Room 12. A mirror image to every other room on the second floor where guests would get to bask in the privacy of their own company uninterrupted.

The carpeted floor was mostly clean with the exception of a few stains here and there that had accumulated over years of misuse or other more important matters. The walls were once a brilliant seafoam green but now resembled more of a mossy color complete with sunken patches to match the texture. A dirty beige popcorn ceiling topped off the room with a clear browned spot in one of the corners, hinting at a pipe leak or past spill upstairs.

Two queen sized beds sat at the side of the room furthest from the door and sported dull grey sheets and dual matching pillows, one of which was messy disheveled with wrinkled sheets as if in recent use. A faded golden suit was lazily splayed on the ground next to the side of the bed. On the nightstand, a discarded Tethertech and machine pistol were placed. In addition to this, a machine gun was propped up against the wall beside the nightstand.

The other bed in contrast was perfectly made as if no creature had ever tampered with it. A dull blue suit was propped straight up on the wall between the bed and the corner where a wooden desk with an oil lamp was placed snugly against the wall and illuminated in segments of sunlight creeping through slitted blinds of the single window.

Sitting in front of the desk was a grey stallion with a disheveled blue/black mane and beard to match. His full attention was on the slab-barreled weapon which he constantly rotated above the table in a purple tethered grip, checking for any damage or signs of wear and using a rag to clean any spots where there was grime.

The gentle grazing of cloth on steel was accompanied by the melodic tunes playing out of his own Tethertech, acting as background noise in the mundane task at hoof.

The stallion stopped his cleaning upon noticing a particular spot on the side of the weapon.

The dull grey paint in said spot was easily coming loose after a simple rub of the cloth, revealing a couple of thin cuts.

His brow furrowed slightly, as if he was trying to remember how or when the cuts came to be. Suddenly, he got an idea. Moving the rag repeatedly along the cuts, he scrubbed until the rest of the loose paint gave and fluttered off like discarded feathers in the wind.

Subconsciously, he drowned out a portion of the background song during this newfound discovery.

Then he saw it - or rather them.

Three engraved letters. Three dash marks in front of each.

The stallion could hear the cobweb-ridden machine that were his memories starting to whir to life upon glossing over the letters - or rather the meaning of them…

The wooden door to the small tool shed creaked open, allowing the bright rays of sunshine to cover the interior, revealing a row of farming tools, a couple basic tools, a workbench with all the lights already switched on, but most importantly - two pegasus colt’s that had been eagerly fiddling with something on said workbench when the opening of the door caught their attention instead.

One of the colts had a light grey coat, a short cut black/blue mane, and electric purple eyes. This one was finishing up with some bolt or screw as inferred by the screwdriver in the purple glow of his Tethertech - a device that nearly dwarfed his entire ear. The other colt had a faded violet coat, a shaggy black and red mane, and was a hair taller than his counterpart. This second colt had his hooves braced on the table as if it would channel his excitement at whatever the two were messing with.

The senior aged stallion who was responsible for opening the door and impeding the boy’s progress had a bittersweet tired expression with a faint smile on his grey coat. His dirty blonde mane was turning grey in patches while his mustache had suffered a full-on grey fate. He let out a faint smile upon noticing what was on the bench.

“Working on a project, are we boys?” He asked in a carefree tone while approaching the other two.

“Nah,” The violet colt replied, meeting the elder stallion’s gaze. Then his tone turned to sly as he gestured towards the other colt. “I’m waiting for Storm here to pony up tonight’s desert after I prove that it’s impossible to put more than three-”

“And done.” The other colt - Storm - cut him off while putting down the screwdriver and sporting a knowing smile in triumph.

The violet colt and grey stallion both faced the object on the table, which was an airship repair tool that the oldest of the bunch had stashed in the shed prior, but this tool had one major difference - a slab-like end with five points jutting out.

“Five tips, huh?” The stallion marveled aloud while picking up the tool and inspecting it. “It works?”

The little grey colt nodded. “Yep. It’s got single fire or simultaneous fire.”

“It’s not enough to win the bet, you have to egghead out over it too, huh?” The violet colt pouted, prompting the stallion to lay a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

“Don’t sweat it, Maverick.” He chuckled, “Someday one of us will be able to name something Storm can’t build.”

“Yeah, but it’s gonna be me first!” The colt boasted.

“So sure are we?” The older stallion mused. “Remember which one of us actually worked in this line before.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be on the lookout, old man.” He lightheartedly taunts.

The stallion chuckles at the childish comment before turning his attention to Storm. “Say, that could really be useful in the industry with a few adjustments.” He stated, pointing at the tool. “But it’s missing a few things…”

Storm shrugged as if to say ‘have at it’ as he handed the tool over to the stallion, who got to work on installing an industrial flashlight and stock for extra rivet storage. Storm and Maverick watched eagerly as the elder went to work, asking for a tool every now and then - a task that Storm performed almost instantly, but his counterpart had trouble identifying the sizes and terminology of certain tools.

When it was all said and done, the stallion revealed the finished product to the colt’s who were impressed to say the least. “Woah! That thing looks like some sort of rifle now!” Maverick exclaimed. “We should title it something cool like the Destroyer or Eviscerator!”

The stallion chuckled at the colt’s expressive ideas but noticed the other colt, who was being quiet as if he was lost in thought. Deep thought. The grey colt finally spoke, addressing his friend.

“It’s not a weapon, Mav.” He playfully scolded. “It doesn’t need to sound menacing when it's just used on airships.”

“I know, I know, but just look at it,” Maverick countered, pointing to the tool with both hooves. “An awesome name is only fitting for an awesome...uh...tool.” He continued, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly upon hearing himself for the first time. “Okay, scratch that…”

“How about we name it after what it does? It sweeps up any support beam damage easily with the five barrels, so how about the Sweeper Tool?” Storm suggested.

“The sweeper part is cool, but the ‘tool’ part kinda throws it off.” Maverick replied. “Hey, what about calling it a Sweeper Rifle?”

“But it’s not a rifle.”

“But it’s cool sounding!”

“It doesn’t make sense th-”

“Oh, come on, man! You made the thing and Forge helped, so can I just name it? Please?”

“Alright. Sweeper Rifle it is.” Storm relented, earning a hoof bump from Maverick.

“Now it’s only missing one thing…” The stallion - Forge - added, revealing two precision heat guns. “Signatures. A good inventor never forgets to make it official!” WIth that, he handed both tools to the colts and helped them engrave their respective ‘-S’ and ‘-M’ into the side of the tool.

“You too, grandpa.” Storm said, returning the heat gun to Forge. “You taught me everything I know about this stuff, so it only feels right.”

“Well, alright, if you insist.” Forge replies with a false sense of pushing back his own giddy pride and taking the gun. The stallion then added his own ‘-F’ in between both colt’s own signatures and turned off the guns.

“Welp, looks like you boys are already on your way to changing the engineering game one too many late dinners at a time.” Forge chuckled, ruffling both colt’s manes playfully. “Speaking of which, we better get in there. Your grandma is probably done with dinner, Storm.”

The three shut off the lights and put all of the tools in their respective places before leaving the shed and locking it up for the evening. “Oh, and I hear she is making her famous fudge pie!” He added, just remembering the scrumptious detail.

“Aw yeah!” Maverick pumped, until a realization hit him about the prior bet. “Aw, man…” he whined upon remembering.

“Relax, I was just kidding about the bet part.” Storm said, noticing his change in demeanor. “I’m not gonna take your desert.”

“Really? Thanks.” Maverick replied happily, his ears perking up. “I was totally gonna take yours if I won that, thought.” He teased.

“Like that’ll ever happen.”

Storm placed the weapon back down on the table and discarded the rag to the side.

Then he switched off the table lamp before putting a hoof to his Tethertech and turned off the music. Once it was all said and done, he couldn’t avert his eyes from the three engravings that had long since been buried under paint coats and grime until now. Running a hoof across his forehead and into his messy mane, the stallion sighed sweeping his other hoof across the engravings as if removing their own painted prison could remove them from their prisons down under.

Suddenly, the knob to the room’s door began to jiggle. Storm hung a forehoof across the back of his seat while turning around to view the closed doorway. Then the clicking of a lock could be faintly heard as a key was presumably inserted into it. Upon that revelation, the stallion turned back around to resume tidying up his workspace, paying the now opening door no mind.

A cyan face with a prismatic mane poked through the open doorway as the mare entered. She had two takeout bags secured in her mouth, one of which she lazily discarded onto the messy bed and the other she placed on the neater bed before addressing the room’s only other occupant.

“Do you always have to lock the door everytime one of us leaves?” She asked, shutting the door and slightly agitated at the string of key-related hindrances for the past couple of hours since getting this room.

Instead of accepting the verbal challenge, the stallion remained silent while closing his sketchbook that displayed crudely drawn blueprints for his weapon and tossing it onto the nightstand. It was at this moment that he noticed the faintly grease-stained bag sitting at the foot of his bed.

“What’s this?” He asked, picking up the bag and opening it to examine its contents.

Rainbow Dash watched as he indifferently shifted through the bag. Though she couldn’t see any discernible emotions on his muzzle, she knew disapproval was the most likely one if he did show any.

“Hayburgers.” She answered, hoping to change a seemingly made up mind. “It’s nearly dusk out and I thought you should eat something.”

“From the diner?” He questioned the food’s origin.

The mare nodded, prompting him to swiftly close the bag and shove it to the side. This action earned a sigh from her as she picked the bag up and held it out to him.

“They’re safe. I watched the cook make them.” Rainbow assured, thrusting the bag into his chest. “She gave me strange looks for being there the whole time, but I promise that nothing was done to them.”

After a moment of hesitation, Storm grabbed the bag and put it on the nightstand. “Maybe later.”

“If that’s not gone by tonight, don’t blame me if it disappears before morning.” She replied, putting a playfully sarcastic emphasis on ‘disappears.’

A light series of knocks on the door severed any further discussion. The mare and stallion shared looks for a moment before he nodded to the door. Rainbow walked over to the room’s only entrance as Storm tethered a blade - disconnected from his suit’s slot - behind his back while keeping his eyes glued on the closed door.

“Who is it?” Rainbow asked.

“It’s me, darling.” A familiar sophisticated voice responded from the other side.

Without any more words, Rainbow opened the door, revealing Rarity and the grey unicorn mare - Planning Period - behind her. Rarity was right next to the door, indicating that she was the one to knock as she sported a beaming smile and saddlebag on her back. Planning stood a few paces back in the hallway and sported her usual clipboard.

“Rarity?” Rainbow addressed, a bit puzzled by her friend’s sudden appearance. “I thought you were getting ready for the Remembrance thing?”

“Festival, darling.” The white unicorn corrected casually. “Thanks to my assistant here,” She gloated, gesturing to Planning, who was trying to sheepishly disappear behind her clipboard. “-everything is already wrapped up and ready for tonight. So, I thought I would stop by and help you two prepare for it.”

“Prepare?” Rainbow questioned. “What’s there to prepare for if it’s just partying?”

Rarity giggled at her friend’s lack of context. “It’s much more than just partying, Rainbow. I can assure you. I’m really here to help both of you with your apparel.”

Once the definition of the word was found in Rainbow’s mind, her eyes widened slightly. “Oh, no…”

Another giggle from Rarity. “Oh yes! Cleanliness is still one of the most important virtues!”

A groan from the blue pegasus was her only response. “Please don’t tell me we have to wear special outfits or anything like that.”

Rarity looked to Planning as if to verify, but the mare shook her head after a one over of her clipboard. “Not this time, no. But I don’t see the discomfort in it. A lady should want to look presentable after all.”

“Well, not this lady.” Rainbow replied, putting a clear tone of disgust at how the word ‘lady’ was used.

“Fine, we can skip the full ride.” Rarity sighed, as Planning marked something off on her board. “But you should at least shower and style your mane.”

“That I can do.”

“Excellent.”

Then the white unicorn’s gaze fell on the stallion in the room’s corner, who had placed down the blade sometime during the girl’s conversation as if he didn’t need it.

“As for you…” She began, approaching Storm who didn’t move a muscle. “I know there is a strapping gentlecolt underneath all that rugged mane and beard. How about we take a look?” She asked, opening the saddlebag, levitating some mane gel and scissors out of the bag, then snapping the scissors open and closed as to emphasize her point.

“Touch me with those and you’ll lose that hoof.” He threatened, torn between keeping his glare on her or the scissors.

“Oh, come on, Stormy.” She playfully begged, batting her eyelashes at him. “If you just let me take off a trim and style your mane, I’m sure there is a reward in it for you.” She added, puring at the ‘reward’ part.

Planning shifted her gaze away uncomfortably, sporting a blush while Rainbow suppressed the urge to throw up in her mouth at her friend’s not so subtle flirting methods.

“Oh great, then I’ll wake up missing a limb in the morning.” Storm sarcastically responded. “I’ll pass.”

“I’ll just leave these here if you change your mind…” Rarity said, while dropping the two items back into the saddlebag and placing it on the floor next to the bed. “I suggest you do. It’ll be very worth your while, darling…” She added, tracing a hoof along his toned chest and causing the stallion to flinch her touch away. “But the same goes for you too. At least wash yourself before tonight, please.”

Storm didn’t respond as Rarity turned to leave, gesturing to Planning with a hoof to follow. He wanted nothing more than to have that mare out of his sight, but something needed answering. Something he couldn’t stop thinking about.

“You haven't told us exactly what happens at this festival…” He says to Rarity’s back, causing the mare to promptly stop but not turn back.

“... It’s a chance to make peace with yourself and those you have lost.” She answered after a moment of hesitation. “Followed by more festive activities to lighten the mood afterwards.”

Whether he was satisfied with that answer, the unicorn mare didn’t care as she left the room with Planning in tow. After the door was shut behind them, the uncomfortable silence returned to the room.

Storm waited a few seconds before going to the window, peaking through the blinds, and upon spotting the two mares walking out of the building, he turned back to the rest of the room. Rainbow was sitting on the edge of her own bed and was beginning to dig into her own burger. The mare moaned in tasteful bliss upon biting into the still fresh meal as if it was the last one on the planet, not even noticing the stallion who had started to go through the saddlebag.

Scissors, gel, spray bottle, hair ties, curler, multiple brushes, deodorant, cologne, and a full bottle of shampoo were all dumped onto his bed, rattling loud enough to draw Rainbow’s attention. While she had expected him to start checking each item or maybe even pocket a few useful ones like the scissors, he surprised her by tethering the bag to his face and peaking inside.

Turning on his Tethertech’s flashlight, Storm scanned the inside of the bag until he found it. A less than desirable expression came over his face as the stallion reached inside and pulled out something that Rainbow couldn’t see.

“What?” She asked while he was examining something small in his hoof.

Storm brought his other hoof up to his lips as if to silence her then spoke. “Just another hair tie…” He lied while holding out a small circular device that was black in color and had tiny grey holes in the center.

It took her a moment, but countless action movies had prepared Rainbow for what she was seeing.

A listening device.

A small one at that. Too small as if they weren’t meant to find it. The tiny circle was half the size of a bit and would have been bypassed at first glance if it weren’t for his light.

Storm tethered the device as he walked to the shared bathroom and then dropped the small dot into the toilet. Then he flushed it without a word and came back out into the main room.

“Still think I’m paranoid?” He asked, the listening device clearly putting him in another one of his trademark bad moods.

“There has to be some normal reason she put that in there.” Rainbow replied, trying to defend her friend. “Maybe somepony else did that and she didn’t know…”

The ‘are you shitting me’ look the stallion gave her quickly squashed that possible explanation.

“Or,” She added. “Maybe she put it there to make sure nothing bad happened up here.”

“Define bad.”

“I don’t know, maybe she trusts you as much as you trust her.” Rainbow shrugged. “You aren’t exactly the most friendly looking guy around here.”

Storm didn’t have a comment on that statement, but still didn’t like the possibilities the device hinted at.

“She really isn’t bad, Storm.” Rainbow finally continued. “She’s even trying to hit on you for Celestia’s sake! I know Rarity, and that wasn’t just flirting. She was serious.”

“What are you getting at?”

“What I’m getting at is that you - or her - aren’t getting any younger. And judging by…” She paused, trying to think of how to word the touchy subject. “Recent events… you could really use something like that. Somepony like her would do you some good.”

He scoffed through his nostrils at the mere thought of it.

“I mean it!” Rainbow added. “If you can’t find happiness then maybe you can try finding it in somepony else.”

“No, you can’t.” He replied coldly. “Even if I could, all it would be is another thing to be taken away in the end.”

Rainbow stopped, a puzzled look on her face forming. “So, you're just going to avoid all the fun things in life from now on then?”

“I’m avoiding the pretty lies. And that one out there is a walking definition of that.”

“Geez, do you even have a fun or happy side?”

“I have whatever side I need to have.”

“Whatever that means…” Rainbow mumbled before speaking up. “Look, just try to enjoy yourself tonight. If anything goes bad - which it won’t - you get to lay all the ‘I told you so’s’ on me that you want. Okay?”

After a moment of doubt or thinking - or maybe even both, the stallion hung his head slightly and responded. “Okay…”

The doors to the mayor’s office were pushed open gently by a blue aura of magic as Rarity and Planning Period walked inside for what must have been the millionth time. The interior of which had been rearranged an equal amount of times to accommodate the mayor’s currently orderly tastes.

Rarity’s office consisted of four rooms. The first was a small main lobby area with past paintings and photos of various landscapes, former mayors, and even a couple of her friend’s adventures from what felt like a lifetime ago dotted the walls in an orderly fashion as they lead a hierarchy towards the receptionist desk.

Sitting behind the desk was a scrawny colt who looked like he would have just been out of high school. He had a forest green coat with a short black and brown mane, brown freckles to match, and a pair of circular glasses which were pointed downward at a book he was lost in. The colt’s hind legs were crossed and elevated casually on a stack of papers, giving him a relaxed look.

It took Rarity clearing her throat to snap him out of his slack-induced trance. The colt looked up briefly, ignoring the two mares and returning his gaze to his book before realizing who was standing in front of him - which is when he snapped back to attention and put down his hooves.

“Is everypony accounted for, Wild Bristle?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bristle replied, closing his book swiftly and grabbing the stack of papers which he had been using as a hoof-rest previously. “We’ve got thirteen this time.”

“How many vessels?”

“Fourteen. Including the one you requested.”

“Wonderful. Is it ready at the moment?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s waiting where you requested.” He confirmed. “Do you want me to call her down here yet?”

“Not yet.” Rarity replied after checking the clock on the wall. “But I do have an additional task for you now…” She continued, motioning to Planning who lifted up a few papers on her clipboard until she found the correct one, tore it off and handed it to the colt.

The colt looked over the paper with a confused expression on his muzzle, prompting an explanation from Rarity.

“Those are the features of a pony I need to be kept away from this place when the time comes.” She explained. “I’ve already had Planning take care of backup should he become a problem, but your job is to notify us when to send them.”

“Understood.” He replied, placing the sheet next to his book.

With that out of the way, the two mares bypassed the desk and headed into a small hallway with three doors. One on the center left that read ‘Mayor’s Office’ in a once golden plaque. Two more on the right that were spaced out evenly. The closest one read ‘Restroom’ which the girls walked by without a care. Stopping at the final door, which read ‘Storage,’ Rarity opened the door to reveal a small walk-in broom closet with a single dim light above that complimented the yellow rug below. A mop and bucket combo, unlabeled boxes, and cleaning supplies occupied the room on metal shelves.

Using her magic, Rarity moved the rug aside, uncovering a wooden trapdoor. The mare opened the door and took a few steps down when she noticed something. Turning around, she discovered that Planning was looking down the stairway hesitantly, biting her lip as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.

“What is the matter, darling?” She asked her assistant.

“I-it’s just…” Planning started, but halting trying to find her voice. “I don’t like being around them. Regardless of how safe we’ve made them. Can I just stay up here, miss Rarity?” She asked, her eyes holding a plea at the last part.

“There's nothing to fear.” Rarity tried to reassure. “We’ve done this countless times before and have had zero accidents since perfecting our method. I’ll admit that the vessels aren’t exactly pleasant to look at, but once we see who they really are then you’ll forget all about it.”

“I know, but it just…”

“It just?” Rarity inquired.

“I-it just feels wrong.” Planning finally finished. “I’ve never been able to sit through any of these even when you offered to let me see my sister. I stayed in my room the whole night and haven’t participated unless you needed me elsewhere since.”

The white unicorn thought for a moment before sighing and replying. “Alright. You can stay up here if it bothers you that much, but I want you as Bristle's second set of eyes. As much as I love him, that colt isn’t the most perceptive.” She shook her head at the mentioned colt’s limitations.

Rarity took a few more steps down and then closed the door behind her before Planning moved the rug back into position over the door. As the rug blocked out the light overhead, Rarity contemplated her choice of an assistant - which wouldn’t have been the first time - and her weak stomach to things like this. Sure, it made things way easier to have an obedient assistant, but she was starting to wonder what good a gutless one would be from here on out.

Shaking later matters from her head, the mare lit up the pitch black stairway with her magic, casting a faint blue glow where shadows spawned from and danced across the walls with her every movement. With every step down…

She grew closer to what she had been waiting for ever since the tradition started.

The stairway ended at an impressive and bulky looking stone door that required a keycode to unlock alone, but Rarity had the combination memorized with how often she came down here each month.

After the lock clicked, she spun the wheel on the front of the door to retract the inner bars and then used all of her weight - in addition to her magic - to force the door open. When she was through, the door closed and resealed itself completely behind the mare.

Without even a glance at the self-sealing door, Rarity’s attention remained forward. It remained on her.

On Scootaloo…

Rainbow Dash had just finished drying her mane with a raggedy towel after spending longer than she normally would have in a shower. Ever. But nopony could fault her for it after fighting to stay alive, being stuck in a cramped and hot suit, and everything else in between.

As much as she hated to admit it, she imagined this bliss was how Rarity felt while getting pampered at the spa back when that was a thing. Dash had been pleasantly surprised upon discovering the shower had hot water and she was in no rush or in fear of wasting it as her stallion counterpart refused to use the thing.

Speaking of which, he was currently in the last stages of suiting up and tightening the last straps when she exited the bathroom. Rainbow inhaled a sigh through her teeth at seeing this.

“Okay, seriously?” She asked, not sure whether to sound irritated or concerned so she went with both.

“What?” Storm returned in his indifferent tone, not even facing her but rather putting his complete attention on the suit.

Rainbow stopped for a moment as if waiting for him to face her but she was using this silence to think of a decent way to say what needed to be said. But getting his attention came before the hard part.

“Storm…”

The stallion picked up his weapon, loaded it and slid it on his back without acknowledging her.

Trying to grab his shoulder yielded fairly poor results as he flinched and brushed it off, but at least it did get his attention.
“Dude…” She started again now that they were actually making eye contact. “You’ve got to talk to somepony about it.”

“Yeah, great idea, but there is one tiny problem with that…” He replied, the hurt buried beneath the asshole-like tone which was resurfacing once more. “- those I would have done that with are fucking dead.”

There it was. At least he was up front about it.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t try.” Rainbow continued, but upon seeing the subtle head shake and that she was both physically and mentally losing him judging by his intention to turn away. “What you said earlier about me not knowing is true…”

Storm was now leaned over the back of the desk chair and looking down at the open blinds, only halfway facing her. Rainbow could tell that he was slipping so she had to act fast.

Luckily, fast was her specialty.

“I had others to help me through my problems, so in a way you are right. But you are wrong about getting it out not helping. Even if you don’t think it will at first - hell, I didn’t think it would either and I was wrong.”

Still nothing. He wouldn’t fully acknowledge her.

“...You’re angry and on edge all the time. It doesn’t take a genius to see that, but if you don’t face it then it will kill you. All of it. It’ll overpower you and drag you down with it no matter how strong you think you are…” She said, her tone breaking for a fraction of a moment at taking herself back to a certain place in time.

“What difference does it make?” He asked, finally speaking out. “If it’s not that, it’ll be a Damned tomorrow or a bandit the next day. Besides, everypony has their own shit to deal with and mine is a full package as is.”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” He was facing her now.

“I’ll do it.” She repeated, meaning it even more the second time as shown by the determination.

His head lowered as he made something in between a scoff and a chuckle at hearing that.

“You’ll do it?” He asked, the slightest tang of humour in his tone.

“Yeah, what’s so funny about that?” Rainbow defended herself, starting to get irritated by his response to her attempted help.

“And you want to help me because?” Storm asked, his bullshit detector starting to wake up.

“I’ve been there. I don’t know how many times I have to say it, but I mean it.” She replied. “Even if I can’t offer an answer right there, you at least can get it out.”

“No, Dash. It’s not your job-” He tried to brush it off, but she quickly cut him off.

“And it wasn’t your job to get me here, but lookie where we are now.” She stated, waving her hooves outwards toward the room to enhance her point. “Now it’s my turn to return the favor.”

“No, I don’t deserve that.”

“What the hay are you talking about?”

“You want to know why I helped you? Honestly?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Because I’m a selfish bastard. That’s why.”

“What? How does that-”

“A day’s long trip where my full focus was on keeping myself and you alive was perfect for putting the other shit on the backburner. I didn’t do it out of the kindness of my heart - Hell, I don’t know a single fucking creature that does anything for that reason anymore - you just happened to get something out of it.”

Rainbow was speechless for a moment. Her mouth hung open slightly, but the gentle breeze of the room’s draft reminded her to close it.

“I’m not your problem and you're not mine.” He continued when she wouldn’t or rather couldn’t. “Let’s just get this Remembrance night over with and go our separate ways.” Storm didn’t mean to sound so blunt and like nothing mattered, but at this moment it didn’t.

A second later and Rainbow finally found her voice. “Okay... “ She replied, her voice hinting at something had changed inside. It wasn’t irritation. It wasn’t hatred. It wasn’t sarcasm.

It was regret.

With that, Rainbow walked past him and out of the door, shutting it gently behind her and leaving the stallion alone.

Storm started to feel like a migraine was heading his way. Putting his head down and placing more of his weight onto that chair and sighing was all he could do now.

It hurt, but the truth had to come out. It would have eventually - purposely or accidentally - and it might have been worse then. She wanted him for some saving the world suicide mission? The world wasn’t even fucking worth it at this point. His was already gone so what was the poi-

There you go again, asshole… Storm thought as the selfish thoughts subconsciously returned. Shaking his head, he caught a momentary glimpse of the outside world through the window.

He caught a glimpse of someone looking straight up at him.

That suit. That rifle. That pony. They were back.

And they were looking straight up into his own eyes.

Snapping his direction towards Rainbow’s discarded gold suit by her bed confirmed that this couldn’t be possible.

A chorus of agonizing screams, hushed whispering and taunts, followed by sobbing started to overlap one another in his head until he had enough.

Storm’s breathing started to come in shorter bursts as his chest tightened. His lip quivered slightly for a moment as he got up from his leaned position on the chair, throwing the seat into the desk a whole lot louder and forcefully than he had intended.

This ends now… He thought while shoving open the door to the room.

Rarity stared into the burning blue eyes of Scootaloo. The two pinpricks of light barely could hold still for any given amount of time as they thrashed in their sockets as if searching for something - or someone.

The white unicorn’s expression was one of discontent as if she had just opened a brand new appliance only to discover that it was faulty right out of the box and wanted a refund.

Sure, the face was still Scootaloo’s. The orange fur was mostly intact and was holding together quite well with the staples placed around it in a ring and binding it to the body. The skin of the lips hung loosely with each twitch ‘Scootaloo’s’ jaw made, showcasing an empty row of missing teeth. Soft gurgles and pained moans came from ‘Scootaloo’ as if she was trying to say something to the mare observing her from a chair across.

‘Scootaloo’ was securely placed into her own seat - a metal one with shackles for all of her hooves and a magical spell in place for extra measure. Her once razor sharp blade-wings, teeth, and claws had all been removed as an added precaution as well.

Her body was more of brownish red rather than the orange she had grown used to, which was a concern. Upon turning to one of the armed guards on either side of her chair, Rarity felt included to address this crisis.

“Excuse me, but what is this?” She asked, clearly upset.

“It’s the face you asked for, ma’am.” He answered, a little startled at her sudden change in demeanor. “That vessel was the closest one we could find to her original color.”

Rarity stood up from the chair and suddenly slapped the guard across the face as hard as she could muster, which surprisingly brought him to the ground. Whether it was shock or actual strength, he fell nevertheless. And under her burning eyes, the guard got up onto his hooves and got back into his spot without a word or even a look.

“This is my friend’s first and only chance to have the transition with her sister and you will not spoil it under the excuse of not searching enough!” She hissed at the guard, who refused to meet her eye. Then with a heavy sigh and attempting to compose herself, the more ‘lady-like’ side returned. “It will have to do for we are out of time. Rainbow is coming down within the hour and I wanted this to be perfect but I guess when you want something done right, then you have to do it yourself.” She muttered distastefully while walking away from the chairs.

“Get Scootaloo ready. I’ll be back with the guest of honor.” Rarity ordered the other two without so much as a glance.

On the other side of the gated community, Planning Period closed the door to her small apartment and let out a heavy exhale of breath. The two room apartment was dimly lit by the glow of festival candles outside her window but it wasn’t enough to see much of the interior so she lit a few of her own candles around the room with her magic.

Once that was done, the mare closed the blinds on her side window and made her way to a mattress which was sporting torn sheets and was resting on the floor with no bed frame. She placed her hooves on the side of the mattress and gave a mighty shove, sliding the bed into the wall and revealing a particular patch of wooden floor which had jagged cuts in the shape of a square.

The square was no bigger than her head so with her magic, Planning removed the square and looked into the pitch black cutout in her floor as she contemplated something that needed to be done for the longest time now.

The mare’s hooves were shaky at the mere thought of what she had been trying to work up the courage to do ever since her sister was…

Trying to put the past out of her mind, Planning reached into the hole with her magic and pulled out two items.

The first was a note.

The second was a pistol.

On a piece of fading yellowish paper, the last words her sister had ever written to her were splayed.

We’ve gotta get out of here now! I just found out what the mayor does to you if you have a dead family member, best friend, or significant other and sis, I’m not letting that happen to you! I’m gonna try and end this tonight but I can’t without you. Please meet me at-

The welling tears in Planning’s eyes didn’t allow her to read the rest at the memory of her failure to help her sister. Then what came after was horrible. What came after was something nopony should have to endure - not even this Rainbow Dash that she knew nothing about - but it didn’t matter.

It had to be stopped.

She had to be stopped.

Planning wiped her eyes with a shaking hoof before placing the note back in the hole and putting the wooden square over it, leaving the pistol on the surface with her. The mare scooted the mattress back over the hole and then focused on the would-be tool of justice.

She knew that the transition was the only time Rarity was alone except for the victim of the tradition, so she had to act now. Pulling out the magazine revealed a single round was at her disposal.

The mare returned the magazine and loaded the weapon.

Then she placed it in her saddlebag and walked out the door.

Author's Notes:

Another one down! I'm in a writing mood lately and even decided to split things up again to make one more chapter for Ponyville. The planned fates for Storm and Rainbow grow ever closer and next chapter we'll find out what those exactly are and if they can overcome them. Any guesses at to how that'll go?

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Polar Opposites is out now!

The first side story in the Damned Collection is out now! This story follows a young filly in captivity of a slaver community who must understand and adapt the world around her while preserving her innocence.