Beyond The Sea

by MrPockets

Convergence

Chapter VIII: Convergence

The clicking of Rarity’s hooves resounded throughout the empty shopping center as she galloped back to the mall's liquor store, and the Talk-box within. She was alone again; the flying security robot Twilight hacked into earlier had only power enough to direct the hurried unicorn to the prize she seeked before running out of fuel and falling lifelessly to the ground.

Despite its own demise, the security bot had fulfilled its purpose. The artificial Element of Harmony hung around Rarity’s elegant neck, bouncing against her chest as she ran. It wasn’t nearly as opulent as the Element of Generosity had been, and it was a good deal heavier. It also lacked the beautifully set purple diamond that matched Rarity’s cutie mark. Instead, a plain blue, brilliantly cut gemstone adorned the modestly dull metal of the necklace.

It’s hardly the majestic piece of ancient magic I once wielded, but I suppose it will have to do, Rarity thought as she sped down a flight of stairs to the mall's lower levels. Though it wasn’t much to look at, she could feel the waves of energy emanating forth from the otherwise gaudy device. If Twilight was to be believed, it held a great power. I’ll have to take her word for it...

Reaching the bottom floor, Rarity made straight for ‘Booze and More Booze’ and plunged into the darkness within. She slowed to a stop, once again using a hoof to find her way.

Perhaps this time I won’t be jumped by over-presumptuous Splicers, she hoped as she felt her way into a room she thought was the back office. I don’t think my heart could take that kind of... stress?

The thought trailed off as the blackness parted in the wake of a pale, white light. Rarity’s eyes widened as a messy storeroom came into view around her, and she realized where the glow was coming from.

“I’m... using a light spell?” she muttered to herself in confusion. Her eyes shot up to the glow coming off her horn. With controlled precision, it was casting magic without directly manipulating anything physical. “I’m using a light spell!” Rarity repeated with excitement. But, how? It doesn’t even feel like I’m using magic at all. Where is it coming from? Looking down now, Rarity noticed the gem on her neck was also glowing softly, adding a blue tint to the pale light around her.

“Simply remarkable,” Rarity mused, turning away from the stockroom and using the light to easily find the back office. “I really must give Twilight her due credit.” Standing before the room’s communication device, the glowing mare remembered it had been powered down, presumably by Summer Rain.

Hmmm, it’s still undamaged, though. Perhaps all it needs is a little jolt? Rarity inspected the machine. Prodding it with a hoof, she was able to remove its clear paneling, leaving the dark crystals within exposed.

“Alright, all I need to do is channel a little bit of magic into them... I think.” Closing her eyes, the mare gave all her focus on the dead gems. She summoned the smallest bit of magic she could, barely enough to levitate a threaded needle, then cast it with her horn. Rarity felt a surge on her neck, and the tiny spark of energy shot into the Talk-box.

It flared to life with a shriek of static and an angry hiss. The sudden outburst obliterated Rarity’s concentration and sent her sprawling backwards, over the office’s desk and onto the floor, taking the various clutter on top with her.

“Shhhhkrtshhk-arity?! Are you there? Did you get it?” The reactivated Talk-box asked with Twilight’s eager voice.

Regaining her composure quickly, Rarity got up and used her cold foreleg to nurse the bump that would soon grace her head. “Yes Twilight, it’s me. And yes, I have it.” And I’m fine, thanks for asking...

“That’s great! That’s really, really great. Great!” Twilight replied, speaking with an over-abundance of enthusiasm that drained the statement of any real sincerity.

“Is... everything quite all right?” asked Rarity, catching her old friends strained tone. Twilight was never good at hiding her emotions, which made it very easy to tell when something was wrong.

“Of course! Everything is just fine! E-Everypony is up and moving, and Rainbow’s almost got our second Element... It’s just, well, she’s in a liiiiiittle bit of trouble right now.”

Rarity let out a sigh. “Just a little? What has that madmare gotten herself into now?”

“Oh, nothing really, and I'm sure she can handle it, it's just... she's kind of being attacked by four of the most vicious killers in all of Rapture.”

Rarity gaped. “What!?”

“Aaaaaand one of them happens to be Lightning Dust. You remember? That mare who hates Rainbow’s guts because of what happened at the Wonderbolt Academy? The one who almost accidentally killed all of us with a tornado?”

“How are you so calm about this!?” Rarity shouted at the box. “Where is she?”

“They're in the Plunder Dome," Twilight answered hastily. "It’s a big glass dome in the eastern quadrant of Rapture, you literally cannot miss it. I've hidden an Element near there, too. So you’ll need to take care of the Plunderbolts before you can get it. I was really hoping to slip in and out of there with out alerting them... You can get there through the upper level of the mall, but please, whatever you do, DO NOT let them get their hooves on either Elements!”

“Right, wouldn’t want a group of lunatics running around with powerful magic enhancements, would we?” Rarity made for the exit, noticing something she hadn’t before in the office’s darkness. Another mini phonograph was sitting on the cleared-off desk.

As she bolted out of the office and back the way she’d come, the little device floated with her, playing a recording of an old-sounding buck as her frantic hoof falls filled the concourse once again.

“My Newest Creation”

By: Dr. Hoofhardt

When we first discovered that the bodies of deceased Splicers retained a large quantity of ADAM, I was tasked with developing a way to harvest it by Rain herself. An extraction device was quickly assembled with spare plumbing equipment, but the first real problem I encountered was divining which subjects held usable amounts of the substance. As every scientist in Rapture knows, ADAM is secreted by a parasitic slug found here on the ocean’s floor. Its biology contains magical properties unseen in any other organism, so naturally, my first idea was to combine it with a host to properly test these properties. We found that not all ponies were able to survive the painful coupling process; the high-levels of aberrant magic are just too intense... except, as luck would have it, in the case of unicorn fillies. When a young unicorn first starts using their magic, they experience huge magical surges in their horn, especially in prepubescent females. This, I theorized, makes them perfect for surviving the excess magic produced by the slug. Just as I thought, the coupling with a filly was a complete success, and with a little bit of conditioning, Rain had her ADAM collectors. As the situation in Rapture... complicates, the need for armed security escorts also became apparent. For this, I turned to my own species. How useless they are, the deer living in Rapture. Like me they denied our old ways and came here, but they do not embrace our new ideals. They are too stubborn to really change, so I found a way to unlock their potential for them. Though my kind cannot cast magic like a unicorn, and plasmids have very little effect on us, we can sense strong sources of magic, like that produced by natural energy pools hidden deep in the forest or, in this case, a magically overcharged filly. The brain is a wonderfully predictable piece of work. A little tinkering was all it took to hone this sense; add in a dash of chemical dependency, and you have a loyal bodyguard. Add in a vial of anabolic steroids and advanced weaponry, and you have and unstoppable, loyal bodyguard.

The thick vines crackled and burned as they fell to the scorched earth, peeling away from the heavy steel door they enveloped.

“Holy Mother,” Applejack cried as the torrent of flames leaping off her leg died down. Holy Mother, she repeated mentally as a wave of nausea overtook her. Her burning hoof fell to the ground heavily as she teetered back and forth, only just keeping her balance.

The whole door was on fire now, with an excited Pinkie Pie watching intently as if a Sonic Rainboom was exploding in her face. Applejack managed to stop swaying on her hooves just as the last of the vines burned off and smoldered on the ground.

“All right! Let’s get this fetch-quest train a-movin’!” Pinkie cried as she bounced over the crackling vines and activated the door's controls with her newly acquired telekinesis powers. It slid up into the ceiling with a grinding screech that mercilessly assaulted AJ’s flat ears. Pinkie hardly seemed to notice.

How come that ADAM made me feel so rotten, but she’s still got a spring in her step? the ill farmer griped to herself as she followed her hyper companion into the small corridor beyond. As if to add further insult to injury, Pinkie floated a candy bar out of her bag, tore off its wrapper and ate the whole thing in one bite.

“So, how far to the control room?” she asked between noisy munches, followed by a monstrous belch. “Oopsie, ‘scuse me...” she added with an apologetic grin.

“Ah’m not sure,” AJ replied absently, still deep in her own troubled mind.

“Hey, wow! Would ya look at those huge roots!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at a bundle of large, brown tendrils that snaked their way down the small tunnel towards the pair. “Think we should follow them?”

“Yeah, fine, sure,” Applejack said weakly and returned to her thoughts, ignoring Pinkie’s ongoing commentary on every little thing to see in the empty, metal hall.

There’s got to be a reason fer this... Maybe Ah’m allergic or something? She was still convinced it was the ADAM that made her feel so ill. And before that, Ah was just plain seasick... Right? Applejack tried to think of another time when floating on water had made her feel so green around the gills, but couldn’t come up with anything. Dangit, where’s Harvey when ya need him? He’s got a knack fer puzzling stuff like this out.

The face of her husband appeared in Applejack’s mind; his tan coat, his deep blue eyes, his short horn peeking out from under an unkempt mane. Come on Jackie, this is an easy one, Harvest said, smiling a smug little smile that usually meant he knew something she didn’t. As much as she hated that smile, Applejack couldn’t help but miss it. It hadn’t been long, but it felt like ages since they’d been together.

Pinkie continued rambling about some spot of rust that looked vaguely like a something or other while AJ smiled inwardly. She recalled her last night in Harvey’s company. As quiet as he tended to be around others, he was a hopeless romantic at heart. He’d pulled out all the stops to make Applejack feel special, knowing she’d be away for a week. They had a wonderful dinner Harvey cooked himself, shared a bottle of fancy champagne from Prance, he even scattered rose petals all over their bed, before they’d...

Applejack’s face suddenly lost all its colour.

"I think she’s got it! Sorry I can't be there for you right now," Harvest’s voice said in her mind. "I know you'll get through this, you're strong, and you got your friends. BE careful, Jackie."He smiled, with just a hint of regret, and was gone again.

No... Ah can’t be... It’s too early to tell, ain’t it? Applejack’s pace slowed as she pictured a calendar in her head and frantically did the math, trying to recall all the times she'd been with Harvest Moon in the last month. It wasn’t long before she started falling behind.

“Keep up, Applejack! You wouldn’t want to get...” Pinkie began, looking back at her pale friend, “Woah, you feeling okay? You look like you just saw a ghost! Oh! Did you see a ghost? I knew this place was creepy, but creepy and haunted? That would be too much!”

“Pinkie, please, just be quiet a sec.” Applejack pulled herself together, filing away her scattered thoughts so she could worry about them later. Let’s not jump to conclusions here; there’s a strange drug in yer system and you're legs on fire... Just 'cause yer feeling under the weather don’t necessarily mean yer pr-

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Pinkie was right beside AJ now, with genuine concern etched on her bright face.

“Ah will be... Ah mean, Ah am...” She mustered a small, sincere smile. She doubted Pinkie would buy it, so she changed tactics, “So, uhhh, what were you just saying? Something about... rust?”

Pinkie’s concern didn’t dissipate entirely, but she went along with it, “Nooo, that was, like five minutes ago. I just said, ‘Hey look, there’s the control room’, then I pointed with my hoof, like this.” She pointed down the hall to another doorway. This one was open, with thick roots pouring out of it, leaving barely enough room for a full grown pony to squeeze through.

Applejack swallowed hard, removing and re-positioning her hat awkwardly. “Oh, whaddya know. That’s where Twi said the Element is. So, uhhh, let’s get this train a-movin’?” She smiled weakly again and brushed past her vibrant friend.

“Applejack, are you...” Pinkie began, but stopped herself. The inquisitive mare considered herself an expert on making friends, and keeping them, too. In all her years of knowing Applejack, she’d always been... stubborn. Very, very stubborn. If there was something she didn’t want to tell you, which was plainly the case here, she never would.

Not until she’s ready to open up about it. “Okie dokie! Let’s mmmmmmmove!” Pinkie sang, following her tight-lipped companion into the tangle of tree roots.

With much maneuvering—and a small mishap that nearly set the whole thing ablaze—the two mares forced their way into the irrigation control room.

A dirty window overlooked a section of the gardens behind a big panel of pumps, valves and levers that must have been the master controls. Little blinking lights dotted the interface, though many seemed to have burnt out long ago. The rest of the room was mostly hidden under a blanket of brown; the roots filled every available space they could, covering walls and furniture alike. They all lead back to a massive tree, which took up two corners of the room with the grotesque bulk for its twisted trunk.

“Jumping jackalopes! Do you see that?” Pinkie cried, pointing at the impossible-to-miss tree.

“As a matter of fact, Ah do,” Applejack deadpanned, “and it sure ain’t the Element we’re lookin’ fer. Now come on, Ah reckon it’s under these here roots somewhere.” All we gotta do is find the darn thing, then we can get outta here fer good. Then I can... figure things out. With Harvey. In the privacy of our home.

Pinkie opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. I guess she’s not ready to talk yet...

Abruptly, something broke both mares out of their thoughts. It was a voice.

“Who goooes therrre?” A quiet, rolling tone asked.

The two mares jumped at the sudden intrusion of sound, both fretfully seeking its source, but found the room empty.

“I knew it! This place really is haunted!” Pinkie shouted with a mix of fear and excitement, eying a half-covered portrait on the far wall suspiciously.

Applejack rolled her tired eyes. “It ain’t no ghost Pinkie. Somepony must be spying on us.” She turned to address the deceptively empty control room. “Now, who said that? Come out peacefully, we won’t hurt ya 'less ya make us.” Her leg had already flared up again and she could feel the heat on the underside of her barrel.

“I... diiid,” the voice came again, speaking slowly. Each drawn-out syllable was punctuated with a creak or groan. “Who arrre yoooou?”

Zeroing-in on the sound, Applejack faced the corner next to the malfunctioning control panel, where the trunk of the giant tree sprouted from. After a lifetime spent growing and tending to trees, AJ knew enough to see something was off about this one. Firstly, there was no soil for it to get nutrients from, or a visible source of water. A tree that large would require plenty of both. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it had an equine face carved into its trunk.

“Hellooooo?” it asked, its crude wooden mouth slowly forming the word.

The orange mare jumped back. “How in the- it’s the tree! It's talkin'!”

“The tree is alive? Oh! Is its bark worse than its bite?” Pinkie giggled, her fear all but forgotten in the name of humor.

Applejack groaned. “Dangit, Pinkie, this is no time fer-”

“Tree, yesss...” the plant moaned, drowning out all other sounds in the room it filled. “Ponyyy, once.”

“Did you hear that, AJ?” Pinkie jumped up and down with pure excitement. “It used to be a pony! How cool is that?” She buzzed past Applejack and ran right up to the engraven face, which stared back in stark confusion. “What happened? Did you make a wizard mad? Or did you drink an unmarked magic potion by accident? Oh! Did a wizard accidentally make you drink an unmarked magic potion? Cause he was mad!?”

“Pinkie! Ease up will ya?” Applejack said, rubbing her forehead with her normal hoof. Why couldn't it be Fluttershy instead? At least she's quiet...

“Raaaaaaiiinnnnn!” the tree moaned sadly. Though the voice came from the mouth on the trunk, the rest of the tree stirred and shook as it spoke, creating an eerie, whispering-echo effect.

“Wait, Summer Rain did this to you?” Applejack asked, a definite heat rising in her tone.

“Yesss,” the pony turned plant replied. “I was... A botanisssst. Rain wanted... perfectionnn.... Nothing was goood enough. Sabotaged my wooork, and now... It has beeen soooo looong.” The room filled with the sound of rustling branches as the tree flexed its stiff, wooden muscles. After a short pause, it spoke again. “You seeeeek... Ellemeent?”

“Yes! We are totally seeking an Element!” Pinkie blurted out. “You know where it is? Is it... locked away in your trunk?” Pinkie burst into another giggle fit at her joke, rolling on the ground and holding her sides while Applejack pressed a hoof to her face and sighed.

A horrible grating noise that could almost be laughter filled the room. “Herrreee,” the tree chuckled, its soft words followed by slow scraping. A patch of roots gingerly retracted off the broken control panel, revealing a tiny compartment in its underside.

The mares crouched down and peered in, finding a bronze necklace with a single blue gemstone embedded in it. It was wrapped tightly at either end with branching roots.

“That’s it! I think that’s it... That’s gotta be it!” Pinkie exclaimed. Before Applejack could tell her not to, she dug her hooves in to grab it, but when Pinkie tried to yank it out, she found it was held firmly in place by the tree. “Hey, it’s stuck!” She pulled harder, yanking like she’d never yanked before.

“Hold on Pinkie before ya-” Applejack’s warning came too late, as Pinkie lost her grip and went flying backwards, the necklace still firmly in place. “...Saw that coming. Hey tree-pony, ya mind letting go so we can be on our way?”

“I do, I die,” it replied, meeting Applejack’s annoyed stare with its slow-shifting pupils.

“Die! Like, die-die? Oh no!” Pinkie was back on her feet and in front of the tree in a flash. “That’s awful! What are we gonna do? Applejack, we can’t let her die! Or... him... Are you a her or a him?”

“Not real important right now, Pinkie.”

“Tellll mee, ponies,” the tree cut in. “Whyyy do yyyou want it?”

“...We need it to help a friend,” Applejack replied curtly. They were already wasting too much time on what should have been a quick retrieval.

“Two friends, actually,” Pinkie added, “and then we’re gonna take out Summer Rain, aaaaand save this whole city too! It’s kinda what we do you know, defeating meanies and spreading friendship and all that jazz.”

Around them, the tree rustled its leafless branches once again. “I seee. Rain neeeeds to be stopped. If you can avenge meee, then... I give it freeeely.”

“What? No! You just said you’d die without it! We can’t let that happen!” Pinkie cried, planting her hooves on either side the tree’s carved face. “There’s got to be a better way, right AJ?”

Unable to meet Pinkie’s pleading gaze, Applejack looked at her hot hoof instead and said nothing.

“It would be a blesssing... I loooong for releassssse...” The tree sighed as Pinkie’s huge eyes filled with tears. “I havvee, one more requessst...”

“Wh-What is it?” Pinkie asked quietly with a sniffle.

Applejack looked up when no answer came, and found the talking tree’s gaze fixed on her. “You... havve Incinerate?”

Momentarily taken aback by the odd question, Applejack quickly realized the implication and gasped.

“Her plasmid? What about it....” Pinkie began, before catching on herself. “What!? Y-You want her to... burn you down? W-Why?”

“Take Elleement... Die slow. Aaaagony. Fire isss... Quicker. I will not feeeeel.”

Applejack was at a loss. On one hoof, they needed the Element as soon as possible and at any cost. If there was no other way, the tree-pony would die regardless... But on the other hoof, could she willingly kill another being? Even one that longed for death?

Ah... ain’t got no choice.

“St-Stand back Pinkie,” the farmer said flatly.

Pinkie said nothing, but clung tightly to the tree with both of her forelegs. Tears ran freely down her cheeks.

“Piiiinkie...” the tree spoke again, addressing the mare wrapped around it directly, “Thhank you... for carrring. Please, go to your frieeend.”

Rubbing her moist eyes, Pinkie complied. She dropped heavily to the floor and sullenly backed away. “I... I’m sorry we never got the chance to be friends.”

“As am I....”

“What was yer name?” Applejack asked suddenly, hoping to offset the guilt already building up in her gut.

“Doctor... Petal Blossom. Yess, that’s who I was...” There was another long pause, accented by fidgeting branches. The cacophony petered out, and the control room became uncomfortably silent. “...Rrrready?”

Applejack lifted her hoof and aimed it at the former botanist, “Thank you, Petal Blossom. Ah... we won’t forget whatcha did, helpin' us out like this...”

“G-Good- goodbye Doctor Petal Blossom,” Pinkie stammered.

“Goodbye.”

The roots ensnaring the Element unraveled themselves and released the bronze band. Dr. Blossom wailed in immediate agony as her only source of nourishment was cut off and she began to slowly die.

“Do it, AJ! You have to- to help her!” Pinkie shouted above the noise.

Celestia forgive me. Applejack released her mighty fire. It took to the tree like a spark to dry tinder. In a heartbeat, the whole thing was aflame and filling the room with a thick, black cloud of smoke.

“Get the Element!” AJ yelled over the furious crackling of burning wood.

“R-Right,” Pinkie reached out with her plasmid-granted powers and pulled the necklace from behind the wall of fire. “Got it!”

“Let’s get movin’ then!”

They forced their way past the slackening roots covering the exit and galloped full speed down the corridor back to the gardens. A final moan followed them as they went; but not one of pain or suffering. It was hard to make out over the growing din, but its message was clear.

“Good. Luck.”

“Adios, Dashie.” Lightning Dust sneered from the deck above; blue electricity enveloping her foreleg arcing eagerly around it. She motioned towards the mare in the waters below and it jumped off her appendage with hungry conviction.

Rainbow Dash kicked her legs and pumped her wings as her one-time friend launched the deadly attack, pulling herself out of the drink a microsecond before the lightning hit. Just like in the welcome center, the blue bolts spread across the entire surface of the pool, creating a bright flash of light and delivering only a minor shock to the dripping Dash hovering just above.

Yikes! Note to self, stay out of the water, she thought, then turned a ferocious scowl towards the mare who had tried to fry her. “What is wrong with you! I could have been ki- kill-”

“Killed? That was kinda the point.” Lightning laughed, fixing her goggles and black bandana back over her face, “Have at 'er, team. No mercy!”

Dash frowned. Ponyfeathers...

The three pegasi next to Lightning Dust simultaneously spread their wings and took flight, flying up to the top of the dome and circling the pirate ship’s mast like ravenous vultures.

“I’d start flying if I were you,” Lightning taunted, her leg once again alight with electricity. “Or are you too scared to fight us, wingpony?”

“Hey! Last I checked, I was the one flying with the Wonderbolts while you play pretend at the bottom of the ocean!” Dash shot back. She kept a wary eye on the ponies above, waiting for their attack to come while keeping a lid on her flaring temper. Stay cool, Dash, you can’t take ‘em all at once; so divide and conquer, yeah, that’s the plan. That's a good plan!

“You’re also the one who’s about to be eviscerated.” Catching Rainbow’s upward glance, the green pegasus shot another bolt of blue lightning at her hovering rival.

The tell-tale flash of energy was easily spotted, and Rainbow nimbly dodged the attack by closing her wings and diving under it, making sure to stay out of the deadly pool of water. “Nice miss, you call that an attack?” she mocked, flying back up to Lightning’s eye-level.

The other mare smirked and spread her own wings. “Nope, I’d call it a distraction!” With a mighty leap backwards, she flipped off the wooden deck and over the ship’s starboard side. The second she was clear, the deck exploded in Rainbow’s confused face, propelling her back down towards the pool in a hail of splintered wood and smoke.

“Water! Bad!” Rainbow stopped her tailspin and pulled up as the water once again erupted into arcing electricity just below her, half a second after she would have plunged into it. All that time on the dizz-o-tron actually paid off...

“Nice shot, Ahab!” Lightning Dust said to her squad mate as she joined their formation. A large stallion grinned, holding up his smoking peg-leg and loading another projectile into it. “Mr. Marlin, seal the exit, Eagle-Eye, you’re up.”

“Aye-aye, Captain!” Two other pegasi split off from the group; a mare wearing an eyepatch and a shrimpy stallion with two swords crossed on his back. Side by side, they took off towards the Plunder Dome’s only exit.

“Nopony boxes in Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow barked, then sped after the pair in a prismatic streak. Except, it was only the small stallion waiting for her at the door.

“Not so fast, me bucko!” The mare, Eagle-Eye, appeared out of nowhere and chucked a knife in Rainbow’s path.

"Yikes!" Rainbow screeched to a halt as the razor-sharp blade embedded itself deep into a concrete wall, inches in front of her muzzle. Up ahead a metal shutter rattled closed as Mr. Marlin sealed the exit.

“Next one’s going between yer eyes, ya no good landlubber!” Eagle-Eye spat the words,drawing another throwing knife from her belt. Her eyepatch lit up with a red glow that focused into a moving cross-hair, and locked onto Dash’s shocked face.

Not willing to call that bluff, Rainbow sped off in the opposite direction, desperately trying to figure out a way to put her plan into action, How am I supposed to divide and conquer when they have plasmids and cyborg-robo-eyes? That’s just... that’s just not fair!

Looking up as she sped past the pirate ship’s hull, Dash noticed the other two Wonderbolt wannabe’s were now gone. Before she could find them, another knife zipped past her head, cutting loose a few red strands. Pony-feathers! I need to find some cover! Yeah, the plan's still good!

Adjusting her course, she took to the concourse circling the over-exposed performance and seating area, kicking up a torrent of litter as she went. Sparing a backwards glance, Rainbow found her pursuers had vanished.

“Mr. Marlin, see if you can’t bring that scalliwag back out here, would you?”

Wow, Lightning’s really into this whole pirate thing. Rainbow rolled her eyes. She whipped around a bend and came face to face with the petite swordspony, his dual sabres already drawn. He was blocking her path, leaving an opening to her left back into the dome. Unless she wanted her guts sliced open or her head chopped off, she’d have to fall for his trap.

Too bad you don’t have a plasmid of your own to fight back with... Rainbow raised her leg, ready fire back with lightning of her own, but stopped, gritting her teeth in dismay and anger. "No!” she cried as she veered into the opening the pirate had left for her. I can deal with whatever these losers throw at me on my own! She blasted back into the main arena, and was hit with a paralyzing shock micro-seconds after clearing the gateway.

“Gotcha!” Lightning Dust boasted triumphantly. Energy flowed freely off her foreleg, locking up Rainbow’s muscles and making her convulse uncontrollably. Her rigid body began losing altitude, but Lightning stayed on her, pumping Rainbow with jolt after jolt of raw power.

Falling from the sky, Rainbow crash-landed onto the hard deck of the massive ship with a heavy thud. She cried out in pain, still twitching from the surprise shock attack. Four more thuds, and the Plunder Bolts stood tall over her splayed form.

“Looks like you’ve gotten rusty, Dashie. And to think, the Wonderbolts took you over me!” Stepping away from her squad, Lightning Dust removed her goggles once again and approached her downed enemy.

Calling on all her remaining strength, Rainbow forced her legs beneath her and tried to stand.

“Going somewhere?” In the blink of an eye, Lightning leaped into the air and landed on Rainbow’s spine, sending her sprawling back to the floor with a cry of pain. “Whaddya say, maties? Should we make her walk the plank?”

There was a resounding cheer from the others. Lightning hopped off Rainbow's back and the large stallion with the peg-leg, Ahab, hobbled over. He effortlessly lifted her bruised body with a series of buzzing wingbeats. “Come on swabbie, time for a little swim,” he chortled as he drifted over to a thick board protruding from the side of the ship. Rainbow's hind legs were dragged along the rough, splintered deck, and she was positioned on the plank.

“Any last words before electro-bath time?” Still in a daze, Lightning's condescending voice sounded much farther away than it actually was. Dash wanted nothing more than to shut it up for good; to wipe off the pompous smirk her Academy ‘friend’ undoubtedly wore.

Clenching her teeth and fighting through her shot nerves, Rainbow growled as loud as she could, “I hope you rot down here.”

“Oh, don’t be like that. I always knew I was better than you; and now, we both know it.” The smirk, it shone through her words, it defined them. It boiled under Rainbow’s skin, more than the pain of an Electro-bolt shock ever could. “Mr. Martin, if you would be so kind?”

Light hoofsteps moved around behind Dash’s slumped back, followed by a sword being unsheathed. A sharp point pricked Rainbow in the soft tissue between her wings, spurring her forward on her hooves. “Off ya go, Missy.”

I’ve pulverized ponies for saying less than that, Rainbow thought as she inched towards the end of the plank. So, how am I getting out of this?

The situation was seemingly hopeless. Outnumbered, outgunned, and injured, her options were sorely limited. How would Daring Do handle this? she thought, picturing the heroic, fictional pegasus from her favorite book series. The adventurous mare would always find herself in hopeless situations, yet somehow, she always came out with the upper hoof.

Rainbow slowly neared the edge of the plank, and the certain death that awaited below. She frantically looked for something, anything she could use to her advantage, like Daring would; a low-hanging vine to swing away on, a conveniently placed statue that was just a little too top heavy, a chandelier fastened to the ceiling directly above her enemies, anything!

When her search came up empty, crushing reality set in.

Those are just stupid books. All make believe. Rainbow was at the end of the plank now, a sword point ready for the final push that would send her down to an untimely death via electrocution. Real life is way less awesome...

“Rainbow Dash!” another mare’s voice screamed, loud enough to pull Dash from her final thoughts. She opened her magenta eyes, and through blurred vision, spotted a white form with a purple mane.

“...Rarity?” Rainbow all but whispered. She squinted, and the shape of her friend became more defined. She was wearing a weird necklace... and her leg was smoking.

“Jump! Now!” Rarity shouted, lifting her smoking foreleg and pointing it at the pirate ship.

A grin flashed across Dash’s face. Before the others had a chance to react, she pushed down on the springy plank with all her weight and shot straight into the air. Not a moment later, an icy wind enveloped the deck with a rushing gust.

Rainbow looked back and her jaw dropped. The whole deck was covered in solid ice, including the four pirates; their awestruck faces literally frozen in place. Daring Do, eat you heart out!

“Rarity- that was amazing!” Dash stammered as she landed beside her old friend, eyes still locked on the S.S. Winter-Wonderland. “Guess you got a plasmid that makes things cool, huh?” She grinned wider, both from the joke and the revelry that came with beating Lightning Dust once again.

Rarity nodded with a smile, and the icicles retracted back into her leg, “Indeed. It has proven quite useful in such a dreadfully hostile place,” she replied, trying not to recall the shattered pieces of the teleporter pony who died at her hooves. Instead, she focused on the jewelry hanging on her neck. “I’ve also located one of the artificial Elements! Have you found yours yet?”

Rainbow’s attention turned to the necklace as well, but her wonder was quickly replaced with confusion. “What do you mean? I don’t even know where it is! I was looking for a Talk-box thingy when these guys attacked, and before that I was back in the-” she stopped before her previous fight replayed in her mind, and started over. “Yah, I don’t know where it is.”

Before Rarity could inquire further, a distinct cracking sound came to her ears. “Oh dear! This complicates things...” she said nervously. Any minute the most lethal killers in Rapture would be on them. And they would not be happy.

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, focusing on Rarity’s problems instead of her own. “How’d you get in here anyway, the door was locked.”

“Hmm? Oh, I lifted it with my magic. Wearing the Element seems to over-clock plasmids and-” another crack brought Rarity instantly back on track. “Eep! Look, those ruffians are going to be free soon. Twilight told me there is another Element in here somewhere, so we need to get rid of these tacky pirates. You have a plasmid, yes? Do you need some EVE?” she offered, eyeing Dash’s plain foreleg.

“NO!” Rainbow blurted out, startling the other mare. “I mean, that’s okay, I don’t need it to beat these chumps. That would just... it wouldn’t be fair. For them.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the sudden outburst. Even after all this time, I can still read my friends like children’s books. “Are you... quite sure? I think I saw at least one of them using some-”

“Yes, I'm positive,” Dash interrupted, then flexed her wings as the ice encasing the Plunderbolts continued to chip away. “Watch out for the one with the eyepatch, Eagle Eye, she’s got throwing knives and a robo-targeting eye thing. Mr. Marlin is the one with the swords, small but quick. The big one is Ahab, he’s got a bazooka leg or something, and then there’s Lightning Dust...” Turning to face Rarity, the pegasus grabbed her by the shoulders, punctuating each point with a stiff shake. “Whatever you do, don’t fall in the water. She’s got an Electro-bolt plasmid and she’ll zap the pool if you’re in it. One dip and you're done, got that?”

“Yes! Yes, I got it!” the fashionista said, pulling away from Dash’s iron grip and trying to stop her head from spinning.

“Take cover behind the stands, I’ll draw them in and you freeze ‘em.” A new plan was forming in Dash’s mind, building off her previous ‘divide and conquer’ idea. This way, she would still be the one in danger and all Rarity had to do was spring the trap. It’s safer that way, I don’t want her to get hurt because of me.

“So I’ll be- yes. That... sounds like a good plan.” Rarity reluctantly agreed. It really was a good plan, and would keep her mostly out of harms way. But it also meant she’d be seeing more frozen pony chunks. And this time, Twilight wouldn't be around to do the shattering.

If Dash had noticed her old friend’s apprehension, it was completely forgotten when ice cracked on deck, closely followed by a deep growl. “Okay! Ahab is free, get back there now!” shouted Dash as she took to the air.

“R-Right!” Rarity shot back, making a beeline for the concourse. She floated a blue hypo out of her bag and refuelled as she ran, taking cover behind a confectionery stand and waiting for her prey. Prey... That would make me a predator. The thought sat uneasily in her mind.

Out in the dome, the other Plunderbolts were quickly thawing. If Rainbow wanted to divide them up, it was now or never. “Hey! Tubby the Pirate!” she called to the dazed flier slipping around on the deck, “Wow, look at all that ice. Guess you’ll have a tough time swabbing the poop deck now, huh?”

The taunt seemed to do the trick; the stallion’s face was boiling red hot, which was impressive considering it had been blue not moments before. “You l-l-l-l-little harpy- I’ll knock the teeth out of y-y-y-your scurvy-filled mouth for that!” He worked his black-feathered wings like mad, lifting his dense body off the icy deck as his squad mates came closer and closer to escaping from cold storage.

Ahab pumped his wings and flew straight at his multicolored target, aiming his loaded leg-cannon at her smug face. Rainbow quickly ducked out his line of sight, never staying in one place too long so he had to continually readjust his aim.

“If anyone has scurvy, it’s you big-guy. I can smell your breath from here!”

If Ahab was mad before, he was furious now. With an angry roar, he dove at the more agile flyer. This way dummy! Rainbow immediately made for the concourse, the enraged pirate following close behind.

“I’m gonna skin ye’ alive, ya flea-ridden, fillyfooler!” he bellowed, taking aim again in the close hall.

“Maybe you should cool off a bit!” Rainbow teased, smiling deviously upon spotting Rarity, hiding behind a snack counter up ahead. Closing her wings, Dash transitioned smoothly into a slide, landing when Rarity popped out and launched a torrent of frost.

Despite his large bulk, Ahab jerked to the side with astonishing speed, and was able to narrowly avoid the cold wind. His furious gaze fell on the unicorn responsible, as did the barrel of his peg-leg. “Fool me once, little harlot, shame on me,” he smile, contorting his face into a wicked scowl, “Fool me twice, shame on you.”

“Get down!” Rainbow called, reaching back to shock the brute with he plasmid... then remembering her lack of EVE. No! Oh, please Celestia no!

Rarity ducked behind the counter, casting a shield spell with her enhanced magical abilities just as Ahab fired. His rocket slammed into the protective wall, the explosion only just drowning out his bellowing laughter.

Rainbow sat with an open mouthed gape. She couldn’t even begin to process what had just happened. Rarity just made a... because of... wow.

Still chuckling out loud, Ahab loaded another rocket into his hollowed-out limb as he circled around for another pass. “You're turn, scurvy-lips. Hope you like being fish-food, wench!” he screamed.

Ahab leveled his cannon, when the dark smoke was suddenly blown away by a sub-zero wind. Rainbow lit up with relief as Rarity emerged from the smoke unharmed.

"Oh, you did not just call me that," Rarity breathed, then jutted her hoof at the large Stallion with a snarl.

The ice caught the side of the flying pirate’s body and spread with amazing speed.

“Yes! I hope you like being a fish stick!” Dash shot back, pumping a hoof in the air with a smile.

Rarity, however, was not smiling. She closed her eyes and looked away when the floating ice-pony began to lose altitude. She knew what was coming next. Rainbow, still pleased with her brilliant one-liner, turned back just in time to see Ahab hit the ground and smash into a million pieces of frozen gore. Her smile dissolved.

More ice shattered, and Lightning Dust’s voice flowed into the quiet hall, “Uuugh... Where’d they go? And where’s Ahab?" She spotted her other two subordinates, busy coughing and shivering on her ship's deck. "You t-t-two, find them now!”

Rarity’s eyes flicked open, landing on Rainbow’s still form. She was sitting near the stallions remains, hooves placed over her face.

“Dash... They are coming this way,” she said as calmly as she could. Her whole body was shaking again. I did what I had to. I did what I- And it saved Rainbow’s life. He was a killer... So why do I feel so sad? “I- I don’t think I can do that again.”

Slowly, Rainbow removed her hooves from her face. She looked at the carnage around her, and as much as it made her want to vomit, another thought made her feel even sicker. You made a friend kill for you. Dash had experienced first hoof the crushing guilt taking a life created, and now Rarity had as well. “Give me one of those hypos.”

“Darling... are you-”

“Yes! Just give me one so we can end this!” Dash hissed.

“They’re behind the stands!” Lightning voice called out. “Flush ‘em out, and watch out for the unicorn, she’s got Winter Blast!”

Meeting Rainbow’s hard glare with a small nod, Rarity tossed one of the last EVE syringes left in her bag to the pegasus. She caught the glowing, blue needle and stabbed it directly into her leg. If Lightning Dust wants to hurt my friends, then I have to stop her. End of discussion. Her blue hoof pushed the plunger all the way down, and her foreleg once again exploded with deadly sparks.

An instant after she pulled out the hypo, Mr. Marlin tore around the corner with his sabres drawn. Without an iota of hesitation, Dash sent him sprawling to the floor in a convulsing heap. The debate was settled in Dash’s mind now; there was too much at stake to hold anything back.

“Rainbow? What are you doing?” Rarity asked as the pegasus moved over to the fallen pirate, his barding still smoking.

“He’s gonna get up. I have to stop him.” She raised her hoof, ready to shock the rest of the life out of him.

A tiny voice of protest formed in Rarity's mind, but failed to vocalize. She held her tongue instead.

Dash motioned for the killing blow, when a knife flew over her shoulder. It plunged into the flesh between her foreleg bones all the way up to its hilt.

“Blimey, they’ve killed Ahab!” Eagle-Eye gasped as Rainbow screamed out in pain and fell to the floor. The pirate’s uncovered eye scanned the scene, landing on the purple maned unicorn. “You’ll pay for that one, Prissy Missy. I’ll personally see to that.”

With another cry of agony, Rainbow yanked the knife out of her erratically sparking leg. “Run for it, Rarity!” She threw the knife back at its owner, distracting her long enough for Rarity to make a clumsy dive over her cover and sprint back into the seating area.

“Good work, Eagle Eye!” A green mare slammed into the ground in Rarity's path, an electrically charged hoof pointed her way. “I’ll make sure to save this one for you... If I can.”

Not good! Rarity searched for any means of escape, spotting the crow’s nest of the pirate ship high above. If only I could teleport like Twilight, I wonder if this necklace grants that power too? She closed her eyes and focused on making a controlled jump through space-time, when a flash of blue light told her she'd run out of time.

The flash, however, was not followed but the sharp sting of electrocution, but angry cursing from far away.

“What?! How! Where did she GO!?” Lightning screamed. Rarity’s opened her eyes, and she found herself looking down from a wooden basket perched atop the ship’s tall mast. Well, that is an interesting development...

A split-second later, Rainbow burst onto the scene, with Eagle-Eye hot in pursuit. Lightning joined in the chase as well, her unbridled rage apparent in her booming voice.

“YOU’RE DEAD DASHIE, YOU HEAR ME?”

Rarity watched as Rainbow did her best to stay ahead, but she was bleeding badly from her foreleg and losing speed. The remaining Plunderbolts were closing in for the final strike. I have to do something... but what? If I attack one, I give away my position to the other! Oh, why do strategic tactics have to be so atrociously black and white?

Eagle-Eye’s bionic implant locked onto Rainbow’s slowing form, and she pulled out three knives with each hoof. “I owe you a head wound, let’s see if I can’t get at least four out of six.” Twisting her whole body, Eagle Eye unleashed a storm of sharpened steel.

Steel! That’s it! Rarity poked out of her safe spot and wrapped the flying weapons in the glow of her telekinetic grasp, redirecting them like a school of fish back at the surprised mare. “Rainbow! Zap the knives!”

Glancing back, Dash quickly spun around and took aim at the swarm of metal knives darting towards her pursuer. She launched a bolt, gritting her teeth as the power surged through her open wound. Blood poured out with renewed vigor, raining down on the icy deck far below.

The hungry electricity jumped eagerly to the conductive blades, and the pegasus they floated towards. Eagle-Eye screamed, slamming on the brakes far too late. She was pelted by her own knives, and electrocuted from the inside out. Her mechanical eye exploded with blue sparks, and her screaming ceased. Her limp body plummeted to the ground, landing on the concrete flooring that surrounded the pool.

“I gotcha now, little harlot!” Lightning Dust screamed, spotting Rarity in the crow's nest and moving in with a flash of light. Her foreleg crackled furiously with electricity, ready to lash out. There was no time to teleport away to safety.

“Hold it right there, Lightning Dust!” Flying up behind the livid mare, Rainbow took aim with her own empowered hoof. They both stopped, hovering in a midair standoff. “You’re done Lightning. Make one wrong move and I will drop you so fast, you’re stupid head will spin.”

Never taking her fierce golden eyes off Rarity, Lightning chuckled back her reply. “Oh, the Plunderbolts aren’t done pillaging just yet.”

“Again with the pirate talk? Geez, that’s sooooo lame, I can’t eve-” Rainbow was abruptly cut off by a flying tackle from below.

“Time to visit Davy Jones locker! Hahahahaha!" Mr. Marlin cackled, tightening his grip around Rainbow’s wings and diving straight down.

Lightning Dust shot Rarity a devious smile. “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll finish you off once Dash is a charred husk floating belly up.” She sent a bolt at the crow’s nest, zapping its inhabitant with thousands of volts.

Rarity cried out and collapsed in a pile. Her whole body was twitching with energy, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as it should have been. If anything, she felt stronger than before. One downwards glace confirmed her suspicions; “The Element absorbed the magic of the attack!” she said out loud, noticing the intensified glow coming from its crystal. She shot back to her hooves and peeked down at the scene below, hoping to take advantage of a second surprise attack.

Dash was still wrestling with Mr. Marlin and trying to stay dry while Lightning injected herself with a hypo. If Dash falls in that water, she’s done for! Thinking fast, Rarity was forced to give herself away yet again. Using up all the EVE she had left, Rarity sprayed frost downwards in a wide arc, and removed the threat posed by the open water.

As the pool froze solid, Rainbow kicked free of Marlin’s grapple by snapping her athletic wings open wide. Before he could recover, he fell into the water as Rarity’s frost swept its surface and trapped him there. Only the pirate’s head remained above, desperately gasping for air as his body temperature rapidly dropped.

“Ah! C-c-captain! Get m-me out!” he whimpered through chattering teeth.

“I don’t think so, pal.” Rainbow landed on the solid ice, standing tall above the trapped head. She bucked, hard, feeling the bones under his face snap like twigs. The head slumped over, blood flowing over the pool’s white surface.

“Swabbies! The lot of you!” Lightning Dust cried, landing on the ice to meet her nemesis, “I have to do everything around here myself!” With burning malice she launched her bolt at Rainbow, who launched one right back with her injured foreleg.

The opposing energies met, arcing off each other between the pegasi before reaching either target. Rainbow’s bloody leg screamed in protest, but she kept pumping out the power. Beads of sweat formed on her blue-furred brow, dripping into her eyes and stinging them. Her bolt was weakening, losing power as her EVE was consumed.

“You can’t win this one,” Lightning Dust sneered, “You’re bleeding like a stuck pig and my EVE is fully replenished. This is how I finally beat you, Dash!” She met all the power Rainbow was casting and doubled it, her bolt overpowering Rainbow’s and forcing its way closer.

Rarity watched in horror as it neared her friend. Lightning was right; Dash wouldn’t last much longer without her help. After freezing the pool, she was fresh out of EVE herself, and a quick supply check told her she had no hypos left. That only left one option. "Sorry about this, Twilight..."

Rarity focused on her Element, and it floated off her neck. She felt a sudden exhaustion as it left her fur, like she’d just worked on a dress for hours without eating or taking a break. Her horn's magic felt weak, and keeping the heavy necklace aloft became a struggle. With careful concentration, she floated it down past the oblivious pirate to her friend in need and only just managed to clip it around her neck.

“A... necklace?” Rainbow grunted when she felt the jewelry latch on. “Rarity, this isn’t the time for accessorizing- WOAH!”

The blue gem lit up with a brilliant light, and a new bolt of white hot electricity spewed from Rainbow’s injured limb. The bolt spiraled around the opposing beams, making its way straight to the target beyond.

“No. NO! I can’t lose again!” The bolt connected with a deafening crack of thunder and Lightning was flung backwards in an explosion of light and energy. She bounced off a row of plastic seats, which melted upon contact with the lightning still sparking off her body.

Only after slamming into a concrete wall covered in Plunderbolt posters did she come to a stop, creating a pony-shaped impression. The Captain of the best fliers in the seven seas slumped out of the groove, falling to the hard floor.

“Hello, little one! Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” Fluttershy whispered in the most soothing, friendly whisper she could. “My name is Fluttershy. What’s your name?”

The Little Filly hardly seemed to notice Fluttershy’s attempts at conversation. She skipped down a steamy corridor, humming a song to herself. Her filthy, pink dress and matching bow bounced along as she went, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings.

“Ummm, hello? Can you hear me? I want to help you...” Fluttershy tried again, but got the same indifferent response. “What are you doing down here? Wouldn’t you rather come play with me and my friends?”

The filly paused a moment, before continuing as she answered. “I’m looking for Angels!” she said in her eerie, echoing voice, not missing a skip in her step. Her pupil-less eyes continued to scan the area as she spoke, on the lookout for ADAM-filled corpses.

From nearby, a deep groan shook the strained pipes in the dim maintenance tunnel. Galt was back there somewhere, distracting the filly’s accompanying Big Stag. So far, he was doing a good job; the hulking deer was not the brightest of foes, and sound proved effective for drawing away its attention, but unless Shy did something soon, it would come back and find her.

“Oh, that’s... nice.” Swallowing the lump in her throat, Fluttershy reached out to the strange foal. “But I really think you should come with me, so I can help you, okay?”

Laying what was supposed to be a comforting hoof on the child’s shoulder, Fluttershy immediately drew it back when it screamed like a banshee, turning and meeting her wide eyes at last. “Daddy! Save me from the monster!”

Fluttershy pulled away in horror. “Monster? No! I- I want to help! Please be quiet before-”

It was too late. With a monstrous roar, the unmistakable thumping of an angry Big Stag rushed towards them.

“Over here! Hurry!” The filly cried, tears streaming down her soiled face.

Opening and closing her mouth, Fluttershy found she was unable to speak. I- I don’t understand! How can I be so scary to her? I just want to help!

At the far end off the hall, the Stag lumbered into view, its eyes glowing blood red. It dug an iron-clad hoof on the sheet-metal floor, then broke into a full charge. The filly ran off, but Fluttershy remained entrenched in the Big Stag’s path of destruction.

The harpoons mounted on its back lowered, aiming at the unmoving pegasus as the beast neared, when suddenly, a heavy hit made him lose his balance. He jerked hard to the left, firing both harpoons just wide of Fluttershy’s pink-maned head.

“Get the filly! Use that plasmid to kill the slug in her belly. GO!” Galt ordered, hitting the Stag again and again while dodging its blind swings.

“Oh-okay!” Fluttershy stammered, tearing herself away from the conflict. Regaining some of her senses, she took off after the filly, stifling a gasp as she passed the two giant spears sticking out of a wall behind her. Th-Those were going to... Oh my.

The shaken pegasus galloped past the whirring and steaming machines that kept Rapture habitable, by the loosest definition of the word. The angry moans and heavy impacts of the fight faded behind her.

“H-Hello?” Fluttershy forced herself to speak loud enough to be heard over the pumps surrounding her. She’d stepped into a room full of them, and spotted the ragged filly struggling to climb into a hole high on the wall. “There you are! Please, come with me...”

“No! No, no. no, no, NO!” the filly’s efforts quickened as Fluttershy approached. She squirmed as hard as she could, grabbing onto the hole and pulling herself up slowly.

Before she could disappear entirely, Fluttershy ran up and grabbed hold of the young unicorn’s hind legs. She screamed for the Stag as she was pulled from the tube.

“I’m sorry, just hold still for a moment... Please!” Tightening her grip on the struggling creature, Fluttershy brought up her empowered foreleg.

As if on cue, the veins and arteries within began to glow with an inner light. Though utterly terrified, the warm glow was comforting, like sitting by a nice fire during winter. Fluttershy pressed her warm hoof to the foal’s forehead, directly below her horn. The inner glow spread to her, spider-webbing across her little body until it was completely enveloped in light. Her struggling slowed as the light intensified, and with a burst of energy, it dissipated.

Fluttershy blinked a few times to clear away the residual glare in her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw a normal, though still incredibly dirty, filly standing before her, looking up with bright, green eyes. Timidly, and with a look of pure confusion, she turned her head around to look at herself, then patted down her torso with both front hooves. Her look of disbelief only grew when she looked back up.

“Th-thank you,” she stammered sheepishly, then gave Fluttershy a bashful curtsy.

“Y-You’re... welcome?” Fluttershy replied. With only a touch, she had saved this foal from a life of unwilling servitude. Can it really be that easy?

Without warning, the unicorn jumped in and wrapped her savior with a hug. "Thank you," she repeated, sounding entirely heartfelt.

A furious roar reminded the hugging ponies they weren’t done yet. The filly let go with a gasp and ran back to the hole she’d been trying to escape into earlier.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Fluttershy asked, casting a nervous glance back the way she’d come. Judging by the angry stomping, she was about to have company.

“I gotta tell the others what happened!” The filly pleaded. “They need to know somepony can save them, too.”

The stomping was getting closer. Fluttershy made a quick decision and lifted the light pony into the tube. “Be careful, okay? Send the others to me, and I will help them.”

“I will.” The filly crawled inside, vanishing into the darkness. “Thanks again, Fluttershy,” her voice echoed back, then she was gone.

Fluttershy hovered by the hole, a blissful smile on her face, then the Big Stag found her. The smile faded once she realized that besides the tiny hole, he was blocking the pump room's only exit. “Umm, hello...” she said quietly. “Pl- please don’t be mad, but I f-freed the Little Filly. You d-don’t have to protect her anymore.”

The beast seemed to consider this for a moment, his eyes turning a less threatening shade of yellow as he surveyed the pump room for his charge.

“Sh-She’s not here anymore, but she’s safe. Isn’t that what you want?”

The Stag finished its search, finding no sign of the filly. His eyes shifted back to red.

I don’t think he’s too happy... Fluttershy gulped.

With another bone-rattling roar, the Stag made for the floating pegasus once again. He wasn’t halfway across the room when the valve on the oxygen tank on his back popped open. The deer roared again as O2 flooded out in a cloud of white steam, flailing desperately to stem the flow.

“GET BACK!” Galt shouted over the hissing gas.

Fluttershy obeyed straight away, hiding behind a pressure gauge and peeking out fearfully to watch. Something small was floating in an invisible hoof, but she was unable to make it out. It jerked and a tiny flame appeared in the air.

With a little flick, the lit match flew towards the frantic Stag, igniting the concentrated oxygen and turning his spewing tank into a flamethrower. A second later it exploded in an intense wave of heat. If it wasn’t for her cover, Fluttershy’s flowing, pink mane would have been reduced to ashes.

The stag was badly injured in the blast, his dive suit and the flesh beneath was torn open and stained red. With a final moan, he fell heavily to the floor. His glowing red eyes dimmed to blackness, and he was freed as well.

Abandoning her hiding spot, Fluttershy flew to the dead Stag’s side, avoiding the patches of fire burning around his corpse. “I’m sorry... I’m so sorry there wasn’t another way.” Tears dripped off her muzzle onto his blackened flesh, sizzling into steam upon contact.

“I’m fine... By the way...” Galt coughed out, somewhere from the far corner.

“Galt! Where are you? Are you hurt?” Fluttershy left the deer's side, following the sound of her injured companion's voice.

“I’m here. And I’ve been worse,” he replied, the strain evident in his voice belittling his claim.

To Fluttershy’s horror, a puddle of blood was forming on the diamond plate steel that made up the floor where she assumed he laid. “You’re bleeding! I can patch you up, but not if I can’t see you. You need to take off your-”

“I cannot do that,” he interrupted. “I will be... alright. You must leave, and find the Element.”

“There is no way I’m leaving you here all alone!” Fluttershy protested, her initial shock giving way to anger, “Now take off that cloak and let me help you!”

Galt chuckled, wincing as he did. “I take back what I said; you are far from weak.” He erupted into another fit of coughing then continued. “You saved that filly, and I believe you can save this city as well. I will not slow you down in this. So go.”

Fluttershy fell back onto her haunches, tears still flowing. “I- I am weak. I can’t do this without your help, I’ve been scared since I got here!”

“Yes, and you push on.” Galt shuffled on the floor, and the flow of blood slowed. “Your virtue drives you to your goal, as does mine. This is why I cannot reveal myself to you, even if it puts me at risk. My loyalty to those I serve can’t allow it. Do you understand?”

Wiping away her tears, Fluttershy got back to her hooves. “Yes, Galt. I do understand. You have to do what you have to do. Just like me. Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Like I say, I’ve been through worse. Go find the Element and find your friends. I will find you when I can.” He grunted, adjusting his position to patch up his wounds once he was alone.

“...Galt. Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“No thanks required, Fluttershy. Now go, before I bleed out.”

Fluttershy winced, but couldn’t help but smile. “You should meet my friend Rainbow Dash. She’s too loyal for her own good as well.”

“Perhaps I will meet her,” Galt said as the pegasus walked to the pump room’s exit. “But she will not meet me.”

“What do you think you’re doing!” a raspy voice cried out. It sounded like it was distant, or the speaker was underwater. Lightning Dust tried to move, but she couldn't feel her own body at the moment. A dull throbbing was making itself known in her head, gaining momentum like a speeding train with no brakes.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m restraining her.”

“Why! You think she’d do the same to you?”

“Doubtful... but we need information, or have you forgotten about the Element already?”

“Uuuuugh,” Lightning groaned through the fog in her mind. Every second her headache was getting worse, and the feeling in her body was slowly beginning to return. It felt like she had been crushed. “Would you two do me a solid and shut up?”

“Looks like she's awake. Can you hear me, Lightning Dust?”

The pegasus opened her golden eyes, and the blurry forms of two ponies confirmed her suspicions. “You two! You cheating tricksters! You no good land-lubbers! You-”

“Aaaand back to the pirate talk...” Rainbow complained with an eye roll. 'That’s just great. Have you totally lost your marbles or something?”

“Rainbow Dash! You just wait till I get my hooves on- AH!” Lightning struggled against her binds, stopping an instant later when her body exploded in agonizing pain.

“Easy now, “ Rarity cautioned, stepping back to a safer distance. “You’ve broken most of your ribs, and lost a lot of blood. We can patch you up, but not out of the goodness of our hearts.”

Evening out her labored breathing, Lightning forced herself to stay conscious, “You... want me to help you? After you killed my whole squad! Fat chance!” She spat at the the unicorn, hoping to stain her white coat with a spray of blood, but only managed to dribble weakly onto her torn flight suit.

“How very civil...” Rarity said flatly.

“Alright, Captain,“ Rainbow jeered, taking a step forward. “We need info, and you’re gonna give it to us. Capiche?” She raised a bandaged foreleg and it crackled to life. “Now, as you were saying Rarity?”

“Ahem, yes...” the unicorn said, moving up beside Dash. How very civil indeed... “Now, Ms. Dust, we are looking for one of these artificial Elements.” She tapped the bronze necklace that was back around her neck. “We have it on good authority that one is here in this dome. Would you be so kind to tell us where?”

Lightning barely heard the question through her pounding headache. Not like she was planning to comply anyway. “Ha! I ain’t spilling nothing. You may as well kill me now and save yourselves the effort... But I doubt you have the guts.”

Rainbow’s leg erupted with sparks again. “Try me.”

“Just tell us where it is and we’ll treat your wounds. Please, Lightning!” Rarity begged, but received only mocking laughter in return.

“I told you jokers, I ain’t talking. So you can take your question, and your lousy Element, and shove them both up your-” A deep growl drowned out the rest of the ex-Captain’s insult. Her jaw dropped, and all the blood left in her face drained away, leaving it several shades paler.

“What in Equestria was that?” Dash asked no one in particular, dropping her awful bad-cop routine.

“Untie me,” Lightning whispered quietly. The other mares met her fearful gaze with surprise.

“What? That’s not how this works, dear; you haven’t answered our questions yet-” Rarity began, only to be cut off by her captive.

“Look! I- I don’t know nothing about no Element, okay? That egghead was working on them I think! But- but- Just untie me already, please!” Dust stared around, eyes going crazy as she looked for ways out.

Rainbow and Rarity exchanged uneasy glances, neither quite sure what to do. A sharp clang snapped them out of their combined confusion. It was followed by another reverberating sound in the enclosed area from its re-sealed entrance. Something big was trying to get inside the Plunder Dome.

“Uhhh, that doesn’t sound good,” Rainbow said as another bang echoed around them.

“Untie me, now!” Lightning Dust was frantic, struggling against her bindings in spite of her serious injuries. “Please! I swear I don’t know about the Element!” There was another bang and the sound of shearing metal. The three turned to look and found a metal point poking through from the other side. “Oh Celestia, it’s a Bouncer...”

“A what?” Dash and Rarity said in unison.

“A Big Stag!” They both got one last look at Lightning’s now tear filled eyes before a crash shook the room.

The solid steel shutter was shredded to ribbons as if it were made of paper; the roaring sound of some sort of engine coming through the opening. In the opened doorway stood a hulking deer, which forced its way in with a huge drill encompassing one of its forelegs. The motor revved and the rest of the door was ripped away.

“Rainbow, I think we should vacate the area,” Rarity told her tense friend, touching her shoulder with a cold hoof, “Trust me. We really don’t want to mess with that.”

A filly followed the stag into the dome. Both seemed disinterested in its other occupants as they casually sauntered in. “Do you smell Angels, Mr. Dee?” she asked, skipping happily into the horrifying scene within.

Rainbow shrugged off the frosty limb and entered her fighting stance. “Why not? We took out a whole squad, and this guy can’t even fly!”

“I know Dash, but not everything has to be a fight, even down here. I listened to a strange recording earlier; believe me when I say they have suffered enough. If we just leave them be, they’ll do the same.”

Remember the last fight you started? Rainbow reminded herself, as the image of three floating bodies surfaced in her mind. “Okay! I- I trust you,” she said, lowering her foreleg while keeping a wary eye on the pair of intruders. “But if they make any sudden moves, we do things my w- I mean... we do what we have to.”

Rarity used her unaltered hoof to turn Rainbow’s eyes to meet hers. “Listen. We don’t have to fight this time. I promise.”

“Can you please untie me before I barf?” Lightning chimed in, also watching the stag closely.

“Shhhh!” Rarity whispered as the filly approached Eagle-Eye's broken body. “He will only attack if she is threatened, so do us all a favor and shut it!”

The green pegasus grudgingly complied, and the three watched the Little Filly go about her macabre work. She levitated her ADAM pump and stabbed it into the dead pirate, extracting a vile of the glowing red substance.

“Come on, Daddy! There’s more over here!” The little unicorn sang, pulling her protector by the hoof towards Mr. Marlin’s split head... and the tense trio.

“Everypony remain calm,” Rarity hissed under her breath. “We’ll be just fine as long as no one does anything stupid.”

The filly stepped onto the frozen pool, readying her pump.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the stag erupted into a hailstorm of angry flames so hot, they sent a crack through the thick ice. The extreme heat from the blaze spread and set alight the pirate ship’s black sails as well, filling the room with an orange glow and gray smoke.

The filly began to scream hysterically as her stag fought to put out the flames, his eyes glowing redder than the fire clinging to his diving suit.

“Got ‘em! Rainbow, Rarity, get away from that crazy thing!” Applejack called to her friends, stepping through the busted door with Pinkie Pie close behind.

“Applejack! You foalish farmer!” Rarity shrieked. “Do you have any idea what you just did!?”

“...Ah saved ya’ll from that monster?” The cowpony said incredulously as she trotted down the stands, an Element fixed around her neck and flames swirling around her foreleg. “Honestly, Ah thought ya’d be happier 'bout that.”

The stag roared again, locking its crimson eyes on the nearest opposition; two mares and a tied up pegasus.

“Get me outta here NOW!” Lightning Dust screamed, renewing her self-detrimental attempts to escape.

Rarity pounced on the chair Lightning was fixed to, working the knots she'd tied only moments ago with her magic. “Stop struggling, this is hard enough as it is!” Before even one of the knots was undone, the stag charged, closing the distance with shocking speed. “Rainbow, stop him before he-”

The rope was ripped from Rarity’s enhanced field of magic as she and Rainbow flew out of the stag’s path.

“Don’t worry, I got your backs!” Pinkie shouted excitedly, using her plasmid to pull her friends to safety... which left only-

“AHHHH!” Lightning Dust screamed in vain as the stag lifted his drill and started the motor. He lunged; the pegasus’ squishy body and the plastic chair holding her in place offered very little resistance for the spinning auger.

Author's Note:

Damn, that's one beast of a chapter.

Thanks again to Merlos the Mad for helping, you should be reading his stories right now. Seriously, they are out of control.

EDIT: I guess Daring Do isn't so fictional after all...

Comments

[SCP Pinkamena]

Aaaaaaaaaannnnnnd. Dead!

[TheEnemyCube]

Soon as I read the chapter title, I decided to say this. MAKE US WHOLE!
After reading: Whoa. Also, Applejack you silly pony.

[Jashinist]

This is what I thoughts they should be sayingcdn.meme.li/instances/300x300/38523988.jpg

[MerlosTheMad]

2787203

You're a good man Charlie Brown.

[MrPockets]

2833896
lol I hope no one got too attached to Lightning Dust...