Black Sun

November 2nd

For the first time she could remember. Rainbow Dash could feel the twinge of pre-mission nerves running through her body. In theory she had nothing to worry about. She'd been on missions with the Wonderbolts when they were both a solo team and part of the EDF that had been more dangerous than this, yet she'd never hesitated for so much as an instant. She'd flown with friends that whole time too, seen them get hurt even. On the face of it, there was no difference between those and her upcoming mission. Nothing more than a simple, no engagement recon job. There was one key difference though; this time she was going in alongside a member of her family. There were few things that legitimately scared her anymore, but the thought of something happening to somepony so close to her because of her actions was near the very top.

Twilight. Fluttershy. Applejack. Pinkie. Rarity. Scootaloo. Even as the Element of Loyalty, she viewed each and every one of them with as much familial bond as she did Bow and Windy, and would do anything to ensure they safety. That was why she found herself silently dreading what was to come. There was no longer any guarantee that she would be able to keep them safe, even if she might be going through Tartarus alongside them before the crisis was over.

Rainbow sighed softly to herself as she sat up on her bed. Aurora and Scootaloo had agreed to meet at her house before heading out for their recon mission in the Badlands. In truth, she'd asked for that because there was something she needed to do first. The rest of her time after the previous day's meeting had been spent collecting her thoughts and thinking of anything that she could do to give them an edge if they ran into some dangerous creature in the region. Or worse, Tantabus really was waiting for them out there. As for this morning, she'd simply been enjoying the benefits her home had to offer. After everything she'd faced so far, there was a funny feeling in the pit of her heart. Like one way or another, she wouldn't get another chance.

At least she could still think of a positive, even for such a worrying prospect. She knew from experience that if she couldn't use her cloud home anymore, Dumb-Bell and Thunderlane would take good care of it.

"Hey, sis." Scootaloo's voice suddenly came from the window. Rainbow looked up quickly and over toward it, seeing the mare in question hovering right outside. She was also wearing a set of saddlebags loaded up with provisions and medical supplies, likely just a case of better safe than sorry.

"Heya squirt." She replied, getting up and motioning for her to come in.

Scootaloo clambered through the opening and quickly tucked her wings in as she tried to land without going straight through the floor. As far as she'd come in the last few months, cloudwalking still didn't come naturally after years of keeping her hooves on the ground. Rainbow quickly wrapped a hoof around her chest and slowed her landing enough that her hooves only sank into the floor slightly.

"Sorry, still getting the hang of that," Scootaloo said sheepishly as she stood back up, adjusting her posture back to normal. In an instant she was back to her usual self, knowing Rainbow wouldn't bother her about it. "Okay, we ready to go?"

"Not quite," Rainbow told her, trying not to giggle at her sister's look of confused disappointment. "Aurora'll be here in about ten minutes. There was something I wanted to show you before we got going."

Scootaloo tilted her head in surprise but simply nodded, rather than press for an immediate explanation like she used to. Rainbow moved over toward the far wall of her room, a surprisingly modest space for memorabilia of her accomplishments. A row of pictures lined the wall, mixed between group photos of Rainbow with the other elements and those of her career, from her flight team back at the Wonderbolts Academy all the way through to the former Task Force Harmony. Medals and rank insignias were placed on a shelf just below them and a chest sat on the floor under it all. It was this that Rainbow went to, opening it up and rummaging inside for a few moments before motioning for Scootaloo to join her.

"I've had a few things I've been keeping safe over the years, ready for the day you were able to start flying. Not that I wouldn't have given you them in the end. I've just been waiting for the right moment and, well this certainly feels like the time to pass on this one."

"Pass on what?" Scootaloo asked, her curiosity piqued by the sense of pride in her sister's voice.

Rainbow simply grinned and pointed into the chest. Scootaloo looked in at what was being pointed out and her jaw dropped slightly. Lying folded at the top of the pile inside was a Wonderbolts uniform. Not just any, but the one Rainbow had worn when she first became a full member, and the last version before the team had become part of the Equestria Defence Force. Even the most determined collectors in Equestria were hard pressed to get their hooves on something like this. She already knew exactly why it was being given to her though.

"I double checked the measurements and it should fit," Rainbow told her with a smile. "I'm a bit too tall to wear it nowadays, but it'll give you a chance to be a wingpony with the best of the best."

Scootaloo stared down at the uniform for several seconds before looking back up at Rainbow, small tears starting to form in her eyes. Without warning she lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around the older mare's chest, hooking her chin over her shoulder. Rainbow smiled more and hugged her in return, enjoying the embrace enough to suppress the lingering doubts and fears. However briefly it might be for.

"All these years and you're STILL the best big sis in Equestria." Scootaloo said quietly, her voice filled with enough love to keep a changeling fed for a month.

"Don't worry about it. You earned this," Rainbow told her gently, hugging her a little tighter before letting it go, her attitude shifting back to normal before the moment of clinginess could be noticed. "So, you wanna get this on and see if you're fit for your first flight with the squadron?"

As he teleported onto the cloud that made up the ground outside Rainbow Dash's home, Aurora made sure to keep himself levitated for a second until he was certain his cloudwalking spell was working properly. Once he was satisfied and let himself down, he felt out through his sensory magic to check the other two were inside. As he'd expected, there was a gentle mix of anticipation and nerves nearby, but the huge outpouring of joy he was picking up from one of them caught him out. At the same time though, it boosted his spirits at a time when he needed it more than he'd care to admit.

"I'm here, Crash! Scootaloo! You ready to go?" He called out to them, letting his magic fade as he did. As welcome as that positive aura was to take in, he couldn't let it get so strong that it became overwhelming. Optimism but all well and good but he wasn't sure just what to expect in the next few minutes and he needed to stay realistic if he was going to work at his best.

"On our way!" Rainbow called back from inside. A minute later the front door opened and she stepped out to meet him.

She was looking even more confident than usual, stretching her wings out and using the motion to adjust a pair of saddlebags on her back. She quickly stepped aside once she was out of the door and tucked her wings in to reveal Scootaloo behind her. The orange of her coat was almost completely covered up with the uniform of a Wonderbolt and she was carrying herself with a newfound confidence. A mare that had been unable to do more than briefly hover a year ago now looked every inch like an elite flier. The uniform was a little loose on her, but she could still easily pass for a Wonderbolt. Aurora found himself staring in amazement for a moment. Even if he hadn't known her until recently, he was fully aware of just how much this meant to her. To them both.

"Wow. You're really going all out for this." He commented with a small smile.

"You know it." Scootaloo replied as she looked over herself, unable to keep a full grin off her face. That explained all the positive emotion he'd been sensing. This close to her, he would probably be able to pick it up again if he just willed himself to do so.

"I'd say not to get overexcited over a mundane job, but we used to do the occasional recon work too." Rainbow told her, watching with a contented yet cautious look.

Aurora chuckled softly at the double meaning. At the same time, he had the briefest pang of recollection and a moment of wondering just how Ymir was doing. He let it pass quickly though, focusing on the job he had to do in the present.

He motioned for Rainbow and Scootaloo to come up to him and focused his magic, fixating on a mental image of the photo Twilight had shown him before setting out. As soon as the pair of pegasi were by his side he widened the range of his teleportation spell and everything went white for the three of them. As the flash faded they could see they were now standing on a small, sun blasted plateau. The ground was rough, brown rock and the view in almost every direction showed there was nothing else in sight. To the north was the beginnings of the rocky land giving way to grass plains, while the ends of several gorges were visible to the south. The whole area gave off the impression that life simply stopped at the edges of the plains.

"Wel-" Aurora started to say, only to gag and reel backwards. It was only Rainbow's lightning reflexes getting a hold on his leg that kept him from potentially stumbling off the plateau.

He couldn't even envy the others for not going through what he was. He couldn't gather his thoughts enough for that. Peace Walker had said that this region was so thick with dark magic that he would be able to taste it. With his heightened affinity for magic, he was practically breathing it, almost as much dark magic in the air as oxygen. Every millimeter of his horn was picking up on the lingering darkness that was bombarding him from all directions. Transmitting it straight into his brain and threatening to overwhelm his senses. He could taste death, hear the gentle hiss of moving shadows, see little more than silhouettes as his world started to close in around him.

"Aurora! Hang on!" Rainbow shouted as she lifted him back upright, taking his face in her hooves and staring at his shivering face. Scootaloo moved up to his other side, watching on in shock. "Focus on me, c'mon! What's happening?!"

It was only a minor thing, but it was enough for him to fix his attention to, a beacon in the looming dark. Aurora stared back at Rainbow and managed to feel the main part of his mind that hadn't been touched yet kick in: Instinct. He cried out as he forced himself fully onto his hooves, horn sparking white before the magic erupted into a shield around him. It was barely bigger than he was, but it was enough to protect him from the unrelenting assault on his senses, the incoming darkness fruitlessly flowing against the new barrier. He remained rooted in place, gasping for untainted air, his body starting to return to normal as his flow of magic began to purge the dark influence that had threatened to claim him.

"Th-thank you. By Celestia, thank you." He panted once his breathing was back under control. Rainbow had backed off when he had put the shield up and was only just started to relax herself, watching cautiously.

"Wh...What was that?" Scootaloo asked nervously, all her prior confidence evaporated by the sight.

"At a guess..." Rainbow told her grimly as she looked south. "That was what the ghosts of the lekli feel like."

"Oh my..." Aurora said, more to himself than anything. "And we're still ninety-five miles from the center of the Badlands. Alicorns must be a-able to shrug it off because it's their style of magic. Pegasi and earth ponies are less attuned to magic, can w-withstand it for much longer. But I...No unicorn could survive going in all the way."

"All right. Change of plans," Rainbow told him as she studied the area, spreading her wings. "We'll still be out for two hours thirty, but we're moving the rendezvous five miles north. We'll be seeing you in those grasslands, hopefully where the ground wont try to kill you. We could make our own way home if need be, but we can't afford to risk anypony's wellbeing right now."

"We'll shorten the search if we need to. It's not like we can go too far in that time." Scootaloo added, trying to be reassuring. Aurora simply nodded and smiled thankfully.

"Alright, I'm okay now. You two shouldn't waste any more time."

The two pegasi turned toward the edge of the plateau together. One pair of organic orange wings flared out, followed by one of metallic blue. Almost in sync they rushed toward the edge and jumped, launching skyward with a whoosh and a whirr. Aurora watched them go for as long as he could before looking back toward the edge of the Badlands, fixing on the view of the new meeting point. Satisfied that he could remember it enough to get there after a rest, he silently bade Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo good luck before teleporting to safe ground.

Tantabus' ear twitched involuntarily as she idly chewed on a blade of grass. There was nothing there to flick away, she was just doing it because there was nothing else to do around her. How many times had she done that action and had that thought in the past hour? A hundred? More? Why was she so focused on this when she still wasn't completely healed? Was she going crazy? No, no of course not. She was just a little bored and being stuck in a defect body for so long wasn't helping.

Maybe it was just her surroundings. She'd been camped out in these tunnels for days with the only variation coming from brief trips beyond the Badlands for food and water. Nothing but healing, resting and planning. A lesser pony, even a weaker alicorn, probably would have gone nuts before long. Not her though, she used the time to dwell on her failures. Both attempts to claim Equestria for her own that had been stopped by Vaeac and the Elements of Harmony. Her manipulations of Nezzari's nightmare being that had come so close to giving her a body of her own. All the setbacks that had occurred since taking over Sunset's body. All at the hooves of an imposter alicorn who could have everything she aimed for, only to keep throwing the chances away...But she wasn't crazy, her frustration just gave her focus.

That said, she couldn't risk losing that focus by actually succumbing to insanity like some weaker lekli. She had healed enough of her injuries sustained in the last campaign that she could look after herself if trouble occurred. Now she needed something else. Some fresh air would sharpen her mind somewhat and give her something different to look at. As she got up, Tantabus realised that she wasn't even aware what time of day it was. Maybe she'd stayed inside a little too long. Without any further thought she teleported out of her makeshift bedroom, reappearing at the entrance to the tunnels. For a few moments she simply let the wind and late morning sun reinvigorate her, testing how sensitive her more freshly healed wounds felt. Slightly tender, but not enough to affect performance when adrenaline kicked in.

For a few minutes she remained in place, studying the view. Not that there was much of one, even from her elevated position. There were no signs of life, slightly cloudy skies being the only thing that moved around her. There was no sound beyond the rush of wind, no variation in the landscape beyond half a dozen canyons and crevasses that spread out of sight. As if the dead rock was a pane of glass and the breaks were cracks, barely holding it together. Despite herself, Tantabus felt a moment of sadness as she kept staring. This was all that remained of her race's legacy. This, and a giant hole in the ground. Vaeac and Nezzari didn't count, not after their betrayal of virtually every principle the alicorns held dear. All the more reason to exact revenge and reclaim the throne that was rightfully hers.

Once the moment passed and she made to go back inside, she glanced at a passing cloud in the distance and stopped. There were a pair of figures flying in front of it, little more than two blue spots at this range. She narrowed her eyes and focused on it, silently cursing the fact that being in a substandard body left her without the eyesight of an alicorn, or even a defect flyer. She could just about tell that they were moving across the landscape initially, then they stopped going sideways and steadily started growing larger. If the eyesight of a defect was even a tenth of an alicorn's, there was a chance they'd spotted her already.

"Let's...Not take chances." Tantabus mused to herself as she made the mental calculations of the duo's flight and the rate they were approaching. The one on the right glinted momentarily as the sun reflected off it, almost as if inviting itself to be targeted. She smirked and charged her magic, taking aim.

Moments later, a thin beam of aqua and black, barely wider than the tip of her horn, shot out toward the one on the one on the right. Almost too fast to follow, or to evade.