The Last Sonic Rainboom

by Mark Young

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Main 6, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance
Length: 5069

The might of an unstoppable rebellion is poised to attack the Crystal Empire, the last bastion under princess rule.

“Weapons of untold power. The might of an Alicorn—concentrated into a single squad of ponies. Look at our glory, brother! Your inventions put to mass production, with my leadership and bold tenacity. Together, we will push Equestria into new heights of prowess!”

Through a sudden surge in technical inventions stemming from the ability to hold and store magical energy, the ponies of Equestria find themselves no longer dependent on the princesses to rule and protect them. The Canterlot Observatory houses the ability to raise the sun and moon, and new weaponry has given the ponies the strength needed to take matters into their own hooves.

The age of "might makes right" is now an old shadow of the setting sun. And with their reign coming to a close, the princesses must make a wise decision fast as their enemies close in. With the political pressure on them, the fellowship of Twilight's friends is breaking, and it could be that a Sonic Rainboom that tied them together in the beginning will now be a signal for the end.

This is the prequel to the unfolding events of the three-part story series Princess.

Published 2017-08-14 00:40:06 UTC
Last updated 2017-08-14 00:40:06 UTC

The Last Sonic Rainboom

Waves buck against ma ship the good ol’ Granny Smith. I’m pullin’ rope and raising sail, instead of pullin’ carts and raisin’ apples. Yup, that’s me—Applejack. Most the whole Apple family came. Sold everything to leave farming. Leave Equestria. So many years ago, feels like an eternity, yet also just yesterday. Back when Apple Bloom was a filly, just setting out with her new cutie mark and—before the Crusaders disbanded.

Some ponies say I ran from the problems. Maybe they’re right. Every day I try to forget. But I’m reminded on clear mornins’ such as this. The rays of the sunlight bright and early comin’ up over the horizon. Turning the rope a chestnut gold and painting the sails with white brilliance. As I greet the other Buckaneers and rub a piece of the ship made from the old barn, it’s hard to imagine how this sunrise could be any different. But it just ain’t the same.

I reckon you want to know how we ended up this way. There’s a lot of times and places I could go to start. But closest thing I know is the most painful. The last day me and the gang were together.

The last time Celestia raised the sun. The last time we ever saw a Sonic Rainboom.

* * *

Soft crunching of snow was all that heralded the march of soldiers of the Equestrian Guard. The sound was as downtrodden as their gloomy faces, several looking back in fright thinking they could hear one of the machines of the encroaching enemy.

With a frown, Shining Armor turned to one of his captains of the Crystal Guard. “Morale looks bad.”

The Crystal Pegasus looked on, noting the railway destruction preventing the enemy from quickly reaching their position. “They’ve had it rough sir. Not a single victory against the rebels during the whole war.” Overhead was a light rumbling and a handful of shadows. The Crystal guard grinned. “At least we have the Wonderbolts.”

One of the lookouts shouted as she pointed south. “Smoke!” The soldiers gulped and looked at each other bleakly. Their doom was approaching.

Shining Armor used his magic to help carry his voice so the army could hear. “Don’t be afraid! We are picking our battleground. Here, we have to stand against all that wants to tear down a thousand years of hope. A thousand years of peace. And we know that this is the only way we can achieve a thousand more. Stand together! You are guarding the very livelihood of Equestrian future!”

It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Some of the guards bolstered their resolve and cheered as they turned around to face the oncoming threat. There was no time to back into the safety of the Crystal ponies’ shielding.

Shining Armor looked back where he could see the top spire of his castle and mumbled to his captain. “Cadence, Flurry, and Twily are there. We have to protect them!” He looked up and made a salute to the clouds overhead.

At that signal, Rainbow Dash burst into flight and made her way to the Crystal Empire to the top balcony where the four princesses stood. “They’re coming,” she said to the royalty. “You guys better get the shield up.”

Twilight Sparkle curled her lips under her teeth. “But I haven’t seen Fluttershy yet.”

“She won’t stop trying to get the animals to safety!” Rainbow complained. “But if anything bad should really happen, I think Discord can handle it.”

Twilight sighed and bowed her head. Cadence tipped her muzzle against the younger princess and lifted her chin up while putting her wing over her sister-in-law. “We do what we have to, Twilight. Just as you had to do in sending Spike to stay with the Dragons.”

Celestia took a deep breath. “We will raise the shield and do what we can to get Fluttershy back in. If not, Rainbow Dash, you have to do what you can to buy her and the animals time.”

Rainbow Dash saluted and took off like a rocket back to her position over what would become the last stand for the Loyalists. Twilight, seeing one of her closest friends go back out without hesitation—without any goodbyes—was wrenching and difficult. She looked to the other princesses. “Why won’t Discord help?”

Luna had a response ready. “‘Tis not his fight, Twilight. Besides, with the power that the rebels have, I doubt that there is much he can do for us. But for now, we must raise the shield.”

The Alicorns tipped their horns together. A shimmering, flickering glow grew until it engulfed the four ponies, the castle, and then the empire. Celestia took flight and made a circle around the castle to inspect the shield before returning to the balcony. “This is the last defense for us.”

The smoke was now visible to the princesses, though it was faint and distant. Twilight put a hoof to her head. “I don’t understand how all this could happen. I would have never guessed the new Canterlot Observatory would lead to so much—war.”

“Indeed,” Luna replied. “I had hoped the Observatory would lead to a greater Equestria and give our fellow subjects hope.”

“It did more than that,” Celestia said. “The new wave of technology created by Illuminatus never meant any harm. We were right to allow it. But now that it entered into mass production, they see us—princesses, as unnecessary.”

The Alicorns walked into the depths of the castle where Crystal pony guards remained on alert. Cadence levitated Flurry Heart from a stroller and walked with the other princesses to a chamber, locking the doors. If their defenses would all fail, this would be their last stand.

“In truth,” Celestia continued, “I think we should consider surrender. And something else.”

Twilight caved in her eyes filling with tears. “No! Celestia, why? You have been an important cornerstone to Equestria for a thousand years!”

“Not anymore,” Celestia replied. “Consider the culture of all pony kind. The ones to rule are the most powerfully capable leaders. Think about the Crystal Empire, the Changelings, and Starlight’s village.” She looked at her sister. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, King Sombra, Tirek, Starlight—the most powerful are destined to clash and fight. And it has been our duty as Princesses to help protect it. You could say: right by might.”

Cadence backed away and caressed innocent and naïve Flurry Heart to her cheek. “What are you saying, Celestia?”

Luna answered, “If the subjects of Equestria can protect and rule themselves—they see no reason to risk relying upon us few, all-powerful Princesses to rule them.”

* * *

In the distance by the source of the rising smoke strode the army of ponies, their badges and symbols fraught with golden hues with the symbols of gears, and their uniforms dark blue.

On the side overlooking the movement along the damaged railway was General Covenant Ardor, a fiery-orange Earth pony with a partly torn ear. He took a deep breath and turned to his meager brother at his side. “Smell that, Illuminatus?”

The smaller dark orange Earth pony beside Ardor bit his lip and looked away, rubbing his muzzle into his white cape. “I cannot smell anything, brother. It’s the freezing cold. But I have a feeling that you intend to label your sense of smell with something that doesn’t have vapor with which to smell.”

“Correct, Illuminatus. I smell victory. Our army is the largest it’s ever been—all of Equestria firmly in our control and protection.”

Illuminatus sighed with regret. “Yes, no thanks to myself, I am positive.”

Ardor laughed. “Yes, thanks to you and your inventions.” He grabbed Illuminatus at the shoulder and waved his other hoof at the army. “Weapons of untold power. The might of an Alicorn—concentrated into a single squad of ponies. Look at our glory, brother! Your inventions put to mass production, with my leadership and bold tenacity. Together, we will push Equestria into new heights of prowess!”

A Pegasi in golden armor swept in and saluted the general. “Sir, the Loyalists are ahead and setting up a defense within the mountains, and a shield has been activated around the Crystal Empire.”

“As expected,” the general said with a bow. He shouted so that his voice was carried along the mountain range. “Ponies of the New Equestrian Movement! Listen well. The Loyalists are making their last stand. They will fight hard, as they have nothing else left. They will fight like rats in a corner. But fear not—victory is at hand. We are the exterminators, and we will rid the land of vermin!”

The army of thousands cheered in a thunderous roar, the onrushing sound of stomping hooves carried across the mountains. They broke into thunderous charge, spilling like a broken dam towards the bottleneck where the defenders stood.

On the other side, Shining Armor shouted his own words of encouragement as he rushed to the front line. “Do not be afraid! We’re all that’s standing between them and the Princesses. For the Sun and Moon! For Love and Friendship! I don’t know about any of you, but my family is what they want, and they cannot have them!”

The soldiers were emboldened by the spirit from the prince of the Crystal Empire as he stepped up to the front ranks with them. He started pointing his hooves around while shouting orders. “Unicorns to the front with me! We’ll create a shield wall. Earth ponies, prepare the slings and catapults! Pegasi, get ready for the fog and avalanche!”

The ambitious onrushing charge of rebel ponies fiddled with their hoof-held and back-mounted devices fizzing off shots here and there ineffectively at a solid shield of magical energy. Shining Armor shot a yellow flare from his horn that sparked and crackled in the air as the signal for the Pegasi. They pushed and heaved, sending a tidal wave of snow and rocks down below.

Rainbow Dash eagerly watched the battle unfold, waiting for the signal or a time when the Wonderbolts would crash in from the reserve. She moved her gaze around and saw enemy infiltrators sneaking their way through a mountain pass, and she realized that Fluttershy and a herd of animals was not far from the interlopers.

“Spitfire, ma’am! The enemy is moving through the mountain pass! The army could be outflanked!”

Spitfire trotted on the cloud cover and looked where Rainbow pointed. “We wait for the signal,” she said nonchalantly.

“But…”

“Your friend should be fine, Rainbow. She’s just a civilian.”

“But—”

“Orders, Crash. We can’t jumpstart an attack too early, it could jeopardize the whole operation.”

Rainbow pinched her face and watched her friend. “Discord better be there,” she muttered. “Heh, maybe he’ll take care of those ponies himself.”

* * *

Fluttershy urged with a squeaking yelp, “Oh, please come back, Angel Bunny!”

Angel shook his head as he hopped through the snow, wanting to see the battle take place. But Fluttershy was anything but willing to see a display of violence. She quivered as she saw the scattering animals move around the rocks of the mountains away from where she was directing them. She looked back in the opposite direction at Angel.

“Please Angel, I don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t want to see me get hurt!”

“Halt!”

“Eep!” Fluttershy covered her head with her hooves and bent to the floor shivering. She cried, “I surrender! I surrender! Please don’t hurt me!”

The squad of ponies made their way around the rocks to her location but Angel pinched his face in determined anger and jumped in front of Fluttershy before rapidly kicking one of the ponies in his leg armor. The soldier looked down with a bit of confusion before grinning with amusement, patting Angel on the head.

Another soldier pulled out a piece of paper and examined it. “I thought so,” he said pointing at Fluttershy’s cutie mark, “she matches the description of one of Princess Twilight’s friends. We should capture her.”

The soldier Angel was kicking scooped up the bunny and tried to nuzzle him. “I’ll take this one prisoner. Maybe I can have him for a pet.”

As if on cue, a leash flashed around his neck and with a tug he was jerked off to the side, letting Angel Bunny go as he fell. The rest of the squad rushed over and raised their weapons at the draconequus holding the end of the leash.

Discord slyly grinned. “Well, maybe I should have you for a pet. Let’s see how you like it.”

“Open fire!”

Discord snapped his eagle claws and disappeared as the shimmering beams hit the mountain behind him. He reappeared behind them before using his chaos magic to put those around him in cages.

Several paces away, an Earth pony prepared a contraption with blinking bulbs and glowing buttons on a gun carriage pulled by a companion. The pony operating the weapon slipped his hooves into locks and arced the weapon’s small dish and took aim.

Discord picked up one of the hoof-held weapons which looked like a rusty, golden ray gun. “This junk looks like it belongs in a classical sci-fi era of another world I’m familiar with.”

The hefty support weapon powered up and discharged, striking Discord. He was slammed back into the side of the mountain, the continuous beam forcing his body to squeeze and contort. The cages holding the others vanished and with smooth, disciplined efficiency, the two dozen ponies trained their weapons on him again.

“Full power!” their squad leader shouted.

They flipped the switches to their guns on such a setting and focused their beams on him.

“Discord!” Fluttershy shouted.

The power of an Alicorn princess—concentrated into a squad of ponies.

After a bright rainbow flash, they ceased fire and beheld Discord trapped in stone with a face of terror. The lead Unicorn of the squad ran up and bucked the statue so that the stone prison rocked back into the mountainside.

Two other ponies ran up with him. “What do we do, Lieutenant Blazin Blue?”

The Unicorn snorted. “No more, will we live in fear from the rule of chaos.” With a heaving push by three ponies, Discord’s statue was shoved over a cliff edge. Fluttershy raced to try and save it. She gripped the edge of his talon claws just as he slammed into the bottom, shattering into dozens of pieces.

Fluttershy flew up hard and fast, thinking she had grabbed him. “I won’t let you go, Discord! Don’t—don’t worry!” She flew up higher and when she opened her eyes, saw all she had was his claws. As she raised up over the edge, the squad of ponies grabbed Fluttershy as she began to bawl. She sunk to the ground and filled the cold dirt with hot tears. She lifted her head and screamed with all of her might.

“You, you monsters!” Fluttershy cried out as she started thrashing. “There is no curse by ponies, draconequus, or the tongue of Breezies for your treachery. I—I’ll make you regret this!”

“Oh yeah?” One of the soldiers said pinning her down, “you and what army?”

A guttural roar and rising pitch of screeching responded. From behind came such an army—an army of animals. Squirrels, bears, birds, insects, and even a manticore came charging at them.

* * *

Rainbow Dash pointed at the mountain range. “Spitfire, ma’am! The enemy is controlling the situation! We have to go!”

Spitfire looked at the other Wonderbolts. “No can do, Rainbow.”

“W—what?” Rainbow Dash took a hard, long look and noticed each of the Wonderbolts were avoiding eye contact, grim expressions on all their faces, some rubbing their legs. Rainbow lowered her head. “What’s going on?”

Spitfire wrapped her left foreleg around Rainbow’s back and moved her to the edge of the cloud cover. “Look down there, Crash. It’s hopeless. We all knew it would be.”

Rainbow backed away. “You’re kidding, right? Please tell me the courageous victory speech is coming? I know you better; you’re not a coward.”

“No,” Spitfire replied, “it’s not about cowardice. I met with the leaders of the New Equestrian Movement. They aren’t evil. It’s not a threat to Equestria that we should, or were meant to be, fighting against.”

Rainbow Dash tackled her, struggling to stand on her wings. “You’re not a coward, you’re a traitor! Discord just got turned to stone and broke into a hundred pieces, and my friend Fluttershy just got pommeled and captured because of your inaction! Wonderbolts, prepare to intercept the enemy in the mountains!”

Rainbow stepped off, opened her wings to fly, and looked back. But none had moved. “Come on! What are you waiting for?”

Spitfire stood and dusted cloud off of her uniform. “Cool it, Rainbow. We all discussed this. The Wolderbolts are siding with the New Equestrian Movement.”

“What!” Rainbow Dash twisted her face and clenched her jaw. “Does Loyalty mean nothing to you? The Wonderbolts have a history serving Princess Celestia for almost a thousand years!”

Spitfire shook her head. “There won’t be a Princess Celestia to serve after this. And nothing we do will change that. I told General Covenant Ardor that I’d be willing to talk to my team about this. And quite frankly, we all agreed. But I knew what your answer was going to be, the Element of Loyalty and all that. But I thought if I was ever going to talk to you, this would be it.”

“So,” Rainbow Dash marched around the cloud, “none of you are with me? For the Princesses? For Loyalty? For Friendship?” She flicked her head left. “Fleetfoot? Blaze?” She turned to the right, “Sky Stinger? Vapor Trail?” all of the Pegasi looked away. She looked straight ahead. “S—Soarin?”

Soarin curled in his lip and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, Rainbow Dash. But some of us have family and loved ones to think about, too. I didn’t join the Wonderbolts to fight other ponies who really do mean well.”

As Rainbow Dash felt a wave of emotions, Spitfire stepped forward with encouragement. “I knew you’d be like this, but we gave it our best shot. If I were you, I wouldn’t try winning the battle single-hoofed, or going back to the Crystal Empire. The Crystal Guard should be getting ready to deliver the Princesses about now, since they joined too. I was ordered to reign in any Wonderbolt who didn’t comply. But as your friend, I’m giving you a head start.”

Rainbow Dash was shivering with angered confusion, fighting back tears and drooping her tail. After a few moments she straightened up. “If I ever see you,” she looked among the Wonderbolts, “or any of you on the battlefield in the future—I—won’t—hesitate.”

With that, she sped off back towards the Crystal Empire.

* * *

As the battle raged, faint explosions and distant clamor of war in the distance, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack argued over the situation.

“Darling, I simply cannot bear the thought of life as an outcast. I think it would do us well to cooperate with our new—how to put it kindly?—suzerains. We have little ones to think about. And I shall not see Sweetie Belle living a life on the run.”

Applejack stamped a hoof. “We can’t risk trying to cooperate with ‘em. Who knows what they would do to us? I say we just pack up and go out to sea. Most of the Apple family is already getting ready. And if you think family is important, then I’ll be following them.”

Pinkie Pie spit. “Oh come on you guys! You sound like you’ve never had hope before. Whatever Twilight and the Princesses want, we should just—have a little faith!” Music began to play as she started swinging her right foreleg.

But Applejack and Rarity both plugged her mouth. Rarity swished her mane. “I think we can all agree this isn’t the time for a song.”

Applejack sternly nodded once. “Agreed, but Pinkie has a point. We should hear what the Princesses are considering.”

Twilight solemnly walked out of the throne room to see her three friends waiting to hear from her. Pinkie Pie bounced up towards her with a smile. “So, what are we goanna do, Twilight?”

“We’re—”

“There!” An entourage of Crystal Ponies equipped with Illuminatus’ weapons came running down the hall shooting at Twilight. She cast a bubble shield to cover the hallway but the weapons were committing heavy blows against it. She struggled to hold it up but managed to last long enough to teleport herself and the trio away.

“Track them!” one of the Crystal Guard called out.

Pinkie Pie jumped out, jabbing her hooves at the air. “You won’t take our Twilight without a—fight?” She stopped and looked around, seeing that she, Applejack, and Rarity were all in a bedroom, but there was no Twilight.

Rarity walked towards the window. “I just don’t understand. The Crystal Ponies have everything to owe towards Cadence and Shining Armor. Why in Equestria would they turn on them?”

Applejack looked out the window with her. “Don’t forget, they lived under the tyranny of King Sombra too. And it probably wasn’t that long before that they saw what it was like with Discord around with Chaos and all. Fear probably just overcame.”

The shield protecting the city fizzled and crackled apart. Rarity gasped. “The princesses!”

Pinkie Pie frowned. “Oh no! Something must’ve happened!” She ran out of the door with the other two ponies close behind.

With the shield down, Rainbow Dash would have flown to the top balcony were it not for a group of Crystal Guard Pegasi in her way. She dove to the side and crashed through a window when she saw Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack run by. “What’s going on?”

“Duh, I think you should already know!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“They captured Fluttershy!” Rainbow uttered, “I need all the help we can get to rescue her!” Rainbow Dash ran with them towards the throne room. “But there’s going to be a literal army between us and the Princesses! How are we supposed to get to them?”

“Secret passage,” Pinkie Pie said.

Applejack turned her head, “What are we going to do when we get there?”

They made their way around a corner from the Crystal Guards and up a narrow flight of stairs. But the trap door leading up to the throne room floor was locked and all they could do was listen as Rarity tried using her magic to carefully open it. They heard the Crystal Guards rushing into the room and ordering for a surrender as they shot their weapons.

When the trap door finally opened, the four ponies were met with a blinding flash of light and an explosion that rocked the whole room. When they rubbed their eyes, the Princesses were gone without a trace. The Crystal Guards began searching the room, causing them to retreat back below the trap door.

One of the guards looked at a scanning device secured to his hoof. “No trace of them. They didn’t teleport, but they aren’t here.”

Another guard looked at his weapon. “Do you think…?”

“I can’t imagine our power setting was strong enough to do that,” he replied. “But it’s possible.”

Rainbow Dash grit her teeth, unable to hold back her tears anymore. She struggled to make her way through the door but Rarity and Applejack did their best to restrain her. “Lemme go! Lemme go! I’m tired of running!”

Rarity breathed coolly and tapped her horn to Rainbow’s head, calming the Pegasus until she drooped, barely conscious. Pinkie Pie stared, silent and eyes wide, sitting still and unable to move. Her left cheek raised in a haphazard grin. “Must—stay—positive. Yeah, yeah, everything will be all right. I mean, sure Twilight’s gone. An—and Fluttershy! Oh, they captured sweet, little ol’ Fluttershy!” she began to giggle.

Applejack put a hoof to Pinkie’s mouth and hissed. “Stop muttering and be quiet!”

Rarity twisted her lip. “I’m afraid all the rapid events finally got to her.”

Pinkie’s mane and tail deflated and hung limp and straight as she kept staring out endlessly, trying to giggle to herself. “Laugh. Have to laugh.”

“We have to get out of here!” Rarity squealed impatiently.

Applejack struggled to pull Pinkie from her spot but she wasn’t budging an inch from the steps. “I can carry Rainbow, but I can’t drag Pinkie like this.”

Rarity sighed. “I suppose it’s the Breaking of the Fellowship.”

With that, Applejack began taking steps down away from the trap door above. Rainbow moaned. “We’ll come back for ya, Pinkie. Pinkie promise.”

Rarity was about to make her way down the steps but with a hoof raised up shivering and shaking, she turned around and kissed Pinkie Pie on the forehead. “Go,” she whispered to Applejack, “I’ll buy you time.” Without looking, she listened for Applejack to carry the tired Rainbow Dash down the steps. There would be no turning back now. She used her magic to open the trap door.

“You there!” a Crystal pony shouted. “Halt!”

“Yes, yes, you found me. Rarity.”

She was quickly surrounded by the Crystal Guard. She breathed nervously and began to sweat. “Frie—former friend—to Princess Twilight Sparkle. I would like to pledge myself to the New Equestrian Movement unconditionally and with servitude—under the condition you do not hurt my friends and family.”

“Where are your friends?” one of the guards barked.

Rarity squinted an eye. “I’m afraid this whole fiasco has put my dear Pinkie Pie in an awful daze of shock just there by the trap door. The others—the others are fleeing to—the uh—north passage.” She looked back to the trap door. “Yes, I do believe it is the north passage!” she said calling out to carry her voice.

Rainbow Dash struggled to move upon hearing another friend betray a long kinship. But Applejack made her way down the depths of the secret passages to the south.

“I reckon that spell won’t last much longer, Rainbow. So we gotta get Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and skedaddle!”

Rainbow shook her head as she struggled to reply. “Must—fight—New Equestrian—Movement!”

Applejack slung her friend off her back against the wall next to a small window. “You gotta listen to reason Rainbow Dash! It’s over! They’ve taken the fight outta us. The best we can do is fall back and think things over. And if we keep fightin’ like this, the Wendigoes are bound to come back.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head again, her legs wobbling as she tried to stand up. “I’m fighting. I’m staying and I’m fighting. Sure they won today, but I’ve got plans for them in the future. I’ll get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy back. I’ll avenge Twilight, and I’ll smack a new one out of Rarity for ditching us like that!”

Applejack clenched her teeth and nearly came to blows with her friend. “With what? With who? You and Scootaloo?”

Rainbow Dash puckered her lips and raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah? And it would help if we had the Apple family behind us.”

Applejack reached out for Rainbow Dash, struggling and snorting, but instead picked up her hat, threw it on the ground, and stamped on it. “We best split our separate ways before somepony does something she’ll regret.”

Rainbow Dash turned away towards the window and flicked her head back. “I think all of you are going to regret this.”

“Oh, and not you, huh?”

Rainbow Dash turned up her nose. “Nope.”

“Well I guess that makes two of us. Goodbye then.”

“Yeah—see ya around.”

As Rainbow Dash put her hooves up to the open window, Applejack heard a faint sniffle before she bolted out of the window like a rocket.

* * *

On the battlefield, things were going badly for the Loyalists. Their numbers were thinning quickly. Shining Armor was carrying a wounded pony with magic and an unconscious one on his back as he and the remaining dozens made their way to a fallback point in the mountains, but this action left the narrow passageway open to the Crystal Empire.

Shining turned to his Crystal pony captain. “Get the Crystal Guard reserves ready. We’re going to try and—”

“The shield is down!” one his soldiers called out.

The Prince dropped his mouth as he looked back and saw his vulnerable kingdom without its main defense. With a nod, the captain turned to the Crystal ponies. The units unfurled standards of the New Equestrian Movement.

“Apologies, sir. But we have sided with them. Notice, another star was added. The Crystal Guard pledged allegiance.”

Shining Armor stamped his hoof. “We still have the Wonderbolts!” He shot a golden flare from his horn. At the signal, the Wonderbolts flew out from their cloud cover, but one of them carried the same banner colors as that of the Crystal Guard and the encroaching rebels. Shining Armor was surrounded by regal blues, golden gears, and the symbol at their center representing a darkening solar eclipse.

The sun was setting.

Spitfire flew overhead with a respected salute to Shining before landing beside General Covenant Ardor and his brother Illuminatus. The three clapped their hooves when a rocking explosion shook them to the ground followed by a blinding shatter of the light spectrum. Overhead, Rainbow Dash sped away from them, her colorful contrail gleaming in the evening light. Covenant Ardor pointed at the rainbow streak quickly leaving their sight.

“Go after her!” He gruffed.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “Do you know anypony else who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom?”

“Uh—no.”

Spitfire looked up to the sky. “Then she’s as good as gone.”

Illuminatus turned to the western side of the canyon and watched the rays of sunlight slowly retreat behind the mountains. Soldiers across the battlefield lit up their lanterns and heaters, powered by artificial unicorn horns. He took one hanging over his side under his white cape and lit it.

A candlelight is a fragile thing. It is small, flickering at the barest slight of the wind. But that is why he, Illuminatus, sought to capture it, protect it, and use it. But now it is a raging fire. And he hoped that, after he was gone, it would be understood that he wanted to do nothing but atone for the sins of his creations.