The Factory

by The Dashie

4. The Little Flyer

This chapter is from the view point of Scootaloo

The past few months are leading up to this day. All the training and hard work are about to be tested right now. It will determine whether I become a fit member of society. “Good luck, I hope you can do well on this test.” This was what I was told by my mentor and idol, Rainbow Dash. She had been drilling me on techniques that were used to strengthen my wings, my mind, and my courage. I knew I wouldn’t let her down, even if I was nervous. I knew that I could ace this test and make Rainbow Dash proud. I was called to the starting line, and Rainbow Dash gave a wink for good luck. I came up to the starting line. “3…2…1…GO!” I went flying straight through the sky, faster than even in my practice sessions. The obstacle course was coming up and it looked hard. I got really nervous and couldn’t make it through in the way I had to. On the part we had to do a loop-de-loop to where it made a perfect circle, I made an oval. The part where we had to weave through hardened clouds without bumping them, I bumped into every single one. The final part was a final speed test, so I tried to pick up speed, but I just couldn’t see the point, so I crossed the finish line as fast as I could. When I finished, there were three judges, Dr. Atmosphere, Mayor Flashbang, and Rainbow Dash herself. I got a hoof-down from Dr. Atmosphere, but I got a hoof-up from Rainbow Dash. However it wasn’t enough, because Mayor Flashbang gave me the deciding hoof-down. It was then decided that I would go to work in the weather factory. I met with Rainbow Dash shortly after the test was over. I tried to tell her I was sorry, but she only yelled the reply, “Sorry? You’re sorry?! You complete waste of wings. Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve just wasted all that hard work I put into you, and to think that I thought that you could have passed that test. I never should have been too overenthusiastic. I never want to see you again, Scootaloo. I never loved you.” and with that, she flew out, crying. I felt so horrible that I had made Rainbow Dash so mad at me.

After about 3 days, the workers from the weather factory came and helped me move my stuff. When we came close to the weather factory, however, I saw them throw my stuff down and let it plummet towards the ground. I went to go get it, but then the two workers grabbed me out of the sudden and dragged me all the way to the factory. I screamed for help, but no one answered or came rushing in to save me and they then knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in a dark cage and my wings were restrained. I was stuck in the cage with no one around and no one to keep me company. Then out of the blue I hear a very similar voice, but it had a very demented tone to it: “Hello, little Scootaloo. How are you enjoying the factory?” It seemed too soft to be who I thought it was, but then I saw… her: Rainbow Dash with a freakish smile on her face. She came in and just looked at me as if waiting for me to respond.” I thought you didn’t want to see me ever again.” She tilted her head ever so slightly. “Why what do you mean, Scootaloo? I love everypony, because everypony can help in my master’s work.” “Your master?” It was at that moment I felt like all was bad.” I know this feeling, but it was only when…” I was thinking to myself but then I remembered. Sin had entered the room. “Yes, her master. Oh but master is not a name. You, little one, may call me Discord.” I knew it. “Discord, what did you do to Rainbow Dash?” he laughed like a crazy person for a minute then said,” Well, well, well, Miss Scootaloo. Always wanted to know things when she wants to know them. I will tell you but you might not like it. I have put Rainbow Dash under my spell. I’ve put her into a little trance, but I can’t keep her from resisting against it.” I thought about that for a second. “Then how come she’s still under your spell?” “Because in order for me to hypnotize somepony, they must have something they want to either get or keep. Rainbow knew of the weather factory and that when you failed you test, she wouldn’t be able to see you at all. It tore at her from the depths of her. So I took that as my opening to enforce my spell. I took her want for your safety to enforce my spell. She at one time took control of it and was able to side wind around it by thinking of her job here at the weather factory. However, I had taken control of her boss, Dr. Atmosphere, and I know what you thinking and yes, that is why he gave you a hoof-down at the test. He had been under my control for a long time, even before Rainbow Dash began to work at the factory. It was right after the test that Dr. Atmosphere began to resist my spell. Through him I sent Rainbow Dash to observe humans, which are a species unknown to the ponies, but I know of them almost too well. I had a theory I needed to be tested. I knew humans were special, but just how special I didn’t know. So when Rainbow Dash got back and she turned in her work, I picked the human she studied the most. From Rainbow Dash’s report, I gathered that humans had a very wide variety of emotions that they could display, so I thought why not bring a human to the Rainbow Factory and see how much I can get out of him, which reminds me. Rainbow Dash, can you mosey on down to Sugar Cube Corner and greet our friend Dash. Rainbow Dash, be sure to show surprise when you get there, though. When you arrive at the party I will allow you to be free of mind, but not of my spell. Understood?” “Yes, sir”

Rainbow Dash left after this. “Wait, hold on.I don’t understand. I know it’s your nature to leave people hanging to wreak havoc amongst themselves, but I need to know. What is the Rainbow Factory, why am I in it, what is a human, what happened to Dr. Atmosphere, and low long have I been here?” He seemed serious and unwilling to tell me, but then he said,” Well if those questions are wracking your brain, then I guess it wouldn’t hurt to answer them, to an extent, of course. You’ve been out cold for a month and a half due to my magic. For your other three questions, the Rainbow Factory is a place where we take those who failed the test and make sure they help Cloudsdale maintain its rainbow production. We do this by cutting open a pegasus and harvesting a liquid called spectra which is what makes the rainbow colorful, and if they have too much of a certain emotion we grind them so they won’t be able to change during the extraction. The spectra is the concentration of emotions, so where best to get it than a living organism that can feel emotions. If you are wondering why I haven’t put you out of your misery, it’s because without you, I wouldn’t have Rainbow Dash, and without Rainbow Dash, I wouldn’t have Dash. Do you see know where you play into this? Oh and by the way, Dash will be here in a few hours. Just so you two wont plan to break out, I think I’ll give you something to mull over in your mind.” He seemed to be casting a spell, and the next thing I knew everything was cold. Nothing mattered. I felt scared of everything. Everything was scary. My own shadow looked like a monster. I didn’t know how but either he had made me like Fluttershy or he made everything else in the world scary. I went to the corner of the cage and started to ball myself up because that was the only way for me to comfort myself.

A few hours later, I hear some talking and yelling then more talking. Then after about twenty minutes I heard the flapping of wings and I shove myself deeper in my corner for comfort. The next thing I know is that a tall, small-faced horse that can stand on two legs is standing right in front of me. He looked very scary and then he looked at me with curiosity. I went deeper in my corner. Then he started coming towards me. I thought they had sent this thing to kill me, but then it said in a manly voice, “You don’t have to fear me, Scootaloo. I’m not gonna hurt you. My name is Dash.” I couldn’t control my voice. “H-How do you know my name?” It came out more aggressive than simply just wanting to know the answer. He replied,”I’m from a place called Earth and I know about you and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and everyone else from Ponyville. I know that you are very rebellious, which reminds me, why do you not fight against this imprisonment and try to escape?” So this is the human that Discord mentioned. After he said what he said, it was as if life became less scary. It was like life had turned its dial back to normal. I answered his question as seriously as I could. ” Because I would eventually run into Rainbow Dash, and I don’t want to fight her. She was my couch for a flight test we have here in Cloudsdale.” He looked puzzled. “Flight test? What does that test serve?” “It has two purposes; the first is to show how good a flier you are, but it also tells if you will contribute to Cloudsdale in a positive manner. If you fail the test you get sent here to learn your lesson. The only thing is nopony knows that the lesson we learn here is how to choose last words to where they mean something. They think we come here to learn how to contribute to Cloudsdale’s society and if we can’t, we are then forced to work in the factory so that we can contribute to society in a way that doesn’t involve flying or other tasks they think might be strenuous to us. The only one to escape this fate was Fluttershy, and that’s because she never came to take her test and decided to live in Ponyville. Everypony in Cloudsdale knows that if she had come to take her test; she would have been in a rainbow by now.” He again looked puzzled. “Wait, Fluttershy herself would be in a rainbow. I thought that they only extract it through cutting them only and drained the spectra from them.” I couldn’t help but put on a frown.“Well in most cases, but if the pony is too much of one of the types of spectra, they just put you in a grinder and get the full thing from each color. Fluttershy would have too much fear in her, so they would have to grind her in order to get the full thing.” The look that came over his face was that of one who saw a murder.

After a while, he asked me how long I’ve been here. “I’ve been here for about a month and a half, according to Discord, but it doesn’t matter. I probably won’t get killed but I will be imprisoned here till I die. I wonder why they have you though.” He still had a puzzled look on his face. “So wait you have been here for a month and a half and you still haven’t been chopped up or grinded. Why is it they haven’t gotten you?” “It’s because of Discord’s spell. Rainbow Dash would fight the spell if it was that I died. She and I had a special relationship before I failed my test: She was my couch for the test, and she drilled me every day on the essential skills needed to pass the test, but in the end I failed her. I was taken to the factory, which was about when Discord got control of her. Rainbow Dash didn’t want me to die. So Discord took that as an advantage and got control of her and here I am, being a weapon against my best friend and mentor.” The puzzled look didn’t change. “Wait, Discord told me that it was because of me that she was not resisting. He told me that she loved me, and not in a protective way. I mean real love, like true love.” That took me way off guard. At first, I thought he was lying. “Rainbow Dash loves you? That doesn’t even seem possible, no offense.” “None taken and I thought the same thing. How, or for that point, why would the best pegasus in the world love a human that couldn’t fly, use magic, or for the least of reasons, that isn’t a pony?” I nodded in agreement. “She is the best and it is true that you are just a normal human. Well anyway all that awaits us is to sit here and become a hold point for Discord to use.” It was then that a hook grabbed Dash and took him away. I didn’t want him to get taken away; he was the only friend I had there that wasn’t a slave to a monster. I screamed, “Dash, no!” but it was pointless. I had just lost my only human friend, and even though it wasn’t the right time to be thinking about being the only pony in Ponyville to have a human friend, but it was important to me. I started hearing talking and then all of the sudden I hear a slice and a loud yell. After a while, I hear talking again. The phrase that stuck out in my mind was that Dash was gonna die so that Rainbow Dash would kick Discord’s ass. At first, I laughed at the phrase since I didn’t know what it meant, and then I was confused because I didn’t know what the word meant and I was racking my brain to figure out what it meant. Even a few seconds after that he was saying a lot of words that I didn’t know the meaning to,but I was sure had very bad meanings. A little bit afterward, he came back to our cell and you better believe I went full speed to greet and comfort him. “What happened? What did he do to you?” He looked like he had seen a ghost and that ghost made him lose his lunch “He first sliced my arm and took some spectra. I saw some really jacked up stuff while that knife was at my arm, taking the spectra out of my body. Here is where they got…” I looked at his arm and it looked horrible. It looked grey and very shriveled. It looked like someone had taken the part of his arm that got cut open and replaced it with a grey raisin. I could tell even he was surprised at this. “I’ve seen raisins and Dash, your arm looks as close to one as I’ve ever seen.” “Well anyway, he also made me a deal I normally wouldn’t refuse.” I could only ask what it might have been “What was it?” He replied as serious as possible. “He said that if I gave him the spectra he wanted, he wouldn’t kill you.” He started to smile, which I thought was weird. “But I won’t give him the spectra.” At first I was shocked, and then I realized that I would be killed. “So you’re just going to let him kill me?!” I was mad as a hornet. I charged right at him and pinned him against the wall. “How could you just betray me like that? I thought we were friends!” He gave that same smile again. “You didn’t let me finish. I’m not giving him the spectra because you and me are gonna bust out of here.” At this I let him go and we set to work planning our escape.

Author's Note:

Thought I would change it up and put in another perspective. Thanks again for reading!

Comments

[TheDerpyOutcast]

Basically that was the previous chapter and Scootaloos flight test.