“How did I get here?” Rainbow wondered, waking up on the balcony of Canterlot’s palace.
“Thought you’d never wake up.” Rarity said with an eyeroll. Shaking her head, Rainbow stood up and saw her friends all staring at her.
“Wait… you… you’re all here? What am I doing here? I was… and the Griffon Empire! I have to—!” Rainbow protested.
“Rainbow, you’ve got a very active imagination.” Twilight said, giving the pegasus a disapproving look.
“Ya coulda picked a better place to take a nap, honestly.” Applejack explained.
“You didn’t forget about the picnic we were having with the Princesses, did you?” Fluttershy asked nervously. “I’m sure you, you know have a lot on your mind but it’s still pretty important.”
“And there’s gonna be lots of fun stuff happening the whole time! Games and everything!” Pinkie Pie said with a huge grin. “Not to mention such a bright sunny day, juuuuuust warm enough!”
The pegasus rubbed the back of her head in confusion. This didn’t make any sense! What was she doing here? Wait… it is awfully bright out… She thought.
“Ooh! What’s that?” Pinkie asked, gesturing in the distance, and Rainbow’s eyes widened in horror as she saw a griffon airship, and suddenly an object of some kind fell from it.
“Oh no! GIRLS WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!” Rainbow screamed, but the moment the words left her mouth, a deafening explosion and a blinding flash went off. All around, the pegasus could hear screams… from down below and from her friends who faded away like clouds of dust. As the light faded a gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud could be seen, and a wave of flames flew from it, blowing away everything in its path like dry leaves in the wind.
Collapsing to the ground, the choking heat of the flames all around her, Rainbow Dash could do nothing but cover her face and weep in defeat… for she had truly failed when it mattered the most…
Suddenly, it all ceased, and everything went black, things enemies she’d beaten in the past played in Rainbow’s mind, things that somehow fit the context of what had happened…
“Admit it, you’re such a lame, messed up loser it’s only a matter of time before you’re as insane as you think I am!” Gilda, whom she severed ties with when her true colors showed and had gone on to far worse aspirations, said in the darkness.
“The mighty Mare Do Well, a victim of her own confused heart!” Zerok, the changeling who had manipulated many, including Rainbow’s own heart, declared loudly.
Shadowbolt, whom Rainbow eventually learned was Lightning Dust, was the next to taunt her. “Awwww, how noble of you, but what good was it to put yourself out of the game faster?”
The next voice made Rainbow’s skin crawl as well; Negamare, a twisted reflection of all she knew. “What is loyalty, but the quickest way to lose everything, that you believed in, and mattered to you?” The pegasus asked.
“NO! NO! NO! NO!” Rainbow cried out, thrashing at the phantoms but striking nothing.
“Rainbow Dash!” A booming female voice shouted, and the darkness shattered all around.
Rainbow opened her eyes, and found herself on an empty white landscape, and before her stood the Princess of the Night herself.
“I sensed your fall, Rainbow Dash. I will not lie to you; you’re only barely clinging to life now. Lose hope, and you will surely pass away here and now… and what you had seen is what the stars have now told me will come to pass as Canterlot and Equestria’s fate.”
“I’m… I’m dying?” Rainbow asked, shaking.
“Yes, because all that is keeping you alive is fading; your hope and determination.” Luna explained, and the two of them saw the fallen form of Mare Do Well, her body shaking and fighting for its life.
“What can I do?” Rainbow asked, horrified by the vision as it faded. “I failed! The Phoenix set me up! He’s won, now! Even if I woke up, am I in any shape to stop him?”
“So long as you choose to keep fighting, he hasn’t. Not yet.” Luna said. “I’ve been exhausting much of my power to maintain Equestria in my sister’s time of illness, I’ve not slept since. With you being outside the kingdom, it’s not as easy to reach you... I’m already risking much by doing this now… I trust you received the earlier dream?”
“I did, yes.” Rainbow said, recalling the nightmare she’d had a few days ago.
“Then you know what’s at stake.” Luna said sternly. “With my sister in her weakened state, I have not slept in days tending to Equestria in her stead. Equestria may not be able to counter this threat. Just as the Emperor in the Griffon Wars chose a time when Equestria was vulnerable; so too has the Phoenix…”
The whiteness faded into a turbulent storm, though neither Luna nor Rainbow were affected by it. Griffons and pegasi in armor fought one-another as the storm raged on. Many of the griffons piloted strange, metal birdlike machines that fired blasts of magical power as pegasi tore pieces of the storm away to strike them down with lightning bolts. Further above, in the eye of the storm, two figures were interlocked in battle. The pegasus and alicorn princess glided upwards to them, and Rainbow quickly recognized the armored pegasus.
“Commander Hurricane!” Rainbow gasped.
“Yes.” Luna replied. “This battle has gone on for some time, but he still breathes, Rainbow Dash, and thus he still continues to fight.
Rainbow looked over at Hurricane’s opponent. It was a griffon, with a gray coat and black wings. He wore armored bracers on his front and hind legs, and chest armor with the Griffon Empire’s symbol on the front. His helmet obscured most of his face, save a single golden eye that peered through the right eyehole, and metal battle claws covered his talons. The sight of him sent a chill down Rainbow’s back.
“General Razorbeak…” She said softly.
“Correct again, Rainbow Dash. A bloodthirsty monster who sought to conquer Equestria while it was young. Hurricane knew if he were to lose this fight, then everypony he fought for would pay for his failure.”
Rainbow watched intently as the griffon general raked his bladed talons across the pegasus' chest, then grabbed Hurricane around the neck, raising his claw and preparing to deliver the killing blow. However, at the last moment, Hurricane mustered his strength and struck the griffon in the face with his hoof. The general was dazed for a second, and Hurricane struck him again and again before looping into the air and slamming into him with all his might, flying faster and faster upward until a fantastic explosion of prismatic color erupted from where they were last seen. The scene before them changed, Commander Hurricane flung General Razorbeak’s empty helmet to the griffon’s astonished captain, and the remnants of Razorbeak’s army bowed their heads in compliance.
“There are stories the stars tell of the heroes who have come and gone in the millennium. It would seem Commander Hurricane went on to have an impressive bloodline.” Luna explained, a small smirk on her face as numerous pegasi were shown, finally leading up to a pink mare with a blue mane and tail, with a pair of blue lightning bolts adorning her flank. Rainbow’s eyes grew wide in disbelief as she recognized that pony all too well.
“You’ve figured it out, have you?” Luna said with an amused laugh. “But there is another side to this… just as you have a renowned ancestor; Razorbeak was not without his own heirs before his death…”
“…The Phoenix is Razorbeak’s descendant?” Rainbow asked.
“So it would appear.” Luna said as the scene before them became a starry sky. “But there is more to it then that. I’ve seen alignments that tell me the Emperor is connected to it somehow… a secret has been kept… one that he does not fully know.” Luna’s gaze softened, then a sign of weakness that made Rainbow Dash worry came over the alicorn. “My sister and I have the most power in Equestria but we are not gods. Please, Mare Do Well…if you’re willing to stand back up and fight, and I will give you enough strength to do so. But you must not fail!”
Rainbow looked down at the ground for a moment, knowing right now Applejack would accuse her of being a quitter in order to raise the pegasus’ spirits enough to prove she wasn’t one. Pinkie Pie would tell her to think positive. Fluttershy would give her that look that told her all she need to know she believed in her. Rarity would ask if there’s anything she needs from her to help put, in her most likely words, ‘that ghastly ruffian’ in his place. And Twilight…
Twilight needed her most of all now! If she gave up, she doomed one of the best friends she’d ever made! Not to mention learning of her ancestry, she had plenty to live up to, now! A steely, determined gaze in her eyes, Rainbow looked back up at the Princess of the Night.
“I’m ready to go back, and teach that freak what happens when you cross the awesome Mare Do Well!” She said, a confident smile forming on her face. Luna closed her eyes and nodded.
“So be it. The fate of Equestria lies with you.” Luna responded. When she reopened her eyes, they glowed with a white light, and a warm aura came over the pegasus.
~
“Hold your ground! Hold your ground!” The Emperor ordered as his soldiers fired the gatling crossbows mounted to the castle walls, shooting down several Rebirth griffons.
“Highness! We can’t keep you out here! It’s too dangerous, for both you and the princess!” Ironclaw said, flying in and landing before the Emperor.
“Twilight Sparkle and my daughter are being kept in secure chambers. What of Loken?! Where is my son?!” The Emperor demanded.
“I suspect they have him in their custody, my lord.” The captain said, lowering his head. “Mare Do Well… myself… your son… we tried to hold them off as best we could but their numbers grew, an airship they had control over struck, and he and the Parliament were taken. Mare Do Well attempted to rescue them, but judging from the explosion my forces reported, it would seem she was lead into a trap instead. It’s harsh to say, my lord, but I don’t feel so certain he left any of them alive.”
“No… not Loken.” The Emperor said coldly. “So long as my son lives... so long as the Phoenix has my son alive, he’ll believe he has an effective bargaining chip to use against me...”
“Liege?” Ironclaw asked.
“He’s wrong. Though he is my son, I cannot… will not… betray Equestria and this empire by choosing his life over the countless others that will be lost, if I were to give the Phoenix what he will come for!” The Emperor replied.
“My… my liege… he’s your son…” Ironclaw said softly.
“And he knows full well the risks of those blood ties!” The Emperor said, turning away from the captain. “Were I, or Nessa in his position, and he in mine, I’d expect him to make the same call!”
“Their forces are gaining more ground by the moment; our cause may be lost all the same. I must get you out of here at once! So long as I do, they’ve no way of acquiring the weapons.” Ironclaw said urgently.
The Emperor turned again, a fierce glare in his eyes. “We are griffons, captain! We do not surrender so long as our leaders stand! I will not abandon my empire, I will fight to the end!”
“Highness?” A female voice asked behind the Emperor. Turning, he found Twilight standing there. “I’m willing to help… however way I can. It’s risky, but it may be the only chance we have.”
The Emperor stared down at her for a moment. “You mean to reactivate the weapons from the Griffon Wars?”
The unicorn nodded. “I do. Look, if we activate them, we can fight them off and at least have a chance of stopping him from acquiring him. As we are now, by my calculations we’ll all perish very soon, and the Phoenix will have nothing standing between him and acquiring the Eagle Eye.”
The Emperor looked down for a moment, then back at Twilight. “Very well. It may be the only thing we can do now. Go get Nessa and bring her here. I don’t want her out of my sight at a time like this.” He said softly. The emperor looked over at the captain. “When I open the passage, see to it the entrance is guarded.”
~
Rainbow’s eyes snapped open, and she found herself laying on the ruined floor of the theater. Her costume was somehow restored completely, save the mask and hat that now lay nearby; also good as new. Standing up and giving herself a quick stretch, she noticed she no longer had any injuries. Smirking, Rainbow grabbed her mask and hat and put them on quickly, and flew out of the damaged roof into the night sky, towards the palace.
“Attention, to all of Talongrad… brothers and sisters of the Rebirth…” An all too familiar voice declared, from the numerous loudspeaker towers around the city, and large screens flickered on, showing the Phoenix himself as he gave a foreboding speech that only prompted Rainbow to move faster. “This is your leader, the Phoenix, in so short a time, the weak, corrupt fools that have conned their way into Parliament’s office on half-truths and empty promises have met their untimely demise… save one who shall live to see the full extent of his incompetence before he reaps its benefits.” He approached the camera, as if glaring directly at Mare Do Well herself as she flew towards another screen on her way to the palace. “…But yet, this night shall not only have been their last. As I speak, my devoted followers are tearing down the other force that has uphead this fragile house of cards they deem as ‘order’; the Griffonheim Royal Family! When Emperor Griffonheim and his heirs have met their end, we shall move on to the final step that shall make the skies burn with the fires of rebirth… the destruction of the very nation who is truly culpable for this one’s descent into weakness: Equestria… In the ashes of destruction, a new and pure form shall rise, and all shall begin anew. Brothers and sisters, enlightened followers, and devoted disciples… the cleansing has begun!
“The Eagle Eye… it’s the key to his plan, but how’s he gonna get ahold of it?” Rainbow wondered as she flew towards the palace.
~
“Dad, are you sure they’ll be alright?” Nessa asked as she and Twilight followed the Emperor off the elevator and into the basement and approached the weapons, joined by several guards. The Emperor and the Princess had shed their formal wear and had armed themselves, Twilight and the guards followed close behind.
“We have to hope so. They will buy us enough time to reactivate enough of these for the guards who have joined us down here to pilot. Once they’ve joined the fight, it can give enough of a diversion to send more down.” The emperor said. “It’s a gamble but it’s the only chance we really have of winning now.
Approaching the inactive glider mechs, the emperor looked over at Twilight. “Charge them with your magic, and we can handle this menace once and for all.”
“Right away…” Twilight said with a smile, approaching the birdlike machines and her horn started to glow. The moment she did, however, she was suddenly blasted from behind by a bolt of lightning. The emperor and princess turned as well, just in time to see two of the guards that had come with them reveal the gauntlets they’d paced on their claws and discharge blasts of electrical energy on them as well.
“How…” The Emperor gasped, struggling to get up only to get blasted again.
“This castle holds many secrets, more then I could ever imagine!” Swiftwing said as he stepped out of the shadows behind one of the machines. “The Rebirth has many informants, closer then you could have ever imagined, your highness.” The Councilor said with a smug grin as he leaned over the fallen emperor. “Including ones who know other ways in here, such as the means of which these marvelous creations of the late general were first brought here!”
“...Councilor Swiftwing?” Nessa asked. “Y-you’re the Phoenix?”
The Councilor didn’t answer, and instead turned his attention on Twilight. “In a matter of moments, the Rebirth will have overwhelmed that pathetic excuse of a defense you’ve put up. And in the meantime, I suggest you get familiar with something down here I’m certain the emperor neglected to tell you about. Something General Razorbeak created for less… compliant unicorns.”
Twilight glared and spat in the councilor’s face. “Where’s Mare Do Well and Prince Loken?! What do you hope to gain from selling out your home and everyone in it?!”
The Councilor scowled, and raised his claw, also sporting a gauntlet, and zapped the unicorn with another burst of electrical energy. “By now, Mare Do Well and the rest of Parliament have checked out courtesy of the trap that was set for that costumed pest.” The Councilor said, stroking the bottom of his beak. “And isn’t it obvious? When this is all over, this nation’s going to need a brilliant and well-spoken official to restore the order…”
“Indeed, it will…” Another voice said; the sounds of the elevator descending again heard behind the councilor, and the Phoenix approached, accompanied by Leo and two other Rebirth griffons.
“I’ve done my part, Phoenix. All the information on the Parliament, leading Mare Do Well to you, I trust my reward will be coming soon?” Swiftwing asked eagerly, then turning to smirk at the three captives.
“Sooner then you think; Councilor.” The Phoenix said coldly, and Leo grabbed the Councilor by the head his prosthetic arm, while holding him in place with his other.
“Wha…what…?!” Swiftwing asked, struggling to raise his gauntlet up to fight back, but before he could, Leo’s prosthetic arm spun a full circle, and sound of the griffon’s neck breaking could be heard by all. Smirking, the large griffon released his grip, allowing the lifeless Councilor’s body to collapse in a heap on the floor.
“Enjoy your reward, Councilor. ...Now, I believe you know what I came for, highness…” The Phoenix said, approaching the Emperor as he lay on the ground. The Phoenix reached under his cloak and flung down a long knife. “I believe you know who that belongs to. He is… currently unharmed. I feel certain you wouldn’t be so quick as to leave your own flesh and blood to suffer at my claws. Give me what I came for, and he will remain unharmed.”
The Emperor chuckled and stood up. The guards moved to attack but the Phoenix raised a claw for them to hold back. “You expect me to trust you? You’ve sworn to destroy me and my family from the moment you surfaced. Loken’s as good as dead as I’d be regardless of if I were to give in to your demands…” He reached under his robes and drew out a broadsword. “How about this; I refuse to surrender for any reason, and will fight to my last breath. I’m sure a griffon as… traditional as you claim to be can appreciate the potential slaying of the Griffon Empire’s greatest figurehead can have for your delusions of power. I, Vladmir Griffonheim, challenge you and yours to a duel!” The Emperor shouted, his wings fanning out as he took a fighting stance, glaring at the masked griffon before him. The Phoenix chuckled softly, and grabbed the stolen blade he’d brought with him.
“I accept.”
Immediately, Twilight turned towards Nessa and focused her magic, firing a beam of pink magic on the griffon. “This should help you get back on your feet…” She said, and the griffoness felt refreshed enough to stand back up, drawing out a short sword and engaging the nearest Rebirth griffon, while Twilight stood up and turned her attention on Leo.
~
“Here I come!” Mare Do Well shouted, smashing her hooves into the faces of two red-hooded griffons, then flipping in the air and bucking another with her hind leg. The airship hung parked on the castle roof, several more Rebirth griffons flying from it and attempting to challenge her.
“Don’t worry, I come prepared, there’s plenty to go around!” Mare Do Well said with a laugh, releasing another flash bomb and flinging it at the griffons flying at her. The bomb exploded the moment it impacted one’s chest, leaving all of them dazed and plummeting down to the ground far, far below.
Swooping down and flying circles around two more griffons, the pegasus sent them spiraling up into the air with a small tornado. As she drew closer, she saw the pegasus guards being brought to the massive airship and flew over, landing softly behind the griffons marching them up the ramp. The griffon in the back of the line paused for a moment, long enough for the costumed pegasus to slam her hoof into the back of his head. The remaining three griffons turned in astonishment, raising their claws which all sported lightning gauntlets and fired at her. Mare Do Well cried out as the shock of three bolts of lightning hit her and tumbled backward, but her costume and being a pegasus gave her enough strength to stand herself back up. As the griffons approached, however, the unattended pegasus guards came up behind them and slammed their shackles into the griffons’ heads, knocking them out.
“Thanks.” Mare Do Well said.
“Don’t mention it.” A light red pegasus guard said with a smirk. “But you need to hurry! These guys were saying the Phoenix has already made his way down to the storage area where the weapons are! Twilight, the Emperor, and the Princess are down there, too!”
“Well then let’s clear ourselves a path.” Mare Do Well said as countless Rebirth griffons flew down into their path…
~
Twilight struggled to hold her barrier up as Leo pounded his prosthetic arm against it in anger. The large griffon snarled and glared down at the unicorn, increasing his efforts.
“The boss has plans for you, unicorn!” The large griffon said, beating down on the barrier until cracks began to form on the magical bubble. “So don’t worry, I won’t hurt you too much!”
Her aura weakening, Twilight immediately dropped the barrier and rolled out of the way, firing a magical blast at Leo, who blocked it with his mechanized limb, then fired the claw out at the unicorn, snaring her and giving her a painful electrical shock, causing her to scream out in pain.
Nessa parried her attackers left and right, doing a spin in the air and bringing her short sword down into the chest of one of the griffons, barely avoiding a shock from another’s gauntlet and swinging her blade upward, slicing it and everything inside clean off.
Meanwhile, in the center of the large basement, the Emperor and the Phoenix continued their fight. The Emperor fought hard but was showing signs of fatigue. The Phoenix remained focused as he increased the ferocity of his strikes while dodging the Emperor’s. The Emperor then took to the air and began to fly around the Phoenix.
“I may be old, but you’ve never seen aerial combat like that which the royal family has honed over the generations!” The Emperor said, beginning to spin like a drill as the Phoenix watched in silence. As he rose to the height of the ceiling, wind swirled around his form as the Emperor swooped in. Before he could strike the Phoenix, however, the masked griffon flew straight up and swirled around him in the opposite direction of the wind patterns, causing the Emperor to lose speed, and the griffon grabbed him roughly, sliding his stolen blade into the Emperor’s chest.
“What… how… what are you…?!” The Emperor asked, his eyes wide with disbelief that such a lethal technique had been so easily thwarted.
“Your successor…” The Phoenix said, his cold, emotionless eyes peering through the shadowed eyeholes of his mask as he slid the blade in further, then flinging the Emperor’s impaled body down to the ground.
“Dad!” Nessa cried out, abandoning her fight and running to his side. Tears began to form in the griffoness’ eyes when she saw no signs of life left in her father.
“Two down, one remains...” The Phoenix said coldly as he glared down at Nessa.
“You MONSTER! Nessa screamed, her wings flaring out as she raised her sword back to fling it at him, but before she had the chance, Leo’s mechanical claw fired out and snared her as he had Twilight, sending a surge of electrical energy through her and causing her to collapse to the floor.
“Well done, Leo. Take the her to the airship.” The Phoenix ordered.
“And the unicorn, boss?” Leo asked, looking over at Twilight, who lay nearby unconscious.
“Prepare her for the other thing we came here for…” The masked griffon replied, looking over at the covered machine in the corner as he approached the fallen Emperor’s body, reaching into his robes and taking out a small gem. “While I prepare the claiming our greatest prize.” He said, approaching the vault door with the gem and setting it into place. The dials lit up and turned, and the door slowly opened, revealing the Eagle Eye within.
“Boss!” A griffon yelled out, flying down the elevator shaft, two others accompanying him shortly after. “Mare Do Well! She survived! She’s fighting her way through, now!”
The Phoenix paused for a moment. “Interesting.” He said softly before turning to Leo. “You, go deal with her.”
The large griffin grinned, clenching his metal claws. “My pleasure, boss.” He said, turning and flying up the elevator shaft.
“The rest of you… I believe we have work to do here.” The Phoenix said, gesturing inside as two of the griffons dragged Twilight and the covered device in with them.