Chapter 1
Beyond the seven known realms, a newborn infant laughs for the first time, brilliant violet eyes shut in the glee that only a child could possess. Her parents beam in happiness as the infant's mother's eyes blur with tears...
A brother toils endlessly in infinite fields edged by apple orchards. His straw blonde hair was slick with sweat; the sun bears no mercy to the young slave. But he continues to work, knowing the consequences that shall befall him and his sister should he fall behind...
An evil tyrant, a conqueror of the stars and an envious royal locked in an endless cycle of battle in strife fight against one another on the battlefield bloodied by the innocents. The battle makes them weary for the eternal slumber but not one dares to show weakness...
In the void that was the nothingness, a goddess sleeps. Locks of iridescent hair float like a halo as each breath comes in short sighs. And with each breath, a new universe comes into existence...
Rainbow Dash shut the door to the reactor core of the NLR Battleship. Three years of no maintenance had left the ship's main power source heavily degraded, not to mention the core's containment system. One mechanic had suggested that they bring up the Battleship to fully operational status, in preparation to fight Celestia. After a quick crash course on reactor repair by one of the surviving NLR mechanics, Rainbow Dash was able to affect a quick-fix to the reactor's containment systems, ensuring a safe, steady supply of power to the ship's weapon systems.
Fastening the last wires together, Rainbow Dash cringed as pain racked her body again for the third time, electricity coursing through her fingers. She had been assured that such a limited exposure to such high levels of radiation and electricity wasn't bad for her, but Rainbow Dash wasn't as certain as the MCs were about her health. There was nothing just or heroic about death by radiation; it was just plain lame. Rainbow Dash closed the panel, wiping her oil stained hands upon her jeans, and furiously typed several codes into the main computer linked to the core. A series of high pitched beeping rewarded her efforts as she glided across the grating, her light footsteps flooding the corridor.
Rainbow Dash swiftly scaled the ladder out into the main maintenance corridor, and after taking a few more turns, stepped out onto the massive deck. The elegant craft sailed at light-speed through a myriad of green, blue, yellow, and other unidentifiable colours. As Rainbow Dash made her way to the ship's bridge tower, the gun emplacement around her emerged from their housing beneath the deck, humming as they spun up their systems. Pleased with the positive response from the weapon systems, Rainbow Dash headed towards the main console to check the status of the other systems.
A content hum announced her satisfaction. Absentmindedly, she rubbed the five, pure crystal rings upon her fingers, two on her right and three on her left, and looked towards the blurred lines that were passing stars and planets. The sixth ring hung upon an unbreakable metal chain around her chest, underneath her white shirt and beige scarf.
Three weeks had left the crew of the Battleship irritable and weary. For Rainbow Dash, it had left her paranoid and reminiscing, neither good qualities to have to begin with. Together, the crew had swiftly learned to all but avoid the edgy leader. The multicoloured haired teenager eyed the solid bands of chatoyant crystals with a grimace. How she had acquired the rings was a less than pleasant experience, quite excruciating if she was to be honest, but after having a blackout only days ago, she chose not to dwell on the past for too long. The ship couldn't handle the sudden outburst of unicorn, valkyrie and earth magic.
"Hey, Boss," called out Iron Gear, the head mechanic, "da boys just finished da hull. They'd be down in da mess hall by now."
She nodded in acknowledgement, her hands dropping to her sides, almost guiltily.
"Good, that's good." she replied cooly. The leader of the NLR Battleship paused momentarily before asking, "Are the cells ready for the Jump?"
Iron Gear toothily grinned. "'Course, Boss! Me and da boys got da cells right as ah jiffy! It's as good as new!" he boasted.
"Are you positive? Because if there's any problem, we'll be dead faster than Celestia can rise the sun." pressed Rainbow Dash.
The man shuffled uncomfortably at the information. "I can get da boys to check da cells again, Boss."
She curtly nodded. Rainbow Dash lazily waved away the head mechanic, her attention focused on the ever shifting monitors.
"You go and do that. I want a full report on the condition of the ship on my desk before we Jump."
"Sure thing, Boss."
Just as before, she was left alone in the bridge tower. The empty seats screamed at her. Most of the crew had died in the first couple of Jumps. Those that didn't left immediately, save for a couple dozen mechanics, doctors and cooks. The soldiers that had once manned the guns had all but died, and now the weapon systems were manned by an A.I named EWCU, which stood for Equestrian Weapon Command Unit. It's artificial voice that sounded a tad like her childhood friend, Fluttershy, annoyed the living day lights out of her whenever it spoke to her.
This time, however, the emptiness of the bridge tower was much appreciated. No one could witness her doubt. A Jump was difficult as it was, and to have anyone see their fearless leader hesitant would do nothing but lower the already steep morale of the remaining crew. The young leader brought a scarred hand through her hair, pulling it into a loose ponytail, and when the erratic blinking of a monitor to her left caught her deep pink, nearly red, eyes, she abandoned her ridiculous fears. If she had thought the reactor core was an emergency, then this, this was a thousand times worse. Rainbow Dash slammed her hand down upon one of the larger buttons.
"This is Rainbow Dash, all hands on deck! I repeat, all hands on deck!" screamed Rainbow Dash, into the com-link.
The alarms blared across the Battleship as the red lights flared in the bridge tower. She typed at ridiculous speeds as the monitors glared and the weapon systems locked onto something in the distance. She hadn't expected the Empire's ships to actually find the NLR, and with the condition of the Battleship, Rainbow Dash knew they were beyond royally screwed. There was only one choice she had now, and it was less than pleasant.
"You've got to be kidding me! Why now? Why?!" demanded Rainbow Dash, cursing all the while as she ran between the consoles. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Celestia dammit!" Her fist collided with the metal surface of the console, jarring it slightly from it's sturdy hinges.
Despite being in the bridge tower, Rainbow Dash could easily hear the shouts from the remaining crew over the blaring of the sirens. It was a sound she had grown too accustomed to over the past three years aboard the NLR.
"Brace for to Jump! I repeat, brace to Jump!" she yelled over the com.
Using curses that even Celestia would blush at, Rainbow Dash raced towards the main chair that overlooked the bridge deck, pushed a few buttons in rapid succession and brought up a screen. Her fingers flashed across the screen in what could only be described as a blur before she took a hasty breath. Everything was set for an emergency Jump. Praying to whatever deity was out there, Rainbow Dash swiftly removed the sixth ring and hurriedly slid it upon her right middle finger as the elegant Battleship jerked to the side at the sudden impact of an energy blast from the Empire Battleship. It didn't matter, though. The ruby ring was already firmly settled against her finger.
Another jerk and Rainbow Dash was clawing her crystal covered fingers into the arms of the titanium chair. Channeling what little focus she had with the distractions of the sirens, the crew screaming, the stars blurring past them and the Empire Battleship firing against the NLR, the pure crystal bands illuminated a brilliant glow, faint but still there. A myriad of spells rolling off her tongue in a succession of pure, untamed magic. The rings rapidly increased in brightness, engulfing Rainbow Dash in a rainbow whirlwind, before it shot off into the bowels of the Battleship. Eyes flickering, Rainbow Dash could feel the tangible power of the rings seep into every creak and crevice.
Her voice shook in unison to the blasts hitting the Empire Battleship behind them. While it wasn't the ideal situation for a Jump, Rainbow Dash was certain that she could successfully complete a Jump, essentially breaking the fourth wall.
"K'haile brama turre." chanted Rainbow Dash.
Her brow creased with concentration as cool sweat dripped off her brow, down the crevices of her face and past the nape of her neck. Trembling lips formed a straight line when she was nearly jarred from her seat at a particular jolt, the lights of the starship flickering out of existence. Along with the lights went the sirens, leaving the ship and the crew in an eerie silence that was deafening to her ears.
"Sdara gha hulugron trikona." she hissed through clenched teeth.
The once dimly lit rings were blinding white with power, burning her already scarred hands with their uncontrollable might. The abhorrent stench of burnt flesh and wires made her gag reflex prominent. She bit back the natural reaction to gag and cradle her burning fingers. Instead, she focused her hyped awareness to concentrating it upon wrapping the ship in an aura of rainbow. The sudden tug at her navel and the warping interior of the ship stretching forward alerted her of the breakage of the transparent, intangible fourth wall.
"Fhi zehu cargar ohtama!"
Whiteness blurred her already distorted vision...
Upon a castle balcony overlooking the gorgeous city of Canterlot, the purple haired student of Princess Celestia mindlessly sipped a steaming mug of coffee. It was close to seven in the morning, and most of the city and palace residents were fast asleep, all except for her. The student–Twilight Sparkle, heroine of Equestria, bearer of the Element of Magic–had woken up at the crack of dawn when her beloved mentor was just rising the sun above the rolling hills in the far distance. After completing a few notes she had abandoned in the library last night, Twilight Sparkle, under the heavy recommendation of Princess Celestia to not overwork herself, again, slipped away from the boredom that was the court, which was saying something in itself, to enjoy a peaceful, non-Discord-ruining breakfast. Thus far, it was.
Twilight Sparkle enjoyed a nice, fresh salad with a cup of strong coffee on the side. A book on spells sat in one hand while the other held the steaming cup. With the turning of the pages, she sipped the black coffee. That was, however, until she saw something glisten in the distance, too bright to be a star but too high to be a balloon. Her first thoughts on what the mysterious object was in the sky was whether it required the Elements of Harmony. Her second thought was did it involve Rainbow Dash? The valkyrie had been attempting more crazy and unusual tricks and shenanigans than before. Perhaps to spite Discord for taking wings perviously. Or, she was really that idiotic. Twilight Sparkle didn't put it past the rainbow haired athlete to try something ridiculous.
Her suspicions leaned towards Rainbow Dash as the object too far away to identify started to shift from blinding white to iridescent, leaving shock waves of rainbow in it's wake. Captured by the sheer beauty of the display of brilliant colours, Twilight Sparkle was utterly flabbergasted.
Valkyrie magic at best was wild like lightning. It struck fast and it left little residue besides a faint afterimage. Clouds for example were mostly created by valkyrie. They were large, fearsome towers, but clouds held a lot of space between molecules, according to the research of Star Swirl the Bearded. They only lasted for so long before turning into vapour. The Sonic Rainboom on the other hand was pure valkyrie magic. Bursting through the sound barrier was no easy feat, and it left a colour trail in it's wake as light and sound particles bender around the individual. Though, a multiple Sonic Rainboom was theoretically impossible due to having already broken the barrier. It left a giant magic trail that only unicorns could pick up. For a witch such as Twilight Sparkle, whose magic was almost even to that of a unicorn's might, the trail was like a blinding white light trailing wherever the individual went. Thus, seeing the distant rainbooms was quite startling.
Forgoing the coffee and book, Twilight Sparkle was already on her feet by the time the object became clearer, and only one thought dominated her massive brain, Twilight blanched considerably.
The object was falling directly towards the Canterlot palace at lightning speeds. Bigger than anything she had ever seen before, the object looked vaguely like an enormous boat with strange objects swirling upon it's deck and sides, firing what could only be described as balls of fire at something behind it. Fire engulfed a good portion of the ship, too. She quickly crossed out the chance of it being friendly and wondered whether this was an attack by the Gryphons. No one in Equestria could have possibly created such a monstrous creation. The few that were awake in Canterlot and the palace did the only thing it could do in such a situation; they screamed.
Their horrified screams awakened the entire city and palace as people ran to and fro. Twilight Sparkle huffed indignantly. The rest of the Mane Six had gone home after the incident with the Spirit of Chaos. Which meant the Elements of Harmony would be useless against the giant metal beast. A blur of white, gold and pastels flew past her at neck breaking speeds and it took the bearer of the Element of Magic only milliseconds to identify the majestic being.
"Princess!" screamed Twilight Sparkle.
"Twilight Sparkle," exclaimed the princess, "go help Canterlot evacuate!"
"But, Princess, I can help you!"
The Sun Sovereign simply shook her head. "It's too dangerous, Twilight Sparkle. You need to get out of here while you still have time!" she explained.
"What are you going to do?" demanded the bewildered Twilight Sparkle, her entire world crashing down upon her head. "You don't know what that thing is!"
"That is why I must stop it before it hurts anyone. Should I fail, I will have bought the citizens of Canterlot enough time to get to safety! Do not argue with me, Twilight Sparkle!" Princess Celestia's eyes and hands glowed gold. "Now go!"
The flying monarch took off in a billowing of robes as magic encased her, leaving Twilight Sparkle in her wake.
Calling after the legendary monarch, Twilight Sparkle watched in horror as the burning ship continued its barreling descent towards the palace. The once hazy words written across the hull became visible against the early sun and flames.
The New Lunar Republic.
Her thoughts flickered to the most likely slumbering moon princess as she watched Princess Celestia use her powerful magic to encase the ship. It wasn't enough. The mysterious vessel plummeted towards the castle at alarming rates with absolutely no sign of stopping until a wide arc of rainbow lightning stretched itself across the entirety of the ship. It crackled fiercely as it netted itself against the silver metal of the New Lunar Republic and made it come to a screeching halt only inches away from colliding with the tallest spiral of the palace. It overshadowed Twilight while the remaining witches and wizards used whatever water spells they knew to extinguish the growing flames.
There was no way in Celestia's name that this situation didn't call for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. She just prayed that she could reach them in time.
Street side, every soldier and civilian were clamouring towards the ship with interest and suspicion. There was no way something like this could be kept quiet. Princess Luna must have seen it. However, along with Twilight Sparkle, every soldier and medic in a hundred mile radius were converging at the hull of the ship using magic and wings to discover what exactly laid within.
Chapter 2
White spots teased Rainbow Dash's vision as she felt a sturdy pair of hands set her right.
"Boss, you alright?" asked the concerned Iron Gear.
She waved the big man off.
"Yeah, I think I'm good. Just a bit dazed from the Jump."
Rainbow Dash straightened, her vision was nearly cleared except for a few spots of white around the edges. But she had had worse compared to this. A small migraine was already forming on the back of her head and her eye twitched. She could feel the newly damaged skin cells righting themselves thanks to ring number four.
"What about the rest of the crew? Are they alright?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Da boys are fine, Boss. Da hull took a nasty hit but it ain't nothing da boys and I can't fix. Doc said everything is good in da med-bay. He's more concerned about you, Boss." explained Iron Gear.
"Tell him, I'm fine. The rest of the men are who he should be fussing about."
Sparks flew from one if the consoles near them, causing them to flinch violently. The Jump was hard enough without having to worry about a broken ship. Iron Gear expectantly stood besides her, watching the veteran youth scan the working monitors for any more abnormalities with the Battleship. He jumped when Rainbow Dash slammed her hand upon one of the console desks.
"Fuck!" cursed Rainbow Dash. She sighed and ran a ring covered hand through her hair. "Most of the levels have been hit. We're also missing a thruster while Sector D is mostly missing. We're down to forty-three percent on the backup and the reactor is at twelve. Fuck!"
"Do you want da boys and I to check the area out? See if some of da locals are willing to help out, Boss?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head.
"There's no telling what the locals are like or who they're working for. It's better if we keep our distance as much as possible. Get as many men as you can and start fixing the hull and Sector D." she ordered. "We need to get the ship as stable as possible for a Jump."
She carefully slid the sixth ring off her burnt finger and unto the chain, but Rainbow Dash didn't budge an inch from her position at the monitors, her train of thought had just experienced a fifty car pile up with a highly reactive, oil truck. It was not a pretty sight at all. Her freshly burnt fingers clenched and unclenched at alarming rates as she just stood there lost in the abyss that was her mind. The vibrant valkyrie was practically dead to the world. It wasn't until Iron Gear cleared his throat that Rainbow Dash snapped to attention. Fortunately, the sixth ring was already around her neck.
"What was I saying?"
Her eyebrows knitted together, she snapped her fingers.
"Brace for impact? Something about Jumping. Did we make it?"
Another pause. A harsh curse tumbled out of her chapped lips as she struggled to remember what she had just said, damning her blackouts to the deepest, hottest pit of Tartarus there was. While she suffered from slight short-term memory loss after a blackout–or freak episode as the crew likes to call them behind her back–it was thankfully short, forgetting the pun, however. Fortunately, her little "freak episode" was short and nonviolent.
"Yes, Sector D. I'll leave you and the boys to it. By the time I return, I expect an improvement or it's your ass being fed to Celestia." cheerfully threatened Rainbow Dash, sliding on a pair of aviators. "And get the reactor core back online. Milk spoils when there's no power."
"Sure thing, Boss!" Iron Gear gave a sloppy salute to the rainbow haired youth as she walked out.
Walking through the labyrinth of corridors, Rainbow Dash eventually reached the hangar, where a few all terrain vehicles were locked in position. A PELICAN sat to the side as did a couple of fighter planes the crew and her had accumulated over the five years they've been traveling. She walked past all of them, choosing to use her wings instead. Rainbow Dash hit the green button on the side of the wall, and with a hiss and several gears churning in their slots, the hangar floor slid asunder and a ramp extended itself down to what appeared to be...a castle tower? Well, that was certainly new.
Rainbow Dash confidently stood at the edge of the long ramp, her get already half off, and gazed at the new environment.
The gilded tipped tower was connected to a large, white and gold castle built into the side of a steep mountain. The castle overlooked a large town that reminded Rainbow Dash slightly of Jump 24. It looked like a normal town filled with normal people that were normally looking at the NLR Battleship with a normal amount of fear. And surrounding the NLR Battleship were squadrons of golden armored soldiers.
"Hey." casually greeted Rainbow Dash.
The guards didn't look as pleased to meet her as she had hoped.
"By order of the Princess, you are under arrest!" shouted one of the soldiers. He practically trembled in his gilded armor.
"Under arrest? What for?" Rainbow Dash asked.
She was pretty positive that she hasn't broken any laws recently.
"For disturbing the peace!"
"Well, yeah...sorry 'bout that."
Her words had no affect upon the terrified soldier. The spear in his hands quivered. Rainbow Dash dug her hands into her back jean pockets, which held an inter-dimension rift that held most of her weapons, a locker of sorts, fingering the handles of the dual pistols. They were two M9s that she had stolen off of one of Celestia's goons in Jump 3.
"Put your hands up!"
Arching an eyebrow, Rainbow Dash frowned slightly. She hated to hurt innocents, but if it meant getting the supplies needed to find Celestia, then so be it.
"I don't think that's the best choice." Rainbow Dash answered, her hands curled around the handles. "Because, you see, I don't want to hurt you."
"By order of Princess Celestia, you are under arrest!" screamed the frustrated soldier.
Her ears perked, a feral grin threatened to split her face. It was time for a change of plans.
"Princess Celestia, huh?"
Twilight Sparkle eyed the strange vessel with a morbid fascination. The New Lunar Republic just sat there, only meters away from the Canterlot Palace, glistening in the dawn's rays. Perhaps, Twilight Sparkle mused, it couldn't move. The rainbow colored lightning had vanished once the ship came to a screeching halt, and the fire had been put out by the witches, wizards and valkyrie on the scene. A good chunk of the hull was missing, letting everyone see the sparking interior of the massive ship while the soldiers went to work on discovering what the New Lunar Republic was. They tried to enter through the hole. However, a blue force field had pushed them out before they could even step in.
While the gilded soldiers were busy poking and prodding the metal monster, the purple haired youth searched for her mentor, wishing all the while that she had brought Spike along. It would save her the trouble of tracking down Princess Celestia, and she could send a letter to the others back home of their current predicament. She ran through the corridors, took a couple of unneeded turns, and came out at the platform crafted from unicorn magic at the tallest tower, where the Elements of Harmony were housed, and her beloved mentor stood eyeing the giant metal death trap, surrounded by a legion of golden armored soldiers.
"Princess Celestia!" exclaimed Twilight Sparkle.
Said Princess turned around with a sigh already escaping her lips. The royal guards parted for the bearer of the Element of Magic.
"Twilight Sparkle," breathed Princess Celestia, "why am I not surprised?"
"I'm sorry, Princess, but I don't think you should handle this alone. We don't even know what this thing is!" She made a gesture to the stationed vessel.
"It's a Battleship." replied Princess Celestia, her light purple eyes gazing at the scorched ship.
"A Battleship?" stammered the brilliant witch. The name of the vessel was foreign and bitter upon her tongue.
"Yes, a Battleship. They were used in times of war." Her brows knitted together, Princess Celestia shook her head. "I've only heard of them in legends, and this vessel seems to match all the descriptions."
"But, Princess, how is that possible? Equestria hasn't had a war ever!"
"Perhaps it is not from Equestria. Be on your guard, my faithful student. The Elements of Harmony might need to be utilized." As she said this, a loud screeching sound flooded the palace as part of the hull of the New Lunar Republic Battleship disappeared, and a ramp took it's place, extending towards the awaiting soldiers and Princess.
Everyone took a tentative step back as they raised their spears and swords at the empty ramp. Metal clanked metal and Twilight Sparkle already had her magic ready for a shield spell in case whatever was inside decided to attack. But nothing did. Then, footsteps could be heard against the pregnant silence that befell Canterlot. Black boots appeared followed by jean covered legs that had a holster or bag of shorts attached to her waist and the bottom of a white shirt appeared. Apprehension grasped the skilled witch as the full body of the mysterious stranger came into view. Twilight Sparkle nearly fainted. At the edge of the ramp for all to see was Rainbow Dash. In black boots, jeans, a white tee, a beige scarf and aviators, Rainbow Dash stood grinning like she owned the world, and it took everything in her power not to call out to her friend and fellow bearer of the Element of Loyalty.
"Hey." Rainbow Dash greeted smugly.
"By order of the Princess, you are under arrest!" announced Lieutenant Wind Chaser, Shining Armor's second in command.
Rainbow Dash looked more amused than concerned at the announcement. Twilight Sparkle wondered how she wasn't freaking out by now.
"Under arrest? What for?" innocently asked the iridescent valkyrie.
The Royal Guard looked dumbfounded at the Element of Loyalty's words. It was no surprise really. Rainbow Dash had the tendency to dumbfound everyone with life threatening her stunts. "For disturbing the peace!"
"Well, yeah...sorry 'bout that." guffawed Rainbow Dash.
Her hands disappeared behind her back as the muscles in her arms flexed as if she was grasping something.
"Put your hands up!" barked Wind Chaser, the Royal Guard strategically placed themselves around the Riser of the Sun.
"I don't think that's the best choice." Rainbow Dash answered, her smile turning into a frown. "Because, you see, I don't want to hurt you."
"By order of Princess Celestia, you are under arrest!" screamed Wind Chaser.
This caught the reckless youth's attention. A positively feral sneer split her face, and for the first time since their meeting, Twilight Sparkle was terrified of her friend. Besides the fact that she appeared in the middle of Canterlot with a metal creation only used for war, Twilight Sparkle questioned if something had happened to Rainbow Dash. If Discord had escaped from his stone punishment.
"Princess Celestia, huh?" she positively beamed.
"Yes, Princess Celestia!"
"Well, go and tell your beloved sovereign to come and face me herself if she demands my arrest." ordered the eerily smiling Rainbow Dash.
"Princess, don't." pleaded Twilight Sparkle, her heart in her throat.
Princess Celestia sent a reassuring smile to her pleading student. "Have faith, Twilight Sparkle." She gave a short motion to the guards and they parted without much noise. Wind Chaser gave a short bow to the venerable sovereign of the sun, leaving her to face Rainbow Dash on her own with a legion of gold behind her. "I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria-"
"Save your titles for someone who cares." interrupted Rainbow Dash.
"May I know who you are?" calmly replied Celestia.
"Who am I? I'm surprised you don't already know. After all, you who claim to know everything should know above all who I am." Rainbow Dash snorted. "Or perhaps your titles are only a ruse, a carefully placed guide to deter the hopeful and desperate. Immortality must make one slow."
"Where is the real Rainbow Dash?"
The iridescent teenager gave a haughty laugh that sent shivers down Twilight Sparkle's spine, and thoughts of Discord invaded her mind. So this wasn't the real Rainbow Dash? Well, Twilight Sparkle would later think, that explained her advanced vocabulary.
"I'm surprised, Celestia. I really am. I had really thought you would know. Well, I guess it's up to me." She cleared her throat. "I am the Traveler Among the Stars, Lady of Time, God Slayer, Executioner of the Eternal, Survivor of the First Realm. Different religions and cultures call me by thousands of names. Most call me the Rebel. My name is Rainbow Dash. But you, you can call me your executioner."
She brought her hands from behind her back and in both hands were identical devices that reminded Twilight Sparkle of crossbows, except without the bow on top and they were smaller and black. She smiled evilly.
"Tell me, a quick and painless death or a slow and painful? I have time for both."
