//------------------------------// // Viva La Revolucion! // Story: Waking up as Rarity. // by TonydBrony //------------------------------// Tick, tick, tick - damn, seconds just don’t pass by fast enough. Here I was ready to get up and throw a brick through a window from all of the hype from earlier, but now I’d stop and stare at the chains connecting my hooves to another pony’s and just sit there, counting the seconds as they tick by. The adrenaline of the former revolution speech faded and I was left in a shell. An empty, hollow and thoughtless shell. It’s almost enough to drive me insane - but the lifeline pulling me back to the welcome world of sanity was the gentle brown hoof set against my shoulder. Nameless and anonymous, my idol, my ladder to freedom was a hoof. A hoof without a name         “Yo, Rares? You okay there, buddy?”         I pried my lips apart, as they were stuck together for a brief period by dried saliva, and a sour taste in my mouth uprooted my sense of clarity. Nevertheless, I lifted my head up and smacked my lips. The pony whom called my name was none other than a pinewood brown pegasus who happened to be chained to me with heavy cuffs and scary steel chains. Funny thing is, I don’t even remember being chained to anyone when I came to. Funny how things slip my mind when I’m giving a revolutionary speech.         I exhaled slowly, letting the stale breath I was holding escape my lungs. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” I said, brushing the question off and looked around at the ponies I was imprisoned with. Sure enough, each of them looked back at me as I glanced at them. Sparkling eyes of fire, waiting to be fueled. Then I looked to the fellow I was directly linked to. His name was lost to me, but I felt a strong unbreakable bond form between us. It could’ve been the steel links that kept us from moving more than five feet from each other, but the optimist in me felt as if he were a bigger brother, pulling me up off the concrete as if I had fallen and scraped my knee.         I’ve always wanted an older brother.         “Hang in there, okay? We’re gonna be just fine.” I hung onto every word that jumped out of his throat and hearing his voice was like flint against steel in my chest. “Just get us out of here and the first milkshakes are on me.” He smiled and the humor is his voice was so unprecedented that I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. As humorous as he was, his presence was the real moving factor that caused my cheeks to pull up and my mouth peeled into a small grin.         “Alright,” I nodded and took in a deep, cold breath. To be truthful he had an annoying air to him, but in a way that was welcome and brought about a sense of safety. Again, I felt that brotherly bond between us. The bleak situation was heated by the idea of escape, and yet he was here had the gall to try and make me smile. His hoof pat against my shoulder and for a moment, I felt like I was made of glass - again a hollow shell, on the verge of breaking. I could almost hear the shallow dnk dnk dnk of a child tapping on the glass of an aquarium. It was the feeling of emptiness that cut away the smile on my face and formed a cold lump in my chest. He noticed it too, and presses a his opposite hoof under my chin, bringing my eyes to his. “Look at me... If you’ve got the stones to man up and yell for freedom and get thrown in here with us, then you’ve sure as hell got the strength to stand up and stop moping.” His tone was all too jeering and he shoved me lightly. And just like that, the fire was stoked again. All I needed was a little push. No matter of adrenaline crash or depression would keep me down. A strong ally was all I needed, and I found one. Here in the cold recesses of wherever-the-hell-we-are, I found my fire and fed it. “You’re right,” I said, taking in another deep refreshing breath and really let the grin of cockiness I deserved flood over my features. My hooves pulled the cuffs taught and the muscles from neck to flank tightened. I released the tension and the breath I held. “I feel a truck-load better. Thanks for the pep talk..” I glanced back up at him and he sat there, smiling smugly. ”I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch your name.” His brown face was suddenly shot with a shade of red. “Oh! Um...  It’s Jukebox,” he glanced behind him, looking at his right flank where an old fashioned cafe style jukebox was colored onto his fur. “Or... Sophie if you... Umm...” He chuckled and tried to rub the back of his neck, but his chained hooves proved to make that difficult. “Don’t ask... It’s really complicated.” Complicated? Oh please. He/she doesn't know the beginning of it. “Darling, please,” I drawled, making sure there was plenty of extension on the vowels. “If anything, I know precisely what you mean.” I was about to start counting off my misadventures, but instead I simply wore an understanding smile and pat Jukebox’s shoulder much like he done mine. “After all, with all of this human to pony nonsense going on, I’m more than aware of the ludicrous things that have happened to our minds.” “Yeah, maybe you are.” He chuckled and stared at the floor. Just then, Jukebox’s grin really shined in the dim light of the cell. His vibrant orange and brown eyes (one was orange, the other brown. Really freaky.) really lit up his features. In truth, I saw a part of me in him. Perhaps the joking and not-so-serious side that was melted together with my diva bits. Even so, his presence was just uplifting and I couldn’t keep myself from pulling my cheeks up and smiling. He glanced back up at me and really smiled. “So what’s your deal? Who got all mashed up to make the glittery mess I’m looking at?” I hrrumphed and stuck my nose in the air. “I’ll have you know that the fabulous and utterly gorgeous Rarity Belle and a handsome young boxer brony, who happens to be a clown, have created the beauty that sits before you.” I flipped my purple and gold mane behind my shoulder for the added effect of being fabulous. (Because I am.) He started chuckling. CHUCKLING. “Yeah, you sure look like a clown, I’ll give you that.” I crossed my hooves and stared at him blatantly. Mental note: Smack this motherfucker into next threesday. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes of his laughter, he slowed down and wiped a tear from his. “So... Uh, what’s your name? Rarity? Bobo The Clo-” I raised a hoof threateningly at him and he cringed backwards and held his hooves over his face, fearing the marshmallow white hoof that nearly caught him one on the nose. “I swear if you don’t cut that out I will smack the stupid out of you!” “Joking! Joking!” He squeaked, now knowing that he is not safe when around me. I stuck my nose in the air. “Hmpf. That’s what I thought.” “About that name..?” “Rarity, or you can call me Tony when you clean up your act, young lady. Otherwise, you can call me Raritony for the time being.” As soon as I finished, he started giggling and snickering again. My tolerance for him was running thin already. “Raritony? What kind of name is that?” His barrage of laughter was burning me up and my nose and cheeks felt hot. “It’s my name, buster and it’s who I am.” Jukebox continued giggle like a total dunce for a moment before his laughter died down into small quickened breaths, before he coughed and cleared his throat. “Erhm... Sorry. Just... Seriously? Rari-tony? What is that? Greek?” “It’s Rarity and Tony put together, you dufus.” I poked his nose to prove a point. He was wrong for laughing at my beautiful name and he should know it. “And no, it’s French. It’s called a portmanteau.” “Port man who?” “Port-man-too!” I tried to clarify the pronunciation to him, but it just wasn’t getting through. “Yeah, okay, whatever. What’s your favorite flavour of ice cream?” “What?” “Did I stutter? What’s your favorite flavour of ice cream?” v^v^v^v I’m not going to bore you with all of the details... But Jukebox and I, after I redeemed him of being a total dick, talked for at least half an hour, blabbering about random things that came to mind. That included and was not limited to: Colors, animals, sodas, video games, hair care products, and most of all, ice cream. Now came the moment that made everyone’s hairs stand on end. A door from down the hall slid open, creaking loudly on rusted hinges. “Heeey, it’s that guy who comes to feed us,” said one of the mares in the cell with me. Crystal, I think her name was. I glanced at her and she nodded back. The plan was about to kick into action and my blood was starting to boil. It felt good to be mad again. “Eat up, ya stupid shit,” said the guard, just down the hall as he tossed something into the cell of a pony whom I couldn’t see. I’d imagine they’d be hungry after sitting in here in the dark, cold, and musty cells for a few hours. He walked on, passing the cells and throwing stuff into them. Then I glanced back at my comrades. They stood in attention, looking to me for instructions. I smiled back at them and nodded. “When he comes this way, I’m going to take a fall - faking a broken leg. When he comes in to take a look, I need somepony to man up and kick this guy in the side of his head as hard as you can. Okay?” Faces of uncertainty hit the crowd and I grit my teeth. Were they capable of pulling through? Can I rely on them to do this for me? I didn’t know, but I glanced at Jukebox and he sat there, grinning smugly. “Let’s get it on,” he whispered, cracking his heftlocks. Now that’s what I want to see. “Alright, get re-” Suddenly, the loud footsteps of the guard were right behind me. A cold chill ran up my spine. “Eat up, shit heads,” he muttered and threw a few heads of lettuce and small loaves of bread into the cell - one of which bumped me on the back of my head. And only then did I realize I didn’t have enough time to pull off my plan. There would be no faked injuries. It’d be too obvious... Think... Think... Think!         I felt like I was moving through molasses as I glanced back at Jukebox. His face was covered in confusion, until it contorted into pain. His head jerked aside and I saw a spray of saliva and possibly blood hit the wall. He held his cheek and looked up at me. His eyes grew watery. “Why..?” He mouthed, before his head jerked again... Because I hit him again. “You think you’re such hot shit because you’ve got wings, huh? Not anymore, bitchcake!” I growled, nearly jumping on him and pressed the chains between my hooves against his neck. Tears gathered around his eyes as he tried to stop me. I’m so sorry... Please forgive me. I’m sorry! The bulge of his adam’s apple fell under the chain as I gingerly applied pressure to his windpipe. The panic in his eyes made me want to break down crying and beg for him to forgive me. “Shit!” The guard finally yelled, after realizing that I was on the verge of killing the pegasus I was chained to. I could hear him click on a walkie talkie. “Gibson? Gibson?! We’ve got a problem, man!” The static-filled voice on the walkie-talkie kicked in. “What’s the matter?” “One of the prisoners is about to kill one of its cellmates? The hell do I do?” “Separate them, dumbass! We need those bastards alive!” The cell door flung open, the old iron squeaking as it grinded against the railing keeping it in place. Heavy footsteps thundered toward me, and I pulled my hooves away, now turning to face the approaching guard. He held a taser in one hand and a key ring in the other. “Get the hell on the floor right now!” He shouted, the taser shaking violently in his hand. My eyes glanced at the other ponies in my cell. They all cowered in corners. Great... Just when I need you most.  I stood there, staring the guard down. The thick black security armor on his body would prove to be hard to get through... So, I opened my mouth to spit out an insult. “The hell are you loo-”         Before I couldn’t finish my sentence, my body went stiff and I felt a sudden surge of... Something hit me like a truck. I fell over, my limbs spasming as I lost control of them. Paralyzed, I couldn’t help myself but let out a pained groan. Only a few pain filled seconds, I soon realized I had just been tased... Let me tell you this, it’s not fun. Don’t do it. “I told you to get down! Look what you made me do!” He shouted, nearly screaming in my face. His greasy, ugly, zit ridden face on a few feet from mine. If I could just throw a good buck... Then it happened - the point of no return - a pair of brown hooves connected into his jaw and he went out like a Christmas light in the middle of October. He just slumped over onto the ground. It was equal parts beautiful and horrifying. In fact, there was little I could say about the situation given that I was just now recovering from an agonizing electric shock. Despite the odds, I managed to shakily stand up onto my hooves. Then I proceeded to yank the two metal prods stuck in my coat.  As painful as it was, I still couldn’t help but feel horrible for hitting Jukebox like that... “How about a warning next time, huh?” Jukebox spat on the ground. A slight bit of crimson mixed in with the clearish saliva. I groaned, rubbing the spot where I was struck. “Get over it, ya freakin’ hussy. I just got tased.” There was a small giggle from the ponies who were supposed to help me in this whole ordeal, and I didn’t find it funny. It hurt. However, I grabbed the keyring from the unconscious guard and tried several of the keys in the links connecting me to Jukebox. Another chill ran down my spine when I realized that none of them fit. Well that figures. I looked up at the others in the cell. “Well people. I’ve got some good news and some bad news,” I said as I trotted past the KO’d guard, heading for the open door with Jukebox in tow. “These keys don’t unlock our cuffs.” I looked down at the cells. Solitary ponies were pressing their faces against the bars with pleading expressions. “But I think I know what they DO open.”         I smirked and stepped into the long hallway with the other ponies following behind me. The sense of adventure and revenge flooded into me, and surprisingly, the element of generosity that hung around my neck shimmered and flashed away in a short burst of purple light. It was blindingly so, but after the light subsided, I felt a warmth around my face. To my surprise, I found that the element of Generosity had disappeared, leaving an ivory white and gold scarf in its place, wrapped around my face and neck. I feel like a ninja... With my impromptu plan working better than I expected and the sudden gain of an awesome scarf, I hurried to release the other ponies from their imprisonment. One after the other, I swung cells open, bringing them into the gathering group which I decided to dub, “The Herd”. I was greeted with endless thank-yous and ponies apparently being indebted to me after I swung the cells open. As I neared the farthest away cell, I peered inside of it. A blue earth pony sat in there, back against the bars. He was saying something, but I only caught the last bit. “...I’ll let you know,” was all I got, and as The Herd and I approached, he craned his neck to look at me. A sudden redness flooded over the bridge of his muzzle and cheeks. It was both incredibly cute and yet horribly awkward. I was supposed to be saving his ass. Not staring at it. (WHICH I WASN’T!) “Hey, big guy. Ready to go?” I said to him, my voice slightly muffled by the scarf firmly wrapped around my face as I jingled the keyring in a blue-green telekinetic grip. He stutters for a moment, "B-Big Guy? What're you...?" His grey eyes focus for a moment at the reddening of his own face. He looks a bit cross at something, but shakes his head and the blush lessens. "Oh, you mean me...” There’s a short silence between us, and he finally says, “To answer your question: Totally.” I took a moment to make sure I selected the right key for the cell (they were numbered) and after clicking the lock open, I threw the door open, really feeling like a leader - a savior even. “Well, darling. Let’s not waste anymore time and get the hell out of here.”  He smirked, peeling the corner of his mouth into a grin. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” I took the keys with me after he left the cell and joined The Herd, near the front with me. “The door to freedom’s just down the hall, ponies!” I shouted in victory, trotting at a steady pace down the hall. My heart was beating louder than the march of the thundering hooves that hit the floor in unison. The stallion whom I just freed kept his pace with me, trotting alongside me on my right. “You know, after we get out of here, if I ever see another door again, it’ll be too soon!” His words fell on my deaf ears as we gained speed to the door, and it was Jukebox who replied to the Earth pony. “Don’t worry, pal,” he said, reassuringly. “At this rate, I’m sure she’ll just bust down anything in our way.” His humor was dry, but I kept moving. I could faintly hear the Earth pony chuckle, but I didn’t pay as much attention to him as I should’ve. I heard his voice though - strong and determined. “That sounds like my kind of plan!” I was beginning to like this guy. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the door at the end of the hall. I was about to reach up and grab a doorknob, or a push bar or some sort, but the shocking realization hit me, that the door didn’t have a doorknob... Or a push bar. It was a solid metal door. A small gasp lept from my throat and I could hear the sudden spread of panic swarm the ponies following me. “Not this again!” “Of course! It’s deadbolted!” “What do you we do?!” The panicked voices and faces made me feel sick to my stomach, and I summoned up as much rage as I could. I faced the door and banged my hooves against it, turned around and bucked at it, even, but it didn’t budge. Not even a damn dent! My breathing quickened as I faced the door. I started pacing, searching for a loophole of some sort. The crying ponies broke my heart and I owed it to them to get them to safety. To see sunlight again. “No... No! It’s not ending like this!” I looked at the side of the hall and saw a pile of discarded metal wall panels. It was about three feet wide and two feet long. I knew it wasn’t thick enough to stop a bullet, but another plan hatched in my mind. “Unicorns!” I shouted, searching the crowd. “Up front! We’re getting these PAPA bastard’s attention and pulling a 300!” I pointed to the first pony I turned to - the blue earth pony from earlier. “Go get me the walkie talkie from that knocked out guard in the back.” Without a word, or even a salute, he dashed away, making his way through the sea of ponies. What a nice guy. Seconds, now vital to our plan, and even survival, flew back as I lined the unicorns up after they grabbed a piece of the metal plating. “Stick close together!” I shouted, as my whole body was shaking with anticipation, fear, and adrenaline. “No gaps! I’m not letting any of you get sho-” I stopped my commands for a moment to turn to the pony who brought back the walkie talkie. “-Oh, why thank you, darling.” “No prob,” he says quickly, and looked like he was going to stay up in the front, but soon fell back into the the masses of The Herd. Now my heart was really beating a mile a minute.  I held the sheet of metal out in front of me, standing with the other unicorns who did the same. The walkie talkie floated just near my cheek. I let out a slow breath and looked back at the ponies behind me. “You all ready?! Shit’s about to hit the fan!” A loud cheer was their response. I grin and flick on the walkie-talkie. A silence falls over the group and I inhale. “Hey Gibby?” I said, trying to be as snide as possible. “Oh shit,” the static-filled voice replied. “Would you send someone down for room service? My friends and I are rather hungry.” Rustling over the walkie-talkie begins and it sounds like my new friend was scrambling to find something. Communication was soon cut off and I tossed the walkie-talkie aside. “We’re about to have company, dearies. Let’s show them what we’ve got!” Bring it on.