//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: A Week in the Rainbow Factory // by bahatumay //------------------------------// The outer door creaked open. Octave had finally gotten used to this, and his heart no longer stopped when he heard that familiar, haunting tune. So many foals had been taken, and at this point, he was just waiting his turn. But when he saw who stood in the doorway, his heart stopped again. The rainbow-maned mare stood there, still wearing her black, blood-splattered suit. Raindrops quickly entered, doing her very best to not make contact with anypony, and unlocked all the cage doors. There were fewer for her to unlock, now, and it didn’t take her long. “Quick walk. Everypony. Come on,” the rainbow-maned pony said irritably.  Nopony dared move. “Now!” she shrieked, stomping her hooves, her voice ringing off the walls. The ponies quickly left the cages, hoping to avoid her wrath. “Believe me, I did not ask for this job,” she said testily as she raised a hoof disgustedly, as if afraid to touch them. “But somehow, half my crew has food poisoning-” Octave’s eyes flicked over to Raindrops, wondering if she had had a hoof in that.  “-so it’s either this, or a flankload of paperwork later explaining why the rainbow specs are off, and, lucky for you failures, I hate paperwork. So keep your stupid mouths shut, and we’ll just get this over with.” She turned and walked away. Raindrops gestured that they should follow, and the foals filed out behind her. Their walk was quicker and quieter than usual. The rainbow-maned pony led in front, and Raindrops followed behind. Octave glanced around. There were much fewer foals here now.  A filly made her way up to the front. Octave watched with fascination. Why would she approach this mare? The rainbow mare glared at her, clearly wondering the same thing.  The filly took a steadying breath. “I just… wanted to say… you have beautiful eyes.” There was a long pause.  The rainbow-maned pony's face twitched, as if trying to recall something. Suddenly, she let out an animalistic roar that made even the ponies on the top level turn and look. She reached out and seized the unfortunate filly, and with a few beats of her powerful wings, she physically lifted her over her head, carried her over to the Device, and with one hoof, threw her in, without any preparations at all. The machine groaned and strained as its gears tried to process the sudden increase in mass, but with a lot of whining and grinding, it managed to convert its load, sending a double-dose of spectra flowing down the tubes and the white-coated ponies scurrying to flip switches and open conduits to compensate for the dramatic increase in rainbow. The rainbow-maned pony flew back and met every foals' eyes, one at a time. “Never. Mention. My eyes. Again. Understood?” she whispered. Her voice was cold and dark, and sent a shiver up Octave's spine. With one last snarl, she turned and flew away so fast she left behind a rainbow contrail. One of the other ponies left her station to escort them back. She was terrifying, and Octave found himself contemplating which he feared more, the Device, or that mare. The door creaked open again. Octave didn’t bother moving this time. Until he heard a “Psst!” Octave looked up to see Raindrops, crouched next to his cage and holding a white rag. “C'mere!” Octave warily stood up and walked over. “What is that?” he asked. “It's your ticket out of here,” she said, holding out the rag. “It is?” he asked, leaning in to sniff it. “Not yet!” Raindrops hissed, pulling it back. “It's chloroform. In about twenty minutes, lay down on top of this cloth and breathe in deeply. You'll pass out, I'll come back, say that you need medical attention, you'll be out of the cage, and I'll get you out of the factory in no time.” Octave felt a spark of hope well up in his chest, faint, but present. “Will that work?” “Sure will. It’s a trip to the medic. I’ll just say they pronounced you dead and dumped you in the incinerator. They don’t keep records because technically, you don’t exist. Nopony will blink an eye.” Octave couldn't help but see a flaw in this plan. “Won't you get in trouble if I don’t show up at the medic’s?” he asked. “I don't want them to hurt you.” Raindrops smirked and shook her head. “Nah. I haven’t survived this long by being sloppy.” She set a hoof comfortingly on his shoulder through the bars. “Don't worry. I'm getting you out of here, and not even Rainbow McGrumpypants can stop me.” She stood up and began to walk away. “Remember, twenty minutes.” Octave sat and began to count. One altostratus, two altostratus, three altostratus…  Octave awoke with a slight headache. His forelegs hurt, and so did his back, and there was a stabbing pain in his hind leg. He must have laid down wrong.  And then his eyes opened.  His forelegs hurt because they were strapped down to a rough metal table. His back hurt for the same reason.  And his hind leg hurt because there was a large needle in it, connected to a syringe filled with spectra—his spectra. And holding that syringe was… “Raindrops?” “Hey, Octave,” Raindrops said distractedly, pulling it out and looking at it. She tapped it to get the air out and grinned. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured knowingly. “QC’s gonna love this one.” With practiced motions, she removed the needle, capped it off, and dropped it into a tray.  “Wh- what’s happening?” Octave asked.  Raindrops’ eyes flicked between him and the Device’s waiting mouth. “Is this a trick question?” she asked.  Octave’s mouth fell open as realization hit him like a lightning bolt. Hot tears burned in his eyes.  He’d been betrayed. “Y- you said you’d save me,” he whimpered. “You said you’d get me out.” “I did say that, didn't I?” Raindrops conceded. She leaned in and smiled, an awful smile that sent shivers up Octave's spine again. Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “I lied.” She straightened and spoke brightly. “Enjoy your ride!” She hit the start button and took a step back and stood as if to watch, but flinched as her name was screamed again. “Raindrops!” the rainbow-maned pony yelled, apparently very close to having an aneurysm. “If you don't get another failure at your station in thirty seconds, I will personally put you in the Device myself!” Raindrops crinkled her nose, and had but one word to say as she turned and left. “Spoilsport.” Octave couldn't process what had just happened. He saw Raindrops, his savioress, leaving, abandoning him. Ahead, he saw chains tightening. Below, he saw metallic teeth grinding against each other. He closed his eyes, but there he saw Raindrops, grinning at him with those wide eyes and awful smile. He had to open them again. Now he was suspended above the middle of the vat. He heard a scream (was it his own? It wasn't stopping...) as an intense pain flashed through his chest, and he saw blood oozing from numerous cuts along his chest, formed by the broken shards of his own ribcage poking through his skin. He saw the chains slacken. He saw the upper level disappear. He saw the grinding teeth getting closer. He saw