Jet Force Twilight

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash flung her eyes open. Shielded Mane, one of Shining Armors royal guards was standing in the doorway. “Miss, we’re under attack!”

“What!?”

“The enemy boarded us while we were asleep! Get down to the holding area. Twilight Sparkle and your friends will meet you there!”

Rainbow Dash saw the human and pony warriors advance toward the generator room while she exited the barrack. The door to the holding block opened automatically. Twilight, Apple Jack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie held up in the middle. Several royal guards with carbines circulated their princess.

Rarity walked up too Rainbow Dash, her face forming in regret. Rarity still remembered her hurt expression after she had told her that she was not her friend. The diva wasn’t sure if they would make it out of SS Anubis alive and the last thing she wanted was that moment to be the last Rainbow Dash remembered of her.

“There you are - Rainbow Dash. About those things I said down on Eschebone…”

“Where is Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash Interrupted Rarity. Her friends looked at her with sorry eyes. Dashie’s face widened in panic. One of the guards turned to her.

“She never made it out of the generator room. Don’t worry, I’m sure the others…” The guard never had time to finish. Rainbow Dash galloped up to him, swooped her hoof around his neck and took his rifle from him.

“…Give me that!”

“Rainbow Dash! No! It’s too dangerous!”

But Twilight was too late. The blue pegasus had already rocketed through the door leading to the holding area. Rarity looked after her like she had just seen the ghost of a family member.

Rainbow Dash used her blue wings to fly over the secondary storage area. The giant belt that would carry crates up and down the rising warehouse laid inactive below her. She could hear laser being fired now and then ahead. An open door separated the area where she had meet Fluttershy earlier. Several royal guards and two Gemini warriors held up there.

“What is going on?”

“Watch out!” The guard used his hoof to prevent Rainbow Dash from walking into the open. Two lasers came wooing by from somewhere inside the allocator room.

“Woa! Thanks soldier.”

“You’re Rainbow Dash, one of Twilight’s friends and the element of loyalty. What are you doing here?”

“Well, if you value the elements then you better help me. Fluttershy is somewhere in there!”

The guards looked at each other, then at the two Gemini warriors. The first guard turned to Rainbow again. “Well, if you want to reach her this is not the way. The area ahead offers no cover and the other side of the generator chasm is swarming with enemy ants.”

“What about the depository?” The other guard asked his colleague.

“Probably safer, but I wouldn’t settle down for a cider break there.”

“But it comes out behind the enemy. Maybe we could flank them?” The other guard proposed.

“…And save the ponies that are pinned down ahead!” The first guard added.

“...And Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash blasted her input.

The first guard looked around. “Where is Shining Armor?”

“Where is time!?” Rainbow Dash started galloping toward the depository. The second guard called after her.

“Hey! Be careful, and good luck!”

I’m sorry Fluttershy! I’m sorry! The thought rushed through Dashie’s head, not just because the blue pegasus regretted her decision of telling her that she wasn’t in love with her but telling her in such a clumsy way and, on top of that, leaving her standing like somepony that had random bothered her on the street.

Just like when Apple Jack had played with Lupus there large crates towering inside the depository. These piles formed narrow passageways that was lit up with marked pathways. Dashie decided against flying in case there would be ants covering the air. She trotted silently along the path.

“Griiii!” The pig like grunt startled her. She threw herself behind a crate and cut her breathing.

Dashie could hear the sound of ant feet hitting the steel floor on the other side of her cover. She made herself as small as possible. She heard steps coming from two sources. Both ways of getting out of there would lead to complete exposure - She was trapped. She heard the steps come closer.

Celestia. Watch over Fluttershy and my friends.

Rainbow Dash leaned out - Her laser carbine pushed her hooves backwards when she fired. The ant standing only a half meter in front of her fell backwards screaming. Green blood splattered Dashie’s face. She watched the ant behind get his arm shot off before half of his face exploded, his body falling sideways against a crate.

Rainbow Dash could see movement further away at the other end of the passage. Blue lasers came whooing. She kept firing, hoping to Celestia that her plasma hit its mark. - She heard movement to the side. She went back into cover, only to suddenly see the flanking drone appear from a small passage. She never had time to gasp before the drone lost his head. It bounced against the crate before rolling over the floor.

“Don't shake to much rainbow pony, or you’ll drop your gun!”

Juno didn’t seem bothered at all by the lasers. The human male fired his standard Gemini pistol toward the suppressing drones down the corridor. He grabbed cover, although Rainbow Dash had already pressed herself against hers. She was usually a very stubborn and brave pony Rainbow Dash, one that did not hesitate to fly immediately into danger. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t scared, and right now she was shaking with instinctual fear.

“Hey!?” Juno called. Rainbow Dash allowed herself a peak to look at him. “It’s going to be alright rainbow pony! Just follow my every command to the letter and we’ll both live through this!” Juno’s voice was booming and authoritarian. Rainbow Dash didn’t answer. “I said, follow behind me and do exactly as I say! Roger!?”

“Roger!”

Rainbow Dash galloped forth and joined Juno against the crate. “But I’m not scared. And my name is Rainbow Dash."

“Here, take this instead.” He gave her his weapon. The pistol was Cyan green and had a yellow patch at its rear. The barrel was silvery and bruised. It looked like it had seen countless years of action.

“It’s a standard Gemini pistol. It’s much better than that drone crap.”

Juno reached down and brought out his yellow plasma shotgun. He leaned out and counted the drones ahead. He looked at Rainbow Dash again, who was grinning readily. Despite this she had that deep look in her eyes.

“Hey. It’s good to be scared, it means you know what’s at stake.”

“I said. I am not scared!”

Juno pressed down the trigger of his shotgun. There was a hissing sound of energy loading.

“You will be.”

Juno made his way out of cover and started walking toward the drones. One ant exposed himself ahead. Juno aimed and released the massive energy of his yellow plasma shotgun. The sound of drone splatter filled the depository corridor along with the jitter of bug limbs scattering.

“Stand behind me!” Juno ordered.

“Roger!” Dashie answered.

Incoming lasers either missed or was absorbed by Juno’s Gemini armor, which still had some energy left. Juno didn’t put any trust in it. He aimed for the drone in front while noting a sound to the left.

“West corridor, aim and fire!”

Two drones appeared. The first one Rainbow Dash shot in the chest. The second one staggered when Dashie hit him in the arm. The next two shots missed. Her raspy curse echoed along the pathway.

“Fuck!”

This time she took time to aim. Juno’s cyan pistol had a very distinct Dong! sound. She could really feel the power of it. Despite that, it had almost no recoil. The ant screamed and fell forward.

Juno managed to hit the hiding drone in the leg, causing him to fall out of cover. He finished him while he was lying on the ground.

“Above us! North east!”

Dashie aimed and fired. She saw the green sniper drone grab his chest and plummet down the container. Every time a drone was killed the other drones gave out ear piercing shrieks of anger. Ahead appeared three enemies, one carrying a small shield. “Move!” Juno pushed Rainbow Dash into cover. “East!”

Rainbow Dash aimed down the right corridor and fired. She wasn’t even taking time to acquire her target anymore, it seemed to come by pure instinct. She finished the first, the second and the third drone. How they died she had stopped noticing, like the way you stop noticing how you bite apart a potato ship after emptying half a bag of them. By the time the last drone hit the ground the pegasus ears filled with the booming sound of Juno’s shotgun again. The plasma hit the shield of the Deflector Drone, sending it sailing through the air.

“All yours, Rainbow Dash!” Juno offered.

Rainbow Dash aimed and shot of the leg of the drone. She proceeded executing him while he was lying on the ground. Two more drones reinforced their fallen friend. The two plasma balls from Juno’s shotgun spun around in circles. The first ant splattered completely while the second drone was decapitated. Rainbow Dash though she saw his head blink for a moment as it laid on the ground. She closed her eyes to repress the image.

“Hey! Focus!” Juno kicked her on the flank. “…Or I’ll be seeing your head soon!”

Juno and Rainbow Dash made their way further down the depository, killing drones as they went. Every time Rainbow Dash started fumbling Juno was there to give her a kick in the flank. She was now watching Juno storm the position of the last drones. She saw him strike one of the ants so hard that his head spun around. Another one he cut in half with his shotgun. The last one managed to shoot away Juno’s armor. Juno grabbed his arm, twitched it and finished the ant with his own gun.

“Rainbow Dash!” A kind voice called from somewhere inside the depository.

“Fluttershy?! I’m coming Fluttershy!”

Juno saw the rainbow pony answer an unspoken call and fly off above the crates.

“Rainbow Dash! No! Discipline!”

Rainbow Dash heard Juno’s call. There was a blast, a stretching sensation, followed by the metal floor coming closer below. Then there were darkness.

Only for you.

The familiar female voice seemed to call in the distance. Rainbow Dash thrusted her wings and gained speed. The sun was peeking out from behind the snowy mountains along the Ukraine border. The light from it seemed gray and foggy, as if she was looking at a painting in a Canterlot exhibition, if Dashie had brought herself to visit one that is. A patch of light sparkled in front of her now, like the missile from a helicopter.

“Xenia?”

Only for you.

The last time Dashie had encountered Xenia the human woman had been an assassin employed by Ourumov, an evil government traitor inside the Goldeneye movie. Xenia had almost murdered Dashie’s pony friends with an attack helicopter. Rainbow Dash had managed to blow it up by using her own heat seeking missile against her. The explosion had caused the tail blade to loosen and cut her right wing clean off, sending Rainbow Dash into days of coma and strong fever. If it hadn’t been for Fluttershy nursing her back to health again she might have never made it out from the movie and regained her wing.

The light came closer ahead. Rainbow Dash looked right, then left. The feathers on both her wings captured the air as they should, but she did not feel the cold touch of it.

Only for you.

The voice ahead had softened. The light became dimmer, revealing the silhouette of a winged creature. The yellow pegasus pony spread her wings. Her soft voice seemed to whisper in Dashie’s ear.

“For your eyes only.”

“Fluttershy?”

“Welcome to Sekhmet.”

“Sekhmet?”

“Welcome.” The voice had changed significantly. There was a cold sensation. Rainbow Dash gasped and felt herself regain consciousness. The chill of the cold water ran along her back. Once she opened her eyes she was meet with the blurry image of a flying banana. It was an all too familiar sight.

“Mizar.”

“Rainbow Dash, was it?”

“You will pay for killing Starlight Glimmer.”

“Oh right. You were the stubborn one.” Mizar’s voice didn’t sound like Fluttershy anymore. He hovered a meter away from the tied up pegasus pony. “You know, there was a time that I, Mizar, would have enjoyed watching you wither away inside a cell like this, my little pony.”

Rainbow Dash looked around. She thought she saw a blue ant stand by the entrance. She answered Mizar with a stubborn core in her ruffled-out voice.

“In that case, he will be waiting a long time.”

“Yes. But unfortunately, that is not time I have right now. So, I am going to ask you nicely. Back in Equestria, after Twilight Sparkle fixed me, she introduced me to you and your seven friends…” Mizar hovered closer to Dashie’s face. “...What other friends did she tell about my visit at the time?”

“Why do you care?!” Rainbow Dash asked stubbornly.

Mizar hovered himself back and forth in a display of head-shaking. Rainbow Dash wanted to bite hold of his propeller and watch his banana chassis spin around.

“Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, why do you have to be so stubborn?”

Mizar hovered out of the way and allowed Dashie to notice his other prisoner. The blue ant by the doorway grabbed the nearby blanket and tore it off.

“Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy looked up. She smiled. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.”

“So?” Mizar opened the hatch under him. He used his robot arm to bring out his laser pistol. “Why do I care?”

Dashie’s face dropped.

“No. Please…”

“Why do I care? Why do I… Why do I… Why do I care?”

“I didn’t mean...”

“Are you sure? It sounded like you meant it, the element of loyalty.”

Mizar aimed straight for Fluttershy’s head. The yellow pegasus kept looking at Rainbow Dash, as if to say ‘everything is going to be alright’. Dashie’s garnet eyes bathed in pleading.

“No.”

Mizar gave a long sigh. “At least now you can tell me what other friends Twilight told about my first visit to Equestria.”

Dashie looked straight into Mizar’s artificial pupils. She felt herself fall into them, and that no wings would be able to carry her where she went.

“I don’t know.”

Mizar looked straight at Rainbow Dash for one several panicked seconds.

“Oh, Dashie. That was the wrong answer.”

“No. Please…”

The blast from Mizar’s gun subdued inside the cell. Fluttershy’s bindings made squeaking sounds when her body became limp.

“NO!”

“What was that? What did you say?”

“MONSTER! I WILL KILL YOU! I SWEAR!”

“Monster? Maybe I am? Should I bring one of the others?”

Mizar’s flat and calm voice showed no sign of remorse. It was enough to quell Dashie’s anger and replace it with emptiness. She thought she saw a glance of Fluttershy’s pupils inside her half-open eyes.

“Fluttershy?” Dashie’s voice cracked.

“Should I bring one of the others?”

Liar. Dashie’s mouth barely moved while miming the word.

“Am I a monster? Me? Floyd? The hero that saved earth from an asteroid?”

You’re no hero.

“Will you kill me? The ruler of the universe? The ruler of your home world? The ruler of Equestria?”

Celestia is my ruler. Dashie’s mouth froze in place. Her lips started shaking.

“What’s that? No wordplays? No more cool remarks? No more ‘awesome’ displays?”

Dashie’s sobs contorted her face. Tears leaked out from her eyes. “You’re a monster.”

The blue ant walked up to the lifeless pegasus and tied her loose. He proceeded dragging Fluttershy out of the cell. Mizar hovered up to the ruffled up pegasus with a rainbow mane. He brought out a knife.

“Bow before me.” He demanded coldly while cutting her loose.

Dashie looked up at the hoovering robot. She felt the urge to gallop up and trample him into scrap. Mizar shook his head. “On second thought, don’t bow. I want to see your face when I try this knife here on that orange country friend of yours.”

Apple Jack.

There was no fight left in Dashie, only emptiness. She hid her crying by doing as Mizar requested.

“Maybe you’re not as stubborn as you thought?”

Mizar left the bowing pegasus pony alone. A blue ant poked his head in. He made a screeching sound before shutting the prison door.