Chapter 3
The Princess & Her Loyal Dog
Twilight was busy staring at her old journal when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," She called. Octavia entered the room with a small smile.
"Oh, Octavia, how are you?"
Octavia shrugged. "Doing fine." She said thinking. "Mind if I can ask you some questions?"
Twilight nodded, closing her book and setting it by her pillow. "Sure," Twilight patted the bed for Octavia to sit with her. Octavia sighed.
"There are things that the Guardians have shown me. And I'm connecting things between the Crystal Guardians and the Elements of Harmony." Twilight nodded with a curious scowl on her face.
"They, um, showed me you and your friends."
Twilight blinked once then turned away. Octavia bit her lip. "I didn’t mean anything horrible if I did,"
"No, no." Twilight said quickly shaking her head. "Octavia, that happened a long time ago." She stood up and walked to the corner to lean against it thinking. Octavia gulped watching the unicorn think for a long moment. She finally let out a sigh and turned to Octavia.
"Tell me what the Guardians told you."
"Huh?"
"Just enlighten me, I have this theory about our magical connection and I want to know what the guardians told you."
Octavia blinked then retold what the Guardians told her. Twilight nodded during the story then what Octavia saw from Twilight’s past. Twilight nodded and sighed again, rubbing her forehead.
"Then my theory was correct. Somehow the Crystal Guardians and the Elements were connected, but to a crystal they were made from?"
Octavia shrugged. "Something like that. They were made from the same crystal or they came from the same place where the crystals were found. The Crystal Guardians called the Elements their older sisters. The Elements were made long before the Guardians were."
Twilight nodded intrigued. "Well there goes that mystery to being solved, but what do you want to know about the Elements if the Guardians told you about them?"
Octavia was silent for a moment she looked at Twilight again with a frown. "Can you feel other Elements presence? Like I did when I felt like I was in one of your friends' bodies?"
Twilight nodded. "Since meeting you, I think I have been regrowing and feeling my friends again. Since the connection with Applejack and Rainbow Dash I'm starting to have these feelings."
"Feelings of what?" Octavia asked. Twilight walked over to the bed and grabbed the journal the same journal Octavia saw a younger Twilight look through. Twilight handed the journal to her and smiled.
"Look inside."
Octavia gulped and opened the small book to find sketches and colored drawings, they were pretty good for a young unicorn. Octavia could see small scribbly sketches of some soldiers at parade rest, sailors lounging on the ratlines, and even a battlefield at the bottom with red marks for blood. Octavia flipped through the pages to see the sketches getting neater and nicer and better. The later drawings even had pockets of shading on certain ponies.
"These are great." Octavia whispered seeing now very colorful pictures of Twilight’s friends, all of them younger with smiles or scowls on their faces. One picture showed the yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, applying pressure to a very nasty wound on Rarity's chest.
"When you have nothing to do on the battlefield, you have to think of something to pass the time or go through some type of madness." Twilight said sadly. "If magic wasn't my talent I bet drawing would have been."
Octavia flipped through another page to see a picture of Applejack with a damaged guitar and Rainbow Dash with a whisky bottle in the air as the ponies were singing. Next to the drawn Rainbow, was a half-finished sketch of Rarity, with her hands over her ears.
"Many years after the war, I looked back in this journal and tried to reconnect spiritually to my friends." Twilight whispered sadly as Octavia flipped another page to see Rainbow Dash sleeping in her fox hole with Fluttershy sleeping in her lap with the blanket over her. Fluttershy looked injured with drawn bandages over her head. Rainbow's hand was on her back as if protectively. Octavia had never seen Rainbow look so scared, even in sleep.
"For a time, I thought I had a connection with Rainbow Dash, but then one day the connection was severed as if she left or was dead. Then two weeks later, I heard that Rainbow Dash deserted the army and disappeared." Twilight shook her head. "Many others say she was executed for her crimes."
"Crimes of what?" Octavia asked surprised. Sure, Octavia heard the horrible stories of Rainbow Dash being a traitor but she had shown loyalty to the royals in Manehattan.
Twilight shrugged. "Like I said, desertion of the pegasi royal guard, traitor to Celestia." Twilight chuckled sadly, shaking her head. "Soon ponies started to say I was a traitor and claimed I killed myself." Octavia blinked.
"Why would they say such things?"
Twilight shrugged. "There are horrible ponies in this galaxy Octavia. They'll say horrible things to either hurt another pony or make a pony cheer with praise. For a long time, I thought Rainbow Dash was dead."
Octavia blinked again, returning to the journal to find the next picture, the deeper Octavia was in the journal the more elaborate and bigger the pictures became. This one was of Pinkie Pie playing a fiddle on top of a table. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were in shock seeing the pony in a half jig and singing at the top of her lungs. Octavia smiled.
"Pinkie Pie was a true character." Twilight said with a smile. "Here," She took the journal and quickly flipped to the middle and handed the journal back to Octavia. Octavia gasped in awe at the beautiful detail of a portrait of the pink pony beaming a smile.
"I drew these next few pictures after the rebellion." Twilight said sadly. "I'm pretty sure I got the likeness right on them all. I was trying to draw them from memory."
Octavia stared at the pink pony in graphite pencil, no color what so ever. Her eyes were filled with humor as if nothing could make her cry or bored. Her hair was very curly and wild looking. On her shoulder she had the rank of a lieutenant.
Octavia turned to the next page to find Rarity with a prim smile on her face, her eyes half lidded giving what looked to be a flirtatious look. Just like how fun Pinkie looked, Rarity looked the part of a beautiful unicorn. Her eyes looked like they were searching Octavia's eyes for something, something to talk about. She was wearing some sort of scarf around her neck under her uniform jacket. Her rank showed her as a Captain.
"Wow, and this is?" Octavia asked in awe.
"Rarity Belle. I swear she was the most beautiful unicorn ever to grace Canterlot." Twilight said with awe. "She was very generous and would take a bullet to save any one of us. She’d rather take her own life than have us sacrifice ourselves." Twilight sighed. "She was shot ten times throughout the whole war."
Octavia was amazed. Twilight smiled and nodded. "She was very brave, I miss her dearly. She's the one that taught me how to be a mare." Twilight chuckled shaking her head. "She always had this eye for detail. Just for a trip to the bar, she would check us over making sure our buttons were polished, our hats on straight, even our lapels straightened and nice on our uniforms. Until finally Applejack had to yell for her to get dressed before we leave her behind."
Octavia smiled as Twilight laughed. "Oh dear, imagine the look on her face, it was scandalous!" She said in a mock Canterlotian accent, laughing. Octavia chuckled flipping to another page showing Applejack in her prime. Octavia was amazed by how serious Applejack looked.
"Wow, she kind of scares me." Octavia said with shock. Twilight chuckled.
"Applejack is a tough mare. She was our leader. Our commanding officer. She promised to take care of us and she did. She almost lost her leg during the battle of Asteroid Falls." Twilight shuddered. "I was alone with her on patrol and she wanted to talk to me alone. We were just about to talk when I was hit in the shoulder by a laser. She grabbed me, holding me down as they surrounded us.
"We fought back for a time, when suddenly one of the rock outcroppings above us was destroyed from a bomb and rocks fell on top of us. Applejack was pinned down, her leg caught." Twilight shook her head again with a swallow of bile. "I remembered how broken it sounded under that rock and she was screaming in agony. She ordered me to retreat but I stayed there telling her I would be a fool in leaving her behind. I was able to finally scare them off."
Octavia looked back at the picture to see Applejack's shaded eyes. She could tell that her eyes were filled with this sort of respect, somepony you could trust with your own life. She had a Stetson hat on her head shaded very dark, like it was black. On her shoulders she had the patches of a Colonel, a very high place in the military, even for an Earth pony.
"What happened?" Octavia asked.
"I was able to push off the rock and try to splint her leg. I remember the blood, there was so much blood and her leg looked morbidly like a pancake. I had never seen Applejack like that before. She was crying and looked like she was going to pass out. She kept ordering me to go and get help but I just couldn’t leave her side. So I stayed with her all night until the next day when Rainbow Dash found us and went back to camp to get help.
"Fluttershy was the first to see us and tried to help Applejack's leg. But Applejack had to be taken back to Canterlot for half a year." Twilight sighed. "It was the most horrible wait we had ever been through. Rainbow, being second in command, took over but she admitted herself she wasn't a great replacement but we were happy when Applejack finally came back with a limp in her step, saying she's back and ready to lead us to victory."
Twilight sighed shaking her head. "I remember we saw Rainbow cry after seeing her again."
Octavia was again shocked by the thought of Rainbow crying. Octavia shook her head turning a page to see Fluttershy. The picture had this cute appeal to it. The pegasus looked very pretty, her hair was tied back in a bun under her hat as she smiled with a light blush on her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with of course cuteness and kindness. Her ears were folded on her head as her shoulders were slumped up as if she was very shy in seeing Octavia looking at her. On her shoulders were the rank stich for sergeant and a red cross under the rank.
"Fluttershy," Twilight said sadly shaking her head. "My first friend in the military and a sweetheart."
Octavia gulped looking at Twilight. "What happened to her?"
Twilight shrugged. "I don’t know. When I heard rumors about Fluttershy, though there were very little, I kind of believed in them."
"Why?" Octavia asked shocked.
Twilight rubbed her eyes. "Fluttershy was a sweetheart and a gentle sensitive soul. For the longest time she was scared of everything like I was. She was always there to comfort me and rock me to sleep when I had nightmares. She was like my older sister." Twilight looked pained at what she's about to say. "For the longest time in the beginning, she was suicidal."
Octavia gasped audibly staring at the picture. "She was suicidal? This pony?"
Twilight nodded." Yeah, hard to believe, huh? She was bullied at a young age and her parents tossed her to the military academy and was never seen or heard from again. She was bullied because of her skittish nature and wanting to help ponies. I remember Rainbow would always be there to stop her from pulling the trigger or slit her throat, she even tied her wings to her back and was ready to jump off a cliff."
Twilight thought hard for a moment before speaking again. "She was alone. That's all I ever knew. Rainbow would sign her on with her during watch rotations. I think it was Applejack's idea. I never knew. But in the end I think it worked. After two months of her going on patrol with Rainbow, Fluttershy finally started to talk and laugh with us. Not once after that had she tried to kill herself. In fact, I believe she would protect us then and there if it came to it. She never picked up a weapon, only in the heat of battle. She and Rainbow were very close."
Twilight smiled at the memory. Octavia flipped to the last portrait to see Rainbow Dash with a determined smirk on her face. Octavia sighed staring at the picture. She flipped to the next page fast getting a reaction from Twilight. Twilight sighed.
"Rainbow Dash was always a head strong pony. She always thought too much with her actions instead of her head. But she is a very sweet pony if you watch her carefully enough."
Octavia snorted closing the book. "I bet that sweet heart is nothing but a cold heart." She said sourly.
Twilight blinked remembering before how Octavia reacted with Rainbow Dash. The two mares heard the strike of a bell. Octavia sighed and stood up.
"I have my quarter of the watch right now."
Twilight nodded taking back her journal. "Right, uh, see you at dinner?"
Octavia nodded and left the room with new thoughts in her mind about the elements of Harmony. Twilight watched the young princess leave the room and bit her lip thinking. She felt tears in her eyes as she hugged the journal to her chest.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Rainbow Dash woke up with a groan from the headache she now has. She tried to move her hand but jerked and opened her eyes wide and looked down to find her hands tied behind her back and her arms tied together with her wings.
"What's going on?" She asked in panic, fighting.
"Just a precaution." Rainbow turned and gasped to see Applejack leaning against the wall. Rainbow looked around to find herself in a dusty supply closet.
"Precaution to what?"
Applejack was flipping Rainbow's knife in the air and catching it with perfect ease.
"So you don’t go nuts with me when I'll ask this question."
Rainbow grunted trying to move in her bindings. "What question is that?" Rainbow spat. Applejack caught the blade and held it up to look at the polished surface.
"What's the worry? The Princess could take care of herself can't she?" Applejack asked watching for a reaction. Rainbow snarled and tried to get out of her bindings.
"What's the worry? She's a princess! A target and the only one that can get your ass out of the gutter and save the galaxy!" Applejack blinked at the answer.
"Sure she's a Princess, Rainbow but I thought I overheard you saying to the prince that she's no princess anymore, but just another worthless hybrid."
Rainbow closed her mouth turning away. "That was before I knew she was alive. Listen to me AJ, I can't allow her to go further in pirate territory."
"And we can’t go back into Canterlot territory either. She's more likely to get killed at first sight by the royal guards than pirates. Pirates will see her as a prize, a gold prize that can be ransomed off."
Rainbow snorted. "Oh right, I'm talking to a pirate. How do I not know that you are planning for the princess to get kidnapped in Everfree, huh?!"
Applejack glared at her. "I know that me being a pirate was hard for you to see Rainbow, but it was the only way to give money to my family. Sure as hell that those royal bastards won’t pay me anymore like they did in the war."
Applejack paused to see Rainbow's glare.
"I'm not sending this ship and all of us into danger. I promise. But I won’t say that trouble won't be waiting or following us. The Outer Rim is a dangerous place ruled by different pirate lords and ladies always in war. So I can’t make promises that we'll be scot free."
Rainbow blinked seeing the truth in her old friend's eyes. Her ears folded back on her head thinking. Applejack noticed how quiet Rainbow was then flipped the knife again.
"What do you see in the filly?" Applejack asked silently. "I know you care for her if you tried to fight me for making the plan to get her friend better."
Rainbow blushed shaking her head. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"I just can’t alright!" Rainbow snapped glaring at Applejack.
Applejack can see the difficulty in Rainbow's eyes then sighed. She walked over and started untying the rope around Rainbow's body.
"Alright, now that we got that sort of out of the way," Applejack stood back as Rainbow pulled off the line of rope and tossed it in the corner. She looked up seeing Applejack's orange hand reaching for her. Rainbow blinked staring at Applejack's scarred hand. She took her hand and Applejack pulled her up to her feet. The two held each other's hands, clasped tightly. Applejack and Rainbow looked into each other's eyes remembering their bond and their friendship.
Rainbow sighed pulling her hand away. "Thanks,"
Applejack was disappointed but nodded. "Sure," Rainbow nodded and went around Applejack then to the door.
"Rainbow," The pegasus Captain turned to her friends back to see her turn slightly to her. "Talk to me when you need it. I won’t judge you by what happened in the past nor who you are. Yer my friend, Rainbow Dash. We have to trust each other again. Not just for us but for Twilight and... the others."
Rainbow nodded slowly. "I'll think about it." She paused then turned away. "Things were hard Applejack. I never tell anypony my problems anymore."
Applejack nodded. "I understand. I just want you to know that you have a shoulder to cry on. I know his death was very fast and hard on you and the Princess."
Rainbow left the room and headed above decks. Applejack sighed pulling off her hat to scratch her graying blonde mane.
"I just hope Rainbow won't kill me." She whispered as she pulled her hat back on. She flipped the knife once more then stuck it in her pocket and left the storage room heading up the stairs to the deck above ready to show Daring and Derpy the course to Everfree.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Octavia stood outside rubbing her arms from the chill of the night. She looked down at her bare gray arms remembering sparing her sleeves for the fillies back on the Crystal Planet. Soon memories flashed from that adventure. Falling from the sky on a busted life craft, the horrible sickening feeling in her gut when she had to keep Twilight's horn to her head while wrapping her head, twisting Sweetie Belle's arm to the right place before making a cast, then seeing Vinyl tied to that chair in the middle of the room unconscious and beaten half to death.
Octavia closed her eyes tightly seeing Vinyl now in her memories from the first moment she saw her dressed as a servant, saving her life from Nightmare Moon. That care free grin and the aloof attitude. Then her bravery in fighting the giant slaves in Fillydelphia and killing the pegasi guards that chased them. Whenever Octavia thought of Vinyl, she could see her smile, the feeling of her energy of always protecting you, no matter who you were, and then the feeling of her touching her face and... Octavia shuddered remembering those two times Vinyl was reaching for her with... what? Love?
Octavia sighed through her nose, hugging herself tighter remembering how close they were to actually kissing that one moment, before all the mess started, that moment of nothing. A moment that was so hard to describe that words wouldn't come close to describing it.
Octavia gulped wishing to feel Vinyl's body pressed against hers. Not for protection, but maybe in actual peace time, just standing somewhere in a dark place holding each other in private with nopony interrupting. Octavia blushed seeing those thoughts, she even smiled at the thought. But then the bad memories popped up.
Vinyl being electrocuted by magic, being shot in the back of the leg, then that horrible moment, Vinyl getting stabbed through by a sword. Octavia remembered the shock on Vinyl’s face as being the most horrifying thing Octavia had ever witnessed. She kept seeing that moment over and over again, seeing it slower and slower. And now Vinyl was fighting for her life. Octavia now felt tears in her eyes. Vinyl didn't deserve the death that was her own. She took the blow to protect her. It was ironic that Vinyl took hits and spills to protect Octavia since that first night they met and neither of those times Vinyl got hurt maybe a scratch but never close to death.
Now after a couple of weeks of memories, thinking, and worrying, Octavia wondered if it was true. Does Vinyl see something in Octavia, that she would protect her? It wasn't the fame nor the money since Vinyl said she didn’t need a reward from the royals. It wasn't for slavery, Octavia witnessed Vinyl save her life in the same place she trapped her in. And even that small moment with her in the masts, Princess and Pauper actually talking to each other like good friends and becoming friends. Did Vinyl really like her?
Octavia sniffed and shivered feeling the light cool wind blowing from the outer rim as she realized something. Why was she so interested in Vinyl's past? Her attitude, her self-sacrifice, her tattoo; what happened to her that gave her all these emotional and physical scars? And another thing she noticed, why does she long to feel the unicorn's arms around her, bearing her ruby eyes into hers, and feel her lips on hers?
She shook her head hard from the day dream.
She didn't know how long she stood there. Probably an hour at most and possibly longer. She felt something warm on her shoulders and turned with a gasp to see Rainbow biting her lip looking at her worriedly.
"You - ahem, were just standing here and you looked cold in that... costume you're wearing."
Octavia gulped staring at Rainbow Dash with fear and a little bit of resentment. Rainbow Dash never did anything for her nor did anything to her. Well except for taking lasers and fighting off assassins but Octavia never knew the Rainbow Dash her father looked up to.
"I'm fine," Octavia said pulling off the red coat and threw it back into Rainbow's face. Rainbow pulled off the red garment with a glare and snarl on her lips. She closed her eyes trying to calm down her anger. She placed her fist and her coat behind her back squeezing the garment as she clenched her jaw trying hard to control her temper.
"It's cold out here Princess, I suggest you head below if you won't accept the coat."
Octavia turned away putting her back to Rainbow staring out into the stars crossing her arms across her chest.
"I'm fine Captain. I don’t need to go below."
"Actually you do," Octavia and Rainbow Dash turned to see Blossomforth walk up still dressed in her armor of dull gold, giving Octavia a stern look.
"But I-"
"You're watch was over an hour ago." Blossomforth said primly with a raised brow at her. "I suggest you do as the Captain says and get to your hammock and get some sleep. You haven’t slept since we changed course to who knows where." She paused and turned to Rainbow. "Where are we going again?"
Rainbow snorted glaring. "Deeper into the outer rim."
Blossom nodded expressionless as she placed her hands behind her back. "Where to exactly, Captain?"
Rainbow huffed. "Applejack said something about some healer that can help the Captain of this boat-"
"Her name is Vinyl Scratch." Octavia said with a growl. "Not 'that Captain of this ship'. Get it right." Octavia snapped as she turned and walked away, trotting down the stairs to the hammock deck to get away from the infuriating pegasi.
Blossom was blinking at the force in the filly's voice while Rainbow was clenching her jaws and clenching her coat. Blossom turned to see what Rainbow was doing with her coat.
"Uh, you alright there Captain?"
Rainbow closed her eyes. "That little brat doesn't even know what I've done for her. Nothing!" Blossom blinked, not hearing anger but pained sadness from the older pegasus. Blossom opened her mouth then turned away thinking of what to say.
"You want to talk about it?"
Rainbow opened her eyes to stare at the sergeant then down at her coat with a heartfelt sigh. She shook her coat a few times then pulled it on her shoulders, seeing the wrinkles where she put her heart aching rage onto the cloth. She remained silent closing her eyes. Blossom looked down to see Rainbow's fists were clenched tight and shaking slightly.
"I'll be at the bow." Blossom whispered turning away with sadness in her eyes as she marched to the bow to take watch. Rainbow took the time to march to the aft behind the cabin block. When she knew she was alone, she leaned back against the wall and slowly slide down to the deck. She hiked up her legs crossing her arms over her knees as the tears fell. She pressed her face into her arms and cried quietly at the mistakes she made. From what happened to her friends, to her relationship with the Earth pony princess.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
15 Years Ago, Manehattan
A younger and not so scratched up Rainbow was walking in quick strides down the empty dark hall towards the royal suite where Prince Tick Tock and his duchess slept. She reached into her pocket as she neared the large double doors and looked to her left and right. She glared, feeling the killer instinct pop up. There were no guards guarding here though Rainbow made the roster telling the ten idiots to guard this hall with their lives. She unlocked the door and opened it stepping into the large foyer. The large shade that blocked the outside is pulled to the side revealing a clear Hearths Warming Eve with a perfectly full moon.
Rainbow closed the door behind her and locked it from the inside just for a precaution. She walked to the servant’s passage and checked the door, locked as well. She checked the door a second time but held no evidence that anypony had unlocked it. She turned but quickly as a precaution, she grabbed a small chair and pushed the heavy thing into place to keep the door from opening. Once that was done Rainbow continued her search around the room for small bombs, spy bugs, even a toy or two. Once she was done with the foyer search she walked into the Prince and Duchess’ room to find the bed empty and clean since the couple left a few hours ago for the Heaths Warming Eve Ball.
Suddenly her sharp ears heard sounds. She turned and smiled, seeing the baby crib at the corner. Rainbow pulled off her hat and walked over placing her that on the set of dressers and looked into the crib to see a one year old Princess Octavia, chewing on the corner of her baby blanket. Her eyes fell on Rainbow and opened her mouth into a toothless smile and let out an excited cry, reaching up.
"Hey sweetie," Rainbow whispered with a large smile of her own. She reached down to tickle the filly under her chin and little stomach. Octavia let out high laughter grabbing her hand. Rainbow smiled as she reached with her other hand to stroke Octavia's small head already growing a full head of black hair. Octavia closed her eyes, enjoying the pet on her head. She even rolled to her side with a yawn as Rainbow moved her hand to her back and started to massage the filly’s back.
Rainbow learned that secret spot when Octavia was five months old. It was an accident that Rainbow rubbed her back and Octavia would act like a little kitten purring by the way she smiled with her eyes dreamily closed.
Rainbow smiled too, feeling at peace being near her. She removed her hand to see the cutest reaction of all. Octavia made a pouty frown turning to Rainbow with a raised brow causing Rainbow to cover her mouth laughing trying to keep from being heard.
"What's wrong, Tavi?" Rainbow asked using the nickname the parents called her, "Did you like that?" Rainbow chuckled as she stroked Octavia's face then started to tickle her again. Octavia's pout soon left her face as she started giggling, trying to grab Rainbow's fingers. She grabbed Rainbow's middle finger and pulled.
"Sweet Luna you are a strong filly!" Rainbow exclaimed quietly laughing. "I guess it's true what they say about Earth fillies, they are strong at such a young age." Octavia let out another cry as she pulled back laughing.
Rainbow didn't hear it but somepony was climbing up onto the small balcony outside the double glass doors of the master bedroom. The black cloaked intruder pushed open the door that was left unlocked for him. He stopped, seeing Rainbow Dash's back as she continued to giggle as Octavia cried and laughed along.
The intruder grinned, quietly pulling out a knife from a silk sheath. He walked carefully on padded feet against the carpet. Rainbow frowned, suddenly feeling something come over her. Her ear flicked then turned and gasped feeling the blunt of the handle of the blade into her head knocking her out cold. She fell hard on the floor, groaning. Octavia laughed clapping her hands unaware that this wasn't another one of Rainbow's silly games. The intruder turned and smiled.
"Oh you like that little hybrid?" The intruder said reaching down as Octavia sat up on her haunches clapping her hands together laughing. Rainbow slowly pushed herself up on her hands and knees feeling dizzy and sick for the trauma to her head. She turned as the intruder grabbed Octavia's mane. Now the baby began to cry from the pain in her scalp. Rainbow groaned, even through her dazed mind she grabbed the intruder by his waist and grabbed the place no stallion wanted to be grabbed. The intruder let out a strained yelp, trying hard to stay quiet as Octavia started sobbing from the pain in her head.
"Let her go!" Rainbow whispered dangerously. The intruder turned to Rainbow still on the ground with her arms around his waist and her hard hand over his precious partners. He stayed silent releasing Octavia then turned to grab Rainbow by her mane pushing her off of him. Rainbow bit her tongue then she pulled the stallion on the floor with her and the two started wrestling on the ground. The stallion was on top of her with the knife slashing her in the cheek and ready for the stab.
Rainbow grabbed his hand over the hilt of the blade and the two wrestled again. Rainbow used her free hand to grab the back of his suit and with a buck of her hips and body, she flipped him over and was on top of him. The two wrestled until Rainbow grabbed a door stop and whacked the stallion in the face. The stallions let out a grunt as he loosened his grip on the knife and tossed it aside. The knife skid close to the crib as Octavia watched the fighting, sucking on her finger with a look of bewilderment or just interest.
Rainbow whacked the stallion again only to feel his free hand punch her in the ribs causing her to wince. With the momentum he rolled over to where Rainbow was on the ground. The intruder grabbed her neck and started squeezing hard with no mercy. Rainbow started to gag, pulling on his locked hands.
"The traitor will die by suicide after killing the precious filly. The General's revenge will finally be over." The stallion whispered sweetly shaking her. Rainbow was turning purple as she continued to fight back. She rolled her head up to see Octavia staring at her. Those innocent purple eyes looked glassy as if she knew what will happen when Rainbow Dash loses this fight.
Rainbow gritted her teeth looking up at the intruder again. She released his hands and quickly punched his left inner elbow causing it to buckle from the burst of power and loosening Rainbow's neck. Rainbow pushed the right arm then with her other hand punched the intruder in the nose. The stallion yelped, reflexively holding his nose. Rainbow punched again and again until the stallion fell on his back with fear in his eyes as Rainbow descended on him grabbing his head in a lock holding him.
Just like in military training in hand to hand combat, Rainbow quickly wrapped her legs around the stallion's waist, both of her arms went under his armpits, one hand on his head pulling off his head mask while the other arm wrapped around his neck pulling back applying pressure.
"Who sent you?" Rainbow whispered dangerously.
"Never tell!" The stallion wheezed as Rainbow applied more pressure.
"Surely the one who sent you is from the military. Who is it? Who sent you?"
The stallion chuckled. "You think I'm the last, Traitor?" He asked chuckling even as Rainbow applied more pressure grabbing a handful of his mane. He winced but started to smile madly.
"There will be more and more like me trained to kill all who goes against The Order!" Rainbow gave him a look of worry as he smiled turning to Octavia as she sucked on her thumb.
"The Order wants her dead and you are a traitor for deserting The Order and protecting the little bastard!" Rainbow tightened her grip out of anger, holding him as he laughed hoarsely in her grip.
"I made you angry, Traitor? Did I? Because I assure you when another takes my place he or she will know who to kill first."
"Not in anger you bastard." Rainbow whispered into the stallion’s ear. "Loyalty,"
Before the stallion could react, Rainbow removed her arm from around his neck grabbing his jaw and with her other hand on his temple and used her strength to snap the ponies neck with a loud snap. The stallion fell over with a surprised look on his face.
Rainbow released the stallion from her legs and slowly stood up grabbing the wall, feeling terribly sick. She ran to the small waste basket and vomited inside. She had never killed a pony like that since her first battle in the war. Doing it after a decade from that moment as a teenager was hard on her stomach. Once she was done and spitting into the basket she used her sleeve to wipe her mouth and chin, panting hard.
Octavia made a small cry that sounded worried. Rainbow sniffed turning to see Octavia standing in her crib holding the bars reaching through them with her arm. She let out a small grunt blinking her innocent purple eyes. When she knew Rainbow was looking she smiled.
Rainbow sighed, looking down at the body then at Octavia. She walked over a little unsteady at first but reached the crib panting. She looked down at Octavia and reached down to pick her up under her arms. She held Octavia into her arms as she walked to the Duchess' small rocking chair she used for situations like these. She sat down with a sigh holding Octavia close to her chest, slowly rocking back and forth. Octavia smiled up at her sleepily and looked up at Rainbow's long mane and reached up. Remembering the lesson from last time, Rainbow quickly grabbed her tiny hand and shook her head.
"Oh no you don't, you little monster." Rainbow smiled with a playful glare, kissing Octavia on the head as she giggled. Rainbow tickled her on her stomach. Once Octavia got tired from that she opened her mouth and let out a long yawn. She closed her mouth then her eyelids looked heavy as she looked up smiling sleepily at Rainbow.
"Oh right, you can’t sleep without that little tune huh?"
Octavia blinked slowly staring at Rainbow. Rainbow held Octavia closer to her chest and started to sing silently to Octavia, singing an old song she learned from her old friend. As she hummed the tune, Octavia blinked sleepily again, but she would twitch trying hard to stay awake as Rainbow sang. Octavia yawned again as she nuzzled into Rainbow's chest. Rainbow smiled stroking her back like before and Octavia wriggled then curled up tighter against Rainbow's body.
When Rainbow ended the song, Octavia was fast asleep against her chest. Rainbow smiled stroking the filly’s head. She leaned down to kiss Octavia on her head with a motherly smile, holding her as she too soon fell asleep against the chair with that same smile on her face.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes from the memory, feeling the tears dry from her eyes. She looked down at her scarred hand then clenched it into a fist. She took in a breath and let it out slowly. She stood up and left from her hiding place and headed for the hammock deck to go to sleep. She reached the deck and looked around to see Derpy sleeping with some sort of cloth with her thumb in her mouth. Rainbow blinked at the strange childlike behavior and turned seeing Spike and Scootaloo sleeping in a hammock together, in the one above them Sweetie Belle was sleeping alone curled up in a ball.
Rainbow turned to see Octavia sleeping curled up shivering. Rainbow looked at her sleeve then back at Octavia. She blinked once as she saw a flashes of memories of Octavia growing up. From the time she first held her as a foal. To the first smile she gave her while pulling her rainbow mane. Her first steps. Everything came through Rainbow like a wave. Once Octavia learned to really walk on her two feet and actually spoke Rainbow had to separate herself from the filly.
Rainbow shook her head hard, rubbing her forehead. She couldn't get into that guilt trip now. She must kept her mind clear, no distractions on what has to be done. She pulled off her red coat and looked over at Octavia. Rainbow cannot show heart to the Princess in fear of being called weak... No, what was it that she used to make her guilt less painful? Protection. Yes, she did it to protect Octavia. And now Rainbow was all Octavia had left to trust. And she had to get Octavia to trust her again. But how?
Rainbow sighed, silently closing her eyes seeing Octavia’s face filled with fear seeing her. The older she got the more scared Octavia was in seeing her. It hurt, really hurt.
She shook her head again and walked over and carefully draped the coat over Octavia's body. She twitched feeling the contact then groaned and turned over. Rainbow turned away and went into the hammock at the back of the room. She sat down in one and turned to see Raindrops snoring silently. The young mare smiled hugging her blanket rubbing her face against it.
"Ducky," She whispered with a sigh. Rainbow blinked several times then broke into a small smile. She went into the hammock pulling off her boots. She turned over.
Octavia opened her eyes and stared at the coat on her curled body. She sat up to see Rainbow's back to her sleeping. Octavia blinked looking at the coat then at the old guard. She turned around and went back to sleep. Rainbow turned slightly seeing Octavia getting comfortable in the coat. Rainbow sighed with a small grin.
"Sleep tight, Tavi. You need it." Rainbow whispered and soon fell asleep, only to smile hearing Raindrops quack in her sleep.