Sunset

“Let go of me! Stop! Please!” cryed a tannish coated stallion as he, alongside many other ponies, was pulled out of Ponyville by soldier ponies.

A stallion had wrapped his hooves around the tannish stallion with the red mane and glasses, and hoisted him up into the back of a wooden cart. It was like a wooden box on wheels, with ponies pulling it around town. Many of the ponies in it were screaming, or crying faces pale with fear and fright. Brownie Button felt the same. He was terrified. He just discovered what was going on with him, and now he, alongside many others, were being kidnapped and taken to who knows were.

But all Brownie could think was about Goldie.

Both armies were charging each other outside of Ponyville, feathers and fur flying.

Goldenrod was scampering around the battlefield, hoping to see Paris or Brownie Button. But she saw neither. She looked up and saw the Ariel fighters, flying towards King Sombra’s army, weapons in hoof.

She saw Paris leading the attack, not even using her weapon. She was kicking and punching other ponies midair. She was truly a badass.

The battle was still chaotic, with ponies bleeding here and there. Weapons were being thrown around, and magic discharged in deadly blows. The town was burning, red fire shooting out of roofs and walls. Magic torn through walls, taking down ponies and buildings.

Goldenrod’s heart sank to her torn up stomach. She knew her home was probably a tattered mess, charred and torn down. Just like her belly. A bright pink scar wove its way around her abdomen, visible on her lower flanks. It was ugly, but also a badass battle scar.

A streak of green, blue, and purple flew above Goldenrod, flying towards King Sombra’s aeriel army. The pony, or at least what looked like a pony flew faster than anything Goldenrod ever saw. But the streak stopped next to Paris, and Paris nodded at it. Goldenrod then had a clear view of who it was. It was a bat pony, with deer-like features. She had a light purple body, and a green, blue and purple streaked mane. She also had piercing pink eyes, slitted like a bat ponies. She was lean, fast, and very awesome. She flew ahead of Paris and was smacking and kicking ponies out of the air alongside Goldenrods sister.

But then Goldenrod looked up at a hill near Ponyville and gasped. A group of King Sombra’s soldiers was hauling a huge cannon up a hill, and when they got to the top, they secured it down and loaded it with some strange black dust.

Goldenrod barely had time to think when a loud booming sound flooded her hearing, and the ground shook. Goldenrod covered her ears, alongside all the soldiers on the field. She looked up and saw a streak of black and green smoke trailing the bat pony.

And that smoke hit one of the bat pony's wings, and the batwing exploded and disappeared. There was nothing, not a bone left. The bat pony plummeted to the ground, right above Goldenrod. Goldenrod galloped to the falling pony and caught her. Goldenrod lifted the pony on her back and shot off.

“She barely weighs a thing!” Goldenrod mumbled to herself as she galloped off the field with the unconscious bat-pony on her back. She had to get as far away from the battle as she could, to save this strange pony’s life.

She heard the pounding of bullets near her and realized she was getting shot at by King Sombra’s aeriel soldiers. She galloped faster than she ever could, ignoring the burning pain in her side as her wound tried opening up. But she kept going. She felt a bullet graze one of her back legs, but she knew she had a comrade that she needed to save. It didn’t matter that she didn’t even know this pony. Soon, King Sombra’s soldiers quit pursuing her, and she galloped off into the hills, towards the Equestrian army base.

Soon, Goldenrod found herself at the base, about to collapse of exhaustion. A few soldiers and battle nurses greeted her and took the pony off her back.

“We’ll try to do all we can,” One of the nurses said, pale-faced, “but we need protection from Sombra’s soldiers. Can you do that?”

Goldenrod felt warm, sticky blood drip down her side. But she nodded and stood outside as the nurses walked into the surgery tent. Goldenrod heard the ponies get to work, as they worked to stop the bleeding from the severed wing. They were going to save this heroic pony.

Soon the operation was over. Goldenrod’s wound was stitched up, and she stepped back outside. There was no danger, the battle was long over. Ponyville was in Equestrian control. But it was not a win to celebrate.

Goldenrod began to sob profusely, saddened by everything. Many ponies were dead, and her hometown was destroyed. Brownie Button was seen last being pulled away by some soldier ponies taking him captive.

It hurt, emotionally and even physically. Her lungs seized up, and she cried out with a guttural scream.

When all the distress left her body, Goldenrod started to quietly cry.

“Well, they did say, a rainbows tail isn’t quite as nice as the story we knew of sugar and spice…”