//------------------------------//
// 18: Doubts 
// Story: Live by the Creed 
// by FoughtDragon01 
//------------------------------//

“Hey! Hey! Ya’ll better let us out, ya hear me? If ya’ll don’t open this door right now, so help me, Ah’ll kick it down!”

As Applejack screamed and swore at whoever was outside their cell, Rarity stood in what constituted as the ‘cleanest’ corner of the room. Even then, she may as well have been standing in acid for how comfortable she seemed, standing on the tips of her hooves. As if trying to stay out of the dirt and grime wasn’t difficult enough, Applejack’s bellows only made it even worse. “Applejack, threats didn’t work for the past nine times. I have my doubts that it will work on the tenth.”

And just like that, all of the anger Applejack held for her captors switched over to Rarity as the farm pony whipped around. “And why the hay are you so calm?” she snapped. “In case ya ain’t noticed yet, we’re trapped in some nasty cell in Celestia-knows-where!”

“I’m aware of that, and believe me when I say that I want to get out of this place more than you do. However, shouting obscenities won’t help us with that.”

Applejack took a step closer to her calm friend. “Then what are we supposed t’ do, Ms. Composure? Just sit around with our hooves up our rear ends?”

“I don’t know,” Rarity sternly snapped back. “What I do know is that what you’re doing isn’t going to help us.”

“You can talk all you like, doin’ nothin’ ain’t gonna do any better. If Ah got a chance to get out, Ah’m gonna take it.” To punctuate herself, Applejack gave the wooden door trapping them in a quick, strong buck. The impact of her hoof slamming into the door was accompanied by a loud, echoing bang, but the door itself looked no worse for wear. 

Rarity still stood by, unimpressed, to say the least. “Are you quite finished? Or is there more to add to this lovely plan of yours?”

“At least Ah’m doin’ somethin’ an’ not just standin’ around like a loaf!"

Tension was high and tempers were higher. One hour. Two hours. Half a day. None of them had any idea how long they’d been trapped in there, nor did any of them have any idea where they were. They didn’t even know how they ended up there in the first place; they were waiting for Twilight in front of the gift shop and before they knew it, everything went black. 

Now, here they were. Trapped, isolated, and at the mercy of whoever captured them in the first place. Oddly enough, they hadn’t heard a peep outside the door ever since regaining consciousness. But before they thought that they had a decent amount of time to yell at each other some more, the silence was promptly broken. 

From the dead silence of their cells, the mares could hear faint hoof beats on the other side of the door. These hoof beats grew louder with each passing second until they stopped right in front of the cell door. All was quiet as metal clanged with wood as the locks were released.

The mares slowly backed away as the cell door creaked opened. A looming shadow crawled into the room, gliding across the stone floor. A collective silence hung in the air, save for the crackling torches and faint hoofbeats against the stone floor.

Tension weighed down on the mares, thick like a blanket. All of them, even Fluttershy, gathered close as they prepared themselves for anything, for the worst. For all they knew, it could’ve been the last moments of their lives, or the beginning of something worse than that. Countless scenarios rushed through their minds, each worse than the last, none with the slimmest chance of a positive outcome. 

The door slowed to a stop, left wide open, leading out into an impenetrable darkness. For a small, hopeful second, it seemed like there was nothing beyond those doors, that they could escape. That hope was quickly extinguished when a stallion clad in black robes stepped into the cell. The way he presented himself seemed odd, though. His stride was casual, far too calm for the situation. He didn’t show the least bit of concern that he could’ve been attacked at a moment’s notice. He just took a seat in front of them, looking over their terrified faces.


At first, he merely sat there, didn’t utter a word. Even in their dire situation, the mares couldn’t help but uncomfortably shift in their seats during the awkward silence. 

A few, long seconds later, the mysterious stallion finally cleared his throat. “I suppose I should be the one to start things off.” No response from the girls, as expected. The situation, as he saw it, certainly could’ve been better. Again, he cleared his throat. “I apologize for the rather… questionable situation that you’ve all found yourselves in.” 

None of the girls bought into his sentimental act for a single second, Applejack least of all. As the rest of her friends took a step back, she took a step forward, ready for a fight, a burning glare in her eyes. “Well, you can take your apologies an’ shove ‘em where the sun don’t shine!” she spat.

The hooded stallion took a small step back himself. He had to tread carefully. Things were already volatile enough; he couldn’t afford many more setbacks. “I understand your anger,” he said. “All I ask is for a chance to explain.”

Applejack didn’t advance again, she just sharpened her glare. “You better, if you know what’s good for you.”

The stallion hardly seemed moved by her threats. “Yes, well, I suppose I’ll start with my name.” 

“Hold on,” Applejack cut in.

“Hmm?”

“If you’re gonna try an’ play the ‘big stallion’, then you best act like it. Take off that stupid hood o’ yours an’ show us your face.” 

The stallion raised a hoof, looking as though he was about to say something. He held his tongue, however, and slowly lowered his hoof back down to the floor. “If you insist.” He reached up, gripped his dark hood between his hooves, and slowly brought it down, allowing it to drape across his shoulders. 

Standing before the mares was a stallion with a fine, azure coat along with a mane of the deepest sapphire. Even his eyes, also a deep shade of blue, had a mysterious sheen to them. With those same eyes staring into the very souls of the four mares, they wished that he had kept his hood on. 

“As I was saying,” the stallion said, “my name may be a rather obscure one for the… historically-challenged. I am Solare, named after the great King Solaris.” 

At first, none of the mares seemed moved by his over-dramatic reveal, save for Applejack. She almost seemed bothered by it, and for a terrifyingly good reason. “Hold on,” she said. “Solaris? Ain’t that the name of the fella who was ruler before the princesses?”

An amused, surprised smile cracked onto Solare’s face. “Ah, so we do have at least one history buff amongst us. I suppose that will save me some explaining. Yes, he is my ancestor, the former ruler of Equestria, until Celestia came into the picture, that is.”

“Oh, you gotta be kiddin’ me,” Applejack muttered. 

“I take it that you’re the one responsible for what’s been happening lately?" Rarity asked. 

Solare nodded. “Yes, and I apologize for that. Believe me, I would’ve loved for us to meet under… better conditions—”

“Ah woulda settled on not meetin’ you at all,” Applejack cut in.

The smallest of sighs left Solare’s muzzle. He didn’t know why he thought things would’ve gone smoother. “Yes, well, things tend to happen for a reason, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Then what is the reason for you capturing us?” Rarity asked. Actually trying to converse with that brute after he threw them into that disgusting cell certainly wasn’t something that she wanted to do. But if it meant buying more time for Celestia to find them, then it was their best option. Assuming of course that none of them made any brash movements before then. Oddly enough, she felt a pang of worry as she glanced over at the huffing farm mare beside her.

Solare cleared his throat again. “I will explain everything that you wish to know in due time. For now, though, I suppose that I should—” He didn’t get very far before he clapped his hooves together as though he remembered some crucially important detail. “Oh, of course! Where are my manners? That stone floor must be rather uncomfortable.” 

“It does… leave much to be desired,” Rarity admitted, glancing down at the cell floor.

“Agreed.” He rapped a hoof twice against the floor. Not even five seconds later, four pillows floated into the cell, all wrapped in the bright green glow of some unseen unicorn. They set themselves gingerly in front of the girls.

Despite the supposedly nice gesture, the pillows may as well have been landmines for how comfortable the mares were around them, keeping their hooves away from the soft, red fabric.

Solare either didn’t notice or didn’t care for their behavior. “Go on. Sit,” he urged. “I would hate to see you all more uncomfortable than you need to be.” 

Applejack’s glare shot up back to him. “Ah think Ah’ll pass,” she said, contempt dripping from her voice.

“I’m inclined to agree,” Rarity added, nudging her pillow away. “As a mare of etiquette, I can say that there is a time and a place for certain behaviors. This is neither the time nor the place to try and act friendly. Perhaps you should continue on to explaining why you’ve locked us in this disgusting cage like rabid animals and, for that matter, why you're doing all of this in the first place."

“If you insist,” Solare said. “Now where was I?” He tapped a hoof to his chin as he tried to regain his train of thought. “Ah, yes. I suppose I should begin this little explanation with a question. Why are you all here?” 

Another wave of silence washed through the room as the mares exchanged worried glances. Without uttering a single word, they all managed to agree, right then and there, that weren’t going to tell the truth. Unfortunately, deception was a rather prominent weakness for some of them, and outright impossible for others.

Thankfully, Rarity was quick to step back in. “We were running errands for a friend. In fact, we were on our way to the gift shop when those ghastly minions of yours attacked us.”

“A friend. Is that right?” A low, throaty chuckle left Solare’s muzzle. “Tell me. Was this friend of yours, by chance, Princess Celestia?”

Shocked gasps echoed throughout the cell as the tension came crashing back in full. “What? D-don’t be ridiculous!” Rarity hastily said, trying to save face. “Of course not. We were simply—”

Solare quickly raised a hoof, cutting Rarity off. “Spare me the lies, please. I already know the details. I simply wished to make small talk. Now, whatever reason that you think you’re here for, is not the case.” He took a moment to scan over the mares’ worried faces. “Whatever task Celestia bestowed upon you, it was nothing that she couldn’t, and likely already did, complete herself. You are not here for her. You are here for Rainbow Dash.”

“Just what the hay are you goin’ on about?” Applejack demanded. 

“Surely you’ve all noticed her odd behavior as of late. Mood swings, headaches, claims of hallucinations, heightened senses, and the like?” 

Applejack just snorted. “So what if we did? What’s that gotta do with anythin’?” 

“More than you could ever hope to imagine,” Solare said. None of the mares knew exactly what it was, but something about his tone made the air grow colder. Darker. “I doubt that any of you know just how dire things are for your friend. Whether or not you know it, she’s fighting a losing battle for her sanity. You can thank the princess for that.”

Applejack opened her mouth to say something else—another colorful retort, no doubt—but she paused, allowing Solare to continue.

“Celestia is fully aware of what she’s doing, and she’s fully aware of the consequences. Therefore, she’s taking precautions. That’s why all of you are here. As long as you, her closest friends, are with Rainbow, she’ll be able to cling on to her sanity for just a little while longer.”

While Applejack was hardly the world’s greatest debater, she wasn’t dumb enough to miss holes in an argument larger than her acres, less so when the pony speaking said argument was about as appealing to her as deep-fried apples. She took a single step forward, more agitated than angry at the drawn-out stream of nonsense leaving Solare’s mouth. “Alright, let’s pretend that Ah believe all this leavin’ your mouth. Then why are you keepin’ us away from her?” she asked.

“A minor cause for worry,” Solare admitted. “But fear not. It would take a few hours at the very least before any significant changes in Rainbow’s personality rear their ugly heads. I intend to have you all out of here before then.”

“Or how about you quit yappin’ and just let us out!” Applejack shouted.

Solare didn’t give an inch. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. Rainbow is the key to this dire situation we’ve all found ourselves in. What happens to her will determine what happens to Equestria. Listening to what I have to say may be difficult, perhaps even painful, but it must be heard. If Celestia gets her way, this land will burn. My duty, our duty, your duty, is to prevent that.”

“You’re sayin’ a lot, but all Ah’m hearin’ is a bunch o’ horseapples,” Applejack spat back. 

Something of a chuckle left Solare’s muzzle. “You don’t believe me. I understand. You don’t want to do anything that would oppose the great Princess Celestia in any way. I understand.” Solare heaved a tired, almost reluctant, sigh. “I’ll admit that Celestia has done an excellent job of maintaining her benevolent façade for the past millennia, but that façade is beginning to crack. Once it does, you’ll see what she’s truly capable of. If it comes to that, only you, the Elements, will be able to stop her.”

Silence once again. The tension in the air was practically suffocating. Solare could tell that the mares were planning an attack or some form of retaliation. He could tell just by looking at their eyes. Their eyes, some a mixture of hesitation and anger, were boring holes into him. 

It would’ve been ignorant and unprofessional of Solare to expect them to see what he saw so soon. It would take time. Perhaps it would take longer than he expected. Perhaps it would take shorter. Either way, it was going to happen. That much was certain.

Another black-clad pony, a subordinate, trotted into the cell. She whispered something into Solare’s ears; Applejack and the others couldn’t hear her. As she left the cell, Solare let out a long, deep sigh. 

“It seems we’ll have to cut this short,” he said. “I have other matters to attend to. However, I do hope that you take into consideration what I’ve said and that you would at least be somewhat open to what I have to say in the future. For Rainbow’s sake.”

“Shove it,” Applejack spat.

Solare took a moment to clear her throat. Somehow, he suspected that convincing them would be harder than he anticipated. “Very well. We’ll see if you’re singing the same tune later on. Until we meet again.” With nothing else to say, Solare turned and walked out of the cell, slamming the creaky, wooden door shut. 

The instant his hoofbeats faded into the distance, Rarity walked up to Applejack. “You don’t believe all of that hogwash, do you?”

Applejack snorted, kicking one of the pillows aside. “Not for a second. Who do they think they’re foolin’? Celestia’s gonna get us outta here, no problem. Just you wait.”

“I hope Rainbow and Twilight are okay,” Fluttershy said, finally leaving the safety of the corner.

“Well, if they ain’t here with us, then Ah’m guessin’ they got away just fine.”

Pinkie perked right up. “Yeah! Twilight must’ve used her super-duper book smarts to give ‘em the slip! And Dashie could take ten—no, twelve—with a hoof tied behind her back!” 

Despite the dire situation, Applejack couldn’t help but laugh at Pinkie’s seemingly endless energy. “Ah don’t know about all that, Pinkie, but if they are out there, then they’re gonna get us out.”

“I do hope you’re right,” Rarity said.

Applejack held her head high, confident. “Ah know Ah am. Twilight an’ Rainbow are comin’ t’ get us. The princess, too.” She sat back down on the cold floor, staring up into some spacy expanse. For a moment, her confident smile faltered, curling into a worried frown. “They have to be.”


----


As Twilight wandered down the museum’s dank lower corridors alongside her questionable pink companion, her mind was still ravaged by the images she saw up above. The ravaged architecture, the broken bodies, it was all still clear in her head. 

There were still parts of her that wanted to believe that some cruel, malevolent being was responsible, but there were just as many parts that knew who did it. She just couldn’t believe it; she didn’t want to. But she was no fool, either. It was as Star Light said up above, no other pony alive possessed the kind of magic that she sensed. All she could do was accept it.

“Twilight?”

So, she’d accept it. But then what? Was she supposed to forget about it and throw it all under the rug? No. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. No matter who it was, no matter their reason, something so needlessly destructive could not go unnoticed nor unpunished. But how would she, a mere pony, confront the princess of the sun?

“Twilight.”

She could just get directly to the point. She could just ask Celestia why she did it. She just needed to hear her explain herself; that was all she wanted. Perhaps Twilight didn’t know all of the details. Surely Celestia could shed some light if that was the case. But what if it wasn’t?

“Oh, for the love of... Twilight!”

Twilight snapped her head back up to find Star glaring back at her. Twilight didn’t even realize that she had stopped moving for what must’ve been a few seconds. A short pause, yes, but they couldn’t afford to lose more time than they already did.

“Come on, we’re almost done,” Star Light assured. “Don’t go crazy on me now.”

Twilight let out a tired sigh as she walked back up to the pink unicorn. “Sorry. It’s just… This is a lot to take in. This all just too crazy.”

Star only shook her head as Twilight grew closer. “Listen. You don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to. Things are already hard enough as is, and it won’t do us any favors if you lose your apples now.”

Perhaps Star’s methods of reassurance weren’t the best to calm Twilight down. She glared dead into Star’s eyes, teeth gritted and face twisted into a scornful frown. “I haven’t come this far to give up now. I’m not leaving my friends behind. I don’t care what I have to do.”

Star had to admit, Twilight’s tenacity was impressive. Admirable, even. However, that could only go so far. It would take more than determination and a can-do attitude to get out of there in one piece. Considering that she had to save her from one of the Eclipse’s cannon fodder, Star had her doubts that Twilight had what it took to make it all the way through. She seemed brave and determined before, but all of that could’ve just been a shell, one that was finally starting to crack under all of the pressure. Perhaps Star shouldn’t have brought her down there.

“Twilight, I’m going to be honest with you,” Star said. “This isn’t going to be easy. In fact, it’s only going to get harder from here. You say that you don’t care what you’d have to do to save your friends. You say that you’ll do anything. Now, when you say that, do you mean it?”

Twilight scrunched her face up into a confused frown. “What do you mean? Of course I’d—”

“Do you mean it?” Star Light repeated, her voice echoing down the corridor. Suddenly, Star stared Twilight down with a glare of her own. “Think about what that means, just for a second. This isn’t a game of truth-or-dare. What happens now could be the difference between life and death, and it’s fair game for everyone here. You, me, your friends. You cannot afford to hesitate, not even for a second. So, I’ll ask you again. Do you mean it when you say that you’ll do anything?”

For a moment, Twilight only stood there, speechless. Her stern glare faltered and softened as she tossed the question around in her mind. It wasn’t long before her glare came back in full, matching Star’s. “I’m just going to assume that you’re asking if I’m willing to kill. Am I right?”

Star’s glare sharpened as she slowly nodded her head.

“Well,” Twilight began, “I don’t know what you’ve learned during your upbringing that taught you that killing is the only option, but I’m going to have to disagree with you on that point. I already told you that I can handle myself, and I meant it. I’ve dealt with worse than these animals and I’ve come out just fine, and I never had to take a life for that to happen. That’s not going to change now.”

“You can handle yourself,” Star Light repeated. The skepticism dripping from her tongue could fill a bucket. “Okay, as much as I’d like to compare moralities, now’s not the time. So, you’re not going to back down?

“No.”

Star couldn’t hold back a sigh as she shook her head. “Okay, if you insist. Now, you say you can take care of yourself. Now’s the time to prove it.” Star turned back towards the dark bowels of the former dungeon. Her eyes scanned over every bit of the grey stone, assessing her environment.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, at least not at first. Light poured out of nearby storage rooms, shadows danced along the walls as the torches’ flames flickered about, and dust drifted slowly along the floor. As far as old dungeons went, it was normal. However, it wasn’t very long before Star did manage to spot something worth seeing.

“Bingo,” Star muttered. Without another word, she trotted forward, leaving a confused Twilight behind. 

“Hey, what are you doing now?” Twilight asked, following behind. 

“I think we might be on the right track here.” Star stopped right above what she was looking for. A single blue feather lay on the stone, coated in a fine layer of dust. Slowly, as though she were handling a priceless gem, Star lifted the feather up in her magic, holding it out in front of her. 

Twilight laid eyes on the feather as well. A sharp pang shot through her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was elation or fear. Perhaps it was a bit of both. “One of Rainbow’s feathers. She's been through here.”

“Yeah, she’s close. Really close.” Star Light lowered the feather and looked down an adjacent corridor. As though fate was finally on her side for once, another feather lay undisturbed on the ground a ways down the stony hall, followed by another a few meters further. Nothing else short of large, neon arrows on the wall could’ve proven to be a better trail to follow. “Okay, I think I’ve got another plan.”

“And what’s that?”

Star Light looked back down the hall ahead of them. The entire time they’ve been down there, she felt a strong source of magic emitting from the darkness. It was the same that she felt right before Celestia nearly blew the roof off of the museum. She could only hazard a guess as to whose magic it was. 

Now, Star Light was no fool. In her state, there was a good chance that Celestia would turn her into dust as soon as their eyes locked. Twilight, on the other hoof, was bound to have a much, much better time speaking with the princess. She wanted to have a nice chat with Celestia anyway. Not only that, but since Celestia no doubt cleared the way, it was bound to be the safest possible route to take.

“Listen,” Star Light said. “From what I’ve gathered, Celestia went further down this hall and Rainbow’s down the hall over here.”

“Uh-huh,” Twilight said, nodding in understanding. “So, I’m guessing we don’t have the time to find them both one by one.”

Star nodded. “Yep.”

“So, this is where we split up?”

“Exactly.”

“And I go find Rainbow while you go to Celestia,” she assumed.

“Preci—” The words stopped dead in Star Light’s throat as she registered what she just heard. “Wait, what? Oh, nononono,” she quickly shot out. “This is gonna be the other way around.”

Twilight cocked her head to the side. “The other way around?” she repeated. “You mean you’re going to go after Rainbow? You?”

“Uh... yeah. You make it sound like such a bad thing.”

Twilight only shook her head. “No.”

Star Light reared back, as though Twilight’s answer took her by surprise. “No? What do you mean no?” 

Twilight didn’t back down. She remained firm. “I’m not letting you go anywhere near Rainbow, or any of my friends, without me.” 

Star couldn’t stop herself from breathing an annoyed sigh. Just when she thought she’d cleared all of the hurdles, she came across a brick wall. “Really? Even with the stakes as high as they are, you still won’t trust me if it means saving them?”

“I don’t know who to trust anymore!” Twilight snapped. “I don’t even know why I’ve trusted you for as long as I did.”

“Maybe because without me, you’d have been thrown into some deep, dark pit? Besides, I thought you wanted to talk to the princess, remember? About what you saw upstairs?”

“I haven’t forgotten!” Twilight snapped. She was quick to calm back down, though, taking in a deep breath. “I’ll confront her with that when I have the time. Right now, my friends need me.”

“Then at least let me help you,” Star said, still pushing.

Twilight took a step closer to Star. “I already told you that I can handle myself.”

“Against a group of preschool fillies, maybe,” Star snidely replied. “I don’t know if you keep forgetting, but you and your friends were taken down by grunts. Do you honestly think you’ll hold a candle to the higher ups that are after Rainbow?”

It didn’t matter what Star said, Twilight didn’t back down for a second. “They caught me by surprise. That won’t happen again.”

“Just saying it doesn’t mean that it’ll happen. You’re out of your league here. What good will you be if you end up getting captured or killed or worse?” 

“And why do you care so much about what happens to me?”

Star Light, still inching towards the edge, took a moment to calm herself down before things spiraled out of control. She took a step back from Twilight, taking a deep breath, her glare still firm. “Normally, I wouldn’t. But this is… This is different.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes as her suspicion bored into Star’s being. “Different how?”

The struggle was clear in Star’s face as she decided on what she should and shouldn’t say. “I… I doubt that Rainbow would take kindly to me letting you run off and get yourself killed.”

“Oh, so don’t really care about me, you care about Rainbow.”

“Yes. I mean, no. I mean…” Star Light took another deep breath to calm her nerves. “Look, what do you want me to do?” 

Twilight already had her reasons to believe that something was off about Star Light, aside from the obvious, blood-stained ones. She had her suspicions that Star was keeping big secrets from her, and that little stumble only confirmed those suspicions. Admittedly, she was tempted to keep pressing the mare for answers, but decided that there were more important things to worry about.

With a deep sigh, Twilight softened her glare. As she did, Star Light seemed to relax as well. “Star Light, you’ve been wanting me to trust you from the minute we first met,” Twilight softly said. “Now, I’m asking you to trust me. I’ll be fine. I’ve dealt with worse than this. Besides, if what you’re saying about Celestia is true, then if one of us doesn’t calm her down, she’ll probably bring this entire place down before we can get out. It’s for the best.”

Star mentally sighed to herself. Even if it wasn’t a massive waste of precious time, trying to penetrate Twilight’s impenetrable determination was threatening to give her an aneurysm. However, she’d be lying if she said that the purple mare didn’t remind her of herself. It was at that exact moment when she finally realized just how much trouble she gave her master in her younger years. And just like her master, Star had to realize when she was fighting a losing battle. 

“Okay. Okay, fine,” Star said, finally yielding. “I guess you can handle this. Just follow the feathers, keep quiet, and for Equestria’s sake, be careful. I don’t need your corpse in my conscience.”

“And what are you going to do?” Twilight asked, a single eyebrow raised.

Star rolled her own eyes. “I’m going to go find Celestia and try to calm her down before she brings this place down around us.”

Twilight felt a lump in her throat as she remembered the destructive scene right above her. “Are you going to be okay?”

Star stared back down the dark corridor that led towards Celestia. Towards that powerful, pulsating source of magic. “My chances aren’t as good as yours, obviously, but Celestia used to have ties with the Assassins. Hopefully, that’ll help.” She turned back towards Twilight to share some last words, only to find a surprising sight. There was genuine concern in the mare’s eyes. So even after all of that time, Twilight didn’t hate her guts yet. Star figured that it’d be best if they parted ways soon before she said something that changed that. “Now, get going. You’ve got friends to save.”

“Right. Be careful.”

A small chuckle left Star’s muzzle. “Heh. I can’t make any promises. Now get going.”

With a final silent nod, Twilight followed Rainbow’s feathers down the adjacent corridor, disappearing into the darkness, leaving Star Light along to face the princess. For a moment, the pink unicorn just stood there, using her last moments of peace to gather her wits. Was she afraid? Terrifyingly so. Could she allow that to stop her? Absolutely not. It was part of her responsibility to look death in the eye when others couldn’t, even if it meant losing her own life in the process. 

With her final moments of peace ticking away, Star released the last of her lingering fears in one, deep sigh. It was only a matter of time before she had to reveal herself to the princess, she had just hoped that the circumstances would’ve been a bit less explosive. She couldn’t have complained too much, though. Convenience was rarely ever something that was on her side.

“It can never be easy, can it?”


----


Where are they? Where are they? Where are they?

Rainbow didn’t know how long she’d been running for; she just knew that she never stopped. Her friends were close. They had to be. She could feel it, a bubbling cocktail of emotions raging in her gut. A mixture of anxiety, fear, excitement, anger, despair, anticipation, and a plethora of other feelings battled for dominancy, resulting in one potent sense of confusion.

That wasn’t going to stop her. She knew that every frantic beat against the stone floor, her burning lungs, and sore, aching legs were all signs that she was getting closer. But during her wild sprint, she couldn’t shake that lingering sense of doubt itching at the back of her mind.

It was clear that she was moving; the stone halls sped by, the torches’ crackling flames spun and twirled she galloped past them. She knew that she was moving, but it felt as though she was still getting nowhere. She sped down corridors, whipped around corners, but she didn’t feel any closer than she was before. Everything looked the same. For all she knew, she was just running in circles.

Rainbow finally skidded to a stop in the middle of the dank corridor. No matter where she looked, it all just led into the same dark expanse she’d been blindly running through. She wasn’t going to find them at this rate. She just needed to hear their voices again, to pinpoint where they were in that maze.

“Guys!” she cried. Her voice echoed down the hall, bouncing from wall to stony wall before fading back into stark silence. 

Nothing, not even a murmur, came back in response. That wasn’t good, not good at all. Nothing about anything seemed good. She was wandering around the bowels of a dungeon-turned-storage room under the brittle remains of a museum on a wild goose chase for her friends who may or may not even be there. For all she knew, she could’ve just been hearing things; she was already going crazy. 

But she wasn’t going to stop. She couldn’t stop, not while she could still move. She was going to find them. She didn’t care if she had to tear the place apart, she was going to find them.

Rainbow Dash took another step to continue her search. The moment she did, however, her ears caught a noise that tensed every muscle in her body. In the silence of the corridors, Rainbow heard another pony’s frantic gallop. A gallop that was headed straight towards her. 

As though it was purely instinctual, Rainbow whipped around to face the potential ambusher, only to catch a split-second glance of a pony’s tail disappearing around a corner. It wasn’t one belonging to any pony she knew, but it still belonged to a pony, and that was enough reason for Rainbow to follow.

Silently and slowly, she crept up to the corner as the galloping faded into the distance. She peeked her head out, peering into the darkness ahead. Through the black expanse, she spotted a figure’s shadow darting away. Though she couldn’t make out the details, she could still make out the flowing flaps of the pony’s robes. It had to be a member of the same organization responsible for everything she’s been through. The Eclipse.

“Hey!” Rainbow cried. “Come back here!” The mysterious figure didn’t slow their sprint, hardly a surprise to the pegasus. Throwing caution to the wind, Rainbow chased after the pony, speeding down the hall as quickly as her legs would carry her. 

The distance between her and her target grew smaller and smaller with each passing second. She was not going to get away, and she was going to tell Rainbow where her friends were, whether or not that information came out willingly. Even when the shadowed pony turned a corner, possibly preparing for an ambush, Rainbow didn’t slow, didn’t even entertain the thought. She was far beyond the point of rational action. 

She whipped around the corner, and, as a reward for her rash action, found herself only a mere few meters from her target, who had finally stopped running, if only for a brief time. Her back was to Rainbow, an opportunity that the pegasus wasn’t going to put to waste.

In her frenzied, angry state, Rainbow missed a few key details. She failed to notice that the pony’s robes weren’t a pitch black, but an almost gleaming white, with a blood-red sash around the waist. She also failed to notice that the pony seemed just as confused and frantic as she was, darting her head all around, trying to find something of her own. However, the largest thing that Rainbow failed to notice was that the pony before her was one that she had the displeasure of meeting before. 

Rainbow didn’t notice those things, nor was she going to take the time to find out. Instead, she chose to skip the formalities and get straight to the physical part of the confrontation. Rainbow dove towards the oblivious mare, not even entirely sure what she was going to do once she was in her grip. However, instead of feeling the weighty impact of a tackle, she passed right through the mare, grabbing nothing but air.

Rainbow crashed into the ground, skidding across the stone. She didn’t even take the time to register what had just happened before hopping back up to her hooves, ready and eager to try again. She didn’t even take a single step forward before a crippling sense of dread shot through her heart. 

As Rainbow stood there, staring at the mare’s face, she finally recognized her. How could she not? The black fur. The green eyes. The white streak of color splitting through her black mane. It was impossible for Rainbow to not recognize her. It was a mare she had the misfortune of meeting far too many times. 

“Oh, not again,” was all that Rainbow could say. And as though she needed more confirmation, the mare spoke. 

He is not here, either. Where else could he be?

Rainbow saw the mare’s mouth move, yet the voice was inside her head, and it came with the gentleness of a swift buck to the temple. Rainbow’s legs buckled underneath her as a fresh wave of pain exploded inside of her skull. She could do nothing but hold back her pained screams, letting them out as one long, sustained hiss. 

As she recovered, opening her eyes once again, she fixed them on the black mare before her. Shadow, or her spirit, or her hallucinogenic projection caused by whatever was left of Rainbow’s broken mind, stared at something on the wall. Instead of listening to her instincts and just running away, Rainbow felt a strange compulsion to approach the hallucination, if only to see whatever it was Shadow was seeing.

“Man, this is crazy,” Rainbow muttered, simultaneously winning an invisible award for Grossest Understatement Ever. With a deep breath, she inched towards the mare as though she could lash out and attack at any moment. After everything that happened already, Rainbow wasn’t above believing that that could’ve very well been the case.

Only when she was right next to her did Rainbow take her eyes off of Shadow and look up at the wall. Surprisingly, she did spot something of interest. It seemed that there was something attached to the wall, but was painted over with black paint that blended nearly perfectly with the darkness. It must’ve happened during the renovations. Rainbow hardly had time to even ponder on what it could be before Shadow galloped away, heading even further into the maze.

Rainbow was tempted to follow immediately, but she had to admit, she wanted to know what she saw. The paint itself seemed old, chipped, and flaky, so finding out wasn’t going to take much effort. Using her hoof, Rainbow scraped away at the paint. Dozens of flakes fluttered to the ground as more and more of the ancient, wooden sign underneath revealed itself.

It didn’t take much longer before Rainbow could read the sign. According to that sign, the dungeon's cells were off to her right. Again, relief, excitement, and fear battled for dominance in her mind, but regardless, she just wanted to get there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, she couldn’t continue on her way before something else caught her attention.

“Ah, there you are, Ms. Dash.”

That voice. It was close. Not in her head. Right behind her. It sent a familiar sensation down her spine. Not a fearful chill, not even a lingering sense of anxiety. No, that sensation was the seething sense of anger. She had only heard that voice once before, but that one time was all she needed. Rainbow spun around, finding a familiar, unpleasant sight.

“You again.” The anger in Rainbow’s eyes was enough to melt ice, but the stallion before her remained unmoved.

“Excellent. So you do remember me. That actually makes things simpler than I anticipated. So, I suppose you won’t mind if we continue from where we last left off.”

“Move,” Rainbow growled. 

“As I’ve said before, it doesn’t work that way. I’m not going anywhere until you hear what needs to be said.”

His words didn’t even reach Rainbow’s ears. She didn’t care about anything that he had to say. She was angry. Angry at the smug inflection behind his words. Angry at his unwavering self-confidence. Angry at that annoying smirk that he gave her from the shadows of the hood draping over his eyes. She was angry, and she was more than willing to let it all out.

“Rainbow Dash,” the stallion called, growing sterner. “Whether or not you want to hear this, you must. It is crucial that you do.”

“I said move!” If there was any sense of caution left in Rainbow’s actions, it was thrown to the wind when she broke into a blind, frenzied charge right towards the stallion. The thought of a trap or an ambush never even crossed her mind. She was solely focused on herself, the stallion before her, and the rapidly closing distance between them. 

She was so caught up in her anger, she failed to notice the faint, green glow in the darkness behind the stallion. Only when a green beam tore through the air did she notice it, not that it mattered. She had no hope of dodging it. The energy beam struck Rainbow dead in the chest. There was no pain accompanying the blast, just an impact that knocked the wind right out of her as it sent her flying back. 

Rainbow landed flat on her back, breathless from the attack. She hardly had time to roll onto her stomach before another hooded figure was upon her, pinning her to the ground with a firm hoof on her back. Perhaps with a bit of effort, she would’ve been able to slip out from the grip, but any hope at that was washed away when she felt a sharp, cold piece of metal press up against her throat.

As she struggled against her captor’s hold, the stallion closed the remaining distance, practically teasing Rainbow as he stood only mere inches from her. “I must say, this is a pleasant surprise. I was admittedly worried that we wouldn’t cross paths again for quite some time, but it is good to see that that isn't the case. So, I suppose this means that you wish to talk?”

With the burning hot glare she gave him, it went without saying that Rainbow was less than cooperative. “Bite me,” she spat. Her insolence earned her a swift, painful punch to the back of her head. 

The stallion quickly raised a hoof to calm down his subordinate. “There is no need for that, Comet. I’m certain Ms. Dash is more than willing to be cooperative, considering what’s at stake.” He sat down in front of her, staring right into her angry eyes. “Now that I have your undivided attention once again, allow me to continue where we last left off.”

Even pinned down, even with a dagger against her neck, Rainbow still tried to attack the stallion before her, futile as her attempts were. “You really expect me to care about anything you have to say? You must be dumber than I thought.”

“Ah, you say that now, but rest assured, you will see things very differently in due time. You can begin that change now by simply listening.”

Rainbow only snorted. “If you really think I’m gonna sit here and—” Her little retort was cut short with another sharp crack to her head.

“It isn’t my intention to do you harm, but I will if you leave me no choice.”

In spite of the situation, a small smirk cracked onto Rainbow’s face. “That’s funny,” she said. “Last I remembered, you tried to kill me!”

The stallion simply chuckled. “Come now, Ms. Dash. You and I both knew that those grunts were no match for you. I was simply having fun with you.”

“Fun? That’s what you call it?”

“Yes, but that hardly matters now. The time for fun is over. We have things to discuss, things that involve Celestia.”

Again, Rainbow’s lips curled into a smirk. She’d read enough comic books to know where things were going. “Let me guess,” she began. “You’re gonna give me this huge, rehearsed speech about how the princess is the worst thing since deep-fried apples. That’s supposed to get me to join you in whatever piles of horseapples you’ve got planned to take over the world. But—and here’s the twist—you’re gonna end up turning on me in the middle of it all and use me to find out where the other Pieces of Equestria are. Am I still in the ballpark here?” 

The stallion assaulted Rainbow’s ears with another chuckle. “You seem to misunderstand my intentions. What I am about to say is no lie, nor is it part of any harebrained scheme to conquer the world. In fact, my intention is to save it.”

With her stoic, unflinching gaze and unamused frown, Rainbow couldn’t have look more unconvinced if she tried. “Uh-huh. And I guess this guy you’ve got here used to foalsit on the weekends.”

“Oh, Comet actually used to own a small pet shop. It, unfortunately, didn’t do very well, however. I suppose not many ponies are very willing to own manticore younglings.”

“… Okay, now you’re just messing with me.”

“Anything but, Ms. Dash. Everything I’ve said so far has been nothing but to truth, and I intend to keep it that way.” 

Rainbow didn’t say anything in response. She simply glared at the stallion, shaking her head, eyes full of contempt. 

“You don’t believe me,” the stallion said.

“Ya don’t say?” Rainbow retorted. 

The stallion sighed, a nice alternative to that annoying chuckle of his. “Very well. Then how about this? I’ve already told you that I’m a stallion of facts, but I’m also a stallion of my word. If you consider what I’m about to say, even for a second, then I’ll take you to your friends.”

Rainbow’s body immediately locked up. She tried to jump back up to her hooves, only to be pushed back to the ground. “Where are they?” she demanded.

“Rest assured, they’re safe, sound, and unharmed. If you want it to stay that way, then you will calm yourself and listen.”

Calm. That wasn’t the word Rainbow wanted to hear. There was nothing calm about anything. In the midst of everything happening, she was supposed to calm down? She didn’t want to, if only because that stallion asked her to, but if it meant finding her friends in that maze, she didn’t have much choice. Besides, she couldn’t do much regardless, not without getting her neck slit.

Finally, reluctantly, Rainbow took a deep breath, releasing the anger pent up inside. She loosened her body, remaining tense enough to react at a second’s notice. As far as the stallion was concerned however, she was as calm as could be. 

“I suppose that will have to do,” he finally said. After clearing his throat, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he began. “Now, I’m positive that Celestia has already informed you of her search for the Apple. That is, after all, why she’s been putting you through Shadow Streak's memories. She needs you in order to find it. Now, have you even considered what will happen if she does find it?” 

He paused, waiting for a response from his captive listener. That answer never came. The most he received from Rainbow was a fierce glare. 

Soon enough, he cleared his throat. “Feel free to answer that question, Ms. Dash.”

“You said that I only have to listen. I’m listening, so keep talking.” 

The stallion let out a sigh. Though some things were going against his initial plans, Rainbow was still just as difficult as he had expected. “Very well. If you think that Celestia will simply lock the Apple away, then you are sorely mistaken. The Apple is a very powerful object. Powerful enough to bring an entire nation to its knees. Powerful enough to change history. Powerful enough to change a being’s very genetic structure. Powerful enough to do all of these things and more by simply willing it.

"Celestia had a taste of that power, and became addicted to it. She has been for the past one thousand years, and will do anything to taste that power again. Her finding the Apple will not ensure Equestria’s safety. No, if she finds it then nothing here will be safe. That’s where you come in, Ms. Dash. Without you, Celestia will be as blind as she was for the past thousand years. The simplest solution would be to kill you, but that wouldn’t serve our entire goal. As long as that object is out there, any fool could stumble across it, and who knows what would happen if that were to be the case. 

"The only way to ensure that destruction doesn’t befall Equestria is to obtain the Apple ourselves.”

After wasting her time listening to that stallion’s deluded speech, she only sighed. Partly out of pity, but mostly out of contempt. She could hardly even begin to explain everything wrong with what she just heard. That wasn’t going to stop her from trying, though. “So, let me get this straight. You expect me to believe that you and your flunkies won’t use this powerful piece of fruit to rule Equestria, but Celestia—the benevolent Princess Celestia—will?” She couldn’t contain her laughter when the stallion nodded. “Wow, you really are stupid.”

“Just open your eyes! You’ve seen through Shadow’s eyes what Equestria was like a thousand years ago. It was a land filled with chaos, corruption, and death. Do you honestly believe that the princess could’ve changed all of that with mere words? Or do you refuse to open your mind to the possibility that they aren’t as pure as you and the rest of the world thought they were?”

Rainbow didn’t want to agree with anything that he said. She couldn’t. Still, that didn’t change the fact that he had a point, as much as she wanted to deny it. What could the princesses have done when Equestria was in such a state of disarray in order to get the entire nation behind them? Surely they had their own reasons, their own ways of doing things that weren’t nearly as bad as that stallion was trying to paint them to be. They were the princesses; they always had a reason for why they did things. Right?

The smallest of smiles cracked onto the stallion’s face as he noticed Rainbow’s hesitation. “You can’t say that I’m wrong, can you? Just look at today. Today alone, she’s decimated a tavern full of patrons and nearly leveled an entire museum in a single blast, civilians and all, without hesitation. Does that sound like your benevolent princess?”

Rainbow was more than ready to deliver another clever retort, but the words caught in her throat as something made itself prominent in her mind. For a brief instant, a very, very brief instant, Rainbow nearly agreed with the stallion. She couldn’t deny that she was furious after witnessing what Celestia did, but she was already trying to convince herself that Celestia had a good reason for doing so. She could only hope that the stallion didn’t see the hesitation on her face for that brief instant; the last thing she wanted to do was give the slightest hint that he was possibly right.

“So, she was pissed,” Rainbow said. “I’d be too if a bunch of chumps like you were threatening Equestria.”

Her resistance didn’t serve to worry the stallion. “And what of the events leading up to now? What of the things that Celestia has done to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, exasperated.

“Your headaches. Your hallucinations. Do you honestly believe that that’s going to be the worst of it? Celestia knows what will happen to you at this rate. If she doesn’t stop, you won’t simply suffer headaches, you’ll die.”

Were it coming from anyone else in any other scenario, Rainbow may have taken that into consideration, but she’d sooner cut off her own wings before listening to anything that stallion had to say as fact. “How much longer are you gonna keep feeding me this crap?” Rainbow asked with a roll of the eyes. 

“For as long as it takes for you to see the truth. Your entire life, your very existence, has been a well-crafted lie. There are things from your past that you were never meant to discover. Your connection to Shadow Streak is one of them. Many played a part in this, but if you don’t believe me—”

“I don’t,” Rainbow cut it.

Much to his credit, the stallion didn’t falter in his little speech. “—then perhaps you should take this information to your parents and see how they react.”

Out of all the nonsense that he tried to feed her, that was what hit her the most. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she growled.

A smirk cracked onto the stallion’s face. It seemed that he was finally getting to her. “Now, I don’t want to bog you down with too much, so I’ll stop here. If you wish to know more, then perhaps you should follow my advice and ask your parents why they’ve been lying to you for your entire life.” Leaving that for Rainbow to chew on, he got back up and started walking away.

However, if that stallion had hoped for the pegasus to simply sit there and accept that, then he was in for a rude awakening. Rainbow bucked and kicked for all she was worth in an aggressive attempt to get up, but her captor kept a hoof planted firmly on her back, only applying more force as Rainbow’s efforts intensified. But as hard as she tried, she wasn’t going anywhere.

As her struggles inevitably came to a tired end, the target of her aggression came to a sudden stop. “Oh, yes, I nearly forgot!” he exclaimed, turning back towards Rainbow. “I did promise that I’d take you to your friends if you’d listen to what I had to say, and as a stallion of my word, I’m going to uphold that promise. Comet, please escort Ms. Dash to the cell blocks and place her in the cell opposite the others. I suppose she’s earned some quality time with them.”

His hooded assistant wasted no time in following orders. However, the instant she lifted her hoof off of Rainbow’s back, the pegasus sprang into action. She darted away from the mare, breaking into a frenzied, rage-fueled charge right towards the stallion well-deserving of her ire. 

Meters turned into feet. Feet into mere inches. But just as she was gearing herself up for a tackle, she stopped. Not of her own will, absolutely not; rather, something forced her to a dead halt. She flailed her limbs about, trying to gain a single inch, but it was a fruitless effort. It wasn’t long, however, before she finally noticed the faint, hazy, green hue surrounding her body.

But Rainbow wasn’t one to give up. She swung her hooves out at the stallion, trying to at least scrape him across that smirking face of his, but she was denied even that. He was standing calmly just out of her reach, and no amount of stretching and straining was going to change that.

The stallion, hardly bothered by her assault, turned around once again. “While you’re busy with that, Comet, I have other matters to attend to. And for your sake, be careful. We have three uninvited guests wandering these halls, and it would certainly be unfortunate if you were to happen upon them. That will be all. Dismissed.”

Without wasting another second, the stallion, the one thing Rainbow wanted to see leave this life, walked right past her, leaving Rainbow unable to do anything to stop him. At the very same time, Comet took Rainbow Dash and started towards the dungeon’s cell block, a journey the pegasus would’ve much rather made on her own.

All the while, Rainbow kept trying to break from the unicorn’s magical grip to no avail. But trying to do the impossible was hardly enough reason for her to give up. She only doubled her efforts, pouring every ounce of strength she had into overpowering the unicorn’s magic. She was too close to her friends to fail now. She couldn’t allow it. She couldn’t just lie there, helpless, and let that happen. She’d rather die.

Just remain calm. The moment you are not calm is the moment you lose. 

Rainbow’s struggles came to an immediate halt when that voice raced through her head again. That annoying, familiar voice that she just wanted to stop. But there was something odd about it this time. She couldn’t quite explain it, but Rainbow felt as though those random thoughts were speaking to her in a way. She couldn’t, for the life of her, explain how that worked, but she wasn’t going to complain. That voice, whatever it was, was right. She wasn’t going to get anywhere blinded by rage. Even though it was difficult, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she needed to calm herself down. After all, it had yet to let her down up to that point. 

Rainbow closed her eyes, clearing her storming mind of its thoughts. She allowed her body, rigid and tense, to loosen and go limp, dangling in her captive’s grip. Her shallow and erratic breathing slowly but surely grew controlled once again. With each calm breath, with each passing second, it felt as though more and more weights were being lifted from her shoulders. And that wasn’t the change that she noticed.

Opening her eyes, Rainbow saw the dungeon in an entirely new light. The initial mugginess was gone as though some hazy veil was lifted from her eyes. The perfectly rhythmic hoofbeats of her captor were loud and clear, as was the minute crumbling of the ancient stone surrounding the pair. Rainbow could hardly believe it herself, but she was actually smiling at the insane difference. However, she’d be crying from uproarious laughter only once she got out of that unicorn’s magic, and she was already scanning the environment to do just that.

Just from looking, the number of things Rainbow was capable of doing while floating down a dungeon corridor in a moving magical cocoon was simply mind-boggling. With a single, well-aimed kick, she could send one of the many mounted torches flying towards her captor, she could drag her hooves along the ground, loosening several of the damp stones, causing her captor to trip, if her captor would get close enough, she could simply kick out a leg and crack her in the face, but that would’ve been too easy. 

Of course, she could do any one of these things if her captor weren’t already a step ahead of her. Comet not only kept her distance from Rainbow’s back legs, but she also wisely kept Rainbow away from the wall with the torches, as well as away from the floor. However, not all hope was lost just yet.

The pair had long since left the section of the former dungeon that had been renovated. The halls they were traveling down hadn’t seen any treatment for over a thousand years, and it showed. Moss, dribbling water, and that endearing musky odor all signaled towards the fact that those walls were ready to crumble at a moment’s notice. Comet seemed to have forgotten that. Rainbow didn’t.

Although she was kept away from the wall with the torches, Rainbow was well within kicking distance of the bare one, and that was all she needed. One swift kick to any portion of that wall, and it would send a significant portion of the hall crashing down. If fate smiled down on her, she’d be able to get away amid the crumbling chaos. It was a risk, yes, but Rainbow was hardly the type to be deterred by something as silly as risks. 

Well, it’s now or never.

With a swift kick, Rainbow struck the weak wall. Just as expected, that portion of wall fell right out. With their only means of support tragically taken away, other blocks of stone followed suit, crumbling out of the wall in a slowly growing avalanche. It wasn’t long before the ceiling above them started losing bricks as well, dropping its thousand-year old payload all around the mares below it.

Comet stopped dead in her tracks amidst the destruction, whipping her head back and forth as more rocks came crashing down. During the confusion, a rock managed to crack her right on the head. That little interruption was more than enough to force her to lose all focus on her spell.

The magical aura trapping Rainbow immediately disappeared, plopping Rainbow down onto the floor. She was just about to let out a well-deserved hoorah when a particularly ominous rumble emanated from the very dungeon she was standing in. Yes, now that the first part of her master plan went off without a hitch, she had to worry about the second part, if the crumbling ceiling was any indicator: actually getting out of there in one piece. 

“Oh, yeah. Didn’t think that far ahead.”

Rainbow didn’t need to think twice about getting out of there, and bolted down the hall. No time too soon, either. What used to be a steady dribble of rather hefty bits of rock quickly turned into a storm of debris. The raining torrent of rock, gravel, and dirt practically chased after Rainbow as she sped down the hall, pelting her with all sorts of stones and pebbles. The debris crashing down behind her roared in her ears, only making her run even faster. Slowing for even an instant would mean ending up about sixty feet under. 

All the while, Rainbow had to deal with debris falling in front of her. She could hardly go two steps without having to avoid a heavy bit of stone. She dipped her head, stepped off to the side, did whatever she had to do in order to avoid the obstructions. It didn’t help that they were falling in more frequency, hardly leaving Rainbow with any room to breathe or for error, yet she was still pulling it off. It almost felt surreal. Unnatural, even, yet she was doing it.

As the avalanche of debris grew in intensity, so too did Rainbow’s efforts to escape. Her entire body screamed as it pushed itself into overdrive. Rainbow ran faster than she ever thought possible. She avoided falling debris with otherworldly reaction. Her lungs and legs burned from the effort, each breath and beat against the stone floor sending another wave of pain throughout her body. But there was something else there as well. Something flowing through her veins. The adrenaline fueling her movements felt ecstatic, and each pump of her racing heart only sent more coursing throughout her body. It was odd, but Rainbow didn’t want the danger to stop. But as with all things, it soon did.

The entire ordeal had to have lasted at least fifteen seconds, but it felt like eternity, as near-death experiences tend to. However, it was only a matter of time before the pouring debris finally came to a relieving halt. Rainbow slowed her sprint to a stop once she was safe from her close call with an early grave. She stood there, with sore legs and lungs, as she observed the destruction she just escaped. 

The hall was completely filled with nothing but thousands of pounds of stone and dirt. It was almost impossible to believe that she even had a chance to escape something like that, let alone actually pulling it off. It almost felt like some kind of dream.

It should’ve been impossible to react with such impeccable timing, yet Rainbow somehow managed to do it again and again. Despite having only a split-second to react at times, it felt as though she had all the time in the world. It felt… good. And that was to say nothing of the rush, the thrill, the adrenaline flowing through her veins as she stared death in the face and still came out without a scratch. It left a huge, dumb smile on her face. It was intoxicating. She needed more, and if she was going to run into more of those goons, then she was no doubt going to get it.

Still, she had larger things than her adrenaline fix to worry about. After that, her friends had to be close. It was only a matter of time before she found them, and once they were out of there, that whole, entire dungeon could collapse in on itself for all she cared. But it wasn't all bad. With all of that noise, she no doubt attracted the attention of every grunt infesting those dungeon halls. Now they knew that she was there, that she was close, and chances were good that they were going to pull out all the stops in order to bring her down.

Rainbow simply couldn't wait.