Part 2: Chapter 4: "I hate dogs."

Charlie watched as his best friend, all beat up and injured, tell him that he was wrong before falling to the ground, unconscious. Charlie cautiously walked over to the bleeding, injured colt and nudged him, in an attempt to wake him up. Time seemed to speed up for Charlie and Delta after that. He stood there, standing over Alpha as doctors and prisoners rushed towards Alpha, some in shock, some in fear, most in worry and disbelief. He watched as they surrounded the fallen blood-stained colt and took him to the health room. Charlie followed close, not leaving Alpha's side. He shoved ponies and changelings out of his way that would deny him being beside Alpha otherwise.

They placed Alpha on a stretcher, and pushed him through a pair of olive green rock doors. Charlie was about to follow inside the room when a Doctor turned around, placed his hoof on Charlie's shoulder and shook his head. "Only essential personnel are allowed in right now. You will have to wait like every-pony else."

"How about you let me do the healing? I know his anatomy, his weak and strong parts, his will to live and I have his trust." Beta said from within the room.

The doctor who told Charlie that he could not enter turned around, giving Charlie the chance to shove him away and enter the room. He froze as he saw Alpha standing up, his eyes, mane and tail red. The doctors backed up on the wall

"Beta." Delta whispered
"I noticed." Charlie replied.

Beta turned around and saw Charlie. He smiled then frowned. "Come here."

Charlie cautiously walked to the stretcher on which Beta was standing on.

"Alpha and I have recently found out that those with two souls living in one body develop a sort of bond. As the two get to know each other, trust and help each other, the bond grows."

"Why are you telling us this?" Delta asked.

"Because one day, you will be able to do this." He closed his eyes and began to grind his teeth. Beta extended his left wing.

Charlie, Delta and the other doctors watched as the wing began to move, the bone straightened, reconnected, and resealed itself. Charlie physically flinched as he heard each bone pop back into place, each crack refilled, each bone straightened and back into its original place. They all watched as his legs did repaired and healed itself. Beta opened his eyes and looked at Charlie. His eyes were half open.

"What's wrong?"

"Tired, healing oneself with magic like that takes a lot of energy." Beta said before smiling then falling onto the stretcher, unconscious again.

Charlie smiled and was about to walk away when Alpha began to take deep breaths. Charlie watched as his friend slowed his breathing to a breath each 5 seconds,

"He probably just fell asleep."
"Yeah. I wanna check something."

Charlie made his way around the stretcher as the doctors began to walk out of the room, giving Alpha some time in peace. He was about to turn the corner when he heard a CLANK! Charlie looked down, raising his hoof as he noticed Alpha's Metallic wing on the ground, his hoof right above it. He held his breath and his eyes followed the outline of the wing, looking for it connecting to Alpha's wing. Charlie let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it wasn't connected.

"Looks like it fell off when Beta fell down."
"It looks all disfigured."
"Considering the state he is in and that his wing is all disfigured like that, he was probably fighting somepony very powerful in magic."

Charlie stopped to think who was powerful enough to do this amount of damage to Alpha's wing.
"I can give you three guesses to who Alpha fought. Here's a hint: Beta and I fought her, during different periods of time, of course."

Charlie's jaw dropped as he realized who it was.
"Celestia?!"

The forest, usually dark in the day, was alive with sound and movement as the nocturnal creatures within came to life. Three ponies walked through the EverFree forest, with one Alicorn guiding them through it.

"Come, this way." Luna said as she escorted Fluttershy, AppleJack, and Rarity through the EverFree Forest, shadows casting onto the ground from the bright light of the Moon. They stepped past the trees and bushes, went through vines and thorns, and flew across ravines and canyons. They were now in another forest when Rarity decided to break the silence.

"Pardon me, Princess." Rarity began.

"Don't call me Princess, my name is Luna." Luna interrupted.

"I apologize, Luna." Rarity corrected herself.

Luna gave a groan and turned around, facing the three ponies. "Listen, I am not with my sister any longer. I am no longer part of her and therefore no longer considered royal. Talk to me as if I were a common pony."

"Ok…then," Rarity continued as Luna turned around and started walking. "Where the hell are you taking us? And why in the middle of night?"

"To the Castle of the Two sisters."

"Why?"

Luna was about to reply when she cut herself off. She bit her lip as she kept walking to the castle, thinking of how to explain. "Have you four ever heard of the Legend of the Rainbow Factory?"

"The what?" AJ asked, confused.

"The Legend of The Rainbow Factory." Luna replied as she looked behind her at AJ. "Most Pegasi like your friend, Rainbow Dash, has heard of the Legend."

"Is it scary?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Quite so."

"Well, go on, let's hear it." AJ said, wanting to hear the legend.

The group arrived at the Castle. Before entering giant oak wooden doors, Luna stopped and turned around, looking at the three.

"The Legend of the Rainbow Factory came to be about 500 years ago. When Pegasi are old enough, they take a Flying test. If they pass, they get to continue their schooling and go out into the world." Luna explained to the ponies. "This said test started 500 years ago. However, when a pegasi would fail this test, they would disappear."

"Where would they go?" AJ pondered aloud.

"The Legend of the Factory was supposedly to be myth. Those who fail the test go to a facility called The Rainbow Factory, in which they are slowly tortured, killed, and then drained of their blood. They use the blood to create Rainbows, like those seen in Rainbow Falls."

"Wait, What!?" The three exclaimed.

"My mother would tell me it when I was a filly. She said it was just an old mare's tail used to scare colts and fillies into getting good grades." Fluttershy explained.

"Why are we here then?!" Rarity asked.

The doors to the castle opened. Light shined out of the castle, casting shadows behind them. Three figures behind Luna began to walk forward. The shadows stood beside Luna. They didn't look like ponies. They almost looked like dogs. Two stood on Luna's left while the other one stood on her right. The one on her right looked big chested. The two on her left were skinny.

"Because," The shadow on Luna's right spoke with a deep voice. "Ms. Rarity, This legend is true." The big chested one held out what seemed to be a unlit torch and, with a strike of a match on the ground, the shadow lit the torch and held it out, the light revealing themselves.

"By the way," Rover said with a friendly smile. "It's nice to see you again."

Rarity, AppleJack, and Fluttershy both looked at Luna at the same time, their jaw extended. "What do they mean?" Rarity asked, snapping herself out of shock.

Luna leaned forward. "All that my sister has told you is a lie. The Legend of the Rainbow Factory is true, and I have personally seen it and been there. Recently, in fact."

Rarity groaned. "I hate dogs."