Sunset

A few months later

The sky was darkened, inky black. Dust and dirt swirled in the air, and the hills were desolate near the Crystal Empire. The empire hadn't sparkled and shone for five months, and all of Equestria was feeling how awful it was. Hate was filling the hearts of so many ponie. Friends started to turn on friends, claiming that they were a secret agent of Sombra. Friendships were destroyed, families torn apart. That’s what the war and it’s apocalypse did to Equestria.

A harking feeling filled the hearts of ponies who knew of the Equestria before this, a time before the blackness and hate.

And for Soldier Goldenrod Sugar, that feeling always filled her heart.

Two lines faced each other on a once grassy plain, glaring at each other under a cliff face that overlooked the plain. On the left were heavily armored ponies with a green sheen in their eyes. The soldiers of King Sombra. Behind them was a small town, blackened by smoke and dust. Tall buildings jutted out of it, and rows of saddened ponies marched here and there through the town. Shadow Town. The defensive side, lead by King Sombra.

On the right was the soldiers of Equestria, wearing golden armor and purple and red plumes on their helmets. In front of the crowd of ponies on the right was Shining Armor, wearing a brilliant set of armor.

The plan for the battle was to free the ponies of Shadow Town. Shadow Town was a little town near Ponyville that was occupied by Sombra’s army, and that was the reason for the battle today. To retake some Equestrian land. Most of the ponies living there were slaves, building up the town to prepare an offensive on Ponyville. And they were almost ready for the offensive. Ponyville was only twenty miles away, the perfect target for mass destruction and the spread of hate.

“For once,” Goldenrod sighed, fluffing up her wings, “A battle that isn’t a surprise ambush.”

Shining Armor glared at his opponent Sombra. Sombra shot the look back.

The staredown lasted a few minutes, both King Sombra and Shining Armor flaring their magic as taunts to the enemy side.

Finally the time had come. Shining Armor glared at King Sombra, then yelled as loud as he could, “Charge!” and a whole crowd of ponies rushed at King Sombra’s army, yelling loudly and brandishing weapons, from magic to swords, machine guns to AK-47s.

Goldenrod Sugar charged with the ponies, her armor clanking loudly with the small hoofgun she held. She mustered a small yell, for she wasn’t the most aggressive type out there. But the little golden pony was still able to hold her own in battle. She heard the noise of fast approaching ponies and looked up. She saw a squadron of Wonderbolts flying above the group, zooming in to attack. She got a glimpse of Paris and A.J., Paris’ flying hamster, and first hamster (or other creature instead of a type of pony) Wonderbolt.

The Wonderbolts flew over the army, and then shot down close to the ground, and started to attack the army of King Sombra, brandishing swords and small guns. They worked on taking out the first wave of on the ground soldiers, as the army of Equestria advanced on the army of King Sombra.

But King Sombra’s army had their own aerial fighters too. A large group of Pegasi rose from the top of the overhanging cliff face and started to dive bomb the Wonderbolts and Equestrian army.

Goldenrod looked up and saw a masked pegasus divebomb her, and she swerved out of the way. The sudden change in the direction of air made Goldenrod’s tail and mane fly up, catching in her face and wings. She tumbled to the ground, and flicked the hair out of her face. She then looked behind her and saw a cloud of dirt go up as the pegasus hit the ground. When the cloud of dust and dirt disappeared, she saw a broken pegasus, with its wings all mangled and legs and neck bent in an awful way. Blood matted it’s fur, squirting out of her neck like a geyser. Goldenrod wished she could help it, but she had to keep galloping on.

The battle was already in full swing. Pony vs pony, clashing into each other. It was a brutal and pain filled sight, but Goldenrod had to keep fighting. Her heart reached out to a pony in gold armor on the ground, bleeding heavily from her leg. Goldenrod cantered up to her, and wrapped her green tail wrap around the wound. Goldenrod dragged her comrade into a trench, and left her with the surgeons which braved the shrapnel to help others. Goldenrod went right back to battle, charging her way into Shadow Town.

Galloping through the grassland and rubbish, Goldenrod looked at her comrades. Unicorns assisted pegasi, and earth ponies helping bat ponies. Goldenrod smiled, seeing how everypony acted as family in her battalion. Earth ponies bucked down walls for unicorns, and pegasus were lead by bat ponies who could see in the dark.

“We’re in Shadow Town. Repeat. We’re in Shadow Town.” A cheery voice came over Goldenrod’s radio, along with everypony else. A large hole was blasted through a large black wall wrapping around Shadow Town, allowing the soldiers to get in and liberate the slave ponies.

Goldie galloped into the town alongside her fellow troops, fighting past ‘Sombra Soldiers’ and barricades. She heard the sounds of explosions around her, threatening to tear her apart if she were near. But Goldenrod was not afraid. Adrenaline filled her body as she fought back guards, helping her comrades get the slaves to safety.

“Here! To the bunker!” a yell rang out. Soldiers and slaves followed the voice, Shining Armor, into the bucker. Goldenrod followed with helping guide a disoriented comrade, named Silver Scope, to the bunker.

As Goldenrod got Silver Scope into the bunker, she heard the metallic sound of a bullet exiting a chamber. Her ears perked up, the only response she had to the bullet that ripped into her hindquarters. She had no time to react. A burning, tearing feeling tore through her lower abdomen.

The bullet then exited, creating a bloody spot on Goldenrods side.

Goldenrod fell to the ground in shock.

Everything got fuzzy, and Goldenrod heard the shouts of Nurse Redheart and the pounding of her heart. Then, everything was coated in a wash of black.