//------------------------------// // Last Dance // Story: The Ballad of Rainbow Dash // by Ron Jeremy Pony //------------------------------// GTA: The Ballad of Rainbow Dash Chapter 16: Last Dance (Broker – Warehouse District) Sounds of muffled thuds and thumps echoed in the large warehouse. After several moments the being responsible for making the sounds stood before the person they were using as the sounding board. It breathed deeply and growled. “Stopping already? I guess that you must be like your dad and like it up the ass,” Niko said as he spat blood. “Your bravado is well noted, human, but I will get you to scream,” it said to him. “Anything else you want to add?” Niko asked. The creature had dropped the guise of Dash and instead turned back into the Eastern European it had been at first. It balled up its fist and struck him hard in the stomach. He felt his body pull against the ropes around his arms, which tied him to the spot. He groaned a little and looked back at the thing facing him. “You are not the most intelligent of your species are you?” it asked. “No, I’m tied up in a warehouse, with a demented shape shifter who likes bondage and taking it up the ass. Of course I’m not smart, but there isn’t anything you can show me, do to me, or put me through that I have not already seen or felt,” he replied. “Challenge accepted,” it said. (Niko and Dash’s Penthouse – same time) Trixie groaned and held her head. She sat up and looked around the room to realize that she wasn’t in the rundown apartment Klienman had them living in, and that this place was far better than what she was used to. She rubbed the back of her head and slowly stood. She could smell something delightful cooking and walked toward the kitchen area in time to see Little Jacob dishing out some kind of pasta onto a few plates. “Dash, come and eat girl,” he said. He looked up to see Trixie standing there. “You wanna eat?” he asked. She nodded. “Get busy finding ma boy Niko. You find ‘im, then you can eat,” he said. “Trixie will not work on an empty stomach. If you want Trixie to find this ‘Niko’ then you will have to feed Trixie,” she replied. Suddenly Trixie felt a hand grab her wrist and force her to spin around. She looked into the eyes of the rainbow haired woman standing in front of her. The other woman’s eyes narrowed and it almost seemed as if she was going to look into her very soul. “Jacob said that if you want to eat then you’re going to help find Niko,” Dash said. There wasn’t even the slightest hint of doubt or negotiation in her voice. It sounded authoritarian and full of venomous promise, but at least it didn’t sound directed toward her. Trixie swallowed down a sense of building fear and instead looked directly at the woman. “Trixie needs to eat. Trixie hasn’t had anything in nearly two days. The owner of the club refuses to pay, and Trixie refuses to do what he demands in order for her to be paid. If you want Trixie’s help she needs to eat,” Trixie said. “Fine, but if you try to skip out on us, don’t come through, or even attempt to look like you’re lying to me I swear by sweet Celestia I will make you pay for it slowly. Jacob, give her some of that,” Dash said, “And stop referring to yourself in the third person. You’re not that important.” Trixie looked at her in complete disbelief as Dash walked past her and instead of grabbing a plate of food walked toward the pool table. She watched as she touched the side of it softly. She turned her attention back to Jacob who was holding a white plate out to her. She took it and looked at the grouping of noodles with some kind of gravy on it. “Thank you,” she said. “Eat up, and then get to finding ma boy,” he replied. She nodded and took her first bite in nearly two days. The taste of the fried noodles, mushrooms, and brown gravy floated over her tongue. She savored the meal, enjoying each moment, each taste, and after a few blessed moments the plate was empty. She placed it on the counter and turned to see Dash still at the pool table. “Do you have something of his?” she asked. Dash looked at her. “All of his stuff is here,” Dash replied. “Clothes, other things are fine, but if you want to really find him you need a piece of him. Hair, blood, something that is him is what must be used. Trix… I can cast a spell without it, but it won’t be exact. The most it could do is get you within a couple of miles,” she said. “I’ll check the brush in the bedroom,” Dash said. Trixie looked around the room again and took it all in. She wasn’t sure how it worked out like it did. This mare arrived here and found someone to share her life with that seemed to mean a great deal to her. She arrived and all she found was The Incredible Klienman. It was ludicrous that she couldn’t help but laugh at it. She was one of the most gifted unicorns in all of Equestria, or she had been. A soft sigh escaped her lips. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, or really to anyone, but she couldn’t help but feel jealous. She would have loved to be this other mare, no this other woman’s situation. To have someone that meant so much to her. To have a place where she could live without the fear of going hungry, of performing parlor tricks in order to earn enough to eat, and then have the owner of the club demand that she debase herself even further by becoming a simple harlot. She was so much more. She had been the most promising student at magic school, and she had so much ability, but in the end she wanted fame. Her head began to feel light as she took a seat. She had been the cause of her own troubles and she knew it. Her desire to be famous, to be held so far above every other pony, except for Celestia, had driven her to travel from town to town in order to perform. It had gone fairly well up until Ponyville, and then it went bad because she wasn’t as powerful as she claimed. She had wanted to blame the purple unicorn, but it wasn’t her fault. Even now she wanted to blame Klienman, but he wasn’t the problem. The problem was she was still caught up on being famous. She saw Klienman as a tool to get there, and the truth was he couldn’t do it. He had told her that he worked in Las Vegas once, funny, a name that sounded so much like Las Pegasus, but when she asked around she found that he was an opening act in a second rate casino. He was what he was, and she couldn’t change that. The sound of footsteps brought her out of her brooding and she looked at the other woman. She took a small tuff of hair and smiled. She had been many things, but at least she could do something worthwhile now. She took a ring off of her own finger and held the hair next to it. The hair and ring glowed a brilliant blue and then the hair disappeared. She handed the ring to the other woman. “This will help you find him. I would put it on, but then I might not know where he would be. I might not understand what I was seeing. You will. You are close to him, and that will help you to understand,” Trixie said. Rainbow Dash nodded and took the ring. She pulled it onto her ring finger and suddenly a bright blue aura covered her. She lifted off of the ground for a moment, and her eyes turned a brilliant white. She felt herself dragged away from her own body. She looked down to see it suspended in the air. Little Jacob walked toward her, his hand reaching out to her before Trixie pushed him back. “Not while she is like this. It’s too dangerous to touch her,” she said. Suddenly she felt a huge pull and she flew. She stretched out her arms only to realize that they weren’t arms. It was her forelegs. She felt her wings beating and it occurred to her she was once again a Pegasus. An excited whoop escaped her as she did a barrel roll over the city below her. She could feel and smell the air around her as she flew. It felt wonderful, and it was something she hadn’t done in so long. She looked at the clouds above her and almost flew up to them when she heard a cry of pain. Her eyes widened as she heard it. She looked around for where it could have come from and once again the same cry sounded out. She flew toward it trying to force herself to go even faster, and finally she could see the warehouses in broker. She swooped down seeing a familiar sight, and landed outside of one of the warehouses. She looked around, expecting to see people, but there wasn’t anyone. Slowly she moved forward, and her hooves touched the door in front of her. She felt it move, but it wouldn’t open. She pushed harder and this time she was able to get into the building. In front of her she could see Niko, tied to a chair. The Changeling drew back his hand and instead of it looking normal there appeared to be tiny spines on it. “Scream for me human,” it said. “Fuck you,” Niko said. She could see his teeth clenched in pain. Without thinking she rushed forward, prepared to hit the Changeling directly in the back and instead of hitting it she passed through it. She turned back around and looked at it. Her eyes widened as she watched it strike Niko again. “Scream!” it yelled. “Fuck you and your dad,” Niko said. “Human, you are trying my patience…” it growled. It hit Niko hard again, causing him to cough blood. Instead of screaming Niko began laughing. “I guess you want to go and get laid right? Got a guy all lined up to give it to you?” Niko asked. “Stop implying that I enjoy having my plot plowed!” it shouted at him. “Who’s implying anything? I’ve been saying it,” he laughed. Dash felt something pulling her. Suddenly she flew out of the building, being pulled by some unknown force away from the warehouse. She flapped her wings, desperately flapped her wings, in an attempt to stay there with him. She had to try to get him free, but instead she found herself back in her apartment. She could see her body and then she crashed into it. She floated back to the ground, her eyes became a vibrant violet again, and then she collapsed. “What happened?!” Little Jacob shouted. “It’s the after effects of the spell. She’s going to be out for a while,” Trixie said. “How long?” Little Jacob asked. “I’m not sure… It really depends on what she saw,”