Starsong slowly opened his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. His whole body was tired and ached all over, especially his lower region but...he felt happy and satisfied. After the grogginess in his head cleared away, a sweet scent filled his nostrils, making him turn his head to the side. His lips curved into a smile when he saw the pale pink mane of the mare sleeping peacefully beside him.
Slowly sitting up, he saw the pleased smile on Amaka's face. He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked as she slept. A faint blush appeared on his face when he recalled what happened last night. Now that most of his senses had kicked back into gear, he could feel an unpleasant sticky sensation down in his lower regions. Grimacing he began to quietly get up, not wanting to awake the sleeping mare.
Just as his hooves touched the ground, the door to the room opened and the Matriarch's secretary entered, holding a datapad in her magic. Looking up from the document she saw the stallion in all his glory, her eyes shortly meeting with Starsong's for a rather awkward moment. The Templar's face rushed with blood, but the mare's stoic expression didn't falter whatsoever.
“Oh good, you're up. Saves me the trouble of waking you up.” Erina said casually.
“Do you always waltz in like that?” The red unicorn asked quietly, and with obvious displeasure.
“Most of the time, Overseer, but don’t let this trouble you. You’re not the first stallion I’ve seen like this, and knowing the Matriarch, you won’t be the last.” She couldn’t help smirk a little when she saw the stallion scrunch up his face in displeasure. “By the way, there’s no need for you to lower your voice. She’s a very heavy sleeper.” The blue mare calmly spoke.
Starsong narrowed his eyes and growled at her in response, but the mare remained unfazed as she turned towards the open door. “Pick up your clothes, and follow me. I'll take you to your room. There you can bathe and find a change of clothes while we have your robes cleaned for you.” The stallion reluctantly did as he was told and hesitantly followed the mare out the door.
As they walked through the corridor, Starsong hesitantly asked. “Isn't it a bit...inappropriate for me to be walking around like this?” He gestured to his state of undress, while trying cover himself with his rumpled robes.
“Very few of the staff pass through this particular corridor so you don't have to worry about it. But for those who do, they know when to steer clear of it. Though some of the residents from the lower levels have complained of loud screaming last night.” The mare casually said as she glanced at Starsong accusingly, who smiled back in a comically embarrassed fashion. The fact that there was no one in the corridors to see it brought him some small comfort.
Their trek to Starsong’s assigned quarters was relatively short as it only took them a few minutes to arrive. “Here we are, Overseer, your room.” The mare stated.
“I noticed that it’s quite close to the Matriarch’s room.” Starsong commented as he could still see the door to Amaka’s quarters down the corridor.
“If I know my employer, which I do, she'll definitely want to keep you close at hoof.” Then she opened the door and walked in, ignoring the scowl on the red unicorn's face.
“I am not a toy for her to use whenever she wants!” He stated indignantly, after which he stomped into the room, the door closing behind him. His anger was quickly forgotten when he saw the room he was to stay in until his request reached the High Matriarch.
The room was simple in comparison to the Matriarch's own room, but it was still quite luxurious nonetheless. All of the furniture was made from actual wood, a rare commodity in this part of the sector, which tastefully contrasted with the golden walls and the blue carpets.
A single bed was placed near the enclosed veranda, giving him a good view of the stars outside, he could even see his ship in the dry docks as repair drones went about fixing the damages.
“They all say that...” Erina muttered to herself, before she turned to him and asked. “Are you connected with the Khala right now, Overseer?”
“Why do you ask?” He questioned back, raising a brow.
“I want to talk to you about something in private.”
Starsong rolled his eyes at the mare and said, “Seriously? Can't you bother some of the guards for that?”
He was surprised when the mare’s stoic expression suddenly broke into an angry scowl and she poked him threateningly in the chest. “Don't you ever dare compare me to the Matriarch! Ever!”
“Understood…” Despite all his years as a Templar, Starsong actually felt a tinge of fear when he saw the wild look in the mare’s eyes.
Erina then stepped back and cleared her throat. “Now I’ll ask you again, are you connected with the Khala or not?”
“N..No...I'm not.” He replied, feeling a bit uneasy about where this is going.
“Good.” She then looked around the room for something, before continuing. “I wanted to tell you that you shouldn’t trust everyone aboard the station. Something bad is happening in this station and there are ponies here that are involved in it.”
“Have you told your Matriarch or anyone else about this?” He asked, now a bit more curious about the mare before him.
“No, you’re the only one I’ve told so far.”
Starsong narrowed his eye at the mare and asked. “Is the Matriarch involved in this?”
She was about to say something but then decided against it and shook her head.
“Then may I ask who exactly these other ponies might be?” Starsong asked, hoping to coax some more information out of her.
“No.” She replied as she walked pass him towards the door, her stoic expression returned. “There are eyes and ears in the shadows so be careful of what you say and watch your back.” She warned before the metal door slid open.
“You'll find spare robes you might need in the wardrobe.” She replied to his nonexistent question in her usual taciturn manner. “For now Overseer, I bid you farewell.” She finished before walking out the room, leaving behind a rather puzzled Starsong.
Outside in the corridor, Erina let out a sigh as she walked away from the Overseer’s room. She was about to connect with the Khala when a pair of hooves suddenly grabbed her from behind. She tried to scream for help, but a magic aura forced her muzzle shut before she and her captor vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
She then reappeared in a dark room with her captor. She tried to scream for help as she struggled against her abductor, but he refused to let her go. She stopped when she heard a deep and familiar voice addressing her.
“Forget about screaming, and don't even try connecting with the Khala! Am I clear?”
Being incapable of doing anything else, the mare nodded.
“Good.” The voice said as Erina felt her body being slowly released until she was freed. She dropped to the floor on all fours and went into a coughing fit. However, before she could recover, she cried out in pain when her abductor pulled her up to her hind legs by her mane. She was silenced when her abductor pressed his hoof to her throat.
She flinched when a red warp blade activated right next to her face, the red glow of the blade revealed that she was in the storage rooms, a place she hasn’t been to in years. But before she could reminisce about the past, she was reminded of the present by her captor when he pulled her face towards him.
Her abductor was a white unicorn stallion with short white mane and blood red eyes. He was dressed in the typical attire of a Dark Templar, and bore two warp blade gauntlets, one of which was currently still active as the light from the blade shined over the open spot where his cutie mark - a bloodied fang positioned in front of a moon - was bared.
“What did you tell that Overseer?” He demanded. “You better not be lying…or else!”
“N-N...nothing...M-Moon Fang...I told him...nothing!” The mare barely choked out as the stallion pressed his hoof harder against her throat.
“Really? Are you sure? You were in there an awfully long time.” Moon Fang continued, a devilish grin forming on his face.
“Real...ly...” Erina replied weakly.
The stallion chuckled to himself as he stroked her cheek with the hoof where the warp blade gauntlet was on, making sure not to touch her with the glowing blade. He then buried his muzzle in her mane and deeply inhaled her scent before letting out a satisfied sigh.
“You know, Amaka's nice, but you...you're something else entirely. Think of all the fun I could have with you...” the mare shuddered at his words “...Sadly however, our beloved Matriarch would be quite displeased if anything were to happen to you…At least, not without her ordering it that is.” He lowered his muzzle down to her ear and whispered. “I just can't wait for you to mess up Erina...just give me an opening.”
“I h-hope you...rot in the Ab-byss!...” Erina hissed.
The Dark Templar simply chuckled darkly in response. “I know. I love you too, sweetheart.” He said mockingly before his expression turned serious again. “Now remember...this little chat of ours never happened, or there will be trouble for both you...and the kid.” A sinister grin grew on the stallion's face when the mare stopped struggling altogether.
Erina shut her eyes and nodded obediently. “You always listen. I like that about you.” Moon Fang said, before he took her and teleported away from the storage room.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the same corridor where Moon Fang had abducted her. The Dark Templar chuckled as he released her from his grasp, letting her fall to her knees, now able to breathe again. She held a hoof to her throat, rubbing it in an attempt to ease the pain.
“Remember sweetheart, I’m always watching…” The stallion said before he vanished in a smoky white vortex.
An angry expression formed on the mare's face as she slowly recovered and got back up to her hooves, picked up the fallen datapad and walked off to carry out her duties.
“Any luck?” Rain Sight asked Scootaloo over the comm as she flew Tom over her part of the mountain range, looking for any sign of their friend’s prismatic mane, but all she could see was snow, snow and more snow. It was like trying to find a colorful needle in an impossibly large haystack.
They were following the guidance beacons when they heard a sound resembling an explosion in the distance, followed by a wave of prismatic light. Thinking that their rainbow-maned companion may have caused it, Rain Sight changed course to where they saw the light came from.
When they reached their destination, they were surprised to find a gaping hole in the clouds as well as a small plateau below it, which was inexplicably free of snow and ice, but they still found no other signs of Rainbow Dash. With no other option, they decided to split up and search the area near the plateau for the impulsive pegasus.
Minutes passed before she heard Scootaloo’s voice coming through the comm. “Nothing yet, but I think she’s close by. Why don’t you head back to that plateau and see if there’s anything we might have missed the first time round. I’ll join you when I’m done over here on my end.”
“Roger that, I’ll contact you if I find anything.” She turned Tom around and flew back to the plateau. When she returned there, the hole in the clouds had closed and the previously bare patch of land was already blanketed by a layer of fresh snow. She was about to land and give the plateau a closer look when she noticed a trail of black smoke near one of the beacon towers in the distance. With the storm settling down, she could see it quite clearly
Thinking that it might be Rainbow Dash, the purple mare immediately flew Tom over to take a closer look. When she got closer to the beacon tower, she discovered a deep valley hidden in the ice and snow, and the thick plume of smoke she saw was coming out of it. She pulled up her binoculars and looked for the source of the smoke.
Her eyes widened when she saw Shining Night’s shuttle at the very bottom of the valley. She zoomed in on the shuttle and saw two ponies clad in leather suits walking outside the shuttle, carrying out repairs on the grounded ship. She recognized one of them as the same stallion she saw visiting Shining Armor at the hospital, Twilight’s father!
Realizing that if Twilight’s parents were here, then Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be far behind; Rain Sight quickly sent a message to Scootaloo before she flew the ship down into the valley, taking care to avoid hitting the jagged walls of ice on both sides.
On one of the larger stone ledges jutting out of the valley walls, far above where Shining Night’s shuttle had landed, Rainbow Dash was lying on her belly as she set up the rail rifle for the shot she was about to take. The ledge gave her a near-perfect view of the valley below, and a clear line of sight to the shuttle.
She aimed the barrel down at the shuttle and looked through the rifle’s range finder. She could see the head of the shuttle pilot quite clearly and could easily end his life right now with a single pull of the trigger, but he wasn’t her target. She moved the rifle around until she spotted the same blue stallion she saw in Shining Armor’s hospital room.
After disengaging the rifle’s safety, she aimed for the stallion’s head, thinking that it was probably what Twilight did with Jet Stream, right before she pulled the trigger. She exhaled and gritted her teeth before she squeezed the trigger…only for nothing to happen.
“What the hell?!” she exclaimed before covering her mouth, hoping that the ponies below haven’t heard her. Thankfully, the roaring wind above the valley drowned out her voice before Shining Night could hear her. When she was certain it was safe, she reset the rifle’s safety and quickly checked it for problems. She soon found that the rifle’s firing mechanism had been fried, most probably caused by the heat from her Sonic Rainboom.
“Damn it!” She cried before throwing the ruined rifle away. She punched the ground with her metallic hands as tears of frustration flowed down her cheeks when she thought about how she had just lost the perfect opportunity to avenge Jet Stream’s death, and it was her own fault! If only she had been more careful! If only she had just brought another gun!
Her eyes widened when she remembered that she still had her pistols. She quickly took the guns out and checked them for damages. Her smile returned when she found the pistols were still in good condition. She quietly thanked whoever designed the pistols to be so sturdy before she snapped the ammo clips into them.
She then stepped towards the edge and looked down at the shuttle down below. With the rifle rendered useless, she had no other option but to fly down the valley, try to avoid getting seen, and get close enough for her to use her pistols. She mentally plotted a course before she spread her wings and was about to dive off the ledge when she heard someone dropping onto the ledge behind her. She instinctively drew her pistols, ready to defend herself.
“Don’t shoot! It’s me!” Rain Sight called out to her as she held her arms in front of her protectively. Rainbow looked at the length of cable behind her and glanced upwards, she had apparently used Tom’s winch cable to rappel herself down to the ledge. She lowered her guns, much to Rain Sight's relief
“What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked bluntly.
“I came looking for you…” Rain Sight said as she unhooked herself from the winch cable. “…and to stop you from making a big mistake.” She stepped back a little when she saw the enraged look on Rainbow’s face as the cyan pegasus angrily walked up to her.
“Mistake?! You’re saying that getting revenge for my sister’s death is a mistake? What about your dad? What about Sovereign? Don’t you want to avenge their deaths?” She argued.
“I do, but killing Twilight’s parents isn’t the way to do it!” Rain shot back.
“Like hell it isn’t! She took my family away from me, so I’m going take away hers in return…” She then lifted up one of her pistols and pointed it at the earth pony. “…and I’m not gonna let you stop me.” She said as she started moving back towards the edge.
“Damn it Rainbow Dash, don’t do this! If Twilight finds out about this, she’ll kill us all in retaliation!” Rain Sight pleaded, hoping to reason with her, but all she got in return was bitter laughter from the vengeful pegasus.
“That’s it? That’s why you’re trying to stop me?” She scoffed as she stepped back even further. “Just say I did this alone and Twi will just kill me and leave you alone. Plus... I’d be with my little sister again.” She finished softly.
“Please… don’t throw your life away like this…” The purple mare pleaded as she took a step forward, but stopped when Rainbow fired a shot into the ground in front of her hoof, missing it by just a few inches.
“I’m warning you…one more step, and you end up a cripple for life.” The cyan pegasus warned as she lined up the next shot for her companion’s knees. She kept her eyes trained on the purple earth pony as she made her way to the end of the ledge. Once she was at the edge, she spread her wings and kicked herself away from the ledge.
The cyan pegasus watched Rain Sight as she scrambled to the edge in a last ditch attempt to stop her but she was too far away to do anything. She closed her eyes as she felt gravity taking hold of her body, pulling her down to the target of her vengeance. But was surprised when she heard the familiar screams of a jet-pack before a shadow suddenly loomed over her.
She opened her eyes just in time to see Scootaloo, in full Reaper Armor, tackle her out of the air and onto a nearby ice ledge below. She gasped out in pain when the young Reaper slammed her against the hard icy surface of the valley wall and held her in place.
“You got a lot of nerve, risking our lives like that, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said as she breathed heavily behind her mask.
“What the hell kid?! Let me go! Let go of me, damn it!” Rainbow cried as she flailed about in an attempt to free herself.
“Quit squirming…” Scootaloo demanded as she tried to keep Rainbow pinned to the wall, but the over emotional pegasus refused to listen as she kept struggling against her hold. Even with the boosted strength from her armor, she was having a difficult time keeping the pegasus in place. “…don’t make me hurt you.” She warned as she tightened her grip on Rainbow’s arms, causing her to scream out loud.
“Damn it! Let go! I need to avenge my sister’s death!” Rainbow shouted as she became even more hysterical and harder to control as she started kicking Scootaloo with her hind legs, but the armor protected her from the force of the clumsy blows.
Seeing that Rainbow wasn't going to listen to reason, Scootaloo decided to wait for the hysterical pegasus to tire herself out, and with her constant flailing, it didn’t take long before she stopped struggling altogether. She was soon joined by Rain Sight, who had just rappelled her way down to them.
“Scootaloo, good to see you got my message.” Rain Sight said as she walked over to them.
“Yeah, I rushed over as soon as I got it….” Scootaloo replied. “…mind grabbing her guns for me?” The orange mare said as she gestured to the gauss pistols still held in her “captive’s” precision gloves. Despite all her struggling earlier, Rainbow never fired a single shot at her, either because of reluctance or forgetfulness. Regardless of which, she didn’t put up a fight when Rain Sight took the guns as well as the precision gloves away from her.
“Alright, I’m going to let you go now, so don’t try anything. Understand?” Scootaloo asked, but the pegasus didn’t respond as she just remained quiet. She then removed her hands and let the mare drop to the icy ground with a thud, but kept her guard up in case she tried anything.
Even without her weapons and gloves, she was still a dangerous mare. What they didn’t expect however, was when the mare suddenly broke down crying as she slumped against the cold valley wall.
“Why…” Rainbow muttered between sobs. “…that damn bitch took my only family away from me! Why can’t you let me avenge her? Why?” She asked as tears flowed down her cheeks and onto the ice. “You could’ve just told that bitch I did it on my own…then I would’ve been with her again…Tell me why, damn it!” The rainbow-maned pony suddenly demanded as she punched the ice with her bare hoof in frustration.
Rain Sight understood what she was going through and wanted to say something to comfort her, but she couldn’t think of anything that would help ease the pain she was probably feeling right now. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Scootaloo walked past her and towards Rainbow.
The armored pegasus then knelt down, pulled her mask and goggles off, and reached her hand out towards Rainbow. The pegasus visibly flinched when she felt the metallic hand on her shoulder. She turned her head up and looked at her expectantly, waiting for an answer to her question.
“You still have a family Rainbow…” Scootaloo said, after which she pulled the elder mare into an unexpected hug and continued. “…you still have me…sis.” Hearing those words, Rainbow then wrapped her hooves around her sister and hugged her back as she cried into her shoulders.