The land was charred black. Miles upon miles of once lush and green forest were now nothing but barren soot covered wastes. The sun's glorious golden rays glittered in the cloudless sky. They were out of place on this hellscape. It was a little slice of beauty and normalcy over the dead remains of battle. A symbol of Heaven's perfect harmony shining down on Hell's chaos and dismay. For here there was no normalcy, no harmony, no heavens, no hells, no pasts, and no futures. There was only fire, pain, a will to live, the desire to die, the fear of death, the hope that you could survive.
Commander Hurricane had fought battles before. She had by her lonesome engaged four wings of griffons, and come out of the sortie with only the most superficial of flesh wounds. She had fought against changelings as odd as those battles were, and had not once been taken off guard. She had personally led the charge against a wondering drake that had encroached into the pegasi homeskies. At the end of it she had been promoted to Commander of the Second Aerial Legion.
This battle was in a league of its own. The drake that the Fourth and Fifth Legions had engaged had been the size of seventy ponies with scales that could only be pierced with the purest of steel weapons. But this dragon was easily three times the size of that beast. With a flap of its leathery wings it had caused such a wind as to blow down half the forest. It's breath had cast the entire ground into an inferno, surpassed in fury only by one. His scales seemed impervious to even the most brutal of lightning bolts.
The wind and the fire had assaulted the ground defenses. The multi colored bubbles of magic on the ground being the only shield that the unicorns, earth ponies, and zebras had against the absolute death that the inferno had promised. Many of the bubbles held. The crucible of dragon fire not able to find weakness in the caster's spells. Some however were not nearly as strong. Their bubbles popped exposing those inside to the quick embrace of death.
The griffons and pegasi had faired little better. The gale force winds had shattered their organization. The uniform griffon flocks and pegasi legions had been blown away. Still they were not routed. While large regiments were blown away wings were much more familiar, and had reorganized almost instantly. Lead griffons and pegasi calling their two underlings to their sides, several attempts had been made throughout the battle to reform the flocks and legions, but large density areas were either scattered by more gale winds or the target of dragon fire. The battle had been raging for the entirety of the day. And already most of the Third Legion and Griffon Stone's Eighth Flock had been obliterated.
The battle needed to end, and it had to end soon. Commander Hurricane looked over the fields of death with a sad resolve. It was never easy, to continue engaging the enemy when the injured, your injured, littered the ground below you. She had long ago learned how to restrain herself from rushing to their aid, but the urge was always present the base desire to save and save was still there. She was glad about that; it meant that war had never striped her of her equinity, as it had so many before her.
She had been observing the battle from a far for the better part of four hours. Her eyes watching in close detail every attack made against the dragon. Every creature had it's weak point. But this dragon seemed immune to attack. Every time she thought she saw it, every time it seemed to protect a certain part had been a dead end. A spot on its gut looked like it was weaker and the dragon even seemed to pay it special attention, but then when it was struck by lightning bolts. Nothing. Even the Wendigoes were vulnerable to friendship.
"What if? What if?" The thought began to form in her mind, but before she could voice it her gut told her that this had to be right. Not all weaknesses were physical things, not all weapons could be held in by a hoof, wing, or horn. Some were forces of nature. The Wendigoes feed on strife caused by lack of friendship, so naturally friendship was how you could defeat them. "So what does this dragon feed off of?"
"Commander Hurricane?" She looked to her ten o'clock. Commander Pansy was flying up to her with a griffon general. They both looked at her in confusion and shock. "Commander, why are you here?"
"Commander Pansy, do you know any foal tales about dragons? Dragons that are like Wendigoes, that feed off of some negative force or energy?" Pansy shook her head. "What about you?" She pointed her hoof at the griffon general. He put his talon to his chin. A couple seconds later he too shock his head. He said something that sounded like no, but before he could finish the word Commander Hurricane was already swooping down to the ground forces.
The ground forces were exhausted, and badly beaten. Unicorns, earth ponies, and zebras attempted to strike the dragon down with any means that they could. It had only served remind the dragon that they were on the ground and still breathing. The battle had not gone well for those on the ground, they could only hope their shields were strong enough to with stand the fire. They had no chance to flee or evade the flames, only endure them.
Hurricane landed in a small the middle of a small squadron. It had two unicorns four earth ponies and a zebra. All of them looked like they had been through hell and if the ground was any indication to how bad the battle had been for the ones on the ground, then they may very well have been.
"Commander Hurricane?" the oldest unicorn asked. "I thought you were retired, what are you doing here?"
"I could see the smoke from the back waters of Cloudsdale." She looked up at the battle in the sky. "I need to know something I'm hoping one of you can help me."
"If it means ending this battle any time soon then I'll gladly give you whatever you ask."
"Do you know any foal tales about a dragon, that feeds of something negative? Like the way the Wendigoes feed off of strife?" He shook his head.
"I know of such a tale." She turned to face the little zebra. He had to have been the youngest one there. "In the homelands we have a story about a dragon that destroys colors and life. Leaving nothing but blacks and greys and death in its wake. It is not a happy story."
"How is it beaten?"
"You think this dragon is Mwizi Wa Rangi. If this truly is Mwizi Wa Rangi then I am glad we have ponies," the little zebra looked worried. "Mwizi Wa Rangi once flew over the homelands and stole all of the colors from my people and our homes, then he flew across the sea to steal the colors from the ponies, but a Pegasus flew and created such color and life that not even Mwizi Wa Rangi could steal it. That is the only way to beat Mwizi Wa Rangi."
"What?" the earth ponies asked in unison. Commander Hurricane just nodded her head. A Pegasus flying and creating colors was a foal tale that she knew very well. Even if it was lacking the whole giant dragon thing. In fact it was a story that every Pegasus knew.
"A sonic rainboom." She looked up at the hulking beast in the sky. It was worth a try. "I don't know if anypony can actually do a sonic rainboom. I thought it was just a story you told foals to put them to sleep or teach them a lesson." She looked at all the pegasi in the air. Her eyes picking out every last one. They were all tired exhausted and hurt. None of them looked like they were even slightly in condition to do something like this, if it could be done at all. "Well I guess I never did get fire works for my retirement party."
She laughed in an attempt to psych herself up before bolting into the skies. She flew as high as she could, being sure to pace herself. The climb was to ensure that gravity would help give her extra speed, so the real hard flying was goin go to be in the dive. It took her nearly ten minutes to reach the limit of her ability to bear. The air was thin and cold, and she could make out the stars up here huh. It was kind of weird, but still beautiful beyond what words could say. She took slow, deep, and deliberate breaths. Then suddenly her eyes focused on the earth beneath her, and she dove wings beating harder than they ever had before.
The wind whipped against her dew matted hide. She had to squint as she continued to pick up speed gravity and her own wings pushing her to the maximum limits of her ability. She could she the draconic behemoth it looked like a gnat not a second later it had become apple sized. A cone of wind had appeared around her. She took it as a sign that she was close. She folded her wings to her side and pointed her hooves in front of her so that the met at the tips.
It happened suddenly and all at once. The cracking of thunder and the explosion of rainbow color which shot out in every direction.
She lay on the ground. The dragon was gone and the battle was over. It was all over, it wouldn't be long now, nope not long at all. She heard sounds muffled and strange. Angles or demons she really couldn't tell. Maybe they were the voices of the ponies, griffons, and zebras, again really who could say. She felt light, cold. Her fur was matted and wet, and she could still see the stars all those thousands and millions of stars.
