Chapter One: Any Other Sunday
Sunday May 5th, 2013
12:32 P.M.
Twilight had just received a letter from Spike, she immediately noted the sun seal on the front of the envelope indicating the letter was from Celestia herself, in any other situation she would have torn it open on the spot, but as tired as she was it would have to wait until she reached Golden Oaks library.
Twilight had just got done with a day of flight training with Rainbow near Rainbow's cloud home, it had only been three months since Twilight's coronation in Canterlot and she still needed some fine pointers on flight. Having been well read on the subject was an entirely different story from actually flying, it was like learning to walk all over again, maybe even harder. Lift, drag, pitch, roll, yaw; she knew the concepts, the science, the math, the anatomy, she knew everything she could know about flying yet she still struggled with the physical part of it all, but what better teacher than one of her best friends, Rainbow Dash?
"Say Twi, you wouldn't mind if we stopped at Sugar Cube Corner for some punch or something, would you? I'm parched." Rainbow asked as they both donned their saddlebags and made their way into town towards Twilight's.
"Actually I was just about to ask the same thing. After all, I'm the one that's still learning to fly, right? I would like to get the drinks to go though, I want to read the letter from Celestia as soon as we get back to my place, I wasn't expecting anything from her today so I'm curious as to what it is she sent for." Twilight responded.
"Fine with me, I'm not feeling very social today anyway." Dash replied, just not in the mood to chat with anypony aside from her friends at the moment. The two made small talk the rest of the way into town.
~10 minutes later
As the two entered Sugar Cube Corner they were immediately greeted by Pinkie Pie and happily at that...
"Hey, Twi, Dashie! What can I get you girls today?" She asked with her ever so present infectious smile.
"I'll just have the normal Multi-Berry punch to go please." Twilight stated.
"Normal?! Our Multi-Berry punch is the best punch in Ponyville! Probably the best punch in all of Equestria! Maybe even the bes-" Was all she could get out before she was cut off by a slightly irritated Rainbow Dash.
"Okay, okay, we got it Pinks. I'll take the same thing Twilight's ordered." Dash barked flatly.
"Geez, somepony's a grumpy pants today. Any particular reason why?" Pinkie asked with a small hint of concern as she started topping off two mugs of punch.
"Sorry, we're just a little tired that's all; long day of flight training, you know." Dash said as she tossed two bits on the counter, paying for both hers and Twilight's cool beverages.
"Yes and I just received a letter from Celestia also so I would like to read it as soon as I can get back to the library to relax, I would invite you to come along, but I know you have to work for a bit yet. I'll let you know if it's anything important as soon as I can." Twilight commented as she and Rainbow rounded to leave the diner.
"Okie dokie lokie! I have to look after the cakes for a bit after work anyway, so it's okay. I'll see you girls later then." Pinkie said, and with a friendly wave from both Twilight and Rainbow they were back on the streets of Ponyville and headed towards Twilight's with more idle small talk along with their newly acquired refreshments.
It was another five minutes before they reached Twilight's, and as they stepped into her library they both instinctively slung their saddlebags on some coat hooks as Twilight removed the letter from her right saddlebag and Rainbow made for Twilight's couch as Twilight made for her desk. Twilight sat down and looked at the letter as she set her mug on her desk, still curious as to what Celestia sent for, she didn't think much of it since they had been doing this for years, yet something seemed off this time and she'd soon find out why as she opened the letter and read the contents.
Rainbow Dash noticed the look of concern on Twilight's face soon after.
"Twi? Something wrong?" Dash asked, slightly concerned herself. It wasn't usually a good thing to see Twilight concerned as it had mixed results.
Twilight walked past Rainbow leaving the letter on the coffee table in front of Rainbow and grabbed her saddlebags off the coat hook before trotting up to her room.
Shuffling about could be heard from Twilight's room as Rainbow read the letter:
"Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I request that you come to Canterlot immediately, there is something I need to discuss with you urgently, and in person only. I will explain later but take the most direct route here ASAP, we will have time to notify your friends later on.
Your Princess, Celestia."
Rainbow Dash now knew why Twilight looked concerned as Twilight always took her mentor seriously, and with good reason. It was very rare of Celestia to request any sort of meeting on such short notice. Rainbow also noted that the letter looked hastily written yet read remarkably well, something expected from all the years experience. Still, Celestia wouldn't usually conduct a letter as hastily as it appeared.
"So Twi." Rainbow stated loudly.
"Yes, Rainbow?" Twilight yelled back, sounding a bit flustered as if she were looking for something she had misplaced.
"What do you think this is about? You know something I don't?" Rainbow asked, feeling a bit left out of the loop.
"No Rainbow Dash, I wouldn't lie to you. I'm actually kind of nervous as to what's so urgent." Twilight replied as she quickly trotted down the stairs from her bedroom, with saddlebags that were definitely packed tighter than before.
"Well since the letter didn't say you couldn't bring friends with and it did say that you would be notifying us later I would take it that it's okay for me to come along then? The weather team isn't scheduled to do anything until next Thursday anyway so I'm pretty much free all week. My saddlebags even have the essentials already packed." Rainbow asked with a bit of bravado knowing her exploits couldn't be argued.
Twilight looked at Rainbow with slightly narrowed eyes knowing she couldn't afford to argue with the element of Loyalty at the moment, she had conceded to Rainbow as soon as she had asked the question, yet she didn't like the idea of such an easy defeat.
"Okay Rainbow, but only because you're the element of Loyalty and we only have FIVE MINUTES!?" Twilight yelled as she looked at the clock.
"Rainbow, let's move! We have five minutes to catch the one o'clock Canterlot express!" Twilight yelled in semi terror.
"Relax, Twilight, it's only half way across town. And you do have wings now, remember?" Rainbow stated sounding a bit jaunty.
"Still, Rainbow. This is no time to be slack!" And with that the two made out the front door of the library, Rainbow grabbing her saddlebags as they went, Spike silently throwing himself on Twilight's back. They might have tried flying to Canterlot but Twilight wasn't confident in her skill to fly long distances just yet and Rainbow knew it.
The two flew at a brisk pace over the center of town, as they approached the station they heard the locomotive conductor yell out "All aboard, Canterlot!" and just as the conductor stepped into the engine, Dash arrived at the platform with Twilight and Spike hot on her hooves, getting their tickets on the way they just barely made the 1:00 express. While the normal train to Canterlot would take 3 hours by going through Dodge Junction, the express would take only 30 minutes by cutting through the edge of the Everfree Forest and going straight to Canterlot.
It was a relatively quiet ride to Canterlot as the air was almost saturated with foreboding. Rainbow could see that Twilight genuinely didn't know what they were going for and the building worry on Twilight's face only got worse as all she could do was speculate as to what it was the letter entailed.
Although Rainbow could hide her emotions fairly well it was no surprise that she was feeling similar as well, if her friends were feeling off it meant she felt off, her Loyalty binding her to those who've earned it.
As they approached the Canterlot station, not easing Twilight's growing worries the trio immediately noticed the increase in Royal Guard, something reserved for only high level Defense Conditions as the citizens didn't like the feeling of being under a sense of Martial Law.
While the Royal Guards presence wasn't the same as it was during the Canterlot wedding for her brother a year ago in terms of defensive posturing it was more structured towards training and preparation with squads and platoons conducting fitness jogs and various other PT regimes around Canterlot.
As the trio stepped off of the train onto the platform they took to the air once more and headed straight for the Canterlot Palace, it was a few minutes before landing near the front gates of the keep and with that they were approached by a pair of Royal Guards, the first one, a brown unicorn, greeting them with a friendly "Good afternoon. How do you do?" and the other, a white pegasus, with a stern nod.
"Oh, I suppose I could be better, is something wrong?" Twilight asked wondering why the guards approached them as they normally stayed their posts at the gates.
"I feel terrible for having to do this ma'am but we have been requested to scan everypony going into the keep, identification measures for security reasons, I'm sure you understand." With no objections the unicorn quickly scanned the trio, with nothing amiss the guards went back to their posts and ushered the trio through the gates. Again, the comment about 'security reasons' didn't help ease the feeling in Twilight's stomach.
As the trio entered the keep they noticed Celestia was not to be seen in the main hall and they were again approached by a Guard member, this one a charcoal earth pony officer, shown by the armor he was wearing.
"Celestia is in her personal quarters, I'm sure you know the way." he said sternly and with a nod from Twilight the trio headed off and up towards Celestia's personal quarters. With not a single word shared between the three since the train ride, they stopped in front of the doors to Celestia's room.
"Alright, the moment of truth." is all Twilight said before swinging the door knocker twice.
A muffled "Come right in." could be heard from Celestia and with that, Twilight opened the doors to find Celestia staring out her balcony windows. The trio quietly walked in shutting the doors behind them, while Rainbow and Spike stayed back a few feet, Twilight approached Celestia.
"You sent for me, Celestia?"
"I did indeed." Celestia stated, sounding more flat than usual.
This just about broke Twilights collected self as hearing her mentor so void of emotion really put a damper on Twilight but she knew the key to any situation was to remain calm.
"Princess, is the nation under threat? It looks like DEFCON 4 in Canterlot." Twilight asked a small hint of dread in her question.
"We have reason to believe King Sombra is preparing an assault against Equestria, as well as other nations. It is in our best interest to prepare as well, lest innocent lives are lost and we fall to the hooves of his tyrannical influence." Celestia said plainly as she was now facing with Twilight and the others.
"King Sombra? Army?" Twilight mumbled, in shock from the gravity of the statement Celestia had just posed. Meanwhile Rainbow had a stern, defensive posture to her while Spike stared off into the distance, looking as if he was on another planet.
"B-But how? ... King Sombra was destroyed by the element of Love! I saw it with my own eyes!" Twilight said, still trying to grasp the situation in its entirety.
"We now believe that was just an apparition of Sombra, or maybe even a clone from the Mirror Pool. Suffice it to say, at this point it matters not." Celestia said while magically floating a folded letter to Twilight.
As Twilight opened the letter, a look of sheer horror consumed her features, she may have even been shaking slightly Rainbow thought - Rainbow could see the letter from her position as well and while it did turn her stomach upside down, her demeanor never wavered. Spike had now moved himself to right outside the room, nearly hyperventilating as he was coming to terms with the situation himself. It was at this point Twilight lost her magical grip on the letter and it swiftly made its way to the ground, revealing itself for the world to see - Blood - the only thing on the parchment. Blood smeared from the top right of the parchment making a slight arch and stopping near the bottom.
"W-W-What does this mean? I mean, how have you come to the conclusions you have? What i-" Twilight muttered at a quick pace before Celestia cut her off.
"Twilight Sparkle, I would not merely make conclusions. And Rainbow Dash, I am actually glad you came along, you will know why soon enough." Rainbow's curiosity piped up just a bit, yet she retained her demeanor. "Now if you both would be so kind as to follow me we will discuss the rest of this in the presence of the others." Celestia stated sounding well in control of the situation. She then made for the doors leading out of her room, finding Spike on the other side she let him know he could go down to the dining area off of the main hall and relax if he'd like, and that he did.
Celestia was now leading Rainbow and Twilight past the main hall and to a wing of the Palace Twilight nor Rainbow had ever been in before. The room they arrived at had a bronze colored plaque above a set of doors that simply read 'War Room.' Twilight collected herself as Celestia swung the double doors open while Rainbow still retained her demeanor.
Inside there were maps, tables, chalk boards, pin boards, and other various items as well as some recognizable ponies, and some that Twilight nor Rainbow had ever seen before. Among the recognizable ponies stood Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Spitfire, Discord who caught the two a little off guard but he seemed to be of healthy mind, and even to more of their surprise, Prince Blueblood was in attendance as well as Braeburn from the Apple family, dressed in his signature vest and cowpony hat. Before the trio reached the group of idly chatting ponies Twilight stopped and asked Celestia why Prince Blueblood and Braeburn were there.
"As to the former, that would be Knight-Prince Blueblood. After the Gala 2 years ago I sought to teach him a thing or two about virtue, let's just say it worked out better than planned. Now as to the latter, that would be Royal Marshal Braeburn. He's been a Royal Marshal for 3 years now, I'm surprised you didn't know that already." Celestia said in her normal tone as they continued over to the group of ponies.
Once arriving, everypony in attendance quieted down and gathered around a great table in the middle of the room which had a map pinned down to it, a map of the world.
World map
"So, to get Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash up to speed on the situation we will be going over some of the key points of intelligence we have gathered thus far."
"Excuse me but should I go wait outside or something? I feel like this is meant for the ponies in charge of operations." Rainbow asked with a bit of reluctance as she really did want to know what information had been gathered.
"Don't be so quick to disregard yourself in this matter Miss. Dash." Celestia said jovially. "This actually provides me with a good opportunity to tell you that you will now be acting as Commander for the Pegasus Combat Wing of Cloudsdale ." This was the highest rank for the PCW in ponydom, equivalent to an O-10 in the U.S. Airforce.
If this didn't ruin Rainbow's demeanor then who's to say what would?
"I-I uhh, I don't think I heard you correctly, could you repeat yourself, Princess?" Dash said at a loss for words.
"You did indeed hear me correctly Miss. Dash. Since all able pegasi are obligated to partake in combat training starting at an early age due to their lineage as warriors and in turn superiority in such matters I would be honored to have someone with your virtues lead our armies." Celestia stated with a hint of humility.
"...Even so Princess, I lack hardened experience in these matters and therefore am not fit to command such a massive combat unit." Rainbow responded, feeling true in her words and not wanting to make a mistake ending up in a situation where she regretted her actions.
"Rainbow Dash, you are one of Twilight's best friends and are the element of Loyalty. You have proven yourself time and time again that you know what's right in heart, mind, and soul. What more could somepony ask?" Celestia said with no small amount of reassurance. "And we'll get you up to speed in the arts of war later on, so don't worry about that."
"R-Right! I'm honored, Princess." Rainbow said with a textbook salute.
"No, like I said, the honor is mine." Celestia said flustering Rainbow slightly.
"Now let's get back to the matter at hoof shall we? So where were we...Ah, right. So after we received the bloodied letter from the Heliopolis Palace of Alexmanedria, and after a few days of not receiving any sort reply from Alexmanedria we decided to send Braeburn and Spitfire across the Antlertic Ocean on a export of grain, they acted as members of the ship's crew in order to conduct reconnaissance operations on the northern continent, what they reported thereafter only worsened our growing worries to say the least." Celestia stated in a militaristic tone, looking to Braeburn and giving a small nod.
"Right. Well when we got to the port city there was hardly a pony in sight, and the ones Ah did see looked more nervous than'a pony in the Everfree. When Ah asked one of the dock workers if everypony was normally like that he said they'd kill his family if he told anypony. Now we can't have that now can we? So after'a few more attempts Ah found myself asking a local bar keeper the same question, this time all Ah got was fer him was slip me a note and nod." A note was then pulled from a file from a small drawer on the great table and placed thereon.
.
"King Sombra, King Chrytian and Queen Chrysalis ... Working together ... Took most local males to a grand mine of some sort ... Making war material ..." was all that was scribbled on the note.
"Wait a minute, just who in the hay is this King Chrytian anyhow?" Rainbow asked bashfully.
"Well from what we have gathered, King Chrytian is the king of the changelings with Queen Chrysalis as his mate, we don't have any information on his abilities yet as he has only revealed himself just recently." Celestia responded.
"So how do we know if this information can be trusted?" Twilight asked, a bit skeptical.
"And that is where I come in." Spitfire touted. "After Braeburn had gotten his intel he and I met up back at the ship for our scheduled rally, after a small debate we decided it would just be me going out this time to try to gather some intel by air.
So I took to the sky toward the west in the direction of the capital city. I stopped at about a half mile outside the city after I spotted obsidian colored crystal in dense clusters throughout city where they had never been before. These crystals also seemed to match the description of the corrupted crystal from the intelligence reports from the Crystal Empire incidents. I also noticed a railway with several cargo loads arriving from the north, they were carrying ore of similar color to the crystal, which indicated that there was indeed a lot of activity in relation to the old obsidian mine that had been shut down years ago due to safety concerns...
Although everything in the note seemed to be becoming more and more evident I still needed something harder, so I decided that I would land and start looking around but I soon got a eerie feeling that I wasn't the only one doing the looking, as the whole time I was looking for more evidence I felt as if I was being watched. As I got closer to the capital the feeling got stronger and more ominous, to the point where I felt like I would be putting myself in danger if I moved any closer, the reports from the Crystal Empire incidents also listed similar feelings with ponies who lived near the crystals. I went with my intuition on this and decided head west again.
I didn't find anything too revealing aside from more ghostly settlements and before I knew it I was near the coast. At which I spotted the ruins of an abandon port city, and off the coast about 200 hoof or so I spotted another Obsidian colored crystal jutting from the ocean, I would say this crystal was a good 800 hoof tall at the least. Taller than the spire of the Crystal Empire's palace, dare I say.
At this point I stopped for a second to make a mental note of it all and assess the situation. I started scanning the landscape for any other details that might lead to something when that something ended up in my field of view. I was at this point looking north-west out near the horizon when I thought I saw another crystal jutting from the ocean so I flew north to investigate, it took about an hour and a half to get there but when I did found another 800 hoof tall crystal almost the same as the one I had spotted before.
Now I decided that Braeburn and I would stay a night so I could finish what I had just started. After going back to the ship and calling it a night I set out again the next morning, it took me around 12 hours but I ended up making a rough oval with my flight path, finding 5 more crystals along the way, all the same as the ones from the day before. I marked them on my map I had at the time and in turn I marked them on the map that lay before you here." Spitfire indicated a hoof toward the icons on the map.
"We left port soon after I completed my trip, due to the high chance we may have have been compromised with that last stunt I pulled. Though, after running the information through everypony here we have decided that the most reasonable explanation would be that whomever is running the operations over there is getting ready to set up a super massive shield using these crystals as focusing points for magic, similar to the one Canterlot uses when at a high level DEFCON." Spitfire finished with everypony in attendance giving solemn nods.
It was at this point Shining Armor commented. "And to raise a shield of that size - to cover half a continent would be extremely strenuous. I couldn't come up with any viable methods of how they'd do it as of yet."
Celestia butted in after a moment of silence. "We will also be sending another reconnaissance team over to gather more intelligence. We would still like visuals on key individuals along with visuals on operations logistics. Suffice it to say, somepony is planning something and we need to be ready for whatever happens whenever that may be, so all of us here have been panning, going over tactics, strategies, defense, offence, etcetera for a variety of different situations and scenarios so we will be at our best when times are at their worst."
"Hmm, I don't even know where to begin..." Twilight said while she focused on the map in thought as Rainbow looked to be in thought as well but a more vexed look fell upon on her features.
By this time sun was almost set and Celestia broke the silence once again.
"There will be plenty of time for that later, for tonight I want you all to get some rest. You're all dismissed." and with that Celestial pulled Twilight and Rainbow aside.
"I would like for you two to stay at the palace tonight so we can discuss these matters more in depth over the next few days. Your old study is still vacant, Twilight, why don't you girls stay there? I will help arrange for time where we can have the rest of your friends meet us here as well." Celestia said; now back in her friendly tone.
Twilight and Rainbow couldn't argue as the day had just gotten that much longer with all the information they just reviewed. So with their mutual agreement they made it back to the main hall, Twilight grabbing a slumbering Spike along the way and setting him on her back. Celestia bid them a good night and the two ponies headed for Twilights old dorm, one with a sleeping dragon on her back.
As they entered, Spike was swiftly tucked into his old bed as Twilight and Rainbow both slung their saddlebags on the floor, too tired to hang them at the moment.
"Boy, is it just me or did this day get a whole lot more crazy?" Rainbow said with a yawn.
"Yeah, no kidding. Let's just get some rest shall we?" was all Twilight offered in response.
"I'm always game for a nap, Twi. You don't even have to ask." Dash stated, flopping into Twilights old bed, big enough to fit them both with room to spare.
And with that Twilight climbed in on the opposite side and was soon greeted with the snores from the drowsy cyan mare next to her. But try as she might Twilight would never be able to be out as fast as Dash, especially not tonight - How does Rainbow do it? Twilight thought.
Chapter Two: Picking up the Pieces
Chapter Two: Picking up the Pieces
Monday, May 6th, 2013
Early Morning.
Twilight awoke when the early morning sunlight shone through the window of her old dorm and right onto her eyelids, as she lay there a rush of thoughts came back to her; thoughts from the evening before. She was struggling with herself internally about the responsibilities of the things to come - she wasn't a filly anymore; she had to lead her subjects through these perilous times...Wait, her subjects? No. She didn't like the idea of everypony being subjugated; it made her feel like they were owned by the crown...Even if there was no harm meant by the terminology used it still didn't sit right with Twilight. These ponies were her constituents...No...These ponies were more than that, they were her friends, and she felt indebted to them for helping her achieve her title as a princess of Equestria; she would almost go as far as to say she was their subject for she truly wanted to see the citizens of Equestria happy.
It was right after that thought that she realized she didn't feel the presence of her usually late-sleeping cyan friend on the bed where she had passed out the night before, and with a thought of what she could be up so early for caused her to crack her groggy eyes open as the sunlight still beamed onto them. Twilight's vision was filled with the bright morning sun for a few moments as her eyes adjusted; only to find the inanimate silhouette of one Rainbow Dash looking out into the morning sky on the left side of the window, not moving as much as a hair. Twilight knew that Rainbow was probably stuck with similar thoughts as she had just been put in a position she was most likely not ready for, and maybe even doubted herself in. Truth be told, it slightly concerned Twilight to see her usually tenacious friend in such a perplexed state.
Twilight quietly got out of bed and made her way over to sit next to Rainbow - who was still staring out into the horizon; a near emotionless look on her face.
"Good morning." Twilight said tentatively.
"Morning." Rainbow droned.
"Listen Rainbow, I know you're stres-" Twilight was abruptly cut off.
"Stressed, Twilight? Stressed doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now; my anxiety is through the roof, I'm nearly having a panic attack for pete's sake. Of all ponies why would Celestia pick me? I mean, there have got to be others that are already high up in the ranks and have some sort of experience. So why me, Twilight?" Rainbow asked almost desperately.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us, Rainbow. Celestia sees that in you and so do I. I know you still have questions but I do too and today I plan on getting them answered. First let's grab a bite to eat so we can focus."
Rainbow simply nodded once and then they were off in the direction of the dining hall.
"So Twi, I've been thinking, why can't we just use the Elements on these evil doers?"
"That's a question I had as well and the more I thought about it the more I realized it's not that easy; I'm sure this was well discussed by the others at the meeting yesterday before we showed up...You see, while the changelings are mostly evil, it would take a considerable amount of effort to use the Elements on an army of them. Now on the other hoof, you might have ponies who are coerced into fighting for these tyrants and in that case they may not actually keep hatred in their hearts, so the Elements wouldn't work correctly or they may not work at all. Again, it would be very exhausting to use them on every individual we are fighting against. As for the leaders, we would never get close enough to use the Elements before being cut down and that's knowing where they are...We don't even know where the leaders of our opposition are, Rainbow..." Twilight trailed off, looking as if she was lost running through hypothesis after hypothesis.
"Ah - I see, it makes total sense and I almost feel stupid for asking...Keep your head up, Twi. We'll give these tyrants the what for." Rainbow tried to reassure her, almost looking lost herself - How could she lead a military if she couldn't even draw up a hypothesis on how using the Elements wouldn't work the way they all wanted them too?
"Heh - I'm pretty confident in our ability as a people that we will persevere over our enemies; just a little nervous, that's all...I AM worried about you thought, Rainbow. Almost anypony can tell when you're not yourself and your friends know you better than that. Rainbow, you can tell me if there is something you need to get off your chest, if something is bothering you..." Twilight said in a very candid manner.
Rainbow usually didn't care for talking about the "Sappy" stuff, but hiding under a tough exterior all the time can take it's toll, as Rainbow began to speak her eyes seemed to be getting misty.
"I-I...Twilight, what do I do?! I'm scared, Twilight! So many ponies are going to be depending on me, so many whom I love and hold dearly, Twi! It's not fair!..it's not fair..." She trailed off, a few select tears finding their way down Rainbow's face.
Thought Twilight knew Rainbow was holding something back, something that was bothering her considerably, Twilight didn't expect it to be delivered in such a manner, and was a little shocked at the depth behind Rainbow's words but she had to quickly collect herself for Rainbow's sake.
"Rainbow..." Twilight said in a consoling tone.
"Things are going to happen...Ponies will die...There will be a lot of lonely nights, a lot if painful moments, and times of despair ahead, but whether or not that some of them happen is up to you...Things happen that we can't always control..." Twilight let her head run her mouth again and soon realized that what she said didn't do much to comfort Rainbow, it may have even made it worse. In realizing this she quickly thought a little more from the heart.
"It's that love for others that makes us different, Rainbow. Always know that and know it close. It's that same love you have towards others that makes it possible to fight evil, no matter the odds." Twilight's current approach seemed to do something as a look appeared in Rainbow's eyes, a look of realization, then, of tenacity and defiance...A look that said she was willing to do whatever was required of her to protect and defend her friends, her family, and her country.
With Rainbow quickly wiping her tear stained face with a leg Twilight and Rainbow appeared in the main hall; again, Celestia was nowhere to be seen but maybe she was in the dining hall? As they made their way into the dining hall just off the main hall, they found that it was nearly empty as only Luna occupied the space.
"Oh. Good morning, Luna." Twilight stated; confused. Whenever Twilight had been there before, the dining hall had at least three or four ponies in it.
"'Tis indeed. Good morning to you two as well, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash. Please help yourselves and have a seat if you'd like." Rainbow was already heading to the buffet by the end of Luna's sentence in which lit Luna's face with a small smirk.
"Thanks, Luna. I gotta say, I'm famished; I don't think neither Twilight, nor myself have eaten since yesterday morning. We kinda left Ponyville in a hurry, you know?" Rainbow said while she loaded a bowl with apple cinnamon oatmeal and filled a glass with orange juice.
"It's quite alright, Rainbow; don't hold back by any means, for we have plenty of food this day." Luna said; gesturing a hoof to the empty and ghostly quiet dining hall.
Twilight found this an opportunity to tend to her confusion while she loaded some plain oatmeal into a bowl and filled a glass with orange juice as well.
"About that. It seems offaly quiet in the keep this morning."
"Yes. I am to relay to you that, once finished with breakfast; Rainbow is to report to the war room to where she shall be greeted by Celestia, Shining Armor, and Blueblood. Shortly after leaving Rainbow with the warriors to get her caught up in the arts of war, Celestia will resume her presence here and we shall go over any lingering questions."
"Sweet, this is going to be so awesome!" Rainbow stated; her brash self returning.
With a small smile from Twilight and yet another smirk from Luna, the three finished the rest of breakfast over some small talk. Thereafter, Rainbow Dash found herself back in front of the doors to the war room shoving the last of her anxiousness aside, as she made entry. It was inside where she was greeted by Celestia while the two warriors were discussing over by a pin board.
"Good morning, Rainbow Dash. May I ask, how is our hospitality?"
"Oh..The beds may not be as soft as clouds but the food was great!"
Celestia let out a small chortle. "Well that's good to hear. If you would be so kind as to follow me, I have a gift I want to give to you."
"O-Okay." Rainbow tripped over her words as she was a little taken back by this.
The two walked to the back of the room where some narrow doors led to small armories, the one they entered seemed to house relics of sorts, unique weapons and armor, and something pony shaped with a purple silkish cloth draped over it.
"Miss Rainbow Dash, it would be an honor to present to you-" Celestia whipped the purple cloth away, revealing a mannequin with!? "-the armor of thee Commander Hurricane." The falling cloth revealed some ancient; battle worn, yet very well-preserved obsidian armor with polished gold trim accenting the edges of the overlapping plate-mail, a gold lightning bolt in the center of the breast plate to finish it off. Much like the replica version she wore during her portrayal of Commander Hurricane during the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant.
Rainbow sat, staring in awe, almost unable to grasp this proposition.
"Well? Do you accept or are you content with staring at it?" Celestia laughed.
"W-Wow, Princess. I don't even know what to say..." Although Rainbow didn't like the idea of fate, of not being in control of her life, she knew at this moment that this was her destiny. "I accept your most generous offer, Princess; although I believe the honor is mine. It would be a shame for this baby to stay stashed away." Although Commander Hurricane had had his mishaps, he was exalted among all pony tribes as he was one of the greatest of all pegasi warriors.
"Ah - Wonderful, and to the "Stashed away", as this is pegasus armor; we have not had a commander for the Pegasus Combat Wing since Commander Hurricane. After his death, the Pegasus Combat Wing became a detachment of the Royal Guard, being lead by the captain thereof. All this was simply due to the fact that Equestria had entered peacetime and alliances were made, so we saw no need to keep our forces separated but now with the size of our current threat we need more officers to command our growing forces."
"Now let's get you into this armor so we can make sure we don't need to make anymore adjustments...Before you ask, I collected your measurements from our good friend Rarity last night and had our smiths work on it while you slept."
"...Geez, I know I must sound like a broken record, Celestia, but wow...How did you know I would accept this?"
"You could say I had a feeling..." Celestia had a childish smirk on her face and with a raised eyebrow from Rainbow she gave in. "I jest Rainbow, you have all the positive qualities that Commander Hurricane had, and then some. I knew him as a friend and whenever I speak with you, you remind me of him in ways."
By now Rainbow was filled with emotions she couldn't put into words, as all of this justed seemed so surreal.
Rainbow awkwardly nodded; awestruck with how quick everything was fitting together. With that, Celestia held the armor over Rainbow so Rainbow could position herself under it correctly, and without a fight, the armor settled onto her graciously with it hugging her features snugly and comfortably so. After donning the helmet, legplates and a set of wing blades, all the appropriate straps were tightened and Rainbow looked like she was ready for war, truly.
Celestia eagerly approved of the stunning display and with another nod from Rainbow they removed all but the cuirass before heading back out into the main room. Surprisingly enough, Shining Armor and Blueblood were standing at attention waiting to see the new commander appear.
"So it all fits then?" Shining Armor asked with hopeful anticipation.
"Yep. Sure does, Captain. Perfectly so I might add." Rainbow stated; sticking her chest forward in an audacious pose.
"Quite beautifully too; milady. If I do say so myself." Blueblood remarked in a well mannered tone.
Rainbow didn't know whether she should blush or scoff.
"Heh - Thanks, Knight. I guess I would have to agree with you on that one." Rainbow said; a little flustered.
Celestia cut in; she wanted to meet up with Luna and Twilight as soon as time would allow, to discuss any pending matters or concerns Twilight may have.
"Ahem - May I please have everypony's attention?" With that, the three were now focused on Celestia.
"I would like to dedicate this moment to officially dub Miss Rainbow Dash;" Celestia's horn lit a brilliant gold for a moment before a golden Labrys (symmetrical double headed axe) with Celestia's cutie mark on both sides appeared. "Commander of the Pegasus Combat Wing of Cloudsdale." Celestia then leveled the right blade of the axe with Rainbow's right shoulder, and the left blade with her left shoulder.
If the circumstances were different, Rainbow would have been muttering her excited "omigosh" - not to say she didn't still feel that way..
Rainbow quickly bowed along with Shining Armor and Blueblood.
"Please, you have no need to bow." Celestia said sincerely and bowed herself a moment before resuming.
"Rise Commander Rainbow Dash, Captain-General Shining Armor, Knight Blueblood. I would like to bid you all farewell, as I have other matters that need to be addressed at the moment. I am honored to have you amongst our ranks, Commander Dash."
"The honor is mine, Princess." And with that Celestia left to meet up with Luna and Twilight.
"What'd ya say, Commander? Let's start hitting the books - hmm?" Shining Armor asked, eager to start tutoring Rainbow.
"Right! So where do we start?" She said enthusiastically. The more she knew, the more prepared she'd be, and if she had to read for days on end so she could protect and defend her home, then so be it.
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Dining Hall, Canterlot Palace.
Mid morning.
"So I take it Rainbow is studying then?" All seriousness aside; Twilight humored the thought of Rainbow actually taking the time to study.
"She is indeed, Twilight. She will be for a while at that. That gives us time to consolidate and for me to bring something else to attention." The sound of dread creeping up toward the end of Celestia's sentence.
"What exactly does the latter part entail?" Twilight asked; she never liked the apprehension that came with waiting on the details.
"Hmm - I guess there is no way to put this lightly so here it is. After the Trixie incident a few months back when Rainbow Dash handed the Alicorn Amulet off to our armed escort, we had to send out a search team because the escort never made it here. Now when we did find the escort we found a wrecked armored stagecoach and four ponies, three of whom were dead when we got there...The one pony who did survive told us that changelings had attacked them in the form of the Royal Guard, and that they barely had enough time to realize what was happening before they were already taking casualties. We had no idea where the culprits were hiding until the rumors started and Spitfire went on that reconnaissance mission with Braeburn; which gave us a general idea.
Twilight hated the feeling she got when her gut feeling was right, and she knew first hoof how dangerous the amulet could be, and with her thoughts racing 'King Sombra or Queen Chrysalis with the Amulet? Did they have more allies? What was their ultimate goal?' she now had an uncomfortable knot in her stomach and was starting to visibly sweat.
"This is also why we are sending out another reconnaissance team today; spotting the Alicorn Amulet will be one of their main goals aside from getting visuals on key ponies, assets, logistics, routines, etcetera."
"I also want to inform you that we have a very...experienced...mage working on a spell to prevent the changelings from using the code of a pony's genetic makeup for their own ends. I have received news that this spell is almost complete and when it is, we are going to teach it to several select mages of the Royal Guard who will then head to all of our cities, towns, and villages to cast it on every citizen of Equestria. Twilight, it is most imperative that you do not tell anypony about this as only Luna, the mage, Cadence, Shining Armor, you, and myself know of this. If our opposition were to intercept our mages it would severely increase our casualties and hinder our combat effectiveness."
"You can count on me, Princess. I won't fail you. When will we be telling the public about the war; won't they be skeptical when the Royal guard starts casting spells on them?" Twilight was concerned that if the public did not know until it was at their doorstep, they would feel like they were betrayed and lied to by their government, and the last thing they needed was to lose the trust and support of their countrypony.
"As soon as our new reconnaissance team gets back; in fact they should be departing right about now, and seeing as it takes about 24 hours to reach Heliopolis in a straight shot I would guess somewhere around four days if everything goes according to plan. We are sending in some of the best we have available."
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War Room, Canterlot Palace.
The three ponies were quickly pulled from their studies as the doors to the war room opened and two pegasi entered.
"Lieutenant Soarin reporting for duty, Captain." Soarin stated in a textbook military tone.
"Senior Airpony Lightning Dust reporting for duty, Sir." Lightning couldn't help but look at Rainbow out of the corner of her eye. After all, she wasn't aware of Rainbow's new position, and nor was Rainbow aware of Lightning's.
"At ease, airponies. I have been requested by Cadance to give these enchanted focusing crystals to you for your reconnaissance mission." Shining Armor said while holding them out in a hoof. "They are prototypes and you will be the first to test them. While you ponies are gathering intelligence you will wear these in your ears; they will absorb your voices and transmit them to the opposite crystals, allowing you to communicate from a distance. However the distance in which they work correctly has not been fully evaluated so keep that in mind; they have been tested up to 500 meters, but it's anypony's guess to what could happen beyond that. Your normal equipment is in the pair of big brown saddlebags just inside the first armory in the back of the room." Shining Armor instructed. "Any questions?"
"No, Sir." Soarin replied; taking the crystals and heading for the armory.
"Sir, may I ask what Rainbow Dash is doing here?" Lightning asked. Still feeling bitter from Wonderbolt Academy, Lightning Dust was annoyed with Rainbow for making her feel like a villain but she was more upset with herself for actually being the 'villain'. Lightning was now at a complex, and did not know what to do about it; she just felt disgust toward the entire situation.
"Sure thing. Mind you; that's Commander Rainbow Dash now. A small conference was held and Celestia ended up deciding Rainbow Dash made a good Commander; one good enough for the Pegasus Combat Wing of Cloudsdale. Now we are just getting up to speed on some things."
Lightning Dust was almost sick with the idea of what she just heard at first, but as a few moments passed she accepted it and acknowledged Rainbow Dash's natural leadership. Still, Rainbow Dash; Commander of the old Pegasus Combat Wing?
"So I guess this means I will be taking orders from her after this mission?"
"Well since we are all in this together, the operation orders will be discussed among the officers first and then handed down accordingly. You would only be taking direct orders from Commander Dash if she could not get in contact with other officers or did not have the time too. Even so; I am sure she would make the right decisions." Shining Armor concluded.
"I'm sure she would." Lightning said with tension as she rounded to leave; heading toward the Canterlot train station to leave for Vanhoover, a port city in which Soarin and Lightning would depart on a grain export to Heliopolis; the same method used last time.
After Lighting left the room Shining Armor looked at Rainbow with curious eyes.
"Heheh. Long story short; while I was at Wonderbolt Academy I ended up being paired with her, and she ended up being the team leader of our two pony team. She made some bad decisions and I ended up team leader." Rainbow said; vividly remembering the horrific events that led to her friends nearly dying. "So what's her story? Is she a Wonderbolt now?" Rainbow asked with curiosity.
"Ah - I see. She does have a thick head on her shoulders doesn't she?" Rainbow reluctantly nodded, she would have liked Lightning if she were a little more tame. "No, she is just part of the PCW and is working to become a Wonderbolt yet..."
Soarin just returning from the armory took advantage of the momentary silence.
"Commander Rainbow Dash, may I speak with you for a minute, privately?" Soarin asked sternly.
"Sure, what's up?" She asked curiously; following him toward the door. "I'll be right outside guys, just for a minute." She added.
"No worries Commander, Blueblood and I will gather more study material in the meantime." Shining Armor said while Blueblood nodded. Rainbow and Soarin entered the hall shortly after.
"You can just call me Rainbow, or Dash, or both..." Rainbow said jovially but was quickly brought down a notch by Soarin's somber expression which made her anxious and worried just a bit, 'Now what?' she thought.
"I'm a little hurt you didn't tell me about such huge news."
'Was that it? Was that all he brought me out here to talk about?'
"Uhh - It was just last night this was decided and I have been kinda busy ever since." She said; a little confused.
"I'm kidding," Sorin let out a dry laugh "that's not the real reason I brought you out here, Rainbow. Congratulations though, I really am happy for you. Look...Can you wait here a second, Dashie?" He asked as he made his way out of the palace; still slightly somber but mixed with anxiousness or nervousness, Rainbow couldn't tell.
"Uhh - Sure." She said; still confused. 'Wait, what the hay, did he just call me Dashie? - Only my close friends call me Dashie.' Now she was even more confused than before; why was Soarin calling her Dashie? Did he not mean anything by it? Did he not know only her closest friends called her by that name?
Soarin arrived a few minutes later, something tucked under his wing.
"Hey, dude. Only my close friends call me Dashie so I'd appreciate if you didn't. Okay?" Rainbow said in an understanding tone; maybe he didn't know?
"I-I'm sorry, I just..." Rainbow picked up on the small sense of hurt her words caused; for whatever reason.
"Heh - Just forget about it. It's no biggy." Rainbow tried to lessen the impact of her previous words.
"Right...Well, you see the thing is...Even though we have only hung out a few times...Last year at the wedding you and I spent nearly the whole night together and I have to say I really enjoyed it, Rainbow. I really enjoy your company..." Soarin said with a small hint of adoration.
"Yeah, I enjoyed it too, you're pretty cool to hang out with yourself." Rainbow said; oblivious to his most recent sentiment and anxious to get back to studying. Soarin could tell Rainbow didn't understand his last bout of words and wasn't about to let the moment slip by without her knowing.
"No." He nearly yelled in which got Rainbow's full attention. "I'm sorry I had to raise my voice...But Rainbow, what I mean is I like your company. Rainbow...I like you. You've been on my mind on and off since the sonic rainboom and I'm not leaving here today without you at least knowing that." He said in a determined tone
Rainbow wasn't ready for these emotions right now, and for Soarin to be saying things like this, it really threw her through a loop. She thought that they were only hanging out at the wedding because of the occasion, and because they met each other previously at the Best Young Flyers Competition and the Gala. 'Okay, what in the hay is going on here? I'm I going crazy or is Soarin getting all sappy on me?'
"...So you see...I was hoping we could become close friends...Or maybe something more than that after all this is over..." Soarin said with an expression of prospect, as if the future were bright and everything had played out just the way he imagined it. He looked somberly optimistic if there were such a thing.
It was at this point that he unfolded his wing, revealing what was under it; a red rose, picked from the Canterlot garden at the last minute.
"I don't know what's in store for this mission, so I want you to have this, Rainbow Dash, just in case. At the very least I can rest easy with you knowing how I feel for you."
"I-I-..."'A red rose? Why me? Why would he love me? Damnit!' Rainbow's emotions from that morning were coming back and she couldn't handle anymore of that, not in front of anypony that she wasn't close to. Just as her vision started to become blurry she took off in the opposite direction; shutting herself in an empty office room near the end of the hall.
"I'm sorry, Soarin, I'm sorry!" She muttered under her breath; not loud enough for him to hear.
Soarin let out a melancholy sigh; he saw a look in her eyes as she turned to run that said something - but it was something he couldn't place at the moment...Soarin went over to the door of the office room and set the rose on the floor.
"I'll figure it out, Rainbow. I promise." He nearly whispered, and with that he headed toward the train station.
Rainbow waited a few moments after hearing him trot away just to be sure he was gone; she collected herself - fighting back those old tears once again, the tears of loyalty, and with one final breath she opened the door and took a step out, but only to find herself stepping on the stem of the rose; looking down with a startled gasp she soon found herself stuck in her thoughts again, a plethora of emotions coming back for the umpteenth time that day, and with another breath she picked up the rose; looking at it pensively for a few moments before she bit off the majority of the stem and stuck the rose in her mane above her ear.
Rainbow arrived back in the war room just as the captain and knight were laying maps out on a big table.
"Ah - Just on time, Commander. I figured we will go over some geology and how it coincides with some of the things we have already learned; Blueblood is a cartographer of sorts so this should be a breeze." Shining Armor noticed light tear streaks on Rainbow's face and the rose in her mane; he decided to stay out of it unless mentioned; he knew that it probably dealt with Soarin, and Shining Armor knew more than enough about relationships; that they normally iron themselves out.
"Alright, sounds good. Just gimme a sec to get out of this cuirass; it's starting to get a little hot." She said, ready to get back to work.
___________________
Dining Hall, Canterlot Palace.
Afternoon.
"Hmm - So basically you want Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy to be support elements for now?"
"Yes, I know they all have the drive to combat evil as well as the resolve, but they may lack expertise in the actual physicality of life or death fighting." Celestia said reluctantly.
"Well they did hold their own during the wedding attack didn't they?" Twilight questioned; just wanting a sound explanation.
"Yes, Twilight. Although we face the same enemies now I think their goal then was to capture you without harming you. That even further strengthens my request; we cannot allow any of the element bearers to be captured or killed, for the power of the elements is our greatest strength against evil."
Twilight still wasn't sure if this was the best way of going about the matter but she would decide to go with it for now for simplicity's sake. Celestia had requested that the other four element bearers stay back and help with logistics, Applejack and Pinkie Pie would help with food rations while Rarity would help with smithing high quality armor and weapons, and Fluttershy would help with medical treatment.
"Hmm - I suppose I can't really argue with that, but there is still the matter of Rainbow Dash. Why would you promote her to such a high ranking military position right off the bat if you wanted the element bearers to stay back for the fighting? Do you know how stressful that's been on her?" Twilight started to get a little flustered; for her friends' well being meant everything to her.
"I am aware of the burden it's put on her, Twilight, and it pains me to see her suffer too, but I think that burden pales in comparison to what she'd feel if she watched her fellow countrypony die and did nothing about it. What is her main virtue, Twilight?" Celestia spoke genuinely.
"Loyalty." Twilight said with a sigh; knowing well what Celestia was getting at.
"Exactly. You know she wouldn't be content with anything other than staying true to that virtue, Twilight. Her leadership aside; loyalty is a strong thing and I think this is the best way for her to exert it."
"Right..." Twilight knew how dense Rainbow could be; especially with her loyalty toward others, so there was no convincing her otherwise if she had her mind set on something. 'That dumb mare is going to end up killing herself one of these days.' "So when should we tell the other elements? Don't you think we should let them know the plan before hoof so we can keep things organized and under control?"
"We will tell the rest of the elements as soon as you can get to Ponyville, my sister Luna will escort you. You are just to tell them that they are needed at the palace. We will go over the finer details after we get them settled in,"
"Understood. Are we ready to leave, Luna?"
"We most certainly are, Twilight, as long as you are." Luna said while finishing off an apple, core and all.
___________________
Vanhoover Harbor.
Approximately 3 hours after Luna and Twilight left for Ponyville.
Soarin and Lightning had just finished packing their supplies into the ship they would be riding in and were now below deck relaxing with a few drinks at a card table as the dockhooves were readying the ship for departure.
"Did somepony kill your dog or something? Why do you look so down all of sudden? Lightning asked; as Soarin was usually pretty upbeat.
"No, Dusty. It's just...Forget it. It's nothing." Soarin puffed morosely.
"It's Rainbow Dash, isn't it?" Lightning asked; looking at Soarin with knowing eyes.
"Hmph - How'd you figure that one?" Soarin asked; fiddling with a mug as he sat there still downcast.
"Well for the most part I guessed, but I could put two and two together; it wasn't that difficult to figure out...After I left the War Room I heard you two talking, none of which was discernable mind you, I was already too far away. But after that was when you started acting mopy...You never told me you two had a thing, what happened?"
"Heh - I gotta say; more perceptive than you lead yourself on to be, but Rainbow and I don't have a thing...We're just...friends." 'Are we even that, Rainbow?' Soarin wasn't sure if Rainbow ever wanted anything to do with him again, but that look in her eyes as she fled told him there was still some sort of hope.
"Hmm - I'm not buying it, but I'll leave you alone. Wouldn't want to intrude on somepony's love life." Lightning said with a smirk.
Soarin fixed Lightning with a sour glare for a few moments before briskly getting up and heading to one of the ships stays.
"Wait, where are you going? I don't mean anything by that." Lightning said; mentally facehoofing for running her mouth again.
"I know you didn't, but I'm calling it early. I'll see you predawn...Try to get some sleep too." Soarin waved a dismissive hoof over his shoulder as he walked away.
Lightning took another drink and looked at one of the empty beds and decided it would be best to head in as well. They had planned on getting up early so they could review the mission planning before they reached their destination tomorrow.
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Undisclosed location.
Time unknown.
"So you say they have two more coming tomorrow?" A shadowy, malevolent voice asked.
"Yes, Lord Sombra, that is what our sources tell us. Shall we eliminate them on arrival?" A changeling spoke.
"No, no, there won't be any need for that." Sombra said in a sinister tone. "It actually works out better if they live..."
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Author's Notes:
This song kinda helped me with writing Rainbow's parts.
Youtube Video
Also, Rainbow is best pony.
