//------------------------------// // Rainbow Dash // Story: Killer of Six // by Opium4TmassS //------------------------------// It was dark when she pulled in. With only a short time left till sunrise. Twilight Sparkle followed the trail of her final target leading her to a poorer section of Ponyville. A soldier for the Wonderbolts, she had gone AWOL when Pinkie was retired. With some investigation Twilight had located Rainbow Dash to an old house sitting in an abandoned section of Ponyville. Surrounded by dead trees, abandoned cars, and feral cats that walked in places that ponies no longer bothered. Twilight sat their in her vehicle for a few moments, listening to the beats of water hitting in a chaotic rhythm. Hooves shaking she checked her weapon again, trying to calm herself down. "You can do this." she said to herself as she looked into the rearview mirror. Fluttershy had shaken her, shaken her a lot deeper than she wanted to admit. The pony in the mirror, with the puffy eyes and gaunt face stared back. The pony in the mirror looked like someone who was falling apart. The pony in the mirror didn't want to do this anymore. The six rounds in her chamber were still their. just like the last time she checked ten minutes ago. "One more." she told the pony in the mirror. "This is the last one." The house looked old and decrepit, but still very sturdy, in a style nopony had used in a long, long time. She didn't hear the Nauu-Shim cleric with the chants here, but she knew it was out there somewhere still praying away in the stormy night. Getting out she listened to the faint sounds of uncontrolled sobbing following her to the lonely old house sitting in an empty neighborhood. Sounds of the outside world faded as she opened the door. Even the rain felt like it quieted down some. The crying she heard, stopped when she entered not just the house, but another world, it felt like to her. Bare, except for the odds and ends of broken, old furniture brought in by squatters, once upon a time. Drops of water dripped from the ceiling and ran slowly down walls some places all the way to the floor, others collecting into openings of old paint forming bubbles around the house. "You can walk away." The voice inside her head told her. "You could just tell Celestia you didn't find her." Not even bothering to answer, she stepped further into the other world. Gun pointed, she did her sweep, making her way further in, listening to anything that might give her clues as to where her next target was. "Hello Killer." the voice said coming from everywhere. Making it hard for Twilight to figure its location. "I see you found me. How does it feel to murder innocent ponies? I'm guessing it must be pretty good because you certainly haven't stopped." The sounds of hoofsteps running along the second floor made her fire a round upwards, piercing the ceiling. She missed, Twilight knew it when she fired, it was a stupid thing to do. "How did it feel when they begged for life? "The mocking voice said. Full of anger and pain it continued on. "When they cried. Cried! For you to let them go, and you killed them. Did it make you feel good? Did it get you off? Or did you even think about it? Just another dead body for Celestia?" Twilight Sparkle moved across the room . Slowly circling to keep eyes on everything that she could. Rainbow Dash was hunting her, playing with her. But she was angry, hopefully that would help. She felt drips of rain hit her coat from the leaks while taking a quick peek from the window. "Butcher! Murderer!" the voice said. Spitting the words out with venom, it made her involuntarily take a step back. "She is just upstairs. Waiting for me" She was no fool to go rushing blindly, where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. She heard more movement coming from above her. The sounds of something sliding she thought it was, But unable to understand what it was that was doing the sliding. Running through her brain, she finally identified what it was, only too late to react. It was the sound of the window being opened on the second floor. She had forgotten how strong artificials can be. Powerful hooves broke the ruined wall leaving an opening for Rainbow Dash to enter. With unnatural speed she clamped down on Twilight Sparkle's hooves immobilizing her, drawing her gun away from anything vulnerable. Slowly Dash twisted her limb downwards as Twilight fought to not give up her weapon. She saw the look on Rainbow Dash's face. As hard as she was fighting, her target wasn't even breaking a sweat. "Its not as fun when we fight back. Isn't it?" Rainbow said with an evil smile spreading across her face. "You shouldn't be using a gun either." CRACK! Twilight's wrists went as the artificial twisted it to a full circle. Screaming in pain as Rainbow Dash ground her broken wrist into the socket Twilight was finally forced to drop her weapon on to the ground. Fighting the tears pouring out her eyes from the pain. Rainbow Dash forced Twilight to her knees. "I'm just getting started." She said softly pulling Twilight up with her hurt limb. "This is for Rarity!" she screamed. Plowing her hoof into her stomach with all her might. Twilight felt the air escape her lungs while fighting the bile from rising to her mouth. She swore she could feel Rainbow Dash's blow almost scrape against the back of her. She felt weak and dizzy from the punch, when another crashed across her face. "That was for Pinkie Pie you bastard!" she yelled again. A galaxy of stars and flowers bloomed and faded in front of Twilights eyes as the rich coppery taste of her blood flooded her mouth. She felt her legs buckle and the room started to spin. Rainbow Dash caught her before she hit the ground, still twisting her broke wrist, making it impossible to find solace in the unconscious. "Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash yelled at Twilight. Bringing her face so close to hers she could feel the spittle pouring from Rainbow's mouth as she worked herself into a ball of fury and rage. "I'm not done with you yet you son-of-a-bitch!" yelling as her next blow threw her towards the window behind her. She felt cuts crisscross her body as she lay there half way through the window, in a daze trying to catch her breath. Staring at the dark sky overhead. "That was for Applejack." the voice said. Piercing the numbing fog in Twilight's head. She could feel herself being gripped again, and pulled upwards causing more cuts across her body. A face swam in front of Twilight's view. She put her hoof up in an attempt to protect herself, only to have it swatted away. "And this! This is for Fluttershy." the voice said. Throwing Twilight through the rotted wall. The wall collapsed easily from the force of Twilight being thrown through it. Rusty nails and old wood etched long cuts across her body as she traveled. landing on the floor in the next room. A thousand cries of agony from her body assaulted her brain as she fought to keep herself together. The world swam in Twilight's eyes as she saw the image of Rainbow dash appear in the hole she made. She saw her hoofs grab one of the broken, rotted poles sticking out. Bending it and twisting it until it broke free. "YOUR GUN! YOUR GUN!" Twilight's mind screamed at her. Watching Rainbow Dash get closer while holding the stick like a bat. Using her magic her mind reached out and located it. Still lying on the floor in the other room. But their was no way, NO WAY! She could get it to her in time. Laying their to hurt to move, too much in pain, to defend herself, she could only watch at Rainbow dash stand over her. With her weapon raised and... And that was it. Twilight could feel the inner conflict going on inside of Rainbow, giving herself the precious moment she needed. Using her magic she brought the gun over to her. A low growl escaped her lips as she took aim and fired, breaking the stillness. The shock of the weapon being fired shocked Rainbow as she jumped, dropping the weapon onto the ground. Fighting the growing blackness she fired off another round, then another, seeing her target run away as she fired off once again. Then everything went blissfully dark as Twilight Sparkle slipped into the world of unconsciousness. **** The cold drops of water, falling onto Twilight's face refused to let her give continue on her travels into the land of darkness, bringing her slowly back to the world of the living. She felt torn up and broken, already she felt her body beginning to swell in places, as she laid on the dirty ground. Movement was agony as she slowly started to get herself up off the ground. She wondered how long she had been out. Sensing that it was for awhile she could still see the rain pouring outside the window. Twilight racked her brain to recollect what had happened to her. Getting the crap beat out of her was one of the things, she looked around for any sign of Rainbow Dash. But found nothing. Just dried blood spatters on the wall that had dripped downwards before stopping a few inches away. She was hurt Twilight knew. so that means she couldn't have gone far. Grabbing her weapon lying next to her she cautiously, carefully got herself back up. The trail of dried blood led her to a door that had been pulled off its hinges, leading to the outside world. Carefully she moved it away, leaving an opening for her to look out. The yard was full of junk but in the back she found her. Or rather her rainbow colored mane. Kneeling their, back to her, under a patchwork of parts making a crude protection from the rain. Twilight limped to her final target, gun raised, ready for the anything to happen. She felt her cuts and bruises pull painfully at her swollen body in the freezing rain. But she continued on trying her best to not pay attention. Approaching Rainbow Dash with her back still facing Twilight, She saw the puddle of blood forming around her, from the bullet wound Twilight had made, still sitting, rocking herself as she sang softly. Twilight pointed her weapon at her, listening to the soft click of the gun cocking. "A few years ago." Rainbow Dash said quietly. not looking back. Twilight noticed she was holding something in her hoofs. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was white, fluffy and alive. "The five of us took the train to watch the Equestria Games in Trottingham. It was crowded, smelly and hot, with the ventilation system broken, and we were all jammed together in this railroad car for seven hours. One of the mares on the car," Rainbow Dash chuckled a little. "You know I don't even remember her name, anyway she collapsed and started to scream and cry. She was pregnant we found out and went into labor." She said finally turning around and looking at Twilight, with a sad smile on her face. "Out of all the places to have a kid it was in a dirty railroad car." Rainbow Dash turned herself around to talk to Twilight a bit more. Fluttershy was the one who did most of everything, and we just followed her orders. She didn't know much, not really having a lot of experience with medicine, but that was more than everyone else combined.. Their was some small complications, but in the end everything turned out fine." "Twilight could hear her breathing getting more labored. as she talked. "As Fluttershy took care of everything, she gave the child to me to hold. I..I remember carrying it in one of my hooves. The child..it was a she clasped my other hoof with theirs and tried to suckle on it...I was filled with such joy, feeling I was blessed to watch a baby being brought into this world...But at the same time I felt so much sadness knowing that I would never experience this...I'm just an artificial." Flashing lights of red and blue filled the yard from Luna's vehicle as it landed in the rain while Rainbow continued. "I know this affected us all. Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity...even Fluttershy." She laughed slightly. "Fluttershy's response was to make this." She said offering what was in her hoofs to Twilight Sparkle. "This was her last creation...It is different from the other artificial she had created." Gently grabbing it with her good limb, Twilight picked him up and cradled him. "His name is Angel and he is the first artificial who can actually reproduce. Isn't...isn't that amazing." Twilight could see Rainbow Dash start to sway and her eyes grow heavy. While the rain slowed, finally stopping to a faint trickle. "Its clearing up now." said Dash looking upwards at the sky. "I...I remember the parties my friend Pinkie made for us when I was having a bad day, the dresses Rarity made that I told her I hated, even tho I secretly loved them...I remember...Fluttershy who I always thought was such a weak pony...be the strongest of us when it was needed...Applejack always there as a friend..They...they were everything to me." Rainbow looked up towards the sky, letting the few drops of rain hit her face." In a few minutes Celestia will bring up the sun...and a new day will begin. I nor my friends will not be apart of this...new...day. I will miss everything so much Twilight Sparkle. Please take care of Angle for us." Rainbow Dash's body began to sag as she lowered her head towards the ground. "Goodbye." she said softly as she let out a small breath and became still. Twilight Sparkle didn't know how long Luna had been their holding her. Or how long she had been crying as she led herself be escorted back to her car. With the rabbit held on to her she wondered what she was going to do with him. But then a new thought entered. "How did she know my name?" the voice in her head asked.