Chapter 21
"Where is she?" A simple question spoken in completely level tones, but the ponies before her quaked in their boots. "Well?"
Pinkie swept her gaze over the assembled ponies. There was no frowning, for frowning was bad. There was no anger; that too was bad. She ran a tight caravan after all. Cool, calm and collected, the three C's necessary for every leader to excel. Too bad she couldn't think of three A's, it was first in the alphabet, which made it instantly better than every other letter except for 'S'.
"I was told that rainbow-maned pegasus was caught." Each word was slowed down so they could follow every single last letter. "Where. Is. She?"
"Pinkie, I don-"
"That's 'Commander' to you!" Pinkie snapped back, blade unsheathed and pointed at the insolent foal. "I don't have time for games, so tell me where she is right this instant."
Looking over her shoulder, Pinkie watched as more dead were thrown into the pit. She could see their names and their faces, the way they walked and talked, the sound of their laughter echoing through the midnight breeze. So many voices silenced in one cruel act, who was that rainbow slut to say who lived and died?
No pony should ever have that power. Not Twilight, not Hurricane, not MacIntosh, and most certainly not some random pegasus. She probably sat there, laughing her ass off while ponies—good ponies—were raped and killed. She was probably the one who urinated in their bowls, telling them to drink up because it was all the food they were going to get. If she was lucky, that sick little fucker was going to end up with a something very sharp and very large in her cunt before the night was out. If she was unlucky, well... there was a reason why Pinkie had two blades instead of one.
"Last chance," growled Pinkie as she took a step forward.
"Stop terrorizing the poor souls. I told them not to tell you because I knew you'd be out for blood." Pinkie's eyes narrowed as she watched Lyra lean casually against the cliff face. "The rest of you can go. Eclipse needs some help deciphering the notes we gathered, the medics can always use another competent hoof, and there are some prisoners that need guarding. Guarding mind you. Not throwing rocks, not taunting, not acting like racist freaks. Got that? I can, and will, deal with anypony who disobeys that last order."
"But feel free to sit around their cage, eating all the tasty fruit and vegies," said Pinkie. "Oh! Wind Chill, give Sandy a nice, long, sloppy kiss. Let them wrap their minds around that!"
That got a round of laughter from all those gathered, and a pair of blushing ponies. Still, it drained the tension out of the air as easily as a pie would, and with a gentle nudge, the crowd slowly dispersed. All the while, a pair of disapproving eyes pricked the back of Pinkie's neck.
Once they were out of earshot of everypony, she spun around and hissed, "What?"
"You need to calm down," said Lyra. "I know why you want to talk to Rainbow Das-"
"Oh, so we're on first name basis with that traitor now?" Their faces were inches apart, a barely contained snarl marring Pinkie's face. "She led the pegasi right to us. She got Bon-Bon killed. Remember her? Earth pony, purple and pink mane, had a cu-"
She never saw the blow coming. One second she was standing up, the next second she was on her back in the show, spitting out blood. She expected Lyra to say something, to spit on her or growl in that impossibly cold voice of hers. Instead, she turned and walked away in total silence.
Getting back onto her hooves, Pinkie followed Lyra along the cliff face and down a tunnel. It twisted and turned, and the entire place smell of blood and musk. The stone was stained, bodies littered the ground, and more than once, they came across a room full of instruments that made Pinkie squeal in delight while simultaneously bringing bile to her throat.
She wasn't that surprised that they were deep in the bowels of favorite pass time of the pegasi. Or was that second favorite? It was so hard to keep track of these with how they jumped between rape and torture. Sure, blood was fascinating with how vivid it was against snow, the way it trailed through fur, staining everything it touched. And the taste! By the stars, the taste was probably the best thing about it right behind how thick and creamy it was. That wasn't even consi-
"Though here." Lyra paused outside a hole that led down into the darkness. "Try not to break her even more."
"Even more?" A huge grin split Pinkie's face as she threw a hoof around Lyra's shoulder. "Oh Lyra, I knew that you loved me. Let that inner demon out! Rawr."
This time, Pinkie got a slap. Not hard enough to hurt, but it still stung and made her eyes water.
"Love you too, babe." Skipping out of reach, Pinkie blew Lyra a kiss before disappearing around the corner and down the tunnel.
At first the smell was relaxing, reminding her of better times where she was free to indulge in her various tastes. But with each step she took, the smell strengthened until she was forced to breathe through her mouth, gagging at how thick the stench of blood was. It felt like she was drowning, lost in a delirium that never ended, that she never wanted to end.
It was in that same haze that she stumbled into the final chamber, peering at her target through bleary eyes. There she stood, half hidden by the darkness, back towards Pinkie. Her breathing was shallow, labored, and somewhere, dripping water could be heard.
"You." Though Pinkie spoke clearly, her words were swallowed whole by the stench that filled the room. "I'm going to kill you."
Nothing. No sudden turning around, no tensing of the shoulders, or flaring of the wings. Rainbow Dash didn't even bother looking back as she answered, "Join the line."
"Ha!" The bark of laugher escaped before she could stop it, and Dash's shoulders tensed in response. "I'll murder the entire line and then slowly kill you."
"I'd like to see you try," she said, but with the way words were eaten whole, they sounded flat.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. There'll be a party and cake. The biggest, bestest cake you've even eaten." Pause. "Oh dear, if you get cake, I can't really do what I want. Oh well! Improvising is the spice of life, I'm sure I'll be able to come up with something."
Silence.
"Whatever," muttered Dash as she limped forward.
In the blink of an eye, Pinkie was between Dash and the table, weapon drawn. "And where do you think you're going?"
Magenta eyes met blue, weary beyond belief and dim in the oppressive gloom. It was impossible to make out the specific features, but there was something there. Something half hidden, almost as though Dash was looking past her, looking at something only she could see. A second later, the look was gone and Dash was in her face, snout to snout, a growl rumbling in the back of her throat.
"What's it to you?"
"Get out of my face." Pinkie shoved Dash back, sending the pegasus to the ground before resting a hoof against her chest and a blade against her throat. "I'm here to make you pay for what you did."
"Well then, get on with it. What are you, afraid?" Dash smirked up at Pinkie. "That's it, isn't it? Oh, it's so easy on the battlefield, to slaughter pegasi as though they're animals , but sun forbid you kill a defenseless pegasus like me."
"Shut. Up!" Down went the blade, digging into her throat, drawing blood. "I'm going to make you suffer first, I'm going t-"
A hoof slammed into her knee and Pinkie hit the ground. Rolling to the side, she came up just in time to duck under two wild swings. It was pathetic really, all it took was a solid hook punch to the gut and Dash stumbled back. Her wings unfurled, the right one barely managing to open before she squeezed her eyes shut. Pained gasps escaped as she dropped onto one knee.
"That's the best you've got?" Dash brushed her mane to the side, causing Pinkie to frown. "Well?"
Pinkie stepped forward, causing Dash to skip back out of reach. Or at least, that's what she assumed. With the way Dash flailed around, stumbling over her own hooves, it was impossible to tell.
Darting forwards, Pinkie feinted to the right before slamming a hoof into Dash's jaw. Pressing the advantage, she added two quick jabs to the sternum before her elbow slammed into the all-too smug blue face, sending Dash to the ground. Flicking her right wrist, the blade came free and she stabbed it through Dash's right shoulder while she pinned the left shoulder with her remaining foreleg.
"Sorry, but I ain't into mares," growled Rainbow Dash.
Ignoring her comment, Pinkie brushed Dash's mane to the side, revealing a blackened eye. She ripped her blade free and sliced down in quick strokes, and when she was done, Dash's clothing lay in tatters on the floor.
"Should have known a sick freak like you would be into blood," said Dash.
Instead of commenting, Pinkie let her gaze roam over Dash's body, drinking in the sight of the fresh wounds and bruises. A particularly nasty one along her right shoulder had even opened up, seeping out blood. Everywhere she looked, there was a wound of some kind; not a single inch of her body had been spared. Pinkie frowned and slammed a knee into Dash's stomach. While she was curled up and gasping for breath, Pinkie flipped her over and pinned her down once more, this time examining her back.
"Get off me, you bitch!" Showing far more strength than Pinkie expected, Dash twisted and threw Pinkie off her body.
But in that split second, Pinkie had already seen far more than she wished. A single red wound at the base of her wing, no longer than her hoof width, and the stitching poorly done. A wing hanging limp at her side, bandages that once held it to snug against Dash's body were cut to shreds. She had seen that wound before, almost always on a dead pegasus, and those who weren't dead, died shortly afterwards by their own hooves.
This... this wasn't a trick. As much as she wanted to kill this pegasus, to rip her limb from limb and make her suffer like her ponies had suffered, Dash wasn't the one to blame. Sure, she was a bitch, racist and deserved to die, but not torture. A quick death, that was what she deserved, even if that was probably too good for a racist like her.
"Weak. Look at you, it'd it hilarious if it wasn't so depressing. The Pink Menace, the bane of unicorns and pegasi alike, the one and only thing that both sides agree on is that you should be killed. Your family raped. Your friends slaughtered." Dash stalked forward, a low growl rumbling in the back of her throat. "What's the matter? Timberwolf got your tongue?"
For her part, Pinkie didn't react. Well, didn't react with violence, despite how tempting it was to take a knife and etch that smug grin into Dash's face. Let's see how much she enjoyed giving that smug smile then!
"You should be glad it was Lightning Dust who sold you out. If she had been a day late, I would have made sure every single last one of you were caught, raped, an-"
Pinkie's blade came down, cutting into Dash's chest. Before that little piece of shit could move again, the sword dug in, cutting through skin and muscle. Again and again, each cut faster than the last. Each cut designed to cause pain, but not kill, not maim. Not yet.
Slowly, she approached the bleeding pegasus. She ignored the shallow breathing, the numerous fresh cuts and the way Dash shivered without her clothes on. With a kick, she forced Dash onto her belly and stood over the pegasus. Placing one hoof on her back, a second stomped down on her good wing, forcing it open.
"Oh, I see, can't even pony up and kill me, like those whimpering cowards." Somehow, Dash managed to twist her head around to glare up at Pinkie. "You’re pathetic..."
Whatever else was said was lost as those words echoed in Pinkie's brain. She wasn't like them, she was nothing like them! This, this pegasus was just trying to get inside her head, freak her out and break her down. Well it wasn't going to work! She was nothing like them. She didn't enslave ponies, rape them or torture them . All she did was fight the enemy, what else could she do? They didn't listen to reason, to logic. They were so caught up in their own fantasy world that they couldn't see the truth. Like rabid manticores, caught up in their own delusions with no escape except death .
"Kill me already, you bitch! Pony up for once and do what you want!" Dash slowly stood up, forcing Pinkie's blade to sink into her flesh, before collapsing back down.
Silence.
"You should have heard them." Pinkie's eyes snapped down, jaws clenching until it hurt. "They begged the guards to stop at first, but it was a lie. I mean, you should have seen them as they were dragged out of the cells. The longest one lasted... how long was it? A minute or something? Before she was begging them to go faster, begging for another coc-"
The blade slammed down, but there was no scream, only small gasp of pain as Dash clenched her eyes shut. Seconds ticked by, then minutes, the constant echo of dripping blood was the only companionship Pinkie had. Then slowly, with trembling limbs, Pinkie pulled her sword out and sheathed it once more. Dropping back onto all fours, she walked away, pausing at the entrance to the room.
"I am nothing like that."
And with those words, she walked out, ignoring the screams. About how her ponies had begged, pleaded, willingly gave up their bodies, minds and soul. The words floated through her and washed away the anger. Stepping back into the light, Pinkie brushed past Lyra and said, "Rainbow Dash will need a medic and new clothing, see to it that she gets them."
"Aye, aye Cap'n!" Lyra gave a mock salute, though her grin didn't quite reach her eyes. "You keeping her alive then?"
"Of course, some things are worse than death."
"Spitfire, you need to rest."
Silence.
"At least eat something." Soarin nudged Spitfire lightly, but she did not budge from her position beside the makeshift bed. "You'll be no use if y-"
"Why? Because food makes everything better?" Spitfire spun around, sweeping the tray onto the ground. "Do you think food will make Twilight better? Well!?"
"Yes." Soarin ducked under the Spitfire's punch before pinning her to the ground. "Because when she wakes up, and yes, I said 'when' and not 'if'—when she wakes up, she'll need you. Even now, she needs you to help take care of her, especially since you're being an idiot and not letting us take her to Pinkie where there are actual medics."
"Fleetfoot is a good enough me-"
"And Fleetfoot is pissed at you right now."
With a sigh, Soarin slipped off and held out a hoof. For a brief second, it seemed as though Spitfire was going to slap it away, but after a moment's hesitation, she accepted it and was dragged onto her hooves.
"That food is for Twilight," mumbled Spitfire causing Soarin to cock his eyebrow. "Don't give me that look! She needs to get her strength up, with... you know..."
They both glanced down at the bedridden unicorn, focusing on her horn. The top inch had been broken off completely and a long fracture ran down the side. Dried blood caked the side of her face, but without more water, there wasn't much they could do about it. A small sigh escaped as she brushed Twilight's mane to one side, watching as the unicorn tossed and turned.
"She needs to get to a proper medic," sighed Soarin before hastily adding, "I know Fleetfoot is trained, but she's a combat medic and even she said that we don’t have enough to treat all of Twilight's wounds."
"And where do you suggest we go?" yelled Spitfire. "Pinkie? She'd sell us out at the first opportunity! You saw her, left Twilight to ro-"
"Spitfire, if you can't keep your voice down, get the fuck out." Though Spike spoke in completely even tones, it carried to the weight of a disapproving general behind it and Spitfire found herself smiling sheepishly despite herself.
"She left Twilight to those monsters," continued Spitfire in a low growl, "I am not letting her anywhere near Pinkie and I most certainly am not putting her in Pinkie's care."
The two pegasi glared at each other, neither blinking, or even breathing.
"Sooooooaaaaarin~" Rapidfire's singsong voice echoed down the tunnel. "Where are you, my precious?"
"Shit!" Soarin bolted for the exit, taking the time to say, "I wasn't here, got that?" before he vanished from sight.
A couple seconds later, Rapidfire stuck his head around the corner and gave Spitfire a playful wink. "Don't worry captain, I'll keep that big softie occupied and away from here. Just make sure Twilight recovers, alright?"
"Of course." Spitfire tore her gaze away from Twilight long enough to smile at him. "Thanks Rapid."
"Anytime!" He hesitated for a brief second before asking, "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
"You know you don't have to ask."
"Old habit." Rapidfire licked his lips. "Promise you won't kill me either?"
That got a raised eyebrow out of Spitfire.
"It's just... I think Soarin might be right." He quickly scrambled around the corner, poking his head out after a couple seconds of silence.
"Am I really that scary?" Spitfire cocked an eyebrow at Spike who simply shrugged in response before he went back to snuggling against Twilight's side. "Rapidfire, get back in here, I'm not going to kill you with my bare hooves ."
"I'll stay out here thanks," he replied.
Pressing a hoof to her temple, Spitfire waved a hoof for him to continue.
"Look, Fleetfoot hates Twilight right now, and even if she didn't, we don't have enough food or medical supplies to last us much longer. There's no one else out there that'd take us in, and you know it." Rapidfire ran a hoof through his mane. "Look, I don't like it any more than you, but we have no choice. Twilight's still a bit touch and go, and Hurricane may be still looking for us."
"I know, I know damn it!" Her hoof slammed into the wall, the bang echoing through the tunnels. "Look, we've dealt with this before, we need to stay here right now so that she can rest, moving her now is a bad idea."
"Al-Alright." Rapidfire closed her eyes and breathed out slowly before snapping open. "Wait, this has happened before?"
"Once." With a tender hoof, Spitfire turned Twilight's head to the side, showing a small, faded scar.
"Spitfire." Spike shook his head sadly. "That is not your story to tell."
"It kinda is though, I mean, that was when we first met." Despite everything, a small smile graced her lips. "When I first saw her, I thought she was going to murder me in my sleep. She almost did, even though she could barely stand."
"Um... Captain? If that's why you love her, please get your head checked out."
"Are you saying you don't like somepony fiery?" She pressed a hoof to her chin, a sly smile on her face. "That's odd considering you've been with Blaze and Silver Lining an-"
"Ye- No- I mean..." Cheeks almost red, Rapidfire settled for a glare on glaring at her. "Oh shut up!"
A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but the mirth quickly drained away as she sighed yet again. "Maybe some other time, but I just want to spend time with Twilight."
"Great! In that case, it's time to harass Soarin some more." Rapidfire disappeared around the corner, his voice echoing through their makeshift base, "Soooooaaaarin~! Soarin my dear, where are you my snuggly, wuggly pie? It's so cold and lonely without you."
"...Are you sure he wasn't dropped on his head as a foal?" asked Spike.
That got a snort out of Spitfire, but she just shook her head. "Nah, he does that to annoy Soarin. Rapid's an 'anything that moves' type of guy. I swear, if it wasn't because Twilight scares him so much, he'd hit on me."
Spike cocked an eyebrow. "I'm certain she learnt how to be that scary from you."
"Yeah..." Spitfire settled back down, lying next to Twilight, using her wing as an extra blanket to keep the unicorn warm. With a hoof, she caressed a scar that ran across Twilight's chest. "Is it wrong of me to want to tie her down somewhere and keep her safe?"
"Sometimes, but we both know that once Twilight wants to do something, there's nothing either of us can say to change her mind."
"And she's doing a lot of good. If we hadn't rescued those ponies, this war would be lost. We’ll need some heavy recruiting to get anywhere near back up to full strength, but we survived. The only good thing is that we did some serious damage to both the pegasi and unicorns, and we managed to secure one of their fuel cells." Spitfire nuzzled Twilight's neck lightly, and the unicorn snuggled into her. "Still, I hate it. I'm a fucking Wonderbolt, but Twilight's the one on the front lines, the one with the most dangerous missions, and- Agh! Have you heard what Pinkie's been telling them all!?"
"Um... no...?"
"Nothing! That's what! Not a single one of them knows what we sacrificed. They think I'm just some random pegasus, some Wonderbolt who... who..." Once more her hoof slammed into the ground, a growl escaping as she blinked away the tears. "We sacrificed so much and they don't know. Especially Twilight, she lost everything."
"You knew the risks when y-"
"That's not the bloody point!" Drawing in heaving breaths, Spitfire clenched her eyes shut before breathing out slowly. "They think Pinkie is the one who started their little rebellion. They think Pinkie is the one with the ideas, the plans, the spies, the every-fucking-thing; when we're the ones doing all that shit while she sits in her comfy room doing nothing !"
Spike shook his head sadly. "You know what Twilight would say."
"That it'll be worth it in the end and that it's not about being heroes and blah, blah, blah." Blowing a strand of mane out of her eyes, Spitfire smiled fondly down at Twilight. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. She deserves some sort of recognition. You know?"
"It's also how Twilights wants it."
"Yeah..."
Silence descended, two pairs of eyes gazing down at the sleeping unicorn.
"Spitfire?"
"Hm?"
"If you hurt Twilight, I'll eat you."
"That's nice." Not once did her hoof stop brushing Twilight's mane. "Why the 'Big Brother' act now?"
"Because she's unconscious." The barest hint of laughter could be heard. "We both know that if she was awake, I'd have a crossbow pointed at me right now."
A pained whimper came from Twilight as she rolled over and Spitfire's attention immediately snapped down. Rubbing behind her ears, Spitfire began whispering sweet nothings with the occasional nuzzle thrown in. After a couple of seconds, the unicorn settled back down, body relaxing once more into the layers of clothing they had piled together for her bed.
"They're right you know," whispered Spike, causing Spitfire to groan. "Unless you know someplace else we can go, our only option is Pinkie."
"Is this before or after we kill her?"
"Before," he replied, making Spitfire feel stupid for even having to ask. "We need to her to save Twilight first, you know."
Once more silence descended, Spitfire on one side, Spike on the other, and Twilight nice and snug between them. Both listened to her soft breathing, tenderly brushing her mane and coat, ignoring the insanity coming from outside. When did things go so wrong? Despite her best efforts, Hurricane had caught on, and Twilight had nearly paid the price. Burying her muzzle in Twilight's neck, Spitfire took a deep breath.
Things would get better though, things always got better.
"Mmmm... Spitfire...?"
Eyes snapping open, Spitfire scrambled to her hooves, grabbing the cup of water and the bowl of food while Spike placed a claw on Twilight's chest.
"Here, drink some of this." Tilting her head up, Spitfire poured a bit of water into Twilight's mouth, making sure not to drown her before offering some hay. "Slowly now, gentle does it, you're really beaten up."
"H-How-" Coughs wracked her body and Spitfire was immediately there with the water. Taking a couple of gulps, Twilight cleared her throat and tried again in a raspy voice, "How bad is it?"
Spike and Spitfire exchanged a glance.
"That bad?" Once more with the coughing, but this time she waved away the water. "I'm not missing a leg I hope."
"No... it's just..." Once more Spitfire glanced over at Spike before sighing. "You're horn is cracked. Completely."
"Oh... Well, good thing I never really used my magic then. Hey Spike, can you pass the orange please?"
Silence.
"What?" Twilight looked up at them questioningly. "You both know I have zero control over my magic."
"But... But... Magic and wings and pegasi and unicorns and- and..." Spitfire looked over at Spike, mouth working uselessly.
"My magic is not who I am, it is just another part of me." Twilight shrugged and began munching through the hay. "Imagine a pegasus who could never fly and kept her wings. She always had them, didn't particularly hate or love them and then one day, they get taken away from her."
"So a less angry Scootaloo?"
"Something like that." Closing her eyes, Twilight snuggled down into her makeshift bed. "Now either shut up and get down here or get lost."
"How did I resist your charm before now?" chuckled Spitfire as she settled back down next to Twilight, draping a wing over the unicorn. "Oof!" She rubbed stomach. "For someone who's injured, you sure pack a punch."
"Less talk, or I grab Fleetfoot as a replacement."
Another hoof to the stomach and this time, Spitfire stayed silent. Above her, Spike made a whipping motion with his tail while mouthing words at her. Resisting the urge to growl and get another hoof to the stomach, Spitfire was content to stick her tongue out and glare at him.
The minutes ticked by, neither side saying anything as they watched Twilight drift to sleep once more. In the end, it was Spitfire who broke the stalemate when she tried to get out of Twilight's hooves. Tried. Every single time she retracted a wing, Twilight would pull it back over her. If she tried to slide out from between those toned hooves, Twilight would just tighten her hold and snuggle closer. The gentlest nudge was met with the cutest grumbles and mumbles that had no right existing.
Ignoring the increasingly amused looks Spike directed at her, Spitfire returned to tending to Twilight. Not that there was actually all that much to do, thanks to the whole 'being pinned by an all too adorable unicorn' thing. Not that she was complaining! There were worse ways to spend an afternoon. Or night.
"Spike?"
"What."
"Could you shift Twilight's hind leg? My leg is falling asleep."
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First off, nice chapter and it's kind of you to give Twilight such a comfy pillow, even if it tries to run off every now and then.
Second, you may want to change "She was probably the one who urinated in their bowels, telling them to drink up" to bowls, unless that was reffering to the organ in which case
I know what's wrong, it's too happy and touchy feel compared to the norm. also you didn't explain how they rescued Twilight from the other pegasi.
though I'm happy that Rainbow got hers for being a oppressive racist prick.
Here's some more errors that could use exterminated with extreme prejudice.
"She got Bon-Bon killed. Remember her? Earth pony, purple and pink mane, have a cu-" While I'm not sure what was comming next, I think that have has to be the past tense form, had.
"see to it that she them." Clearly nothing is wrong with this one.
"Less talk, or I grab Fleetfoot as a replacement." I'll.
3825285 That last one isn't an error.
3825248
Hey now there's nothing wrong with celebrating an epic battle with snuggles.
3825306
Maybe it's just a result of slang, but generally when I've heard someone make a threat they say "I will do this" instead of "I do this"
Theres something horribly wrong with almost everypony in this story yet I feel myself pitying and rooting for them all the same. Which means your doing a great job!
3825200
You realise that now you've said that I have to A) Kill off Spitfire and B) There's now a fetish of that.
Ugh, and those mistakes.
3825248 Let me put it this way, you never piss off a female.
3825347
Please don't kill her (or Twilight) off, I'll be your friend.
PS: Feel free to torture them though.
3825347 Well... Shit
and don't kill off Spitfire, hasn't Twilight suffered enough?
3825366, 3825494
... Are you asking me if Twilight has suffered enough? Really?
3825514 Shit shit shit. Abort Abort.
kill someone else off, maybe pinkie pie, or one of the other side characters that are vital but leave Spitfire please.
3825532 Your tears only fuel my desire
3825597 Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
3825608 'cause I get off on your tears.
3825622
... 
3825683
3825622
While I'm fine with you putting Twilight through more suffering I'd rather see an exploration of their relationship/epilouge than just watch one grieve/angst over the others "untimely" demise.
3825687 No comment.
3825347 If you kill off Spitfire, can we have Rainbow take her place as Twilight's lover?
3826948
... I am a TwiDash shipper so don't tempt me. Amusingly, in the original conception Siptfire and Twilight were never meant to be a couple and instead there was meant to be heavy hints of Twi-Dash (friend)shipping.
3827131 Oh, I am tempting so very much. Pinkie is torturing Dashie, but Twi can come in and save her, ease her pain, fix her wings, and give her life meaning again, making Dashie love her.
3827145 Stop tempting me
3827221 They have already bonded with their mission from Celestia and Luna! Twi just needs to let her feelings soar, by tackling Rainbow and making out with her!
3827249 Sure RD wouldn't be the one doing the tackling?
3827250 She would be too busy trying to act like a racist and unicorn hater.
3825306
Just looked it up and for if, then statements the verb for the then portion is supposed to be future tense.
Twilight puts on a strong face regarding losing her magic. Wonder if she wasn't lying, though.
Rainbow Dash was too talkative. If she's depressed and feeling broken, she'd probably not be interested in putting forth the energy to taunt someone.
3826948
3827131
Can we please not pull a "Die for our ship" this site already has almost no twifire as it is.
3827255, 3827949 Hey! I like Twifire too, but TwiDash is still my favourite ship.
3827564 Just look what RD was saying and think about the reaction she was provoking. Think about why RD would want to provoke those emotions and there is your answer. She's talkative for a reason.
3829116
I get that she was trying to get her to kill her. I just have trouble believing she'd put so much effort towards it.
Twidash forever!
Seriously though, this story isn't going to have a happy end if they aren't friends by the end. All of the main 6 are important, but those two are pretty much the symbol of all the hatred... they hate each other even after divine beings pretty much handed them a tablet labeled "QUEST" to complete together. The divide between them has been built up to pretty much the number one obstacle to harmony.
At this point I honestly doubt there will be any romance at all on Dash's part. It's clearly not a priority for her.
3829458
Well in my mind, RD basically lost her wings, which, even in this world, is everything to her (as it is to most pegasi). But at the same time, she's not the type who would commit suicide so she goes for the next best option, and to the pegasi, those who die in combat die in a worthy manner. Part of the reason why this chapter took longer to come out is simply because I was trying to get RD down. How would she react, what would she do?
3829516
Well it's cliche, but the 5 stages of grief apply to limb loss. There's plenty of psych literature regarding typical reactions. I mostly expected more depression/less activity, but i guess it's not hard to believe RD is just not the type to be listless, even now.
3830593
A part of it also has to deal with the actual religion and outlook of pegasi in general. To them, dying in the field during combat is one of the best ways and most honorable ways to go, whereas suicide is considered cowardly. So to her, suicide is completely out of the question and she does want to die, which was why she was provoking Pinkie so much.
nice
Blarg, *complains about being behind on reading* anyway, a very excellent 2 chapters to look at and digest. So Dashie has a broken, mutilated wing and a traitor's branding eh? I like. Though I must say I prefer being a bit more poetic than the pegasi in the maiming torture regard. Seeing as how my favorite 'de-winging' technique isn't anything noticeable by others unless they know what they're looking for. Hehe silver injection, a little psychological as the wing is completely whole but has it's magic suppressed and extended 'treatment' utterly severs ley-lines rendering them little more than ponies with hand-like appendages. (I need to write a story exploring this more in depth.) Hmm... torture is one of my favorite topics but moving on. Let's see, BA Twilight, check. Insane Pinkie, check. Snuggles... Check.
So it's safe to assume that all of RBD's loyalty towards pegasi elitism is as broken as her wing (too soon?) I'm not sure if it was stated earlier in the work but Rainbow doesn't have a cutie mark, interesting. Hmm... theories upon suspicions, carry on with the pain and agony of our main cast.
I'm expecting an update on Rarity and Applejack...
3839721
Subtly is nice, but this is the pegasi marking a traitor. You don't want that to be subtle, you want said pegasus to walk down the streeth and having every single last pony stare at them, spit on them and kick them into the drain. There is always a place for being subtle, but it ain't here.
Cutie marks are pretty damn rare things in this world. When everything involves kill or be killed, and war, there's very little time to pursue their love in a skill.
Nicely done keep it up... A little too much cussing for my taste but the story is a good story...
I give it a 5 Derpys out of 5 Derpys
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Duck Face
Reading through the fic in one sitting, I am of the opinion that this latest struggle has been unnecessary, plot-wise. Twilight and Dash should have gone straight to the final castle. The attack on the mixed settlement served only one positive purpose in the story in my opinion, and that is that AJ and Rarity have now met some of them; everything else has been both negative and extraneous.
3865825
The main reason I added that attack in is to make it so that there actually is a struggle going on, it is big and there are consequences. Plus, without the attack, none of the characters (Pinkie, FS, RD, Twi, AJ, Rarity) would have the chance for character growth, in particular RD.
To be honest, I feel slightly put off by Twlight losing her magic, I was kinda looking forward to her at least learning to not nearly kill herself with it, which I thought would be a very interesting scene. Perhaps learn a bit about control from Rarity or something, creating a relationship of some sort, or maybe learn something from Cadence, but now that can't happen and I see it as a missed opertunity.