Chapter 9
Rainbow Dash was in quite a state. She was angry, but she was also trying her best to put up with this new arrangement. It couldn't last forever, could it?
She lay on her back in a diaper with a pacifier in her mouth in what appeared to be a horse-sized crib. This was beyond humiliating… but she had to put up with it until she was released, which was what worried her the most.
Downy Puff said she would keep Rainbow Dash forever, and that was an extremely long time for Rainbow considering she had big dreams to accomplish in her lifetime. And the whole thing seemed really immature on Downy's part. It had been some time since the two were in flight school and hadn't Downy moved on even a little?
Rainbow could understand how something like bullying could scar a pony; she wasn't unfamiliar to the problem herself. But for the most part, she had forgiven her bullies.
However, she also reflected that the difference between Downy and herself was that Rainbow didn't have it as bad as Downy had. Downy was picked on by everypony. But Rainbow had been exceptionally cruel. She pranked Downy nearly everyday and if she wasn't pranking her, she was shooting spitballs or giving her swirlies in the filly's room.
It may be that Rainbow was going to be here for a while. Her remorse told her that she belonged here for the time being, but certainly not forever. And she was going to get herself out of this situation as diplomatically as possible.
The door opened and the white pegasus, with poofy blue mane walked in.
"Ooh," she cooed, "How is my little baby today?"
Rainbow could sense the sarcasm and against all reflex to buck the pony in the head, she remained calm and acted as baby like as she could.
"Goo goo, gah gah," she said.
"Aw, now that seemed a bit half hearted, don't you think? How about we try that again." She looked at Rainbow expectantly.
Again, Rainbow uttered her baby talk and tried desperately to be sincere. "Goo goo, gah gah."
She stood (laid) corrected: this was the most humiliating thing ever. But at least no pony was every going to see her like this.
"Oh my little Dashie," she said, "Guess what's happening today? We're going for a walk in the park. Won't that be fun?"
Rainbow's eyes bugged out. The park would have ponies. Lots of ponies. She shook her head no, her face desperate for mercy.
"Oh, you don't want any fresh air, baby Dashie?" said Downy, her voice grinding Rainbow's ears. "Growing fillies need fresh air and exercise, they shouldn't be cooped inside alone in a crib all day."
Downy smiled a devious smile at Rainbow Dash. She couldn't take it any longer. She spat out her pacifier and shouted, "No way! I've played this game with you long enough. I'm sorry about what happened, but I am not going to let you bully me into any more of these games!"
"Me? A bully, Rainbow Dash?" said Downy Puff, her eyes watering up. "I had to suffer two years of your bullying. You can't even last one day?"
Rainbow softened a little, but her resolve came back quickly. "So you admit it!" she said, "You are bullying me! You really think this is going to make you feel better? To be the bully now, is that going to help you forgive me?"
"It might," said Downy her evil smile resurfacing.
"You know what?" said Rainbow Dash, "You smile way too much to be a victim. I'm outta here!" She ripped off the diaper and smashed the crib.
"You're forgetting something Dashie," said Downy, and as she spoke all the windows and doors of the house slammed shut and locked. "I control this room."
"What?" said Rainbow Dash.
"Your friends are regrouping to break out of here," said Downy, "But you will not escape."
"My friends?" said Rainbow, "Then there's nothing you can do to stop me!" She smiled and like a flash, she rammed full speed into the door. After slamming into it, she fell down on her face.
"You can't get out of here," said Downy laughing, "It's impossible."
Rainbow Dash stood up slowly. Her head was pounding. That door was solid… But it was different. It felt as if it weren't a door at all. As if it had always been solid. She looked up. The windows were gone. They all disappeared and as she looked back to the front door, she saw that it too was gone.
"Like I said," said Downy, "You can't escape. And your friends will never get to Twilight Sparkle."
Rainbow's anger rose as she flew full speed at the pony when the ground beneath rose up to block her. She stopped herself, remembering her earlier encounter with the door and watched as the wall that surrounded Downy lowered.
At that moment, Downy transformed. Her coat changed to red and antlers grew on her head just as her tail split into five and became full, bushy and fox-like. She had been Swift all along, however the colors were all wrong. This was the same Swift, right?
"Hello Rainbow Dash," said Swift, "Remember me? I don't suppose it necessary to introduce myself."
"I remember you," said Rainbow Dash, defiance on her face. She landed and trotted slowly to the fox. "It seems you have me trapped," she said, "The exits are gone. And I can't kick your ass because I'm not dumb enough to try that again."
"Oh?" said Swift, "Part of me was expecting you to be rash till the end. You don't really want to disappoint me, do you?"
Rainbow Dash stopped. "It's funny," said Rainbow Dash, "I really want to. I know I'm faster than you; I know that if I could touch you, I could give you a major beat-down. But considering the situation, I feel its time for me to try something else."
"Going to bore me, huh?"
"No," said Rainbow smiling, her eyes narrowed, "Because I think I have this figured out."
"Do tell," said Swift, his eyes narrowing at the possibility of his prey figuring out the game.
"It took a bump on the head for me to realize something. This room, this house, isn't really a house at all. You see, I know you do illusions; you told us when we first met you. But if that door was an illusion, it wouldn't have been a solid stone wall."
"Awe," said Swift feeling a bit uneasy. Recapturing his confidence, "But the mind is a very powerful instrument. All I need to do is tell you what's real and what's not and your body and mind believe it. A wooden door becomes a stone wall. A window becomes a monster's mouth. Whatever I want to show you, I can my dear."
"But you haven't yet…" said Rainbow, "Which is something else that bothers me. It's either you can't or you won't. I haven't decided which yet."
Rainbow looked for any emotion on Swift's face. His lip twitched just the slightest before he resumed his poker face. But she caught it.
"This form of yours," said Rainbow Dash, "Why red? What happened to your white coat?"
"Simple," said Swift, "I just wanted to mix things up a little."
"I don't think that's it," said Rainbow Dash, "But I'll get back to that later."
Again, Swift's mouth let go a tiny bit of betrayal before going stone cold.
"For you to be able to manipulate my senses like that," continued Rainbow Dash, "You would have to be inside my head. The best point for you to have done that would have been when I went to sleep last night. And maybe, I'm still in bed right now."
"I could enter your mind when ever I wanted, without you knowing and I could manipulate you any way I wanted," said Swift.
"But here you are, giving up the whole game, showing yourself."
"You were bound to figure it out after I locked all the doors and windows," said Swift his poker face leaving him for good.
"But you're forgetting one thing, Swift," said Rainbow Dash smiling, "You forgot to take away my free-will!"
"That doesn't matter," said Swift, laughing, "All that means is that you're free to try and tackle me."
"Which bring me back to my other point, Swift," said Rainbow Dash, "If this is a dream, then I can do what ever I want."
Swift's face faltered.
"I'll take that as a yes," said Rainbow as a million storm clouds circled around her head. "You do know what pegasus ponies do in Ponyville, right? We make storms!"
Lightning crackled from the clouds and struck out to shock Swift, but he raised the earth around him and created a barrier to shield him from the lightning.
"You know what shatters dirt? A tornado!" said Rainbow Dash.
She blew out her nostrils a wind so fierce that it ripped the earth from over Swift and tossed it against… the night sky?
Swift was gone. And so was the would-be Downy Puff house from where she was imprisoned. Rainbow Dash gave a whoop of satisfaction, but then she remembered her friends. Did they realize what was going on? Or the powers they had? This was going to be fun. And Swift had better be prepared for the whirlwind that was Rainbow Dash.
