//------------------------------// // Rainbow Didn't Start the Fire... // Story: Utaan // by Imploding Colon //------------------------------// "Mrmmfff... grnnngh..." Longaze stumbled up to her hooves. Panting, sweating, dripping with blood... she looked left and right. Smoke and haze filled both ends of the debris-strewn second floor hallway. The mare blinked. Just as she charged magic into her horn to see better... "Pssssttt..." Longaze turned around. Rainbow Dash was already swinging a thick wooden chair in her grasp. "Have a seat!" WHACK! "Guhh!" Longaze toppled backwards from the blow, slammed into a doorframe, then collapsed onto the second story floor with a groan. Her body lay still. Rainbow Dash exhaled. Her muscles slumped beneath her wheezing breath. "Whew..." Just then, shrieks emanated from below. "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy exclaimed. The ghostly pegasus pointed a nervous hoof downward. "The villagers!" "...!" Gnashing her teeth, Rainbow Dash leapt over Longaze's figure and galloped down the steps. When she reached the bottom floor, the entire tavern was blazing. FWOOOMB! Rainbow winced from a fountain of flame erupting at the base of the steps. Wincing, she skirted around a pile of smoldering ash, then galloped across a narrow strip of open floor. On the far end, she found several ponies huddled by the west wall of the tavern. Nervous and shivering, the villagers of Braum desperately kicked and bucked at the wooden barrier behind them. "Harder! H-harder!" a stallion shouted. "Rnnngh!" Another rammed his shoulder into the wall. "We gotta get out!" "Together! On the count of three—!" As Rainbow approached the dramatic scene, Rarity exclaimed, "That's no use! If they kick against that any harder, a chunk of ceiling will fall on them—!" "Hey! HEY!" Rainbow Dash whistled and shouted, waving her forelimbs wildly. The coughing, smoke-stained group looked over. "This place is collapsing on top of us!" Rainbow yelled above the sound of billowing flames and crumbling wood. "That's not a safe spot to do that at!" "Any better ideas, Rarity?" Twilight exclaimed. "Yes!" Rarity pointed two spaces over, towards the southwest corner. "Just to the right of the window frame! That spot is weak enough that you just might be able to break through!" She gulped. "If you all work together!" "She's right!" Pinkie winced, her tail twitching. "If they stand here, they'll get crushed soon for sure-sure!" "Over here!" Rainbow pointed at a patch of wall. She galloped over. "If we all focus our strength on this spot, we should be able to smash our way to safety!" "How..." A stallion coughed and sputtred. "...do you know th-that?!" "Just trust me!" Rainbow frowned. "Do you wanna end up as smoked horse for the rest of your life?!" The villagers shared a brief glance of uncertainty, then galloped over to where Rainbow was. "Alright! Now... with me!" Rainbow Dash swung around, lifting her rear legs. "One... two... three!" She bucked with all her might. "Nrnngh!" The other ponies slammed the wall at the same time. WHUDDDD! "Again!" Rainbow wheezed. Chunks of debris and burning ash fell around them. "One... two... three!" THACKKKK! A noticeable fissure ran up the wall from the floor. Hot air and smoke fled through a tiny crack. "There!" a mare shouted. "It's giving way!" "It's working!" exclaimed a stallion. "Good job, everypony!" Rainbow stammered. She bore a sweaty grin. "Just a few more kicks!" "Wait..." Fluttershy winced. "What... what about the unicorn that attakced us?" "What about her," Rarity droned. "I know she's a meanie and all..." Fluttershy gulped. "Well we can't just leave her upstairs!" "Uhhhhh..." Pinkie's eyebrow quivered. "...wait for it." "H-huh?" SMASSSSSH! Rainbow Dash and the other ponies looked up at a fresh hole in the ceiling. Longaze landed amidst a pile of smoldering debris. Her horn glowed, illuminating a furious frown. Rainbow coughed. "Well then—" "Rrrrrrgh!" Longaze fired a beam of magic at the group. "Duck!" Rainbow Dash yanked three yelping ponies to the ground with her. P-POW! The mana blast struck the wall behind them, ripping loose several strips of wood. The ceiling groaned, and a massive support beam came swinging down like a giant gavel. An oblivious stallion stood in the way of the calamitous debris. His muscles locked in place as he was gripped by fear. "Rainbow—!" Twilight pointed with a gasp. "Look out!" Rainbow sprung her rear legs. One wing spread, she glided in a curve and slammed the stallion to the floor just milliseconds before the collapsing beam could smash him to a pulp. "Ooomf!" Longaze blinked at the pegasus' heroics. "... ... ..." A wicked smile crossed her bleeing muzzle. She leaned forward, her horn glowing brighter. "H-huh?" A breathless bar maid looked down to see her limbs glowing. She was suddenly yanked across the room with malevolent telekinesis. "Eeeep!" "Mrmmfff..." The stallion Rainbow had saved stood, then helped the pegasus up to her hooves. "Wow... th-thanks..." "Don't mention—" Rainbow's ears pricked to the sound of shrieking. "—it?" "Oh no..." Twilight grimaced hard. She pointed across the tavern floor. Rainbow pivoted to see Longaze standing square across from her. She held the trembling bar maid in a headlock, all the while levitating three carving knives snatched from the bar counter. She raised the floating blades to the nape of the mare's neck and hissed, "We could fight each other all day, Rogue. But I seriously doubt these ponies can afford it any longer." Rainbow spat above the noise of burning rubble. "Let her go, ya friggin' coward!" She took a step forward— Sliiiink! Longaze cut a bloody slit across the bar maid's cheek, causing her to shriek. Rainbow winced, limbs locking in place. Her marefriends watched in pale horror. "I'm not the pony responsible for her life anymore!" Longaze exclaimed. "I've paid enough for your capture... with blood, sweat, and self-respect. Now it's time that you owned up to the price of your freedom! Tell me, Rogue!" She held the blade tighter to the sobbing maid's neck. "Is it worth it?!" Rainbow stood still. Panting in the haze and smoke. The villagers looked on in horror. "I'm going to give you on the count of three to hand yourself over!" Longaze growled. "Or else you'll be drowning in the blood of these ponies! I swear to Verlaxion..." Rainbow's eyes traveled to the floor. She caught a frying pan lying just a few inches away from her fetlocks. Not daring to move, she looked back up. Longaze sneered. "One..." Outside, Keris frantically sprinted around the outer edge of the burning building. His magenta eyes searched every square inch. At last... "...!" The Lieutenant spotted something. He skidded to a stop in the snow. His eyes remained locked on a single window pane. The flames dancing on the other side of the glass were far thinner here than at the rest of the windows he had spotted. Taking a deep breath, he coiled his leg muscles and outstretched both silver-plated wingblades. Sch-Schiiiing! "Gottadosomethinggottadosomething!" Pinkie whimpered. "Like what?!" Rarity squeaked. "That poor mare's in her grasp!" "Two..." Longaze growled from afar. "Celestia help me..." Rainbow whispered. "Rainbow..." Twilight turned to her, trembling. "Maybe if you just pretend that you're giving yourself up—" "Everypony, wait!" Fluttershy exclaimed. The other ghost friends gawked at her. "Are you out of your mind?!" Fluttershy's brow furrowed. "Just trust me." Rainbow blinked. Longaze's eyes reflected the glint of a blade. "Three—!" Crasssssssssssh! Behind her, a griffon came sailing into the burning tavern on a stream of flames and broken glass. Longaze spun to look over her shoulder. "What the—?!" "Now, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted. Rainbow looked down at the frying pan. "Httt...!" She slammed her hoof over the handle, flipped the thing up from the floor, then pivoted to buck the thing in mid-air. Clack! The instrument flew across the tavern. "Eeeek!" The bar maid slumped down in Longaze's grasp. "Huh?" Longaze looked back. CLANG! "Aaaugh!" She stumbled back from a frying pan to the face. Her ears tickled with a pony's hooves as they stomp-stomped-stomped closer. As soon as her pained eyes opened... ...she got a muzzle full of Rainbow Dash's right hook. WHAM! Growling, Rainbow Dash grabbed Longaze by the shoulders and flung her into a wooden table. Crasssssh! Meanwhile, Keris recovered from his dramatic entrance. He stood up, retracting his wing-blades. Cl-Clakkka! He glanced over at the angry pegasus. Just as Longaze tried getting up, Rainbow hoisted her neck back, then slammed her skull repeatedly into a collapsed tabletop. Wham! Whud! Thuddddd! With a breathy groan, Longaze fell into deep, numb unconsciousness. The villagers across the burning tavern exhaled with momentary relief. On swift paws, Keris rushed over to the sobbing bar maid. The Lieutenant examined her bleeding cheek, then helped her to her hooves. As debris crumbled in the background, he looked at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was still trying to catch her breath when she pivoted about and caught his eyes with a weak gaze. Gulping, she waved a hoof and murmured, "I... d-didn't start this fire..." Keris nodded. "Somehow, I'm inclined to agree." "That mare...!" The bar maid sniffled, frowning at Longaze's quivering figure. "That cr-crazy mare threatened to kill me!" "Yes, she'll do that," Keris muttered. He looked across the way at the group of ponies. "Do I spy a break in the wall?" "Yes!" Rainbow dragged Longaze's body towards the narrow fissure. "We're almost through! Dude... think you've got enough healthy limbs to spare?!" With a shuddering breath, Keris led the bar maid over to the location in question. "You didn't even need to ask..."