Pony Kombat

In Sunset Shimmer's flesh pits, Vinyl fitted another piece of the mask into place. It slid in easily and locked onto the mechanisms. Her patient barely breathed. Just barely enough to keep her conscious. Vinyl slipped on a tube for breathing purposes onto the mask, then reached over for the final piece. The front of the mask. She picked it up and placed it onto the mechanisms of the mask. It locked into place and the tube opened up. The patient on the operating table began to breathe normally, but with a metallic tone. Vinyl stepped away from the table. Sweetie Belle groaned as she began to breathe.

“Easy there, mate,” Vinyl told her. “You've had a rough one.” Sweetie Belle looked up.

“Vinyl?” she asked. Vinyl chuckled.

“In the flesh,” she said. Sweetie Belle started to remember what had happened on the street of Manehattan.

“I was… on fire,” she remembered.

“Burnt to a crisp, you were,” Vinyl helped. “Good thing I found ya.” Sweetie Belle felt the iron mask attached to her face. She gasped.

“I'm hideous,” she grumbled.

“Sunset Shimmer's magic healed the rest of you,” Vinyl said. “But your lungs...eh...”

“Take it off,” Sweetie Belle demanded.

“Can't,” Vinyl simply said. “It's permanent.”

“What?!” Sweetie Belle gasped.

“No mask, no breathing,” Vinyl said. Sweetie Belle sat up from the table, feeling the rough exterior of the iron mask.

“I'm a freak!” she gasped, horrified. Vinyl picked up a pair of melee weapons she had been working on. Two Shuang Gou blades. She inspected her work, then walked over to Sweetie Belle.

“Go on,” she said. “Give 'em a whirl.” Sweetie Belle looked at the weapons she once wielded when she was still a member of the Black Stallion.

“I don't use those anymore,” she told Vinyl.

“Yeah, your a proper police now,” Vinyl remembered. She looked at Sweetie Belle with a hint of regret in her eyes. “The Black Stallion ain't the same without you, mate,” she said. “You should come back. We're in the money on this war!” Vinyl probably shouldn't have said that out loud, because Sweetie Belle got suspicious. She walked up close to Vinyl.

“You sold those monsters their firepower,” she figured out.

“Guilty as charged,” Vinyl admitted.

“This is your fault!” Sweetie Belle raged.

“What are you hot about, eh?” Vinyl responded. “You're here, ain't ya?”

“I should be dead!” Sweetie Belle stormed. “Now you're gonna be!” Sweetie Belle fought with Vinyl. What she found was that the respirator had allowed her to breath much faster without ill effect, giving her and edge up in the speed category over Vinyl. Sweetie Belle quickly took down Vinyl.

“Now how do I get out of here?” Sweetie Belle demanded.

“Not so keen about being dead now, are ya?” Vinyl asked. Sweetie Belle picked up the Shuang Gou blades.

“How do I get out of here?” she repeated. Vinyl chuckled.

“Good luck,” she said. “Nopony gets out of Tartarus without Nightmare Moon's say so.”

“Tartarus?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Nightmare Moon?” She held the tip of one of her blades to Vinyl's throat.

“Nightmare Moon's the big boss around here,” Vinyl informed. “And soon, Equestria's new master.”

“Where is she?” Sweetie Belle demanded. She brought the tip of the blade closer to Vinyl's throat.

“Don't bother,” Vinyl retorted. “You can't get near her.”

“No,” Sweetie Belle agreed. “But I'm guessing you can.” She picked up Vinyl and pulled one of Vinyl's knives from her boot. Sweetie Belle held it up to Vinyl's back and forced her to move along.

~~~

In Nightmare Moon's throne room, Pinkamena and a squad of Tartarus warriors came through a large green portal, carrying Sombra's dead body.

“What is this?” Nightmare Moon howled.

“Celestia has killed Sombra,” Pinkamena informed her Empress. Vinyl and Sweetie Belle entered the throne room from the side entrance.

“That's her, on the throne?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You're a bright genius, you are,” Vinyl answered. Sweetie Belle poked her in the back with her knife. Trixie was speaking with Nightmare Moon.

“I will go to Equestria to finish Sombra's work,” she said. Nightmare Moon thought about this matter.

“Yes,” she finally answered. “Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset walked up to Nightmare Moon.

“Yes, Empress?” she asked.

“Trixie requires something of you,” Nightmare Moon said. She used her magic to absorb Sunset Shimmer's soul.

“See there?” Vinyl asked. “I'm thinking she's a bit much...” Sweetie Belle hit her in the head with the butt of the knife, knocking Vinyl out.

“I can take her,” she said. Nightmare Moon transferred Sunset Shimmer's soul into Trixie. Trixie groaned and writhed in agony as Sweetie Belle approached her. She eventually started to embrace the pain. Pinkamena stopped Sweetie Belle from coming closer. Shadow Dash teleported over to do the same.

“Nopony attacks the Empress!” Pinkamena cried. She and Shadow Dash double teamed on Sweetie Belle. But before either of them could land an attack, Sweetie Belle dashed around them in circles. Sweetie Belle dashed past Shadow Dash, making her spin. Sweetie Belle slid in front of Shadow Dash and rammed her hooves into Shadow Dash's knees, breaking them backwards. As Shadow Dash gripped her knees in pain, Sweetie Belle stabbed the end of her Shuang Gou blades into Shadow Dash's back, breaking the upper bones. Pinkamena and Shadow Dash couldn't keep up with Sweetie Belle, and were defeated quickly.

“And I thought I was a freak,” Sweetie Belle said, disgusted at Pinkamena's appearance. Tartarus warriors surrounded Sweetie Belle.

“Octavia! Seal the portal!” Nightmare Moon ordered. Octavia began to close the portal back to Equestria.

“Time to go,” Sweetie Belle told herself. She ran over to the portal, much faster than she thought. She looked down at her hooves in disbelief, then jumped through the portal. She landed on the sidewalk next to a building back in the ruins of Manehattan. The portal closed behind her. Sweetie Belle rolled onto her back. Exhausted from her recent victories, she lay there for a time before getting up. She finally sat up and looked around.

“This speed's incredible!” she thought out loud. “Must be a side effect of the healing magic.” Behind her, a pony with a HUD scanned her for authorization. Finding no match, the pony approached Sweetie Belle.

“You are not authorized for portal use,” the pony said.

“Yeah?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Says who?” She turned around. Behind her was another Pegasi cyborg. A blue one.

“Rainbow Dash,” the cyborg said. “P-420.”

“Heh,” Sweetie Belle chuckled. “You say that like it means something.”

“As you will discover,” the cybernetic Rainbow Dash responded. Following her programming, she attacked Sweetie Belle for unauthorized portal use. But Sweetie Belle quickly overpowered Cyber Rainbow Dash and defeated her.

“Not as cool as you thought,” Sweetie Belle taunted. Chrysalis walked up.

“Why do you turn on your sister, Pegasi?” she asked.

“That is not my sister,” Sweetie Belle said. “She is machine. I am Equestrian.”

“You do not appear Equestrian,” Chrysalis responded.

“Don't let the mask fool you,” Sweetie Belle warned. Chrysalis attacked Sweetie Belle, but that proved to be a mistake. Sweetie Belle dashed around Chrysalis, making fast connections and putting her down. Flawless Victory.

“It's starting to feel like the old days,” Sweetie Belle thought out loud. “Only faster.” Derpy and Celestia walked up behind Sweetie Belle.

“Rainbow Dash!” Derpy cried. She ran over to Cyber Rainbow Dash's motionless body. Celestia spoke to Sweetie Belle.

“You have great power indeed, Sweetie Belle,” she said. Sweetie Belle recognized Celestia.

“Wait,” she said. “You're the lightning mare. You helped Applebloom.” Sweetie Belle suddenly remembered Applebloom. “Applebloom!” she cried. “Is she...”

“She is safe,” Celestia assured. “She has joined us in the fight against Nightmare Moon. We would welcome your aid also.” Derpy was trying to get Rainbow Dash to wake up.

“Rainbow Dash,” she called.

“That which made her Rainbow Dash no longer exists,” Celestia informed.

“She is my friend,” Derpy pleaded. “What they did to her, it is… hideous.” Sweetie Belle felt a connection between Rainbow Dash and herself. Two Equestrians, disfigured beyond their control.

“Your right,” Sweetie Belle said. “We have to help her if we can.” She walked over to Cyber Rainbow Dash to help Derpy lift her up. With Nightmare Moon's forces held back for now, the time had come to aid and old friend.