//------------------------------// // Unto Death // Story: Broken: Loyalty // by Knackerman //------------------------------// With a shuddering groan, the electroshock machine spent its energy and whirred down, going back to its previous background hum. The lights in the room came up again but a few sparks could still be seen licking over the wires feeding into the harness on Fluttershy’s head. Rainbow Dash, however, only had eyes for the Princess. Her mouth had gone inexplicably dry, so she struggled as she said, “What do you mean I don’t have a choice?” For the first time Celestia glared at the chromatic filly, her elegant feature twisted by a mixture of anger and disdain. She had lost her patience. “Exactly what I said! I am your ruler and you will obey me, or you will soon wish that you had! Now enough of your prattle, as I mentioned this is a delicate operation and I need my full concentration at this point.” Princess Celestia turned abruptly from Dash, giving her full attention to Fluttershy’s still slightly smoking form. Her horn began to glow with brilliant sunlight as she carved glowing runes into the very air. The symbols remained hanging there for but a moment before settling upon the unconscious pony’s head and seeping through her skin. “After all, you wouldn’t want your dear friend to end up as some drooling, cross eyed idiot because you couldn’t be quiet for a few minutes.” Dash had no response to that what so ever. There was a finality in the Princess's words that let her know she meant every one of them. So this was going to be the rest of her life, taking care of a pony who couldn’t take care of herself, whether she liked it or not. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, but Celestia had declared that she didn’t have a choice. Rainbow Dash looked around the room as Celestia worked, much of the lightning had quelled and the technicians were busying themselves checking the cooling machinery. Dash didn’t have a choice huh? Well buck that! Before anypony could so much as sneeze, the little speedster was out of the operation room and down the corridor. The first shouts of surprise barely registered on her ears as she flew through the white corridors and back out into the darkened factory, darting passed the Day Guards so fast she doubted they had even truly registered what she was. Still she heard them shouting for her to “Halt!” but she wasn’t about to make their job easy on them. There was no plan here, only flight, only the knowledge that she was one of the fastest ponies in her age group and she wasn’t about to let anypony, not even the Princess herself, tell her how to live her life! She’d make it back to her parents and if they sided with her Royal High-and-Mightiness then she’d run from them too! She thought about ducking through the cloud walls that made up the facility, but she had no idea where she’d come out at and the entire structure was still supercharged with lightning. If she did try flying straight through the clouds, that would have to be a last ditch effort. Right now she fed as much strength into her wings as she could as she dodged and darted around the greasy hulks of machinery she had passed on the way down here. She could hear sounds of pursuit behind her and couldn’t help but smile when she heard what sounded like a suit of armor clanking into the side of one of the hollowed out machines. Time would tell if the Day Guard were faster than her, but they certainly couldn’t maneuver as well as she could in these tight spaces. That thought must have betrayed Dash, because no sooner did she have it than she flew head first into a very startled pegasus, knocking into her hard enough to send her hard hat flying. The sound of their heads cracking together echoed in Dash’s skull before she regained herself enough to realize she was sprawled on top of a pink pony with a pair of blue lightning bolts for a cutie mark. She recognized the pony immediately as Firefly, one of the most popular pegasi in Cloudsdale. Dash could hear the royal guards making steady progress through the darkness behind her. There was no way she could stay ahead of them now. Firefly looked at Dash dazedly for a moment and then shook her head, a smile already playing across her lips. “Wow kid, where’s the fire?” “I don’t have time to explain but you have to hide me! They’re after me!” There was a pallet piled with empty canisters that had been knocked over when Dash had crashed into Firefly. Getting to her hooves, the older pony seemed to assess the situation and quickly motioned for Dash to hop inside one of the empty kegs. Without hesitation, Dash ducked inside the metal barrel. Just in the nick of time too, because as Firefly secured the lid on her hiding spot Dash heard a rush of wings go by that had to have been her pursuers.Tentatively she lifted the lid off of her hiding spot only for Firefly to glare at her and force it back down. “Nuh-uh kiddo. You stay in there. I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, but if you have the Day Guard after you, you’re not going to be safe until you get out of here. Stay in there and stay quiet!” The filly had no choice but to do as she was told. Within a few moments there was movement and the sound of a squeaky wheel. Firefly must have sorted out all the other barrels and was moving them with a pallet jack to where ever she was going in the first place. As the kegs rocked back and forth, Dash noticed a bit of light seeping in from a hole in the lid of her own canister. Through it she could see that they were back on the shop floor, surrounded by other ponies still hard at work as if there were no clandestine government facility buried underneath their factory or a cadre of royal guards searching for a little pony. Part of her wanted to leap out and tell everypony what was going on, but she’d run the risk of getting nabbed by the guards if she revealed herself now. Pressing her eye to the hole in her hiding spot, Dash could see the massive vats of molten metal going by over head. They were passing underneath them now and dribbles of the red hot liquid hissed as it slopped over the sides and passed through the cool cloud floor. They must have been getting close to where the lightning bolts were forged, the sound of constant hammering echoed loudly around the shop and vibrated every bone in Dash’s body. She was thankful when she felt that they had turned a corner and the sound dissipated, but her thanks were short lived. Dash tumbled over as the pallet came to a sudden stop. There was some distant shouting, but she couldn’t quite make it out. Then she heard Firefly whispering, “Stay calm kid. I’ve gotta leave you for a moment but you’ll be safe here till I get back.” Then in a much louder voice, “I heard ya the first time! I gotta secure the empties going to recycling for MIC don’t I!? Or do you want another nasty letter from their supervisor?!” Dash could just make out the sound of Firefly fluttering away. Then she only had the sounds of the shop floor to keep her company, the whirring of machines and the distant rumble of hammers steadily rising and falling. Alone for the moment, with the fear of imminent discovery fading as time went on and with nothing better to do, Dash found her thoughts going over and over again what she had seen in the heart of the Lightning Factory. The Princess had been so nice and kind to her, explaining everything, answering all her questions. But then she had done something so monstrous to Fluttershy without so much as batting an eyelash. How could erasing another ponies mind and giving her false memories be right? Even if they were bad memories being destroyed to make way for good ones, doing it without Fluttershy knowing, it couldn’t be the right thing to do! And all those machines! Had they really been made by pegasi long ago? What other secrets were tucked away beyond Dash’s knowledge. Were there other Pegasus Devices at other weather factories? She didn’t want to know what the one at the Ice Factory could do. Though she was curious if there was one such machine at the Rainbow Factory where her parents worked. Lost in thought, Dash never noticed that she had started moving again. The hum of the electric forklift mixed in with the other general background noise, and the ride was so smooth over the cloud surface compared to her jostling journey before, that it wasn’t until a magnetic clamp was affixed to the lid of her keg that she noticed anything was wrong. She panicked for a moment sure that the Day Guard had found her somehow, but the lid stayed firmly in place. In fact...with a tentative nudge...Dash discovered that the lid had been sealed on! The magnetic clamp held tight to the metal surface as the barrel Rainbow Dash was in was slowly lifted into the air. Dash tried to look out of the hole in the lid, but her view was blocked by the magnetic clamp. That wasn’t the worst thing though, her tiny prison was heating up, fast. Already she could barely breath, but now the air was baking and the metal under her hooves was almost painfully hot. A terrifying thought struck Rainbow Dash. How did you recycle a metal keg? Just beyond the sound of sizzling steam, she thought she could hear the steady bubbling gloop of one of the vats of molten metal. Dash panicked in earnest now, screaming and bouncing back and forth, sending the barrel she was in rocking and bouncing at the end of its chain. No matter how much she struggled inside her metal coffin she couldn’t shake it from the magnet that it was suspended from. Her hooves were burning. She could smell the stench as they baked. Smoke rose from her as agony wracked her legs, every movement laced with fresh pain. She tried to spread her wings, tried to move away from the burning heat, but the keg was too small for that. Already blisters were forming and popping, the blood sizzling as it trickled onto the burning metal, the awful stench of her own flesh cooking making her sick to her stomach. Dash wouldn’t have to worry about anypony telling her how to live her life now. After all, it was about to end! There was a sense of free fall as the magnetic clamp let the barrel loose...followed by a loud splash and a roaring hiss as the metal hit the liquid below. -------------------- “--can’t believe you were so reckless! Oh, hey kid, why don’t you hop in this canister, it’s only going to be melted down into slag!” The voice was faint, but angry. “It’s not my fault! You can blame that featherbrain Ditzy Doo! She’s supposed to pick up the recycling at six in the morning, not six in the evening!” That sounded like Firefly. She was angry too, but there was a plaintive note in her voice, along with more than a little fear. “Besides, if your lot weren’t chasing her through an industrial bucking workshop --” “You’re just fortunate that basin of rainwater was full and the child was uninjured. If anything happened to her the Princess’s plans would be completely ruined. All of Equestria could’ve fallen because of your bungling.” “You promised me when we first started this project we wouldn’t be going back to how it was in the old days! You're not supposed to involve the factory workers! The Throne of Storms has been misused before. What you’re doing down here scared the kid half to death. I will not stand by and watch this facility be used to flash fry ponies again!” "There’s no need for you to worry about that,” This was a new voice. High...somewhat whiny, full of itself. “We’ve reduced the rate of severe injury to about twenty percent. Fatalities are even less. The closest she has gotten to being ‘flash fried’, as you put it, was when your misguided attempts at subterfuge nearly killed her.” “Yeah, well the kids fine! See...she’s waking up now. How ya feeling kid?” Dash felt her eyelids flutter open involuntarily. She was groggy and hot, like she had woken from a long sickness. She could feel rough linen bandages on each of her legs and there was a breathing tube down her throat. Her mouth was dry, the tube made her gag, and it hurt to breath, but aside from that she felt okay and said as such. A look of relief spread visibly over Firefly’s face. “Thank goodness. You gave us all a real scare there for a bit. Looks like you got a little cooked small fry, but they say you should be alright.” As Dash’s vision adjusted she saw who Firefly meant by ‘they’. She had been expecting a doctor and a staff of nurses. A Captain of the royal guard stood next to her as did one of the lab coated technicians, and while it was clear they were interested in her condition, it was not concern that showed on their faces. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw where she was. They were back in the room where Fluttershy’s ‘operation’ had occurred. Only Fluttershy was gone...in her place... Rainbow Dash struggled weakly, but she was already strapped in. Technicians rushed to her side as she struggled, holding her down. “I’m sorry Miss Firefly, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave." Intoned the Captain, "It’s clear the ordeal has left our charge over wrought. It’s best if you get back to work and let us take it from here.” Dash wanted to shout, she wanted to scream ‘No’, but all she could manage was a thin, high whimper as one of the technicians slipped a needle into the base of her spine. Just like that she went limp. Without being able to so much as whisper, she watched Firefly’s retreating form. The pegasus looked back for a moment, but her eyes said it all. She didn’t approve of what was going on, but she had known about it, and she was going to let it happen. Dash’s last, best chance for getting out of this place walked away, shaking her head. It wasn’t long before Princess Celestia entered her field of vision. She was still wearing her lab coat and rubber boots, but she had removed her goggles to let them hang around her neck. She smiled as Dash's eyes focused on her. “Ah, Miss Rainbow Dash, did you enjoy your little jaunt?" Her voice was inordinately chipper. She truly seemed to be pleased with herself. "I wonder if you actually thought there was a way out of this facility? I wonder if you thought you could actually defy your Princess. Did you really think you could run from an entire kingdom? Did you think the ponies in this facility didn’t know what we were doing here?” Celestia leaned over Dash and brushed a stray strand of hair from in front of the filly’s face. “I want you to know, even if you had died in one of the molten crucibles, there wouldn’t have been an escape for you. I would’ve healed whatever remained of you, just as I am going to heal you now. You’re body will be restored...but I’m afraid I’m going to have to do something about your mind.” The Princess used her magic to pull the breathing tube out of Dash’s throat slowly, making the filly gag again, but the drugs had so relaxed her muscles that no bile could come up. With exaggerated care, Celestia slipped the harness over Dash’s head, attaching each wire one by one, pressing the cold metal tips to Dash’s burned flesh. “If it makes you feel any better your friends operation was a complete success! It seems she wanted to forget those terrible memories as much as we wanted her to. After a few days of observation and lots of bed rest, Fluttershy will be ready for her new life!” The ruler of all Equestria slipped her goggles back over her eyes and smiled sadly, the smoked lenses making her eyes look like empty sockets to her patients mind. “You, on the other hoof, dear, are a fighter. This is maybe the...fourth or fifth time you’ve gotten loose from us? Though it is the first you’ve gotten as far as the manufacturing part of the facility. I had really hoped that this time you would have submitted to your ruler and served me loyally.” Celestia’s smile brightened, "Don't worry though, I'm sure we'll get there in the end!" Her words caused a cold snake of dread to coil in Dash’s stomach. Fragmented memories came rushing back to her, of when she first arrived here...and of the many, many times she had escaped. There were flashes of being locked in a room, and though the walls were mere cloud, an invisible force rendered them impenetrable. How long had she truly been here? The procedure was imperfect, but they were slowly burning those memories away. Already she could feel a part of her that wanted to be loyal to Fluttershy, to Celestia, vying for dominance inside her head “Even if we have to shock you over and over again! It’s only a matter of time until you see things the way you ought to!” The Pegasus Device hummed to life. The pain of the lightning bolt burning away her soul was not as terrifying as the realization that she was getting used to it. ---------------------------- Princess Celestia turned from the still smoking form and used a nearby rag to wipe some of the perspiration from her face. The spells she had laid on Rainbow Dash’s mind were triple the usual strength, but far more subtle than what she had tried before. It was difficult work inverting a ponies personality...but if Discord could do it, than there was no reason she couldn’t as well. Rainbow Dash was a little rebel, but that made her a perfect candidate for inversion. She would be the very essence of Loyalty before Celestia was through. “Think she’ll get loose again your majesty?” The voice was young and light, a little stilted, but it made Celestia smile all the same. “Oh, more than likely, but all we can do is hope that she’ll stop being stubborn.” Celestia removed her lab coat, letting it fall to the floor, then she slid off her damp boots one by one. She was overheating and could do with a bit of fresh air. As she left the room a small figure flew behind her. “We’re going to have to be hoping for a while then I think," the younger voice said with a giggle, "That ones as stubborn as a minotaur in a maze.” Her words seemed to cheer Celestia considerably, even though if she were right it would only mean more work for her. More pain for Rainbow Dash. As they moved down the hallway they passed several more observation rooms. Here was Fluttershy, sound asleep, tucked under a blanket of warm cloud. If Celestia was right, she'd have a new cutie mark by the next dawn. In the next room was a young unicorn, staring into a mirror with blank, soulless eyes. She might have overdone it a bit with her in their last session. Celestia would have to make a note to try and be slightly more gentle with the little lady. Further down there were two rooms opposite of one another. Each held an earth pony, one constantly bucking angrily against the walls, the other wedged firmly into a corner with her long straight pink mane hiding her face. Though the blonde maned filly seemed to have more energy, the worst she was capable of were a few lies and a kick or two. It was the pink one, ever unsmiling, that was a danger to herself and those around her. At the end of the corridor, just before the exit was a room by itself. Behind the darkened glass was Celestia's true prize. It had been difficult to find a unicorn who was truly terrible at magic. There had been so many tests, so many failures, but even the worst filly had a spark of magic in them. Not this one. She would be the ultimate triumph or failure of Celestia's project. She would have to be kept close. When the time came, she would bring the others together. Right now, they all had but one thing in common, their flanks were blank. That would change. “She’ll come around in the end. They all will. They must." Said Celestia, though to herself or her companion, perhaps even she was not aware. "The Elements of Harmony will need new wielders now that I and my sister are no longer connected to them.” The pair walked out of a side door onto a balcony that overlooked the loading dock for the facility. The sun had long since set and the moon was so large and round, it seemed you could reach out and touch it. The Mare in the Moon glittered darkly. Celestia seemed to wax morose. “When she returns, when Nightmare Moon finally breaks from her prison, they will be ready for her. It's taken me nearly a thousand years of research and preparation, but I think we are finally ready. In turn, this facility will also be ready...to wipe away as much of her hatred and rage as we can.”A small, grey filly flew into the moonlight beside her Princess. “And if that fails?” asked the little pegasus. "Then, though it pains me, she will have to be destroyed. We cannot have her distracting the chosen when they face Discord. They must be ready for that task above all others. That’s why I need you to keep an eye on them for me, miss Hooves.” Celestia spread her wings and gently engulfed the child floating next to her.”I can't have my royal guards following them everywhere, and they will never suspect a filly of their own age to be watching them." She cradled the filly close as if she were her own foal. "Remember, if this process works on them, we may finally be able to help your mother.” “I know," said the little filly, clinging close to Celestia, "I’ll watch over them for you Princess, and I’ll let you know how they adjust to their new memories and personalities.” The child lay her head against Celestia's chest. “But please, just call me Derpy. Everypony else does.” ---------------------- With exaggerated care, Twilight slowly closed the book. Once again all around her was darkness, but it was the darkness of a quiet back room in a library close to midnight. All the color had been leeched from her body, though if this was a trick of the light or the existence of the tome before her it was impossible to say. As for the book itself, it sat motionless for a few moments. The word 'Broken' was still clearly legible, even in this poor light. Slowly another word took glowing form beneath the title. Loyalty burned a brilliant crimson before fading away. Kindness flared in pink, followed by a shimmering Generosity in violet. Laughter blazed a blinding sky blue, before Honesty faded into view, the word the orange glow of a summers sunset. As each word was absorbed into the books cover, a final word exploded in violent purple. The word Magic pulsed and throbbed over the book before evaporating as the others had. Tears were streaming from Twilight Sparkle's eyes but, as she turned her back on the book she had been pouring over for what had felt like an eternity, she began to laugh. It all made sense now. Everything...all of it...was a lie.