//------------------------------// // Leave Breath-Holding To The Experts // Story: Ynanhluutr // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// On the third floor, two stallions struggled with the Stronghold's flood waters. The two of them took turns jumping off and on the stairwell, wading into the waters and tugging at the levers situated alongside the vented-off pipe. “Come on... come on! Budge!” One snarled. “Hurry it up, dude!” “I'm... tr-trying...!” “If we don't get that last pipe open, then it'll flood up to the Vault!” “Don't worry!” The swimming stallion stammered. “Once our buddies come back down with backup, we're sure to crank this thing open together.” The stairwell echoed with the sound of galloping hoofsteps. “There they come now!” the wading stallion ecstatically sputtered. Just then, the intercom above water crackled. “Scrkkk—All hooves! Be on the looko—scrkkk! The stallion standing on the stairwell trotted over and placed his hoof against the intercom button. “Say again?” “Scrkkk! Saboteurs! They knocked Boss Revan out! Could be—scrkkk—anywhere by now!” The thugs exchanged glances. “Saboteurs...?” The hoofsteps reached a loud pitch. Both looked up the stairwell. Rainbow Dash sped down the steps. At first sight of the two guards, she jumped, twirled backwards, and slammed into the pony on the stairwell flank-first. WHANGGG! The weight of the bars in her bags throttled him to the floor. “Ooof!” “Dammit!” The other thug pony-paddled desperately towards the edge of the stairwell where his crossbow rested just above the floodline. Wildcard ran at full-speed. Rainbow held her breath and squatted low. The griffon vaulted over her body, sailing at the thug with a muscular leg outstretched. WHUD! The guard flipped one and a half times and—splash!—landed in the drink, where he floated, unconscious. Water sprayed everywhere as Griffon landed past him. Shaking several of the droplets out of his plumage, he swam over towards the pipe—which was nearly underwater at this point. The mercenary struggled a bit to keep his beak above the wavering surface, due to the heavy weight tugging him down. When he finally reached one of the levers beside the pipe, he gripped it, then glanced at the stairwell. Rainbow Dash was busy dragging the sopping-wet guard out of the floodwaters and up towards a safe spot on the stairwell besides his fellow companion. “Dude. Priorities, dude...” Wildcard arched an eyebrow. “Hey. There's badass... and then there's just plain bad,” Rainbow grumbled. “We get it, Rainbow,” Twilight said as she floated in. “Most assuredly, darling.” Rainbow sighed. “I know you two do.” She galloped towards the edge and dove into the waters. The move dragged her far deeper than she had anticipated, and she struggled a bit to reach the surface, sputtering. A metal hoof yanked her back to dry air, and she braced herself against the wall, catching air. “Erm... thanks...” Wildcard adjusted his goggles, then pointed at the levers. “Right!” Rainbow Dash glided over, then gripped the lever across from the griffon. Both infiltrators hung off the wall, separated by a closed-off pipe. The floodwaters rose up and up, collecting around the top lid of the pipe—and the napes of their necks. “It's now or never, bud.” Wildcard nodded. “Better take a few seconds to catch our breaths now,” the pegasus said. “From the way Theanim described it, it's gonna be quite a long ride once we get this thing to open and—” The stairwell shook. Curious, Wildcard and Rainbow Dash looked up. No less than two dozen guards armed with crossbows stormed down to the last dry level. They instantly spotted the two. “There they are!” “Shit! They've got our money!” “Kill them! Kill them both!” Pt-Ptoww! The first of several crossbolts flew downward, splashing sharply into the floodwaters. “Buck it!” Rainbow's voice cracked as her body yanked back, using the full weight of her stolen goods to pull the lever. “Let's go! Go!” Wildcard's beak clenched as he pulled back with his metal limb. CL-CLAKKK! Both levers jerked at the same time. The entire room of water surged forward, channeled violently into the freshly open pipe. Rainbow Dash and Wildcard were sucked in before they could so much as shriek. A volley of crossbolts littered the foaming waters right behind them. The stairwell above filled with shouts and curses. Rainbow Dash rolled, toppeled, and spun at every angle. She stole sputtering gasps of air, which was how she discovered that most of the water was behind her, shoving her down a thin dark passage. Wincing, she somehow wriggled a hoof up to her pendant, activating her Element. This accomplished little—save for producing a kaleidoscopic flicker of ruby streaks against a rusted surface blurring past everywhere she looked. “Mffmmgt... spkkkff—guh!” Rainbow wheezed and hissed. She got a moment to breathe as her body settled into a squatting position, riding the current of water behind her like she was on a foalish pool slide. “Mmmfft... pfteeah! Wildcard?! Wildcard?!” “He's ahead of you, Rainbow!” Twilight's ghostly voice echoed. A lavender horn and face phased through the rushing pipework beside the mare. “I think he got some lift with his feathers.” “You mean he's flying down this m-mess?!” Rainbow wheezed, struggling to stay upright as the rushing floodwaters bubbled all around her. “Guhh... if I make it out of this, I wanna do a blood transfusion with the guy!” “Rainbow, now's not the time to speak of—” Rarity's pale face flew up into Rainbow's vision like a beacon. “Rainbow! Take a deep breath!” “Rarity, what—?” “It's about to dip!” the fashionista shrieked. “Take a deep breath now, darling!” Rainbow's eyes caught a savage plunge leading straight down. “Awwwwwwwwww snap...” Rainbow ended her exclamation with the mother of all gasps. Her blue cheeks bulged as she clenched her eyes shut and loosened her muscles. She reached the edge of the level pipe, then plunged straight down the cylindrical passage. The liquid surged after her with the murderous force of the Stronghold's upper floodwaters. Rainbow flipped over and over—more times than she could count—and she was upside down when she hit a body of water down below. SPLOOSH! Rainbow winced. Her eyes opened, and she spotted the spotlight of her ruby pendant distorting even more as the floodwaters collided with the liquid body she was submerged in. Within seconds, the floodwaters created a savage current, shoving her in a random direction. She spotted a metal ceiling soaring past her, above her. Rivets joined segmented plates together with various different signs of aging. “Platforms, Rainbow Dash!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, floating alongside the mare. “We're beneath the surface of Rust!” “Let the current carry you, darling!” Rarity added, drifting along the other side. “Once you reach the edge, it'll clear, and you must swim towards sunlight!” Rainbow was in no place to answer; she was having enough trouble clamping her muzzle shut. Her lungs quivered, but she still had the strength to last a bit longer, or so she could only assume. “Rainbow, you're dropping!” Twilight exclaimed, snapping the pegasus back to reality. Rainbow Dash discovered that the unicorn was right. The bottom surface of the platforms grew further and further away. She could feel the weight of the stolen goods weighing her towards the ocean's floor. Struggling, the mare kicked and thrashed, struggling to fight the tug of gravity. A few bubbles escaped her lips in the process, so she forced herself to relax—a very difficult feat. Nevertheless, with enough concentration, she was able to stroke her hooves and wings in alternating motion, slowly pushing herself back towards the looming platform above. She was so concentrated on this task that she hadn't noticed how bright the waters had gotten. A dull red haze filled her peripheral vision. She was approaching the edge of the platform's underbelly, and a sliver of sunlight peaked through a narrow canal to her left. “You're almost there, darling!” Rarity exclaimed. “Just hold your breath a little longer—” “Oh no!” Twilight's voice cracked. She pointed up. “Wildcard!” “... ... ...!!” Rainbow Dash spun to see. The griffon was above her, locked in place, struggling. For a while there, Rainbow couldn't figure out why... until the watery currents pushed her past him. It was then that she saw the problem. The waterlogged griffon had drifted past a metal grate, and his tail had gotten caught. Anchored in place, the bounty hunter struggled and fought to break free. “Oh no...” Twilight gritted her teeth. “This is bad. Very bad. Rainbow, I don't think he can—” The unicorn gasped as she and Rarity flew into a translucent, harmonic shield. Rainbow Dash had caught her hoof around one of several metal support beams holding the platform in place above. Body tense, she fought against the current, pushing herself off the beam in a burst of muscle power and grasping onto the next. In such a struggling fashion, she pulled and pushed herself against the flow of water, inching towards Wildcard. The entire task was agonizingly slow, and her two marefriends were at the point of shivering. “Rainbow, I... I don't know if you can even do this!” Twilight said. “You can't have much oxygen left in your lungs!” Rarity added. “Wildcard's a dashing, debonair character, but surely he wouldn't want the both of you to... t-to...” “Just stay calm, Rainbow,” Twilight uttered, floating right in front of the pegasus, brow furrowed. “If we're gonna do this, we'll do it together.” She looked at the other unicorn. “Right, Rarity?” Rarity gulped. “Right.” She zipped over, examining the spot where Wildcard's tail was caught. “The grate here is aged. Rusted.” She pointed. “Especially weak towards the top.” Rainbow nodded. Her wings coiled back as she gripped the closest beam to Wildcard, spun her body through the current, and braced it against the grate. Tensing her upper body, she kicked and bucked and pummeled the metal bars as hard as she could. The waters filled with echoing claps of metallic thunder, but Wildcard's tail refused to slip free. The griffon struggled... struggled... then struggled no more. “Oh Celestia...” Rarity cooed. Rainbow Dash looked at Wildcard. A bubble or two escaped her lungs. The griffon's body dangled limply from its anchor. There was no way to tell from his goggles if he was truly unconscious or not, but Rainbow's imagination filled the gaps. “We're...” Twilight sniffled. “We're too late—” With a surge of bubbles, Rainbow thrust her front hoof towards the bounty hunter's satchel. She ripped it open, causing several explosives to float out into the current. She scooped a bunch of them up with her forelimb, twisted the tops on all of them, and shoved the charged grenades behind the grate. The temperature of the waters heated up dramatically. “Your satchel!” Rarity exclaimed, pointing. Put the bars between you and—” Rainbow was already on it. She twirled herself and Wildcard so that their bulging bags faced the grate and the resulting— POWWWW! Bubbles and shrapnel flew outward in a savage cone past the two escapees. Meanwhile, the grate snapped loose, its rusted bars separating in a flurry. Wildcard's tail was freed, and the blast shoved the two of them out into the sunlit canal. Rainbow Dash's lungs were at the bursting point by now. Nevertheless, she gripped the griffon with her upper arms and kicked, stroked, pushed with her remaining legs and wings. Fighting both gravity and the current, she shoved the two of them towards the crimson sunsetlight above. “Fifty feet, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “You can do it!” “You can do anything, darling!” Rarity added, her voice nevertheless quivering with fear. “Just a few more strokes!” “Concentrate! Swim! Swim!” Bubbles foamed between Rainbow and the surface. Her eyes rolled back, and the beacon from the pendant dimmed. She glided the last few feet blindly, reaching in ardent faith for dry air— SPLOOOSH! “Guhhhhhhh!” Rainbow wheezed and wheezed, dragging as much pure oxygen into her muzzle as was possible. She bobbed back under water, struggled, thrashed, then pulled herself—and Wildcard—back to the surface. She blinked, squinted. The two waded in a calm inlet made by two adjacent platforms, wide enough for just canoes to skim through. After she caught her bearings, Rainbow paddled towards the nearest platform. She rolled herself onto the surface, then reached down and dragged Wildcard up with aching muscles. “Nnnnngh... guhhh...!” Th-Thwump! Wildcard collapsed like a wet log covered in feathers. His body was limp—as was his beak. “Oh no...” Rarity held a hoof over her muzzle. “How... how could this have happened?” “Rainbow Dash,” Twilight murmured, her eyes misty. “You... you tried your best.” She sniffled. “We all knew the risks.” “It... it was going so swimmingly too,” Rarity said. “Rarity!” Twilight hissed. “But... but it was—” Rainbow Dash straddled Wildcard. She pressed both hooves to his feline sternum, pumping in quick rhythmic succession. “Uhm... Rainbow?” Rarity craned her neck, as did Twilight. “What are you—?” Both mares gasped. Rainbow had flung her muzzle over the griffon's face. Her muzzle opened wide, clamping around his beak. She exhaled, sat up, pumped his chest again, then repeated the motion with expert finesse. “Is... is that even going to work?” Rarity squeaked. “Shhhh!” Twilight hissed, squinting hard. By the third time Rainbow performed the motion— Wildcard's whole body twitched. He coughed, sputtered, and vomited out a copious amount of clear fluid. Wincing, he rolled over, coughing and spitting some more. Rainbow Dash rolled over, sitting on her back as she rested on the weight of her bulging saddlebags. After several deep breaths of her own, she nodded his way. “You back in the land of the living, buddy?” The griffon quivered and shook. Without looking, he gave a shaking, rattling thumb's up with his metal limb. “Heh... let's see your bounty buddy write a song about that crud,” Rainbow said with a devilish smirk. She glanced over—then did a double-take. Rarity and Twilight were gawking at the mare. “What...?” Rainbow blinked. She rolled her eyes, slicked her mane back, and explained: “Gilda and I used to do tons of stunts over Hurricane Lake. Wouldn't be the first time I had to resuscitate some idiot with a beak.” She winked. Twilight and Rarity exchanged glances, then bore dumb smiles. “Rainbow Dash...” Twilight cooed. Rarity shook her head. “Has anypony ever told you that you're... you're...” Rainbow pointed. “Choose the wrong A-Word and I'm getting you two exorcised!” Rarity gulped, smiling tearfully. “I was going to say 'perfect.'” Rainbow shrugged. “Eh... gold star for effort.” She stood up on shaking limbs. “Okay, miracle show's over, buddy.” She helped Wildcard to his limbs. “Time to catch an Arrowfish.”