Rookie Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash, awakens one day to find herself in an old abandoned castle with no memory of how she got there. The only thing she remembers is the storm.
Rookie Wonderbolt, Rainbow Dash, awakens one night to find herself in an old abandoned castle with no memory of how she got there. In fact, the latest memory she can recall is her flight with Soarin and Spitfire earlier that day and the wild, spontaneous, storm that appeared from out of no where. From there, her memory is blank. How did she get here? Where exactly is "here"? And where are her fellow Wonderbolts?
The offices of the Wonderbolts Academy were barren, everypony from recruits, visitors, to even the Wonderbolts themselves had left. Save one... Rainbow Dash. She was behind on her weekly reports and was the last one to leave. This was always the most boring part of the week for her. She wanted to be out there flying, not cooped up in an office with paperwork. She had never thought this is what her dream would become. She thought back to nearly a month ago, when she became a Wonderbolt; she had never been so happy. When it finally happened, she had bounced up and down with excitement and wouldn't stop saying, "Oh my gosh!" Now, she was starting to have doubts. Sitting at a desk filling out weekly reports about nothing other than flight practices with Soarin was hardly as glamorous as she had imagined. She was barely staying awake from the boredom this caused her.
"S'up, Dash?" a voice called. She looked up to see Soarin standing in front of her desk with a grin on his face.
"Oh, just filling out these reports," she replied in an uninterested tone.
"Ah, well Spitfire and I have something we'd like you to do when you’re finished."
"What's that?" she replied with a confused tone. Soarin laughed, which just made her more befuddled.
"Just hurry your flank with those reports, OK? Oh, and bring your flight suit, you'll need it," he said with a smile.
Rainbow's boredom was quickly replaced by boundless energy and excitement. Whatever this was, it beat reports by a mile!
"Sure thing, Soarin!" she exclaimed.
After about a minute, she slammed the report into the mail tray to Canterlot, ran as fast as she could to the locker room, slipped on her Wonderbolts flight suit, and dashed for the front door. Outside, Soarin and Spitfire were talking amongst themselves but ceased as they saw Rainbow dart out through the door and towards them.
"Glad you managed to survive those reports, Dash," Spitfire said with a laugh.
"Nothing a Wonderbolt can't handle," Dash replied. Spitfire smiled, obviously pleased to hear Dash's reply.
"Oh yeah? Well, follow us, and try to keep up," Spitfire said confidently. Dash gave her a confident grin back and opened her wings.
Spitfire flew off into the night sky with Soarin and Rainbow Dash close behind her. It was near pitch black, the moon was nowhere to be found, but Dash wasn't about to show weakness in front of these two. They flew for about 30 minutes and covered miles upon miles until finally Dash asked…
"Where are we going?"
Silence fell upon them as nopony said a word.
"Should we tell her, Spitfire?" Soarin finally asked.
"It's a surprise, Dash," Spitfire said as if the question annoyed her. Soarin just laughed.
"Perhaps we could, you know, surprise her now and not next week," he blurted out. Dash was confused but she just kept her mouth shut and followed Spitfire. The captain of the Wonderbolts seems irritated about something, but Dash couldn't put her hoof on what it might be or why. Furthermore, if she was irritated, why was she going to surprise her? Rainbow's confusion only grew as the trio continued flying.
"What?" Soarin said slowing a little bit, now even with Rainbow Dash.
"What's wrong?" Rainbow asked. Soarin wiped his face with his hoof.
"Is it raining?" Soarin asked confused.
"No, can't be. The pegasus ponies had a clear sky scheduled for tonight," Spitfire interjected.
Then, as if Spitfire's words provoked it, a bolt of lightning shot down in front of her. She panicked and dove out of the way. Dash, nearly losing sight of Spitfire in the confusion, tried to keep up with her captain. The rain had picked up tremendously now and was pelting her wings, making it not only hard to fly but hard to stay in the sky at all. She tried to stay calm and find a trace of her fellow Wonderbolts when Soarin appeared in front of her as if he teleported there.
"Rainbow, Come on!" he yelled, trying his hardest not to be tuned out by the rain and thunder.
He didn't wait for an answer, grabbing her hoof and flying as fast as he could. Rainbow kept her eyes closed, even if she opened them, it was near impossible to see anything more than simply her hooves in front on her face.
Then, a huge, ear-ringing clap of thunder sounded.
Dash’s hoof slipped free from Soarin's... he was gone. She had never been afraid of storms before, but now was an exception. As a weather pony, it was her duty to schedule them, but this storm was different. It was pitch black, too loud to even think and, to top it all off, she was alone. Rainbow did the only thing that she could do and sped ahead in the direction Soarin was headed. She flew as fast as she could in this kind of condition. Then she saw it, a flash of light as bright as lightning itself, and it was heading right at her.
Everything happened so fast that one moment she was flying, the next she was out cold... falling to the earth below.
Rainbow Dash was laying on the muddy ground of the forest. Her body, bloody, bruised, and beaten. Many of her bones had been broken from the fall and she was completely unable to move. Her right wing was twisted at an abnormal shape and was coated in dark blood. The other major injury she sustained was the massive burn on her forehead from where the lightning struck. The only mercy that was granted too her was that she was unconscious. Still, she wasn't going to last much longer. The injures she sustained were far too severe.
The rain continuously pelted her dying body. Her chest was rising and falling, though, it was beginning to slow with each breath. Then, from out of the shadows, a silhouette of a stallion approached her. He was big, even slightly bigger than Big Mac. He carefully picked up the dying mare and slowly hoisted her to his back. She wasn't a heavy pony by any means but the stallion had no trouble regardless. As the lightning lit up the area once more, the stallion was gone, having traveled back into the forest.
The feel of a soft silk blanket and sheets were completely unexpected for Rainbow Dash. After she was struck by the lightning, she hadn't thought she'd ever see the light of another day. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself in a castle-like room, the floors were hard wood and the walls were of a strong stone. The bed she was sleeping in was massive, taking up most of the space in the area. In front of her on the wall opposite her bed was a fireplace with burning logs inside. Above that was a portrait of a military stallion.
The eyes of the stallion were strong and... a little creepy Dash thought to herself. It was as if they were watching her. She slowly got out of bed and looked around the room. Beside her bed was a dresser. On it was her Wonderbolts uniform... There was a burn mark on the forehead, not to mention it had rips and holes all over it. Each rip was stained with her blood. The pony wearing that uniform should be dead... yet here she was.
Her right wing was in a hard cast that prevented it from moving even in the slightest of ways. Dash suddenly felt tears coming to her as he rubbed her destroyed wing with one of her hooves. She collapsed on the floor next to the dresser and sniffed trying to hold her tears back.
She failed...
Her whole life was flying... she loved it more than anything. Now... would she ever fly again? Tears escaped her eyes and fell to the floor, she wished the fall had killed her. A life without flying wasn't life at all for Rainbow Dash.
After all the tears were out of her she got up and walked to the window. The sun was setting... "setting?" Dash thought to herself. How long had she slept? A day? Two days? A week? Dash looked away from the sunset and to the yard below. There was a garden... no, a hedge maze. In the center lay a fountain, the water spraying upward then splashing down to its pool below.
"Whoever owns this place must be loaded" Dash said to herself.
Suddenly she seen something move in the maze. It was only for a second, but Dash was certain something was down there. Rainbow's eyes moved from one side of the maze to the next... nothing. She turned away from the window as a cold shiver shot through her. Something wasn't right about that maze. She slowly walked over to the fireplace and warmed herself up from the mysterious chill the maze had given her. But no matter how warm the fire was... something still chilled her to the bone.
She felt like somepony was watching her.
She suddenly jerked her head towards the military stallion in the portrait above the fireplace. The pony in the portraits eyes seem to peer into her soul... She lifted her hoof and slowly reached for the picture. As it grew closer and closer every bit of her conscience said to stop. Just before she touched the portrait, the door to her room clicked. Something had opened it. Rainbow Dash began to feel uneasy. Everything about this place creped her out and she had only been in one room! Against her better judgment Rainbow Dash inched ahead towards the door.
Every strand of fur on her coat was up. She felt extremely cold, like she was standing in a freezer. She placed her hoof on the door handle then stopped before turning it. She noticed her hoof was shaking. Then she also felt that she herself was shivering. She closed her eyes and thought back to Ponyville. The warm summers with clear blue skies with birds and butterflies flying freely with her in the warm summer air. She swore she could smell the newly blooming flowers.
She re-opened her eyes to find she was back in the cold castle. Instead of summer birds tweeting, all she could hear was the crackle of scorched wood in the fireplace. Instead of flying freely through the warm summer air, she was grounded to the creaky wooden floors. She peered up at her hoof on the doors knob... she wasn't shivering anymore. Dash knew what was next, opening it. Taking a deep breath and before she could stop herself, she flung open the door hastily.
Her new setting was a wide hallway. The walls and ceiling were similar to that of her room's, a strong stone built to endure. The floors were sturdy oak with a long red carpet placed in the center running the length of the hall to show guests were to go. She began slowly walking along the red carpets length, each step bringing a slight creaking sound from the floor boards as they moaned below her hooves.
That wasn't what caught her attention though.
On the walls were more paintings. They were of stallions, some big & muscular, some slender & short, but there were two things each portrait shared. Each of the stallions featured in the paintings was in armor... and something else.
The armored stallions were all posing close to the mangled, blood covered corpse of another pony.
Dash grimmest as she passed each portrait. How could someone like this?! She felt a little sick the further she walked, luckily she was approaching the end of the hall. That's when she saw it... The biggest, and goriest, painting of them all. The picture was huge, perhaps even the size of her. It's border was decorated with four large blood-rubies, one of them in each of the painting's four corners. She looked it over. There was yet again a stallion in armor, but this one's armor was of a royal design. He was sitting on a throne with two dead stallions to his left and right. Each of their throats had been slit and blood was leaking down there cold, dead, bodies. Dash began to look away but stopped when she noticed something. The stallion featured in this looked familiar. Dash narrowed her vision then saw it...
...the stallion from her room, the one in the painting over her fireplace... they were the same pony!
Dash's concentration was soon broken. She heard a noise and turned to her right, noticing a narrow staircase leading down. She would have noticed it earlier if not for the massive painting. She slowly approached the stairs. Then took the first step onto the cold stone platforms. As soon as her hoof touched down, Dash froze. She thought about an old saying she once was told.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
Dash gulped, and against her better judgment, she took another step down the narrow staircase and said to herself jokingly.
Something kept driving her forward. Perhaps it was hope, hope that the mumbling was the coming from the pony that owned this castle. But something told Rainbow Dash that, that mumbling at the bottom of the stairs wasn't hope at all, but the opposite. A voice in her head warned that if she continued down the stairwell it would be here undoing.
Rainbow looked around and noticed she was standing still. Fear had finally gotten to her. She took a deep breath in. The cold, damp, air of the castle filled her lungs. Though, it wasn't at all as refreshing as the outdoors, she still found it calming. She exhaled and put on a look of determination. She was a Wonderbolt and Wonderbolts weren't afraid of anything! She rushed down the stairs, nearly tripping with her new found bravery. When she reached the bottom all that bravery vanished.
She had entered another hallway, this one smaller than the last. Her eyes widened as they seen the figure at the end of the hall. A giant stallion, perhaps bigger than big mac. His front hooves were up on a table to steady himself as he nuzzled some object. Every few times the stallion would let out an abnormal laugh as he moved the object on the table from left to right with his muzzle. Luckily for Rainbow Dash, he wasn't facing her.
She became increasingly unease, but decided to approach him. After all, this pony appeared to be the only one here besides herself. Maybe he was the one who fixed her wing. But somehow Dash knew that wasn't the truth. She knew it wasn't a good idea to go forward but what choice did she have? To go back to her room? And do what exactly? Wait for him to come for her there? No. She wanted to leave this place as soon as possible and maybe this stallion could show her the way out.
She finally made up her mind and walked slowly down the hall towards the stallion. She got about half way when the stallion's head stopped nuzzling the object and went still. Rainbow stopped in her tracks. Fear set in but she blocked it all out. She had to keep her cool.
"Hello..." Rainbow said nervously.
The stallion at the end of the hall grabbed hold of the object on the table with his mouth and turn to Dash. He had a dark orange coat with a dark brown mane and tail. In the front, Dash could tell this was one of the biggest ponies she had ever seen. And almost the most muscular. Though something about this pony seemed off. He seemed disfigured but dash couldn't put her hoof on it... although... whatever it was gave her chills.
The stallion studied Rainbow, his eyes, focused. It was like there was nothing else besides Rainbow Dash in the hall. It was like he was a colt in a shopping center and he had found the world's greatest toy.
"I-I'm looking for the exit... I can't seem to remember how I got here and I um..." She began but couldn't find the words to finish. This was a bad idea and she knew it. With her back legs, she slowly inched toward the stairs behind her.
*Thud*
The object, a old doll, dropped from the stallion's mouth. Rainbow inched back more trying her best not to panic and bolt for the stairs. She looked back at the stallion, a smile began to form on his face. The kind of smile a filly or colt would give off when they see something they like. That smile made something snap in Dash's head.
The Rainbow filly whipped around and bolted for the stairs.
She didn't need to turn around to know the stallion was after her. She could hear each thundering stomp as his hooves hit the wooden floor. She raced up the stairs and into the long hallway. The stallion was right behind her, she could hear him grunting and laughing as he chased her. She neared the end of the hall, the room where she first woke up. She dove into the room and slammed the door shut pressing her weight against it.
The stallion rammed his whole body into the door, knocking dash onto the floor.
She scrambled back up and looked around. This stallion must not know how to open doors but that wouldn't stop him from getting to her. She had to think of a plan.
That's when it hit her.
Dash rushed to the window and, trying to remember Applejack's style, turned to where her back legs her facing it and gave it a hard buck.
The door slammed again. The stallion was almost in the room with her.
She then turned her head to find the window had a small crack in it. She lifted up her back legs again and put everything she had into the kick.
To her relief, she heard the sound of glass shattering. But in the celebration, she had forgotten why she was breaking the window in the first place, then the sound of the door caving in and a huge stallion staggering into the room reminded her.
He shuck he mane back and forth, getting all the dust and wood out of it. Then he looked around the room for his new toy. He imminently rushed to the broken window and peered down below. When he couldn't see his newly found toy he started to cry and ran out of the room.
"He must be going down to the yard to search for me" Dash said to herself, tucked tightly under the bed. She let out a smile and for the first time since waking up in this castle... she felt safe.
Rainbow Dash squeezed out from under the bed and looked around the once well kept room. The door was laying in pieces on the floor from when the stallion bashed it down. He's strength sent a shiver down her spine. Never had she encounter a pony of that kind of raw power. She made a note in her mind to avoid him at all costs.
Her eyes looked to the window... or what as left of it. Glass shards were scattered all over the floor as well as the yard below. Rainbow sighed. She surprised herself with that last second plan. Still... she couldn't stay here. As soon as that stallion figured out she hadn't leaped from the window he would most likely return here. So, Dash quickly decided that she had to continue her search for a way out of this place.
She walked out of her room and down the hall. Despite having been here before she still wasn't use to the gore filled portraits that littered the walls. The only defense she had against them was to not look at them and there somewhat extreme detail.
She reached the end of the hall where the biggest picture sat. She tried to ignored it and continued down the stairs, but it's massive size and detail prevented that. Seeing those ponies with there throats slit sent a chill through Dash's body. She quickly put her right hoof to her own throat just to re-assure herself that she wasn't bleeding. She imagined the pain that those poor ponies must have experienced. The feel of cold steel on your neck just before it was tore open. Rainbow felt her stomach turn. It was enough to send her rushing down the stairs to where she met the stallion.
The massive pony was no where to be seen, but dash noticed something. The doll the huge stallion was playing with. Rainbow Dash slowly approached it. The floor boards creaked with each step she took. When she reached the doll her eyes widened and mouth dropped. It was a doll... of herself.
Rainbow knew that the Wonderbolts had toys based off them everywhere but... in a place like this? Not to mention it was her and she so happened to be injured and brought here for recovery. Could this be some kind of a coincidence? The odds were slim but what other kind of explanation could there be? Dark thoughts crept into Dash's mind and as soon as they did she did the only thing she could think of... run.
Dash bolted out of the hall and through a door. She slammed it shut as hard as she could trying to shut the thoughts in with it but the loud slammed snapped her back to reality. She looked around her newly entered room with amazement. It was the main hall...
...the room that guests enter when they first step hoof in the castle...
...which meant...
Dash's head jerked from left to right till she found her target.
The entrance.
She rushed over to it. They were massive with a design that must have taken years to finish. Dash wasn't concerned with the details though. She wanted out, and far away from this place as possible. She reached for the handles and twisted, but to her dismay, it was locked. Dash looked around but found no locking mechanism, just the design. Upon closer examination, Rainbow truly seen what the design was. It was of a beautiful mare. She had a long, luscious, mane and tail. What appeared to be a necklace was around her neck... that's when dash saw it.
The necklace was missing it's main jewel. There was an imprint in the design like something might fit inside.
"Excuse me, miss."
Rainbow froze. She slowly turned to see a stallion. He was normal sized, nothing like the last one she met. His coat was grey. He didn't have a mane, it appeared to have been shaved off. As for his tail, It was long and brown, but very well kept. He looked at Rainbow Dash with deep brown eyes. Eyes that were completely focused on her. Finally, he was wearing a black suit. One that a waiter at a fancy restaurant might wear. It covered his chest, back, and front legs.
"Miss, I'm afraid you're not allowed to leave until your injures have healed," the suited stallion said. It wasn't like she had a choice, the door was locked and until she found out how to open it, she would stay here. The suited pony put on a grim smile.
The dinning table looked as though it could fit 20 more people but Rainbow was certain it would just be the two of them. Rainbow Dash and the stallion in the suit sat at each side of the long table, far away from one another. He smiled at her which just made her look away. She noticed the dinning hall was decorated, as though they'd been preparing for a party. The chandler hanging above them had been lit, as well as the numerous candles on the table.
"I never properly introduced myself did I miss Dash?" The suited pony across the table said. Rainbow gulped and finally spoke up.
"No, I don't think you did."
"My name is Sunset Skys. The owner of Skys Manor." Skys Manor... She had heard of this place somewhere before... but where?
"I suppose you're wanting answers miss Dash?" Sunset asked. "Allow me to apologize for brute earlier."
"B-Brute?" Rainbow Dash said confused. Sunset laughed.
"That isn't his real name. Brute was the stallion you met earlier. The one that wanted to play with you miss Dash. He's acts as my guard though we don't get many visitors so I often have him tend to our hedge maze. All in all, he's not the brightest of ponies but he's loyal to his master."
Rainbow looked around in search of the stallion Sunset called brute. So much for being a guard, Rainbow thought to herself; Brute was no where to be seen. All of a sudden Sunset smiled.
"Our food is ready miss Dash."
Rainbow suddenly felt as if she was being watched. She slowly turned in her chair. Her eyes widened.
It was brute.
The massive stallion was carrying with his mouth a sliver platter. On it were two bowls and a bottle of wine. Brute came closer to Rainbow. Rainbow shifted away from him in her chair. Brute knelt down so the silver platter was level with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow looked over to Sunset.
"Well, no need to be rude. You must be hungry. Take it," Sunset said with a grin. Rainbow hesitated but then slowly grabbed the bowl with her hooves. She set it down in front of her and examined her dinner. It was some kind of mush. It looked like oat meal but without the oats. Rainbow looked up and seen Brute offering the final bowl to Sunset. Sunset nodded to the huge stallion and accept the bowl and the bottle of wine. As soon as he did, Brute hurried for the door but stopped as he reached it.
He turned around and looked directly at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow met his eyes and froze in her chair. His facial expectation never changed. Just completely serious with the silver platter in her mouth.
"You may be excused Brute," said Sunset. But it was more like an order.
Brute stared at Rainbow, and Rainbow stared at him until finally he turned and exited the dinning hall. Rainbow continued staring at the door, as if she was in some kind of trance. There weren't many things Rainbow would admit to being afraid of but that massive stallion only known as Brute was one.
Dash's trance was broken when Sunset tapped on his wine glass with a spoon.
"We are very far away from each other and the wine appears to be on my side," Sunset said with a chuckle. Then, out of nowhere, two feathered wings unfolded out of sunset's back. He was a pegasus!? How had she not seen them before? Dash shifted in her chair as Sunset picked up the wine and flew the length of the table over to her. He landed softly beside her and opened the wine bottle.
"I-I'm sorry, I d-" Dash began but was interrupted.
"Nonsense!" He announced and poured Dash a glass of blood red wine. "This is very expensive. The finest wine in all of Canterlot. Please, do be a good guest and accept this fine offer."
Rainbow hesitated but ultimately knew she didn't have a choice. She picked up the glass with her hoof and took a little sip. Rainbow Dash had only tasted wine once before at the grand galloping gala. Even though it had been over a year Dash knew...
...this wasn't wine.
As soon as the drink found her stomach she felt it's effects. He head became far heavier, or so it felt. Her balance was off. The room looked like it was swaying.
"I... I th-think-" But before she could finish, sunset brought the glass to her lips again and made her take another sip. This one far bigger than the one before. Rainbow swallowed most of it before choking and coughing the rest up on the table.
"Doesn't it taste delightful miss Dash?!" Sunset said with a laugh. Rainbow tried to focus but it seemed impossible. Suddenly the room spun and she fell from her chair. She hit the cold stone floor with a thud. She fell directly on her hoof but didn't feel a thing. Her whole body had gone numb. She tried to stand but just fell down again. The sound of Sunset's grim laughter engulfed the entire dinning hall. Rainbow rolled over onto her back and stared up at the chandelier.
The brightly lit candles on it were the last thing she remembered before blacking out...
It was dark, Rainbow could barely see her hoof in front of her face. Suddenly the area lit up. She looked around and to her amazement...
...She was back at her desk.
She looked around, first examining her desk. Her unfinished report was there in front of her, she smiled.
"It was only a dream" She thought to herself happily. Dash leaned back in her chair and took in a big breath of air. It amazed her how real the whole thing seemed. She tilted back even more so she could see behind her. Rain pelted at the windows as if trying desperately to break it and invade the dry office.
Dash opened her wings and got out of her chair. In second she was softly hovering above her desk. She looked at her "injured" wing... it was completely healed. She smiled and landed next to her chair. Never, in her entire life, had she been happier to be at her desk in the Wonderbolts office. She opened her wings and ascended to the ceiling. She slowly flew a few laps around the office. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Never thought I'd be happy with goin' slow" Dash thought to herself. She closed her eyes and just continued softly flying around the room. She did an occasional twirl which made her giggle.
"H-Hello?"
Dash just continued blissfully flying around the office.
"Are you OK?"
Rainbow still heard nothing... she was hypnotized by the feeling of freedom. She would never have to step hoof in that castle again... she was finally free.
"You have to wake up"
Suddenly she stopped. Her heart fell in her chest. She slowly opened her eyes from her blissful state... that's when she knew...
...She was back in the castle.
"Th-That's it..." the voice said. Rainbow heard it clearer now then when she was in the office... the voice belonged to a little filly. She focused and completely opened her eyes. She was in a cage. She tried to move around but it was impossible. The cage was too small.
"How'd they manage to fit me in here?" Rainbow thought to herself. Her attention soon turned to her surroundings. She must be in the castle cellar. The ceilings were dripping with water. The floors had probably been wet for years, there were even a few puddles.
Finally Rainbow's attention was drawn to the filly sitting outside her cage. She was a pegasus with a light brown coat. Her mane was orange and straightened, off to one side. Her tail was straightened as well. This filly had to be the same age as Scootaloo... what was she doing out here?!
"Hold on Rainbow Dash" As soon as she said Dash's name she began to giggle. When she finished, the young filly produced a key and held it in her hoof. Dash was amazed... how on earth did this little filly get a key?! And why? The little filly slowly slid the key into the lock and with a quick "click" the cage door was open.
Dash slowly and painfully crawled out of the cage. When she was finally free of it's clutches, she stretched out her limbs which all seemed sore from being tightly compacted into such a small place.
"How in Equestria did they manage to fit you in there Rainbow Dash?" The filly said with another giggle at Dash's name. Dash looked at the filly who was watching dash's every move with a giant smile.
"Is there something funny about my name, Giggles?!" Dash said defensively. The filly's smile quickly morphed to a frown.
"No, no, no! I'm sorry if I offended you! I love your name! I m-mean... the reason I was giggling is because... I never thought I'd meet you," The filly said backing away.
Dash was shocked... then, a smile formed on the wonderbolt's face. As a filly she had dreamed of meeting a wonderbolt...
"I'm sorry for snappin on ya kid. What's your name?" The little filly had a smile back on her face again. She came closer to dash and sat down in front of her.
"Well, Sunset calls me Child, or Young One." Rainbow laughed.
"What's your real name?" Rainbow asked.
"My real name is Lavender" The young filly announced.
"But you're... brown" Dash said confused.
"I know... but turns out lavender is my favorite flower. It's so pretty," Lavender said closing her eyes imagining the flower.
Suddenly, a large droplet of water hit Rainbow atop her head. The droplet snapped her back to the present... and where she was.
"Lavender, do you know how to get out of the castle?" Rainbow asked. The young filly nodded, excited to help.
"Of course I do! You need the skys family jewel. It's a big... beautiful... diamond. I think my sister Auburn has it."
"Y-You're sister... wait... so you're-"
"Lavender Skys!" Lavender said excitedly. Rainbow's jaw dropped.
"My sister is Auburn, and my brother is Sunset!" Lavender said with a cute smile. "We all live here."
Dash sat down, completely stunned. This little filly lived with a psychopath... and a monster... yet... she seems fine. So many thoughts ran through her head... but she had to concentrate.
"Lavender."
"Yes?"
"I need that jewel... we need to find your sister."
It was freezing outside. Dash could see her breath as her and Lavender trotted through the maze. Dash had been skeptical about going in but lavender assured her she had this place memorized like the back of her hoof. Besides... lavender hadn't gave her much choice. Before Dash could protest, Lavender ran ahead, deep into the maze. Luckily Dash managed to take the right path and find her.
"Don't worry, it's just a trot in the moonlight!" Lavender proclaimed. "Besides, no one else other than me comes here. It's super safe!" Lavender trotted along the multiple paths in her maze as if she had not a care in the world. Dash on the other hand was shivering. Partly from the cold but also from something else...
Suddenly, dash stopped. She looked up. Her eyes found the broken window from earlier. The one she destroyed to confuse Brute and escape.It was dark in that room. If not for the moonlight shining in it would have been pitch black.
There was something up there...
She could barely make it out but it appeared to be the silhouette of a pony... a mare from the size of the shape. The silhouette turned and then... it was gone.
"Lavender, was that mare in the window your sis-..." Rainbow began but stopped when she noticed Lavender was gone. She cursed herself, when she stopped to look at the window Lavender must've trotted ahead without noticing Rainbow was gone.
Dash was alone...
"How deep am I in?" Rainbow thought to herself. "Can I make it back? S-sure I can!" But despite her confidence on the outside the young wonderbolt had no idea how far she was into the maze. Nevertheless, Dash took off in a sprint back in the direction she thought was the entrance. She ran, looking at the hedge walls and ground to see if any of them looked familiar.
"I remember this wall! Y-Yeah! I'm almost out of here!!" Dash said excitedly... then she found herself at a dead end. "N-No! I was sure this was the right way... I remember... " Dash looked at the walls and ground... everything looked the same. "I got it! I'll just fly out! Yeah, great idea Rainbow Dash! You're the best!" Dash said to herself. She sat on her haunches and turned looking at her bad wing.
If she was going to even get off the ground she'd need to have use of that wing. She jerked her head back and grabbed hold of some of the bandages with her teeth. She jerked her head forward again tearing some of the bandages off. She repeated this until her cast was laying on the ground in many pieces.
She looked at her wing... there were multiple cuts, some small, little, scratches... others far deeper almost reaching the bone. Rainbow slow extended her wings until both were out and ready for flight. She knew which direction the entrance/exit was in. It was time to get out.
"You're the best flyer... you're the best flyer... you're the best flyer," Rainbow repeated to herself. All of a sudden she jumped up and flapped her wings in the direction of the way out. The first flap off the ground was painful enough but... it wasn't until she started to really "fly" the real pain set in.
"You're the best flyer... you're the best flyer..."
Her eyes were shut. But she knew she was heading the right way... she had to be!
Suddenly, she heard a loud, painful, cracking sound. Her eye jolted open and she let out a loud scream. She immediately fell, crashing into and through a hedge wall. The sharp branches cutting her skin and face. She stopped as her upper body slammed against the ground. Her back legs were inside the hedge wall, her upper body was outside it, in another part of the maze.
She couldn't move anything. Her cyan blue coat was now spotted with red from the numerious cuts across her face and body.
"Rainbow Dash?! Rainbow Dash, where are you?!" Lavender called. From the sound of her voice she was close.
Although... Dash wasn't going to last much longer... she couldn't stand... she couldn't even move.
Her vision faded... and the last thing she felt was something sharp but small poking into her neck... then everything went black.
Rainbow Dash woke up to a jail door slamming shut. Her eyes jolted open. She was indeed, in a jail cell. Though anything was better than that cage. Suddenly a jolt a pain shot through her injured wing. She grit her teeth and slammed her eyes shut rolling over in the cell bunk in pain. She slowly opened her eyes again and looked around the cell. The walls, ceiling, and floor where all concrete. Aside from the bunk beds, there was a toilet in the corner of her cell and a small window with bars on it. The gold rays of the setting sun could be seen from it.
"I hope you like it," A voice said from outside the cell. Dash turned in her bunk and looked through the cell bars. Outside stood Sunset. Behind him, Lavender who refused to meet dash's gaze. Lavender looked exceptionally sad, which for a filly like her, that couldn't be good.
"My sister told me about the cage you were forced into. I'm dearly sorry about that. But, not to worry, I've had Brute punished for his stupidity. As for you Miss Dash, I hope you find this cell more to your liking, after all, you won't be leaving anytime soon," Sunset said with a smirk. Dash slowly got up and out of the bunk and stood weakly looking at Sunset.
"What do you want from me?" Rainbow said in a demanding voice.
"All in due time Miss Dash. Now, I must go. It seems a little rat has caused trouble and needs to be taken care of." Sunset walked down the hall. Lavender started behind him but at last turned to Rainbow Dash.
"I'm... sorry," The filly said as a tear ran down her cheek. She looked away and ran to sunset. They opened the door at the end of the hall and then trotted out... Dash was alone.
Rainbow slowly trotted towards the cell gate and place a single hoof on the bars. She looked at the prison door sunset had went through.
"Poor Lavender," Rainbow thought to herself. "She probably knows just as little about all this as I do." Dash looked away from the door at the end of the hall, and back to her cell. There didn't appear to be anyway out... of course, that was the point. A feeling of despair took over Dash. She was injured, alone, and now trapped. She slowly trotted over to her bunk and got in it again. This was it... she wasn't escaping this time.
Hours seemed like days in the cell... but it didn't matter. Nothing did anymore. Whatever they had planed for her she knew she couldn't stop it. She had only lasted as long as she did because of luck. She looked down her body. Her coat was stained with red in multiple spots. Some cuts were small, others much deeper. Most of the pain from them had passed when she fainted though... the only pain she had now was her wing, the wing that she broke herself.
She rolled over in her bunk and glared at the wall. This was her fault. She should have stayed put, Lavender knew the maze. If she had called for help Lavender would've found her in no time. How could she have been so stupid as to try to fly out with her injury?! Thinking about it only made her angrier at herself. She huffed and turned her head to the window above. Nightfall had arrived. Rainbow could see the moon. It made her think of Luna. She wondered if either of the princesses would send a search party out to look for her. Not that it would matter. If the search party actually managed to find this castle, Dash would surely be gone. Sunset was planning something for her, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she found out what.
The door at the end of the hall opened again. Dash didn't bother getting up, she simply turned her head to her cell bars. The sound of hooves clopping against the concrete floor could be heard from outside. The sound grew louder as they came closer to Dash's cell. All of a sudden, Lavender appeared in front of her cell. The little filly had a tray suspended with her mouth. Next to her stood Sunset.
"You're dinner Miss Dash," Sunset announced. Rainbow glared at him which only made him chuckle. "Don't worry. No poison this time. Just a sandwich and water for our guest." And with that Sunset opened the cell gate. Rainbow didn't move from her bunk. The thought of escape crossed her mind but... she was injured and she had no doubt that Sunset was ready if she tried anything.
Lavender trotted inside the cell slowly and set the tray on the floor next to Rainbow's bunk. The little filly didn't look at Rainbow. Instead, as soon as the food was on the floor, she quickly trotted out of the cell. Sunset closed and locked the gate behind her.
"Goodnight Miss Dash," He said with a smile. Then the two left through the door at the end of the hall. Dash got on of her bunk. As she did her body ached all over from the pain it had been put through since she got here. She looked over her dinner... a salad sandwich and a wooden cup filled with water. She was hesitant to trust Sunset's promise of no poison but... she was hungry. Dash picked up the sandwich with her hoof and looked it over. It looked exceptionally ordinary. Finally, she took her first bite...
...indeed it was just a normal sandwich. Hunger set in and she wolfed down the sandwich washing it all down with the water. Despite it being a small meal, it satisfied her. She slowly got back into the bunk and tried to sleep. She tossed and turned but finally managed to find sleep. Though it was short lived. Two short hours later she woke up to the sound of the door at the end of the hall opening.
Rainbow turned her head to the cell gate. It must be Sunset. To her surprise the pony stand outside her cell wasn't Sunset at all.
Rainbow was so relieved, and she could tell Soarin was too. The both of them thought the other must have been dead. Then Soarin's expression turned to sadness.
"You... don't look so good," He blurted out. Dash just laughed.
"Thanks for pointing that out. Now, how're you going to get me out of here?" Rainbow Dash said looking at the lock. Soarin looked down at the lock. Then up at Dash with a frown.
"I'm sorry," He said in his most sincere voice. Suddenly the door to at the end of the hall began to open. Soarin looked around quickly for a place to hide. But this was just a hall. There wasn't a place to hide. The door opened. Standing in it was Lavender. She had a key ring in her mouth and dropped it when she spotted Soarin.
"I... you're not suppose to be in-..." The little filly began but then her eyes lite up like a firework in the night sky. "Soarin! Oh my gosh! It's really you!!" Lavender rushed over and leaped at the stallion knocking him over in the process.
"Um... Hi," Soarin said confused. This was definitely not the place he would've thought he'd meet a fan. Lavender hugged him tightly until she came back to her senses and shuffled off of him blushing. Soarin got up and smiled at her. She smiled but looked away embarrassed. She gaze met Dash's and then she remember why she had come here.
"Rainbow Dash..." Lavender began. "I'm really sorry... I shouldn't have brought you into that maze."
"It's not your fault, kid," Dash said to her with a comforting smile. "I should have stuck with you." Lavender just looked away saddened. She knew it was her fault. Even if Rainbow Dash said otherwise... deep down... she knew.
"My brother said that if I helped you out again I would regret it but," She said then turned and picked up the key ring. It had a rusted old key attached to it. Lavender brought it over then placed it in the lock. Seconds later there was a click and the cell door opened. Dash trotted out and put a hoof on Lavender's head.
"Thanks," Dash told her roughing up her hair a bit. Lavender giggled and smiled up at Rainbow.
"I'm sorry but, I need to be getting back to bed. Sunset will be angry if he figures out I was the one who helped you again," Lavender said then rushed toward the door. She opened it and quickly left. Dash turned to Soarin.
"Have you seen Spitfire?" Rainbow asked. The question caught Soarin a little off guard. He had just assumed Spitfire was OK but the entire time he had been here he hadn't seen her.
"No... but Spitfire's tough. It would take alot to take a pony like her down," Soarin said with a grin. "Now come on, we need to get going." Dash nodded and the pair quickly escaped from the hall through the door. They found themselves in an office type room. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all concrete just like in the prison area. There was a desk to their right with clipboard and pencil laying on it. They rushed across and out of the room. The door to the office opened and then they were at a staircase.
The pair slowly began to ascend it until they were at the top... now they were back in the castle. The floors were wooden and the ceiling and walls were a cold stone. Torches were placed evenly along the rooms walls to illuminate the hall. They had two options. Left or right.
"Which way should we go?" Dash asked Soarin.
"I came from the right way but it just leads to more bedrooms," Soarin replied unsure.
"Alright, then we go left," Rainbow stated. She turned and trotted down the left hall. Not that it made a difference. Every all in this castle looked the same. The trotted for about a minute then finally came to the first door at the end of the hall. Rainbow placed a hoof on the handle and looked at Soarin. He nodded, signalling her to open it. Rainbow turned the handle and the door slowly opened. What was inside was something Rainbow would never forget.
It was a library. Every wall had a shelf. Each shelf filled with books. But that wasn't it at all... in the center of the room was a stand. Like the kinda ponies use to stand behind during speeches. Rainbow slowly walked towards the stand and noticed a book on it. It had no title nor author. The front was black except for larges scratches across it.
"Looks like somepony took a knife to the poor thing," Soarin said worried. Dash turned to him... she was worried as well. Something about this book just seemed... off. Rainbow opened it to the first page...
... it was blank.
She turned to Soarin again who seemed as confused as she was. She turned to the next page... blank. She turned again... blank. She quikcly flipped through all the pages but every last one was blank.
"What is this?!" Dash said slightly afraid.
"Put it down and lets go, this place is giving me the creeps," Soarin told her. Rainbow placed the book back on it's stand and followed Soarin back towards the doors. Before she exited through them she turned and gave one last look at the book. It sent a chill down her spin and she quickly followed Soarin out of the library.
What had seemed like days was merely minutes when trotting around in this maze like castle. Every hallway looked the same while every room looked different. Dash huffed. Why was it whenever I am running from ponies in this place they find me but when I'm looking for one they are no where to be seen? The rainbow maned pegasus thought to herself. The pony the two were after was Auburn Skys. According to Lavender, Auburn had the Skys family pendant. Without it, there was no way to escape... that was... until Soarin's eyes lit up.
"I've got it!" He proclaimed. Dash looked at him, bored and puzzled.
"Got what?" She asked.
"A way out. We don't need that pendant," He said opening his wings.
"Your plan is to fly out?"
"Yeah!" He said smiling. Dash wanted to punch him as hard as she could.
"Don't know if you've noticed but my wing is... well... broken, to put it lightly," Dash stated with a glare. Soarin looked at her newly bandaged wing.
"Oh... sorry," Soarin said with a nervous laugh. He looked around. They both were in a music room. Funny, they must have been idly walking around for so long that they hadn't paid attention to where they were. It wasn't that big of a room. Larger than a bedroom but not like an opera house. There were many musical instruments on a small stage. Looking at the stage, there were a single row of chairs. Soarin trotted to the stage and sat on the piano bench.
"Is there really no other way to escape other than to find a pony who possibly wants to kill us?" He asked staring at the floor.
"I doubt it," Dash answered taking a seat in of the chairs looking at the stage. "The entire castle grounds are walled off. The only way in or out seems to be through the front door... which is locked." Soarin looked at the piano... then back to dash. Both of them were silent.
"You think we'll get out of here?" Dash asked looking down at the floor. Soarin trotted over to her a took a seat next to her. Dash didn't seem to notice... or more likely, care.
"Of course we will," Soarin replied. Dash didn't seem effected by his words.
"I'm talking seriously... don't lie to me just to make me feel better," She stated still staring at the wooden floor.
"We'll get out of this," He replied staring up at the ceiling while leaning back in his chair.
"You're a good liar," Dash said with a weak laugh. Soarin looked at Rainbow... he had never seen her like this. It wasn't her body either, no amount of cuts, scratches, or broken bones could break her spirit...
... or so he thought.
"Rainbow Dash... we can't lose hope. If we give up now, they win," He said attempting to reassure her.
"You don't get it... As soon as they notice I've escaped they'll come looking for me. They know this castle. We don't. They'll find me... and kill you..." Dash said in a defeated tone. Soarin got out of the chair and stood looking directly at Rainbow.
"So we give up?" He shouted glaring at her.
"Even if we found a way out... Ponyville is far from this place. Unless you somehow know the way, we aren't getting back home." Dash said in the same tone. Soarin didn't know what to say.
"How did you even get into the Wonderbolts with an attitude like that?!" Soarin demanded. Dash finally looked up at him. "To become a Wonderbolt you have to strive for it, and that's putting it lightly!" Soarin stated. Dash got out of the chair and glared at him. "It was your dream to be one of us. You never gave up on that dream... so why are you giving up now?!" Dash grit her teeth and growled at the Soarin. "I bet when you were a young filly you had your times when you thought it was impossible. That you shouldn't even attempt to try and become one of us. But that didn't stop you... so why is it stopping you now?" Dash trotted slowly towards him until she was only a foot away. "Maybe Spitfire was wrong. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe... you aren't cut out to be a Wonder-" Soarin began until Dash's hoof smashed against his face. Soarin fell to the ground with a thud. He could taste blood in his mouth.
Soarin slowly stood up and was facing Rainbow again. She glared at him with pure hatred... but not for Soarin... at the fact that he was right.
"If you still want to give up... then stay. I love my life, and don't plan on losing it to these freaks. So... what's it gonna be, Rainbow Dash?" Soarin asked. Dash grit her teeth together and raised her hoof for another punch. Soarin closed his eyes tightly and braced himself...
...but the punch never came.
He opened his eyes again and seen Rainbow Dash with her hoof in the air ready to swing... and with tears in her eyes. She suddenly threw herself at him in a hug that nearly knocked him over. She hugged him tightly, never wanting to let go. Soarin stood there in amazement. He never thought of Dash as a sensitive pony before. He put his hooves around her and hugged her back.
"We'll get through this Rainbow Dash... we both will."
It was still very dark outside. It looked as if a storm was approaching. Soarin and Dash had found themselves in another hallway. This one was smaller and only had three doors. One on the left, right, and one directly in front of them. Soarin slowly trotted forward to the door in front of them. He placed his hoof on the handle and slowly began to turn.
"It's unlocked?" Dash asked surprised. Soarin nodded and slowly began to open the door. As he did, a noise was heard from the room to their right. Like bed springs squeaking as somepony got out of bed. Soarin rushed into the room in front of them and dash followed. They shut the door just as the door to their right began to open.
"What are we gonna do?!" Dash whispered in a panic. Soarin looked around quickly. They were in somepony's bedroom but there was nopony here. There was a beautiful bed with light pink silk sheets and a soft looking cover. There was also a closet that was shut. Soarin couldn't finish his examination of the room before the door handle began to turn. Dash, still standing close to the door, locked the deadbolt. The pony on the other side of the door tried to open it but failed.
A faint laugh could be heard from the other side of the door. On the other side, Sunset Skys smiled. He trotted back to his room and returned seconds later with a key ring in his mouth. He used a single key on the deadbolt and placed his hoof on the door handle. He slowly turned and opened the door. He entered the room but it was empty. Still... the smile didn't leave his face.
"Miss Dash... it seems you have escaped again," He said to himself as he slowly trotted over to the closet. "I hadn't expected Lavender to disobey me again but I see she has... I'll be sure to punish her... as soon as I've recaptured-" He placed his hoof on the closet door handle.
"You!!" He yelled swinging the closet door open.
... it was empty.
"Looking for someone?" Sunset turned around and then was hit directly in the face with the hardest buck Soarin could muster. There was a loud cracking sound. Then everything slowed down for sunset. His vision began to fade as he was knocked right off his hooves and sent into the closet. He slammed against the closets wall and fall to the floor. Blood from his now broken muzzle trailed down his face and dripped on his chest. One of his eyes were black. His mouth was open and two of his teeth fell out.
Dash got out from under the bed and stood next to Soarin. They looked at Sunset. Soarin stepped closer to Sunsets body and placed a hoof on the stallions neck.
...There was no pulse.
There was creaking in the floor boards behind them. Dash and Soarin quickly whipped around.
Lavender was standing completely terrified at the sight. Tears were forming in her eyes and began to run down the little fillies face.
"Su-... Sunset?" She said as she slowly began to walk to her brothers corpse. Soarin moved out of the way as the little filly came closer. He and Dash stood back and could do nothing but watch.
Lavender collapsed next to the body of her brother.
"Sunset?! You have to wake up! Come on! Don't go..." The little filly demanded. Sunset didn't move. Lavender placed both her hooves on her brothers shoulders and shook him. "Sunset!! Don't leave me! Please! I'll be a better sister! I promise! I don't want you to go! Sunset!!" Lavender tightly embraced the body of her older brother. "I'm sorry... I..."
"Lavender?" Dash said. Lavender quickly turned around and glared at the two ponies in front of her.
"Murderers!! I hate you!" Lavender screamed.
"L-" Soarin began but was cut off.
"No! Shut up!!" Lavender yelled. "Sunset was all I had! My sister is never here and our parents are dead! But you took him, I hate you!! I hate both of you!!" The filly turned to her brother and tightly hugged his lifeless body never wanting to leave him.
Lavender knew as little as they did about sunset's plans... To her, he wasn't a crazy pony who lived in a spooking castle... he was her brother living in their home. And while he may have punished her for helping Rainbow Dash, it was clear she still loved him. She had to, they're family... or were.
Dash looked at Soarin who was staring at the floor, his eyes were shut. Rain began to splash against the windows followed by loud roaring thunder. A single tear escaped Soarin's tough exterior. Dash put a hoof on his shoulder but he shrugged it off. He wiped the tear from his face and looked away from Dash. His vision caught the dresser of who's ever room this was. On it was a glass display case. He walked over and opened it. It was a necklace with a pendant on it.... a circular diamond.
"Take it and go..." Lavender ordered. They looked back to her. She was still tightly holder the body of her dead brother but was turned to Soarin.
"Just leave... I don't want you here anymore."
Soarin picked up the pendant and gave it to Dash. He then slowly approached Lavender. Once he was next to her he knelt down and reached a hoof out to her. She quickly slapped it away.
"I'm sorry Lavender..."
Lavender didn't reply. She just glared at him. Soarin slowly got back on all fours and slowly trotted out of the room. Lavender turned back to her brother and refused to let go. Dash didn't know what to do.
She gave the little filly a final glance and then followed Soarin out of the room.
After a long, silent, walk through the castle, Rainbow Dash and Soarin finally found themselves back in the main hall. The two stared at the giant door in front of them. After such a long time in this castle they were finally going to escape. They weren't exactly sure where they'd be going but anywhere was better than here.
Soarin turned to Dash checking to see if she still had the Skys' Pendant. Rainbow grabbed the pendant with her hoof and examined it. Was this really it? Were they finally going to get out of this nightmare? It all seemed too good to be true. Rainbow sighed and tried to clear her mind of doubt. She quickly placed the pendent in the door. Suddenly, there was a click and the doors began to open on their own.
It was storming outside and very dark. Still, Dash and Soarin could see the path. It was gravel then turned to dirt as they got further from the castle. It was about 4 meters wide. Soarin stepped outside first. The rain splash against him wetting his mane to the point were it was flat against his face. He used his hoof and moved it out of his eyes and behind his ear.
Dash step out beside him and was greeted in the same manner. Soarin turned to her and managed a smile.
"You're kinda cute with your mane all wet," He told her. Dash laughed and flip her mane out of her face. Then the two set out into the forest ahead of them.
"Where do you think this leads?" Dash asked trotting next to Soarin.
"I don't know but it must lead to some sort of town. The ponies in that castle couldn't have been completely self sufficient. They had to have gotten food from somewhere. If we keep going we're bound to hit... something," Soarin answer.
That must have been true but even if it was... how far was the nearest town? Would they survive long enough to reach it? She tried to not think about that and simply worry about getting there. The two trotted along the path for almost 30 minutes when suddenly there was a flash of lighting. The forest was lit up for the moment... That's when Dash saw it.
"Soarin stop," Dash ordered hold a hoof in front of him. Soarin was confused.
"What?"
"I seen something... over there," She stated using the hoof that was blocking Soarin to point at a bush.
"Rainbow I can barely see three trots in front of me and you're seeing things behind bushes that are way over there?"
"It was the lightning, when it struck I seen it."
"Seen what?"
"I... I think it was a pony," Dash answered though she knew Soarin didn't believe her. Soarin sighed.
"I know you're afraid but think about it... The only ponies that are close to use are Brute and Lavender, both of which aren't the size of a normal pony," Soarin answered confidently. Dash considered it... maybe he was right...
The lightning struck again lighting up the area. Dash and Soarin looked at the bush... but nopony was there.
"See... nopony," Soarin told her. Dash was still not convince... not completely anyway. "Come on... we need to get moving or we'll never make it to town." Dash nodded and followed her companion. This time she was much closer to him than before.
As they kept moving, Dash scanned the area every time lightning struck. To her relief... maybe... she couldn't find that pony she seen before. Dash let out a slight smile.
"I guess I was seeing things," She told Soarin.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It's understandab-" Suddenly Soarin dropped about hooves deep into mud. Dash jumped back.
"What!?" Soarin yelled. Dash let out a slight giggle. "Oh yeah, it's really funny. Help me out of this!"
"It's just mud," Dash said smiling. "Trot out." Soarin struggled for a moment.
"I can't!" He told her. Dash let out a huff and trotted over to him. She grabbed him by his front legs and pulled. It was true. Somehow he was stuck in a little puddle of mud. The lightning flashed again and Dash saw it. It was a few meters behind Soarin... on the path.
"Soarin... I seen it again," Dash said. All the fur on her coat was on end. Soarin turned his head as much as he could. The lightning flash again and the figured grew closer.
"Dash... get me out of here." Rainbow pulled as hard as she could but Soarin barely budged. "Come on..." Soarin said. Dash could tell he was starting to panic. The lightning flash and the figured was only even closer than before. It was about five meters away from them... and getting closer.
"Hurry up Rainbow," Soarin demanded trying, and failing, to stay calm.
"I'm trying!" Dash said giving another pull to her fellow wonderbolt. The lightning flashed once again and the figured was about 4 meters away.
"Dash..."
"Shut up!" Dash said in a panic. Dash dug in her hooves and pulled once more with all her might. The lightning struck and Dash flew backwards with Soarin landing on top of her. Soarin quickly got back to his hooves and help Rainbow to hers.
They turned and looked to where the figure was. The lightning struck...
...But there was nothing but the path.
Soarin looked at Dash and Dash at Soarin.
They both whipped around and ran as fast as they could.
"Where is it?!" Rainbow asked running beside Soarin.
"I don't know just keep running!" He replied.
Suddenly Soarin let out a loud scream of pain and fell to the ground.
Dash stopped running and turned around. Soarin was laying on his stomach. Rainbow ran up to him then stopped in her tracks when she seen it. There was a small, steel, crossbow bolt in his back leg just above his hoof. Dash quickly knelt down beside him.
"Don't move," Rainbow told him.
"H-How bad is it?" He asked. Dash looked at the wound. The bolt had went through his leg but was still inside. Only the sharp head of the arrow was through. Blood was flowing down his leg from where the bolt went through.
Suddenly the sound of the something flying through the air was heard. Dash jumped out of the way as another steel bolt zoomed passed her just missing her legs.
"Show yourself!" Rainbow yelled. And as if it was obeying her call. The lighting struck again. The figure from before was stand close to them hiding in the shadows. It moved closer to Dash.
The pony that was following them was wearing a cloak and a black mask. It was impossible to know who it was but it wasn't Brute or Lavender because of the size. Above the pony floated a crossbow loaded with another bolt. It was suspended in a grey aura. That meant it was a unicorn. But how? The Skys were pegasi... Lavender and Sunset were anyway. Rainbow growled at the figure but it didn't seem to phase them.
"You're coming with me," The cloaked pony stated. The mask must have had some kind of magic on it as well because the pony's voice was very deep, too deep.
"I'm not going back, neither of us are!" Rainbow roared. The clocked pony fired the crossbow but Rainbow was ready. She dodged as the bolt exited the crossbow. Before the cloaked pony could reload, Rainbow quickly jumped and delivered a kick directly to the side of the pony's head. The cloaked pony nearly fell over from the force. Lightning struck and lit up the area to relieve that the mask the pony was wearing had fallen off from Rainbow's kick.
"You've still got some fight left in you... I'm impressed," The cloaked pony said. Rainbow's eyes widen. "But what should I expect from one of my own?" The cloaked pony's hood fell behind they're neck...
"S-Spitfire?!" Rainbow screamed. The Wonderbolts captain gave Dash a twisted grin. Then Spitfire's entire body lit up with the grey aura similar to the one around the crossbow. Spitfire rushed Dash with unparalleled speed and delivered a powerful uppercut right to Dash's jaw. Dash's back legs flung up into the air as her head flew backward then crashed into the muddy ground below. She was barely still awake when she seen Spitfire towering above her.
"How's the taste of your own blood?" Spitfire taunted. Dash didn't respond. She couldn't move let alone form a sentence. Her vision began to fade. "That was for my brother."
Rainbow Dash slowly regained her vision. Unfortunately, that didn't matter. The room she was in was pitch black. She inhaled and was greeted with the smell of burnt wood and blood. All of a sudden there was a single floating fireball that appeared in front of her face. It wasn't very big, only the size of her muzzle. Still, she could feel it's heat as it just hovered there inches from her face. A single drop of sweat rolled down Dash's face then the fireball began to back away.
It backed away until coming to a stop, then began to descend into what must be a hole in the floor. Suddenly the hole lit up and illuminated some of the room. Then the two torches on each side of the room lit up lighting up the rest of the room. Dash's mouth dropped. She was in from kind of torture chamber. She wiggled back and forth but noticed she couldn't move. She looked down as seen she was in some kind of chair.
The chair had 5 restraints. One on her neck, two on each of her front hooves, and two on each of her back hooves. The chair itself was welded to the floor and was made of stone just like the walls, floor, and ceiling. The room was like a circle. In the center was the hole were the fireball descended to. She didn't have to look down to see what was down there. The shadows of flames danced on the walls of the hole.
Directly across from her was a door. The only door in this room. Suddenly, the door knob turned. Dash tensed up as the door slowly opened.
It was Soarin!
... but he wasn't here to save her.
He was on a rolling table. It looked like it was used in morgues. He was unconscious and the crossbow bolt was still in his leg. Rainbow looked at the pony wheeling Soarin into the chamber. It was Brute. The massive stallion wheeled Soarin over to the right side of the room and then looked at Rainbow.
A twisted smile engulfed Brute. He was finally reunited with his toy. He slowly trotted over to her, giggling as thoughts of what the two could do rushed through his head. When she was inches away he leaned down buried his muzzle in Rainbow's mane. Dash tried to get away but she could barely move in this chair. Brute inhaled the smell of Rainbow's mane. His smile grew larger and then he let out a great laugh. He stood up on his back legs and clapped his front hooves together.
He leaned up more and gave Rainbow's ear a nibble. Though, to Rainbow Dash, it was more like a bite.
"Brute!" A voice from door yelled. Brute imminently got off Rainbow Dash and cowered next to her. "Leave, now." Brute rushed passed the pony by the door and out of the chamber. Dash looked at the pony who commanded Brute.
"Spitfire," Dash said in an angry tone. Spitfire merely closed her eyes and smiled.
"I always loved that stage name," Spitfire replied. "Although, if you'd like, you may call me Auburn." Dash was silent. Auburn levitated a book in front of herself and placed it on the ground. The book had scratches on the cover...
"To be honest... I am surprised with your actions thus far," Auburn complimented.
"What?" Dash replied surprised.
"I had not expected that you'd be as much trouble as you were. I figured my brother could take care of you while I was gone but it appears he underestimated you, I on the other hoof, did not."
"What are you planning?" Dash asked glaring at her former wonderbolt captain. Spitfire seemed surprised by the question.
"You don't know?" Spitfire asked "Allow me to explain... My great great grandfather was quite the stallion. He loved exploration. One day, while exploring a cave, my great great grandfather came across a book." Spitfire placed her hoof on the book with the scratches. "It had no title, only claw marks across it. He had no idea what it was but he did know it was very old and maybe worth a bit or two. He returned home with the book and went to bed."
Spitfire sat down on her haunches and continued the story. "He awoke in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. Celestia accused him of preforming acts of dark magic. He was imprisoned for life... He awoke one night to a surprise. The book had found its way into his cell. He opened it and then there was a flash of light. A grey aura engulfed his body. A magical aura, even though he was a pegasus. He destroyed the cell with amazing power. The guards tried to fight him but they were no match."
"How is that possible?!" Dash asked.
"In time Rainbow Dash... He escaped the prison that night and fled into a forest miles upon miles from Canterlot. He found this castle. It was abandon and falling apart... but within an hour, he had the entire grounds not only repaired, but completely renovated. He planned to live out his days here in peace... and if Celestia found him... he'd be ready... but there was a problem. One day he became mad... He left his family here at the castle and waged war on Canterlot. But as soon as he entered the front gate, his powers vanished. The book he had with him was gone. The guards caught him and he was executed. It was in secret, executions aren't something to be done in front of everypony.... this book and this castle were never found."
"But the book was found again... you have it," Dash proclaimed.
"Indeed... For years my family lived in secret. They traded with the local town nearby for food and other supplies. Life was normal. My family was so proud of me when I enlisted to be a wonderbolt.... too bad only a few lived to see me become one.... Something happened, Sunset and I's parents both passed away one night. I still have no idea what caused their passing... that night, I slept in my old room here at the castle. I was awoken by a squeaking sound in my dresser. I got out of bed and opened my dresser...
... It was this book."
"What is so special about that thing?! It's complete blank!" Rainbow countered. Spitfire laughed.
"That's were you're wrong Rainbow Dash... take a closer look now," Spitfire said opening the book to the middle. The book began to glow with Spitfire's magic and then levitated over to Dash's face... just then...
...Words began to write themselves. Dash wiggled in her chair as a sentence was being formed. It read, "An eye for an eye, a soul for a soul."
Dash was starting to put things together... all she needed was confirmation.
"What are you planning to do with this thing?" Dash asked.
"I lost my parents when I was a a very young mare... Do you know what that's like?! I was outside the academy when I mail mare came to me and presented me with a letter. It was in sunset's hoofwriting. I opened the letter expecting it to be one of his many "How are you doing sis?" cards... instead... it told me to come home immediately. When I did... I found my parents lying in bed... They looked like they were asleep... but neither were breathing... they were dead. Later on that day Sunset and I buried them... Do you know what it's like?!" Spitfire got up and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "It doesn't matter anymore... you asked what I was planning... I'm planning to bring them back."
Rainbow feared that was the answer.
"Eye for an eye... Soul... for a soul," The two mares said together. Spitfire levitated a shiny, steel dagger. She then walked over to Rainbow Dash. Spitfire placed a hoof on Dash's cheek.
"Do you have any final words?" Spitfire asked.
"You know you don't have to do this..."
"It's the only way to bring my parents back... besides... Sunset already gave his life to help me bring them back... I won't disappoint him by backing out now... I'm sorry Rainbow Dash... this is the only way."
Spitfire held the blade just below the neck restraint. Rainbow could feel the cold steel of the blade as it rested against her neck. Rainbow looked over at Soarin expecting him to be up and ready to save her... but he was still laying on the morgue table... no one was going to save her this time... it was over.
Rainbow's life flashed before her eyes. She seen her friends back in Ponyville. The first memory was when she was a filly in flight camp. A couple of colts were picking on Fluttershy for her poor flying abilities. Rainbow steped in and defended Fluttershy. She raced the colts and in that race was the first time she preformed the sonic rainboom. She remembered it like it was yesterday.
Another memory that came to her was the second time she preformed the sonic rainboom. Twilight preformed a spell giving Rarity wings. But when in contact with direct sunlight the wings melted. As she plummeted down at great speed. The Wonderbolts rushed to save her but were knocked out by her on accident. Seeing her friend in danger, Rainbow rushed to her and, without even thinking, preformed her second sonic rainboom. Rarity, and the Wonderbolts, were saved.
She had been through so much. She was a Wonderbolt. The fastest pony in all of Equestria. This wasn't the end. Not for her. She had ran, hid, and escaped enough. It was time to fight back!
Rainbow snapped back into reality. A rush of new found life exploded inside her. In one quick movement she broke out of the restraints and delivered a punch straight to Spitfire's stomach. The steel dagger fell to the stone floor as did Spitfire. Rainbow stood towering over her former captain.
Spitfire stood up and glared at Rainbow Dash.
"Your will to live surprises me," Spitfire began. "Fine, you want to fight me?! Lets see how long y-" Rainbow Dash didn't wait for her to finish. She quickly delivered another punch. This time to Spitfire's face. Spitfire was caught off guard and fell backwards. Rainbow didn't stop, she quickly whipped around and kicked Spitfire into the hole filled with fire.
Rainbow rushed over to Soarin and hoisted him onto her back. Not wasting anymore time she quickly rushed out of the room slamming the door behind her.
... back in the chamber... Spitfire slowly rose out of the hole. A small droplet of blood ran down her face. She quickly wiped it away with her hoof and glared at the door.
"You can't run from me... Rainbow Dash."
Without a second thought spitfire's entire body lit up with the grey aura and she slammed through the door.
Rainbow Dash ran as fast as she could. Rushing through hall after all. Soarin was still out on her back and, dispite his weight, she wasn't slowed. Adrenaline flowed through Dash as she ran. But it wasn't going to last.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" A voice yelled from behind her. Dash knew it was Spitfire. She didn't have to turn around to know what was closing in on her.
Dash ran down a hall and turned left. Ahead of her was a dead end... sort of...
There was only one room in this hall, a single room with a sturdy looking steel door. The rainbow pegasus rushed down the hall as fast as she could reaching the door in seconds. She opened it and ran inside. Just as she turned to close it she seen Spitfire.
The Aura was surrounding the Wonderbolt captain entire figure. She gave Dash a smile and rushed the door. Rainbow quickly closed the door and then saw it. A giant metal bar to lock the door with. Dash slammed the bar down, just as she did, there was a loud slam on the other side of the door.
Rainbow quickly looked around the room... but this was a room. It was a tower.
There was only one thing in this entire room; a single spiral staircase that rose nearly 12 meters high to the towers top floor... the roof.
The door was slammed again with extreme force. That was enough to make Dash sprint up the stairs. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could. She was nearly half way up when she seen the metal door finely give out as it was smashed and sent crashing to the floor. Spitfire walked in slowly and looked directly at Dash. Rainbow growled and continued running up the stairs. Spitfire laughed and slowly unfolded her wings. Rainbow ran faster than ever trying to reach the roof. The grey aura around spitfire intensified as the Wonderbolts Captain took flight.
Rainbow Dash reached the trapdoor and pushed as hard as she could. The trapdoor opened just in time. She climbed to the roof and shut the trapdoor behind her.
Just as it slammed shut Spitfire broke through sending Rainbow Dash flying off her hooves and down to the stone roof of the castle. Rain splashed against Dash's face. A storm similar to the one on the night that brought them here was raging. Rainbow looked around. When she was knocked back by Spitfire, Soarin was thrown off her back. To her relief he landed on the roof and was safe... for now.
Rainbow scanned the night sky for signs of Spitfire but she couldn't see anything.
"What's the matter?" Spitfire said. Rainbow turned but was knocked down as Spitfire quickly flew past her. "Come on Dash! Use those wings of yours!"
Rainbow slowly stood back up trying to get a sense of were spitfire was but she could see nothing in the night sky. Not to mention the storm made it even harder to focus.
Spitfire flew by dash this time giving Dash a hard punch to the ribs as she passed. Rainbow dropped again.
"Come on Rainbow Dash!" Spitfire taunted in the shadows of the night. The lightning flash... then Dash seen her. Rainbow quickly dodged out of the way. Spitfire came to a stop and landed just behind Dash. Rainbow tried to dodge again but Spitfire was too fast. Spitfire delivered a hard elbow directly to Rainbow spin causing the Wonderbolt to splash down into a puddle on the roof.
"You should be honored!" Spitfire exclaimed kicking Rainbow in the side causing Dash to curl up in agony. "You'll die bringing back lives, what other pony gets a death like that?!" The grey aura around spitfire began to form an orb above her body. The orb made the shape of a dagger. Spitfire grabbed it and examined it in her hoof. "This is where it ends, Rainbow Dash. No more running! No more fighting! Only sacrifice!"
Spitfire brought the dagger down, Dash tried to move but wasn't fast enough. The dagger found its way into Rainbow's side. Rainbow screamed with pain as the grey aura dagger dug deeper and deeper into her flesh. Spitfire quickly ripped the dagger out of Dash's side and held it up in the air. Blood began to flow quickly out of the wound the dagger made in Dash's side. Rainbow placed both her front hooves on the wound to stop the bleeding but it wasn't helping much.
"You shouldn't have moved. Don't worry, I won't miss this time!" Spitfire yelled. Rainbow closed her eyes and waited for the dagger but... it never came. She re-opened her eyes to see spitfire with a surprised look on her face. Suddenly Spitfire collapsed on the ground... there was a steel crossbow bolt stabbed directly into her spin.
Rainbow looked up... it was Soarin! He limped over to her knelt down beside her.
"You alright?" He asked. Rainbow slowly removed her blood covered hooves from her wound showing Soarin "Oh no..."
"Soarin... I'm... I'm not gonna make it through this one," Rainbow said gritting her teeth.
"You are! I'll fly you back to Ponyville on my back... there's a hospital there... I'm not losing you!"
"The only way to get to the village is to follow the path... you can't see it when flying... and with your injury... you'll never make it with me on your back." Rainbow replied.
"I have to try!" Soarin demanded. Suddenly the rain stopped and the clouds cleared away on there own... A rainbow glowed in the sky just above the forest.
"This is it..." Dash said weakly looking out at the Rainbow.
"It's not over! I will save you! It can't end like this!!" Soarin yelled. Rainbow Dash didn't reply... she just smiled... and closed her eyes.
There was a beeping... a heart rate monitor. Talking too. Her whole body was numb. She tried to open her eyes but she was too weak.
"I think she's starting to wake up!" A voice said. Rainbow knew this voice... Celestia. What was going on?! Where was she?! She tried again to open her eyes. This time was slightly more successful. Rainbow's eyes opened just enough to be blinded my the lights above her. She closed them again as a reaction.
"Rainbow Dash?" A voice said. She knew this one too, Pinkie Pie. Rainbow tried one more time to open her eyes. This time looking in front of her instead of up into the light. It was blurring but she could see them. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy, and behind them stood Celestia... but... somepony was missing.
"Wh-..." Rainbow managed.
"Wh?" Pinkie repeated. Twilight glared at the Pink mare.
"Rainbow Dash..." Fluttershy said, she seemed like she was about to cry. Applejack put her hoof around Fluttershy as tears began to roll down the pegasus' face.
Rainbow Dash's vision slowly came back until she could see her friends perfectly.
"Wh... What happened," Rainbow Dash asked. They were silent... until... Celestia walked over to Dash's bedside.
"What was the last thing you remember, Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked. Rainbow thought back...
"Soarin... I remember... he saved me."
"He did... he did..." Celestia ended. Rainbow was confused.
"I... don't understand." Rainbow replied "Where is he? Where's Soarin!?" Twilight looked at Celestia. Her fellow princess' expression was cold, and serious. She had never seen her like this... ever.
"Rainbow Dash... you were stabbed." Rainbow nodded and lifted up the covers... there were no bandages... stitches... not even a scar!
"H-How did I... I was bleeding out!"
"You were... you fought bravely for your life 'til the very end."
"To-... To the end?"
"You... died... Rainbow Dash."
The room was silent... not even Pinkie piped in with a joke to break the mood. Rainbow Dash looked around.
"I'm... no! I survived! I'm alive!"
"What I'm about to tell you isn't easy..." Celestia said "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes, I'm Sure!! Quite screwing with me! What's going on?! Where's Soarin!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Fluttershy cried more into Applejack's chest.
"Very well..." Celestia began. "After Soarin rescued you, you two sat atop the tower roof looking at a Rainbow... moments later... you died of Exsanguination... Blood loss. Myself and Twilight arrived at the castle just minutes after your death. We would have arrived sooner but... the day you went missing, Spitfire had explained this was a wonderbolt matter, and she'd take care of it."
"You didn't even bother helping look?!" Rainbow screamed, furious at the princess. "Soarin and I were both Wonderbolts, and I am an element of harmony! Do you even care?!" Rainbow Dash raised a hoof about to strike Celestia but Twilight quickly teleported and restrained her friend.
"Let me go! Let me go!!" Rainbow screamed. Fluttershy ran out of the room and sobbed in the hallway. Applejack and Rarity ran after her. Twilight continued to restrain the pegasus.
Pinkie just watched. Her hair slowly falling into it's straight combed style.
"It's not her fault Rainbow! She trusted Spitfire, just like you!" Twilight defended.
"She still could have helped! She should have used her princess magic to tell Spitfire was lying! Or something! Anything!!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs.
"G-Guys?" Pinkie said quietly.
"WHAT!?!" Rainbow screamed at Pinkie.
"C-Celestia hasn't finished the story yet..." Pinkie said "Just um... thought you ought to know..." Pinkie said.
Rainbow slammed down in her hospital bed and turned to Celestia waiting for the princess to continue.
"I'm am truly sorry Rainbow Dash, but Twilight right. I too was lied to by Spitfire, a pony I had come to trust." Celestia explained.
"Just continue the story!" Rainbow Dash grunted.
"As you wish... When Twilight and I arrived, we found Soarin atop the tower. He was hugging your body refusing to let go. It was clear you were dead but he refused to accept it. When we approached him, he screamed at us to leave him. So we did. We waited at the bottom of the spiral stairs for nearly two hours. Finally we decided it was time to get him to go so we flew back up..." Celestia said looking at the floor. "Soarin was dead, there was a steel dagger stabbed right through his heart. There was also a book with scratches on the cover next to him... we had no idea how it got there or what it was."
Rainbow looked at Celestia in disbelief.
"Wh- What happened... next?"
"We noticed that your body was fully healed... you were simply unconscious. So we brought you back to Ponyville hospital," Celestia answered.
"A soul... for... a soul..." Rainbow Dash said to herself.
"What?" Twilight asked.
"Soarin... sacrificed his soul... so I could be brought back... I... I should be dead... But Soarin... no..." Dash manage before tears started rolling down her cheeks.
"Rainbow... Dash..." Twilight asked.
"Soarin gave his very soul so that yours may be given a second chance at life... He wouldn't want you to spend that chance grieving for him," Celestia stated.
"Every since we met up in the Castle he was there... to save me. He defended me from Sunset. He stuck with me in the woods. He even defeated Spitfire for me... he deserved to live... not me..."
"It was his choice, Rainbow!" Twilight stated "Nopony made him do it, he did it because he wanted to!"
Rainbow didn't reply... she just stared at the blankets over her body.
"Don't grieve for me, Rainbow Dash," A voice said. Rainbow's head jerked up.
"S-Soarin?!" Dash yelled looking around. Celestia and Twilight looked around then back to Dash. "I heard him... I know I did..."
"What did he say?" Celestia asked
"D-... Don't grieve for me..." Dash replied. She couldn't help but feel guilty over Soarin's death but... Soarin was right... grieving won't change anything... if she continued along that path she'd end up like spitfire. She had to stay strong... not just for herself but for Soarin too. He gave her the chance... and she would make the most of it.
"I'm sorry for yelling... at you two... at everypony." Dash said. At that moment the rest of Rainbow Dash's friends trotted back into the hospital room. All of them, even AJ, looked like they had been crying.
"I'm really sorry guys..." Rainbow apologized hold up both her front hooves in a hugging manner. The six friends all embraced each other in a group hug.
After about a straight minute of hugging Rainbow turned and smiled at Celestia.
"What happened to that book with the scratches?" Rainbow asked.
"R-Rainbow Dash maybe we-" Twilight began but was interrupted.
"It's alright Twilight," Celestia smiled turning from her pupil to Rainbow Dash. "It's sealed away protected by many magic barriers deep within Canterlot Castle. This is only temporary until we find a way to destroy it."
