Sunset couldn’t see anything, but the sounds of gunfire and screams filled her ears as she groped around, feeling only dirt and rubble between her fingers. Her vision slowly came to her as she could see the blurry forms of houses on fire and ponies running away from something. Once her vision cleared, Sunset looked to what the ponies were running away from and saw an army of iron clad soldiers marching down the streets of the Crystal Empire, mowing down innocent ponies with their rifles, and aircraft above them raining down bombs, setting houses and streets ablaze.
Sunset turned to run with the crowd of scared ponies, fear having overtaken her. As she ran, she nearly tripped over somepony who died right in front of her, shot in the back with one ear blown off as well. Even more ponies fell around her as she ran. She had gotten to town square when the sky dimmed, and all the crystals around her reflected a purple light. She turned around and saw the source of the light, it was coming from an airship, a familiar ship, The Midnight. A ball of sinister, purple, magical energy had formed at its bow and was growing in size, its brightness rivaling that of the sun. Sunset covered her eyes from the blinding light. Once her eyes adjusted to the intensity, a spear of energy shot out of the ball of magic. Sunset followed its trajectory until the spear hit the spire in the center of the Crystal Empire, an even brighter flash consumed Sunset’s vision from the light being reflected and amplified by the crystals that just about damn near everything in the Crystal Empire was made of.
When the light receded, the spire was gone, and she found herself standing in the middle of a crowd at a public ceremony. An execution. A firing squad.
Sunset slowly weaved her way to the front of the crowd and saw six ponies with sackcloth bags over their heads standing in front of the firing squad. A stallion with white fur and a blonde mane, wearing a grey suit, holding himself with an air of importance began walking behind the line of masked ponies and started taking the bags off their heads one by one.
The first pony was revealed to be Firefly, her face covered in cuts and her mane frazzled, a stoic expression on her face. The second was Princess Cadence in a no different situation from Firefly. The third was Apple Bloom, fourth Scootaloo, then Sweetie Belle, then finally Sunburst.
Sunset began shoving her way forward as she picked up her pace, her feet becoming like lead. She heard the grey-suited pony say something as he lifted an arm high in the air and the line of soldiers raised their rifles, taking aim at the prisoners. Sunset struggled to move faster. Her feet became heavier.
The commanding stallion shouted something, lowered his arm swiftly, and the thundering crack of bullets filled the air.
Sunset jolted awake from her nap in her car just before the entrance of the underground tunnel to outside the Crystal Empire. She groaned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stretched. She looked out the window that was facing south and could see the approaching armada through the dense forest of trees.
“(Those kids must be getting ready to go on their suicide mission by now.)” she thought to herself. “Well, time to go.”
She started the car and looked to the armada again, reflecting back on the dream she had earlier. “(I should do something to change that.)”
Sunset grit her teeth and looked away, “(Why should I care?! It’s not my fault that they’ve gone to go get themselves killed!)”
Sunset’s face softened. “(But what about all those innocent ponies that will die if they fail?)”
Sunset once again looked to the approaching armada. She growled under her breath. “Tā mā de.” she quickly muttered as she put the car into drive, slammed on the gas and turned herself around to go back down the tunnel toward the Crystal Empire.
---
“Sunset?!” The Crusaders yelled in shock.
“Ah, there you are.” Sunset said, ignoring the girls’ surprise, “Come on, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” She waved for them to follow her as she turned around to face the other two mares that were with her, Firefly and Aloe Vera.
“All clear.” Firefly said as she lowered her gun from pointing around the room, searching for more enemies.
“Here too,” Aloe said as she checked the hall they came from.
“OK,” Sunset said as she pulled out her map. “If we continue down that hallway we came from we should reach our destination in... five minutes?”
Firefly glanced at the map and nodded. “We can make it in four.”
“Alright,” Sunset put away her map. “Let’s get going then, time’s a-wastin’.” and the two mares began to walk off.
“What about them?” asked Aloe, pointing to the stunned crusaders.
Sunset turned around as Firefly scouted ahead, she glanced at Aloe then looked to the crusaders and held up a hand in confusion. “You comin’ or not?”
The three girls shook themselves out of their stupor and ran up to Sunset.
“What’re ya doin’ here, Sunset?” Apple Bloom asked.
Sunset smirked, “I came back to have a piece of the action.” she ruffled Apple Bloom’s mane. “Couldn’t let you girls have all the fun.” she turned to Sweetie Belle. “Now, let’s plant that bomb and blow this tā mā dì dìfāng so we can all go home.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes sparkled then she held up a pair of fists and nodded with determination, giving a “Hmph!” for emphasis.
---
“Two minutes until the target is in firing range.” an automated voice reported over the intercom on the bridge.
This news made Blue Blood smirk; his tail twitched in excitement.
His mood was only slightly soured when a subordinate came with his own news. “Sir, we’ve been getting reports of rebel infiltration aboard the ship,” he stated clearly, though his nervousness was evident in his voice, “Should I prepare a shuttle for you and Empress Twilight in case of evacuation?”
Blue Blood looked to the inferior officer appalled by his suggestion. “Now? Right before our moment of triumph?” he looks away disdainfully, “I think it improper to bother the empress with something as trivial as a few rebels on board. Now, return to your post.”
The subordinate merely nodded and did as he was told.
---
Scootaloo and Firefly took the front of the group while Apple Bloom and Aloe guarded the rear. The Crusaders took the further edges, as the grownups could shoot over them without interfering with the other’s line of sight. Sweetie Belle and Sunset split their roles as Sweetie Belle almost exclusively looked at the map and Sunset equally assisted in keeping an eye out for more enemies from both in front of and behind the group.
“Rogue 1, this is Red 5. We have set us up the bomb.” came a voice over Firefly’s ear.
Firefly tapped her communication earpiece. “Red 5, this Rogue 1 and-” she looks to Scootaloo and whispers, “What’s your handle?”
“Phoenix 1,” Scootaloo whispers back.
“-Phoenix 1.” Firefly continued into her comms. “Copy that. We’re almost in position. Good work Spike.” she cut off communication and glanced back to Sweetie Belle. “We are almost there, right?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Right behind this door.”
There was nothing special about the door, other than it said: “Authorized Personnel Only.” Lucky for them, the doors open outward into the room they're about to enter. Firefly stood ready to knock down one door as Sunset summoned an automatic rifle and stood ready at the other. The two glanced back and saw Apple Bloom and Vera facing forward now, guns at the ready along with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Everyone gave a silent nod. Sunset and Firefly faced each other and nodded once more before silently counting down from three before kicking the doors with all their might and immediately began scanning the room for somepony to shoot at and some cover to hide behind. They found the enemy first and sprayed a rain of bullets as the group split into two- Sunset, Scootaloo, and Vera to the left; Firefly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to the right- and made their way to the closest available cover. There was more resistance than expected, the Imperials must have caught on to their plan. Both halves of the group were hiding behind almost pyramidal stacks of four steel crates that gave Firefly, Sunset, and Aloe full cover while standing up behind the “top” of the pyramid.
Peeking out from their cover every so often, Sunset and Firefly managed to thin the returning fire some, enough to where now the enemy was getting smart and finding better cover.
“There are probably seven guys left.” Firefly to the rest of her immediate team. “And I’m out of ammo.
One of Sunset’s hands flashed orange as she tossed a smoke grenade in front of them, then threw a magazine to Firefly. Firefly caught the magazine, let the empty one fall to the ground as she slapped the fresh magazine into her gun and chambered a round. Sunset then tossed another smoke grenade to Firefly, who caught it and clipped it to her belt.
Firefly peered around her cover and saw that sight was sufficiently obscured between them and the enemy as she nodded to Sweetie Belle. “Alright, let’s get you in close and set up that bomb. Red, cover us, and when it’s clear, catch up with us.”
Apple Bloom groaned, “Not you too! That’s not mah’ name!”
Firefly held up a hand apologetically, “I swear, after we survive this I’ll be sure to memorize you and your folks’ names and their dogs’.”
Apple Bloom grunted then turned her attention to giving cover fire for Sweetie Belle and Firefly, waiting for when the smoke begins to clear away.
Firefly turned to Sweetie Belle.
“My name is Sweetie Belle,” Sweetie said quickly and flatly.
Firefly paused and looked Sweetie Belle dead in the eye. “Belle, now is a very inappropriate time for this, OK?” she jerked her head to the direction of the generator. “Let’s get moving.”
Firefly and Sweetie Belle stalked around the smoke cloud to the generator. Firefly was leading; keeping a keen eye out for any sign of Imperials. The smoke began to settle, and Sweetie Belle could see a ladder that leads to where she needed to plant the bomb. Firefly shot at sompony that was on the platform above that ladder, his head rocked back as he fell backward and tried to grip the railing to keep him standing, but his weight became too much, and he ended up flat on his back as his arms went limp. Firefly scanned the above area for any more enemy contacts. When Firefly didn't find any, Apple Bloom had caught up, and they all began to climb the ladder. When they reached the top, they saw Sunset, Vera and Scootaloo on the other side coming towards them. They met in the middle of the platform and found a small alcove that held a console and was the ideal spot to plant their bomb.
Sweetie Belle holstered her gun and took off her backpack that was carrying the bomb, she opened it up and pulled out a grey box that was about the size of a shoebox with large face bevels, a carry handle at opposite ends, and lots of buttons and flashing lights. (Seriously, why do you need so many buttons on a bomb?) Sweetie Belle placed the box above the console’s screen, and it magnetized itself into place. She pressed a few buttons, and a big green LED turned red and slowly began flashing.
“Great job, kid,” Sunset said with a smirk. “Now let’s get the hell out of here.” and they head out for the door.
However, when they approached the door gunfire poured through and managed to nick Firefly in the shoulder. They retreated to the other side of the cover they used when they initially entered the room. Sweetie Belle huddled against one of the crates as the sound of guns firing and bullets pinging off the metal crates filled her ears, even consuming the expletives Firefly, Sunset and Vera were all shouting. They managed to halt the enemy’s advance at the door but their return fire was extremely heavy and whenever one fell down two more took their place, both with more firepower than the one before. It looked like there was no way out. Sweetie Belle began hyperventilating.
“Breathe, Sweetie Belle.” said a voice inside her head, Shining Armor’s voice.
Sweetie Belle twitched, and she turned her head to find the source of the voice. Once she realized it was all in her head she slowed down her breathing some, the surrounding noise becoming quieter. “Stretch out with your feelings.” Shining’s voice continued.
Sweetie took a deep breath, and that’s when Sunset, standing right beside her, shouted in pain and fell on her backside, clutching a bleeding shoulder. Sweetie Belle’s breathing quickened.
“Breathe.” Shining’s voice said, firmer.
Sweetie Belle clamped her eyes shut as she sucked in a shuddering breath and grasped at the lacrima around her neck. Her breathing quickly became smooth, and her face softened.
Sweetie Belle exhaled once more, and her eyes shot open. Focused, determined. She stood up and walked out from cover during the rare lull in gunfire. She turned to face the oncoming army and tore the necklace off, and with a snap and a hiss, a lightsaber came to life.
The soldiers paused for a second, looking to each other for a brief moment before firing at the little girl in front of them.
With the grace of a dancer, Sweetie Belle swung her blade in short arcs. With the finesse of a seamstress, she wove the sword in such a way that the bullets deflected off the edge and often into another soldier. With a gaze of stone, she made the last soldier standing wet his pants and run away with his tail between his legs.
“Woah.” Apple Bloom breathed.
“Shèng shǐ.” Firefly agreed.
“That- was- Awesome!” Scootaloo yelped as she and Apple Bloom ran up to Sweetie Belle, now collapsed onto her knees and lightsaber dissipated, taking in shaky breaths as she laughed with her friends.
“How did you... do that?” Vera asked Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle looked up to Vera. “I don’t know.”
“Well that’s all fine and dandy,” Sunset said as she stood up to walk out of the room, still clutching at a bleeding shoulder. “But we best be getting out of here quick-like, so we don’t go down with the ship.”
“Right.” The Crusaders said in unison.
---
“Target is now in range.” Blueblood heard the automated voice say on the bridge.
Blueblood smile grew wide as he leaned over a console, pressed a button and said, “You may fire when ready, your majesty.”
A purple light lit up at the front of the ship and began to glow brighter. Once the brightness reached its apex, Blue Blood heard an explosion, and the ship suddenly shook and the light died out.
“What happened?!” demanded Blue Blood, gripping a guard rail to hold himself up.
“There was an explosion in one of the reactor rooms!” a subordinate responded from his console. “It must have been the rebels!”
Blue Blood walked up to the subordinate’s console. “Impossible.”
Another explosion, now the consoles and various other conduits began to spark, and the one Blue Blood stood in front of exploded. He gave a wilhelm scream as he flew across the room, tumbling over the railing.
---
The ship shook, and sparks flew out from the walls as the Crusaders got back into their fighter. Scootaloo started the engine, and they flew off. They heard a third explosion and looked back to see the behemoth that is- was The Midnight slowly descend to the ground as stacks of smoke billowed out from every open pore of the ship.
“We won.” Sweetie Belle said breathily. “Our first battle and none of us died.” She started laughing, it caught on to Apple Bloom, then to Scootaloo and became louder between the three of them. Scootaloo then whooped in excitement as she accelerated to the Crystal Empire with dozens of other rebels craft following behind her.
---
Later, fanfare was trumpeting as several rows of rebel soldiers stood at attention with an empty column separating the army of soldiers. Cadence stood on a raised platform in front of them, Sunburst and other generals at her side with Flurry Heart standing next to Sunburst and carrying a large box that she insisted on holding for the ceremony.
Nine figures began walking down the empty column from behind the soldiers, each in groups of three. The first group was Spike, Soarin, and a cyan unicorn mare with a red mane by the name of Carol Lines. The second group was composed of Firefly, Aloe Vera, and Sunset Shimmer. The third and final group was the Cutie Mark Crusaders. One by one each group approached Cadence, and they each received a medal, pulled from the box that Flurry Heart was carrying.
Sunburst opened the box and handed Cadence one of the medals, which in turn she gave to Spike, Soarin, Carol, Firefly, and Aloe, in that order.
“Thank you for your help in the recent battle against Twilight’s Empire.” Cadence had said to them individually.
“It’s good to be back.” Spike had said with a smile.
“Glad to be of service,” replied Soarin.
“You’re welcome.” Carol Lines said with little emotion.
“Been lookin’ for a way to strike back against Twilight’s Empire. ‘Twas nothing.”
“What the capt’n said.”
Cadence chuckled at Aloe’s response as Sunburst pulled the next medal for Sunset Shimmer and Cadence motioned for him to give it to her instead. Sunburst was caught off guard by this but presented the medal to his sister anyway, who graciously accepted it.
“Thank you for coming back,” he said.
“I only came back for my treasure trackers,” Sunset responded as she nudged her head towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “‘Twas purely self-interest.”
Sunburst huffed out a small chuckle as he smirked and nodded. “Right...”
Sunburst was about to pull another medal for the Crusaders, but seeing that Sunburst got to present one, Flurry Heart wanted to give one too. Sunburst was halfway through chiding Flurry for her childish behavior when Cadence quickly capitulated to avoid her making a scene that would have inevitably ensued, reasoning that if she made Sunburst give a medal to his sister, she could allow Flurry to give one... or three.
Most everyone chuckled at how cute Flurry was acting as she presented the last three medals to the Crusaders, speaking loudly and giving each one of the three a hug, all of which were returned in kind. Those in the audience who weren’t laughing were somewhere between a smirk, a snicker or a smile.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders then began to glow as a breeze picked up and swirled around them, then after a bright flash of light, it appeared that nothing happened. However, Sweetie Belle instinctively looked to the back of her right hand and found something that wasn’t there before.
“My cutie mark!”
Scootaloo felt a tingling in her right shoulder. She lifted her sleeve and found the same thing.
Apple Bloom also found one on her right forearm.
All three marks looked like a coat of arms, it was a shield with three vertical stripes of red, pale pink, and purple. However, Sweetie Belle’s mark had a light purple music note at the center of a darker purple five-pointed star in the middle of the shield. Apple Bloom’s mark had a heart in the middle of an apple on her shield, and Scootaloo’s had a lightning bolt in a wing; both sharing the same color scheme as Sweetie Belle’s.
After showing off their new cutie marks to each other the Crusaders gave each other a high-five.
“Well,” Cadence said to the audience while facing the Crusaders, “it looks like we have a cute-ceañera to celebrate tomorrow.”
And now that everyone had their medal, and the Crusaders had their marks, the line of medalists all turned around, and the fanfare reached its peak as the crowd began to cheer.