//------------------------------//
// Bar's Closed Due To WHAM! 
// Story: Utaan 
// by Imploding Colon 
//------------------------------//

	Snow fell in clumps off the branches of sporadic trees lingering along the northeast side of town.  Ponies standing outside their turf houses gasped and murmured amongst themselves as they felt the ground shake beneath them.

These details were not lost to Keris.  Hovering over the east end of Braum, the Lieutenant pivoted about.  His hawkeyes narrowed on the swaying tree branches, then at the citizens as they exchanged nervous glances.

Exhaling vaporous breaths, Keris floated a bit north of his location.  He passed the two-story tavern on the side of town, then lingered above a pair of warehouses.  A few spaces to the west, Starstorm emerged from having searched another turf house.

Immediately, the Lieutenant whistled, then gestured for her to meet with him.

Starstorm blinked.  The Sergeant looked over her shoulder at the conversation continuing between Seraphimus and Sarda.  Then, with a nervous shuffle, she flapped her wings and joined Keris' side.

"What's the matter, Keris?" she remarked.  "I'm still not finished with my search."

"Shhhhhh..."  The Lieutenant insisted, squinting across the snowy landscape.  "...do you feel that?"

Starstorm looked left and right.  "...feel what, sir?"

He glanced her way.  "When you were below ground level—just now—did you sense any... vibrations?"

Starstorm cleared her throat.  "I heard what sounded like a dull groaning.  But I assumed that was just the weight of the snow settling across the ground."

Keris took a deep breath.

"Why?"  Starstorm cocked her head to the side.  "What did you hear, Lieutenant?"

"I'm... not sure..."  He clenched his beak shut.  "Stay with me for a moment."

"Sir...?"

"Trust me."  Keris glanced quietly in Seraphimus' direction.  "I think something's happening beneath us."

Starstorm gulped.  "The Rainbow Rogue?"

"... ... ..."  Keris exhaled.  "Verlaxion willing..."





"Grgggnngh!"  Rainbow grunted, ramming her shoulder into a wooden slab at the very top of a set of earthen stairs.

"Just one more shove, darling!" Rarity exclaimed, worriedly looking down the ascending corridor.  The dancing lights of an approaching unicorn intensified behind them.  "It's giving way!"

"Raaaugh!" Rainbow Dash barreled through the trap door above her.

Her ears rattled with the sound of pots and pans scattering across a wooden floor.  Her head emerged into a fire-lit cellar.  A thick rug lay to her left, unrolled from where it had been spread over the entrance to the tunnels below.  Shelves and counters stretched all around her, covered with spices, ingredients, and cooking utensils.  A burning hearth loomed barely a sneeze away.

"Ooooh!"  Pinkie Pie blinked.  "Cozy!"

"We're not here for open house, Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed.  "This must be the tavern's cellar, Rainbow Dash."

"Yes, but where's the way to the first floor?" Rainbow stammered.

"Over there!" Rarity pointed across the room.  "Just past the wooden barrels!  Beside the—"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaiiieee!" Fluttershy suddenly shrieked.

"What?!"  Rainbow spun, eyes wide.  "Is she here?!"

Teary-eyed, Fluttershy pointed at a series of dead rabbits hanging from a wooden rack next to the fire.  "They're barely past two winters!"

Rainbow sighed, ears folded.  "Fluttershy..."  She scrambled up and onto the cellar floor.  "Mrmmmffff... one of these days, I'm gonna need a map to figure you out."

"It's just that... that..."  Fluttershy sniffled.  "Nothing that fluffy deserves to slaughtered!"

"In case you haven't noticed, this fuzzy anchor of yours is in danger at the moment!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight pointed at the trap door.  "Maybe if you block it—"

"Good thinking, egghead!"  Rainbow Dash rushed across the underground kitchen and grabbed the end of a thick wooden table.  "Mrmmmmfffnngh!"  She shoved the thing—scraping—clear across the cellar until it loomed just above the trap door.  "Let's see Pretty Miss Mayhem march her way through this—"

Zaaaaaap!  There was a bright gold beam of energy and—POWWW!  The table exploded in brilliant splinters.

"Aaaaack!" Rarity and Pinkie shrieked, hugging each other.

Bug-eyed, Rainbow flew back from the blast, flailed, and scampered away under the rain of fresh splinters.  "Hooooooookaaaaaay!"  She gnashed her teeth, charging up the stairs.  "Flight over fight?!  Thought you'd n-never ask!"

Longaze emerged from the tunnels below.  She took one look at the steps and aimed her horn.  "Hrrrngh!"  Zaaaap!

A fresh crater formed in the side of the cellar wall just behind Rainbow's shaved tail.

"Verlaxion's sleet!"  Longaze hopped up onto the kitchen floor and gave chase.





Up above, on the first floor of the tavern...

The patrons froze at their seats and drinking spots.

Stallions and mares stared at one another across long wooden tables.  Villagers turned from where they squatted by the large hearth, warming themselves.  A bar maid with a tray of empty glasses balanced on her tray spun to face the bar on the far end of the room, blinking.

"Uhhhhh..."  A stallion wiped foamy cider from his muzzle.  "...did you all feel that?"

"Could..."  The bar maid gulped, trembling slightly.  "Could it be the Talon?"

"Mrmmmfff... wish they'd leave," grumbled the bartender as he polished a glass mug.

"Ugh..."  A mare at the bar rolled her eyes.  "Why won't they just leave us?"

"Yeah!  It's the Month of Thawing!  Time for celebration!"

"Eh... they think they can find the Rainbow Rogue here."  The bartender squinted down the mug, examining its translucent surface for spots.  "What a load of—"

Rainbow Dash's bulbous blue face materialized through the bottom of the mug.  "Fluttershy!  Why didn't you tell me there were so many ponies up here?!"

"HOSHIT!" The bartender dropped his mug and fell back on his flank.

Everypony stood up, gasping at the sight of the pegasus who had just scampered up the cellar stairs.

"Whoah!"

"Blessed Verlaxion!"

"Where did she come from?!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash blinked nervously at all of the fire-lit gawking faces.  "...whew!"  She smiled stupidly, waving a hoof.  "Finally!  I found civilization!  And to think!  I lived underground as a hobo for five years!"

The citizens of Braum blinked.

Rainbow looked at her marefriends and groaned.  "Yeahhhhhh... didn't think it'd work either."

Hoofsteps rose in volume behind her.

"Rainbowwwwww—" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Right!"  Rainbow galloped for the exit on the far end of the tavern.  "I am so out of here!"

Longaze reached the first floor and threw her horn towards Rainbow Dash.  "You!"  A pulse of manalight and—

Scrkkkk!  Rainbow's hooves scuffled across the floor as she was anchored in place.  Telekinesis pulled the flailing pegasus violently backwards.

"Then again—!"  Rainbow looked left and right as she flew towards Longaze.

"Dashie!" Pinkie pointed at a wooden bar stool blurring past her side.

Rainbow threw a fetlock over and yanked up the wooden item.  With a grunt, she kicked against the bar, spun around in mid-glide, and met Longaze stool-first.  "Rrrgh!"  THWACKKK!

"Aaaugh!" Longaze stumbled back under a spray of splinters.  Dragging her hooves, she quickly regained her bearings and fired a wicked blast of energy at the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash—loosened from the secretary's telekinetic grip—fell flat-belly against the floor, covering her head.  The manablast streamed straight past her and—

FWOOOOMB!  A drinking table ignited into flames.  Surprised patrons hopped back, kicking the burning benches away from them.

"Hey!"  A stallion in thick wintry gear marched towards the unicorn, frowning.  "What's the big idea—?!"

"No!"  Rainbow raised a hoof from where she lay.  "You don't wanna—"

WHUD!

Rainbow winced as the stallion's body flew over her—only to crash through a series of chairs.

"Stay out of this!" Longaze shouted.  Before her, several frightened citizens began scampering out of the tavern altogether.  "This is between me and this pegasus here!"  Brushing off the yelps and shrieks, she looked down.  "Now, where were we—?"

WHAM!  Rainbow Dash ascended with a violent uppercut.

Longaze tumbled back—grppp—only to find herself clasped by two blue forelimbs.

"That's it!"  Rainbow gnashed her teeth.  "Enough friggin' running!  Raaaaugh!"

"Rainbow!"  Twilight stammered.  "Don't—"

Rainbow was already slamming her fetlocks twice into Longaze's belly—WHAP!  WHAM!—followed by a vice-grip from behind.  "I don't care how much your stinkin' bounty means to you!  You've caught me on a very... bad day!"  Then, with a blood-curdling roar, Rainbow Dash bent backwards, throwing Longaze earthward in a merciless suplex.

Flash!

"...!!!"  Rainbow Dash's eyes bulged, for she found herself encased in a bubble of telekinesis that froze her mid-suplex.

Twilight winced.  "I tried telling you!  She's too powerful!"

"Is that how you wish to do it?" Longaze spat, her glowing horn a mere two inches from the floor.  The magic exploded, tossing a voice-cracking pegasus off of her in a blue streak.  Thud!  With graceful telekinesis, Longaze uprighted herself, touched down beside the fireplace, and calmly stroked her blonde bangs straight.  "Fine.  I doubt the boss will mind if I bring you back paralyzed."

"Mrmmmfff..."  Rainbow Dash pushed her aching self back up.  Bodies fled past her, galloping out of the tavern.  "...!"  Rainbow realized how close she was to the exit.  Holding her breath, she rushed towards it—

Three burning logs flew over her head and landed, exploding in a brilliant splash of flame.  FWOOOMB!  The exit was blocked.  A dozen patrons skidded to a stop along with Rainbow Dash, staring at the fire.

Rainbow spun.

"Hrmmm..."  Longaze smirked, juggling three more burning logs in her telekinetic grasp.  She paced away from the fireplace, sneering:  "I thought you were done with 'running.'"

Rainbow gulped.  She shook her left rear leg.  "Something's running alright..."

The frightened crowd parted ways as Longaze marched towards her.  "I've struggled and labored far too long to reach this moment."  Flames built up along the edges of the besieged tavern, reflecting off the unicorn's brown eyes.  "Once I've bagged you, I can live like a queen for the rest of my life."

"Really?"  Rainbow cracked her neck joints.  "I didn't know they coronated manticore turds."  Her marefriends gasped.

Longaze's eyes twitched.  Her horn glowed as she snarled through her teeth.  "Rrrrrghhh..."

"Rainbow, d-darling..." Rarity gulped, staring at her anchor.  "You're sure that's the best choice of words?"

"For this psycho-witch?"  Rainbow sighed through a dumb smiled.  "...only the choicest."

"Raaaaaaugh!"  And Longaze came charging.