"Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow slightly opened her eyes, but couldn't fully because of the blinding light above her head. Where am I? She thought to herself. She sat straight up and examined her surroundings, concluding that she was back in the camp.
Rainbow turned her head to face a blurred pink pony. "She's awake, she's awake!"
"Pinkie...Pie? How did I get here?" Rainbow muttered, scratching her head.
"I tried to call your name while you were flying to King Sombra. I was actually a few feet near you, climbing up my grappling hook as fast as I can," Pinkie explained, using her hooves. "My Pinkie sense told me that you were gonna get ambushed, and you did! I guess you passed out so Maud and I carried you back safe and sound. Except not, because your wings are still pretty damaged."
After processing what Pinkie Pie had said, Rainbow gasped and tried to check her wings. Instead of 2 of her real original wings, there was only one; the other replaced by a metal prosthetic.
"What happened to my wing?" Rainbow asked aloud.
"Pierced. By a spear," Maud answered.
"Oh," Rainbow cringed just thinking about it.
"Woah, what happened to you?" A familiar voice sounded.
Rainbow turned to see Lightning Dust in the bed next to her. "Lightning Dust... You're alive?"
"Yeah, duh, I'll be out there pretty soon though," Lightning Dust chuckled. "Pinkie and Maud told me about the 'take down King Sombra' plan so yeah."
"Oh, sweet. Need all the help we can get," Rainbow replied, hoof bumping Lightning Dust.
"The nurse said you're gonna be fine Rainbow, but try to stay off your wing if possible, it's still healing but luckily it didn't hit one of your wing bones."
"So what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!" Rainbow cheered.
-
Lightning Dust, Pinkie Pie and Maud set hoof on the hill above the battlefield and turned to face the captain standing between them. Rainbow took out her Uzi and made sure it was filled to the max. Lightning Dust had her Ak-47 in hoof, and Maud and Pinkie had their spears.
"C'MON!" Rainbow yelled, giving them the signal as they ran towards the battlefield. Ponies from both the Crystal and Equestrian War were too caught up in fighting each other, but only some noticed Rainbow Dash and acted.
"There, the captain!" A Crystal soldier pointed, alerting 5 others. The group of trampling ponies rumbled the ground beneath their hooves as they went after Rainbow with their spears.
Rainbow held out her Uzi and killed 4 of them, but one managed to dodge the incoming bullets. Enraged, he sped up and got his spear ready facing Rainbow. With one pull of the trigger, Lightning Dust shot the soldier at his hooves, then making sure he was dead by aiming at his head and firing one more bullet.
The team of 4 kept making their way through the battlefield, taking down ponies around them as they headed towards Sombra.
Soon, they were 75 meters away.
"WE GOT THE GENERAL!" A pony shouted triumphantly.
"GENERAL CELESTIA!!" A few ponies cried.
Rainbow turned her head and saw the princess, surrounded by ponies from both sides, with a bleeding hole in the middle of her neck. Her expression was lifeless; oh those pink half-open eyes. There was no doubt she was dead.
"No. We need to go back!" Rainbow yelled. "We need to help the princess!"
"Captain.. She's gone.." Pinkie had to let her know for sure.
Rainbow turned her head back around and forced her tears back into her eyes. "A-Alright. Let's win this war."
"That's the Rainbow Dash I know," Lightning Dust winked. Rainbow smiled weakly and trotted up the hill faster. Sombra was there, waiting for her. He evilly grinned as more ponies from his army ran towards them, aimed at Rainbow Dash.
"Lightning Dust!" Rainbow yelled. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash took out their guns and fired wherever, hoping to hit all of the Crystal soldiers. When Rainbow accidentally fired Maud, Maud had no expression whatsoever.
"Uh. Maud..?"
"Boulder saved me." Maud pulled her pet pebble out of her pocket where the bullet was fired and slowly smiled. Maud and Pinkie held out their spears and swung and stabbed the incoming ponies. Lightning Dust, Pinkie and Maud Pie and their captain looked unstoppable and they were. They surprisingly took down Sombra's ambush army and now, climbing up the final steps of the mountain... they made it.
"King Sombra." Rainbow echoed at the top of the mountain with a determined look on her face.
"Captain Rainbow Dash," the tyrant bellowed. "I've been waiting for you. You won't win this war."
"Try telling that to the spear, buster!" Pinkie jumped forward and thrusted her spear into Sombra's chest.
Sombra looked at where the spear pierced him and looked back at Pinkie with terrifying eyes. "Did you really think that'll do anything?" He gently smirked. He used a hoof and threw Pinkie Pie to Rainbow, knocking over the others.
"Now lemme guess." Sombra held his head up and walked slowly towards the ponies. "You're here to stop me? Oh, so selfish. Your princess is dead and did you pay any attention?" He held up Rainbow's chin. Sombra put his famous purple dome over the ponies and gave them... fear.
-
"W-Where am I?" Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes and looked around. It was nighttime in the Everfree forest. "I'm... back home? But how?!" She saw light and tried to run towards it, but the forest felt like a void and tried to suck her in. Once she got close enough to see where the light was coming from, she called out. "FLUTTERSHY! Open up! Did I win the war?!"
Fluttershy was outside, tending to her flowers. She turned around to face Rainbow Dash, who was fighting the forest. Rainbow ran faster until she couldn't run anymore and fell in front of Fluttershy.
"You disappointed everyone," Fluttershy gently whispered, but gradually started yelling. "WHY DID YOU LOSE THE WAR? NOW EQUESTRIA IS DONE FOR. FOREVER."
Rainbow looked up fearfully and scooted away from Fluttershy, who seemed to be filled with rage; she was flying, summoning her birds and animals, and commanded them to go after Rainbow Dash. Rainbow realized she had both her real wings and flew out of Fluttershy's presence, heading back up into the air and on a cold cloud. She caught her breath and cried. She looked down with disappointment in herself and watched as her tears formed a puddle on the cloud before it sunk into it and fell to the ground.
White elegant hooves appeared in front of her and she carefully looked up.
"Princess Celestia? You're alive!" She hugged her. Celestia took a deep breath and looked at the moon.
"No," Celestia sighed. "I am long gone. But I have used the last of my remaining powers to tell you something."
Realization hit Rainbow as she pulled away from the princess. "Is this a dream?"
"It is Sombra's dark magic. He made it look like you failed, but trust me, you are so very close to the end. It will happen. Soon."
"What'll happen?"
"I can't predict the future." Celestia lowered her head to look at Rainbow. "You need to win over the empire. And stop the king once and for all."
The last of Rainbow's tears fell and she looked to the side. "What if I don't-"
Celestia caressed Rainbow's face before hugging her. "I believe in you. Fight the fear."
Wind sounded from below as the world of fear began to crumple up and disappear. Celestia flew up and reflected herself upon Rainbow, her voice bellowing. "FIGHT THE FEAR!"
Celestia withered up into dust and surrendered to the wind. Rainbow knew what she had to do.
-
"Taking Equestria back is what the princess would've wanted," Rainbow scowled, her eyes green and misted with tears. She jumped to her hooves. "And we're gonna do just that!" She swung her spear and knocked Sombra off his hooves. Sombra growled and pulled out his own spear and went after Rainbow.
Pinkie, Maud, and Lightning Dust awoke from their fears.
"Guys! HELP!" Rainbow called out to them.
Pinkie and Maud pulled out their spears and pinned King Sombra to the ground, while Lightning Dust shot off his horn.
"GET OFF ME!" Sombra strained. "I have a country to take over!"
"Heh. Too late for that, buddy." Rainbow smirked and plunged the spear into Sombra's brain, darkness soothing out and the shadows leaving him. Sombra's physical form crumpled up and rotted right then and there.
Lightning Dust gasped, her eyes wide. "Did... Did we just beat Sombra?"
"Well that was way easier than I thought!" Pinkie spinned her spear on her hoof and placed it back on her back. They all stared at Rainbow, who was in shock.
"We... we really did it."
"THE CAPTAIN KILLED SOMBRA!" Ponies shouted from below as they looked up the mountain. Unfortunately, Maud saw the darkness from King Sombra fit itself inside the Crystal Soldiers' helmets, making them much more powerful.
"We have to retreat!" Maud shouted.
"Why?"
"LOOK!" Maud pointed off the mountain and saw that the Crystal Soldiers were taking more of the Equestrian Army down. Rainbow seeing Fleetfoot die was it for her. She just can't risk losing anymore.
"This is too dangerous!" Lightning Dust gasped. "None of us will make it! Say it, Rainbow!"
Rainbow took a deep breath and hesitated. Her army was in a bigger risk but she didn't wanna stop. She made her final decision.
"RETREAT!!"
Her voice bounced off the edges of the mountain as the Equestrian Army heard, screamed, turned around and made their way out of the battlefield, with the Crystal Army in hot pursuit. Suddenly, a group of ponies from the Crystal Army climbed up the mountain insanely fast and chased Rainbow.
Rainbow pulled out her Uzi and shot a few, missing some, and taking down some again, until she had no more bullets left.
"We got you!" Pinkie shrieked as she ran in a straight line, piercing through the Crystal Soldiers and stacking them on her spear. Maud followed her sister in the same technique and killed a few too. Lightning Dust shot at some, but more kept coming. Pinkie Pie eventually got thrown off the mountain and Maud dove after her. "PINKIE!"
Rainbow gasped and didn't know what to do. Lightning Dust was fighting all she could, and she was doing it. Rainbow looked at her hooves and charged at some, punching and kicking with all her might. Once it looked like there were none left, they settled down and breathed like they'd just run 1000 miles.
Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust sprinted over to the edge of the mountain and tried to spot the Maud sisters. Rainbow saw them and pointed. Maud was wailing at the bottom of the mountain, holding her pale baby sister, who was covered in blood. Maud's voice rang so loud that it alerted soldiers nearby and shot her. Rainbow couldn't look away. She was enraged and filled with tears.
Lightning Dust sighed and turned around. She squinted her eyes and saw in a faraway mountain, there was a Crystal pony with a sniper.
He was aiming at Rainbow Dash's head.
"Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, LOOK OUT!"
Rainbow slowly turned her head at Lightning Dust and back at to where Lightning Dust was pointing. Before either of them could make a move, the sniper fired.