Rainbow Dash
The hours after the end of the Torn Scar Open flashed by in an instant, and yet at the same time stretched on for what felt like an eternity. The Archon of the Kabal had met her personally on the sands, singing her praises to the roaring crowd. It was all posturing, Rainbow knew that. The Archon was barely concealing his disgust that an alien had beaten Dark Eldar, apparently even a trueborn who had been racing. Rainbow knew that he would have dearly liked to kill her, but she also knew that the Kabal’s were different from Wych Cults.
A Wych Cult was all about the spectacle of the kill, ending your opponent in the most brutal and efficient way possible, in front of as many onlookers as possible, and if it had been a Succubus beside her, Rainbow would have been far more worried. A Kabal was political however, the twist of the knife being almost less important than the positioning required to deliver the blow. If a Kabalite wanted you dead, they had to make sure all the pieces were just right so that when one toppled, they all fell.
The Archon knew the pieces were not in place, Rainbow knew the pieces weren’t in place. Now they just had to keep up the façade for the crowd. Eventually, Rainbow and the Archon had left the sands, a gaggle of allied Wyches replacing them, ready to keep the crowd satiated in blood for hours to come.
After that the pair had retired to the Archons greeting chambers. The main prize for the race may have been an audience with the Archon of the All-Seeing Eye, another move for power by the Torn Scar, it was far from all that Rainbow was owed. Soul crystals spilled with screaming victims, a clutch of prized slaves, and even a Husk Blade from the Archon’s own Armoury, not to mention hundreds of slaves to see to her every need while at the Torn Scar’s tower, ensuring that both her and her armour were presentable.
“If I find a single scuff on my suit, I’ll take it out on your hide,” Rainbow snarled as a cowering slave took her race suit away, letting out a mewling yelp as Gilda, Kas and Scootaloo pushed her aside, barely paying her any attention.
Gilda was the first to speak, running forward and grabbing Rainbow and pulling her into a deep kiss. When they finally broke, the Griffon was beaming from ear to ear.
“You did it,” she chuckled. “You fucking did it.”
“Well done, Mistress. I had every faith in your ability to win,” Kas added.
“W-Well done, Champion,” Scootaloo whispered from behind the pair, Rainbow almost missing the sound, even in the near silence of the chambers she had been provided with.
“So, what’s next?” Gilda asked, drawing Rainbow’s attention away from the younger Pegasus.
“We spend a night here,” Rainbow gestured around the room. “Meet the Archon of the All-Seeing Eye tomorrow, and finally find out where Applejack is. The end is in sight, I can almost taste Equestrian air again.”
“Yeah, but until then, we have some time to kill,” Gilda smirked, looking at Kas and Scootaloo. “You joining in? It’s a lot of fun Scoots.”
“I’ll…head back to our arena, I want to work on my form,” she shook her head. “Permission to fall out, Champion?”
“Use my name and you can,” Rainbow glared at her.
“Please, Champion, I just wish to train some more,” Scootaloo insisted, not looking Rainbow in the eye.
“Then hop to it,” Rainbow growled. “I better see results.”
Scootaloo nodded, hurrying out of the room almost as quickly as the slave had. Rainbow glared after her, until Gilda stepped up beside her, wrapping a wing around her, Kas approaching from behind and starting to slowly run her hands over Rainbow’s body, her fingers slowly tracing circles as they slid towards her rear.
“Come on, Champion,” Gilda smirked at the word, and the reaction it drew from Rainbow. “Forget about her, she’s the one missing out, not you. Now, get on the bed and be a good little mare for me. I have an itch that needs scratching.”
***
Rainbow signed as Gilda’s wing tightened around her, Kas lying on her other side, her body pressed against Rainbow’s. All their armour and clothes, including Rainbow’s freshly repaired and cleaned gear, was all folded neatly in the corner, a few slaves had come in during the trio’s activities to make sure everything was in order before leaving again without a word.
“Do we have to get up?” Gilda moaned softly, rolling over to glance at the pair. “This bed is really comfortable. Do you think we can take the bed back with us?”
“What’s wrong with our beds?” Rainbow scoffed.
“You mean apart from the fact that they’re shit?” Gilda asked, tracing her talon softly along one of Rainbow’s scars. “I have a feeling this bed hasn’t seen nearly as much action as yours.”
“We could always pull back the amount we do,” Rainbow teased.
“With all due respect, I’d rather not do that, Mistress’s,” Kas joined in. “Although Mistress Gilda is right, this bed is far more comfortable than yours.”
“Fine, I’ll get a new bed, happy?” Rainbow groaned exasperatedly.
“Yes actually,” Kas smiled. “Mistress.”
Rainbow groaned, but it was eclipsed by the smirk written across her face, before she let out a grunt and sat up, pushing her way out of Gilda’s wing and hovering over to her clothes, pulling the sleek black costume over her taut muscles.
“So you want us to come with you?” Gilda called out, spreading out across the bed and looking over to Rainbow. “Because I am really comfortable here, plus the companies not bad either.”
“Thank you, mistress,” Kas muttered dryly, rolling her eyes as she spoke, before letting out a soft whimper as Gilda placed a talon on her chest.
“Why do I get the feeling that you wouldn’t come unless it was a direct order?” Rainbow asked, checking her suit was on properly.
“I thought that was you actually, Dash,” Gilda smirked, Rainbow’s tail flicking slightly at the statement as she fought back the urge to blush, something she only ever did around Gilda these days.
“Have fun you two,” Rainbow shook her head with a short laugh, turning to leave the room. “Don’t do anything permanent to Kas, and then get back to the Arena.”
“I think we can manage that,” Gilda grinned, before rolling on top of Kas just as the door to the room slid closed.
Chuckling to herself, Rainbow broke into a soft trot, her smirking sneer written across her face as her tail flicked from side to side. Today was the day, and in a few hours, she would have the answers she needed.
“Ah, Dash. You’re awake,” the Torn Scar Archon looked at her as she entered his throne room. “I trust your chamber was to your liking?”
“Yeah, it was actually,” Rainbow nodded, paying the Archon the smallest amount of attention necessary, instead opting to take in the rooms surroundings.
“You would do well to remember whose tower you are currently within, pony,” the Archon snapped, leaning forward in his chair. “Contest winner or not, do not push me or you will see…”
“Are you done posturing?” Rainbow cut in. “Because you and I both know, this isn’t going to end in violence.”
“Maybe not here, but there are plenty of pitfalls in the Dark City for insolent Reavers who forget their place,” the Archon snapped. “But enough, I have organised transit for you to the Tower of the All-Seeing Eye, and you will never darken my doorstep again with your presence. That goes for all of your Reavers. You are beneath my gaze, you would do well to remember that.”
“Oh, I’ll remember it,” Rainbow growled, more to herself than he Archon as she span on her hooves and trotted towards the door, a Kabalite Warrior looking down at her, before silently gesturing for her to follow him.
True to his word, a Venom transport was waiting on one of the Spires many landing pads, another disinterested looking Dark Eldar sitting at the controls, barely waiting for Rainbow to step onto the vehicle before he shot off, cartwheeling across the sky in a way a vehicle larger than a jetbike should have been able to.
The Venom climbed higher and hire up the Spires of Commoragh, a few unaffiliated Reaver Clans looking like they were about to try their luck with the single skimmer, but a few salvoes of Splinter Cannon fire in their general direction saw them off quickly enough.
Rainbow had only ever been this high once before, even when they had first arrived, they had entered Commoragh low down in the lesser Kabal’s spires. The only time she had ever been to the top of the city, was when Vect had brought her in for questioning.
Since that day, Vect had called on her twice to run her Reaver Clan for him, not for the Triumvent. Ilithia had hated it both times, as both had slowed down the Triumvent’s plan’s considerably, but she also knew when to interfere and when to bide your time. When Vect called on someone, it was usually better to just grin and bear it.
Eventually the pilot slowed the Venom, approaching a huge Spire, easily dwarfing that of the lower Kabal’s. The ancient buttresses bristled with lance batteries and heavy splinter cannons, as well as other, far more esoteric defences woven into the imposing walls.
Rainbow had learnt a lot about the All-Seeing Eye Kabal in the years leading up to the Torn Scar Open, intent on knowing who and what she was dealing with before she got to them. The Kabal was old, possibly the oldest in existence, even older than the Black Heart Kabal. The only reason they had survived the purge of the old nobility before Vect’s rise was their Archon, Izrameq Buramar. He possessed abilities or technology that allowed him near unparalleled levels of foresight and prophecy. If the stories were to be believed, he had seen Vect’s rise to power, and stood by his side in the fighting that had ripped down the old hierarchy, never committing his men to a fight unless he could see their victory.
Vect had tried to have him killed multiple times over the centuries, always using hundreds of scapegoats and alibis to avoid direct conflict between the Black Heart and the All-Seeing Eye, but everyone knew it was him, and every time, the Archon had known the assassins were coming. Of all the people in the Dark City, Izrameq was probably the only one Vect worried about. A conflict between the two Kabal’s would only go one way, Vect’s sheer numerical advantage ensuring that, but after such a conflict, the Black Heart would be so depleted, so worn down, that Vect’s stranglehold on the city would be broken, and all hell would break loose.
“Get out,” the Torn Scar kabalite called back, not even turning his head as the Venom touched down. Once again, he barely waited for Rainbow to step off the skimmer, before shooting off, corkscrewing downwards towards home.
“So, you are Rainbow Dash, Champion of the Shadowbolts?” a soft, smooth voice came from behind Rainbow as she whirled around to face its source.
She was met by a pair of large Incubi, their helmeted faces portraying no emotion, and their massive swords held downwards, but ready to be brought up at a moment’s notice. Between them however, was a small, hunched individual in immaculate armour. A blast pistol was strapped to his hip, while his eyes were locked directly on Rainbow. The orbs were sunken into his wizened face, a rare sight amongst Dark Eldar, showing such an extreme age that even the greatest displays of bloodletting and torture wouldn’t physically rejuvenate the individual.
It was not hard to work out that this was Izrameq, and Rainbow quickly bowed her head to the ancient Archon, waiting for the signal that she could look up again.
“You know,” Izrameq began to talk in a way that made his throat sound like it was lined with sandpaper, “when I first saw that it would be one of your kind to win the Open, not one of the other pilots, I almost didn’t believe my sight. Of course, I have placed my faith in it on larger matters than you, and once again, it does not disappoint. Now, follow me, we will break bread before you ask your question.”
“Thank you, Archon Buramar,” Rainbow nodded, following the hunched man into the Spire.
“You may call me Izrameq, I have long since abandoned the need for all the…pomp and circumstance is what I believe the humans call it? Such an archaic saying, but then you’ve spent time with their kind. You even befriended one of them, Goge I do believe. That promises to be interesting.”
“What do you mean by that?” Rainbow asked slowly, her brow furrowing at the mention of her friend.
“Oh, this and that,” Izrameq let out a soft laugh. “If I told you all the answers, where would be the interest of watching events play out? Unless of course you want to ask that as your one question?”
“Shouldn’t you know the answer to that?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow as they entered a long room, an ornate obsidian table casting a dominating presence over the space. At the far end, two chairs had already been set up, one large and suited for a Dark Eldars physique, while the second looked like it was specifically designed for a pony, something Rainbow hadn’t seen for years.
“Oh I do, but I always ask anyway,” Izrameq sighed. “When you can see everything that will unfold, you ask simple questions to keep yourself sane. But no matter, I took the liberty of preparing food for us both, and a chair for one of your kind.”
He slowly made his way up to the chair, sitting down and turning to the two Incubi, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.
“Sit, eat, and then ask your question, Ms Dash,” Izrameq looked at her, watching her sit down as a pair of slaves carried over plates of food.
Neither of these slaves looked like the ones in Lightning Fang, barring Kas of course. Both looked well fed, and while it couldn’t be said they looked happy, they certainly looked more content than those below. Rainbow briefly wondered if this was the same for all the slaves of the All-Seeing Eye, or just these two, before pushing the thought from her head. She didn’t have time to care for the conditions of slaves, nor the desire to do so.
“It looks good,” Rainbow remarked, picking up one of the polished forks and taking a mouthful of the salad, savouring the tastes.
She had had many good meals since she became a well-known figure in the racing world, but this blew it out of the water, and at any other time, Rainbow would be loving every second of the meal. This time however, she couldn’t wait for it to end, her desire to ask her question overpowering everything.
Izrameq was in no rush, savouring each mouthful of food and each drop of the blood red wine, before finally finishing, raising his hands and calling the slaves over to take away the plates. Then, finally, the aged Archon leant forward, looking directly at Rainbow, locking gazes with her and speaking, the sandpapery tone from his voice gone.
“Speak your question, Rainbow Dash of Equestria. The one I know you will ask, and the one I have prepared an answer for. You searched for this answer for years. Now see the answer come to fruition.”
“Where is Applejack?” Rainbow asked immediately, leaning forward towards the Archon. “That’s all I want to know. Where is she?”
“Are you sure, Rainbow Dash? I can answer any one question you have with absolute certainty of the future, but only one. Is this truly your most pressing desire?”
For a nanosecond, Rainbow’s resolve faltered, her mind racing as it thought of all of the things that she desired to know, of the feelings she could experience, the victories she could have if she just asked the right question.
Then she took those thoughts and crushed them beneath her hoof, her expression hardening as she nodded.
“Tell me where my friend is. I want to know where Applejack is.”
“Very well,” Izrameq nodded. “The pony known as Applejack is in the galactic east, beyond the realm of mankind known as the Ultramar Sector. The young race known as the T’au found her. Their Ethereal’s have plans to use her for their own ends, plans she is unaware of. They have her, ensnared in their lies. She is with the Tau, Rainbow Dash. Only you can separate her from them.”
Rainbow’s eyes grew wider with every passing word from Izrameq’s mouth, his words hitting her like a wave, washing over her and revealing a hope that she had almost thought gone. This had been her last chances, and a niggling part of her had insisted that after all this time, the chances of finding Applejack were getting smaller and smaller. The fact that she now not only knew where she was, but that she was still alive, solidified her path forward.
“Thank you, Izrameq,” Rainbow breathed softly, before taking off at a gallop, quickly reaching the landing pad she had arrived on and leaping off, plunging into the depths of the city towards the Lightning Fang arena.