FTRD: Faster Than Rainbow Dash

"Duke we gotta leave. NOW!"
Presidio shouted into her ear piece.
It almost deafened Duke.

"Give me a moment will ya."
He turned back to the earth pony.

"Cam, skip profile checks on this guy.
Check mental state now."

Duke paced back and fourth impatiently.
"Sanity levels: caution needed."

Duke punched the air.
"Buck."

He looked at him and Presidio came online again.
"Today would be nice Duke."

Duke quickly thought of what to do.
"Buck it, you on your feet, we are leaving."
The earth pony scramble to his feet.
"Cam, divert all power to fall stabilizers."
His suit powered down.
"Hold on to me." Duke said.
The earth pony grabbed his shoulders while moving his head and giggling.
Duke started to run to a window at the far end of the room.

"I wouldn't recommend that sir." Cam commented

"Shut up Cam."

He hit the glass with full force and it shattered and they began to fall.

*

The weapons bay of the warship was crowded.
Weapons being taken back and fourth.

Hermes was moving a crate of missiles across the room.
He walked to a large cannon and started to load it.
A speaker soon came on.
"Cease regular weapons loading.
Begin preparation of Exterminatus beam.
Hermes's heart sank.
A large laser rose from the floor and they all went to a console around it.
"Aim for grid 17-42 quadrant 3."
The laser moved into position slowly.
It soon stopped and was aimed straight for the mining base.
"Begin charge, and may Luna have mercy on our souls."

*

Presidio paced back and fourth inside the cave.
"Bucking hell, where is he?" She muttered.

Steel sat on the ground putting pressure on his bandaged wound.
Presdio stopped pacing and walked to Steel.
"Buck it we're leaving." She bent down and picked Steel up and slung him over her shoulder.
She headed for the mouth of the cave.

Her ears pricked and she stopped.
It was like a screaming noise.
Presidio heard a dull thud, followed by the clattering of shattered glass. The dust cleared, and she peered through the thin void.

"Son of a BITCH!" Duke yelled, clutching a dislodged leg. A crazy looking earth pony sat in the dirt, shrugging.
Duke looked up to Presidio.
"Leaving were you?" Duke asked with a hint of agony.
He pushed his leg back into position and gave a quiet yelp.

Presidio laughed.
"Just.Who's that?"

Duke looked over his shoulder.
"Eh, don't ask, I still don't even know."
Duke put him down onto his hooves.

He wobbled a bit but then started shaking his head again.
They stared at him in confusion.
"If you wouldn't mind I'd like to get moving thanks." Steel said.

They snapped out of their trance and Duke put his hoof to his earpiece.
"Cam,how long for you to be in teleport range."

"Calculating... Precisely 2 minutes 27 seconds." Cam replied.

"Buck" Duke breathed "Just get it done Cam."

"C'mon lets move to a defensible position if the fleet decides to send some company." Presidio said bluntly.
They started moving out from under the base back into the debris field.

But suddenly Duke stopped and his heart sank.
He charged and tackled Presidio and Steel to the ground as a shot went by.

"Bucking hell Duke I thought that new guy was the sniper. Who the buck is up there?!" Presidio shouted as they ran for cover.

Duke turned to the earth pony.
"Who else was with you."

The earth pony laughed hysterically.
"Nopony with me. Only me... And the machines."

Duke suddenly realized.
"It's an automated sniper."

"Bucking brilliant." Presidio cursed.
Another shot went by and clanged as it hit the cover they were behind.

Presidio emerged from the cover and took a few shots and she strafed across to the cover that the earth pony was behind.
She hid again.

She felt something grab her belt where her pistol was and she turned, but it was already too late.
The earth pony had the pistol and had charged out.
"NOOOO!" Duke screamed.

The rifle shot at the earth pony and he shot at the same time.
The laser from the pistol hit the metal sniper bullet and melted it and continued on and went up the barrel of the rifle melting the insides.
A loud bang was heard and all went quiet.

They looked at him mouths agape and he was frozen in time still pointing the pistol at the rifle in the base.
"That sniper was ages away and you just took one shot? And destroyed it? How?" Presdio asked.
He lowered the pistol and threw it to Presidio who caught it.

"Too much spare time." He said quietly.
They all stood and regrouped.
Duke picked Steel up and carried him.

Suddenly a bright red flash and a loud bang stopped them in their tracks.
One of the cruisers had shot a weapon none of them had ever seen.
Duke quickly put his hoof to his ear.

"Cam, ETA? NOW!"
"10 seconds."

The beam struck the surface of the planet and the very ground shook beneath them.
In the distance a wave of fire was approaching.
They started backing away.

"CAM"

"8 seconds."

They started moving back at a faster rate.
The wave was getting closer an it was scorching the planet.
They turned and started to run.

"GODDAMIT CAM!"

"5 seconds."

They all were running now, the sound of the wave of fire growing louder, it's slow rumble made them run faster.

"CAM"

"3"

The heat around them was rising.

"2"

The sound now deafened them.

"1"

*

They were in the control room all running still.
They all charged but skidded to stop themselves.

Duke however didn't and continued running straight into the wall.
He landed on the ground.

His arm was on fire and he furiously hit it to put it out.
The fire went away and he rolled over breathing heavily.
Presidio came over and offered her hoof.

Duke grabbed it and she helped bring him back up.
"Okay. Get Steel to the infirmary, the new pony to the interrogation cells, Cam plot a course out of here."

Presidio slung Steel over her shoulder and led the new pony to the cells.
Duke turned and looked out the window behind him.

The once green planet was a ghastly red and the planets very she'll split open, lava flows ran through the planet.
Duke stared at the planet before it shot away into a rainbow color as they entered Rainbow speed.
Duke trotted to his seat and flopped into it.

Not soon after Duke drifted to sleep.