//------------------------------// // Enter. Exit. Escape. // Story: Rescued by a Rainbow // by Indeliblink //------------------------------// "Ditzy? Ditzy?!" Rainbow shrieked as the mare's head fell back onto the wet concrete floor with a splash. "DITZY!" Ditzy stared emptily back at her, and Rainbow tore her gaze away in a panic. Oh no, oh no no nonono... Rainbow galloped around the corner of the house and approached a window, peering over the sill and scanning the front room for any threatening stallions. Finding none, she pushed up on the glass and slid the window open. A precise leap found her stalking across the living room, her eyes and ears alert for any sign of Ditzy's father, until she crept through the entrance into the kitchen. I swear, if I run into that creep, I'll buck him into next year. Her own intensity surprised her. Why was she so dead-set on helping this random filly out? She hardly knew her well, after all. They'd only hung out once... well, twice, if their first encounter qualified as 'hanging out.' She was definitely biting off more than she could chew here. Yet for some reason, she felt a strange connection to this mare. She was really no different than Rainbow herself, and perhaps that was exactly why the cyan pegasus felt the need to help her out. A pony just like her was being beaten, tortured even, the sole reason being that she had been born of the wrong gender. Rainbow couldn't stomach the idea that she herself could be treated in such a way, and that she could have ended up the very same way Ditzy was now: broken. Only broken, though, was the mare's grey body. The dull, colorless exterior. The vibrant spirit that remained throughout the struggle never seemed to falter. Rainbow didn't give praise often, but she had to admit, she was impressed by Ditzy's defiance against depression. Really impressed. One might even say she admired her, if only a little bit. Just a little. A loud rattling noise froze her in her tracks. Holding her breath, she waited until she was sure the sound had faded. Oh boy, what am I getting myself into? Looking around the kitchen, her gaze was drawn to a heavy-looking door with a thick lock; she suppressed a shiver and walked over to it. The lock squeaked when she nudged it with a hoof, and she bit her lip. That stallion was going to come stomping in here any moment. She could feel it. She turned the bolt as slowly as possible; her heart skipped a beat each time it made a noise, piercing the silence like a blaring horn. Finally, the door unlocked, and she gingerly turned the knob and eased the door open a few inches. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, she pushed her muzzle into the space and wriggled her body through to find herself on a long wooden staircase. Rainbow recoiled in disgust, her muzzle scrunching up under the stench that wafted up from the darkness below. She nimbly descended the steps into the basement and rushed over to the unmoving form of her grey pegasus friend, wincing at the cold water seeping into her fur. "Ditzy," she murmured, gently shaking the slumbering mare. "Ditzy, c'mon, wake up." Ditzy gave no response, and Rainbow cursed under her breath. She wedged her muzzle underneath her and rolled the mare over her head, catching her on her shoulders. She steadied Ditzy on her back with her wings, then began the slow trek back up the stairs, making much more noise than she would have liked. Ditzy's limbs hanging around her made movement awkward; the load was surprisingly light, however, which didn't seem like a good sign. Rainbow could feel the mare's ribs through her skin, digging into her back. At long last, the small caravan made it to the top of the stairs. Just as Rainbow placed her hoof on the last step, she nearly leapt out of her skin in fright, and she scrambled backwards to keep her cargo square on her back. From the edge of the kitchen, a large red stallion grinned at her, and the door slammed shut. Rainbow stood there for what felt like a long time, still trembling from the shock of being caught red-hooved. She reached out and gently tapped the door, then grabbed the doorknob and tried twisting it. It wouldn't budge. No. Rainbow jerked the doorknob harder, frantically jiggling the infernal device to no avail. No, no, NO! Her knees buckled, and she lay stretched out on the stairs, her eyes wide with despair. She was trapped. She was going to die, and Ditzy was going to die. I messed up big this time. Her ears twitched and her wings trembled as she berated herself for her earlier impulsiveness to save Ditzy right then and there. I... I should've gotten help. I should have... I should'a kicked that stallion's flank when he wasn't looking! She looked over her shoulder at Ditzy, whose shallow breathing ruffled her mane every few seconds. The wound from her forehead was still pouring blood unabated down her face, which seeped into Rainbow's neck fur. Rainbow cringed, her wings fluttering uncomfortably. She didn't like blood. Not one bit. Swallowing the bile rising in her throat, she carefully made her way back down into the basement, noting with some worry the increasing depth of the water spraying from the wall. Now what? She assumed they'd either starve or be chopped up into little bits. They wouldn't drown... would they? Surely the water couldn't rise that high. Taking another long look at the relaxed expression on Ditzy's face marred by the red streaks, however, Rainbow felt a small spark of hope. Determination. She'd been through tougher situations--though she couldn't think of anything quite this bad at the moment--and she'd always come out fine in the end. She could save them both! At the very least, she could save Ditzy. She was Rainbow Dash, after all: the coolest, toughest, save-your-friend's-life-est pony in all of Equestria! But... how? Rainbow's face drooped as she considered her options: a boarded-up window, a giant locked door, and a room quickly filling up with water. Nope, no hopes of escape there. She coughed hard, fighting back the tears that pricked at her eyes. If only the window was still open... Rainbow slowly moved Ditzy off her back and lay her across one of the steps, and she flew over to get a closer look at the blocked opening. The boards seemed quite sturdy--sturdy enough, at least, that a few bucks and punches wouldn't be able to break them. She growled, throwing out a hoof anyway; it bounced off without leaving a dent, just as she had expected. There had to be something that she was missing! She searched the room thoroughly, but there was nothing there, save for a tray of old (and now soggy) food, the section of pipe, and a lot of water, which had now risen above the first step and sucked at the tip of Ditzy's limply-hanging tail. Wait a second... Rainbow zipped down to the floor and plucked the pipe out of the water, looking closely at the tip, then back at the sloppily-boarded window. She lined up the tip with a large crack between two boards and pushed forward--it fit perfectly. No way, she thought, her hopes skyrocketing. She yanked down, flapping her wings to exert more force on the makeshift lever, and the boards gave a satisfying crack, splintering to pieces and falling into the shallow water below. She continued with the next two boards, wedging the pole in between them and prying them apart until they snapped. Now unobstructed, a rush of cool night air washed over her from outside. Never had she been so relieved and comforted by fresh air! Wasting no time, she sped to the bottom of the staircase and lifted Ditzy onto her back. A new problem arose as she examined the small opening before her: How would they get through there? It was much too narrow for her to fly through with her wings extended, and she couldn't hoist Ditzy up to the window, as the unconscious mare wouldn't be able to climb out herself. She stared across the room at it, shrugging Ditzy's weight around to better balance her on her back. An idea came to her, and after some quick calculations and self-motivating, she crouched down, her belly brushing the edge of the stairs. Okay, on three. One, two-- She started when the door behind her swung open, light streaming down the stairs and illuminating the pair against the dark floor. NOW! With a final lash of her tail, Rainbow launched herself into the air, flapping her wings hard. Just before reaching the window, she tucked her wings against her sides, and the two mares soared cleanly through the opening. Rainbow felt her back hooves knock against the bottom of the windowsill and gasped in pain; she slid a few feet across the ground outside, Ditzy's limp body tumbling over her head onto the grass. "Hang on, Ditzy," Rainbow moaned, standing up slowly. She let out a pained hiss. Her back hooves throbbed, and her frontside stung from sliding across the ground at such a high speed. She tiredly dragged Ditzy's crumpled form onto her back and stumbled out of the alley under the darkening sky. C'mon, Ditzy, just hang in there, she told her friend silently. You're gonna be better in no time. I promise. After taking a few seconds to catch her breath and calm her trembling legs, she wrapped her wings securely over the pony on her back and trotted down the street with a destination in mind: Cloudsdale General Hospital. A door slammed open somewhere nearby, spilling light out into the street, and Rainbow took off like a shot. Heavy hoofsteps rang out through the night from behind her.