Boom.
Today seemed a little noisier today. They could be construction of the new mass torture wing, or the Siren Navy repelled yet another attack from the Gaean Military. Spitfire could not tell. Living underground in this prison island for so long did wonders to her sight and mind. Sometimes she saw things, and sometimes she heard things.
She rose from the stained and putrid excuse of a straw bed. The rusty chains wrapped around her four legs did not feel heavy to her thin limbs, as she gradually became used to them. Adjusting her eyes, she used the low residual light emanating from outside the tiny barred window of her cell door.
Spitfire counted the marks on the walls. “X” years had passed with “X” amount of days. It was starting to look like a mess, and with this effort she could have dug a tunnel. Except that the said tunnel would have ended up into the sea, or rather the sea would end up in the cell. Digging downward would also be the same story. There would be nowhere else to go.
Boom. There’s that sound again. It was really getting noisy.
Boom. The metal door rattled. Dust fell on her mane and muzzle. Something was going on, and she wasn’t sure she was being rescued or that Gaea was finally going to level Coltcatraz. Well, she had a blast. Being buried underneath a layer of heavy rock would be no different from the near starvation her captors put her through. At least she knew she was doomed.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Her ears perked to the blood-curdling sound of guards screaming. The rumble of rocks smashing against metal reverberated throughout the walls. Fellow prisoners whispered to another worriedly. “Are we under attack?” many had said. In one way, they were. Prisoners of Coltcatraz were considered a part of the system itself, but that fact soon became false when the electronic doors released the locks, and then swung open.
Some of the pony prisoners managed to escape. A few ran out screaming happily at their new freedom, while others went back to unlock the chains on those still attached to their cells. Spitfire did not find it surprising, let alone horrific to the state of their being. Almost all were gaunt and nearly skeletal. Many had lost patches of their mane, tail and fur, and a few were completely bald save for their Heaven’s Insignia or Nature’s Call. Some suffered horrific injuries that the former captain could not count.
“She’s down here,” said a voice. Spitfire was at the very last cell at the end of the hallway, and anypony could easily miss her if she remained in the darkness. All in all, she knew she was the pony the guide was talking about. Knowing this, she was not sure if she should crawl out of the shadows or remain where she was.
Spitfire saw a familiar face trotting her way while being accompanied by a cute off-white earth pony with a flower-shaped hairclip. She barely lifted her head when the pair arrived. The cute earth pony shined a flashlight upon the former captain, and like her friend, gasped in horror.
Fleetfoot was almost in tears. After passing by so many tortured and emaciated prisoners, she should have expected this. Then again, this was a pegasi whom she known for the most important years of her life. It was one thing to see a stranger in a near-death state. To see a friend like this was another thing.
“Yeah, I know,” Spitfire smiled weakly. “I had seen better days.”
“Those days are gonna be better, Captain,” said Fleetfoot. “Coco, help me set her free.”
The cute earth pony nodded. Coco, was it? She shifted over into this tiny and dark cell and snapped some vials that dripped a corrosive liquid onto the chains, which ate through like acid.
At the other side, Fleetfoot showed off her new cybernetic wings. They were bronze-plated and skeletal, but it had a transparent film connecting the metallic bones that would allow her to glide like a normal pegasus. With these wings, her days living in the Pegasopolis Cloudlands came back to her, and she managed to summon a ball ice she splashed onto the chains. With one hit from Fleetfoot’s hooves, the chains shattered.
She was free, but she could not move. Fleetfoot solved the problem by lifting Spitfire onto her back. The lack of a groan or a grunt indicated Spitfire’s current weight. At least she could fit into that dress now.
The underground cells had mostly been vacated, but a few prisoners remained either fearful that the guards would return or were too mentally broken to know that they had been set free. As they ascended further upstairs, the cells and its hallways started to become cleaner, but not by much. Spitfire could see soldiers, both free pegasi and earthian slaves, piled at various corners. She could smell fresh blood spilling from noses and hear loose teeth clattering on the concrete floor.
In the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar face punching a Doberman orthrus silly before flinging its unconscious hide onto a pile of bodies, which, to their fortune, remained alive considering the power of a stoic earth pony with so much Geosense potential. The pickelhaube helmet was a silly touch as they worn by the Gaen soldiers in a distant past, but the Rainbow Falls Rebels could not afford to be picky.
Maud finally sensed Spitfire’s presence, and took off her helmet as a sign of respect.
“You look well,” said Maud.
Liar. Even with the neutral expression, Spitfire saw through it.
“Maud, have you secured a landing port?” asked Fleetfoot.
“All clear,” replied Maud. “No kelpie for miles.”
“I hope our reinforcements will arrive soon. Spitfire and the others need medical attention, and fast.”
“No need to rush,” said Spitfire. “They gave me seconds in the last meal about a week ago.”
Her eyes widened right when she felt it. It was not her body giving way, and it was not the spotlights blinding her when Fleetfoot carried her outside. Spitfire felt the pulse of another life nearly extinguished. She expressed anger and regret instead of sadness, and she could not hold back her misinterpreted frown.
Damnit, Dash. You had one job.
The failure of the job allowed Spitfire’s soul to slip out of her body and into darkness. Her fragile body fell limp, and it was gently placed in the ground as Fleetfoot and Coco called out her name.
Sorry. Too busy. Can’t hear you right now.
The consciousness known as Rainbow Dash idled in the darkness as it moved everywhere when it became everywhere. It was pinned by an invisible and oppressive force, and yet there was no weight holding her down. The sensation was worse than chugging down ten barrels of crap-grade cider that she drank out of lazy desperation instead of necessary drunkenness. This was much worse than the time when she broke all her bones in a stunt that temporarily blinded her about a year or so ago.
Then she heard voices, distant as they sounded, and she could barely make out the words.
“What shall we do with her comrades, my Empress?”
“Four of them have the Elements bonded to them, and the unicorn and alicorn might be useful. Prepare to sever their wings and legs.”
Her friends! Pegasopolis were just as known for their repeated torture of their prisoners, and Coltcatraz was just one of many prisons scattered in the western part of the continent that offered such a horrible treatment. Dash tried to move her body in this complete darkness to no avail. She could not see her body. She wasn’t even sure if her body was there. Maybe Firefly has burned her so horribly that she had lost almost all her senses.
Maybe, just maybe, she was dead.
If she could buck her legs in anger, she would. If she could cry, she would. Not being able to do anything frustrated her. Death sucks.
A wisp of flame flashed angrily before her eyes all of a sudden. Dash shrieked, and managed to move herself away. She moved… The warmth of the angry flame allowed her to regain her sense of being and direction, but unfortunately, she was still trapped there.
“What are you doing, Dash?” the flame cried. “Get up!”
“I am up.”
“Not here! Back in the real world! If you don’t hurry, that damn Empress is going do a lot worse to your friends than killing them!”
“I think I’m dead.”
“Like heck you’re not! I didn't come here to see you wallow in your self-doubt!”
“How was I supposed to counter against Firefly’s ultimate attack? She’s just too powerful!”
“You’re just deluding yourself. Her power stems from the fear she receives from other ponies. You, on the other hoof, have power that's greater than that. You said it yourself, remember? That the love from your friends backing you up is more powerful than Firefly’s hate? It’s no coincidence they came into your life. You were chosen, for Pete’s sake!”
“Chosen?”
“Look up, Rainbow Crash.”
It suddenly appeared when Dash tilted her head up. She saw a large and ruby-red lightning-shaped artifact pulsating wildly beneath a partially opaque white orb.
“Is that… the Sky Key?” Dash asked.
“Whatever it is,” said the flame, “It’s a heckuva a lot grander, and it’s gonna help you become more awesome than you already are.”
“Sorry I doubted myself, uh, Miss Flame-thingy, if that’s your name. Who are you really?”
“Never mind me! Go grab your destiny on the double before the Empress gets it!”
The angry flame vanished, and the artifact above Dash became the only source of light in this darkness. No question about it. This was the Fifth Element of Creation, said to bestow great power to those who were deemed worth.
But Dash didn’t need that power. She was awesome as she could be, but not as awesome to beat Firefly—her own mother. She could not give up. She could not die. That was the order Spitfire gave her before she was captured and shipped to Coltcatraz.
Will it change me? Who knows? But I’m Rainbow Dash! Savior of pretty mares and handsome stallions! Rescuer of the poor and enslaved! If this Element was meant for me, then I’ll need it to finally beat my mother and change the state of Pegasopolis as well as the world.
“Yo, Element!” she cried. “I’m Chroma Pirate Rainbow Dash, and starting today, I’m your boss. Now, lend me your power!”
"Thy call hath been heeded,” spoke the Element. “Thou art the faith who seeks to shepherd the lost and follow in the footsteps of the fidelity. Receive thy power, bearer of the Element of Honor, and instill courage unto those blinded by cowardice and dogma."
Firefly shattered Twilight’s magical barrier with one fiery punch. The strain of putting it up in the first place immediately wore the unicorn down, and she fainted almost immediately.
Applejack then tried to cut her down with her Sword of Truth, but Firefly blocked it with her bare hooves. Whether there were falsehoods to cut, nopony knew. The immense power of Firefly’s anger was, unfortunately, too true, and she flicked the blade away with no effort. Without her Element, Applejack made a futile effort to rush Firefly, but a flick of her wing sent the rebel mare flying away from her friends.
How could this be? The Elements of Creation were powerful artifacts. Was it possible that if your heart was not into using it, they were useless as jeweled necklaces? Pinkie, though still weak from her capture, stood in front of Rarity and Fluttershy, but she could not activate her Element of Pleasure. Fluttershy did not know how she or Rarity could turn the tide of battle. It was hopeless.
A blue hoof rose from the Discord's old container, and slammed itself on the rim. A chorus of gasps sounded above the raging inferno, forcing everypony to turn where the Fifth Element hovered over.
Instead, the Fifth Element flashed and disappeared. A streak of rainbow burst out and circled around before sliding to a cool halt between Firefly and her prey. Dash cracked her neck, which now had a golden necklace with a red lightning-shaped jewel embedded in its center. She softly hit her own head, as if trying to knock some dust or water out of her ears. Fluttershy could not believe it. She could not hold back her smile or her tears to see that, whether this was an illusion or not, Rainbow Dash was alive.
"What’d I miss?" Dash asked.
Fluttershy almost leapt up to embrace her friend, but Firefly resumed her assault with her fiery overhead punch at the blue pegasus she thought was dead. Dash quickly threw out her Rainbow Bullet Punch into Firefly's solar-plexus, and sent her hurtling backward. Though she was without her armor, the chromatic strike did not faze her, and the burning anger remained in her eyes.
"I killed you," she hissed. "The Element... It's gone!"
"Yep," Dash smiled smugly as she squeaked-polished her newly acquired Element with her hoof. "And I'm its new owner."
"That Element was supposed to be mine!"
"It was never yours to begin with, Mom, and a pony like you would be at the bottom of its list."
"You dare insult me once more? I don't know how that Element revived you, but it shouldn't revive you again! Have another Raging Hellfire Dragon!"
The serpentine dragons of fire had been summoned by its agent of wrath, and instead of six that "killed" Dash the first time, thirteen crammed themselves above everypony like a sea of snakes. One by one, the violent streams of fire tore themselves into Rainbow Dash, and yet for some reason, Fluttershy did not shield her own eyes. She did not know why, but she knew that her best friend and half-sister was going to survive.
She did. The fires might have scorched her mane and fur, and for a moment, it burned her down to the skin. However, every time those dragon-shaped flames attacked Dash, her wounds immediately healed.
The uselessness of her attacks drove Firefly further into her seething rage. Her teeth gnashed until she bled from her gums, and she began to furiously scratch her own face with her sharpened hooves.
"NO! NO! NO!" Firefly cried. " YOU SHOULD BE DEAD! DEAD LIKE THAT HALF-BREED OF A MUD PONY WHO DARES CALLS HERSELF MY DAUGHTER OF AN EARTH WENCH!"
"I could do this all day," said Dash. "But seriously, seeing you like this isn't cool anymore."
"I'LL KILL YOU A THOUSAND TIMES ALONG WITH YOUR FRIENDS!"
"Then I'm gonna have to stop you with my super-special Atmos Arts technique."
Both daughter and mother launched at one another with a force that shook the entire Element Holding Chamber. When they clashed, a burst of rainbow light had fire emanated from their hooves. The impact forced almost everypony to the ground. Twilight had managed to recover and cast a set of magenta barriers over her friends, and enhancing her barrier was Rarity's Element of Empowerment. Several more pegasi soldiers perished without protest as the flames and rainbow whipped around as it damaged its surroundings. As far as anypony could tell, only Lord Generals Soarin and Flash Sentry could survive through the expert use of the Atmos particles coursing through their wings.
The fire and rainbow continued thrashing the Chamber. All this time, Fluttershy thought Rainbow Dash and Firefly were locked in a stalemate, but upon a closer lock, they were rapidly throwing punches at one another at machine-gun like speeds. She did not think it was possible that ponies could do this, and neither of the two pegasus mares showed any signs of slowing down.
"YOU CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS FOREVER, RAINBOW DASH!" Firefly yelled.
"Neither can you!" Dash retorted. "This is from my dad, Empress! Ultimate Atmos Arts Technique: Supersonic Solar Rainboom!"
Dash threw open Firefly’s front legs, and landed a pair of carefully timed punches into her chest. The impact created a Sonic Rainboom that reverberated not just in the Element Holding Chamber, but carried throughout the area surrounding it. The attack had no effect, and Firefly readied herself to slam her inflamed front hooves onto Dash's exposed face.
The golden necklace glowed hot white before dividing itself and then surrounding itself around Dash’s body. Dash was visible once more, but it seemed she starting glowing a shade of passionate red. The blue pegasus made a second push, and another Rainboom reverberated throughout the Chamber. Then a third, and then a fourth. Walls and glass started cracking, and the Sky Castle once more blared out warnings of depleting oxygen and compromised structural integrity.
At the seventh Rainboom, all of Firefly’s fires were put out. At the eighth Rainboom, Twilight summoned Applejack back to their little circle and strengthened the magenta barrier once more. The rate of Rainbooms increased rapidly, and everypony found it harder to remain standing or conscious. All this time Firefly fought hard against Rainbow Dash’s push. By then, she had ignited her wings to become like jets, but she was nearing the glass ceiling after every ten Rainbooms. Fluttershy lost count, but she could have guessed Rainbow Dash unleashed over 100 Rainbooms onto Firefly’s hardened body. Was this the true power of Dash’s Element? No pegasus could have withstood the repeated strain of the sound-shattering technique, and while Dash had been powerful upon her first meeting with Fluttershy, she was more powerful than ever.
Firefly could no longer hold back her daughter any longer. The fires on her wings vanished, and in less than a second, her body crashed through the glass ceiling and hurtled out to deep space. Fluttershy and her friends held onto one another as the air escaped through exposed window cracks. Several panels on the wall opened and spat out repair lattices and sticky adhesive on the holes.
When the air returned to normal, Fluttershy and her friends looked around and saw the elite soldiers strewn about and unconscious. Her eyes spotted Dash floating down to the ground as her Element of Creation returned to its golden necklace form.
Yet, a more miraculous sight appeared. It was a white pony. It appeared to be Sunny, but it wasn’t. She was taller, and her wings, once cursed and now healed, spread out to nearly dwarf her slender frame. Her mane and tail, once pink, was a stripped pattern of warm pastels that floated ethereally in the air as if she was underwater. She stood before an awestruck Rainbow Dash, and made a ceremonial bow before her.
“I accept thy gift,” said Sunny. “The Gift of the World.”