Crimson Dawn (you-create-it)

“I thought you said you were starting us on easy missions.” Onyx whispered to Discord as they scouted out a base, which had at least twenty raiders.

“Well after that announcement I decided to start us on harder ones. Still completely within your abilities, this will probably be easy anyways.” Discord said.

“Alright. You all know what to do, Spectral and Spring you stick with Obsidian and help cover her. Onyx, can you shroud four yet?” Dawn ordered.

“Five if I push it.” Onyx replied.

“Alright good...once the stealth gargoyle bomb goes off we all know what to do right?” Dawn continued. They all nodded. She nodded her head towards Onyx, who shrouded the four of them in the silent mist. Dawn watched the shimmer's progress as it moved into the middle of the camp, right next to the camp fire most of the raiders were sitting at. With an unseen signal the mist dropped and Obsidian grounded herself as she launched a blast of magic at a group of them, knocking them all into the air. The rest moved to hack at her, but were stopped by Spring's large war hammer and Mist's Necromancy.

The second al heads were focused on the four, the other six burst out and eliminated nearly all of them. Dawn was delighted to find they were near a crystal mine, but chose not to go full strength yet. That's when the last raider began laughing. One of Selina's blades were in his chest, but he still laughed.

'You're fucking dead little foals.” he gurgled out. Selina brought her second blade into his Temple just as a grumbling roar came. It was followed by a terrible stench. With her link to the crystal mine, Dawn could feel movement in it. She concentrated hard on it and used an ability Twilight taught her. She could see through the crystals now. What she saw horrified her.

“Ghouls...five of them...” Dawn warned.

“I am confident in your abilities...but I will be very watchful...I'm not much of a fighter and they don't really get bother by magic unless it's manipulating something and I'm not that good with Necromancy yet...” Discord said, appearing next to them.

“No need.” Dawn said as her horn glowed black. With a rumble, crystals moved and grew around the mouth of the cave and sealed it. After a few moments the Ghouls reached the now sealed exit. They started banging on it repeatedly. Suddenly there was an explosion and a burst of dark magic.

“Fuck...Lich...” Dawn muttered as she concentrated again. The crystal was beginning to crack, but she wasn't going to risk her friends getting hurt. With all of her strength she manipulated the crystals in the mine. They narrowed and sharped all over, creating a million sharp needles and spears. Then they were sent flying at the undead. Through walls of the cave and other crystals alike.

With a final blast of magic the wall of crystal shattered, but as it did the crystals reached the undead. The Lich had put up a barrier around them, but the crystals shattered it. Only two of the five Ghouls were 'alive' now, but they were pinned to walls and struggling.

“Look at them...they're...different...” Dawn said, stepping closer to them. As they approached, one of them stopped moving. The other froze and then began looking around. Tears came to it's eyes as it screeched and struggled.

“Kill me!” it screeched.

“Dear Lord...it...it's conscious?” Discord said.

“P-please...actions...not mine...k-kill me...h-help me die!” it wheezed.

“If we save your life could you help us?” Dawn asked.

“I-impossible...once...free...body...kill...please...kill me.” it answered.

“Do you remember your name or any of the names of the others?” Dawn asked.

“B-bright...Steel...Royal...Guards...have...d-daughter...take...care...” it wheezed, a vicious fury slowly entering the voice.

“Bright Steel. I am sorry it has to be this way, if there was anything we could do, we would...I'll personally make sure your Daughter is taken care of...” Dawn said. The Ghoul smiled before it froze again, then viciously began snapping and clawing at nothing. It's mind was dead again. Dawn sighed, wielded her Scythe and took the creature's head off.

“Whoever did this...they will pay...” Dawn growled as she stormed off. Selina followed and everyone looked at Dusk with confusion.

“She may seem like she has a cold heart sometimes...but Dawn is one of the most kind and caring ponies I've ever known...seeing a pony suffer like this...it saddens me...but what's going on with her...to her, life is precious if it deserves to be called so.” Dusk explained.

“So...if she thinks you don't deserve your life...she doesn't care...but if she thinks you do she what protects it?” Mist asked.

“More than Protects it...her first scar almost killed her. She didn't even know how to use necromancy and she had just gotten the scythe...raiders murdered one of her friends...she tracked them down and took out a base a little smaller than this...I don't know how but when she stumbled into town she was bleeding out...” she continued.

“Well...we need to report the Ghoul threat...and find out who these guards were.” Discord said. Suddenly what he was going to say next was cut off by Dawn charging into the crystal mine, nearly knocking the god of Chaos over.

“What the-...” he started.

“There's more ponies...alive...in there.” Selina said as she followed Dawn. The group instantly followed suit.

Onyx and Obsidian lost their lunches. The smell was unbearable. There was a pit which held three royal guards and a night guard. The guard was nearly a pool of gore and the dead bodies of two more night guards were in the corner. There was a book and a series of cages around a small desk.

“H-hey help us! Please!” the only conscious guard wheezed when he heard retching.

Dawn and Selina leaned over the edge and hoisted him up while Obsidian hopped into the pit and shouldered the two unconscious ones and hopped back out. Dawn noticed the reasons why they hadn't just flown out, their wings had been broken.

“T-thank Celestia!” the guard wheezed when he was helped out of the mines and into the -relatively- fresh air. He looked around and saw the carnage, then looked at his rescuers.

“You...you're just a team from the academy?” he asked.

“First mission actually...tell us what happened.” Dawn said softly.

“Me and my team were following him...” he started, pointing at the Night Guard Onyx was looking over. “He gave a report of finding a raider base and his two teammates were captured...Celestia sent me and my team to help take out the raiders and rescue the group...we had a powerful Mage with us...but that damn Lich...turned them all into monsters...my captain, Bright Steel, was one of them.” he continued, nearly breaking out into tears.

“So the Raiders somehow tamed a Lich?...we need to report this...what's your name?” Discord said.

“B-bright Armor.” he replied.

“Bright...Armor? As in related to Shining Armor?” Dawn asked.

“He's my Father...why?” he asked.

“...that makes us cousins...Twilight Sparkle is my mother...oh I'm so glad you're alright...good ponies dieing is bad enough...but family...I...” she started, but Selina held her and calmed her.

“your captain said he had a daughter...do you know her?” Selina asked.

“Yes...she's in Canterlot...my niece, the captain was my brother...sorry Dawn, but you did lose some family...” Bright said. Dawn inhaled sharply.

“...at least...at least you are safe now...” Dawn said. She looked royally pissed off now. “I swear to whatever gods there are...I will find who did this...and they won't even get a chance to escape...” she growled. Her breathing began getting heavy as her anger rose. She shakily drew her scythe and, with a yell, flung it into the forest. It went straight through four trees and embedded into a boulder. After that she exhaled deeply and went to retrieve it.

“She needs to vent sometimes...” Selina said weakly.

“Anyone strong enough to teleport themselves and three ponies?” Discord asked.

“I can do it.” Dusk said.

“Good, teleport them to the Canterlot Hospital and be sure they receive proper care.” Discord said. Dusk nodded and a flash of light signaled their departure.

“Come on Love, we'll take care of this when the time comes.” Selina said. Dawn, finally calmed down, nodded.

“I need to go home...to Ponyville...” Dawn said.

“We all deserve a vacation. A large mission like this on top of the Ghouls and rescuing some guards? You ought to get an award or something.” Discord said with a soft chuckle.

“The only award I want is an 'I killed the fucking bastards' award.” Dawn said and started walking.