Rainbow Dash
“Find anything?” Rainbow called out, hovering down from the top layers of databanks she had been accessing moments prior.
The room that Rainbow was in was huge, buried deep at the centre of the craftworld, and running almost the entire length as well, right down the wraithbone spinal cord that connected every tiny part of the infinity circuit to the wider system. Within the walls and data-ports of this room was every scrap of data, every date a webway portal was activated. Whenever a ranger on a mission for Saim-Hann picked their nose, it was recorded here. If you looked hard enough, and the Craftworld had anything to do with it, you could find it here. Eventually.
“Would you believe me if I said I’ve found a hundred percent more than the last three days of searching?” Wavechill sighed, glancing over at Rainbow.
“We haven’t found anything yet, so a hundred percent of nothing is still nothing,” Rainbow sighed, landing and sitting down on the floor, checking on the rest of the team.
Other than Wavechill, who sat down beside Rainbow and let out a small chuckle at Rainbow retort, the rest of the team were all silent, their eyes rolled back slightly in their heads as they merged to the best of their ability with the wraithbone cores of the record banks of Saim-Hann.
They’d been on the craftworld since the Rangers had brought them before the council. Rainbow still found that particular conversation fun to remember.
***
Five Weeks Earlier
***
Yeria stopped in front of the shimmering patch of light, the portal shining out brightly, even when compared to the shining walls of the portal itself, and turned to face the team. Both they and the rangers had been on the move for the past three hours, and Rainbow would have been lying if she said she wasn’t impressed with the speed that the Rangers were jogging along the solid wraithbone pathways towards their destination.
“I would suggest you power down your weapon systems before moving through the portal, unless you want to see why not even our dark kin attempt to attack Saim-Hann.”
“I’ll power down my weapons when I die,” Gilda snarled, squaring up to Yeria. The rest of the team, bar Rainbow herself, seemed to agree with Gilda, subtly preparing for combat if the need would arise.
“You can either power them down, or relinquish them, but it must be one or the other.”
“I’ll relinquish one shot,” Gilda snapped, her weapon readying to fire. “Where do you want it?”
“Stand down!” Rainbow snapped, pushing past Gilda, standing between the two groups. “For Celestia’s sake, they’re Eldar and we need them. I will not have you shedding Eldar blood, period. There’s not enough of it as it is anyway.”
“I’m glad one of you see’s sense,” Yeria nodded. “Power down, or give them up, it makes no difference to me.”
One by one, the Swooping Pegasi deactivated their weapons, removing the power cores or magazines, depending on the weapons they used. Finally, even Gilda deactivated her weapon with a slight growl, before nodding to Rainbow.
“Thank you, now, if you would follow my compatriots, I will remain here. My exile forbids me from setting foot upon the craftworld until my task is done,” Yeria let out a near imperceptive sigh at this, walking away from the group and reading his rifle.
“What task?” Rainbow whispered to one of the Rangers.
“Some things are better left as mysteries,” the Ranger replied, before gesturing to the portal. “Come, let us see if the Craftworld still remembers you, Rainbow Dash.”
With that, the Rangers stepped forward into the shimmering portal, disappearing from the arterial pathways of the webway back into the material realm. With a quick glance around the team, Rainbow followed after the Rangers.
Once again, she experienced the odd sensation of traversing from the Webway to the body of a Craftworld, before she felt her hooves touch solid ground once more, and she blinkingly opened her eyes once more to see masked guardians, their weapons raised and pointed at her and the rest of her team as they too passed through the portal.
“What is that?” one asked, glancing at the guardian Rainbow assumed to be in charge of the guard detail from her slightly different armour.
“Impossible,” she breathed, kneeling down and looking straight at Rainbow, allowing her to see the sigils on the armour.
“Nar-Bok?” Rainbow asked with a smile, removing her helmet.
“Theoline Nar-Bok, at your service Rainbow Dash Nar-Bok,” the woman smiled, removing her own helmet and placing two fingers on her forehead, before touching them to Rainbow’s in a gesture of peace. “Lower your weapons, she is no stranger to the ways of Saim-Hann, although her compatriots…”
“My team can be trusted. Right Gilda?” Rainbow asked forcefully.
“Yeah, sure Dash,” Gilda nodded.
“If you vouch for them, and the Rangers of Yeria vouch for you, then I believe I may at least be able to take you before the council. They will be able to decide if you can stay on the Craftworld or not.”
“Thank you Theoline, I believe I can find the way, unless you have to escort us?”
“Rayameere, take your bike and ensure they reach the council swiftly and unmolested by any other guards,” Theoline ordered, turning to face a short male Guardian.
“Right away,” the man nodded, straddling his bike. “Come on, the cycle is drawing closer to its end, we would do well to arrive before the council before the night cycle begins.
“Lead on,” Rainbow nodded, getting back on her own bike and taking off after Rayameere.
***
“My lord council members,” Rayameere announced, bowing deeply as entered the council chambers. “May I announce…”
“Rainbow Dash,” one of the council members finished with a curt nod. “It has been some time by your lifespans counting that a pony has stood in our halls, much less five, and one Griffon.”
“It is an honour to stand before this council once again, Seers of Saim-Hann,” Rainbow replied, bowing deeply and gesturing for the others to follow her lead, which they did with various degrees of compliance, Lightning and Gilda seeming to hesitate the most.
“Rayameere, you have performed your task, now, return to the portal, and watch over our gates with ever-keen eyes,” the Seer on the far right ordered.
“At once my lord,” the man bowed, before turning and exiting the room, leaving the Swooping Pegasi alone with Seer council.
“Rainbow Dash, it is good to see that you survived your foray into the webway, and judging by your company, I will assume that your search was a success,” the middle Seer murmured, using the warp to project his soft voice around the room.
“It was,” Rainbow turned to point at each individual member of the team. “Scootaloo, Lightning Dust, Spitfire, Gilda and Wavechill. They’re my team, the Swooping Pegasus.”
“The runes were true,” the right most Seer turned to face his companions. “The stranger to our land would found a shrine to call her own. Is your own world really in such dire peril that you require a team armed with what looks like bastardised Eldar technology?”
“It is bastardised tech,” Wavechill nodded, moving forward. “When you have access to the stuff Rainbow brought back as well as some high level magic users, you’re bound to come up with some interesting inventions.”
“Such as your jetbikes?” the middle Seer cocked his head to the side.
“Hey! What’s wrong with our bikes?” Gilda scowled indignantly.
“Calm down G,” Rainbow muttered.
“If you’re attempting to replicate your own training Rainbow, I would suggest teaching your team to control their emotions,” the middle Seer suggested.
“Rainbow teaches us just fine,” Spitfire cut in. “She’s the best Exarch the shrine could ask for.”
“Maybe,” the right Seer nodded. “Or maybe not, her competence is still to be seen. But that is not why you are here is it? No, the question that remains is what you are doing back here on Saim-Hann if you returned home.”
“The tidings of your return are not fortunate ones are they?” the left Seer asked in a soft, almost mournful tone.
“No, they’re not,” Rainbow sighed. “Like we said, technology is advancing back on Equestria, but…”
“Not all advances are good,” Lightning finished for her.
“Precisely,” Rainbow nodded. “A mare called Applejack, she’s one of my friends, she met with an accident, and we divined that she ended up in this universe.”
“You want to access our databanks to see if there have been webway distortions anywhere in known Saim-Hann space similar to when you arrived in our universe, and see if you can find where your friend has landed before plotting your next course of action?” the middle Seer asked.
“Spot on,” Rainbow nodded, taking a step forward. “I know that the databanks of Saim-Hann are highly classified…”
“That is an understatement Rainbow Dash,” the Seer on the left scoffed softly. “Outsiders do not get access to our records.”
“I know that, and I accept your position council, I really do.” Rainbow took another step forward. “But I beg you, if my year and a half of service has ever counted for anything, please, let me do this. I want…I need to know what happened to Applejack. I promised I’d find her, and I came back to the universe where all my nightmares come from. Please don’t be the ones to stop me from finding her. Please.”
For a long time, the three Seers looked between Rainbow and their compatriots, presumably communicating via the warp or their helmet communicators.
“Do you think they’ll listen?” Spitfire whispered, moving up beside Rainbow.
“They better,” Gilda growled in response. “I’m not giving up because they won’t help us.”
“Stand down G,” Rainbow hissed. “We’re not fighting them, even if we could win, which we really couldn’t.”
“There’s three of them and six of us,” Lightning pointed out.
“In the time it would take us to power up our weapons, they’d have killed at least one of us, then they’d have called reinforcements and we would be outnumbered and outgunned.”
“That didn’t stop you when you first came here,” Gilda smirked.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Rainbow snapped. “The point is moot, we’ll respect the Seer council, no matter their decision.”
Even as she spoke, the three Seers turned back to face the team, the middle seer taking a step in front of the other two. He slowly looked between each member of the team, resting his eyes on everyone, lingering on Rainbow for the longest, before he finally began to speak.
“In light of your service to both the Swooping Hawks shrine of the Floating Assault, as well as your membership of the venerable and honourable Wind Rider clan of Nar-Bok, this council has decreed that you will be granted access to a portion of the Craftworld’s databanks, specifically those records pertaining to the distortion and monitoring of webway tunnels underneath our command. Do not abuse this right Rainbow Dash, Exarch of the Swooping Pegasi, it is a great honour to have been allowed access. Especially considering your species, and how different it is from our own.”
“Heh, funny you should mention that,” Rainbow smirked under her breath, before raising her voice. “Thank you Seer council for this great honour. Know that it won’t be squandered.”
“Go then, and we wish you luck.”
***
Present Day
***
One by one, the rest of the team’s eyes rolled forward in their heads as they came back from the spirit realm, walking back towards the centre of the room where Rainbow and Wavechill were patiently waiting. Unlike Rainbow, and to a certain extent, Wavechill, the rest of the team were still not quite used to the unfamiliar sensation of entering a living network of consciences such as the infinity circuit. Rainbow had learnt quickly under the tutelage of Makhutar, but they had received no such help, and so Rainbow had been teaching them on the fly. It was good enough to allow them to search through the databanks, but it wasn’t perfect.
“Remind me again why every time I come out of there my head feels like Spike tried to stack books on it?” Scootaloo grunted, cradling her head in her wings.
“Because you still don’t know how to regulate your neural pathways to limit the feedback loop from the infinity circuit to your own central nervous system. This…” Wavechill began.
“I was being sarcastic,” Scootaloo groaned. “So…anyone find anything this time?”
“Nope,” Rainbow shook her head.
“Nothing,” Wavechill sighed.
“Nada,” Lightning added.
“I thought I found something,” Spitfire began, drawing a hopeful glance from Rainbow. “But then I cross referenced with other data and found five other signatures within nanoseconds of each other.”
“So us then,” Gilda rolled her eyes. “We found sweet fuck all. Again. At this rate we’ll…”
“It’s getting late,” Rainbow interrupted. “We should get back to the clan home.”
With that, Rainbow turned and began walking towards one of the many exits that would eventually lead to the Craftworld’s transit system, leaving the others milling around in a lose circle.
“That was stupid,” Wavechill admonished Gilda, smacking her head with a forehoof.
“Do that again, and I’ll break your hoof off Wonderbolt,” Gilda snarled in reply, grabbing the hoof to make sure she didn’t try anything again while balling one of her talons into a fist in lieu of having her weapons with her, Rainbow insisting that they leave all weapons secure with their bikes, saved for her power sword that never left her side.
“Get off her Gilda,” Lightning moved up, pushing Gilda back. “You were the one who was about to remind Rainbow that we’d not made any headway.”
“Oh don’t act like you know Rainbow like me,” Gilda snapped.
“All of you, shut it,” Spitfire interrupted. “Yes we had a bad day, but fighting within the team won’t help, so stow it, and let’s go. Rainbow will be waiting.”
Letting out a huff, Gilda pushed past the team, moving after Rainbow and disappearing from sight as the rest of the team followed her, albeit at a slower, more leisurely pace. Rounding the corner, they watched as Rainbow and Gilda boarded the train together, engrossed in conversation.
“I still don’t know why she’s on the team,” Lightning huffed. “She’s always so quick to get angry. Plus she isn’t exactly a ‘team player’.”
“And you are?” Spitfire smirked. “She’s on the team for the same reason we all are.”
“Military training?” Lightning turned to face Scootaloo. “Well, military style cardio training.”
“A love of speed would be more accurate,” Scootaloo pointed out.
“Devilishly good looks?” Wavechill laughed.
“Kind of, kind of, and that doesn’t apply to you,” Spitfire shook her head. “We’re here simply because Rainbow picked us, so if she want’s Gilda on the team, she’s got as much right as any of us to be here.”
“Come on, the train will be leaving soon,” Wavechill gestured with his head. “And I’ll have you know I am very good looking Spitfire.”
“Everyone look out, it looks like Discord’s up to his old tricks again,” Rainbow laughed as the others boarded the pod-like train. “There’s no other way someone would be able to believe such a massive lie.”
“Yeah yeah, laugh it up guys,” Wavechill grumbled as the others burst out laughing. “The first native creatures we see that aren’t Eldar and aren’t trying to kill us, they’ll make a beeline for me, mark my words.”
“Yeah, of course,” Rainbow nodded as the train began to quickly pick up speed, propelling the team into a dark tunnel and across the Craftworld.
***
Rainbow placed the mug down on the table again, steadying herself against the wraithbone surface with both of her forehooves as she braced herself. The others all watched her intently, moving back slightly to get out of the way of what was about to come. Opening her mouth, Rainbow took a deep breath, before letting out a resounding belch, the sound travelling around the courtyard, drawing cheers from some of the aspect warriors who were milling around the bar.
“Ten mugs of Re’ka and not even down. That’s how we do that,” Rainbow grinned, swaying slightly.
“Good for you, the stuff’s horrible,” Gilda grimaced as the smell of the drink wafted out of Rainbow's mouth towards her.
“Oh? And I suppose that stuff you smuggled into Junior Speedsters was better?” Rainbow asked.
“Yeah, much,” Gilda nodded.
“Wait, you managed to smuggle stuff into Junior Speedsters?” Spitfire asked in disbelief. “I never managed to do it.”
“But you tried?” Wavechill asked. “Looks like Spitfire isn’t quite as clean as we all thought guys.”
“That must have been a long time ago, for an old bird like you,” Lightning jibed.
“Hey! We may technically be the same rank, but don’t push it Lightning,” Spitfire threatened lightly.
“So you guys all went to Junior Speedsters?” Scootaloo sighed. “Looks like I’m the only one who didn’t.”
“And yet you’re here anyway,” Rainbow pointed out, putting a hoof around Scootaloos neck. “Tell you what, when we get back, and it won’t take long, I’ll make sure you’re enrolled as an advisor. How about that?”
“Sure, I’ll hold you to that,” Scootaloo smiled.
“So, now you’ve proved that you can drink Re’ka…for the fifth time this week, are we heading back?” Wavechill asked.
“Yeah, let’s go,” Rainbow nodded, getting up and making sure her sword wasn’t digging into anything, before heading off in the direction of the Nar-Bok clan home, the others following behind her.
“That was quite a display of endurance Rainbow Dash Nar-Bok, just as your Swooping Pegasi are a sight to behold,” a soft voice came from behind the team, causing Rainbow to whirl around, coming face to face with a lithe Eldar female, a gunmetal mask covering over half of her face.
“Thank you,” Rainbow nodded. “You know who we are, but who might you be?”
“Oh, my name is long and complicated, and quite impossible for a non-Eldar to pronounce, but you may call me the Architect,” the female said with a flourish, showing off her flowing robes.
“Show off,” Gilda muttered. “Why don’t you take the mask off and then we can talk.”
“I’m afraid that my visage underneath is horrific to behold. Plasma burns. But enough about that, I must say it was a surprise to see you here again, I assumed you would never return. Although, I am glad that you did, the galaxy grows brighter by your return,” the Architect smiled.
“Ok, thanks, but whatever you want, buttering me up isn’t going to help,” Rainbow smiled, before turning to walk away.
“Even if I offer information on Applejack?” her voice rose as she asked the question, all other noises seeming to die away.
“What did you say?” Rainbow froze, not daring to look around.
“You search for Applejack do you not? An Earth Pony from Ponyville? The Element of Honesty? She was taken from your home, and you came to get her back,” the Architect’s smirk was obvious even beneath the mask.
Rainbow let out a snarl, diving at the Architect as her sword flew to her neck, quivering as Rainbow breathed heavily.
“What do you know about Applejack?” Rainbow snarled softly.
“Nothing,” the Architect admitted. “But, I do know people who might, if you are willing to search beyond the Craftworld.”
“Rainbow, we should go,” Spitfire whispered, but was quickly shushed by a glare from Rainbow that could have melted ice.
“Go on,” Rainbow muttered, glancing at the other Eldar, who didn’t seem to notice that Rainbow had her sword to an Eldar’s throat.
“There's is a city, one many would condemn because of some…less than savoury acts that take place there. But if you’re willing, there are groups who could help you. The All-Seeing eye for one.”
“You’re speaking of a Kabal in Commoragh?” Rainbow asked softly.
“I am,” the Architect nodded.
Instantly, Rainbow sheathed her sword, before taking off, flapping her wings hard as she angled herself towards the Nar-Bok clan tower. Momentarily taken aback by the sudden disappearance of their leader, the rest of the Swooping Pegasi quickly took to the skies, following after Rainbow, and leaving the Architect alone.
With a single nod, she turned, walking back the direction she had come from, walking in the shadows, before darting into a small accommodation unit and locking the door. Letting out a sigh, she made sure the door was secure, before allowing her robe to fall to the floor.
Beneath the beautiful embroidery was a pulsating mass of blue-tinged flesh, small flickers of light moving beneath the skin as it traced out the veins beneath the mutated flesh. With a soft cry of pain, the Architect tugged the mask from her face, bits of skin sticking to it as she pulled it away from the wet muscles beneath.
As she sunk to her knees, she opened her second eye that had been beneath the mask, followed by her third, and her forth, and her fifth, all eyes focusing on a small crystal in front of her.
Picking up a knife, she held it against her chest, tracing out a writhing symbol that almost looked like a half crescent moon, before plunging her hand inside the quickly mutating symbol and pulling out another glowing crystal that seemed to cause the other crystal to pulse in perfectly matching bursts.
“M-My lord, the deed is done,” she whispered, bowing before the crystal. “Rainbow has been set upon the path you laid out for her, my task has been completed.”
“Excellent my servant,” a voice echoed around the room, sounding like it was both female and male at the same time, yet was also something completely different at the same time. “You have done well.”
“Thank you my master,” the Architect breathed a sigh of relief, placing her face on the floor in reverence before the crystal. “I live to serve you and you plans.”
“I know you do,” the crystals voice's emanated, before a shimmering patch of blue light erupted out of it, one that the Architect quickly stepped through, disappearing from real space.
As the portal faded and the crystal began to collapse in on itself, the voice spoke one more time.
“Everything is going just as planned.”