Families and Friends
Upheaval: Reckoning
Chapter 30: Families and Friends
When Rarity first didn't appear for work a couple of days ago, Hammer Chain had assumed that she decided she’d rather be out shopping with her friends instead of practicing her new-found craft. Disappointing, but understandable. It was only much later did news reach him that his apprentice had been hospitalized for fighting in a restaurant. He hadn't pegged her as the sort to get into a barroom brawl, or whatever they called fights in a restaurant. She had too much of an elegant air about her. He had her figured for the sort who’d lay down a challenge ahead of time, and turn the whole thing into a formal spectacle. He wasn't too worried though, especially after his last visit.
Hammer Chain closed the door behind him. “You look awful, Rarity. I hope the other pony looks worse. Please tell me you sliced off a limb at least.”
Rarity pouted. “Normally, I’d be offended by somepony telling me I look awful, but I suppose I deserve it this time." A look of embarrassment followed that pout. “Unfortunately, my opponent escaped with all his limbs intact. I didn't leave him completely unmarked though.”
“There’ll be other chances.” Hammer Chain took a seat next to his apprentice. “So who was this pony you fought with?”
“His name is Lion Court.”
Hammer Chain snorted as he walked past Canterlot General Hospital’s front doors. “Didn't leave him unmarked” his apprentice said. She wasn't lacking for confidence that one.
When he arrived at Rarity’s room, his apprentice was nowhere in sight. All he found was Fluttershy tidying up the place.
“Oh hello, Mister Hammer Chain,” Fluttershy said. “Are you looking for Rarity? She went to the exercise yard to practice with those blades of hers.”
“You sure she’s fit enough for that?” Hammer Chain asked. “Last thing I need is my apprentice splitting her wounds open, and gushing blood all over your exercise yard.”
Fluttershy balked for a moment before shaking her head. “N-no, she’s fine,” she said.
“Fluttershy!” somepony shouted from behind Hammer Chain. “Leave the tidying to maintenance, and take your break! Terrato grind me, filly! Do I have to order you to rest?”
“I will! I…um…I need to check on somepony!”
Hammer Chain smiled, and followed his old friend. The chosen hospital staff tripped all over themselves to get out of Redbrand's way. “So how many ponies have you mangled in this chosen hospital, Redbrand?” he asked.
“There’d be a lot less if I didn't have to work with these butter knives you keep passing off to me as scalpels, Hammer Chain,” Redbrand groused. “Come on, or are you just here to see your prissy apprentice? From the looks of her, you haven’t even bothered to teach her which end of the knife goes where!”
They settled down on Redbrand’s new office. Canterlot’s medical ponies had tried to give Redbrand, and the other Barrier Lands ponies a warm welcome. The plush office must have belonged to a high-ranking pony, or was built specifically to make sure that the hospital didn't offend. The floor and walls were fine hardwood, the desk and chairs were well-crafted, and the shelves were lined with various medical books. There was even a small, white fridge by one corner of the room. Most of the amenities looked untouched. Hammer Chain wondered if Redbrand had even bothered to spend time in this room, which was easily twenty times better than his office in Fangbreaker.
Redbrand took out a bottle from the fridge, as well as a couple of glasses. Hammer Chain glanced at the liquid as Redbrand poured it, and frowned. “That’s not brandy I see," he said.
“Good eye,” Redbrand muttered. “At least you haven’t roasted your eyeballs in that oven you work in.”
Hammer Chain snorted when he took a sip of the golden liquid. Light Beer. If this stuff was any weaker, he may as well put a teat on the bottle. He had a fairly good idea why Redbrand was using this stuff for anything besides gargling in the morning. “That yellow filly has you whipped, Redbrand,” he said. “I haven’t seen this since you and Floral could stand being in the same city.”
“I don’t want to hear my nag wife’s name.” Redbrand drained his first glass with a single long pull. “Damn it, now you've reminded me!”
Hammer Chain’s eyes narrowed with concern. “Reminded you of what?” he asked. “Has something happened?”
“Got another letter a few days ago,” Redbrand replied morosely. “She says the riots at Glacierfall are getting worse. She wants to move to Canterlot.”
“Why Canterlot?” Hammer Chain asked. “Does she want to pretend she's a noble, and bleed you drier?”
“Shut your horse mouth.”
“Fine, fine.” Hammer Chain hoped that Redbrand’s colt would make the trip too. Summer Squall’s presence would definitely help. “How are you doing in this new post then?”
“Horrible,” Redbrand said. “Everything's too sweet. I swear even the tap water has sugar in it. The chosen act like lunatics if they get so much as a glass of booze down. And why is it so prince-damned warm here? It’s winter! I’ll melt if summer catches me in this flowerpot of a city!”
Hammer Chain chuckled. “It’s not so bad. You can grumble all you want, truth be told you’re looking better than you've ever been for years. I wonder why that is?” Hammer Chain didn't need to stretch the truth. There was a brightness and clarity in Redbrand’s eyes that he had not seen since Shimmer Wing died all those years ago. There was also a little more vigor in his steps.
“You’re looking too hard, Hammer Chain,” Redbrand replied. “Maybe your eyes are better off being roasted in a forge fire.”
Hammer Chain drained his glass, frowning when he didn't get even a mild buzz. “You may as well have served me water,” he muttered.
“I just might,” Redbrand replied. “These damn drunks are going to force drastic measures.”
“Don’t even joke about it.” Hammer Chain headed for the door. “Well, I'd better not disturb Rarity while she practices with her mage-blades. I’ll see you around!”
Redbrand merely nodded, and poured himself another glass as Hammer Chain left.
Redbrand had downed his third glass when a knock on his door forced him to put away the bottle. “Come in!” he called out. The door opened a crack so a single green eye, and a long lock of pink hair could peer through.
“Excuse me, Doctor Redbrand…”
“I told you to take that break, Fluttershy,”
“Well, I was…I mean I was going to after making sure Rarity wasn't gushing…I mean, they just brought in an injured legionnaire who refuses to let the other staff take care of him. He keeps saying he wants a Barrier Lands pony to treat him and…well…the other Barrier Lands ponies are taking their breaks so I--”
“He’s going to get a hoof upside his foal head,” Redbrand growled. “How’s that for Barrier Lands treatment?”
“Please be gentle,” Fluttershy squeaked. “He broke a foreleg stopping a brawl.”
Redbrand flung the door open, nearly causing Fluttershy to fall face first to the ground. He was about to leave when he paused, and looked back at her. The crippled legionnaire who thought he was too good for chosen doctors could wait. “What’s with the gloomy face?” he asked. “Something else wrong?”
“Well…um…no, not really…it’s just…”
Redbrand waited, his eyebrows slowly inching closer to each other with each passing second. Finally, Fluttershy managed to drag herself out of the muck of um’s and well’s she often fell into.
“I've been trying to get in touch with my other friends: Rarity's busy training, Pinkie's busy learning from this strange earth pony.” Fluttershy cast her gaze downwards. “Applejack and Twilight are off somewhere with Vanguard, and they wouldn't tell me when I asked.”
“They’re Special Operations now, filly,” Redbrand said. “That means they’ll be doing a lot of things they don’t need, or want you to know. Get used to it.”
“But we’re friends!”
“Especially because you’re friends.” Redbrand pretended to scratch his head, but that was only to keep his hooves busy, and away from patting Fluttershy in comfort. “Don’t take it personally. They’re not doing it to spite you.”
“I wish I could do something for them,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t want to just wait here until they come back hurt. First Applejack, now Rarity…and I know Rainbow’s in some kind of trouble, even if they won’t say anything.”
Redbrand snorted. “And you think you’re going to be lucky, and stay by the sidelines?” he asked. “I don’t know what the whole business with these ‘Elements of Harmony’ is, Fluttershy, but you’re kidding yourself if you think you’ll be spared whatever’s happening to your friends. Like you said, even your insane, pink friend’s up to something. You’ll get your turn. I don’t know what that turn’s going to be, but you’ll get it. You should be glad you can take small breaks for now, so go take them.”
Fluttershy nodded, then looked out a nearby window. Redbrand followed her gaze for a moment. Somewhere south of here, Vanguard’s new squad was up to something. He didn't know what, but he wished them luck, if only so Fluttershy wouldn't be so distraught on their return.
Vanguard's squad finally caught sight of their quarry at Macintosh Hills. The search for Rainbow and Scarlet had been a confused tangle of conflicting reports until, of all ponies, Rarity pointed them in the right direction. The pattern wasn't lost on Vanguard. This was the second time that Rarity, who was barely able to keep up during the march from Fangbreaker, had proven vital in fighting Equestria’s enemies. South of Canterlot was still a broad stretch of territory to cover, but knowing that they were secretly being brought to Ophidus narrowed things down.
It was easy to assume that the group would choose to cross Macintosh Hills rather than reveal themselves in Appleloosa, or brave the Palomino Desert. Few trees dotted the hard, snow-covered ground, but the rolling terrain and the outcroppings of rock provided places to hide from patrols. They had more than just a general direction as well. A day ago, First Squad discovered strands of Rainbow’s hair along a trail in Ghastly Gorge. More trailblazers quickly followed. They covered a lot of ground faster than a group of slaves and two prisoners. Now, they were about to end this chase.
Their targets, several indoctrinated pegasi, had found an outcropping of rocks under the shadow of a large hill. They were hunkered down and wary, but fatigue left them distracted. Vanguard couldn't see the ophidite leader, or the captives from his vantage point. Behind him, Twilight, and Applejack looked ready to explode. First Squad had circled around to make sure no one escaped.
“We’ll take out that sentry first," Vanguard said. He pointed towards one pegasus who was farther away from his fellows. Twilight’s horn glowed, but he waved his hoof to stop her. “No flash for now.” He looked to his vice captain. “Applejack, yank him over here. Break his neck before he can call his friends.”
Applejack nodded, and swung her lasso. The looped end flew, and the links stretched with magical force. The beige pegasus noticed his new silver necklace. Before he could say anything, Applejack gave her chain a hard tug. The body flew towards them so fast that Vanguard fell to the ground to avoid being smacked in the face. The corpse crashed behind them, but none of the pegasi seemed to have heard anything.
Minutes passed before the pegasus’s absence was noticed. More pegasi gathered around the spot where the -now dead- guard should be, allowing Vanguard to properly gauge the enemy’s strength. Six pegasi were in sight. Two hung back, while others ventured cautiously to check on where their comrade. A lone vipren, sheltered in the deepest part of the hill’s shadow, started hissing orders. Rainbow was there as well, but there was still no sign of Scarlet. This was likely the whole group. They wouldn't have attempted to infiltrate Equestria with anything larger. When four of the pegasi stood closely enough together, he glanced over to Twilight. “Take them out, unicorn mage.”
A great surge of blue-white lightning burst from Twilight's horn. The bolt crashed into the nearest pegasus, consuming him greedily like a living, starving creature, leaving only charred remains in its passing. It jumped towards the next pegasus before he could scream, and devoured him as well. The other two started to run, but only got a half step before the bolt finished them off. By the time Twilight’s spell fizzled, four corpses lay twitching on the ground.
Vanguard had not even waited for the spell to strike when he charged with his two-bladed sword in his mouth. When the spell was done, he was already upon the remaining two pegasi. His first swing cut open the first one's neck, spraying blood on the snow. The second one reared up, and Vanguard brought the other end low, stabbing deep into the pegasus’s belly.
The vipren hissed loudly at the sudden carnage. It was about to flee when Rainbow suddenly gave a loud cry, and knocked it down, pinning it in place. First Squad raced in. By the time they made it to the place, the fight was over. Twilight pulled Rainbow away, and steadied her while Applejack had her chain wrapped around the vipren.
Bad Arc looked at the charred corpses, and let out a snort. “Nice work, Purple Pyre,” he told Twilight.
Twilight glared. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, not Purple Pyre!”
Bad Arc didn't seem to hear her as he went over to the ophidite. “Make it easy for us, vipren,” he said. “What’s the empire’s business this deep in Equestria?”
The vipren merely hissed again. Vanguard had expected that. He was more concerned about his other squad mate. They found Scarlet gagged, and tied to a pole. Applejack and Twilight tried to free him, but he struggled violently against his bounds.
“Calm down, Scarlet!” Twilight said. She ran out of patience, and cut through the ropes with magic. In an instant, Scarlet had already pinned the vipren to the ground. Both Applejack and Twilight could only stare at the empty space where he was half a second ago.
“Where is he?” Scarlet shouted at the vipren as soon as he could tear away his gag . “Where’s Hassyth?”
Vanguard tried to pull Scarlet away. To his surprise, Scarlet wouldn't budge. Scarlet’s eyes bulged from his head, and he breathed in deep, ragged gasps.
“Where else, Scarlet Rabbit?” the vipren said. “He’s to the south, waiting for his prize racer back in Ophidus!”
Things quickly made sense to Vanguard. “Scarlet, Hassyth is not a priority right now, settle down!” he said.
“They said he was dead!” Scarlet shouted. “I’ll kill him!”
“Stop him!” Vanguard shouted to the others. He jumped after Scarlet, as did Applejack, and Twilight. Even Bad Arc made the jump. They almost crashed into each other, and Scarlet was already gone. Vanguard turned around just in time to see a red dot quickly receding into the horizon. “Damn!”
“I’ll get him!” Rainbow said.
“Rainbow, no!” Applejack said. “Just let him go! Did you see the look on his face? He’s gone plumb crazy!”
“I can’t just leave him behind now!” Rainbow flew off before anypony could stop her.
“Bad Arc!” Vanguard called.
“Don’t look at me, Clash,” Bad Arc replied. ”Didn't you see how fast they just went? There’s no catching up to them.”
Vanguard gestured for Applejack and Twilight to follow, and made his way southwards. He was going to catch up eventually, even if it was only to pick up those two idiots wherever they inevitably crashed.
Rainbow beat her wings as hard as she could. She didn't even want to think about being tired. She had to catch Scarlet. If she didn't, he’d probably fly all the way to where the rest of these snake monsters were, and end up dead. She was about to shout his name, but changed her mind. She was going to need every scrap of breath she could get into her lungs. No sense in wasting some in a futile attempt to get his attention.
‘Please, Celestia, Luna, Terrato, whoever in the Eternal Herd is in charge of flying, let me catch up to him! Please!’
Rainbow flapped harder, the strain slowly burning through her wings. She couldn't even see Scarlet. It was all she could do to keep from giving up. He could be miles away, and impossible to catch up to. Just how fast was he flying? A few seconds ago, he was moving as if he was teleporting, and he had spent days struggling against his bonds. How much strength could he still have in him?
‘The truth is, you've been a pretty awful friend, Scarlet,” Rainbow thought. ‘I've been through one mess after another because of you.’ Still, she also understood something else. As badly as she ended up following Scarlet, he had willingly extended a hoof in friendship when she was in a strange and violent land. She had taken it gladly, and did share some good times with him. ‘I’m not leaving you behind anyway!’
She was approaching the speed that would trigger a Sonic Rainboom. Sure enough, there was a powerful explosion of colors, and the world turned into a blur. Still, there was no sign of Scarlet. Not even the trail of red he left behind when he flew. The dismay nearly crushed her heart. Was he just too fast for her? What would have happened in that race? Would she have been eating his dust at the get go?
‘No! Forget the race! This is more important than any race! More important than being the fastest! I can’t lose!’
Another couple of dismal minutes passed. Rainbow searched desperately for any sign: a speck of red, a loose feather still drifting in mid-air. Anything. She was going to slow down at some point, but the burn was still nothing but a dull ache at the back of her mind. Instead of slowing down, however, she seemed to be going faster. Something strange was going on. Days of being ridden and being ordered about should have sapped her strength, but she was flying at dizzying speeds with no problems. In fact, she felt invigorated, ready to keep this up for hours if she had to. She looked down on her hooves. Was that a faint, light blue shimmer surrounding her? What was that about? Maybe she was just imagining things.
Finally, she spotted a red speck against a blue sky. Rainbow felt another burst of renewed energy. She didn't know if she was flying so fast that she caught up to him despite the head start, or if he had simply started to tire, but she didn't care. Her heart was racing, and he was coming closer with each beat.
Then, she was on him. Rainbow dove in from above, and grabbed hold of Scarlet, dragging him from the sky. He let out a roar of rage and frustration, and looked to see who would dare grab him. Upon seeing her, a flash of recognition lit his face. “Let go!” he snarled.
Rainbow shook her head. “You have to stop this, Scarlet!”
“Hassyth’s over there! I have to kill him! I have to!”
“No, you don’t!” It didn't take much for Rainbow to piece together the clues. “He’s not your master now! Why should he decide what you have to do? Don’t be a slave! You know what’s more important!”
Scarlet’s breathing grew even more ragged. He struggled to peel Rainbow off him, but she held on for dear life. A minute passed, and he screamed at the top of his lungs. With that, Rainbow dragged him down. They tumbled against the ground before crashing against a large tree.
They lay there for a long time, gulping in air as if they had almost drowned. Eventually, Rainbow let go of Scarlet, and got up. She cast aside any feeling of joy over being able to catch up. Now, there was the problem of getting back. The ground was moist and covered in bushes. They were surrounded by vines and trees. The sounds of insects and birds filled the air. “Where are we?” she asked.
Scarlet sat up. He was still panting when he looked around. “Dunno,” he said. His voice was husky, almost gone from all the screaming. “Maybe just between the Heartland, and the Southern Barrier Land. Maybe all the way to the Southern Barrier Land.”
Rainbow scraped the mud off her hooves and coat. The strong smell of damp earth tickled her nostrils. They had to get back. She hoped that they had been flying in a perfectly straight line. Then, it dawned on her. The sniper. The sniper was still out there. It was a miracle that neither of them got shot on the way here. Was the sniper still watching them? They had flown so fast and so far, it seemed impossible. But what if he was there? What if, the moment she flew past the trees to have a good look, she’d have another arrow stuck into her flank? What if they really were in the Southern Barrier Land where more ophidites awaited? She balled all her fears in a lump, and swallowed. There was no sense in just waiting and worrying.
“Well, let’s go,” she said.
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Update! I'm liking these RD chapters.
Yay, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, AJ and RD in the same chapter with a passing mention of Pinkie. Not to mention that RD found a way to access the element of loyaltys (is this correct?) power.
The only possible way this could have been better would have been with spike, but I'm not complaining.
Awesome chapter. Have a
.
Oh man.... Rainbow's in trouble. Again. But woohoo! She's officially fastest
I'm dying in anticipation on what Fluttershy's part will be!
Ack, I shudder to think about what Black Rose has planned for Shy. Then again, she was the only one of the mane 6 who had to be physically corrupted by Discord, maybe she will fair fairly well. Plus there's New Fluttershy to take into account, so perhaps we should pity the Thorn assigned to her.
Daaaaamn, Twilight. Purple Pyre, now there's a nickname you might just be permanently stuck with.
Dash participates in her own rescue, I like it. And... then she dashes off after Scarlet.
Does this count as her wining the race? I'd like to think that it does. I really hope that her loyalty power is actually even more speed!
Nothing's wrong with me! I'm perfectly fine!
Great chapter as always! I wonder where did RD and SR wind up in...
UPDATE! Yay! Thanks so much!
“Don’t even joke about it,” Hammer Chain said. He rose and headed for the door. “Well it looks like I better not disturb Rarity while she practices with her mage-blades . I’ll see you around, Redbrand.”
Don't you think that's a bit too many spaces?
Also, damn I need longer chapters.
Dammit Twilight! You should of left him tied to the pole!
Well... that was one efficient rescue mission... surprisingly efficient, but I suppose the point was made. Rainbow Dash unlocked her super special superpower and she's free along with Scarlet. And now they are alone in a forest, pretty far from Canterlot (either heartland isn't all that big or they were flying ridiculously fast).
But I will be a little bit disappointed if we won't get the actual scene where Rarity is brought to the hospital
also, Aj's and Twilight's reactions to killing ponies, indoctrinated slaves who's only crime was to be born and brought up in a land where ponies are tough blind obedience to their masters.
Awsome :D
So was that RDs test? Resisting the drugs and stopping Scarlet?
okay new chapter, yay!
lets see what we got...
>Fluttershy
hmm, she's feeling useless just like Pinkie is/was, but at least she's doing good working in the hospital despite what she thinks.
So Rebrand's "nag wife" could be coming to Canterlot? I wonder what her reaction will be to seeing the relationship between Fluttershy and Redbrand? Probably cries of "affair" and "I'm not good enough for you?", I'm pretty sure this ties into testing Fluttershy's element so that would mean a certain red & black alicorn would be behind it...
I guess Fluttershy's test is showing kindness to those who don't deserve it, something which is not helped by being around Redbrand
>Redbrand
so he has "nag wife" and a colt as well as a daughter he lost many years ago...what I think happened is that he was trying to save his daughter but lost her to what I assume to be a wound from a Wolven, so he doubled down on his duty as a doctor and neglected his wife (and/or they never really got along in the first place) which is the source their animosity, as she feels (rightly) neglected, and he feels that she's being too leechy/pushy, so when Fluttershy came along and showed him some kindness (probably the first he'd had in years), and she kept on pushing, he let her because she reminded him of his long dead daughter (bonus points if Shimmer Wing was a yellow pegasus (well I guess it's obvious she was a pegasus with that name), double points if she also had a pink mane), so the accusations from Floral might not be so much "affair" as "you're trying to replace our daughter, with this...Chosen nag?" [/headcanon]
>Twilght
Being called "purple Pyre" hits a little close to home, eh Twilight? remember what Vanguard said so many chapters ago: "If you walk Pyre's path, you'll end up where Pyre is." and it looks like she's walking that path very closely...
>Rainbow
so her special element talent is...more speed? that's under whelming but it does fit
so now she and Scarlet are now stuck in southern Heartland or northern Southern Barrier Lands, and they can't fly for fear of being shot by Longstride? looks like the forecast will be lots of character development between them with a chance of shipping in the chapters to come.
Gggaaaaaa!!!!
Personally I love Twilight's story bits so I was happy to see more of her!
The problem with getting updates for this story is... I then get excited for this story, where it's going, the characters, what might happen next, and I just want the rest of the story!!!!!
Ahhh, well that's a part of life isn't it? We have to wait for that which is good. Well I'm willing to wait if it means that your story is as awesome as it's gonna be!
again a nice chapter but rainbow arcs are not my forte
i like the twilight going nuts and over power with asome combo's and stuff
don't know about pinkie yet... we still need to get a peek of ''her training'' so i have to wait till then
Ah finally, I have caught up to the updates.... Oh wait, I've caught up... damn... GIMME MORE SPIKE CHAPTERSSAASSSAAASSASASSA!!! Also great chapter, can't wait to see the "powers" each element bearer will get... assuming that each of them do
Meh what ever, keep going as you are, you're doing a great job 
Ooh, ooh, special Loyalty power is LIGHTNING! Fast, and you can't blame Dash for not noticing the first time. Then Visiden can still introduce it later without extra excuses. Maybe from Longstride's eyes?
Damn, they go to the trouble of capturing the snake but kill the pony slaves like it was nothing. Is there truly no hope for rehabilitation? I'd have at least expected Twilight to be less cold about that.
1455430 well given they were Hassyth's most loyal pegasi slaves, it probably would have been a lost cause to rehabilitate them, given they were probably too far gone
as for Twilight being cold about it, they were rescuing Rainbow Dash, a close friend and one of the elements of harmony, as in 'get her back at any cost',
plus that scene was from Vanguard's perspective so we didn't have access to Twilight's thoughts, so maybe in the next chapter we'll get her perspective on the rescue, which will probably include guilt over killing the slaves, and might even include a discussion with Vanguard about whether it was 'right' to kill the slaves
Longstride would have to be very good at calculating flight time and predicting where the target will be, and that is assuming the bolt goes faster then Rainbow. The one thing that annoyed me about when Scarlet and Dash were first sniped was that there was no flight time. Also, finally caught up, not to start working on the "Read Later" list.
This was a great chapter.
Good to see elemants slowly getting together.
really likin' the story, one of my favourites i've found on here. athough i'm a little concerned that, with so many plots at once, you won't be able to finish it
unless of course you're one of those authors who knows EXACTLY what they want in the story from point A to point B
no need to sound so offended, 'tis an awsome nickname....
.....even..even though it does sound like the name of the mare to made it her goal to end your life
....i withdraw my earlier statement on how she doesn't need to sound offended
I have to say, I feel like this arc would have been better if it had been longer. I'm not sure what you have planned next, but Dash and Scarlet actually making it to the snake lands and being subjected to the whole slave racing thing would have been a much more impressive test of Dash's loyalty than her being drugged once and then snapping out of it a couple days later. It just feels a bit...hollow. Not to say I haven't enjoyed this arc (its been one of my favourites) just that the build up seemed to warrant more of an outcome. If Dash had been pitted against other ponies in races, awarded with drugs to dull her pain and guilt, and then somehow become addicted to her successes and popularity there (I'm assuming it would be a bit like gladiatorial combat, with champions being regarded as something special, even if they were just entertainment for the rich masses at their core) and then she managed to break free (after dealing with all her doubts - "its ok to win races even if that means other ponies are dying, because then I'm staying alive, I don't have to feel bad about it....) not to mention the conflicting emotions this would bring up once she was finally ordered to race Scarlet...I dunno, it just seems like it would mean more. But I've rambled enough, and this isn't my story, so I should probably shut up.
All in all, still enjoying this, and despite my crotchety comment the direction you're taking it in is interesting.
Onward!
3166235 ya I had a feeling there was going to be a death race for them once the snakes got them back to there home land but still a good chapter over all
1438982 I like how black rose has/had her main six there like the flip side of our main 6