A cry is ushered into the blazing afternoon sky, and what follows is the sound of metal hitting metal, and anguished yells of frustration and pain.
All music to one unicorn’s ears as he stood proudly at the center of the battle, standing atop a crystal looking down upon a pegasus with a metal wing. The unicorn smirked at the scowl placed on the rainbow maned pegasus’ face. To him, this song was beautiful. It meant victory, it meant total annihilation of all that dared oppose him, of all that had trapped him in that icy prison for a millennia.
To Sombra, the melodies of war were sweeter than anything he had ever tasted, or eaten in the past.
Spells were fired. Hooves clashed against one another. Some meeting flesh, others meeting armor, and in worse case scenarios...blood was shed.
Yells were uttered, but only from one side of the opposing forces that dare challenge the king of shadows, and the one who had enslaved his own kind. Shouts were made, to try and break the spells having been placed on the crystal ponies and other beings that fought like mindless zombies at the bidding of their master, their ruler. Their King.
King Sombra was winning the war against Equestria, and Princess Celestia was slowly dwindling in her forces. In the distance General Rainbow Dash could hear Celestia and their companions holding off Sombra’’s forces as best they could, all for her.
A broken pegasus.
All for her to deliver the blow that would once and for all put an end to this misery that had went on for almost a year.
Sombra however as he watched his enslaved ponies fight against the conjoint forces that had banded together to defeat him, did not seem to care. He watched, he baited, and he toyed with the emotions of those that tried to trick him when he had first started making the citizens of the Crystal Empire fall under his control as soldiers.
When he had first started and began throwing in the firewood that would eventually rise into the inferno that was war.
He had used every dirty trick in the book and then some, to assure that he would win. That he would not lose. And right now he was watching three minotaurs that had been hired to assassinate him one fateful night, fight against their own brethren. The yells for their brothers begging the assassins to stop this madness, this insanity only falling on deaf ears as their eyes glowed with a strong sickening color and their actions being displayed as one who had lost all will to fight against the power of the one that had control over them.
Rainbow Dash glowered at Sombra from where she stood. Her anger rising, her eyes narrowing as the king of the crystal empire failed to realize let alone even recognize her existence as he watched all forms of mayhem ensue.
Just as she was about to take off, her rage reaching it’s limits. She heard a cry. A cry that made her freeze on the spot, turn her head back in the direction of the battle around them frantically searching for the voice of the one she knew and had come to recently take her as her own.
“Scootaloo!” Rainbow Dash cried, taking to the skies with some effort, Sombra’s laughter echoing in the distance as she abandoned her true objective in order to save a child she considered a sister.
It took a few seconds, but Dash was airborne, she cursed herself for losing her wing, and she cursed this war for making her lose it, but now was not the time. As her eyes glossed over the war and mayhem that went on below between the brainwashed minions of Sombra and the conjoint forces of Equestria; minotaurs, ponies, few dragons, Rainbow Dash continued trying her best to locate the young pegasus that had joined the war with a farmer Earth filly, and a unicorn filly that often visited the injured and weak by singing songs to them with her beautiful voice.
Seconds went by and Dash circled the air. She could see it all. Brother fighting brother, for those that had been first sent by Celestia to stop Sombra in his earlier attempts. Son fighting father, mother fighting daughter, family vs family. Friends fighting each other.
It put a heavy weight on her heart as she watched all this happen. All of it, because of one unicorn, who was so obsessed with power, he was willing to throw the world into this kind of turmoil just to get it.
But that didn’t matter. “Where is she?!” Dash wondered with a scowl, concern and fear gripping her. “Where are you, Scootaloo? I know I heard your voice...”
That’s when Rainbow Dash froze in mid air. Her wings flapping hard, the metallic one doing extra to make sure it’s owner did not fall to her untimely death. In the distance Dash’s eyes spotted a single unicorn under Sombra’s control that had been fighting with her team of The Resistance.
Leading the team in her absence, the Pie sisters. Pinkie Pie her trusted friend, and Maud Pie her other friend.
The two were fighting with mind-controlled Crystal Ponies, and from the looks of it they and the five other earth ponies they were leading were holding their own.
Till one unicorn rose among the unconscious that had fallen on the Resistance’s side. Horn aglow, eyes suddenly turning a bright sickening color of green, approaching the unsuspecting Pie sisters as their enemies added on the heat to their attack. Then as if Sombra were right beside Rainbow Dash herself, as if all sounds of war had died out and it was just the two of them. In a slow and fluent motion General Rainbow Dash turned her head just in time to see Sombra’s lips move, those red eyes staring right at her in the sky from the towering crystal he stood on.
Saying the words “Do it.”
Then everything resumed its gradual pace. No sooner had Dash miraculously heard those words despite the raging sounds that filled the borders outside the Crystal Empire and not too far away from Canterlot did that famous smirk on Sombra’s face appear.
Looking back to her team, wasting not a second. General Rainbow Dash took off as fast as her wings would allow her. Pushing herself by sheer will to make it, to make it before it was too late.
The unicorn being controlled, went by the name Easy Luxury. He was a clothes designer, and had been in charge of handling the Equestrians armor and fabric. Making sure along with a unicorn known as Rarity that both armor and fabric were strong and flexible enough to withstand serious damage, but not slow down the Equestrian forces. However as time went on, so did Celestia’s forces begin to dwindle. More and more mares and stallions that did not even have the qualified fighting experience, had no choice in joining the battle.
And it seems like Easy’s lack of battle experience ultimately proved to be his downfall, as Sombra’s magic had full control over him. Propelling him, forcing him to use his magic. His movement was casual, as the battle around him continued. He moved carefully, he moved stealthily. Like a soldier about to talk with a superior, ignoring the brawling that happened around him.
Ironically enough none of his allies that fought the opposing forces noticed as he approached Maud Pie who had just tossed aside two minotaurs that charged her with ease. When Maud saw the stallion approach her from the corner of her eye, the others continued to fight believing that their comrade was only going to tell her something of high importance.
“His horn only glowed out of precaution” they assumed, as the battle raged on. None of them noticing that glow in his eyes.
Maud Pie did not look in Easy’s direction, she had turned her attention to her sister who had just knocked aside a pegasus that had fallen on Sombra’s control months ago. A former member of the Solar Guard. The two sisters didn’t bother to look at a comrade when they had to keep their eyes focused on their surroundings.
“What is it Easy?” Maud Pie asked in a tired voice. Scratches caked her armor everywhere, her mane and tail alike were dishevelled, and so was Pinkie’s. They like the rest of their allies, were dirty, slightly covered in scratches if they were lucky, and tired.
The stallion that was under Sombra’s control said nothing. He merely stopped inches away from Maud and Pinkie, his horn grew brighter. Magic concentrating, flowing through the thaumaturgical nerves in his horn,, gathering, coalescing into one powerful shot that would end the two strongest attackers in Celestia’s forces.
And they would never realize it.
There was a struggle within Easy Luxury. He flinched, his eye twitched, his foreleg raised slightly from the ground, attempting to back away, but then a powerful force came over him. His eyes grew brighter in a sickening green glow, and Sombra’s voice echoed in his head once more.
“Do it” his deep voice said gently, yet authoritatively with a force that could have shaken a steel wall and broken it from within.
Easy tried. He really did. He tried his hardest to resist Sombra’s control. Sombra’s voice, his will. But like the Crystal Ponies, like the pegasi that had tried to thwart his actions, like the few dragons that had grown enraged with his crystals invading their territory, and like the minotaurs that had tried to help as best they could in the war. He fell. Fell right into Sombra’s control, and lost all will to fight that urge that beckoned him with a calm feeling that took over his entire body.
Freeing his conscience of any guilt or worry, Easy’s horn glowed. And just as he was about to fire and end both the Pie sister’s lives, Rainbow Dash swooped in, tackled the stallion to the ground, and pushed him to the side.
A large orange concentrated blast left Easy’s horn, flying into the air and exploding after a few seconds. The sound echoed throughout the battle terrain, momentarily stopping the battle.
All eyes fell on Dash who had tackled the stallion and now stood over him with her natural wing raised defensively, the other half raised in case the forest green unicorn tried anything.
He did not. Easy Luxury just lay there now, his eyes closed, groaning. Maud Pie and Pinkie Pie who had both lost their focus upon that sudden attack by their comrade advanced towards her, both checking their flanks before moving.
A second later, the battle ensued with a cold cackling laughter from Sombra that filled the air.
“Rainbow Dash what did you do? What was that all about attacking a comrade like that?!” Maud Pie asked her expression looking quite crossed.
“I...What?! You didn’t see him. He was being controlled Maud! You were too busy checking your front to look at your back to even notice you moron!” Dash yelled indignation building at the mere thought of being accused.
“Well he’s fine now right?...Can’t we just focus on the battle at hoof” a meek Pinkie responded.
Maud Pie’s disapproving stare continued to look at Dash which only made her angrier. But just as Dash was about to blow a fuse, a shout pierced the heavens.
All three ponies, save for those still in battle turned their heads in the direction of the shout.
Standing beside Sombra with a crystal podium of her own, was a teenage dragon. Her wings folded submissively as she held a brilliant gamboge pegasus with a cerise mane in her claws. Scootaloo flailed and kicked trying to escape. The words “Re-Con” boldly written in white on her uniform.
Floating down beside Sombra, two other dragons carrying two other fillies. One Dash recognized as the farmer’s little sister, Apple Bloom. The other was that unicorn filly who came and sang to the sick during the brief pauses through the war, Sweetie Belle.
Not wasting a second, Dash took off just in time also as a pair of of pegasi came swooping down on her, Maud and Pinkie. Dash was going to confront Sombra.
Before either pegasi that were aiming for her could go after her, both felt a tug on their tails and looked back to see the Pie sisters gripping on their tails with looks in their eyes that said they weren’t going anywhere.
“You’re fighting us now” Pinkie stated, her depressive state, meek attitude, all of it gone.
The battle raged on. And Dash reached Sombra and the three dragons holding the fillies hostage for him in less than a minute.
“Release the foals scumbag!” Rainbow Dash yelled puffing her chest out, her wings flapping hard and her scar making her appear more fierce.
The dragons looked at Sombra, and he merely offered a smirk in their direction. “What could you possibly offer to make me release these hostages?” Sombra asked with a snicker.
Dash growled, took off into the air with Sombra watching then with reflexes no one had expected her to ever be able to pull of again since losing one of her wings, she dove down at such a speed at Sombra that the king didn’t see it coming till it was too late.
Dash’s hoof met Sombra’s chestplate, he went flying off his crystal tower, hit the ground hard, then rolled three, four times before coming to a stop.
The dragons looked at their master, then glared at Dash opening their mouths to release a jet of flames, but were stopped when the three fillies bit down on their arms together in unison.
“ARGH!” the dragons yelled, almost dropping the foals before grabbing them again with their tails.
“RELEASE THE FOALS SOMBRA!” Dash roared as she distanced herself from the angered dragons.
Sombra who was now on the ground smirked and nodded. “As you wish” his lips formed a small circle, and he whistled loudly.
That whistle caused the female dragon and her two male allies to get perked ears. They all took off together towards the sky, still carrying the foals who were now shouting and bucking against the hard scales of each dragon holding them in an attempt to break free.
“What are you doing?!” Dash shouted down at Sombra.
But the king merely smirked. “I’m doing as you asked” the dragons stopped at a good two hundred feet, looked at one another, smirked, and waited for the order.
Sombra rose to his hooves and stared Dash right in the eyes as the shadows healed his body. “I’m releasing them.”
The dragons released the three fillies, and watched as Dash freaked out, and attempted to stop them from making themselves paint for the ground.
But the three dragons soon blocked Dash’s chances as they blocked her from every route in her attempts to save Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom.
Sombra’s voice called from below. “Next time, choose your words wisely.”
In horror Dash watched as the three fillies began their plummet to the ground. All three screaming. All three flailing in terror.
Dash grew more furious by the second. She tried to bypass the dragons, but they were too fast for her. Especially with the way she was now.
In a last ditch effort she tried to swoop below the dragons and slingshot her way to the falling fillies. But that was debunked when one of the teenage dragons practically dropped right on top of Dash, crashed her into the ground, then the other two slammed themselves down on her artificial wing.
Thereby, grounding her. So she could not fly, only watch.
All hope sapped out of Dash like a sponge. The dragons retreated, returning to different battles. And Sombra now moved casually towards her as Rainbow Dash cowered, covering her ears, refusing to listen to the three fillies screams.
But still watching nonetheless.
Scootaloo looked at Dash for one brief second as the three neared the ground, and hugged each other tightly. The look of pain and sorrow Dash had expected to see was filled with a look of understanding by the filly. A look of wisdom by which a filly at such an age should not have.
The distance was too great to hear what Scootaloo said as her last moments drew near, and the deafening screams of her comrades filled the air, dying with the sound of sweet warfare.
But for what it was worth. Dash saw Scootaloo’s lips move as tears flew by her eyes, merely a feet away from the ground that would sign the three fillies deaths.
“It isn’t your fault” Scootaloo’s lips read. And less than a second later, a smile formed on the scarlet maned pegasi’s lips, shared by her friends who realized seconds before that there was no hope. Their time had come.
And that was it. The tears that stung Dash’s eyes overflowed, with a force. A dirty hoof touched her lips, and she wept. Silently. Silently crying unable to say a word, General Rainbow Dash wept as Sombra watched on a good distance away with not a smile, but a serious look on his face.
“Such is the way of war, General Dash. Such is the way of war.”
Dash’s eyes continued to pour tears. Then slanted into anger as she glared at Sombra. “You!” Dash yelled with a force the pierced the skies and even the sound of battle all around “You killed them!”
Sombra said nothing, but merely stood tall watching.
Every inch of Dash’s body was overcome with powerful emotions. Anger, regret, fear, disappointment, shame, more anger, pity on herself, sadness. And so she rose slowly to her hooves, ignoring the broken metal wing by her side and the slight pain it caused her, she rose.
But before she could take a step forward. Something exploded right between General and King, forming a slight crater in the ground. Neither moved to attack but simply watched as the figure that made the crater slowly rose to his feet out of the smoke that filled the air, with the smell of sweat, blood and tears.
Clad in white armor, holding three unconscious fillies in his arms, his helmet staring silently down at Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, was a soldier.
A soldier who had been in war more than once. Who had seen his allies die, but always pushed forward. Who had watched one of his own betray him, and had died to seek vengeance now stood between General Rainbow Dash and King Sombra.
And gently wrapped in his arms, were the three fillies Sombra had sent to death. But instead were alive and unconscious in this soldier of white’s arms.
The soldier said nothing. His weapon a Z6 baton on his side had the alphanumeric words engraved on it FN-2199, TR-8R on it.
Seconds passed and no one said a word. Not the soldier in white, not the broken pegasus, and not the tyrannical unicorn king.
Finally the soldier turned around and looked at Dash through his helmet. Staring at her silently.
Dash froze unsure of what this creature was. Unsure if he or it was even on their side. But when she saw the fillies safely wrapped in his arms, she broke out into a small whimper, but stopped when he turned to her.
“Take them somewhere safe” the soldier in white said. He kneeled and motioned for Dash to come closer.
She was hesitant, but did. Placing them on her back, the soldier in white stared at Rainbow Dash, looking her over as the foals sprawled on her back slept soundly.
Dash stared at her reflection in the soldier, the stormtrooper’s helmet. Then went rigid, when he touched her beaten up ear, and looked at her busted up metal wing.
Dash looked away feeling confused. Disturbed, uncertain. Does he know me from somewhere? she wondered.
Rainbow Dash was given no answer as the stormtrooper’s touch left her and moved back to his side. The soldier glanced over his shoulder back at a waiting King Sombra who merely stared at the creature with fascination, but a calm look and strictness that only a king of power could have.
Then suddenly the soldier in white rose to his feet, turned and took hold of the weapon on his belt. He gripped it, removed it, did a trick with it, then stalwartly approached King Sombra.
Dash suddenly felt a pang of fear hit her, but did not move too quickly because of the three sleeping fillies on her back. “Wait!” she said with an outstretched hoof. “You’ll die don’t go!”
“Nines” the soldier said.
“Huh?” Dash froze with confusion, staring.
“My name...is Nines, Rainbow Dash” the stormtrooper replied. He looked over his soldier back at her, then gestured with his head for her to go. “If you plan on coming back soon, I suggest you hurry. I’ll deal with him till Twilight and the others get here.”
“Twi..Twilight? You mean the military’s secretary?! What would she- Others?! What are you-” Dash stopped when Nines turned and looked at her, then pointed in the direction of where the battle still ensued, but wasn’t as severe.
A second passed with Dash’s muzzle opened.Her face expressing perplexion. Then a few more seconds passed before she closed her mouth and nodded.
“I’ll be back” she said galloping away. Casting one more glance at Nines, before she maneuvered her way through the battle under the cover of her allies to safety.
Nines didn’t turn his attention to Sombra till he felt the ground shake and turned to watch a scythe emerge made purely out of crystal. Sombra smirked as he approached the stormtrooper.
“So you think you can beat me huh?” Sombra asked with a cocky tone.
Nines didn’t say anything. Sombra merely snickered. “It matters not, you will die soon enough and-”
“Traitor” Nines stated.
“What?” Sombra asked with a raised brow.
“I hate traitors. But when I learned what happened between Starlight and Twilight, I had to see this for myself. Traitors are despicable, what you’ve done makes you scum. Turning others against each other. Those that didn’t have a choice you’re forcing them, and you don’t seem to care do you?”
The Z6 hummed with electricity as Nines approached Sombra in a slow and steady stride. “Well I’ve got news for you Traitor. Your actions, stop here.”
Two weapons clashed, two beings fought. A stormtrooper and a unicorn weapon against weapon, brawn against brawn. The battle rages on.
With a glow of Sombra’s horn shards of crystal erupt from the ground attempting to skewer the stormtrooper. But Nines being the soldier he was, would never have been let on the front lines if he had been just a weak pathetic troopie who went around getting himself killed.
Dodging the shards that emerged Nines soared into the air, and came crashing down towards Sombra.
The stallion smirked, his horn glowed and Nines felt magic wrap around him. But the moment it did grasp him the magic dissipated in a matter of seconds. Sombra’s eyes widened in surprise, and he barely managed to dodge the crushing blow of Nines’ baton.
Stumbling back with his weapon now in the form of a sword, Sombra stared at Nines in confusion. But with Nines’ helmet there was no way to tell whether this was a part of the plan or not.
In truth. It was.
Back on Equestria. His Equestria, Nines had talked to Starlight Glimmer and learned of her past mistakes. When he found out that there were other universes out there with traitors like the one he was currently fighting. The soldier felt an insane rush of duty course through him.
He had talked to Princess Luna and Celestia about the matter. And though they had refused him in doing anything as foolish as interfering with another timeline, he had done so anyway with the help of Twilight. Currently though, the six mares were preparing themselves back on their original timeline.
In five minutes, the six mares would be out in this world once Twilight had recovered from using the spell. There was not enough time for him to let this battle drag out, he had a total of fifteen minutes to stay here, before getting sucked back to his own time. So he needed to make every strike count to tire Sombra out enough so the others could weaken him and then let things play off from there.
Nines dodged as three swords came flying at him. Doing a roll and kicking a piece of one of the crystals that stuck out of the ground, Nines grabbed the broken edge and threw it like a spear in Sombra’s direction.
The stallion didn’t even try to block. His body became shrouded in darkness, his eyes glowed darkly with red like embers, and all that was left was a shadowy figure that towered over the stormtrooper in size.
Nines stared at the huge form before him. He had read about Sombra back in Equestria, not much being said about his past but enough being said about his powers told him that this unicorn was not one to be taken lightly.
Sombra grinned, his figure looming over the stormtrooper as he brought his head down and stared. “Do. You. Yield?” he asked with a smirk.
Nines said nothing, but merely raised his hand up and slowly extended one middle finger at the giant shadow peering down at him. “Traitor.”
Sombra snarled, and lashed out at the soldier, running him over with a wave of his shadowy essence, that was meant to crystallize any form magical item or tool. But when Sombra had completely ran over the human and then shrunk his shadow figure to a normal pony size, the king was met with the image of the human rising to his feet. Unharmed. Not even frozen.
Sombra watched the soldier rise, clearly perplexed. Nothing had happened, to him. Nothing at all. That form was supposed to stunt any and all magic! How could it not work!?
The answer was simple. Nines wasn’t of this world. Nor was he of Equestria’s world either. His true roots were still attached to the First Order.
So no matter what magical attack came his way. All if not most would simply bounce off him, unlike the lasers of a blaster or the energy based powers of a lightsaber.
“How are you still standing?” Sombra asked with narrowed eyes as he returned to his flesh form. “That should have frozen any magic used to prevent my attacks from reaching you.”
Nines merely shrugged, and took up his weapon. Before Sombra could even comment on what in the the rising sun that even meant, the stormtrooper charged the king.
Crystals erupted from the ground quite suddenly, nearly killing the trooper if he hadn’t stopped in time causing him to fall on his back.
Before Nines could get up however, Sombra emerged and placed a iron hoof on the soldier’s chest pinning him to the ground.
Try as he might, Nines could not lift himself up from the weight being applied to his chest. So he did the next best thing.
Swinging the Z6 still in his hand, in one swift motion Nines turned on the electricity. And when that met Sombra’s helmet.
The effects were electrifying.
Both Sombra and Nines were shocked, Nines less though thanks to his armor actually doing something. Sombra however took the full blast and only pushed his hoof harder into the soldier’s chest trying to make him stop.
It didn’t work. If anything it just increased the volume.
Both Sombra and Nines yelled in pain as electricity coursed through them. But according to Nines calculations if he was right, the girls would be here any minute. He had done his part. And all this nonsense would end.
Rainbow Dash had finally gotten her wing fixed, though with a hasty made model she would not be able to fly as quickly as she had before. Repairs and upgrades would need to be made on it, but right now that wasn’t on her mind. Fluttershy was currently taking care of the foals with several other medical ponies.
“How are they?” Dash asked with worry.
“They’ll be fine” Fluttershy said with a smile running a fetlock over the three sleeping fillies’ mane. “They just had a really bad scare.”
A few seconds of silence was exchanged between the two as they watched the three sleeping fillies. Then Dash turned around heading out the door testing her wing.
“Be careful” Fluttershy said from her standpoint. Dash stopped, froze almost her ears slightly perking up.
Several medical ponies working throughout the building going in and out attending to patients stopped, but it was only a few. Some who knew Rainbow Dash in fact all carrying the same worried glance in Dash’s direction as Fluttershy’s words hung in the air.
“I’ll try Fluttershy” Dash said remembering the man that had helped her get these fillies to safety. “I’ll try.” With that said, Dash trotted out the door, it swinging closed behind her before she stretched her metallic wing.
A second later she was sky born hastily trying her best to get back to Nines on time.
“I just hope I’m not too late.”
Nines wasn’t sure what was taking the others so long. Three minutes past the necessary time had went by and Sombra was starting to grow weary of this battle.
“I’ve been going easy on you. But since it seems magical attacks do nothing to you. Then I’ll settle for using physical.”
Crystals covered the ground and rapidly sped towards Nines, he jumped out of the way, blocking shards that shot out at him with his Z6 only managing to get a scratch or two on his leg.
With a thud the stormtrooper landed on the ground. But Sombra wasn’t about to give an enemy the chance to rest. Moving quickly with another glow, a crystal sword was summoned, Nines forced to defend.
Sombra increased his height with crystal like steps with every strike that Nines blocked. Casually growing in height, forcing Nines to move quicker, move faster to avoid deathly strikes.
All the while Nines had no idea that right behind him Sombra was slowly pushing the trooper towards a steep crystal that shot out of the ground, would trip him and allow Sombra to ultimately finish him off.
The attacks sped up. Sombra’s grip on his crystal sword grew stronger, the attacks faster. Nines was barely managing to keep up with this telekinetic like movement, his armor was beginning to weaken.
He was starting to get tired. At this rate he would lose before his time limit was up.
“Where are they!” he unintentionally shouted.
Sombra grinned. “Growing delusional I see. Fear tends to do that” a crystal shot out in front of the stormtrooper inches away from his chin. Nines fell to the ground with a plop.
“Doesn’t it?” Sombra asked triumphantly.
Nines scowled under his helmet but said nothing.
“You are the first creature save for Celestia and Luna to challenge me and come close to doing serious damage. I don’t know what you had planned, but it seems your plan has failed” he said with a smirk.
“Now then” Sombra said lifting his blade, the songs of the battle waging around them returning with a force Nines had not noticed. “Let’s end this. I have a world to conquer.”
Before Sombra could bring his blade down. Before Nines could move to grab his Z6 that had fallen to his side when he fell. A blur of cyan blue flew by and knocked Sombra’s weapon out of his grasp.
Both froze, turned and stared. Holding the weapon in her teeth, a triumphant grin brimming underneath, was Rainbow Dash. General Rainbow Dash.
“Nice try” she said tossing it aside. “Now Sombra, ready to face your punishment for what you did to those foals?” Rainbow Dash asked moving towards the stallion who stood over the fallen soldier.
Sombra stared blankly. Blinked, then all of a sudden. He laughed.
His laugh was so loud the wind carried it high into the air, echoing across all Equestria till finally he grew silent with chuckles, when Dash yelled at him what was so funny.
Sombra shook his head then waved a hoof at all of the battles still going on. “You think you’ve won? You can’t defeat me. You can’t beat me. Your princesses couldn’t a thousand years ago. What makes you think you can?” Sombra asked approaching Rainbow Dash and leaving Nines to watch. To make sure the stormtrooper wouldn’t rise Sombra’s horn glowed, and the soldier’s legs were shackled by dark crystals.
“Rainbow Dash” Sombra’s voice said commandingly, drawing her attention away from Nines back to him. “I get it. You’re tough, you’re fierce, you’re strong.You don’t give up. It must have been tough right? When you lost your wing during the Great Battle of Mellow Rivers? It must have hurt you not just physically, but emotionally, and mentally. It must have hurt and damaged, your pride.” Sombra said advancing with every sentence. Each time forcing Dash to take a step back till she found her flank pressing against a crystal wall that Sombra had most likely formed to block her.
“It hurt a lot” he said gently staring at the mare with a smile Princess Celestia had shown her existed eons ago. “It hurt a lot didn’t it Rainbow?” he asked his question again, running a hoof through the wingtips of her real wing.
Dash hardened her expression and shoved her hoof squarely into Sombra’s chest shoving him away from her.
“Stay away from me. You’re disgusting. You’re vile. You’ve enslaved your own kind, your own species for power! You disgust me. You disgust everyone! You use fear, you play and toy with emotions like the sirens did eons ago, but I won’t let you trick me or allow myself to fall under your control.” Dash looked Sombra in the eye and stood proud flaring both her wings with what pegasus pride she had left.
“I’d rather die fighting you then fall under your control.”
Sombra’s smile faded into a prim stare. “I see” Sombra said backing away. “But would you say the same if I, gave you back what you lost?” he asked with his back turned and his eyes glowing.
“If I could return your wings to you. Promise you that the friends I have captured would remain unharmed, would you leave Celestia’s side and fight with me? If I promised that I would never harm anymore of your friends, as long as I gain the power I desire” he paused.
“And a mare by my side” he said turning his head with a calm expression. “Would you join me?” he asked turning to face her. “Would you-”
A slap echoed on the battlegrounds. Rainbow Dash stared Sombra down with a look of disgust at what she was just being offered. Her hoof raised in the air, slightly stinging from the slap she had just delivered.
“I’m loyal to the Princess and my friends. All your words are lies. I can’t trust you. I would never trust you after you just tried killing my sister and her friends. If you think for a second that I would after what you did, after what you've done, you must be far colder than that icy prison ever was.”
Silence filled the small battle, as Nines watched this display in awe. Even if this wasn’t his Rainbow Dash. This still is Rainbow Dash. That’s when his eyes caught something in the distance.
A portal opening.
Sombra stood still his eyes now directed towards his crystal sword, after having received that nasty slap. For a second Sombra felt a brief moment of rage. For two years they had battled. And every time he had watched as his forces conquered. Yet every time he had watched as this pegasus and her forces fought against them.
Each battle her resolve grew stronger. Each battle her courage rose. And to lose this opportunity to get a warrior that would be as loyal as this one, one he did not need to control. Angered him.
“So be it” Sombra said turning to face Dash. “Death you shall receive.” The ground shook. “I was willing to offer you a lot of join my side, but if you are stubborn enough to refuse then having you stay on this side will do me no good. You must die.”
But before anyone could make a move. A flash of light shined above all. Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky, seeing six ponies floating in the air. Their mane’s and tails majestically flowing in the dirty air that was this breeze.
And among the six was...herself!
The six mares had quelled the roars of battle. One the general knew to be Twilight Sparkle led them, their light and luminescence piercing the shadows that had fallen over the battle ground on this late afternoon.
“Nines!” Twilight Sparkle said, her horn glowing. A shot of energy destroyed the crystals that kept Nines captive. Within a few seconds he was up on his feet.
“Twilight?!” General Dash said staring at the six floating in the sky. The Rainbow Dash among them stared at her alternate counterpart with her mouth agape, a chipper much more jubilant Pinkie Pie closed said mouth.
“Nines, we’ve only got a few minutes left I’m going to need to cast a spell to erase everyone’s memory of us being here! Shield your eyes!” Twilight called.
Nines nodded, and looked at General Rainbow Dash. Sombra who had now seen the elements of Harmony backed away from the mare in shock and fear. “This can’t be” Sombra said to himself, “The elements of harmony are useless now!”
A snickering, not to badly dressed Applejack grinned. “That’s what you think”
Twilight’s horn grew in orchid light, her eyes glowing white with power as her and her friends in all their regal forms gained the same bright eye glow as the young alicorn. In the distance Princess Celestia watched what was happening and using a telescope managed to see Twilight as an alicorn.
For the first time in two years a smile crossed her face, a weak, yet happy one.
Nines could feel the light growing brighter, so he had to do this quickly. Touching Dash on the head, and getting her to look at him the general stared at Nines with a confused look.
“Who...who are you?” Dash asked with confusion as the light grew brighter.
Nines patted Dash’s head and nodded to her in response. “A friend.” The voice was kind. The voice was warm, both of which General Rainbow Dash of The Resistance, Captain of division 12 of the Wonderbolts, had not heard or felt...in such a long long time.
That said the stormtrooper turned around quickly grabbed his Z6 and while Sombra was distracted shouted out a battle cry that drew the confused and surprised King’s attention to the charging trooper.
“TRAITOR!!!” Nines yelled.
Sombra moved to defend, but before he could the light the six mares above that had been charging exploded. Shedding light all across Equestria, destroying any memories of them ever being there, and in the process weakening Sombra’s control on many of the beings he had conquered.
Sombra felt hit after hit as his memories were erased from the events that had occurred, the last thing he heard was a buzzing sound followed by a angered voice saying “Traitors are scum, remember that.”
By the time the light had faded. Seven beings floated into a portal that soon went out of sight, the last creature to see it a confused Rainbow Dash, who stood beside a twitching King Sombra, static flying out of his coat, thanks to the indescribable pain now running through him.
General Rainbow Dash looked up at the sky, and placed a hoof on her head, feeling like she had just been patted on the head recently by someone she wish she had gotten to know a bit better.
King Sombra’s groaning dragged her out of these thoughts, hardening her resolve. The battle around them had died down greatly, many returning out of Sombra’s control while others now too weak to act despite in the King's control.
General Dash merely looked around, everyone as confused a she before she turned to the twitching Sombra trying his best not to fall on his shaking legs as he did with a great effort attempted to rise on his hooves.
Dash took one look at the sky, looked back at the twitching dark king and shrugged. She had a flank that needed kicking.
Author's Note
It's 12:43 a.m. started this thing around 6 or something but paused a few times and had to redo this thing because I didn't like where it was going. Wanted this to be good, and it is.
Hope you guys enjoyed this, this is my second crossover with the Force Awakens. Anyway, I'm heading to bed been a long day and another longer one awaits later in the morning.
Comments are always welcomed, as well as discussions.
Enjoy.
