Iron Mare

The fire in front of her crackled softly as the flames danced back and forth quickly and smoothly. Rainbow Dash merely stared at the embers floating up into the air slowly and gracefully before fading away. In less than a day, her entire world had been flipped upside down and changed forever. Not only did she have a battery for a heart, but she was being held prisoner by some grotesque dog-looking things who wanted her to build a weapon that would kill who knows how many innocent ponies and other dog... things.

From what she had seen outside, the mine she was being held captive in was nestled between two very generic-looking mountains. Even if Spitfire was putting everything she could into finding her, the chances of them locating the exact same mountains were very slim at best. And the chances that they would actually look between them and find the tiny entrance were even slimmer.

Why had she been so impatient? Why couldn't she have waited to fly with Spitfire back to the camp together? If she hadn't been so eager to get home and too lazy to fly, she probably wouldn't be here.

Rainbow's thoughts were cut off when she felt a blanket of some sort being draped over her back. Looking up, she found the zebra looking back down at her with a sympathetic smile. She weakly grinned back before using her mouth to pull the quilt around her so that her entire body was bundled inside.  She gve a slight shiver; despite the fire and the generally hot weather outside, the cave was still freezing cold.

Her zebra companion walked around and sat on the opposite side of the flames, looking across at her. Aside from the crackling noise coming from the fire, the room was silent.

Rainbow's eyes were fixated on the ground, partially in defeat, but more with shame at the fact that she ended up here by her own accord. But above all other reasons, she was ashamed that somehow, someway, these creatures had gotten their paws on her inventions and were using them against her and who knew who else.

"I am sure that someone so smart as you, will find a way to escape this place very soon."

Rainbow glanced at her for a moment before looking back down. "What does it even matter anyways? We're stuck here until I give them what they want. And if I don't, they're going to tear this thing out of me! And even if I DO build them their own Rainboomer, what am I supposed to do? Just walk out? Just walk back to Equestria and pretend none of this happened? Just go back to getting rich off of building things that kill?" She tapped the metallic casing on her chest with a sigh as she spoke. "That Grass Marks kid was right... I DO live off of death!"

"Now, now. All will end well, of that I am sure. As long as your faith remains strong and your heart stays pure."

"Speaking of my heart, how long is this thing supposed to last before it runs out of juice?" she asked as she tapped the box next to her with a hoof.

"The potion should last 'til eleven tonight. Provided of course that my math is right."

Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head with her free hoof, trying to think of what to do with the cards she had been dealt.  She wouldn't actually build a working Rainboomer for these freaks in a million years, but they DID say that they would give her whatever she needed in order to build the launcher and the Boomer itself. And, as far as she knew, they had no clue what it really took to build one or how long. If she played her cards right, she would be able to  convince them to provide her with enough tools and supplies; then she might be able to find a way to build something that would get them out of here. It was just like in Las Pegasus back home... All she needed to do was play the cards. And if she knew how to use those cards, then she would win the game.

A grin slowly crept on to Rainbow's face as an idea began to form in her head.

The dogs were all gathered in front of her and the zebra. She stood tall, keeping the blanket from earlier wrapped around her.

"Okay. If you want me to build you... guys this thing, I'm going to need a lot of stuff," she began.

Rainbow turned to the zebra who relayed the message to the dogs. The one she assumed to be the leader simply nodded its head in response.

For the next half hour, she listed all the different supplies she would need in order to make them their "Boomer." No matter the request, they provided it without question and without hesitation. It occurred to her that, despite their knowledge of how to tinker with her inventions and make them work, these mangy creatures weren't very smart. At least, they weren't smart enough to realize that she was requesting more tools than were necessary even to build the Rainboomer three times over...

After the dogs had carried in all the equipment she wanted, the small room was filled with dozens of lights and more tools than she would ever need for her supposed task. Big, red Dazzler Fireworks, once the pinnacle of the Equestrian Military's armory, were lined up against the wall opposite of them. Copper wiring rested on the table she had designated as her "workshop." Boxes filled with disarmed Mini Bomb Rubies were stacked high in the corner.

Rainbow smiled at the sight. Under different circumstances, she would love to be surrounded by so many toys with free reign to do whatever she pleased. But she wasn't under different circumstances, and she had a problem that needed dealing with. A big problem.

Rainbow Dash picked up a screwdriver in her mouth and walked over to one of the Dazzler Fireworks leaning against the wall. She pulled it from its resting place and brought the tip of the nose to her ear, lightly tapping it with a hoof. A moment later, she smiled as if the firework had somehow just told her a secret path to freedom. Using her screwdriver, she wiggled the tip in between the nose and fuselage of the Dazzler.

The Dazzler Fireworks were the biggest and baddest explosives Equestria had to offer before she introduced the world to the Rainboomer this morning. They were meant to both distract and eliminate the enemy in one swift stroke. The fuse on the back end would be lit and, twenty seconds later, the firework would speed away on a straight path in whichever direction it was pointed. Generating a high-pitched frequency, the firework would soar through the sky, leaving a brightly-colored rainbow trail in its wake. With the enemy focused on the noise and the multi-colored trail of light, they wouldn't see the firework itself until it was far too late. The resulting explosion rarely left any structure standing and, more often than not, any living being unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast radius was wiped from the plane of existence. It was effective, it was fast, and she was more than confident it would be able to blast the metal door off... at the cost of collapsing the entire mine and killing her in the process.

But that wasn't the reason she was picking it apart; there was something very specific she was looking for. There was a small pop, and Rainbow Dash knew that she had loosened the nose enough to pull it off entirely. Using her hooves, she tugged the pointed tip from the cylindrical body and turned it upside down, looking inside.

"Aha!" she said, using a wing to reach inside. "There you are!"

When she retracted her wing there was a small, fiery red glowing gem nestled snugly between two feathers. She picked up a nearby metal cup in her hoof and dropped the gem inside before placing it on her back and balancing it there. Without a word, Rainbow Dash trotted across the room and began to do the same with a second Dazzler. The zebra looked over her shoulder as she pried the tip off of the second one. Again, the nose came off with a slight "pop" and she reached inside, her wing reemerging with another gem. This time, the gem was glowing a dull and calm shade of green.

"If you do not mind that I may ask, what is the point of this entire task?" came the Zebra's voice from behind.

Rainbow Dash dropped the gem into the cup with the other glowing crystal. She didn't say a word as she pulled another Dazzler close to her and wedged the screwdriver between the nose and body again.

There were twelve Dazzler Fireworks in the room, three of which she had just taken apart. That gave her three gems, and she needed at least 7 more to make her idea work. If she was able to keep up her lucky streak of not dropping or damaging them, then she might be able to use extra, which would be a tremendous help. Rainbow Dash sighed and went to work on the other Dazzlers.

With the screwdriver in her mouth, she began to answer the zebra's question, the tool between her jaws hindering her ability to enunciate:   "Ith 'ou reely mutht know, I nee' to pull ou' each o' theeth gemth fro' the Dathlerth 'ireworkth. Onth we do that, we can thart workin' on tha nethxt thtep."

She glanced over to the zebra, who merely looked confused. She rolled her eyes briefly before spitting the tool back out into her hoof.

"I said, we need to get each of the glowing gems from inside these things and put 'em in here," she motioned in the direction of the cup on her back. "Once we're done with that, we can get to work on melting them."

The Zebra blinked before responding. "You are suggesting we melt the gems? I do not understand how we would liquefy them."

"Don't worry," Rainbow said as she pulled her wing out of another Dazzler nose with an indigo-glowing gem tucked between two feathers. "I know what I'm doing."

She turned to the zebra with a reassuring smile. The gem made a small "clink" as it was dropped in the cup. Rainbow turned and picked up another screwdriver in her mouth, offering it to the striped mare.

For the next half hour, the pair picked apart the Dazzlers one by one, carefully removing the glowing gems from within.

By the end of the process, they had pulled open all of the Dazzlers, dropping only two of the glowing gems in the process.

Rainbow explained that the magic inside the crystals was very sensitive to impact, which was why it was placed at the front end of a Dazzler Firework. Once it came in contact with its target, the magic held within the gem was released; when combined with the concentrated gunpowder inside the tube, the result would be the Firework's famously colorful explosion. However, if the gems themselves were dropped, then the magic they contained would be released.  With no gunpowder to ignite, the magic would simply fade away.

Rainbow picked up both of the dropped crystals, no longer glowing, from the floor and tossed them into the crackling fire.

Ten gems, she thought to herself. Not bad...

The metal cup glowed from the gems inside. As she carried the cup over to the table, she asked the zebra if there was any kind of fireproof material they would be able to use to melt its contents. The zebra trotted off and returned with a smaller version of the cauldron she had been using earlier grasped between her teeth.

"Perfect!" Rainbow exclaimed.

The zebra trotted over and placed the mini-cauldron on the table in front of Rainbow Dash. Rainbow set the cup down next to the black container, which had two small metal handles protruding from its sides, almost like a smaller form of the grip on a cider mug. One by one, she plucked the gems from the cup and dropped them into the cauldron. One by one they clinked into place at the bottom, illuminating the otherwise dark interior of the black pot.

Now that they had a melting pot for the gems, they were faced with the issue of how to safely place it in and remove it from the fire. Unsurprisingly, the zebra had a pair of tongs, not unlike the ones used to reposition wood in a fire place. Rainbow Dash used her hooves to pick up the tongs and carefully slipped them into the handles of the cauldron before lifting it from the table. She carried it over to the fire and set it down in the middle of the flames.

"Okay," she said, breathing a sigh of relief as she watched the flames surround the small pot. "We got that done..."

Rainbow continued to stare at the flames for a moment before turning to face the zebra.

"By the way, I never learned your name..." she said, flashing a grin.

"I've been called many names throughout the years, but my true identity remains.  The name bestowed upon me at birth is Zecora, one I will never change," came Zecora's soft reply as she smiled back meekly.

"Well, I don't think I have to tell you my name, but... I'm Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you, Zecora," Rainbow replied as she extended her hoof to her zebra friend, who shook it.

Rainbow made her way back to flat mattress, and sat down. It was going to be several hours before the gems were fully melted. In the meantime, she rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. For the first time in 43 hours, Rainbow fell asleep on her own, and not from being knocked out.

Rainbow Dash was standing in the middle of a sandy landscape. The sun beat down on her from above and there didn't seem to be anybody around for miles. She could see a plume of sand rising into the air above a nearby dune. A moment later, a convoy of several motorized carriages began to roll down from the top of the rise. What struck her as odd, though, was that there was no sound coming from anywhere. Nothing at all. Not even the sounds that should have been coming from the motors on the back of the carriages. It was strange.  It wasn't normal... it was unsettling.  It was scary.  The carriages continued to silently crawl along the flat landscape. That was all they were doing. Just chugging along...

Suddenly, it occurred to Rainbow to turn her gaze upwards to the rocky mountain that she didn't quite remember being there a moment ago. Along the jagged surface of the cliffside, she was barely able to pick out several grayish shapes moving amongst the boulders and rocks. She looked back down at the four carriages pushing on through the desert, the cloud of sand following their every move.

Wait a minute.  What were those things doing... Oh Celestia no...

Rainbow Dash tried to take off, flying at top speed in an attempt to warn the ponies driving the carriages that they were about to be attacked. However, as she flapped her wings she found that, no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to lift herself from the ground. She beat her wings furiously as she watched the convoy of carriages move forward, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen. Rainbow Dash was pounding her wings faster than even she thought was possible, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take off.

"HEYYYY!!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs in the direction of the convoy. "LOOK OUUUUUUT!!!!"

It was too late. From the mountainside came a small flash of light and, before she could register in her head what the flash had been, a trail of smoke sped toward the first carriage. The world suddenly flashed all around her at the moment the missile made contact with the vehicle, forcing Rainbow to squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them, she could see that the carriage was now a twisted wreckage of fire and molten iron. The air all around her was suddenly filled with a horrible wailing noise. It took Rainbow Dash a moment to realize that the awful, agonized screams were from the ponies that had been inside the vehicle burning in front of her.

There was another flash as a second trail of smoke sped toward the second cart. As the carriage caught fire, the sounds of the wailing and screaming from moments ago were amplified two times over. Rainbow pulled her front hooves up to her ears only to find that, even through her hooves, the screaming was just as loud; if anything, it became louder than before.

Rainbow Dash could only watch in horror while the final two carriages met the same awful fate as the the first. The wailing grew more ear-splittingly painful and horrible to listen to. They weren't just screaming in pain, they were screaming because they all knew they would never see their families again. They were screaming because their lives had been cut short before they even had a chance to really live them out and make their marks on the world. They were screaming because they had never had the chance to say “goodbye” to their loved ones. Never had the chance to tell the pony they had a crush on how much they truly loved them. Just like that, their lives were over. Their screams of agony grew louder and more awful by the second.

Just then, there was another flash from the mountainside. There was no loud noise. There was no trail of smoke. There didn’t seem to be anything at all until Rainbow Dash felt something crash into her. She was knocked off her hooves by the impact and slammed into the ground below. Her body was unable to move save her head, which shifted on its own to the side, bringing into view a fire red ruby embedded in the sand.

"No..." she whispered upon realizing she was looking directly at a Mini Bomb Ruby. "Oh Celestia please no..."

The ruby began to turn itself over in the sand. In place of where the "Dash Industries" logo would normally be there instead was one awful word, written in a dark, red liquid that trickled down the surface.

"MURDERER" the word seemed to scream out at her.

The ruby then exploded, sending a flash of unimaginable heat through her body. She screamed and writhed in agony, both in pain and guilt.  Rainbow’s scream continued to fill the air...

Her eyes shot open with a start. Her body was covered in a cold sweat and her hooves were shaking uncontrollably. Rainbow Dash looked all around her, somewhat paranoid of what might happen next. It took her a moment before she began to realize that the horror she had just experienced was merely a nightmare.  A nightmare based on true events, but a nightmare nonetheless.

There was a sick feeling stemming from her gut that was growing by the second. A moment later, Rainbow Dash jumped off the cot, ran over to a corner, and vomited.

As her stomach contracted, her mind was racing with thoughts of guilt and disgust. All her life, she had been told that her family built weapons to defend Equestria from anyone and anything that wanted to bring about harm. But now she knew that those very same creations of hers were being used AGAINST the ones she had meant them to protect.

It made her sick to her stomach. At least fifteen ponies had died just the other day as a direct result of the things she had built falling into the wrong hooves... well, paws in this case. But these weren't just any old things that one would be able to pick up at the store.  In fact, the only possible way that anybody would be able to get ahold of them was through a direct shipment from her company. It had always been that way. And if these... things had gotten them into their possession, then there was only one possible explanation: Somebody in her company was dealing them under the table. And if she didn't somehow find a way to get out of here and return home, then more ponies would die and more lives would be ruined.

Rainbow Dash got up to her hooves, picking up a nearby rag and using it to wipe her mouth. A determined look was set on her face as she tossed the rag to the ground.

One way or another, she was going to get out of here.  And she was going to make everything right...

Spitfire gazed up at the sky from the raised platform she stood on. It had been several hours since word of what happened to the convoy carrying Rainbow Dash reached her. Ever since then, she had been constantly sending out teams of pegasi to search the surrounding mountains for any sign that she might still be alive.

Spitfire learned against the railing of the covered platform and watched the sun slowly descend beyond the horizon.

There was a voice behind her. She didn't need to look to know that it was the lieutenant in charge of the base's flying teams.

"Ma'am," she heard him say. "The fourth team just got back..."

"And?" she said, still staring at the setting sun

"They, um, didn't find anything..."

Without turning to face him, she merely sighed, half in frustration and half in disappointment.

"Tell the fifth team to gear up," she instructed him, still not turning around.

"Ma'am, with all due respect," the lieutenant began, "it’s nearly nighttime.  And with no way for the pegasi to see Miss Dash in the dar-"

The colt stopped as Spitfire turned to face him. Even through her sunglasses, her cold stare alone was enough to make him stop in his tracks. The mare stepped away from the rail and walked up to him, slowly pulling her shades from her face. Each hoof clicking against the wooden floor sounded like a gunshot.

"I said..." she hissed, "go... tell... the fifth team... to get ready."

"Y-yes, ma'am," stuttered the colt. "Ri-right away, ma'am."

He quickly began to climb down the stairs back to the ground below. Spitfire turned back to the railing, tucking her shades away in the collar of the white button-down shirt underneath her heavily decorated overcoat. Propping her front hooves over the railing again, she couldn't help but feel her eyes water up just a bit. Reaching into the breast pocket of her blue coat, she pulled out a worn photograph and stared at it.

In the picture was Rainbow Dash and herself sitting next to one another in the booth of a restaurant as fillies. There was icing covering both of their cheeks and an utterly annihilated cake on the table in front of them where the words "Happy Birthday, Spitfire" had once been written in red icing. The writing on the cake had long since been eaten away, but Spitfire remembered her sixth birthday as if it were only a week ago.

When they were young, Rainbow Dash was the only friend she ever had. Everyone else always avoided her because of her father's rank in the military, but not Rainbow. She wasn't afraid of anything or anyone. From their kindergarten class all the way through their high school graduation, Rainbow had always been there for her no matter what. When her first coltfriend dumped her for another, prettier mare at the Cloudsdale Prom, Rainbow Dash was the one who had dumped a bucket of milk on the both of them from the ceiling, making them the laughingstocks of the school. It was Rainbow Dash who had always told her that she was meant to be more than just another pegasus mare. It was Rainbow who was standing next to her in front of all of Equestria when the Wonderbolts were officially recognized as the most elite fliers in the Equestrian Military.

As she stood there lost in memory, she hadn’t realized how much her eyes were watering up until a tear fell from her cheek and onto the photo below. Spitfire quickly wiped away another one before placing the photo back into her pocket.

"Darn it, Dashie... why couldn't you just wait ten more minutes? Why did you have to jump into those carriages? Why... why did it have to be you?" she whispered to herself before burying her face into her hooves, silently sobbing to herself.