. It was a rare occasion, but then again, the guards were rarely this brutal.

“You ready for bed?”

Ashes raised an eyebrow at the possible suggestion, lowering it quickly when she reminded herself of Phoenix’s condition.

“Yes. Let’s go. I’ll run a hot bath so we can clean your wounds. Get the gauze from the medicine cabinet in the bedroom, from the looks of it, we’ll need plenty.”

Phoenix smiled. Between the two of them, Ashes was the medical expert. She had stopped many of his wounds from getting infected, even when they squirted lemon juice in them. His eyes began to water just thinking of how much that stung.

But he knew he would be fine as long as Ashes took care of him.

A Rookie's Reveal

Phoenix woke up on a new day. The piercing sting of his wounds was gone. Phoenix marveled at the thought of how quickly Ashes’ tender care hushed the pain that his sessions caused, and in more ways than one.

Phoenix didn’t have any nightmares, or, as usual, any infections. He went about his business as though nothing had happened. He decided breakfast would be best spent in the Citizens’ cafeteria, a place where citizens went for a more public breakfast. Why the Underground had it installed was a mystery to all, but announcements were often first made there, so it was normally a good idea to head there.

Phoenix had been eating a breakfast of the cafeteria special, a flavorless grey mush made from soggy grain, when the announcement began.

“Ponies of the Underground: May I have your attention, please?” Mistress’s voice rang out from an intercom controlled by the guards’ magic. “I have an announcement to make before the day begins. You have a newcomer!”

Phoenix did an amusing spit take with the water he was drinking. “A new arrival? Probably some poor sap who stumbled upon the place and got caught peeking. Poor rook, I hope they haven’t done anything to it yet.” All newcomers to the Underground were referred to as rooks, or rookies. They had yet to break under the pressure of the Underground.

Mistress resumed her speech, ringing out towards those in the cafeteria. “The newcomer will be revealed at dinner, so be sure to spread the news to all those you know. All Underground citizens are required to report to the cafeteria at 5 o’clock for her unveiling.”

“A mare? I hope she isn’t preggers. That’d just be cruel.” The worry was plainly expressed on Phoenix’s face, despite his casual tone. Suddenly he wasn’t quite so hungry.

Phoenix headed directly to Ashes’ house after breakfast, anxious about how the news would be taken. The announcement had continued on to reveal that the mare was a pegasus. She was one of the few who got to keep her wings, although they would be clipped. The addition to the news sprung up another worry in Phoenix’s mind. The wings were the most sensitive part of a pegasi’s body. That would clearly be taken advantage of when her number was drawn.

Phoenix arrived at Ashes’ house and knocked three times. Ashes answered the door.

“Phoenix. Back so soon?”

“There’s a newcomer.”

Ashes was speechless. Phoenix saw her eyes widen with shock. She beckoned him inside. Phoenix walked in and sat down in the living room. Ashes sat down across from her. These couches were never comfortable when delivering bad news. He continued to tell the story of Mistress’s announcement.

“She's a pegasus mare. She got to keep her wings, but they’re clipped.”

“Is she pregnant?”

“I don’t know.”

Silence greeted his words. He gave a few moments for the news to sink in before continuing. He noticed his marefriend's gaze shift downward slightly.

“We’re all to go to dinner at 5 o’clock for a meet and greet. Poor rook. I don’t know how she got here, but she won’t be happy, I can tell you that much.”

“Well, what can we do? She’s here with us now. I guess all we can do is accept her and help her out.”

“Maybe she can stay with one of us. I wouldn’t mind having a house guest, and I’m sure we can help her pull through.”

“Sounds like a plan. We’ll see what she says at the meet and greet.”

The rest of the day dragged on for Phoenix, taking as much time as possible. The prospect of a new friend to come live with them was too exciting for 5 o’clock to come quickly. Nonetheless, it came. Better late than never.

Phoenix and Ashes sat next to each other near the front so that they could get a clear view. They could hear whimpering from behind the curtain. The poor mare was scared out of her mind, not knowing what to expect when the curtain opened.

After dinner was served, a pair of unicorn guards came out, horns glowing. Mistress’s voice rang out clearly through the cafeteria once more as they prepared for the rookie’s unveiling.

“May I have your attention, please?” All of Mistress’s speeches began with those words somewhere. It was one of her more annoying habits. “I am pleased to present-“

‘Of course you are.’ Phoenix’s thoughts were bitter. Mistress loved new arrivals. They were another pony for her to snap like a twig.

“-your new arrival! Sadly, she did not have the grace to present us with her name, but perhaps some of you can change her mind. That is all, my ponies.” And with that, the curtains opened wide.

And everypony stared.

After all, how often is it you see a rainbow-colored mane in a place like this?

New Bonds of Trust

The guards pushed the trembling mare towards the crowd and left, leaving her with her new community. She didn’t know what to say, what to expect. All she felt was fear.

After the initial shock of such a… colorful… rook, Phoenix realized that this was his time to break the ice, if this newcomer had any hope of survival in this place. He got up, and everypony shifted their gaze to him. He trotted, cautiously but deliberately, towards the cyan Pegasus. She was shaking all over. It was clear she didn’t know what to think yet.

He had reached the mare, who was now shrinking down at his gaze, silent tears rolling down her muzzle. He spoke with a soft smile and a sugary voice, doing everything he could to make her feel more comfortable.

“It’s okay. I’m here to help you.”

“Who are you?”

Her tone of voice suggested confidence and bravery, strongly conflicting with her trembling body and teary eyes.

“I’m White Phoenix. I can help you, if you want me to.”

“What do you want from me?”

“It’s not what I want. It’s what Mistress wants. Trust me, though, the only ones on Mistress’s side are the guards. You’ve nothing to fear from us.” After this small display of truth, Phoenix held out a hoof. The rookie eyed it suspiciously, her eyes flitting between Phoenix’s hoof and his face. That’s when she noticed.

Phoenix had scars.

She looked around. Everypony in this vast space was riddled with scars and bruises. All of them had hollow eyes and hopeless faces, their coats had paled and grayed from lack of natural sunlight and malnourishment. She returned her watchful eyes to Phoenix’s, and all she could note upon was how different they were. They weren’t hollow, depressed, or wistful.

They were filled with hope.

She reached out and shook his hoof, deciding that if she had any chance of getting away, this was it. Offered to her on a silver platter.

After they broke contact, Phoenix lifted his hoof to her face and dried her tears.

“I’m going to take care of you.”

A soft, slight smile appeared on her face at the realization of what his words meant. She wasn’t alone. She didn’t have to be. Already Phoenix was more than just a way to escape, but an opportunity for a friend.

And what hadn’t friendship solved in her life?

She was woken from her silent reverie by Phoenix’s voice. “What’s your name?” He spoke with a gentle curiosity. Rainbow realized how untrusting she had just been to someone who was offering her help, which was a first in this new place.

“I’m sorry. My name’s Rainbow Dash. I’m from Ponyville, I’m their best weather flyer. I was just out pretty far away, on my way to Trottingham for a weather exchange program, when I saw a little cabin in the middle of nowhere. I went to check it out, and –“

Rainbow was silenced by Phoenix’s hoof, which was firmly inserted into her mouth.

“Slow down there.” Phoenix knew her mouth was moving faster than her brain. She spoke too quickly to convince Phoenix that she actually was ready to share information of this detail. “We can talk about this later. As for now, I’m sure you have questions that need to be answered. First thing’s first, though. Are you hungry?” Phoenix’s question was answered by a growling from Rainbow’s stomach. He gave an amused smile before speaking again. “Come with me. You’re not eating ration grain on your first day here.”

Rainbow nodded and proceeded to follow Phoenix through the cafeteria. She spared a glance around. The cafeteria was vast, with five… ten… fifteen… it was hard to count the tables when it was so crowded.

“Is it always like this?”

“What do you mean?” Phoenix was taken aback by how outgoing Rainbow was being. It was almost as though someone had flipped a switch in her brain. A switch that was labeled ‘confidence.’

“It’s so crowded. I think there are more ponies here than in all of Ponyville. And why do you all have scars? Are you part of a military or something? And why do-” She once again found her mouth filled by Phoenix’s hoof.

“One thing at a time, Rainbow. I’ll gladly answer all your questions, but I need time to answer them first.” Rainbow nodded and he withdrew his hoof.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s your first day. Everypony’s nervous on their first day. Now, for your questions. No, it’s not always this crowded. We all came here to meet you.”

Rainbow would have been pleased by the gesture under any other circumstances, but being kidnapped sort of takes that peace of mind away.

“As for why we all have scars – I fear that’s a discussion that should be had behind closed doors.” Rainbow nodded in response. Anything that can cause scars in those numbers to a group so large would understandably be a touchy subject. “No, we’re not part of a military. Oh! There you are!”

Rainbow followed Phoenix’s gaze to a mare that was almost scarred as much as he was.

“Rainbow Dash, Emerald Ashes. Emerald Ashes, Rainbow Dash.” Phoenix pointed his hoof towards the ponies in turn as he spoke their names.

“Pleased to meet you, Rainbow Dash, although I wish it was under better circumstances.” Her statement was met by a dejected looking nod from Rainbow. “Hey, don’t be like that. Phoenix and I are going to take care of you.”

“Am I gonna end up looking like the two of you before I leave?” Phoenix and Ashes exchanged a quizzical glance as they speculated on her confidence. She didn’t think she was getting out. She knew she was.

It was exactly what Phoenix was looking for.

“Well, that’s hard to say.” Ashes spoke casually, rather confident that she could trust that Rainbow wasn’t afraid of her new atmosphere as long as she was with them. Her trust was not ill-placed. She was surprised at how genuinely composed Rainbow was as she looked up at her. “I mean, you aren’t going to get pale or grey out or anything like that. As far as scars? Depends on how long you end up staying.”

Ashes’ talk of leaving as though it were like walking out of a store was earning the trio many confused glances from all sides. Most of them just ignored them though. Those were the ones that had already closed themselves off from the rest of the world, devoid of hope. The three of them were the only ones that truly believed that escape was possible, though.

“You sure you can’t give me a definite answer?” Ashes chuckled at Rainbow’s question. Of all the things she could be worried about at a time like this, she worried about her looks. “We’ll talk about it later.” The three of them turned towards the exit of the cafeteria and began walking, Phoenix and Ashes preparing for a barrage of questions as they led Rainbow to Ashes’ house.

A New Atmosphere

They left the cafeteria, and Rainbow spared a glance around. The whole place was like a combination of a hospital and an apartment building. A system of hallways was set up like a grid, and along the blank white walls were doors leading to ponies’ houses. The floors were a plain white tile, and the ceiling was your average ceiling, lights spaced every few feet or so. There was even a sprinkler system and everything.

It was creepy how CLEAN it was. It was almost as though they had a team of house maids working round the clock to clean up every speck of dust. The bare white walls added to the demeanor, and it didn't help when they passed a hollow-eyed pony who didn't seem to notice them. The place was barren; it had an almost naked feel to it. Rainbow could see how somepony could go insane here. Coupled with whatever it is that gives them so many scars, Rainbow knew she wouldn’t last long before wanting to just fly away. She had heard that she was lucky to keep her wings.

Not that she had a way to use them anymore.

Another thing that struck Rainbow was that everything was white. EVERYTHING. Even the ponies themselves had been through so much stress and had so little light that all their coats had become a light grey, the color of clouds shortly after a light snow. That’s when it hit her.

“Will I ever see the sky again?”

Phoenix shifted his gaze, both towards Rainbow and downward in thought.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

Phoenix looked Rainbow in the face with a determined smile that teamed up with his eyes to make a bold, determined, hopeful, and, more than anything, spirited face. One that only Phoenix had the confidence to wear. “On how badly you want to get out of here.”

Rainbow smiled, mirroring Phoenix with her confidence, which was well-toned by years of racing and training for the Wonderbolts. Then she stopped, looking around. She realized that the place itself wasn’t all that bed. Creepy, yes, but it wasn’t anything she was in any particular hurry to escape from. It was really more the attitude that originated from being kidnapped that made the place seem so horrid. Now that she had friends, though, she felt that she could get used to the place.

Phoenix saw this, and hurried to change Rainbow’s mind. She did NOT want to stay here, and she’d find out why soon enough. “Don’t get the wrong idea. This place is awful. As for all of us having scars? If we can’t get you out of here soon enough, you’ll be a perfect match. So stop thinking you can get used to this place, because trust me, you can’t.”

Rainbow stared at Phoenix, dumbstruck. “How did you-”

“I’m good at this kind of thing. Oh, we’re here!” Ashes pushed open the door to her house as Phoenix spoke…

And she was greeted by a cold, unforgiving, unscarred face.

“What are you doing here?” Ashes didn’t care anymore how rude the guards pictured her as. However, the guard’s smirk showed that she would come to regret it soon enough.

“Here’s the rookie’s number. I trust you’re going to tell her what that means?” Ashes took the paper slip that the guard was holding out to her. She nodded in response to the question. She eyed Rainbow. Ashes and Phoenix were still the only ones who knew her name.

Rainbow kept it that way, deciding instead to meet Ashes with a questioning glance. “I’ll tell you in a minute.” After being promised an explanation from Ashes, Rainbow returned her glance to the guard. He eyed her with a sickening curiosity, as though he was standing in front of a fridge deciding what was for dinner. After a few moments, his pondering ceased and he trotted out the door without another word.

When the door was shut, Rainbow turned to Ashes. “What was all that about?”

Ashes and Phoenix shared a glance. Rainbow looked between the two, seeing the worry etched onto their faces. She felt herself fill up from hooves to the tips of her wings with dread. The aforementioned appendages quivered, giving away the icy feeling that was wracking her body at the sudden change in emotion.

Phoenix spoke first, with a concerned glance towards Rainbow, showing her that his words were spoken with genuine concern for her. “Maybe you should sit down before we begin.”

She nodded and walked through the hallway that was the entrance to Ashes’ home.

Ashes’ house was just like the rest of the place. Two white sofas faced off in the living room, with a table between them. Rainbow already suspected that the living room was also their dining room. There were no windows. Rainbow was struck by the realization that the Underground was named as such for a reason. There was nothing else to note upon. The living room was narrow, the two couches being up against the opposing walls they faced away from. She looked down a very short hallway. There was a room on each side. One bedroom, one bathroom. She looked further to the side and was greeted by a kitchen. It consisted of a fridge and a stove.

Everything was white, just as it was outside. This theme was beginning to annoy Rainbow. It hurt her eyes after a while.

Rainbow walked into the living room and sat on one of the sofas. It wasn’t very comfy. Phoenix and Ashes sat across from her, not replacing their concerned features. Rainbow began to wonder just how bad this news would be.

Phoenix got up, not satisfied by her proximity to Rainbow. He sat down next to her on the sofa, getting closer.

It would be bad. Really bad.

Phoenix spoke, breaking the silence that had hung over the room for what felt like hours. “I suppose we should start with the Dark Corridor."

Cloud Kicker's New Friend

Cloudchaser sat in the office, her eyes fixed upon some papers at her desk. She was really beginning to respect Rainbow Dash, wondering how she did her job without being bored out of her mind, especially since she always wanted to fly around and have fun.

Cloudchaser had been appointed manager of the weather team, since Rainbow left for Trottingham on the weather exchange program. This decision was made by Rainbow herself as she thought Cloudchaser was right for the job.

She disagreed on instinct, pointing out that Cloud Kicker and Flitter were both more athletic than her. Rainbow simply told her that she would understand when the time came. And she couldn’t understand better.

Manager. That meant dealing with crop reports, ordering the right cloud shipments in the right amounts while accounting for the unexpected, and hardest of all, planning the weather, while keeping in mind wind speed and direction, two variables that were constantly changing, as well as how much rain they needed and where they needed it. And, to top it all off, any weather coming in from the Everfree Forest had to be staved off before it could cause any problems. It had only been one day and she was already going nuts.

And it didn’t help when an unfamiliar Pegasus knocked on the open door.

“Umm… Can I come in?”

“Sure. Have a seat.”

It was an orange Pegasus with a silver mane. She had a streamlined build and strong wings. Her legs were aerodynamic and skinny. All the telltale signs of a professional flyer.

“You look like you fly a lot. What do you do?” Cloudchaser idly wondered if this was a Wonderbolt friend of Rainbow’s who had been expecting a different face behind the desk.

“Well, that’s actually why I’m here. See, I’m from the Trottingham weather team.”

Cloudchaser’s eyes widened in shock as the realization sunk in. “Rainbow isn’t causing trouble, is she? I know she can be rash sometimes-”

“Well, why don’t we start with this. I’m pretty high up in Trottingham’s weather system. I gave my weather team the plans for their jurisdiction, then headed off. I was going to be the one to greet Rainbow Dash.”

Cloudchaser nodded her head in acknowledgement before it hit her. “What do you mean, ‘going to’?”

“Well, I was heading out to meet her halfway on her journey. Thing is, she never arrived. I got worried after about a half hour, so I just… kept flying. And, well, here I am. I don’t know if I missed Rainbow and she’s in Trottingham now, or what, but something seems to be a bit off here. We did plan on having her meet up with me, right?”

“Of course, and it’s not like Rainbow to leave a pony hanging, friend or stranger. This definitely isn’t right. I’m fairly confident that nothing’s wrong, but I’ll send one of my weather mares out with you just in case. If she’s not in Trottingham, have her look for Rainbow.”

As if on cue, Derpy Hooves flew up to the window. “Any outgoing mail?”

Cloudchaser smiled pleasantly towards Derpy. Perfect timing. “No, but can you get Cloud Kicker in here for me?”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks Derpy.” Derpy flew off. They shared a moment of silence as they waited. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Sunbeam.”

“Nice name. I’m gonna go ahead and guess you’re a professional at moving just the right amount of clouds away from the sun?”

“Spot-on.”

“Sounds like a pretty fun job to me. I’m already going insane being a manager.

“Yeah, well… At least you’ll have your old job back when Rainbow gets back.”

Any further speculation on the subject was cut short by Cloud Kicker’s arrival. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yeah. Come in.”

She trotted in and sat down next to the Pegasus mare that she had never seen before in her life. “Cloud Kicker, this is Sunbeam. She’s from the Trottingham weather dept. She went out to greet Rainbow on her trip. Too bad she never came.”

“What? But Rainbow was dying to meet her. Why would she ditch out like that?”

“I don’t know. Which is why I’m sending you to go with Sunbeam to find out. If she’s in Trottingham, just report back. If not, then look for her. Rainbow is a great weather mare, and more importantly, our friend. If she got held up somehow, we’re gonna help her out. Kay?”

Cloud Kicker nodded. “Your orders, boss.”

“Anything else?” Nopony spoke up. “Guess I’ll see you later then, Kicker.”

“Yup.” The two of them walked out together. They left the building and took off for Trottingham. Sunbeam turned and noticed the concerned expression on Cloud Kicker’s face.

“You think she’s okay?”

“No.”

They continued on in silence for a few minutes, flying at a brisk pace as they watched the landscape for any sign of the rainbow-maned Pegasus. Cloud Kicker finally whipped up a conversation, hoping to make friends with the stranger.

“This isn’t like Rainbow. She would’ve met up with you. If she missed you, she would’ve gone back to look for you. If everything was okay, you would’ve met her by now. She’s too nice to blow somepony off like that.”

“Even so, I hope she’s in Trottingham. Sounds nice, the way you describe her.”

“The nicest around.”

“Meh. Now that’s doubtable. My sister had a friend in Cloudsdale Summer Flight camp. Well, okay, she wasn’t really much of a friend as they were acquaintances, but they knew each other. Her name was Fluttershy. She was the nicest around.”

“You know Fluttershy?”

“My sister does. Why, you know her too?”

“She lives in Ponyville. She and Rainbow Dash have been best friends since Summer Flight camp.”

“Really? Wow, I guess it really is a small world, huh? I’ll have to talk to my sister when I get a chance, see if she wants to meet up with Fluttershy, catch up on old times, you know?”

“I can’t see why that wouldn’t be a great idea. I’m sure Fluttershy would be glad to see a familiar face.”

The two of them suddenly came upon a small wooden shack. It was in the middle of a field of nothing but grass. It stood out as if it were the only thing for miles that wasn’t boring old grass. Cloud Kicker adjusted her flight path for the shack. Sunbeam followed, a little confused by the sudden change of plans. “Umm… Where are you going?”

“I have a hunch.”

Paths That Shouldn't Cross

Ashes had just finished her explanation. Phoenix had remained quiet, hugging Rainbow closely, letting her bury her muzzle into his shoulder. She wasn’t crying, he could tell because his shoulder was dry, but she was shaking. Horribly.

He drew her in tight, making sure she felt as though nothing could hurt her as long as they stayed like that. Ashes rubbed her back soothingly as she spoke softly into her ear.

“I know this is hard to take in, but I promise you, we will do anything to get you out of here before that happens. Anything. Even if it costs us our lives.”

“You mean that?”

Ashes prepared to speak, but Phoenix cut her off, knowing exactly what she needed to hear. “Rainbow, you don’t belong here. You’re a beautiful young mare with hopes and dreams and your whole life ahead of you. And you didn’t do anything to deserve this. We want to preserve that. And a stain like this on your history is exactly the opposite of what you need, especially so early in your life.”

“You don’t look much older than me. And I’m sure you didn’t deserve this either.”

“Maybe not, but I’ve lived like this my whole life. I’m used to it by now. You? You’re a Surface pony. Surface is Surface, just like Underground is Underground. And these two things… should never cross paths. A Surface pony down here would end up broken and miserable, just like an Undergrounder on the Surface would be lost and clueless. But I’m going to help you survive down here. And who knows? Maybe soon, you can help me survive up there.”

Phoenix gave Rainbow Dash a protective nuzzle, something that brought a smile to her face and a halt to her shaking.

“We’re friends, Rainbow, and we won’t let a few guards change that.”

Rainbow pulled Phoenix in tighter. “Thank you, Phoenix.” The embrace lasted a while longer before she let go and turned around to face Ashes. “You too, Ashes. Thanks for not leaving me in the dark.” Ashes pulled Rainbow into what felt like Rainbow’s millionth hug today. But she accepted with gratitude, pulling her in as well, and sinking into the softness of her coat. She felt so protected in the presence of these two. She knew they wouldn’t let her fall to any harm. And she knew the perfect way to repay them.

It may take days. It may take months. But it would happen.

Rainbow would help them escape.

Cloud Kicker and Sunbeam touched down outside the shack. Cloud Kicker was the first to call out. “Rainbow?”

They heard a sound from inside. Not Rainbow’s voice. Instead, it was the voice of an official-but-insane sounding mare, speaking clearly to them.

“Ahh yes. Come in, I’ve been expecting you.”

They weren’t sure what to think of this, but felt they had no other choice when the door was opened by magic. They walked in.

They stood facing three ponies. One a big-eyed unicorn mare that was the source of the voice. Her appearance matched her voice. She was a sickly white, as if she’d lived her entire life in a cave. She appeared to be insane, with snakelike eyes and a twisted smile. Her cutie mark was an iron hoof. Perhaps symbolic of an iron-hoofed rule?

She was flanked by two equally white guards, both unicorn, and both seemed to be in a trance. That’s when Cloud Kicker noticed.

Her horn didn’t stop glowing when she shut the door.

She gulped – was this the fate that had befallen Rainbow? She had no time to speculate on the matter, however, when she became aware of how tired she was.

Oh no. Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohno-

Two thumps sounded out. One as she fell, and one right next to her. Somehow she was asleep, but at the same time she could still hear perfectly as the stranger’s voice rang out one more time.

“You can call me Mistress.”

And just like that, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Tales of Tape and Tears

Rainbow had decided that the better choice was to sleep with Phoenix that night. As much as Rainbow didn’t want to pick favorites, she had to say that Phoenix had done a better job of comforting her. Not for lack of trying on Ashes’ part. After all, she had done a pretty good job too. But Phoenix was the better comforter, just like Ashes was the better news-breaker.

When Rainbow and Phoenix went to bed that night, Rainbow did a little inventory of Phoenix’s house. It was much more spacious than Ashes’. It still had the same basic setup, just with three bedrooms instead of one. There was also more space in the living room, which was separated into two distinct sections, one part living room, one part dining room.

Despite the abundance of bedrooms, Rainbow wanted to sleep in Phoenix’s bed. She felt guilty; she didn’t want to cause problems between Phoenix and Ashes. Still, Phoenix had agreed with her, saying that Ashes wouldn’t mind and it would comfort her to be with someone, especially on the first night.

Sometime during the night, the two had ended up snuggling into each other. They were locked into a sensual embrace, facing each other, both with contented smiles on their faces. Rainbow was the first to awake. She wasn’t really aware of her surroundings at first, but she gave a start when the previous night’s events came rushing back to her.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

Phoenix was jolted awake as Rainbow jumped out of the bed, a fierce blush on her face.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to get so close. Sometimes I move around in my sleep, and I guess I ended up hugging you, and –“

She found her mouth, for the third time, filled by Phoenix’s hoof. Her blush only grew in ferocity when she realized that Phoenix was actually laughing. It took a while for him to calm down enough to speak again.

“Haha, ha, sorry. Thinking of somepony else?”

If it were at all possible, Rainbow’s blush pronounced itself even more.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. You didn’t mean to. And even if you did, you probably were just thinking of somepony back home. Am I right?”

Rainbow’s face was now taking on a good impression of Big Macintosh’s coat. Speaking of Big Mac…

Rainbow searched desperately for a change of topic, but found none. Instead she settled with: “Okay, MOVING ON!” Apparently, this was the wrong thing to say, as Phoenix resumed his laughter.

“Oh, I knew I wouldn’t regret this. You’re the best roommate ever, Rainbow.”

“Oh really? What about Ashes?” She had been hoping for a little revenge, but was disappointed when he waved the comment off without missing a beat.

“No, she takes the gold for best mare in general.” Damn. Oh well. “C’mon, let’s get some breakfast. I’m sure Ashes is awake from our little commotion. We’ll stop by and see what she’s up to.” Rainbow presumed that the walls in this place must be paper-thin. She suddenly felt guilty about being so noisy. “Aww, lighten up. She normally gets up around this time. I’m sure she was getting bored of her alarm clock anyway.”

“How did you-“

“Like I said, I’m good at this kind of thing.” He opened the door as he spoke, gesturing for Rainbow to pass through it. Rainbow took the gesture, turning her head towards Ashes’ house. Phoenix trotted past her and knocked on her door. It opened after a few moments.

“What happened? Was it a nightmare? Is she alright?”

Rainbow felt her cheeks begin to redden again as the topic of her scream had been brought up once again.

“No, Rainbow’s fine. It wasn’t a nightmare. She just got a little bit closer than she’d meant to overnight.”

Ashes turned and had to stifle a giggle as she saw the fierce crimson growing on Rainbow’s cheeks. It had almost spread out to reach her whole face. “Missing somepony?”

What was it with these ponies wanting to see her blush? She knew she was never going to live this down.

“So, Ashes,” Rainbow was glad for the change of topics, as Phoenix felt she had enough embarrassment for one day. “What do you have planned for the day?”

“Nothing much. I was just going to join you and Rainbow for breakfast, check for announcements, you know. The usual.” When it was that Rainbow had been incorporated into the category of ‘the usual’ was a subject she decided not to pursue.

“Okay. You ready to head down?”

“Sure.”

The trio trotted through the hallways, the whiteness once again beginning to hurt Rainbow’s eyes. She began to wonder if all the ponies’ eyes were so hollow because they had all gone blind. If it weren’t for the fact that Phoenix had been here his entire life, she would have believed it.

They reached the cafeteria in silence. It was almost completely empty. Rainbow now spared a glance around the cafeteria. There was a raised stage with a curtain on the far side. The walls, save for the one behind them, were completely blank and empty. A solitary chandelier hung from the ceiling. Rainbow wasn’t even aware of the fact that chandeliers were capable of being boring and blank, but apparently, the world had a reason to prove her wrong. One giant, white light stood on the center of a round, wooden platform. You guessed it; the platform, just like everything else in this Celestia-forsaken structure, was a boring white.

Now that Rainbow could see them all, Rainbow counted the tables. There were thirty-seven total. Two long, rectangular tables stood facing the stage, which currently had its curtains drawn (heh, guess what color they were), and only had chairs behind the side opposite the stage. It was as if they were bars, and the stage normally had a bartender upon it.

Behind them were the other thirty-five tables, all haphazardly placed among the vast cafeteria, each one of them meant to comfortably seat six. Despite the number of tables, there was a surprising amount of room left to maneuver between the tables. Most of this was due to the cafeteria’s vast size. There were no chairs. Instead there were cushions on the floor. Rainbow guessed there was no point for chairs, really. Ponies were designed to sit on their rumps. Chairs were just awkward.

On the wall opposite the stage was what appeared to be a long list. Upon further inspection, Rainbow learned that it was a list of everypony in the Underground, as well as their number. Rainbow searched far and wide and finally found it. It was definitely meant to be temporary, as it was written on a piece of tape, and Rainbow could see why.

ROOKIE

= 2592537

PEGASUS MARE

CYAN

RAINBOW

TEMPORARY CODENAME “RAINBOW”

Rainbow shuffled her hooves as she stared at the last line. Despite her best efforts, whether they realized it or not, they were calling her by her real name. The number didn’t really matter to her. She had seen it in the letter that had been delivered to her. Then, she caught something out of the corner of her eye, just as the announcement began.

Two more pieces of tape.

“Ponies of the Underground. May I have your attention, please?”

She trotted over to the pieces of tape.

“We have two new arrivals. Everypony is expected to be here at-“

Mistress’s speech was drowned out as Rainbow started to read the pieces of tape.

ROOKIE

= -------

PEGASUS MARE

GREY

BLONDE

TEMPORARY CODENAME “YELLOW”

ROOKIE

= -------

PEGASUS MARE

ORANGE

SILVER

TEMPORARY CODENAME “SILVER”

Rainbow focused on the first piece of tape, or, more specifically, two lines of it.

GREY

BLONDE

This meant that either Derpy or Kicker came looking for her. Tears stung her eyes as it sunk in. It wasn’t enough that she was here to begin with.

Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, she had to drag a friend down with her.

Of Wings and Wonders

By the time Rainbow came to, the announcement was finished and Phoenix was at Rainbow’s side, Ashes on the other. “Somepony you know?” Rainbow nodded in response.

“I think. It’s one of my friends. Either Derpy Hooves or Cloud Kicker. Both of them are grey with blonde manes. I hope it’s Cloud Kicker; Derpy would never survive here.” She tried not to think of how out of place Derpy would be, her wall-eyed stare not even being met by anypony else’s; she tried not to think of her in one of those rooms; but it couldn’t be avoided. The horror of it all was too great.

At the same time, she thought of Cloud Kicker. She wasn’t the most defiant of mares, but she did have an instinct to stand up for herself. That alone would be enough to earn her a lot of pain and scars if her number was called. She continued to stare at the tape when the thought struck her.

And strike her it did. Lightning shot through her body, her face draining of color at the shock of her realization shook her to her core. One of her friends, and she wasn’t even paying attention to the announcement. Phoenix, as always, noticed this and spoke up.

“You okay, Rainbow?”

“Did she say…” She trailed off. She could barely bring herself to let the question slip past her lips. But she had to. This was her friend, for Celestia’s sake. She had to know, even if the answer could have been catastrophic. “Did she say if they got to keep their wings?”

Phoenix and Ashes shared a glance.

The same glance they shared the night before in Ashes’ house, when she asked why the guard was there.

More color drained from her face. She felt as though she had been dipped in ice water. She shrank down and began to tremble. Her belly reached the ground, and she slumped to her side, about to curl up in a fetal position, when Phoenix stopped her and brought her back to her hooves.

“Don’t assume the worst, Rainbow. She didn’t say either way. There’s still a chance for her. That’s gotta be worth something, right?”

Not much.

Phoenix was aware of this, though. They brought her to a table and had her sit down. She still trembled considerably. Phoenix placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder, calming her slightly, but only slightly, and he spoke to her. He knew that his presence, his voice, brought her calm.

Almost as if she looked to him as a father.

“Rainbow. Look at me.” Rainbow raised her teary eyes to meet Phoenix’s gaze. “If it means anything now, we’ll help her, too. We’ll help both of them. They’re Surface ponies, just like you. They don’t belong here. And even if they weren’t, a friend of yours is a friend of ours.”

Rainbow nodded. Her eyes still refused to dry, but a small smile graced her features as she spoke.

“Thank you.” She said it in the same meaningful tone she had said it in the previous night, but refrained from the hugs. Only because they were in public. Once she gathered her bearings, she asked them another question. “When are they being…” She didn’t know what they called it yet.

“Unveiled?” Ashes finished her question for her. “At lunch. We have four hours to prepare Phoenix’s house for them. Rainbow, I trust you’ll be okay on your own?”

“Yeah, I can manage.”

“Good. Here’s the plan. Rainbow, you’ll be staying at my house. I’ll join Phoenix in his house, and they’ll spend the night with us. Sound good?”

“No offense, but I think Derps or Kicker would rather spend the night with a familiar face. I’m sure if you don’t want to be alone, we can work something out-“

“No, I’ll be fine. Your idea does sound better. It’s always nice to see a friendly face here.” Phoenix and Ashes smiled at each other after this simple statement, proving their point.

All Rainbow cared about now was that it was going to be the longest four hours of her entire life.

Of Smiles and Sunlight

Rainbow sat behind the long, rectangular table. She was paler than she had ever been in her life. If her friend had lost her wings, it was her fault. She had never felt so guilty. She looked at her left wing. All her primaries had been clipped in half. If she were to try and fly, she would simply overbalance and probably land on her clipped wing and break it. No sense in trying to fly anyway. She would probably be shot down by one of the two unicorn guards standing in front of the closed curtains. She shuddered as she imagined Cloud Kicker or Derpy standing behind those curtains, wingless and scared.

And it was all her fault.

She sat, stirring her grain. She wasn’t hungry. Not when one of her friends was on the line. Her four hours of worry had passed, and now it was time for the moment of truth.

“Ponies of the Underground. If you could turn your attention to the stage, please.” Everypony obliged. “Today will be the unveiling of not one, but two newcomers to the Underground. Meet the two newest additions to your community.”

The curtains pulled open.

They both had kept their wings.

Rainbow released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. Some color returned to her face as she addressed her next question. She looked into the (thankfully) even-eyed stare of Cloud Kicker. Good. Derpy was safe.

“Rainbow? This is where you went?”

Rainbow put on an indignant face, irritated at Cloud Kicker’s comment.

“Hey, it’s not like I want to be here!” She showed Kicker her clipped wing as she spoke, when a thought struck her. Her left wing was clipped.

She took a closer look at Kicker, or more specifically, Kicker’s wings, to confirm her hopes.

Kicker’s right wing was clipped.

Kicker and Rainbow had the same wingspan.

A smile crept onto Rainbow’s face, the largest one she’d had since her arrival in the Underground. It probably wouldn’t work. They would be too heavy. They wouldn’t have enough projection. But there was a chance.

Kicker had yet to realize what Rainbow was smiling at. Neither had Phoenix or Ashes. The three spoke in unison. “What?” They all jumped at each other’s voices, exchanging glances between the three. Rainbow paid them no attention, though. The guards had gone. It was just them and the crowd now.

Rainbow stood up and began trotting towards the stage. Kicker was confused by her sudden activity. “What are you doing, Rainbow?”

She had reached the stage and was climbing up. She had an idea. She was not only going to do this; she was going to do this the hilarious and embarrassing way. She approached Kicker, who was watching Rainbow’s every move as though she expected her to pounce.

She did not expect Rainbow to seductively trace her clipped wing with her own good one.

Kicker felt a fierce blush spread across her face like wildfire. Everypony knew how sensitive Pegasus wings are. An absence of primaries only increased their sensitivity tenfold, now that some skin was exposed underneath. She gasped, hard, her wings rocketing out to their fullest extent, coaxing an evil chuckle from Rainbow as she (thankfully) dropped the seductive act and locked her left wing with Kicker’s own right.

Now kicker understood. She looked over and saw the interlocked clipped wings. “Are you sure about this? If they come apart-”

“They won’t. I won’t let them.”

“But-“ Kicked found herself cut off when Rainbow threw out her hind hooves, both sweeping Kicker’s hooves out from underneath her and throwing her into the air. She followed suit before the distance between them put pressure on their interlocked wings. Kicker flapped her good wing, fast and hard, as Rainbow almost casually flicked hers, matching Kicker in both strength and speed.

Damn, Rainbow was strong.

Together they flew over the heads of the crowd, all looking up at them in awe as they flew. For the first time, somepony had flown in the Underground.

Kicker looked at Rainbow, a wicked smirk on her face. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“We give these ponies a show?”

“This place seems big enough.”

“Follow my lead.” Rainbow felt her spirit soar at the prospect of flying; her spirit soared much higher than she was capable. There was still a ceiling. Still, she put on the best show of synchronized flying ever seen by pony eyes. Two ponies flying as one, performing loops and twirls and barrel rolls. They pulled into a dive so Rainbow could get enough speed to wow the crowd with her signature rainbow contrails. They twisted together, causing Rainbow’s contrail to twist with them. Purple went from the bottom to the middle, meeting up with all the other colors of the spectrum in the middle of her contrail, the separated streaks of light coming together as one to form a concentrated golden glow of artificial sunlight, before breaking off and moving to the top of the spectrum, blue and green following suit, red orange and yellow making way for them, all in unison. Finally they all reversed the action, meeting once again in the middle to form another short golden streak to replace the rainbow contrail, before returning to their normal positions, red on op, purple on bottom, and all the other colors in between.

They pulled out of their dive, pulling up until they flew upside down, reversing the color spectrum a second time. They did half a barrel roll, resulting in a third glow of light, and flew right-side-up once again. They looped around in a corkscrew, slowing down the whole time, Rainbow’s beautiful contrail gradually fading away, until they gently lighted upon the stage, their hooves returning to solid ground. They unhooked their wings, smiling at each other proudly as they trotted happily into the crowd. Their worries had vanished, and Rainbow was even more delighted when she spared a glance around.

Everypony was smiling.

Their smiles varied in size, some small and slight, others reaching their ears in pure delight. Nopony had that hollow look in their eyes anymore. They were genuinely happy after the beauty of the flight show, and nothing was preventing them from showing it.

Maybe Rainbow was supposed to be there after all. Not because she had done something wrong, but because she could lift their spirits. And that was everything they needed and so much more.

Rainbow followed Kicker over to Sunbeam. Kicker introduced them to each other. Then it was Kicker’s turn to follow, joined by Sunbeam, as they trotted over to Phoenix and Ashes. Rainbow dealt with these introductions, all but the introduction of Sunbeam, which was handled by Kicker. The five of them then set out, making their ways through the hallways on their way to Phoenix’s house. When they arrived through the doorway, Rainbow was met by Kicker’s hoof to the back of her head.

“That’s for feeling me up.”

Choosing Faith Over Friends

They were all seated in Phoenix’s living room. The guard delivering the numbers was late. Very late. It was now night in the Underground. Not that it got dark at night. Everypony had clocks in their house. Its better that the guard was late, though. It gave them a better way to explain, not having anything being forced.

There was one large couch. It expanded to three corners of the room, bent into an L-shape at the middle. It currently seated four ponies that were separated into pairs. Sunbeam sat next to Phoenix, while Rainbow Dash sat next to Cloud Kicker. One section was taken out of the oversized couch, and it was set so that it faced the four ponies. The makeshift chair was occupied by none other than the ‘professional’ news-breaker herself, Emerald Ashes. Everypony’s eyes were on her as she began to speak.

“I really hate having to break the news to everypony who ends up here. I really do. But I’m the one who’s best at it, so here goes. This place is called the Underground. The only ponies who know about it are trapped within its walls. Excluding Mistress, of course. She’s the one who rules over this place. Mistress is cruel and heartless. Some ponies say she is even insane. She assigns everypony in the Underground except herself and her guards a number. Every week, twenty numbers are pulled. The twenty ponies they represent are then taken to the Dark Corridor.”

Just the fact that it was based on a lottery, coupled with the ominous name ‘Dark Corridor’, was enough to drain all color from the faces of Sunbeam and Kicker as horrible thoughts flitted through their minds. The saddest part is, most of them were spot-on. Sunbeam spoke first.

“What h-happens in the D-Dark C-Corridor?” Just speaking the name struck fear into her heart.

“If you need to know, you’ll find out when the time comes. And by the way, there’s even a good chance that it won’t come. So don’t worry yourselves over it. You don’t have to fret. We will keep you safe.”

“Are you sure you can do that?”

Phoenix spoke before Ashes. “Of course. We won’t let you three end up like the rest of us. Now why don’t you all get some rest? I’m sure you’re all very tired. It’s been an eventful day for the two of you. There are two bedrooms in here. I’ll be spending the night at Ashes’ house. Ashes will be staying here. You can figure it out amongst yourselves, but I have to get going. I’ll be back soon, hopefully before the guards swing by to deliver your numbers. I just need to grab one thing before I go.” All four of them perked their brows at Phoenix’s hasty exit. Ashes knew exactly what he was doing, but she was still irritated that he felt that it couldn’t wait. She didn’t realize how important this was to Phoenix, though. She had never seen him do it. She didn’t understand how far he pushed himself over it.

Phoenix trotted into his bedroom, reaching out for his calendar. Then he remembered exactly what day it was. He looked over at the stack of nineteen old calendars. Nineteen; one for every year of his life. He grabbed the current calendar, along with the four previous calendars, and trotted out of the room.

He turned to face his houseguests when he reached the living room. “I’m sorry for leaving you all in this state, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t do this. Trust me though, I’ll be back before you know it. I know I'm giving myself a bad name by leaving right now, but I'll make it up to you by getting you out of here. I promise.”

Of Skepticism and Strength

The four of them stared at the door Phoenix had just departed through; Cloud Kicker, Rainbow Dash, and Sunbeam out of confusion, Ashes out of annoyance. Ashes knew what he was doing, and he was going to get it from her later for leaving over something he could’ve just postponed. They sat in silence, which was eventually broken by Kicker.

“Well, that was… abrupt.”

Ashes turned her head to face the other three, remembering the conversation Phoenix had walked out of. However, before it could be continued, Rainbow spoke out with a question Ashes had been expecting.

“What was that all about?”

“I think it’s better for me to wait until he’s ready to share that information with you face to face. The most I can comfortably tell you is that he has been working on this for a long time. It still doesn’t justify him leaving at a time like this, anyway.”

“That’s okay. It’s like Phoenix said; they know what they need to know. When will they get their numbers?”

“It’s actually rather strange they’re not delivering them already. I wonder what the hold-up is?”

“I don’t know. My guess is that we’ll find out when the guard gets here.”

Ashes looked at her clock. “Well, that won’t be tonight. They don’t deliver this late. I wonder if they’ll tell us at breakfast tomorrow?” Then she remembered. The drawing was tomorrow. Twenty numbers would be pulled, and the ponies they represented would have until Saturday to prepare. This was the way it worked. Drawings were Wednesdays, sessions were Sundays. It was the Mistress’s way of keeping her ‘subjects’ in constant fear. The ponies would drive themselves mad anticipating who would be in the Dark Corridor that week. Then those who were called upon would be driven further into madness over what cruelness awaited them in the Dark Corridor.

Apparently the worry that the drawing had brought had shown on Ashes’ face, as Rainbow pointed out.

“Everything okay? You seem kinda tense.”

“Just worried. I hate to break this to you so soon, but the drawing is tomorrow. If one of your numbers is pulled, you have until Sunday to get out unharmed. If it comes down to it, we’ll have to break out before then. I’m just hoping we get more time to plan this out. It’s not like walking out the front door; most of us don’t even know where the exit is.”

“Well, we’ll have to make do with what we can, I guess. It still isn’t that big a deal for me. I’ve made the impossible happen before, and this seems to be far from impossible.”

“Uh-huh.” Ashes was skeptical about Rainbow’s ‘making the impossible happen’ idea. “So what exactly is your idea of ‘impossible’, then?”

“I pulled off a Sonic Rainboom.” Ashes raised an eyebrow. “I broke the sound barrier in flight.” Ashes’ eyebrow arched further. “I’ll show you one when my feathers grow back.” If Ashes’ eyebrow was any higher, it would no longer be attached to her head. However, since only Pinkie Pie would be capable of something so… random… she gave up on attempting to raise her brow any higher, and instead went with a skeptical snort.

Phoenix walked into Ashes’ room. It wasn’t the room that he had set up for this very purpose in his own house, but he would make it work. He pushed the bed off to the side, making more space. He started with four push-ups done at breakneck speed. He paused, drawing his next two over 8 seconds each, then another fast-paced succession of four. He continued this until his total count reached one hundred and fourteen.

He collapsed, but quickly rolled onto his back. He wasn’t done yet. He hooked his hind-hooves under the bed and began doing sit-ups. When he reached one hundred and twenty-seven, and he couldn’t bring himself to get an inch off the ground, he rolled over and stood up. He still wasn’t done.

He jumped, hooking his forelegs onto a bar hanging on the wall. He began doing pull-ups. His count reached ninety-eight. He could feel his muscles complaining, he was burning everywhere, but the pain was drowned out by the adrenaline that was flowing through him. It was as if somepony else was feeling the burn while he powered through the rapid exercises he subjected himself to.

He pulled himself up once more, then swung his hind end up, hooking his hind legs on the bar, and let his front end swing down, slowing himself so he didn’t bang the wall. He proceeded to do sideways sit-ups, fighting gravity with each one he performed. He felt the blood rushing to his head, even seeing his vision slowly tint itself dark red, but he continued, persistent upon working himself to his very core. When he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, he pulled himself up and grabbed onto the bar with his forelegs, finally allowing himself a break (sort of) so that the blood could run out of his head. After barely enough time for that to happen, he let himself down and continued on.

When his count reached ninety-four, he lowered himself down, slowly sliding himself off of the bar. It wasn’t fatigue that forced him away from his brutal workout. When he touched down, he broke into a gallop for the bathroom, emptying his stomach into the toilet. Twice. He continued retching dryly on the floor, rolling himself into a fetal position and waiting for it to subside. He was used to it.

After all, it was his goal.

When he felt it was safe to get up, he dragged himself into Ashes’ bedroom. He picked up the uppermost calendar, checking off the date with a red marker. Sundays were marked in blue. They were his days off. He began rummaging through the calendars, month by month. He hit the end of this year’s calendar and moved onto the next one. He flipped all the way back to the current month five years ago.

He hadn’t missed a single day.

Of Returning and Resistance

Phoenix checked the clock. He had waited to do so until he was sure his retching had finished, and saw that it was 7:30. He had some time. He returned to his bathroom, showering quickly, washing away the smell of sweat and pride, both of which had come from five years of intense persistence. By now, he was ready to escape the Underground on his own several times over. He knew that. Ashes knew that. But he still had to wait until they had a plan.

In the meantime, he may as well not worry about it until the time came. He stepped out of his shower. He checked the mirror to make sure he at least didn’t look terrible, and left the house, returning to his own.

He had his hoof on the doorknob, preparing for the Tartarus that surely awaited him on the other side. He swung the door open, trotting into the house, and immediately locked eyes with Ashes.

Now, Ashes had beautiful eyes. They were golden as the sun that he never had the fortune to see. However, eyes that entrancing also had a few drawbacks.

Like how they reflect the mood their owner is feeling all the time.

Some ponies would say something that started out like such: ‘If looks could kill…’ Here, it's more accurate to say that her look came pretty damn close.

“You really couldn’t postpone? Now even for a little while? And it’s not like you can’t afford an extra day off; you do it every day.” It was scuffles like this that were living proof that they were a couple.

“If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backwards.”

“Great philosophy. It applies to friendships, too.”

“I said I’d make it up to them, and I will. In the meantime, are we planning anything tonight?”

Ashes let it go for now, but clearly displayed with her glare that he was not off the hook. “No, we’re not. It’s been a long day, and we have the drawing tomorrow. I’ve found it’s better to wait until you’re not under so much stress to start talking tactics.”

“Tactics. What are we, a hoofball team?”

They stared at each other for a moment. The silence lasted as long as it took for Rainbow to burst out laughing.

“BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! You argue like an old married couple! Hahaha… heh heh… heh…” Rainbow quickly stifled her laughter as all eyes were focused on her. She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks. “Sorry.”

Ashes rolled her eyes at the mare, stifling a chuckle herself. Phoenix, however, suddenly became painfully aware of the other three mares sitting in the room. “Sorry about that. I guess I really shouldn’t have taken off like that. It’s like I said, though. I’ll get you out of here, and since that’s actually preparing myself for…” He trailed off, letting his thought remain incomplete. Kicker asked the million bit question.

“Where did you go, anyway?”

“Ah. Well, first, I’d like to say that today makes an unbroken cycle of doing this every day –save for Sundays- for five years. I haven’t missed a day in all that time. That’s why it was so important that I left, even though I guess it could’ve waited a couple hours or so.

“As far as where I went, it was just next door. Ashes’ house. I have a small setup there that I can still do this with.

“As far as what I was doing? Exactly what I’ve been doing for the past five years. Physically preparing myself for the breakout.”

“Wait. So you left to work out?” He turned and met Sunbeam’s incredulous stare.

“Yes, I know, it could’ve waited, and it should’ve. That’s why I only went through stage one while I was there. Stage one is the workout. Trust me, you don’t want to know what stage two is. Anyway, now I’m staying here until you all decide to turn in for the night. When that happens, I’ll return to Ashes’ house, do a quick stage two, and go to sleep myself.”

The three rooks exchanged a puzzled glance.

“Don’t bother asking, I’m not telling you what stage two is.” After that, Phoenix sat down next to Ashes. The five of them continued to chat away into the night. Eventually, fatigue rolled around and sent the four mares to bed, leaving Phoenix to return to Ashes’ house by himself. He shut the door behind him and trotted back into Ashes’ bedroom. The bed was still pushed off to the side. He lifted away a section of carpet, revealing a trapdoor. He opened it.

Underneath were a red plastic sheet and a small metal safe, the size of a briefcase. He removed them both and laid the plastic sheet out, covering and protecting the carpet he stood upon. He took a deep breath and opened the safe.

“Stage two. Resistance training.”

Of Searches and Subs

Cloudchaser sat in Rainbow Dash’s office. She was packing up her things at the end of the day, getting ready to clock out, when an unfamiliar pegasus came through the door.

“We have a problem.” Cloudchaser raised an eyebrow at him, willing himself, with no luck, to remember if she had seen him before.

“Sorry if this comes across rude, but who are you?”

“I’m Crossbreeze, from the Trottingham weather service. Nopony in Trottingham has seen Sunbeam since she left to meet Rainbow. Nopony’s seen Rainbow, either.”

The color drained from Cloudchaser’s face. “Well, Sunbeam came here saying she didn’t see Rainbow, and I sent one of my weather pegasi to go back with her to see if she could find Rainbow. I’m pretty sure Sunbeam was just headed back to Trottingham, no stops. Maybe somepony – or something – intercepted them. Whatever happened, I’m getting together a search team first thing in the morning. It may take a few days to find them, but wherever they are, I promise you they will be found.”

Crossbreeze was taken aback by how straight-forward Cloudchaser has been. “It’s good to hear that you want to take action so soon. Perhaps I could donate a few helping hooves to this search?”

“It would definitely help.”

“Okay, then. Ill rally up a few pegasi to come here and join your search efforts.”

“Thank you. I have much concern for the three of them alike. I just hope they’re not in trouble, wherever they are.”

“Well, I’d better get going then. I want to send those pegasi your way ASAP. You’ll need them if you’re starting first thing in the morning.”

With that, Crossbreeze took off, no doubt on her way to Trottingham to call a meeting and assemble a search party. Cloudchaser began to wonder how any weather work was going to get done with so many pegasi off the job. She may have to go to Cloudsdale to ask to borrow a few.

In the meantime, she still had to get home and get some rest. It had been a taxing two days, and she was tired. She clocked out and slung her saddlebags over her back, taking off through the open window and shutting it behind her. She made her way home and went to her bed. However, despite how tired she was, and how long her day had been, sleep refused to take hold of her as she tossed and turned through the night.

Cloudchaser’s alarm rang out into the silence. It was unnecessary, however, because Cloudchaser was very much awake. She turned it off and proceeded downstairs to make coffee. When she reached her kitchen, she was met by a knocking at her door.

Wondering who would be there at the crack of dawn, she went to the door and answered it. She was met by Crossbreeze and five other pegasi on her doorstep.

“Hey, Cloudchaser. I went to your office and you weren't there. Everypony pointed me here, so… I…” He trailed off, taking in Cloudchaser’s sleep-deprived demeanor. There were bags under her eyes, and she looked unsteady on her hooves. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She hid a yawn behind her hoof and resumed her thoughts. “Just didn’t sleep well. You can come in if you like. We still have some time before I head to the office.” She stepped aside, and the six pegasi trotted in. “I’ll have to dig my other coffee maker out, I don’t think one pot will be enough for all of us. If you want coffee, that is.”

“If it isn’t too much trouble, coffee sounds nice.” Cloudchaser opened one of her cabinets and pulled out a coffee maker. She set it up next to the one she already had set up and brewing. When she was done, she returned to her living room, where the six pegasi were waiting for her.

“We’ll have to wait to start planning until we get to the office. That way, if any of my weather pegasi have any ideas to throw in, we won’t have already made plans. Now, I’m going to have to go to Cloudsdale and ask for backup flyers to replace the ones going with us-“

“Already taken care of.”

“Really? Thanks. Not many ponies have that kind of foresight."

“Are you sure you’re okay to be flying? You look pretty tired, and it’s pretty easy to lose focus-” It was now Crossbreeze’s turn to be cut off, as Cloudchaser retorted.

“I’ll be fine after I’ve had some coffee. Trust me, it doesn’t take much to wake my flank up. Maybe a cold shower would help, too.” A timer sounded in the kitchen. “Be right back…”

Cloudchaser made three trips to the kitchen, the first bringing back two pots of coffee, the second seven equal-sized, plain, white mugs, the third cream and lumps of sugar. The seven of them each made their coffee, using their own amounts of cream and sugar, and the six Trottingham ponies sat back, drinking their coffee in silence as Cloudchaser prepared for her day. She got some paperwork together on her desk, fifteen blank weather planners for the day, and got a quill and inkwell ready. She ate a muffin she got from Sugarcube Corner, took a cold shower to wake herself up, brushed her teeth and mane, and went outside for a quick check of the current weather.

She returned to her home office/bedroom and filled out the day planners, closing them in a briefcase and setting it aside, ready for her to grab when they left. Once there was nothing left for her to do, the seven of them took off for Ponyville’s official ‘weather office’, Sugarcube Corner.

All the weather pegasi in Ponyville were waiting for them, as well as ten Cloudsdale substitute weather pegasi. They were joined, for some odd reason, by Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. That reason was made clear when she spoke up.

“When I heard Dash went missing, I decided to come along and help out. After all, I have some experience in running a team of professional flyers, and I owe it to my little buddy to help out.”

“So you want to captain the weather team in my absence?” Cloudchaser had to hold back a chuckle as she wondered how Rainbow would react to Spitfire referring to her as her 'little buddy'. Probably either be irritated because she felt undermined, or she would bow down and worship her. She stopped herself from laughing, but couldn't hold back a smile. Apparently Spitfire took this as enlightenment at the thought of the Wonderbolts' captian running her humble weather team.

“Sure. Anything I can do to help.”

“Okay, well, I’m not sure how much experience you have with weather-”

“I know a lot about air currents, but that’s mostly how to compensate for them during a show, not when dealing with weather itself.”

“-Okay, well I have the day planners right here.” She hoofed the briefcase over to Spitfire, who took it and opened it, looking over the topmost day planner inside. “Just make sure everypony gets one, and everything should run smoothly. Cloudsdale substitute flyers ought to know what they’re doing when it comes to weather flying, so they shouldn’t have to come to you with weather issues. Maybe an autograph here and there, but nothing you can’t handle.” She smiled as she finished off with that note of friendly banter. She gave Spitfire a salute that wasn’t exactly necessary, as she wasn’t under Spitfire’s command, but she was sure Rainbow would’ve if she had been there. Then she turned to the Ponyville weather team. Ten pegasi looked back at their substitute captain. “Now, to business. Rainbow Dash and Cloud Kicker have both gone missing, as well as Sunbeam, a pegasus from Trottingham’s weather team. We are taking time off to go look for them. They should be somewhere between Ponyville and Trottingham. We’re going to spread out, five meters between each of us, and fly in formation to cover as much ground as we can, as fast as we can. We’ll run a zigzag pattern to spread out our path a little bit. Any questions?” Flitter raised a hoof. “Yes?”

“How did CK go missing?”

“I sent her to look for Rainbow.”

“Oh.”

“Anypony else?” She waited a few seconds. Since nopony had any, she continued. “Then let’s go.” She stopped on her way out and turned to look at Spitfire. "Oh, by the way, next time you see Rainbow, tell her that her hooves look fun to mess with."

Of Bitter Pain and Bed Rest

Phoenix flipped through the book he was holding between his hooves. It was his journal, where he kept track of his resistance training. Sometimes it became so extensive he wouldn’t remember what he did the night before, so he started a journal, so as to not end up repeating training that he didn’t need or that his body hadn’t already recovered from.

He returned to his most recent page, foggy memories of the previous night accompanying the words on the page, which were written shakily by his trembling hoof.

Day 1565

Phase 1: Rope Burn

The burns are in locations where they are not noticeable to the public eye. Training has proven successful – rope burns are painful, but ultimately no longer that bothersome. Being a more common method used by guards, tolerance to them will prove helpful.

Phase 2: Sleep Deprivation/Shock Therapy

Since these are both common methods of torture, and they are commonly lumped together by guards, I decided to do so as well. If I drifted off it meant receiving another jolt and bumping it up to a higher level.

Phoenix mentally reminded himself to burn this book when he got out.

This training has proven much less successful. Large amounts of sleep deprivation coupled with fear of electric shock result in sleep rejection and insomnia in the long run. Shock therapy has a good effect: the training must be repeated.

Phoenix stared at the last line. For years he had been trying to prevent that problem, and it never worked. He could not escape the effects of shock, despite his best efforts. He knew he had to face it when the guards were at him. It was no secret that that was his weakness, and the guards loved taking advantage of weaknesses. But he could not rid himself of the phobia that plagued him. He had dealt with it for years, and yet it still caused something inside him to tick.

However, now was not the time to be thinking about that. He still had to review his entry.

Phase 3: The Five Senses

It is said that when you blind yourself, your hearing will compensate for it. When you are deaf, your feeling will compensate for it. It’s like having a net to fall on. In the Dark Corridor, however, it’s more like a bed of nails. So, what better way to train the body to make the metaphor more literal? Tacks on a board, dead silence, and a blindfold.

I thought I knew pain before this. I thought pain had no more surprises left for me.

Well, surprise.

The extent of the pain had an interesting effect. It was painful at first, but after a few moments, it was disorienting, confusing. I felt the pain deaden over time, along with all of my feeling. My head became foggy, like I was falling asleep. It couldn’t have been a near-death experience. Torture can’t cause death unless you are shocked too hard or bleed too much. Well, I guess I had been shocked and I was bleeding. Neither was enough to kill me on their own, but together…

If anything, though, I probably just went into shock.

This should become a regular training process. I don’t know what happened, but I don’t like it, and if a guard finds out before I fix the problem, well, that’s just one more weakness hanging over my head.

Phase 4: Citric Acid

Dear Celestia, this won’t last much longer…

Phase 5: Fire and Ice

This will definitely raise a lot of questions from Ashes. I couldn’t get dry ice for the ice half of the training. I normally never can. But, fire resistance is at an all time high.

Phoenix was unaware of how shaky hoofwriting could get until now. Surely there was no phase six. If there was, he might have gone insane last night…

Pha

The writing stopped there. There were definitely plans for a stage six. What they were, he would never know, because his memories of last night’s occurrences ended there. Judging by the sloppiness of his writing, he had slipped into unconsciousness right then and passed out next to his book. But, if that’s what happened, then how did his equipment get put away? Nopony but him was there to clean up, and if somepony else saw that scene…

His mind flashed back to what the room had looked like last night. A tarp sitting on the floor. On top of it, a board covered in tacks and a considerable amount of a mixture of blood, citric acid, and vomit. A discarded blindfold. An unplugged generator.

It was a worse image than a Dark Corridor room after a long session.

He hadn’t found the strength to bring himself out of his house yet. Last night was way over the top, even by Phoenix’s standards. He still felt a throbbing pain in his back when he attempted to move at all. He wondered if Ashes was worried about him. He was normally up and by Ashes’ place long before this.

He winced, brought on by a combination of literal pain from the hangover he had from last night’s amount of adrenaline and the guilt he felt for making Ashes worry.

Of Fear and Misfortune

Spitfire sat behind the desk in Rainbow Dash’s office. She had to admit, Rainbow Dash was a very organized mare. Either that, or Cloudchaser had done some organizing for her.

As Cloudchaser herself had promised, the day was uneventful and incident-free. Everything ran smoothly thanks to Cloudchaser’s orders, and the occasional inspection showed Spitfire that, at least to her untrained eye, everything was done right and done well. The Ponyville weather team knew what they were doing.

She checked the clock and noticed that it had been a half hour since her last check-up. She got up and took to the skies, flying out the window and around the perimeter of Ponyville, looking inward for any sign of a problem. After about a minute of flying, however, Spitfire had heard her name being called.

“Captain Spitfire!”

Ranking Captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire at first naturally assumed that this was a fan calling to her. She reached to her wing, ready to dismember a feather in case she needed to sign something, but when she turned around, it was not a fan she was looking at, but rather a Ponyville weather flyer, one of the few who had stayed behind.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes. We have clouds coming in from the Everfree Forest. Now, if you want, I can handle this for you, but I can’t give orders, since you’re the Captain…”

“What’s so bad about weather from the Everfree Forest?”

The Pegasus looked taken aback for a second, but seemed to remember that this was not a pro weather flyer. “The Everfree Forest tends to have much wilder weather than Ponyville. I imagine if it’s a storm coming from there, it would be powerful enough to do damage to buildings and houses at the very least. Stronger Everfree storms have leveled houses.”

“What would Rainbow Dash have you do?” She felt strange, having those words come across her lips. She always expected Rainbow would be saying things of that nature about her, since she idolized her. Now, here she was, treading on Rainbow’s territory and wondering what Rainbow would do if she were here.

“She’d go out and see what we’re dealing with. I think it would be a better idea to send a trained eye, though. That would work better for knowing how many ponies we need out there.”

“Do you know how to deal with Everfree storms?”

“Yes.”

“Then I appoint you temporary Lieutenant until Rainbow or Cloudchaser gets back. You’d know how to deal with this type of thing better than I do.”

“The weather team generally doesn’t appoint Lieutenants, but I get the message. I’ll see what needs to be done. In the meantime, sit tight and try not to worry about it.” With that, the Pegasus took off towards the distant tree line.

Spitfire returned to her inspection, but now she had her mind occupied.

I imagine if it’s a storm coming from there, it would be powerful enough to do damage to buildings and houses at the very least. Stronger Everfree storms have leveled houses.

She wondered how Rainbow could work with that kind of pressure over her head. She had no idea how important the weather team was to Ponyville; without it, if a storm came from the Everfree, lives could be lost. If Spitfire screwed something up, sent a pony in the wrong direction, did anything at all to cause problems, there could be blood on her hooves.

There was no point worrying about it now, though. Why worry about lives being lost when she didn’t even know what she was dealing with yet?

She finished her rounds, deciding that all was well, and returned to her office, where the Pegasus from before was waiting for her.

“Well?”

“Well… I’ve seen worse, but I’ve seen better, too.”

“How bad is it?”

“It’s a hailstorm, and a pretty nasty one, too. Ponyville structures aren’t built for that kind of strain. There will definitely be moderate damage at the least if we don’t break it up before it reaches the city.”

Spitfire’s hooves felt cold as ice. She managed to keep her wings from quivering - just barely – as the stallion before her kept speaking.

“However, like I said, I’ve seen worse. It’ll definitely be difficult to break up, and we’ll need everypony out there, but I’m sure we can do it. Even so, I’m starting the sirens. That’ll get everypony into shelter in case we don’t stop it.” He seemed to notice Spitfire’s unease, even though she did nothing to show it. Perhaps he was just anticipating it, which was a possibility, considering the way he spoke. “Fear won’t help us. Just keep a level head and everything will be fine. Got that?” Spitfire nodded. “We can stop this. I know we can. I’m only starting the sirens as a precaution. We shouldn’t need them.” With that, he took off, most likely to start the sirens. Spitfire collapsed to her haunches.

“I wasn’t expecting this. I’m not ready for this. I don’t even know what I’m doing.” She felt her respect for Rainbow Dash grow a hundredfold as she wondered how she could possibly keep a level head when lives were at stake.

The whole weather team hovered before the storm front, staring at the ice pouring out of the clouds. At the front hovered the Pegasus that had warned Spitfire about the storm. The world around them was darkened by the thick cloud cover. There were sirens in the distance, almost drowned out by the hail cascading to the ground in sheets, putting holes in the leaves and leaving the trees dented and the bark chipped.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen.” The Pegasus had to shout over the deafening hail and wind all around them. “We’re gonna fly in formation of a ten meter spread. When we reach the clouds, we spread our wings and glide. Our wings should tear up clouds on their own.” The Pegasus stopped shouting, staved off by the crashing of the thunder from a bolt of lightning just a few feet away from them. Spitfire began trembling, and it wasn’t all because of the cold. At least she wasn’t in command for now. When the rumbling came to a halt, he picked up as if nothing had interrupted him. “When we reach the end of the storm, we’ll meet up and make sure everypony made it through.” Spitfire whimpered, which was thankfully hidden by the volume of the storm. “If so, well move five meters over and start again. We’ll make as many passes as we have to. It should only take five or six. Worst case scenario, we only push the clouds, and then we have to start up with a new tactic.”

“No, worst case scenario, somepony gets struck by lightning, and we have to get Flight for Life out here in the middle of a wild hailstorm. They might not even come because it’s either too risky or the odds won’t be in their favor.”

Spitfire felt as though the pony who had just spoken had signed her death certificate.

The Pegasus stallion just rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant. Is everypony ready to go?” A multitude of ‘Yes, sir’s seemed to satisfy him. “Alright, move out!”

They spread out, putting ten meter between each of them. Spitfire was third from the right side, set between two strange ponies that had both come from Trottingham.

“Ready?” The stallion sounded like a hoofball quarterback during a kickoff. “Go!”

Of Drawings and Dragonfire

Ashes sat at her kitchen table. To be honest, she was getting tired of waiting. Then again, who says Phoenix had to be the one to check on her? Maybe it could be the other way around from time to time.

She took one last sip of her coffee and got to her hooves. She went to her bathroom and looked at her reflection in the water in the sink. It was the closest she could get to a mirror in the Underground. Her mane looked okay as far as she could tell, its ashy gray strands almost long enough to touch the water from where her head was positioned. Perhaps she should cut it soon. She left her bathroom and went to her front door.

“I’ll be back with Phoenix.” The other three mares nodded in response. She walked through the door and turned towards Phoenix’s house. Just as she reached for his doorknob, his door swung open to reveal Phoenix.

Something smelled like citrus.

“Oh, hi Phoenix. I was just on my way to check on you. What smells like citrus?”

“Me. Trust me, you don’t want to know why.” Ashes rolled her eyes. That statement seemed to get tossed around more and more recently. She did not pry, though. If Phoenix said she didn’t want to know, chances were she didn’t.

“We’re waiting for you next door.”

“What, am I supposed to be their leader?”

“Sure, why not?” It was Phoenix’s turn to roll his eyes as he walked past her.

“I’ll get enough leadership when we break out of this hellhole.”

He opened Ashes’ door and walked into her house. As promised, the other three sat in the living room expectantly.

“Don’t you three have anything better to do than sit around and wait for me?”

Ashes was the first to retort, sounding irritated as she did so. “Hey, they don’t know this place at all, and they don’t know what they’re supposed to do.”

“Good point. You’re not really supposed to do anything. Nopony cares what you do in your spare time. Just trot around and don’t die.” Phoenix suddenly realized the implications in his words. “Not that anypony out there’s going to kill you or anything. Know what? Forget I said that. Just… try not to be depressed or scared. The guards eat that stuff up like candy.”

“The drawing is today.”

Silence. All eyes were on Ashes, who had addressed the elephant in the room. Fear gripped the five of them. For Ashes and Phoenix, it was fear for the other three, who were no doubt fearing for themselves. Phoenix decided to break the ice.

“Yeah, they’re definitely not going to be depressed or scared now.”

“I was just pointing it out.” She turned her attention to the three pegasi in the living room. “Look, you’re not going to be drawn. And if you are, then we’ll just have to break out sooner.”

“There’s no point worrying about it until we know for sure,” Phoenix stated with confidence. “After all, we still haven’t gotten your numbers. Maybe that means you won’t be in the drawing.” He knew that wasn’t the case, but anything that would calm them was worth trying.

The five ponies trotted into the cafeteria of the Underground. They checked the wall of names, and no numbers had been posted for Sunbeam and Cloud Kicker. In fact, all the other numbers had been scrubbed away. Just as they were about to speculate on the matter, two unicorn guards trotted onto the stage.

“Ponies of the Underground. May I have your attention, please?” Phoenix began to wonder if Mistress was actually just a broken record hidden away somewhere. “As some of you may have noticed, the numbers are gone.

“I decided that the numbers system was getting complicated and much too large. The numbers are gone. We will, from here on out, use names instead. For those of you whose names are not known, your codenames will be used. As it sits, the only ponies here who must go by a code name are our three newcomers.

“I have made one other change to the drawing. It has come to my attention that some ponies in the facility are lucky enough not to be drawn often enough to discourage them from making plans of rebellion.” What?

She couldn’t know. She couldn’t. Who would’ve told her? How would she have found out? Phoenix’s world came crashing down around him as he realized what this meant. He was sure they would still go through with it. It would only be more difficult.

He was prepared for difficulty, though.

“To remedy this, I have decided that I shall have the first say in who goes, before the rest of the names are drawn.” WHAT???

“She didn’t.” Phoenix was glad to hear that he wasn’t the only one indignated by this change. Ashes stood next to him, eyes sharp as a knife and burning with rage. The other three, along with everypony else, simply looked fearful.

“Now, I shall reveal names. The first three, of course, are our rookies. They will require a proper welcome.”

Red. Anypony around will tell you that red was a symbol of rage.

Red was suddenly everything that Phoenix saw.

It replaced the white that was all around him. The walls, the ceiling, the stage curtain, even the ponies were tinted a blazing red.

Phoenix felt heat rise up in his body. His blood boiled, his eyes burned, and he was ready to escape right then and there and pummel Mistress until she no longer resembled a pony.

How dare she? How dare she even try to put three innocent ponies through total hell? It wasn’t right, it wasn’t moral. Phoenix began to wonder if she even resembled a pony to begin with.

“The other two I have chosen are the two that have rallied around them.

“White Phoenix and Emerald Ashes.”

Of Lightning and Life Flight

“Ready? GO!” Cloudy Skies flew off into the clouds, immediately being pelted by hail and wind. He felt the air currents shifting rapidly, but, with much effort, kept himself on course as his wings cut through the clouds, clearing them away. There was no telling how large the storm was, but chances were they would have multiple injuries to take care of by the time they were finished. He didn’t expect anything major, just cuts and bruises.

Somewhere in the storm, lightning forked through the sky. Cloudy Skies found himself hoping beyond hope that nopony had been struck by it as he continued his forward flight. Hail beat at his face. He felt the stings of multiple scratches on his cheeks. What he wouldn’t give for a pair of flight goggles right now!

Happily, he didn’t have to take much more, because he arrived at the other side along with the rest of the weather team.

“Everypony here?” Everypony gathered around him for a quick headcount. “Ahhh shit. We’re missing Spitfire.”

“Spitfire? I thought she of all ponies would be able to handle this! She’s a Wonderbolt, for Celestia’s sake! She leaves behind storm contrails!”

“Now is really not the time. Who wants to go look for her while the rest of us keep breaking up the storm? Comet, you’ll do fine.” Comet nodded stiffly before streaking off below the storm to the forest to see if she had fallen.

“Let’s go. We need to break this storm up before it reaches Ponyville. We can worry about Spitfire later.”

Spitfire laid on the grass. She had never been so dazed in her life, and she had had many concussions from flight practice. She looked at her left wing and immediately regretted it. It was burned and bleeding profusely. The lightning had really done a number on it. She turned and looked at the dark forest around her. She was almost completely obscured by the canopy above her. She thought back to the fall. She remembered a flash of light, and then she drew a blank. She had no idea how long she had been out. Her vision blurred out of focus for a moment. She weakly turned her head to the side before her stomach lurched, and crimson bile poured from her throat. Just how much damage did the lightning do to her?

She relaxed as best she could in her position. She began to fade off, unconsciousness slowly claiming her. She feared that if she drifted off, she would die, but she couldn’t help it. She just felt so tired. Her vision blurred more and more out of focus, the green of the trees filling more and more of her sight. Everything was so quiet… So quiet…

“SPITFIRE!!!!”

Clarity returned as if it had been slammed into her skull with a hammer. It was distant, sure, but it was something. She went to move onto her side-

“AAAAHH!”

It was as if she had been struck by lightning a second time. Pain shot through her body in waves, intensifying a hundredfold each time she moved. She held still for a minute, and although the sharp pain was still present, it subsided quickly. She couldn’t help that she was twitching weakly as the pain continued to eat away at her.

“SPITFIRE!”

“I’m here.” She called it out as loud as she could, which wasn’t saying much given the circumstances. Her vision began to blur again. She saw a speck move above her through a hole in the canopy, no doubt where she felt. The speck stopped right at the clear space, not moving for a moment, no doubt searching for a moment. It seemed to find her as it called out.

“Spitfire! There you are!”

Her vision blurred out to the edges of her vision. She coughed weakly, and she felt something warm dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

“Oh my gosh. Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. MEDIIIIIC!!!” After a brief moment, another Pegasus joined the first, whom she judged to be Comet by the sound of her voice. Spitfire’s vision continued to fade away. Her mind became foggy.

“Awww, damn. Screw this, I’m getting Flight for Life out here. No doubt they’d come this far for Captain of the Wonderbolts. Especially in a state like this. That’s a lot of blood.” That was the last thing she heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

Of History and Happiness

Phoenix woke up. He was in Ashes’ house. He began to get up, wincing at the second headache he had that day. He got up off the bed, stumbling slightly. The light blinded him, worsening his headache tenfold. He got to the hallway, only to be met by Ashes, who gently pushed him back into the bedroom.

“Stay in bed, Phoenix. You need your rest.”

“What happened?”

“You went rage mode, I bit your tail and held you in place, and I guess you overheated and passed out.”

“Rage mode?”

“You were pretty pissed, Phoenix.”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “I understand that part. Why was I mad?”

“You don’t remember? They tampered with the drawing.”

The afternoon’s events flooded into his mind, returned by confirmation of their existence. “Right.” He laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was still angry, but he knew tipping himself over the edge again would do him no good. He contended himself with dull frustration instead, keeping his bitter mood to a minimum. “Where’s everypony else?”

“Your house. We can head over if you feel up to it, but you’re getting back in bed once you do.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.” Phoenix took care to move at a slower pace, moving along at the gentlest of trots as he tried not to aggravate his aching head. Ashes got the door for Phoenix, who trotted past and got the next door for Ashes. He trotted into his house, greeted by the sight of the four mares sitting inside. “I’m never gonna get used to that.”

“Who said you have to?” Phoenix winced. Rainbow began speaking at a quieter tone. “Sorry. Was that too loud?”

Phoenix sighed, slowly trotting into the house and sitting down in the living room. “Sorry if I flew off the handle earlier. It’s just… Who does she think she is? You three have nothing to do with what goes on in here, so why should she drag you down with us?”

“Oh no you don’t. Come on, Phoenix. You need your rest. Come to think of it, we all do.”

“Wait, what? It’s only afternoon.” Phoenix was getting awkward stares from the mares in the room with him. “Ashes? How long was I out?”

Ashes glanced at the clock and quickly did the math. “We got back from the cafeteria at 12:30, soooo… Ten hours?”

The color drained from Phoenix’s face. “Ten hours. What the hell kind of blind rage was I going through that I put myself under for TEN HOURS???”

“Phoenix, calm down! Freaking out isn’t going to help. Just… get to bed. You need to rest. I’ll even stay with you if you want.” If she had meant that seductively, Phoenix ignored it.

“Okay, fine. You’re the medic here.” Ashes rolled her eyes. They went to the bedroom and settled down for the night.

All was quiet in the house. They slept in pairs, save for Rainbow. Phoenix couldn’t seem to get to sleep. Neither could ashes. They both gave up on sleep and began making small talk.

“Hey, Phoenix?”

“Yeah?”

“What the hell did you do to your back?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“But-“

“Don’t. Want. To. Know.”

“…Okay.”

They fell silent for a moment, simply gazing into each other’s eyes. Phoenix seemed intent upon simply staring into Ashes’ eyes for an eternity (as usual), but Ashes’ eyes were filled with cautios curiosity as she stared at Phoenix.

“Phoenix?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your real name?”

Phoenix tensed up. This was a conversation Phoenix had managed to avoid for a long time. “What do you mean, real name? My name is White Phoenix.”

“It’s just that… Well, you’ve gone by that name for nineteen years. Your parents chose a name for you when you were born.”

“Right.”

“But… Is the name your parents chose for you the same as the one you’ve used for so long?”

“…My name is White Phoenix.”

Ashes rolled her eyes. He was clearly doing everything he could to avoid the matter at hoof. “Phoenix-“

“I don’t know, okay?” Apparently his sentence came across harsher than he’d meant it, judging by Ashes’ wince. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. It’s just… Well, my parents were killed the day I was born, so if they chose a name for me, so be it. I’ve been told Mistress was the only one present for my birth, though. According to everypony I’ve spoken to about it, the story goes like this:

“It was my mom, my dad, Mistress, and me. I was born, my parents chose a name, and then Mistress killed them.” He spoke with absolutely no sensitivity, for Ashes or himself, despite the depressing matter that was being spoken of. The Underground does that to you, though. You go through so much that it’s simply impossible to be depressed. Either you go all out for escape, as they were doing, or you lose all pretense of emotion, which went for anypony else in the Underground. But everypony loses their sensitivity to pain of any kind. It's just how things work.

“Mistress came out holding me and said exactly this:

“The foal’s parents have chosen a name for him. Therefore he shall be known as White Phoenix.

“Whether or not that was the name my parents chose for me, Mistress never said to anypony. So, if White Phoenix isn’t my real name, which, knowing Mistress, I have no reason not to believe that, then I don’t know my real name. Nopony does.”

“That… That must be awful, not knowing if ponies have been calling you by your real name.”

“So far, Mistress has done everything she can to make sure I have nothing. I have no identity, no peace of mind, no parents, no dignity. It doesn’t depress me to not have any of that. It just angers me that Mistress gets to have her satisfaction from all of that.”

“You really hate her, don’t you?”

“With a passion that burns like a thousand suns. As far as I’m concerned, she is the source of everything that is bad in the world. When she’s wiped from existence, everything will be perfect harmony and peace, and nothing would bring me more pleasure than to be the one who does the deed of ending her – no, it. She isn’t a mare. She’s a creature.”

“Well, she’ll get hers in time. And besides, there is one thing Mistress hasn’t taken from you.” Ashes brought her muzzle forward, and Phoenix met her halfway, locking the two of them in a passionate kiss. It wasn’t heated. There was no need for it, and besides, acting on their passion with these paper-thin walls would simply make for awkward breakfast conversations, not to mention alerting every guard in the Underground to what they were up to, and they would only catch hell for it. It was just… simple. And yet, so many emotions were communicated and shared in that kiss.

Neither of them wanted it to end, but eventually lack of oxygen forced them to part. They pulled away from each other, panting slightly, blushes burning in their faces when they realized how long they had been like that.

“You know, I’d almost say it’s a fair trade. All the pain and suffering, and the indignity to boot, in exchange for getting to be with the greatest mare in the world? I’d say it’s worth it.”

Ashes giggled at Phoenix. “Since when were you all sappy like this?” Suddenly a shuffling sounded from the other room.

“Who said what about sappy?”

Phoenix was glad it was dark, because he had just about the reddest face he’d ever accomplished in his life. Thankfully weak snoring from the next room confirmed that Rainbow Dash had fallen back to sleep, so their conversation could continue.

“I am not sappy. I’m just saying, you’re the best. Since when is that sappy?” Ashes facehoofed. Why did she have to fall for someone so clueless?

“Since when is it not sappy to say that 33 trips to a torturefest is a fair trade for your marefriend?”

“34.”

“My point exactly.”

“You’re not just a marefriend, though. You’re more than that, even. You truly are the only reason I have to live. You’re the only thing I have left to care about. To lose you would be to lose everything. You are the world to me.” Ashes would’ve rolled her eyes so hard they would’ve never stopped if it weren’t for how serious he was.

“You’re important to me, too, Phoenix. You may not be all I have left to lose, but you’re definitely number one on the list of the ponies I care about.” She wrapped her forelegs around him, pulling him close and resting her head on his shoulder. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered shut and she drifted off to sleep.

Phoenix had finally reached a state of closure. He had no more secrets to hide from Ashes anymore. It felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his chest, replaced by the head of the mare he loved. He gently squeezed her, holding her tightly, and he never let go. Slowly, he joined her in her dreams.

Of Operations and an Overreaction

Spitfire’s eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurred. The first thing that registered was that she was moving.

“She’s waking up. Spitfire, look at me.”

Spitfire turned to face what she believed to be the one who spoke.

“You’re on your way to the hospital. You’ve lost a lot of blood, but I think you’ll be okay.”

It was Spitfire’s intent to say ‘How far are we?’ but the only thing to leave her throat was a series of painful coughs. She stifled them with her right hoof, avoiding using the left half of her body. When she looked at her hoof, from what she could tell, it was covered in blood.

“We better hurry up. She’s coughing blood, and a lot of it.” Their pace picked up. Before she knew it they were through the hospital doors and on their way to the ER. They came through the doors and quickly transferred her from the stretcher to the bed. Nurse Redheart came in, attaching her to an IV and a heartbeat scanner.

She had dealt with some pretty severe Wonderbolt crashes in her time, from both herself and others, but this was the first time she had ever heard a heartbeat that unstable.

“The lightning must’ve thrown her heartbeat off. I’ll leave you to it.”

“This’ll be a lot simpler if she’s asleep.” The nearest doctor strolled up with a needle and injected it into her arm. Seconds later she felt herself becoming unconscious again.

“Heartbeat is stable, she’s breathing on her own, and we’ve stopped the bleeding.”

“Any damage that may be permanent?”

Spitfire tensed up, suddenly realizing that she was listening on the doctors conversing about her.

“I think it would be best to wait for her to wake up.”

“Mmmph.” Spitfire’s eyes slowly opened, stopping half-lidded as if she didn’t have the strength to open them further.

“I guess we don’t have to wait long.” It was the doctor who had injected the sleeping drug.

“Doctor, please. She’s only just waking up. Give her a moment.”

“Of course.” The doctor turned his attention from Nurse Redheart to her. “How are you feeling?”

“Mmmmm.”

“Apparently we’ll have to wait longer than I thought.” He chuckled, trying to lighten Spitfire’s spirits. It didn’t work.

When Spitfire found herself capable of coherent sentences, she attempted speech again. “What’s the damage?”

Nurse Redheart gave her a concerned glance, but surprisingly opted to not make Spitfire wait. “You have pretty major burns on your wing. They’ll take a while to heal. The lightning also tore your wing open. You have a torn ligament and a couple fractures. It’ll be a while before you fly again.

“The fall broke three of your ribs, and one of them punctured your lung. If you hadn’t coughed up the blood…”

“I would’ve drowned in it.” Spitfire became painfully aware of how close she came to dying.

“You lost a lot of blood. You’ll need a transfusion. You’ll also require a lot of time to heal. Most likely you’ll stay in here for about a month. After that, we’ll have to wait and see.”

Spitfire chuckled, a thought entering her mind. “So, who’s substituting for the substitute captain of the weather team?”

Redheart chuckled, too, but something was off about it. She couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, but there was something there that brought Spitfire major discomfort. “Cloudy Skies said you put him second in command, so, naturally, he took over.” Spitfire nodded. It made sense.

“So, how come I’m not in tons of pain right now?”

“Morphine. Enjoy it while it lasts, because now that we aren’t trying to keep you knocked out, we’ll have to lower the dosage. A lot.”

“Well that sucks.”

Redheart nodded. Again, something was off about it. This time Spitfire knew what it was, though. Redheart felt sorry for her.

“Hey, what gives? Why so downhearted? Lighten up; I’m alive, for Celestia’s sake! What has you so depressed?” Spitfire wore a genuine smile, the realization of how lucky she was sinking in. “If I were you, I’d be celebrating right now. The two of you saved my life.”

This seemed to be the final straw for Nurse Redheart. “We should go. You need your rest. I’m glad you appreciate what we did for you.” Her composure was rapidly fading as she spoke. “I’ll check on you every fifteen minutes or so.” With that, the two of them left the room.

Nurse Redheart let her demeanor crumble in the hallway. She stared dejectedly at the floor, not moving an inch. The doctor approached her. “Redheart?”

“She doesn’t know how lucky she is. Personally, I don’t want her to. But… She’s the luckiest mare in the world to be alive right now.”

“I know. Twice. That’s definitely a first.”

Redheart nodded stiffly in agreement. That was the one thing she had neglected to tell Spitfire.

Twice. They had to restart her heart… twice. Redheart had never heard of that being a necessity, let alone it actually working a second time. “How long do you think it will be before she flies again?”

“Before she flies at all? Probably about a month and a half. It’ll take several months before she can fly as well as she did before, though.”

“I feel so bad for her. Taking flight from the captain of the Wonderbolts? It’s like taking Rainbow Dash’s mane away. It’s who she is. She has no identity without it.”

“It’s not permanent, though. She’ll fly again.”

“I guess. She’s not managing weather again, though. That’s for sure.”

“I don’t think she’d want to.”

Spitfire lay in bed. She wondered why Redheart had left in such a hurry. She was definitely hiding something about Spitfire’s condition. She thought back on what she said before Redheart left.

Lighten up; I’m alive, for Celestia’s sake!

Spitfire’s eyes widened, almost taking up her entire face as her thought cut at her like a knife made of ice.

Was she going to die?

Of Knocking and Knuckleheadedness

Phoenix awoke to knocking on the front door. He opened his eyes and found his face inches from Ashes’. She was still asleep. She looked so peaceful when she slept. It was angelic. It made him happy.

He got out of bed carefully, making sure not to wake Ashes. It was a difficult feat, but he managed it eventually. The knocking sounded again. Phoenix swiveled around, checking again to make sure the knocking hadn’t pulled Ashes from her slumber, but she remained peaceful as ever.

He trotted silently from the room and answered the door. A guard stood there, waiting for him. Apparently he was just about to knock again, because he had his hoof raised. He placed it upon the ground.

“Can I speak to the rookies Rainbow and Yellow?”

“What for?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you until after I speak to them.”

“Something tells me you’re about to do more than just speak to them.”

The guard removed his sunglasses, revealing a menacing pair of red eyes staring at him through narrow lids. “Alright, let’s put it this way then. You have a choice. Either you get the two rookies to speak with me here in the hallway, or I personally take you to the Dark Corridor, strap you down, and leave you there while I speak to them, and then I come back and make your day the most miserable one you can imagine. Your call. I’m talking to them either way.”

Phoenix regarded him through narrowed eyes of his own, his blue providing a stark contrast to the guard’s red. After a moment, he stepped aside and let the guard in. Phoenix considered intervening more forcefully, but he knew it would only make it worse for everypony. He didn’t care if he was hurt, as long as nopony else was, but if he was stubborn now, they would probably take some of their frustration out on Dash and Kicker.

“Well? Where are they?”

“I’ll get them.”

He started with Rainbow Dash. He trotted into Dash’s room, closing the door behind them. He shook Dash awake and spoke in a harsh whisper.

“Wake up, Dash. There’s a guard out there who wants to-“ he made air quotations with his hooves”- speak with you. I don’t know what he wants, but you probably won’t like it. I’m sorry, but if I was stubborn about it, they probably would only hurt you worse.”

“I thought you said you were going to protect me.” Rainbow sounded hurt and scared. Phoenix drew her into a hug.

“I know, and it may not seem like it now, but by doing this, I am protecting you. I’m not sure if they’re going to hurt you or not, but if they are, then like I said, being stubborn would only make it worse. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I guess there’s no avoiding it.”

Rainbow nodded, obviously still feeling betrayed, but those thoughts were repressed by the compassion he was showing now.

“We’ll take care of you, Rainbow. Don’t forget that. Now, I have to go wake Kicker, he wants something with her, too.”

He ended the hug, trotting to the door. He opened it and walked through, followed by the nervous Pegasus he had awoken.

Phoenix walked through the door of the room shared by Kicker and Sunbeam. Strangely, they had cuddled into each other at some point. Phoenix suppressed the thought, waking up Kicker while trying not to wake up Sunbeam. He succeeded, though it was only temporary. He whispered the same explanation to her.

Kicker seemed to take it better, accepting the turmoil with a dejected nod. “Tell him I’ll be there in a second.”

Phoenix turned to leave, not exactly wanting to know why Kicker hadn’t been startled by her position. He trotted into the living room, observing the guard who had replaced his sunglasses.

“You’re not going to hurt them, right?”

“Why does that matter to you?”

Phoenix opened his mouth to retort, but closed it immediately. Had it been any other circumstances, he would’ve responded with ‘Because they’re my friends!’ But these were guards we were talking about. Friendships were just another weakness. He cast an apologetic glance towards Dash, who was looking more betrayed than ever. He hoped she didn’t think she wasn’t his friend. She was, and he made a mental note to make sure she knew that when she returned.

Kicker trotted into the living room, giving the guard an irritated glare. “What do you want?”

“Snarky, huh? That’s an attitude that’ll get you hurt in here.”

“And I’m supposed to care?”

The guard chuckled. He removed his sunglasses a second time, facing Kicker with an evil grin. “Listen up, ‘cause I’m only gonna tell you this once, and it’s for your own good. In exactly three days’ time, your flank is mine. You’re gonna get locked in a room, strapped to a table, and whatever guard gets your name gets to do whatever he wants to you. That can be taken a number of ways, none of which are good for you. I’m requesting you specifically, so if you want any sympathy, you’ll fix your attitude. Capiche?” He spoke in the manner of a father scolding a foal.

Kicker only chuckled, and met him with a grin just as menacing. “You really think that prospect scares me, don’t you? I’ve had years of Royal Guard training, training that consists of many different fighting styles, mastery of many different weapons, but, most importantly, escaping situations an awful lot like the one you’re describing. And, since it sounds to me like these doors are locked from the outside, it’s only the better for me, because that means once I’ve got your keys, your flank is mine. That, my friend, is what I like to call ‘turning the tables’. Sound like fun?”

Phoenix stared in shock. Speaking to a guard like that was going to get her killed! “Umm, K-Yellow? You really ought to tone it down a bit. That’s a guard you’re speaking to, and even if what you’re saying is true, you’re outnumbered. Greatly.”

Kicker continued to stare at the guard, her eyes and face dripping with malice. It was a battle of pride, albeit a small one, but nonetheless, one that a Kicker couldn’t afford to lose. To lose would be a weakness on her part. She would not be the one to break eye contact first.

Finally, the guard sighed in annoyance, breaking eye contact and hoofing over the win, now speaking to Kicker and Rainbow both. “Come with me. And, Yellow, I wouldn’t try something like that again if I were you. You’re asking for trouble, and you’re in enough already.” Kicker and Rainbow exchanged worried glances as they followed the guard into the hallway. Rainbow spoke before they followed the guard outside.

“What the hay was that? Are you trying to get us killed?” Rainbow threw a hoof into the air, smacking Kicker in the face. “Don’t screw anything else up. I don’t know about you, but I want to get out of here, and I don’t want to be in a wooden box when it happens.” With that, she turned tail and trotted into the hallway. Kicker raised a hoof to her face, stroking the spot where Rainbow smacked her. It was then that she understood.

They knew about her Guard training now.

She really was asking for trouble.

Of Martyr and Misery

Nurse Redheart trotted into Spitfire’s room. Spitfire took her chance.

“You’re hiding something.”

“No. Spitfire, you’re healing fast, I’ve already told you of all the damage you’ve taken, I can’t make an estimate at how long it’ll be before you fly again, at least not yet, but other than that, there’s nothing about your condition that you don’t know.” Nurse Redheart hoped that was enough to stave her off. She really didn’t need to know.

Of course, it was enough to ensure Spitfire that she wasn’t going to die. Redheart was still hiding something, though.

“There’s something else. I believe that you’re telling me everything about my condition, but there’s something you’re keeping from me.”

Nurse Redheart sighed, beginning to do her rounds, checking Spitfire’s heart rate, blood pressure, and a check-up of Spitfire’s wounds.

“Yes, there’s something I’m not telling you. But it’s something you don’t need to know. It doesn’t matter anymore. It’s in the past, and it won’t affect your future. I just don’t want to risk putting you in a state of unrest over something that isn’t important.”

“Okay, fine. As long as it’s not important anymore.” Nurse Redheart breathed a sigh of relief at her words.

“Thank you for understanding. Your condition is stable and steadily improving. I think…” Redheart took a brief pause, giving a glance over Spitfire as a whole. “I think as soon as we change your bandages, you’ll be okay to leave.”

“Really? That’s great! Ow…” Spitfire had naturally reacted to her excitement by fluttering her wings. “Yeah, that’ll take some time to get used to.”

“Don’t move your wings and you won’t have to deal with it.”

Typical misunderstandings of pegasus anatomy. “I kinda can’t help it. You’d understand if you were a pegasus yourself.”

“I suppose.”

“So, when are my bandages getting changed?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Sweet! I’ll be out of here in no time!” Spitfire put up a valiant effort to stay her wings, and was rewarded with only a few slight twitches from her wings.

Cloudchaser was just arriving home after a long day’s search. All the members of the search team were heading home for the night. They had just completed their second day of searching, and found nothing. No Rainbow, no Cloud Kicker, no Sunbeam, not even clues to where they were.

Just an empty wooden shack.

”Hey, Cloudchaser! Over here!” Cloudchaser swiveled about and saw Flitter waving her over with a hoof. She flew over to her.

“What’d you find?”

“Just this shack, but I was thinking maybe Rainbow was in there.”

“Why would she be in there?”

“Why would she go missing for three days?”

“Good point.” They flew over to the shack and knocked on the door. Their knocking was unanswered.

Flitter knocked a second time. The third time her hoof made contact with the door, it swung open. Cloudchaser wasn’t sure if this was because somepony magically unlocked it or because it hadn’t been latched in the first place. He stepped into the shack.

“Hello? Anypony here?” Dead silence met her words. She spared a glance around. The whole shack was empty except for a desk. She walked over to the desk. It was bare and dust-covered. She pulled open equally empty and dusty drawers to no avail. She abandoned her search of the desk and looked around the shack again. Her eyes came to rest upon a door.

She stepped up to the door and slowly raised a hoof to open it. She reached forward, and her hoof met… air.

It was as if the air had come together to form a wall in front of her hoof. She pressed harder and harder, but she could not break through the barrier.

She stepped back from the door, turning around and taking careful aim. She crouched down, bending her hind legs. Suddenly, she pushed up, lifting her hind hooves off the ground and delivering a swift buck to the door in front of her.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING???” Flitter was dumbfounded by Cloudchaser’s lack of subtlety.

“Apparently, nothing.” Cloudchaser observed the door, and she hadn’t even made a scratch in it.

“C’mon. We’ll come back later. Let’s get out of here before you piss someone off, okay?”

“Fine. But we’re coming back later.”

“Fair enough. Let’s go.”

Cloudchaser pondered whether or not she should’ve listened to Flitter. They could’ve been behind that door. She decided she’d find out the next day when they went back. She’d bring the whole team over to the shack and see what they could do.

Kicker and Rainbow stood outside Phoenix’s house. Their eyes were upon the guard that stood before them. Kicker spoke up first.

“Okay, what do you want with us?”

The guard chuckled. “You know, ever since you’ve arrived here, everything you’ve done reeks of rebellion. You see, we all know about your little flight show at your revealing.” All the color drained from both of their faces. “And, since Kicker here still goes and plays here games, we’ve decided that we’d go ahead and start teaching you a little bit early that what happens down here isn’t a game.” As he spoke, a guard rounded a corner on each end of the hallway. They both carried chokers and tweezers.

“And since you decided your little game would be in the form of a flight show.-“ the guards had each arrived, one bearing down on Rainbow, the other on Kicker; “- we’ve decided that we’re going to make sure you don’t fly again. One-”

PLUCK

Rainbow yelped in pain. “-feather-“

PLUCK

Kicker winced.

“-at a time.”

Both pegasi felt themselves being gagged. Two more guards appeared in the hallway, both armed with tweezers. The guards who were already there took hold of their wings roughly, both holding them there and causing them pain.

It was going to be a long night. Rainbow felt her feathers being ripped out. She glanced over at Kicker, who refused to do more than wince as each of her feathers were plucked. Rainbow’s guards, however, were more clever. They pulled to the sides with their tweezers, ensuring that the pulling of her feathers was slow and painful. She would be crying out, or perhaps whimpering by now, if it weren’t for the gag that was in her throat, preventing her vocal cords from moving. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. The pain paralyzed her, preventing her from even attempting to escape.

She glanced back at her wing, which was now bleeding profusely.

They were pulling blood feathers.

It became clear to Rainbow that these guard knew nothing of pegasus anatomy. Pulling one blood feather even slightly incorrectly caused bleeding to the point of requiring medical attention. Pulling several while doing enough damage as they can…

Rainbow’s wing began to feel cold, as if somepony had injected ice into her veins. It was an early sign that she was losing too much blood. Tears streamed down Rainbow’s cheeks as her thoughts cut at her like a knife. She might die from this.

“That’s enough. Can’t you see how much she’s bleeding?”

The guard working at Rainbow’s wing turned to the red-eyed guard from before. He nodded and removed Rainbow’s gag. She immediately breathed in through her throat and released her breath in a pathetic whimper.

“Go back inside. Both of you. I don’t think you’re flying again soon, and you’ve earned your lesson.” The guards turned in unison and trotted away, leaving them in their misery. Rainbow looked at Kicker’s wings. She had kept all of her blood feathers, but even so, blood trickled down her wing. It was nowhere close to how bad Rainbow’s wing was, though. Hers was almost completely bare and entirely stained crimson, dripping blood onto the floor. As soon as the guards were gone, she collapsed onto the floor, curling up and trembling from the pain.

Kicker hoisted her onto her shoulder and half-guided, half-carried Rainbow into the house. Tears were will pouring from Rainbow’s face. She let her head hang. She was in too much pain to lift it.

They arrived inside the house. Phoenix took one look at them and all the color drained from his face. “Oh my-“ He turned towards the back of the house. “ASHES!!!!”

Of Bonds by Blood and a Brotherhood

“This time they’ve gone too far.”

Ashes stood in front of Rainbow next to the bathtub, gauze wrapped around her hoof. She dipped it in the water and continued dabbing at Rainbow’s wing, causing her to wince, but cleaning away the blood.

“Ashes? Can I ask you again why we don’t just dip my wing in the water?”

“They pulled your blood feathers. Blood feathers are still connected to blood vessels, both incoming and outgoing. If your wing goes underwater, you’ll get too much water in your bloodstream.”

“Makes sense.” Rainbow was still dancing along the line between consciousness and unconsciousness, a line that was thinning at an alarming rate.

“Okay, this will have to do. Let’s bandage this up. I’m sorry, Rainbow, but this is the best I can do. I don’t have anything to stop the pain, so you’ll just have to tough it until it heals.” Ashes slipped the blood-stained gauze off of her hoof, picking up the roll and proceeding to wrap Rainbow’s entire right wing in gauze.

“That’s okay. You did what you could.” Rainbow was still shaking from the pain.

After about three minutes, Ashes was satisfied with the multiple layers of gauze covering Rainbow’s still-severely-bleeding wing.

“Okay. Just get to bed and we’ll-“ Ashes’ thoughts were cut off as Rainbow tilted forward and collapsed onto the floor. “-or go to sleep. Whatever works for you, I guess.” She hoisted Rainbow onto her back, with some help from Phoenix, and was off to Rainbow’s bedroom. Once Rainbow was securely tucked in, she returned to the bathroom and began draining the bathtub. Phoenix approached her from the doorway.

“I’m sorry that had to happen. If I had told the guard to buzz off, they probably would’ve done worse.”

“That’s fine. Just make sure you’re here when she wakes up.”

“Where did you learn so much about pegasus anatomy?”

“Actually…” Ashes bit her lip as she gathered her thoughts. “I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I was born a pegasus.”

“Well, I know that much. First of all, yes, you’ve told me, and second of all, even if you hadn’t, you think the scars where your wings would’ve been weren’t evidence enough? But, even still. You never had to care for your wings, because you haven’t had them. How did you know all that?”

Ashes was about to answer when Cloud Kicker strode into the bathroom, interrupting their conversation. “Sorry to butt in, but is she going to be okay?”

“It’s too early to tell. She’s lost a lot of blood, and the bleeding hasn’t stopped yet. I’ve bandaged her wing. You can check on her if you want. She’s unconscious right now. I don’t know how much she’ll remember when she wakes up.”

Kicker immediately turned and strode out of the bathroom, no doubt checking on her friend.

“I knew all that because my mom and dad taught me. My parents were both pegasi, and they weren’t from the Underground. Come to think of it, I think they were among the first few to be captured. But, they had lived their lives on the Surface. They had lived typical Surface lives until they were captured, and their lives included having wings. When I was little, they rallied around me and taught me everything they could about the Surface, and everything they could about my roots, which included pegasus anatomy.”

The entire time Ashes spoke, Phoenix seemed to zone out, staring at the ground morosely. Ashes took notice of this, suddenly realizing what she had done wrong.

“Phoenix… I’m sorry, that was dull of me, I-“

“No, I asked and you answered. It’s okay. It’s not your fault anyway.”

“Phoenix-“ Ashes placed a hoof on his shoulder. “-I want you to know that you do have a family, whether you realize it or not. We’re all a family here. We’re bound by mutual suffering, and it’s a bond that will never cease to exist. While it may not be the best reason to call ourselves a family, it’s who we are.

“We are a brotherhood. A Brotherhood of Suffering.”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Come up with that clever name yourself?”

“Yes. And I think… I think it’s what I’ll call us Underground ponies when we rebel. I mean, think about it. We are used to pain. We no longer have the capacity for fear. We’re cold-hearted and mean-spirited. Because of all the things that have been done to us, we are all stronger than we realize. Our suffering is what draws us together, and it’s what makes us strong.

“So what better name is there for a group of ponies, drawn together for a mutual cause, and made strong by not knowing luxury?”

Phoenix smiled. He played the words across his lips. “The Brotherhood of Suffering.”

Of Recoveries and Recuperations - Part 1

Rainbow’s eyes slowly fluttered open. The whole room was one giant blur. There was a pounding throb coming from her right wing. With every throb of her wing came a throb in her head as well, which was not helped by the blinding white of her surroundings. She closed her eyes again, hoping to drift back to sleep, but the constant pain kept her awake.

She made to roll over - to her left side, of course – and immediately regretted it when the throbbing pain in her head increased to a hammering on the inside of her skull.

“Mmmm-hmmm.” Her body tensed up, waiting for the pain to subside, but it did not come. Apparently, her pained moan did not go unnoticed, as the door opened, revealing Ashes on the other side. She strode gently into the room, making sure to silence her hoofbeats. When she reached the side of the bed, she spoke softly as her voice would allow.

“Don’t worry about coming out, Rainbow. Just rest.”

“I can’t sleep. It hurts too much.”

Ashes placed a hoof on Rainbow’s chest, relaxing her to the bed as softly as possible.

“Don’t exert yourself. You’ll only make it worse.”

Rainbow found that when she was fully relaxed on the bed, eyes closed and mind unfocused, the pain came close to being a dull ache, though it was still there, present as ever.

“Do you need anything?”

“No.”

Ashes thought for a moment, then carefully and quietly shut the door to the room. She strode around Rainbow’s bed, stopping next to Rainbow’s right wing.

“Sorry if this hurts.” She tentatively reached out a hoof and slipped it beneath the bandaging on Rainbow’s wing. She lifted it carefully, glancing underneath. There was a lot of blood, but very little of it was still wet. She carefully lifted Rainbow’s wing, enticing a hiss of pain from her. “Sorry.” She carefully extended her other forehoof, reaching across the bandage and supporting Rainbow’s wing by its joint. She pulled down on the bandage, searching the wounds for infection. There were no signs of any. She let go of the bandage and took a more careful look at Rainbow’s wing, closer to where it met her back. She brushed feathers out of the way, observing the skin underneath. It was mostly a light blue, but a few crimson streaks ran away from the wound and towards her chest.

Blood poisoning.

She carefully returned Rainbow’s wing to the bed. She reached a hoof to Rainbow’s chin, turning her head to face her. Her eyes cracked open, wincing as soon as they did so, but staying open to observe Ashes’ face. They stared silently at each other for a while, Rainbow watching as Ashes took in the details of Rainbow’s face.

It was paler than Ashes had ever seen it.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t stress yourself, okay?” Rainbow’s eyes closed as she nodded in response. Ashes removed her hoof from Rainbow’s chin and left the room. She turned and strode into her own, grabbing the blanket that was upon her bed. She bundled it and carried it into Rainbow’s room, once again remembering to silence her hoofsteps as she laid the blanket over Rainbow.

Rainbow’s face visibly relaxed, and the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile as she was greeted by the fresh wave of warmth. Ashes tucked the blanket under her body, cocooning her within it. She very carefully pushed it underneath Rainbow’s wing, and wrapped it up and around again, providing her wing all the warmth it could get. Rainbow was visibly smiling now, calmed by the soothing warmth of Ashes’ blanket, and shortly, by the warmth of Ashes’ forelegs. Ashes whispered soothingly into her ear.

“I’m sorry this had to happen to you.”

“It’s not your fault. And besides, we’ll get out soon, right?”

Ashes smiled at the pegasus mare, running a hoof along Rainbow’s left wing, observing the feathers upon it. Primary… Secondary… Tertiary. She looked up at Rainbow’s namesake, her mane, the colors classified by the same three words.

“Perhaps sooner than you expect.”

Ashes pulled away from the hug and strode to the door, turning and getting another glance at Rainbow’s wings. She remembered how much she had always longed to have her wings returned to her, but now they were a burden to Rainbow if nothing else.

“Try to get some rest. I want you to heal long before Sunday rolls around.”

“Mmhmm.” Rainbow was still smiling, her pain ebbing away and making way for sleep, the need refreshed by the new warmth surrounding her, soothing her.

Ashes smiled softly and stepped out of the room, softly closing the door behind her.

“How is she?”

Ashes turned to see Phoenix in the hallway, glancing at Ashes with concern. Her face suddenly became grim, and she approached Phoenix, speaking quietly so that Rainbow would not hear her through the walls.

“We need to get her out of here, and fast. She has blood poisoning, and she lost too much blood as well. Without proper care, she has a few days at best.” Phoenix nodded, and the two of them turned their gaze to Rainbow’s door. They could hear a rhythmic breathing coming from the other side. She was undoubtedly sleeping. The two of them strode into the living room, passing the news to Cloud Kicker and Sunbeam. Sunbeam brought a hoof to her mouth to hide her shock, only succeeding in making herself seem even more shocked. Cloud Kicker only turned her gaze dejectedly to her hooves.

After a moment, Cloud Kicker’s hollow gaze filled itself with determination. “So, do you have anything planned for the escape?”

They spent the rest of the night planning and preparing to escape. That night they went to sleep with a new kind of fire in their hearts, a fire that only Rainbow could bring around. Only Rainbow could bring it, because Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty, and, whether any of them realized it or not, they were all about to learn what it truly meant to stand up for a friend.

Of Recoveries and Recuperations - Part 2

“Okay. I’ll need you to come back in three days so I can replace these bandages. Drink lots of fluid, get lots of rest, and don’t try to use that wing until I tell you to.”

Spitfire nodded after each point of advice, taking in every bit of advice Nurse Redheart had to offer.

“Do you feel like you’re ready to leave?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Nurse Redheart chuckled. “I’m a nurse, not your commanding officer.”

“I don’t have a commanding officer, unless you’re talking about in the Equestrian Air Force, not the Wonderbolts. But I call everypony sir or ma’am, whether they’re on the Wonderbolts, or Air Force troops, or even just some random mare I met on the sidewalk. And besides, you took care of me. You’ve earned my respect.”

Redheart smiled at this show of gratitude. “Well, anyway, you- wait a second. Equestria has an Air Force? I thought the Wonderbolts took care of that.”

“We do within the vicinity of Cloudsdale, but the Wonderbolts can’t exactly cover the entire nation. We’re just one team of flyers. Actually, technically, we’re a division of the Equestrian Air Force, but when I took command of it, I started letting in civilians. After all, why let a flyer’s talent go to waste just because they aren’t soldiers?”

“I don’t know. Doesn’t make much sense to me. Anyway, I need you to sign here, and you’ll be good to go.” Spitfire took hold of the clipboard Redheart had offered her, and when she found no quill in reach, Nurse Redheart took a glance around. “Oh, sorry, I’ll just-“

“No worries.” Spitfire extended her injured wing and plucked a feather from it, enticing a sympathetic wince from Nurse Redheart when she noticed the spot she pulled if from bleeding lightly. “Not like I’m using that wing soon anyway, huh?” She proceeded to sign the form using the blood that had remained on the feather. “Hmm. Kinda creepy, but you use what’s on hoof, right?”

“Yeah…” Redheart extended a hoof and began rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess, if that’s what you prefer.”

“Would you rather get ink and a quill?”

“…Yes, that seems more… sanitary.”

Spitfire chuckled. “Sorry.” She stepped aside for Nurse Redheart as she strode out of the room for a fresh copy of the release form, and returned with a quill and ink. Spitfire signed the second sheet, this time in black. When she finished, she took a moment to admire her hoofwriting, or mouthwriting if you want to get official. She had always liked her signature.

“Nice signature. Looks sharp. All the more reason for everypony to go about asking for your autograph, I guess.”

“Yeah. I wonder how the media’s taking this whole thing.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re having a field day with it. You getting injured doing Rainbow’s job? My guess is they’ll be saying that between the two of you, they don’t know who’s the better flyer.”

Spitfire continued the conversation as the two of them left and began to stroll down the halls. “Oh, I’m sure we both have our pros and cons. It’s one of the reasons I can’t wait for her to turn 18.”

Redheart blushed at this statement. “Umm… awkward…”

Spitfire looked confused. After a moment, she mirrored Redheart’s blush as the implications of what she just said sunk in. “No, not like that. It’s just… She’s got so much experience with flying, she’s been doing it all her life. I’m sure that when she’s old enough, the tryouts will be a breeze for her, and then she’ll be part of the team. Plus, the whole rainbow mane and tail, she’s just so… unique. I don’t think I want to teach her to make the storm cloud contrail, for two reasons. One, it shortens life span, and two, her rainbow contrail is just so unique. It’s truly something to consider, playing up that side of her in the air.”

“Could you imagine how ecstatic she would be if she were here, hearing you say that?”

“Umm, no. I know she admires me…” A thought swam to the front of her mind. Admires. “Just how big of a fan of me is she?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. She holds you in her highest respect. I’ve had many run-ins with her because of her accidents while she was ‘training for the Wonderbolts’ as she put it.”

“How long has she been doing this?”

“All her life. I remember when Flight for Life had to come get her. She was trying to pull off a Sonic Rainboom; she said she knew if she could do it again, it would be enough to get her a one-way ticket in. She was going straight towards the ground.” Just hearing that was enough to make Spitfire shake her head in disbelief. Going straight towards the ground was something pegasi were advised not to doo, because pulling out could mean overextending a wing, which could only result in injury. Going straight towards the ground at full speed meant you had a death wish. “She went to pull out, and her wing overextended and…umm… it kinda didn’t stop.” Spitfire’s eyes widened. A broken wing was the most painful thing that can happen to a pegasus. “She broke the bone, dislocated the pinion, even tore a ligament. How she didn’t pass out, I’ll never know. She hit the ground at full speed. She went hooves first, and all four of them splintered under the pressure. Her legs buckled and her chest hit the ground, and she broke three ribs. One of them punctured her lung.”

“Wait a minute. Besides the hooves, isn’t this exactly the same as the damage I took from the lightning strike?” All of that because she wanted to impress me.

“Hmm. I didn’t think about that. Yes, it is, but she only took one try.”

Spitfire suddenly stopped in the middle of the hall. “One try?”

Redheart inwardly cursed herself for that slip of the tongue.

“Umm… One try to pump the blood out of her lung. After that, the bleeding stopped. You took two tries, though.” It wasn’t entirely untruthful.

Spitfire rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to lie to me. You said there was something I didn’t need to know, and I’m not going to make you tell me what it is.”

“Okay. Sorry.” They resumed their casual trot. “I suppose I should tell you what happened, though. You deserve to know.”

“Nope. I don’t want to hear another word. It’s not important anymore, and I don’t need to know.”

“Well… Okay then. Whatever suits you.”

The two of them had reached the doorway. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in three days.”

“Stay close.”

“And thank you. For taking care of me.”

Nurse Redheart gave her a warm smile. “It’s not a problem, Spitfire. Enjoy your day.”

“You too.”

Act 1: The Rousing

Phoenix waited at the front of the crowd gathered in the cafeteria. He was just behind the long rectangular table, sitting on his haunches on the very edge of the room. He eyed the stage, waiting for a moment that was sure to come. Sure enough, two unicorn guards strode onto the stage, combining their magic to project Mistress’ voice across the room.

Phoenix shifted his gaze to the opposite side of the room. Ashes sat in the same position, waiting for Phoenix’s cue.

“Ponies of the Underground, may I have your attention, please?”

Phoenix gave a small nod. He ducked down, crawling under the table before him. Ashes did the same on the other side. They swiftly made their way to the stage, not noticed by the guards, who focused their attention on the center of the room where most of the ponies were gathered.

They stopped before the stage, ducking low. Ponies in the audience noticed them and began murmuring to each other. Some of them were glancing between the guards and the two ponies.

Phoenix nodded again, and the two of them swiftly hopped onto the stage and broke into a silent gallop to the two guards. Each one of them met a guard in a tackle and swiftly bit down on their horns. Mistress’ voice was stifled, replaced by silence as the guards cried out in pain. Phoenix and Ashes bit down harder. Pain shot through the guards’ bodies like lightning, and their cries of pain became subtle whimpers. After a few moments, they became limp, sinking into unconsciousness. Phoenix and Ashes let up on their horns, and moved to the middle of the stage.

“No turning back now,” Phoenix stated with a smirk. “It’s freedom or death.”

Ashes met him with a smirk of her own, and they turned to the crowd. Everypony stared at the two of them in shocked silence.

“Everypony. You have all been joined under the tyranny of Mistress for too long. We have been far too lenient. Look at you. You are all scarred, broken, miserable. Is this really how you want to live your life? Because this is your chance to escape. This is your chance to move to a higher calling. This is your chance. We outnumber the guards greatly. We outmatch the powers that Mistress has. She has magic, but we have strength. If we can work together, we can be free. So who’s with me?”

Silence.

Ponies in the audience took a collective step back, some shaking their heads. All but one. One pony stood out in the audience, one that watched sadistically, enjoying the show of Phoenix’s failure.

Ashes stepped forth, taking over the speech Phoenix had started.

“Remember the ponies from Tuesday? The ones who flew? The ones who took it upon themselves to put smiles on all your faces for the first time in Celestia only knows how long? A group of guards swung by yesterday, no doubt sent by Mistress herself. They brought the two of them in the hallway and ripped all their feathers out. One of them would’ve bled to death if I hadn’t done something about it. If we don’t get her out of here, she’ll die anyway.

“What did they do to deserve this? They put a smile on your faces, and in return, one of them loses their life? I’ve heard it said that no good deed goes unpunished. But, I’d say that’s one hell of a price to pay. Don’t you?”

A collective shout came from the audience, all brought together in mutual agreement, all but one pony, who watched in silent fury.

“Are you going to let them suffer any longer?”

Another collective shout.

“Then stand up and fight. If you won’t do it for yourselves, then do it for those who are getting dragged down with us. Who’s with me?”

Phoenix stared proudly on Ashes as the crowd rushed forth, breaking the rectangular tables and joining them on the stage. They all had fire in their eyes and in their hearts, ready to stand up for the ones who had shown them an act of kindness, one of the few that they had been lucky enough to receive.

Their shouts began to die down, some of them noticing a sound that didn’t belong. After a few short moments, the shouts were gone, replaced by something slightly distant and fully skeptical.

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

A clearing formed in the crowd, allowing Phoenix and Ashes a space to look through.

One mare stood in the center of the cafeteria, clapping slowly, but with a piercing glare plastered onto her face.

“Utterly stirring, yes. You did a good job.” The mare got to her hooves and began slowly trotting towards the stage, joined by guards slowly filing in from the hallways. “But, I’m afraid all good things must come to an end. You see, there’s a reason Mistress knew about that flight show. And here’s why.” The mare put on a smirk as she trotted forth. Before their eyes, the mare seemed to shift and change, her features blending into new ones. Her mane and tail grew longer and became unkempt and black. Her scars melted away, and her coat became, if at all possible, a more sickly white. Her face shifted, her snout shortening, her eyes becoming cold and snakelike, her cheeks becoming slender.

Her cutie marks faded away, and were replaced by iron hooves.

The guards met up with her, flanking her, their horns flaring, conjuring knives from thin air. Four pegasi trotted out to the front of the group, armed with serrated wingblades, and crouched down, poised for takeoff.

“Kill them all.”

Act 2: A Memory Among Madness

Knives cut through the air, flying towards the throng of ponies upon the stage. Twenty of them flew into the thicket, nine of them making solid connections and sending droplets of blood into the air. Nine ponies fell to the ground. Four of them returned to their hooves. The throng closed, obscuring Phoenix and Ashes from view. The two of them made their way to the back, keeping their eyes on the air above them as the pegasi guards took to the air, divebombing the crowd with their wings extended, the serrated blades attached to their wings knocking ponies to the ground as well as tearing deep gashes in their flesh. They landed upon the ground, flaring out their wings, resulting in deep gashes and even fatal stab wounds on the ponies around them.

Phoenix and Ashes turned tail and ran together, reaching the hallways and going down to Ashes’ house. Ashes galloped inside, and Phoenix turned and stood sentinel at her doorway.

One pegasus guard had the mind to follow them. He had been flying down the hallway behind them, and was now converging on Phoenix in a breakneck dive, wings forward and wingblades poised to stab.

Time seemed to slow down as Phoenix barely ducked under the blades and took the wings themselves to his shoulders. He was knocked onto his back. He used his hind hooves to encourage the pegasus forward with a kick, causing him to overshoot and tumble off of him. He got to his hooves at the same time as the guard. They turned and faced each other, charging towards each other. The guard reached up mid-charge and detached the razor-sharp blade from his wing, preparing for hoof-to-hoof combat, which wasn’t a smart idea going up against Phoenix.

Phoenix’s forehoof came forward, knocking the blade off-course, and he used his other to turn his charge into a tackle. The guard responded with Phoenix’s move, kicking him off, but not before Phoenix could bite down on his other wingblade and tear it away from his wing. Phoenix landed with grace, remaining steady on his hooves, and whirled around to face the guard. The guard lifted his blade, drew back, and threw it. It spun through the air. For a moment, a smirk crossed the guard’s face as he saw that the blade connected with Phoenix’s face. It was wiped from his face when he saw that it was firmly wedged between Phoenix’s jaws, inflicting no injury and arming Phoenix further.

With no options left, the guard took to the air, flying over Phoenix. When he was just flying overhead, he pulled into a backflip and divebombed Phoenix from directly above.

Phoenix crouched and bucked his hindhooves impossibly high, connecting with the pegasus guard’s jaw and twisting his neck with a satisfying crack. He fell to the ground like a ragdoll, and remained limp and unmoving.

Phoenix’s lips stretched into a smirk.

Ashes strode into her bedroom and pushed the bed to the side. She lifted a section of carpet, revealing a trap door. She opened it and pulled away the tarp, the lockbox, and the bloodstained book. She lowered her head into the space, and took a chisel in her mouth. She wedged it into a loose brick in the wall and pulled it out. She lifted the brick out and turned it around. It was hollow on the inside.

She pulled a white box out of the brick and placed it on the ground. She simply sat and stared, allowing the memories to take hold of her and wash over her.

”Ashes, the guards are taking me to the Dark Corridor. I don’t yet know if I’ll return or not.”

Pounding on their door sounded out for the third time.

“I need you to take this.” He held out a white box. “It’s the only part of your family you’ll have.”

“OPEN THE DOOR!”

“Ashes, I need you to look at me.” Ashes turned her tear-streaked face to her father. “You are my only daughter, and I have faith in you. You’re going to get out someday, and when you do, I want you to wear this with pride. This is who you are, Emerald Ashes, and it’s who you’ll always be. Don’t let anything change that.

CRACK

A guard came forth and grabbed hold of her father, pulling him into the hallway. She rushed forth and grabbed onto her father, holding him in what would be their final embrace. The guard pushed her off roughly and yanked him from the room, leaving behind a broken door and a mare wailing in sorrow as she looked upon her dad for the last time.

Ashes reached out a hoof and lifted the lid off the box, one single tear sneaking from her eye and shimmering as it fell from her muzzle when she looked into the box’s contents.

A necklace.

A simple silver chain. Suspended from it was an emerald, half of which had been bathed in flame, resulting in a coating of soot. The emerald had been coated in glass, preserving the soot upon it. Scribed upon the glass orb was a pair of wings, between which was a cloud spewing down a single bolt of lightning.

She gazed upon the gem. Emerald Ashes. The last gift she had received was a namesake, her identity, a part of her that would make her whole.

She extended her hoof and lifted the necklace from its box, placing it upon her neck. She would fulfill her father’s last wish.

She would wear her identity with pride.

Of Worlds and Wonders

Spitfire strode out of the hospital and made her way into the town of Ponyville. As she trotted along, she began to fully understand how little she had been there. She was surprised she didn’t visit the little town more often. When she was here, she didn’t have all the diehard fans coming along begging for her autograph. In fact, this was the closest she could get to being considered just another mare.

I don’t think I’ll mind spending a month or so here while I recover. As the though crossed her mind, the corners of her mouth turned up into a reserved but peaceful smile. She began looking around. She stopped after a while, her brow furrowing in slight frustration when she began to notice the distinct lack of hotels and lodging. She would have to stay with somepony, apparently. But who could she stay with? She didn’t want to impose on anypony, especially if it would be so sudden, and she didn’t have any friends here to stay with. That’s when she heard it.

“Hey, Captain Spitfire?” She turned around to face a mare she recognized as Twilight Sparkle.

“You don’t have to call me captain, you know.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks. Anyway, I was hoping to run into you at some point. Do you have a place to stay?”

“Well, no. I don’t have any friends here besides Rainbow Dash-“

“And any friend of Rainbow’s is a friend of mine. You’re welcome to stay with me, if need be.”

“Oh. Okay, thanks.”

Twilight smiled. “Not a problem. Heehee, I’m sure Rainbow would be jealous. Having you at her house? She’d probably cut up the carpet you walked on and make it into an altar to worship you with.”

“Is she really that big of a fan of me?”

“No! No, not remotely close. I mean, she is a diehard fan, and we like to tease her for it, but she’s not like that. She isn’t one of those fans that takes it to a level of insanity.”

“Yeah, that makes more sense. She didn’t seem like the crazy stalker-type the day after the Best Young Flier competition. In fact, she seemed pretty cool, if you ask me.” The two of them reached the library. Twilight opened the door for Spitfire, who nodded gratefully and strode in.

Twilight would have commented on how Rainbow would have reacted, were it not for the fact that she had already almost ruined her reputation once.

“I’m curious. When Cloudchaser left to look for Rainbow, she told me that the next time I see Rainbow, I should say her hooves look fun to mess with.”

Twilight’s eyes flew open on cue, as if she had been dipped in ice water. “Don’t. Please don’t. Cloudchaser thinks it’s just harmless teasing, but that’s low. Really low. Don’t do it.”

“O-okay. I kinda know that at one point, she screwed up her hooves, but I didn’t know if that’s why Cloudchaser said that or not.”

“Wait, how did you find out?”

“Nurse Redheart told me.”

“Okay, well anyway, yes, that’s why. Rainbow’s hooves have been really sensitive since that day. It’s one of the reasons she flies to avoid running. Running is painful for her. And… I feel really bad, telling you this. It’s one of Dash’s more personal secrets, but Cloudchaser is painfully aware of it. See, that sensitivity… kinda has another side to it.”

Spitfire’s cheeks turned red as comprehension dawned on her like the morning sun. “So, it’s also like a-“

“Yeah.”

The two of them remained in silence for a moment, until Spitfire broke it. “Why would Cloudchaser think that’s funny?”

“I don’t know. Cloudchaser is one of those ponies who just isn’t aware of when she crosses the line. Anyway, like I said, you’re welcome to stay here. There’s a guest bedroom in the basement. I have a few experiments going on down there, but just ignore them. They won’t keep you awake at night. Please, make yourself at home.”

Spitfire, glad for the change in subject, nodded thankfully and shifted towards the stairs, but kept her head turned towards Twilight. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here.”

“It’s no biggie, really. It’s what any of us would’ve done.”

“Us?”

“Rainbow’s friends.”

“Oh. Well, still, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Spitfire made her way down the stairs. She flicked on a light and glanced around. There were a few strange machines, but only one thing that could be considered creepy. A centrifuge stood in the corner, but Spitfire doubted it was used for blood. She laid eyes on a simple bed with purple sheets, about the same purple as Twilight’s coat. She took a moment to take in the basement, and then made her way back up the stairs. She looked around, ultimately deciding on a book to read. Her eyes rested on a book titled Of Worlds and Wonders. She took it off the shelf and laid down in the center of the library, flipping the book to the first page, and began reading it.

End of Spitfire’s Story…?

Act 3: Start the Clock

When Ashes left the house, her eyes fell upon Phoenix and a dead pegasus guard. Phoenix held one serrated blade in his mouth and another in his hoof. He extended his neck forward in a gesture for her to take it. She obliged.

“Did you have to kill him?”

“Probably not, but wouldn’t he have done the same?”

Ashes rolled her eyes at his response. “That’s not the point. How do you know if he was even acting of his own volition?”

“What does that matter to me? What’s done is done. What’s with the necklace, anyway?”

“It was the last thing my father gave me. It’s part of my family’s tradition. Everypony in the family receives a necklace from their parents, a necklace forged from the essence of their identity. Look at the pendant. What do you see?”

“An emerald. With… ashes.” Emerald Ashes. “Huh. Makes sense.”

“The necklace is my identity, and my father’s last wish was that I wear it with pride.”

The two of them stood in silence for a moment, respecting the lives of those who couldn’t be with them. Phoenix came to his senses first. “Well, I guess there’s no point standing around, not when there’s a revolution going on.”

“You’re right. It’s time to move.” The two of them trotted down the hall to Phoenix’s door, and Phoenix opened it with a nudge.

Cloud Kicker and Sunbeam stood sentry in the living room. Phoenix and Ashes had left for the cafeteria moments ago, and they were trusted to guard Rainbow while they started the riot.

Sunbeam spoke up first, clearing the uneasy silence they had been in for the past five minutes. “So… How well do you think this will go?”

“Honestly? Terribly. Nothing ever goes to plan. Ever. No matter what you’re talking about.”

“Do you think Rainbow will be okay?”

“Depends.”

“Go on.”

Kicker sighed. “Well, first of all, it depends on whether or not she gets caught up in the crossfire. If we get out unhurt, then huzzah, but if she gets injured any further, chances are she won’t make it.

“It also depends on how long it takes to get her out of here. Blood poisoning acts quickly, and I’d have to see her wing to know how long she has left. Honestly, it could be a matter of days, or it could be hours.”

“Well, maybe you should go check on her, see if you can find out how long she has left.”

“Not till Phoenix gets back. I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“You’ll be one room away, and besides, when Phoenix gets back, we’ll want to… get… any reason you’re focusing on Phoenix?”

“The stallion’s been working out for five years straight. If anypony has a fighting chance against a group of guards, it’s him.”

“What about you and your Royal Guard training?”

“Why do you think I don’t want to leave your side?”

“Still doesn’t tell me why you focus on Phoenix.”

Kicker facehoofed. Hard. “I’m not attracted to him. For your information, I don’t even swing that way.”

“Oh… I feel stupid now. Anyway, you should still check on Rainbow.”

“Fine. This’ll only take a minute.”

Kicker trotted into Rainbow’s room and opened the door. She carefully and quietly strode in, trying, to no avail, not to wake Rainbow.

Rainbow’s eyes fluttered open and locked on Kicker's. “H-hey. What’s up?” Kicker had never heard Rainbow sounding so frail.

“I’m just here to check on your wing.”

“Okay.” Her head turned back to the ceiling, her eyes shutting again. Kicker tentatively reached out a hoof towards the base of Rainbow’s wing, brushed aside feathers, and looked at the skin underneath. Overnight it had gone from a dull pink to a crimson blaze against her sky blue feathers. She continued her eye along the streaks of red, which reached out in tendrils along her back, her side, and made their way towards her chest, finally dulling out to a soft pink and dissipating away at her ribcage. It was dangerously close to her heart.

“Maybe ten hours. Maybe.” She spoke under her breath to be sure Rainbow would not hear. She looked up to Rainbow’s pale face before reaching out to feel Rainbow’s forehead, but instead of the heat she had been expecting, it was cold as ice. She needs more blood in her body. Badly. She left the room, returning with a hot cloth, which she placed upon Rainbow’s forehead. Rainbow seemed to relax visibly. The corners of her mouth turned up into a serene smile in her sleep. Kicker turned to the door and trotted out. She closed the door behind her, but not before the sound of Rainbow’s strained voice drifted through.

“Thank you.”

The door shut, and Kicker let her head hang. She stared at the floor in outright depression. She stayed there for several minutes, letting thoughts of Rainbow’s condition wash over her.

The weakest voice she had ever heard. The streaks of crimson reaching towards her heart in an attempt to snuff out her life. The frightening lack of blood in her veins.

To say the least, the odds were against her.

Kicker let out a sad sigh before trotting into the living room. She raised her head, locking eyes with Sunbeam.

“Not good, huh?”

“Ten hours at best. Considering the blood loss, I’d actually say more or less eight.”

Sunbeam trotted over and wrapped Kicker into a hug. “No need to worry, Kicker. We’ll get her out of here.”

“And then what? It’s not like any non-guards in this place can fly. We’d have to move on hoof, and that could take way more time than we have.”

“We’ll worry about that when we get there. For now, let’s worry about getting out.” As if on cue, the door swung open, revealing Phoenix and a necklace-adorned Ashes. Ashes trotted past Kicker and instantly went for the bedroom, and Kicker joined her.

When Kicker trotted in, Ashes was already in the process of cocooning Rainbow in the blankets. Kicker lent a hoof in wrapping the blankets around her. When they were done, Phoenix strode in and crouched down. Kicker and Ashes gently placed Rainbow on his back. Kicker grabbed the now cold cloth and took it to the bathroom, reheating it, and returned, placing it on her forehead and tying it in back to hold it in place. Kicker saw that trademark sick Rainbow smile cross her face again. She moved in place alongside Phoenix and the three of them left the room balancing Rainbow on Phoenix’s back.

They reached the living room, and Phoenix continued by the plan, which was slightly improved with the arrival of wingblades. “Sunbeam, come here. Take Kicker’s place.” She obliged. Ashes handed Kicker the wingblades. “There’s a dead pegasus outside. Take his straps and put those on.” Kicker offered a militant salute and left the room to follow his command. The four of them followed suit, leaving the house behind. Rainbow began taking notice in what was going on.

“What’s happening? Are we getting out?”

“Yes.”

“What’s our plan?”

“There’s a full-scale riot in the cafeteria. We use it as cover to find the way out.”

“Sounds vague and full of holes.”

“Well, that’s all we’ve got, so let’s go.”

At this point, Kicker had finished strapping on the wingblades. She trotted up and took the lead, flaring her wings out in an offensive stance. The five of them made their way down the hallway, searching for the exit.

Act 4: New Allies

Cloudchaser stood outside the shack, staring at the door in deep thought. The entire search team had been there the previous day trying to open it, and none of them had any luck. The door remained firmly shut as ever.

It was clearly magic that had sealed the door shut. That much was obvious. But how were they supposed to open it? Cloudchaser had spoken to Twilight, and she said that there was no way to counter the magic. We simply had to wait it out.

Cloudchaser let out a sigh and stood up. She trotted to the door and opened it, trotting inside the shack to the door that had, for three days, refused to open. The entire search team followed her in, and Cloudchaser took point at the door.

Start simple. She reached up a hoof and turned the knob. The door swung open without a problem, revealing a metal set of stairs reminiscent of a fire escape.

“Okay, seriously? It couldn’t be that simple before?” Cloudchaser took one step over the threshold, and instantly it felt as if she had been hit on the head with a sledgehammer. A booming voice rung out in her head, taking her headache to new levels of pain she didn’t care to describe, not that she could if she tried.

YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS HERE. LEAVE.

As soon as it had come, it was gone - the pain, the voice, everything - leaving Cloudchaser dazed and swaying on her hooves. She collected herself, becoming steady once more, and turned to face the rest of the group.

“Did anypony else hear that?” Her question was met with wide eyes and slow head shakes. Flitter came forward, stepping over the threshold without any trouble.

“Maybe it only works once.”

“What are you talking about?”

“There are clearly defensive spells set up on the area. We should tread carefully if we want to get through them all.” A voice sounded out from the crowd.

“Are you insane?”

“No. We have to do this. For Rainbow, for Kicker, for anypony else that might be down there.”

“We don’t even know if she’s down there!”

“Well, we’ve looked everywhere else! Now let’s go. We don’t have all day.”

Cloudchaser and Flitter turned and continued their downward trot, Cloudchaser in the lead. Five steps were all it took.

Another headache. The same booming voice.

GET OUT!

After that, it was gone. Flitter came to her side.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Cloudchaser looked down the staircase. There were easily a hundred stairs. “This is gonna be a long day.”

They continued down the stairs. No voices pervaded Cloudchaser’s mind for a good forty steps. After about a minute, Cloudchaser felt another headache coming on.

“Heh. At least I have some warning now.”

This time was different. Instead of a headache, it was the last thing Cloudchaser had been expecting. A mist gathered around her as her mind became a haze. The same voice spoke, but in a softer tone.

“For your own good, this is your last warning. Go no further. Do no more harm than you have already done. If you continue, you will regret it. Turn back while you still can.”

The haze was gone, leaving Cloudchaser with a clear mind. “That was… different.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… Let’s go.” By this time, the rest of the search party had caught up, and they all continued on in silence. They were almost at the bottom of the staircase when Cloudchaser found herself in yet another haze.

“You have made your choice. You are persistent. Which means you can only be looking for a friend. I will no longer object; I know a lost cause when I see one. I will even help you now. At the bottom of the stairs you will find yourself in a room with a desk, not all that different from what you were in at the top of the stairs. Leave the room; the door is unguarded. You will find yourself in a dark hallway. Take a left and go straight. Keep going until you find yourself in an incredibly large room with many tables. Chances are, there is somepony there who can assist you further. I wish you luck. You will need it. Because once you are seen, there is no turning back. Here is my final gift to you.”

The voice faded away with the haze, and it left Cloudchaser more alert and focused than it had all day. In fact, this was the most focused Cloudchaser had been in her life. Her mind seemed to run at ten times its normal speed, taking in details and telling her what to make of them as quickly as the light reached her eyes. She reveled in this new focus, which was apparently the gift the voice had spoken of.

“Thank you, disembodied mare voice.”

“Wait, what?”

“She gave me directions and some kind of spell to increase my focus.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Don’t know. Less talking, more finding the girls.”

They moved down the last of the stairs, Cloudchaser taking the lead as normal, and found themselves inside the room the voice had described. Cloudchaser crossed the room and opened the door, and sure enough, outside was a dark hallway with nopony in it. Cloudchaser stepped out and turned to the left. She continued on, with everypony else in her wake.

She went straight, and eventually the hallway brightened substantially, revealing a world of white. Seriously, the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the doors in the hallways, everything was white. They continued forward for a while, going straight when other hallways intersected. Eventually, she began to hear things coming from up ahead. It sounded almost like…

“Is there a battle going on ahead?”

As she spoke, the hallway opened out to reveal a huge cafeteria. Sure enough, ponies on the ground were attacking ponies on a raised stage with throwing knives while pegasi armed with wingblades were attacking the unarmed ponies from the air.

To hell with battles, this was a bloodbath. Ponies on the stage fell to the ground left and right while the ponies on the ground remained untouched. Suddenly, Cloudchaser heard a voice from behind her. A certain voice that had been disembodied a few minutes ago…

“Ah yes, I thought I could feel somepony breaking through my defenses.” As she spoke, the armed unicorns turned around and prepared to attack the newcomers. “Wait. Stop the attack. I have an idea.” The unicorns traded glances of confusion among themselves. “Let’s have a little fun with this, shall we? Intercom.”

Two unicorns casted a spell together that caused the mare’s voice to echo across the room. “Attention, my ponies. It would appear you have new allies. I have decided to give you some time to reassemble. Collect your dead and pay your respects. Take care of your wounded to the best of your abilities. Create an attack plan, incorporate your new arrivals-“ As she spoke, unicorns strode around behind the search team and pushed them towards the stage. “-and you can even take the weapons that rest upon the stage. They are yours. They won’t do you much good anyway. You have one hour.” The mare put on a deadly smile and strode from the room, and the unicorns followed her. One of them turned to Cloudchaser and removed a pair of shades, revealing a pair of blood red eyes underneath. He wore a smile that would sicken Celestia herself.

“So, what do you think of Mistress?” He gave an evil cackle and left them behind, following his leader into the hallway they had just came from.

Act 5: Don't You Hate Cliffhangers?

Cloud Chaser and her search team moved up to the stage and hopped up onto it. Cloud Chaser went to the nearest pony and spoke, asking a question she had wanted to ask since she found out Rainbow went missing.

“Umm, excuse me? What exactly is going on here?”

“You’re not from here, are you?” The strange pony turned around, taking in the image of absolute horror behind them. “Alright, where to begin, where to begin? This has been going on for years. Years upon years upon years. Have you met Mistress?”

“Yes.”

“She controls this place, which is known as the Underground. Most of the ponies you see here have been here most, if not all, of their lives. We’re kept prisoner down here – we aren’t criminals, Mistress is just a crazy bitch – and every week twenty ponies have to be tortured. Most of us have been here for a long time, and you have arrived in the middle of the first attempt to break out. As you can see, it hasn’t gone too well so far.”

“Why don’t you all make a break for the exit while you have a chance?”

“They’ll be expecting that. They’re probably guarding the door now. Any other questions?”

“Have you seen a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane?”

“Friend of hers, huh? Yes, she arrived on Monday. From what Ashes told us, she isn’t faring too well.” As he spoke, he began to trot around helping other ponies as they lined up the injured along the back of the stage, and lined up the casualties along one side. “See, her and a newer arrival – lavender-gray, blonde mane-“

“Cloud Kicker’s down here, too?”

“Apparently. The two of them had their wings clipped, but together they could still fly. They put on a flight show here in the cafeteria, but Mistress saw it and had the guards go rip all their feathers out. Cloud Kicker’s alright, but from what we’ve been told, Rainbow… not so much.”

“She is alive, right?”

“Yeah, but anything more than that I’m not sure about. You’d have to talk… to…” The strange stallion lifted his head and glanced around. “HEY! ANYPONY SEEN ASHES?” Their question was answered when a group of ponies emerged from a hallway.

“Wait, what happened here? Why isn’t there a fight going on? Did Mistress give up?” a strange mare with a necklace asked. She was helping a stallion support a mare with a prismatic mane…

“RAINBOW!” She ran up to Rainbow Dash, who was being lowered to the ground next to the rest of the injured ponies. Her advance was halted by none other than Cloud Kicker.

“Slow down there. She isn’t exactly in tackle-hug condition.”

“What happened?”

“How did you find us?”

“We’ve been looking for you girls since Wednesday. We found an abandoned shack with a locked door.”

“Wasn’t abandoned when Sunbeam and I found it. Mistress – you’ve met her, right?” Cloud Chaser nodded. “She was up there with a couple guards. They knocked us out with magic and we woke up down here behind a curtain. Next thing I know, Rainbow and I are doing a flight show, then we’re told we have to break out or we’re going to be tortured, then a couple guards come by and rip all our feathers out. They only got my adult ones, but they ripped a lot of blood feathers off of Dash, and… well… she lost a lot of blood, and to make things worse, she has blood poisoning.” She leaned in close to Cloud Chaser as she spoke the next sentence, making sure Rainbow wouldn’t hear. “We’re talking a matter of hours unless we get her to a hospital.”

“Well, I guess you’re lucky some more pegasi came along, otherwise once you got out, you’d be going nowhere fast. Where’d you get the wingblades, by the way?”

“Phoenix killed a pegasus guard and took them.”

“Wait, WHO did WHAT?”

The stallion who had been carrying Rainbow strode over, introducing himself and Ashes.

“So you killed a pony.”

“The ends justify the means.”

“Yeah, but the means aren’t exactly necessary. Isn't killing a bit harsh?”

“Well, let’s just call it payback for nineteen years of hell.”

The strange stallion from before interjected at this point. “Like I said, most of us have been here all our lives. This place isn’t exactly pleasant. To be honest, that pegasus was the only casualty on Mistress’s side so far. And, as you can see…” He indicated all the injured and deceased ponies. “She isn’t quite as reserved. At least we’ll have weapons for the second onslaught.”

Phoenix nodded gratefully at the stallion and returned his gaze to Cloud Chaser. “We’ll talk about this more once we’re out. For now, let’s just take this one step at a time.”

“Okay, what do we do?”

“First of all, Ashes, you’re good at dressing wounds and comforting those in pain. Go help the injured.”

“Got it.” Ashes immediately broke off and ran back to her house for medical supplies.

Second of all, what’s your name?”

“Cloud Chaser.”

“Cloud Kicker, give Cloud Chaser the wingblades. She can fly, so she’ll make better use of them.”

“Oh no. If you think you’re going to get me to kill other ponies…”

“Well, we don’t really have any other options. You’re in the middle of a battle. It’s either put on the wingblades and fight or cower in a corner and get killed.”

“Can’t somepony else do it?”

Phoenix let out an annoyed sigh. “Okay, who else down here can fly? It’s just you, all the other pegasi have clipped wings or had their wings cut off years ago.”

Cloud Chaser cringed at the thought of having her wings cut off, but continued the conversation in earnest. “Well, actually…” As she spoke, her search team trotted out from the crowd.”

“Well, this might even the odds a bit.”

At this point, Ashes returned and began speedily cleaning and dressing wounds. She made her way down the line quickly. Some ponies received a black piece of cloth, and when she got to the end of the line, she began making her way back through, stopping at each pony who had a black cloth and undoing her work to stitch up deeper gashes before replacing the gauze to soak up some of the blood. Phoenix glanced around. The cafeteria itself looked fine, but the stage was blood soaked and gruesome. There appeared to be a small pool of blood gathering at front center stage, dripping off of the front onto the floor of the cafeteria. It would have been horrifying to any outsider, and it was horrifying for Cloud Chaser’s search team, as well as for Cloud Kicker and Sunbeam. Rainbow wasn’t in much of a condition to take notice.

Before Phoenix had time to really space out, Mistress' voice brought him back to reality.

“ATTENTION PONIES. YOU HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES LEFT.”

“Well, we have to coordinate an effort. I have an idea but it won’t be easy. First off, Cloud Chaser, where’s the exit? Don’t worry, I’m not ditching out on the fight, I just need to know for when I’m trying to get everypony out of here.”

“There’s one hallway that’s darker than the rest. I’ll know which door it is that leads to the office with the staircase.”

“Good. Then everypony needs to attack while we go look for something, anything, that might help us. Who knows what she might have in her office in case things went to hell like this?”

“Right.”

Kicker trotted out in front of Cloud Chaser’s group of pegasi. “Who wants wingblades?” After a brief moment of silence, Thunderlane came forward and took the wingblades, strapped them on, and began limbering up for imminent flight.

“Everypony else, grab a knife and get ready.”

”FIVE MINUTES.”

Everypony rushed forward and grabbed a knife, and there were four left on the table once everypony had one. The last four were placed among the injured, both for safekeeping and in case any guards somehow got behind the front line.

”ONE MINUTE.”

Distant hoofsteps could be heard coming from the hallways. They gradually got closer. Some of the ponies got off the stage and stood sentinel next to the hallways, preparing for the guards to emerge. Thunderlane took to the air and flew up above the ponies on the stage, hovering there and preparing to dive for the first guard he saw.

The whole room was caught in a dreadful, deafening silence for the next few moments. Shadows could be seen emerging from the hallways. Before any of them could do anything, there was a dull flash of white, which dissipated to reveal a single canister in the middle of the cafeteria.

Act 6: Kicker's Revenge

BANG

All was white. The explosion threw up no smoke to block the flash or muffle the sound coming from the flashbang. Phoenix was stricken with fear. He could see nothing but white, and he could only hear a loud ringing, but he felt the vibrations of hooves running around frantically all around him. His hooves joined the frenzy, running blindly so as to be harder to hit from afar. His eyes slowly began to make out shapes around him, and the ringing died away at an equally slow pace.

When his vision finally returned, he looked around him and saw that a few of the ponies were still completely blind and had no idea what they were doing, and a few others had not noticed the flashbang at all before it exploded, protecting their eyesight and allowing them to stay in the battle. The majority of them, himself included, were still partially blind but still able to do something rather than run blindly and hope not to be killed.

Phoenix came to his senses and slowed his gait, searching around him. Eventually he made out the figures of Ashes and Sunbeam carrying Rainbow Dash. Kicker had clearly shielded her eyes and was doing all she could to protect the four of them from the guards who were trying to swarm them. Phoenix met up with the rest of his group, and they took notice and followed him when he took off through the cafeteria. They reached a group of three guards and stopped. The guard in front removed a pair of sunglasses and smirked at them. Phoenix smirked as well and trotted forth, taking a defensive stance and squaring off with the guard.

The red-eyed guard threw a hoof forward. Phoenix reacted fluidly, stopping his hoof and kicking off with his hind legs. He drew back and brought his other front hoof across the guard’s face. The guard was slightly thrown back by the blow, but took advantage of it, throwing himself back into a backwards roll as Phoenix came forth for a tackle. Phoenix instead landed on top of the guard, and he kicked Phoenix upwards and into the air. The two other guards turned and bucked simultaneously, attempting to kick him from both sides to crush him. Phoenix saw this and blocked their hooves with his own. The guards, instead of kicking Phoenix, ended up kicking off of him and flying into the heat of the rest of the battle taking place around them.

Now it was just Phoenix and the guard. Phoenix grabbed his knife and lunged forward. The guard blocked his slash and countered with his own. Phoenix dodged and heaved forward and down, getting underneath the guard and throwing him off of his hooves. The guard smirked as his horn lit up. He vanished into thin air, reappearing on the ground in front of Phoenix, poised to attack. He swung his blade forward. Phoenix ducked under in the nick of time. The blade cut away a single lock of his mane as it swung over his head. Phoenix slashed forward, and the guard dodged easily, kicking up with his forelegs and balancing on his rear legs. Phoenix came forth with his other hoof, landing a blow on the center of the guard’s chest, overbalancing him. The guard’s horn lit up again, but he did not disappear. Instead, a copy of him appeared behind Phoenix. Phoenix smirked, not to be tricked by the illusion. He swung forward and stabbed the guard, only to have him fizzle away around his blade.

“Shit.”

He kicked up slightly and bucked the guard behind him. He swiveled around just in time to see the guard teleport back to his feet, only three of him reappeared. Two of them swung forward for a punch while the third turned and returned the favor of Phoenix’s swift buck. All three connected on Phoenix at the same time, sending Phoenix flying. As Phoenix flew through the air, he focused on the guard that had bucked him and threw his blade. The blade connected in his left hind leg, bringing him to the ground. The two copies disappeared, leaving the third with a knife still firmly lodged in his leg.

“Let’s go.”

Kicker remained behind for a moment and trotted up to the guard. He moaned softly, and Kicker smirked at his pain. She swung a hoof and connected with his temple, sending him roughly into unconsciousness. She took the knife out of his leg and made a few precision cuts on the guard. When she left, the guard’s chest read “Kicker was here.”

“Kicker, come on!” With one final smirk, she turned and galloped for the hallway.

Act 7: Another Day, Another Death (Or Two)

Mistress’s snakelike eyes watched the carnage from atop the chandelier. She had cast the same illusion spell that she used to disguise herself to make it look as if she wasn’t there. She kept a particularly close eye on Phoenix and Ashes, the two who had ruined the beautiful system she had created over the years. She was slightly unsettled at how easily he had brought down Red Glare, and completely irked at ‘Kicker’, who had to rub salt in the wound. She still had plans for them.

Because Red Glare was far from being the best guard they had.

“BLOOD LUST!”

The guard in question, a crimson pegasus mare, was in the middle of a fight when the call reached her ears. She instantly recognized Mistress’s voice and knew she had to end the fight quickly.

“Oh well. It was fun while it lasted, but duty calls.”

The ‘citizen’ she spoke to chuckled, thinking the pegasus to be nothing more than a big talker.

“You think I’m joking, don’t you?” Before he had a chance to answer the question, she lifted her front hooves off the ground and pushed off with her hind legs, sending her spiraling into a perfect backflip. Her hind hooves connected with his chest, and with a flap of her wings to increase the momentum, she sent him into the air. She landed steadily and, without even sparing an upward glance, extended a long-bladed wing and smirked.

The stallion’s full weight came down on the blade, which pierced straight through his heart. He screamed for a moment, blood running down his chest and from his mouth, before his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell silent. Blood Lust carried the weight without a second thought, bringing it slowly, menacingly, to the ground as the other ponies around her backed away in fear. His body finally hit the ground, and she took off without any trouble. She flew up to where the voice had come from, and saw nothing. However, she heard the voice again when she approached the chandelier.

“I’m right here.”

The spell faded away to reveal a green Pegasus with golden eyes and black hair.

Blood Lust chuckled. “Still not showing your face, huh?”

“Of course not. I can’t risk being killed. Who else will rebuild such a beautiful empire that could live up to mine? An empire where the cruel can be themselves without fearing judgment.”

“Who is that, anyway? You said you can only take the bodies of those you’ve seen face to face, and I haven’t seen any green pegasi around.”

“This is an adult version of what one of my subjects looked like at birth.”

“Which subject?”

Mistress only chuckled. “One of the ones I’m sending you to head off.” She pointed a hoof at Phoenix and his group just as they made their way into the hallway. Blood Lust nodded and took off for the hallway in question, darting after new targets. Maybe she could even take these ones slow. Draw it out, have fun with it. Cause pain. The usual for when she aims to kill. She smiled playfully as she planned out the next of her little fights.

The group sped down the hallway, watching the doors that flew by. Cloud Kicker led the group towards the place they had entered from. They reached a turn and took it, speeding towards Mistress’s office. When they reached it, they slowed down, and Kicker reached for the handle, only to have her hoof blocked by a crimson one. She turned to see the twisted smile on the face of a crimson-coated pegasus mare.

“Hey, yellow. Just a question. Are you Kicker, or is Kicker one of your friends here?”

Cloud Kicker’s face contorted with rage.

“I don’t know who you are or what you want, but piss off. I’m busy.”

Blood chuckled. “Well, that’s fine then. Don’t tell me. I’d rather find out the hard way anyway.” She caught Kicker’s hoof reaching for the door handle again and twisted it around. Kicker smirked and gave her hoof a swift pull, overbalancing Blood and nearly putting her on her face. She wobbled on her front hooves for a moment before coming back to the ground on all fours. She cast Kicker an irked glare. “So that’s how you want this to go down, huh? Sounds like fun.”

Phoenix maneuvered around Kicker and stood between the two of them. “You’re not hurting anypony. Especially not any of us.”

“Oh, come on, Phoenix. You gotta admit a little dance sounds like fun.”

“No, Blood. I don’t.” Phoenix stood and spoke with such firmness, every muscle in his body rigid and stoic, even Cloud Kicker was impressed, and she had spent years at West Hoof preparing her posture.

Blood smiled softly. “Oh well. Her loss. You’d make a fight more fun anyway.” With that, the two of them took fighting stances.

Cloudchaser flew over the onslaught, observing every battle that took place, prepared to assist anypony who was outnumbered. It appeared, however, that they had no problems in the numbers game. The problem was that the guards were healthier than the ponies, having had training enough to stop them should this exact situation arise.

Something up above caught Cloudchaser’s eye. A unicorn stood perched on the chandelier, seemingly inside the flame, and was talking to a crimson pegasus. After a moment, the red pony took off for a hallway. Cloudchaser’s face twisted into confusion, and she followed the mare’s path.

Act 8: WITH A BURNING PASSION

Blood got low in her stance, preparing for Phoenix to make the first move. Phoenix mirrored her, his entire body tensed in preparation. They stood there, two unmovable objects, unbreakable forces of patience and will. Then they heard it.

Wings were beating somewhere nearby.

“Hyyyah!”

Blood turned just in time to have a purple hoof come crashing down on her throat, sending pain coursing through her and collapsing her windpipe, making breathing difficult. Phoenix saw his moment of opportunity and reached forward, wrapping his foreleg around her and locking her head in a vice grip. He pushed off, first with his free foreleg, then with his hind legs, sending the two of them spiraling through the air. Blood came inches from slamming into the ground before she gave a powerful flap of her wings and held them in flight. She rolled over, barely holding them with steady backstrokes of her wings, and let Phoenix hang by his one foreleg.

She brought the two of them higher, eventually nearing the ceiling, and, with a quick shake of her head, sent Phoenix falling to the ground. She looped around quickly, smacking Phoenix in the snout with her hind hooves and sending him headfirst in his plummet.

Cloudchaser reacted quickly, flying up and catching him by the hind legs, and brought him to the ground at a slower pace. Blood would have none of it. She flew down and smacked Cloudchaser’s right wing, making her flaps uncoordinated, and sending her plummeting with Phoenix. The two of them landed slower than Phoenix would have initially, albeit still rather roughly. Phoenix saw stars for a moment before recovering from the tumble. Ashes gave a sympathetic whimper, willing her stallion to get up and keep fighting.

The small noise drew Blood’s attention, and she smirked devilishly. She flew over, surprising Ashes and grabbing her in the same grip Phoenix had fastened on her. She flapped her wings, lifting the two of them into the air and cutting off Ashes’ supply of air. Rainbow fell to the ground painfully, Ashes no longer supporting half of her body. Blood flew up near the ceiling, where Phoenix would not be able to reach her.

Phoenix once again saw his vision tinting with red as his eyes narrowed, and when Cloudchaser knocked the two of them out of the air, he wasted no time jumping on Blood and striking her mercilessly with all four hooves in turn. She kicked him off, standing up and spitting out blood, its metallic tang remaining in her mouth, and flared her wings, preparing to put the blades to use.

“I guess play time’s over then.”

Cloudchaser stepped up next to Phoenix, her wings also flared in preparation, but Phoenix stayed her with his hoof.

“No. This is my fight now.”

Blood chuckled. “Trying to be noble now, are we?”

Phoenix’s eyes narrowed further. “No. You made the mistake of making this personal.”

Ashes’ eyes widened in realization. This is what she had prevented in the cafeteria during the drawing, but there was no stopping it here. He was too enraged, and Ashes was too important to him.

There was a reason Phoenix had been named the way he was. There was a time, long ago, when he was a unicorn. That had changed the day he was born. The guards had been sure to remove his horn as quickly as possible.

However, his horn, as it is with any unicorn, is only a way to channel magic. So, while his horn was gone, the magic remained behind. And Phoenix had other, less orthodox, methods of releasing it.

Power seemed to emanate from him, radiating outwards in waves. His coat lightened, taking on a pure white, and his hair slowly began to glow a bright red. He lowered himself closer to the ground, and his hair took on a new form; fire.

Phoenix was named as such because he had the same magical properties as the bird.

Act 9: Turning the Tables Again

This time, Blood didn’t have to wait for Phoenix to make the first move. He swung around, turning his back legs to her. She put up a foreleg and a wing to block the thrust, but Phoenix kicked out with all his strength, breaking both appendages, and leaving burns where his hooves connected. The force of the impact blew her wing back and sent it into her face, sending her flying backwards. She tried unsuccessfully to recover with her wings, her broken one sending waves of pain cascading through her body. She landed on her back, and Phoenix was upon her instantly.

His front hooves came down hard on her chest, knocking the air from her lungs and singing her coat, and then lifted to be swung down on her throat, collapsing her windpipe. She gasped painfully for breath, barely receiving any despite her best efforts.

Phoenix took a few steps back, content to watch her struggle through her pain, before crouching down and jumping as high as he could. He aimed his path downwards towards Blood Lust, his front hooves leading the way, and they landed on her chest a second time, breaking a few of her ribs. She screamed as long as she could in her oxygen-deprived state before needing to stop to breathe. Every breath send a shock of pain through her chest, and blood trickled from her mouth. Phoenix lifted a hoof, preparing to finish her off, before he felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“Phoenix…”

He turned around to see Ashes, wincing in pain from the heat of the flames, and let his anger abate.

“That’s enough. This isn’t you. She’s a pony, no matter how cruel. Just let her be now.”

Phoenix felt himself visibly calm, his hair returning to its original state, and the flames and heat died away. He nodded, and the five of them left Blood Lust there to stir in pain and slowly, painfully catch her breath. Cloudchaser flew off to return to her own part of the fight as Kicker and Sunbeam lifted Rainbow Dash onto their backs, Ashes being adamant about giving Rainbow all the attention she could afford.

They made it to Mistress’s office without further inconvenience and began searching for something to even the odds. They laid Rainbow on the floor , and Ashes stayed by her side, talking to her to keep her awake, while the rest of them searched.

Phoenix went straight to Mistress’s cabinets, opening them one by one, until he opened one and saw something that gave him pause.

It was a metal box that had a few switches on it. It was not connected to anything, and it had a slot for a key on the side. Each switch was labeled for a different part of the Underground.

It was a detonator.

“Cafeteria… Hallways… Houses… Holy Celestia, she has the whole place rigged. We didn’t even know…”

Phoenix turned to the rest of the group.

“I got something. Now we just need to find a key.”

The three unoccupied ponies followed his command instantly, searching high and low for anything that could hide a key. Phoenix turned to the wall he was nearest and saw it.

A crack.

It was tiny, but it was there. It was straight, and cleanly cut.

“Nature doesn’t come in straight lines.” He raised a hoof and struck at the wall, smashing a hole in it, and revealing a metal door behind it. He opened it to reveal the fuse box for all of the Underground, as well as a small metal key.

“Jackpot.” He grabbed the key and shut the door, figuring being without power would only give the guards the upper hoof. He turned to the rest of the group. “I got it. Let’s get everypony out of here.”

Ashes beamed with the prospect of finally seeing the surface, and Phoenix gave her a small smile, glad to see her so eager. He helped lift Rainbow back to her spot on Kicker and Sunbeam’s backs, and the group left for the cafeteria, leaving the detonator behind. They didn’t need it yet anyway, and taking it with would only be risking losing it. However, Phoenix did keep the key with him, clenched between his teeth as he ran down the hallways with the rest of them.

They made it back to the cafeteria without a hitch, and arrived at a depressing sight.

Only a few of the guards had fallen, while many bodies of innocent ponies lay on the floor, either not moving or crying out in pain. A guard was quickly upon the group, preparing to strike, but his entry was sloppy as he tripped over a fellow guard. Phoenix took advantage of the slip-up and bucked him in the face, combining the kick with his falling momentum to knock him out immediately.

“Well, that was pathetic…”

He looked around to see that slip-ups like that were not uncommon. All around the guards were stumbling and screwing up, their fatigue and desperation causing them major inconvenience in their fighting abilities.

Cloudchaser’s search team had coalesced into a group and were now flying above the crowd, singling out guards, and swooping upon them, landing as many blows as they could as quickly as possible, leaving them unconscious in a matter of a few seconds, before flying back up and resuming their search.

“Not exactly lethal, but I guess lethal isn’t exactly necessary.” He switched from his observant tone to a commanding shout. “Alright, listen up. Follow us, we know the way out. We’re leaving.”

A collective cheer rose from the innocent ponies as they turned together and galloped towards the group, trampling the guards that dared block their path. They made their way to the hallway. Phoenix hesitated for a minute, casting his gaze upon the carnage that remained in his wake.

Unconscious and dead ponies lay scattered through the cafeteria, blood pooling from their wounds and staining the floor red. He looked upon the stage at all the ponies who hadn’t made it through the first onslaught. He looked upwards, and saw that the chandelier had been dropped onto the crowd during the fight.

He shed a single tear as he turned and trotted away from what would soon be the final resting place for many innocent ponies. “They deserve so much better.”

Act 10: Alive for Just Moments

SPLASH

“Wake up.”

A pair of crimson eyes opened, revealing a white mare with snakelike eyes and a cruel face. He became aware of a burning pain in his chest. He sat up, and looked down to see the words “Kicker was here” scarred into it.

Memories came flooding back to him. He remembered years’ worth of torturing innocent ponies, years’ worth of keeping them in the Underground, coming into the cafeteria at the start of a battle, being beaten down by White Phoenix, and a purple hoof delivering the final blow, sending him falling into unconsciousness.

He remembered having this very same flood of memories and regret, only to have a certain white mare replenish the spell that made him the sadistic stallion everypony saw.

Mistress was oblivious to the pain, as well as Red’s freedom from her trance, something that nopony but Red could see. “It’s time to go. They’re getting away.”

Red hesitated. He looked back into Mistress’s eyes, meeting her cold, impatient stare. Neither of them budged, and Red’s fearful and broken gaze bent into a stare of defiance.

Mistress’s impatience slipped away immediately, replaced with irritation. “It wore off again, didn’t it?”

Red Glare didn’t answer, but stood up, shaky and unsteady. A whirlpool of emotions spun around in his head. He felt anger towards Mistress for taking his free will, he felt sad for all the ponies he’d harmed under Mistress’s spell, he felt happy that they were finally going to be free.

He felt love for the first time since he last regained himself, love for a mare he had lost track of during the fight.

He turned away from Mistress as her horn flared up, searching through all the ponies of the cafeteria, and his search made half a circle around the cafeteria before numbness spread through Red Glare’s body. His sight began to fade away, and he began to lose control of his senses and body. A tear slipped from his eye before nothingness fell upon him, and he returned to his “sleeping” state as Mistress’s spell took form.

Mistress smiled cruelly and wiped the tear away. “Now let’s go.”

A smile stretched across Red Glare’s face. “With pleasure.”

Mistress turned and began a slow gallop towards the hallway, Red Glare right at her side.