This is War

Rarity couldn't believe the situation that is acting out before her very eyes. Lyra, a decant costumer of her boutique and a good friend, was surrounded by angry brutes that dare to ware the Royal Guard armor, or at lest what looks like it. To make things worse, these ponies may be murders, murder hasn't occurred in Equestria for almost five hundred years, and they looked angry with their prisoner. That alone turned her blood run cold.

Thunder walked up to Lyra, a scowl showing to all. He look to her in the eye, then, to Rarity's utter shock, connected his left hoof to Lyra's face, knocking her to her side with a painful grunt. "Shut up, WITCH!" Thunder yelled, before being dog piled by the two other earth ponies and Windy.

The unicorn, Lieutenant Steel, walked between Lyra and the angry armored pony, who he looked down on; "Your lucky that your skills are too valuable for me to lose, other wise I would've taken you to court and hanged for disobeying an order." Steel then lowered his head to the same level as Thunder "Disobey me again, and I'll cut off your head myself, understood?" He growled. Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the mint green unicorn. "And you," Lyra slowly lifted her head to meet the stallion stone eyes, "Shut up, witch." He only answer was her spitting blood towards the hidden friends.

The white unicorn was horrified, how could the Royal Guard treat their prisoners and each other this way? Rainbow has told her that the guard was tough, but they treated the prisoners well enough and there all friends. Why was Lyra a prisoner in the first place? She was always a good mare, sweet even, always chatting with her friend Bon Bon, playing great music with her harp, and just a overall good pony. This doesn't make any sense! Rarity thought, her heart beating faster with a fusion of fear and anger.

She felt warm air run though her coat to her right, she looked to find Rainbow Dash puffing air with eyes of pure rage, and her normally smirking mouth revealing her teeth in a way that only a killer would. "I can't take anymore!" she muttered as she opened her wings to their full length, and with one great flap she flew out of their cover and right between Lyra and the Lieutenant, who backed up in surprise, "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" she bellowed.

Almost immediately, the crossbow ponies jump off of Thunder and, with a single motion the arms connected to their crossbows fling around from their backs, wile at the same time reached for their bolts. Meanwhile, Thunder got up as soon as he got the chance and unsheathed his sword, holding the mouth grip tightly, and ran up to the same row with he comrades. In only a second Rainbow was facing three loaded crossbows aiming at her, and an angry sword wielding stallion.

As soon an she realized Rainbow's situation, Rarity also jumped out of the bushes to aid her friend, "Rainbow!" she called. One of the crossbow earth ponies turned to her, a bolt aimed right at her. As soon as she saw his actions, she grounded to a holt and shut   her eyes, hopeful that the bolt will miss.

After what Rarity assumes to be three seconds, she opened her eyes again to see the ponies in the same position. Steel had regained his composure, and is staring at Rainbow with a new expressionless frown. "You are interfering with imperial business," he said as he walked up to the rainbow mane pegues, "you will leave this area, or face arrest!"

"You got a lot of guts to threaten me," Rainbow stared at him with eyes burning in fury, "when you've been assaulting a pony who has done absolutely nothing wrong!" Her determined anger seem to slowly increase when Steel didn't reply and continued to look emotionlessly into her eyes; as if ignoring her call for justice.

However, having the experience of being around the nobles of Canterlot, Rarity saw that he had just as much anger within his pupils. Finally, he coldly spoke "If that is how you want it, Traitor!" He immediately unsheathed his sword with his magic and swung at Rainbow with freighting speed.

Much to Rarity's relief, her friend easily dodged with a single flap of her powerful wings and flew higher in the air. Rarity quickly glanced at Lyra, who's face was of pure shock and confusion. She retuned to the problem at hoof; Rainbow Dash looked ready to fight back against the lieutenant, who scowled as he levitated his blade to his side ready for another swing, his comrades pointed their weapons at Dash as she flew but held their fire, most likely waiting for the command to shoot.

Fear griped Rarity's heart, her friends are endanger of being killed in front of her own eyes. The world seem to slowed as Rainbow turned toward Steel, preparing to strike back. If Rainbow attacked, If the archers released their bolts, her friend will be... NO! I have to stop this madness! With newfound determination, she bellowed "STOP!".

Rainbow Dash froze in mid air, as did Steel with his sword floating on his side. Nether looking away from each other, and giving challenging stares, daring the other to strike first. However, their ears were turned to Rarity's direction, waiting for her to say something important. Rarity briefly felt pride swell though her, until she noticed she also caught the attention of one of the other archers, the pegues Windy, crossbow aiming, Rarity was sure, at her heart.

With a quick, nervous gulp, Rarity resumed her attention to the two ponies. "Can we please settle this issue civilly?" Steel hummed in thought, wile Rainbow Dash finally touched the ground hesitantly. "Lieutenant Steel, correct? My friend and I have known your prisoner for many years and she has yet to do harm. Please pray tell, what was her crime."

A firm 'huh' escaped Lyra's lips, her brow raised in utter confusion. Steel also seemed just as surprised, he immediately glared at Rarity "You can't be that stu-ugh!" Something flew past Rarity from behind her, and struck the Lieutenant's neck. Time seemed to slowed at that moment, Steel looked down at what had hit him, then returned to the white unicorn in front of him.

His mouth hung quivering, pulps shrunk in pure terror. To Rarity, it was like a foal that was hit by his own parents, and trying to ask, why? She had no answer. His legs gave out, and fell to the ground, lifeless. A blood soaked bolt in his throat.

Rarity's heart rushed in her chest, fear griped her like a cat on top of a mouse. She screamed.

"AMBUSH!" somepony yelled, almost on cue the shadows came alive with bolts and ponies.

Rainbow Dash immediately flew to Rarity, "Get down!" she yelled, Rarity was too happy to oblige. Rainbow got on top of her, trying to protect her friend wile looking side to side to find a way out.

From her position, Rarity watched the carnage unfold before her. She saw two ponies wrestling each other under the bolts that danced in the night sky. A blood-curled cry filled her ears as she saw another body fell from the corner of her eye, she flinched as a bolt landed mere inches from her. She closed her eyes, trying to hide from the horrors with no avail as the screams and battle cries continue to ring in her ears.

Finally, as soon as it started, the painful sounds stopped. Rarity waited, incase the fighting resumed. However as moments past she risked a glance, and regretted it. The entire clearing was filled with blood, bodies of the Guards laid in the moonlight all lifeless, even the armored stallion named Thunder was gazing toward her with dull, dead eyes.

On top of her, she could feel Rainbow breath rushed though her mane in rapid aggression. It was clear that she was as scared as Rarity was, though she tried not to show it with a menacing glare at the attackers.

Walking out of the shadows, ponies calmly looked at her and Rainbow with unreadable expressions. They had almost no armor in compression to the guards with the exception of some chain mail seen though the cuts of their night blue cloaks. Of which were long enough to hide their cutie marks, yet short so the cloth wouldn't get caught between the legs.

"Well it's about time!" came a familiar voice that made Rarity to jump a little; she have forgotten about Lyra. Rainbow remained on top of the white unicorn protectively as she watches Lyra walk calmly past them to the nearest attacker.

He was an orange-red pegasus, his cold ice blue eyes moved from them to the approaching Lyra. "Just doing my job ma'am" he stated "Although, you're going to have to report to the commander how exactly you got captured and Mayday killed."

Lyra sighed, "Alright, but what are we going to do with these two?" Rarity flinched as the mint green unicorn pointed to her and her rainbow friend. Why was Lyra so calm about this, seeing ponies killed and standing on a small pool of blood like a simple puddle of water, why were ponies killing each other to begin with, Just what in Celestia's name is going on! her thoughts demanded, but still to afraid to speak.

The pegasus narrowed his eyes on both of them, before returning to Lyra. "We follow protocol," he said glaring at the now surrounded friends, "they're prisoners until pardoned by a higher ranking officer."

"Now hang on a minute!" Rainbow shouted, she jumped off of Rarity and landed between her and the dark cloaked pegasus.

"We're not going anywhere until we get some answers. Who are you, where are we, why was Lyra in chains, and why did you kill all of those guards." Her fear and anger didn't go unnoticed by anypony, but Rainbow didn't seemed to care.

Nonetheless, the pony wasn't impressed. "You've got a lot of guts talking back to me like that." he said coldly, he then quickly pulled his crossbow from his back an pointed the already loaded bolt at Rainbow's shocked face. "I don't like being talk backed to by my enemies, so give me one reason not to bite the trigger." he finished his statement by placing the lever-like trigger inside his mouth, ready to fire.

Rarity watched in horror, the images of the dead bodies came rushing back into her, then they were replaced with Rainbow Dash. The thought alone, made her panic. NO! she mentally screamed Your friend is in trouble Rarity, you have to protect her! She starts lighting her horn, readying her magic to push the weapon away. However, before she could do anything a voice stopped her.

"How about helping to save my life?" Surprising both all three ponies, Lyra stepped beside the orange-red pegasus placed her hoof on the weapon and lowered it. The pegasus looked at her with confusion frozen face.

"So you do know these ponies Lyra?" he said once the confusion faded, now was just genuine curiosity.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." answered Lyra mysteriously. "The point is that these two," she pointed to the pair of friends, "gave one of our comrades with both time and a opening to take the first shot. And they are obviously against the empire." A small muttering of agreement was heard from the other armed ponies.

The pegasus, however, didn't waver. "We still can't trust them to roam at the camp, they still could be spies." he argued, another mutter of agreement.

Lyra just rolled her eyes, "Of curse not, that would be suicidal. I'm grateful, not stupid!" The mint unicorn then walked over to Rainbow, their eyes narrowed at each other, Rainbow was staring defiantly, wile Lyra seemed to just analyzed her.

Rarity saw her smile with interest, then returned to her comrade. "I'll just need two of your ponies as guards, then I'll keep an eye on them in my quarters." Lyra said. At the shocked faces of the other bow ponies, she explained "I figure they be treated as, umm, 'protected guests' than prisoners. Don't you think they deserved that at lest?"

"Hey, wait a minute!" All the ponies turned their attention to Rainbow, who flew up to Lyra and stepped in front of her. "Don't we get a say in this?!" she protested.

Lyra placed her hoof on her chin, as if considering it; wile the others stared at Rainbow like she insulted them. Lyra smirked, "Why yes you do, Miss Rainbow." she stated mockingly. "You and your friend could either come with us quietly, or you could resist and have fifteen bolts sticking into you like a pincushion." On that moment three of the ponies aimed their bows at both Rainbow and Rarity.

Rarity looked at all the bows pointed at them, the same weapons that killed five ponies with ease. She looked at the mint unicorn with shock eyes, What happened to her?! Rarity's mind roared Doesn't she recognized us? She stared into the green pony's eyes, they were still the same golden eyes of her friend, and they didn't seem threatening like the others, but they weren't kind either like she used to be; just interested.

Rarity decided to do the one thing she could do to solve this problem without conflict; she stepped in front of Rainbow, taking slow deep breaths, calming herself as she spoke "Why yes darling, I find these terms very much agreeable." All of the ponies were now paying their attention to her, Rainbow gave her a shocked and confused feature, Lyra glanced at her with curiosity, the orange pony only gave a huff, the three bow ponies lowered their weapons as they gained interest. Rarity gained confidence as she added "We're even willing to trade information of everything we know to our friend and hostess."

"A trade in information, eh?" Lyra commented.

Rainbow walked up to the white unicorn's ear. "Are you sure about this Rarity?" she whispered, "How can we trust these love-to-kill ponies when they did this?!" she gestured to the five dead bodies on the clearing, their lifeless gaze still filled with shock and fear.

Rarity shuttered, Rainbow Dash had a point, these ponies killed the five Royal Guard ponies with little to no hesitation. They were even able to kill the most armored pony of the group, Thunder. Still, there is one thing that comfort her, if only slightly.

"Because," she whispered back, "they are willing to kill to protect our friend, Lyra. I don't really like it either Rainbow, but I feel that we have a better chance to find the others if we can befriend them. Besides, If Lyra has reason to believe that they are trustworthy, then there is no harm in letting them question us." Rarity, feeling comforted by her own reasoning, then walked over to both Lyra and the orange pegasus.

"We are ready to depart with you. Although," she looked at the pegasus, eye brow raised. "It would be nice to know your name, good sir."

The pegasus only grunted, but narrowed his eyes in thought. Giving a sigh he answered, "I'm Captain Fire Bolt, of the Black Dust unit." he leaned close to Rarity, he eyes stern and serous; "That is all you need to know." he added coldly, before walking away to one of the other bow ponies.

"Geeze," Rainbow snorted, "what a jerk."

"You'll just have to get used to it." Lyra said as she walked over to them, "he's always been like that, even to his own friends, but he means well." She turned to the two friends and for the first time in that night, she gently smiled. "I know we both have questions about each other, but for what it is worth, thanks." With that she started to walk away in the direction of the Fire Bolt and their friends, "Now come on, before we get left behind."

Rainbow looked at Rarity, still seemed to be puzzled by what just happened in font of her eyes. "Are you really sure about this?" she asked

Rarity nodded "Yes, I am. I know this very confusing, as a matter of fact I am hoping all of this is just a nightmare and I am just sleeping in my comfortable bed dreaming about Discord sending us to a horrible land where ponies are killing each other for... no... apparent re-res..." She moaned as the remanding energy in her body that gave her strength just suddenly fade away, her vision went foggy, and she collapses to her side.

Luckily, Rainbow was there to catch her and lifted her back to her hooves. "You okay?" she asked worriedly.

Rarity blinked and slowly shook her head. "No Rainbow Dash," she muttered, "I don't believe I am."

She looked at the scene of the massacre around her once more, and Shuttered. What dark, twisted, madness drove these ponies to kill other ponies with such brutality. Wile the Guard ponies were acting cruel to Lyra, they still had families; Rarity glanced at Steel's corpse, he may had been a father.

"Come on," Rainbow finally said sadly, "we need to get going."

"Yes, of corse." Rarity muttered. She looked away from the body and into the eyes of her friend, in the unicorn's trained eyes it was clear that this event also hit Rainbow Dash just as hard as it had her and the only things keeping her sane were her training, and her pride.

Sighing, she and Rainbow walked behind the ponies, hoping that whatever happened to them next, would lead them to safety.