//------------------------------// // The Last Straw // Story: The Descent into Madness // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash “Keep your hands up!” Rainbow roared as she dove forward, using her wings to keep her moving faster than most would have thought possible as she pivoted on her rear hooves and bringing one of her new claws up underneath the Dark Eldar’s block, hitting him hard in the jaw and sending him reeling back out of the sand circle. “Pathetic,” Rainbow sneered, turning back to face the remain three Dark Eldar, each one a new member of the Shadowbolts who had been a little too vocal in their criticism of following a non-Eldar. It may have been the eve of battle, but Rainbow was not about to let insubordination slip into her ranks. “Do none of you actually know how to fight? Or is the big bad pony too much for the Dark Eldar?” Two of the Eldar lunged forward at this, the third moving to support them, trying to get behind Rainbow. “You’re too slow,” Rainbow laughed, weaving around the blows that were being aimed at her, before grabbing onto one of the Reavers outstretched arms. It was only there for a fraction of a second, but Rainbow was faster, and with another flap of her wings, swung the Eldar around into her friend, sending both of them skidding out of the arena, both of them cursing as they got back up, watching as Rainbow squared off against the final Reaver. Rainbow was about to dive forward, when she felt the injectors on her back whir into life, several syringes drawing out large quantities of her blood, while others pumped in a replacement fluid. Rainbow noticed the change instantly, her pupils widening fully as the colours in the world seemed to pop and become more vibrant. The Reaver began to move towards her, everything about him moving in slow motion. Rainbow could easily make out the ripples across his muscles as he moved, even as her own muscles bulged, the veins within them instantly becoming visible beneath her cyan fur. Rainbow blurred into motion, the Reaver’s eyes widening as she moved far faster than he was. He began to raise his hands into a block, but it wasn’t enough as Rainbow leapt forward, rising up onto her rear hooves and balling her right claw into a fist, driving it into his face. Blood erupted around her claw as she felt bones crunching beneath her fist. The Dark Eldar didn’t make a sound as he was thrown backwards, his body flying through the air like a ragdoll, landing at the feet of some of the other Reavers. Rainbow panted for a few moments, before her injector array sprang to life again, drawing out the combat drugs and replacing her blood. Time began to move at normal speeds once more as her muscles shrank back to their regular size. “What…what was in that one?” Rainbow asked, chuckling to herself slightly as she turned towards Eethron. “I believe that was Bylestim and Tryrphous, a pair of particular favourites of the human Lucius I do believe,” Eethron mused. “I trust you found them to your…satisfaction?” “Oh, more than that,” Rainbow grinned darkly. As the pair spoke, the three Dark Eldar rushed over to their fallen comrade, checking his pulse, before looking at Rainbow. “He’s dead,” one of them called, his voice not betraying any emotion of any sort. “Tell him thanks for being target practice, then throw his body to the Khymerae,” she shot back, before turning back to Eethron, licking her lips slightly. “I like them both, keep them coming, just for me though.” “Oh of course, I wouldn’t presume to give your underlings an advantage over you, my dear,” Eethron simpered. “You are far too interesting to me to risk you being deposed, as are your…compatriots. Will they be joining us to sample my wares?” “Gilda might, doubt Scoots will,” Rainbow shrugged. “And Spitfire and Lightning aren’t exactly being compliant.” “Ah, so I did taste some animosity in the air,” Eethron nodded. “Well then Rainbow, I suggest you get your house in order, or I fear Ilithia will do it for you.” “I’ll keep it in mind,” Rainbow snorted, before turning to her Reavers. “Get the hell out of here, you’ve got five hours before you will be ready in the garage. Late comers will suffer, spread the word.” “Yes…champion,” one of the Reavers muttered through gritted teeth, before turning and leading the other two out of the sparring room, a slave cowering as they passed, before scurrying into the room and hurriedly sticking a cruel meat hook into the dead Eldar and beginning to slowly pull the corpse away, Rainbow watching impassively. The slave had never once looked up as he came in, but she was impressed by its bravery by simply being in the same room as both her and Eethron. It would have been impressive if the thing hadn’t been a pathetic emancipated mess. With a flick of her mane, Rainbow trotted from the room, the slave diving out of her way as she walked passed. Rainbow spared a seconds more thought for the pitiful creature, before she pushed it from her mind and set off to find Gilda and the rest of her team, if they could even still be called that. *** Rainbow glared at Spitfire from across the secondary garage, Gilda standing beside her and mirroring her gaze. Spitfire returned the glare in kind, Lightning moving closer to the older pony. Scootaloo stood in the middle of the two pairs, silently looking between them, wondering who would make the first move. As it happened, it was Rainbow. “It doesn’t look like you’re getting that bike ready for a combat deployment,” her voice was soft as she spoke, and dangerous. “But clearly my eyes must be deceiving me. There’s no way you’re currently preparing for a long journey, is there?” “What? Has Eethron not upgraded those yet,” Spitfire shot back venomously, ignoring the last part of the question. “Maybe you should go see him again and get those sorted. I’m sure he could take away the small part of your equinity that’s still left.” “You’re playing a dangerous game, Spitfire,” Rainbow sneered. “Have you even thought about what will happen when you lose?” “I thought you knew me well, Rainbow,” Spitfire returned the sneer in kind. “Wonderbolts, don’t, lose.” “Could have fooled me,” Rainbow snapped, before looking at Scootaloo. “Scoot’s, is your bike ready?” “I don’t…” Scootaloo began, before Spitfire cut in. “Don’t drag her into this, Rainbow,” she warned, taking a step forward, but before she could take another, Rainbow surged forward, drawing herself up onto her back legs and flaring her wings intimidatingly. “Don’t you dare, Spitfire, the ice you're on is getting so thin,” Rainbow growled. “Scootaloo, get to your bike, prepare for combat. As for you two,” she turned back to Spitfire and Lightning, “you have a choice to make, two options, you know what they are. Make the right one, the pair of you.” With that, Rainbow fell back to all fours and turned back to Gilda, the pair of them heading into the primary garage, making a beeline towards their bikes, Scootaloo following after them silently. “You’re letting those two get away with too much,” Gilda hissed, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Scootaloo was hard at work on her own bike and not listening in, before she continued. “And they’re starting to shake the squirts confidence in you. Stamp it out, or you’ll have three insubordinates on your hoo...claws.” “I know,” Rainbow growled. “I know what they’re doing and how far they’re pushing me. Just…leave it to me, don’t you dare make any move without me making one first, ok?” “Rainbow…” Gilda began, before Rainbow cut her off. “I make the first move. You make the first one, and you’ll have made your last one. Understand?” “Sorry, Rainbow, I’ll follow your lead,” Gilda nodded. “Now, any idea what we’ll be facing on this raid?” “Light guard presence, which means maybe a regiment,” Rainbow shrugged. “Plus PDF forces, but they’re not worth a squirt of piss. Hopefully we won’t have to deal with any tanks or armour of any kind, but if we have to fly over the Hive we’ll encounter AA guns on the walls, so make sure your armour is solid, and take the heat ray, we could need it.” “I’ve got a Dark Lance on there already, mine’s the only bike strong enough to take it,” Gilda replied. “Still want the heat ray?” “No, keep the Lance, but make sure you have your personal weapons, those things are useless against groups of enemies.” “That’s what the rest of the you lot are for,” Gilda pointed out with a smirk, before shaking her head and sighing softly, dropping to the floor onto one of the grav-platforms and sliding under her bike, checking the underside, and leaving Rainbow to return to her own bike. “Be ready in four, Gilda,” Rainbow called, before grabbing one of the tools beside her bike and opening a panel on one of the engines. *** Rainbow sat astride her bike as it purred softly, the almost non-existent vibrations travelling all throughout her body. Since she had gotten the new claws implanted, she had made a few upgrades to the its controls, taking full advantage of every single feature. Her old hooves could manipulate all of the controls just fine, but her claws could make them sing, able to make the tiniest of adjustments to any number of systems, while her hooves had struggled to make anything less than easily visible movements. Not for the first time since getting them, she reflected on all of the times that having digits would have helped, and realised she could finally see why almost every creature in the galaxy that was sophisticated had evolved fingers. Moving away from her thoughts, Rainbow looked around her bike, back at the rest of her Reaver clan. They were all loaded aboard one of the Triumvent’s Torture Cruiser’s, the bay specifically designed for what they were about to do. The Shadowbolts had grown quickly with Rainbow’s latest string of victories, and with Vect’s patronage, and they now numbered over a hundred, all stone cold killers ready to carry out her orders. Five years ago, the idea of working with them would have made her sick. And now… “Shadowbolts!” She roared, activating the link-feed between all of them. “We drop to the slaughter!” “And all shall be our lambs!” came the roaring reply, Gilda’s scratchy voice nearly deafening her as the Griffon shouted right next to her. Rainbow let out a screech that was taken up by every other Eldar on the deck, the few slaves that hadn’t been torn apart in the pre-battle blood-lettings scurrying for cover, before the floor of the drop bay pulsed, and the Shadowbolts fell from the ship into high orbit above the burning planet of Sarutan. *** Rainbow let out a savage roar as she dived forward onto a fleeing soldier, the woman’s weapon long since discarded as she tried to flee from the carnage that was all around her. She never stood a chance as Rainbow slammed into her back, bowling her over and sending he pair tumbling until they stopped, Rainbow getting a good look at her. She looked to be barely sixteen, tears streaming down her face and her hair plastered across her head from sweat and blood. Her eyes were full of fear as she looked up at Rainbow. “P-p-p-p-please, I j-j-just w-w-w-want to go h-home. Please…l-l-let me go.” “I intend to,” Rainbow laughed, before lunging forward, clamping her jaws around the girl’s throat and pulling back. Equine teeth were not made for eating meat, they were flat, large, made for grinding plants down into a pulp for easy digestion, rather than the sharp canines that many other species boasted, but that didn’t stop Rainbow from tearing half of her preys neck away, covering herself with her victims life blood as she thrashed, grasping at her neck in a vain attempt to stop the mortal wound. Rainbow savoured the feeling of snuffing out the girl’s life as she chewed on the flesh, before swallowing it and looking around. The scene she had just enacted was being repeated as far as she could see by Reavers, Wyches, Scourges, even a few Warriors who had left the Hive in search of more pickings. The screams were like a beautiful symphony to Rainbow’s ears as she let them wash over her, feeling the pain and suffering of tens of thousands of souls. Compared to her first raid against the humans, this was like a tidal wave beside a ripple, easily the biggest haul of fresh meat the Triumvent had scored in over a century, and the humans had barely put up a fight before it was all over. Less than an hour after she had left the ship, she was ready to go back on. “Shadowbolts!” she raised her voice above the screams, the link-feed carrying her voice easily. “Round up survivors, the transports are coming for them now! Those who you’ve already claimed can be played with for half a minute more, or back on Commoragh, I don’t care!” True to Rainbow’s words, a small fleet of modified Raiders descended through the dense cloud cover of the planet towards the field as the newly captured slaves were rounded up, a few screams still echoing as they were finished off, but for the most part they were cowed into a terrified silence, the Dark Eldar realising that to kill them now would satiate them, but they would have more time to have their fun back in the relative safety of the Dark City. As soon as the transports touched down, the Eldar who had been hanging on the sides leapt off, carrying huge reels of razor chain, micro-filaments designed to be interwoven and locked around newly captured slaves to keep them in line. Once on, it only came off when it was burnt away, or if the wearer struggled too much, although in that situation the razor sharp edges would effortlessly decapitate the person. After watching a few of their friends suffer that painful fate, most new slaves learnt to not struggle. It was pathetic really, most of them honestly believed that the quick and painful death would be better than what was in store for them. For once, the majority of the human’s ignorance about alien species was working one hundred percent against them, and one hundred percent in the Triumvent’s favour. Rainbow counted over a hundred slave transports get loaded up, between forty and fifty slaves forced on board like sardines, each one barely given any room to move as the transports took off once more, leaving the Reavers and the Wyches with almost as many slaves still on the ground as they had just taken off. A few of them looked hopeful that they were not being taken, and in a way, Rainbow supposed they were right, even as the Dark Eldar closed in around them. At least their deaths would be quick. With quick sharp tugs on the razor-chains, almost all of the slaves dropped like flies, heads rolling as exquisite, gorgeous, delicious waves of pain and suffering washed over the surrounding raiders. Wounds on those still standing knitted themselves back together, as Rainbow felt herself reinvigorated, not experiencing the rush to the same extent, but thanks to Eethron she was more than capable of feeling something. The few survivors screamed for a few seconds, before the Dark Eldar were upon them, weapons disbanded as they simply used their hands to rip the pathetic creatures apart like cattle before the charnel house. Rainbow turned away from the dead, their lifeless corpse’s holding little interest for her now as she straddled her bike, Gilda doing the same as they moved towards Scootaloo. The young pony had gone several shades whiter than its normal orange, very few flicks of blood covering her armoured bodysuit, while Rainbow and Gilda were covered in the stuff. But then Scootaloo had never gotten off her bike, hadn’t taken part in the after-battle celebrations. Rainbow was annoyed at her weakness, but she would come around, she wouldn’t have a choice eventually, no one could watch that and remain unchanged. Rainbow was suddenly interrupted as vast webway portals were ripped into existence by Eethron’s quasi-magic science. They wouldn’t be ridding the ships back, they would be going straight back into the Arena of the barbed Heart, and when the portals disappeared, the system fleet would finally see the true surface of the planet, and they would know the depths of their failures. “Shadowbolts, move out,” Rainbow growled, before soaring upwards. *** Rainbow and Gilda leapt off their bikes as they dropped them in the primary garage, half of the other Reavers doing the same before rushing back to the entranceway to watch the arena floor. There was usually a display of blood when they got back, the crowd that had gathered certainly expected it. Only Scootaloo didn’t rush to watch, Rainbow catching her hurrying towards the waiting figures of Spitfire and Lightning, before she too followed Gilda to watch. Thousands of slaves were dumped onto the sands, Rainbow not even wanting to guess at the rough number. For a moment, all of the crowd held their breath, the only sound coming from the feared mumblings of the slaves, before a few small doors around the arena’s floor were opened, and several dark shapes shot out. Rainbow admired the Khymera, the efficiency and brutality of the kill, the speed of which they moved, and all through pure natural instincts. They were born of nightmares in the warp, giant multi-limbed skinned cat-like creatures, and many had sought to tame them, only to find themselves the prey, but the Dark Eldar had perfected hunting eons ago. Now, they moved like vengeful lightning through the crowd, sensing those too weak to work and tearing them to shreds. One moment they were there, the next, they were simply a fine red mist coating those nearby. More than one slave recoiled at the site, their life also cut short thanks to the razor-chain, forcing them to stand rigidly still as creatures that could kill them in an instant passed right beside them. The fear that rolled off them was palpable, but eventually all good things had to end, and the Khymerae disappeared, Wyches armed with cruel whips forcing the slaves off the arena floor. “Damn, it usually lasts longer,” Gilda sighed as the Reavers slowly made their way out of the garage viewing bay, laughing and joking with each other as they experienced the come down from the battle. Soon, it was just Rainbow and Gilda left, and it was hard to miss the thundering sounds of hooves fast approaching. “Here we go,” Rainbow muttered, not turning around, before suddenly ducking, drugs flooding her system with a flick of her mind. It wasn’t the full blown cocktail she had been using during the raid, but it was enough to slow her perception of time. Spinning around, she saw Spitfire slowly recovering from the punch she had thrown out. Lightning was currently in the air, her face contorted into a snarl as she leapt at Gilda, the pair colliding in slow motion, the much larger Griffon easily throwing her attacked across the garage. “Time for a party,” Rainbow chuckled, before blurring into life, easily dancing around Spitfire and planting both her claws on the base of Spitfires wings. Pegasi wings were deceptively fragile, and with a flick of her claws, Rainbow felt Spitfire’s wings pop out of their sockets, before being thrown across the room to join Lightning. The injectors whirred as they drew back the remnants of the drugs from her system, the vials now getting decidedly empty, but that didn’t stop both her and Gilda leaping on their fallen adversaries, Spitfire still roaring in pain at her useless wings as they landed on top of them both, Rainbow gripping her claws tight around Spitfire’s face. “That was stupid, Spitfire,” she chuckled darkly, tracing a claw around Spitfire’s eye, getting just close enough to worry her. “I told you you were on thin ice.” “Finish it, bitch,” Spitfire growled through gritted teeth, Lightning mumbling through Gilda’s claw that had been clamped around her muzzle. “Prove me right, animal.” “Animal?” Rainbow laughed. “I suppose I could be a Khymera, but most animals aren’t like me. No no, I do this for fun, for the pleasure of the kill, not the necessity. I have two goals, save Applejack, and to fit in. You’re jeopardising part two.” “Let me finish them off, Rainbow,” Gilda pleaded, blood trickling from round her claws as she cut deeply into Lightning. “They can’t get away with this.” For a few moments, Rainbow considered the option. She could easily kill Spitfire, Gilda could easily end Lightning, and there wasn’t anything either of them could do, and it wasn’t as if anyone else would care. Eethron would probably thank her for two new bodies anyway. Her grip tightened, her claw hovering over Spitfire’s eye. She would take those first, wipe the sense of self-satisfaction from her face in pain and blood. Then her wings, then… “R-R-Rainbow?” Scootaloo’s voice barely carried across the room, the young mare having approached the group as they fought. She looked more terrified than she had during all of the slaughter at the raid, but she also had a look of determination, buried deep beneath the layers of fear. “Rainbow?” She repeated, her voice stronger this time. Rainbow glared at her for a few seconds, making a few calculations. In the time it took her to kill Spitfire, Scootaloo would have turned around. In the time it took her to let go of the corpse and dive at the young pony, she would be half way towards the door, and she would only manage two steps after that before Rainbow delivered the killing blow. It would be quick, clean, easy. Rainbow gasped deeply as the images flooded her mind, staggering back slightly and relinquishing her hold on Spitfire as she shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts from her head. “Rainbow?” Gilda half asked, half snapped, quickly grabbing Spitfire as well. “Take them both to my personal cell,” Rainbow ordered, doing her best to sound commanding, her voice growing stronger as she spoke. “Death would be far too quick and easy for them, I’m going to make them suffer, make them know the reality of betraying me. Gilda let out a low growl, before nodding, tightening her grip slightly and digging further into their muzzles as she hovered in the air, dragging them along the floor. They would bear the scars from her claws for the rest of their lives, however long they might be now, but they would be alive. They would be in pain, glorious pain, but alive. Rainbow turned back to face Scootaloo, but she had already disappeared into the rest of the arena. With a sigh, Rainbow left the garage as well, heading for her chambers. She needed time alone. She didn’t encounter anyone while she was walking to her room, heading inside and collapsing onto the bed, her mind racing. She had wanted to kill Spitfire, it was only right after she had attacked her, that was the way of the Dark City, but Scootaloo…Scootaloo had complicated things. She was still so innocent, so pure, while Rainbow and Gilda had come to wallow in the filth they were in, to revel in it. Killing Spitfire would have only damned her soul a little bit more than it already was, but killing her in front of Scootaloo? That would have broken the mare. Rainbow may not have had much of a conscience left, nor much decency to speak of anymore, but she was still loyal, in her own way. Those that fought with her, for her goals, they deserved everything from her, even if they didn’t see eye to eye. Lightning and Spitfire…they still wanted Applejack, but they didn’t want her. That was ok, they weren’t needed now, not with the number of Reavers Rainbow now commanded, many of whom were better than those two had ever been, but that also didn’t mean they had to die. No, far better that they were kept alive, and in agony. Rainbow and Gilda could blow off steam, Scootaloo didn’t have to witness the events. And if, by any miracle, she came around, she could watch them breathe their last. For now though, Rainbow wasn’t going to try and force Scootaloo’s path anymore, she would let it flow naturally. “Now all I have to do is explain this to G,” she muttered to herself, sighing at the thought of the conversation to come, before turning her head slightly as the door opened. As if she had heard her name called, Gilda stood there, a neutral look written across her face as Rainbow got up from the bed, turning to face her friend. This wasn’t going to be an easy, or pleasant conversation. “G…” she began, before Gilda cut her off. “That mercy streak will bite you one day,” she pointed out, not betraying her feelings. “Maybe even get you killed.” “You really think I’m going to let that happen?” Rainbow snorted, before flicking her mane in her best impersonation of Rarity, hoping the humour would lighten Gilda’s mood a bit. “I can’t die, I am far too pretty to die. I am just too pretty for Celestia to let me die.” “I think most ponies finding you beautiful is a ship that’s long since sailed,” Gilda pointed out, a smirk flashing across her face. “And you?” Rainbow shot back with a grin of her own, glad she had finally broken the tension, before letting out a surprised squawk as Gilda dived at her, knocking her over onto the bed and locking her beak around her muzzle, the Griffon’s tongue snaking into Rainbow’s mouth. Well, Rainbow guessed it could have been worse a much worse conversation.