The War on Sombraby MaskedFlame073ChaptersThe War (Prologue)The WingGroundedDefending the CampMeanwhile...Behind the MaskThe War (Prologue)Nightmare Moon was once again defeated by Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. The royal Canterlot guard defended against Chrysalis' changeling invasion with the help of Celestia's student, Cadance. However, nopony was prepared for the return of one of the worst tyrants in Equestrian history...King Sombra. "Finally..." Sombra muttered, walking out onto a crystal protrusion. His slaves, already outfitted in robotic armor which dulled their thoughts and emotions, simply stood below him in orderly line. "Soldiers! Today heralds a new era in Equestrian history! The era of King Sombra!" The troops stamped their hooves simultaneously before shouting, "Hail King Sombra!" Sombra laughed, turning to look at the sun rising over Equestria. "Today, my minions, we crush Celestia's army! Today, I reign supreme!" The soldiers once again stomp their hooves and shout. The commanders of each legion lead their soldiers to war on Celestia's rule, emotions dulled and thoughts only of obtaining glory for their King. One of Celestia's royal guard burst through the throne room's doors, panting. "Your Majesty! King Sombra has-" Celestia interrupted the guard, raising a hoof. "I know. Sombra has returned, and is mobilizing an army against us as we speak. Gather the troops," A tear drops from her eye as she continues, "The peace in Equestria has been broken." The guard nods, running out of the throne room. After her guard had gathered in the barracks, Celestia herself entered. "Gentlecolts, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of the tyrannical King Sombra's return. As we speak, he is mobilizing his army against us, and as we have enjoyed centuries of peace, we have little defense. We must defend Equestria, and we must ensure that he does not win." The soldiers all nod somberly. "Right, you heard her! Move out!" A commander yells, exiting the barracks. The soldiers follow, ready to defend against Sombra's army... Author's Note The beginning of my first story! This chapter is solely exposition, explaining how the war started. Next chapter (as you probably guessed by the title) is where Rainbow gets her robo-wing. The WingApproximately a year later, the war continues to rage on. Everypony in Equestria must do their part, be it manufacturing weapons, providing food and supplies, or simply moral support, no one is exempt from the stress of this war. The Wonderbolts have ceased their performances and use their aerial skills in the fight against Sombra. The Apple family has forgone quality in favor of quantity out of necessity, as has Rarity. Fluttershy has left her animals behind to help ponies injured on the battlefield, and Pinkie Pie has joined her sister, Maud, as a part of an elite task force in Celestia's army. At this point, the war had truly begun. "Rainbow Dash! Get back in formation!" Spitfire's voice barked into Rainbow's ear, causing her to flinch. "No can do, ma'am! I've got a clear shot at Sombra, and I'm taking it!" She yelled, speeding up toward the imposing stallion, standing on a crystal formation. Sombra turned and saw Rainbow flying at him, and chuckled. "Does Celestia truly think one measly peagsus can defeat me?" He laughs, and stomps his hoof. A crystal spire erupted out of the ground just in front of Rainbow, but her Wonderbolt training had given her reflexes fast enough to dodge. "Hm. Impressive. But not good enough!" Sombra stomps his hoof again, this time the crystal hitting her wing, slicing it off with a loud rip. Rainbow screamed in pain, quickly falling from the sky. She hit the ground hard, knocking all the air out of her lungs. Her vision began to fade, the world turning grey and lifeless. Using the very last of her strength, she looked up and saw Sombra, cackling at her defeat. "Hate...you..." Rainbow muttered, falling unconscious. "Rainbow? Rainbow?! RAINBOW!!" Spitfire fruitlessly yelled into her intercom. Rainbow slowly awakened to the sound of beeping. Her head throbbing in pain, she slowly opened her eyes before quickly shutting them against the bright light shining down on her. "Ugh...what the hay happened?" She asked weakly. She tried opening her eyes again, squinting against the light. She saw a white pegasus with a brown mane and glasses walking around her, muttering. "Who are you?" The pegasus stopped and looked at her. "Oh, good, you're awake!" He said, walking over. "Name's Booker, chief scientist and medical officer. You made a big mistake out there," He said, gesturing toward her left side. Rainbow slowly looked over and saw...nothing. No wing, no feathers, nothing. "What?!" The beeping began to quicken as she panicked. "My wing! How am I gonna fly?! What am I gonna do?!" Booker sighed, sitting down and letting her ride out her tantrum. After a few minutes, Rainbow stopped screaming. "Are you done?" Booker asked, getting up. She nodded weakly, and he smiled. "Good. Now, there is a way for you to fly again, but it's dangerous, untested, and quite frankly, ludicrous." Rainbow seemed confused. "How? I lost my wing! Nopony can fly with only one wing!" Booker chuckled. "Precisely. And that's where this comes in," He says, wheeling in a cart with a metal wing on top. Rainbow's jaw dropped as she stared at it. "Awesome..." She breathed. Booker adjusted his glasses. "Yeah, but it's also incredibly dangerous." "Dangerous how?" Rainbow asked, sitting up in her bed. Booker's smile dropped. "Dangerous in that it could send an electric pulse through your entire body, stopping your heart. Permanently." Rainbow gulped as Booker's smile quickly returned. "But that was in an early prototype! This one should be completely safe, save for one problem." Booker started tweaking the metal wing, and the feathers on it responded by expanding and contracting. "What problem is that?" Rainbow asked. "It hasn't been properly tested, and the time it would take is time we sadly don't have." Booker said, looking under the wing. "Now, we don't have to proceed with the operation, but if we don't you'll probably never fly again. The choice, Lieutenant Dash, is yours." He finished adjusting the wing, and looked seriously at Rainbow. She thinks for a moment, then nods. "I'll do it." Booker smiles. "Alright. I've already adjusted the wing to your specifications, now all that's left is to map out your neurons, connect them to the fiber-optics, and hopefully have you be the first pegasus to fly with a cybernetic wing." Rainbow grins. "Piece of cake." Booker's smile softens. "For almost anypony else, I'd say no. But you? Just maybe. Now!" He clapped his hooves together. "Let's get this show on the road." He injects Rainbow with anesthesia, and she slowly drifts away. "Uuugh...I don't think I'm gonna miss that beeping when I get outta here," Rainbow muttered weakly. Booker, who was sitting off to the side of her bed with his head in a book, smiled. "Yeah, it's not fun. What is fun, however, is what you've got attached to your left shoulder!" Booker said, gesturing to her new robotic wing. Rainbow looked down, and saw it splayed out across the bed, fused with her flesh at the wing joint. "Whoaw! This is awesome!" She said, looking at the wing. "Careful, lieutenant. We need to make sure everything's connected properly before you can have your way with it. I've needed to jump through loads of loopholes with Spitfire to get you back on the battlefield without PT." Booker said with a stern note of caution. Rainbow looked at Booker, confused. "PT?" "Physical therapy. You know, working out the muscles, testing the neurons, all that jazz. Your records were good enough to convince Spitfire that you didn't need it, just a basic check to make sure everything's working." Booker said, putting down his book. Rainbow sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're a real windbag, you know?" Booker chuckled. "I've been told. Now, please flex your wing." He asked, walking over to a computer. She frowns, and the wing doesn't move. "Why isn't it working? I'm thinking about moving it." Booker sighed, typing something into the computer. "You've gotta actually move it. Just act like your old wing is still there, and move that." Rainbow concentrates, and the wing starts flapping out of control. "Aah! What the hay?!" Booker quickly presses a series of keys, and the wing abruptly stops. He clicks his tongue, thinking. "I was afraid that would happen. The wing's a little too sensitive to your neural impulses." Rainbow just stares at him blankly. "Nevermind. I'll tune it up, and we should have you out there before the day's up." They continue testing the wing, eventually tuning it so that Rainbow could fly better than ever. "This is literally the coolest thing ever!" Rainbow said, getting up from the hospital bed. "I can't find anything else wrong with it, so you're good to go. Just check in with Spitfire, and you should be ok." Booker said, getting up from the computer. Rainbow froze. "Uuh, she's not mad that I left the formation is she?" Booker laughed. "Are you kidding me?" Rainbow relaxed before Booker continued, "She was furious!" Rainbow tensed up again as Booker slowly stopped laughing. "But she's alright with it now. You had a chance to end the war right there, nopony can blame you for taking it." He said. Rainbow smiled. "Thanks, Booker." "Don't mention it. Now go kick some of Sombra's ass for me." Booker said, returning to his book. Rainbow grinned. "No problem!" She left the room to go see Spitfire. Author's Note Now that was fun to write! I'm a sucker for a good explanation on robotics, so I might have dragged it on a little longer than necessary. It should be noted that Rainbow's new hairstyle seen in the show is already on her, but the eye-scar and missing bit of ear will be explained either next chapter or in future chapters. Grounded"Commander?" Rainbow asked, walking into Spitfire's tent, leaving the entrance flap fluttering in the wind. "Doctor Booker told me to report to you." Spitfire looked up from the forms she was signing. "Lieutenant Dash. Good to see you out of that tent for once. I take it the procedure was successful?" She asked, sliding the signed forms into a bin labeled "Out." Rainbow nodded, keeping her gaze forward. "Good. Now tell me," she slammed her hooves on the table, her expression suddenly filled with rage. "Why did you even think to put one FEATHER out of formation?!" She yelled, the forms on her desk scattering across the floor. "You could've been killed!" Clearly shaken by her superior's sudden outburst, Rainbow explained. "Ma'am, I saw that I had the opportunity to kill Sombra. I removed myself from formation hoping to end the war, ma'am." Her expression and tone remained remarkably stoic as she kept her gaze straight. "I apologize for my actions and promise not to repeat them, ma'am." Spirfire sat back, satisfied with Rainbow's explanation. "I follow your thought process, but Sombra is not a threat you can simply charge into head-first." She said, picking up the forms from the floor. "Your actions are sensible, but the Wonderbolts are about unity. There's a reason we have those formations. Your actions led to half of your formation getting seriously injured, or did you not notice how busy the medical tents were?" She asked, pointing outside. Rainbow looked out, and as Spitfire said, pegasi in uniform were being wheeled between tents covered in bandages. "I suggest you use the next week of your time wisely, lieutenant." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Week? I thought we were being deployed to another battle tomorrow!" She said, looking nervous. Spitfire smiled knowingly. "The Wonderbolts are. You aren't. For your actions, I'm grounding you for a week." Rainbow's insides froze colder than ice. It felt as though Sombra's crystal wormed its way inside her chest and covered her heart. "G-g-grounded? For a week?!" Rainbow said. "Why? I'm the best flier you've got! Without me, my entire squad would've died out there!" Spitfire glared at Rainbow. "You're right in saying you're the best flier. But without you, your squad would've been led by somepony else, and in all likelihood none of them would be in stretchers right now." Her quiet fury unsettled Rainbow. When somepony burst out screaming in her face, Rainbow would look them right in the eye. But Spitfire was calm with her rage, and Rainbow could never stand up to that. "Understood, ma'am." Rainbow said, defeated. She left the tent, head hung in shame. 'A whole week...What the hay am I gonna do?' She thought to herself as she headed for the mess hall to get a mug of coffee. For some reason, the caffeine seemed to calm her nerves and help her regain her bearings. As she opened the door, she saw two ponies who had saved her life many times before; the Pie sisters, or what everypony called them, the Digging Duo. Rainbow sighed, relieved to see a familiar and friendly face, even if the two rarely ever smiled. "The duo of diggers! What's goin' on?" She asked, walking over to them. "Hello Lieutenant. Good to see you out of Booker's tent." Maud said in her trademark monotone. Rainbow smiled. "Yeah, it was getting a bit stuffy in there. But I did get this!" She said, opening her robotic wing. Pinkamena looked over it with no trace of emotion on her face. "Hmm. Seems pretty useful. Could you use it to fly through rocks?" She asked, in a much higher pitched monotone than Maud. Rainbow laughed. "Do you two ever think of anything other than rocks? I mean, I know it's your job and all, but there's more to life than boulders and pebbles, isn't there?" Maud nodded. "Yes. There's boulders, pebbles, crystals, dirt, igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, metal, grey, light grey, dark gre-" Rainbow interrupted, holding up a hoof. "Spare me the monologue, my ears can only take so much of a beating." She said, smiling. Alarms began to blare through the camp, causing Pinkamena and Maud to put down their plates and leave the hall. "Curse my grounding..." Rainbow muttered, stirring her coffee. Spitfire suddenly burst through the mess hall doors, nearly knocking down the exiting Pie sisters. "Dash! I'm suspending your grounding, the camp's under attack!" She ran out as quickly as she came in, leaving the doors swinging behind her. Only momentarily stunned, Rainbow quickly put down her mug and flew out the door to defend the camp. Author's Note Wow, this got WAY more popular in one night than I thought it would ever get! Thanks so much for the favorites, I'll try to get the next chapter out sometime next week. I kinda came up with the Digging Duo on the spot, bit of an alliteration just for fun. Look forward to the next few chapters, I've got a great idea on integrating the Cutie Map! Defending the CampAs Rainbow Dash ran out of the tent, a pegasus crash landed in front of her, scarcely missing her. She jumped back in surprise before looking down at it. The pegasus was one of Sombra's soldiers, the helmet cracked from a strong kick. Rainbow grinned, and said, "Good riddance." The fallen pegasus groaned as the helmet fell off. Rainbow cocked her head to the side as the stallion opened his eyes. "Wha-...where am I?" He tried to get up, but as he started to stand, a loud crack sounded and he fell down, screaming in pain. Panicked, confused, and scared (but not outwardly showing it), Rainbow picked him up and flew him into a medical tent. "Rainbow! What? Who?" Booker yelled, startled at her sudden entrance. He looked between her and the stallion, and after a moment's hesitation, said, "Put him on that stretcher, I'll fix him up. You go help defend the camp!" He said, pointing out. Rainbow nodded, gently setting the wounded stallion onto a stretcher and flying out of the tent as fast as she dared with her mechanical wing. She shot up into the air, breathing heavily. Looking down, she saw a small legion of soldiers coming from the horizon. "Reinforcements," She muttered, shooting off toward them. The leader looked up, saw her, and pointed. All of the others looked as Rainbow smirked. "Surprise!" She yelled, shooting down toward them and kicking one in the chest, causing a domino-effect of Sombra's soldiers falling over. With a giggle, she shot back up into the air. "Rainbow! Where are you?!" Spitfire yelled into her intercom as she fought a group of soldiers. "Taking out some reinforcements! You guys doing okay over there?" She asked as she dove for the leader. She grabbed him around his chest and soared high into the sky, grinning. "Just dandy, thanks!" Spitfire said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "We're only facing a full-scale attack on the camp, only a few hundred soldiers!" She said as she finished off the last of the group that was attacking her. "Well just be glad that's all you have to deal with!" Rainbow said, dropping the stallion. As he fell, Rainbow dove in for another attack on the reinforcements. She started circling them as fast as she could, eventually creating a tornado. It sucked all the reinforcements in and shot them into the air. As they hit the ground, Rainbow landed. "That takes care of that," She said, speeding back toward camp. Meanwhile...Meanwhile, miles away from the front lines, but still feeling its effects, an overworked farm-pony turned factory worker takes a well-earned break from her duties. As she wanders the nearly deserted streets, something just behind a bush catches her eye. "What in tarnation...?" Applejack muttered to herself as she walked toward the bush. Pushing it aside, she saw a table made from pure crystal, with an equally crystalline model of Equestria on top of it. She slowly walked toward it, then walked around it, then looked below the table, carefully examining every inch. "How in the hay did this get here?" She questioned herself. She slowly reached out to touch it. As her hoof made contact with the crystal, a sudden kaleidoscope of images flashed in her mind. Some things she recognized, like herself, her family, her old farm. But much of it was unfamiliar. Who was that pink pony? The rainbow-maned one? What was that giant crystal castle? The hallucination ended as suddenly as it started, and she reeled back from the table. Applejack shuddered, and quickly backed out of the bushes. "Ah 'aint never touching that thing again!" Yet the temptation, the curiosity, the questions never stopped. Eventually, it all proved too much, and she returned to the strange clearing behind the bushes. She very slowly reached out to touch the table again, and this time the images came slower. Scenes began to form instead of flashes, and Applejack could nearly make out some words. Yet looking at the scenes around her, she noticed the words didn't line up with the movements of these strange ponies' mouths. "Pink...pie?" She muttered. "The hay is that?" The images slowly faded and the real world came back into focus. Applejack looked up at the sky and realized many hours had passed, and she would be expected back at the factory soon. She quickly left the mysterious crystal table, and returned to the factory. Two days later, she returned for the third time. The table glowed slightly at her presence, and Applejack recoiled slightly. "What the hay...?" The table hummed slightly, then a blinding flash of light knocked Applejack to the edge of the clearing, against the bushes. She got up and looked around to see a completely unfamiliar scene. "Where am I?" She whispered. And she suddenly remembered, In Twilight's castle. Wait, who's Twilight? Mah friend, duh! Unfamiliar memories raged through her head, and she soon passed out. She woke up, back in the bleak yet familiar Ponyville. "That thing is weird..." She said as she headed back to the factory. Author's Note The plot thickens! Original timelines, the Cutie Map, and of course...TIME SHENANIGANS!! Or in this case multiverse shenanigans but shenanigans nonetheless! Next update could be tomorrow ~~if I get off my lazy ass~~, so look forward to more RD action! Behind the MaskBack at the camp, the Wonderbolts have successfully pushed back the invading force. Every medical tent is filled, and no doctor has a spare moment. But one tent has been sealed for an unusually long time; Booker's tent, in which there was a pegasus liberated from Sombra's ranks due to a forceful kick in the helmet. He had a grey coat, white mane, and a star-shaped scar over his right eye. "So, do you remember anything?" Booker asked the pegasus. "Not much, just...fear. Everything leading up to that helmet being put on my head is just fear." The pegasus said in a deep, gravelly voice, laying on a stretcher. "No worries, I'm sure it'll come back eventually," Booker said, as he pushed himself away from the heart rate monitor. "Well, all your vitals are normal, and I'm not seeing any neural interference, so you should be all good. Still, I'd like you to stay here for a while, just to make sure." The pegasus nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Booker." Booker smiled, sitting down at a table, on top of which was the pegasus' helmet. "Not a problem," He said. "Get some rest, I'll see if I can get anything from this thing," He said, picking it up and examining the crack along the front side of the helmet. Some twenty minutes later, Rainbow burst into the tent. "Heya Books! How's everything hangin?" She yelled, waking up the pegasus. "Aah! No! Get it off!" The pegasus screamed before coming to his senses and catching his breath. "Haah....sorry. Bad dream." Booker sighed, setting the helmet back on the table. "Rainbow, you really need to learn some bedside manner," He said, clearly exasperated. Rainbow chuckled. "Sorry. But hey, you're awake!" She said, looking over at the pegasus. "Yeah, but I don't remember much besides my name. It's Mike, by the way," Mike said, a little sheepishly. Booker smiled, turning to the two pegasi. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, I have a question for you, Rainbow. How did you manage to kick hard enough to crack an inch and a half of titanium?" He said, tossing her the cracked helmet. "Holy crap, my kick did that?" Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. "I mean, I knew I was strong but...dang. Good thing you were wearing it, Mike, otherwise I'da probably killed you!" Mike chuckled, pushing himself up on one hoof. "Same here." "Anyway," Booker interrupted, "I think I've isolated the mechanism used to instill obedience in you guys," He said, gesturing to Mike. "Now, there are two options here. One, I can build an EMP with a specific wavelength to disrupt these things, or I can build some kind of controller, in order that we can turn all Sombra's soldiers against him and take him out for good. Only problem is it'll take a little longer." "Duh, build the EMP! With Sombra's soldiers down, we can just kill 'im straight up!" Rainbow said, a gleam in her eye. "Heck, I'll take him out myself, get revenge for my wing!" Mike shook his head. "Not so simple," He said. "Sombra's powerful. A surprise attack using his soldiers will probably be more effective than all of his soldiers suddenly gaining consciousness. He'd see an attack coming, and barricade himself in. Best to take him by surprise." "And let even more ponies die in the meantime?! I don't think so!" Rainbow retorted, beginning to fume. "We'll hit him fast and hard, no two ways about it!" "Will you two cut it out?!" Booker yelled, causing Rainbow and Mike to suddenly stop. "I'm with Mike on this, better to make sure it works rather than risk this war going on longer than it needs to." Rainbow began to interject, but Booker quickly raised his hoof. "That's final. It won't take that much longer, anyway. Especially if you let me get to work right now." Rainbow sighed, defeated. "Fine. Just make it quick. I'm going to help with repairs," she said, leaving the tent. Booker sighed, turning to the helmet and beginning to tinker with it. "She means well, you know," Mike said. "Kinda blunt and headstrong, but that's 'cause she believes in what she thinks is right." "A true embodiment of Loyalty, if I've ever seen it," Booker said, smiling. "Still, it'd do her some good to quiet down every once in a while." Author's Note Whoo! Two chapters in two days! I'm hoping to wrap this up pretty soon, I have another story idea I'd like to try. In the mean time, expect no more than 5 more chapters for this story. Aside from that, the war goes on.
The War (Prologue)Nightmare Moon was once again defeated by Celestia and the Elements of Harmony. The royal Canterlot guard defended against Chrysalis' changeling invasion with the help of Celestia's student, Cadance. However, nopony was prepared for the return of one of the worst tyrants in Equestrian history...King Sombra. "Finally..." Sombra muttered, walking out onto a crystal protrusion. His slaves, already outfitted in robotic armor which dulled their thoughts and emotions, simply stood below him in orderly line. "Soldiers! Today heralds a new era in Equestrian history! The era of King Sombra!" The troops stamped their hooves simultaneously before shouting, "Hail King Sombra!" Sombra laughed, turning to look at the sun rising over Equestria. "Today, my minions, we crush Celestia's army! Today, I reign supreme!" The soldiers once again stomp their hooves and shout. The commanders of each legion lead their soldiers to war on Celestia's rule, emotions dulled and thoughts only of obtaining glory for their King. One of Celestia's royal guard burst through the throne room's doors, panting. "Your Majesty! King Sombra has-" Celestia interrupted the guard, raising a hoof. "I know. Sombra has returned, and is mobilizing an army against us as we speak. Gather the troops," A tear drops from her eye as she continues, "The peace in Equestria has been broken." The guard nods, running out of the throne room. After her guard had gathered in the barracks, Celestia herself entered. "Gentlecolts, it is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of the tyrannical King Sombra's return. As we speak, he is mobilizing his army against us, and as we have enjoyed centuries of peace, we have little defense. We must defend Equestria, and we must ensure that he does not win." The soldiers all nod somberly. "Right, you heard her! Move out!" A commander yells, exiting the barracks. The soldiers follow, ready to defend against Sombra's army... Author's Note The beginning of my first story! This chapter is solely exposition, explaining how the war started. Next chapter (as you probably guessed by the title) is where Rainbow gets her robo-wing.
The WingApproximately a year later, the war continues to rage on. Everypony in Equestria must do their part, be it manufacturing weapons, providing food and supplies, or simply moral support, no one is exempt from the stress of this war. The Wonderbolts have ceased their performances and use their aerial skills in the fight against Sombra. The Apple family has forgone quality in favor of quantity out of necessity, as has Rarity. Fluttershy has left her animals behind to help ponies injured on the battlefield, and Pinkie Pie has joined her sister, Maud, as a part of an elite task force in Celestia's army. At this point, the war had truly begun. "Rainbow Dash! Get back in formation!" Spitfire's voice barked into Rainbow's ear, causing her to flinch. "No can do, ma'am! I've got a clear shot at Sombra, and I'm taking it!" She yelled, speeding up toward the imposing stallion, standing on a crystal formation. Sombra turned and saw Rainbow flying at him, and chuckled. "Does Celestia truly think one measly peagsus can defeat me?" He laughs, and stomps his hoof. A crystal spire erupted out of the ground just in front of Rainbow, but her Wonderbolt training had given her reflexes fast enough to dodge. "Hm. Impressive. But not good enough!" Sombra stomps his hoof again, this time the crystal hitting her wing, slicing it off with a loud rip. Rainbow screamed in pain, quickly falling from the sky. She hit the ground hard, knocking all the air out of her lungs. Her vision began to fade, the world turning grey and lifeless. Using the very last of her strength, she looked up and saw Sombra, cackling at her defeat. "Hate...you..." Rainbow muttered, falling unconscious. "Rainbow? Rainbow?! RAINBOW!!" Spitfire fruitlessly yelled into her intercom. Rainbow slowly awakened to the sound of beeping. Her head throbbing in pain, she slowly opened her eyes before quickly shutting them against the bright light shining down on her. "Ugh...what the hay happened?" She asked weakly. She tried opening her eyes again, squinting against the light. She saw a white pegasus with a brown mane and glasses walking around her, muttering. "Who are you?" The pegasus stopped and looked at her. "Oh, good, you're awake!" He said, walking over. "Name's Booker, chief scientist and medical officer. You made a big mistake out there," He said, gesturing toward her left side. Rainbow slowly looked over and saw...nothing. No wing, no feathers, nothing. "What?!" The beeping began to quicken as she panicked. "My wing! How am I gonna fly?! What am I gonna do?!" Booker sighed, sitting down and letting her ride out her tantrum. After a few minutes, Rainbow stopped screaming. "Are you done?" Booker asked, getting up. She nodded weakly, and he smiled. "Good. Now, there is a way for you to fly again, but it's dangerous, untested, and quite frankly, ludicrous." Rainbow seemed confused. "How? I lost my wing! Nopony can fly with only one wing!" Booker chuckled. "Precisely. And that's where this comes in," He says, wheeling in a cart with a metal wing on top. Rainbow's jaw dropped as she stared at it. "Awesome..." She breathed. Booker adjusted his glasses. "Yeah, but it's also incredibly dangerous." "Dangerous how?" Rainbow asked, sitting up in her bed. Booker's smile dropped. "Dangerous in that it could send an electric pulse through your entire body, stopping your heart. Permanently." Rainbow gulped as Booker's smile quickly returned. "But that was in an early prototype! This one should be completely safe, save for one problem." Booker started tweaking the metal wing, and the feathers on it responded by expanding and contracting. "What problem is that?" Rainbow asked. "It hasn't been properly tested, and the time it would take is time we sadly don't have." Booker said, looking under the wing. "Now, we don't have to proceed with the operation, but if we don't you'll probably never fly again. The choice, Lieutenant Dash, is yours." He finished adjusting the wing, and looked seriously at Rainbow. She thinks for a moment, then nods. "I'll do it." Booker smiles. "Alright. I've already adjusted the wing to your specifications, now all that's left is to map out your neurons, connect them to the fiber-optics, and hopefully have you be the first pegasus to fly with a cybernetic wing." Rainbow grins. "Piece of cake." Booker's smile softens. "For almost anypony else, I'd say no. But you? Just maybe. Now!" He clapped his hooves together. "Let's get this show on the road." He injects Rainbow with anesthesia, and she slowly drifts away. "Uuugh...I don't think I'm gonna miss that beeping when I get outta here," Rainbow muttered weakly. Booker, who was sitting off to the side of her bed with his head in a book, smiled. "Yeah, it's not fun. What is fun, however, is what you've got attached to your left shoulder!" Booker said, gesturing to her new robotic wing. Rainbow looked down, and saw it splayed out across the bed, fused with her flesh at the wing joint. "Whoaw! This is awesome!" She said, looking at the wing. "Careful, lieutenant. We need to make sure everything's connected properly before you can have your way with it. I've needed to jump through loads of loopholes with Spitfire to get you back on the battlefield without PT." Booker said with a stern note of caution. Rainbow looked at Booker, confused. "PT?" "Physical therapy. You know, working out the muscles, testing the neurons, all that jazz. Your records were good enough to convince Spitfire that you didn't need it, just a basic check to make sure everything's working." Booker said, putting down his book. Rainbow sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're a real windbag, you know?" Booker chuckled. "I've been told. Now, please flex your wing." He asked, walking over to a computer. She frowns, and the wing doesn't move. "Why isn't it working? I'm thinking about moving it." Booker sighed, typing something into the computer. "You've gotta actually move it. Just act like your old wing is still there, and move that." Rainbow concentrates, and the wing starts flapping out of control. "Aah! What the hay?!" Booker quickly presses a series of keys, and the wing abruptly stops. He clicks his tongue, thinking. "I was afraid that would happen. The wing's a little too sensitive to your neural impulses." Rainbow just stares at him blankly. "Nevermind. I'll tune it up, and we should have you out there before the day's up." They continue testing the wing, eventually tuning it so that Rainbow could fly better than ever. "This is literally the coolest thing ever!" Rainbow said, getting up from the hospital bed. "I can't find anything else wrong with it, so you're good to go. Just check in with Spitfire, and you should be ok." Booker said, getting up from the computer. Rainbow froze. "Uuh, she's not mad that I left the formation is she?" Booker laughed. "Are you kidding me?" Rainbow relaxed before Booker continued, "She was furious!" Rainbow tensed up again as Booker slowly stopped laughing. "But she's alright with it now. You had a chance to end the war right there, nopony can blame you for taking it." He said. Rainbow smiled. "Thanks, Booker." "Don't mention it. Now go kick some of Sombra's ass for me." Booker said, returning to his book. Rainbow grinned. "No problem!" She left the room to go see Spitfire. Author's Note Now that was fun to write! I'm a sucker for a good explanation on robotics, so I might have dragged it on a little longer than necessary. It should be noted that Rainbow's new hairstyle seen in the show is already on her, but the eye-scar and missing bit of ear will be explained either next chapter or in future chapters.
Grounded"Commander?" Rainbow asked, walking into Spitfire's tent, leaving the entrance flap fluttering in the wind. "Doctor Booker told me to report to you." Spitfire looked up from the forms she was signing. "Lieutenant Dash. Good to see you out of that tent for once. I take it the procedure was successful?" She asked, sliding the signed forms into a bin labeled "Out." Rainbow nodded, keeping her gaze forward. "Good. Now tell me," she slammed her hooves on the table, her expression suddenly filled with rage. "Why did you even think to put one FEATHER out of formation?!" She yelled, the forms on her desk scattering across the floor. "You could've been killed!" Clearly shaken by her superior's sudden outburst, Rainbow explained. "Ma'am, I saw that I had the opportunity to kill Sombra. I removed myself from formation hoping to end the war, ma'am." Her expression and tone remained remarkably stoic as she kept her gaze straight. "I apologize for my actions and promise not to repeat them, ma'am." Spirfire sat back, satisfied with Rainbow's explanation. "I follow your thought process, but Sombra is not a threat you can simply charge into head-first." She said, picking up the forms from the floor. "Your actions are sensible, but the Wonderbolts are about unity. There's a reason we have those formations. Your actions led to half of your formation getting seriously injured, or did you not notice how busy the medical tents were?" She asked, pointing outside. Rainbow looked out, and as Spitfire said, pegasi in uniform were being wheeled between tents covered in bandages. "I suggest you use the next week of your time wisely, lieutenant." Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Week? I thought we were being deployed to another battle tomorrow!" She said, looking nervous. Spitfire smiled knowingly. "The Wonderbolts are. You aren't. For your actions, I'm grounding you for a week." Rainbow's insides froze colder than ice. It felt as though Sombra's crystal wormed its way inside her chest and covered her heart. "G-g-grounded? For a week?!" Rainbow said. "Why? I'm the best flier you've got! Without me, my entire squad would've died out there!" Spitfire glared at Rainbow. "You're right in saying you're the best flier. But without you, your squad would've been led by somepony else, and in all likelihood none of them would be in stretchers right now." Her quiet fury unsettled Rainbow. When somepony burst out screaming in her face, Rainbow would look them right in the eye. But Spitfire was calm with her rage, and Rainbow could never stand up to that. "Understood, ma'am." Rainbow said, defeated. She left the tent, head hung in shame. 'A whole week...What the hay am I gonna do?' She thought to herself as she headed for the mess hall to get a mug of coffee. For some reason, the caffeine seemed to calm her nerves and help her regain her bearings. As she opened the door, she saw two ponies who had saved her life many times before; the Pie sisters, or what everypony called them, the Digging Duo. Rainbow sighed, relieved to see a familiar and friendly face, even if the two rarely ever smiled. "The duo of diggers! What's goin' on?" She asked, walking over to them. "Hello Lieutenant. Good to see you out of Booker's tent." Maud said in her trademark monotone. Rainbow smiled. "Yeah, it was getting a bit stuffy in there. But I did get this!" She said, opening her robotic wing. Pinkamena looked over it with no trace of emotion on her face. "Hmm. Seems pretty useful. Could you use it to fly through rocks?" She asked, in a much higher pitched monotone than Maud. Rainbow laughed. "Do you two ever think of anything other than rocks? I mean, I know it's your job and all, but there's more to life than boulders and pebbles, isn't there?" Maud nodded. "Yes. There's boulders, pebbles, crystals, dirt, igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary, metal, grey, light grey, dark gre-" Rainbow interrupted, holding up a hoof. "Spare me the monologue, my ears can only take so much of a beating." She said, smiling. Alarms began to blare through the camp, causing Pinkamena and Maud to put down their plates and leave the hall. "Curse my grounding..." Rainbow muttered, stirring her coffee. Spitfire suddenly burst through the mess hall doors, nearly knocking down the exiting Pie sisters. "Dash! I'm suspending your grounding, the camp's under attack!" She ran out as quickly as she came in, leaving the doors swinging behind her. Only momentarily stunned, Rainbow quickly put down her mug and flew out the door to defend the camp. Author's Note Wow, this got WAY more popular in one night than I thought it would ever get! Thanks so much for the favorites, I'll try to get the next chapter out sometime next week. I kinda came up with the Digging Duo on the spot, bit of an alliteration just for fun. Look forward to the next few chapters, I've got a great idea on integrating the Cutie Map!
Defending the CampAs Rainbow Dash ran out of the tent, a pegasus crash landed in front of her, scarcely missing her. She jumped back in surprise before looking down at it. The pegasus was one of Sombra's soldiers, the helmet cracked from a strong kick. Rainbow grinned, and said, "Good riddance." The fallen pegasus groaned as the helmet fell off. Rainbow cocked her head to the side as the stallion opened his eyes. "Wha-...where am I?" He tried to get up, but as he started to stand, a loud crack sounded and he fell down, screaming in pain. Panicked, confused, and scared (but not outwardly showing it), Rainbow picked him up and flew him into a medical tent. "Rainbow! What? Who?" Booker yelled, startled at her sudden entrance. He looked between her and the stallion, and after a moment's hesitation, said, "Put him on that stretcher, I'll fix him up. You go help defend the camp!" He said, pointing out. Rainbow nodded, gently setting the wounded stallion onto a stretcher and flying out of the tent as fast as she dared with her mechanical wing. She shot up into the air, breathing heavily. Looking down, she saw a small legion of soldiers coming from the horizon. "Reinforcements," She muttered, shooting off toward them. The leader looked up, saw her, and pointed. All of the others looked as Rainbow smirked. "Surprise!" She yelled, shooting down toward them and kicking one in the chest, causing a domino-effect of Sombra's soldiers falling over. With a giggle, she shot back up into the air. "Rainbow! Where are you?!" Spitfire yelled into her intercom as she fought a group of soldiers. "Taking out some reinforcements! You guys doing okay over there?" She asked as she dove for the leader. She grabbed him around his chest and soared high into the sky, grinning. "Just dandy, thanks!" Spitfire said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "We're only facing a full-scale attack on the camp, only a few hundred soldiers!" She said as she finished off the last of the group that was attacking her. "Well just be glad that's all you have to deal with!" Rainbow said, dropping the stallion. As he fell, Rainbow dove in for another attack on the reinforcements. She started circling them as fast as she could, eventually creating a tornado. It sucked all the reinforcements in and shot them into the air. As they hit the ground, Rainbow landed. "That takes care of that," She said, speeding back toward camp.
Meanwhile...Meanwhile, miles away from the front lines, but still feeling its effects, an overworked farm-pony turned factory worker takes a well-earned break from her duties. As she wanders the nearly deserted streets, something just behind a bush catches her eye. "What in tarnation...?" Applejack muttered to herself as she walked toward the bush. Pushing it aside, she saw a table made from pure crystal, with an equally crystalline model of Equestria on top of it. She slowly walked toward it, then walked around it, then looked below the table, carefully examining every inch. "How in the hay did this get here?" She questioned herself. She slowly reached out to touch it. As her hoof made contact with the crystal, a sudden kaleidoscope of images flashed in her mind. Some things she recognized, like herself, her family, her old farm. But much of it was unfamiliar. Who was that pink pony? The rainbow-maned one? What was that giant crystal castle? The hallucination ended as suddenly as it started, and she reeled back from the table. Applejack shuddered, and quickly backed out of the bushes. "Ah 'aint never touching that thing again!" Yet the temptation, the curiosity, the questions never stopped. Eventually, it all proved too much, and she returned to the strange clearing behind the bushes. She very slowly reached out to touch the table again, and this time the images came slower. Scenes began to form instead of flashes, and Applejack could nearly make out some words. Yet looking at the scenes around her, she noticed the words didn't line up with the movements of these strange ponies' mouths. "Pink...pie?" She muttered. "The hay is that?" The images slowly faded and the real world came back into focus. Applejack looked up at the sky and realized many hours had passed, and she would be expected back at the factory soon. She quickly left the mysterious crystal table, and returned to the factory. Two days later, she returned for the third time. The table glowed slightly at her presence, and Applejack recoiled slightly. "What the hay...?" The table hummed slightly, then a blinding flash of light knocked Applejack to the edge of the clearing, against the bushes. She got up and looked around to see a completely unfamiliar scene. "Where am I?" She whispered. And she suddenly remembered, In Twilight's castle. Wait, who's Twilight? Mah friend, duh! Unfamiliar memories raged through her head, and she soon passed out. She woke up, back in the bleak yet familiar Ponyville. "That thing is weird..." She said as she headed back to the factory. Author's Note The plot thickens! Original timelines, the Cutie Map, and of course...TIME SHENANIGANS!! Or in this case multiverse shenanigans but shenanigans nonetheless! Next update could be tomorrow ~~if I get off my lazy ass~~, so look forward to more RD action!
Behind the MaskBack at the camp, the Wonderbolts have successfully pushed back the invading force. Every medical tent is filled, and no doctor has a spare moment. But one tent has been sealed for an unusually long time; Booker's tent, in which there was a pegasus liberated from Sombra's ranks due to a forceful kick in the helmet. He had a grey coat, white mane, and a star-shaped scar over his right eye. "So, do you remember anything?" Booker asked the pegasus. "Not much, just...fear. Everything leading up to that helmet being put on my head is just fear." The pegasus said in a deep, gravelly voice, laying on a stretcher. "No worries, I'm sure it'll come back eventually," Booker said, as he pushed himself away from the heart rate monitor. "Well, all your vitals are normal, and I'm not seeing any neural interference, so you should be all good. Still, I'd like you to stay here for a while, just to make sure." The pegasus nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you, Booker." Booker smiled, sitting down at a table, on top of which was the pegasus' helmet. "Not a problem," He said. "Get some rest, I'll see if I can get anything from this thing," He said, picking it up and examining the crack along the front side of the helmet. Some twenty minutes later, Rainbow burst into the tent. "Heya Books! How's everything hangin?" She yelled, waking up the pegasus. "Aah! No! Get it off!" The pegasus screamed before coming to his senses and catching his breath. "Haah....sorry. Bad dream." Booker sighed, setting the helmet back on the table. "Rainbow, you really need to learn some bedside manner," He said, clearly exasperated. Rainbow chuckled. "Sorry. But hey, you're awake!" She said, looking over at the pegasus. "Yeah, but I don't remember much besides my name. It's Mike, by the way," Mike said, a little sheepishly. Booker smiled, turning to the two pegasi. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, I have a question for you, Rainbow. How did you manage to kick hard enough to crack an inch and a half of titanium?" He said, tossing her the cracked helmet. "Holy crap, my kick did that?" Rainbow asked, dumbfounded. "I mean, I knew I was strong but...dang. Good thing you were wearing it, Mike, otherwise I'da probably killed you!" Mike chuckled, pushing himself up on one hoof. "Same here." "Anyway," Booker interrupted, "I think I've isolated the mechanism used to instill obedience in you guys," He said, gesturing to Mike. "Now, there are two options here. One, I can build an EMP with a specific wavelength to disrupt these things, or I can build some kind of controller, in order that we can turn all Sombra's soldiers against him and take him out for good. Only problem is it'll take a little longer." "Duh, build the EMP! With Sombra's soldiers down, we can just kill 'im straight up!" Rainbow said, a gleam in her eye. "Heck, I'll take him out myself, get revenge for my wing!" Mike shook his head. "Not so simple," He said. "Sombra's powerful. A surprise attack using his soldiers will probably be more effective than all of his soldiers suddenly gaining consciousness. He'd see an attack coming, and barricade himself in. Best to take him by surprise." "And let even more ponies die in the meantime?! I don't think so!" Rainbow retorted, beginning to fume. "We'll hit him fast and hard, no two ways about it!" "Will you two cut it out?!" Booker yelled, causing Rainbow and Mike to suddenly stop. "I'm with Mike on this, better to make sure it works rather than risk this war going on longer than it needs to." Rainbow began to interject, but Booker quickly raised his hoof. "That's final. It won't take that much longer, anyway. Especially if you let me get to work right now." Rainbow sighed, defeated. "Fine. Just make it quick. I'm going to help with repairs," she said, leaving the tent. Booker sighed, turning to the helmet and beginning to tinker with it. "She means well, you know," Mike said. "Kinda blunt and headstrong, but that's 'cause she believes in what she thinks is right." "A true embodiment of Loyalty, if I've ever seen it," Booker said, smiling. "Still, it'd do her some good to quiet down every once in a while." Author's Note Whoo! Two chapters in two days! I'm hoping to wrap this up pretty soon, I have another story idea I'd like to try. In the mean time, expect no more than 5 more chapters for this story. Aside from that, the war goes on.
