Plight of the Pegasi

‘Uprising’

Another arduous flight drains me so I let myself glide to the ground. My breath is drawn painfully, but still it must be used for I have much to tell. I rise above the precipice of one of the mountains surrounding my fair Ponyville and see something new. Most things that have been changing have only complicated life in Equestria, but what I see, it aims to make life dangerous also. I hear great roaring upheaval and see mighty infernos eating at my once safe home. I gallop at break neck pace to make the small blurry fragments I saw from a distance take on more detail. I finally draw close enough to see the riots streaming through the dirt paths and clean green pastures. I smell the odour of burning brimstone as if the betrayal here made us alike to demons. It has been so long since I have bothered looking up to the heavens, for some time now we Pegasi have just stayed grounded; stranded on an alien plain. But above lives a maelstrom of Pegasi playing to their strengths; fighting fierce battles with the cloven Griffin abominations. I take a few more steps towards the centre of town before my advance is halted by a familiar beak.

“Never thought you’d see me again did you?” The griffin demands.

“Get the hell off of me!” I shout as my wings are held down by her talons.

“So you don’t remember. Oh I think I might cry”

“Why do you assume I know you?”

“I’m Gilda, brainiac” she says.

“Oh… right. What are you freak birds doing here?”

“And ponies with wings are normal? We’re just providing… a service”

“What?” I ask, pulling a puzzled expression.

“We’re here to keep you pleb Pegasi from blocking her glorious sunshine” she insults, forcing a talon into the ground next to my wing.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t remember you being this dumb. I blame the parents”

“Don’t ever talk about my parents” I shout, kicking my back hooves into her abdomen.

“Aw you spiteful little ingrate, you’re messing up my feathers!” She scolds, fixing the mess I made.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Orders from the big cheese, I think you know her. You know; stupid colourful mane, weird little shiny hoof boots…” She says, making reference to my hooves.

“Princess Celestia?”

“Ding ding ding we have a winner! And no, how dare you. It’s Queen Celestia”

“Queen?”

“Wow you must’ve been dropped on you head more than once”

“Just get off of me!”

“Not just yet. First I need to ensure you won’t use those pesky little toothpicks you call wings” she says as her claws begin to cut into me.

I cry out in pain and think of just accepting being grounded. There was nothing I could do now. She raises her cruel arm above her head and slashes her talons across my face. I shut tightly my eyes and await the inevitable. I enjoy my last strained breath before I go softly into the sweet beyond. This end however does not arrive, I feel as though the weight of Gilda has been lifted. Did she spare me? I open one eye slightly to survey the damage, a Pegasus stallion is there, his hoof offering me assistance.

“Who… who are you?” I ask, confused.

“I didn’t know you were an owl” says the mysterious stranger.

More of my focus returns and I make out his distinctive uniform. The lightning blue costume with the thunder bolt details, this could be…

“Are you a wonderbolt?” I ask again, rising slightly on my front hooves.

“What gave me away?” he says while bushing dust off of his spandex outfit.

“Why did you help me?” I ask, leaving my hoof out.

“Cause I need you Rainbow Dash” he begins, pulling me to my hooves. “The Pegasi need you”

“But what can I do? I’m just one mare”

“Everything that we do to hold back this prosecution is important”

“But I’m…”

“We must stop the pain! We must kill the Queen”

“How? The griffins are so much larger than us” I contest; drawing his attention to the skies above.

“Cause if we don’t do something. Then why not just cut our own wings off now? Why not just sell our fillies and colts to the slave camps? Why not just lie down and die?!”

“We’ll die anyway”

“We’ll die fighting and flying! Not cowering and hiding. This is the revolution Rainbow Dash. Join us!”

He evoked such patriotism in me, a step up from my fall-back of loyalty. I raise a hoof to my forelock and salute him. He then turns back to the storm of wings and claws hanging over us and re-joins the fight. I look up and see that night has fallen. The moon drifts there, alone. I then remember what I read. Luna has gone missing, Celestia is now a Queen. This has to be more than simple coincidence. I flair my wings to the sides and join my brothers and sisters in the sky.  As soon as I am a foot off the ground I am targeted by a bloodthirsty lion-eagle abomination. Its beak nearly rips some strands of my tail but I manage to out manoeuvre it around a set of smoke stacks. The cumbersome creature cannot turn the angles I do with ease and collides with the brick tower. The wonderbolt flies back down to meet me, from where I hover, his blue mane glows angelically.

“Take this Dash! And kill it!” he passes me a blade; it’s curved and has some reticulated prongs on the back.

“I don’t think I can”

“Then leave this army Dash. We are here for blood!”

I weigh the item in my hoof, it feels as though it would cut through the sinew and flesh like it was butter. I swoop down to the disorientated foe and drive the blade though it’s shoulder. It shrieks and it squawks and now it’s grounded just like I was. It looks back to me, its eyes fearing death. I avoid its clawed arm and wrap my hoof around its neck. I look back to the wonderbolt; I see a griffin drop near him. I take an action to never be reversed, I plunge the knife sideways into the griffin’s throat. It cries in pain as I try to free the blade for a second strike. It isn't needed. As I pull at the handle to regain the blade the neck yields and the griffin falls dead, its head hinging on what was left of its neck. I do not feel sorry for it, they do this for bits, so I gladly decommission them. I leave the first blood and head back into another fray where I see my Pegasus sister having a griffin bear down on them. I fly straight at the open beak of the predator and before it can harm me I buck it in the face before raising my blade in front of me and running it down the belly of the beast. It took no effort at all, the speed of the creature spelled its fate.  As I leave the defeated foe behind another griffin blindsides me and we both nose dive down to the ground. It slices through my squishy pelt as it panics. I take a few gauges to my side and a glancing blow to my chest before I can break through its defences. I place my hooves around its throat and propel us faster towards the ground. Soon uncoils a rainbow from behind me. It tries to fight me off but I am more driven by my hatred of the Queen that it is by the bits in its pocket. We finally impact the dirt path below and a shockwave ensues. The creature lies and convulses on the ground.

“We shall not be grounded!” I shout as I slit the creature’s throat.

I get back on wing and fly low to the ground, lest I by spotted. I choose a silhouette above and ascend rapidly to take it down. As my hooves grip on its underbelly the creature rolls and thrashes in an attempt to peel me off. A crude attempt at most. It rolls on to its back and then I unleash a flurry of stabs to its ribcage before finally rupturing the heart. It leaves a cloud of blood as it plummets down on to another corpse. A griffin bursts through the cloud layer and grabs my rear legs with one arm and readies its beak around my wings, ready to shred them. However, almost as a miracle, another griffin fighting of a Pegasus collides with the one who has me. The creature loses any aerial mastery it once had and spins uncontrollably. It tries to regain lift so releases my legs. I hook my legs around its head as we tumble and jam the point of the blade straight into its bird-brain. I leave it, another of my victims, to re-join its comrades. I turn my attention to another of my sisters of the sky. She is flying with an injured wing and looks as though she might be soon a fatality. I use the griffin’s trick and zip through the cloud layer. I return and kick the griffin pursuer hard in the beak, so hard that it rips it away slightly from its head. I gain purchase on the beast by threading my hooves through its thick feathering. I hold my blade with both hooves and place the point just under where the beak has ripped away. I use a small bit of pressure and the beast shrieks in agony; its beak now hanging by a tendon. I reposition myself in the same way I had before and wrapped my legs around its neck. Only this time, this creature has injured my sister, has possibly made her flightless. I hold on to the tufts of feathers on either side of the head and twist the neck, using all my body weight. I hear a dull crack and the daft creature’s tongue rolls out. I let go and watch it to fall to the ground. Poetic in a way all of this; they wanted us to stay on the ground and now they are the ones stuck down there.  I see the wonderbolt fall and a griffin follow him down. I rush over as fast as I can. I do not fly, flying will attract attention. I traverse the hurdles of sprawling cadavers that have tried to block my way. At last I find the champion. He is a little worse for wear and falters, falling to his knees.

“Oh Rainbow” the wonderbolt wheezes.

“Oh my gosh are you alright” I ask, rushing to his aid.

“Just some bumps and scrapes”

“You look like you hit the ground pretty h…”

“Now that was some flying. You made those flocking idiots look like they wanted to die” he complements, tripping over himself as he tries to get up.

“But they are just soldiers, we need to take out the Queen”

“Precisely, we must” he begins, violently coughing. “Or rather you must”

“You’re fine, you said so”

“I didn't want you to worry about me. Just tell Spitfire, that…”

“That what?”

“Tell her we still have a ch…”

“Don’t die on me! Soarin’ don’t die on me!”

“I didn’t think you recognised me. I… Take us forward Dash. Bring us freedom”

Only now do I see the huge fissure in his neck and the glazed over look in his eyes. He can no longer stand and he lets himself drop.

“I’ll try Soarin. I’ll do my best”

“That’s all I ask…” he chokes. “Take us back to the skies…”

These were the last words he would speak. I close his eyelids out of respect and fall back onto my rump. I can’t be a leader; I can’t send ponies to die. Another Pegasus lands beside me. She pats me on the back with her hoof before saluting her captain.

“Fair thee well Soarin. You’re up in heaven now”

“Lightning? What happened here? I thought that only a few had lost everything”

“I’ll show you Rainbow. We’ve been replaced”

She takes to flight and flies low, I follow her. We soon reach where Fluttershy’s cottage used to be. But what stands there now, it’s a question I don’t have the answer to. A tall construct of great chimneys and gears and dials and vats and steam pours from every pore.

“They’re everywhere” Lightning says.

“What are they?”

“Our replacement…”

“Bu… whu…. What do they do?” I ask in a concerned murmur.

“They produce, they destroy and they regulate clouds. A cheaper solution for weather control, we’re obsolete” she explains,

“But we do other things. Like mail delivery and other stuff like that”

“Phoenixes deliver letters now. You must’ve received one about the train…”

“Yeah I did. Stupid me… What about derpy?”

“Well she still has a job…”

“And that is”

“A… well… the closest thing I can think of would be a clown. A jester…”

“She’s a joke? That’s down-right insensitive!”

“That’s why we fight Dash. That’s why I’ll die for this cause. That Celestia can’t tread on us no more”

“She’s certainly trying”

“They call us Lunaletists. They say she started the revolution. We need to find her. Right?”

“I read about Luna going missing”

“Yeah? It’s all a conspiracy. You see. Luna’s fair, she’s gone”

“And the nightmares”

“You get them too? I thought it was just me, we don’t get much of a chance to talk anymore”

“What you and me?”

“No, all Pegasi. If we get to know each other it only makes it hurt more when they’re gone”

“I’m so sorry”

“Don’t be, just promise you’ll lead us to Canterlot. Promise we’ll take down that Queen”

I look down at my battered and bruised reflection in the pool of blood which creeps along though the dirt. I can see clearly that I have changed. I cannot see any of my friends here. What if they are my enemies too? I have to take the reins of this operation, I have to be the leader. I turn to Lightning dust and clear my throat.

“Return to battle soldier, I shall tend to out wounded”

“As you wish” she complies. “Spitfire is a prisoner of the Queen, thought you might like to know that before committing”

I watch her disappear into the maelstrom once again. I scour the dirt lanes, searching for something. They had all been staying at the Carousel Boutique bar Applejack and Twilight. I keep on searching and as I do lifeless corpses both of the revolution and of the Queen land around me. Some of my kin of the sky still groan and complain; I see each one in turn and send them to the next life. I pick up the pace of my search; I frantically stare down the lanes full of the dead and still see none of my friends. I see this as a blessing, maybe they fled. I come across the splintered remains of the market. I look under my hooves and see the sign for fresh hay bowls. This is where I had been ripped off previously. I look beneath the rubble and catch sight of the stall owner. He is cut up and bleeding profusely. I take some timber off of his chest and let his suffering stop. I draw my blade from his neck and wipe it on my hoof; blood is now my trappings for war. I finally recognise the ruins around me; I’m standing in the Boutique.

A hear the rushing of wind before I am struck by another griffin.

“I knew I’d find you looking for you ‘friends’” Gilda yells, landing another slash upon my muzzle.

She is missing an arm, must’ve been Soarin’s work. I use my wings to catapult me to where I can lodge the blade into her arm socket. She screams and takes another swipe but I simply fly underneath her and take a chop at her other arm. Her head lurches to attack me but I kick it away from me. I then hold the reticulated side of the blade in the cut I have already made and quickly sever the arm. She makes a noise so hideous it made my ear want to stop working. The armless bird backs away and tries to escape to the sky. I let her get some distance while I visit the remains of a hardware store. I grab a good thickness of chain as well as a wood axe and fasten the axe to my back. I then set off after the coward; her loss of blood has noticeably slowed down her flight. As I fly I masterfully dodge a couple of slashes and swipes at me until I finally greet Gilda with a fully deserved stab in the wing. She falls again so I glide back down to earth to wait for her. She lands anything but gracefully and then tries to run off again. I make a loop in the chain and lasso her beak with it; pulling her onto her back and out of the sky. She flails and thrashes and makes all sorts of threats. I take my blade and use it to pin her to the wooden beams beneath her.

“Rainbow Dash you don’t want to kill me” the vestigial creature lies.

“And why not?”

“I’m your friend” she tries to convince.

“Correction Gilda” I say raising the axe and walking towards her shoulder. “You were my friend” I finish as the axe swings down and her head separates from her body.

I hold blood drenched axe in triumph before raising it above my head and launching back into the fight. I then reveal Gilda’s head to the other griffins, blood rains out of it.

“Tell your Queen that this fate awaits her!”

The masses, the flocks they are coloured a shade of yellow by this challenge. Most of them leave except for their commander. One griffin remains; he is dressed in chainmail and has a bloodied mace hanging from his talon. But as his odds have drops so have the odds favoured us. My brethren they pour from the sky a hail of javelins. Each one takes a chunk out of his armour, and some slice at his flesh. Soon he is overwhelmed by our numbers and tries to flee. I fly down and assume a position on his back, he is too beaten to knock me off and so it is easy to thread the chain through his beak. I look down at my soldiers and feel proud.

“Pegasi! Take the fire from our burning town and rob this fiend of his wings” I order

Not long after my comrades equip the torches and fly for the griffin. The ground beneath me ignites with a barrage of fire arrows that catch the wings of the commander. Slowly the feathers wither away and we slowly descend back to the ruins below. He shouts in pain as the muscle and sinew in his wings melts into a homogeneous wax. We hit the ground, and his body slides a little way. Lightning holds the mace the fiend was brandishing earlier and her and a few other keep the wretch’s mouth levered open. He tries to talk, they let him talk, and he is held down.

“You will all burn for this” he declares.

“Dear princess Celestia…” I begin.

“It’s Queen you fucking moron” he spits.

“Today I learnt that alone we’re not that tough…”

“Just let me go! I’ll never come back”

“I’m getting to that bit… Hold your horses”

“Your pathetic revolution will never win!”

“That’s where you’re wrong pal. I’m on this team, we’re gonna win”

“I’ll see you all bur…” he begins before Lightning levers the mouth back open and stuffs the mace in to act as a gag.

“Thank you Lightning. As I was saying. Dear Princess Celestia. Today I learnt that alone we’re not that tough but together we can do anything. And also today I learned that killing a flatulent warmongering bird brained monster is all the more the fun when we kill him with his own weapon”

I turn my back to the handle of the mace, the business end is already firmly trapped in his gob. I buck the handle twice and hear the griffin gurgling blood. I kick a few more times and I see a fragment of his beak jettison past me. I kick one final time and hear an appallingly loud crack before the creature lies there lifeless. I look to my army and then to the sky and nod. We all spread our wings and reclaim the sky as our own. We revel in this victory for what seems like ages. Only we thought the Queen weaker than she really was, she had more than one way to make us fall into line.

‘Eternal day’

We continue to reap our reward, the sky, at least here, was ours. Then a couple of my comrades point to the horizon, I follow their focus. The night abruptly ends to a sudden dazzling sunrise. But there is something still approaching on the horizon. A swarm of phoenixes fly at impossible speeds, their beaks rip through anything that isn't metal or wood. The sun shining from above is brighter than ever, even some fires below re-ignite. In a blinding haze we cannot see, only endure every agonising wave of evil beaks. Then as a cloud passes over head I witness my soldiers burst into flames and writhe in pain. I see that this greater intensity of light is moving towards me.

“Fall back!” I order

As many as can be saved flee alongside me. But we could not outrun the sun. This is how she would crush our rebellion. She would turn all to ash. I fly ahead of the others, and I see them being swallowed up by the deadly rays. I push myself as far as I can to escape but even I can’t avoid the reach of the Queen’s power. The glow finally catches up and I am lost in the light. I fall unconscious.

I wake in a daze and a fit of sneezing. It was not the light that made me sneeze but the ashes of my fallen brothers and sisters of the sky. I raise a hoof over my eyes to block out the hateful glare but it seems as if the light can penetrate straight through me. I nudge a pillar of charcoal from the door way and venture out to what is left of PonyVille. The light has scorched the earth; I am now at the bottom of a vacuous crater. Some embers still glow, some small flecks of dust blow around in the wind. Some of my comrades were not just dust however; they were burnt so severely that large pieces of their pelts have melted and fused to other corpses as well as the white hot timber. I walk past a rebel who begs for death. Their jaw is misshapen and become a gum like consistency. She begs for death, and I am kind. I slice her throat to end the torment. So many others try to find a way to die but I do not find them all. I had failed in this respect. At least it seems that only the town was targeted, the pristine pastures over yonder were not untouched, but they are in better shape.

I limp out over the lip of the crater and examine the death toll this revolution, our revolution had caused. I start to run up the field towards the barn home of the Apple family. The field before the home is a mess, it burns and grass dies. The flame licks have only just reached the home, perhaps there’s still hope. I kick through the softened wood and shout for a reply, but I hear none. I look in every room till I see Granny Smith. She is dead. She must have breathed in too much smoke. I close her eyes and a tear gently drops onto the wooden floorboards. I dust covered mare approaches from what looks like the kitchen. She stops and looks briefly at the dead body before looking at me. She looks me in the eyes; hers though are cold and lifeless.

“Is that you R…?” The dust covered mare asks though the clouds of smoke.

“Applejack? Why didn’t you run away”

“Cause this is my home. I’m not leaving” she says, clearing the dust from her face.

“And her…?” I ask, gesturing to the lifeless green earth pony.

“She’s been dead for hours. Thanks to you flying types” she accuses, poking her hoof hard into my chest.

“This is not our fault, this…”

“How do you mean by ‘our’?” Applejack demands, fiddling with some knitting left on the side table.

“If I don’t do something I might as well roll on my back and die”

“You mean you were part of this?”

“We Pegasi want freedom” I decree, taking confident steps towards her.

“You… Get your pansy ass out of my house! Go on git!”

“AJ what the heck is wrong with…”

“Don’t be turning this around! I can’t find my sister or my brother and my grandmother is dead!”

“It’s the price we pay in war”

“What war RD? Your war, Soarin’s war? Not my problem”

“You must have seen what has happened to my brothers”

“We are all victims of the Princess, or the Queen or whatever”

“The Queen”

“… But only you spineless bird ponies made a big deal out of it”

“You’re the one with no…”

“Oh you think me a coward? It takes strength to do nothing, an’ to just carry on”

“Yeah… well…”

“Jus’ look at yourself… You’re covered in blood, and scars and gashes. How long till you don’t just bounce back? How long till ah I have to bury another friend?

“Another friend?” I ask, frightened of the answer.

“Look out in the field RD” she insists, pointing to the hole in the wall. “Find out for yourself”

I leave her and search the field for a grave. It doesn’t take long to see the grey headstone in the oceans of green, well yellow. I approach the grave and read the epitaph, it has been warn away by the heat, only written in paint. I turn away before I hear a voice familiar.

“Hey there Rainbow Dashie” I hear Pinkie’s voice.

“Uh hello?” I reply as I turn around.

Poking out from the grave is the top half of Pinkie Pie’s torso.

“Pinkie?”

“Hahahaha” it cackled out of sync. “No you stupid bitch!”

“Who are you?” I ask, rearing slightly at the gruesome nature by which Pinkie moves.

“I’m just using your friend here as a prop” the voice explains, it makes Pinkie walk towards me but she only walks on her front hooves, the bottom half of her body is missing.

“They could never find her legs. Pity really…” the puppet says, swaying and making the spine and intestines move as well.

“What…? Who are you?” I ask, stopping myself from being sick.

“And you brought down my commander. No, where are my manners? It’s me Celestia” the puppet explains. It brings a hoof of the ground to hide a giggle and fall onto its side.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Boredom mostly… It’s a good party trick for scaring ponies at the cemetery. I make them all sing sometimes. It’s so much more effective with foals”

“No I mean why are you doing this to the Pegasi?” I demand. I grip the handle of my blade.

“Oh never really thought about it, it’s just business” the puppet says, scraping its open torso on the dirt before ‘standing’ back up. From the fall some of the intestines have worked their way free.

“And what business is that?”

“I used to pay 600 thousand Pegasi to the clear the sky and now I don’t have to pay nearly as much. And it’s more reliable to boot” she says, making the puppet anchor its spine into the dirt.

“Yeah but…”

“Oh yes. Well you can’t stop me. I just killed your little rebellion” it says, making the Pinkie puppet stick out her tongue.

“You will be stopped”

“And who may I ask is going to stop me” it asks, dragging the spinal cord through the mud.

“You didn’t kill me”

“Well to be frank little Dashie… The source of these problems is a bit closer to home than you first thought”

“But… Why… Why are you killing us?” I demand, grabbing onto the Pinkie puppet and shaking it.

The voice ceases to speak trough Pinkie’s corpse and lets her flop onto the floor. Applejack startles me as she sneaks up from behind.

“Now you know” she says, tipping her hat.

“But how did it happen?”

“Pinkie. You know what she is like, Pinkie jumps around and does all sorts of stupid stuff. But uhh now it seems her Pinkie sense didn’t do her any good”

“Yeah but where’s the rest of her?”

“Your guess is as good as mine partner. She ruffled the feathers of one of those griffins”

“And now I’m half the pony I used to be” the voice speaks through the corpse one last time before leaving for good.

“So how are you gonna save us all?” she asks again. Tears stream down her face, she throws down her hat.

“The griffins have to sleep somewhere. I’ll find it, and I’ll burn them all” I reply, trotting to pick up the hat.

“What about the legions of royal guards and whatnot? They’re gonna tear you a new… Uhhh never mind” she says as I try to hoof her back the hat.

“I won’t have any trouble with them” I say now placing the hat on my own head.

“Yeah, they aint as dumb as the bird brains” she rebukes. She snatches the hat back and holds on for a second.

“I told you AJ. I got this. I can’t let them down”

“It’s a shame to be as honest as me at a time like this” she says, rubbing the back of her front leg.

“Why? You think I can’t do this?”

“I’m just waiting for you to be the next example the Queen makes. She has done some awful things to those who stand out”

“Thanks for the vote of confiden…”

“Go on RD. If I aint changing your mind then go ahead. I aint stopping you”

“Are you gonna bury her?”

“Eventually, I’ll get around to it”

“How long was I gone AJ?”I ask, my voice exhibiting a strain.

She doesn't reply and returns to her burning home. I leave and walk back to the grave. There is a spade at the side, I take it in my mouth and dig the grave again. I pick up Pinkie’s oozing corpse and gently place her back in the grave. I hear a thud behind me and I quickly spin around. A flock of phoenixes disperses to reveal Lightning dust. She is being pecked to pieces by the little fire birds. I go to help her. Then the clouds tear open with another column of light. The light bathes her at first. Then she screams to me as the heat melts the skin from her bones. She cries out for me to make her death less painful. I can hear the Pinkie speaking from inside the grave.

“Consider this a warning little Dashie…” she speaks through the Pinkie puppet.

I look back to the melted body of Lightning and it is reanimated.

“Where are those so called friends now little Dashie?”

“Just keep up the party tricks Bitch. I’ll have your head” I say, picking up a stick from the ground and poking the corpse.

“You have no place here. I will wipe your race of off this Earth” she finally threatens before letting the dead fall where they lay.

I see the skies open up to the burning punishment she sent before.  Everything the sunlight hits burns to a cinder, the advance of the wall of fire is slow however. The corpse of Lightning dust is carried by the Alicorn puppeteer.

“Why don’t you try and save dear sweet honest Applejack?” it speaks as the Lightning puppet’s jaw stretches out of shape before eventually falling off.

I bite the bullet and head towards the inferno. I dive back through the wall and find Applejack trying to carry Granny Smith down to the basement.

“What are you doing AJ?” I ask in panic.

“I’m savin’ her” she replies, looking coldly back at me.

“She’s dead. And you’ll be joining her soon if you don’t hurry”

“No! This is my home. This is mah family!” She argues, taking another step down to the basement.

“Yes I understand. But you need to let go” I say, approaching the trapdoor she was disappearing into.

“Let go? I can’t…”

I reach a hoof forward.

“Come on pal. I’m not having another friend die either”

“I don’t wanna go” she says, tearing up further and fastening her hoof around her Grandmother’s mane.

“There’s no PonyVille left. Just look around, it’s just charred buildings”

“An’ festering corpses”

“Please Applejack” I scream as I take her by the hoof.

She hears her Grandmother’s head smack against the step and tries to turn back. I turn her away and pull her toward the fresh air. We both run from the abode as the sunlight reaches it and it burns down in a matter of moments. The light continues to advance; I shove Applejack into the crater and follow her down just as the ground beneath me is reduced to dust. My friend is out of breath so I allow her rest bite to regain her composure. I then think about Manehatton, where would Applejack go?

“AJ I don’t know where is safe anymore” I admit, brushing dust from my coat.

“Nowhere is safe RD. She is the day”

“Do you know where Twilight is?”

“We didn’t see ear or tail of her before things started breaking down”

“Wait. Do think she plays a part in this?”

“I have no idea. Ahm just gonna leave. See how I do in the wilderness”

“Good luck”

“Yeah, umm you too, good luck with the revolution. I’m gonna miss you Rainbow Dash” she says as she warmly embraces me.

We part ways, she heads for the everfree forest ironically and I head for Canterlot.

‘Spitfire’

Soarin’s death will not be in vein. I will find the head of the revolution. I will find Spitfire. I am among the clouds now, my eyes dart from side to side looking for anything else the Queen will send to intercept me. As expected something is sent, more of the phoenixes are sent out in murders to stop me. I avoid as many as I can but soon I am faced with an impassable wall of them. I am cut shallowly across most of my body as I fight to stay aloft, the creatures though they continue to take nips out of me. I hover on a spot for a few moment, my injuries are taking their toll. I unsheathe my blade and clutch it between my teeth; I bite so hard on it that my mouth bleeds. Far below the mountains of Canterlot lie the Caverns where they keep the trouble makers. Far below the erudite heights do ponies come to starve and sometimes they are even tortured. I let myself plummet toward the shores of Canterlot Prison; I use my wings as an air break and settle calmly on the ground. A royal guard sees me; he assumes a defensive pose and holds his spear in front of him.

“Visitors are to report upstairs” he advises.

“I’m no visitor hay for brains”

“This is off limits to the likes of you”

“Me? Whatever did I do?”

“Lunaletist, you must be stamped out” he yells, thrusting his spear towards me.

I skilfully dodge and run the blade through his knee. I turn back around and duck under the spear as it soars over my head; cutting a strand of my mane. I bring my hoof into his cannon, forcing him to his knees. I then slide the blade in front of his neck.

“You must be Rainbow Dash” he gasps.

“Oh my legend precedes me”

“Queen C said to watch out for you” he says, his voice breaking part way through.

“She’s pretty smart” I smirk, lacerating his throat and kicking him over. I inspect the armour he has on. Only the vambraces will fit me. I throw the helmet and greaves down to the murk below and attach the metal armour plates to me. I also pluck the spear from the stash and soldier on. The caves are dimly lit, the small trickling of light dances on the shallow canal in the middle of the hall. I walk towards a junction in the caves where a shadow grows and bends around the corner. I force myself into an alcove at the side and wait for them to pass. The guard fortunately does not deviate down this route but he does have a rather clever looking weapon. I leap over the water to ensure it does not spell my death and tip toe up behind the guard. I ready the spear for a sure and true lunge; I press my closer hoof down and it breaks a few small stones. The slight noise alerts the guard who turns to face me and as he does he pulls the trigger on the weapon he holds. I feel a deep and urgent pain in my side as I gain enough ground to skewer the guard straight through the heart. He holds the spear and stumbles a few paces before accepting his fate and coming to a rest balanced upon the spear.

I hear more shouts and orders emanating from down the hall, I clamber over the recent dead and snatch the weapon he had used. I then adopt a quick pace to continue up the hall, the shadows and shouting grow larger and louder. I see a snout pass the apex of the corner and I pull the trigger on the weapon. Nothing happens. I retreat away from the danger and make a mad dash for the spear still safely tucked in the guard’s chest. I see one guard round the corner at the end of the hallway; he calls for others to assist and they join him in the dank corner of the cave system. Luckily they only have spears. I hear one bellowing a war cry as he charges behind me. I cannot budge the spear so snap the head and part of the handle off and turn around just in the nick of time. The momentum I have from my turn easily takes me far enough to thrust the spear head into the guard’s neck and take his spear in the process. I give them a taste of their own medicine and charge towards the stragglers. I point both spears forward; the first guard I reach parries my full spear away but leaves himself open to a drive from the short spear. The chiselled tip tears his throat open; I leave the spear embedded in him. The other guard swings his spear for my head but I navigate under again and bring the butt of my weapon into his diaphragm. He bends from the winding. I toss the spear at the cave wall and deliver a kick to it. It splinters into two separate parts so as the fool swings his spear back I parry with the blunt side and finish him with the business end.

I peek around the corner where another canal runs through. I then spot the incarcerated rebel at the end of the hall. One of the dismissed soldiers stands up thanks to the Alcorn Puppeteer.

“Go ahead little Dashie… We’ll only capture her again”

“Just stay dead”

“Why Dashie, I’m starting to think you don’t like me”

“On don’t get me wrong Princess…”

“I’m the Queen! The Queen of Equestria!”

She drops the cadaver and the door opens at the end of the hall. It all felt too simple. I gallop to the end of the hall and reach out a hoof to Spitfire. The image flickers and then vanishes. I look to my side. There stands the Princess, her eyes glow black with dark magic.

“Oops you found me” she giggles, placing a royal hoof over her mouth.

“I’ll kill you” I shout, launching towards her throat.

I hit an invisible wall and hang in the air, unable to move.

“You want to kill me? Go ahead mortal” she challenges, scowling as she does.

“What are you getting from this?”

“Huh… I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you”

I am dropped from the stasis. She throws a stream of energy around me and laughs maniacally.

“You’ll barely remember any of this! You’ll just be another ghost on the streets. Ahahahaha! I won’t kill you though, I can’t deny I am fond of…” she says. The light in the cave shrinks so I can see only her before...

Nothing.