//------------------------------// // A 'Friendly' Gathering // Story: A Rainbow's Lament // by Pwincess //------------------------------// It would only be a quick lunch with her friends and go, but time had not agreed with the sorrowful mare. A few minutes turned to hours, and their behavior grew stranger. Rainbow Dash's jaws smashed together as they consumed yet another slice of apple pie. Her wings remained tightly by her sides she devoured the rest, and let out a merry burp. "That was brilliant!" "Thank y'all kindly. Ah' was the chef today." A beaming Applejack blissfully announced, but Rainbow had seen the expression many times before. Deep under that mask was devastation. Rainbow could see it in her bright, Persian red eyes. The mare shifted uncomfortably from her seat and whispered something to her older brother. Though she tried, Rainbow could not hear a word. "So... how did you guys find me?" The family cocked their heads in unison, only to give out an 'oh'. "After me an' ma' crusaders headed to the Everfree Forest to see if we can get our cutiemarks for heading to the Everfree Forest, we saw a really shiny light, and then the sky ripped apart, and ya' fell out. That's all ah' know." The pale yellow filly smiled menacingly, sending shivers down their spines. A knock echoed loudly from the hall, and Applejack suddenly darted to the door. The clatter of horseshoes smashing on the wooden floor throbbed in her heart, and as they passed around the corner, two guards and Applejack were exposed, AJ pointing in Rainbow's direction. "Rainbow Dash," They spoke blankly, their rough, grim voice hardly matching their poker faces, "You are sentenced to court for theft, murder, and most of all, treason." Darkness flooded Rainbow Dash's silver eyes as they remained tightly closed. The pegasus simply lay there motionlessly. Still inert, unclear and, if one can use the term to describe a sound, blurry voice, No, voices, rung in her ears in a hardly audible form. "Is she there? No? Lets do it again, clear!" They yelled as she felt an electric current shoot through her body like knives. "Her blood pressure has lowered, that's good." Another cried, his voice cracking in fear every few moments. "Thank heavens, she's regaining consciousness!" "Let us leave her to rest, hopefully she'll be okay in the morning. I'll appoint one of the nurses to watch her every five minutes." Somepony cooed in relief as he trotted out the door with a bunch of others scurrying behind. For hours, Rainbow simply lay there, barely breathing. On occasion, her ears would twitch as she heard a pony, most likely a mare, that would canter in every so often and lay her hoof against Rainbow's forehead. It was, nevertheless, not often enough and this made Rainbow Dash lonelier than ever before. Company would be nice right about now... she pondered silently, still questioning herself in her mind if she were dead or not. Finally, she rose up and stared at the clock in awe, it was around about 11:20pm. She was so uncomfortable with the idea of having been half dead for almost a day. She shook her head and let her eyes drift to her hooves which were very painfully tied together in a horrid position. She attempted to remove it, but in her effort rubbed the skin raw, thus stinging with bitter pain. She opened her mouth to try and sigh, but no sound came out. She jerked up and repeated, but again, nothing. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she threw the pillow under her head onto her eyes. I, either can't speak or can't hear... she tearfully thought, fear dancing in her heart. "Wake up." A sudden, raging voice shrieked, forcing the unsuspecting mare to spring up. She gave a scream as she did, and relief bathed her as she noticed she now had her beloved and now cherished voice once more. Rainbow Dash looked at the stallion, whom she could now classify as a grey pegasus guard, as he shoved her through the door and into a long hallway. "I suppose you are wondering what your doing here." Rainbow Dash nodded frantically. "Well, shortly after Private Golden Feather came to you in order to arrest you, he frightened you to the point of having a seizure. We quickly took you here, the Ponyville Insane Asylum. What?" Rainbow frowned at him, cursing his obxnoxious stupidly in her mind. "It's the only suitable medical place for worldwide famous murderers. Anyway, a mare that goes by the name... wait a second." He opened an old satchel that had been blended into his armor so much Rainbow did not notice it's existence. Out from it came a report, and he read it aloud. CLASSIFIED Copy Of The Royal Guard's Property Miss Rainbow Dash To Those It May Concern, Crimes committed include: The theft of an Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby alloy necklace. Cost: Eighty Million bits The murder of Miss Twilight (Andromeda) Sparkle, Student Of Princess Celestia Attempted murder of Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor Discovery made by Miss Applejack, Miss Applebloom, Mr Big Macintosh, Mrs Granny Smith, Miss SweetieBelle, Miss Scootaloo. Reward of discovery 22,000 bits. Date Of Finding: 4th Of Harvest Moon Date Of Escape: .... For Her Majesty, High Empress Luna Of Equestria, Ruler And Bringer Of The Night and Day Signed: Private Golden Feather "So you see, we are heading to Canterlot for court. It's 11:49pm right now, but we'll be there in about twenty-five minutes. The chariot is right outside." Rainbow simply stared at the floor, not wishing to see anymore. Unless a miracle would occur at that specific moment, she was doomed. The long, threatening silence of the chariot ride was nothing compared to the long, threatening halls of the Royal Court. She stared quietly at the tall grandfather clock that towered above her, and felt herself collapse onto the concrete ground. A Royal Guard that held the chain that was attached to her hooves tightly in his own hoof dragged her up, allowing her to lose her balance once more, but this time merely made a circular motion with her hooves. It was when the brilliant and shimmering door thrust open did Rainbow know her destiny. The horrifying sound of terror raged from the stallion who had opened it as he, trembling, muttered Rainbow Dash's name. "R-Rainbow... Dash? You're needed in t-the court..." "That didn't take long... I guess they couldn't help but meet the best flyer to ever lived as soon as possible, am I right? Heh..." She grinned, although it faded into a simply ghost of one as she was forced through the doors. Upon a throne of blue and white was a magnificent and regal mare whom, though she looked different, was the one and only Princess Luna. Only now her height had changed drastically, and her crown looked much like Celestia's, but black like ebony. She had a regal mane that, unlike her time as Nightmare Moon which looked like a cloudy dawn, or her young years of a spring night, it was somewhere in between. Her teal eyes stared in horror as she watched Rainbow enter, and simply looked away. "I do not wish to see the one who ended my most faithful student, Twilight's, time here. I wish not to even carry on with this session." "Instead, I sentence miss Rainbow Dash, for treason, murder and thieving, to execution. And moreover," she spoke, ignoring the gaping crowd as she turned gracefully to a strong colt at the back, "I wish it to be so slow and painful, make it so I can hear her screams and pleas from even in here, loud and clear." "But, Princess Luna, you can't do that! I'm not the one who has done this!" She shrieked, only to be interrupted with a stomp of a hoof. "I am the High Empress Of Equestria, how dare you expose me to these lies? Notwithstanding, how dare you strip me down to a princess? I give you day, I give you night, and yet lies? Lies!" Rainbow's voice faded down to simple moans, her mind still processing her words. "What of Celestia?" Shock overcame the 'High Empress' face. "You... You.... TAKE HER AWAY!" her voice cracked as vein marks appeared on her forehead, and that was all Rainbow's eyes were cursed to see. All her ears were cursed to hear. All until darkness crept up and tackled her from the behind.