Very different beneath the surface

by Slick Dash

Dashie’s story

“PATHETIC! EVERY ONE OF YOU WERE PATHETIC OUT THERE!” the instructor was red in the face from the strength of his screaming. The group of filly Pegasy all trembled beneath his hateful glare. “I TOLD YOU THE EMPRESS WAS COMING TO SEE HOW WE WERE PROGRESSING! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?” He the himself up against the small grey filly at the front of the group, she scrunched her yellow eyes tight and tried to pull away from the furious stallion. “YOU FLY WORSE THAN A BIRD WITH TWO BROKEN WINGS! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME!”

The gray pony toppled backwards due to the force of the shout, she fell to the floor and screamed as she knew what this meant. Her little eyes opened wide in fear as she began to scream in sheer terror. Her lazy yellow eye snapped into its correct place as they met those of the flight instructor. His rage subsided, and his furious sneer was replaced by a wicked grin. “Falling out of line are we Hooves?”

The filly squealed in fear, she flipped onto her knees and began to plead with the stallion Pegasus. “No, no, no, no! I promise I wasn’t! I just fell because of your yelling at me! I promise sir!”
“YELLING AT YOU?!” The large male hollered at the small filly. “That wasn’t yelling you little shit eyed freak! THIS IS YELLING!” He screamed, sending the little gray filly’s ears screaming in pain, but she dared no waver, she knew she was too close to the worst punishment possible already. Just take it and maybe he’ll show mercy... for the first time.

“Hooves, you stepped out of line, without my concent. Now what has that meant for any little filly before you?” Little Derpy quivered in fear, her jaw froze as she realised what was coming, she couldn’t answer. “Well?” The red stallion commanded of the small mare. “Fine! Let’s ask the only damned flyer who passed this test shall we?” He straightened up and looked over the heads of the congregated class of flyers.

There, in the centre of the group, slouched a small cyan filly, hiding behind a larger colt. “Crash! Ass! FRONT AND CENTRE NOW!” Dashie immediately obeyed, she hung from her wings sadly as they fluttered over to the side of the furious drill sergeant. She opened her mouth and addressed a small twisting coil of cloud at her hooves.
“Yes sir?”
“Maybe you can tell this retarded little piece of filth! What happens if a filly steps out of line?” He demanded of the small rainbow filly.

Dash looked up ahead of her, Derpy looked back, her eyes brimming with tears and fear. She silently pleaded with Dashie not to say it. But she knew if she didn’t speak, or if she gave the wrong answer, Dashie would also be punished.

“Insubordination.” Dashie began, addressing those sad yellow eyes in front of her one of which focused on her, while the other stared at the ground. Dashie took a deep breath, her little lungs filled with misery as she prepared to say the dreaded words. “Is punishable by death.” Her head dropped as she gave the little filly her death sentence.

Dashie heard the little filly’s screams begin anew. She grovelled at the sergeant’s feat. “Please! No! I didn’t mean to! I-I-I... Please!” The red collar around her neck began to tighten, The filly spluttered for a moment, then pleaded again, her voice far more desperate and yet far less loud. “Please! I’m not the only one who failed! I’ll do better I erck”- The collar tightened again, cutting off the gray pony’s airway.

Dashie didn’t look up. She didn’t need to, she had seen it a hundred times before. She heard the frantic movement of the filly’s hoof scrabbling at her neck, trying to free her from the suffocation. Dashie could almost picture her terrified face, her neck’s skin beginning to strain under the tort band.

A few more terrible moments later, and the movements stopped. For a moment, Dashie was tempted to look up but before she could the result was shown to her. Derpy fell, landing only inches from Dashie’s hooves. Her innocent little face frozen in a look of utter mortal terror. Her hooves stayed at her throat for a moment more, before falling limp beside her lifeless body.

One hoof brushed the side Of Dashie’s left forehoof. She shuddered, and fought her every urge to jump away from the corpse, determined not to suffer the same fate. Ahead of her, she heard the group take a deep intake of breath, each one filled with shock and fear. Dashie didn’t understand, they all saw this kind of treatment of flyers every day so why do they sound so surprised. The answer soon came to her, as she heard a voice cold and careless float to her ears on the Cloudsdale breeze.

“Failure, and punishment. These are the most important lessons you can be taught at your age.” The voice was different from the angry male stallion’s. This voice seethed with venom even when speaking in such a bored and matter of fact tone. Dashie looked up to see a slim figured alicorn sail into view from behind her. The creature landed beside the small cyan pony and towered over the gathering of small young flyers.

“If one fails, and isn’t punished for it, then one would become complacent, and begin to doubt if their actions had consequences. Isn’t that right young ones.” The gathering all nodded slowly, entranced by fear and amazement as the empress addressed them all. “Good.” She purred malevolently. “Your drill sergeant has taught you well if you understand that rule at such a young age.” She now turned to the red Stallion.

“I don’t bother to keep up to date with today’s standards, but if memory serves.” She looked down at the small quivering pony between the two adults, who stared back up with sheer terror in her little pink eyes. Her lips curled into a hideous smile. “MOST of these fliers here failed to meet our high standards. Am I correct?” The stallion gulped in fear.
“...Eeeyyes your grace! They all failed here except for this one.” He kicked Dashie’s side roughly causing her to nearly topple over. She clung to the cloud floor for her life, regaining her balance in time before she fell out of place.

“I see.” The empress cooed softly. She turned to face the assembly of younglings head on. “You all know the price of failure, as you have all just proven to me. So will all understand why this must be done.” There was a deadly silence all around, as each filly and colt stared at the terribly beautiful alicorn. Her horn glowed subtly, releasing soft beams of light which wormed their way towards the children.

Dashie stared in horror, as the lights touched each of the little filly’s collars. Which then began to tighten. Then the lights moved on to the colts, who had realised what was happening and were rearing in fear, as they kicked out at the magic with their forelegs. Dashie watched as the graceful lights coiled around her fellow youngling’s legs without falter and touched their collars. Commanding them to squeeze the life out of the failed flyers.

After so much screaming, so much writhing in pain and fear, the silence that followed was sickening. Dashie gazed over the many different corpses with her mouth agape in sheer disbelief. As the hollow breeze spread a chill up the cyan filly’s spine, the terrible ruler spoke.

“Remember this little one. If you remember the price of failure, then you will never allow yourself to risk paying it. Do you understand.” Dashie looked up to the empress, who stared out at the field of carnage before her with a sycophantic smile on her lips. Dashie nodded in terror, unable to bring words for risk of throwing up. Her stomach was churning and flipping inside her as she wrestled with the fact; she was the only one left alive.

Dashie brought her story to a close as she gazed up at the still flying Rainbow Dash. Said pony now fluttered the last few feet back to the ground as she stared at the sad little cyan mare. Dashie flicked her mane, making it fall over her eye once again. Rainbow noticed that she did that a lot, even Fluttershy didn’t hide behind her mane this much, then again judging by what she had just heard; Fluttershy had never experienced anything as terrible as this little pony.

Dashie glanced up fleetingly; obviously uncomfortable with recounting what happened to her. “They soon took of my collar for passing, I flew away as soon as they did, and I never looked back.” She sniffed loudly, slumping to her haunches. “I found Fluttersh- ‘Flut’ just after that, and she looked after me she cared for me. So we hid, and we eventually found Pink and the others and... well... here I am.” Dash’s jaw hung open, she was speechless at everything she was hearing.

“I...uhhh... I...” Dashie ignored the garbled attempts from her more confident copy, and continued. “I HATE flying! My flying killed that class!” Dash exploded in protest.
“Woh, woh, woh, woh! That’s not what it sounds like to me! It sounds to me as if your flying SAVED YOU!” She smiled at the small mare trying to cheer her up with little success. Rainbows face –and feelings- sagged as she saw how much little Dashie was hurting.

“Yeah, saved ME” The Pegasus spat. “If I’d failed, maybe she would have shown mercy, maybe she would have... done... s-s-something!” She spluttered, getting worked up and then wobbling off balance as she flung her head around in anger. Dashie fell into a sad heap on the floor. She didn’t cry, but she stared up at Dash with sad and misty eyes that begged to be helped. “Don’t you think that’s enough reason to hate flying?” She pleaded grievously.

Dash bit her lower lip. She wracked her brain to think of something that she could do. Suddenly, inspiration struck like a lightning bolt! She was sure this would work! With new found gusto and energy she sprang into action. “C’mon!” She said cheerfully, she leant down and lifted the sad mare off the ground with her muzzle. “It’s not too far a walk, I’d say we could make it there by sunrise.” Rainbow said cryptically. Dashie frowned after the fast exiting cyan Pegasus.
“But what about sleep?” She squeaked.
“Naaahhh, I’m sure you can go one night without sleep! I need to show you the good side of flying! I’m gonna make you love it as much as I do!” She turned back with an beaming smile towards the pony. “Even if it kills me!”

Comments

[Sarkastik Menace]

Hmm... this seems good.... make it a purpose when you bring it up again, if you want dashie to like flying, make it so she gets a little less shy when discovering her passion for flying

[Slick Dash]

489145 SPOILER! SPOILER! Maybe she might find something she likes, and her shyness may fade more, but maybe its not flying!

[Sarkastik Menace]

489164 Well id hope so... its like moving away from China To Canada.... well Replace death stuff with working in factories for a day straight or joining the army and you have China...

[Slick Dash]

489249

[Thespurgin]

This story is making me want to go find Evil Celestia and Evil Rarity and rip out their horns... and maybe gag them with 'em... then burn them at the stake.

Now I feel dirty at the thought... just deserts or not.