Rainbow Dash Around the World

by MagicS

Black

“So obviously, I didn’t get what you wanted from that pony. Again,” Vox shrugged as she stood in Dreamweaver’s lab, explaining how her recent visit to the dungeon had gone. “I’m telling you it’s not going to work. She refuses to despair, it’s only anger, anger, anger. Well—to be fair I kind of skipped a few things since Wish was down there with me. You know, the kind of stuff I didn’t think you’d approve of her seeing? But even then, that rainbow pony is just too strong-willed. Her spirit doesn’t break.” A grin tugged at Vox’s lips. “It’s kind of entertaining but at the same time I’d really like to just strangle her.”

Dreamweaver was busy leaning over one of his tables, looking at a beaker of bubbling liquid and a series of tubes and bowls with all manner of bright-colored liquids moving through them. Some of them ended in little tapered off spots that dripped down into other vials and beakers, mixing together to form something new. He took his beaker of bubbling liquid and ever so gently poured a few droplets into a thin vial and watched as an electric blue substance formed inside. It shifted to green, to yellow, and then back to blue, never staying the same for more than a few seconds.

“Are you listening to me?” Vox raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Dreamweaver responded. “How did Wish react? I should hope her nightmares will be a thing of the past now.”

Vox’s grin widened as she held back a chuckle. “Well she gave me a ten out of ten in happiness after it was over...”

“Good.”

Vox frowned in annoyance at his curt behavior. “Is there another reason I’m here? Cause if not I-”

“You’re going back down there tomorrow,” Dreamweaver told her without looking.

“I am? It’s just going to be the same—unless you’re finally giving me the go to just kill her already,” Vox shrugged.

“Of course not,” Dreamweaver snorted and levitated up a syringe from the table. “It’s just that I’ve finally gotten the answer to our problem.” He brought the syringe over to the shifting vial and stuck the needle down into the liquid, pulling on the plunger and sucking a good deal of it up through the needle. With a smile, he got up from the table and walked over to Vox, the syringe levitating in his golden grasp. “When you visit our prisoner again, inject her with this before putting the device on her.”

“What is it?”

“A hallucinogenic that I’ve been working on. Along with a few other things all mixed together. When you inject her with this, she should enter something of a hypnotic state, she’ll become suggestible, she’ll answer questions truthfully that she refused to answer before. You know how she refuses to talk about her home or loved ones? You’ll finally be able to pry that out of her. And then… just do your thing and get her to despair. She’ll start hallucinating things if you suggest them to her, she’ll think what she’s seeing and being told is real. Make up a story that will terrify and sadden her. Anything so we can finally harvest the right emotion from her,” Dreamweaver explained.

Vox took the syringe from him with a happy smile on her face and licked her lips. “Now you’re talking.”

“Yes, once she’s gotten into the right state simply put the device on her and get the despair harvested. That pure black despair,” he wistfully looked back at the large curtain at the back of the lab. “It’ll be what I need, I can feel it. A pony as strong and full of hope and happiness as she is… to get pure and honest despair from her, it will be of a higher quality than anything.”

“Yeah I don’t know about all that stuff but whatever, it’s still fun for me,” Vox shrugged.

“And I want you to take Wish again so she can watch.”

Vox actually blinked in surprise. “Wait, really?”

“Of course. I want her to see what a pony in absolute despair looks like. It will make her feel better about herself, she’ll be happy and grateful that she’s so fortunate and not miserable. She’ll be able to think about all the things she has, all the love from me, and look at that rainbow pony who’s being tortured and has nothing. That should make her even happier,” Dreamweaver said with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Yeah I’m not entirely sure your daughter, or pretty much any pony, is going to have that exact reaction but hey, whatever.” Vox held back a laugh. “I’m totally sure you know her better than I do. So yeah, I bet she’ll be overjoyed to see that prisoner in the depths of despair that I put her through.”

If Dreamweaver got the sarcasm in what Vox said, all he offered in return was a small chuckle.

“Well, you had best get ready for tomorrow. Once that despair is harvested… things will finally begin here.”

Vox looked behind him at the curtained off thing at the back of the lab and frowned. “You know… you still haven’t told me what exactly is going to happen. What’s the actual purpose of getting all this despair? All you say is it’s your dream or your daughter’s happiness or whatever.”

“If I haven’t told you already why do you think I would tell you now?” Dreamweaver smirked. “That part about it being my dream is all you need, because to you that should mean that you devote everything you have to it. Understand?”

“Yeah… whatever,” Vox huffed and rolled her eyes.

“Not ‘whatever’. It’s never whatever when it comes to my daughter’s happiness and my dream. Just do your job and obey my orders and you’ll get to do everything and anything you want thanks to me. That’s all that should matter to a simpleton such as yourself,” Dreamweaver narrowed his eyes at her.

Vox stared back at him, but then slowly smiled. “Well you’ve got a point. And as far as gratitude goes, I sure am grateful to you for letting me do all this.”

---

Wish was shifting back and forth in bed, struggling with the covers as she woke up. Once more she had not had a pleasant night of sleep. In fact she had barely been able to sleep at all. Not only was she too tense after the visit to the dungeon and the meeting with Rainbow Dash, she was certain the nightmares would come for her again. Sleep was not a reprieve for her. She was beginning to feel like nothing was. Her eyes were still closed shut as she squirmed around some more in discomfort.

“Mmm… Dotty? I don’t know what time it is or if you’re here already, but I don’t think I’m gonna go to class today. I-I don’t really feel like doing much...” Wish murmured.

“It’s not Dotty this morning.”

Wish’s eyes snapped open and she looked over to see Vox leaning on her bed, her face propped up on her hooves as she watched Wish. A sneering grin was already spreading across her face.

“Hi there, silly filly.”

“W-Where… w-what...” Wish stammered.

Vox rolled her eyes and stood up. “Oh relax. Dotty’s just been given the day off, you and I have something important to do again.” She brought over the stair steps for Wish to use. “So hurry up, out of bed and get ready.”

Wish hesitantly got out of the covers and stepped down from the bed to the floor. She couldn’t hide the look of dismay on her face as she looked up at Vox. “What are we doing?”

“Why what do you think? We’re going to go visit that pegasus in the dungeon again,” Vox giggled.

“B-But why?” Wish paled a bit. She was conflicted, not sure if she wanted to go back there or not. Maybe she did—but just not with Vox.

“Obviously you remember what we did yesterday. But that Inquisition was sort of a failure. So now the real deal is happening, and you’re going to watch. You’ll watch and it’ll make you soooo happy thinking how fortunate you are in comparison,” Vox clasped her hooves together and fluttered her eyelashes a few times before breaking out into more laughter. “Sound good?”

Wish shook her head, surprising herself with her resistance. “I don’t… I don’t want to see that again.”

Vox’s eye twitched. “Huh. I really wasn’t expecting you to refuse. It’s not a request though, and your lovey-dovey father who’s oh so obsessed with making you happy is the one who wants you down there with me again. Do you have a problem with it now? If he thinks it’s good then I’m sure that a good little filly like you must agree. You’d never disobey him.”

“I… he really wants me to?” Wish asked.

“He thinks it’ll be good for you,” Vox smiled. “He really only wants you to be happy. And don’t you want to see the prisoner again? I know she’s not the cause of your nightmares, you probably want to talk more with her, don’t you?”

“Yes...”

“Then it’s settled! We’re going down there as soon as you’re ready. Oh, I truly, truly can’t wait. This time… I can feel already that it’s going to be more fun than anything I’ve done so far as Head Inquisitor,” Vox rubbed her cheeks in joy.

“What do you mean? Isn’t this just normal for you?” Wish asked.

“Oh it’s going to be special this time. You’ll see. That pony is getting a very special Inquisition, after she’s resisted for so long… your father has given me something to finally get what he needs from her,” Vox chuckled some more. “You’ll see, you’ll see very soon.”

Wish trembled where she stood. She didn’t like the sound of any of this.

---

“Oh, the loon is back. Didn’t get enough yesterday?” Rainbow Dash snorted as Vox walked into her cell with Wish following right behind the Head Inquisitor. Rainbow’s expression got even darker as soon as she noticed Wish. “The kid again? Do you even care how messed up you are for bringing her down here?” Rainbow glanced down at Wish. “Seriously, kid, if you have any choice at all, get out of here. This isn’t the kind of stuff you should see.”

“You’re very kind to her considering who her father is,” Vox giggled.

“Who her father is doesn’t matter, she’s just a filly. She doesn’t even have her Cutie Mark yet, you monster.” Rainbow Dash glared.

Vox shrugged. “Well she doesn’t have a choice. Or she does, but not really. She’d never disobey her loving father. She’s a loyal little darling.”

Wish bit her lip and hung her head low, unable to meet the gaze of Rainbow Dash.

The box containing the device was already with them as well. Vox moved it over to in front of Rainbow Dash but she didn’t open it up just yet.

“Rainbow Dash. Things are going to be a little different this time. And this time we’re going to get what we want from you,” Vox said as she leaned down to look eye to eye with Rainbow Dash.

“Fat chance,” Rainbow responded.

“Heh, we’ll see,” Vox smiled and reached into her white suit, pulling something out of one of the pockets and levitating it between her face and Rainbow Dash’s. “Do you know what this is?”

Wish’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks and Rainbow Dash glared harder at the syringe full of strange glowing liquid in front of her.

A syringe. Needles. Wish’s memories and dreams were replaying themselves inside her head. A cold terror had gripped her entire body. They were always coming down at her. Always trying to get her.

“Yes,” Rainbow Dash growled.

“Do you want to know what’s inside it? What I’m about to inject into you?” Vox’s maniacal grin spread wider.

Rainbow Dash didn’t answer. Her eyes were full of white hot fury as she glared at Vox.

“Heh, well you’re about to find out,” Vox said and suddenly stabbed the needle into Rainbow Dash’s neck. The pegasus grit her teeth and winced in pain, while Vox immediately pressed the plunger down and the contents of the syringe flooded into her body. Vox then pulled the needle out and tossed the syringe onto the floor, letting it shatter there. She grinned and couldn’t help but chuckle as Rainbow Dash shivered and trembled while she was chained down to the table. “Should only be a few moments...”

“W-What...” Rainbow Dash said as she felt a cold, almost numb, sensation spread from her neck and into the rest of her body. “What’s happening...”

“Vox… w-what was that?” Wish asked the Head Inquisitor, a queasy look on her face as Rainbow continued to spasm and her breathing became ragged and uneven.

“Shh,” Vox lifted a hoof to her lips to silence Wish. “Just watch for a moment.”

Wish watched as Rainbow Dash twitched, her neck and head jerking from left to right. The pegasus tried to reach up with her hooves to feel her neck where she had been injected but the shackles kept her well away. Veins in her neck were pulsing and took on a darker color while the pupils of her eyes dilated and they darted back and forth. Her jaw clenched down so tightly it looked like she would shatter her own molars. The rest of her body grew pale as a waterfall of sweat started to pour off her back. Low moans and wheezing noises started to escape from her clenched jaw and throat.

“Alright, time to see if this is working,” Vox said and leaned down right in front of Rainbow Dash again. She had a twisted smile on her face as Rainbow Dash’s eyes focused on her.

But Wish saw that those eyes were almost staring past her. Like they were seeing something else—or something more right now.

“What is your name?” Vox asked the pegasus.

“R-Rainbow Dash...” she answered even as her body continued to shake.

Vox nodded. “Alright… do you see the hat I’m wearing? The black hat?”

Wish looked up, Vox wasn’t wearing any hat. Rainbow Dash’s eyes tilted up too but unlike Wish, they showed a flash of recognition in them.

“Yes...”

“Good, good,” Vox chuckled. “So then, just to be sure this is working, let me ask you some questions you haven’t been willing to answer before. What is the name of your home? Where do you come from?”

Rainbow’s eyes darted around, she seemed confused, agitated, like she didn’t want to answer but couldn’t help herself. “E-Equestria… I c-come from Equestria...”

Vox giddily clapped. “Very, very good! Now tell me more. Tell me about your friends and family.”

“Mom… dad…”

“More than that. Their names, Rainbow Dash. Do you love them?”

Rainbow Dash nodded as best she could in her restrained state. “I love them… Windy Whistles… Bow Hothoof. My f-friends, Twilight Sparkle… Fluttershy… Rarity… Applejack… Pinkie Pie. I l-love them all too.” She was breathing heavily and her eyes had half rolled back into her head. “T-Tank… pet tortoise… a-and...” Suddenly her face tilted down a little and she looked directly at Wish. “S-Scootaloo… l-little sister...”

“Ohhh, all these new names. Please, tell me more about how you love them. Tell me more about your home and everything,” Vox said.

“They mean… everything to me. I’d do… a-anything for my friends. L-Love them… love my family. I live in Cloudsdale… I h-help out at school in Ponyville, p-perform in the Wonderbolts. L-Love Equestria… the Princesses… the kids… e-everything...” Rainbow Dash’s eyes were starting to water. She didn’t want to say what she was saying. She knew she shouldn’t be, but whatever had been injected into her body was compelling her.

“That’s good… now Rainbow Dash. Why don’t you picture yourself back in Equestria? You’re not in a dungeon. You’re back home. You see all your friends. It’s a bright day outside. Equestria. Home. Not some dark dungeon. You’re flying in the sky above your home,” Vox said.

“Flying… flying in the sky...” Rainbow Dash repeated.

As Wish watched, Rainbow Dash’s eyes became glazed over, she wasn’t looking at her or Vox anymore. She had been transported elsewhere.

“Yes you’re flying through the sky, like a ghost. Buildings are no obstacle to you, you can see everything. You see your friends there… but they can’t see or hear you,” Vox smiled. “You’re invisible. You can’t touch them. Only watch.”

“No...” Rainbow Dash whimpered.

“Yes. And now, now that you’re back home, you realize you’ve been gone for so long that you’ve missed something important. Something horrible has happened in Equestria while you were away. What are your friends faces like? Do they look upset? Scared? Sad?”

“Y-Yes… something bad… crying. Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy… everypony… crying.” Rainbow Dash started crying completely as well, her eyes wide open. “Stop. Stop it...”

Wish didn’t know if she was talking to her phantom friends or Vox. Either way it didn’t stop.

“Let’s see, what can we—ah. I’ve got it,” Vox’s eyes gained a malevolent twinkle in them that shook Wish to her core. “Rainbow Dash… while you were away, a disease came through Equestria. A sickness. A plague. So many ponies caught it… so many died from it. Your friends are all gathered in the hospital together, crying over those who have died. You’re right there with them—and yet not. They’re crying out for you, Rainbow Dash. Wondering where you are, wondering why you weren’t here to help. Why did you abandon them in their time of need?”

“I-I didn’t… I’m sorry… p-please, stop it… stop crying...” Rainbow Dash pleaded.

“Apologizing won’t bring back everypony who has died, Rainbow Dash. Your friends, your family, everypony is twisted in despair. Now tell me… are you sad right now?” Vox asked.

“Yes...”

Vox grinned. “Are you depressed? Are you miserable knowing your friends and home have suffered while you’ve been away?”

“Y-Yes...”

“That’s right. You’re finally feeling despair now, Rainbow Dash.”

Vox chuckled and opened up the box containing the device.

“N-No...” Wish said as she saw what Vox was doing. She even reached up to tug on the sleeve of Vox’s suit. “Don’t, s-she’s already… please. Don’t do anymore to her.”

“But if I didn’t do this then there wouldn’t be a point to any of it at all. Silly filly,” Vox winked at her and pulled away from Wish’s grip. The device was levitated on out and brought over to Rainbow Dash’s head. Wish could only look on in horror as Vox once again put it on and strapped Rainbow Dash in. Screwing everything tight and pulling her eyelids open. Rainbow Dash only seemed vaguely aware of what was happening, lost in whatever visions and illusions Vox had conjured in her mind.

“Rainbow Dash? I need you to listen to me again. I need you to let it all out. Everything you’re feeling, all that despair inside your head. Let it all out for me,” Vox said.

With the cage-like device on her head, Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw shut and stared a thousand miles ahead. Slowly she shook her head as best she could. “N-No… no...”

“My, what a strong will. Still trying to fight back even as the hallucinations tear at you,” Vox said. She giggled and stared down into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “But Rainbow Dash… that’s not all that’s going on in Equestria right now. It’s not just your friends who are sad, they aren’t only crying for strangers. Somepony very close to you has gotten sick. I’m afraid to say it but… they’re dying. They’re lying in the hospital bed right now, taking their last breaths. Who is it, Rainbow Dash? Who’s dying right now? Who would it tear you up the most to see dying without you there by her side?”

More tears dripped from Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “Scoots… S-Scootaloo...”

“The little sister? She must be just a filly, how sad~” Vox smiled. “That poor little filly is dying and you’re nowhere to be found. She’s crying out for you, asking for Rainbow Dash, but you’re not there. You can’t lay a comforting hoof on her shoulder, you can’t tell her it’s all going to be okay, all you can do is watch as she struggles to breathe.”

“Stop it...” Rainbow Dash cried.

“She’s dying. Because you left her alone, because you weren’t there for her or any of your friends. It’s all because of you that this is happening. I can imagine you in that room, screaming, trying to do anything for her, but helpless. The despair you must feel right now… let it out, Rainbow Dash. Let it all out.”

To Wish’s horror, Rainbow Dash slumped forward, limp, and a viscous black liquid began to drip ever so slowly from the faucet and into the empty test-tube. It bubbled and churned about like it was alive as it filled up the glass container and all the while Rainbow Dash’s tears cascaded down her face and puddled to the floor. Wish had seen this black liquid before. It was part of her nightmares and now she was seeing it in reality. Despair given form, much like the red anger before, but far more vile. Not just the midnight black color of it, but something deep within Wish’s soul told her of the darkness she was seeing. This was much worse than last time.

“That’s right, the sheer despair you feel to see your beloved friends and family dying while you can do nothing. While you’ve abandoned them,” Vox continued to coax Rainbow Dash on.

“Nghhh...” Rainbow Dash mewled in a combination of mental and physical anguish while the black liquid despair poured from her.

Wish was starting to feel light-headed as she watched. Something dripped down onto her hoof and when she looked down she realized it was blood from her nose.

“Finally. We’ve finally got it all,” Vox said as the test-tube filled up all the way.

“S-Scootaloo… Twilight… everypony...” Rainbow Dash cried.

“Yeah, yeah, cry about them all you want. Don’t need that anymore,” Vox said as she finished up with the device and carefully extracted the test-tube. “Hmm… he didn’t tell me how long the effects of that drug would last though. Heh, you might be in for a rough night.” She giggled and put a stopper in the test-tube, looking deeply at the black liquid inside.

The device was then taken off of Rainbow Dash’s head and placed back in the box. The pegasus now didn’t have any energy left, her body was still twitching and she stared ahead with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Wish had no idea how aware she was, or what her state of mind was like at the moment. Her face was so vacant.

“You don’t look so good either,” Vox said.

Wish’s head snapped up to look at the Head Inquisitor as she smirked down at her.

“A nosebleed huh? And your face is as white as a ghost’s,” Vox brought a hoof up to her mouth and started laughing, the test-tube of black despair floating by her head. “Not the expected reaction according to your father—for a psychiatrist it’s almost funny how little he seems to understand his own daughter. Well, it would be bad for me if he knew how you really reacted to all of this. I’ll get you cleaned up and taken care of tonight. And of course he’ll get the news that his darling little daughter enjoyed her time here. After all, you’re feeling a ten out of ten for happiness right now, aren’t you?”

Wish couldn’t nod or speak, she stumbled back and hit the bars of the cell before slumping to the ground. Her vision was going dark and her entire body felt light. Before she even knew it she had already fainted.

“Hm. I’ll just have to take that as a yes,” Vox shrugged.

The vial of despair was safely tucked into her suit and she looked back at Rainbow Dash one last time before packing everything else away. Vox winked at the captive pegasus. “Same time tomorrow~”

Author's Note:

So yeah, this arc was pretty much the reason this story needed to be T-rated.

Comments

[redmar]

Dreamweaver really is stupid and is likely not going to achieve his dream at all. I doubt he even knows what his device really does.

[TheCommunistDog]

Oh no that is not good.

In today’s chapter: Vox finally makes Rainbow break down. And we find out that Wish’s dad really is a giant idiot.


Also can’t wait to witness the death of those 2 Idiots

[RoboRed]

Yeah, I figured this would be the point it would hit the T-rating. There were hints a while back at things getting pretty dark.

Dreamweaver is just about out of his damn mind as Vox.