//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine: Take Down (Part 2) // Story: City of Shadows // by GuyGalProductions //------------------------------// Within a dark, dimly lit room, thudding footsteps approached the chair sitting in the middle of it. Tied to the chair was Rainbow Dash, battered and bruised, even bleeding a bit from the lip. The suited henchman approached, dropping a paper bag into her lap, then removing the gag from her mouth. “Yo, gumshoe,” he said in a thick West Side dialect accent, “Hope yer feelin’ hungry. De boss was sayin’ ta feed ya er somethin’.” “Oh joy, fast food, you guys are real big spenders ya know that,” Rainbow said snidely, “Hey genius, how am I gonna eat this with my hands tied, huh?” The mook laughed, going behind her and producing a pair of metalling handcuffs, “Da boss made sure ta take care o’ dat, girly.” He slapped one part of handcuffs on her, freed her wrists, then brought them around, holding them tightly, and slapped the other end on. “Dere, now eat yer damn food. Da boss wants ya kept alive… So long as your sexy little dame does what he says,” the henchman sneered. Rainbow glared at the mook, but after a moment a lightbulb went off in her mind, and though it turned her stomach she decided try out a plan. “Yeah she is pretty hot isn’t she?” Rainbow said in a slightly sultry tone, leveling her gaze at the thug. “Heh heh,” the mook twirled a gun in his hand, “Da boss sure thinks so. Ain’t she a beaut? Hottest piece of ass in dis dang city, I tell ya.” “I know it, in fact…” Rainbow dropped her voice ever so slightly, the henchman predictably leaning closer to hear her. “We were fucking like rabbits last night…” Her voice dropped again, ‘C’mon you bastard… come to momma...’ Now the henchman stared at her, “Ya cain’t be serious, girly.” “Oh yeah…” Rainbow readied herself, her muscles tensing as the fool closed the last few inches “She has a spot riiiiiight…..” Rainbow sprang at the thug, knocking the gun from his hands with a swift swat of her hands, the metal of the cuffs clanking against the metal of the gun. The criminal lunged at her, but Rainbow caught him with the chain of her shackles, choking him. “That’s right you fuck, don’t you ever talk about Fluttershy like that again you son of a fucking asshole,” She growled, too focused on making the bastard suffer to hear the door click open, “You fucking fuck, I’m gonna-” Krack. The butt of a gun whipped against her head. Rainbow looked up to see Sombra’s gleeful green eyes as she slid from consciousness. Walking along the docks, gun hidden under her coat, Fluttershy followed along to the apparent unused warehouse. She felt the dreadful elements of fear, with every bit of her body telling her to take Rainbow’s advice and just run. But she knew that she couldn’t do that. Not when the woman she loved was in danger, with her life hanging by a thread. ‘I’m going to save her… Even if I have to give up my own life to do it... ’ Fluttershy thought, determined as she ever could be. Scared as she felt, at least it would be done knowing she helped save her. “Look at ya,” drawled a familiar twang, “Almost look like ya know what you’re doing.” Fluttershy turned to see Twilight and Applejack. The police officer had her badge on her hip, as well as her sidearm in a shoulder holster, though was otherwise out of uniform. Applejack, meanwhile, had traded out her usual work uniform for a plaid shirt and jeans, accented by a tactical harness, and in her hands was a sawed off shotgun. “We came as soon as I got your message,” Twilight explained. “I was going to come alone, but Pinkie insisted I bring Applejack. Apparently she has some sort of training…” “Let’s just say mah hay ride from the family farm had a few stopovers,” Applejack said patting her weapon and smirking at Twilight. “An’ when this is all done, Ah’m gonna need you to tell me about just how Pinkie was with you when you got that message~” Twilight set her jaw, yet there was an ever so slight blush on her cheeks. “If we survive this,” the policewoman replied. Utterly stunned, Fluttershy blinked a few times, “Oh, my gosh… Twilight, I… thank you… I-I was going to do this on my own, but wanted to at least let you know what was happening. Um… so what should we do from here?” “Warehouses aren’t exactly the most tactical structures,” Twilight said surveying the building that Fluttershy had indicated in her message, “Mostly open space inside with minimal cover, that is unless they’ve built themselves cover. Likely they’re using them for sheer lack of any better real estate or simple convenience.” “Looks like each has more than a few entrances,” Applejack surmised, “Ah say we breach one of the back doors, they're more like to lead to a set of offices which is our best bet for finding a hostage.” Twilight gave Applejack a slightly surprised look. “Not my first rodeo,” the bouncer said with another smirk. Nodding, Fluttershy revealed her concealed weapon, “Just in case… I never held a gun before, but it’s all I could find aside from a knife.” “Normally I’d confiscate that as a concealed and likely unregistered weapon,” Twilight said, placing a hand on Fluttershy’s to steady the ex-model. “But nothing about tonight is going to be on the books. These people took our friend, and your lover, and we are going to get her back.” “Right… we will!” Fluttershy felt a new stem of determination course through her as she smiled, “I’m ready for this.” “Good, cuz we ain’t got any more time to waste flapping our gums,” Applejack said, her face determined. “It’s go time ladies. Follow my lead and if ya see a gun, shoot.” Twilight frowned at the slightly trigger-happy instruction, but she acquiesced. They were moving into a hostile environment with very few, if any civilians. This was by no means by the book, but it might keep them alive longer. Applejack led their group closer to the warehouse in question. They crept through the shadows, sidling along a row of shipping crates that hide them from view. After a few tense moments of silent stalking, they had reached their target. The warehouse was big and imposing with more than its fair share of broken and boarded windows, and standing outside the back entrance, smoking a cigarette, was the presumed guard for the door. “Oh my… how do we get past him?” Fluttershy whispered, “Especially if we don’t want to raise any alerts.” “Leave this one to me,” Applejack said, picking up a large piece of broken concrete from the ground and chucked it a little ways in front of her. The guard snapped to attention and quickly hurried over to investigate, though as he did so he made fatal error of exposing his back to Applejack, who cracked him over the head with the butt of her gun. “Awright,” She said quickly as she removed the goon’s weapon and tucked it into her a holster on her own vest. “We’ll have until his bosses check in, or until someone squeezes off a shot for anyone to know we’re here. Ah didn’t see any patrols comin’ in, so let’s get in there while the gittin’s good.” Amazed, Fluttershy nodded and followed after the two as they slipped into the door. Sure enough, the room they entered was an open storage space, with many crates and other sorts of boxes littered around. Some in piles, others on the floor. Given the labels and some warning not to open them, it was easy to guess that they held dangerous weapons and/or substances. This was especially apparent when Fluttershy caught sight of some green leaves poking out of one of the half-open boxes. It was clearly marijuana. She wondered if they produced their own or were in cahoots with farmers of the plant. “...My gosh… Rainbow was right… This guy really doesn’t match the original Sombra’s MO. This man seems to be part of a weapon and drug cartel…” Fluttershy whispered. “It was a good trick,” Twilight conceded, gritting her teeth. All this time of trying to solve this case, taking down all of Fluttershy’s traumatized phone calls, and all that time having her hands tied by red tape. Twilight felt this all like a slap to the face, a personal insult. This new Sombra and his mob connections had fooled her colleagues, and worst of all they had fooled her. But Twilight knew better than to dwell on it now. At least they had stronger leads and more evidence for the case than ever before. That was what mattered. “Ya’ll see any offices or a hallway? Like Ah was sayin’, Ah doubt they’d keep their prisoners out in the open,” Applejack said in a hoarse whisper as she herself looked around the room. “I see a lot of doors,” Fluttershy whispered, looking around as she peered into a nearby hallway, “They have numbers, but no labels. I’m not sure what’s behind them.” “Good as place as any to start,” Applejack said, nodding, “Let’s check it-” Just then there was a collection of shouting voices sounding from outside, followed by the door they had entered from being violently slammed open. “Shit,” Applejack swore as she pumped the action on her shotgun. “Fluttershy, Twilight. Go on, I’ll hold ‘em here!” Just then a series of gunshots rang out and before Applejack could fully duck behind a nearby crate, she was caught in the shoulder by a bullet. “ARGH… Fuck!” The cowgirl swore again, pulling the purloined handgun from the holster on her harness and firing back a series of shots blindly. “Twilight, Ah might need some help here after all...!” The police woman had her sidearm out in a flash, and joined Applejack at her makeshift cover point. “Only a half dozen,” She observed, giving a solemn nod to her injured comrade, “We can take ‘em.” Then she looked to the very shaken looking pinkette, “Fluttershy, go! If Sombra’s back there we don’t have much time! Go!” “But I can’t just leave you!” Fluttershy cried, scared as she hid herself. “Go!” Applejack yelled as Twilight pulled out her cell phone and put in a call for backup, “Don’t ya understand what Twilight’s sayin? Sombra can hear the shots, he knows something’s up, and he’s going to kill Rainbow!” Realizing this, Fluttershy nodded and hurried out of the room before the goons could see her. She wasn’t sure where she was going or what to even look for, but whatever it was, she had to hurry. Rainbow’s life was on the line more than it ever had been and she could not let it get worse. Hurrying down the hallway, she could hear the distant shouts of men and footsteps wherever else. Spotting a closet, she ducked into it and closed the door, peering out through the slats. Within a few moments, some men in suits, each carrying one or two guns, rushed by the door, none of them noticing. Taking a deep breath, she crept out of the closet and kept going, thankful that the flooring was carpet in this hall. Going through an open door at the end of the hall, she could see now that she was in the main warehouse area, the inside of the loading dock. Gulping, she could see many doors along the walls, with rain now pattering against the large windows high above the floor. Aside from a forklift, crates and other paraphernalia, the room was empty. ‘Where are you, Rainbow… Where would they keep a hostage…? Behind a locked door… So the hostage can’t escape… But they’re expecting me… Oh, goodness… come on, think! Deduce this! If something happens to her and I run the agency, I have to be at the top of my game! Okay… They would do one of two things. One, hide the hostage in a concealed and locked area. This makes them harder to find. ‘But then again, the other option is in their stronghold. Especially in an obvious place, as a trap. They want me to come here, to fight for her life. But do they want me to find her before they take me to her or bring her to me? Is it a trap? They asked me to come alone… that’s a trap. They don’t want anyone on the outside knowing I’m here. They’re doing more than human trafficking, and if the police find this place, they’re screwed.’ She took a few breaths, looking around to figure out which way to go. Wandering toward one of the doors, which was open, Fluttershy slipped in. She was now in another hallway, with rows of doors on each side. No one seemed to be around, so she slowly crept along, keeping as quiet as she could. For a moment, she wanted to call out, give a shot, just in case Rainbow Dash was in one of these rooms. But that would’ve been suicide and drawing attention to herself was not the best. Not when the building was on high alert. Fluttershy crept as quickly and quietly as she could down the hall, and because she could think of no better system, began checking each door as she went. At first the rooms seemed normal enough, abandoned offices with layers upon layer of dust, but the further down the hall she went that began to change. Fluttershy had to stifle a gasp as she opened one door, the half light of the hallway falling upon a former office in which the walls were plastered with photographs of a young woman. Each and every photo taken from candid angles, and the subject was clearly unaware. The photos, creepy in and of themselves as they were, were not the only thing the room held. There was a collection of items sitting on the floor. Most of the items were as harmless as spare bits of clothing or jewelry, though they were all arranged like some sort of bizarre nest which had also been littered with the glittering remains of what Fluttershy assumed was a shattered mirror. Sitting in the very center of the magpie-like heap, was a hand sewn doll with what could only be human hair sewn to the scalp. Fluttershy pulled away, only just thinking not to slam the door. She felt nauseated. She could feel the bile rising in her throat, but she fought the urge to simply scream. No… she needed to find Rainbow… She could do whatever she needed to do later… she needed to find her love right now… She continued opening doors, finding behind each one now a different collection. Each a different woman, each containing a new nest and a new doll… Finally she reached the final door which sat ominously at the very end of the hall. It was still a gamble at this point, but she had to chance it. ‘These rooms… all of his past victims… and myself… Could Rainbow be in this room? She’s not the same kind of victim, but… It’s possible. I can probably even find a lead in here. Okay, Fluttershy… do it.’ Slowly she approached the door, peeking in through a keyhole, which was surprising. She couldn’t see much of anything, but a quick glimpse of something rainbow-coloured caught her eye. ‘Rainbow?’ Taking a lock pick from her pocket, she carefully applied it into the keyhole, and clicked it open. Opening the door quietly, Fluttershy slipped into the room, coming to find exactly who she was looking for. It almost seemed way too easy, way too convenient, but did that even matter? “Oh my god… Rainbow… Rainbow!” Fluttershy gasped, coming closer. Much to her dismay, the woman’s eyes were closed, unmoving. The drip of blood down the side of her head was not reassuring. No movement, no breathing, nothing. It was bad enough finding Rainbow tied to a chair, with blood, cuts, and bruises on her person. It was even worse finding her dead. Fluttershy recoiled in terror, her heart stopping and falling to her stomach. Everything within herself just dropped dead, unable to properly respond to anything. She took a step closer, feeling tears welling in her eyes, choked sobs escaping her. Of all the most terrifying, horrible moments in her life, none of them compared to this. “No.. No… No… No!” Fluttershy uttered amidst her crying as she fell to her knees. She collapsed slowly against Rainbow’s lap, crying into it brokenheartedly. To truly face the loss of the only woman she ever loved had to be a crime in it of itself. Just then, Rainbow stirred. She took in a wheezing breath and coughed so violently that the chair she was tied to wobbled. “Wh-what’s going on…” the detective stammered weakly, “Flutters...no...no tell me that’s not really you… tell me this is a hallucination… tell me you ran…” No. It couldn't have been. But Fluttershy could swear she'd heard Rainbow's voice. Was she imagining it? She had to be, there was no way it was truly her. Yet, something inside told her to be sure. If only because of one little spark of hope that Rainbow Dash could've still been alive. But the heart-shattering disappointment was already too much to bear. She had to check. If only to confirm she was dead or alive. Slowly, Fluttershy rose her head to look up and see Rainbow's eyes slowly opening. Her heart all but stopped. It wasn't her imagination. It was real. Rainbow was still alive. “Rainbow! ” Fluttershy cried, unable to believe she’d been wrong. Without thinking, she straddled her lap on the chair and kissed her fiercely, fisting her fingers into her hair. Nothing else mattered, nothing. All she could think about was that Rainbow was okay, that there was still a chance to save her. She kissed her hard, passionately, pouring everything into it, not stopping. From a darkened corner of the room there was the hollow sound of slow applause and a dry humorless laugh. “Bravo, my dear butterfly. Bravo.” Gasping, Fluttershy looked up, all around themselves, “No…!” “Yes,” Answered the voice as finally Sombra stepped from the shadows. He wasn’t exactly a tall man, but the ominous air that lingered about him was more than enough to make him seem like a giant. He wore a suit of the darkest black with a shirt to match, the only color in his outfit coming from his blood scarlet tie. His raven hair was long and slightly unkempt, as if it had been slicked back a day or so ago, but had been left to tangle since then. His skin was pale, as if he had never seen the sun, and his eyes… those tormentous green eyes seemed to bore holes through the women. “So nice to finally meet you, butterfly,” He said in a silky voice. “I had so hoped you’d find your way here before I was done with the detective here.” Fluttershy’s grip tightened on her lover, “You stay away from her you son of a bitch…” “Oh yes I’d nearly forgotten, this little kitten has grown claws hasn’t she,” Sombra said in a patronizing voice as he took a step closer still. “She’s got more than that, you bastard…” Rainbow growled, though her voice was still a bit weak. “Fluttershy is stronger than you. She’s not some frightened little girl!” “Then what is she?” Sombra asked, bemused. “She’s my partner,” Rainbow said defiantly. Despite the fear within herself, Fluttershy kept herself up, “I won’t let you do this to her. It’s me you want, Sombra… Let her go.” “Do you know why I call you butterfly?” Sombra asked, as though he hadn’t heard Fluttershy’s command. “It’s because you, my dear, are special. I was never going to let these filthy criminals sell you like I did with the rest of my conquests… leaving me only their lovely locks to remember them by… No, I was going to keep you. I still am. I’m going to kill you, pin you up, and preserve you, just like a butterfly in a collection.” Both women now looked less shocked and more disgusted at this. “You’re sick…!” Fluttershy uttered. “I mean it! leave her alone…!” “Yes, yes,” Sombra said dismissively, “I heard you before. I just don’t care.” Fluttershy stood up, keeping close to the chair, “I’m here, in the flesh, now start talking.” Sombra’s temper began to flare, truly none of this was going how he’d hoped. He began to advance on her, growling, “Why in blazes are you still talking, dammit!? You should be pleading, begging, bargaining!” Admittedly scared, Fluttershy took a step back, eyes wide in fear. At the corner of her eye, she caught the ghost of a grin on Rainbow’s face. Realizing what was going on, she turned back to him. “Sombra… I won’t lie to you. ...I’m terrified right now. Just as you have left me crippled with fear all this time. If there’s one thing I came to learn, it’s that you feed on fear. Not going to happen. I want you to let Rainbow go! What more do you want, I’m here, in the flesh, as you lured me,” Fluttershy managed in a calm tone, swallowing. “Are you telling me what to do!? Are trying to quote to me some sort of rules!? I am king here!” Sombra thundered, producing a knife and waving it dangerously. “Yes I brought you here, I told you whatever you need to hear to do it, and now you’re mine, and thanks to your mischief I don’t have time for any of this anymore! Say goodbye to you little girlfriend!” Sombra lunged at Rainbow Dash, knife raised high over his head. “NO!” The shriek of despair came from Fluttershy as she instinctively reached her foot out in his path. Sure enough, he tripped and unceremoniously fell over Rainbow, knocking into the nearby cabinet. Shaking, Fluttershy advanced on his fallen form, any fear and despair now being overtaken by anger. Pent-up anger harbouring within herself since this whole mess started. “Are you kidding me?! I mean, I know you’re evil and everything, but you’d threaten to kill my girlfriend even after I complied to your demands?! Really?! Why you’re just a great big meanie!” Fluttershy spewed in anger, her voice rising to shocking octaves, “There! I said it! What makes you think you’re so special?! Like the rules of common courtesy don’t apply to you?! Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size?!” It was then that she pulled out the gun in her coat, pointing it at him. Sombra started to laugh, but it died in his throat, only bald faced rage gripping him and he snarled up at her, “You dare point a gun at me!? Do you know who I am!? I am SOMBRA! I am the dark and the cold! I am the shadow and smoke! You can’t kill me!” “Let her go, you sick son of a bitch!” Fluttershy snarled, pulling back the barrel, “Let her go or I’ll shoot! I’m at point blank range! You’ve tormented me long enough, Sombra!” “She’s cable tied to the chair, cut her out yourself,” Sombra growled with a sneer, tilting his head in the direction of his fallen knife. “Don’t take that gun off his ass for a second,” Rainbow advised, “Hand me the knife, I think I can cut myself free.” Glancing toward her for a moment, Fluttershy kept the gun on him as she carefully made her way to the knife. Not once taking her gaze or gun off him, she chuckled darkly, “I see what you mean, Rainbow… This is the part where the villain tricks the hero into turning their back… So that he can either kill or knock them out when they’re not looking… Mmm, thought you could outsmart me, Sombra? Not this time. I have Manehattan’s greatest detective on my side…” Reaching the knife, she took it in hand, gripping it. Still in the same procedure as before, she tiptoed to Rainbow, placing it into her hand. “One wrong move and the next bullet is going between your eyes, Sombra!” Fluttershy warned. Sombra remained eerily quiet, his eyes continually flicking between the two of them. Rainbow flipped the knife around, pointing the blade towards herself and after some finagling she managed to slip the tip into the zip tie and began to cut herself free. A few moments later Rainbow managed to get to her feet, banged up, bloody and sore, but with any luck no worse for the ware. Shuddering, Fluttershy then tiptoed over to her, placing the gun into her hand, “Quick, go!” “You brought Twilight, right?” Rainbow said, her voice measured and even as she kept the gun on Sombra. “I heard shots.” “Yes…” Fluttershy whispered back with a nod, “They’re in the back… Go find them, hurry.” “If there’s shooting, she probably called in backup,” Rainbow said, her hard cerise gaze falling on Sombra still. Sombra sneered, looking eerily calm, “You mean to murder me, Rainbow Dash? That's quite a step even for you.” “Shut up!” Rainbow snarled, glaring at him, “You so much as blink and you're dead! You're not gonna terrorize Fluttershy or any other woman again, you sick fuck! Hope you packed your red pajamas, because there's an eternal sleepover in Hell and you're invited!” Now Sombra stood up, holding his hands in the air, smirking at the two all the while. Rainbow kept the gun on him, following his movements, keeping in front of Fluttershy. “You're not even the real guy,” Rainbow said sourly, “Our Sombra was quiet, lurking in the shadows, calculating. The Sombra on Firefly's file was everything you're not. You just took his name and made it your own. Face it, asshole, you're just a wannabe who takes Sombra and makes him sound like a Bond villain! I'm just surprised you're not sitting at a desk with a cat to stroke!” This made Sombra, or whatever his name was supposed to be, laugh with dark amusement. “That isn’t even relevant. The point is that I came this far, while I have you two right where I want you.” “And I’m about have you right where I want you,” Rainbow growled, “spending the rest of your life in a cold hole in the ground.” Looking at the gun, then at Rainbow, Sombra chuckled, “You sure have a lot of confidence for a woman who has the gun, and hasn’t even tried pulling the trigger.” “What? You think I’m going to be a good girl now? You think I’m gonna do what I always do? Rough and tumble girl detective with a heart of gold?” Rainbow said, her nostrils flaring. “Until a couple weeks ago, you would have been right. But I’ll let you in on a secret…” Rainbow took a step towards the over confident villain with his crocodile smile. “It’s a hell of a lot easier to do the right thing when you have nothing to lose or gain. But I’ve changed. I’m in love…. and you hurt her… made her life a living hell…” “Love. Willing to murder for love. I can already see it makes you no better than me,” Sombra taunted, “Go ahead. Pull the trigger. Let this nightmare haunt you every day after.” Dash took a swallow, trying to steel herself. It was strange, she was about to violate the biggest rule she had ever been given, cross the line that separated right from wrong. What surprised her most in that as she considered all of this, she didn’t feel fear or disgust at what she was considering; instead what she felt was the certainty of her passion for Fluttershy egging her on towards this bloody conclusion. “That’s supposed to scare me? I don’t care anymore. Let it haunt me. At least then it’ll be my nightmare, not hers,” Rainbow said, her voice low. Gritting her teeth, her hand steady as the she raised the gun to point right between Sombra’s eyes, and said in a too calm voice, “Fluttershy. You should look away.” Fluttershy caught on right away, then nodded and looked away from her. There was a part of her that had hoped they could do this without using a gun in this way. But at this point, was it really avoidable? It raised many questions in her mind, but nothing she could assess at the moment. Everything was happening too fast. There was nothing more she could do. Sombra looked from Rainbow to Fluttershy, and for the first time in years he felt a prickle of that sensation he had gleefully inflicted on his victims… he felt fear. The air in the room seemed to freeze, and for a second no one moved, and then... one last gunshot split the air that night. In the silence that followed Rainbow let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding, letting the gun fall to the floor. “Your nightmare’s over, Flutters,” Rainbow said simply, her chest rising and falling heavily. Opening her eyes, Fluttershy glanced over, seeing that the man who claimed to be Sombra lay there on the floor, motionless. Most especially evident of the fact he was dead was the bullet hole between his eyes. A mix of emotions ran through her mind, unable to comprehend just what had happened and what will eventually come to be. There was even a part of her that expected him to jump back up, somehow not even dead. But he didn’t move. Not an inch. He was truly dead. Dead and gone. The entire ordeal was over. But at what cost? The cost of someone’s life. At the same time, Fluttershy knew all too well that if it wasn’t Sombra, it would’ve been either her or Rainbow. The latter of which being the worst case scenario to her. She shuddered a bit, finding it hard to stand all of a sudden. Letting out a cry, Fluttershy fell up against her, trembling hard as she held to her, “R-R-Rainbow…” “Flutters….” Rainbow said, her pent up emotions beginning to break free as tears welled up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms tightly around the pinkette, ignoring the dull ache of her injuries. “Flutters...I thought I’d never see you again…” “Rainbow!” Fluttershy embraced her in return, beginning to cry, “Oh my gosh, I…. I was so scared…! I thought I’d never see you again either… I woke up this morning and you were gone! I found these notes, all the blood, I…” “Shhh…” Rainbow cooed, wiping tears from Fluttershy’s cheeks. “It’s okay… we’re okay. It’s over… I made sure he could never hurt you ever again...” Sniffling, Fluttershy gazed at her, mixes of emotions overtaking her, “You saved my life… You truly did come through for me… I-I can’t… I have no… no words…. You saved me, Rainbow…” “You saved me,” Rainbow said softly. “Now let’s get the hell out of here…. and if anyone asks, that bastard came at us with that knife… but I don’t think anyone is going to ask too many questions.” “No. To be fair, he did try to kill you…” Fluttershy murmured, leaning against her, “Rainbow? …Before I left, I… I found that video you left for me.” “You did, huh?” Rainbow said taking her hand and leading her from the room. “I meant every word, every single one…. the two of us, we’re good together… and I do love you… with this entire thing in my chest that passes for a heart.” Managing to smile brightly, Fluttershy kissed her on the cheek, “It touched me… I even felt a little sad, fearing I would never see you… But, when you said it, I think I watched it a dozen times. I… may not need to say this, but… I love you too, Rainbow. So much.” Rainbow held Fluttershy close as they made their way through the complex. It wasn’t long before they were greeted by a uniformed Police officer who radioed in their discovery. The rest of the evening was a blur of on the record statements, red tape, and on the spot medical treatment by EMTs. The sun was rising over the skyline before they were done. Applejack and Twilight offered to drive the couple home which they gratefully accepted (How Applejack had convinced the EMTs to let her drive home with a bullet hole in her shoulder, none of them asked). Sun blazing defiantly in the sky, Rainbow and Fluttershy finally laid down in Rainbow’s bed once again, their entire world having changed once again in the past twenty four hours. “Fluttershy…” Rainbow said softly. “Can you say it again…?” Nuzzling into her shoulder, Fluttershy gave a smile, “I love you.” Rainbow gave a happy sigh, her eyes sliding shut, “I love you, too.”