Harmony and Chaos

Rain fell in heavy sheets at the Equestria Military Graveyard, where all the Wonderbolts and Royal Guard members who had died in battle were laid to rest. Surrounding the sleek black coffin were the friends and family of Wonderbolt Captain Spitfire. At last, the ultimate war of Light and Darkness was over after two long years, the good ponies of Equestria could lay their fallen heroes to their well-deserved rest.

Among those mourning the loss of Spitfire was Captain Rainbow Dash of the Thunderbolts, who was wearing her new captain’s dress uniform and an eyepatch over her right eye, which she lost the use of in the final battle.

With Captain Rainbow was her special somepony and true love, Lieutenant Soarin Skylar, also sporting a dress uniform, who had his hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.

As Spitfire’s coffin is lowered into the ground, we hear Rainbow’s voice,  which had turned gravelly and stern over two years of fighting a war.

A famous pony once said, “We create our own demons.” Who said it? What does it mean? I have no idea, I’m just saying it ‘cause he said it. So, basically, it’s getting said by a war hero, which would be me, and somepony else… aw, damn it, I’m getting mixed up…

Why don’t we track this from the beginning?

~

Two years earlier, we find Rainbow Dash on a stage with her team, both eyes undamaged and decked out in a Wonderbolt’s Sergeant dress uniform, at a party known as “The Induction Ball,” where Wonderbolt cadets become official Wonderbolts. Captain Spitfire took the stage.

“Tonight… we gather here, in Canterlot’s ballroom, to welcome Sergeant Rainbow Amelia Dash and her team, into the folds of the Wonderbolts. To be honest, I see great things coming from Sergeant Dash. It was she who taught me that being the best shouldn’t come at other ponies’ expense, and that it meant pushing yourself in the right direction, rather than out-performing your peers. With that, I say to the new 95th Regiment of the Wonderbolts, welcome to the family,” said Spitfire.

“Attention!” cried Rainbow, who snapped a salute along with her team.

~

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Later that evening, Sergeant Dash shook hooves and talked with several very important ponies. Soarin, who looked very nervous, walked up to Rainbow.

“H-hey, Rainbow? Uh, may I have this dance?” he asked.

Rainbow smiled. Truth was, she always had a bit of a crush on Soarin. And, as of lately judging by the fact that he couldn’t form a decent sentence around her, he felt the same way.

“Yes. Yes, you may,” said Rainbow.

As the party went on through the night, Soarin and Rainbow danced and talked. As they did, they found that they liked being close to each other. Finally, when the party ended, Soarin offered to walk Rainbow to her new home not far from Canterlot.

~

When Soarin and Rainbow arrived at Rainbow’s place, Soarin looked as though he was dying to ask Rainbow something.

“Uh, Rainbow… I was wondering… if you’re not busy next wednesday at 8:00… would you, maybe… like to go on a date with me?” asked Soarin.

Rainbow smiled. “Sure… where were you thinking?” she asked.

Soarin poked the ground with his hoof. “Maybe the Hayloft?” he said.

“Sounds good. See you then, if not sooner,” said Rainbow as she went into her house.

Soarin jumped into the air. “YES!” he said.

~

Rainbow Dash pulled out a little wooden box that was on a shelf and opened it. Inside was a golden necklace with a ruby pendant shaped like a lightning bolt. It was her old Element of Harmony, Loyalty. As Rainbow put on the necklace and looked in the mirror, we once again hear her future self’s voice.

I know what you’re thinking. “Where’s Princess Twilight, and Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, and the others?” Well, it turns out that friendship, just like any other magic, can wither and die. Truth was, me and the girls kinda drifted apart. I hadn’t spoken to any of them for almost two years. Why should I? I had everything going for me, my dream fully realized, a date with a good stallion… problem with life is, everything that can knock your world onto its ass, probably will…

~

Around the same time, a supply ship fleet was on its way to the Wonderbolt Academy. Suddenly, out of the night came six purple and black blurs came up beside the fleet, encircling it. They were all pegasi and wore what seemed to be purple and black versions of Wonderbolt uniforms.

“Blueball! Did you bring the camera?” barked a pegasus mare with a ghostly white mane and tail.

Blueball Blitz, a stallion with a light purple mane and tail, nodded and held up a video camera.

“Good… all right, fillies and gentlecolts, let’s get this over with. I want to hit the airwaves tonight,” said the mare.

As Blueball turned on the camera, the other five Shadowbolts charged up black energy balls, which they hurled at the fleet. The next two hours were ones of chaos and horror. The Shadowbolts, with Blueball filming while wearing a psychotic grin and throwing his own energy ball every once in a while, laid complete and total waste to the fleet, and claimed their cargo…

~

The next morning, Rainbow Dash was awoken by a phone call from Captain Spitfire.

“Rainbow, turn on the TV. Now,” was all that Spitfire said at first.

Not sure what was going on, Rainbow turned on her TV. The only thing on it was a stylized serpent skeleton over what looked like…

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. Somepony had hacked the TV satellites and were showing video of themselves destroying a supply fleet.

As if on cue, a pegasus mare with a white mane and tail wearing an outfit Rainbow recognized as something she wore on Nightmare Night a few years back appeared, sitting on a stylized throne.

“Hello, Equestria. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Blackthorn of the Shadowbolts,” said Blackthorn in an almost businesspony-like air. “Now, to business. The footage you just saw was of myself and five of my closest and most loyal family members laying waste to a supply fleet heading for the Wonderbolt Academy. I can personally assure you of two things: one, we have the cargo, and two, there are no survivors. Now, just to give you an idea of what exactly you’re dealing with, if six pegasi could destroy an entire fleet, then imagine what this many can do.”

The camera turned to reveal absolutely no one standing there. Rainbow Dash and Captain Spitfire couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Grr! Blueball, you idiot! Turn the camera the other way!” yelled Blackthorn.

“Sorry, boss,” came a stallion’s voice with a Manehattan accent.

As the camera turned in the proper direction, Rainbow and Spitfire stopped laughing. There were hundreds, if not thousands of pegasi dressed as Shadowbolts.

“So, you see, Equestria. You may know who we are now. But, you don’t know where we are… and you’ll never see us coming. Man your battlestations, troops! The war has begun... Stratus, give the good ponies their TVs back,” said Blackthorn.

With that, the transmission ended, leaving breaking news broadcasts in its wake.