//------------------------------// // As Seedy As It Gets // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// "What kind of a nightclub wrangles up non-equine citizens?" Donut Joe asked as he followed Rainbow and Epcot, sneaking through dark corridors. "Jee, I dunno," Rainbow whispered. "Maybe it's the kind of place that will get us killed for chattering when we're not supposed to!" She ended with a sharp hiss. Donut Joe winced. "Sorry..." "We gotta be sneaky about this." "Sounds to me like you've got experience." "Maybe. Epcot?" Rainbow looked aside as they approached the sound of muffled shouts and laughter beyond a door. "Have you got the lay of the land?" "Ooooh! I love The Land!" Epcot grinned. "The Alicorn cuisine at Sunshine Seasons is to die for." "I mean this place, ya glitter butt." "Oh!" Epcot blinked her purple eyes, adjusted her gown, and smirked. "There should be a big, big room up ahead! The main hallway with its stage... seating... balconies..." "And the prisoners?" "Seems to me they're all shackled up and lined across the stage. Something's about to go down, I bet!" "Wow..." Joe blinked at Epcot, whispering, "How do you now all that without looking?" Epcot smiled and pointed at her head. "My creators built me with psionic spatial sensitivity! What's the point in being a dream chaperone if I can't sniff out the construct of dreams themselves?" "For real?" Rainbow Dash murmured, sliding up to the door. "Can you figure out where in this city Applejack is being held?" "Mmmm... sorry..." Epcot shrugged with a pouty face. "I've never experienced this dream before, and the ones crafting it have done something to change the very psionic fabric. Still..." Her ears perked up as she grinned. "...I can discover the architecture of anything if I get close enough to it! Talk about innoventions!" "Yeah, well, we might need you for that again soon." Rainbow craned her ear to the door. "Hmmmm..." "Hear anything?" Donut Joe asked. "Sounds like they're preparing for the 'main event,' whatever that means," Rainbow said. "Whatever it is, it can't be good." "And with the prisoners on the nightclub's stage?" Donut Joe winced. "I'm scared to find out." "Yeah, well, stop." "Stop what?" "Being scared," Rainbow muttered. "Maybe most of those prisoners are fake, made-up constructs, but I'll be darned if I leave this place without saving two innocent souls like Mulia and Gustave." "But I thought Applejack was the one you've been searching for all this time or something—" "Yeah, and Applejack won't approve of selfishness and cowardice in a situation like this! Or any situation!" Rainbow turned to frown at him. "Don't you get it?! She'd only want things done the awesome way! That's why I've gotta do it like this! That's why I'm having to do everything like this!" "Uhhhh..." Donut Joe blinked confusedly. "What do you mean? Everything like what?" Rainbow Dash opened her mouth... but lingered. Her ears drooped as she sighed. "Never mind, you wouldn't get it." She gulped and glanced aside. "Erm... Epcot?" "Hmmm-hmmmm-hmmm..." The mare rocked her head left and right, eyes shut above a placid smile. "Let's listen to the land we all love, nature's plan will shine above," she breathily sang in a squeaky voice. "Epcot! Hey!" Rainbow hissed, ruffling the mare's sparkly mane. "Stop being best pony for a second and help me!" "Ooops! Hehe—sorry!" Epcot leaned forward. "What do you need?" "Are there any ponies—er... dream dudes right outside this door?" "You mean bad guys?" "Yeah." "Errrr..." Epcot squinted. "...nope!" She smiled, eyes bright. "Closest ponies are a group of about six stallions, clustered five seats away. There's maybe eighty in attendance, and they're all facing the stage—save for the stagehoof, but I doubt he'll see you if you wanna sneak in for a peak." "Okay." Rainbow took a deep breath, gesturing at Donut Joe and Epcot. "Everypony, wait right here." "You wanna go in there alone?!" Donut wheezed. "Maybe. Maybe not. I dunno. We'll see." Rainbow grasped the doorknob lightly, taking a deep breath. "I kinda... play this sort of thing by ear." Joe gulped. "I'm not sure if I'm cool with that." "Well, you're gonna have to be," Rainbow muttered. "Once I Blue Jay it up a bit, I'm sure I'll figure out a way we can rescue our buddies." "And then what?" "Uhhh... Blue Jay it harder, I guess," Rainbow muttered. Epcot giggled. "Shhh!" Rainbow insisted. Epcot covered her gray muzzle with her hooves. She nodded. Rainbow bit her lip, cracked the door open, and slithered into the main chamber of the nightclub beyond. She craned her neck to see above the many tables and circularly arranged chairs. The place was dilapidated, with collapsed chandeliers and a second-story balcony that was crumbling off its foundation, occupying the north edge of the room. Regardless, several dozen surly individuals filled the chamber, staring at a stage that was brightly lit by torchlight. The rowdy crowd whistled and hooted in bloodlust. At first, Rainbow Dash didn't know why, until she saw a group of non-equine victims strapped to wooden tables propped up sideways and facing the audience. "All bets are over!" shouted a dirty-looking stallion on the stage. "Can our resident champion finish these runts with only twelve knives?! Or will one of them trot away to starve another day?! Let's find out! The highest paid bidder gets the pot—and a chance to throw at next week's game! But enough of my squawking! Let the throwing begin!" The crowd cheered loudly, waving their hooves and grinning with malicious glints in their eyes. Rainbow followed their gaze, once again spotting the innocent figures whose limbs were tied to the sideways tables. She noticed that the wooden furniture had several deep notches in them... not to mention bloodstains. A scarred, blindfolded stallion trotted up on center stage, cracked his joints, and flung the first of many kinves towards the right. TH-THUNK! The knife embedded just inches away from the neck of a gasping diamond dog. The crowd booed and hissed. Undaunted, the stallion pulled out another knife and prepared to throw. Rainbow winced... the grimaced harder as she tilted her gaze aside and noticed that the last two tables were occupied by a bound mule and a bound griffon. "...hoboy," she muttered.