Rise Out of Darkness and Pain...
Clouds of a snowy whiteness hung in the air. Supported on the horizon among the outlines of mountains, cavernous and craggy, black as coal, lay the sun. Dipped in twilight and foreshadowed in a blurry red, the horizon painted a bleak picture upon the clouds hovering gently in the air. Dawn was coming.
Silence permeated the small clearing, a dismal and resigned aura hovering in the air meaningfully. A cold northern breeze blew over the ensemble of tents, shaking the hastily constructed structures.
A black lake floated in the mountains, the barren mountainside scattered with coal and onyx shapes. Hideous smoke stacks filtered into the sky in the distance, wings of fate flapped in the sky.
Through a vast cold haze, the stillness of the camp went undisturbed, namely except for one tent, located on the outer edge of the clearing, overlooking the great rolling hills, plains of a golden grace.
Violet. A color out of place among the browns, golds, and greys that made up the stillness. It was dull, saturated by the permanent aura of foreboding, life being drained from the very air by a tense silence.
Peaceful, almost. Had the occasion been one of a less somber note then perhaps this view would be one to be appreciated; however, not to be had on this day, for when that great beast in the sky rose to full form it would all be over.
Black winds on the burning skyline, a cloud of claws and death would envelop them all. This war was a savage monster, its greed consuming all in its wake. If one were to stand against the tide of blood then they were to live forever.
If only they were to die, then at least it would not be in darkness, but in the blistering sunlight. The chains of fear constricted all afflicted, rendering them sterile and lifeless, burdens to the fire and death from above.
Chased from their homes, forced into the mountains, into exile. War was a vile mistress.
Fear of the dark was a commonality, a foalish terror that built upon natural fright of the unknown. She had once been terrified of the dark, of the monsters that lingered just out of sight, of the uncertainty of Luna’s vast and impenetrable cloak of shadow.
She had never shown this fear. She had hidden it deep within, never to see light. This mare was a stubborn sort, fear something to be had but never shown to others. Of all the fears that had once possessed her thoughts, the night had been such a formidable one.
Now though, the thought of the sun rising chilled her blood.
“Rainbow?” A voice questioned groggily behind the mare. She did not turn her head, only staring into the campfire sitting just outside the tent. A rustling of blankets caught her hearing, yet she still did not turn.
Quietly, the purple alicorn sat beside her. Only then did Rainbow Dash turn, eyeing the violet mare who sat to her right. Those sleepy lavender eyes pierced right through her soul.
“You should be sleeping,” Twilight spoke quietly, lowering her head a bit. The pegasus gave no response, her body slumping over slightly and turning back to the fire. Scars crisscrossed her body, marks of faded conflict.
When her friend did not answer once more, the alicorn sighed, twisting her head and staring into the campfire. Silence prevailed, only the low crackling of flames and wood surrounded them. A chilly breeze blew past.
Rainbow shuffled, the chill reaching into her very bones. Yet it was not from the wind.
A minute or two passed, the silence tense and foreboding. “They’re coming when the sun rises.” The pegasus spoke softly, voice scratchy from the tears that stained her cheek fur. Twilight didn’t say anything, and so the azure mare continued. “You know that don’t you.” It didn't feel like a question.
There was quiet for another few moments before the alicorn sighed and turned to give the pegasus beside her a pained look. Dash felt her heart crack a bit, but couldn’t stop the tide of frightful anger that came to her.
“They’re coming—” she spat venomously at the fire. “—to finish the job.” Rage poured through her veins, pain making her heart race and her mangled wings twitch. She was angry, pissed to the core. Not at Twilight, not at the night, not at the sun.
blood-curdlingly angry and terrified, at the monsters that had taken her wings. That had taken her friends, and taken her home, come to snuff the last light out. Riding on feathery wings and encased in blackened armor, they had come from the sky.
Rainbow shivered hard once more, feeling her eyes moisten and her wings tremble. Fear, so much fear, fear of the death that approached by the minute. Fear of losing everything, the only other thing she held dear in the world resting beside her, and there was nothing she could do.
As she quaked, Twilight watched with teary eyes, reaching a hoof out and pulling the distraught pegasus into a hug. Dash broke, sobs shaking her form as she surrendered to the warm embrace of the alicorn.
“I’ve lost everything else—” The pegasus moaned into the soft lavender coat of her best friend, listening to her strong heartbeat, allowing herself to be vulnerable in the company of the only one who could ever see it. “—I can’t lose you as well.” Dash croaked out as her sobs began to cease.
Twilight slowly rocked the pegasus back and forth, gazing outward at the ever rising sun. Her watchful eyes waited for the flags to appear in the air and on the hilltops, a forest of steel that would envelop the Earth.
Despite her vigil, she gave the pegasus no time to contemplate this, hugging her wings around the still shivering mare. Paying special mind to the sensitive wings on her companion, Twilight slowly pushed her back, letting her gaze into the pegasus’s bloodshot eyes.
“You won’t lose me.” Twilight gave her a weak smile. “We’re gonna be there for each other, until the very end.” Likewise, Rainbow gave her a teary-eyed smile, nodding once as she wiped her eyes.
A trickle of her old spunk entered her expression, a smile, the first in a long while appearing on her face. “To the end,” Rainbow echoed resoundingly. Her gaze was once again drawn to the sun, just as it meandered over the horizon. Luna never could match her sister, handling both the sun and the moon was quite the task. Dash feared what they would do to her once this was all over.
Shadows grew long down on the earth, the mountains casting deep black marks upon the ground. Oh how Dash ached to feel the sky, but the sun and fire had burned her to the ground, trapped. She could hear it all over again, the flapping of wings, the overwhelming stench of blood, the anguished screams of the dying.
The Pegasus swore she could see the blood that coated her sharp hooves after everything, dried and crusty, but very much still there.
She shuddered, feeling the black wings of fate approach, closer and closer. From the far east did the morning come, bringing with it the stench of blood, fire, and death. The dusty clouds on the horizon began to glow, lit by the ever rising sun.
The arrows, axes, and swords that would protect them briefly would not last long against the horde. There was no Celestia, there were no Elements of Harmony, nor was there an army. All that remained was the hardened crew around them, two hundred or so survivors.
“We do this for them,” Twilight spoke grimly beside her, the strength she had shown earlier fading slightly in the wake of trauma and horror. Death-felt eyes looked so hollow to Dash in this pale morning sun. The pegasus felt a sharp agony rend through her chest.
Bloodied bodies and empty eyes flashed in her head. She grit her teeth.
“We make them pay.” Dash hid her fear in anger, headstrong, stupid rage that seethed in her veins. The alicorn’s horn flashed, strengthening the fire, heat flaring in the cold northern breeze. In the sun's first warm rays, the alicorn turned her eyes, violet irises sparkling with newfound determination.
Rainbow met her eyes. They stared for several long moments, silence reigns supreme. In the hills to the far east, just on the edge of sight, it appeared. The two mares turned, eyeing the movement in the hills. It drew nearer, an audible rumbling in the mountainside as they scattered across it, pushing towards the camp at a frenzied pace.
“We can do this,” Twilight spoke firmly, fixing Dash with a gaze, strong and resigned, yet determined nonetheless. Far in the dust clouds, the warm rays of light gently blew through, cloaking the now visible black forest in the sky in a holy light.
Heart beating, Rainbow felt the fear in her gut turn to the determination, to pride. The dead would watch her, she would not be alone. Her friends had died for this day, they had given her this chance, to finally finish this.
“You can do this,” Twilight whispered, voice swollen with immeasurable pride. “Don’t be scared, this day is yours, no matter how this ends.” Rainbow didn’t turn or respond, only puffing her chest out, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body and life return to her blood.
Gazing into the fire firmly, the pegasus rose to her hooves, eyes alit with an insatiable mix of fury and joy. “I can do this.” She repeated, determinedly, gazing now fondly over to the empty spot where her friend had once been. Gone just like the rest of them.
The spot was void, the grass not flattened, but alive and standing tall.
Rainbow closed her eyes, letting one silent tear fall, smiling faintly. “Thank you.” She whispered, eyeing the horde as it approached with calm reservation, ears tuning out the chaos around her as bodies jumped to action, screaming orders and calls.
Absentmindedly, the mare looked at her hooves, noting the sharp black armor plastered to the front her fetlocks. Coated in a dull, dark red, they glistened ever so slightly in the sun. Oh, the sun, it had never been so gorgeous, even surrounded by a mass of black wings it shone like the brightest beacon.
Chaos grew, the pervasive sounds of turmoil and desperation echoing everywhere. The scampering of hooves, wings, and clawed talons grew nearer and nearer. Even in the hell that was the field, the sun shone, bathing her in holy light. Simmering, the orb of light gave her pause. So beautiful.
It all fell on deaf ears to her. She slowly trotted out, whipping her wings out and silencing the flames, the embers shimmering slightly in the breeze. She felt the war paint on her face, the quaking and shaking of dirt, and the screams and cries of the impending doom.
With one last look back to the spot, Rainbow smiled, small and satisfied, no longer would she fear. They would be happy she had made it this far. Taking a deep breath, full of the fresh morning air, the pegasus stared straight into the void, fear gone, her voice swollen with pride and dignity.
The end had come, it's cruel breath bating as it collapsed the pillars of hope into dust. Despite the blood, fire, and death that continually swelled and overwhelmed her, she found strength in the call of the grave. Life or death, it did not matter, she would have her closure.
The cold breeze washed over her face, pouring down her throat, soothing the aching muscles. Muted colors surrounded the field as the battle began, the thousands of shapes colliding in a building mist of red, the sounds of screams and rending steel taking reign of the air.
Her own voice had never sounded so clear. She smiled, despite the hopelessness, Rainbow Dash felt truly at ease. Live or die, it truly made no quarrel with her, because she knew. She knew that they would be happy for her. They would be proud of her. She had overcome fear, she had found peace. They knew, and she knew, that her friend's sacrifice would not be in vain.
They were so damn proud of her.
Maybe that would be enough.
“Tomorrow is—” She shouted her next words, spreading her wings, bittersweet tears swimming down her face. Heart hammering and love of life breathing inside her chest, the mare cried out, voice harsh and uncontrolled, tears pouring out of her eyes, both of sadness and joy:
“A fine day to die!”
Author's Note
....And Ride to a place where slaves run free.
Little Bathory-inspired one-shot.
