Drill Through The Heavens!!

by Zaki

A Fall from Above

Dash was snoring peacefully, the little white rabbit curled up next to her. Her exhaustion had finally won out against her hunger. The rabbit had only approached her when he was certain she was fully asleep, lying next to her for the warmth. Their sides rose and fell simultaneously as they breathed, their ears flickering at a low rumbling that seemed to emanate from under them.

Raising her head and yawning widely, Dash peered sleepily around the room looking for the source of the disturbance. Finding nothing she laid her head back down when a drill tore through the ground a mere few centimeters from her muzzle, the dust causing her to sneeze.

“What in the hay…?!” She bolted upright, her glasses falling lopsided for a moment and waking the rabbit who leaped up and held onto her for dear life; a sentiment she shared.

The sounds of somepony struggling up past the drill reached Dash’s ears and she raised an eyebrow when Fluttershy climbed through the hole, panting and looking excited. Brushing the dirt from herself she began talking excitedly.

“Dash you’ve got to see this! I was digging really deep this time and I found…” Her face fell when she saw the cyan pegasus’ face.

“I-I didn’t get you, did I?” Fluttershy asked, holding her hooves up to her mouth. “I couldn’t remember which cell you were in so I had to take a guess and I am so sorry if I got you with the drill-“

Dash cut her off. “Shy. If you had gotten me, I guarantee we would not be having this conversation right now.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, fidgeting nervously. Dash took a moment to look at her little sister in exasperation.

“No, you didn’t get me. You get me, you kill me!” She told her shortly, pushing her glasses back up to their rightful place. Fluttershy’s ears pressed back against her head and she cowered under the onslaught. Shaking her head, Dash smiled at the frightened pony.

“I’m sorry, Shy. Its just when I’m tired and hungry, I tend to get a little cranky when people come tearing through the floor and talking a mile a minute.” Dash offered a hoof and after a moment of hesitation, the yellow pegasus took it. She still looked downcast though and Dash quickly thought of how to cheer her up. The rabbit! Fluttershy loved animals and this one would be no exception.

Turning to look for the critter, a white blur was all she saw before Fluttershy cried out. Dash looked at her in alarm to see the rabbit perched on Fluttershy’s shoulder, hugging her. The pegasus smiled gently at the bunny, gently rubbing her cheek against the top of his head.

“I think he likes ya.” Dash pointed out with a grin. “He came in earlier and I was going to eat him but-“

“You were going to eat a poor defenseless bunny?!” Fluttershy looked shocked. “How could you? Angel was just looking for somewhere safe to stay because the earthquake destroyed his home. Isn’t that right, Angel bunny?”

The white rabbit nodded furiously, glaring at Dash. Fluttershy turned her attention to the pegasus as well. “Don’t worry, Angel. She won’t hurt you. Right, Dash?”

“But-“

“No buts. You are not going to eat Angel. He’s part of our family now.” The rabbit hopped on top of Fluttershy’s head and folded his arms, looking smug. He stuck his tongue out at Dash who resisted the urge to smack the animal in retaliation. Her hoof shook with the effort of restraint, slowly lowering her leg back to the ground. Sighing in defeat, Dash hung her head.

“Alright, alright. I promise I won’t eat Angel… unless we’re starving.”

“Dash…” Fluttershy persisted, her gaze hardening. Dash flinched at the Stare, trying to avert her gaze. It wasn’t often that she would be intimidated by a mere gaze but the way Fluttershy was looking at her, it frightened her a bit as much as she hated to admit it.

“Ok! I won’t ever eat Angel! Now… stop looking at me like that!”

------------------------------------------------------

“Sooo…. What’s so important that you broke me out of jail? Did you find a big diamond?” Dash asked, walking leisurely behind Fluttershy. She yawned as they reached the entrance to the tunnel Fluttershy had been digging. The rabbit was napping on Fluttershy’s back, his long ears twitching at the pegasus’ reply.

“I don’t know what you would call it.” Fluttershy paused, raising a hoof to her chin as she considered her answer. “I guess it’s some kind of face?”

“Doesn’t sound very fun if you ask me!” A figure fell from the ceiling and hit the ground with a resounding thud. Both Fluttershy and Dash jumped in fright as the pink pony leapt to her feet, the bouncy pony grinning ear to ear in the light from Fluttershy’s goggles. Dash and Fluttershy exchanged an uneasy glance at the sudden pony’s appearance.

“Where are you two going? Is it somewhere fun? Does it have candy? Ooh, what’s that on your back, Fluttershy?” Pinkie cantered forward, peering at the petrified bunny clinging to the yellow pegasus.
“A bunny? Where did you get him?”

“Its… a long story.” Dash lied, hoping to dissuade the earth pony from asking too many questions. Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect; the pink pony’s face lighting up with joy. She settled back and waited expectantly.

“I love stories! So long as they don’t take too long to get to the point and they don’t have meaningless conversations with other characters that don’t take the story anywhere apart from mild amusement for the reader.” Pinkie bounced up and down. “That’s never fun for anypony.”

“That’s… oddly specific.” Dash replied, looking at Fluttershy and moving her hoof in a circle next to her ear. Fluttershy frowned at Dash, shaking her head.

“We’ll tell you the story some other time, ok?” Dash went to go past her but found herself on her back with the mad pony’s face inches away from her own.

“Pinkie promise?” Pinkie whispered, her voice dangerously low.

“Um… no?” Dash pushed her off and climbed to her feet. “Sorry, Pinkie but we have somewhere to be.”

“Not if it involves another attempt to the surface.” A series of lights turned on and blinded the three ponies gathered. Trixie stepped into the light followed by half a dozen stallions, her expression a dangerous balance of fury and self-control. She stomped her hoof as she spoke, cutting off Pinkie Pie’s greetings.

“So you thought you would bring the pink pony with you? Were it possible for you to leave and have both of you leave, I would gladly let you do so. However, since it is impossible for you to leave, I can’t allow you to keep spreading false hope amongst the villagers.”

“Oooh is this a surprise party?” Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down. “I love parties!”

“Hush, Pinkie.” Trixie spat, her attention focused on Dash who stood defiantly. The pink pony closed her mouth, her ears flattening against her head. Fluttershy was more or less hiding behind Dash, the smaller pegasus’ ears and mane barely visible. The stallions shifted uncomfortably as their leader spoke again.

“You just never learn, do you?” Trixie advanced on the duo, her expression changing as fury won out. “No matter what I do, you always just want to do the opposite of what I need you to do, don’t you?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“Everything!” Trixie exploded. “Everything that happens down here matters! Whether it be a cave-in, a food shortage, or someone spouting inane jabber! For years, you’ve been stirring up far more trouble than you are worth and I have grown tired of it. Putting you in a cell hasn’t helped one bit so the only other course left available to me is execution.”

“That’s a bit extreme.” Dash replied, watching her warily. The sword on Trixie’s back was levitated in a blue aura, the unicorn’s face still full of anger. “Since when have you been such a murderous psychopath?”

“I’m not a psychopath… I’m saving this village another few decades of your insanity.” Trixie took a step forward, raising the blade menacingly. Fluttershy whimpered in fear but raised her head.

“Please, Trixie… she hasn’t done anything wrong…” She whispered just loud enough for the unicorn to hear her. The mare hesitated, the blade lowering slightly.

“She’s been controlling you, Fluttershy. She’s just using you to get her way and when she does, you’ll be left behind.” Trixie replied quietly.

Dash took a wide stance, her wings ready to take off if necessary. Fluttershy covered her eyes and cowered. Trixie’s eyes narrowed. The stallions were still. Pinkie was chewing her popcorn, eyes transfixed on the spectacle. The crunching was as loud as thunder in the silence that resided.

Nopony moved, waiting for the other to move.

In the end, nopony had to move. The choice was made for them in the form of something smashing through the ceiling of their home and sending shrapnel everywhere. Sounds of cascading rock assailed everypony’s ears, low and powerful. Screams were prevalent but drowned out in the sound of falling stone.

Fluttershy screamed as a massive boulder flew towards them. Trixie yelled something, her sword dropping and an instinctive shield forming around her. It smashed into the shield and exploded, shards of razor sharp rock flew towards them. Dash seized Fluttershy around the neck and forced her to the ground. Fluttershy covered her head with her wings as the boulders continued to fall.

What seemed like an eternity later, the cascade stopped and Fluttershy could raise her head. Peering around and getting to her feet, she saw the outlines of the group of ponies struggled to get to their feet. Fluttershy coughed, flapping her wings to make sure nothing was broken. Turning her head left and right, she couldn’t see any sign of Dash.

“Dash? Dash?!” She cried, leaping on a small pile of rocks. Fluttershy scanned the area in a panic, her heart racing. The pile underneath her shifted and her footing was lost as the rocks crumbled to the side.

“Blaaaaagh!!” Dash shook her head, dust billowing out of her mane. She wiped her glasses free of dust and replaced them on her face. “Well, that certainly was unexpected.”

Fluttershy winced as she stood, feeling bruises forming on her legs. Her vest quivered for a moment before Angel popped his head out, eyes full of fear and suspicion.

“It’s okay, Angel. Nopony is gonna hurt you. Its all over. You’re safe now.” She gave the bunny a quick squeeze before a shout from Dash caught her attention.

“Whoa! Shy! Is this what you found?” Dash yelled from atop a nearby staircase. Fluttershy gathered her strength and leaped, her wings flapping to assist the jump. Landing gracefully next to Dash, she spotted what the pegasus was pointing at. It was a large silvery face with gleaming fangs. It looked similar to what she found but… huge.

Fluttershy shook her head. “The one I found was much smaller. I could sit inside it. This one is way too big and... ugly.”

“Ha! Damn right it’s ugly.” Dash scratched her head. “So what’s it even doing down here? How did it even get down here?”

“Maybe someone dug too close to it and it was too much weight for the ceiling to hold?” Fluttershy suggested, peering down at it.

“Maybe-“

“Y’all get away from that!!” An unfamiliar accented voice called out from above.

Dash and Fluttershy looked up, wincing at the yellow light coming down from the ceiling to see a pony plummeting towards them on some sort of harness. Landing with a thud in front of them, the two mares stared at the new pony, who was wearing some kind of contraption on her back.

“Y’all might wanna take a step back!” Dash and Fluttershy watched in awe as the contraption unfolded and a scope lined up with the pony’s right eye. Without warning, another rumbling began. This one was far stronger than before and the village ponies began screaming again.

The metal face in front of them suddenly lurched, pushing itself upright. After a quick look around, the creature roared and smashed its fist into the side of the cavern wall, shattering the stone. Fluttershy’s jaw dropped in awe at the sheer size of the thing. It was far too big to move that quickly…. Wasn’t it?

“Darn it!” The pony yelled next to them. “We gotta move ‘fore he spots us, otherwise we’ll just be a stain on the stone… Where’s your friend?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy turned to see Dash was gone. Had she run at the first sign of trouble? That wasn’t like her at all.

“Hey you!! Yeah you with the big ugly buck teeth!!” She heard Dash shout.

Oh no… Fluttershy thought. She can’t possibly be that dumb…

Turning towards the source of the voice, she saw Dash standing there on a broken staircase, glaring daggers through her red tinted glasses at the creature. The monster turned and looked in surprise at the yelling cyan pegasus.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Um Dash?!” Fluttershy yelled in fear. Dash ignored her and took a deep breath, a grin setting on her face.

“Does she have a death wish?” The earth pony asked, the rifle on her back reloading and taking aim. She took a wide stance, peering through the scope.

“I’m about to tell you what’s what so you better listen up, you metal faced freak! The mighty Team Hurricane is one that tears through their enemies with the fury of a thousand storms. When you hear everypony swap stories about their awesome leader, they’re talking about me! The best flyer in existence: Rainbow Dash!”

Silence was her answer. Fluttershy couldn’t stop a smile from appearing on her face. The other pony groaned, putting a hoof to her face.

“What the hell is she talking about?”

“Beats me…” Fluttershy admitted.

Dash raised a sword which Fluttershy recognized as Trixie’s. The pegasus growled through the handle. “You won’t be doing any more damage to our home!”

The creature remained still for a moment before raising a fist. The orange pony next to Fluttershy took aim and fired three times, the resounding thunder from the gun nearly deafening her. The creature roared, falling backwards into the rubble. As the dust billowed, Dash looked down at the two in surprise.

“I had everything under control!”

“Less talk, more retreating!” The earth pony yelled as Fluttershy pointed towards the tunnels. The pegasus flapped her wings and landed at a full gallop with the two.

“So you’re from the surface?” Dash asked excitedly as they neared the tunnel entrance. The orange pony nodded, allowing Fluttershy to enter first.

“Yep. Trust me though, it’s not all its cracked up to be. “

“Yeah, yeah.” Dash peered back towards the rapidly fading light where the creature had regained its feet and was smashing again furiously. “What the hay is that?”

“We call them Shades. Don’t ask me why, I’ve questioned it for years. I felt we needed a better name but its difficult when you’re constantly fighting for your life.” The orange pony followed Fluttershy out of the hole. Dash followed suit, climbing out into the fourth level overlook. The creature was still demolishing without abandon.

“Wonderful, I got a perfect shot here.” Her rifle unfolded again, and she braced herself against the stone balcony. She took careful aim at the back of the creature’s head. “One shot and he goes to sleep.”

“Hey ugly! You’re going down!” Dash yelled, startling the two. The creature spun quickly, hurling a massive boulder at them. The pony from the surface yelled and fired, the shell shattering the rock into dozens of smaller but no less deadly pieces. The trio yelled and dove back into relative safety behind the stone wall.

“What the hay is wrong with you?!” She yelled at Dash. Fluttershy was rocking back and forth, clutching Angel. The rabbit wasn’t doing any better, clutching his own knees and rocking as well.

“Victory that isn’t won face to face is no true victory!” Dash yelled as Fluttershy weakly led them to another tunnel in the ground.

“Just… shut up.” The orange pony replied, adjusting her own glasses. “Where the buck are we going?”

“To the one I found.” Fluttershy replied weakly, the tunnel shaking slightly from the violence above. “Its just up ahead.”

“By the way, we never caught your name.” Dash called from behind, her wings tucked firmly against her body. “Bet its something awesome. That’s Fluttershy and I’m Rainbow Dash. What’s yours?”

“You can call me AJ for now. We make it outta here; I’ll tell y’all my full name. Deal?” AJ looked back and flashed a grin at Dash, who smirked in return.

“Deal, AJ.”

Comments

[afireinsidebrad]

I have watched the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann series far too many times, and this is just going spot on with it!

*spoilers don't read if you haven't seen TTGL!!!*

RD is gonna die?.......

[Zaki]

1461953 We'll see. I do have the whole thing planned out already. Trust me. It will deviate from Tenga Toppa in areas but those who have seen it, this will be familiar. I'm trying not to follow it word for word, otherwise its just ponies in Gurren Lagaan.

[afireinsidebrad]

>>DarkElf23

Ok, I can't wait, and this has gotten me back into the ttgl I craze yet again lol, can't wait to see who portrays who, although I think I know who twi and the CMC are gonna be

[Zaki]

1461991 Spoiler cause I wanna.
Viral is Vinyl Scratch

[afireinsidebrad]

>>DarkElf23
Lol nice, that's gonna be interesting