//------------------------------// // A New Leader // Story: Broken Rainbows // by AstonMartinLover //------------------------------// Chapter 18: A New Leader Rainbow and Scootaloo opened their eyes and looked around. They had been brought into a war zone. Cloudlife Stadium appeared to have become a battleground once again. The changelings had returned. Brutal hoof to hoof fighting continued between the changelings and the royal guards. Celestia was firing shots from her horn, picking off the approaching changeling soldiers. "Stay behind me." Rainbow commanded. The previously demonic Scootaloo soundlessly submitted to the demand. Princess Celestia seemed to be a one pony machine. She was dispatching changelings at a blinding rate. "Rainbow Dash! Welcome return!" She said, grabbing a changeling and slamming it down on a pair of bleacher seats. "What's going on?" Rainbow asked. Celestia looked around at the changeling horde. "They returned to finish the job. And..." She trailed off upon seeing the dirtied, bloodied, unkempt pegasus at Rainbow's side. "Ah Scootaloo. If we survive this, there is much to discuss." Her expression was quite stern. Scootaloo swallowed nervously. Rainbow patted her on the back. "It's alright kid. That's only if we survive." The changelings were fighting without a leader. Which meant they were quite disorganized. But they had numbers on their side. The nine ponies, plus the remaining royal guards were no match for the hundreds of approaching changelings. Rainbow Dash let out a battle cry and jumped into the fray, her element providing her with a regained sense of strength. The pain was fading even faster now. Even with multiple broken bones, she felt the adrenaline pumping. She punched and kicked and head butted at the changeling soldiers. "Take this! And that! And that..." She roared as she dispatched changeling after changeling. She quickly realized the error of her ways. Diving right in was a flawed approach. Now she was surrounded, as well as grossly outnumbered. They tackled her to the ground. She punched and kicked at them to no avail. There was a low growl. An orange flash, as Scootaloo hastily dispatched a changeling, then engaged the others. Rainbow smirked. Her kid sister. What a fighter. But even she was quickly overwhelmed. Without the element or the armor, Scootaloo was a much weaker pony. One of the changelings landed on Scootaloo's broken right wing, causing the youngster to cry out in pain. Rainbow Dash looked desperately for an exit strategy. Someway to save her friends and herself. But it would not present itself. Suddenly, a loud flapping noise. There was a blast. The changeling on top of Rainbow Dash was annihilated. Another couple of blasts. Scootaloo was freed as well, as her attackers were blasted away. Princess Luna touched down before them. She extended a hoof for Rainbow. "You know, you really do have the worst timing in history." Rainbow noted. "Seriously, where are you when all this stuff goes down? Brushing your mane?" Luna frowned. "You're welcome." She turned and offered Scootaloo a hoof. The young pegasus looked up at her fearfully. Luna smiled warmly. "Trust me child. I've done worse." She lifted her to her hooves. Rainbow got up and stretched. The fighting seemed like it would last well into the night. "So uh...what do we do now?" Rainbow asked. "We wait." Luna said. "For what?" "CHANGELINGS!" A voice boomed. The contents of the stadium suddenly went still. The changelings looked for the source of the voice. Queen Chrysalis fluttered out onto the field and hovered before them. "Look at yourselves." The queen said. "This is a pointless war. You have no leader. No organization. No exit strategy. Return to the Badlands. Immediately." "But my queen..." A soldier protested. "NOW!" Chrysalis shouted. The soldiers all looked around awkwardly. The ponies looked almost as bewildered as them. They turned and hovered out of the battered stadium, single file. The Queen glared at them. "Next time, seek my approval before starting a war!" She growled. As the last changeling left, Rainbow Dash got up and laughed. The queen glared at her. "What?" "Oh. Just love your Chrysalis impression. It's pretty good." The queen smirked. Suddenly she began to shrink. Her eyes became blue. She became a he. Shadow. "How'd you know?" "I said you were good. Not great." Rainbow replied dryly. "Seize her." A guard commanded. Before anypony could protest, the royal guards had grabbed Scootaloo and pinned her down. "Another one for Cloudsdale Penitentiary." The guard hissed. Scootaloo's big eyes watered as she looked around the bleachers for help. "R-Rainbow Dash?" She asked desperately. Rainbow Dash charged forward, shoving the guards aside. She picked Scootaloo up and pulled her into a protective embrace. "Back off my sister." She snarled. "She tried to take the throne." The guard insisted. He turned to Celestia. "She's a menace Princess. You saw it yourself, she tried to kill you." Rainbow Dash looked up at the Princess. "Please. Let her go. I promise she'll be good from now on, okay?" Celestia looked unconvinced. Rainbow still would not loosen her grip on the child, for fear the guards would try and take her again. "Please. She's only thirteen. She wouldn't last a day in Cloudsdale Pen." Scootaloo was shaking now. She had heard stories about Cloudsdale Pen. Rainbow Dash now regretted sharing those stories with her. Celestia sighed. "There must be some punishment..." "Great! Send me to jail!" Rainbow said. "I gave her the element! I made the mistake! Lock me up! I can handle it! I'll take her place!" Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "She will be taken into custody..." "NO!" Rainbow shouted, hugging the panicking pegasus tighter. "Alright. Come here you..." The guard began. "Allow me to finish." Celestia said. "She will be taken into the custody of Rainbow Dash, and will stay in her custody for the next six months." Rainbow looked up. "What?" "She's your responsibility now." Celestia said smiling. Scootaloo managed a smile. It disappeared as she turned to the princess. "Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry." She said pleadingly. Celestia nodded. "I know. It was not your fault little one." Rainbow grimaced. This would be around the time Scootaloo got angry at somepony calling her 'little one'. But she seemed to pained, and saddened to do so. "Rainbow Dash...I got so angry...I just couldn't stop...I just wanted to hurt...everypony who ever loved me..." Rainbow Dash gently rubbed her back. "Shhh. It's okay. It's over now." "I even wanted to hurt you!" Scootaloo said. "Please..." She looked around at the other five. "Please...forgive me. Please." Rainbow Dash smiled. "It's all right. We all get carried away. Not like...psychotically evil carried away like you, but ya know what I mean." "Yeah." Twilight agreed, shooting Rainbow a look for her insensitive comment. "You're forgiven." Rainbow Dash released Scootaloo from her grip and patted her mane. "Besides. Now we can hang out more. Isn't that what you wanted?" Scootaloo shrugged. "Well...yeah. You've been so busy lately. It's gonna be nice chilling at casa de Rainbow for a while." Rainbow turned to the changeling. Shadow. "Thank you so much. For everything." Shadow shook his head. "I really didn't do much..." "You fixed me." Rainbow said. "You didn't have to. You could've left me for dead on that mountain." Shadow shrugged. "A good changeling always repays his debts." Rainbow smiled. "You are a good changeling." She leaned in and gave the changeling a kiss. The changeling went along with it this time. They grinned stupidly. "Wow. The boys always talked about how pegasi were good kissers." Rainbow shoved him playfully. "Stop." Shadow looked at the sinking sun on the horizon. "Things are going to change. They must. Peace is necessary for the survival of both of our races." Rainbow nodded. "Obviously." "Chrysalis is crippled. She will take time to recover. In the meantime...I'm a commander. I can become the changeling leader." Rainbow seemed a bit saddened by these words. "So you're not...staying?" Shadow sighed. "My people need a leader. A good one. Someone who will steer them away from war, not into it." Rainbow Dash nodded. "I understand. You can't betray your people." She paused. "Will I see you again?" Shadow smiled. "Maybe." He turned to leave. "Probably never see you again. You can never trust a changeling." Rainbow muttered. Shadow turned and trotted up to her. He nuzzled her one final time. "I've never had a reason to enter Equestria before. I have one now. I'll see you again. I promise." He stretched his battered wings and flew off. Rainbow sighed. Luna poked her in the ribs. "You would seem to have found yourself a special some...changeling." Rainbow playfully poked her back. "Shut up."