//------------------------------// // Chapter I - Escape // Story: Dishonored: Where Loyalties Lie // by enamis //------------------------------// Dishonored: Where Loyalties Lie by enamis Chapter I - Escape   Rainbow Dash grunted as her wingtips pushed her body up from the ground for the ninety-eighth time… ninety-ninth… hundredth… With a sharp exhale the faded cyan mare ended her exercise, her hooves slipping under her as she rose up. She flexed her wings while she walked to the front of her tiny, two-by-four, concrete cell. Silver rings were clamped around both her wings, transparent Spark-gems glittering with a rainbow light within, along with small rubies embedded on both, quietly hummed. The mare came to the thick metal bars of her prison and hunched over a large clay jug. She gently pushed her hoof through the loop of the fragile pottery and lifted it to her lips only to find it empty. Rainbow grimaced and got up, the jug still hanging from her hoof as she leaned against the rusty metal bars. She stuck the jug through the gap and began to wave it around, catching the attention of the single guard that had been with her all those months in prison. “Oi, my drink’s empty, mind fetching me a new one?” The mare cried out with a light snark in her voice as she grinned at the approaching guard. The brown earth pony with his yellow mane and moss-green uniform glared at her before snatching the jug from her hoof, all while mumbling to himself. He walked over to a rusty faucet on the other side of Rainbow’s cell and twisted it, filling the jug with sparkling water. The pegasus mare hung against the metal bars, her outstretched hoof casually swinging back and forth as she tried not to think about her great thirst. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a loud squeak sounded throughout the half-empty prison as the water faucet was turned off. The guard turned around, carefully balancing the piece of pottery, and walked over to Rainbow, an odd smirk spread across his face. The mare took the jug out of his hoof with a suspicious look, but instead of gulping it down instantly she paused to look at the smiling guard. “You spat in it, didn’t you?” she said with a roll of her rosy eyes. “Yep.” the guard casually answered. Rainbow sighed and without much effort swung the full jug upwards, the water cascading over the surprised guard. He sputtered as he got soaked from head to hoof and couldn’t help but snarl at Rainbow, the mare holding back a torrent of chuckles. “I hate you.” “Aww, that’s so sweet of you, Pudding.” Rainbow smiled at the fuming stallion. “You do realize you’re dying tomorrow?” He hissed back in a cold tone. A little gasp died in the mare’s throat as she paused, just before her arrogance overtook her once more. “Yeah I know, so I might as well make the most of it.” Rainbow stuck out her tongue at Pudding Pie. She had always teased him about his name. “Screw you Dash…” The buck mumbled as he took off his little moss-green hat and squeezed the water out of it before balancing it on top of his head once again. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Rainbow casually retorted. The stallion’s yellow eye twitched a few times as he kept staring down the wild mare. “I'm done. I am Celeste-damned done.” He turned around without another word and stomped away. “Hey, could you get me a spit-less refill?” Rainbow shouted after him as she continued to wave around her empty clay jug. “DONE!” was all that echoed through the corridor as the guard’s shadow disappeared around the corner. o.O.o.O.o Rainbow lay on her moldy mattress, hind legs propped against the wall as she stared at the small beam of sunlight slowly creeping across her dirty floor from the barred window above. Her head was hanging over the edge as she looked at the hallway upside-down and through the metal bars sealing her in. She flexed her blue wings a few times. If it weren’t for those stupid magical braces clamped around them she’d be flying all over the place, and by place she meant her cell. The mare grumbled and let her legs slip down from their post against the wall to her bedding as she rolled onto her stomach. She ran her hoof through her messy, unwashed and overgrown mane only to have it limp back down in front of her eyes. The bright red had turned even grayer than she remembered and the yellow had long since lost its vivid appearance. She played around with the purple lock that came from the back of her head, dark violet faded to washed-up lavender. As she twirled her mane between the tips of her bare hooves she began counting the months she’d been imprisoned. Four? Five? It was hard to keep count at this point. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she groaned again fighting her daily boredom. She threw her head against the mattress and laid there for the longest time as her drool slowly pooled around her cheek. Her rose gaze traveled across her cell. The floor was littered with papers, small, empty bowls and vials splashed with paint. The wall she had lain her hind hooves against was covered in black text, little verses, odd ideas, dreams… nightmares… apologies and denials. In the corner where the small hole in the ground stood as a toilet, tallies counting the day and night cycles were etched into the concrete. The other two walls were brimming with drawings. Little sketches: ponies, figures, locations, weapons… A large picture covered most of the smaller ones on the left wall. Four crudely yet carefully drawn ponies, colored to the best of Rainbow’s abilities. A small vermilion filly stood in front of the other three, to her back-left stood a large lavender mare with a bright smile, her hoof on the filly’s shoulder. Next to her was an aged yellow pegasus that was hugging a young, copper mare as they giggled. Under the picture was an oval splotch of paint. A red horseshoe was depicted next to a little scribble of words. With a heavy exhale Rainbow lifted herself from her soggy mattress and dragged her suddenly unwilling body to the drawing. She slumped back down right in front of it, tail brushing away the dirt under her. She lifted up her faded blue hoof and pressed it against the painted 'shoe. She held it there for several long minutes, eyes never once traveling to the words scribbled underneath. The mare’s ears perked as she heard shuffling coming in her direction. She lazily turned her head to see her favorite guard - Pudding Pie - slide a tray with a single plate atop it under the bars, next to the half-empty jug of water. “Sup’?” she casually asked. The guard paused as he stared at the miserable mare before him. “I'm officially resigning. So congrats’ Rainbow Dash, you singlehoofedly made me stop wanting to be a guard.” he muttered as he looked away only to have Rainbow shuffle to her hooves in the speed of light and suddenly found himself staring at the mare’s rosy eyes. In full seriousness, she continued. “Oh come on Pudding, I'm not that good, am I?” she asked with a light smirk. “Gee, modest much?” the young buck muttered, a single chuckle escaping him. “Not one bit.” “Figures.” The two faintly smiled as they stood there facing one another. Pudding was the first to turn away as he began to walk down back the hall. However, just before he was out of earshot he whispered something that managed to make Rainbow’s mane stand on end. “Good luck.” And he vanished around the corner. “Good luck? Good luck for what?” Rainbow grumbled as she slid down to her haunches, eyes still gazing where her favorite guard had vanished. She shook her head, clearing any and all thoughts as she looked at what Pudding had brought her. The metal tray held a single paper plate and atop that plate was a wonderfully smelling apple fritter. Rainbow licked her lips as she looked at the beautiful morsel with lustful eyes. She swallowed the ocean of spit that had gathered in her mouth from the aroma alone. She gently picked up the treat, almost as carefully as cradling a foal, and raised it to eye level. She licked her lips again as she savored the moment, reminding herself that she hadn’t eaten anything other than hay, water, oats and maybe an apple once a week at best. The second her teeth bit into the fritter her mind exploded, the pure flavor rushing through her senses. Her mind spun in a canopy of forgotten flavors, her nose tingling from the fresh apple scent as her tongue danced around the small bite in her mouth. After what seemed hours of pure bliss the mare finally swallowed the tiny piece of the pasty as it entered the endless pit in her stomach. She tried to make sense as she recovered from the explosion of forgotten wonder. With a massive smile the mare looked down only to see something odd about the paper plate. Where the fritter had laid, there were some black loops that were now shinning through the paper due to its greese. The mare migrated the pastry to one hoof as she reached over to the paper with a questioning expression. She lifted it and turned it around only to see an entire letter scribbled on the bottom. Rainbow being Rainbow, stuffed the rest of the fritter in her moth as she began reading the odd note. Rainbow, For the given moment you do not need to know who we are, but all we can say is that we believe you didn’t kill Twilight. In the fritter is the key to your cell. Once you’re out, head for the new recruit bedrooms, there will be scattered materials for a Spark-gem bomb. Once you assemble it, leg it to the back of the prison where the sewage is pumped into the waterfalls. Blow the wall and run, go downstream, the rest you will pick up along the way. ~ Copper and Gold Her mind stopped. The mare belched the fritter out from her mouth in the speed of light, the half-chewed morsel colliding with the gray wall with a wet splat. Rainbow coughed a few times, her blood running cold. She watched the foodstuff slowly slide down the wall in a pile of mush. The mare reached out with a trembling hoof as she gently shifted the chewed fritter around, until her hoof felt something hard, slim and tiny. She pulled out a small bronze key and gazed at it with absolute awe. Rainbow gulped as she slowly moved to the door of her cell. She pushed her hoof through the gap in the bars and fumbled around until she managed to slide the key into the hole. She gently twisted the fragile contraption until she heard a soft click and the door opened with a groan. Her heart skipped a beat as her breaths became faster, but the mare kept it under wraps. She pulled the key out of the keyhole and took it into her mouth as she closed the door and ran back to her mattress. She hastily slid her hoof under it and felt the few roaches scatter about as her fur met with something cold and metallic. The mare pulled out something resembling a tiny dagger, crafted from a metal tray as it hung in a loop made from her torn bed sheets. Rainbow gently slid the key in one of the knots on the makeshift holster and slipped the entire thing over her head and left forehoof so it stood where her rune pistol once did. She took a deep breath and walked back to the front of her cell. The mare looked at the fritter still lying on the floor. She shrugged and lowered her head to the pasty and took a big bite from the part that hadn’t touched the floor. She washed it down with remainder of the water from her clay jug as that activity helped her calm her jumbled nerves. One chance. One chance and if she mucked it up her execution was tomorrow anyway. No mistakes. Not this time. The prismatic mare pushed the barred door open with a creek. She cast one last glace around her cell, the place she thought she’d live the last days of her life in. Her rose gaze slid over the scribbles and drawings and stopped at the big picture of the four mares. She looked at the writing just below the bloody hoofprint. ~Family~ With shaking limbs she stepped outside. o.O.o.O.o There was something unsettling about big open spaces… As a pegasus, Rainbow had spent her entire life in the skies, the wide open blue stretching before her for an eternity. But after living in a tiny concrete cell for four months, marks were left. It felt just like the claustrophobia Rainbow had felt for those first few weeks of her imprisonment except the other way around. The mare didn’t know the word though. Agro-? Verti-? Vertograph? Something like that, she was sure. Rainbow Dash took deep and hushed breaths as she crept along the wall and down the hallway she knew so very well. The lights above quietly buzzed and flickered, making the mare jump each time. Her body was tense, ears perking in every direction as she listened to her own breathing and soft hoofsteps. She was really out of practice… The mare blew her overgrown mane out of her face before peeking around the corner. She had visited the jail numerous times over the years, mostly interrogating captured Chaosblessed or working with Rarity’s spies. She knew the layout by heart. The hallway ahead was empty, even the cells, but she could hear faint voices in the distance. New recruit barracks. That should be easy enough… Hopefully… Rainbow flapped her wings a few times, only to have them uselessly limp by her sides. In the name of Celeste, she hated those stupid magical braces. The mare quietly snorted before she stepped into the corridor.   As she briskly trotted down the hallway, the light shuffle of her long tail dragging behind her echoing all around, as she tried to figure out a safe route. She knew that she had been kept in the furthest and deepest corner of the prison and that the ‘sunlight’ from her ‘window’ was a simple mirror-enchantment, mimicking something that was outside in the District above, when in reality the prison rested within what was simply known as Canterlot Undercity. The pegasus came to somewhat of a junction. The wall to her right opened up to a large room, yet the corridor stretched onwards. The mare took a moment to revise her options. If she went straight she could, maybe, just maybe, get into the maintenance rooms and then leg it all the way along the pipes to the kitchen from where it was literally a hop, skip and a jump to the barracks. She pushed up against a wall as she listened to the voices that seemed right next to her as she let her mind quickly mill it over. “-and I hear it’s gonna’ be grand!” a young buck exclaimed. “I still don’t zee wants ze big zeal about an execuzion.” an older mare scuffled in response. By her accent, Rainbow could tell she was from one of the colonies to the north. “She killed Dawnbreaker for goddess’s sakes!” The buck whined. “I know you Northern’s don’t care much about what happens here ever since the Cadence incident, but c’mon…” “Zon’t care.” The mare interrupted with a hiss and Rainbow heard her suddenly come in her direction. The prismatic pegasus let a tiny shriek escape her as she bolted backwards and leaped behind a few large slabs of plaster that were leaned against a wall next to a few crates and scattered tools. Luckily the prison had been under renovation before the plague broke out almost a year ago, so everything was halted and all the construction equipment just where it was. Rainbow Dash felt her heart pounding in her chest so loudly she was concerned that it might give her away. She listened to the light taps of horseshoes as the guard-mare walked by her hiding place. Beads of sweat had broken out from Rainbow’s forehead and lightly dampened her coat as she stood frozen in place for what seemed like hours.   After a lot of convincing, and her mind screaming at her to move, she finally mustered up the courage to peek out from safety. As her eyes gazed across the empty hallways she felt a massive, mental boulder roll off her chest. Rainbow took a few tentative steps forward, careful not to make a single peep. She cautiously snuck to the doorway that opened into the large room. Why was the room even there? Nopony knew, but then again, Canterlot and its Undercity were basically built under the rule of Princess Platinum, so who knew what had gone down in the crazy unicorn’s mind before He took over. Rainbow poked her nose around the corner and saw the young buck as he sat against a column of the empty and quite frankly ugly room. The interior was bare, similar faded slabs of concrete lined the walls and floor. Eight pillars were placed in two rows along the longer walls, holding up the stone roof which was probably holding up the entirety of the streets of Central District. The young buck looked about Pudding’s age, wearing the same green uniform. His messy blue mane spiraled from under his silly green hat as he lifted his lit cigarette to his dark-blue lips and inhaled. As the smoke from his exhale cleared Rainbow saw the metal wall on the other side of the room, bars in-between two large slabs of shining blue alloy, holding it up so there was a gap to see through. There were two other guards milling about and Rainbow could’ve sworn she heard the guard-mare with her heavy accent all the way over there. Her choice of escape was clear. The mare gently backed up, after a weary glance in every direction, and took a few deep breaths. She flapped her wings as they flopped against her sides like ragdolls and she crouched down, involuntarily inhaling the dust and dirt that had gathered on the banged-up concrete floor. Rainbow exhaled, scattering the grime just under her nose and did a small hop forward, her body beyond tense. She galloped a few steps, as quiet as she could, and leaped. Her wings opened up as she soared through the air, catching just the smallest updraft and glided those few steps across the exposed doorway in lightning speeds. Her hooves skidded against the floor, her outstretched wings managing to lighten her fall and absorb most of the sound she had made. The mare touched down and tucked into a roll as she landed, just to be sure. Rainbow’s head spun as she hopped straight to her hooves the second her small roll across the ground was done. She stuck to the wall as she let her heart slow down and her mind clear up. The mare’s frantic rose eyes flew all over the place but the hallway was clear and quiet all the way to the turn that went right, far away so nopony could hear anything from where Rainbow stood. The mare let out a sigh of relief as she let her hooves go limp, just for a second. After a few moments of calming herself by taking breaths so deep it made her head spin even more, Rainbow hopped to her hooves as she tucked her wings back to their default positions by her faded-cyan sides, and began to scout out the large corridor ahead. If her mapping was correct, Rainbow could head down the tunnel like structure to a maintenance room that should be on her side somewhere down the line. From there she could easily access the water and sewage and probably stream pipes that ran along the ceilings and just sneak along them to her destination. The blue pegasus let a small smile grace her lips as she began to quietly sneak along the walls to where the hallways crossed once more. There was something that had clicked inside her, something that made her smile again as she walked and didn’t notice her focus slowly slipping. The mare began to grin and her hoofsteps grew louder, a shuffle ahead that she didn’t notice.   “Left…” A faint whisper sounded from what felt like within Rainbow’s mind. The blue mare jumped in pure terror. Had she been discovered? And suddenly she heard the hoofsteps from the hallway ahead.   Not much thought went into her next actions as the mare leaped to her left, following the cryptic whisper, and through the only wooden door in the entire damned facility. Rainbow held her breath as the thin door slammed shut behind her and the mare scrambled up a stack of boxes before leaping at three small pipes just above the door that swung open the very second her hooves touched the heated metal. She was still holding her breath as a guard appeared just below her dangling rainbow tail. She tried to lift it up but she had never really practiced doing stuff with her rainbow feature and all she did was make a light breeze. The guard dressed in blue glanced around and looked at the pile of wooden boxes Rainbow had used as an escape and scowled. “Frigen’ Undercity… Ah’ swear, ah’ rather be working over at t’ Everfree District t’n ‘ere.” the aged guard grumbled. “Next thing ya’ know there’s gon’ be ghosts of dead prisoners throwin’ cheese sandwiches around…” He snorted at his own joke and exited the small room, letting Rainbow Dash finally draw a few shallow breaths. The mare’s poor heart was pounding so hard it was ready to rip through her chest. As if all her senses had suddenly rushed back to her, the prismatic mare felt her hooves burning against two of the three pipes. In a heartbeat she leaped in the air, her back smashing against the ashen roofing of the small, pantry like room. Rainbow let out a hushed moan as she dropped down to the floor with a thud. She grabbed her aching and bruised head with both her burnt forehooves as she laid there and cringed while she let the pain pulse and fade away. Landing on rocks was never a good experience. With a grimace of discomfort the mare staggered to her hooves and looked around the tiny room. She noted the increased heat as she searched for anything useful. Other than the large wooden boxes she had scrambled up on which seemed to be filled with more unused construction equipment, the room was bare. There were, however, about two dozen small pipes and half a dozen big ones running along the walls and through holes at the ceiling and floor. Rainbow grinned before turning and closing the door. Goddess’ bless whoever invented doors that didn’t need keys for locking from the inside. The faded pegasus crept along the vertical, copper pipes that came from the floor and began running along the ceiling, and glanced at their valves. Lots of them looked like steam pipes, for whatever reason steam was used, Rainbow didn’t know, and others actually weren’t pipes but rather concealed electricity and intercom wires. Rainbow looked around the room with an unimpressed glace until her rosy eyes fell upon three large, round and thick pipes that curved up to a panel against the roofing that went parallel to the hallway behind the wooden door. The mare began to grin again and was ready to jump onto the pipe and just hug it for the sake of it being there. But she stopped just before she had made a painful mistake. The mare paused, her burnt hoof hovering over the closest pipe, the gears of her mind turning. After a lengthy pause for thinking she let her hoof continue its descent, only less eagerly this time. Her blue limb gently tapped against the metal, an inaudible rings echoing through the valve filled room. Rainbow let out another sigh of relief as the metal had been room temperature. But then she saw her error. The pipe she had tapped was leading backwards, probably in the direction of her cell, and quiet utterly useless to her. The mare groaned and moved to the other two pipes, checking where they lead beforehoof. A lot more hastily the mare tapped the two large pipes and found them to be lukewarm and chilly respectively. She smiled and muttered, “Thank you, Tia…” with a quick glance skyward and gingerly placed her forehooves against the metal, as if testing its strength. Rainbow skillfully climbed up onto the chilly pipe and scrambled up its length, her burnt hooves feeling refreshed and soothed. The mare shivered as he back touched the cool ceiling. But she pushed her discomfort aside and pressed her back against the concrete slab for better balance, her hooves creeping along the top of the pipe. Rainbow felt like she was tiphoofing along as she came to the grate in the wall. She spread her wings once more and pushed them against the roof of the room and turned her head to withdraw her makeshift knife from the loop around her neck. She pushed the fragile blade in the gap where the grate met the wall and began to pry. It didn’t take long and the weak metal blockade disconnected from the wall, ground up concrete dust cascading to the ground. Rainbow gently pulled the grate from the wall after her blade her been holstered. She grabbed the light metal and slid it down her side, hanging it behind some of the smaller pipes to make sure it would not be seen. With a surprisingly happy huff Rainbow folded her wings and laid her belly against the crisp metal as she began to shove and pull herself along the pipeline. Onwards! To freedom! o.O.o.O.o Rainbow Dash had absolutely no idea how long it had been since her escape, mind still wondering about the tiny chances, as she slowly crawled atop the large pipes. The prison was massive, at least half the size of the Undercity itself. Tunnels and passages stretched and looped to an eternity. It was like a labyrinth. A very, very deadly and you-will-probably-get-shot-if-you’re-seen kind of labyrinth. Rainbow shuddered. The thick, unknown metal tube, while refreshingly cool at first, had now turned icy cold. The mare hated to admit it but she was freezing to the bone. Even her nose had gone runny, and if you had to sniffle every two seconds, it was hard to be very stealthy. The trip had taken only ten minutes at best in Rainbow’s mind. In reality, when she had to stop and hold her breath every single time a guard shuffled by and that half of the corridors were inaccessible and some of the pipes ether dipped into the lower layers or the District above and there was way too much backtracking, it probably took hours. Rainbow placed her cold blue hoof against her muzzle, a futile attempt to stop her clattering teeth, just as somepony came around the corner. The faded pegasus tensed, rose eyes glaring at the scene below, ready for anything. A single stallion crept around the corner. Rainbow gasped and instantly fell quiet as she watched the pony go through the same motions she had when she exited her cell. It was obvious that the young buck was a fellow prisoner. He was obsidian black with a soft gray mane that fell over his face. He wore a similar silver collar to Rainbow’s around his neck and brace around his horn. The emeralds from the magic devices gave an almost inconspicuous green glow. He carefully lurked around the corner and yet another stack of wooden boxes, his head tossing in every direction. For a moment Rainbow wondered what had he been sent to prison for? But then that moment ended as he looked straight up into Rainbow’s rosy eyes. A pair of hearts skipped a beat, Rainbow’s skipping two as she finally saw the buck’s eyes. His left eye was graceful lavender with a peculiar shade of magenta shinning through. Such a hue that made Rainbow’s soul clench as she was reminded who the color once belonged to. But the color of his right eye was what made the prismatic mare’s heart burn with anger. The young buck’s right eye seemed so very distorted. Where the milky white had to be there was nothing but a sickly shade of gold, almost glowing against the humming lamplight. His pupil did not match the other even the slightest as it was the bright shade of crimson, almost the color of fresh blood. At first Rainbow hoped, prayed, that he was just a Discordant, just a worshiper, just misguided, but then he blinked and she saw it. His mark. A large, bloody-crimson oval was tattooed over the pony’s eyelid and stretched beyond it, nearly covering half of his face. From the middle of the circle eight sharp arrows shot out, almost resembling a compass. The pony’s discorded eye flicked with black magic and died as he looked up at Rainbow in pure terror. The mare guessed there was not a single thing scarier than her for Bloodmoon and her Chaosblessed cult. After all, The Rainbow Butcher was her nickname. Rainbow snarled, her runny nose and freezing hooves long forgotten. She wiggled her body only slightly, her food-tray blade glimmering as it slapped against her hide in a demonstrative manner. The buck squeaked and backed away a few steps, his petrified eyes never leaving Rainbow’s stiff gaze. A life ago she’d jump him, pin him to the ground, knock him out, something, anything, just because who he was. Chaosblessed - the enemy. A life ago. This was her new life. Her fourth time? Maybe more? It wasn’t much but Rainbow knew, she’d ether die tomorrow or live a life against everything she’d dedicated her existence to. And her new life started this moment.   Rainbow Dash, former Lady Protector of the Queen, master assassin and most loyal friend looked away. She reopened her eyes to see the obsidian buck trying to scramble away as he once more caught her gaze. The mare grit her teeth for a single heartbeat before nodding to the pipe. She paused to make sure the pony saw her before she tucked her hooves under her and resumed her own escape, leaving the scared stallion behind. He was on his own. But Rainbow couldn’t help to think, to wonder, he was just so very young… And his life was already over. The chaos marks were like brands: there to stay for an eternity. The mare shuddered. She didn’t know if it was the icy pipe or her own thoughts, but she pressed onwards. She was so close to her goal she could practically smell it. o.O.o.O.o And smelled, she did. The pegasus mare had hoped to beeline to the guard barracks but it seemed like somepony thought it was a good idea to put a giant, Celeste-damned wall where the hallway once was. Now Rainbow was sitting behind a ventilation grate and peering into the kitchen as she watched several ponies work the pots and pans. She could smell the oats and vegetables as they boiled in massive vats. The sheer amount of Spark-gems humming and sparking in the room was overwhelming. Rainbow could even feel the silver bracelets around her wings tremble and supercharge from all the magic before her. The cold pipe of unknown contents spiraled to Rainbow’s side and curved downwards along the wall and into the floor. Some part of the aged mare’s mind was grateful to be off the freezing contraption as she watched room below. It was warm and humid and Rainbow was beyond thankful for a chance to warm her limbs as she devised a plan. There was none. It would be almost impossible to crawl out of the vent unnoticed. Rainbow would have to pry it open first, then put it away, then sneak down to the floor and with all the ponies running around it was basically impossible. The prismatic mare groaned inwardly and let her head, lightly and quietly, smash against the vent in a moment of pure frustration. She knew she just couldn’t wait it out, somepony would notice their most dangerous criminal had escaped. “Just wait a little more…” Rainbow’s blood froze. She tossed around as fast as the small and dark concrete shaft would allow her, rocky dust rising into the air from her swift movements. There it was again. That voice. This time Rainbow could distinguish that it was male, but what about it? Had she just gone mad at some point and it was now starting to show? No, no, that want possible, Rainbow’s grand plan was to remain sane and concentrate on the things most important till the very end… Then what just happened? The mare didn’t have much time to ponder as she turned around, once more facing the kitchen that had unintentionally doomed her as the intercoms crackled, a ding ringing through them before a metallic voice of a stallion began to echo through the device. “ATTENTION! ALL NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL IMMEDIATELY REPORT TO ATRIUM B2. GRADE TWO EMERGENCY. REPEAT. ATTENTION! ALL NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL…” A frightening and massive grin spread across Rainbow’s features as she listed to the monotone voice and watched the staff turn off the Spark-gem ovens and funnel out into the corridors. Just what the doctor ordered. The mare continued to smirk and she reached over and withdrew her homemade blade from its ‘holster’. It didn’t take long and the mare set her hooves on the glossy tiles of the kitchen with a soft click. Instantly, Rainbow crouched down behind a large metal counter, the handles pressing into her ribcage as she slowly began to creep along the cool, checkerboard tiles. She had changed her philosophy from ‘brash and careless’ to ‘better safe than sorry’ in the later years of her life. Mostly because of her situation being the Lady Protector, had forced her to. The prismatic mare poked her head upwards and glanced around the kitchen. She smiled inwardly as she spotted something delicious just in front of her muzzle. Rainbow wasted no time and snagged a slice of bread from the countertop before quickly tip-hoofing to the three large vats where the staff boiled the prisoner’s food. She slipped in-between two of the three metal cylinders and pressed against the wall. The light from above didn’t at all reach behind the contraptions and Rainbow was happy to finally be hidden in a veil of shadow. The mare eagerly munched down on the slice of white bread she held in her mouth. It tasted heavenly and wasn’t at all stale, like a puffy cloud of flour, a little bit of corn thrown in for flavor. Rainbow took a moment to relax her nerves. That was the one thing she had learnt in her many years. Naps, breaks and an embrace with a lover every once in awhile kept her from going insane with the stress of her job. But the second the mare pressed her freezing hooves against the warm metal vat her brain nearly melted from the wonderful feeling. A clank just outside the door made her snap back to reality. She had to stop getting distracted or she might never make it out alive. Rainbow poked her head through the small gap from where she had came into her hiding place and took a better look around the kitchen. To be fair, there wasn’t much there. The floors were lined with dirtied square tiles of black and white made into a checkerboard pattern. Four long metal countertops lined the entire room. They were littered with utensils like knives and bowls and such and even several sickly looking vegetables of undistinguishable origin. There were also sinks and several small ovens built inside the tables. Overall it didn’t look all that hygienic, with the two rats snacking on vaguely potato-looking veggies, but then again Rainbow and the others were ‘unworthy’ prisoners, so they didn’t matter. The pegasus mare had a strong stomach but even she couldn’t help but gawk as she thought back about all the things she had been forced to eat all these months. She shivered before making sure there was nopony in sight and continued her sneak to the door. Her trip went without any incidents as she dashed across the hallway and stuck to a wall just outside the entrance to the new recruit barracks. The mare took a few rushed breaths and wiped the sweat of terror off her brow. Rainbow closed her eyes and puffed out her chest before leaning around the corner. What greeted her wasn’t a room full of guards that would be happy to rip her head clean off because that would mean a promotion, instead, she was met with white sheets and thin, empty metal bed-frames. Rainbow wasted no time and slipped around the corner. She thought back to the note that she had left crumpled on her floor like an idiot. The mare mentally slapped herself before inspecting her surroundings. The room was very long and lit by the Spark lamps above, both walls were lined with identical, two-story beds and chests stuck in the middle. Most were untouched and some had little trinkets strewn about. Rainbow ran through the room twice over before stuffing herself in-between two beds, away from vigil eyes. The mare had found a hoofful of various items, hopefully useable. She had found a sword under one of the beds and threw it over her shoulder atop her little food-tray blade. In her hoofs she held two Spark grenades a few rechargeable gem-batteries, a few manabullets and runestones but no gun. She had also found roll of copper wire and some bobby pins and the mare hoped they would help. Rainbow wracked her brain for several long moments trying to remember what her daughter and Dawnbreaker had taught her about explosives before setting off to tinker. Before long the pegasus held an odd device in her graying blue hooves. Two Spark grenades were strapped together with a jungle of copper wires, their fuses safely disabled and removed to make sure they would blow only when they had to and in an instant. Below their round bodies all the gem-batteries Rainbow could strap on were tied and held in place by bent bobby pins and more wire to add that extra explosive-y goodness to the bomb. Finally, the tops of the fuse-less grenades were pushed as close together as possible, a manabullet and two runestones on each side were fastened in place. Rainbow knew; when rubbed together, runestones usually produced magical sparks that were similar to what pistols used to fire. It just so happened that manabullets were very sensitive to magic, their purpose after all, was to produce a shock powerful enough to disable magic in all its forms for a second or two while doing maximum damage with their sharp, crystalline bodies. All Rainbow needed to do set her creation ablaze was a spark from the manabullet and boom, there goes anything in a five meter radius. The mare grinned as she stripped two pillows of their worn pillowcases and placed the bomb in one and the runestones she needed to set it off in the other before tying the two together and throwing them over her flanks. She felt comfortable to have something at the least resembling her old gear strapped around her body, she almost felt naked without it. Rainbow began to trot to the entrance into the corridor, intently listening to her surroundings. Before she knew it, a small chuckle came from what sounded just next to her. Without a second to waste Rainbow leaped to the side and slid under a bed just by the entrance to the barracks. It was a stupid plan and due to her relatively bright mane and tail she was easily noticeable but it was better that nothing. The cyan mare pressed herself against the far wall as two guards entered the barracks. They both were tangled up in conversation and Rainbow cringed as one sat on the bed she was hiding under. The mattress groaned and pushed against her head as she stuck to the cold concrete floor. “But seriously though, he is in soooooo much trouble!” The guard that was sitting on the bed snickered as he fumbled with something up top. “But they don’t even know if it was him.” The other replied less eagerly. “So what? I mean, he was the only one to hang around that wing of the prison. Maybe she like, brainwashed him or something?” “Don’t be an idiot, idiot.” The two guards laughed as Rainbow tried to figure out who they were talking about. She had a vague idea that the ‘she’ was herself but who was the other pony they were talking about? The mare didn’t have time to dwell, nor did the two bucks have much time to talk as a stiff cough of attention came from the doorway. The two guards and one prisoner turned to see who was standing there. “Gentlecolts.” A mare’s voice rang through the empty room. “What is ze meaning of zis?” “S-s-sergeant! Ma’am! W-what appears to be the problem?” the stallion that was standing up almost yelled with more fright in his voice than necessary as he turned to see the mare with a salute. Rainbow recognized her from before and guessed that she was probably the head of something-or-other around here. “Move yer lazy flanks, we have a situation on our hoovez.” She grumbled and Rainbow had a chance to glance at the mare as she felt the guard sitting above her shuffle around. The mare seemed old and she was dressed in a blue uniform and Rainbow could’ve sworn she saw a medal or two. Her coat was deep, dark blue with a chopped, coal black mane and azure eyes. A unicorn horn stuck out from her forehead. “What’s ze holdup?” “I-I’m sorry sergeant, I can’t find my sword, I swear I left it here somewhere…” the guard sitting above Rainbow muttered as he leaned over the side of the bed. Rainbow breathlessly gasped. The buck hung over the side of, presumably his, bed and looked under the rows upon rows of metal bed frames. It was like some magical force of destiny and Lady Luck herself crouching next to her, the guard looked under all the other beds instead of his own. When he saw nothing he began to turn his head but before he could lay his eyes on the prismatic mare the young buck was yanked into the air by a blue glow of magic. The sergeant dragged the pony to her side and dropped him on the floor by her hooves with a heavy thud. “Нет времени, ты дебил!” the guardsmare rattled something in her native tongue as the guard picked himself up and walked over to his friend’s side. Without another word she sharply turned around and walked out into the corridor. Rainbow could finally exhale. o.O.o It wasn’t until the sound of clopping hooves had died down, did Rainbow emerge from her hideout. She brushed the dust off her body and stretched out her limbs before creeping to the door and peaking out. It seemed like the entire prison had gone still, not a single living soul in sight. For that, Rainbow was thankful. With a huff she slipped around the corner and galloped down the hallway, to the next intersection and turned right. She hugged the wall the entire way as she snuck to her next destination. Rainbow had already figured out her next plan of attack while she was sitting under the recruit beds. If the prison remained as eerily still as was her entire escape, Rainbow could easily dash through the hallways to the sewage pumps. Rainbow made her way in total silence except for the light shuffle of her hooves through the bland concrete halls. As she rounded what seemed the hundredth corner that day she finally heard a mutter of voices. The mare lowered herself closer to the ground and slowed her trot. “Please, we muszn’t alert her…” Rainbow heard the faint voice of the Northern mare she had run into on several occasions today. The faded pegasus noticed a small grate not too far from the archway into what was presumably one of the many atriums and a wonderful idea struck her. Rainbow clamped her teeth around the sword’s handle that lay against her side before quietly prying off the small grate that covered the hole in the wall. What was it for? She didn’t have a clue, yet Rainbow noted the familiar taste of nicotine on the blade’s hilt. After holstering her sword Rainbow leaned over to the tiny hole in the wall and propped her ear as close to the sound as possible. “We will spread into several groups, at least five guards ranging from a uni’ to a pegasus for each. Dash is crafty and probably sneaking around somewhere. She won’t get far since I ordered the prison to engage a total lockdown, only way she’s getting out is through a wall.” Rainbow Dash found the last sentence to be somewhat ironic before returning her attention to the male speaker. “We have the presumed pony to be responsible for this mess in interrogation but he defiantly isn’t a squealer.” Rainbow wondered who that could be. Probably somepony from the kitchen since that’s where she got the apple fritter with the key from. “Pinkie’s gonna’ have my head for this…” That struck a chord with Rainbow. She couldn’t help but jerk away from the wall in shock, some part of her still not believing the fact that she was betrayed by the ones she trusted the most. “Alright everypony move out.” As if she had been slapped across the face Rainbow jerked away from the wall and backpedaled into the corridor behind her before snapping around and skidding around the corner she just came from. Her heart raced in her ears and she couldn’t tell the difference between it and hoofsteps. With frantic breaths Dash continued to creep backwards until her flank brushed against something cold and metallic. She looked to her side to see a large steel door with a small barred window on the top part. It defiantly wasn’t a cell since she was too far into the complex so it could only be one thing. The interrogation room… With the entire prison now crawling with packs of guards like an ant’s nest Rainbow made the only mildly-sensible decision she could. As quickly as she could she pushed the massive door into a tiny opening and slipped into the chamber. Bolting the thing shut, Rainbow could finally relax as she slumped against the door with a tired moan. “Please… Please, I told you that I don’t know anything….” a faint voice of a young buck echoed through the darkened chamber. Rainbow perked her ears and looked around for the first time since her entry. The soundproof room was just as bland and dusty as everything else in the complex and looked exactly the same as the previous times the mare had been inside it. A small cell was stuffed in the corner of the room for temporairy confinement, barely lit by the single lamp that hung overhead, casting its pale light over a chair that held a single pony facing away from the door. There was a table on each side of the chair. The trays atop both were full of rust-colored tools of varying sharpness. With a deep and slightly trembling breath Rainbow raised to her hooves. She took a few steps forward, much louder than she had wanted as she crept in half-circle around the chair that lay dead-centre of the room. She stopped her gait just before walking into the buck’s field of view. He was strapped down to the crude metal and wood chair that rested on a pole driven into the concrete below. Thick leather belts held him across the chest and stomach, three smaller ones tying down his limbs and the only thing left dangling was his head that hung low with his face hidden behind his messy yellow mane. The young stallion sniffled as a few droplets of crimson blood fell from his light brown nose to the ruffed up mossy green uniform he was wearing. Something clicked in Rainbow’s mind. The faded blue pegasus placed her hoof on the back of the seat as it creaked from the movement. She watched as the buck’s ears perked for a split-second before falling back down. “Please… please don’t hurt me…” he whimpered. Rainbow clenched her teeth and pulled back the chair making her rose eyes meet with the unfortunate pony strapped down. Pudding Pie’s face was a mess. His left eye was completely swelled shut and blood streamed from his nose and lips as his frantic pink eyes finally met with Rainbow’s. “R-rainbow…?” he stammered as the mare let go of her grip making the chair lurch forward. Dash quickly withdrew her sword and began to cut away the leather binds without speaking a single word, a large frown spread across her face. “In the name of the gods is it really you? What the hell are you doing here?! You have to get lost before they find you!” Pudding Pie frantically shouted as he began to trash around in the chair making Rainbow’s work that much harder. “Quiet you stupid foal,” Rainbow hissed. “I am not leaving you here! What the hell happened to you anyway?” The last strap binding Pudding’s hoof snapped and Rainbow quickly moved to freeing his hind legs as the young buck began untying his other forehoof. It didn’t take long for the two to free the trapped guard and just as Pudding slid off from the chair and wiped what little blood he could from his muzzle he found himself pulled into a hug by none other than the prismatic assassin. “What did they do to you?” Rainbow pestered as she backed up before useing the corner of her makeshift-pillowcase-saddlebags to try and wipe the blood from Pudding’s face. All the while the young buck pulled a brave-face. “I don’t know, I just wanted to tease you with the entire ‘going to quit’ thing, ya’ know? I was sitting in the barracks when one of the captains or sergeants or whatever the hell she was came and dragged me here.” He paused as he winched when Rainbow pressed too hard on his swollen eye. “They said I let you out and now you were going to go murder everypony in sight!” Pudding backed away and shook his head. “Why are you here? Are you really here to kill me? I didn’t squeal, I promise!” “Dude, chill!” Rainbow snapped at him. “I'm not here to hurt you, I didn’t even know you were here!” She took a few seconds to take a deep breath. “Who gave you the apple fritter? Did you know about the note?” “Note? What note? No! I just wanted to spook you ‘lright?! If that ended up with me getting the shit beat out of me and being stuck in a locked room with the Queen’s murderer, then I am never pulling a single joke in my entire life ever again!” The young stallion rambled as he backed further away from Rainbow. “So… you don't know anything about this?” Rainbow tentatively asked with a tilt of her head. “No!” Pudding desperately muttered as he pushed against the steel door with his pink eyes as wide as dinner plates. Rainbow stared at him for several long moments, nothing but the sound of their breaths filling the dark room. Finally, she sighed. “Run. Hide, and when hell breaks loose leg it out of the prison and Central and never look back. Lay low, get a life, go work in the orchards I don’t know, get married, whatever, just walk away with your life. Please.” Rainbow trotted up to him and pushed him aside from the steel door only to unbolt it seconds later. A quick peak outside to make sure the hall was clear before she turned to still terrified Pudding. “You have a life ahead of you. Use it, okay?” Rainbow pushed the door completely open and walked out into the empty hallway, lined with nothing but empty crates and dust. Pudding stared at her in disbelief as he crept out behind her and into the hall. “You can get out, right? Through the emergency exit with the key every guard has?” Rainbow turned her rose eyes to him and he could only gulp and nod. “Good.” Dash began walking away from the single guard that had been her only company during her imprisonment. She stopped and peeked around the corner only to see a patrol group run by the next intersection. She turned back to see if Pudding had left, only to find him staring at her in disbelief. With a grunt Rainbow walked back the way she came and glared at the young guard once she got close. Before any words left her lips he muttered something at made her heart flutter. “I believe you.” “That I'm not a murderer?” Rainbow whispered with a smirk. He sacredly nodded. “Good. Now scram.” Before anything could be done the pegasus thrust her head forward and pressed her lips against his. It was a short kiss, no real meaning behind it other that Rainbow might be losing it completely. What it did, however, was leave Pudding Pie in a daze long enough for Rainbow to slip away around the next corner. The prismatic mare was well on her way to freedom when the young buck finally snapped out of it to begin his own escape. He shook his head, unsure if he had just imagined all of it before muttering something under his breath as he began to sneak down the corridor in the opposite direction. “Wasn’t she married?” o.O.o.O.o “ATTENTION! PRISONER #742 - FORMERLY: LADY PROTECTOR RAINBOW DASH HAS ESCAPED. ALL GUARDS ARE TO BE ON HIGH ALERT, DO NOT LET ANYPONY OUT OF THE FACILITY! ATTENTION! PRISONER #742…” The announcement kept on looping through the Spark-gem intercom system as Rainbow Dash made her way to the sewage pumps. She had already come close more than once with a group of guards that had appeared around the corner all too suddenly, so the mare had retreated to the pipeline that ran along the top of the corridors. It wasn’t the best way of traversing the prison but at this point, it was the safest. Rainbow waited for the clip-clops of hooves to vanish before she slipped off the side of the pipe, landing on the crumbly concrete with a loud thump. If she wasn’t mistaken, her destination lay just beyond the large doors in front of her. With a giddy grin she pushed the doors open and slipped inside only to be greeted by the mother of all atriums. The cavernous ceiling rose three stories tall and was littered with tiny gems that glowed with a faint rainbow light. Giant containers were lined throughout and along the wall: full of trash, supplies or just empty. Rainbow disregarded all of that. A loud rumble and the sound of metal grinding against metal filled the room, all of it coming from a device tucked by the far wall. The pump was about an alicorn and a half tall and goddess knows how wide. Two massive pipes, much larger than the ones Rainbow had used as an escape route, fed into the machine as a multitude of pistons pumped the water through it, power being fed through thick, black wires that ran along the floor to several Spark-engines in the other corner. Rainbow cautiously approached the metal behemoth. She guessed the thing once had a color, but now it was completely rusted over, even sporting a layer of mold in a few spots near the bottom. The machine hissed and rattled as Rainbow came closer, as if knowing its fate and the mare’s intentions. Rainbow reached into one of the pillowcases tied over her flanks and retrieved her precious device. With a grasp as gentle as cradling a foal, Rainbow placed the bomb several hooves away from the water pump against the concrete wall. She straightened it out to make sure it was easy to hit the top when she threw the runestone. After making sure the bomb wouldn’t fall over, Rainbow backed up, looking for a good spot in which to hide when things went boom. She didn’t get the chance as there was a crash at the double doors she had came from. There, piled up and with frantic stares, stood a group of seven or eight guards, ready for anything. “She’s here!” one of the ponies shouted as Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat. A dark blue unicorn mare with a coal black mane stepped forward, her sword and pistol pointed at the prismatic pegasus. Rose met cold azure eyes and Rainbow recognized the Northern mare she had been running into the entire day. The guard opened her mouth and barked out a single sentence before all hell broke loose. “GET HER!” Everything after that shout became a slow-motion blur for the prismatic mare. Rainbow shoved her hoof into her ‘saddlebag’ and by pure luck that didn’t seem to run out, pulled out a runestone. She turned and threw the measly item as hard as she could at the bomb. Years of practice aiming Firefly and a few failed attempts at using throwing knives paid off that single second of her life. Rainbow’s throw hit home as the runestone bounced off the top of the bomb, a small magical spark jumping from the impact zone before the creation went ablaze. The Spark-batteries were too much and the explosion was twice the size it should’ve been. The thin concrete wall imploded in the blast and the massive sewage pump and its pony-sized pipe did as well. Rainbow’s ears rang and her entire world was lost in an explosion of light. Shrapnel from the metal device and chunks of the wall crashed against her body was she was thrown back into the group of guards, followed only by a gigantean wave of water from the destroyed pump.   Rainbow gasped for air, sound being lost to her as the torrent of water filtered away and across the floor. Her entire body ached like a million beestings and her vision was a selection of flickering bobbles of light. To top it all off, there was no sound received by her ears, only one constant stream of ringing. On pure instinct the rainbow mare hobbled to her hooves and began to limp to the massive hole in the wall, her senses slowly clearing enough for her to break into a gallop. The guards had picked themselves up, the Northern mare at their lead, a massive piece of shrapnel lodged in her temple. “Zon’t let her escape!” she barked as she grabbed a pistol from the guard laying net to her with her magic. Without much thought the mare fired both bullets in Rainbow’s general direction. The first one pinged off the shredded remains of the sewage pump, the blasted pipe next to it steadily spewing water all across the floor. The second bullet struck the floor just behind Rainbow’s tail and it made the mare hop forwards, yet she never once broke her gallop. The soaked and dazed guards gave chase the second Rainbow leaped through the wall, not risking her hooves getting caught in the rebar. Rainbow still tripped and tumbled due to her disorientation but quickly recovered, her head still dunning with a sound similar to a church's bell, except she was slowly starting to hear distant thuds and cries. Behind the prison’s wall stretched a forest of pipes in a rocky and barely lit cavern. Rusted metal walkways lined both sides of the cave, linked with rickety bridges in places, as a river of muck sloshed beneath. Hundreds of pipes, big and small, gushed their chunky contents out into the brown water as it all surged forward into a speck of light in the distance, no doubt one of city’s many waterfalls. That was Rainbow’s final destination. Another bullet pinged off the railing to her right, a fizz and a crackle as the manabullet discharged it energy. Without a second to waste Rainbow turned to her left and began to run towards the light, the metal path groaning beneath her thundering hooves. Rainbow’s world was agony. Her forehooves and stomach stringed with every step and every breath, blood matting her faded blue body as it leaked from her cuts. Her vision was nothing but a narrow hallway as she pushed all her energy into her limbs, pushing them way beyond their limit as she kept zooming forward. Her numb mind barely registered the pack of guards that had appeared in her path. Her pace slowed but never stopped as Rainbow quickly revised her options. Before the guards could even register her presence, Rainbow rushed by their noses and soared to the little bridge on her right that connected the two sides of the river of waste, only to be stopped in her tracks. On both sides of the path there stood a group of ponies with their guns, swords and magics’ ready for firing. Rainbow skidded to a halt, the wet metal making a tad difficult as the two groups slowly began to move towards her. She heard mutters and saw mouths moving but her ears still hadn't recovered enough to hear their words. Rainbow began to hyperventilate as the two groups slowly pressed forwards, only a hoof’s reach away as Rainbow’s flank bumped against the rusty railing that loudly creaked. She was trapped… Unless… A spark of stupidity mixed with desperation in its liquid state made Rainbow’s rose eyes light up for just a second. A grin cracked her worn-out face as the mare pressed harder against the rickety railing as she raised her hoof to her forehead in a salute. “Adios’, boys.” she muttered as the railing gave out behind her and Rainbow tumbled backwards and off the walkway into the murky water beneath. Screams echoed through the air before her world was swallowed in silence once more. The currents thrashed her about as she felt the few unicorns trying to grasp her body with their feeble magic, but to no avail. Rainbow Dash kicked against the churning waters and broke the surface of the raging rapids and managed to grasp a lungful of air before the currents swallowed her up in their black embrace once more. The escape plan suddenly felt a whole lot less appealing. The water thrashed the pegasus mare like she was nothing more than a ragdoll, granting her seconds where she could poke her head above the icy water and gasp for air. As the currents carried her to the end of the cavern Rainbow realized what was about to happen. Light exploded from every direction and Rainbow Dash felt the familiar sensation of weightlessness take hold of her as the water disappeared. She flapped her wings on impulse, only to have them uselessly flail against her sides. She felt the familiar sensation of falling take hold of her. Falling… Falling… FALLING! o.O.o Rainbow plummeted through the air as wild winds hissed by her ears nearly drowning out the roar of the accursed waterfall below her. A spray of sludge trailed behind her as she pumped her wings in a desperate attempt to fly or at the least slow her fall. Low gliding clouds and black smoke from bellow did nothing to slow her descent as she tore through them and the ground began to rush closer and closer, awaiting her in its ashen embrace. Like many times in her life time seamed to slow down just as she realized how hopeless her situation was. Was it really worth plummeting to her death if it meant spiting her captors? Rainbow wondered that as Canterlotian drew closer through the smog of its own creation. The blue mare spread out her limbs and stretched her wings in a flying form as if readying them for a magical current to catch her in its grasp and whisk her away and above the cloud cover and into the untainted horizon. That never came however, but the fall from the top of the mountain to the ruined plains of Fallen Equestria was a long one, Rainbow’s wings somehow managing to slow her descent despite their obvious uselessness.   Like slamming into a crystal dome after doing a Rainboom, Rainbow’s descent sharply stopped. Her body jerked and came to a halt in the middle of her fall with an explosion of bone-crunching pain, before getting yanked back up from where she came by an invisible force. Rainbow’s lungs retched as she tried to regain the air that had been knocked out of her by the sudden halt of her unintentional suicide. As the black bobbles retraced from the corners of her eyes she managed to raise her head and try and find the source of the magical grasp that was slowly pulling her up to the side of the mountain. What Rainbow saw next made her already beaten and tortured heart leap and burst through her chest in agony.   The light from the dying sun through the patchwork clouds made the pony’s body light up in that magnificent shade of lavender, with a peculiar hint of magenta shinning through. From under her cloak her mane shimmered like the brightest of sapphires from the depths of the world and from under had dark hood stretched a magnificent horn aglow with the color of the golden sun. Rainbow couldn’t tell apart her imagination from reality anymore. It was like the magical mare’s presence had broken some fundamental part of her brain that separated the two worlds. Or maybe she had already died from the fall that was much shorten that she thought and was now living some sort of fantasy before the final tethers of her life had been severed from her olden body. No. No, it couldn’t be…   The mare stood with her hooves, draped in yellow boots, wedged between the rocks of a small path on the side of the raging waterfall of muck rushing to the rivers below. The pitter-patter of the wild spray of water danced across her brown cloak that concealed everything but the tip of her nose and horn with a few stray curls poking from the sides. As she drew Rainbow closer the dazed pegasus watched her initial vision drastically change as the clouds closed over the patchy sky, hiding the remnants of the sun from the world below. The mare’s frizzy mane no longer seemed to be that wonderful shade of the ocean depths, but more of the almost forgotten dusky sky. Her coat no longer reflected the deep violet glow of something on her chest and only showed its ashen-white color. The magic concealing Rainbow as she was gently dropped on a mountain path many ways away from the cloaked mare no longer shone gold as there was no more sun to reflect in it like a dewdrop, and the mare’s horn faded to a light blue overglow. The prismatic protector’s words died in her throat as her wild fantasies faded to bitter reality. Dawnbreaker was dead. She had died in Rainbow’s hooves and was buried in the last meadow in this world of ash that rested at the base of the unnamed mountain she had nearly fallen from. She wasn’t coming back… Rainbow hunched forward as she coughed and spat out the water she had managed to inhale in her tumble through the tides before groggily raising to her hooves to look at her mysterious savior. The two mares stood still as they watched one another. Rainbow was panting as her heart began to race in her chest once more. She shifted her weight and reached over to her side to draw her sword, eyes never leaving the cloaked pony. Rainbow bit thin air and realized the sword must’ve washed away with the current and she cursed her lack of weapons. Sure, the mare could easily go hoof-to-hoof if it came to that, but the near-death swim had left her drained of strength and willpower. With no other options left Rainbow swallowed the lump in her throat, involuntarily swallowing some of the sewage she has taken a swim in, nearly making her puke. With a hoarse voice she looked the cloaked pony in the eye and asked a single question. “Who are you…?” Rainbow’s confident tone came out barely a whisper but it seemed like the other pony had gotten the gist. Her horn lit up with a bright blue light as magic flowed around her ragged brown cloak making her glow like a firefly in the hastily approaching nightfall. With a mighty tug the unicorn mare ripped off her cloak and tossed it over the side of the mountain path, paying no mind to the fabric that fluttered to the inky depths of the Canterlotian waters. Once Rainbow’s mind came to a conclusion on the mare’s identity she could only stare in disbelief at the pony standing further up the mountain path. The ashen-white mare was wearing one of the most posh dresses Rainbow had seen in what seemed decades. The fabric was a little worn around the edges but it only displayed how much the unicorn loved the particular piece of clothing. The thing was just a few tones lighter than Rainbow’s bright and rosy eyes. The sleeves stretched halfway down the unicorn’s forehooves and fluttered freely over a dark-grey and white striped shirt that neatly tucked into her yellow shoes with a tiny, multicolored opal adorning on each. Around the unicorn’s waist was a thick, sunny-yellow belt made from soft fabric that turned into a short, layered skirt of light crimson and yellow. Both her ears held two amethyst earrings and a small golden loop that nicely complimented her curly mane that was the same color of the twilight sky. But what rested against the mare’s chest made Rainbow fill with an unspoken rage she had not yet seen in her many years of serving the Crown. Held by an engraved golden necklace, a large violet gem the shape of a rhombus laid snuggly against Rarity’s breast. That was the moment when Rainbow roared like a wild animal and launched herself at her former friend, her fatigue fading away like a paper thrown into an inferno. The earthbound pegasus closed the distance between herself and Rarity so fast the unicorn couldn’t even react before she was grabbed by her dress and violently smashed against the rocky mountainside. Rainbow snarled as she kept thrusting Rarity against the rocks, the unicorn only whimpering every time she impacted the jagged stones. Only as the rage and adrenaline subdued and her aching limbs began to announce themselves, did Rainbow realize what she had done. Her forehooves were propping Rarity against the mountainside as the limp unicorn could barely manage to look up. A cold chill passed through Rainbow’s spine as she let go and let the beaten unicorn shag to the ground. A patch of fresh blood stained a spot where Rarity’s head was mere seconds ago. A tickle of the same crimson liquid was slowly crawling its way down the unicorn’s white neck. Rainbow could’ve sworn she heard something faintly crunch with every breath Rarity took. But what made Dash feel horrible was the smile still held by Rarity’s lips. It was warm and welcoming; much like any friend would show after months of separation. That terrified Rainbow. Rarity raised her crystal-blue eyes to look at Dash as slowly backed away, down the winding path, the roaring waterfall just beside them - completely forgotten. The white unicorn weakly chuckled as she tried to prop herself back to her hooves. With a pained winch, Rarity managed to rise to her shaky hooves before looking at terrified Rainbow once more before speaking the first words exchanged between them for over a year. “Is that any way to greet an old friend, dearie?” Her accent hadn’t changed the slightest over the two and a half decades that had been added to her life. Rarity was still the same old Rarity, but not to Rainbow. To Rainbow she was a murderer, and that was exactly what the mare spat back, her initial fright of her own outburst and Rarity’s sudden appearance already forgotten. “You’re not my friend,” Rainbow sternly hissed. “And you never will be after what you did… What the hell are you doing here?” “Oh, don’t worry about it, saving your life was no big deal after you jumped of a bloody cliff like the suicidal maniac you are, it’s just what friends do!” Rarity patronized Dash with a roll of her blue eyes as she magiced out a small healing potion from one of the hundreds of pockets in the folds of her short dress. All the fondness in her voice was gone, replaced by cold bitterness and resentment. The mare lifted the vial up to her lips and drank the red liquid with one mighty swig in the most unladylike of ways. She paused and took a few deep breaths before effortlessly throwing the empty vial off the side of the mountain as her body began to heal itself, her Element of Harmony glowing bright violet while she used her magic. “I’ll ask again. What are you doing here?” Rainbow’s patience was quickly slipping as her hatred for her former friend burned like an emerald flame deep in a particular dragon’s throat. “I’m rescuing you, of course. What do you think I was doing, taking an evening stroll?” Rarity snapped back. Rainbow’s brow only furrowed as she stared down the unicorn in the fleeting light, slowly wrapping the world in a veil of shadow. “I don’t need rescuing, especially from you.” Rainbow kept her voice cold and low as she glared at the unicorn through her overgrown mane. Rarity glared back. There was nothing in her blank stare other than masked hatred and anger, except it wasn’t as deep-rooted as Rainbow’s, it was more like being mad at somepony for taking the last slice of pizza than wishing death upon their gut. “Oh, so you definitely didn’t need my help after you tumbled off a mountain, hmm?” Rarity snarled in an oblivious tone at the faded-blue pegasus as she came closer, step by step, until the two mares were only a few hoofs away. Rainbow Dash didn’t repeat the question. “Do you really, honestly think I ever wished death upon Dawnbreaker?” Rarity began. “Do you really, really think I wanted this to happen? To murder one of my best friends, to wreck what I have sacrificed so much to make, to scar a little filly by making her see her mother’s death in the most gruesome of ways? You might think that I don’t care for her but I do… do you really think I would ever do that to her? Do you?” Rarity pushed her face so close to Rainbow’s their noses almost brushed together. “Do you think I don’t know I have blood on my hooves? I know what I did, Rainbow, and I know you will never forgive me. And you don’t have to.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “I came here because I need one thing from you and one thing only. I need you to trust me when I say I never wanted any of this… And I can fix it.” Rarity whispered the last part and leaned back giving Rainbow some space. The darkness around them was closing in and the mare did the only thing she could. She whispered something under her breath and her Element lit up like a lantern as she watched every move Rainbow made as the mare mulled over her words. “You can’t fix dead.” That was the only thing Rainbow spat out before she turned her tail to Rarity. “I appreciate you saving me from the fall and all that crap but you can now fuck off. Why should I even consider trusting you? Why should I even bother to trust anyone anymore? I shouldn’t, you all betrayed me, that’s why. As a thanks for catching me I’ll let you walk away tonight, but don’t think I'm not coming after you for what you did.”   “You don’t even have a sword.” Rarity darkly muttered. “You’re injured and malnourished. You don’t have a place to stay, a plan or even any information. I do.” Rarity took a step after Rainbow but stopped when the prismatic pegasus glared back at her. “One reason Rares’. Give me one frigen reason to not throw you off the mountainside right here, right now, and it better be a good one cuz’ I ain’t feeling very generous.” Rainbow grit her teeth as she stared Rarity into backing up, concern breaking through her composure. The pallid unicorn stood quiet as she stared at Dash’s rose eyes that seemed to pierce her very existence. Finally, she sighed. “I can’t. There are many reasons but I know you well enough to know just how petty they are to you,” She paused. “I can’t make you come with me, dear, I know that. And I know I can’t make you believe me. So all I can do is pray that you do.” Rarity hung her head with a defeated sigh and turned around and began walking up the mountain trail, a faint magical barrier appearing around her and shielding her from the murky waterfall. She glanced back, and unmistakable sadness suddenly crossing her features before she stepped into the rushing waters that concealed her and her magical light, leaving Rainbow alone in the darkness with nothing but the moon shining through the patchy clouds above. The prismatic pegasus stared after her through the grimy waters, their song lost to her. She involuntarily slumped to her haunches as something about what Rarity had said still clung to her like an invisible spider’s web. Always there, but never seen. A part of Rainbow was determined to sit there until the sound of the world faded, leaving her and her thoughts on the slippery slope of the mountain she had just escaped. But there was something there. Something deep inside her that made her trust Rarity’s words for whatever irrational reason there was. Rainbow clenched her jaw as she felt tears push their way out of her eyes. She had promised not to cry, to stay focused, for Dawn, everything for Dawn. But now that she sat there… wet and alone, she realized just how vulnerable she was. But there was something else. Something… Rainbow didn’t even realize what she was doing until she felt a gentle warmth brush against her chest. She looked down to see her hoof pressed against something that wasn’t there anymore. She didn’t know if it was real or just her damaged mind when she saw a ruby glint flicker where a crystalline lightning bolt once hung from its golden necklace. Rainbow bit her lip as realization dawned on her. The only reason she had ever gone so far, so deep and so long for all this time was now reminding her what she truly was. She was Loyalty. And Loyalty was calling her back. o.O.o.O.o With a gasp Rainbow broke through the waterfall only to tumble over her hooves for the billionth time that day. The cavern she was splashing in was perfectly hidden behind the rushing waters and it lay completely untouched by ponies. Faintly glowing, neon blue mushrooms the size of Rainbow’s head sprouted from the walls and floor and dark allege covered every little indent and puddle. Small crystals pushed out from the walls, a flickering rainbow light shinning from within. Water dripped form the ceiling forming stalactites and stalagmites, Rainbow could never tell them apart as she began to slowly walk deeper into the cavern. Rainbow could’ve sworn she saw a rat or some other mini-monstrosity skitter by. The odd and probably magical plants provided about as much illumination as the stars through the grey clouds, but Rainbow didn’t mind. She didn’t mind at all as she saw a bobbing, violet light from around a corner of the cave as it narrowed down and began to lead deeper inside the mountains. Rainbow began to gallop, careful not slip on the mushy plant-life under her hooves, as she closed the distance. When she slid around the corner she saw none other than Rarity staring back at her. Her worried expression instantly faded as she saw a faint smile on Rainbow’s lips. The pegasus took a few more steps closer but stopped, keeping at a distance a she watched Rarity winch when the unicorn shifted her weight to her right forehoof, quickly changing her stance. “Rarity, I…” Rainbow tried to say something but couldn’t. There were no words to say because the rational part of her mind was screaming to shed blood that wasn’t hers. Rainbow swallowed a lump in her throat along with the morbid thoughts surfacing in her brain. “I won’t forgive you. I will never, ever, ever forgive you for what you did, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together. I will trust you just enough for us to join forces and save Nova and what is left of our and Dawn’s life work. And that’s it.” Rarity could barely suppress her giddy smile about finally having just a fraction of the former-assassins trust, but that quickly faded. With a grim tone she sighed and tried her best to not lose what little she had. “I know I’ve done horrible things, Rainbow. And I know that you will never forgive me, but that is not what I came here for and I can very well live knowing I took part in murdering one of my best friends…” She paused to take deep breath. “But it’s not about me, or Dawnbreaker, or you or any of us. It’s about little Nova. And we are going to save her, Rainbow, I can promise you that much.” Rarity smiled with determination and watched Rainbow do them same, except the pegasus was much more reserved about her feelings. Without another word exchanged between them, Rarity turned back to where she was heading and began a brisk trot, Rainbow trailing behind her. Now, it was only a matter of time before all the pieces could fall in place. o.O.o “Soooooooo, Rares’… Where ya’ taking me anyway?” Rainbow finally spoke after a long, long while of silence between the two as they traversed the murky caves of the massive mountain. Water dripped from the low ceiling of the cave as Rarity bravely trudged forward, her Element of Harmony aglow. “There is a small checkpoint we were using while trying to get you out of the Undercity, it shouldn’t be far now.” Rarity explained. “We?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “There’s more of you?” “Of course!” Rarity chirped in her sing-song voice. “What, do you really think it’s just me who wants the Sparkle kin’ back on the throne? Don’t humor me, Rainbow.” “Then who is it? It better be somepony I know.” Rainbow continued to prod with a skeptical tone. “Like I said, we’re not far now. You’ll see when we get there… and yes… I'm pretty sure you know all of them.” Rarity cut off the conversation and the two mares continued their trek in silence. It wasn’t long until the dripping of water was replaced by a full-out roar of a rushing river. As Rarity entered a larger cavern the light from her Element revealed a massive crevice splitting the alcove in half. Crystal clear water rushed through the bottom of the ravine and Rainbow guessed it was some kind of mountain stream. As she walked closer the pegasus noticed the rotten remains of a wooden suspension bridge that hung limply over the obsidian colored edge. “Woah…” It was the only thing Rainbow managed to mutter as she watched several pebbles crumble from under her hoof and tumble into the inky depths below. The mare shuddered remembering her latest swim and backed away from the edge. She turned to Rarity with a questioning glance but before she cloud even say anything, the while unicorn gently placed her hoof between Rainbow’s folded wings. She pushed a spot between the pegasus's shoulder blades which made the her graying wings pop open. After a quick inspection Rarity lit her horn and the silver braces around Rainbow’s wings began to hum. It barely took a second and the bracelets popped open and fell to the stone floor with a quiet ping. Surprise and amazement lit up on Rainbow’s face as she gently flexed her wings, no longer feeling her inherent magic being dampened. It was an almost forgotten sensation. She turned to Rarity with a thankful smile and opened her mouth to speak. “But how are you-” Before Rainbow could finish her question Rarity’s horn sparked up and the mare disappeared with an ear-shattering crack and a bright flash of blue and white light. A second later the same crack could be heard on the other side of the ravine where Rarity appeared, slightly dazed. Rainbow's ears drooped. “What else did Dawn teach you…?” she grimly muttered as she peered over the side of the crevice. It was pretty wide, further than a running jump, but an easy task for any pegasus… especially the best flier in all of Fallen Equestria. With an arrogant grin Rainbow backed up to the opening from where the two mares had come from. Without Rarity by her side, the cavern was much darker, but it didn’t matter the slightest. With a few deep breaths and scraping her hoof against the ground like a bull readying for a charge, Rainbow dashed forward. Her wings flapped by her sides with purpose and great strength as the mare rushed closer to the edge of the ravine. As her forehooves came down just on the edge of the jutting rock, Rainbow kicked back with her hind legs and leaped into the air. She furiously flapped her wings but her heart sank as she felt something was wrong. Her wings couldn’t find and grab any magical currents. It was like there weren’t any and the pegasus began to fall. She kept flapping her wings but to no avail as Rainbow’s forehooves crashed into the rock just below the ledge she was aiming for. The mare clung to the stones for dear life as they crumbled under weight and she pumped her wings as hard as she had ever done before, just to keep her afloat. It felt like they were about to rip her torso in half when two white hooves bound in yellow sippers reached down and grabbed Rainbow by her forehoof before yanking her upwards. With a mighty tug Rarity pulled Rainbow Dash over the ledge and onto the flat surface of the other side. Rainbow panted and coughed as she felt her insides twisting and turning from the strain and shock her body had just experienced. Before she could do anything a wave of nausea washed over her and she did the only thing she could at that moment. She puked. The chunky, grey bile gushed out of her mouth and over her hooves as the poor mare tried to cling onto the stones in fear of helplessly falling into the churning waters once more. Rainbow emptied her stomach all at once, what little she had eaten for the past day or two was now on display and all over her face and chest as she weakly collapsed in the puddle of her own vomit. The mare coughed as she drew raspy breaths, the acidic muck burning her throat and nose. Rainbow closed her eyes and let the mushy puke cool against her face as she simply lay here, her aged body finally giving up on her after a day in hell. It was only when something pressed against her lips, did Rainbow realized she was held up in a field of blue magic. Rarity pressed a small water bottle against the pegasus, coaxing her to take a sip. Rainbow weakly groaned in protest against being treated like a sick foal but Rarity didn’t give in. Eventually, with a sigh of defeat, Rainbow closed her lips around the neck of the small bottle and took a mouthful of refreshing water. Rarity had set her down on her haunches and was using a small napkin to clean off most of the vomit as Rainbow gurgled and swooshed the water around her mouth. After getting the taste of bile out of her mouth and taking a few more gulps of water Rainbow could bring herself to speak. “What just happened…?” she weakly muttered as Rarity pulled out a third napkin and began to wipe the corners of the pegasus’s muzzle. After a hefty sigh, Rarity answered. “You’ll have to forgive me, dearie, I didn’t expect you to be so… frail… But I had to prove a point. And that is the fact that magic is gone.” Rainbow shoved away the napkin Rarity was holding in her magical grasp to prove a counterpoint. The unicorn got her gist but still shook her head as she rose to her hooves. “Let me elaborate that. Magic is fading. Common unicorns can no longer even levitate a quill and pegasi can no longer fly. Food is running short since the orchards and fields no longer yield nearly as much produce and earth ponies can’t do anything about…” Rarity began rummaging through the bigger pockets on her dress. “It’s like the Fall all over again…” she grimly added as she pulled something out of a pocket much too small for the item. Rainbow Dash’s eyes sparked when she saw what Rarity was holding in her outstretched hoof. Made from the purest of gold, engraved by Lords of Magic themselves and the gem cut so perfectly to reflect the shine of light and cast a ruby glint of a lightning bolt wherever it was pointed. The Element of Loyalty pulsed with a warm light as it sensed its owner’s presence. With weakened hooves Rainbow reached out and grasped the necklace with more care that she had ever displayed. She let her limbs run over every edge and engraving as she reminisced in days gone by before placing the Divine creation around her neck. Instantly, as the gold clasped together a jolt passed through Rainbow’s body, empowering her, driving a sensation much like the one she had felt at the waterfall through her body. Her coat became brighter and her sickness and weakness retreated and this time the power was there to stay. With a confused expression the rainbow mare gazed up at grim looking Rarity. “The Elements are the only tidbits that still alow us to use magic. Dawnbreaker was what was holding this realm together. Now, without her or Nova there to anchor the magic of this world, it’s slowly fading away. The sun and moon are frantic and inconsistent, the Harmony Prism is a maelstrom or a still sea on a seconds notice. Everything is going to hell, Rainbow, and the only way I can fix it is with your help… So I had to show you just how grave our situation is… forgive me.” Rarity hung her head in shame only to be surprised by a pair of cyan hooves that wrapped around her and pulled her close. Rainbow didn’t say a single world as she hugged the white unicorn. Once she let go, she helped Rarity to her hooves and with a smile nudged them onwards. o.O.o Rainbow Dash had once thought that she could never mend the broken ties between her and the other Elements. That their betrayal had forever severed their connection, that they were no longer her friends, but hollow shells wearing the skins of ponies she had once loved like the sisters she never really had. And maybe that was true. But all that time while she walked by Rarity’s side, their Elements aglow with a red and violet light, she truly believed that things could be fixed… at least for one… But still, in the back of her mind she knew what she was fighting against. Three ponies. Three mares. Three targets that had to be crossed out for Dawnbreaker’s daughter Nova to ascend the throne. And Rainbow knew it could only be her that did the dirty work. That’s what she was trained to do, that’s what she matured to be, that’s what she was doing her entire life ever since the Fall of the Celestials. And that’s what she was going to keep doing, no matter what. “Rainbow, dearie?” a soft voice snapped Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. She raised her head and found herself staring at a massive metal door, a circle of runes etched in the middle. She turned to Rarity that stood by her side. “This is it?” Dash flatly asked. She cast a glance back the way they came only to see nothing but the eerie darkness of the damp cave. The pegasus had no idea how far in the mountain they were but judging by the way they moved and how much her legs ached, they were in pretty deep. “Yes, dearie, this is it. On the count of three?” Rarity eagerly asked as she faced Rainbow. The prismatic pegasus only shrugged and turned to the door. She silently counted to three with each exhale and opened her mouth to shout in unison with her unicorn companion. “SAI’REE!” The two mares shouted in perfect sync in a tongue not their own as their necklaces flashed ever brighter. The circle of runes began to glow with a red and violet light as the massive door groaned and swung open, granting the two ponies entry to what lay just beyond. But what greeted Rainbow made her pause at the sheer sight of it. The door opened up to reveal a giant cavern. It reminded the pegasus of the Harmony Prism - massive and glowing crystals thrusted up from the ground and the sides of the cave, a rainbow glow pulsing from within, illuminating the darkness. Dozens of small openings were strewn about as they showed their maws to the crystalline light. In the middle of it all laid a small shack, long forgotten by time, hundreds of broken and dripping pipes running through it like blood vessels to a heart. The rotten walls were barely holding it upright, half of its clay shingle roof long since caved in on itself. Rainbow guessed it used to be colored in some kind of blue, paint shriveled and washed away over the years. But what caught the aged mare’s attention wasn’t the shack nor the pipes, nor the giant crystals burning as bright as the sun. Instead, it was a small group of ponies hunched over a warm fire that flickered from within an old oil drum just at the rotten doors of the structure. Just as that, two figures rose to their hooves, eyes darting between the two Elements. One of the ponies, coat of copper, stepped forward, a running jump away from Rainbow Dash, as their eyes met. Her lip quivered as disbelief crossed her features and tears gathered at the corners of her dull-purple eyes. Rainbow stared at the young mare in front of her, something fundamental inside her shattering. She gulped and turned back to Rarity who was wearing and warm smile. The prismatic pegasus couldn’t get any words over her lips as she stared at her unicorn friend. Rarity’s smile brightened as she slightly tilted her head to the side before speaking, true, caring warmth shinning in her voice. “Welcome home, dearie.” Rainbow stared at her for the longest time before turning back, a dry gulp sliding down her throat. As her eyes once more were cast at the copper mare Rainbow couldn’t help but feel surreal. The young pony had stepped closer, a hoof’s reach away from Rainbow, trying to make sure her narrowed eyes weren’t deceiving her. And they stood there, unmoving, trembling, barely breathing, bright rose clashing with faded violet. The copper mare finally spoke, nothing more than a faint whisper. “M-mommy…?” Rainbow bit her lip as it curled into a smile, eyes tearing up as her heart quivered. “That’s right… I-it’s me, Scootsy, mom…”