> Color Burn > by ThePristineEye > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Low Hanging Fruit. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Equestrian Desert, it's one of the driest, hottest, most dangerous place to reside. If it weren't for the unbearable stubbornness of life, many ponies would have dropped on there asses long ago. The essentials for life are sparse, living conditions are way below what many would consider the standard, but out of all this it somehow doesn't prevent the stubborn undernourished life from killing each other in cold blood. Near the ruins of a long forgotten castle the zipping of mobile grappling hooks could be heard. While water was sparse, gunfire was not. Two ponies covered head to heel in desert combat suits flew wildly in the air firing at each other. One who wore a hooded dull brown cloak ran quickly dodging the machine gun fire from the other, she shot her grapple to the tip of the grandest tower launching her upward toward it. The other pony was fixed on killing her and followed. Both stood face to face on top of the roof waiting for the other's move. The second pony lifted his rifle. “Bet I'll get a huge bonus when I'm finished!” he fired his rifle upon her, but the cloaked pony vanished into thin air with a audible popping noise. Confused, he looked around only at the last second to see an iron clad hoof smash right into his right temple giving her enough time to pin him down. “I'm done playing these games, you're not the one I'm looking for so if you ask nicely I might let go if you can follow up on a few conditions I have” The barrel of her pistol was placed on the side of his cheekbone burning his skin from the heat. “I'm listening, I'm listening, just please don't kill me!” The over confident stallion had been degraded to a pathetic husk of what he once was. “The guy writing my paycheck, nice guy really, handed me a list of available jobs and I chose the one that payed the best. The problem is this pay has one milestone: your boss, or rather your bosses boss. If you tell me his name and where I might find him than I'll let you of Scott-free. “I have no idea! Just please don't shoot me!” “Of course you know everyone fucking knows! The guy's an idiot! I knew at some point and I simply forgot it at some point!” the pistol duck deeper. “If everyone knows than why did you hunt me down when you could have just asked some friend of yours or something?” That was a good point, she paused to think about it for a second when the stallion pushed her off and jumped from the tower. Before she could peruse him a large explosion demolished the grand tower causing her to come crashing down just barely able to catch herself with her grappling gear. “Ha! Some legend you are!” the stallion who was nearly about to shit his pants five seconds early was mocking her as he ran for his life. “Shit,” the visor on her air conditioned helmet had broken to reveal light blue fur and a few strand of multi-colored mane. It was time to go home. - - - Hours had passed since the fight, with her broken helmet in her satchel bag she had entered Settlement Six, her home, and had many great her at her passing. A familiar pink friend approached “Hey Dashie, how's my little legend doing?” Rainbow sighed discontentedly and leaned against Pinkie's side. “What’s that one Pony's name, you know, the one that runs the Odmohan gang?”” “Why didn’t you come to me sooner, silly!” Pinkie wrapped her right hoof around Dash in a friendly manner. “Everyone knows her name, it’s kinda embarrassing that you don’t,” Pinkie faintly whispered into her ear. Rainbow once again sighed “Yeah, I know.” To this, Pinkie pulled her in closer and whispered even quieter. “It’s Twilight Sparkle.” To this, Rainbow let out a light snorted giggle having only just remember the infamous name the pony had been given “Hey Pinkie, I need to get my AC helmet repaired,” Rainbow lightly moved her muzzle to point in the direction of a local pub. “ya wanna grab a drink or somthin’?” “Hell yeah! I haven’t had a glass of water in like, forever!” With a spring in Pinkie's walk, they both strolled to that local pub. A break was much needed amongst the two. - - - - Rainbow, after her much needed rest had gone straight back to beating up Odmohan gang members for information despite last time not being very effective. With that at mind, her latest victim was quite persistent and tight to a wooden chair. “Where is she?” Rainbow repeatedly stated repeatedly as the victims face became more and more distorted. “Where is Twilight Sparkle!” this time she repressed her urge to laugh. “It's not like it's a secret, everypony practically already knows that!” “Well I don't, and I'm not going to stop beating our face in 'till you tell me!” Rainbow kept her word in regard to this statement. “Just look over there!” when Rainbow stopped her relentless beating and turned in the direction his eyes led. Several feet in the air, she saw a helium balloon that held a banner stating: Odmohan. After seeing this she immediately dragged the chair which held her victim to a deserted building, if it can even be called that in the horrendous condition it was in, and pushed him against a support beams that held the structure up. “What are y-” a rag was stuffed into his gullet and a piece of duck tape was slapped no his mouth to hold it in place. The rest of what could be heard from this stallion was muffled sounds of discomfort and anger. “Some repairs I had done for my AC helmet were rather expensive and I do not get reimbursed for property damage. So you're gonna help me pay for it one way or another, whether it be through selling your equipment, or selling you as some sort of sex slave. Right now I have some business to further attend to so you're just gonna have to wait a little bit.” The stallion was tied to the post with loose rope and was fassend strongly to the post. Only thoughts of revenge swam through the stallions mind as he was left and forgotten on that lone post. It was a short trot to the Odmohan Gang's headquarters. The main entrance had been left unguarded allowing Dash to simply burst through the door and immediately begin firing amongst any gang member who was unfortunate enough to be in the main halls at the time. When the smoke had cleared from all the gunfire, all any of the remaining gang member left only saw the empty street corner from beyond the opened main entrance. - - - - The Throne room's door had been kicked open abruptly similar to which she had done to the front entrance moments prior. “Alright Ms. Sparkly-whatever-your-name-was, I don't have time to beat around the bush here so just hand me the filly you kidnapped!” Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof at the seemingly unfazed Twilight who sat in a throne only yards from where Rainbow stood. “The filly?” Twilight questioned. “Oh, she's not here, not yet anyways. If you wait a bit, I'm sure my assistant will come around momentarily with the requested goods.” “Oh. yeah. Sure, I'll wait a bit. I guess.” Rainbow dug at the dirt below her hoofs as there was a moment of silence between the two. Rainbow took quick note of a stack of books in the corner as a subject for small talk. “So you read any good books? Got a pretty hefty stack over there.” “Well, I have been reading these Daring Do books recently. those are pretty good, hard to come across though.” “Oh really?” Rainbows interest had been peaked. “I love those books!” “Really? No offense intended, but you don't look like a pony who's too into books.” “Not usually, but those books were really easy to get into.” “You can burrow a few, if you want.” “Really?” “No, With how you made your entrance, why in the world would you take that offer seriously?” After another moment of uncomfortable silence could commence, a door behind the throne that Twilight sat in swung open. A bipedal dragon only slightly taller than a pony on all fours entered with a filly between his arms. “I got the, uh... blood sacrifice.” he saw the intruder in the room and politely nodded. “Took you long enough.” “Well excuse me, princess.” He threw the filly on the back of Twilight. She then strolled over to a simmering cauldron which ha been illuminated by a small hole in the ceiling. Watch the intruder while I do the ritual, Spike.” “I never thought I'd be in a situation where I have to fight somepony's pet dragon.” Rainbow admitted aloud. Twilight gave her a look as if offended. “He's not a pet, he's my assistant.” “Spike is totally a pet name.” “That's irrelevant!” Twilight pulled a small blade off the ground and held it up to the neck of the unconscious fillies neck. “This kid's blood will made the perfect catalyst for a spell which shall raise the moon for the first time in hundreds of years after which our entire gang will pillage the nearby settlements!” “You put a scratch on the kid, i'll mash your teeth into that cauldron of yours” Rainbow threatened fearing losses if the merchandise was ruined. Twilight ignore this and swiftly ran the blade across the fillies neck, enough to break the skin and she tossed the reddened blade into the simmering cauldron's bath. There was a moment where Rainbow Dash even had a sneaking suspicion something might happen, but when nothing did, Twilight threw the fill of her back and reality came crashing down on her. You see, the ability to pillage the nearby settlements which she said her intentions were was only something she fabricated to make he actions seem more justified. In reality, she just wanted a good night sleep and thought that this was a solution, as silly as it may have been. Judge her now, but the conditions of life in the desert are truly unforgiving. As Rainbow promised, those beautiful teeth met there maker across the rim of that cauldron. ouch.