Chapters The summer sky was beginning to dim as Luna raised the moon, with Celestia lowering the sun in return. Ponyville was getting ready for the night; closing up shops, the drunks loitering around, and everypony stumbling in the darkness as they got to their cottages. The summertime warmth filled the air, making everypony relaxed. A few warm breezes from the east were expected for that night, nothing unusual.
The lights outside of the medical facility switched on, and the “24/7” and “Hospital” sign lit up red and white. A light yellow pegasus with a poofy pink mane and equally fluffy wings trotted out of the medical facility. She had a happy trot in her step and a huge smile on her face. Her eyes flashed as she swung her tail around, and she started to whistle.
A sudden northern breeze blew through the town, mysterious and cold. In response, Goldie Sugar shook her tail, trying to realign the green elastic band at the base of it. The breeze didn't bother her, it was her tied back tail being a nuisance that bothered her for a bit.
Goldie trotted down the lit up the main street. She then trotted down a street leading to a little cottage, with two levels and with pretty pink accents. A satellite dish jutted out of the roof, same as many other cottages in Ponyville. Flowers grew out of little pots near a large front door, were a little mat said ‘wipe your hooves’. She quickly wiped her light orange hooves on the mat, leaving a little bit of brown dust on the chocolate colored bristles. She smelled the sweet smell of fresh bread and metallic metal.
“Brownie must be home!” Goldie remarked, noticing the lit lanterns outside the front door and the tangy smell of gun oil and metal.
She opened the door and hung up her stethoscope on a hook near the door. She grinned and trotted to a bunch of plush couches facing a black TV screen. The smell of gun oil and cheesy chips filled the room. On the floor near the couches, a unicorn sat, using his magic to take apart a small revolver. Goldie tapped his back, and the stallion turned around. He jumped a bit, and pondered her through thick glasses that sat on his muzzle.
“Goldie! I missed you! How was your day?” The stallion exclaimed, pulling Goldie next to him as he pushed away the gun. Goldie hugged him and smiled.
“It was awesome! Doc did a double hoof realignment surgery, and it turned out great! The patient is definitely going to heal up quickly!” Goldie said with a smile, “And as the amazing medical illustrator I am, I was able to document the whole thing! It’s being sent to the school of Equestrian Medicine.”
“Good! I sold a Colt rifle today, now we have five hundred more bits!” The unicorn said with a big smile.
“Good job Brownie!” Goldie said, hugging Brownie Button around the waist.
“Thank you. I also made fresh bread today.” Brownie said, pointing at a steaming poofy loaf of white bread on the counter. Brownie earned his cutie mark in gunsmithing, which explained the .22 and a heart over it. But he was also a good baker. Goldie nodded at it, smiled, then curled up in Brownies lap. Brownie looked down at the gold pony and smiled, leading Goldie to curl up next to Brownie. He held her a little closer, placing her head near his heart.
“I married the right mare.” He said with a smile. He remembered the story Goldie told him of how she earned her cutie mark, a red and blue piece of candy with a black star in the middle. She told him that when she was younger, she was hurt by another pony in more ways then one. But when she went to the counselor and told him she was afraid she was gonna be mean to other ponies, he told her that:
“You have no mean bone in your body; every bone in your geeky body is sweet.”
And bad-a-bing bada-boom Goldie got her sweet geek cutie mark. And her sweet attitude was always as clear as day.
Brownie kept thinking about that as Goldie rubbed his aching back and made him potato soup, even after her long day. She then baked some more bread and cupcakes, which was a way of relaxing to the peppy mare. Then the two played video games, which always resulted in Brownie winning them. Goldie never got mad, she always congratulated him and stuffed a cupcake in his mouth.
“Well, her counselor was right,” Brownie thought, “she is one sweet mare.”
The night was uneventful, just a normal beautiful night. The stars were out, and the moon shone. Ponies went to sleep without a care in the world. Dreams filled fillies heads with joy as Luna watched over every single one. Clubs flashed their neon signs, becoming awake ponies.
All was right in the world.
But the night masked the horror that was happening.
In the Crystal Empire, a dark shadow started to fill the land. As Princess Cadence and Shining Armour slept, the shadow started its destruction as it reflected itself around Equestria. Crystalline and smoky. Dreams became a little more dark, causing ponies to toss and turn all night. Snow began to fall, light but eerie in that warm summer night.
A cancer was forming, and no pony knew.
“Goldie, Goldie! Wake up.” Brownie Button said, shaking Goldie Sugar. The couple was laying in a soft warm bed. It was morning, but the sunlight wasn’t filtering through the window.
Goldie stirred, and lifted her head, “What's wrong Brownie?” Goldie asked, with a concerned look on her face. The gunsmith curled up closer to Goldie, and looked at the semi closed window.
“I don’t know,” Brownie Button said, a nervous frown on his face, “It’s morning, but there is no light,” Goldie shot up and jumped out of the bed, her wings splayed out. She opened up the windows and gasped.
There was no sun, and not much light except lamps and candles lit by frantic ponies all across Ponyville. Goldie pulled Brownie out of bed by his short red tail, and he flopped on the floor right as Goldie bolted out the door. He grabbed his glasses, and galloped outside to find Goldie.
She was standing in the midst of the street, were ponies galloped wildly and screamed in the darkness. Brownie stood next to her, mouth wide open at the sky. It was pitch black, as if an inkwell had been broken and filled the sky.
“But, it's morning… The sun is supposed to be up!” Brownie stammered, in a kind of fearful awe.
“Don’t worry, Brownie,” Goldie said, trying to reassure herself and Brownie, “The Mane 6 will help us.” Brownie nodded with a worried look on his face, as he stood and stared at the sky with Goldie.
That was, until a royal guard galloped into Ponyville, shouting “Equestria at War! Mane Six taken captive by King Sombra! Princesses in Coma! All able-bodied ponies wanted for war!” He passed by the couple, his speed ruffling Goldie’s mane and Brownie’s chest fluff. Brownie adjusted his glasses, and snorted angrily at the guard.
Another soldier passed by, but this time he wasn’t shouting. He was giving ponies little booklets on what to do in this new, apocalyptic emergency. Brownie held theirs with his magic, and flipped through the pages. His face fell as he read, and he passed it to Goldie. She read it, and her heart began to fill with fear. Goldie and Brownie looked at each other, crestfallen.
Goldie flew to the farmers market, hoping to get more answers to unseen questions. But all she found was angry ponies, fighting each other for produce to stock up on. Guards held citizens back from carts of food which were heading for a bunker, which just began being built. Goldie flew away, and met back with Brownie Button at their cottage.
“I just checked with the boss.” Brownie said, sullen, “he says that all the guns we were working on are going to the new Ponyville armory, situated near the castle.” He shook his head and sadly laughed, “We’re going to start up a little factory outside the ‘ville in a week, you know, to make more armory for the troops.” Goldie began to feel sadder, knowing that she would have less time with Brownie than before. She lit a candle and placed it on a table, next to a loaf of bread.
Brownie Button nervously started eating some bread, as Goldie Sugar started to pace, trying to think of what was going on right now. Goldies mind was going through many thoughts, most which were trying to figure out what was going on and how she was going to deal with it.
“Why is it so dark? Scientifically, even if Celestia forgot to raise the sun, there would still be a bit more light out. It wouldn’t be that dark outside!” Goldie ranted, her heart rising in her stomach,” It’s like all the light is being sucked out, or turned to darkness, or something.”
“Could this be something with King Sombra?” Brownie Button said, looking at Goldie, then outside a window. His cheeks bulged with a lemon poppyseed muffin.
“Well, I think so,” She sighed, “If hate and anger fill the Crystal Empire, then the darkness it brings is reflected all across Equestria.”
“King Sombra and the Crystal Empire will be Equestria's downfall,” Brownie said, shoving a cupcake in his mouth. His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and worry. Goldie wiped some crumbs from Brownies chest fluff.
“They said we’re at war. But I don’t see what I can do.” Goldie bemoaned, rearing up on her hind legs to see better outside.
Brownie Button adjusted his glasses nervously, and remarked, “Well, I can make weaponry, they'll need me for sure. Maybe even on the battlefield as a draft pony.”
“But Brownie! You can’t leave here! Don’t even think of that!” Goldie snorted with disapproval, “We can wait this out together! Remember the procedure? We can’t be put at risk”
“Goldie, you’re overreacting. We’ll stay here and wait this out. I can still make weaponry here, so I won’t be in danger.” Brownie said, putting a hoof on Goldie's side.
“Aright,” Goldie sighed, with a small smile on her golden face. She looked at Brownie, who had a frown on his face, still trying to hide the worry clouding his eyes.
“It just isn’t right.” Goldie Sugar mumbled, concerned and worried.
The day passed on without much happening. Goldie and Brownie stayed inside baking and playing video games. They peeked outside a bit, but only to see darkness and frantic ponies, galloping this way and that. Goldie only went outside to give a guard she recognized a cupcake and a glass of water. Coffee Clock was his name, a balding green pony with a pleasant smile.
Inside the house Brownie and Goldie sat, looking at candles while watching an uninteresting show.
“I wonder what the Princesses are up to.” Brownie Button remarked as he watched two actors stumble onto the set, their acting as awful as the Flim and Flam brothers. Goldie Sugar looked up from a bowl of sugar cookie batter and cringed.
“Uh, in a coma,” Goldie said with a frown as she added cocoa powder into the mix. Brownie laughed, a laugh that simpily said ‘I’m stupid, but funny’.
“I’m guessing you haven't been paged to do some illustrations for the hospital.” Brownie nonshalontly said, shaking his head at the antics of the characters in the show he was browsing.
“Yup.” She tried to laugh. She look outside, “I wonder why.”
“Oh, I mean, that would be good if we weren't at war. You know, since we were planning to watch ‘Mad Mares: Fury Road’ tomorrow at the Appaloosa.” Brownie stuttered. He was awkward with romance and dates. He adjusted his glasses, while tilted to the side after his stuttering.
“It’s alright Brownie, after all of this strangeness happening, I can understand.” She said, trotting up to Brownie and sitting next to him after she put the cookies in the oven.
The two curled up playing Manecraft and eating sugar cookies, not thinking about what was happening. But their not so ignorant bliss was interrupted by a knock at the door. Brownie Button grabbed his trusty .22 that he kept near the door, and looked out a window to see who it was knocking at their door.
“Uh, Goldie?” Brownie turned around,” It’s your sister, you know, Sequin? The Wonderbolt one?”
Goldie ran to the door and opened it, beckoning in a weary looking wonderbolt. The Wonderbolt took off her goggles, and untied her long blue and rose gold mane. Her light blue coat was soaked with sweat and rain, and her wing feathers looked frayed.
“Sequin! What are you doing here?” Goldie asked, “Uhh, where's A.J.?”
Just then, a little black hamster with pearlescent blue wings shot into the cottage, blowing past Goldie and slamming into Brownie’s chest fluff.
“Sorry!” The hamster squeaked, peeling herself off Brownie’s chest.
“No problem,” Brownie smiled, fixing his lopsided glasses once more. The little hamster flew over to Sequin, who had sat on a couch and sipped some water. She looked shocked, like a deer being blinded by Manehattans city lights. Goldie sat next to her, patting the pegasus’ back in a gentle, sisterly way.
“Hamster Sequin, my dear sister,” Goldie said, using a low comforting voice, “why are you here?”
“I have awful news big sis, really big news,” Sequin announced to her sister and Brownie. She petted A.J.’s head slowly, calming her frazzled Wonderbolt and fashionista nerves. She took a breath, and went on.
“Celestia, Luna, and Cadence have fallen into a coma, along with having some rocky crust on their horns.” Paris paused, and looked at her sister’s shocked eyes, “The best doctors in Equestria are tending to them, but nothing seems to be working. I may not have the medical knowledge you have Goldie, but I’m thinking two things: Sombra did this.”
“And ?” Brownie asked, munching on a random bag of popcorn.
“And I’m thinking the rocky crust thingy is causing the coma. Like when Sombra tried to come back that one time and Shining Armor ended up getting that crust on his horn. I think it’s like that, but worst.”
“That's why nothing is happening, you know, with the weather, light… wow.” Brownie Button said, shocked and a little queasy looking.
“So what does that mean, for Equestria?” Goldie Sugar asked, nervousness tinting her voice.
“Well, shall I say; Welcome to the Apocalypse. “
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.
The factory was dimly lit, musty, and smelled of metal and damp fabric. Rain was beating hard against the glass windows which let very little light into the upper rooms of the dreadful factory. The factory sat outside Ponyville, and the commute was thirty minutes to and from. Benches were everywhere, and sweaty ponies sat on stools near them, working on guns, cannons, and other artillery. Even though this factory did not perform the act of massacring colorful ponies, the factory was dubbed ‘The Rainbow Factory”. It was a gun and blacksmithing sweatshop. Everypony with some knowledge of guns were brought to the factory, some ponies volunteered and some were drafted in. It was a depressing place to work, and some knew that feeling more than others.
Near a window, sat a frazzled and very exhausted Brownie Button. He was working on putting together a long rifle, a gun he knew how to make using muscle memory. Brownie wasn’t normally the healthiest and most-in-shape unicorn out there, but in the past few months, the commute was longer and harder. For one, He was constantly tired, and every morning a wave of nausea greeted him. It was unusual but he never brought it up to Goldie Sugar, for she was busy all the time after her being drafted into the army. He barely saw her at all anymore, and it made his heart heavy when he wasn't with her. Poor Goldie had said the same thing. Both ponies wished for the war to end soon.
“I hope it ends, I need it to end,” Brownie mumbled under his breath, putting the finishing touches on the weapon. He had to forgo his normal signature carved onto the barrel like he always did. With war, no one cared who the gun came from. The stallion just wished it luck and placed it in a box to be sent to wherever.
Brownie, after leaving his gun with a pony incharge of shipping, trotted over to another pony who was working on parts. He grabbed some of the completed parts and checked off a few things on a list of his. He then started to assemble another long rifle. A boring process. A pony's art turned into a ponies chains.
He started placing the parts into their places when he felt a sudden flutter in his abdomen. It was a strange feeling, alien at most. And what didn’t help was all those alien movies he watched with Goldie, the ones with the alien coming out of a ponies chest.
Brownies mind was whirling ,trying to think of what was making his belly feel all fluttery. Like a butterfly in his stomach, or Fluttershy. His mind was a quack doctor. It said things like ‘tumor’, ‘cancer’, ‘brain cancer’, and the popular ‘instant death’. But then his brain said a terrible something that sounded more genuine than the rest.
And the stallion freaked out.
The flutters mixed with the nausea and weakness put a strange and scary image in his mind. But Brownie decided that he may need a real diagnosis.
He had another pony get to work on the long rifle, and he left to tell the manager he was going off work for a bit. He got excused early for “medical reasons” and he went to see a doctor, one of the few in Ponyville.
That is, Button thought with a shutter, if there's even one left in town.
For some reason, Ponyville was frantic. Ponies were sacking stores and places, trying to find things to survive the apocalypse. Brownie trotted past them all, trying to not get sucked into all the drama and chaos going on around him. He watched a mare break a window of a bakery, and then get pulled away by a police pony. The police pony was holding the mare with his magic, alongside a taser he was using on a changeling who was mugging a pegasus.
But Brownie Button had a mission. He just kept trotting to the doctor's office, but then he realized the office was going to be packed to the roof. Or the doctor would be gone, and the office ransacked.
Brownie found himself trotting into the Everfree Forest on a whim. He had a friendship with a strange shaman zebra, who he knew would give him a second opinion and rhymes worth a million bits. He wandered into the forest, hoping the friend of all Ponyville would be there.
The forest was even darker than it used to be, and a bit more spooky. Well, Brownie Button always thought it was spooky. But now it was a lot more spooky. Brownie pulled a handgun out of his leather saddlebags using his golden tinted magic. He brought it up to his side, ready for anything. He knew of the dangers around him, and it made his stomach churn nervously. He heard the stories of Timberwolves and the other creatures that live in the forest. In a swift pull, he clicked the handgun from safety to active.
The trees rustled with the breeze and soft rains that fell. It was cool and nice, which felt good to Brownie Buttons sweaty coat. He looked out into the darkness and saw the faint outline of a mud and tree hut, the home of Zecora.
“The friendly Ponyville shaman,” He smiled, and galloped to the hut. He knocked on the wooden door with his red hoof.
“Zecora! I could use your assistance!” Brownie Button stated, his voice a nervous baritone.
The door opened with a creek, and Button was greeted by the comforting face of Zecora, “Come in, Brownie Button, I have made a bunch of sweets so you can be a glutton.” She said, pulling Brownie Button into the hut.
Brownie cringed when Zecora said “glutton”, but he forgot about it when he saw a massive array of treats on a table in Zecora's hut. There were all types of sweets littered about, and Brownie recognized some of Goldie’s favorites. She must've taught Zecora a few recipes, since the two shared knowledge in baking and aromatherapy.
“So, what's with the treats Zecora?” Brownie Button asked, a little skeptical.
“Oh, a party I am having, and the treats are for the planning,” Zecora said, pulling a batch of rainbow cupcakes out of a stone oven. Brownie cringed at the urban myth involving Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash that popped to his brain. He needed to have a talk with Goldie about her part in the spread of such outrageous stories.
“Aren’t you doing anything for the war, Miss? I don’t think right now is the time for treats…” Brownie said with his jaw clenching.
“This party is for going away, for I have no reason to stay. The front lines need me, as you can see.” Zecora said, gesturing to a uniform sitting on a bench. It was pale blue with gold streaks and looked as if it were made of silk and chainmail. He remembered how much more advanced the Zebra nations where. That also made them amazing allies to Equestria.
“To help my people is simple. To go to war is more.” Zecora continued, pouring Brownie Button a glass of tea. Brownie sniffed it and took a sip. He wasn’t much of a tea drinker, but he always accepted the herbal remedy teas Zecora gave him. It made his achy body feel a little better. He smiled and sipped at the tea.
“Now, no more of me speaking, now you reveal what you are thinking…” Zecora said, standing over a cauldron in the middle of her room.
Brownie trotted up to Zecora, and peered into the cauldron, “That was a question I hoped you would answer. What is going on with me?” He asked,looking up from the cauldron, then looking Zecora dead in the eye.
“Well, what are you feeling? I need to know for the dealings.” Zecora rhymed, giving Brownie Button a skeptical look.
“Well, hungry, but nauseous…” Brownie said, cautiously, “tired all the time, and now I’m feeling like a butterfly or something is inside me,” Zecora looked him over and smiled.
“Well, from what you said, and your symptoms its lead, I have the answer you seek, but it’s not for the meek,” Zecora said, with a smile as she looked over Brownie again. Brownie Button cringed inwardly, afraid of what she was going to say. A parasite? A disease? an organic chip in your brain that can control you if activated by an order, preferably order 66?
“Well come on, tell me Zecora… tell me!” Brownie Button pleaded nervously.
“The thing causing all this excitement is that you are pregnant.”
Goldenrod opened her foggy eyes to find herself lying on a cot. The golden pony instantly recognized were she was. She was in the makeshift surgical ward for the war, a canvas tent full of whatever supplies they got. It was large and busy after the last battle, even know many ponies were filtering out after getting fixed up.
Goldenrod then remembered what happened to her, and looked down at herself. She had a large bandage around her waist, and a few drains put in place. She summoned a nurse and asked what happened.
“Well, we won the battle today, and well…” The nurse trailed off and looked away.
“What? What's wrong?” Goldenrod asked, angrily.
“It took a bit... but we were able to heal most of your internal organs…it was pretty easy, we did have to redo some of your intestinal tract... but… you might have to get more surgery in a better hospital. You gut was torn up. You are missing a bit of your intestines, a kidney, and your reproductive organs” The nurse looked at Goldenrod sadly, and shook her head, “We couldn’t fix much. There wasn’t much left.” Goldenrods jaw dropped open, but then she closed it.
“Never mind that. I have a job to do. I am a soldier, and my job is out on the battlefield. And I want this war to end so I can get back home to Brownie. So how long until I am healed?” Goldenrod asked, her eyes full of fire.
“With the spell the surgeon used, a little less than an hour.Also, the general told me to tell everypony in here that we’re moving out soon. Some of the scouts intercepted a message from one squadron of King Sombra’s army to another, telling of an attack they are planning on Ponyville.” The nurse said, giving Goldenrod a needle filled with a pain reliever. Goldenrod injected it into her side, then stood up quickly, and grimaced in pain.
“That's were Brownie Button lives!” Goldenrod said, trying really hard to stand up straight through the pain.
“Who is Brownie Button?” The nurse asked, bracing Goldenrod as she started to walk out of the tent.
“My husband!” She said frantically, “We need to move out soon! King Sombra’s army is fast! They’ll get there before we can even…” Goldenrod collapsed on the ground, holding her side.
“Are you alright Mrs. Goldenrod?” The nurse said, helping Goldenrod up.
“Damn it hurts… but the meds will kick in soon.” She said trotting up slowly to a pony holding her standard military saddlebags. She put them on her, sucked in her breath, and trotted to a creek nearby after shooing away the nurse to go help out another pony.
Goldenrod dipped her face into the water, clearing off all the dirt and sweat on her face from the last battle. It felt nice and refreshing. Unlike the war that was going on at the time. Goldenrod looked up at the sky and saw how dark it was still. There was no light from the sky, and the princesses were still in a coma, not able to be woken up. The black rocky substance on their horns was growing all around their bodies, encapsulating them. The doctors caring for the princesses said their vital signs were going down slowly, and they couldn’t find a way to stop it.
Goldenrod looked off into the sky, wishing that something could happen, that maybe this war could end and the light could come. But right now, there was no princesses, and no Mane 6. Everything seemed to be going wrong, and Goldenrod wished something could go right for once.
Goldenrod took off the bandage around her waist, grimaced at the awful wound that was sewn up, and bathed for a little bit. It felt good, and she soon trotted out of the creek, dried off, put on her saddlebags, and met up with the rest of her battalion.
“So, are we going to Ponyville?” Goldenrod asked, nervous and a bit excited to see her home and her husband. The other soldiers nodded their heads.
“Yup. and according to the scout's calculations, if we get there by two thirty pm, we will intercept King Sombra’s army before they get to Ponyville.” a peppy private said with a smile on her face.
“We thought you died Goldie.” another pony said, punching Goldenrods shoulder. She laughed, and punched him back.
“Well I’m glad I’m alive, that’s for sure.”
“We are too. You are a pretty good soldier.”
Goldenrod nodded happily and started to trot with the rest of the group as they moved on to the next destination.
In front of the leaders generals, then there was the infantry, and behind was the ponies hauling the equipment like large guns and tents. The medical teams were scattered about in the march. It wasn’t really like moving to a new destination, it was more like moving to a new battlefield. There were still ponies at the camp to defend and help other ponies heal up.
“I just heard that they sent a few scouts ahead to warn Ponyville about King Sombra’s army, so they could get to safety and get armed.” A private said from in front of Goldenrod.
Goldenrod smiled, knowing that the love of her life and her town was going to be safe. The golden pony looked above the march to see Wonderbolts streak through the sky silently, ready for battle. She spotted Paris, her sister alongside her pet flying hamster who was wearing a similar Wonderbolt outfit as Paris and the rest of the Wonderbolts. Goldenrod smiled at her sister, who smiled back.
The whole day seemed to go from awful to good, and Goldenrod found herself in a good mood as they trotted to Ponyville.
That was until they got to Ponyville.
That is, what was left of Ponyville.
“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…”
He had no idea how long they were moving, how many days he had been away from Ponyville. All he knew was that they were farther and farther away from their home. Mountains, hills, plains, snow, and darkness they passed and no one in the little-blackened cart knew where they were going. Some cried, some screamed for help, some banged their head on the walls of the cart, angry and confused. Brownie Button sat in the back, not saying a word, watching out a little knothole in one of the walls. All he could tell was that the days were passing, and they were further and further from Ponyville.
On this particular day, Brownie found himself feeling very faint and tired. He had stayed awake all those nights, not even getting a wink of sleep. But that gave him an idea. He scooted over to a shaking orange coated, white-maned stallion, whose name he learned was simply Orangesicle.
“Hey… Orange! Psst! Orange!” Brownie said, poking the shaking earth pony with his hoof.
“W-wha?” Orangesicle said, looking at Brownie with a sad look in his eyes. Brownie smiled tiredly.
“I have… a way… to save you all…” Brownie said, feeling faint after a small burst of hope
Soon, Brownie had formulated a plan between all the ponies in the cart, and they were ready to execute it. Brownie laid down, and let a little spittle run down his dark red and horribly untrimmed beard. He closed his eyes and went limp. Then, Orangesicle yelled up at the ponies pulling the cart through a little window
“Dude! This guys dead! He’s limp! He’s dead! He’s stinkin’ up the place!” Orangesicle called out through a little window in the front of the cart. The ponies pulling the cart pulled over, and Brownie and the other nine ponies in the cart heard the hoofsteps of ponies coming to open up the cart.
“Get ready,” Brownie whispered, and the rest of the ponies pulled themselves into a stance, holding wooden shanks they made from splinters off the floor of the cart.
A soldier opened up the back, and five of the ponies in the cart burst out. The ponies jumping out shocked the soldiers, and they were kicked aside by the ponies. The escapee ponies galloped away, hoping to find a town they could seek refuge at. With the adrenaline pumping through their bodies, they could run for miles.
But as Brownie Button was trying to sneak out of the cart, one of the soldier ponies pushed him to the ground, and started shouting into his ears:
“Oh, so you're trying to escape too, aren’t yah? Well, you aren’t getting anywhere. You’re staying with us and going to the camps, you pathetic little mare.” Brownie was shoved to the ground and the beating started.
The soldiers smacked Brownie around, bruising and bloodying him. All Brownie was able to do was protect his abdomen from the punches and kicks. Tears fell from his eyes, and his glasses were shattered by the blows. They pulled at his beard and his mane, jerking his head around. Brownie felt the kicks inside him too, his foal wondering what was going on. He wrapped his hooves around his middle, and let his legs get bruised up and bloody. Blood dripped from his forehead and flanks, his cutie mark a large bruise.
“So, you were the one who instigated all this?” A soldier yelled in Brownie’s ears.
“Well, would you like to know.” Brownie shot back, spitting on the pony. That resulted in Button being smacked across the mouth, and the beating continued.
“This is what happens to ponies who dare defy King Sombra and his plans.” A soldier laughed, and kick Brownie in the gut. Brownie gasped, and kicked away the ponies. He got back up on his hooves and glared at the soldiers, who were laughing at him.
“Ok. You guys have had enough fun,” a larger soldier announced, which ceased the others laughs, “Load up the ponies and lets get going. Mud doesn’t like a late delivery.”
“Yes sir!” The soldiers straightened up, and prodded Brownie back into the cart alongside a few more ponies that didn’t escape. The door was shut, and the cart kept going up the mountains.
Soon, the cart stopped after a rocky climb, and the back door was opened up. Darkness was replaced with more darkness, and it took Brownies foggy eyes a bit to adjust.
When his eyes focused, a gasp escaped his chest.
Brownie looked out and saw the horror beyond the cart. Ponies were being beaten by other ponies, and many ponies cried out in pain and fear. The darkness of the sky seemed even darker now, and the mountains cast an evil shadow on the area. Brownie looked at it all, horrified and scared. Then, he felt a rope tightened on his neck and felt himself getting tugged out of the cart and into the middle of the camp by a masked, armored soldier. He kept looking around and saw the other ponies that were in the cart were being dragged into the middle alongside Brownie.
The ponies around Brownie were nervously murmuring, pale and scared. A taller unicorn trotted up to them and stood up on a box in front of the group of terrified ponies. The pony had a dark blue coat, with a light green mane, matted with dust and mane-gel.
“Hello, ponies…” The Stallion said, looking down at the disheveled ponies with piercing green eyes, “May I be the first to say, Welcome to the Dark Skies Slave Camp.”
“Where are we!?” A little grey colt cried out, grasping the leg of a maroon stallion.
“Well, you’re in the middle of nowhere little colt.” the stallion said with a booming laugh. He paused, then said, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Crystal Mud, the pony looking over this dear camp.” He said proudly.
“Where are the mares?” Brownie Button asked hesitantly.
“This is an all-stallion camp,” Crystal Mud said, with a smirk, “There are no mare camps. They are just taken to the Crystal Empire, and well, you know.” he said, with a wink.
“You little piece of filthy-” Brownie lunged at Crystal Mud, but was pulled back by the stallion at the end of his rope, and Brownie dropped to the ground in a heep.
Crystal Mud hopped off his box and trotted up to Brownie. He put his face up to Brownies and smirked.
“You’re sure a feisty one. I’ll have you sent to the mines here, then you can use all the energy up.” He paused, and said, “I can break any stallion, and that means, I can break you.”
“You won't get away with this.” Brownie panted, as he was being held to the ground, “Goldie Sugar will come for me. I know that.”
“We’ll see about that.” Crystal Mud said with an evil smile as he used his murky green magic to pull out a tranquilizer gun from the box, and shot Brownie with it in the thigh.
He trotted away, leaving the soldier stallions to bring the slave ponies to their hut homes.
“I can break any stallion, and that means, I can break you.”
The darkness felt like it was getting darker, deeper into every crevice and into every heart. Ponies were giving up, too tired to fight anymore. They succumbed to the darkness, to become a slave or the darkness, a puppet. Exhaustion led to darkness, darkness led to death.
But a team of battle surgeons and nurses didn’t let that get to them. They stayed strong and fought the darkness, hoof on hoof.
They fought, not on the battlefields, but in a surgical tent. They fought not for a country.
But for a single pony, lying on a table, bleeding profusely as life was leaving her body.
It was the ponies job in that tent to save this strange ponies life, and help her fight the darkness that surrounded the tent, ready to close in and consume the pony and lead her to death.
Goldie watched ponies work hard, sweat coating their coats and soaking their manes. Tool by tool was passed, helping each other clamp blood vessels, ligate bones, repair muscles. The bleeding kept on, and the surgeons would put their hooves onto the wound, preventing blood to get out. They pushed on the wound and put all their effort into stopping the flow of blood and fixing this pony. Tool by tool passed through their hooves,on their way to the wound or the mayo stand. They pulled that pony from the darkness.
Soon all the bleeding stopped. The nub of was a wing used to be was closed up and safe from infection. A unicorn nurse put a spell over the nub, one that would make sure nothing got into the wound.
That team of surgeons and nurses fought to pull a pony from the darkness, battling with scalpels, forceps, and clamps. And they won.
Goldenrod watched as the ponies in the tent took glove off of each other. They trusted each other to not contaminate their hooves. Even know it was battle, sterilizing and cleaning tactics where to stay the same as ones at normal hospitals.
Goldie Sugar walked out of the tent, since the surgery was done and Goldie didn't want to be in the way of the clean up. She sat underneath a tree and pulled a small picture out of her mane. It was a picture of Brownie Button and her, smiling with the backdrop of a pinkish forest. Their wedding day. It was a magical day. A brisk fly through the mountains, Goldie using her wings and Brownie making some for himself with magic. All of Goldie's friends and adopted family was with her. She never knew her real parents, but she loved her adopted parents Agave Sugar and Grass Sugar like real parents.
But now she didn’t know were her family or friends were. Her husband was gone. Probably in a slave camp or worse. Tears began to leak out of Goldie's bright brown eyes. Her coat became a light grey, her mane and tail dusty pink.
A silver colored unicorn walked out of the medical tent, a cloth over his eyes. His blue mane as a mess, and his fetlocks were covered with crusty mud. He used his bluish silver magic to take the cloth off his eyes, and he blinked a few times. His blue eyes were still red for an unholy amount of tear gas that he was exposed to. Even battlefield nurses get injured. But not a lot of the soldiers believed that.
Except for Goldie Sugar.
Goldie seemed to take the young battlefield nurse under her wing, protecting him as if he was her son. Goldie was his mentor, his friend. They survived battles together, and he always found ways to let Goldie into the surgery tent so she could watch operations. Goldie always got Silver Scope his favorite candy when they stopped at Equestrian inhabited towns: mango chews.
And in the last battle, Goldie helped Silver get to safety when he was blinded by tear gas. All while being shot at. Silver wanted Goldie to be rewarded for that. He saw it as an ultimate sign of friendship and bravery.
Goldie just called it ‘what friends do for friends’.
Silver Scope noticed Goldie sitting under a tree, looking very depressed. He trotted up to her, worried about his friend. Something seemed off about the sweet pony. Scope, the sweet colt he was, decided to ask Goldenrod what was eating at her.
Silver Scope asked, trotting to Goldenrod’s side. He sat down and pulled a few mango chews out of his saddle bags. He offered one to Goldie, which resulted in a half hearted smile and acceptance of the orange sweet.
“Mrs. Goldie. May I ask a question?” Scope asked, his voice calm.
Goldenrod looked at him, and smiled a little throughout her glassy eyes.
“Sure, Go ahead,”
“Ma'am, what’s… bothering you?” Silver Scope asked, a bit shyly. Goldenrod looked at him and frowned as a few tears fell down her golden face.
“I… I… lost him.” She said, trying to hide her face from Silver Scope.
He put a hoof on her side, in a calming manner, and asked, “Who?”
“Brownie Button! That's who! The stallion of my life!” Goldenrod yelled to the darkened sky, tears streaming down her face as she looked in the direction of Ponyville.
Silver Scope was shocked by Goldenrods loud, angry voice. He was used to Goldenrod’s normally sweet, but commanding voice. He backed up a little from the distressed mare. He took a breath, breathing in the dry, dusty air, and sighed.
“I think I know what I can do to help you,” Silver Scope smiled a little. Goldenrod smiled and knew what he was going to do.
“Equestria, the land I love,” he sang, his voice filling the area around them.
“A land of harmony,” Goldie joined in, her mellow voice blending with Silver Scope’s. Her coat and mane started to regain its color, little by little.
“Our flag does wave from high above,” A few other ponies joined into the singing, some soldiers and some medical personnel.
“For ponykind to see,” Many ponies joined in, making a sweet chorus full of light.
A silver and blue stethoscope formed on Silver Scopes blank flank, with purple music notes at the chest piece. It fit him perfectly.
“Equestria, a land of friends,”
“Where ponykind do roam,”
“They say true friendship never ends,”
“Equestria, my home.”
A stirring sensation filled Goldie's chest as she sang. It was something that told her “Brownie is alive, he’s alright”. The darkness was cleared from her head, and the color returned to her body. It felt like she was laying in a cushion of warm clouds.
The darkness fled from the song of the ponies in the camp, scared of the light that was being emitted from them. The dark colors and clouds seemed to dissipate, and a warm refreshing rain started to fall
“Equestria, a land of friends,”
“Were ponykind do roam,”
And suddenly, something happened to all of the ponies. They started to float off the ground, with strange light surrounding them. Their manes and tails doned more colors, and their whole selves changed a bit. They become brighter and stronger.
They were almost, powering up in a way.
“Like the Mane Six!” Goldie exclaimed as she started to be lifted off the ground, and filled with light. Neon green streaks started to twist their way artfully through her man and tail, and she started having little pink and green markings on her coat, little stuff like dots in the right places. Her orange fetlocks lost the mud and grime that covered them.
Everything was full of light, even the surgical tools, and the tents.
The Crystal Empire was as dark as could be. The crystals and gems that made up the kingdom shone with an eerie black light. The whole kingdom was covered in a black, thick, and foreboding mist. Ponies walked around the streets, the citizens eyes cast to the ground. The soldiers upright and still, like statues.
The castle jutted out of the kingdom like a splinter in one's hoof. It’s original beauty and splendor was gone, replaced by an unmistakable evil aura.
The throne room was the epicenter of the castle, the root of the evil radiating around the nation. King Sombra sat on the throne in the castle. His presence was all evil, commanding and sinister. He glared at the ponies that walked around the throne room, cleaning and guarding the king. Sombra levitated a grape over his mouth, and popped it into his throat.
“It’s good being king.” he laughed, biting down on the grape.
All the sudden during his thought process, something felt weird. Something hurt him. He clutched his chest with his armored hoof.
“My lord, what’s wrong?” a guard asked, seeing the kings distress.
“It’s nothing, I’ll deal with it,” He growled, shooting a glare at the pony. The guard backed up, and resumed his duties.
King Sombra got up and trotted outside onto a balcony overlooking the city and countryside. He gasped at the sight. Light and pastel colors were coming towards the Crystal Empire, almost unzipping the darkness of the sky as it came. A warm spring rain started to fall. The rain, the light, the joy, something was wrong. King Sombra gritted his teeth and fired up his green and purple magic form his red-hot horn. He glared at the sky, and roared an animistic roar. He fired a boiling, bubbling blast of green and purple magic at the light.
In an explosion of sparks, the stream shrunk back but didn’t disappear.
King Sombra growled a dark sound from the back of his throat, as he tried and tried again to blast away the light. But it wasn’t working.
Then King Sombra had an idea. An evil, sadistic idea.
He closed his eyes and followed the path of the pastel rainbow light with his foaming magic. Then, he saw where all the light was coming from.
A little war camp near Ponyville. He opened his eyes and smiled. He fired up his horn and transported himself into the mind of a yellow coated mare who was singing. She was one of the many singing at the time. He started his magic assault, using her as a platform to every pony’s mind in the camp.
He smiled as she fell down and started convulsing. She closed her eyes, and when they opened, they were a horrifying pale green.
Goldie Sugar didn’t know what was happening. She was singing, then all of the sudden, she felt immense pain in her head and chest.
It scared her.
“You think… that your puny songs could destroy me? You are so wrong my little pony… you are so wrong.” Goldie heard that voice whispered into her mind, and she forced her eyes to close.
But when she opened her eyes, she was somewhere else.
“W-where am I?” Goldie asked. She was in a Royal hall, but it was darkened and black. There were torches burning at the sides of her, but they burned a green and purple bubbling flame. Dark mist snaked around at her hooves, like a riverbed of black water.
“You are a puny little foal!” A voice yelled out to her, and fear filled Goldie. She looked up and saw a huge face of King Sombra staring at her.
“I am shadow! I am fire! I am a nightmare!” King Sombra yelled at Goldie. Tears of fear filled Goldie's eyes as her heart raced, filled with adrenaline.
“I destroy every little thing you love. I am the shadow. You cannot run from your own shadow, you foolish mare!” King Sombra yelled as he disappeared into the shadows.
Just then, Silver Scope and a bunch of the other ponies in the camp appeared, terrified.
“You all are stupid little foals! You cannot run from your shadow!” King Sombra yelled as he came out of the shadows.
Goldie gasped.
Brownie Button limped out of the shadows, beaten and bleeding.
“H-help me… Goldie…” the stallion whimpering as he limped to Goldie. He collapsed on the ground in a heap, breathing hard. Sweat soaked his mane and coat, giving him a slick, wet look. His glasses were shattered, tiny shards of glass glittering in his bangs.
“Brownie!” Goldie screamed. She tried to run to Brownie Button, but she couldn’t. Her legs felt like they were stuck to the ground, unable to move. She couldn’t move. Her heart would only beat when Brownie blinked. She couldn’t scream, cry, anything.
A wheezing sigh escaped Brownies lips. Then he stopped breathing.
Goldie was finally able to move, but it was too late.
Goldie screamed a noise that any young mare shouldn’t be able to make.
King Sombra being as huge as could be, burst out of the shadows while laughing hysterically. Goldie found herself putting herself between the shadow and her husband. It was like muscle memory to her, she just snapped to it. Protection of her family was always in the forefront of her mind.
“Aww, look at you. He's dead, but you still protect him. How cute!” King Sombra laughed with a maniacal smile.
Goldie blinked away her tears, and whispered something into her love’s ear. But to her surprise, her whisper was louder than a hurricane.
“When life feels unbearable, I remember you are always beside me, even when you are not with me at the time.”
King Sombra laughed even harder, then adopted a serious tone.
“My little pony, you are such a strong one. But that won't save who you love. You’ll only hinder them.” The shadows said, blending back into the walls with a strange, evil laugh.
She had scared King Sombra. Her team, her family, scared Sombra.
Goldie realized this was all for show.
“You… you don’t scare me.” Goldie yelled to the shadows, stamping a hoof on the ground to try to emphasize her point.
The shadows rushed up to her and flooded her vision.
“You think you're better than me you little mare? Well, you’re not! I’m a king and can do whatever I want! I control this country, and I wouldn’t get stopped by a little mare and her friends!” King Sombra yelled, making Goldie's ear, and heart hurt.
“We will stop you,” Goldie whispered, using the last bit of her strength she had. She then collapsed on the ground, as blackness filled her vision.
Goldie's eyes popped open, and she found herself lying on the ground in a dirty heep. She was in the camp, surrounded by other ponies that were waking up from the horrific thing that violated their brains. Ponies were helping each other up, looking at the now darkened sky, with a sense of sadness creeping into their hearts.
Silver Scope helped Goldie up, then noticed something wrong. Goldie's side had opened up and was bleeding. Blood throbbed out of her side, soaking her flank.
“Hey, Mrs. Goldie, somethings wrong…” Silver Scope remarked, pointing at Goldie's side. Goldie looked at her side and nodded.
“I know, I could feel it.” She said with a small smile.
“And anyways, what happened? We were all powerin’ up and singing, and then bam! Blackness and Sombra being a creep.” Silver Scope said, dramatically.
Goldie shook her head, and wrapped a bandage around her waist.
“I’m thinking that we may have ticked off King Sombra.” Goldie said, with a small smile forming on her golden face. Silver Scope smiled and realized it too.
“He wouldn’t have done that to us if we didn’t make him uncomfortable!” Silver Scope said, bucking his hooves in the air.
“But the problem is…” Goldie Sugars voice faded off, as she thought about Brownie Button, and what King Sombra said about him.
“Brownie…”
She was flying, then fire consumed her body. She then found herself floating in a sea of darkness, paralyzed. Then a wash of pastel colors filled her blurred vision, seeming to bring her out of the darkness. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking away the drowsiness. But as she awoke, she knew something was off about her body. Something was missing.
The strange bat pony found herself lying in a canvas bed, feeling numb and strange. She looked at herself from her pink hooves to her light purple neck. Everything was there. then she tried to fold her wings to her sides. Something was off. She looked to her right. Her wing was fine, folded neatly to her side. There were a few bruises and scratches on them, and a dull ache filled the bones of the wing. She watched blood course through the transparent veins of her patagium. All was fine.
But when she looked to her left, she was shocked out of her wits.
There was only a weeping, bandaged numb where her wing should have been.
She looked around wildly, terrified. She had no clue where she was. She wanted to cry out for help, but there was no pony else in the tent. The bat pony fell off the cot, and wobbly got off the ground. She flipped her long mane out of her face, which looked like a waterfall of dark blues, midnight purples, and mountain greens mixed together. A sweet looking nurse pony popped her head into the tent, and then trotted outside with a concerned look on her face.
Little did she know that she would begin the process of making one of the strongest weapons for this war.
Goldie Sugar came galloping into the tent behind the surgeon and a few nurses. She entered the tent, and immediately drew her pistol. She pointed it at the strange bat pony, the one she had saved a few hours back. She put herself in between the nurses and the bat pony, her mind full of both awe and the urge to protect the medical staff. With just one look, Goldie was able to tell that the strange bat pony was the perfect weapon of war. Powerful body, bright pink bat eyes, and powerful wings.
Well, now only one powerful wing, which was flapping around maniacally. The crazed bat pony was thrashing wildly, throwing tools everywhere. Goldie stood her ground as the surgeons and medical staff stood behind her, shielding themselves with a table. The bat pony grabbed a scalpel, and through it. Goldie's large golden ears went back as the scalpel few towards her face. Time seemed to slow, and she closed her eyes.
But nothing hit her.
She popped open her eyes and saw that the scalpel was suspended in the air, held up by Silver Scopes silver-blue magic.
Goldie Sugar nodded at him and smiled. He put down the scalpel on a mayo stand and shot a blast of blue magic at the wild bat pony. As the blue magic hit the bat pony it wrapped around her body and made her freeze, suspended in the air in an awkward position.
The bat pony tried to move, but she couldn’t. She found herself with a shocked expression as her quickened breathing slowed down. She looked around as much as she could, trying to find out where she was. She recognized the canvas of the tent, and the smell of antiseptics, but that was all. She tried looking at the faces of the ponies, but she didn’t recognize a single one. After all, the bat pony was a weapon, not a social pony.
Goldie looked into the eyes of the crazed pony and saw something.
It was a look she knew. Panic. Fear.
Goldie nodded at Silver Scope to put her down, and the Bat Pony fell to the ground, a shocked heap of fur and wings. Goldie smiled an almost mother-like smile.
“Hey,” Goldie Sugar said, gently, “what's your name?”
“A-Aurora.” The Bat Pony said, trying to snap out of her fear.
“It’s alright Aurora, you’re safe.” Goldie cooed.
“What happened to my wing? Where is it?” Aurora asked, voice shaking.
“You… youre wing was amputated in an accident.” The yellow pony stammered, averting her eyes from the bat ponie’s sad pink eyes. Aurora turned her face away, trying to hide the fearful tears from the other ponies. “I am so sorry,” Goldie lifted her eyes, and looked at Aurora in a way no pony ever did.
It was a look of genuine care and concern.
“I, I’m just a weapon,” Aurora stammered, “I can be fixed.”
“You are a pony my dear,” Goldie’s voice changed into a more comforting, motherly one, “You need to relax and heal. I bet that the head surgeon will let you have some time off.” Goldie looked over to the head surgeon, a taller stallion with dark grey eyes. He nodded in agreement.
“Miss, silly question,” Aurora looked at Goldie, admiration filling her, “Are you what they all, a friend?”
“Well,” Goldie said, thinking, “I guess I am.”
