Manhattan Ballad

by ObCom

Part 11

Vinyl hated to admit it, but she felt good. She hadn’t been off of the operating table for ten minutes before Bass Leader came in, listened to the surgeons say that the operations were a success, and thrown her to the wolves. Men in suits had come at her, their augments flaring and looking like someone had pissed in their cereal. Vinyl had been in a few fights before, but those had been one-on-one and she had knocked back a few bottles of beer beforehand. She was not a seasoned fighter, nor did she know any particular style. The augments helped, turning a glancing blow into a broken bone. The fight was over before she knew it. Her body was covered in sweat and her hair was sticking to her face, but Vinyl was the only one standing and it felt great.

Bass Leader stepped forward, bringing his gigantic hands together in a slow clap. “Money well spent, wouldn’t you agree?”

Vinyl nodded vigorously, her blue hair sending beads of sweat flying. “What did you do to me?” Vinyl looked at her arms. Before, she couldn’t see the grid of machinery under her skin because she had so few augments. Now her entire arms blazed with a network of purple lights. The lights could be turned off, but seeing just how much more machinery crawled inside her, Vinyl felt a spike of panic. “What did you do to me?!”

Bass Leader made a show of looking at the lackeys on the ground. “I would say I found your purpose.”

“No you didn’t! You pumped me full of augs that… you turned me into some sort of fucking monster!”

“No I didn’t. I gave you the augments, yes, but they were only so effective because they built upon the framework you already possessed. You agreed that they made you feel good and you were smiling the whole time.”

“No,” Vinyl said. “Don’t try to spin this around.”

Bass Leader laughed and spread his arms wide. “I don’t have to. You were besieged by my men and self-defense was expected. But you didn’t stop there, Ms. Scratch. You gave in to your bloodlust. You wanted more, even though you were in no threat. So what did you do?” Bass Leader paused as if expecting a response, but Vinyl stared blankly. “You mounted one of my men and cracked his skull open. I can see the horror and incredulity in your eyes, Ms. Scratch. The proof is at your feet.”

Vinyl didn’t look down. One corner of Bass Leader’s lips curled up. “Don’t worry about him, though. Boys like these are a dime a dozen around here. Now, to business.” Bass Leader put his arm around Vinyl’s shoulder and ushered her out of the room. She fought the temptation to look back.

“You might have guessed some of your new toys by now. Enhanced strength and stamina are some of the most basic things I give to my employees. Of course, yours is a little better. You also have a sub-dermal weave, but only in your torso for now. You can have the rest later. You also have a new set of eyes, so you don’t have to wear those goggles anymore.”

“Wait, what? New eyes?” Vinyl had been listening with growing dread, but the news about her eyes stuck out.

“Yes. Now you can see in different spectrums without other equipment. There is also one new feature that you have yet to try. You had many opportunities in your fight, but you preferred using your fists. Try it now,” he commanded and waved toward a door.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow and had no idea what to do. She started forward, but Bass Leader tightened his grip. “What, you want me to wave my hands at it?”

“In a sliding motion.” Feeling ridiculous, Vinyl complied.

When the door opened, she said, “That’s cool.”

“Indeed it is. You now have the powers of the Empire’s Magi. You can remotely hack open most doors and computers without a glance and you can even shut down another person’s augments. Of course, that trick won’t work on some people so don’t grow too reliant on it.”

Vinyl was silent. She didn’t want Bass Leader to know that she thought the augments were badass. Instead, she asked a question that had been gnawing at her. “Why are you doing this?”

Bass Leader stared at her like she was something unpleasant on the bottom of his shoe. Once she was uncomfortable, he said, “Because you lost my daughter and I want you to get her back. Now follow me. There’s something you need to see.” He vanished through the door Vinyl had just opened, leaving her no choice but to follow.

“It should come as no surprise that I keep track of my enemy’s movements,” Bass Leader said as he led Vinyl down a featureless hallway. “While you were becoming acclimated to your new abilities, we were presented an opportunity that we cannot possibly ignore, even though you are nowhere near complete. Octavia will be moved later today, and that is when we will take her back.”

“I’m only one person,” Vinyl said.

Bass Leader’s face was unreadable. “Indeed,” he said. They reached another door, which he opened and ushered her through.

She was presented to an army.

“What the fuck,” Vinyl muttered as she stood on a raised platform above a large crowd of people, all of them wearing bulletproof vests and carrying some sort of firearm. There were men and women of all shapes and sizes. Vinyl wouldn’t be surprised to see the entire CyberLink staff down there somewhere. Had Bass Leader forced everyone to be turned into killers? No, that would be too expensive and would lead a trail to any prying eyes. Besides, there wouldn’t be a point to turning everyone into what she had become. No one down there had pissed Bass Leader off as much as she had. No one else deserved to be as twisted as she was.

“I normally don’t do this,” Bass Leader said as he stood alongside Vinyl, “but I do think that this will be worth it.” He put his giant hands on the guardrail and leaned forward, not looking at her. “They will go up the interstate, where you will be waiting. When you can, give the order to attack. Heavy teams will get rid of their armor while everyone else will be a distraction. Your team will dive into the fray, get Octavia, and come back here. Any questions?”

Vinyl had one, but she would never say it. Do you honestly think I’m going to come back?
Bass Leader seemed to read her mind. “In case you have any thoughts of running, I would reconsider. I will be monitoring your progress here. If you try to flee, I will detonate the charges that are now in your brain.” Vinyl blanched and Bass Leader smiled. “The armory is just over there. Take whatever you need and get a haircut.” Vinyl swallowed the lump in her throat, nodded, and descended the stairs into the makeshift army.

Octavia’s knees shook under Rainbow Dash’s gaze. Quick, nervous glances at the people around her let Octavia know she wasn’t the only one affected by the general’s presence. Even the usual hecklers were quiet. Questions filled Octavia’s head, but as usual there were no answers. She couldn’t ask Rainbow Dash why the general had decided to grace them with her presence.
The general stood on the catwalk and was staring down at the amount of people she had caught. The Hunters had lived up to their names. The amount of new people found had been staggering since Octavia had been caught. Where there really that many people who didn’t have augs? The number baffled her.
After surveying the crowd and striking terror into all of their hearts with her presence, Rainbow Dash leaned over and said something to one of the soldiers. He nodded and stepped forth, assault rifle in clear view. “Alright, we’re moving. When those doors open, you will proceed to the transports. Any deviations will receive a warning; runners will not get far.”

Octavia found it to be fairly anti-climatic. She expected Rainbow Dash to stand up, chest thrust forward, and proclaim the greatness of the Solar Empire. Maybe she could’ve said that the Reclamation was necessary. That humanity would live and scratch by for another day thanks to Celestia’s guidance. Instead, they got a few sentences from a masked soldier while the general sat back and scowled at everyone.

The fact that they expected runners did get a bitter laugh out of Octavia. When the doors opened and the prisoners were hit with the blinding sun, she had to ask where they would go. It was just easier to cooperate.

Away from prying eyes, Applejack listened to the radio chatter. They were moving out. She had been to the place where Dash would take her prisoners, a gigantic ship parked in the middle of nowhere, and had been planning her move ever since. A sense of betrayal was still lodged in her heart and refused to budge. She tried to ignore it as she walked to her armor. It was time to go to work.

When Bass Leader had sent his pseudo army off on their likely suicide mission, he sent a cowed and fearful Vinyl Scratch with them. However, as distance grew between Vinyl and the city, she could feel her ire rising. Bass Leader would pay, she decided as she rode in a cramped SUV to their ambush point. But priorities dictated that Vinyl get Octavia back first, so she decided to play along, despite the fact that she could destroy the three men she was cramped with at any moment.

Either they knew Vinyl’s powers were greater than theirs, or the men were just nervous about getting into a full on conflict with the Solar Empire. Vinyl wondered what, exactly, these men did for Bass Leader.
The fat one with a shaved head, whom she dubbed “Fatty,” was religiously cleaning a gaudy pistol in the seat next to hers. He certainly wasn’t going to win any marathons unless the prize was a cheeseburger swimming in grease, so how was he going to contribute to a snatch team? Maybe his augs made up for it. Maybe he was meant as a shield.

In the passenger seat was a lean, baby faced man that earned the nickname “Grub.” It wasn’t because he was overtly pale or made a habit of eating out of trash bags (that Vinyl knew of), but just because Vinyl couldn’t think of anything better. His head went up and down rhythmically and Vinyl heard him wringing his hands. He was also chanting something, and when Vinyl tried to hear what Grub was saying, it sounded like, “This is so bucked up.”

“Hey,” Vinyl said, making Grub jump. “What’re you saying?”

“I ain’t sayin’ anything.” The tone he used was overly defensive and Vinyl grinned.

“Really? Cuz it sounds like you’re saying this is all ‘bucked up.’”

“So what if I am?” Grub squealed. Vinyl considered re-writing his nickname to Bucky, but figured that it didn’t matter. It didn’t stop her from laughing at the man.

“This is rich,” she said. “Bass Leader’s sending us out with a kid who can’t even swear! Just say it’s fucked up. I won’t tell your mommy that her son’s got a potty mouth.”

“Quiet down back there,” said the driver, a man Vinyl called “Blondie,” for obvious reasons. He hadn’t said a word until then and Vinyl was almost disappointed at how normal he sounded.

“I’m sorry, am I interrupting your inner monologue?” Vinyl asked. Monologue. Now that was a word she never thought she’d use. Late night conversations with Octavia about literature must’ve taught her some stuff. Blondie gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. That could mean that Vinyl was right on the money with her guess.

“Save it for the Empire, girly,” Fatty said in a tired slur.

Vinyl felt the verbal jabs crawling up her throat but decided to grind her teeth instead. There were better things to do than antagonize the people that would be keeping the Empire off of her. She suddenly missed her goggles, which were now gone forever. As she looked out the window, strange, magenta eyes stared back. Her hair was shorter too and she wondered if Octavia would recognize her.

That’s bullshit, she thought and shook her head. Of course Tavi will know it’s me, even though I might look a little… different. Vinyl clenched her fist, looking at the faint lights still pulsing under her skin. She swallowed, mind flicking briefly to Bass Leader’s threats of explosives laced around her brain. One problem at a time.

Vinyl didn’t know what she expected from this whole debacle, but lying underneath camouflage webbing on the side of an abandoned highway came as a surprise. At least Grub had the decency to be quiet, but his mutterings were replaced by Fatty’s heavy breathing. He had barely made it down the hill and the plan called for them to run back up. Fatty was a dead man.
Blondie was quiet and tense as ever. Vinyl sighed and looked at the road again.

A random thought hit her. What if they were taking a different route? All of this planning from Bass Leader would go to waste and they would all look like idiots. Octavia would be lost, but the idea that Bass Leader was fallible gave Vinyl a reason to chuckle. The sudden noise made Grub jump and she wondered if the snatch crew was composed of people Bass Leader was too lazy to kill himself.

Before she could poke fun at the jumpy man, the ground started shaking. Vinyl tensed and held her rifle tightly. Just completing the turn and coming towards them was the first APC in the column. Vinyl held her breath, trying to prepare herself for the imminent explosions. A few more APCs passed by, then one of the large, armored transports went by. Vinyl was about to order the attack when, against all odds, the convoy stopped on its own.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Blondie shuffled as much as he dared. “Looks like a Bruiser is standing in the road. Rainbow Dash is approaching them.” A moment passed and Blondie said in a surprised whisper, “I think that’s General Applejack.”

Fatty shifted. “That so. Looks like we can take out two birds with one stone.”

“That sounds great, but how’re we supposed to know which one of these things Octavia is on?”

“Sources say it’s the third one, but we’re freeing as many as we can to cover our escape,” Grub supplied in his annoying, breathless tone.

Vinyl shrugged as well as she could. The generals were still talking about who-knows-what and the third transport was just sitting there. No one was looking in their direction. “What if we go now?” she asked. “Sneak into the third transport, eliminate whoever’s in there, grab the girl and spring the trap while we’re in there? Nothing’s gonna break that thing, so we’ll be safe. Once the explosions die down, we get out of here and spring open as many transports as we can.”

“That sounds like a good way to get us killed,” Blondie said.

Vinyl counted on it. “Yeah? And I’m the one in charge, so come on,” she said and slipped out of the camouflage.

When the convoy had sped around the corner and was met by a lone figure standing in the road, Dash had no choice but to stop, mostly because she was confused. The armor in the road was a set that she had seen countless times before and, unless she was mistaken, that armor should be in orbit around Mars and not on some desolate highway. Dash ordered the column to stop and climbed out of the APC.

The sun shone brightly onto the highway, but at least there was a cool breeze that Dash welcomed after being stuck in the APC. She decided to leave her helmet off and had to raise a hand to her eyes as she walked towards Applejack, who hadn’t moved an inch.

“AJ?” Dash asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“How’d you do it, Rainbow?” Applejack’s voice was warped by her helmet’s speakers, but Dash could tell that her friend wasn’t happy.

“What are you talking about?” Dash’s HUD gave her a warning. “AJ, why are you listed as an enemy?”

“Twi showed me the orders ya got. Bargin’ in, taking folks from their homes, their families. How could you, Dash? Did you ever once stop and ask yourself if you’re doing something wrong?”

“What did you do, Applejack?” The helmet smoothly formed around Dash’s head, courtesy of her Hunter suit. She didn’t want to fight Applejack, but she wasn’t about to lower her guard in the presence of a threat.

“Look at you,” Applejack smirked. “Believin’ whatever the Empire wants you to. You know me, Dash. Think of everything we’ve been through together. Do you think I’m an enemy?”

Dash lowered her head. “Will you shut up and tell me what you did?”

Applejack sighed. “I came back from Mars, where Celestia wanted me to stay. I learned something I shouldn’t have and nearly died in Camelot because of it. Now I’m here to stop all this bullshit you’ve stirred up down here.”

So that was it, then. Applejack was going to ruin all of Dash’s work in a suicidal attempt to topple the Solar Empire. Dash did think about the times AJ had been there for her, dragging her out of situations where she would have surely died. On the other hand, was AJ doing the right thing? Pinkie died upholding the Empire’s ideals, so that certainly meant that the Empire had some sort of merit.

“And what gives you the right to question Celestia?” Dash asked through clenched teeth.

“The right?” Applejack shook her head. “The right?! Common sense gives me the right! Don’t you have any regrets about all this? Have you never spent a sleepless night second guessing yourself? All of this Reclamation bullshit is only causin trouble, Dash. You know it, and don’t you dare use Pinkie as a shield.”

Dash felt a white-hot spike go through her heart. “Don’t even think of bringing Pinkie into this!” she yelled. Were her troops lined up behind her, waiting to turn Applejack into dust?

“Why not? Don’t ya’ll remember what ya said after her funeral? Because I do! You said you wanted to turn this Empire into something Pinkie would’ve been proud of. Think about it, Dash. Would Pinkie be proud of a tyrant causing misery? Would Pinkie be proud of a machine that snatched children in the night?”

The words hurt, each one grabbing that metal spike and twisting it. Dash was glad to have her helmet on. She felt tears forming and, for some reason, didn’t want Applejack to know. Her friend showed no signs of letting up, so Dash asked, despite her voice cracking, “Where’s Twi?”

Applejack visibly winced. “That doesn’t matter.”

“So you’re all alone.”

“I don’t have to be,” Applejack drawled.

Afterwards, Dash would be eternally grateful that the rockets rained on them at that moment. She had been terribly angry and was about to attack Applejack. When the first rockets launched, it just gave her a more constructive means of venting.

Sneaking in? Easy.

Eliminating the guards? Easy.

Finding Octavia? Easy. She had ran through the crowds and nearly toppled Vinyl over.

“Vinyl, what happened to you?” Octavia asked, leaning back from their hug to get a better look.

Vinyl didn’t let her go and shrugged. “Long story short, your father is a terrible host.”

Octavia didn’t smile at the bad joke. Vinyl had expected her to wither away to a stick thin zombie in her time with the Solar Empire. Instead, Octavia looked exactly the same. A little dirty and smelly, sure, but she wouldn’t look out of place in Vinyl’s apartment. In a way, the DJ was jealous.

Fatty made a hacking sound, which might have been his idea of a subtle cough. Right, the explosives. Vinyl pulled up her HUD, all of the icons swarming her vision and nicely framing Octavia’s face. She sent the order and the earth turned upside down. Octavia held her close, maybe out of fright at the sounds coming from outside, but Vinyl wasn’t going to complain. “I don’t know what’s going to be waiting for us out there,” she whispered, “but when we go, there is a hill directly to the right. We’re gonna run up it. There’s a car on the other side. Are you ready?”

Octavia gave a small nod that Vinyl felt rather than saw. She squeezed Octavia a little harder. “Just stay next to me and you’ll be fine, okay? After this, it’ll just be you and me.” Vinyl didn’t have the heart to tell Octavia about the charges lacing her brain, or the giant gamble she was about to take. One thing at a time. Vinyl gave Octavia a small peck on the cheek and broke away.

“Wait,” Octavia said. “What about my father?”

Vinyl tried to give Octavia a reassuring smile. “Just leave that to me, Tavi. Anyway, sounds like the rockets are done. No time like the present, eh?” She turned to the three lackeys and said, “We’re outta here!” They all nodded and took up positions by the door. Behind them, the crowd got to their feet, eager for a chance at freedom. Octavia squeezed Vinyl’s hand, making the DJ smile. Not one to wait, Vinyl reached out with her free hand, seizing control of the door’s gears, and forced it open.

There were fires, there were troops, and there was screaming. Vinyl had no choice but to block it out. She felt the hand holding hers and drew her pistol. Her feet were in motion before her boots touched the ground. There was no point in trying to fight, just run. Run, run, run. A bullet whizzed by her head. Keep running.

A soldier was lining up a shot on her. Raise the pistol, fire, watch him fall. Run. Vinyl thought she heard a gasp from behind but couldn’t be sure. She squeezed the hand and it maintained its iron grip.

They were on the hill now. Someone yelled about Hunters, but Vinyl didn’t want to turn around to look. More bullets kicked up the dirt around her. She pumped her legs as fast as they would go. Even with the augs, her lungs and legs were starting to burn. Wasn’t she supposed to open up more transports? Too late for that. Just keep your head down and run. The crest of the hill was so close! She squeezed the hand and hoped it was just her imagination that it was weaker.

Vinyl threw herself over the hill and saw the beautiful SUV waiting for them. She turned around, unable to keep the smile off her face. “We did it, Tavi!” she yelled, unable to keep the joy out of her voice.

“That’s good, Scratch,” Octavia slurred. “I’m so glad.”

They made it to the SUV and Vinyl turned to look at Octavia. “Oh shit,” she said.

Octavia was doubled over, holding her free hand against her chest. Blood seeped through her fingers and was rapidly staining her shirt. “I don’t feel so good,” she said and fell to her knees.

“Whoa now, don’t even think of saying stuff like that. You’ll be fine, Tavi. You’re tougher than that. I mean, you ate my cooking.” Vinyl threw open the passenger side door and collected Octavia in her arms.

She smiled, lips pale and flecked with blood. Vinyl didn’t take her eyes off of her as she ran around the front and slid into the driver’s seat. “I’m glad I got to see you again, Vinyl,” Octavia slurred.

Vinyl punched the ignition and soon they were flying down the path. “Don’t say that, Tavi. You’re gonna make it.” She tried to keep the worry out of her voice. It didn’t help that the explosives were constantly at the back of her mind. Literally. “I’m gonna take you to a clinic and they’ll fix you up, good as new.”

Octavia managed a chuckle. “And then what, Vinyl?”

Vinyl tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. “Then… then I don’t know. We’re definitely moving, though. The city’s a little too cramped now that I’ve been out here to see trees. How about we settle down and become farmers, eh?” Vinyl looked at Octavia and felt a growing sense of alarm when she saw that the girl had closed her eyes.

“I can’t see you doing farm work, Scratch.”

“Hey, maybe I’m a natural at it. I never did get the chance at it. But I think you know how good I am at plowing.”

Octavia’s smile grew at the dirty joke. “Don’t flatter yourself. You were at my mercy the entire night.”

“So I guess I gotta make that up to you, huh?” Vinyl asked. She saw the city in the distance and pressed the gas for all she was worth. The trees, the road, and the sky all faded away into a blur. All she was aware of was Octavia and the city, just looming out of reach.

“That’s right, Scratch. You owe me big time,” Octavia slurred. She opened her eyes and looked at Vinyl. “Vinyl, I never told you how great you are.”

“Tell me later,” Vinyl said, wiping away the tears that were already forming. “Don’t you fucking talk like that now.”

“You could’ve been terrible to me, Scratch. I saw how much of a nuisance I was, at the beginning. You didn’t want me there, I was scared out of my wits. You could’ve just let me stew in a corner while you resented me. But you didn’t. You took care of me, even bought me presents. My father didn’t do half the things you did, I think. Just threw me into a house. It wasn’t much different, being in your apartment, but at least I had you.” Octavia reached up and wiped Vinyl’s tears. Her movements were stiff and Vinyl saw the pained expression creep across Octavia’s face. “I had you, Vinyl, and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

Vinyl heard Octavia sit up, heard the sharp intake of breath come from her. Vinyl was trying her hardest not to break down, especially not at the breakneck speeds they were doing. The city was so close.

Octavia’s lips brushed against her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered before sliding back. Vinyl risked a glance and saw Octavia had closed her eyes. She wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be dead. Vinyl tried to get the SUV to go faster. The city was right there!

Vinyl wished she wasn’t driving then. She wanted to close her eyes and let the waterworks come. But she had to drive because Octavia wasn’t dead. She wasn’t dead and she needed help.

They finally entered the city.

Octavia hadn’t died in the SUV. She barely registered Vinyl’s cries or the swift turns or anything that happened in the city. At one point she did pass out, because she couldn’t remember leaving the car. She remembered thinking that that was the end for her. She had played her part, now it was time for the curtains to come down and leave her shrouded in the dark while the audience applauded her short, but hopefully memorable, performance.

She was surprised when she opened her eyes for the first time. Lights danced at the edge of her vision, but she otherwise felt fine. Was this the afterlife? If it was, it was fairly anticlimactic. The light spilled in from a window in the door, and the room looked like it was from a hospital. She heard a faint rustling sound next to her, but when she turned, she couldn’t see what it was. “Vinyl?” she asked. Her voice was raspy and she was suddenly aware of how thirsty she was.

The sound grew louder and suddenly Vinyl’s face was before her. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Mountains of anxiety slid off her shoulders when she saw Octavia was awake. Without a word, Vinyl wrapped her arms around Octavia and brought their lips together. Octavia relished the contact. She had never realized how sweet Vinyl tasted.

When the kiss broke, Octavia looked dumbly at Vinyl. “How?” she asked.

The DJ smiled. “Like I wouldn’t move planets for you.”

Octavia rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the blush from forming. Vinyl chuckled and grabbed Octavia’s hand from under the thin blanket. When she pulled it out, Octavia saw that her fingers, intermixed with Vinyl’s shone a brilliant blue. Vinyl had gotten her augmented.

Octavia licked her lips and looked Vinyl in the eye. “So, what happens now?”

“First, you get your rest,” Vinyl said and yawned. “Me too. After that, well, I wasn’t lying about moving from the city.”

“Sounds good to me,” Octavia said, falling back onto the thin pillow. Vinyl reclined in a chair next to the bed and closed her eyes. Octavia bit her lip and, after a moment said, “Am I plugged into any machines here?”

“Nope,” came the reply.

“Then would you like to join me on the bed?”

Octavia could practically hear Vinyl’s grin as she climbed out of the chair and crawled next to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and smiled. There was still the problem of Bass Leader and the Solar Empire looming above the couple, but that was for another day. For now, the two were content to happily drift off together.

Rainbow Dash stormed through the halls of Camelot, shoulders low and holster unbuttoned. She had thought long and hard about everything since Applejack had shown up. Celestia had turned Rainbow Dash into a puppet, a child snatching, mass murdering puppet. The realization hadn’t come easily, but when it did, it had filled her with rage. She was going to join Applejack, if only so that her friend didn’t die alone. But Applejack had done her a huge favor by opening Dash’s eyes to what had happened. The least she could do is repay Applejack.

Without knocking, Dash stormed into Twilight’s office. Twilight jumped in her seat. “Dash? What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk, Twilight,” Dash said

Twilight still looked surprised, probably because Dash wasn’t saluting or acting like a complete idiot this time. She nodded and said, “Of course. What about?”

“About Applejack.” The name made Twilight shrink in her chair. “I ran into her, Twi. She opened my eyes to what should’ve been obvious to us since the beginning. Celestia’s lost it and has twisted us. I mean, look at what we’ve done for her, Twi! All of this? This isn’t us. We should’ve known that this was wrong but we went along with it anyway, all in her name.” Dash stopped to see if her words were having any effect.

Twilight opened her mouth, stopped, closed it, and opened it again. “I know that it doesn’t seem right, but—”

“But nothing, Twilight! Celestia has shown how she can’t be trusted to lead anymore! She has to go down!” Dash walked around Twilight’s desk and put her hands on Twilight’s chair. “You know I’m right. You were hesitant to give me the orders in the beginning. Why are you ignoring the facts when they’re right in front of you!?”

Twilight sniffled once and shook her head. Dash waited patiently, although she was certain that she was scowling. “Oh, Dash,” Twilight said, “what have we done?”

“Terrible things, but now we have a chance to fix them.” Dash offered Twilight a hand. “So what do you say? You want to leave this place?”

Twilight looked around her office once before looking back at Dash. “Yeah. Lead the way,” she said and took Dash’s hand.

Rainbow smiled, pulled Twilight to her feet and said, “With pleasure.”

Before they left, the two agreed that the rebellion needed to start with a bang. Sure, Applejack getting shot at could be seen as the beginning, and in a way it was. But it was a solitary affair. It didn’t have the oomph that got people riled up, but Dash had an idea of what would.

The two paid a special visit before leaving Camelot for good. As they flew away, the station’s self-destruct sequence rapidly ticked towards zero. It was nighttime down below, but the light from the second sun reached down through the layers of oppression and touched upon the freshly sown seeds of rebellion.

Comments

[Reaper1oo]

Ignoring the sound, this is me

[asdfabaeradjargasdfasd]

I wonder how Bass Leader will react to finding out Octavia's a les.

[ObCom]

1125664
That's what sequels are for!

[DrWhooves007]

Je me sens une révolution qui va se passer