It was obviously near sunset, the red sky above Dash bringing a warm breeze across the field. "Must've passed out..." Her bare coat ruffled slightly in the wind as her eyes went over her body. Her suit and bandages were gone, though her coat seemed to have grown back...
"Finally awake, little one?"
Rainbow looked to her side, staring at Princess Luna. Scootaloo sat beside her, looking off to a treeline in the distance, watching the leaves sway in the breeze. "Yeah, I am. How's my body?"
"It will work. You were speaking a lot in your sleep..." Luna raised her eyebrow slightly, "Much of it about confessions."
"Confessions I'm gonna make." Rainbow rolled over onto her hooves and stood up, stretching. "Did you do this, Princess?"
"You were barely presentable in your previous state, so I regenerated your coat and restored your bone structure," Luna gestured to Rainbow's wings and legs as she spoke, "But it's not enough to suggest you'll be doing stunts as you usually do. It is, however, enough to allow freedom of movement."
"Thanks... wait, what about those ponies who were coming after me?" Rainbow looked around, eyes scanning the sky, "Just where are we?"
"In the shadow of Mount Unicornia, one of the fields South-East of Canterlot." Luna gestured behind Rainbow, "Ponyville is very far from here."
"Alright, but what about those ponies?"
"Reaper's taking care of them." Luna smiled, "Despite his gruff demeanor, he's quite quick with a plan."
"He seemed like the slick used sofa salespony type," Rainbow grumbled, looking off towards the town. "Guess I'd better get going towards home, then." Rising to her hooves, she took a tentative step towards the town. Something stalled her movement, a draw from the pair of ponies to her side. Her eyes slipped their vision over to Luna, and by extension, Scootaloo... the filly she'd so horribly wronged. She's grown up into a great mare, hasn't she? Even if she failed... she found a crush, found success in her studies. Even made me proud on occasion. The thoughts moved through her head unabated as she sat down, stare fixed on the swaying purple mane and orange coat, despite the field appearing through her translucent, ethereal form. Stubborn, headstrong, never one to go down without a fight. Just like me... it would be anyway, if I didn't become this.
"Something wrong, Rainbow Dash?" Luna raised her brow slightly, silver hoof scuffing the ground slightly, almost like an uncomfortable twitch.
"Yeah... there is." Rainbow's eyes fell to the ground for a moment, squinting as she gathered up the strength to address her... friend. "Scootaloo."
No response came for a few moments, but a light sigh soon bounced into Rainbow's ears. "What?"
"Scootaloo... since I'm going to be confessing to the others anyway, I may as well start with you. First, your death..." Something welled up in Rainbow's gut as she spoke, a twist in her stomach, butterflies, a blurring of the world. Something she'd been warned about time and time again ever since her ghosts had started emerging...
"You killed me. I know that much... but you didn't even give me a second glance. Just, dropped me into the gears, watched me get chewed up... I bet you even enjoyed it when my blood hit your face." Scootaloo merely blinked at the horrible memory; what point did it have, since she was already dead? Pain, agony, sadness. It all didn't exist anymore. The freedom came with a terrible price, but it was a payment she couldn't refund... and Life was certain to keep her away from the option.
"I did kill you. I watched your body get ripped apart, listened to your screaming, the light of your eyes disappear before it all became red." Rainbow blinked, feeling something hot trail down her cheek as the butterflies gathered and scattered, only growing in number. "I felt anger when I heard you screwed up your exam. I knew that you wouldn't have a place in the Guard, since a stubborn mare like you... like me, would never follow orders. And since life in a camp would be worse than death, I put you in the grinder. Figured you'd be more useful as a rainbow."
"More useful...? Is that it?" Scootaloo's voice shook as her eyes turned back to the target of her hatred, "Is that all I was to you? Somepony who was 'useful'? A tool? Some pathetic little object that could carry on your legacy?" She rose to her hooves and walked over to her 'hero', feeling a boiling in her stomach that she'd not felt since the torture of her days in Ponyville's lonely schoolhouse, at the hooves of those two fillies, "And when that tool stopped being a handy little thing... you binned it, just like all those other foals, right? Is that all we are?" Her eye twitched as Rainbow continued staring at the ground, the boiling turning into an eruption of fury, "Look at me, you useless mare!! Look at me when I speak to you!"
Rainbow's stomach was a storm of insects, innumerable in their creeping, crawling, fluttering, but she forced her eyes up into the violet orbs across from her. Her stern expression failed to break as the hot trails only widened.
"Answer me when I speak to you," Scootaloo's voice fell to a hiss, eyes squinting as she stared into the soul of Rainbow Dash. She punctuated the words with venom, "Am. I. Just. A. Tool?"
"How do I answer that...?" Dash whispered, expression softening slightly as she looked on, "How can I answer something like that? It's subjective. You've been useful. You were a way for my legacy to live on. You screwed up. But you aren't a tool, either... nor are you just some brick in the road I walk on. You're something bigger in my life." Her words fell from her mouth, punctuated by sniffles, but not a single shiver rocked her voice, "You were, are something more. But I can't even consider my best friends on your level... I don't know what I can call you. Ever since we first met, you've clung to me like some crazy fangirl..."
Scootaloo's own expression weakened as she sat down. She was getting an answer to why she died, and not even the soft wind blowing across the field would disturb the sound of her idol's voice.
"But, I eased up. We started talking. You shared your dreams and hopes constantly with me... and at first? I didn't care. You were just some filly out in the wide world, trying to make a name for yourself. But your dreams of making it big? Of being worth something? It reminded me of myself, and how I used to act before I got hired into the Weather Factory. How all my dreams were like the stars in the sky, out of reach... but I knew that I could reach them." A sniff came out as the trails only grew wider, Rainbow closing her eyes as she continued, "Always so far away, but I could see them. I could see a path to them... and I chased it like a mad mare. And when I got hired? When I got this cushy job as a manager, and all this pay, all this free time? The paths just... disappeared."
"... You were using me to achieve your own dreams," Scootaloo whispered, shocked by the revelation. It had all been mere theory to her, passing thoughts, impossibilities when she considered a pony that wholly represented Loyalty. Yet, she was merely placed as a brick in the path, so that Rainbow Dash might live her dream through somepony else. The shock quickly caved under the storm of fury, her teeth grinding together in a hellish tirade, "You... used me... like some slave. The Element of Loyalty... abused my love for her... and used me!"
"I'm not done yet, Squirt."
"What'd you call me?"
"Squirt. Your nickname from eight years back... I came up with it after I started to care. I called you that whenever you were around... but it wasn't something to merely make myself bigger than you. Scootaloo, when I try to put a word to you, I'm reminded of something I never had..." Rainbow's expression shook as her mouth twitched, the rivers of her eyes consuming her cheeks. "A little sister..."
A little sister? The thought ran rampant through Scootaloo's mind a loud, single-track road, running circles around her attention. Family was a thing Scootaloo had, once upon a time. She had a mom, a dad, a brother... but they all slipped out of her life when she moved to Ponyville. When she was only a child, her family was having a hard time supporting the household, living in Cloudsdale's industrial district. Pay was never good for her father, and her mother did odd jobs around the city for not much more. Her brother tried to raise her, but was constantly distracted by his studies. Through what time he could spare for his little sister, he taught her the importance of a stable lifestyle, one that could be supported, no matter what happened. That friends could be depended on, loved ones could support her, and that she had to find a way to support them in return. Work was one such way, but since she was a child, she had to help out other ways: doing chores, helping with homework, tutoring on what she could.
She and her brother supported each other, schooling each other, quizzing each other, and the filly learned. Her brother's knowledge became her knowledge, his intelligence applied to her own. They built on each other, and before long, Scootaloo was quite the sharp child. The lessons pounded into her head inspired her to achieve great things, always striving to do better than everyone else, always aiming higher than everyone else, always wanting to last longer than everyone else. She had to be the best, or she couldn't pay back all the support she received.
Schooling became secondary in her life, such a simple thing could be forgotten, but one thing she couldn't forget was her wings. Though her brain had been nurtured and grown, her muscles were unkempt, weak. Her wings hadn't grown fully due to disuse, and, though a filly her age could successfully do a loop-de-loop during flight, she could barely get off the ground. A disadvantage had grown into a disability, so great that she had to take a taxi down to the small village. She left in order to allow some financial freedom for her family, and she vowed to find friends, loved ones that she could support as they supported her.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rumble, Thunderlane, Fluttershy, Rarity... Rainbow Dash. They'd all become her supporting pillars, and she tried to support them. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle in their hunt for their Cutie Marks, Twilight Sparkle in her work in the library, Applejack in minor finances, Rumble in his studies. Pinkie Pie in making everypony smile, Fluttershy in caring for the animals - something she wished she did better -, Rarity in her dressmaking - downright impossibility, but she tried -, Thunderlane in his cloud kicking when she finally learned to fly.
Rainbow Dash... in everything. Everything the mare tried to achieve, Scootaloo would be there to witness it, or support her to try and make it happen. In the shadows, or on the sidelines, those two violet eyes never once left the sky blue pegasus' form. She had to be there...
Her trance was broken by Rainbow Dash coming closer to her, shivering, "Scootaloo... I've never had family beyond my dad. He was the only one I ever looked up to... I came to Ponyville after my Sonic Rainboom to make him proud, to find work and everything. But, when I found you... it all stopped being important. My work at the Weather Factory stopped my dreams from ever coming true, but if you achieved yours, maybe that'd achieve mine as well? I-I never meant to use you..." she sniffed, breaking down as she tried to hug the ethereal form, trying several times to get a grip, each one driving her expression down further into sorrow, "W-When you died, when I killed you, I was blind! Blinded by your failure and the end of my own dreams, along with yours! I was so angry, I couldn't control myself! T-That stupid medication just blinded me more, all I could see was red! S-So, when I m-made you watch everypony die, when I chased you, when I put you in those chains... I couldn't stop myself." Rainbow jammed her hoof into the dirt, her sobs growing in volume. The storm had been the thing that she'd been warned about for so long. All those ghosts were merely a symptom of her terrible disease, brought on by her ten years of killing foal after foal. A sick spiral of blood that stained her soul for eternity, and now she couldn't escape it, no matter how many purifying tears she shed.
Guilt. The black knife run through her heart was guilt. And ten years of murder all caught up with her at that moment. "Scootaloo! I'm sorry I killed you! I'm sorry I lost my mind! I'm sorry I killed all those foals! Orion, Aurora, all the other classes from all those other schools!! I terrified you, I scared them, I scared myself! I... I know you can never forgive me, b-but I've always thought of you as family... y-you were the one thing I couldn't have in life... and success was so close. I was so blind... I lost everything when you died..."
Scootaloo followed her sister's gaze to the ground, watching the tears crash into the earth. Blind, huh... The sobs carried on, becoming full on wails of agony. Scootaloo looked back up at the flailing mane in front of her, the tears flying off Rainbow as she shook her head, trying to escape her ghosts, all the skeletons in her closet. All the dead bodies, all the screams, all the torture that she'd left behind. So... this is what she is. Not some hero, or an idol, or even an egomaniac. Just... a crazy mare who lost her chance at her dreams. The thoughts drew by so slowly, trudging through the mud of her cold mind. She thought of me as a little sister... and through her training of me, I thought of her as my own sister. An extension of my brother... wonder what he's doing now? Her eyes moved back to the sky. Why was she so calm, though? She could still feel, despite her ghostly state. She felt anger only a few moments before... so what was this? Calm... Rainbow Dash is crying right in front of me, probably dying... and I'm calm. Do I want her to die, though? What point would there be in it? Revenge... taking her from her friends, just like she took me from mine.
Revenge wasn't even appealing to the ghost. Though she could cause Rainbow Dash further agony by killing her - plan not withstanding -, it wouldn't fix anything. She'd simply double the pain of the ponies she called her own friends... her own family. Family... huh?
"Rainbow Dash..."
The pegasus, once stood on golden pillars of her ego and skill, looked to be in the middle of a crumbling kingdom, her whole world falling apart around her. A shattered, crazed look in her eye, temples trapped between her forehooves, as if she were about to crush her head with the force. No response came from the broken mare, though the look in her eye made the acknowledgement she needed.
"What do you consider your friends?"
"What do you mean...? T-They're my best friends... they've always been there for me, b-but they don't compare to you." Rainbow shook harder than an imbalanced engine, wings threatening to flare and flail with their own twitching.
"I consider them much closer than that, Rainbow... and I've been thinking about it since you told me what you thought of me. Can a friend be considered something more than just a friend?" Scootaloo looked into her sister's eyes, seeking the chaotic darkness for some little shard of light, a dot that contained something more than simple pain and guilt. "Can they be family? Just like you and me?"
Rainbow blinked, her shivering calming down as the ghosts quelled their screams in her head. Her jaw hang as breath raced into her lungs, mind stalling as she considered the avenue. "I... I don't know."
"You should. You're closer friends with them than I am... but Twilight? Fluttershy? Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity? Even you? Everypony else? They're all my family." Scootaloo placed a hoof over her heart, wishing she could feel it race, some notion that meant she could go back to that very family. "I hate to see them sad... I love to make them happy. I support them at every turn I can, and though I paid more attention to my own little sisters, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle... I fought to put everyone on the same level." A smile crossed her lips as she looked at Dash, "I can't be the only sister you have, Rainbow... because if I am, then you're back to only having your father."
"Where... where are you going with all this, Squirt?"
"Hunting for a few answers of my own, honestly..." she chuckled, shaking her head, "Funny how I only consider them all family after I'm dead. Suppose I'm just trying to extend that same thing to you. Rainbow Dash, I don't want to be held on a pedestal by you... your friends, your family, even your special somepony. We all stand on the same level... there's nopony more important than any other."
"I... guess that's true. B-But how does this help, Squirt? I did horrible things over my life... and some of them were in my control. I could've gotten stronger, I could've fought back... I could've saved lives, but I-I let them pass on. Somepony like me doesn't deserve family." Dash hung her head, eyes locked on the ground below her, staring into the damp craters made by her heavy tears, "Who would consider me a sister?"
"... I do."
Dash blinked, eyes widening slightly. Her head grew quiet as a pair of legs wrapped around her neck, pulling her chin up onto a shoulder. The fell chill of Death itself ran down her spine, but something definitely was there...
"Rainbow... you're the sister I've been looking for. You taught me so much... to be confident in myself, to always train and practice, to always strive to be better... get myself into the spotlight. Whenever I was having a hard time with a trick, you'd be there to hold me up, show me the ropes. When I had troubles with understanding myself, you acknowledged that you didn't quite have all the answers," Scootaloo giggled at the words, "And took us to Twilight. We both learned then, didn't we?"
"W-We did... we basically got a refresher course on what we learned in school. Birds and the bees, and all that..." Rainbow kept her eyes on the ground, but something started picking away at the black fortress she'd locked herself in, a little light trying to break down the dark.
"But we learned. About love, respect... the difference between a physical and emotional connection. It woke me up to what I felt about Orion." As the image of her love's face went through Scootaloo's mind, she felt her own voice crack as she continued, her eyes closing to give her some semblance of focus in the static dark. "But it also woke me up to what I felt about you... and now, after what you told me... I realize it was the same feeling I felt for everypony else."
Rainbow merely listened, not budging an inch, but the feeling of something cracking continued to build. Family... what I said, what I feel for everypony else... Squirt is a sister to me, but... is that the same thing? When I'm around Twi' and 'Shy, I definitely have fun with them. I love being around them... but what could I lay down for them? What could I put on the betting table when they're in danger? The question of her own Element even being right blinked in her mind as she fought to figure everything out.
"Rainbow... we have a lot more family than you think. And that family is always going to be there for you... and though you killed me..." a frigid tear fell to Rainbow's shoulder, passing through as it froze her muscle, "Y-You g-gave me something I-I could never have gotten w-when I was alive... I c-can be here with Orion... y-you gave me something th-that will help me through the afterlife." A sniff punctuated the sentence as a shivering sigh raced out of her little sister, "I h-have love now... I o-only wish I c-could share it w-with everypony..." The hug tightened around her neck as Scootaloo buried her face in her shoulder.
Love. The cracking sped up as Rainbow blinked, her thoughts shifting away from all the ghosts. Love...? Family, friends, lovers... all connections. But are they all really the same in emotional connection? And why is she... wait... Her eyes lifted from the ground, catching a blurry view of the Princess of the Night against an Autumn backdrop, a sea of orange, red and green, swaying in the wind behind an island of blue. "Squirt... are you... asking me something?"
A small giggle escaped Scootaloo between the shaky, quiet sobs, "I g-guess I'm trying to..."
"... Anything."
"What?"
"Ask me anything, and I swear on the blood running through my veins... for all the family I have on this earth, everypony I love... that I will carry it through." Rainbow's brow furrowed. "It's time I embraced Loyalty, and stopped all this... so before I go and confess my crimes..."
"Right. Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo took a deep breath, clearing away the blood spattered on the image of one of her closest family members, "Big Sis... I want you to take everypony as your family... all your friends, your dad, your special somepony... put them all on the same level. All of my friends... and protect them, just like how you guard yourself and those close to you. Tell Apple Bloom and S-Sweetie B-Belle... t-t-that..." Rainbow raised her hooves and brought Scootaloo close, holding back her own tears as the flow increased from the mare in her grasp. "T-T-That I-I c-can't s-see them again... b-but t-t-to l-live on through w-what I learned... from you... and from Wheel... a-and everypony else."
"What you learned from Wheel?"
"M-My big brother... h-he's still in Cloudsdale, p-p-probably with a cushy job in management," Scootaloo let a laugh try and clear away her sadness of reality, "H-He taught me that supporting your friends... was the proper payback for everything they give you. And you, Belle and Bloom, Twilight, Fluttershy, everypony... y-you've all given me so much..."
"Sis..." Rainbow nuzzled Scootaloo's neck gently, the wall finally falling, "I'm sorry that I ever lost myself... that I ever lashed out at you. Lashed out at anypony... I turned my back on Loyalty to Cloudsdale and my country because of those sick freaks in the Weather Corporation. But today is where it ends... I'm going to work towards bringing them down. I know nopony will forgive me for this, but I want... I wish I could give you more, Squirt... see you soar in the skies as a Wonderbolt, or lead entire armies of weather pegasi in fighting the weather of Equestria and beyond. I'm so, so sorry for taking away your dreams, just because mine couldn't be fulfilled..." Her eyes turned back to Luna, "And with Luna as my witness... you will be the last life I ever take. I'm turning around... but I accept every death as my responsibility, and will fight for redemption."
Luna could barely hold down a chuckle, putting a hoof over her mouth to hide it, "Very, very admirable, Rainbow Dash. The souls of the lost will be watching your every step."
"And I'll make sure every step makes them proud. Heh... this is kind of the situation I was hoping for when I joined the Wonderbolts. So many eyes watching my every move... every perfect stunt... impressing and astounding everypony who came to see me. It's time I chased that dream again." Rainbow grinned, her goal firmly set in her mind. "Today... I quit being Rainbow Dash, Floor Manager of the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation... and become Rainbow Dash, dreamer, and Element of Loyalty. And future Wonderbolt, of course."
Both mares allowed themselves a big smile as the dark fortress crumbled, and for the first time in ten years, the light of the sun graced Rainbow... she looked up into the blinding heat in her mind, and let out a primal roar, setting herself on the road she would walk, and never stop walking on until she met her end. Whether that came tomorrow, or years down the road, today would be the day that Rainbow Dash changed her ways and became her own mare. Take no orders, make no second thoughts, and never step back from something you set yourself towards, Rainbow. Because today, you live your own life... not by the leash of some corporate pencil jockey, but by your own drive and by the light of your own star.
"Thank you, Scootaloo... I don't think I would've ever seen the light without you."
"I know you won't let me down, Big Sis... your family's waiting for you."
"Right."
The two broke their embrace after a few more quiet moments, and Rainbow set her eyes on the shadow of Ponyville. With a flap of her wings, she felt the familiar wind blowing through her mane, and, as if a gift from the Gods, a tailwind pushed her along the path to Ponyville. The town where she would begin her march... and no matter what happened, would set her on that path for the rest of her life.
"Spike, could you bring over those sapphires, please?"
"On it!"
Carousel Boutique, a place of class, pomp and circumstance. Across its polished marble floor, a dragon ran to retrieve numerous supplies for the mare sitting at her sewing machine, creating art as she had for so many years.
"Here you go." A chest slid over to her side, pushed along by a purple claw.
"Thank you, Spike." She nodded to her assistant and turned back to her work, wrapping the gems in her aura. Everything had to be perfect...
A knock echoed from the door. "Oh, who could it be? Spike, did you turn the sign to Open again?"
"No. That sign is definitely on closed... I'll go check." The tall dragon stretched out, cricking his spine back into place. It had already been a long day's work, and the flood of orders Rarity received the day before had tired them both out. Still, a hard day meant a lot of pay, which he was all too happy to receive. A few steps brought him to the front door, but it opened before he could even give his arm the signal to move. "Uh... hello?"
Spike blinked, and his brow quickly fell as he realized who was outside. Three cloaked figures stood at the doorstep, and two of them definitely had a pony shape. The third, however, had a strange, upright posture. Two ponies and a dragon, maybe? He shifted his stance into one of polite disinterest, "How can I help you three?"
"Spike." The voice rang familiar immediately for the dragon, and his eyes shot wide. "Let me in... I need to see Rarity."
"Sure." He stepped to the side as the white cloaked figure walked in, followed by the two in black. He put his arm up to stop them, grasping the door. "Only her."
"Calm down... they're with me."
"Huh?"
"Wait, is... is that you, Rainbow Dash?" The white mare at the sewing machine turned around, shifting her work glasses up her muzzle slightly. The voice was very clear, but the face was shrouded in darkness. "Oh my, dear, did you lose a bet? Full-body cloaks have been out of season for quite a while."
"It was a suggestion. Listen..." Rainbow lifted a hoof and pulled the white hood off her head, looking on at her friend. "I can't be seen around here."
"I hardly think walking around with two guardians is much for subtlety..."
"Not to worry. Nopony followed us."
Silence fell in the room as Spike's and Rarity's jaws dropped. "W-Wait... that voice. Rainbow Dash, one of your friends there... is she?"
"Princess Luna, yes." Luna nodded and pulled the black hood off her head, the second figure beside her deciding to lean on the wall. The door glowed with her magic and quietly shut, guided by her watchful eye. "We apologize for requesting this audience on such short notice."
"Oh, I wouldn't think of denying this... but, what audience do you require, Your Highness?" Rarity hopped off her stool and walked over to the regal alicorn, bowing. Spike followed suit, rushing a bit too quick to her side and nearly slipping on the polished floor.
"Ngyah! Woah!" He quickly set his feet back on the ground, breathing hard from his near-close encounter with the marble. He spun around and bowed before Luna, to which she sighed and shook her head.
"Rise, you two. We come as a friend, not as royalty." She watched the two get back up, raising her brow slightly as Spike stood at eye level with her. "It appears the good dragon of Princess Twilight's has grown well..."
"Hehe... I've had a lot of help, trust me." He grinned and scratched the back of his head, looking more embarrassed by the admission than proud, "It was mostly Rarity and AJ keeping me in line. So what can we do for you, Your Highness?"
"Luna will do, please. We are afraid we come as bearers of bad news... but it is better to allow the good Rainbow Dash an explanation." Luna gestured to the mare at her side before her horn lit up, cloaking the room in a deep blue.
"Er, what is this spell you're casting, Your Highness? If I might inquire," Rarity asked as her eyes ran along the glittering surfaces, slightly worried of her intentions.
"A soundproofing spell. As Rainbow Dash mentioned, she cannot be seen... so we are taking precautions." Luna's eyes opened as the light of her horn went out, the aura solidifying along the walls, ceiling and floor. Spike raised his brow at the quick casting of the complex spell; he'd heard talk of spells that could harden the atmosphere itself, but they were usually extremely complex and difficult to cast. Not only that, but they also required monstrous amounts of mana to use, more than most unicorns had in their entire lifetimes.
"Wow..." he whispered, "How'd you cast this so quickly, You— er... Luna?"
"We have had much practice, Spike. Reaper..."
"Watching the door, Princess. No one's come by since we arrived, and I don't feel any spells going off. Though, I'm sure if someone were to try something, the unicorn there'd feel it pretty quick." The figure on the wall folded his arms, hidden by the large sleeves of his cloak.
"'The unicorn'? I apologize, sir, but I do have a name. It is Rarity." She raised her eyebrow, looking over her work glasses with an indignant stare at the rude person.
"Apologies, Miss Rarity." He nodded back to her, turning his eyes to Rainbow Dash. "Alright, Rainbow. Floor's yours..."
"Right." Rainbow nodded, looking at Rarity. A gulp crawled down her throat as she thought of how to say it. Should I just come out with it? Or should I work up to it? What do I even say? No... no, you're turning around, Rainbow. And to do that, you have to confess. I can't worry about the reaction. No matter what they do, no matter what they say... I deserve it. She took a deep breath, shivering a bit as the chill of fear ran down her spine. "Rarity..."
"Yes dear, that is my name." Rarity smirked as she adjusted her glasses, that same chill known by her own back. "This confession then... is it why you're home early? I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow morning."
"Yeah, it's about that." Rainbow set herself down into a sitting position, eyes squinting slightly as she stared at the ground.
"Oh dear..." Rarity's eyes widened as she considered the possibilities, but only one made sense to her. She immediately took her obviously distraught friend in a tight hug, putting her glasses up on her horn. "Oh, you poor girl! I can't believe this would happen to you!"
"W-What?" Rainbow looked over at Rarity, that slight shiver of fear turning into an icy javelin stuck into her back. D-Does she already know!?
"Look at you! You're positively a wreck, you're dressed in a cloak, and you're stalking about the village like a common homeless pony! I can't believe such a hard-working mare as yourself would suffer this!" She quickly left the hug and walked away, mumbling to herself. "Oh, this won't do at all! Oh, what should I do? Donations, new clothes? But my fabrics are running so low, and I need to finish this order... ah, I know! Oh, but the last time she went, things didn't really go to plan... perhaps Pinkie could help? Yes, that would do. But where would we hold it? And who would we invite? Oh, decisions, decisions!"
Her rambling carried right on over Rainbow's confusion, her expression changing from terrified to weirded out, to just plain relieved. Ok, she doesn't have any clue... but I've gotta burst her bubble sometime.
"Jeeze, Rarity," Spike sighed, scratching the back of his neck, other claw on his hip. That mare and conclusions... it's like a really bad romance story. He scoffed with a smirk, looking over at Rainbow Dash. "It is kinda weird that you're home early though, Rainbow. Did something happen?"
"Well... yeah. Something did happen." Dash rubbed her foreleg, letting her eyes settle back on the floor, a cracked reflection staring back at her. Wish I could be the one looking back at me... at least then, I wouldn't have to explain all this.
"Did they give you a vacation? I hope so. Scootaloo's gonna be real happy to hang out with you once she's home!" Spike grinned, wondering what chaos the Crusaders were going to get themselves caught up in when they were all back together. "No matter how old those fillies get, they never give up their antics." His grin wasn't shared with the mare across from him, as her eyes simply fell lower along with her expression. Spike's own grin faded at the sight, quickly replaced with a grimace. "Uh, d-did I say something wrong?"
"Oh please, Spike. As if she would look like that if given a paid vacation! No, it's quite apparent what happened here." A gem flew by Spike's head, carried along in its light blue vehicle, followed by another. Then another. Then one rocketing right over his head, forcing him to duck. "And as the good friend I am, I must help her feel better." Rarity ran by Spike on her way to the mannequins against the wall, already getting to work. "Now, I must be economic about this silk... it will take me hours to get another roll, but thankfully, this design shouldn't take long. Come over here if you would, Rainbow Dash, I must get your measurements!"
"... No need, Rarity."
"What? But, why not?"
"Because." Rainbow's eye turned to Rarity, body still as a statue. "You think I was fired, don't you?"
"W-Well, er... I-I'd find it very shocking if you were, yes! It was the only conclusion I could draw, as you're always so punctual, so loyal to your task!"
"... I'm not loyal." The magenta orbs turned back to the reflection of their master in the floor, trying to pick out the numerous black dots that stained the image, much like the blood that stained her soul. Counting the sins like so many black stars in the white sky. "And Spike, about... Scootaloo..."
"Oh no... s-she didn't fail, did she?" Spike's hands fell at his sides, gulping. "I've heard really bad things about the kids who fail the Flight School End Exam. R-Really bad things... banishment being one of the biggest rumors."
Rainbow simply bit her lip, turning to search for some form of support. All she received were two steeled pairs of blue eyes, the beings owning them simply waiting. Watching her. The simple neutrality turned her stomach, especially from the Princess. Even Luna's not gonna back me up here... A gulp raced down her throat, suddenly feeling parched. Can't let the stress get to me. Say it, Rainbow! Tell them what happened! To you, to Squirt, t-to all those... foals... Her breathing started to race as the screams came back to her, pupils shrinking. Control it... control it! You're stuck living with them for the rest of your life, so force them down and think!
"Rainbow? Hey, Rainbow!" Two claws gripped Rainbow's shoulders as she started to shiver, her breathing coming as jagged, raspy pulls and pushes. "Calm down! What's wrong!?"
"Guess she's losing it." The calm voice was followed by a chuckle, "Jeeze... and I thought this mare was tough."
"Where do you get off saying that?!" Spike growled, glaring at the ghost on the wall.
"I'm saying it because it should be true, right? Element of Loyalty. She's got all the makings of a soldier, so why's she breaking down? I think I've a privilege in saying something about it, Drako." Reaper shrugged, sighing. "She really should be stronger than this."
"Why I oughta..." Before Spike could rise, a blue hoof pulled him back down. "R-Rainbow?"
"He's right... I should be stronger. Especially after the promise I made..." She took a shaky breath, looking back up at Spike. Her eyes echoed the dark storm broiling in her mind, one she hoped she'd quelled back during her time with her sister. "Spike, Rarity. Y-You'll wanna be sitting down for this..."
The dragon simply blinked at her, eyes turning to his companion. She simply looked back at him, a raised eyebrow marking her confusion. "Well... if you insist, dear." Rarity pulled a pillow from her couch and set it down in front of Rainbow, grabbing two others for her friend and offering one to Spike.
"I'm good, thanks. Princess Luna would probably want it." Spike set himself down in a cross-legged position, leaning on his knees and elbows as he tried to read Rainbow's mind through her eyes. Something about the darkness in her pupils put him off. S-She... looks dead. There's usually a shine in her eyes, some light when she was happy, or doing something awesome, or even when she's down. What the heck happened?
"Well, if the offer is there... our legs are growing rather sore." Luna adjusted her position as Rarity quickly nodded, the pillow zipping over to her. It took a bit of adjusting with her own magic, but eventually she was sat on the soft cushion, cooing slightly as it billowed out to support her. "Well, that is a fine cushion..."
"Thank you, You— er, Luna. I pray you're comfortable?"
"Yes, very." Luna offered a curt nod in approval, moving slightly on the cushion. It was rather comfy indeed!
"Excellent. I wish I'd been expecting you all, I would have prepared tea." Rarity tapped her chin in thought, trying to distract herself from the near-impossible pull of Rainbow's eyes. She wasn't fired, and she's got something to say about Scootaloo. It's possible the poor filly failed her exam... but where would she end up after that? Those rumors of banishment couldn't be right, could they?"
"It's alright, this won't take long." Rainbow took a deep breath, looking between the two before her, "But I've gotta ask something from both of you. Pinkie Promise."
"No problem." Spike raised his brow, waiting for Rainbow's request.
"Of course, dear. Though a simple promise would work for me." Rarity offered a small smile for her friend, confident in her abilities to keep gossip to herself.
"You both swear to keep whatever's said in this shop secret, and not a word of it is spoken between either of you. Pinkie Promise." Rainbow's fallen brow added an almost fatal sense of seriousness to the childish promise, but after a few moments of considering the repercussions, her two friends carried out the motions in perfect sync.
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." They both nodded, careful not to poke their eyes out, before returning to their relaxed positions of staring at the sky blue mare before them.
"Alright... first, I h-have something to say about Scoo... S-Squirt." Rainbow's heart pounded in her chest as she spoke, the thunderstorm in her mind sending down its first few bolts.
Squirt? Rainbow hasn't called Scootaloo that in years... Spike's brow fell slightly as he listened.
"She... attempted the exam t-today. And... s-s-she tried really hard..." Rainbow bit her lip, her eyes shaking as they fought to stay locked on their targets. "B-But... s-s-she... s-she failed..."
"What?!" Spike suddenly belted out, forcing himself to stay sitting down. "But I've never seen Scootaloo even make a mistake, let alone fail at something! Did somepony throw a rock or something!?"
"Spike, you assume foul play?" Rarity leaned away from the dragon, as if physically sickened of the notion. "The instructors would surely see such a thing occur!"
"No, n-nopony threw anything. It's r-really difficult to say this. Squirt, a-and her friend... a-along with a third filly, all failed the exam. I don't know how, I was at work, b-but..."
"Wait." Rarity's brow took its turn to descend, "You work full shifts at the Factory, with no allowance outside, even on a lunch break, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, then how did you know Scootaloo failed? Did somepony tell you? It could very well have been a lie."
Rainbow didn't even show a hint of hope at the notion that she'd been lied to, simply staring Rarity dead in the eye. "I know, Rarity... because I was one of the ones who took her away from the field."
"Well, then why is she not here with you? T-This doesn't make sense, Rainbow, unless—" Rarity suddenly gasped, eyes shooting wide as a hoof rose in front of her mouth, "U-Unless those rumors are true! S-She wasn't banished, was she!?"
Spike simply watched Rainbow's eyes shake. Banished...?
"I... I wish she was..."
"How could you say that, Rainbow?" The dragon stared at her, appalled. "S-She's your greatest fan, one of your friends!"
"I s-say it... b-because it'd be better... t-than... than..."
A tear fell from the magenta eyes.
"Than being dead."
The word fell like the hammer of the Gods, crushing Spike and Rarity completely. Dead. Scootaloo was dead. The word ran through Spike's head more times than he could count, each second ticking by like a thousand sunrises, still unable to comprehend the possibility. His lungs nearly stopped working from the shock, his eyes began to hurt from nearly popping out of his head, his mouth dried until he could swear he was breathing in sand.
Rarity suffered much the same, only it seemed the dryness was to accommodate the fresh streams of tears falling from her eyes. She felt sick, her stomach doing back flips, her mind stalling entirely. It just froze on that single, damning word. The word that should never be associated with such a sweet, innocent filly, still full of life and promise. All the potential, all the dreams, all the hopes and connections...
"What... w-what happened to her?" Spike managed to eke out, though his dry mouth provided a severe challenge.
Rainbow merely looked crestfallen, the one tear being all she could spend on something she created oceans over before. The silence in the room begged her to continue, and she prayed the moment would last enough so she might speak without interruption, by the pony, dragon, or even herself. And with a deep breath, she spoke, each word falling upon the trio like another weight on their shoulders.
"Squirt failed the exam, yeah. And, though I'm not allowed to talk about this... honestly? Screw the rules. I was sent down with six other employees from the Weather Factory, all of us dressed up in black. Masks, suits, horseshoes, everything. A trio of stallions we usually hire pick up the... ponies who don't pass from the field, and bring them to us, where we take over." The two remained trapped in her speech, though their expressions began to shift from sorrow, however slightly, "I was leading the team, and we took them to the Factory. One of the head scientists was waiting there for us, and he lead them to the processing room." Rainbow's ears fell as if they had pianos tied to them, but she kept her eyes set on her friends. Friends she hoped to keep after what she had to say, "I gave them the usual spiel... they were useless to the Flock, unable to do their jobs because of one stupid little test." A growl was added at the curse, "And that the rumors of banishment were just that... rumors. One of the foals—"
"Hold a moment, there were others there?" Rarity spoke through her tears, scared of the possible response."
"About fifty others... yeah." She merely sighed, feeling the need to cry, but no tears coming forth. "And every single one of them... all their parents... friends, cousins... lovers. None of them are going to be seen ever again..."
Spike's claw shook in his lap as he leered at the pegasus in front of him.
"They're all dead..."
"B-But you t-tried to stop it, yes?" Rarity's hoof fell to the floor, every prayer paid to a good answer. Rainbow was Loyalty, loyal to her country and all the ponies around her. Surely she would've saved at least some of them.
"No... I actually killed four of them..." The atmosphere only grew heavier, but the quiet hiss of hard breathing was apparent in the room's silence. "In my anger of a riot breaking out... I killed two kids, trying to make a path to Squirt... I went through that filly that came with her - Aurora was her name -, and... chucked her into the grinder, making more Spectra."
"S-S-S-S-Spectra...?" Rarity simply fell further and further into the darkness of terror, begging her body not to move behind a table, or Spike, for some kind of protection. She stared at Rainbow as if she were some kind of monster, rather than a pony. A pony would never kill another. Never!
"The same stuff used to make rainbows... even now... Squirt's being put to better use."
After her last word, Rainbow felt something catch around her neck, and she was picked up off the floor. A short instant later, the wall met her back with a mighty slam, the air blowing out of her lungs. "Gahk!" She choked, grasping for the thing strangling the life out of her. Her hooves found an arm, a rigid piece of steel ending in the powerful jaws around her neck... and the other leading back to a purple dragon, pure hatred in his eyes.
"You killed her...?" The hiss escaped him with more venom than a scorpion, glaring at the mare.
"Y-Yeah... I did..." The pressure around her neck only increased with the words, her air coming through a mercilessly small tunnel.
"You... you..." Green flames spewed from Spike's nose as he lifted his other claw, shining nails catching a glint in the light as a shadow crossed his face. "You murderer!"
"I... I..." Rainbow could barely manage the words, feeling like she was being pushed through a mountain by something unstoppable. Her eyes simply locked on one of the famed weapons of a dragon; their steel-shearing claws. Death rested on the shining bone, the claw they were attached to twitching as if in anticipation, in desire to draw her blood.
"You've got nothing left to say, monster. Killing kids? Throwing them in some grinder? 'More useful'!? I'm done listening to you." Spike's bones cricked in sick want, his claw flexing to get a good draw. "Why I oughta just..."
"Spike!!" The screech forced him to take pause, but his eyes never left the pony in his grip. "Unhand her this instant!"
"Why would I let a criminal go!?" Another burst of green fire exited Spike's nose, his claw balling up into a fist. "What would Twilight say, huh!? Fluttershy, Pinkie, AJ! They'd all do the same thing!"
"You know that's not true, you crazed dragon!" The pain was all too obvious in the mare's voice, but it fell on deaf ears... ears reserved for the voices belonging to Luna and that shadow with her. Why were they so quiet?
Rainbow coughed, gasping for air as her world began to vanish, her grip only tightening on the arm holding her against the wall. "Can't... breathe..."
"Air's too good for you," Spike hissed, pulling his hand back as he opened it, bringing his weapons to bear. "How long...? You told us you had this cushy job for ten years... so how long have you been killing kids?"
"E-Eight... e-eight y-years..." The grip on Rainbow's neck loosened slightly, if only as a show of mercy for her windpipe. The glorious air came back into her lungs in a rush, taking as many deep breaths as she could. Her hooves fell away from the arm as her eyes turned to Spike's face, perceiving his horrific expression as the one Scootaloo wore only fifteen minutes before. "Eight... years... I've been killing for the Corporation... to p-produce rainbows so everypony could be happy."
"They're only happy because they don't know the price! Every time I see a rainbow now, I'm gonna hear some foal screaming in my head!" Spike roared, his stomach boiling as the air in his lungs heated up like two furnaces. Near every exhale was some burst of torching flame, the heat felt far too well by Rainbow.
"I know... a-and it's taken me... until now, t-to see it's all wrong..." She sniffed, putting a hoof back on Spike's arm, "I... I killed Squirt... I killed so many kids, a-and I couldn't stop myself... I was drugged up, but even without that, I probably would've ended those lives anyway... pegasi only have their perfection, Spike."
"What?" Spike and Rarity said in unison, eyes set on the mare.
"Unicorns... have m-magic... lives are so easy..."
A blush lit up on Rarity's face as she moved behind the dragon, trying to escape her friend's gaze.
"E-Earth ponies... have that c-crazy aura about them... masters of growing food. W-Without them... Equestria would starve..." Rainbow took a sharp breath as she felt another tear run down her face, "What have pegasi got...? E-Equestria c-could go on without us... the w-weather may be random, b-but it's not hard for the earth ponies to adapt... u-unicorns have some of the sharpest minds, too, no less Twilight... kill all of us, and Equestria moves on."
The remark set Luna's gaze towards the floor, considering the thought. "Pegasi are far from useless... but it is as Rainbow Dash says. We do not need to control the weather in order to thrive... it is merely to make everypony happy while we and our Sister raise the sun and moon."
"Rainbow Dash..." Rarity's rump fell to the floor, "Oh my gosh, Rainbow... I-I had no idea..."
"Pegasi... have their perfection. And that's what Cloudsdale... fights to keep. B-By killing the foals... who fail the exam... they force success. P-Pegasi who come outta Cloudsdale are great flyers... b-but so few have avoided that system entirely... C-Captain... Spitfire being one of them..." Rainbow gagged slightly, pulling herself up with her hoof, "F-Fluttershy... being another..."
"Fluttershy? B-But how did she avoid all this?" Spike's eyes widened slightly, "Are they still looking for her?!"
"No... s-search was called off... years ago. Said s-she... died in her fall." Rainbow's eyes squinted slightly, "H-Hearing that... it's why I left."
"You left Flight School because of Fluttershy's 'death'? B-But what about your job? The Sonic Rainboom?" Spike merely wore a confused expression, "Why'd they stop looking?!"
"B-Because... the search... was to hunt her down, and 'banish' her..."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Spike turned to the Princess, nearly glaring at her, "Why wasn't any of this stopped?!"
"A lack of evidence, Spike." Luna simply shook her head, looking back up at him, staring unshaken into his enraged glare. "A lack of evidence prevented the Guard from doing anything. Prevented us from doing anything."
"Law's a whole lot more than just catching the bad guy, kid." Reaper moved off the wall, walking to Luna's side, "And it's a lot more difficult to catch a bad guy that's smart with the law."
"They covered themselves up this well...? W-What about all the parents!? What happened to them!?" The dragon's eyes whipped back and forth between the two cloaked figures and Rainbow.
"Cover stories, Spike... Cloudsdale is pretty sharp when it comes to publicity." Rainbow smirked at the comment, "S-Seems pegasi are good at one thing, definitely..."
"So what about you? Pegasi are good at lying, I get that. Who's to say you weren't hunting for her too?"
"If I was... i-if I was..." Her words caught in her mouth, unable to tumble out. Rainbow blinked in confusion, looking down to try and see if her tongue was still working. If I was... what would I do to her?
"You would've killed her. Right?"
The prospect stunned the pegasus, staring up at the ceiling. K-Kill her? But... she's one of my oldest friends... I could never lay a hoof on her, I actually cried when I heard she died! I nearly put her in the hospital when I found her! T-That was one of the tightest hugs I've ever given anypony...
"Well? Aren't you gonna say something?" Another blast came from his face as his grip tightened, "Are you gonna say you woulda killed her? Break her neck maybe...? Throw her off a cliff with her wings clipped!? Bury her alive!?"
"Shut up!!" The roar took Spike by surprise, silencing him, "I'd never do such a thing to Fluttershy! Never! I-I was blind when I killed my little sister!"
"W-What'd you say?"
"I said 'little sister'... S-Scootaloo was... family to me. I killed her in cold blood, a-and I regret it..." Rainbow's voice fell to a sorrowful, quiet tone. "I regret everything..."
"Spike..." Rarity placed a hoof on the dragon's arm, "Please, let her go. She's telling the truth..."
"Family, huh?" Spike's expression thankfully softened as his eyes fell away from the sorry sight, staring at the wall. "Ponies don't kill family..." The iron grip on Rainbow's neck released, dropping her onto the ground, and he moved to the door.
"Spike? W-Where are you going?" Rarity reached out for him, refusing to take a step toward her friend, fearing his wrath may turn to her.
"I'm leaving. Every second I spend here, I feel like breaking another bone in her body." He stopped by Luna and bowed to her, "If you'll excuse me, Luna?"
"Very well. You promised to keep this a secret, and I trust you to do so." Luna's eyes didn't move off the sputtering pegasus, air racing in and out of her lungs in a mad attempt to keep the body alive. With a flick of Luna's horn, her magic released the door, and Spike took it as his notice to leave.
He reached for the door handle and turned his eyes to the figure next to him, aimed at his hood.
"Got something to say, kid?" Reaper turned to Spike as the dragon took a pause.
"Nah. I think I've said enough." Spike shook his head and walked out of the shop, slamming the door behind him.
The next few minutes past with Rarity trying to calm Rainbow down, but even her efforts had little effect on the physical damage already done. Silence pervaded the room as the ponies - and Reaper - tried to settle into the oppressive atmosphere, only one of the mares feeling any form of panic or fear. Rarity's eyes would constantly dart over her shoulder to that murderer, even as she gathered some medicine, or prepared tea for her guests. Nopony denied any of her claims... it's unbelievable that it's all actually true. Rainbow killed children, many of them...
"Reaper, has anypony come by?" Luna sipped her tea, perfectly calm, despite the chance someone may have run into the enraged dragon. A shake of the head came as her response, Reaper simply staring into his own ornate cup.
"No one. Either that kid scared everyone off, we're dealing with one of 'them', or whoever's hiding is pretty good at what they do. And I doubt, in a town like this, it's anything but the first option." He took a sip of his tea, nodding his head gently, "Huh, not bad."
"Thank you, it's an over-the-seas brand... far off country that Zecora once called home. Erm..." Rarity set an uneasy glance on Rainbow as she shifted, thinking of what to say. "L-Luna, all those claims... this isn't a prank, is it?"
"We are afraid to say this, but no, it is not." She set a sympathetic look on Rainbow, the pegasus simply staring into her own quaking tea, her hoof visible shivering. "We were surprised to hear of such a thing, considering the absolute silence from Cloudsdale's own law enforcement. But, this is proof for the Royal Guard to strike out and apprehend whoever is behind this... we simply need more information."
"Or, someone beyond the system." Reaper grinned after another sip, enjoying the dual glee of the actually quite tasty tea, and the prospect of tearing down a whole weather facility. "Just say the word, Princess, and I'll have the place burning to the ground in minutes."
"You will do no such thing, Reaper. Remember your limitations," Luna glared at her servant as she spoke, "To even suggest the rampant murder of my little ponies..."
"They aren't yours anymore, Luna. Considering what they've done? What they could be doing right now?"
"They aren't doing anything."
The group looked over at Rainbow with varying degrees of confusion on their faces, Reaper tilting his head slightly. "We've collected the quota, so we won't be having another... well, 'that' happening for another year or so. If we really did do it sooner than that, I would've snapped a long time ago."
"Huh. Well, Miss Floor Manager, what are they doing right now?" Reaper raised an eyebrow, staring intently at the pegasus.
"Nothing but getting the Spectra prepped for deployment. Soon, Equestria's gonna have a new set of rainbows to admire. And I'm gonna have to lock myself in my house again." She sighed, staring into the ripples from her cup. She willed her hoof to stop shaking, but it just carried on, like she was about to spill over herself. She took a breath before setting her cup down on the floor.
"That's right... recently, you've been staying at home for days on end after your two-month shifts." Rarity took a sip of her own tea, preferring to stare at the light brown liquid over her friend. "I always found that strange."
Dash looked back at the door, her mission still needing to be completed. "Luna, can we move on? I need to talk with my other friends."
"Of course, Rainbow Dash. Rarity, thank you for being such a courteous host." Rarity rubbed the back of her neck as Luna bowed, setting her empty cup down on the table at the side of the room.
"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Luna. I'm honored to have you all as guests, even, er... Mister Reaper, over there." She gave a cautious smile to the man at the wall, responded to with his own smirk.
"I'll be sure to drop by again," The sinister tone sent a shiver down Rarity's spine. Reaper simply grinned and chuckled, "Don't worry, the visit would be purely conversational. Thanks for having us, Miss Rarity."
"Yes, of course," Rarity simply turned away as she spoke, losing confidence with every word. Clearing her throat, she looked over at Rainbow, taking the empty dishes in her magic. "So, Rainbow, um... who's next?" She turned away from the mare as the dishes flew away to the kitchen, carefully placed amongst their other dirty brethren, ready for cleaning.
"You were first because you were closest. The other place that's close to here is," The mare's voice trailed off as her eyes widened. "Oh no." The one place that was closest sprang to her mind: an ominous house prized for its treats.
"Sugarcube Corner, isn't it?" Rarity looked down at her hooves and shook her head. She took a breath to steel her confidence, "I should come along, dear. It wouldn't be right to let a friend take all this on by herself."
"No. This is my problem, and it's one of the few that only I should deal with. I know I'm gonna lose a friend over this, but it's something I've gotta do. Thanks though, Rarity... it's nice to hear somepony's got my back still." Rainbow allowed herself a gentle smile, but the whispers in the back of her mind were starting to return. "Er... mind if we stay here for a while?"
"Of course not, Rainbow Dash. Spend as much time here as you need... though the dishes have been put away. More tea, anypony?" Rarity looked about the room, searching for answers from her guests.
"Guess I'll have some." Reaper raised his hand, "Actually tastes pretty good." He caught a glare from Luna, aimed over her shoulder. "What?"
"Manners, Reaper! Honestly, we're guests!" Luna's expression changed from anger to pure surprise; how could anypony forget manners at an informal gathering? It was so wrong!
"Uh, right, sorry." Reaper cleared his throat, hoping the vibrations in his windpipe would somehow get the image of Luna's burning glare out of his mind, "More tea, please, Miss Rarity."
Rarity simply smiled, whether out of how Luna straightened out the man, or simply being shown a bit of respect, she couldn't tell. "Of course, Mister Reaper. Would you be having some more, Luna?"
"We believe we shall have to decline, Miss Rarity. Rainbow Dash still has her task to attend to, and we would not want to use more time than necessary." Her steely gaze turned to the sky-blue pegasus, watching her move over to the wall and lean on it.
"I'll pass, Rarity. I just... just need some time, you know?" Rainbow's eyes never left the ground, her tone feeling heavy with a mixture of guilt and sadness, perhaps even some unnameable emotion as an undertone.
"Of course."
Rarity set off to the kitchen to prepare more tea, and the visit simply carried on. Seconds to minutes, minutes to hours, the passage of time seemed warped to Rainbow as she stumbled through the darkness of her mind. What was once a bright field, lit by the sun provided by Scootaloo's words, was now a barren wasteland under a merciless fireball, the single guilty soul left to wander its breadth. Sounds from the outside world would come to her from time to time; idle chatter between Rarity and Luna, concerned phrases about her own well-being, questions about how things had come to be. She couldn't bring herself to answer, thankfully each question being tackled by Luna and Reaper. To what effectiveness, the pegasus wasn't sure.
It was merely more time to herself, after all, and time was what she needed. Time to think of a plan, time to think of the proper way to break all of... this to a very dear friend. Time to wonder what would happen. What's she gonna do when I tell her? How should I tell her? She loves kids, parties, fun... when she hears that I've done all this, and with how unstable she can be. Rainbow bit her lip as the mud and craters passed her walking form, Just what is she gonna do? Is she gonna run? Report me to the cops? Tell Twilight before I can say anything? Her head drooped as she felt tears welling in her eyes. Maybe I should've just run away. Never come home... this hurts. Spike already tried to kill me. Spike, of all ponies! I was lucky with Rarity!
Images of her 'friends' appeared in the wastes around her, bearing heated glares, eyes burning with hatred, some brandishing weapons while others merely scuffed the ground in preparation of a charge. What if they all turn on me? W-What if they try to kill me? Reaper and Luna didn't do a thing! W-What if— Two images joined the group surrounding Rainbow; one cloaked figure brandishing a scythe, the other a heavily armored alicorn, a wicked, toothed blade in her magical grip. All the ponies around her had murder in their eyes... or maybe it was simply justice? They're all gonna turn on me. I know it... Rainbow simply fell to her rump and turned her eyes to the sky, seeking some kind of light. All she could find was a whirling, high-altitude hurricane, the sun blazing a hole through its eye.
She wanted to stop, oh so badly. To just end the torture. The journey was too difficult, too long... her star at the end of the road was years and years away, years of pure agony. The story would spread to the whole country.
She'd never get to the Wonderbolts, never even have a job. Her life would be a constant string of insults, service to the country she once considered her home, exile, banishment, imprisonment... every single punishment, she would be worthy of. Every single one, aimed to give her as much pain as possible. Just like the ghosts that haunted her every waking moment, the wardens and prison guards of the Lunar Guard would torture her every day.
And like some visage of Tartarus, the hurricane gave way to hundreds of black dots, racing down towards her. Soldiers, cloaked in steel and weapons at the ready. The entire wasteland quaked with the charge of thousands of ponies, gryphons, zebras, dragons, every conceivable race.
Everyone would come down on her like the fury of the Gods...
Of course...
"I deserve all this, don't I?"
The whisper broke Rarity's and Luna's concentration, having spent the last hour going over numerous topics. They turned to listen to the pegasus, alarm bells ringing in Rarity's head.
"I deserve... everything. Torture, banishment, exile... my own private cell in Tartarus..." Rainbow sniffed, barely able to keep her voice above that quiet whisper that seemed to shake the room's very being. "Death. I shouldn't be here."
"R-Rainbow, what are you talking about?" The unicorn walked over to her friend's side, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "What do you mean you shouldn't be here?"
"I was almost assassinated, Rarity." Rainbow lost herself in the dark of the wasteland, feeling every sword carve into her very being. The pain brought freedom, the blood spraying away some tainted greenish-red, as if her very being had been plagued by all the evils of her past. She could hear the screams of a filly in the back of her head, wishing for her to live, but the will to go on just couldn't build itself.
Rarity's heart nearly stopped at the admission. "A-Assassinated? By who?"
"Dr. Atmosphere. Stratis Atmosphere. Head of the L2 Medical Division, and my boss." There's no point in hiding all this. Rainbow's body felt heavy as she lost her legs, kicked to the ground by a hefty blow to the side. Probably Applejack, given the strength. The mountains provided a backdrop to her sight as hooves tried to smash her skeleton to dust, righteous roars of ponies demanding justice, payback for all the dead fillies and colts who met their untimely end at her hooves, rang in her ears like bombs.
She found it funny how the sound was like a Sonic Rainboom, her one true achievement.
"Dr. Atmosphere... he works at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. But L2? We understood that he worked on the first floor as a scientist and doctor for the medical staff." Luna tilted her head in thought, brow furrowing.
"It's a lie. A lot of the employees who say they work on L1, Level 1, actually work on L2, Level 2. That's the sealed-off second floor... where I worked. It had a nice view of Cloudsdale Stadium if you could find a window."
Rarity's heartbeat quickened as she saw the light in Rainbow's eyes die, horrified at the sight of her friend's soul completely shattering. "Rainbow... oh, by Celestia, dear..." She could barely hold back the tears as she pulled the slack Rainbow into her forelegs, gripping her friend in a tight hug. "Rainbow Dash..."
"Always grey walls, metal catwalks. Barely any freedom from the bosses. Always working, always making sure Equestria had rainbows to look at... pretty, pretty rainbows..." Rainbow let out a childish giggle, feeling spear and sword jam into her heart, lungs, throat, her eyes and her abdomen. She was going to be left a bloody mess in the middle of nowhere, but she never complained, never cried out in pain or begged for mercy. Her want for death simply drove the aggressors on, stoking their rage. "Beautiful rainbows, rainbows I made..."
Reaper simply shook his head as he got off the table he was sitting on, walking over to Luna's side. "That's a right sad sight," he whispered to himself, feeling his stomach turn. This had happened in the past for him, obviously; one doesn't go through his lifetime without seeing millions of broken minds, but it was always watching the demise of one that sickened him most.
"Reaper..." Luna couldn't take her eyes off the scene before her, Rainbow's quiet babbling and Rarity's rising sobbing.
"Yeah. Dr. Atmosphere's on my list, don't worry." Reaper gritted his teeth and balled his hand into a fist, tightening his grip until his very bones quaked under the pressure, "Every single one of them is on it..." Rage shook his being, the demise of a soul in front of him not even being natural. All pressed on by individuals who saw this as the right thing to do, leaving their 'employees' - may as well call them slaves - broken, disheveled husks of their former selves. It made him want to go up to Cloudsdale and burn the entire city to the ground.
"Reaper." The sound of his name broke his train of thought, and he turned to Luna, focusing on her own dark expression. "There is something you can do about all this, and it doesn't have to end in rampant bloodshed."
Reaper let out a snarl, lowering his voice, "Why let any of them live, Luna? Look at what's been done here!"
"I don't want you going up to that city yet." Her voice remained stern, despite the cracking of her own heart over the scene in front of her. Vengeance would be taken, and those responsible would pay the price; the time simply hadn't arrived yet. "Rainbow comes first... and her task is to tell her friends of her past."
"She's already broken, Luna. I can barely stomach seeing this..."
"Neither can I, but this is our given task. We are her escorts and guardians, both ensuring her mission isn't interrupted, and guaranteeing her safety."
Reaper sighed, his hands loosening, "I know, I know. I just... whenever this happened, I knew I couldn't do anything to help them. Now that I've got a chance to, I wanna go up there and take it."
"As do I, but the time isn't right yet. We need to guide her still, and once her task is complete, we will begin planning." Luna looked down at the ground, staring into her reflection in the polished floor, "I only pray that we walk away from all this without more tragedy."
"Same here," the man whispered as he walked back to his spot on the wall. But I can only see all this ending in red.