//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Rufus Divum // Story: Cantering Death // by Scriber //------------------------------// Five hours earlier Rainbow Dash yawned, a particularly long evening of strutting her stuff finally beginning to take its toll on her. Though her wings ached from all of the exercise and her mane was perhaps a bit more disheveled than usual, the cyan Pegasus was content as she trotted back to her room, absentmindedly humming a tune to some song or another. It was just after sunset in the city of Cloudsdale - brilliant, vibrant golden hues intermeshed with soft purples and radiant pinks in the west, as if Celestia herself had painted the gorgeous landscape with the sky as her easel. As current holder of the title “Best Young Flier in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash had been invited back to her hometown to showcase her talents for aerial acrobatics as well as host a two-hour workshop on the finer points of flying for the Cloudsdale Flight School. When she first received the letter from the googly-eyed mail-mare just three days ago, she had been ecstatic; while it is true that she always loved to show off her moves (as was her nature), she was particularly excited at the opportunity to help out her alma mater while doing what she did best. It had been an exciting (if not somewhat tiring) day of loop-de-loops, mid-air pirouettes, careening corkscrews and saltatorial somersaults whilst young pegasi watched on in awe, eyes wide as saucers. Now that the day was finally over, however, Rainbow Dash was looking forward to a nice, relaxing bubble bath and much needed rest. Pushing through the revolving glass doors of Cloudsdale’s finest hotel - the Cloudsdale Mareiott - the rainbow-maned Pegasus entered the ballroom-esque lobby, complete with pure crystal chandeliers and a beautiful array of many-colored clouds floating lazily in the rafters. Her entrance garnered a few hushed whispers from the half dozen or so pegasi lounging in the lobby, a few pointing in her direction as they recognized just who she was. Dash was positively beaming as she made her way to the gold gilded elevator doors, thinking to herself, Best. Day. Ever! That notion, however, was soon to be trumped. Just as the doors were about to click shut, Rainbow Dash heard a familiar voice cry out, “Hold the door, please!” Having no reason not to do so, Rainbow hastily stuck a light blue hoof in between the doors to hold them open, much to the chagrin of the dinging elevator. Though she wasn’t in uniform, Rainbow would recognize that distinctive orange and yellow mane anywhere - it was Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts! Rainbow could feel a fan-girl moment coming on, struggling not to break out into an over-excited litany of “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!” Taking a deep breath, though, she was able to maintain her cool, and as casually as possible, greeted her elevator companion. “Hey, Spitfire - what’s up?” “Hey there, Rainbow Dash! Didn’t expect to see you here; don’t you live over Ponyville these days?” “Yeah, but the Cloudsdale Flight School invited me back to do a workshop with their first years. They even put me up in this sweet room! It’s got a mini-fridge and everything!” “Wow, that’s pretty cool, Dash!” Spitfire replied, turning her head to the side briefly and producing a white card key. “Hey, what’s that?” “Oh, this?” Spitfire said as she swiped the card through a card reader that had been installed on the elevator panel. “It lets me into the VIP penthouse suites on the top floor. You know that the Wonderbolts are performing for this year’s vernal equinox ceremony, right?” “Oh, yeah! Totally! Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Dash added. “Yeah, the Rainbow Factory is sponsoring our performance this year - they paid for both squads to stay in some of the penthouses. You should come hang out! …Dash? You ok?” Rainbow Dash was on the verge of hyperventilating, eyes glimmering wide as a big, goofy grin broke her too-cool façade. “You…me…Wonderbolts…penthouse suite?!” she cried, her voice cracking as the last few words escaped her mouth. Spitfire laughed - the rainbow-maned mare’s enthusiasm had always been a source of amusement and mirth for her - and replied, “Sure, why not? C’mon, it’ll be fun! You’ve gotta check out the Jacuzzi!” “…JACUZZI?!” ----------------------------- The night was young. The sun had set just over an hour ago, and twinkling stars glittered brightly over the cloud city. Cloudsdale had not known any real, tangible conflict since its inception centuries ago - save for the odd worker’s strike or last year’s parasprite infestation, it had always remained a peaceful settlement in the sky. That long-held truth, however, was about to rapidly change. One of the most popular nightclubs in Cloudsdale - the Icarus Club - was, as per usual, in full swing. The dull thuds of bassline-heavy rhythms could be easily heard even as the supposedly soundproof doors were drawn shut; indeed, the very windows of the club itself seemed to rattle and bounce in time with the electronic music that was so popular with the club’s hip and young clientele. The club itself had a bit of notoriety to it, given that there were a few incidents in years past with underage ponies being served (read: over-served) alcohol, but the club’s management had scurried to repair their establishment’s somewhat sullied image, completely re-vamping the club’s security and even hiring bouncers from outside agencies. One of these bouncers - a gruff, surly-looking Pegasus with a billiard cue and balls as his cutie mark - was on the clock tonight, forelegs crossed across his barrel-like chest with a bent cigarette drooping lazily out of the corner of his mouth. It had been a relatively routine evening for the Pegasus, already having to deal with roughly a half-dozen underage pegasi trying to gain access to the posh club. He almost relished in the wavering in their wide, shifty eyes and the obligatory gulps that he had come to associate with underage clientele when he asked for their ID. Indeed, he more often than not found himself chuckling inwardly as he turned them away, each fake ID more and more laughably fake than the last. As the night wore on, though, he found his mind wandering in-between new entries to the club. He was always a bit of a night pony: breathing in a great lungful of the crisp, cool air, he couldn’t help but let the tiniest of smirks creep across his stubbled face, taking in the scents and smells that had always put him at ease. The bouncer Pegasus was jarred from his mild elation, however, when he spied a rather bony-looking colt staggering in the general direction of the club. Though the night was not entirely dark (the pale moonlight illuminated his silhouette, but nothing more), he could already tell that the colt had been dipping into the well this evening, so to speak. The Pegasus colt looked unsteady on his hooves, wobbling this way and that as he moaned softly, stumbling over himself more than once. The bouncer rolled his eyes and spat out his cigarette, the cherry having already reached the filter, sooty smoke drifting up into his face and stinging his eyes a bit. He sighed, already mentally preparing his pre-fabricated lines for denying a too young or too drunk patron access to the club. Still, the colt continued his zig-zagged gait toward the club’s entrance, still moaning softly. The bouncer had to stifle a chuckle; he had a brief flashback to the days of his own youth, not having learned the proper way to imbibe alcohol, overindulging and more often than not waking up in an unfamiliar place with a foul taste in his mouth. He thought he caught a glint of something shiny dangling from the colt’s muzzle as the colt swerved to regard the bouncer in full for the first time, moonlight dancing off of his face for an instant before returning to the shadows inherent to the night. The bouncer Pegasus raised his eyebrows, and called out to the colt, who was now roughly ten yards away - “Hey, buddy. Why don’t you head on home, huh? Yer mother’s prob’ly worried aboutchya.” If the colt had heard him, he offered no sign. He continued staggering toward the entrance to the club, now rapidly closing the distance between himself and the bouncer. As the colt stepped into the light, the bouncer felt a twinge of excitement - and perhaps concern - as he regarded him properly for the first time. The colt looked as though he had been in quite a scuffle: cuts and nicks littered his face, and clumps of his jet-black mane were torn out in places. Dried and drying blood clung to his matted fur, giving the colt a disheveled, disgruntled look. What the bouncer took the most notice to, however, was the look in the colt’s eyes - or lack thereof. There was no expression in those orbs as they hung dully in their sockets, sunken in and lifeless as the colt looked at the bouncer with a deadened gaze. “You been in a fight or somethin’ tonight, pal?” the bouncer asked. Still, the colt ignored him. Without warning, the colt collapsed, sending up wispy puffs of clouds into the air. The bouncer froze for a moment, not entirely sure what to do. His areas of expertise were limited to breaking up fights and checking IDs, not tending to a gravely injured colt who cantered into his relatively dull evening. Thankfully, there was nopony outside the club to see the bouncer’s lack of action - he knew that he would probably get bitched at by one of the managers, had they seen him just standing there, dumbfounded. He started toward the colt laying on the clouds; he looked to his chest, and noticed two things: one, there was a sizeable hunk of flesh missing from his side, exposing gleaming white bone as the colt’s ribcage shone through amidst the blood and musculature. Two, the colt wasn’t breathing. “Oh, shit,” he said to himself harshly, immediately turning around and starting back toward the club to summon help. Just as he was reaching out with a front hoof to open the door, however, he heard the colt stirring behind him, yet another moan escaping his lips that made the bouncer shiver visibly. Slowly, the bouncer Pegasus turned back around to face the colt, who had now gotten back to his hooves. His eyes were burning red, so brightly that they cast a pair of muted sanguine-colored dots on the bouncer’s chest. The bouncer blinked, his brain trying in vain to process what had just occurred. The infected colt took a few shaky, tentative steps toward the bouncer, not entirely like a newborn foal learning how to walk for the very first time. The same viscous mixture of blood and saliva began to drip freely from his snout, little flecks of the soupy liquid dribbling off of his chin and soundlessly falling to the cloud beneath him. The colt let out a cry of fury and charged the unready bouncer, hitting him square in the center of his chest with surprising force. As they fell to the cloud, the bouncer’s fight-or-flight instinct finally kicked in, testosterone being released into his bloodstream and coursing through his veins, enlivening his extremities and willing his body to action. Before he could manage to buck the colt off of him, however, the colt sunk his teeth into the bouncer’s shoulder, blood spraying rapidly as it began to stain the cloud beneath them. The larger Pegasus let out a cry of shock and pain. He managed to shove the infected off of him and sprung back to his hooves, eyes ablaze, ready for a fight. “Oh, you’re fucking dead, kid.” His final statement was not entirely incorrect. ------------------------- Sound asleep amidst a veritable labyrinth of pillows and blankets, Rainbow Dash snored lightly, jostling a tuft of multi-colored hair that had fallen over her face with every exhale. She had hung out with the Wonderbolts into the wee hours of the morning, lounging in the Jacuzzi with Spitfire, Soarin and a few others from the second squad, swapping stories and tantalizing tales of their experiences as Equestria’s elite flyers. They had ordered room service: a few cases of Sarsaparilla and even a couple bottles of very expensive vintage Dom Ponygon, something which Rainbow Dash had never indulged in before. The bubbly drink tickled her nostrils with each sip and she savored the exquisite flavour that had washed over her taste buds. At half past one in the morning, though she was having the time of her life in the company of her childhood idols, Rainbow Dash had to excuse herself; the events of the previous day coupled with the generous amounts of spirits she had imbibed finally caught up to her. She stifled a deep yawn as she bade the Wonderbolts good night, trotting sleepily back to her room and settling in for the night. It was perhaps a sign of maturity that Rainbow had left the impromptu on her own accord, and she knew it; should the opportunity had occurred to hang out and drink with the Wonderbolts even a few months prior, she would have most certainly overstayed her welcome. As this was not the case, however, the drifted off to sleep with a sense of utterly all-encompassing complacency, a smile adorning her face even as she slumbered. She slumbered so soundly, however, that she did not notice the bubble that had manifested itself around the cloud city accompanied by a strange, ethereal grating sound and a series of muted flashes of arcane energies. In her dreams, she was - as per usual - flying, the wind sailing through her mane effortlessly as she blinked her eyes against the torrent of currents that rushed up to meet her. She was accompanied by Spitfire and Soarin, and they were all dressed in properly pressed Wonderbolts uniforms, save for the customary goggles that the team only wore during performances. The three pegasi darted from cloud to cloud, tumbling and rolling in mid-air as they deftly dodged their floating obstacles, smiles on each one of their faces. In the dream, though, there was a sudden change - things began to get bright. Impossibly bright. It was almost as if they were all flying directly toward the sun, and Rainbow Dash shut her eyes against the brilliant light to no avail. It seeped through her eyelids, temporary images of clouds and companions burned into her retinas as those too were suddenly overcome by the intense luminescence. Just as she was about to comment on the development, she heard a voice - “Rainbow Dash.” Confused, she shook her head and shut her eyes even tighter in an effort to diffuse some of the radiant glow that was now beginning to sting a bit. “Rainbow Dash, wake up.” The light was beginning to burn now, hot tears of pain beginning to leak from her eyelids. “Wake up.” The real Rainbow Dash’s eyes shot open, and she squinted. There was indeed an unexpected source of light in her room, no doubt the cause of her dream’s disturbance. Grumbling slightly and cursing once under her breath, she grabbed the nearest pillow and pulled it over her head. “Good, you’re awake.” That voice…she thought to herself. Her eyes peeled themselves open once again as she started in place and sent pillows and blankets flying off of the bedspread, wings stiffening to full alert in surprise and confusion. Standing at the foot of her bed was none other than Princess Luna, her elongated horn lambent in the absence of light. “P-princess!” Dash managed to eek out, her surprise getting the best of her as she stumbled out of bed and tripped over a series of pillows that had been cast to the floor. Luckily, though the soft sleep items broke her fall as she thudded almost soundlessly to the floor. The farthest thing the cyan Pegasus had expected this evening was to be personally woken by royalty, and a barely discernable blush crept into her cheeks, reddening them ever so slightly. In any other situation, Luna would have found the sight somewhat amusing - she had always somewhat enjoyed surprises and pranks in her youth, but her face remained grim. Dash noted that the princess’ expression made her look older. As the glow surrounding Princess Luna’s horn began to fade, Dash started, “What are you-” “-I apologize for pulling you out of your dream, Rainbow Dash. It certainly looked like a good one,” she interrupted, her normally soft and serene voice now carrying a discernable jagged edge to it. “However, we don’t have a whole lot of time, and I need to get you up to speed as quickly as possible.” “Wha-” “-We have a situation,” the Princess interrupted again. “Since you are an Element of Harmony, you are among the first in Cloudsdale to learn the information that I am about to share with you.” Luna walked over to the rather large window at the far side of the room, looking out at the deceptively peaceful night’s scene as the rest of the cloud city slept. She sighed, and continued. “There has been an outbreak of monstrous proportions; a virus, capable of destroying the peace and order my older sister has toiled for so many centuries to craft and maintain.” Dash reeled a bit at this, eyes widening in surprise. “This virus…it changes ponies. It transforms them into mindless monsters, enraged killing machines whom are only former husks of themselves. We don’t know how - or why - this virus has appeared -” Luna stopped herself mid-sentence before she said again, “-in our fair kingdom, but the most important thing that we can do at this present juncture is to maintain order and civility. It is also of equal importance that we prevent the spread of this virus any further - any contact with blood or saliva is absolutely lethal, and a bite from an infected pony will turn the victim in a matter of minutes. “In just a few minutes, the Mayor of Cloudsdale will activate the emergency beacons.” “Emergency beacons?” Rainbow Dash managed to say, brows raised slightly. “Yes. Since you have only known peace in your time in Equestria, I do not imagine that you would know of this safeguard, as it has not been used in hundreds and hundreds of years. Given that there are no magic users in Cloudsdale - specifically, no unicorns - there is a system in place that ensures all citizens will be alerted to the presence or incidence of any semblance of danger or disaster. It is an artifact, made by Celestia herself, which allows the current Mayor of Cloudsdale to magically amplify his (or in our case, her) voice many times in order to deliver a message.” “What is she gonna tell us to do, Princess?” “She will order the evacuation of all residences and businesses, and order that all Cloudsdale citizens quickly and calmly proceed to the Cloudsdale Coliseum to await further instructions. That is where you come in, Rainbow Dash.” “M-me? What am I supposed to do?” Dash answered, sounding unsure of herself. This sudden rush of seemingly impossible information was swirling around in her noggin like an untamed maelstrom as doubt crept into the forefront of her mind. The most subtle of smiles briefly betrayed Princess Luna’s terse visage, as the young flyer had reacted to the situation exactly as she had predicted. “Now, now - where’s that courageous and loyal attitude that has made you famous throughout the land? That certainly doesn’t sound like Equestria’s Best Young Flyer,” she began, her voice assuming a chiding tone. “Hey!” Dash interjected, forgetting temporarily that she was speaking to royalty. “What’s the big idea, huh? I’m the most loyal, most brave Pegasus around!” As Luna’s brows furrowed in an unmistakable display of annoyance, Rainbow Dash shrunk a bit and said, “Uh, I mean…sorry, Princess.” “Think nothing of it,” the Night Princess replied dismissively, accentuating her point by waving a hoof in the air. “There are more important matters at hand, as I am certain that you are quickly realizing. There is not a much time left before the Mayor issues the evacuation order, so I will be brief: I need you to remain in Cloudsdale and assist the Wonderbolts in ensuring that the evacuation goes smoothly and calmly.” A smile now began to grow on the cyan Pegasus’ face at the thought of actually working with the Wonderbolts, but it was quickly replaced by a look of trepidation and frustration. “Wait - I have to stay here?” “That is correct.” “What about Ponyville? What about my friends?!” Dash cried, the mere thought of abandoning them in the midst of this crisis nearly too much to handle. It sickened her and made her stomach feel queasy as her mind began to run wild with possible scenarios. “I can’t just leave them hangin’! What if they get hurt?!” “I am sorry, Rainbow Dash, but that is the way it has to be for the moment. Come, look outside,” she motioned with a hoof for Dash to join her at her place in front of the window. She trotted quickly toward the window and gasped at what she immediately saw. An absolutely gargantuan translucent blue bubble now hung over Cloudsdale, partially obscuring her view of the nearly full moon. It shimmered as the lunar rays penetrated the barrier, the pale yellow light being diffused and displaced as it shone through the powerful magic. “Wha-what the hell is that?” Dash cursed, again forgetting that she was in the presence of royalty. The Princess chose to ignore this, and replied, “A very powerful spell, one which has not been used for millennia. It is a barrier that effectively isolates Cloudsdale from the rest of Equestria. Even if you were to try and disobey my direct order -” at that, the Princess shot a hard sidelong glance at Rainbow Dash that made her gulp, “-you would find it quite impossible to do so. Nothing gets through that barrier.” Dash sunk to the floor, the brevity of Luna’s words overwhelming her temporarily. “But…my friends…” she spoke softly as hot tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to burst forth as she realized that she was - for the moment - utterly incapable of helping them. Seeing this, Princess Luna softened a bit and knelt to come face-to-face with the cyan Pegasus. “I know that you are worried about them, and I am truly sorry that you cannot join them. From what I hear from my sister, however, I am more than certain that Twilight Sparkle is more than capable of keeping your friends safe, wherever this night may take them. I have ordered all settlements within Equestria to come together in the main area of their respective establishments, and I have the utmost confidence that the rest of your friends are going to be together very shortly.” Rainbow offered a sniffle in response, and, breathing deeply, rose to her hooves. “Yeah…yeah, you’re probably right, Princess. Twilight doesn’t take any crap - I mean nonsense! She doesn’t put up with any nonsense,” Dash said quickly, not wanting to annoy Luna any further with her somewhat brash vernacular. “That’s the spirit!” Luna replied, smiling softly; quite the feat, considering her raging inner turmoil, spurred on by what she knew was rapidly approaching the castle back in Canterlot. “So now, Rainbow Dash, I ask of you - will you help me? Will you help your hometown in its’ time of need?” Dash paused for a moment, but in her heart of hearts, she knew that her mind was already made up. Being the walking representation of the Element of Loyalty meant dedication to a lot of things, and Cloudsdale was among the highest on that list. “Heck yeah, I’ll help! What do I need do to?”