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Breaking the Shackles1,013 words
Taking Back Control1,409 words

Taking Back Control

Rainbow and Scootaloo flew down the hallways of the evil factory, trying to find a place to hide. Glaze had gone somewhere else to gather information of how to get out of the factory. They took turn after turn and yet never ran into any guards which confused Scootaloo. Surely Dr. Atmosphere would have searched for them right? Her theory was proved right as several guards came around the corner. “There they are! Get them!” All three mares charged into battle. The guards, about three also charged. Two guards took Rainbow and the third one went for Scootaloo.

“So you are the one who managed to escape Rainbow and bring her back.” He threw punches at her face, body and wings to try and cripple her. She quickly backed up and dodged the blows and threw her own, which he also dodged. “But it was all for not little failure.” He spat failure like an insult. “Soon you and your companions will be thrown into the machine and your remains will grace the skies with color for years to come.” Images flashed through her mind. The face of Dr. Atmosphere, the bloody machine, her friends faces as they died by Rainbow’s hooves, Rainbow’s face as she chased Scootaloo down, intent on killing her.

“NEVER AGAIN!!!!” She shouted. She swung her back hoof in a roundhouse kick and with a sickening crack; it connected with his skull and sent him flying into the wall. Blood splattered the chrome wall as his body hit the wall and he slumped over, dead. Scootaloo calmed down and looked in horror at what she had done. She had killed another pony. She had killed another pony! She had sworn to herself she would never kill anyone long ago and now she had broken her promise. She looked at the wall and thought she would see herself in the steel, but didn’t. She saw a blood splattered filly with cuts all over her body and it had eyes of cornered prey, prey that would do anything to escape its fate, yet knew it never could. The eyes scared her, more than the factory or the fact that they might not live to see sunlight. “What have I become?” She asked herself.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rainbow dragged her onto her back and flying down the hall. They eventually came to an old storage room and Glaze, who they had met up with along the way, ushered them inside. “Stay hidden, I will stand guard.” She said. With a muffled boom the steel door shut. Scootaloo sat down and shook with fear and confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked.

“Nothing.”

“Squirt I know when you’re lying and you are right now. Nopony will find us with Glaze standing guard. Now tell me, what gotten you so shaken up.”

She took a shuddering breath. “Fine I’ll tell you. I killed one of the guards. I-I’ve never killed anypony before. I never thought I would have to. He wasn’t here of his own free will right?”

“The…the one you killed was named Cold Front. He was brought here after he failed his flight test. He had a lot of fight in him so we…um I decided to have him work here. He was driven insane just like the rest of us.”

“Oh.” Scootaloo’s ears drooped at the thought of killing an innocent soul. He was brought here against his will, and forced to work in this hell hole after watching his companions die at the hands of the machine. Scootaloo couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

“There was nothing you could have done.”

“Yes there was! I could’ve reasoned with him. I could’ve brought him back like I did you. I could’ve…I could’ve.” She then began to cry. She sobbed into her mentors shoulder as the bloodstained mare rubbed her back and soothed her.

“We’ll get out.” Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow and saw her smiling reassuringly at the distraught crusader. “We’ll escape and avenge all of their deaths. Cold Front, Aurora, Orion, we’ll make sure that their deaths were not for nothing. We’ll bring this factory down or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!”

“GLAZE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” The two mares froze as they heard another voice outside the door.

“Shhhh!” They heard Glaze shush the other pony. “What if the failure and traitor hear you? Then we’ll never find them!”

The other pony’s voice then dropped to a whisper. “Fine. What are you doing anyway?”

“Well I was hidden and waiting for the two escapees to passs by. When they did I would have captured them and brought them to the Doctor.”

“Sorry for disturbing you then. Oh and by the way…The next shipment of failures is coming in half an hour. The doctor told me to tell you to prepare.”

Rainbow paled as the hoofsteps receded down the hall. Glaze came inside and looked frantic and was pale as Rainbow. “We’ve got a problem.”

“Yeah. The next shipment.”

“What are we going to do?” Scootaloo asked.

“Rescue them of course.” Rainbow confidently said.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t you think we’re getting in a little in over our heads here? We would need a lot more than three ponys to storm the machine room.”

“And I know just where to get some assistance.” She tapped her right front hoof and a circlet of gold appeared. It was nothing special except for the ruby shaped like a lightning bolt embedded in its center.

“Is that your Element of Harmony?” Scotaloo asked.

“No. This serves a different purpose.”

“Sorry to interrupt but how is a piece of jewelry going to help us get out of here?” Glaze nearly shouted in frustration.

“This ‘piece of jewelry’ as you call it is a magical device that allows me or any of my friends to contact each other at a moment’s notice.”

“How is that possible?” Scootaloo was mesmerized by the fact that something so simple could do so much.

“Princess Celestia worked for several weeks devising the spell and spent an entire day casting it.” Rainbow then tapped the ruby which began to glow. The glow intensified until it formed six squares with a real time picture of one of the Elements of Harmony in each.

“Hello Rainbow. What’s u-OH MY LUNA!!!!!!” Princess Twilight along with the rest of her friends look stunned at Rainbow’s appearance. Rainbow then proceeded to look over herself for the first time.

She was covered in blood from head to tail, her mane was frayed and tattered, her face had numerous cuts and burns, and her coat had several places where you could see the skin. “Ehhehe.” She laughed nervously. “Hi girls.”

“What happened t’ y’all sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a long story. I need some help.”

“With what, darling?” Rarity looked genuinely appalled at the blood that covered Rainbow, but contained her composure.

“Escape. I need some help getting me and some others out of this hellhole.”

“Where are you?” Twilight asked.

“I’m… I’m in the Rainbow Factory.”

Everyone else gasped aloud. “T-t-t-t-t-t-the R-r-r-r-r-r-rainbow F-f-f-f-f-f-factory?” Fluttershy stuttered. “W-w-what a-a-are y-y-you d-doing there?”

“I’ll explain later. Right now I need your help.”

“She’s not lying Twilight.” Applejack said at Twilight’s skeptical expression.

“Alright.” Twilight said. “I’ll teleport straight to you Rainbow. Rarity, can you perform the cloud walking spell on the others?”

“Of course darling. We’ll be there in 20 minutes at the most.”

“I’ll see you then.” Rainbow said. “And girls, be ready for a fight. The guards won’t take kindly to intruders.”

The glow died and the circlet on Rainbow’s foreleg turned invisible once more. Almost immediately afterward a flash of light signaled the princess’s arrival.

“Twilight!” Scootaloo tackle hugged the alicorn.

“Scootaloo? What are you doing here?”

Rainbow sighed. “I’ll explain everything later. Right now we’ve gotta go.”

Glaze looked at Twilight with confusion. “Who is this?”

“Glaze, meet Twilight Sparkle. She is Element of Magic and princess of the stars.”

Glaze started to bow but Twilight stopped her. “Please there is no need to bow.”

“Shall we get going?” Rainbow asked.

Twilight nodded and the four ponies went into the depths of the factory once more.

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