//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Deceived // Story: A Canterlot Rebellion // by Minds Eye //------------------------------// "-and then I flipped over and bam!" Rainbow Dash somersaulted through the air and pounded her front hooves together for emphasis. "He dropped like a rock!" She grinned as Twilight Sparkle laughed. Rainbow was surprised Twilight asked for the whole story of the rescue, but she was always happy to brag about her skills. Her earlier uncertainty was long gone. The plan Twilight gave her was taking a giant step forward tonight, and Rainbow Dash couldn't wait. It was an enthusiasm Twilight shared after she finished her story. "It's so hard to believe that one pony can do what you've done. Still, I'm glad you're accepting their help. I was afraid I was putting too much on you. Fighting them all alone could have overwhelmed you, like that incident with Applejack." Rainbow laughed at the memory of Applejack launching her across Ponyville. "I was never really alone, though. And now with these unicorns backing me up we can really do some damage." "Don't get too far ahead of yourself," Twilight admonished. "You don't even know how many are joining you yet." "I know, I know. We still need to get Luna inside the city somehow. Do you think they might be able to drop your brother's force field?" Twilight shook her head, rattling her chain. "I doubt it. They don't just let any pony become Captain of the Royal Guard. If a few students were stronger than he was he wouldn't have gotten the job." "What about this Nocto guy? If he's in the Royal Guard too-" "I don't know who he is. Besides, Shining Armor also has the queen backing him up. She's keeping him strong with her spell right now, remember? Now these students, they're not still at the school are they?" Rainbow shook her head. "They're camping out in an old hotel." "Will Fluttershy be there with you?" "No, you know crowds really aren't her thing. Especially with strangers." "Speaking of which, you shouldn't keep them waiting. Go on." Rainbow Dash was disappointed. "That's it? You don't have another plan of theirs I can screw up? Something to get the newbies' hooves wet?" An odd look spread across Twilight's face. Did she say something stupid? "Rainbow, you are their plan now. Hurricane is a thorn that Chrysalis wants removed. She was planning an attack on Cloudsdale this morning until she heard her trap failed. One of her lieutenants reported on the train departure tomorrow and she blasted him across the room. You are all she cares about." Rainbow left with Twilight's warning fresh in mind. Her long walk through the tunnel gave her time to think about their conversation, as usual. She would have to convince one of the unicorns to leave on the train tomorrow. If Chrysalis was focused on Hurricane, Luna was free to move unseen. If Luna had a plan to retake Ponyville, or defend Cloudsdale, or even if she knew how to bring down the force field, now was the time. She reached the end of the tunnel and began to lift the trap door. It flung open as some pony else pulled it on the other side. Rainbow jumped back with a shout as a dark shape quickly reached down for her. The hoof withdrew with a cry of its own. "Oh! It's me! It's me! I'm sorry, Rainbow. I should have waited for you down there." Fluttershy reached back down and helped pull Rainbow Dash up to the street. Rainbow stared at her, trying to get her heartbeat back under control. "Um, I brought these for you," Fluttershy said as she reached under her cloak and pulled out Rainbow's armor and bodysuit bundled together. "Uh, thanks." What was it with Fluttershy giving her heart attacks lately? Rainbow started pulling her gear on. The moon, somehow still full almost a week after the attack, cast a shadow on the alley that hid the golden shine until the armor was covered by the gray of Rainbow's cloak. She set out for her meeting with the unicorns, and Fluttershy followed. "Well, thanks for saving me the trip back. If you wanted to come you could have just said so." Fluttershy looked down as she answered. "I didn't want to intrude on you and Twilight. How is she?" "She's holding up. She gave me a warning before I left. The queen wants us taken out pretty quick. Twilight said we're all she cares about. Things are only going to get harder from here." She watched the color drain from Fluttershy's face. Rainbow hated to see it, but she couldn't sugarcoat the truth from her. "It sounds like this could be Luna's chance to step up her game in Equestria. We need to get some pony on the train tomorrow." "No we don't." "I still want it to be you, but I have a feeling that won't happen." "Rainbow, I don't think we need any pony." "Things are going to-wait, what?" "I thought of a way to talk to Luna. I mentioned it on the way home this morning." Did she? Rainbow Dash didn't remember that at all. Fluttershy mercifully ended her confusion. "You were distracted by what happened earlier. That's OK. Well, there's a sewing room on the second floor of the house. I forgot about it until last night. If I can make a flag big enough for no pegasus to miss, we could sew a letter to it. Then we just have to attach it to the train somehow." Rainbow was quiet while the plan sank in. Fluttershy waited for her opinion. It was, "AWESOME, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy smiled at the ground while Rainbow thought ahead to tomorrow morning. An attack on the train would be a spectacular debut for her new fighters. Some pony could attach the message in the confusion. Then they would "run away" and let the changelings deliver their message for them. Things were starting to look good for Equestria. The hotel came into view. Two stories high and in disrepair, it looked completely abandoned. The two pegasi stood frozen in the shadows of Canterlot. Finally, Rainbow Dash noticed a faint flicker of light inside a first floor window. This was the place. Rainbow waved for Fluttershy to follow her and flew up to the second floor fire escape. "Dramatic effect," she answered her friend's quizzical look. Fluttershy smiled and followed her up. The interior hallway was lit only by a faint glow from around a corner. Furniture covered in sheets lined the walls in between the doors. Rainbow could make out hushed voices, but couldn't tell what they were saying. The two ponies rounded the corner and made their way down the hall towards the light. "Stop that!" barked a voice. "If she's not out there, she's not out there." Nocto. The hallway opened with a railing overlooking a lobby. Unicorns were clustered together in the center of the room with two more standing next to a window each. Rainbow Dash backed out of sight and removed her cloak. She smiled at Fluttershy as she pulled her mask up. "Here we go." "ATTACK!" Rainbow Dash spun around to see green bolts streak through the windows like sideways rain. One loud CRASH echoed as four changelings rammed through the ceiling and down into the ponies below. A second crash signaled the destruction of the door at the end of the hall. The brilliance of the light, the volume of the noise, the ferocity of the attack all added to the chaos. Rainbow Dash acted on instinct. Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but Rainbow's hoof cut her off. She crumpled to the floor. Rainbow Dash grabbed her body and shoved her under a table. "Rain...why...?" Rainbow held back too much. She was still conscious. Rainbow hissed, "Don't move, and don't make a sound!" She pulled the sheet back over Fluttershy not a moment too soon. The changelings charged around the corner just as Rainbow stood back up. "Come and get me, slime balls!" Rainbow Dash dove over the railing and into the melee below. More changelings had stormed through the door and attacked Nocto and his students. Rainbow fell on them in a blur of motion. She lashed out with full force, holding nothing back. The changelings backed away in the initial shock of her attack. This was their only chance. "Get out!" "Now!" Nocto turned and fired on a wall, his students following his lead. They knocked out a hole and ran through it in a wild retreat. Rainbow Dash stood between the hole and the army inside to cover their escape. More soldiers landed outside, letting the runners go. Unicorns were scattered on the floor, but they were paid no attention. The changelings were here for her. She charged. They fired. They missed. Rainbow Dash was on top of them with the fury of a storm. She fought with no self-preservation. There were too many of them. Her one goal was to bring down as many as possible. All Rainbow Dash could do was make every strike count. And then it happened. Her limbs were suddenly pinned to her side as her body was thrown backwards with savage force. She slammed into the wall and bounced off, stunned, and was immediately thrust up into the ceiling. The changelings grinned up at her. Finally, the force that held her vanished, causing her to fall back to the floor. Rainbow planted her front hooves and tried to push herself up. Her hooves were pulled away, and her face struck the floor again. "You lost. Just give up." The voice cut Rainbow Dash to the core. She trembled, trying in vain to stop the tears welling up in her eyes. "T-Twilight? Why? How could you-" Her body was violently thrown to the side. She looked up at the black figure towering over her, green eyes burning with hatred, fangs bared in a cruel sneer. Queen Chrysalis. Her crooked horn glowed. Rainbow's mask forced itself into her mouth as a gag. "You really need to learn some subtlety, Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash went limp. She spoke with Twilight's voice. Chrysalis ordered two changelings forward to pick her up. Rainbow didn't resist them. Chrysalis was right. She lost. It was over. Chrysalis knew everything. She knew all their plans. She was the one who gave their plans. Everything Rainbow and Fluttershy did was meaningless. She failed. Only one thought kept her calm as the changelings dragged her out and into the sky. All the soldiers went with her and Chrysalis back to the castle or followed after the unicorns. Fluttershy was safe. --- "My subjects! I present to you our esteemed guest, Commander Hurricane!" Rainbow Dash's cheeks burned as laughter echoed in the throne room. Chrysalis led the procession through the hall as Rainbow was dragged behind her. Waiting at the end was Celestia's golden throne, now covered in the green slime of the changelings. Twilight Sparkle lay at the foot of the throne, collared, chained, gagged, and with eyes full of concern. Queen Chrysalis took the throne and looked down on Rainbow with a smirk. "Oh," she said with fake surprise, "forgive me Commander. It seems I've forgotten to teach my soldiers proper manners. Gentlemen! You are supposed to take a lady's coat when she enters." One of the guards at her side took Rainbow's throat in his jaws and forced her to the floor. The horde of changelings rushed forward and tore at her costume. Her armor was stripped off. She felt sharp fangs bite into her skin to rip the black cloth away. Chrysalis laughed through it all. Twilight never looked away. The last piece removed was her gag. A chain was brought out and Rainbow was forced up. She took her chance to speak as the guards wrapped the chain around her wings. "You were Twilight. You were Twilight. You knew things. How did you-” Chrysalis summoned a simple wooden chest from behind the throne. She let it drop to the floor. The lid popped open, and numerous scrolls spilled out. Scrolls. Chrysalis lifted one. "Dear Princess Celestia," she began in a slow, mocking tone. "I used to think that the most important traits to look for in a pet, or any best friend, were all physical competitive abilities..." More laughter. Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth at the queen continued her ridicule of how she met Tank. "I still can't believe this is the tripe you cared about. No wonder I defeated you so easily!" The queen was looking above her as she spoke. Rainbow followed her gaze to see Celestia hanging from the ceiling, trapped in a green cocoon. Her eyes were open, calmly watching the proceedings. Rainbow still didn't understand. "But you helped me! You told me-" "I told you I thought I sent you straight back to the dungeon. I was hoping a few more hours of freedom would let you gather more information for me about Luna. Not only did you manage to turn those few hours into an entire day, you failed to learn anything new at all. So I sent you into a trap this morning. It was meant to be a public defeat to remind Canterlot who's really in control here. And you escaped." Her emphasis on the last word killed the humor in the atmosphere. Something was wrong. Rainbow saw the mob of changelings shrink as Chrysalis stepped off her throne. Her eyes burned with green fire again, but this time they weren't directed at Rainbow Dash. "You escaped. Even though my soldiers knew you were coming. Even though they knew not to underestimate you." The air crackled with energy. "You beat them twice before. You tricked them and escaped from them at the train station. One pony managed to best and humiliate every...single...ONE! OF! YOU!" The roar of magic unleashed punctuated her words. Her troops scattered for cover from her waves of energy. The walls cracked, spreading debris across the hall. Rainbow dropped to the floor and covered her head. Chrysalis walked past her, still screaming her frustration. Rainbow looked up in shock to make sure Twilight was OK. She was, and she was frantically waving for Rainbow's attention. Their eyes met, and Twilight began tapping a hoof against her collar. Why was she doing that? The unicorn's purple eyes became more and more pleading as the seconds dragged on. She finally looked away and went still. Chrysalis stepped back in front of Rainbow Dash to continue her tirade. "And now there is a band of unicorns loose in my city with the intent of fighting against me. Because of you and that ridiculous idea of yours! "Oh, I blame myself." The queen turned back to her throne as the rage left her voice. "It would have been so easy to snuff out this flame when it was just a candle. I should have taken you the first time you came through that wall. I thought you were just bragging when you said you escaped from ten of my soldiers." Rainbow was puzzled for a moment. That wasn't right. Bragging about ten soldiers came after Applejack and Spike escaped on the train. The first time she went through the wall...she loosened Twilight's collar! One or two spells, she thought as she looked back at Twilight. Chrysalis noticed her change in focus. "Yes," she said with a smile, "dear Twilight was just as surprised to hear you as I was. I'm afraid that was her body hitting the floor that you heard. I couldn't afford to let her warn you. But you woke up sooner than I expected, didn't you pet?" Twilight recoiled as the queen stroked her mane. Chrysalis turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash with a tone of sympathy. "You fought so hard. You struggled and survived for days, and what do you have to show for it?" Rainbow Dash answered Chrysalis' smirk with one of her own. "Nothing. But a little bit of nothing can change everything." The hall erupted with more laughter from all the changelings. This time, Twilight joined in with them. The two ponies were on the same page now. As Chrysalis recovered from her hysterics, Twilight twisted her body, tapping her side and looking over at the windows. Rainbow understood. One or two spells. She could break the chain that held Rainbow's wings, and maybe one of the windows. Rainbow could escape while the changelings were in surprise. But what about Twilight? Rainbow Dash always hated leaving Twilight here. After seeing the queen treating her friend like that, she hated it even more. She wasn't leaving without Twilight, but she couldn't get Twilight out now. Chrysalis plucked her out of midair tonight and on the invasion day. Rainbow doubted the third time would be the charm. To Twilight's surprise, she stood still and kept the chain out of sight. Chrysalis came back to her senses, ignorant of the ponies. "Oh Rainbow Dash, you entertain me. But the fact remains that you are a problem. I've had to postpone my plans for the rest of Equestria because of you. Now I need to spend even more time tracking down this new threat. My little pony, you have become more trouble than you're worth." An evil glint flashed in the queen's green eyes. "I am going to make an example of you. I am going to show Canterlot something they have never seen before: an execution." Fear. Pure fear was written on Twilight Sparkle's face. She was begging with her eyes for Rainbow to turn, but Rainbow Dash stood her ground. If she escaped, Twilight would be left alone with an enraged queen. She wouldn't let that happen. Twilight gave a muffled scream and slumped down to bury her face. "You can't do it yet," Rainbow started, speaking as much to Twilight as she was to Chrysalis. "All of Canterlot knows about Hurricane now. You need to make this public." Twilight's ears pricked up. She was listening intently. "That's what you wanted this morning, right? For every pony to see Hurricane lose. They'll all turn out to see if you even really have me." And add to the confusion when I escape. Twilight looked up with a forgotten tear on her cheek. She was following Rainbow's logic. Queen Chrysalis looked down at her with amusement. "That is exactly what I plan to do. We're going to begin spreading the word tomorrow. How refreshing it is to have a prisoner agree with her punishment." She signaled for the guards to take Rainbow away. Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a reassuring smile as they grabbed her. There was one last piece to the puzzle the two of them put together. One more wild card that no one else in the room knew about but her. Fluttershy. --- The whistle sounded and the train slowly began to pull away from the station. Their duty completed, changeling guards turned and started flying back to the castle. Fluttershy quietly prayed for just a fraction of Rainbow Dash's speed as she flew off the roof and tried to catch up to the caboose. Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy obeyed her last order. She cried silent tears during the awful sounds of fighting. She knew who would win as much as Rainbow did. The hotel was deserted by the time she gathered enough courage to crawl out from under the table. One ray of hope kept her strong. Rainbow Dash approved of her idea to send a letter to Luna. She worked through the night on the banner she carried now. It was a simple white background with a black X in the center. She hoped it was big enough to spot from the air. Her letter was sewn on the underside. A letter she hastily rewrote after already leaving the house once this morning. Hurricane would be unmasked at sunset in front of the castle gates. The news came from a pony she met with the green glow of the changelings in his eyes. She didn't know what to make of it. The changelings were behind it, of course, but what were they planning? Fluttershy realized it didn't really matter. Rainbow Dash sacrificed herself to protect her. She had to try and get her back. And so she came up with this one desperate plan. The front of the train was passing through Shining Armor's barrier when she caught up. Fluttershy quickly wrapped some twine around the railing at the back of the last car and through some holes she punched in the cloth. She tightened the knots to secure her banner with time to spare. Don't let go, she thought. Applejack got out this way. If you hold the train it might pull you through. You'll be free . The purple field loomed closer. It was halfway across the last car now. Fluttershy let go of the railing. Her body struck the field and bounced off. The banner unfurled as the train picked up more speed. She watched the train chug along, hoping that she would actually see a pegasus swoop down and take her message before it disappeared in the mountain tunnels. There was no such luck. She sighed and turned back to Canterlot. There was one last thing she needed to do this morning. She was already trembling at the thought of it. Fluttershy took a deep breath and started flying towards the docks.