//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: Dash Exile.EXE 
// Story: Mechaniquus 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
//------------------------------//

Dash lay in her bed, in the dark. In the silence. Her thoughts ran rampant as she lay there; thoughts about the incident that landed her here, what she could have changed. What she tried to forget. Feeling a sudden touch on her head, Dash’s eyes snapped open to see the smiling face of Rarity as she gently ran her hoof through the multi-colored mane.
Eagerly opening her mouth to address her mistress, Dash found a hoof pressed against her muzzle.
“No talking, just listening. Understood, Darling?”
Dash slowly nodded, and Rarity slowly removed her hoof from Dash’s muzzle. Sitting on the edge of the grand bed, Rarity sighed and slowly shook her head.
“Oh, Dash. I know you want to hurt, and believe me, little one, I am more than happy to demean, humiliate and make you cry in pain, but in ways that make you cry tears of joy. Punishment is not meant to be fun and issuing one is painful to both you, the receiver, and me, the giver. I am far from kind spirits when I punish you and you continuously seek them out; in your quest to atone, as you put it.”
Gently rustling Dash’s wings with her hooves, Rarity smiled lovingly.
“That needs to stop, and no you don’t get a say in it. I want you to look at me and say you understand. You belong to me and Applejack. What we say goes, I do not wish to suffer my past just as much as you wish to not suffer yours. Got it, my Dash?”
“Y-yes Mistress Rarity.”
Leaning down to gently snuggle her, Rarity whispered.
“That’s my good girl. Now, let’s get you into something more comfortable.”
Dash’s heart leaped as the silken attire vanished from her body, and reaching up she no longer felt that insufferable coronet. Her bed changed to become a simple pillow on the floor and all her extravagant furniture vanished in a heartbeat. Dash smiled happily. She had nothing, once more.
Rarity spoke to Dash in a gentle whisper.
“Normally I wouldn’t do this for misbehavior, but I think you’ve learned your lesson and realize exactly who is hurting through your actions, so…”
Rarity paused before producing a small glass vial with a strange green mist within it. Dash’s eyes lit up in excitement as Rarity gave her a small warning.
“This bottle contains the culmination of my research in aromatherapy. With this, your mind will finally take you there, and you will see her again. Dash the time has come for you to make peace with your demons.”
Dash became nervous; fidgeting and twitching anxiously.
“Do-do you think I’m ready?”
Rarity shook her head with a warm smile.
“No. Not by yourself anyway, which is why I’ll be joining you.”

	



The steam of the shower rose around the two, as Rarity and Rainbow were pressed together in the tight space; not that either minded. Feeling the warmth and soothing caress of the water streaming down on their bodies, Rarity looked down at Dash; as the latter gently snuggled against her midriff.
With a loving smile, Rarity’s horn began to glow causing the cork to pop from the glass bottle. The smell of fresh sawdust, bourbon, whiskey, and cider intermingled along with the abrasive scent of cigars; the scent of a dive bar that once resided in Cloudsdale, under the rule of Dashina, Princess of Loyalty. The same scent as the night she was exiled. Rarity mentally prepared herself as she cast the spell to visit Dashina’s memories. She says she betrayed everypony and was exiled. I need to be ready for anything.
“We don’t get many Earthponies here, Sugar. What can I do you for?”
Rarity blinked as Dash raised a wing in front of Pinkie Pie and snarled.
“She’s with me Cassonova.”
She wasn’t prepared for this. The stallion bartender chuffed in annoyance before asking in a far less cordial manner.
“So what’ll it be, lezma-?”
Rainbow’s hoof lashed out as she roughly grabbed the bartender.
“Finish that word, and this establishment will need a new bartender, capisce?”
Wrenching himself free of her grasp, he gave a sharp breath of precious air.
“Geeze, Princess, who pissed in your storm cloud?”
“Just shut up and do your job.”
Rarity turned to the side and watched as her Dash mouthed every word. She had warned Dash that the memory would play out exactly as before, before the two of them. And this reiteration of her Dash seemed to be a bit of a rabble-rouser; an angry drunk. 
I was a horrible mare back then mistress…This isn’t so bad, so she threatened others? I made a living out of killing ponies en mass, this is nothi-
“Hey Pinkie, go get us a booth.”
“What about your wife?”
“Ugh, don’t get me started! She has no concept of fun, unlike you..”
“Are you sure? Maybe you should head home and spend time with her.”
“Nah, she’ll be fine without me there for one night.”
“Hm, you’re probably right. In that case, why don’t we go somewhere a bit more private; I know some really fun things we can do.”
“Mmm I like the sound of that.”
Dash looked sickened as she watched the scene, her eyes hooded over.
“Please follow me, mistress.”
Rarity looked at her submissive in confusion.
“Dash, sweetie, I can see you were adulterous but I really have no desire to see you, you know, with another mare.” 
“If only…but it’s not what you think, just please follow me.”
Curiously following Dash, as she pursued her memory self upstairs, Rarity was startled to see Dashina’s past self-bound, gagged, and blindfolded on a bed. Facing the trussed-up Dash was Pinkie Pie, in her hooves a whip, and she giggled.
“Having fun, my little Pegasus?”
Turning to give Dash a warning glare, Rarity spoke softly.
“I thought I said I didn’t want to see-”
But she stopped, seeing the absolute misery painted on Dash’s face. And as Pinkie taunted the Dashina of the past, Rarity soon understood why. Pinkie’s face began to stretch and from her forehead, a single, crooked black horn emerged. Her body grew longer and thinner, as her furred hide became a shiny black carapace. Rarity’s blood ran cold. Chrysalis; the Queen of the Changelings now stood where Pinkie had. Instinctually, Rarity jumped in front of Dash and shouted to her, her horn glowing a bright blue.
“Dash! Get back. I’ll hold her off, get out of here!”
However, Rarity felt a hoof on her shoulder as a soft voice said.
“Mistress, it is only a memory.”
“Right, right. The past. I know that.”
Her horn ceased glowing, but Rarity’s eyes stayed fixed attentively on the image of the Changeling Ruler, her teeth clenched in anger.
“I know that.”
Feeling Dash’s hoof on her shoulder, Rarity took a deep breath.
“I’m alright, I’m fine. I’m fine.”
Dash gently nuzzled her, neck, causing Rarity to laugh as she gently scruffed Dash’s mane, in response.
“I’m fine sweetie, I promise, you lovely nuisance. Let’s continue.”
Turning back to the scene, Rarity watched as Chrysalis opened a portal with her magic, in which was…her. Rarity’s eyes went wide seeing herself with Celestia’s amulet and Luna’s crown, on a throne surrounded by Changelings; fangs inches from her throat. She watched as Chrysalis walked over to the bound Dashina and lifted her blindfold.
Dashina stared hollowed-eyed at the portal. At her wife. Struggling against her bonds to no avail, she looked distraught as she shouted at Rarity.
“Rare I’m sorry I’m so sorry! I-”
Chrysalis laughed and spoke to her, her voice low and tormenting.
“As glorious as it is to see you in agony, you can relax, she cannot see us and my spawn won’t attack her without my command. You really should have taken my advice and headed home, Princess.
I’m tired of fighting you, Princess. I’m tired of you playing fast and loose with your position. Princess of Loyalty, my flank. Drinking, cheating, gambling. You don’t care about your subjects. You aren’t fit to rule. And I am-”
Gently fluffing Dashina’s mane, Chrysalis continued as she transformed into a mirrored image of Dashina, regal attire and all.
“I can easily pass for you, a better you.”
Sitting on the bed next to Dashina, Chrysalis gave a soft laugh.
"So this time, I give you a simple decision: leave and never return, and give me that crown. or I will have my children kill everypony in your kingdom. Including-”
Pointing at the portal, before looking the bound and gagged Pegasus in her eyes.
“Her.”
The bound Princess stiffened and her eyes went dark, unable to do anything. The ballgag was removed as Chrysalis asked her.
“So what’s your answer, Princess?”
Dashina was quiet for a moment, before, with a voice laden with defeat, whispered.
“And what happens to them, all of them, if I do?”
Rarity watched Chrysalis nod.
“I am not a monster. If you surrender and go into exile, I will rule in your stead, and you have my word, your ponies will be spared any unpleasantries.”
Dashina swallowed hard.
“So be it-”
Glancing up at the portal once more, Dashina whispered just three words as another portal opened beside her.
“Rarity, I’m sorry.”
Looking at Chrysalis, Dashina spoke, tears slowly making their way down her face.
“I lose. You win, Chrysalis.”





Sitting beside Dash on her bed once more, Rarity spoke up for the first time since sitting down.
“I expected to see something horrible, but Dash, that…”
“I know, I know! I’m awful.”
Rarity fell silent once more. She wasn’t so sure Dash needed to hate herself for her actions, if anything in her eyes, Dash did the right thing. Glancing beside her at her distraught pet, Rarity pondered how to make Dash see that she did it for them. 
Rarity silently sighed. She hated seeing her submissive in such a state. How could she ease her pain, and open her eyes? She didn’t know what to do. Rarity had committed genocide on several species, killed millions with a smile on her face and this was the hardest, heaviest decision she could remember having to make.





On a rock shrouded in the dark, lay a gloopy, ooze-like creature that resembled a Changeling, but wetly dripped all over the surface of the rock. Surrounding the rock, beams of sunlight radiated down, trapping the creature. Drip, drip, splat, sizzle.
Lazily, and sloshing about the creature turned over, flopping lazily onto what appeared to be a gloopy, glistening pair of wings. Lifting an oozing foreleg, it pawed listlessly at the air. Opening its malformed muzzle to reveal gooey and glistening fangs. Angrily it wetly screamed with a mare’s voice.
“So boring!”
The shout echoed throughout the underground cavern, like always. The wretched sun held her imprisoned. It wasn’t fair!
“We did nothing wrong!”
We only followed our nature. But like always, the cavern echoed her pleas. Taunting her, mocking her. The cavern fell silent as the echoes died away leaving her to wallow in despair in the sun-encircled darkness once more. Wait, did we just hear that?
A sound, like a skittering rock, had reached her dripping ears, not just that but as she listened, she heard voices.
“Are you sure this is where she is, Pinkie?”
“Yup. Though we really shouldn’t be here, Starlight will be so angry.”
“I have to know what she’s like.”
On the rock, the mare’s squishy, oozing sea-green eyes snapped open in excitement.
A visitor? A visitor to see us?