Phantom War V: Dawning of Darkness

by Danny Eclipse

The Nightmare of the Rainbow Factory

This chapter is based off of Sonic.exe and the escape from the Rainbow Factory from Batonic Spider.

Night Time…

I lay on my bed, sleepy on how long the wait was going to be. I slowly began to drift into a slumber. Finally, I fell asleep and just before I did, I had linked my dream with Charming by accident.

---

I began to wake up in the dreamscape but I found myself strapped on a table. I began to look around at my surroundings until I found myself face-to-face with Pinkie, but her mane and tail were straight and her eyes were small. She had a maniac smile on her face.

Pinkie said “You are finally awake. Good. You are going to be a special ingredient for my cupcakes.”

“Pinkie? What’s going on?”

Pinkie replied coldly “I’m not Pinkie…I’m not that good side of mine. No, I am…Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

I knew that name well. Pinkamena was Pinkie’s evil and bad side. Rainbow encountered her before but nothing like this. I tried to get loose but the straps were steel pipes. Before Pinkamena could do anything, a blue circle hits her, knocking her out. I looked and see Charming holding a blaster rifle.

“You could have gotten out of that,” Charming said. “Why didn’t you?”

“Pinkie made sure that it was anti-ghost proof. I can’t use my powers.”

Charming came over to me and let me out of the bindings. I began to feel my strength returning and I began to stretch myself, my wings happily opening up to stretch. After stretching, I looked at Charming.

“I must have accidently sync our dreams into one, making a shared dream. Like mother, like son. Luna could do it, so can I. Come on now, we have to get out of here before the crazy horse wakes up-“ I said before being interrupted.

Pinkamena asked “Did you just call me a horse…”

We looked at Pinkamena, whose eyes were now normal size.

Charming asked “Do they wake up at the word ‘horse’?”

Pinkamena made an angry face.

Charming shouted in fear “Let’s get out of here!”

Charming and I went to the door and I looked out to see the coast clear.

“The coast is clear, time to juice!”

I grabbed Charming hoof and before he could react, I opened my wings and we took off like a blur. Pinkamena fired a rocket launcher at us before we got away but missed. Pinkamena sigh in disappointment.

Pinkamena said “Looks like it’s time for Plan B.”

---

We arrived in some sort of highway and I continue to fly us through. Charming was still holding on but he was now levitating because of my telekinesis and was even flying besides me.

“Where are we?”

Charming replied “Looks like a Rainbow Factory…”

“Rainbow Factory…where have I heard of that before-Oh yes, from the legends.”

Charming requested “Do tell.”

“Charming, the legend says that there’s long been rumors as to how exactly rainbows are made in Equestria. While a great amount of Pegasi ponies are employed in the Rainbow department of the weather factory, almost all of them do the low-end work. What’s known is that great streams of Spectra, the individual colors of the rainbow, flow through large grates and into vast vats. From there, workers carefully and equally mix the spectra into the coagulated rainbow pools that dot and run through the factory and surrounding city. Next, that mixture is pumped to the floor below, where other employees atomize it and store it until the active weather Pegasi deploys it in field. However, no one knows how individual Spectra are made. Supplies are never seen being brought in, leaving not even a clue what goes into a rainbow. Tourists, when visiting the factory, are treated to an extremely foreboding and plain wall, with massive solid doors baring entry to anypony at any time. While most of the facilities various signs and architecture is bubbly and welcoming, the Rainbow Factory’s upper floor was protected by harsh imagery of potential hazards and death, and the cloud wall was made not out of the clean white of the rest of the city, but of a black, quietly thundering fog. To become an employee of the upper Rainbow Factory meant sacrificing any life outside those black walls. Workers are sworn to secrecy and forbidden from leaving, and live inside the facility itself. Those few who ever managed to make it out not in a body bag were twisted and disturbed, too damaged to ever bring themselves to talk about it. A lot of theories were proposed; Dark magic from captured unicorns, chemicals and environmental hazards that no sane pony would tolerate, and even thoughts of another unknown sister of Celestia’s, destined to create the Spectra instead of raising the Sun or the Moon. None of them could be farther than the truth. Besides that, I know nothing else of the legend.” I explained from what I know.

Charming replied “That’s interesting…”

Before I could reply, something hits me and knocks to the ground. I heard Charming falling and I looked and see him screeching to a halt. A shadow knocked him out then me.

---

I began to wake up and got up. I see I was trapped into a cell and I see a familiar face on the other side. It was Rainbow Dash! But she was different. She had some scars, one on her chest and a small bit of her ear was gone and her upper ear was pierced. The whiteness in her eyes was faintly red and her eyes were blood red. She had a grin on her face and she looks at me.

Rainbow said “I see you are finally awake.”

“Rainbow…why are you doing this?”

Rainbow replied “I’m helping our family. I decided NOT to kill you because I still love you, but you must see…I still love you and I want to keep our family together.”

I was taken back and I looked down to the ground.

“No…this is a nightmare and the real Rainbow wouldn’t kill her friends. You’re not Rainbow!”

Rainbow looks away and begins to walk away. When she left, I punched the cell bars, destroying them. I began to walk out and began to wander in the halls. I pasted some robot Pegasus guards but they didn’t try to stop me. I’m a Pegasus so they think I’m a worker at the factory. My advantage, that was sure. I made my way to the manager’s office and I see two scientist ponies that got in my way. They tried to attack but I punch one away and grabbed the other by the throat.

“Tell me, where can I find the manager?”

Pegasus replied with a grin “You already met her.”

“What!? Rainbow’s the manager of the Rainbow Factory!?”

Pegasus replied “Yes, she will never be sto-“

My eyes instantly began to glow red and I snapped his neck.

“Rainbow Factory manager, I need to have a word with her.”

I opened the door and entered. Rainbow looked up and sees me and was surprised.

“You know, I was honestly shocked to learn that you were the Rainbow Factory manager. Now tell me, where is my brother!?”

Rainbow asked “Oh, him? He’s having the time of his life, in the Pegasus Device.”

“What?”

Rainbow replied “Let me explained…”

Rainbow closed her eyes and I could hear some music being played nearby. Rainbow began to sing.

Song Plays: Pegasus Device from SlyphStorm

Sung by Rainbow, Danny, and both

Deep in the pages of history
Lies a shadow hiding in a mystery
A late night story buried far away
Until it once again sees the light of day

And when the little colts and fillies turn out all lights
And tell a story of a factory as black as night
The luxury of rainbows comes at a price
Just ignore the screams, and don't think twice

You've proven to yourself and to all of us
That you're not fit to fly like a Pegasus
You don't even deserve those wings you bear
When you stand beside a legend, you don't even compare
All of the failures help to fuel success
In the bloody and visceral weather game of Chess
And just because you've disappointed you'll pay the price
Now accept your fate and die in the Pegasus Device

I attacked Rainbow and we began to fight.

---

Charming was running, looking for the exit.

Charming asked “Where is that exit!?”

We tried to go down a hall, only to be intercepted by Pinkamena and two Pegasus Guards.

Pinkamena said “Welcome back, we missed you…”

Charming tried to run but was knocked out by Pinkamena and tied up.

---

I landed down and Rainbow tried to tackle me but I grabbed her front hooves and threw her aside, she hit the rail pipe. She put her head up to look at me.

Phantom screams echo through the ruined facility
A horrible silence builds an eerie tranquility
The souls of many innocent fill the air
And the hope that they all died with scattered here and there

A mighty machine built within the wake
Of a long dead dream, little demon awake
The citizens sleep, never quite knowing when
The device will reawaken, hungry again

You've proven to yourself and to all of us
That you're not fit to fly like a Pegasus
You don't even deserve those wings you bear
When you stand beside a legend, you don't even compare
All of the failures help to fuel success
In the bloody and visceral weather game of Chess
And just because you've disappointed you'll pay the price

Now accept your fate and die in the Pegasus Device.

Rainbow kicked me and I recovered to continue the attack.

---

Charming woke up and found himself tied up in a chair. He looked through the window and sees Pinkamena, who was smiling creepy like. She looked to Fluttershy, who looked she was a devil creation. She push a button and Charming felt like he was being electrocuted to death. However, he felt something inside him rising up. Suddenly, Charming had transformed into his evil form, Evil Charming Thunder. However, Charming still had control over his body and immediately teleported out of the seat.

---

I was in the prisoner section, I landed down and I see Rainbow walking over to me and made the killing gestured to me. I did some sort of evil devilish laughter and teleported the both of us over a machine and Rainbow kicked me, only for me to teleport in front of her, grab her throat and teleport us again. This time, we were above a machine and I dropped her down into it. She went inside and I began to fly away. I heard static and electricity going haywire and then heard it stop and I looked to see Rainbow flying above the machine.

All of the failures help to fuel success

In the bloody and visceral weather game of Chess

And just because you've disappointed you'll pay the price

Now accept your fate and die in the Pegasus Device

I was kicked out an office window and Rainbow wanted to follow me, only for me to teleport on top of her and kicking her towards the ground. Rainbow landed deep within the factory where water was at. She looked around and see no one but I appeared out of nowhere and I grabbed her, teleporting us again. We appeared inside a machine and we came out of it, Rainbow kicked me and I hit the ground but I bounced off and I turned around to kick her square in the face. She fell off and was falling down a volcano and I managed to catch her falling and teleported us away. We appeared on the factory highway and we began to make attacks of our own. After some blows, we began to fall and kept to our attacks. The music continue to play as we fought, we teleported again and we were in a weird room and we kept attack. After some blows, I knocked Rainbow to another room and I charged to finished her off, but when I was about to strike, Scootaloo got in the way. I halted to stare at her. She smiled until she fell to the ground and I was enraged, Rainbow had just killed her adopted little sister and I went to attack again.

---

Four Pegasi Guards went into the Pegasus Device to find Evil Charming, only for them to be killed. Pinkamena hears a crack and looks up to see Evil Charming coming down on top of her. She landed on the computer, accidently activating the self-destruct system. Evil Charming threw her to the window and teleported to go find me.

---

Me and Rainbow were clashing blows in the air. I charged at Rainbow but she flipped over me and knocks me away. We heard hoof steps and we looked and see pony prisoners leaving. Rainbow was about to attack and but I struck first and knocked her away. Evil Charming came behind her and knock her upward. He then used a teleportation spell to head up while I used my speed to race up there, I disappeared like thin air. I appeared in the sky, above the Rainbow Factory and see Evil Charming fire a magic bolt at Rainbow, sending her flying to me. She looked at me as she sees me crying.

“Forgive me Rainbow Dash.”

My hoof began to glow rightly and I punched Rainbow away, sending her flying to the factory and Charming began to fly away from the blast. I began to fly away, after Charming.

In the Rainbow Factory, where fears and horrors come true
In the Rainbow Factory, where not a single soul gets through
In the Rainbow Factory, where failures pay their toll

Now I've awoken, and I'm taking back control

---

I woke up in my bed, sweating. I was crying, remember my dream. I teleported to Charming Thunder. When I arrived, I see Charming was shivering and Twilight was trying to comfort him. I appeared and they looked at me.

“Hopefully, we won’t dream about that nightmare before…”

Charming nodded and I teleported out. Hopefully, the day will go by fast.

Author's Note:

This nightmare is over, the next few chapters will be near the end of the story.