Ditzy and Dinky remained silent, holding each other close against the dark of the chamber, but inside a question was burning in Ditzy's mind. However, looking down at her daughter's head pressed against her chest, she didn't want to ask it. She was happy, a fragile and highly pretext joy unlike any either of them had had in months. Did she really want to ruin that? Here, in the darkness, could she really take away the one thing they had?
She held against it for as long as she could, trying as hard as she could to let them be happy, but at the insistence of the memory of their surroundings the question broke free, her curiosity refusing to go unanswered. “Dinky, do you know how you got here?”
It took Dinky a moment to react to the question, giving it time to echo in the room unopposed. Eventually, sullenly, her head shook, and Ditzy's heart dropped. She'd already broken it... but for the sake of her own mind, she had to keep going. “Can you tell me what you remember?” When Dinky remained silent, Ditzy nuzzled against her, trying to cheer her up. “Please, Muffin? Anything at all will help.”
Dinky looked up at her, the happiness from before completely gone. “I don't know... Aunty Harvest said she was going to the market and not to go anywhere, and I was playing up in my room when my neck got stung by a bee and I got all dizzy and tired.”
That didn't sound like a bee to Ditzy. Dinky had never had that kind of reaction before. “Are you sure a bee did that?”
Dinky thought for a moment, looking down and causing Ditzy's heart to skip a beat. Luckily, Dinky's light was still rather dim, leaving her unaware of the floor they sat on. “I thought it was a bee... but I think I pulled a little feathery thing from where I was stung right before I fell.”
A dart? They snuck in and took her away? Golden is probably worried sick! “Do you remember anything else?”
“Right before I went to sleep I heard two big colts talking, and I think one of them picked me up... and then I woke up here.” Tears started to form in Dinky's eyes. “Mom, did I do something wrong?”
Ditzy was taken aback by the question. “No! What makes you think that?”
Dinky was fully crying again, and even Ditzy couldn't stop it. “The pony that picked me up said I shouldn't be allowed to keep living. He called me a freak!”
Ditzy cringed at the word. There were many words she'd heard used to describe her: Derpy, stupid, dumb; and she could take all of those without any problems, but for some reason that f word was the one that truly stung. She could be Derpy, it was even a term of endearment to some, but she couldn't stand to hear herself or anypony else be called a freak. “That pony was just being mean. You're a beautiful little filly, you're not... you're not a freak.”
Dinky pushed herself back, stepping away from Ditzy and leaving her in the dark. “I am! Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said I was the daughter of a freak, and that made me a freak too! And now we were taken here because we're both freaks...”
“Dinky! You are not a freak. I am not a freak. We are different, we are unique, and while some ponies don't like it when things are different, that doesn't mean we aren't allowed to exist. We are one of a kind, as every single pony is, and just like everypony else, we're allowed to be happy and live.”
“But he hated me! He said I was just a two-hearted freak that would make more freaks, and-” Ditzy ran forward, collapsing around Dinky in a firm, loving hug. So that's what it's about...
One of the first solid memories Ditzy had after the fog was right after Dinky was born. Even while in the hospital, confused and alone, they couldn't let Ditzy rest.
“She's a scientific anomaly, Ms. Doo, you must understand that-”
Ditzy sat in the hospital bed, mere hours after her labor was completed, anger in her voice. “No, I don't understand!” She glared at the doctor, an eager young colt, and dared him to continue. “Why do you want to take my daughter from me?”
Despite the warning in her stare, continue he did. “Studying her could lead to so many breakthroughs! She is the first pony ever born with a functioning cardiovascular system containing two hearts! Any other pony born with a second heart is the result of a defect, and most defect born ponies don't survive. If you could just let us study her, then maybe we could-”
Ditzy shook her head, slamming a hoof on the bed. “She isn't going to go with you, she is coming home with me!”
The doctor backed away, smiling gently. “Okay, it's a start. We'll study her there.” He immediately pulled out his clipboard, ready to take notes. “To start, could you at least tell us under what circumstances she was conceived? Perhaps that could give a clue to the nature of the anomaly.”
Ditzy slammed her hoof the the bed again, fed up with this stupid doctor. Not even a day! Not even a night! She'd hardly had a rest since she found herself suddenly in the hospital in labor and they were already pestering her! It wasn't fair! “You aren't listening to me! You. Aren't. Studying. Her. I can't even answer your dumb question, I don't know!”
“Then why do you care about her so much?”
The temperature of the room dropped as Ditzy glared at him again, pulling herself out of bed on shaky legs. “Because she's mine.” She walked over to him, poking a hoof into his chest. “How dare you, how dare you even think that I would not care for my own foal!” She stormed from the room, pulling off the hospital gown as she went.
“Wait! You shouldn't be moving yet! It isn't-” The gown hit the doctor in the face, silencing his protest as she went to the front desk.
She checked out of the hospital that very day, Dinky in her hooves, and together set out, three fragile hearts against the world.
She hadn't remembered much then, and still didn't, but she had known Dinky was her family, and family means something. Especially when there's nopony else. She since had met so many wonderful and horrible ponies, but there could never be one she loved more than her own little Muffin, and her muffin needed to know it.
Ditzy spoke slowly into Dinky's ear, all the love in her voice that she could possibly muster. “Dinky, listen to my heart.” She gave Dinky a moment pressed up against her chest, letting the hammering within be heard. “I have one silly little heart, easily broken, easily swayed. You were given a second as a gift. It means you have twice the capacity to feel, to love, and to be loved, and I will not let anypony take that away from you. You aren't a freak, and you are never, ever hated.” She picked Dinky up, looking into her tearful eyes. “You are a brilliant little Muffin and always will be. This I promise from the bottom of my heart.”
Dinky sniffled, wiping her nose with her hoof. “You mean it?”
Ditzy hugged her close again. “I mean it.” As the two embraced once more, Ditzy listened close, just barely able to hear the four beat rhythm of Dinky's heart. It was always soothing to her, bringing with it feelings of love. Not just of her daughter, but of a time before, when the world was exciting and new. When somepony was next to her, somepony she would follow anywhere, somepony she could share her life with...
Somepony who marched to the beat of an unheard drum.
Her heart stuttered at that, a shock of fright shooting through her, though she couldn't find the source. It was in the fog... ever in the fog...
From against her breast her daughter spoke, mournfulness in her words. “I wanna go home... I don't want to be here anymore.”
Ditzy just nodded, pulling herself out of her thoughts. “Me too Muffin, me too...” Without thinking, she began to sing, a song which had always calmed the both of them, from both their foalhoods. “Hush now, quiet now it's time to lay your sleepy head...”
“Hush now, quiet now it's time to go to bed...” Dinky replied, leaning into her mother. They looked at each other, a faint smile on their face as the song worked it's comforting magic. “But I'm not tired, mommy.”
“You don't have to be. Just think of home, and maybe it will bring us there.” She watched Dinky close her eyes, picturing her bed in her mind, and Ditzy did the same before she continued. “Drift, drift off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you. Drift, drift off to sleep let the joy of dream land find you...” The song echoed around the room, enveloping them in the comforts of home even in the cold, metal chamber. There, for just an instant, all was well once more.
---
The inner workings of Processing were as a maze as Ink Well slunk through them, his confidence in the Administration section failing here. Scaffolding and steel pipes criss-crossed the ceiling of the large, open concrete hall, while doors large enough for a stout train lined it, each sealed with a heavy slab of metal. Above each one was a different name painted in large, blocky yellow letters: “Holding,” “Preparation,” “Maceration,” “Extraction,” “Distillation,” and “Disposal.”
However, the scale wasn't the only thing differentiating this section from the previous one. It might not have been the number needed to fill all of those offices, maybe fifty ponies, no more, but compared to just himself and Rainbow Dash it was staggering. After the barren state of the narrow Administration halls, and the very presence of so many pegasi caused Ink Well to duck behind a large 'Raw Materials' crate on a dolly near the entrance, furtively peering out to make sure he wasn't seen. There he noticed two things: first, his costume needed modifications, as the ponies here had no hard hats, and second, the bulk of the movement was from Preparation, making it the most abandoned place and, therefore, the safest to investigate.
He had since left his helmet behind the crate, walking with what little confidence he had left through the ponies moving from section to section. However, one glance around him made him feel far less out of place. While he had slumped shoulders from trying to hide his identity, those around him were similarly slumped, their eyes exhausted, dull, and bloodshot, with large bags beneath them. There were even a few moving with a thousand-yard stare, a terror on their face that would not go away. Filling the remaining space was a myriad of pegasi in various stages of depression, from normal to downright miserable, the only smiles to be found strained, almost manic ones, and they were far between. What could they be doing that could be so... draining? They hardly look like ponies... A shudder ran through Ink Well, the thought horrible enough. Best not to think about it, at least until Ditzy is safe.
Slowly Ink Well edged his way through the tired ponies, slipping into Preparation through a small door set beside the larger metal one. Within were giant steel cylinders, like the vats of the perfumery back home scaled much larger, a pressure door built into the side of each. Every one of them had a large pipe connecting to the top, all filtering from a central one that wormed it's way across the ceiling from deeper in the factory. Walkways lined the top of the room, coming from those adjacent as well as the hall outside. The floor around each vat was grated, those all leading to a runoff grate that ran through the center and back the way the pipes came.
Ink Well wandered through the room with interest, trying the immobile hatches on the doors and hoping to get come clue as to what it was all for. There was no writing, no instructions, not even a sign that said 'X days since last accident' anywhere in the room, the bleakness perfectly complementing the still silence that hung in the air. Even with the ponies moving about outside, the only sound to be heard in here was the sound of his hooves
That is, until he neared the vat in the back corner of the room. As he walked by the door set in it, he heard a sound from within, very faint but definitely there. Puzzled, he placed his ear to the door, the muffled noise becoming melodic the more he listened. “Hush now, quiet now it's time to lay your sleepy head...” It was a lullaby! And that voice... he couldn't be sure through the metal, but the hopeful excitement beating in his heart only let there be one pony in his mind that it could be.
“Hush now, quiet now it's time to go to bed...” And she was with somepony else. That voice sounded a lot younger, but Ink Well had no clue who it could be. Still, he didn't like the implication. Children too... how could they?
“Drift, drift off to sleep leave the exciting day behind you. Drift, drift off to sleep let the joy of dream land find you...” As the last two lines of the song approached, Ink Well leaned with his back against the wall, relief running through him. It was definitely Ditzy, it had to be, and she was comforting some scared foal in there... She really was a kind pony. And I'm a jerk for getting her into this mess.
Ink Well wasn't sure why, but he felt compelled to sing as well, joining the voice within the vat in harmony for the last lines. “Hush now, quiet now it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now it's time to go to bed.” He heard a sound of confusion within, and after a slight pause, he tapped on the wall of the steel prison. “Ditzy? Are you there?”
.
---
Both Ditzy and Dinky's attentions were drawn to the darkness as the muffled voice joined her song. It had been in perfect harmony, and though it was hard to tell through the steel, Ditzy felt hope lighting in her heart. “Muffin? Did you hear that too?”
Dinky nodded. “Yeah... who was it, do you think?”
As if to answer her question, a tap echoed through the chamber, the muffled voice sounding again. “Ditzy? Are you there?”
There was no doubt about it! Holding Dinky in her forehooves, Ditzy flew to the side of the tank, yelling to get through the metal. “Ink Well! Is that you?”
“Ditzy! I'm so glad I found you! Are you alright? Are you injured?” He'd come for her. Even after whatever happened earlier and after she left him in the records room, he'd looked for her. She didn't know whether to feel touched or honored, but hearing the happy sounds coming from her daughter, she decided joy was the best way to go.
“I'm fine. Can you get us out of here?”
“I thought I heard another voice in there. Who's with you?”
“It's Dinky!” There was a long pause after that, as though the words had just hit him like the revelation had hit her earlier. Except she couldn't remember if she'd told him about Dinky... She'd only met him the one time, and only mentioned Dinky in passing...
Just as she was starting to worry he'd left, there was a sigh of exasperation from the other side of the wall. “It's no good, the door's stuck tight. But I promise you're going to get out of there, alright? You can count on me!”
Ditzy looked down at her daughter, a huge smile on her face. “Did you hear that, Muffin? We're going to get out of here!” However, instead of the happiness she expected, Dinky looked puzzled, her head cocked to one side and her attention elsewhere, sapping some of Ditzy's energy. “Dinky?”
“Mom, what's that sound?” Ditzy stopped thinking about Ink Well for a moment, tilting her own head and listening as hard as she could. For a while there was nothing, but then, very faint, it grew edging on recognition. “It sounds like water going really fast.”
A cold chill ran through Ditzy as she remembered the drips from earlier. They were now getting harder to hear as the sound of water picked up to near deafening levels, but she could have sworn they were getting faster...
“Oh no... Ditzy, whatever you do, just stay calm and-” The rest of his words were drowned out by the downpour of liquid, crashing down in the center of the room and drenching both Ditzy and Dinky. Dinky yelped, jumping in the air and splashing when landing, the water level already higher than her hooves and bringing further panic from the filly.
Ditzy picked her daughter up, backing against the wall and as far from the foul chemical smelling liquid as she could. When her back was against it, she could here a pounding on the other side, Ink Well's voice barely pushing through. “I'll get you out of there Ditzy! No matter what happens, I promise you'll get out of there safe!”
Ditzy took it to heart, trembling as the cold rising water reached her thigh. I hope so, Ink Well, I really do.
---
The screams coming from within the vat only drove Ink Well on as he twisted the valve on the pressure door, trying with all his might to get it to unlock. Unfortunately it wouldn't budge, owing both to it's original locked state and the fact that this was exactly the type of thing it was created to prevent. This is pointless! C'mon Ink Well, think!
He ran around the steel cylinder until he found a seam in the weld, then he ran back and steeled himself. Not a second later he charged the vat, bucking it as hard as he could and feeling it ring beneath his hooves. But the sound wasn't nearly as hollow as his previous taps had been, and already he was worried he was low on time. As he ran back again, he heard a slam from the container, and when he turned he saw that it was dented out slightly right where he had just hit it. It was tiny, but it was something.
He charged again, turning at the last moment to buck with everything in his legs. The dent reversed, going slightly in, but he felt a lot of the power get absorbed by the water, bouncing from the wall and back into his legs. Undaunted, he ran back one more time, stopping against the concrete wall behind him. There he leaped up against it, springing off of it as hard as his legs could kick just as the vat pinged back out towards him. He flapped his wings, building up speed and tucking at the last second, impacting the dent with his shoulder.
Searing pain shot through his leg at the impact, throbbing over and over again at the scar on his hoof. He cursed as he realized which shoulder he'd just used, that leg still weak from when he'd broken it over a year ago. Sure, that impact had done something, but he was going to break if he did anything like that again. There had to be another way to save her, there just had to.
The water flow! Ink Well looked above him at the pipe gurgling and splashing away and nodded, his face set in determination. If I can't break the tank, I can at least stop the water. Pushing off of the ground with his three good legs, he shot up towards the pipe, turning around to stomp on it with one of his rear hooves. The impact was strong, leaving a large dent and a hoof print on the pipe. However, coming with that damage was a siren that blared through the room, with matching calls echoing throughout the factory.
Security... There were probably seconds at the most before guards showed up, or at least ponies investigating the problem, and that could not possibly end well. If he got caught, he couldn't hope to get back to Ponyville today. In fact, if he got caught, there was a strong chance he'd never get back to Rose at all... If he wanted to leave, he had to do it now.
Not without Ditzy. Ink Well dove to the floor, taking one glance at the door before kicking off again, slamming into the pipe with as much power as he could muster and denting it further, though another throb rushed through his leg. But the pain didn't matter to him. If something happened to Ditzy, I'd never be able to live with myself. I got her into this mess, and I promised I'd get her out. He landed once more, massaging his shoulder for just an instant as he looked at the pipe, now leaking but still resolutely open. “I always keep my promises.” He looked at the door once more, just daring a pony to come through it as he prepped to jump. “All of them.”
---
Ditzy kicked at the water, doing her best to keep her head above the turbulent wash as she reached over to Dinky, trying to do the same for her. Despite her best efforts, Dinky would occasionally sink, the ball of light on her horn dimming as it entered the sickly green liquid. When her head popped back up, Ditzy called out to her. “Dinky! Stop concentrating on the spell! Just focus on swimming!”
“Mommy!” Dinky yelled, getting sucked under the water once more. Ditzy immediately dove in after her, following the small form just before the light went out. Remembering where it was, she grabbed her daughter in her hooves, pulling her back up to the surface where both of them gasped for breath. Dinky coughed, sending some liquid from her body. “Mommy, I don't know if I can keep going.”
“You've got to Muffin! We're going to get out of here, okay? We're going to do it!” As she spoke, a thunk could be heard in the pipe, the rush of water slowing ever so slightly. “See! Ink Well's going to get us out of here! Just hold on!” Ditzy could feel Dinky's kicks getting weaker. It wouldn't be long at all before they stopped... At this rate she might not even reach the roof of the vat.
No! We're going to make it out of here! Whatever it takes! Just then her hoof bumped against something floating in the water, the image of the floor of bodies coming to her mind once more. What if they hadn't all been dead? What if they'd woken up as the water fell? Barely conscious, only to be drenched, unable to move, unable to breathe. The horror would just be...
Stop it, that isn't going to help anything! Another kick brought her hoof against the mass floating up again. Feeling Dinky sink a little more, a horrible idea entered her head. She gagged at the thought, but her words from earlier popped into her head once more. Whatever it takes...
Using her rear legs, she maneuvered the body as best as she could to the surface, feeling it pop up to the top and float just within her reach. She grabbed it, pulling it and Dinky closer together. “Dinky! Grab onto this, it'll help you stay afloat.”
Dinky grabbed on eagerly, though she flinched before fully latching on. “What it is?”
If she ever found out... “Just hold on and don't let go!”
“Okay...” Ditzy released her daughter, glad to feel her staying afloat just fine as her hoof moved away. Trying to check the water level, she reached up, the top of her hoof smacking hard against the roof. It was much closer than she expected.
Even with the water slowing, it wasn't going to stop in time. She had to do something, and she had to do it now. She remembered how far in the dent had pushed before the water covered it. It was their only hope.
She took in a deep breath, then pushed against the ceiling, diving deep into the liquid. Opening her eyes, they just stung, the chemical burning away at them while the darkness stopped any visibility there might have been. Squeezing them shut, she tried to remember the direction of the dent, swimming towards it in the churning, roiling waters. It took a few seconds of blind searching and bumping into uncountable floating horrors, but eventually she managed to find it. She pushed off in the opposite direction, her lungs starting to ache as she continued to hold her breath, but she muscled through, swimming to the opposite wall and pressing against it as her lungs started to burn.
There would only be one chance, and there would be no time for finesse. Luckily, she seemed to have a knack for a lack of finesse. Whether it was dropping packages or that incident so long ago with town hall, Ditzy had gained an almost supernatural destructive tendency when her eyes had gone strange. Probably just one more thing Ozone wants me dead for. It was a curse, something she worked as hard as she possibly could to avoid on a day to day basis, but today, it was going to be her saving grace.
She pushed off of the wall behind her with all of her might, the last of her air going into the action, and took off like a torpedo, both of her forehooves in front of her and her mind completely focused on the tip of the dent even as the edges of her consciousness started to fuzz. If this didn't work... It will.
The impact rippled through her body, the steel bending beneath her hooves, flipping inside out and then ballooning from the further force. Just as she slowed down, the fear that she hadn't made it edging into her mind, the metal gave, peeling open, the water pushing free and taking Ditzy with it. She hit the grated ground hard, bouncing to the side and gasping in pain, precious air filling her lungs as she did.
The sounds of sirens greeted her escape from the drink, followed by hooves landing next to her, a pair of them cradling her head. “Ditzy! Are you okay? Speak to me!”
“I'm fine, Ink Well... Just *cough* fine.” Ditzy spat out what gunk remained in her system, rolling over and trying to focus on the waterfall exiting the tank.
Ink Well looked as well, shock entering his eyes as mass after mass exited the tank, hitting the hard ground with a solid, wet thump. He was frozen by the sight as Ditzy shakily stood, walking back towards it just as one final form flew out. This one had a smaller unicorn attached to it, her eyes closed and her whole body trembling. Ditzy ran over, catching Dinky and pulling her free from the body, immediately turning her so that she couldn't see the pile that had formed under the vat. Dinky was crying again, still frightened from everything, and Ditzy shushed into her ear. “There, there. We're free now. Everything's alright.”
Ink Well walked up to the two, his shock and nauseousness only covered by the thinnest of veils. “Does... does she know about-?” He was cut off by Ditzy shaking her head. Taking that as a cue, both of them backed away from the pile, moving towards the center of the room.
Just as they reached it, the siren's call was heard. Guards burst in from the hall and on the upper scaffolding, cutting off their obvious escape routes and looking far more fit than either Ink Well or Ditzy at the moment. Ditzy's eyes widened in horror, her narrow escape from danger just a moment ago already feeling pointless, when her hoof was grabbed by Ink Well. “Run,” was all he said before he took off at a breakneck pace, Ditzy pulled along behind him.
---
Rainbow Dash kicked at the floor of the hallway, grumbling angrily as she walked back to her office. She'd just been chewed out completely by the guard for stealing his badge and running, the only thing that managed to get him to leave his post. When he finally caught up to her it was a solid five minutes of “What do you think you are doing? I am a member of the security team and rank higher than you, and here's a million reasons why that was a bad idea!” The things I do for friends...
But she was having a hard time even considering Ink Well that anymore. I mean, sneaking into my workplace, arguing with me in my office, calling me a nopony and then asking me to sell out my boss... Not cool. Except... she couldn't really be mad at him, because he did have a point. Even if Ozone wasn't lying and she was the biggest thing to hit the Weather Factory in a hundred years, so what? “Ooh, accounting! How awesome!” she said, kicking at the floor again. “The only thing cooler and more exciting is watching paint dry.” I could totally get out of here, go back to just low level clearing in Ponyville, practice my stunts...
But what then? This was the tenth time she'd been turned down for the Wonderbolts, the fourth after saving their lives! She could do a Sonic Rainboom on command, beat back an army of changelings, had more wingpower than any pony she knew, and STILL she wasn't good enough to be a Wonderbolt. Heck, Thunderlane got farther, and he's one of the dorkiest fliers on my weather team!Even if he does hide it under that wicked mohawk. Rainbow sighed. She wasn't ever going to be a Wonderbolt... they didn't even bother to tell her this time, just sent over the closest pony around.
And that was what bugged her. Sure, there was probably some reason she couldn't get in, like not being on the Varsity Fliers or something, or how they thought her mane wouldn't look awesome enough in the uniform, but come on! The least they could do is tell her. She saved their lives! She'd even hung with them more than once! Ever since she was a filly and saw her first flight show it was her dream to be a Wonderbolt, to soar with the very best, and they didn't even think her good enough to turn down themselves... Did she really want to fly with jerks like that? I mean, yeah, I suck, but... I'm not that bad, right? There is really only so much failure one pony could endure, and Rainbow had finally reached her limit.
Ozone thinks I'm good enough. He hired me right away, said I was going to the very top. So what if it's not as awesome? I'll be helping all of Equestria! What's better? A curtain of doubt hung over her last thought, dulling the whole thing. Does he really think I'm good enough. I'm, like, the only pony without Processing clearance. He probably thinks I suck too... Rainbow shook her head, throwing that thought out. “No! It's just like at the Best Young Flyer's Competition. Sure you're worried now. You've just gotta prove yourself and he'll come through.” Though that didn't help with the Wonderbolts, now did it?
Just as her thoughts began to circle on themselves, an alarm rang throughout the factory, calling all personnel to attention. As soon as she heard it, Rainbow took to the air, shooting down the hallways so fast it left a speed trail. This is it, Rainbow! Your chance to shine! Fix this and you're on Ozone's good side for sure! She shot around a corner, making a turn so sharp it could cut a knife in half, a move she'd practiced ever since Ink Well had outmaneuvered her after the Gala. Huh, I guess I still owe him something... Focus, Rainbow! Focus!
She came up to where the guard had been stationed, finding it empty, the hallway beyond free and clear. She flew through that, sliding to a halt outside a big metal door that said 'Preparation' where a spinning orange light and the loudest alarm of all declared something wrong. Inside guard ponies were moving, a whole bunch of them running together after a pair of ponies running into a back room. A pair of very familiar ponies...
Rainbow ran after them, ready to come to Ink Well's– No! He's the bad guy. You're with the guards! –the guard's aid. As she ran between the vats, the smell of decay and harsh chemicals filled her nose, causing her mind to reel as she searched for the scent.
A short glance around the room rooted her to the spot, jaw slack and hind end falling to the concrete. Horrible green liquid was pouring out of one of the vats, spilling over a pile of pony bodies, every kind and color heaped across the floor. She tried to speak, to ask somepony about them, but nopony paid them any mind, all of them too focused on the fleeing suspects. Which was fine, as Rainbow couldn't speak the question her mind was screaming.
“Oh dear... What are you doing here, Rainbow?” Rainbow managed to wrench her gaze from the carnage before her at the sound of her boss' voice, turning to find Ozone standing behind her, his trademark smile replaced with worry. “It's normally best to ease into these sorts of things, not toss them all at once.”
Rainbow looked from him to the bodies and back, baffled at how he could be so unfazed. It was then that she found her voice again. “Ozone, what the hay is all of this? What are those doing in the Weather Factory?” Another thought hit her right in the gut. “Were those...? Were those the 'Raw Materials?' Oh, geez, what kind of monster-?”
“Shh, now, Miss Dash.” Ozone walked towards her gently, a comforting smile one his face. “Let me explain everything.”