Lightning cracked, and Rainbow saw her landing point for a short instant. She could tell she wasn't going to make it fully.
Suddenly her stomach hit the edge, her body painfully doubling over and temporarily winded. She couldn't breath, and everything seemed to be in slow motion.
She was starting to slip back and out of the aircraft. Her hooves clawed desperately on the smooth carpet, but was doing little to stop her from slipping. And then she was dangling by her front hooves, the wind threatening to rip her away from the plane.
With all the strength she had left she hauled herself up, rolling onto the walkway and clinging onto the frame of a chair, trying to catch her breath as the wind continued to lash out at her. She'd never had vertigo before.
She quickly got up and started running. She was still in the back section- the front section and cockpit where Dainty should be still far away.
The plane groaned again, and Rainbow learnt to take it as a bad sign. She kept running none the less.
The ground beneath her hooves split, and her left hoof got caught in the crack. She tripped over, face planting into the floor.
"I hate airplanes." Rainbow muttered, wiping blood off a bleeding nose and continuing for the cockpit.
She neared the edge of the back section, connected to the front by several flimsy support frames.
She saw several red dots of light move in the shadows- more robot ponies. Great.
She jumped for the front section, bullets whizzing past her. One bullet flew into the right engine, still connected to the back section. It blew, a huge fireball lighting up the night and quickly fading away as the wind blew it out. The shockwave failed to dim the slightest though.
Rainbow rode the shockwave like a surfer, flying into one of the first robot ponies and rolling onto the ground. She yanked its gun away, putting two bullets through its dull metal skull.
The entire plane shook, and Rainbow almost fell over. The back section had been torn away, and without the right wing to balance the plane; it was beginning to spin out of control.
More bullets rained. Looks like the robot ponies really don't give a damn about what happens.
Rainbow leaped out from behind cover, holding down the trigger. She was knocked down when the aircraft's last engines blew out, sending the remains of the jumbo jet tumbling across the sky.
Rainbow and the robot ponies were all thrown around inside, and she had lost the rifle again. Wasn't hard considering she could barely tell where the ground was- actually, where anything was. Something cracked against her ribs, and she gasped. It was followed by a hit to the head, and she was knocked half-conscious. She felt a small explosion in her ribs, a bullet shattering the bone and almost penetrating her heart. Thankfully it stopped a few centimeters away- it also missed all of the main arteries.
Rainbow collapsed onto the ground, then was yanked onto a wall as gravity shifted and the jumbos jet spun through the air. Her wound made a big splatter of blood on the wall.
She hit the ground again, her vision blurry and her hooves stained with her own blood.
"Damnit-" She muttered, trying to get up. The plane had stopped flipping- it was, quite miraculously; gliding on one wing. It was still shaking itself apart though.
Not like this... She thought, clutching the hole in her chest, thick blood oozing out from under her hooves. Dainty.... I tried.... She could feel the metal plate pressing against her chest next to her wound. Please don't be mad at me... Please don't blame me...
The aircraft suddenly hit the ground, the remaining wing clipping a building and sending the aircraft spiraling and knocking out rows of traffic on the streets below. It bounced up, only to fall back down and crash onto the roads. Fire erupted and sparks flew as the bottom ground against the gravel, slowing the heavy jumbo jet. Ever slowly, it slid to a grinding halt; leaving behind it a clear trail of destruction.
Rainbow heard the robot ponies getting back up, and could also hear the crackling of a nearby fire. She felt the barrel of a rifle press against her head, the robot's hoofsteps slowing to a halt. Her vision was blurred, darkness closing in around the sides.
"Leave her." Val's voice said, clearly coming through a mic.
Rainbow couldn't move- she was barely alive right now. She was surprised she wasn't dead already.
"Keep her alive- but leave the wound. Bring her to me- I've got some weapons to test on her." Val's voice continued.
Rainbow gasped weakly as she felt a sharp needle penetrate her neck, injecting some liquid into her blood stream. Now she felt a lot more alive, but the pain in her wound also increased. Slowly and painfully- this must be what Val feels when she gets shot. No sense of dying- just the bullet brushing against your flesh as your chest heaves with every breath, pumping out more blood as the heart continues on. It was torture.
Rainbow tried biting her teeth together, but it wasn't enough to keep the pain out. Inevitably she began screaming through tear-blurred eyes, and saw Dainty being led out of the cockpit by the kidnapper, screaming at her to get up. Yelling at her to stop screaming.
But she couldn't, not until she passed out from just the multileveled pain.
*
Rainbow's eyelids twitched as she heard the gentle tapping of dripping liquid. She opened her eyes slowly, the energy zapped from her body. First all she saw was dark red. And then her eyes adjusted, and she realized she was looking down at a puddle of blood. She could feel chains around her hooves, hanging her up uncomfortably. She scanned her surroundings.
The puddle of blood was from her bullet wound, which had soaked her dark clothing and was dripping onto the cold concrete floor. She could feel the stinging sensation growing, but it didn't grow further than a constant painful throb. She was in a dark concrete room, lit only by the cluster of computer monitors in a corner. Wires were scattered about the floor, and other lab equipment were also placed around the room. Operating the equipment was none other than Val.
"Morning. Although one could not tell in this concealed room." Val said. "And careful not to move. Those wires are the only things keeping you alive, Dash."
For the first time Rainbow noticed the wires and tubes plugged into her back. Her necklace hung loosely and matted with blood from her neck.
"What did you do to Dainty?" she growled, a vein throbbing on her neck.
"Whatever is necessary to get my favorite soldier back. You know, after she kinda killed herself." Val said, turning away from the monitors.
"You're going to bring that maniac Neon back!? Are you out of your mind!?"
"Maybe I already am." Val said.
"What makes you think an immortal like her would listen to you?" Rainbow asked through gritted teeth. "Dainty's alive now. She has no goal."
"Maybe Dainty will be the bribe for her to work for me, then. And in case you didn't notice-" Val grinned. "I don't die either."
Rainbow spat at her, but the spittle fell short; which only made Val laugh.
"You goddamn bastard. You're gonna use Dainty!? She's just a filly! Let her go!"
"Not a very convincing argument." Val scraped her metal fingers together.
"You piece of-" Rainbow's words fell short as Val clamped a hand tightly over her mouth.
"You can save her if you want afterwards." she said, and they stared into each other's eyes- both cold and unwavering. "But once I'm done with you- you're most likely to destroy her- and everything else." she grinned at Rainbow's muffled insults.
There was a gentle whir as Val brought her robotic arm up, the hand unfolding and ejecting a small glass capsule into the air. The hand sprang back, and she caught the capsule, the blue liquid inside slushing about.
"This might hurt a bit. Sorry I don't have any pain killers." Val smirked, and stabbed the sharp end of the capsule into Rainbow's neck.
The blue pegasi's irises contracted, then the muffled screams followed as the blue liquid was injected into her blood.
When Rainbow stopped writhing and fighting, and when the liquid had drained from the capsule; Val backed away, taking her hand away from Rainbow's mouth. A thin thread of saliva mixed with blood stretched from the corner of Rainbow's mouth to Val's hand, glimmering slightly in the dim light.
"What have you done to me!?" Rainbow growled like an animal. She could feel her blood churning inside her, heating up. She had the odd urge to bare her teeth at Val- so that's exactly what she did. She bared her teeth, droops of saliva dripping out of the corner of her mouth.
Val laughed. "All I did was unleash your potential. You need power to rescue your little sister, right? Well, I gave that power to you- through science! Although, you being able to control it is a whole different matter..." she grinned.
"You bastard..." Rainbow growled, and she could feel her teeth growing into long and sharp tiger teeth. Her wound burned, and healed itself with a flash of flames.
"I'll leave you to that then." Val turned away and waved back-handedly, walking out an ion door.
"You won't get away with this!" Rainbow yelled after her, and felt her body was about to burst apart.
The chains holding her bound broke as her body's density suddenly increased, the weight breaking the ion. She crumbled onto the floor, cracking the concrete. Sharp pain rippled across her body, her skin stretching to its limits as whatever was inside was going to burst out.
She pounded the floor, screaming. Her scream was unlike anything she let out. It sounded more like a roar. She didn't know why, but she was angry. She was furious. Sure, she hated Val. But this fury was beyond even that hate. And it scared her.
"Get it out goddamnit! GET IT OUT!" she screamed as her wings exploded into pink mist, blue feathers slowly drifting to the ground. From her back sprouted two different wings- bony, demonic wings. They were like armor, thick like shields.
Rainbow's front hooves burst apart, claws ripping from her bone. They were more like paws, just a little smaller than the average sized plate. Her back hooves tore apart, growing into feet.
Her body and face churned, morphing into a dragon-like scaly outline. Her face turned into that of a dragon's too, except it was more flat and some-what pony like.
She roared, her dark purple eyes darting about, filled with menace. All she had was blind rage in her heart as she tore the lab apart.
And then she felt her body shrinking again, back to its normal size. Weak, much more powerless. She shivered, her body suddenly cold. Not even the coat provided her with warmth. Her wounds had healed, her wings and hooves back to normal.
And then what Val had said sank into Rainbow- she could turn into that monster any minute now. And if she's near Dainty when it happens again- she could only hope that it doesn't.
*
"Scootaloo!" Halcyon called out across the street.
The orange pegasus turned, wondering who it might be.
One of those royal guards I saw earlier... Hmmm... She thought.
Halcyon caught up, steadying her breathing.
"Hell." she cursed. "Have you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere? She went missing last night. Not even the mic can get to her- she must've disabled it or something."
"Shuck." Scootaloo cursed. "No, I haven't seen her. You keep looking for her- I'll have a look around too."
"Thanks. We really need her- the arseholes have Dainty." Halcyon said, walking back across the street.
Damnit Rainbow.... Where are you when we need you? Scootaloo thought as she took off into the sky.
By the end of the day, she had almost given up. She flew up to a cloud in the sky, sitting down and watching the sun fall down behind the mountains. The bright orange glow cast streaks of orangy-red across the sky and onto the clouds, turning the sky purple. She laid down, looking over Cloudsdale. There were parts of the city she hadn't searched yet- because she knew that Rainbow wouldn't be there. The Rainbow Dash she knew wouldn't go to those places anyway- but she didn't know that the Rainbow Dash she knew and loved was long gone.
*
All around the blue pegasus ordinary ponies talked. Ordinary ponies with no idea of the danger currently present right next to them. All the chattering, laughter- shadowed muttering, clinking of glass cups and spilling of celebratory beverages- all meaningless to Rainbow as she gulped down a mouthful of Cloudsdale Whiskey.
She slammed the glass down on the cracked wooden bar table, the golden substance inside slushing about and almost spilling out. It was night time again- and Rainbow was here because it was the only place where she wanted to be. Alone with her memories.
Octavia.... I'm so useless... She thought to herself. When she came to a bar, her best friend would always be there beside her. But right now, there was nothing but an empty stool lit by the dim warm glow of a single bulb from above.
She coughed, choking slightly on some of the whiskey as it burned down her throat. It felt like the only thing that could keep her warm- not even Octavia's coat could do the trick. The moment that gulp of whiskey dispersed in her stomach, the coldness came back, seeping through her skin and leaking into her heart. Another gulp temporarily fixed that. A light yellow pegasus pony with a hat covering the most of her face glanced at her, and Rainbow glared back with a 'buck-off' expression. She was sitting two stools away, slowly sipping out of a glass of Canterlot Moonshine.
"Fill her up." Rainbow belched loudly, but nopony noticed since they were all happily minding their own business. All except the yellow pegasus pony, who tilted her head slightly, obviously annoyed at Rainbow's behavior.
The bartender eyed her cautiously. "You've been drinking far too much tonight, young lady. That whiskey is quite strong, you know..."
"Yeah yeah. Shut the hell up. I'm paying, alright? So get me that bucking glass of whiskey." Rainbow growled madly, and the yellow pegasus pony did nothing more than take a restrained gulp from her glass.
"Forget the glass. I'm here to take her home- my friend here's been drinking a little too much." Scootaloo said, laying a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. She then moved closer to Rainbow's ears, and whispered in a hushed tone: "When I set out to find the legendary Rainbow Dash, I did not expect to find her wasting up in a crap bar like this."
Rainbow didn't flinch. She just hit the table. "Bring me that goddamn bottle."
Scootaloo tightened her grip on Rainbow's shoulder. "Rainbow- get out of here. Leave. You shouldn't be here."
The blue pegasus pony stubbornly sat still, glaring at the bartender as he gingerly went to get another bottle.
"Leave." Scootaloo said through gritted teeth, making it sound more like an order. She yanked Rainbow's shoulder back in an attempt to make her leave her seat, but never expected what came next.
Rainbow swung from her stool, shoving both front hooves into Scootaloo's chest and sending her back against the far wall. Scootaloo hit the worn concrete wall, and gasped in shock. A second later Rainbow was at her neck.
"Don't tell me what to do. You hear me!?" Rainbow yelled in her face, not letting go of her neck.
The bar was silent now, all watching.
"What happened to the Rainbow I knew?" Scootaloo yelled back, spittle flying. "The one I knew would be at wherever the damn enemy is, beating their bucking heads in!! Not the peice of crap I see before my own eyes right now!!"
"Things change, alright!? You leave me to me. You leave me to my own decisions."
"What about Dainty!? You're just going to sit here while she suffers!? God knows what they're doing to her! AND YOU'RE JUST SITTING HERE LIKE THE PIECE OF CRAP YOU ARE, WASTING AWAY AND HIDING!? WHAT THE BUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!!??" Scootaloo yelled, angry at Rainbow.
"DAINTY IS LOST! YOU HEAR ME!!?? I CAN'T SAVE THE BUCKING SOUL!! ALRIGHT!? AND IF I TRY I'LL ONLY END UP KILLING HER!" Rainbow banged Scootaloo's head on the wall lightly, dropping her voice into a hushed tone. "You don't know shuck about the situation right now- alright? So get the buck out of here and away from me."
"You say there are difficulties, aye? You think it's impossible to rescue Dainty now, aye!? WELL I TELL YOU WHAT-" Scootaloo spat in her face. "THE RAINBOW DASH I KNEW WOULD GO TRY ANYWAY. STILL CALLING YOURSELF THE ELEMENT OF LOYALTY!? EVEN NOW!!?? Right now, you're nothing but a PIECE OF CRAP!!"
"What did you call me...?" Rainbow glared at her, and suddenly her voice dropped an octave; into a low, menacing, demonic voice.
She could feel that same uncontrollable rage filling her up again. She raised her hoof- she no longer cared who Scootaloo was, or is. She's going to bash her face in.
Rainbow swung the hoof down, but failed to make contact as somepony had a hoof laid firmly on her arm, unwavering and strong.
She looked around to find the yellow pegasus pony, her expression stern.
The pony looked up, revealing a bright purple iris that glimmered in the light. A thin thread of white-and-black hair drifted down one side of her face, concealing her other eye.
Daring Do pulled Rainbow's hoof away from Scootaloo's face, a slightly disgraced expression on her face.