A Twinkle of Hope

A Twinkle of Hope - Chapter 17

Captain Rainbow Dash stood ready, her hindquarters held up high, wings flared out and flapping. Once Luna gave the command, she and the wonderbolts would leap up into the air. Dash's whole body shivered in anticipation. This is going to be epic, she thought.

The cannons in the background had begun to fire, sending their fiery streams of incendiary fury towards the great city everypony loved. The Princess of the Night had raised her dear moon for the first time in six months. Rainbow's eyes narrowed. She knew it'd be any moment now. Any. Moment. The pegasus licked her lips, running through her mind the events about to unfold. She wanted a medal, decorations, and perhaps even an official commission. But first and foremost, the Element of Loyalty wished to live up to her title, and find her friends. She scarcely liked to think that they had become victims of the enemy's cruelty, that the five bestest friends in the world had long left this earth.

However much it pained her, wrenched at her soul and nearly brought her to tears, Rainbow Dash understood she needed to entertain the possibility. She dreaded nothing more to have let them down after assuring Applejack and the rest that she WOULD return. But a new promise had been forged within the cyan pony's mind one late night; if her friends by some act of the cruelest fortune were indeed dead, those responsible would half to endure Hell of Earth. No, worse. Hell hath no fury like a mare scorned.

Lost in her thoughts, the Captain was jerked back into the present by a click on her walkie-talkie. It was the Princess! She gave the order. It was time.

Rainbow spoke out to her unit. "Alright Wonderbolts! You heard the Princess! Let's go go go!"

And with that every single airpony flew up, resembling at large a massive swarm of insects. Rainbow held her gun tightly. As a fighting airpony, she was issued an assault rifle, fully loaded.

She spoke again, this time into her radio: "This is acting air commander Captain Rainbow Dash. Squadrons 3 and 4, protect all light bombing squadrons. Squadron 2, you're with me in clearing the skies of enemy airponies."

"Squadron 3, roger." A voice sounded from the speaker.

"Squadron 4, roger." Another voice came in.

"Squadron 2, roger."

"Captain Dash!" This time the voice was one Rainbow did not recognize. "This is Captain Starblazer, commander of the bombing wings."

"My fighters on are their way for escort, Captain!"

"Roger. Over and out."

Yet again another click signaled to the rainbow-haired commander. "This is Colonel Shining Armor, requesting air support! We've got a handle on the flaks, but I'm seeing some enemy bombing runs!"

Finally, Rainbow thought. "Gotcha, Colonel! My two squadrons will be right there!" She turned to her unit. "You heard the stallion! Let's go.

Nearly twenty airponies darted over the trees, against the backdrop of howitzer fire. Everypony readied their weapon and followed their officer.

A few moments later, Rainbow Dash found herself face to face with the frontline. Ground troops were hammering away at the outer wall with mortars and grenades. The wall was too thick to breach by such means. Dash was certain now her job was all the more important. Air superiority was essential. All her troops hovered high above the battlefield. The anti-air had not yet noticed them. Coming up was a large air wing of dozens of airponies just yearning to shoot her and all the rest down. She reached for her walkie-talkie again. "Captain Starblazer. I'll distract the fighters. Go in for a run."

Captain Dash decided to make the first move. She was an excellent shot, aiming flawlessly on an officer-looking pegasus. She switched the weapon to single-shot. Her body was invigorated with adrenaline. A pulled trigger later, and the target fell. Switching her gun back to automatic, she flew forward, ready to do battle.

"Chaaaaaaarge!" Her loyal soldiers flew into battle with her, unleashing their streams of metallic death in the skies over Canterlot. Rainbow cruised past many pegasi, blinding them with her impossibly fast speed. She felt alive, zipping through speeding bullets, barrel-rolling to avoid being hit, while at the same time trying to land a few shots. This was for all of Equestria. The Captain needed to do her best. Several enemy bombing ponies went down, claimed by the cyan pegasus.

Over behind the action more pegasi were coming, Starblazer's bombers. Rainbow noticed them, and spoke into her communication device. "Squadrons 3 and 4, permission to engage enemy forces, but first and foremost stick to escort duty!"

Two subsequent "affirmatives" sounded. The screens work very well, with no losses the first time. A bombing run was conducted along and inside the outer wall, causing confusion. Colonel Armor had taken out the AA guns, just as promised.

Meanwhile, as the dogfights raged above, Colonel Armor relentlessly shelled the walls, hoping to break them down. No luck. they were just too thick. On top of that his infantry needed to put up with advancing ground troops and a few bombers that had broken through.

"Damn! We're just wasting ammo now. Attention all ground troops, cease bunker-busting! General Cloudrunner, we're getting nowhere fast! Requesting a run with a dragonroaster."

Over at his command post, the General heard the transmission. The skies weren't clear yet, and the heavy bombs were very vulnerable. But a decisive, quick victory needed to be gained, before reinforcements could arrive. He shuddered at the prospect. "Granted! One is on its way for the outer wall. Captain Dash! Protect the bomb at all costs."

"Yes sir!" Rainbow Dash was still viciously fighting it out above. She dashed over to her Lieutenant. "Spitfire! We got a dragonroaster coming! I'll order the escorts to switch tasks!"

Another radio command later and the magnificent steel orb of destruction appeared against the brilliant moonlight. It headed into the criss-crossing hazard zone of the aerial front. It's escorts quickly assembled around, gunning down anypony that approached the vicinity.

The air battle was tipping in the favor of Princess Luna, who was at this time joining Rainbow Dash. Using her mighty horn, she zapped the opposition with bursts of weaponized magic.

With the steadily growing advantage, nothing could stop the heavy bomb. Rainbow, Luna, and the rest of the airponies made sure of that.  Slowly inching forward over its target, the bomb finally found itself above the wall. Rainbow Dash pulled out her radio.

"Dragonroaster over outer wall, repeat, dragonroaster over outer wall!"

Colonel Armor heard her, and immediately called his units back for cover. The enemy ground forces didn't notice the gargantuan metal egg-shaped death weapon until it was too late. It was dropped, the bombing ponies immediately returning to ready another. The fins on the back caused it to spin. When it hit the top of the outer wall, the lone dragonroaster drilled its why deep into the concrete before exploding.

All this happened in less than a second. The detonator went off as the bomb was boring into the fortification. What came next wowed everypony present at the battle. In a fiery display of pure, unadulterated force and power, the wall was all but vaporized, leaving a massive crater in its wake. The whole battlefield was temporarily alight from the sheer volume of fire produced by the giant load of explosives.

The earth shook as everypony felt as if the very ground would split open. Cloudrunner could feel the heat from where he was, behind the lines.

Princess Luna spoke to Rainbow, waking her from her awe-stricken stupor. "Captain! Best be alert even more now! Now that they know we have dragonroasters, I'm sure they will work twice as hard to shoot us down!"

"Wha...oh...yes Princess!" The battle resumed, bullets flaring across the night sky. "Spitfire! Get ready to face another wave!"

"Aye cap'n!" Responded the yellow pegasus. She readied her rifle and followed Rainbow Dash wherever she would go.

Meanwhile Cloudrunner listened to radio transmissions. He overheard the Colonel telling his troops to advance into the city. He listened to bombers coordinate attacks and decide on targets. And all this was ambienced by the sound of gunfire.

To the old warpony, nothing distraught him more. The General felt useless and indeed selfish for remaining at the command post. It was an important job, of course, but one that left him unfulfilled. All the ponies that had suffered injuries that prevented them from serving on the frontlines were put to work firing off the big guns in the back.

Cloudrunner knew his officers had a good grip on the battle, and his orders had already been given. They would execute the commands well, and reach the objectives. All he was needed for was to approve cross-unit cooperation.

Once he was the "Night Phantom", feared by all as he soared across the battlefield. Every enemy soldier that saw that iconic swoop dove for cover. Even anti-air gunners cowered, as they couldn't hit him. His mere presence inflamed his troops with immense morale.

But now he was grounded, stuck with a desk job. It wasn't fair his troops were putting their lives on the line while he was safe under a tent. He reached into his coat and pulled out a flask. He reached for the cap and began to unscrew it.

But then a sudden realization hit him. "No...no! I don't need you. What I'm I doing? I'm a General, dammit!" He threw the flask out into the brush. Cloudrunner was giving up too easily. All his life ponies told him what he was; a talentless waste. With such tiny wings, he could never fly, let alone well. Older ponies would walk past him and scoff, muttering "There goes that muddled creature." They thought he couldn't hear what they said, but Cloudrunner heard it all. Countless kids would bully and tease him on his heritage, his handicap. Those itty-bitty wings barely carried him a foot before falling. that is, until one day they grew, larger than anypony else's. He was the fastest pegasus to the kids, beating every single on of them. He had triumph when everypony told him "No, you cannot." Cloudrunner felt invincible.

Unfortunately when the General lost his wing, those ancient feelings of worthlessness resurfaced. Long nights of lamenting his loss, his utter state of helplessness. And now a third time, in the face of his protégé and the rest of the airponies, Cloudrunner saw his self-proclaimed duty out of his reach. He couldn't run or fly. Useless on both the ground and in the sky. But if he surrendered to this demon inside of him, he would only prove those obnoxious foals right. All those pedigree-bearing uptight ponies that cursed his very nature. He would never be what others told him to be.

He was General Cloudrunner, the Night Phantom. He called for Steno.

"Staff Sergeant, I'm taking a truck with me. Tell your staff that if they wanna fight, come over here."

"Yes sir, but what are you doing?" She was concerned. Steno expected Cloudrunner to stay at the post all during the battle.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to the front. I'm eager to pump those bastards full of metal!"

"But...but sir, you're in no condition to fight."

"The hell I ain't! Now go tell everypony. Make sure they grab some ammo and a gun."

"Right away!"

During the next few minutes, Cloudrunner took a truck and tore off the canopy, as well as got a rifle. Ten ponies showed up armed, ready to fight.

"We're here sir! Put us to work!"

"Ponies! You all are here because you've been titled 'useless' and relegated to the staff. Well that's a load of crap. So either you get back to staffin' or hop in here with me in this truck!"

Immediately the ponies jumped into the exposed truck bed with the General, another took the wheel and passenger seat.

The General looked at his ragtag group of crippled soldiers and smiled. "We got more visibility without the canopy, but we're sorta exposed. You can get out now if you're afraid of gettin' shot."

A large, burly pony retorted, "If'n we are, then what the hell are we doin' here, sir?"

"That's what I like to hear! Let's move out! Steno! Don't wait up!"

The engine started up and within moments the truck accelerated towards the battlefield. the trucks were considered too flimsy and vulnerable that Shining Armor opted not to use them for movement. But Cloudrunner had another reason to bring one; he had a couple ponies he needed to pick up in the city.

Steno looked at the vehicle, rapidly decreasing in size. She had heard of Cloudrunner's exploits during the War. He was never one to sit back and watch the battle, as was proper for a general officer. She called it reckless. It had already cost him an eye, a wing, and a working hip. But Cloudrunner preferred to stay away from the term reckless; to the General, such actions were labeled "dutiful".