Harmony and Chaos

Rainbow walked into the Hayloft Restaurant wearing a simple blue dress and her hair pulled back. Soarin was already at their table, wearing a blue suit and tie. Rainbow ordered a Caesar Salad while Soarin ordered a DDD, or Daisy-Dandelion-Daffodil, Salad. As the two ate, drank wine, and recounted the misadventures they had, they somehow found themselves on the topic of the Shadowbolts.

“When the last hacked message appeared, Blackthorn said that both the attacks were merely unlit kindling, and that the match, the ‘Big One’ was coming sooner than we thought,” said Soarin.

Rainbow sighed as she took a sip of wine. “What’s their goal? Every major threat the girls and I ever faced had a goal of some sort. Nightmare Moon wanted revenge after being trapped in the moon for a thousand years, Discord wanted to get even with Celestia for trapping him in stone, those Changelings wanted a buffet, and Sombra wanted his throne back,” Rainbow explained. “But, these guys… I can’t make out their goal at all.”

“Join the club,” said Soarin, taking a sip of wine. “But, that’s not what’s got me, or any of the Princesses, worried. If destroying a fleet and wiping out a military base was merely unlit fuel… I hate to think what the Big One is.”

~

As Rainbow and Soarin left the restaurant, dark clouds swirled overhead. In fact, they had barely made it off the block when the rain started to fall. They quickly took shelter under a newspaper stand. While they were there, Rainbow and Soarin looked into each others eyes… Before either of them really knew what was happening, Rainbow and Soarin closed their eyes, leaned in, and kissed…

~

When Rainbow and Soarin got to Rainbow’s place, they went straight to the bedroom. Moments later, passionate moaning could be heard from behind the closed door as Rainbow Dash and Soarin Skylar started to make their feathers fly….

Oh, if they only knew how short their night of passion was going to be.

~

Meanwhile, six solid black ships, which allowed them to blend into the stormy night, flew towards Canterlot. They were all Shadowbolt ships. They were named The Endeavor, King Sombra’s Revenge, The Cobra, The Basilisk, and the flagship, The Wicked Wench. In a matter of moments, the ships had gotten so close to Canterlot that if the Unicorn Royal Guard raised a shield, they would only trap themselves inside.

Which, of course, was Captain Blackthorn’s plan.

“My loyal soldiers,” boomed Blackthorn, her voice reaching across the distance between the ships. “Tonight, we launch our great assault upon the fools of Equestria. After tonight, when Canterlot is nothing more than ruins, we will finally have our war. Begin the assault!”

As cannon fire began demolishing the buildings, a swarm of Shadowbolt soldiers flew in and began attacking the innocent ponies there.

~

About an hour later, the Wonderbolts, Rainbow and Soarin among them, flew into battle. Noticing the look that Rainbow and Soarin were giving each other, a kind of longing look, Spitfire asked, “What’s up with you?”

“Well… me and Rainbow had a date tonight,” said Soarin.

“Good for you, but right now you two may want to focus less on your love life, and a bit more on not getting killed,” said Spitfire, as the Wonderbolts began fighting the Shadowbolt Army, alongside the other Elements and the Royal Guard.

~

Captain Blackthorn, meanwhile, was weaving in and out of the warring ponies, searching for something, only to be rammed into by a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and tail with a lost-looking face, which looked very angry… and perhaps a bit desperate.

“Go away! Don’t you come near my darling Dinky!” yelled Derpy Hooves.

“Ah, a family mare, are we? I suppose using you as ransome might pull out a nice bit of profit,” said Blackthorn, before shooting a small bolt of black lightning, stunning Derpy just long enough for Blackthorn to grab her, and begin returning to The Wench, despite Derpy struggling.

~

Rainbow Dash, exhausted from fighting off wave after wave of Shadowbolt troops who were attacking Canterlot, was still fighting as valiantly as she could. She turned and saw Derpy Hooves, who was desperately fighting to escape Captain Blackthorn, Rainbow took to the skies, and tackled Blackthorn, thus freeing Derpy, who was a little dazed from the impact.

“Ah, a hero to the end, are we, Rainbow Dash?” said Blackthorn, firing a blast of black magic at Rainbow, who barely avoided it.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” asked Rainbow, getting a few kicks in on Blackthorn.

Blackthorn simply chuckled. “Let’s just say we’ve met in another life,” she said, before firing several more blasts, one of which hit Rainbow, disorienting her.

~

Derpy watched on as Rainbow and Blackthorn did battle. When the last blast hit Rainbow, she saw Blackthorn pull out a hidden dagger… and there was only one thing she could do.

Dinky… forgive me, thought Derpy as she flew toward Rainbow and Blackthorn as the Shadowbolt captain threw the dagger with a cry of, "Say good night, my little hero!"

Derpy, in an act of valor threw herself in front of the blade.

It hit her squarely in the chest.

“DERPY!” yelled Rainbow, diving down as the gray mare began to fall out of the sky.

Click here for maximum effect, replaying as needed

Blackthorn looked down at the falling pegasi without pity. “Shadowbolts! Our work here is finished!” she yelled.

Most of the Shadowbolts left the destroyed city returned to their ships, but a few hung around for a moment, for they had known Derpy well. In  the end, every last Shadowbolt made a clean getaway.

~

Rainbow caught Derpy before she hit the ground. Blood poured from the dagger wound when Rainbow pulled it out, pausing only for a moment to read the inscription on the dagger, Blood and Honor.

“R-Rainbow… I feel… so cold…” said Derpy.

“It’s gonna be okay, Derpy, you’re gonna make it,” said Rainbow, tears running down her face as she spoke.

“No… no, I’m not. Rainbow, you know my daughter Dinky, right?” said Derpy, who was now fighting to survive just long enough to get this last bit of information out.

“Y-yes, what about her?” asked Rainbow.

“When I’m gone… there’s only one pony who can take care of her… her Faustmother,” said Derpy.

“Y-yeah, and who is that?” asked Rainbow, starting to rock Derpy like a child.

“You, Rainbow… you’re her Faustmother. It’ll be up to you to tell my little Dinky why Mommy isn’t coming home…” said Derpy, before she gave a huge grin. “I just don’t know what went wrong…”

With those last words, Derpy Hooves passed away in a sobbing Rainbow Dash’s arms.