THE GREAT COLT-WAR: Rainbow Dash
By derpyhooves15
Rainbow dash flew, wind screaming through her mane. She skimmed low and fast, slowed only the slightest by Twighlight’s strange contraption that was sitting on her back, rubbing against her many scars. There was her target; it looked so peaceful, nestled in the young forest of the southern plains, not far from her old town, Ponyville. She lifted up high, the canvas straps of the contraption pulling against her limbs. She rolled onto her back and pushed into a steep dive down onto her target.
“Ok, Rainbow, you can do this, Twilight said it was easy enough, just pull up as soon as this….err…thing, does what its supposed to do”
She bit down on the pressure plate in her mouth and pulled up, suddenly feeling much lighter. A few seconds past, then without warning, there was a purple and red flash, followed by a searing heat. Rainbow Dash span uncontrollably while the air was sucked out of her lungs by the immense scale of the blaze down below. She wheeled in the air, seeing only blurs of sky, smoke and fire. She regained control and settled down on a dead oak standing tall, away from the cottage. She undid the straps and let the contraption fall to the ground below, noticing that it was missing 3 cylinders that were there when she left Canterlot air station. Rainbow looked up, and retched violently. Before her, climbed a plume of viscous black smoke, contorting as it reached into her sky. At the base of the column of ebony black, flames raged, devouring anything in their path. In the centre of the apocalyptic destruction hovered 3 purple orbs. It was there from which the flames emanated. Dash retched again. There had been ponies in that cottage. Yes, they were Coltreans, but they were still ponies, and no pony disserved to die in such a barbaric way. Sadness and anger thought for control of Dash, but she couldn’t let them get in her way. She took to the air and reached sonic rainboom in seconds, she needed to speak to Twilight; she needed to know, why Twilight had ordered the killing of the enemy, to be done in such a brutal way.
It was a time or great hardship in Equestria. After the well-celebrated royal wedding in Canterlot, princess Celestia received a message; the Coltreans were past their borders. Since that day, battle after battle was fought in an attempt to keep the advancing coltreans at bay. 7 years of bloody warfare, thought with Hoof, teeth and stone, had lead to the destruction of ponyville, its inhabitants, and many towns and villages alike. Now, only 300 or so miles stood between the front lines and Equestria’s last line of defence before the heartland, Canterlot. Captain Rainbow Dash of the 3rd air squadron had flown many missions, but never had she killed with fire.
Rainbow Dash crashed through the doors to the war office and galloped to the front desk.
“Oh.” Rainbow Dash halted mid stride. Behind the front desk sat an old friend of hers, Derpy
“Hey, Derpy” Rainbow dash spoke slowly as she was shocked to see her friend working again after she went through such an ordeal.
“I can see your legs looking better, those doctors really did a good job. I thought the worst when that dragon glanced you with its fire.”
Derpy raised her right leg, or, at least she raised what was left of it. The leg had been amputated at the first joint and was still in a bad way. Stitches crossed this way and that in a ramshackle, but not successful, attempt to pull her skin back over the remaining flesh. Yet blood, even at that very moment, oozed through the stitches and fell silently to the desk.
“does it look any better to you, Rainbow Dash. You could have warned me about the dragon, you must have seen it.” The war had changed Derpy, that much was clear to Rainbow Dash. Derpy had been through hell. Derpy had spent 2 weeks pined down in a foxhole. Her only food being a ration of moldy muffins, and her only company, being 3 mangled and rotting corpses of her fellow Equestrians. Although that battle had been the last great victory for Equestria, it had proved to be the downfall of the Derpy everypony knew and loved. Rainbow Dash remembered how it had been the day that Derpy's leg was lost. Pouring with rain and low cloud. She hadn’t seen the dragon, but with Derpy’s remarks, she felt it was her fault all over again.
“I tried to warn you, but you didn’t hear me over the thund-“ Derpy cut rainbow dash off.
“It doesn’t matter now” Snapped Derpy, before she slumped her head back down and stared at her stump.
“Ok Derpster, how’s Thunderlane, still lying in bed moaning about that little gash”
Derpy looked up, Rainbow knew something wasn’t rite
“No rainbow, he died on the operating table, they ruptured his vein….and…and”. She broke down into a fit of quite sobs “…and they couldn’t stop the bleeding. They did all they could”
Rainbow Dash dropped on her hindquarters. She had liked Thunderlane, he wasn’t the bravest of ponies, but she had liked him. He was always by her side in battle, they had saved each other’s skins many time. After a few quite minutes, Derpy broke the silence
“Anyway, what did you come in here for”
Dash picked herself up
“I need to see Twilight, where is she”
“She’s in a meeting, war room D, they wont be long know, go on up now”
“Thanks Derpy, take care of yourself, I will come speak with you soon, again I’m sorry”
Derpy just stared into the distance, possibly thinking about that fateful battle, or maybe about Thunderlane.
“Thunderlane, god, why him, he was a strong and kind colt, I’m going to miss him”
Rainbow Dash, muttered this to herself, as she advanced towards the war rooms.
The doors swung open and out flowed various congregations of ponies; she spotted Twilight, charged, and butted her against a wall.
“IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA, GUAR……..” Twilight trailed of looking up at the panting Pegasus stood before her, singed feathers and fire raging in her eyes.
“Oh, rainbow dash, look I’m sorry but….”
“SORRY? You made me burn ponies to the death, strapped a strange contraption to my back and told me it was just to hurt their efforts”
“The orders came from Celestia. Please don’t be angry with me, I didn’t want it to be done either, but were desperate. The princess said we cant hold out much longer, we have to show the enemy we are going to fight with whatever we’ve got, you helped destroy a major command post, you’re a war hero now”
“Well I don’t want to be, no more special missions, just put me back with my fighting squad, I will do what I can that way.”
“Ok, but I think there is one mission you will want to do”
“No, more cowardly murder just let me fight how everyone else does.”
“Its about Fluttershy”
Rainbow dash tensed, she feared the worst of her friend, she was a terrible fighter. Dash didn’t even like to bring her on missions, but through conscription, she had to.
“What’s wrong? Is she ok? What can I do?”
Twilight took a deep breath
“Rainbow, were not sure, we can pin point exactly where she went down but we have no idea what state she’s in, we only know its not a good one”
“What happened?” inquired Dash.
“She was carrying a message from a forward command post back to the war office when Coltrean air forces ambushed her, over the Ponyville ruins. During the attack, Fluttershy was struck by the large griffon they sent after her, one of her wings was rendered useless, she went down next to her old cottage, we need that message, expect the worst of Fluttershy”
“DON’T SAY THAT” bellowed rainbow dash, more calmly she replied, “how soon can I take of Twi?”
“Immediately”
Rainbows wings buzzed with anticipation. She was stood, eager to take off, by the 3rd runway of the chaotic Canterlot air base. She wanted to go, she wanted to reach Fluttershy. Her friend was in trouble, but she was told to stand aside while the 267th wing warfare squadron came in. she stared at them in the distance. They were in a bad shape. A wing warfare squadron consisted of 30 able and strong ponies, Dash counted no more than 13. They touched down next rainbow dash, several ponies collapsed, there wings bleeding at the joints, others didn’t even get down before the pain over came them and they ground at force into the concrete. Rainbow dash recognized a pony and cantered over.
“Blossomforth, where’s the rest of your squad?”
The tired pony, lying in front of Rainbows hoofs wheezed a response.
“Griffons, over Ponyville, it’s a hell hole out there. We were supposed to clear the way for some messenger, but we were attacked by the coltreans. If members of our squad aren’t here now, then they’re gone for good.”
“Ok Blossomforth, you rest up, head to the medical bay and ask for Rarity, tell her I sent you. She will give you a few days leave if you want it”
“Thanks, but Equestria needs us, and I can’t leave the squad another pony down”
The intercom crackled and a monotone voice spoke.
“Captain Rainbow Dash, you are now cleared for take of. Wind speed is 2.7 Strokes per minute and visibility is excellent. Good luck”
Rainbow Dash galloped from building to building across the sea of rubble and dirt that was once her peaceful town of Ponyville. She flitted, this way and that, keeping one eye on the skies at all times. The air was undisturbed, and the only noise was her heart, which seemed to beat in her head. She was nearly there; she had come at least halfway across Ponyville. She turned the corner, and stopped. Before her stood the recognisable ruins of the town hall, and hanging from a splintered plank, was the corpse of a Pegasus, wings removed, and blood dripping from its battered body. The shock of such a sight caused rainbow dash to vomit. Looking down at the ground, she yelped and flew a few feet into the air. She had been standing in a pool of water, tainted crimson red. Into the water flowed copious amounts of the unmistakable red fluid. She crept forward and peered around a pile of rubble. Rainbow dash vomited again. Before her lay a killing field, Pegasus after Pegasus lay crippled and wingless on the ground of Ponyville square. She recognized the emblem of the 267th squadron, emblazed on their cutie mark. Horror filled her, she recognized these Ponies. Some of them had been part of her weather team before the war; some of them weren’t even out of their Foal-hood. Sluggishly, she crept on stepping around her fallen comrades and trying not to look at their faces in the fear she might recognize another of her friends or co-workers. Tears streamed down her face as she past corpses that had been defiled by the vicious griffons. She cleared the square, and sank to her hindquarters. She wept openly. The thoughts of her experiences with the dead ponies swirled through her mind. Minutes past, but they felt like hours. Rainbow Dash got him and wandered blindly on, watching her hooves leave imprints in the red-ish mud beneath her. After a while like this, something caught her eye. A yellow feather. She looked up, she was in front of Fluttershy’s cottage, or what was left of it. Most of the cottage had collapsed and the thatch roof was frayed and contorted. The door was slightly ajar. She galloped in and wheeled her head from side to side, searching for her friend. Something shifted in the corner, followed by a quite whimper, unmistakable as Fluttershy.
She whimpered in the corner as rainbow dash approached. Her mane was matted and knotted; one of her eyes had a nasty cut across it and was bleeding profusely. But her wing is what shocked rainbow dash, or more so, its disappearance. Fluttershy’s wing had been ripped of at the joint, and all that remained was blood, flesh and bone. It was a serious injury, and rainbow dash new in the back of her head that there was little hope for Fluttershy recovering, not even the most powerful of unicorns could heal a wound like that. Fluttershy kept her eyes closed in fear of what had entered her home, what had come to finish her off.
“Hey, Fluttershy, its an old friend, I’m not going to hurt you.”
Fluttershy opened her 1 good eye cautiously and examined the form stood in front of her.
“R..R..Rainbow Dash, is that you”
“Yes Fluttershy, its me, I’m here…”she paused, knowing what she said was not entirely true.
“…I here to take you back to base, they’re going to patch you up good Fluttershy, the wound…” She paused again, staring at the throbbing bare flesh.
“…Its not to bad.”
Some life seemed to stir into Fluttershy as she was given this false hope.
“Oh, thank you Dashie, thank you so much”
“Its ok girl. Now before we make a move I need to patch you up the best I can, where did you keep your bandages for the animals before the war began”
Fluttershy gestured to the cabinet near the old and dusty table. Rainbow dash trotted over, thinking about how she could patch such a wound, and trying not to cry, as the thought of loosing one of her closest friends spread through her mind, like cancer. She fetched the bandages, trotted back over, and rested them on the floor by Fluttershy.
“Now, this is going to hurt a bit Fluttershy”
Rainbow dash used her teeth and wings to carefully dress the wound. Dash could feel the warm blood on her snout and could hear the small cries of pain from Fluttershy in her ears.
“Right, that’s much better, but I need to tighten it and I’m not going to lie, its going to hurt a fair bit”
The only response Rainbow received was a quite whimper. She bent down and took the end of the bandage in her mouth. She pulled. Fluttershy shrieked and writhed in pain as rainbow pulled on the bandage, tightening it, stemming the bleeding as best she could. Tears rolled down Rainbow Dash’s cheeks as she listened to the cries of anguish emanating from Fluttershy’s mouth. She let go and moved back. Fluttershy was shaking uncontrollably, fear showing in her eye, tears pooled on the floor under her head, but she remained silent.
“Oh Fluttershy, I’m sorry, I had to, otherwise the….cut would keep bleeding and get infected”
Fluttershy mumbled something that sounded like a cross between a squeal and “ok”.
“Listen, I think we should stay the night, rest up, we will make for Canterlot tomorrow”
“Ok” whispered the weak and shivering Fluttershy.
Rainbow dash nestled down up next to her friend, taking care not to disturb the vicious wound. She unfurled 1 wing and rested it over Fluttershy’s suddenly still body, pulled her close, and moved her face close to her own.
“I promise it will be alright Fluttershy, I promise” Whispered rainbow dash, as she closed her eyes, and began a nightmarish sleep.
Rainbow Dash awoke, and looked around, it was early morning and light flooded into the cottage ruins. The air was still and quite. Remembering the previous day, Rainbow Dash got up carefully and turned to face Fluttershy.
“Come on Fluttershy, its morning, we can get you home”.
Rainbow Dash said this quietly as she nudged Fluttershy’s snout with hers. Fluttershy did not stir from her peaceful slumber.
“Come on Fluttershy, you can do it, come on” she said this a little louder and shook Fluttershy’s limp body, gently with her right hoof.
“Fluttershy, get up, please get up”. Tears began to make their way down Rainbows cheeks. Fluttershy lay there, her body glowing in the early morning sun, her wound hidden under her remaining wing. She looked so peaceful, but rainbow dash knew it was the eternal sleep that she lay in. Tears splashed onto the floor under Rainbow Dash’s hooves. She sobbed loudly, and bent down and nuzzled her friend s face, tears wetting Fluttershy’s cold cheeks. Rainbow thought back to the times they had shared, Training her to be more assertive, flying with her on many adventures and helping her fight, in the first great battle of the war that stole many of her friend’s lives. Rainbow Dash got up, slowly, and wiped the tears of her face with the tip of her wing.
“I’m going to miss you Fluttershy” She said, before scanning the room, picking up the message, slinging the tube around her neck, and making for the door.
Rainbow dash looked at the message, and wept, it had been 2 days since Fluttershy’s death, and rainbow dash had been cleared to read the “oh so important” message. It read as follows:
***MESSAGE START***
COMMAND POST 293 REPORT:
ALL IS QUITE
NO NEW NEWS
NEED NOT HAVE SENT MESSANGER
***MESSAGE END***
derpyhooves15: thanks for reading my story.