Rainbow Factory

Any Meeting of a Friend is a Welcome Meeting

A collective shout reverberated around the room, as every filly that could actually fly took off. The suited ponies gasped and fell back, unsure of where to go. There was too much confusion. A few of the faster thinking ones took off as well, tasers at the ready, aiming at the closest pegasus they could take.

“Step one,” Scootaloo screamed. “CLEAR!” With her command, the ‘failures’ started targeting the dark ponies in droves. Hooves connected with heads, and while some of the students fell lifeless to the floor, the majority of casualties were the suited ponies. Scootaloo and Aurora landed on the scaffolding, right by the door, and reached to open it. It was locked.

“Oh god, what do we do now?” Aurora cried. “We’re still on Clear!” She shouted, turning around and bucking the door. Aurora followed her, focusing the brunt of her blows on the part of the wall where the latch would be. Rainbow Dash, on the other side of the scaffolding, recovered from her initial shock of the rebellion, and noticed Scootaloo pounding on the door.

“Kill her,” She screamed at the other important looking ponies. “Kill her!”

She started to gallop towards the fillies, forgetting her wings momentarily. Scootaloo closed her eyes, pounding harder and harder on the door. It started to creak and splinter. Any second now, she thought, Rainbow Dash will get here. It’s over. I’m doomed. She would have cried, but there were no more tears left. But nothing came. The door started to split from its frame, now, leaning inward. It wouldn’t be long until it was open. She opened her clenched eyes, peeking up at the scaffolding. All the remaining ponies were there, pressing together, holding the enraged blue Pegasus and her cronies back.

They wouldn’t last long, however- even as Scootaloo watched, twitching and yelping ponies were falling to the floor below, some even landing in the great maw of the Spectra machine. The pink pony from Levitating Acres was there, and she turned to Scootaloo and Aurora, just as the door blew back into the hall behind.

“Fly,” The pink pony demanded with pain in her voice. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut short as the pile of Pegasus blew apart, with Rainbow Dash standing enraged in the opening. She was on her two back hooves, her front two rolling in the air. A small gash down her side leaked red and her multicolored mane was torn in a patch. An unearthly howl passed her lips, and her rose eyes were drained of any sanity that was left.

“C’mon Aurora,” Scootaloo pleaded as she spun around. “We’ve got to fly if we’re going to live.”

“I... I can’t. This is too much. I haven’t healed.” Aurora looked at Scootaloo with wide, open eyes. “You go, Scootaloo. Tell everyone what happens here. Let them know.”

She glanced back at the wall of students, almost bare now, as Rainbow Dash’s bloodlust tore them to pieces. Her blue coat was now glistening crimson, almost dripping as she ignored the need for live ponies. There would be more. Cloudsdale could take a small shortage of rainbows. In another few months, there would be more classes. More failures. But for now, all she knew is that Scootaloo had to die, violently if possible. Decades of working for the Rainbow Factory had fractured her. She was the only one allowed out in public, and keeping the horrible secret with her since childhood had only lead to psychological problems that no amount of therapy could cure. Scootaloo was her last link on sanity, and her failure had deleted that. There was no logic in her mind any more. No care, no capacity for compassion. Only hate. Pure, concentrated and evil hatred filled the gap her love for Scootaloo had once occupied. Rainbow Dash was no more; only this monster remained.

“I hardly knew you, Aurora,” Scootaloo cooed softly into the yellow pegasus beside her. “I’m sorry I never knew you until all this. I’m sorry we had to meet like this, and I’m sorry we have to part like this.” She sniffed. She had found more tears.

“Any meeting of a friend is a welcome meeting,” Aurora reassured Scootaloo. “Now, you heard the other pony. Fly, Scootaloo. Fly. Goodbye.”

“...Goodbye, Aurora.” With that, Scootaloo, levitated and spun around, looked into the yellow pony’s eyes one last time, and launched down the cramped corridor.