Confrontation
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow let out another screech, the crowd roaring in response as yet another one of the disgraced riders ran at her, determined to get some form of retribution before they were hauled away by the Wyches of the Deadly Gaze. The Wyches had filed onto the arena floor shortly after the race had finished, but had stayed remarkably still, only throwing their nets over a few of the survivors and hauling them away. The rest they seemed content to watch as they fought amongst each other, and the crowd was clearly not going to say no to anther brutal spectacle.
Rainbow easily avoided the rushed blow, before spinning and wrapping a hoof around the neck of the Dark Eldar. He struggled for a minute, before Rainbow took to the sky, dragging the kicking and screaming rider with her. She let out a harsh laugh, before letting him go, the Dark Eldar’s scream being cut short as he bounced off the track, the electricity and the impact killing him instantly.
“Enough! Gather the slaves in, take them to our pens!” a voice that Rainbow dimly recognised as the Succubus of the Deadly Gaze called out. “Champion Dash, I would have a word with you, my Wyches will bring you to my trophy room.”
Rainbow grinned savagely as she looked down at the rider she had just dropped, before slowly descending towards the arena and touching down, folding her wings against her body. The war mask was still clearly on in her mind, but the killing had satiated it for a time, and she no longer felt the urge to kill whatever stood before her. That was not to say she wouldn’t, but at least she could hold a conversation now.
“Dash, you will come with us,” one of the Wyches walked over, the Impaler she was carrying held over her shoulder, while the net was wrapped around her waist, the tiny hooks in it sticking into her skin.
“Yeah, I’m done here anyway,” Rainbow grinned widely, showing off her blood flecked teeth as she picked up her dropped knife. “I want my sword back by the time I’ve finished talking to the Succubus. Understand?”
“I’m sure the Succubus will dispatch some of our pets to clear the track, and your weapon will be returned to you,” the Wych nodded. “Now, follow.”
With that, the Wych turned, leading Rainbow off of the sands of the arena and deeper into the buildings of the Deadly Gaze. Rainbow noted that it was quite similar to the arena of the Lightning Fang, but in her current state she was not really concerned with the architecture, focusing instead on the familiar taste of blood that she had denied herself for years.
“The Succubus will be inside, I will wait here for you if you come out,” the Wych stopped in front of a large set of black, Onyx doors.
“When, I come out,” Rainbow corrected her with a sneer, before pushing the doors open and taking to the air, buzzing just above the ground as she looked around the room.
It was certainly impressive, there must have been hundreds of pieces of paraphernalia or bones displayed around the room, and even a few pieces of Space Marine armour, but as far as she could see there were no full suits, and certainly no relics from Terminator Armour.
“Ah, Ms Dash, you’ve finally arrived,” the Succubus smiled, the gesture holding no warmth at all, as she walked towards Rainbow. “My name is Succubus Elithad, it is a rare occasion to get to meet one of the lesser species because they have drawn my attention, rather than my ire. You seem to be interested in my trophy room, what do you think?”
“The Lightning Fang trophy room has a full suit of Terminator armour,” Rainbow shot back with a cocky smirk. “You didn’t call me in here to compare trophy rooms though, did you?”
“No,” Elithad folded her arms, Rainbow floating at her eye level.
“Well then, are you going to tell me what I need to know, or can I go back to my arena and find some more fodder for my blades?”
“I looked up what we know about you, Dash. Everything we’ve been able to piece together since you arrived in Commoragh. You said that you were the last of your kind, that you killed a group of Corsairs on your way here, is this correct?”
“I don’t see why it would have changed,” Rainbow folded her forehooves. “Say what you want to say and let me go.”
“Fine,” Elithad narrowed her eyes. “You say Commoragh was your first stop after your planet was destroyed, and yet I distinctly remember from my contacts aboard Saim-Hann that another blue, winged, equinoid was sighted there, fighting alongside both an Aspect Temple of the Swooping Hawks and a Wind Host. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”
Even with the war mask on, Rainbow froze at the accusation. The one thing she had tried to do while in Commoragh was to minimise the amount anyone knew about her past time in this universe, and yet here was someone who either knew with absolute certainty who she was, or at least had a very good idea, and was probably willing to act on it.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Rainbow shook her head, keeping her voice steady.
“So you’re telling me that was a different, what did my contact call it? Pegasus?”
“I’ve never heard that word before,” Rainbow snapped.
“Really? Now that’s interesting,” Elithad nodded. “See if you were, hypothetically of course, this Pegasus, and you had been with our Craftworld kin, then it would bring into question your motives. I for one hate infiltrators, and I know Archon Xandrath and the other members of the Triumvent of Half-Formed Hope feel the same.”
“It wasn’t me,” Rainbow growled slowly. “What the hell can I tell you to make you believe that?”
“Funny you should ask, I was waiting for that question. Our craftworld kin are more, frugal, when it comes to satiating their emotional desires, and certainly on the subject of slaves. If you were among them for a time, I believe some of that would have brushed off on you.”
“I just won your little race,” Rainbow snapped. “I killed…”
“Dark Eldar, who were trying to kill you,” Elithad cut Rainbow off. “That proves nothing.”
“Then what will?”
“I have a new clutch of slaves in my pens, worthless things really, weak, terrified. They’d hardly be worth anything to my Wyches in the arena, they’d provide no sport.”
“Where’s this going?” Rainbow asked slowly.
“Make them suffer,” Elithad spoke slowly, enunciating each word and smiling darkly as she did so. “I don’t want them simply killed, that takes little stomach. Wring pain from them, make them suffer. Do that convincingly, and I may in turn be convinced of your words.”
“Fine,” Rainbow growled, turning and buzzing towards the exit.
“My Wyches will see you to quarters where you can wait for the spectacle to begin. And Dash? I expect to feel a hundred years younger.”
“Yeah yeah, I understand,” Rainbow snarled silently, before disappearing from the Succubus’s sight.
***
“You can’t seriously be thinking of going through with this, can you?” Spitfire asked, glaring at Rainbow.
“Do you have another idea,” Rainbow snapped back, her war mask now completely gone from her mind. “Because if you do, please, tell me, I’m all ears.”
“Ummm….maybe…well you could,” Spitfire began, trailing off as she tried to think of something, before her expression hardened once more. “It’s still barbaric!”
“It’s evil, call it what it is,” Lightning agreed.
“That’s enough!” Gilda roared, cutting off Rainbow’s reply before she could even give it voice. “The both of you are out of line. Dash leads, we follow. That’s the way it’s always been.”
“We haven’t always been murderers,” Spitfire snapped.
“You’re not going to be a murderer!” Rainbow roared back, moving close enough to Spitfire that they actually touched foreheads, both ponies scowling as they pushed against the other, yet getting nowhere. “I’m doing this, not you.”
“Wavechill wouldn’t want this,” Spitfire snarled back, Lightning voicing her opinion, only for Gilda to silence her with a glare that could melt steel.
“Wavechill, isn’t, here,” Rainbow spoke slowly, her voice dripping with venom. “Do you understand that? He’s gone, Spitfire, he’s dead, Spitfire, he’s never coming back, Spitfire, are you listening, Spitfire?!”
Rainbow’s voice had grown louder as she spoke, to the point where Spitfire had to take a step backwards to avoid being covered from head to hoof in spit. Spitfire looked angry, but it was Lightning that drew everyone’s attention, a small sniff escaping her nose.
“It’s ok,” Spitfire comforted her, putting a wing around the distraught pony, glaring at Rainbow. “Are you happy now?”
“No, why would I be,” Rainbow snapped, before looking at Scootaloo. “What about you, Scoots? Do you think I’m being too cruel?”
All eyes were suddenly on the orange Pegasus, Scootaloo shrinking back slightly, before clearing her throat and speaking in a soft, raspy voice.
“You…you guy don’t need my opi…”
“Oh no,” Lightning shook her head. “There’s two votes for, two votes against. You have the deciding vote.”
“This isn’t a fucking democracy,” Rainbow snapped.
“Let her choose!” Lightning roared back. “Scootaloo? Choose, now!”
“Rainbow!” Scootaloo screamed back, before covering her face. “I…I choose to support…Dash.”
“Fifteen slaves,” Lightning whispered incredulously. “You’re supporting their murder.”
“I’m supporting our mission,” Scootaloo shook her head, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. “You don’t have a better idea, Lightning. We… we have to save Applejack. She’s our mission. We have to stick to that or we don’t have a point here.”
“The matter was never up for debate anyway,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “But thank you, Scootaloo anyway. Spitfire, Lightning. I know you don’t see eye to eye with me on this, so get some rest and go back to our arena. That’s an order, understand?”
“Yes,” Spitfire growled, venom dripping from her voice, before she turned away, Lightning following close behind her.
“Those two are getting difficult,” Gilda muttered under her breath.
“Tell me something I don’t already know,” Rainbow replied, before glancing at Scootaloo. “You get some rest too, Scootaloo, ok?”
The young Pegasus nodded, silently following after Lightning and Spitfire, leaving Gilda and Rainbow alone in the quarters they had been assigned for the evening. Gilda waited for the door to fully close, before turning to face Rainbow with a grin.
“Just you and me, Dash, eh? Alone in a room for the evening?”
“They practically gifted wrapped this place for us,” Rainbow grinned back, before pouncing on Gilda.
***
Rainbow stood in the armoury of the arena, clad in the tight bodysuit that had become her staple piece of clothing, Ravenous strapped tightly to her back, and her wings spread out beside her. Surrounding her were a clutch of slaves, the pitiful things that had once been human, now turned into shackled, emancipated hunchbacks, moved around her as best they could, strapping more knives and weapons to her to make sure she had enough to entertain the crowds. Even her feathers were not unaffected, the Succubus of the Deadly Gaze opening up the vault on the few Scourge weapons they had for equipping their allies, turning her wings themselves into sharp, deadly blades and poisoned barbs.
Finally, Rainbow considered herself ready, turning and striding past the slaves as they scrambled to get out of her way. A few tripped over in their haste, but Rainbow paid them no heed, walking down the short corridor towards the arena gateways, passing Scootaloo and Gilda as she went.
Gilda gave her a nod of approval as she went by, a steely look of determination written across her face at what she was about to watch Rainbow do, while Scootaloo simply starred at her, although even Rainbow couldn’t tell if it was hero worship, fear, or uncertainty. In all honesty, it was probably a small amount of all three.
Finally, she reached the small amphitheatre, a large gate separating her from the arena, and a single Wych standing guard over it.
“So, you’re the one who gets to open tonight’s entertainment?” she asked, looking Rainbow up and down. “I can’t say I’m impressed, but it’s not up to me. Do not screw up, Ygal, the opening is an honour not lightly afforded anyone, and I can imagine that some amongst my cult will see that as an insult, and may take steps to…”
“Are you going to keep talking, or are you actually going to say something?” Rainbow snapped. “And if that was a threat, then try telling me when you’re in a position to scare me.”
“Ooh, look at the tongue on you,” the Wych hissed. “You’ll die soon enough, the lesser species don’t last long in Commoragh.”
Before Rainbow could formulate a response, the gates leading to the arena silently shot open, Rainbow giving the Wych one final glare, before walking back onto the sands. It took her but an instant to take in every aspect of the arena, completely different as it was from the last time she had been here.
The track was gone, the large metal structure completely absent, leaving the entirety of the arena floor easily visible from the packed stands. A few Wyches stood in the front tier of the seating, standing rigidly still so that the waiting audience could marvel at their features before the real entertainment began, but it was the other guards that interested Rainbow more. Warriors and Incubi, all bearing the same symbol, but at this range Rainbow could not make out what it was, were placed amongst the crowds. Unlike the Wyches who were clearly there as part of the show, these figures were dark and ominous, even the famously callous Dark Eldar giving them wide berths and uneasy glances.
Shaking her head, Rainbow turned to look at those fifteen unfortunate to have been placed upon the sands for her. Almost all of them were humans skinny shaking creatures, but there was at least one sub-human in their group, a squat if Rainbow remembered correctly, and finally a blue skinned alien which Rainbow instantly recognised as a Tau. Each of them were clutching wicked looking weapons, but from the way they were all shaking, Rainbow knew that they didn’t know the first thing about them. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be here to face her.
Before Rainbow could speak, Elithad’s voice sounded across the arena, the nigh on mystical technologies of the Dark Eldar amplifying her voice so that everyone present could hear it.
“Tonight’s opening entertainment is brought to you by Dash! A Ygal! She is a member of the Shadowbolts, a Reaver clan affiliated with the Lightning Fang Wych cult. They believe that they are equal to our cult, but I will leave such decisions up to the sands! And to the crowds! Fifteen slaves against one Ygal! An easy fight for my Wyches, let’s see how this one fares.”
As she finished speaking, Rainbow raised a hoof, pointing it at the quivering Tau, raising her own voice, the same technology now projecting her voice.
“That one!” she roared loud enough for the arena to hear her. “That one dies first!”
Before the Tau could even manage to stammer a sentence, Rainbow leapt forward, flaring her wings and delivering two pulled blows that still managed to send a pair of humans flying, before casually spinning, pulling a knife free from her belt and pushing it deep through the foot of the Squat, pushing it deep into the arena floor and pinning the screaming midget in place.
Seeing three of their number so easily knocked back, the others all let out fearful screams, some dropping their weapons and fleeing towards the surrounding wall, while others backpedalled quickly, trying to organise themselves into a more defensible position, the Tau included. Rainbow was not about to renege on her promise however, and leapt forward, tackling the Tau and rolling over, putting her full body weight on his chest as his weapon skittered from his grasp, before she slowly drew another knife, this one laced with a fast acting, but certainly not lethal, poison.
If the slaves had even an ounce of courage or tactical knowledge in their bodies, now would have been the perfect time to strike, but Rainbow knew she had all the time she needed, and the only goal of causing pain.
“P-P-P-P-Please,” the Tau stammered, his voice laboured as he struggled with Rainbow’s weight. “I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I can…I can help you. I’ve seen…”
“I don’t care,” Rainbow sneered with a cackling laugh, before sliding the poisoned knife into the Tau’s flesh, making sure to miss anything vitally important.
Whatever the Tau had seen died in his throat, replaced by a hellish scream as the pain of the blade coupled with the venom now coursing through his system replaced all other thoughts in his mind. He thrashed wildly, but Rainbow was easily strong enough to resist the pathetic attempts at freedom, slowly widening the hole, before plunging a hoof in, forcing it up beneath his skin, feeling for the beating heart.
The organ was going crazy, it’s beats erratic and mismatched, but Rainbow didn’t pay it any heed, instead wrapping a hoof around it and pulling. The Tau made one final scream, before his eyes rolled back in his head, the last thing he ever saw being his own heart ripped from his body, the blood dripping over Rainbow’s head as she held it up for all the crowd to see, the assembled Dark Eldar roaring in approval.
Taking a single bite of the flesh, savouring the tough texture, Rainbow hurled the organ as far as she could towards the nearest stand, covering some of those sitting there in the blood, before she turned back to face the now utterly terrified slaves, a mad look in her eyes.
“So,” she grinned, showing off her now blood-soaked teeth in an entirely unsettling grin, drawing Ravenous as she spoke, “who’s next?”
***
The screams lasted for hours, Rainbow sticking true to the Succubus’s words and making sure that the Tau’s death was the least agonising of the evening, each one becoming more creative and more sadistic as time went on. Even the war-mask, something Rainbow had feared would erupt and take a more direct route to the killing, had stayed remarkably easy to placate, the slow methodical approach clearly not giving it the stimulation it needed to fully manifest.
Finally, after ignoring the screaming of the Squat for almost half an hour, Rainbow pulled back, tearing the skin from his face as she did so, the limp flesh blowing in the breeze as the Squat screamed through a bloody, lipless mouth. Rainbow debated dropping the face, but her own bloodlust ran out. She had sampled human flesh before, and clearly it hadn’t had any adverse effect on her. Why not Squat?
With that thought in mind, Rainbow titled her head back, the face sliding further into her mouth as she began to chew, before looking down at the rapidly fading Squat, making sure he could see his own face being eaten, before taking hold of the knife she had placed in him earlier and pulling it upwards through his body, severing the last tethers of his life, before she turned back to the crowd, pointing bloody hoof and knife at the stand where Elithad sat.
“For the Cult of the Deadly Gaze! Fifteen lives to open a night of blood! Let it be one to remember!”
***
The Succubus watched Rainbow deliver the final kill, as well as her respectful ending remarks, and her eyes followed her as she stalked off of the sands, replaced by two more warriors, before she felt the figure behind her move, and instantly turned around, springing from her seat and dropping to her knees.
“M-My lord. Are…are you satisfied by the creatures display?” she stammered, the ancient Succubus feeling fear for what felt like the millionth time in the last two hours. She couldn’t remember the time she had felt fear before that.
“Satisfied?” Vect intoned, lowering his helmeted gaze just a fraction to look at the kneeling Elithad. “The display was…adequate.” He spoke slowly, savouring the fear that rolled off Elithad at his every word, before getting to his feet. “She may yet be allowed to live a little longer. You will bring her to me in your trophy room. Do not delay, Succubus, I hate to be kept waiting.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.038 seconds
Total duration
1,033 users online
208,775 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Wow, this was a bloody chapter.
Loyalty to death. Loyalty to the very end of the universe.
But I do wonder... is Rainbow Dash sacrificing herself to cling to her loyalty?
Who will find AJ? Rainbow Dash? Or just the hunter that wears her body?
6715974
Well, that's the 64 million bit question isn't it? :P
I hope AJ didn't know that Tau and Squat, but she most likely did.
6716012
Ah, sorry. Eldar always make me want to be all melodramatic and stuff. I think it's the dwarf in me mocking them really. Still, I'm very interested to see where this crazy train is going. Fingers crossed for a happy ending though. Or, since this is Warhammer we're talking about, let's just go with "the best outcome", as more often than not, those aren't really happy endings in 40k.
Lovin' in, keep going, have fun!
6716209
Oh don't worry about that, I have loads of fun when writing this :)
And thus, Rainbow has become an edgelord. {I ain't callin' them darkies by their title. They don't deserve it really.} Still, it's actually refreshing you didn't have Lightning Dust go down the path of Rainbow. You kind of did when she picked on Rainbow when she got back, but you've pleasantly surprised me by making her a good guy. Kudos, since I really do like Lightning Dust.
What makes this sad isn't just that Dash seems to be pushing Scootaloo down a path she shouldn't have to go {and it seems like Scootaloo might snap at Dash sooner or later} it's that by the time she meets Applejack, Applejack might have to kill her... This is why I only read Ciaphas Cain books. Warhammer 40k is a lover of keeping their audience down. Still, good story so far. {Also idiot move there Dash. You got to that Dark Eldar place in the first place by listening to some random eldar. Now you don't want to listen to a random Tau? Give him a few seconds and you'd be on your way, but again, she's an Edgelord now. They don't have much for brains.}
You…you guy don’t need my opi…
it’s beats erratic and mismatched
it just seem to drag on and loose interest
1. Guys.
2. Its.
3. Seems, Lose
6716012 Indeed. How much is Rainbow willing to sacrifice though? Anybody here think she just might forget some time down the road to why she's doing what she is right now?
Feel like we're getting close to jumping off the slippery slope here...
That was a fun read. Still loving your stories my friend, keep it up!
Emperor Protect! She's really lost her marbles!
I mean, she went from Eldar, who are at least reasonable (even if it was Saim Hann), to Cormorragh and eating peoples faces.
The problem is she hasn't used any of the influence she's gathered to try to find any other Ygarl (Applejack). She's just been sitting in Commoragh, sliding into damnation, dragging Gilda and Scootaloo with her.
I wouldn't be surprised if Spitfire and Lightning Dust get killed either by Rainbow or the Dark Eldar in the next few chapters. Maybe it'll snap Dash out of her madness.
You killed the only lead to Applejack.
Way to go Dashie, way to go.
The Descent into Madness... the title really fits. I wonder how deep Dash will fall until she questions what is left of her.
On the same regard, would it be possible for Dash to turn into a Nightmare, NMM style? Maybe due to fateful interactions with some Dark Eldar artifacts...
6717062
I would suspect that only seeing Scoots die would be able to pull her back
So, who read Kauyon and Mont'ka? The Imperium's final 'Fuck you' at the end of Mont'ka was pretty glorious. I rate it 10/10 just on the massive amount of spite it took to do such a thing.
They exterminatused Agrellan (except, apparently, for the single Tau city covered by some super shield), and after they left, fired a missile into the Damocles Gulf (the big nebula) and lit on fire. That's right, the Imperium took their ball, went home, and then lit the playground on fire. It's so bad that the Tau can't cross it at all without very special shielding that they have very limited numbers of.
In addition, the Tau didn't take the Gilded Worlds, the Tau lost Aun'va, and the Imperium lost a bunch of no name Guardsmen officers in return. Pask makes it out, but only after butchering all of Longstrikes comrades. The Obsidian Knight returns after his demise on Prefectia, and murders his way through a ton of Stormsurges.
In the end, the Empire was saved, but the Imperium bitch slapped the Tau so hard the entire Empire is feeling it, and morale is so low that they are actively keeping Aun'vas death hidden to stop it from sinking any further. Remember: the Tau believed the Imperium had been crippled and wouldn't recover for a few years after the death of the 'Black King' (the Chapter Master of the Raven Guard). Imagine the rebound after they believed they had crippled their greatest enemy yet, to realize that they had only made them angry.
Side note: I've been told that Vect does get some screen time in the Eldar + Dark Eldar vs Tyranid campaign book. I think he gets some time in Path of the Exile, but that could be me remembering wrong.
There's also a book that's from Vects viewpoint (I thiiiink?) that takes place a while back (so, 31-32k) where he opens the webway gates to Commoragh into the real space, and uses the Salamanders Chapter to wipe out his rivals in the Dark City.
Delayed because of Fallout 4 Huh? I've lost contact with so many Gaming Friends I know, because they got lost in the wasteland. xD
Had the Tau seen AJ? Damn Dash, you really are goin' crazy
6718733
That's okay, *Redacted* was an idiot that had more greed and a lust for power than any actual sense. The Tau are better off w/ that idiotic Scrublord dead.
6721371
Agreed
Any word on an update?
6813938
Back from Christmas holidays today, should be able to get some work done in the next week. Got half of the chapter written already
Sweet merciful Tzeentch, she is becoming more and more like the Dark Eldar.
I fear for Equestria, should she return.
That was absolutely horrible and horrifying to read.
ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER!
now turned into shackled, emancipated hunchbacks
Did you mean emaciated?