It was time to find out if Fluttershy was right.
Dash ran over the situation in her head as they approached a hole punched in the side of the ship.
Starlight was trying to stop the summoning of an evil god. Flash Bang and those other pegasi were doing the same but Flash reluctantly, stalling for some reason. Everypony knew Dash was a fraud… but maybe that was the key to everything.
“I’m pretty sure I can pull this off,” said Dash. “Or at least I could if it weren’t for that.”
Dash tapped Fluttershy’s chest, where the Zebra God of Destruction had placed a mark on her, Sonata the same.
“I don’t understand why I can’t do violence,” Trixie huffed. “I don’t have some weird mark on me! Trixie never agreed to anything!”
“I just didn’t want to take any chances,” Fluttershy said. “He didn’t go into specifics.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful! You made a pact with a god without a lawyer.” Trixie tapped her hoof impatiently. “You know, I’ve done so many stupid things that I got forty-five consecutive life sentences and a containment unit named after me but… well at least that’s not on the list!”
“That doesn’t exactly make you sound cool,” Dash reminded her.
“And why aren’t you using that claw blade?!” Trixie demanded holding it in front of her. “I know you were having a little moment back then but–”
“Do what with the claw blade?” Dash asked. “I can’t even walk right now. I couldn’t use a normal boot.”
“Oh, alright. But Trixie still thinks she should turn into a bear and tackle somepony,” said Trixie. “I went through all the work to get the ability to turn into an Ursa major and yet it has never come up since. You guys still remember I can do that, right?”
“Yeah.”
It was weird that Starlight removed most of the TCU. There had to be some kind of catch. Trixie had all sorts of things implanted in her still. Rarity would know what they were, but she wasn’t here.
Either way, Zod was the big thing holding them back at the moment.
“You said this Zod guy was surprisingly chill for a god of destruction, right?” Dash asked.
“It’s pronounced Zo-D, actually,” Sonata corrected her.
“I’ll just call him Zod and see what happens. Like would mispronouncing his name get his goat?” Dash asked again.
“I don’t think so,” said Fluttershy. “He has a very eclectic view of evil. He went out of his way to make sure he didn’t hurt a fly. I have no idea what he’d do if we broke our promise.”
“Then I say we do it,” said Dash.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Trixie asked.
“No. But that’s never stopped me before.” Dash looked about. “There’s gotta be a gun around here somewhere.”
“For who?” Trixie asked.
“For me. I’m going in alone,” said Dash. All three of them, even Sonata objected at once. “At first! Dust, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot are all up there too. Shame is the only weapon I have against Flash Bang.”
“You have a giant bear!” Trixie reminded her. “Did you forget how big an ursa major is? If I do a bear drop from this high up, I could splatter anything. I’d also splatter but I got regeneration. It’s the perfect plan and I’ve wanted to do this for over a year!”
“Don’t you get what I’m going for?” Dash asked. “A witch charging in won’t have the same impact. If she’s too much of a coward to fight but me, a known fraud, is willing to step up, those three won’t be able to look at her the same way again. I might make her angry enough to do something stupid. I might force her to take the fight seriously. I might make Dust and the others lose confidence in her. I’m playing the long game here.”
“I believe in you,” said Fluttershy. “But if anything too dangerous happens, I’m coming out.”
Dash nodded. That was all she could ask.
“I’m starting to regain some of my ability to think.” Sonata raised a hoof. “I just realized this place is kind of dangerous.”
“We’re not staying long,” Dash promised her. “And we’ll take you with us. If any of us get separated, we meet back at the train station where Sonata was. That shouldn’t be too far from here.”
“I think I might need to stay a bit longer.” Trixie trotted ahead of them.
She stopped at the hole in the ship. Beyond it, Dash could see figures and light zipping by this way and that. It was far too intense for her to even keep up with. Even Trixie needed to wait a moment before finding what she was looking for.
“That one.” Trixie pointed to a filly who was there for some horrible reason, battered against Demon Summoner’s claw. “She found Applebloom and um. Orange Applebloom. Those two are with her. And I think I might know where.”
“Scootaloo?!” Dash fell off Fluttershy’s back. “You know where she is?!”
Dash needed to wait a moment before catching a glimpse of the filly a second time. She recognized her! That was Lilymoon. Which explained a lot.
Scootaloo was certain she was a friend, but in reality, Lilymoon only had been a friend. Dash had no idea what to make of her. Though if as Trixie had said she was the one to save Dash for Scootaloo’s sake she should be somewhat safe.
“We can’t leave without getting them,” Dash resolved.
“You can,” said Trixie. “I can’t.”
“Scootaloo is my legal daughter,” said Dash. “I know the pony who declared that is evil, but I can’t abandon her.”
“You won’t be abandoning her! You’ll be sending the greatest witch who–” another shock stunned Trixie. “Who’s currently present to rescue her.”
“Maybe, but I can’t!”
“Rainbow Dash. You’re not ready for the sort of thing I have to do to save those two. You can’t use a full spellbook yet. Your mind won’t be able to take it,” Trixie said.
Part of Dash still wanted to object. But Trixie was right.
“I have to…”
Dash tried to stand up again. When she failed, Fluttershy put a gentle hoof on her shoulder.
“Other ponies need you, too,” Fluttershy reminded her. “You don’t have to do everything on your own. You have friends now.”
Dash looked up at Trixie.
“Scooba Loot won’t be safe just because you get her away from Starlight,” Trixie added. “She won’t be safe until somepony… until you figure out a way to make everything right again!”
Maybe… the two of them were right. Dash’s place wasn’t trying to keep up with these ponies. It was down on the ground. Finding Rarity. Finding Twilight. Bringing them all back together.
If she was going to do that, Dash would have to rely on her friends. To use them the way she had all along. To lead them.
Only one nagging doubt kept her from deciding Trixie should be the one trusted with such an important task.
“Why do you want to do this, though?” Dash asked. “You can’t even get Scootaloo’s name right.”
“But Applebloom,” Trixie blurted out her name immediately. She looked down at the floor, closed her eyes, and stood there a moment before opening them again with a sigh. “I guess I owe her for…”
Dash nodded; she understood now. Trixie’s heart was in this and that was enough.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Dash closed her eyes and let out a long breath. Leaving something so important to the hooves of another pony was liberating in one way but terrifying in another. She met Trixie’s gaze with hopefully not too teary eyes. “Please. Rescue Scootaloo.”
“And Applebloom,” Trixie added.
“Right. The rest of us can focus on helping Rarity and then…”
Damn it. Was Twilight even alright? It felt strange, in a way, to be concerned about somepony so much more dangerous than herself.
“Trixie. One more thing. Take the claw blade.” Dash offered her weapon to Trixie. “It will be a long time until I recover enough to use it.”
“I hope this doesn’t come off as too much of a flex.” Trixie did raise her chin however slightly despite that. “But Trixie has been using mind fibers so long that this tiny amount will make no difference.”
“Not for you,” said Dash. “Applebloom can use it.”
Trixie blinked, having failed to think of that herself. Then nodded before taking the boot.
“I promise I’ll rescue them.”
Sonata came back with a few supplies for Dash. An emergency kit, a rifle, a flare gun. The extras would prove useful if she fell off the ship, which was likely.
“Remember. Don’t follow until the last possible moment.”
Dash steadied herself and went up the stairs.
Without talking, Dust’s group and Starlight’s came to a silent agreement that one would stay on the back of the ship and the other on the front. Dust was on the back.
“I refuse to believe that ‘cringe’ is one of the seven greatest sources of evil in the universe,” said Lightning Dust.
They’d done Starlight a favor and knocked one of the demons off their pedestals. This one was the living embodiment of cringe, a mess of tentacles with a mask at the tip of each. And each mask had a different ability it seemed. It chased Fleetfoot around, unable to catch her with its myriad of attacks as she repeatedly dive-bombed it with steel beams.
This had to be the weakest of the seven, from what Dust could gather. Yet somehow, they still hadn’t done much damage.
Flash was fighting but playing it overly defensively. She kept her distance, blowing away its attacks with her long-ranged rockets. Slowly whittling it down, destroying one of its 100 tentacles at a time. Not breaking her word to Spitfire nor giving her what she wanted.
It was infuriating because Dust couldn’t charge in without cover from both of them, not with that much firepower in the way.
“I think we can take this thing if we all rush in,” said Dust. “We don’t know how much more time is left.”
“We don’t want to take too much damage ourselves,” said Flash Bang. Another excuse. “We have a long fight after this.”
A gunshot interrupted before anything else could be discussed. Not at them, but at the demon.
Dust looked around and decided she really shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Rainbow Dash was there, panting and holding a gun she found. She was there without Trixie or Fluttershy or anypony.
What the crow went through this pony’s mind? She was on the eight but… ponies like that were brilliant in their own way. Dust was ever more curious.
Flash looked at Dash with surprise and disgust at once. Dust hadn’t done as ordered. Dash knew exactly what to do. She had to be brazen.
“Trashie! You survived my ultimate attack!” Dust chuckled and pranced over to her side. Her smile turned sour as she whispered harshly to Dash. “But seriously, what the buck are you doing here? I was trying to be nice you know, I really might have to kill you now.”
“I’m here to take charge of the situation!” Dash proclaimed boldly. “I’m in command, got it?”
Flash’s reaction was mute. Spitfire stared dumbfounded at her boldness. Dust stepped back and cringed at first, but then gave her something of a smirk.
“What are you going to do, Trash?” Dust patted Dash on the back hard enough to almost knock her over. “Make it feel bad about attacking a cripple?”
“I’m not going to drag my hooves,” said Dash. “I can’t fight, but I won’t lead you into a closet to hide. If all of you are too cowardly to go forward, then I’ll do it myself. I’m in charge because I’m the one taking charge.”
She glared at Flash, impervious to the insults.
“Yeah!” Dust lifted Dash’s hoof into the air and laughed. “Rainbow Dash is in charge. No rules!”
“Weren’t you supposed to kill her?” Flash asked.
Dust shrugged with a little smirk.
“And weren’t you the one who told us all she was a fraud?” Flash asked. “I won’t entertain this nonsense. Throw her off the ship.”
“But she’s in charge.” With a little pout, Dust rested her head against Dash.
“Don’t push it.”
“Oh, I’m pushing it! Whatever plan Rainbow Dash has is better than this little bunt-butt tactic you’re pulling on us!” Dust exclaimed. “I’ll go with the mystery plan.”
Spitfire came down close, leaving Fleetfoot to distract the demon alone.
“I agree,” said Spitfire. “Maybe Dash would do a better job if this is how you’re going to be…”
“I managed to survive this long,” Dash agreed. “Put me in charge and I’ll get us out of this one too. These three are enough for me to work with. I can finish this without you.”
“Right now, I almost believe she can pull it off.” Dust leaned against Dash. “What are we waiting for? Activate the micro dive-induced plan, Dash!”
Flash looked over at Fleetfoot, knowing she’d side with Spitfire. Dash had forced her hand.
“This is completely ridiculous.” Flash shook her head. She took out her spear only for Spitfire and Dust both to step up. “Are you really–?! She is a fraud!”
“And what are you?” Dash asked. “A coward? Nopony can say that about me!”
Flash bit her cheek to try and remain composed.
“We can’t finish this fight too quickly,” Flash said sternly. “Trust me.”
“I don’t think any of us do,” said Dash. “Why?”
“Yeah.” Dust rocked Dash back and forth, smirking now that she had something to lord over Flash more than anything else. “Do you have a reason why we shouldn’t go with Trashie Dashie’s plan?”
Flash slowly tapped her hoof. It was too much to push back against. Dash had done it, had left her no choice. She closed her eyes and reluctantly answered.
“You all know how Starlight’s powers work,” said Flash. “The stronger everypony thinks she is, the stronger she gets. Starlight will be able to project her victory over Lux Lucius across the world. Everypony will see it nearly end and Starlight the one to save them. This event will make her vastly more powerful than she ever was before.”
That did make sense! Dash was worried for a moment it made sense, anyway. Then she remembered it kind of didn’t.
“Well, so what?” Dash asked. “We can’t let that demon destroy the planet just so–”
“What if.” Flash cut her off. “What if Starlight… didn’t save everypony in time?”
Everypony grew silent.
“What if she failed?” Flash continued. Everypony was already sure where she was going with it but remained still. “What if an incredible disaster, which Starlight failed to stop, of some small part of Lux Lucius coming through the portal, were to–”
“How many would that kill?” Spitfire was the first to raise an objection. “Hundreds of thousands? Millions?!”
“Not everypony!” Flash stomped a hoof on the ground. “And it would destroy the faith everypony has in Starlight! She can be immensely empowered or weakened by this event. Don’t you all see that?”
Dust alone remained unappalled at this point, though she did look absently off to the side rubbing her nose.
“Wait,” said Dash. “I don’t think Starlight is going to kill everypony even if she wins, is she? This isn’t a–”
“Shut up!” Flash shot at her. “I don’t need input from the likes of you.”
“She’s not wrong,” said Spitfire. “You want to sacrifice… potentially over a million ponies? For what?!”
“Look, this is about more than Starlight! This is about securing the future of Equestria for all time from ponies like Starlight and Nailbat and her.” Flash extended a wing to Dash. “Religious fanatics and democrats have no place ruling Equestria! The strong have protected it for centuries and now we find ourselves in this overly complacent age of ponies thinking we can have excess compassion for the supernatural!”
Flash backed up to the edge of the ship.
“This!” Flash pointed down to the growing form of Lux Lucius. “This is what happens when you entertain such nonsense! This is what happens when you let degenerates like Rainbow Bucking Dash be in charge! When you let the people vote for whoever the hell they want and they pick Starlight! Don’t you see this is a chance to end all of those imbecilic thoughts in the masses in one fell swoop?!”
“But you’re the one who would cause it!” Spitfire stepped up. “Through inaction perhaps but–”
“But does it matter?!” Flash pressed her forehead against Spitfire. “Are you really going to run off taking impossible chances? Face Starlight when she’s at full power? Risk Equestria’s future even after all of this is over?”
Spitfire, unsure of herself, faltered. So Dash stepped up for her instead.
“I will,” Dash boasted. “I’ll stop Starlight even if she does reach maximum faith points! I don’t need to make these bullshit compromises like you do! Just believe in me, Spitfire. Believe that we can do this!”
Still unsure, but in a different way, Spitfire hung her head and bit her lip in agony.
“And how are you going to do all that when you can hardly even stand up?” Flash asked.
“I just will.”
“You just–?” Flash put her hoof over her face and shook her head. “You can’t just keep making empty promises like this! Are the rest of you really falling for this pathetic façade? Why don’t you start with your promise to kill this demon? That should be easy for you, I suppose.”
“Oh, I could do that in ten seconds.”
“Then do it!”
“I don’t think I can hold out much longer!” Fleetfoot screamed behind them. The tentacles had her.
Now was as good a time as any.
“Trixie!” Dash called out into the ship’s interior. “Bear!”
Trixie, who had been lying in wait this whole time, ran out and jumped into the air. Halfway through, Trixie activated the transformation. Dash forgot there was an intense kinetic shockwave when that happened. It would have thrown her off the ship had Dust not grabbed her.
And damn did Dash forget how big an ursa major was. That ball of tentacles was several times larger than Dash’s house and yet it fit inside Trixie’s paw. Dash could not see one thing that wasn’t Trixie.
Fleetfoot flew away as the two of them descended, the demon tearing up Trixie’s colossal form but not fast enough. The ursa didn’t even seem to shrink that much by the time they reached the ground. Dash learned that the earth was more like a purple glass than a hole at the moment. The delayed sound of the two impacting it drowned out the noise of Starlight’s battle.
And another one of the seals vanished.
“See that? Ten seconds flat,” Dash said smugly, triumphantly.
“Hahahaha!” Dust doubled over. “You gotta admit, that was pretty funny.
“You literally did nothing.” Flash’s eye twitched.
“One more than you took out!” Dash shot back.
“She’s got a point.” Dust shrugged. “I don’t see any of your ponies taking out the seven deadly whatever. Are you even a mare or–”
“Fine! You want to see me destroy one of these demons myself!” Flash brandished her spear, finally resolving to fight in earnest. “It’s probably already too late to stop this. When Starlight becomes unstoppable, I want you all to remember who’s fault this is.”
Flash flew off to charge at one of the remaining demons, to try and save face. Dust followed immediately. Spitfire gave Dash a brief look of thanks before following.
“That… went really well.” Dash chuckled a little.
She’d gotten everything she wanted! Hit Flash’s reputation, took down a couple of the–
Turned out it was too good to be true. Flash turned briefly back to Dash and fired a single one of those missiles from her wing. It didn’t hit Dash directly, but the explosion knocked her off her ledge and sent her tumbling across the side of the ship.
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy ran out, creating a wall of ice to keep Dash from falling into the sky.
Sonata Dusk flew along side her.
“Fluttershy!” Dash called back to her. “It’s okay! I think I did everything I could here!”
“But!”
“I can glide down to the ground,” said Dash. “Maybe all the way back to the meeting point.
Pegasi didn’t need to flap their wings to glide. You could do it even with a broken wing. And from up here she could get crazy distance.
“I’ll come with you,” said Fluttershy.
“You heard Flash,” said Dash. “It’s your turn. Go take down another one of these monsters before…”
Dash needed to catch her breath. Fluttershy stood still, watching her.
“Trust me!” Dash shouted out to her. “I know you trust me. I’ll be fine. Just…get to the meeting place as fast as you can after.”
Slowly, Fluttershy nodded and the two parted for now.
Rainbow Dash rolled off and into the sky, spreading her wings and gliding off.
Not only could a pegasus fly with broken wings, but you could even do it in your sleep. Dash had passed out in mid-glide before and managed to land semi-safely. That was a comforting thought as her vision blurred as the ground ever so slowly got closer and the battle behind her grew distant.
She might have to keep this up for over an hour, too. She could see things moving down in the forest, remembered Fluttershy warning her about warped zombies whom she could only hope would be gone by the time Dash landed.
Looking down, she briefly grew concerned that Lux Lucius really would win. Something, just the very tip of a claw but still the size of an emerging mountain, came through the barrier.
At that exact moment, however, a beam of green light from the moon down to the ground appeared.
It was Starlight. He cutie mark emblazoned across the sky, as high up as the moon itself. That really would be visible on half the planet like Flash warned.
It forced that claw back under. Then a wall of green light spread across the ground, closing that barrier and dissolving the creatures on the ground. It went straight through Dash harmlessly and continued onward into the distance, perhaps across the whole world.
“Ponies, hear me now!” Starlight’s voice boomed, nowhere safe. “There is nothing, not even a god, that I cannot save you from! Have no fear in this dark times for I shall be with you soon!”
So that was something she’d have to deal with soon.
But from what she could tell, Starlight got wrapped up in another fight right after that one!
Before long, it became apparent she wouldn’t make it out of the woods, but would land near the edge. And she wouldn’t be able to walk anywhere right now. Where was Fluttershy? Even Spitfire would be good news at this point. Anypony.
At least the area she was going to collide with looked relatively calm. Though how would anypony find her here?
A trembling hoof took out the solution: that flare gun she had taken earlier. A blue flare was a request for immediate evacuation. With all the fighting going on it still might be missed but this was her one hope.
Just as she came beneath the tree line, Dash fired the flare. Then shortly after, she tumbled into a landing, falling onto her back.
And then relative silence. Far on the horizon, she could see the faintest glow of the sun. But sunrise was still hours away and Dash was helpless at the moment.
“Maybe I’ll get lucky for once,” Dash muttered to herself.
Right now, staying awake was about all Dash could muster. She could maybe talk her way out of things if she didn’t pass out. But the adrenaline was running out. She hadn’t eaten anything in who knew how long.
With only her labored breath for company and the slowly rising sun reminding her time existed, Dash lay there for, at her best guess, fifteen minutes.
And at last, the crunch of something heavy behind her, a sound she associated with a pegasus landing in a forest.
“Hey! Is somepony out there?!” Dash called up but couldn’t look.
“Did I find you?!”
That voice!
Somepony galloped towards her. She already knew but held her breath until she saw Derpy’s face.
“Rainbow Dash!” Derpy grabbed Dash in a hug, setting her up. “You look like whatever you were doing nearly killed you!”
“It did!” Dash laughed. “But what are you doing out here? Aren’t you supposed to be with…”
Where was Derpy supposed to be again?
“I went looking for you!” Derpy lay down to be on Dash’s level. “Rarity said you left with Moonlight Raven but I couldn’t get close to where she went. Then I went to Nailbat’s camp and they said Fluttershy went over her so I came looking and saw the flare.”
“Rarity?! Where–?” Dash almost managed to sit up.
“I don’t have any good news there,” said Derpy. “But we can’t worry about that now! This place is dangerous. You’re lucky I was the one who found you.”
“So I did get lucky for once.” Dash laughed. She’d deal with whatever happened after some sleep.
Derpy briefly laughed along with her, then abruptly stopped.
“Yeah, though uh.” Derpy looked around. “I guess we gotta hope I’m the only one who saw that flare.”
“Oh, buck.”
There was no way Flash Bang hadn’t seen that flare! Dash hadn’t thought that one through at all!
“Derpy, we gotta get out of here right now!” Dash tried and failed to stand up. “Head back to where Nailbat’s camp was. I might pass out on the way, so we’re waiting to meet up with Fluttershy there.”
Derpy nodded and hoisted Dash onto her back. She struggled a little, being smaller than Fluttershy’s new body.
She didn’t get far before Dash’s luck wore out. Out of the rising sun came a single pony trotting forward, a large stallion.
She would have urged Derpy to run away but as Dash’s eyes adjusted to the light, she managed to make out more details and realized escape was impossible. Black, heavily scared, in his mid-fifties or so…
“Deathblow?!” Dash coughed as she spat the name out.
“Rainbow Dash.” He stepped forward. “I’ve been looking for you ever since I heard the rumor that you were bluffing your strength this whole time.”
“Um.”
Dash’s mind reeled trying to figure out what to do in this situation. She hardly remembered Deathblow at all! He couldn’t possibly be offended enough by that to hunt Dash down, could he?
“Why would that matter?” Dash deflected the question.
In response, Deathblow drew a sword, clutching it in his mouth. Derpy stepped back. She couldn’t outrun or outfight this guy. And if Dash couldn’t figure out what he wanted there was no way to talk her way out of this, either!
“If you’re looking for money–!” Dash threw out her only option.
“I’m not.”
He prepared to charge forward but stopped when something caught his eyes behind Rainbow Dash.
Dash could scarcely turn her head but Derpy spun around for her.
Twenty… thirty pegasi were coming down towards them. Dash hoped and hoped she’d get lucky again! That this would be Spitfire or Fleetfoot…
Her eyes scanned the squad as they drew closer and began to land. She had Lightning Dust! Dash could work with that! She could–!
Her heart and hope stopped when Dust landed in a tree and instead, leading the group, came Flash Bang.
“Rainbow Dash.” Flash Bang brandished the spear. “I’ll never know how you managed to survive this long. But this ends here. You can't just run your mouth like that and walk away.”
“Uh!” Dash looked to Lightning Dust, who showed no signs of wanting to help, then to the other ponies. “Did you all not hear? That Flash was! Was just stalling to–!”
A spear appeared just an inch in front of Dash’s head, threatening to impale her straight through the brain. But something hit the spear at the last moment, knocking it out of the way.
Dash blinked, thinking maybe Derpy pulled off a miraculous block. Yet instead, with his wing extended, stood Deathblow next to them.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Flash asked. “This pony is a traitor to Equestria and a fraud."
“I ask only a moment,” said Deathblow. “There’s something I need to confirm before she dies.”
Deathblow took a few steps back. It became clear this wasn’t to be a friendly exchange when he produced his wing blades in addition to the sword in his mouth. There was no way she could beat this guy, no way to run away in her current condition. She stood still and at least tried to meet his eyes as he approached.
His movement was so swift and deft! He all but teleported in front of Dash and swung his blade at her neck!
Dash felt a sharp pain shoot through her, but barely anything, barely more than a paper cut. Deathblow stood before her, his blade pressed hard against her neck, just enough for a trickle of blood.
“Is that it?” Deathblow straightened up, still holding all his weapons as he met Dash’s stern glare. “That’s all it would take to kill you?”
No sense hiding it now.
“Yes.” Dash nodded. “Everything else was just a bluff. I was never strong.”
“You really aren’t much stronger than an average pony. You truly don’t have any amazing magical ability, do you?” He asked.
Dash swallowed, unshaken by the accusation.
“No,” Dash’s answer came firm. “I don’t.”
“And yet you still went against Twilight? And Minuette and Screwball and now Flash Bang? Even alone you keep fighting?” He asked, pressing the blade ever slightly harder. “Why?”
“I was selfish and desperate,” Dash admitted, “at first. Now I don’t feel like I have a choice any longer. I can’t accept not doing everything I could for my friends. If it’s impossible, then so be it. But I have to try anyway.”
He watched her carefully for anything her eyes might say.
“I see.” Deathblow slowly removed his blade. Dejected, he lowered his head. The air about him grew solemn and forlorn as his weapons drooped to his side. “I cannot bear this wound to my honor. You shame me too greatly.”
“Huh?” Dash blinked. She couldn’t possibly imagine how that would have offended the guy. Not that it mattered since he’d already intended to kill her.
“There is no honor in fighting the weak,” said Deathblow. “The greatest honor lies in challenging those stronger than yourself, who would defy that sacred rule of a true warrior. I knew many opponents beyond myself existed and yet I avoided facing them merely because I thought it was impossible to win.”
Deathblow lifted his head and gazed off to some point in the east maybe ten thousand miles away.
“But you.” He pointed to Dash. “Though you have not one-tenth my strength, you stood before those same enemies regardless. And you won despite it.”
Deathblow spread his wings and turned, putting his back towards Dash, and drew his blades again, but now against Flash Bang.
“I cannot possibly see myself as a pegasus, not until I’ve done something to be worthy of standing in this one’s shadow!” Deathblow gripped her largest sword in his teeth. “Rainbow Dash! Allow me to fight by your side until this is over.”
All the other pegasi could hardly even react to this about-face!
Least of all Rainbow Dash, who was glad Deathblow had his back to her so he couldn’t see her gawking. If he turned sides…
“Yes!” Dash cleared her throat, trying not to sound too desperate. “I mean, sure. I will grant you the chance to regain your honor.”
“What the crow are you doing?” Flash Bang stepped forward; wings splayed. “I thought you valued strength!”
“I value honor and have no desire to fight the weak,” said Deathblow. “I have no respect for one who would fight such a vastly weakened opponent. A true warrior faces those stronger than himself. Against opponents like you.”
“You seriously intend to fight me? Here?! Now?! You’re too old to have any hope of victory here. Perhaps I’d be slightly worried if you were twenty years younger and had half the scars you do now. Or even if you weren’t outnumbered fifty to one. As it stands, this is a foregone conclusion.”
“That’s exactly why I intend to fight you,” Deathblow dug his hooves deeper into the ground. “I cannot stand the humiliation of watching Rainbow Dash confront the impossible while I balk a coward, like you do against facing Starlight at full strength. But perhaps this fight is no more hopeless than that of Dash against the other witches. Your inexperience seems to have made you overlook the danger that surrounds you.”
Could Deathblow beat all of these ponies, though? Dash scanned the crowd. The obvious answer would be ‘no’. He wouldn’t even stand a chance against Flash. Yet, as Deathblow had warned, Dash noticed a critical problem lurking just off to the side.
Lightning Dust had stopped smiling. She flew up to the branch of a nearby tree and watched Flash Bang through all this, unblinking and without humor, analyzing her commander’s every move, forced to take this seriously. She was, Dash realized, watching for any sign of weakness, to see if Flash would stumble at this challenge.
If Dash picked that up, so too did all the other pegasi. A wave of doubt had overtaken the dozen or so elite guards who remained. Some of them watched Lightning Dust to see how the wind was blowing.
Were these Flash’s most loyal troops? Right now, they seemed to be the ones she simply had around at the time, the ones who were fearless enough to charge towards this disaster without being ordered.
Distracted, Flash Bang was last to notice. She looked over the rest, shooting a deathly look up at Lightning Dust. Dust turned her hoof up at Flash Bang and reclined to watch the fight.
“Very well! Equestria is a land where the strong rise to their rightful place at the top!” Flash Bang had to make a statement at least half as bold as Deathblow’s and had to appear strong to the others. “You have no right for me to so much as know your name. I will personally kill this traitor. And I will do it alone! Nopony else interfere in this fight.”
“I would gladly accept such a death!” Deathblow rushed forward.
The other pegasi backed up.
Dash could just scarcely keep up with their movements. The Longinus’ ability to make copies of itself went into full effect. Spears all but rained down on the ground, creating a small wall that chased Deathblow as he made a small circle around Flash. Even a pony with Deathblow’s speed could just barely stay ahead.
Yet he managed and threw a dagger faster than a bullet at Flash. A small explosion surrounded Flash, blocking the dagger. Deathblow used the brief reprieve from the spears to charge in and slash.
Dash couldn’t tell if either of the two swipes connected, Flash leaned away from both of them. Then another explosion like the first threw Deathblow back. Then the spears returned, this time forcing him away, and managed to draw actual blood against him.
And once he was back a certain distance, Flash switched to firing those red, explosive shots from her wings. Now Deathblow was tumbling as he tried to keep ahead of it.
This wasn’t going to end well for Deathblow. If anything, Dash got the impression Flash could end this at any time but was playing it overly safe to avoid the risk of injury.
Dash noted that Flashbang seemed less dangerous the closer you got, and had a different strategy for each range. But she was thinking about this wrong. Dash wasn’t a warrior she was…
She had to come up with some kind of plan. She remembered Deathblow’s warning and knew what the best she could do in this scenario was.
Spitfire and Fleetfoot had to be nearby. Maybe if she could talk to either of them. But how to get them to land? Surely, they’d be drawn to the fight if it got any more bombastic.
“Derpy! Give me your gun!” Dash held her trembling hoof out.
Derpy contorted her face in confusion but trusted Dash enough to toss it over to her. It had to be Dash. She signaled for Derpy to put some distance between the two, then raised the gun.
Even a foal could shoot a gun, but it still felt incredibly heavy in Dash’s current state. She fired at Flash.
The bullet got nowhere close, but the attack worked. Flash turned to her, offended, disgusted that Dash would interrupt with such a pathetic attack.
“Don’t ignore me !” Dash called after Flash Bang. “I’m in this fight too!”
“There’s nothing you can do!” Flash shouted at her. But even then, that slight lapse of concentration did put Deathblow a half second to get closer to the range where Flash started attacking with her spear instead. “I’ll kill you when I’m done with the actual warrior.”
“What’s that?!” Dash shouted back. “Do you need a handicap? Fine. I’ll beat you without moving from this spot. Surely that should be enough.”
Dash drew a tight circle around herself with the muzzle of the gun. Not that she could do more than hobble around anyway. Then Dash reloaded the gun and took another shot, getting slightly closer this time.
She could tell it was taking willpower for Flash to resist the urge to take the bait and strike Dash down now. The ponies around her weren’t the type you could just take taunts and insults in front of. Dust in particular gave one of her manic laughs in response to Dash’s boast.
“Well?” Lightning Dust asked. “Do you need me to get Trashie Dashie for you?”
Dash had to keep an eye out for Dust as well.
“I’ll kill anypony who interferes!” Flash shot back at her. She knew she couldn’t ignore this any longer.
Her stance shifted to a more offensive one. She’d risk taking a hit or two to her body rather than her reputation.
Flash turned and launched just a single spear at Dash with deathly accuracy. Maybe all that training paid off just enough. She was able to cast the murder spell just in time. She hoped a few of the crows falling out of the circle didn’t count as breaking her handicap, but she was able to survive by reverting again, still inside.
Already panting, Dash doubted she had more than one more of those in her.
All that just to buy Deathblow another second. The dagger nicked Flash this time! But now Flash went on a proper offensive, forcing Deathblow on a back foot, one he couldn’t possibly hold up for long. Already, Flash was breaking through here and there, getting cut after cut with that spear.
Dash raised her gun and tried to steady another shot. But she’d used up too much strength already and couldn’t hold it straight. She had just as much chance of hitting Deathblow as Flash. Was there something else she could do with the gun?
Derpy ran over to Dash’s side and grabbed the gun and Dash’s hoof both. Dash looked at her with surprise.
“She might hit you too,” Dash warned.
“I’m fine with that.”
Derpy more than Dash aimed the gun at Flash and pulled the trigger.
The bullet connected with Flash’s back leg! Flash must have put zero odds at Dash getting an accurate shot!
“Heh! I think she forgot about you.” Dash turned to Derpy with a smile.
It didn’t do damage but getting even one hit in made Dust snicker. And this was a much bigger opportunity for Deathblow who slammed a hoof into Flash hard and stuck a dagger in her foreleg.
But just as Dash got her hopes up, she got what she originally planned for instead.
Another sphere of flames engulfed Flash. This one was far stronger than the first. It tore up the ground and set the nearby area on fire. It sent Deathblow flying straight through a tree and nearly pushed Dash out of her circle even from this range.
Flash gritted her teeth and turned to Dash. She spread her wings which began to glow a violent red. Another blast, a wave of flames that stretched halfway to the tree line and far into either direction came hurtling towards them, incinerating every plant on its way.
Well, that would get their attention like Dash wanted! She just had to survive this.
Spitfire and Fleetfoot soared high above the dark forest below. Starlight had engaged with yet another enemy it seemed, but one who didn’t directly threaten the planet. So it was best to just stay out of that.
She had to find Flash… or Dash or Lightning Dust or Fluttershy or anypony really.
There was still so much fighting going on down there that it was hard to tell who was where. And it looked like an army of Starlight loyalists were coming down from the north, one they didn’t have the forces to intercept at the moment.
A mountain of ice would mean those ghosts. A giant bear Trixie…
Instead, Spitfire got a wall of flames rising above the trees. She recognized that as one of Flash Bang’s more dramatic attacks. What the crow could she need that for? Either Flash was on the eighth about something or yet another major threat emerged.
“She might be doing something stupid,” Spitfire warned. “Get down there!”
With a burst of air, Fleetfoot vanished from sight just as the wall of flames began its forward thrust. Spitfire followed a bit more slowly.
Something crashed into Dash hard just moments before the wall approached. Dash could just barely make out some blue fur before they darted up into the air.
It was Fleetfoot! She must have come in and bounced off the ground, taking Dash and Derpy with her. Though she could hardly see what was going on, she felt the fire and was certain it was already scorching her wings.
Fleetfoot arched her back like a pole-vaulter, getting just over the advancing wall. She’d managed by the slimmest margin, still getting a little burned, and lost control at the top of that arc. All three pegasi broke apart and went tumbling to the ground.
Dash focused on her mission. One wing was broken and the other refused to move, but still she forced it to give a single, hard flap to steer the fall landed back in her circle. The flames had melted the ground and reduced the trees to scorched twigs, but it had made her circle into a solid feature.
Impressed with her last-minute thinking, Dash stood back up with a sudden second wing, smiling through her labored breaths with one eye open as the other two crash-landed behind her.
“Looks like that didn’t budge me an inch!” Dash taunted. “Try harder.”
“Bahahahaha!” Lightning Dust pointed to Dash, doubling over in laughter.
Dash started laughing as well, despite everything. The pain all but vanished for that brief instance.
“I can barely even stand up and you can’t even push me over?” Dash asked. “Maybe try using some of that noble family lineage this time? Or wait, wasn’t your namesake just some grifter like me?”
Flash clenched her teeth and stood far too motionless, but otherwise retained her composure.
Fleetfoot had recovered from that maneuver and looked over the scene, Dash and Dust both laughing manically while Flash remained deathly still.
“Okay, what’s going on?” Fleetfoot asked.
Deathblow got back to his feet about that time too, brandishing a new sword as he faced Flash. Even through all that, Flash had the restraint to keep her focus primarily on him.
“The three of us and this coward are engaged in a noble duel to the death,” said Deathblow.
“Yeah, but why?” Fleetfoot tilted her head.
“These three are traitors to Equestria!” Flash declared. “They’ve put the nation at risk! I’ve ordered their execution and intended to carry it out myself.”
Spitfire landed next, much to Fleetfoot’s relief.
The moment Deathblow saw Spitfire land next to Dash, his tactics changed. He shifted his own stance and charged wildly this time at Flash.
The attack took Flash Bang off guard. The two of them moved forward and traded blows. Deathblow was seemingly suddenly willing to take a serious hit just for the chance to slash Flash’s forehead. He did manage a nasty gash just above her brow.
Flash Bang mostly allowed this attack to go through because it was a good trade for her. She managed to impale him at the base of his right wing. That was the easiest part of a pegasi’s wing bones to shatter and the sound left little doubt that was what happened.
Deathblow wouldn’t be able to fly for a while after that.
But Dash knew what he was going for. It was hard to stop the bleeding above the forehead. Even with light rain, it would make visibility a big problem for Flash Bang. Already she was squinting to keep focus.
That guy had more confidence in Dash than she did herself.
Deathblow jumped back and prepared to hold out against Flash’s incoming assault for as long as possible.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s going on?” Spitfire asked.
“You already know what’s going on,” said Dash. “Flash is going to kill the three of us and anypony else they need to make a point. You saw that yourself. I brought you here to make a decision. So make it.”
Spitfire watched the ‘fight’ between Deathblow and Flash, which had grown overwhelmingly one-sided. It was only a question of how much of a beating Deathblow could take before passing out at this point.
She watched Flash specifically.
The scariest part was… Spitfire may very well have agreed with Flash just a year ago. If there was no other choice, wouldn’t it be better to sacrifice tens of thousands to save millions? And she would have thought herself wise for putting aside the foolish, childish nativity that Rainbow Dash held onto. The naivety to believe something was possible when any wise pony would tell you it wasn’t.
And yet here was Dash, still ready to stand and fight a battle beyond hopeless. And this wasn’t the first time this pony had been here.
It stirred something buried in Spitfire’s heart, deep beneath the cynical wisdom of age. She wanted to remember what it was like.
Deathblow slammed up against the ground, then Flash landed on top of him. He was already out cold, but Flash Bang held him against the ground, repeatedly smashing his face with her hoof. She was seriously going to kill him!
“Flash Bang!” Spitfire flew up to pull her off. “Stop this!”
Spitfire wouldn’t have been able to restrain her. Flash Bang stopped just before the killing blow. Though frankly, Spitfire wasn’t sure if Deathblow would survive already.
“Fine.” Flash Bang regained her composure. “But Deathblow will be executed for treason. Properly.”
Then she turned her eyes to Rainbow Dash and took out her spear.
“No. I meant stop the fight entirely.” Spitfire stood between Flash Bang and Rainbow Dash. “I’m taking Rainbow Dash and Deathblow–”
An unfamiliar grey pegasus who had been at Dash’s side up until then stood up firm and looked at Spitfire with held breath.
“And whoever this is with me. And I’m leaving,” said Spitfire. “For good.”
Flash Bang left Deathblow to the dirt and turned on Spitfire with deathly seriousness.
“You realize what Rainbow Dash has done, don’t you?” Flash Bang asked. “Defeating Starlight may very well become impossible thanks to her!”
“Or maybe it hasn’t,” said Spitfire. “Maybe you were about to sacrifice all those ponies for nothing. We don’t know yet.”
“I had hoped you’d moved beyond this blind and toxic optimism,” said Flash. “You can’t just believe things will magically work out for everyone. You have to face reality.”
“If I’m up against reality,” said Spitfire. “Then so be it.”
“Listen to you. Do you even have a plan?” Flash stepped forward, sweeping one wing to the side. “You kill me and then what?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Spitfire turned to Dash. “But… I believe in Rainbow Dash.”
“You believe in–?!” It was like Flash had an aneurysm. That statement did more damage than Deathblow had managed. “In this pathetic idiot?! Who can’t even stand up straight? She has done nothing but cower behind the witch Twilight Sparkle and take credit. You're pinning your hopes and dreams to a smokescreen?”
“You owe everything to Twilight as well,” Dash reminded her.
“More lies from the charlatan? No one will ever listen to you again.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know,” said Rainbow Dash. “That spear has a small amount of mind fiber in it… you must have kept the secret of how to use a small amount within your family all this time. You have to know on some level. Flash Sentry was a thief and you just inherited what he stole.”
In reality, Dash had no idea how much Flash Bang knew about all that, but her explanation was plausible enough to perhaps cast some doubts. It did strike a chord with her.
“Flash Sentry was a great hero! As were nearly all of my ancestors. You have no proof for any of this!”
“Look.” Dash spread her forelegs wide. “We’re not so different is what I’m getting at.”
Flash almost gave in to the urge to splatter Dash but again composed herself.
“If you side with her you’ll be throwing your life away to no end,” Flash warned Spitfire. “There is no chance of accomplishing anything by following her. You’ll hardly do any better than that other geriatric pony.”
Spitfire swallowed. Maybe Flash Bang was right.
Maybe.
“Fleetfoot,” Spitfire turned to her junior. “I’m going to do something really stupid now.”
“I’m with you.” Fleetfoot jumped immediately to her side.
“You too?” Flash Bang glowered darkly.
“Honestly, I’m kind of glad.” Fleetfoot adjusted her goggles. “I know Rainbow Dash’s side can protect Equestria better than yours. I kind of wanted her to win this whole time.”
“Silverstorm is dead,” Flash Bang reminded her.
“I meant without Silverstorm even,” Fleetfoot added.
“The two of you don’t stand a chance.” Flash merely shook her head.
“Four,” Dash reminded. “I didn’t see you push me out of the circle yet!”
Dash was getting closer. Flash’s eye twitched at the remark.
One of Flash’s lieutenants trotted over to her side.
“This is getting to be too much,” he said. “Nopony here doubts you, Flash! Order the ponies here to charge. We can kill the remaining four without a scratch.”
“Move back,” Flash ordered instead.
The lieutenant restrained a pained cringe at the order.
“Ma’am, we don’t want to waste time or risk–”
“Anypony who interferes with this fight will be branded a traitor,” Flash called to the rest of them. “Now move back! I don’t want to have to restrain myself because of the rest of you.”
Most of them did. Save Lightning Dust who flew up to a tree to get a better look. It seemed Flash would allow that much.
They all moved slowly into position. The grey pegasus moved closer to Dash. Spitfire to the left, Fleetfoot to the right, Flash slowly backward.
Spitfire was keenly aware of Flash Bang’s skills and of the closest thing to a weakness she could be said to have.
There really wasn’t any good option when fighting a pony like this. Too far away and she could bombard you with endless flash bang shots. Get too close and she’d create a short-range air blast throwing you off.
That spear, the Longinus, was her way of mitigating the dead zone between those two options. She was, essentially, an opponent nopony short of a witch could fight against. Without the Longinus, she was far closer to a mere mortal.
She didn’t need to clue Fleetfoot in on the plan. They had discussed how they would fight just about everypony, including Flash, if it ever came to that. ‘Get rid of the spear’ was their main plan.
That might be the closest to winning they could get. But if that was all that was in sight, Spitfire would make that the entirety of her goal.
Spitfire had one other major advantage; the hits landed by Deathblow. The deep cut over Flash’s forehead left serious visibility issues. The bleeding was already slowing as Flash had partially burned it shut with fire, but Spitfire knew if she could just get one good hit on it, to reopen the wound, Fleetfoot would get her chance.
It seemed he also got a few hits on her rear left leg. He was the one to fight this pony at full strength so even that much was impressive.
Fleetfoot took off at her unmatchable speeds, then came back, producing several of her steel polls from her bag of holding. Flash knew not to try blocking these as the kinetic force would be far too extreme. She flew up, leaving the bars to bury themselves in newly-formed craters, and tried to pin Fleetfoot with the spears as the latter passed. They didn’t get close, but Flash would hit eventually.
Flash ignored Spitfire as she charged in, focusing on trying to shoot down Fleetfoot with her long-ranged attacks.
She was writing Spitfire off for the most part! Hardly spared Spitfire a look as she got in close to take a swing at her eye. But Flash did create a close-ranged airburst to throw Spitfire back at the last minute, then a hail of spears as she moved into striking range.
Through it, Flash kept her eyes on Fleetfoot, waiting for the coming second wave. She might have been right. The blow felt far too heavy and even without paying attention, Flash cut Spitfire several times.
Fleetfoot was coming in hot again for a second barrage. After the last fight, she wouldn’t have much ammo left. There was still an anchor… Spitfire couldn’t remember how many shots! She’d need to assume one more at most! She had to make this next blitz count.
This time, from her bag, Fleetfoot threw out three waves of bullets and nails on the approach, enough to blanket the area with lethal force. Spitfire knew it was three because they rehearsed this.
The first wave came in. Flash let out an airburst to deflect the bullets, Spitfire sucked up the pain and charged behind her to use Flash as a shield. Holes littered the ground all around Spitfire.
The second wave came. Flash created a wall of spears that shattered on contact. Spitfire wrapped herself in flames and got ready.
Flash looked down at Spitfire, just outside range of an airburst. But if she tried to spear her she’d be torn to ribbons by the incoming shrapnel. With no other option, she used an airburst to protect herself from the final wave and Spitfire charged at full speed.
For a second she felt as though she were moving at her old speeds! That she could match Flash just this one time!
But as she got in to slam a hoof into Flash’s skull, Flash moved slightly to the side and punched her incoming hoof out of the way. Hard too! Spitfire had no idea if it was broken or not!
With one eye on Fleetfoot, Flash grabbed Spitfire by the collar and pulled her in for a knock-out punch.
This was it! Spitfire’s last chance! She couldn’t use her hooves! So…
Spitfire summoned what strength she had left and slammed her head against Flash’s. The headbutt likely did more damage to Spitfire, but she got what she’d wanted. The cut reopened, worse than before.
Her head spun as her skull reverberated. Flash threw her back.
Flash struggled to keep her eyes open, but the diluted blood pouring in was too much. She was forced to close her eyes and wipe and that one second Spitfire managed to buy was enough for Fleetfoot.
A blue blur came in from the side. Magic too much, Spitfire threw a rock as the grey pegasus fired off her gun. It was just enough for Fleetfoot to tackle Flash, grab the spear, and fly off into the sky.
Fleetfoot soared as high and as fast as she could. Getting the spear was one thing, keeping it away was another. She had to bring it somewhere Flash couldn’t retrieve it. Thankfully, she had just such a trick.
Keeping her eyes on the stars, she struggled to move even faster. It got harder to keep your speed up the higher you went. There was a certain altitude, called the star barrier, where flight was impossible beyond. Momentum could carry you beyond it, however, if you had enough speed.
She quickly approached this point, the height at which she couldn’t breathe, and the cold grew painful. Then soared past the star barrier.
This was a trick she’d done successfully a few times. At the last possible moment, Fleetfoot pulled back and threw the spear up with all of her momentum, breaking her speed so that it could fly out of sight toward the stars.
She was certain that was enough! It wasn’t in orbit, exactly, but high enough that it wouldn’t come back down to this point for a long time. And Fleetfoot alone had the speed to even come up this high. She literally held the world record for that.
Fleetfoot arched her back as she looked back down at the planet, the clouds far below her. It was so dammed cold up here that the mounting friction was a warming presence to her. She smiled at the thought of Flash reacting to such an amazing trick.
But Flash wasn’t there.
She hadn’t chased Fleetfoot! Which meant… she’d gone on the attack against Spitfire instead.
To get in and save everypony in time, Fleetfoot might have no other choice than to go with her option of last resort. As she fell back below the star barrier, Fleetfoot picked up her speed again, moving in for a dive-bomb.
Flash hadn’t given chase to Fleetfoot! Spitfire would have to somehow hold out until she got back.
Spitfire didn’t feel like she had a chance to beat Flash Bang alone even now. But without the spear she at least had options. There was that small gap between three and eight meters where fighting her was at least conceivable.
The plan was clear, but easier said than done. ‘Just keep a pony who can break the sound barrier at a very specific range where her attacks will be less effective’. It wouldn’t sound far off from mockery.
Flash rushed in close and tried to activate a burst. Spitfire pulled back, just barely out of the range of the ensuing air bursts. Two more hops back with Flash Bang charging at her with more blasts.
She picked up speed, struggling to put distance but not too much between the two of them. Spitfire wrapped her body in flames, hurling fireballs the size of her own body at Flash Bang. Flash merely lowered her head and took the brunt of the attacks.
She acted like it was nothing, but Spitfire knew this was causing real damage.
Flash Bang pulled back at the last moment and fired off a shot from her wings at Spitfire. She had no choice but to charge straight into the incoming projectiles. Struggling to reverse her momentum, Spitfire threw herself forward.
Her vulcan shots acted like rockets, picking up speed as they went and exploding only after reaching a certain speed. In this range, they wouldn’t pack a tenth of their full punch. They still stung, but this much Spitfire could handle. She’d just dodged serious damage from them.
Then Flash Bang jumped forward, landing next to her with another explosion. It was all Spitfire could do to keep the blast from throwing her back at the long-range shot. If Flash Bang had her spear still, it would have led to a killing blow for certain.
It wasn’t working. Spitfire didn’t have the agility to outlast Flash. A more aggressive stance was her only real hope!
Flash Bang tried to pull back to put Spitfire into long-range. Spitfire wrapped herself in fire and blasted herself forward.
Summoning all her strength, she created her own explosion that just barely matched Flash Bang’s. She had a brief second now! Pushing past her pain, Spitfire swung her hoof at Flash Bang’s head, above her right brow, where she was already injured.
Spitfire connected, glancing Flash. She punched again and again, wildly, trying hard to at least damage the skull.
But Flash regained her focus and with one punch to the gut returned more punishment than Spitfire had delivered. Another air burst sent Spitfire back and left her exhausted on the ground.
By the time she recovered, Flash Bang was high up enough in the air to deliver a fatal barrage.
But all hope wasn’t lost. Her last attack worked a little. No way Flash would be seeing through that eye any longer. The bone had to have had a crack in it by now!
Spitfire glanced at the sky, seeing the angle Fleetfoot was coming in at. If she turned Flash thirty degrees, then Fleetfoot would be returning to a blind spot.
She rolled to the side and threw herself forward. Her wings were numb. She could collapse at any moment, but she had to move forward. She needed to use the fire, not even to speed up but just to keep moving with how badly damaged her wings had gotten.
Spitfire didn’t manage to escape the explosions entirely, but she did get just high enough to survive. The shockwaves made her approach even faster!
Then they met with another clash of explosions. This time it didn’t go so well for Spitfire. Her forelegs didn’t respond fast enough. Flash Bang grabbed Spitfire and threw her down.
Spitfire never even saw the ground coming, felt only the thunderclap as everything went white and her ears rang. She was too disoriented to even know if she was face up or down in the mud.
She squinted and held her head tight, trying to focus. Just enough vision came back to her to see Flash Bang glowing bright red, preparing a killing shot.
A blue blur sped into sight. Fleetfoot made contact at full speed.
Spitfire, unable to do more, fell onto her back.
Fleetfoot took out her remaining anchor and slammed into Flash at maximum speed.
There was a reason she always threw things at ponies rather than punching them at this speed. Crashing into a pony at these incredible speeds hurt. Even holding the anchor sent a wave of pain through Fleetfoot’s body. She knew she’d broken at least one bone but couldn’t tell which at the moment.
And yet somehow, it wasn’t enough to knock Flash out. They both undoubtedly had broken bones, but Fleetfoot wasn’t even sure if she was ahead in that contest.
The two of them were flying forward at uncontrollable speeds, Fleetfoot driving them forward, continuing to fly into the attack. It didn’t kill Flash Bang, but even she couldn’t take that without being stunned.
Hoping to do maximum damage, Fleetfoot held the catatonic pegasus in front of her. The trees in their way shattered like glass around them, each collision rocking Fleetfoot, sending splinters into her sides. She tried to hold on, tried to remind herself that Flash Bang would be taking even more damage than herself!
But everything rocked too much! Her grip was slipping too fast.
She couldn’t hold on much longer than that! Fleetfoot went spiraling out of control, Flash Bang falling to the ground as she slammed directly into a tree.
And then… out cold.
Everypony looked out into the forest, a newly cleared path stretching perhaps a mile long. By this point, they were all standing in a circle of ashen debris surrounded by forest. It was easily the most brutal crash Dash had ever witnessed and doubted any of the others had by how they all looked on with pained expressions of their own.
Did either of them even survive that crash?! Neither of them came back yet, so Dash could only assume they were both knocked out.
Dash turned back to the other dozen or so pegasi who’d been watching the fight from a distance, now gathering around her.
Maybe there was a flaw in this plan!
Dash had no idea what to do with them now that Flash Bang’s orders weren’t keeping them back.
“Um! Looks like we win!” Dash raised Derpy’s hoof. Derpy nodded along eagerly. “You guys can all go home now. Those are the rules.”
“We agreed to nothing.” The lieutenant from before raised a hoof and all the guns pointed at Dash. “You didn’t even remotely win.”
“I’m still in the circle, aren’t I?” Dash asked. “Your best pony couldn’t even budge me an inch. I think I proved my point about who the superior pegasus is.”
This guy turned out to be easier to mess with than Flash, growing contempt at the taunt immediately.
“Stop pretending like you did anything! This is a draw at best when you had Flash outnumbered five to one. No, four to one because a charlatan like you doesn’t even count! This proves nothing. All of you are traitors and will be executed. Even Spitfire.”
Grapeshot turned a scornful eye on Spitfire, considering whether to execute her first.
“Now hold up.” Lightning Dust flew in between Dash and the others. “If Flash Bang is gone, I’m the one in charge here.”
The lieutenant kept his hoof up, ready to order a barrage.
“Oh, now you want to challenge me? Defy the chain of command and declare yourself king?” Lightning Dust trotted towards him. “You’re really going to go out like this? If you defy my orders, you’re the one getting executed.”
The lieutenant’s hoof trembled. Finally, he closed his eyes and withdrew his hoof.
Lightning Dust spat in his direction, muttering something about sniveling cowards.
She moved closer to Dash, prancing slightly in place as if warming up for a fight.
“Hehehe! I want to take my turn.” Lightning Dust trotted up to Dash. “Let’s see if I can succeed where Flash Bang failed and knock the mighty Rainbow Dash out of the circle.”
Derpy kept her gun up, but Dust had no concern for it as she pressed a hoof against Dash’s chest. With a single shove, Dash went tumbling out of the circle.
“Bahahaha!” Dust spun around to face the others with an elated smile. “Oh, wow! That was so hard. Looks like I’m the best, huh?”
They were too nervous to applaud, much to Dust’s annoyance.
“You know I let you do that, right?” Dash struggled to get back up, needing Derpy’s help.
Dust looked back at Dash with a raised brow before laughing again.
“You’re on the eighth, Trash,” she said with a smile. “I like that. You’re not so bad. So I respect your decision to go out fighting. I’ll break your neck instantly so your body will be mostly intact for the funeral.”
Dust’s hoof glowed with electricity.
“Uh! How about instead of that, you swear your loyalty to me?” Dash blurted out the boldest statement she could. “I’ll overlook everything you’ve done up until now.”
“You don’t give up, huh? Okay, I’ll bite. What do you have to offer, exactly?” Dust asked.
“You remember what I said before,” said Dash. “I have the one thing you want.”
“Pfft. And what’s that, exactly? Friendship? Please. I got action figures made of me; you know. I could–”
A commotion and a wave of cheers interrupted their conversation. Both looked to see.
Flash!
She was walking slowly, but walking. Covered in horrible cuts, keeping one hind leg off the ground, one wing drooping to the ground and one eye closed tight, enough splinters lodged in her to give her the appearance of spines, but still standing she stared death at Dash as she slowly approached.
“You see?!” The lieutenant, suddenly elated at his vindication, cheered for her. “Trash like you is nothing compared to a truly superior pegasus! All of you together weren’t enough!”
Flash Bang had survived that without even being knocked out! Dash couldn’t even think of a way to hit her harder.
Flash Bang looked in horrible shape, but even still Dash doubted she and Derpy would be enough to finish this off.
Derpy came to the same conclusion. Terror filled her eyes, but as promised she didn’t leave Dash’s side. She raised the gun and pointed it at Flash Bang. That wound on her skull seemed the only possible target.
“Uh!” Derpy fired the gun.
Flash Bang darted to one side away from the bullet, then back toward Derpy. A single hook to the face knocked her out cold and sent her into a pile of charred debris.
Dash still saw an opportunity! She was so close. If she could just instigate a fight between these two!
Though she might not have time. Flash pulled back for a punch that would explode Dash’s head.
“Hold up a second.” Lightning Dust put a hoof on Flash Bangs withers. “There’s something I want to talk to her about first.”
“I think you should listen to Dust,” said Dash. “I mean, she knocked me out of the circle, just saying.”
Flash Bang brushed her aside roughly. Dust grabbed onto her again, more sternly this time.
“Look, we already won. Dash was going to say something! She’s not dying until we finish our conversation.” Dust moved back in to Dash. “What? What is it you have, huh?”
Before Dash could even stall for time, Flash Bang grabbed Lightning Dust and pushed her back.
“I’ve had enough of this! No more games!” Flash Bang shouted at her, pulling her hoof back again.
Dust pulled her back a second time, only for Flash to throw her onto the ground this time.
“I’m not afraid of you,” Dash said to Flash, drawing her attention again. “Dust is the only strong one left here. I think you should listen to her.”
“Yeah.” Dust got up and shoved Flash’s chest. “How about you just sit this one out? Get a band aid? I got this. Unlike you, I can take her.”
The two stared unblinking into each other’s eyes. Just one more push.
“I think you better do it, Flash,” said Dash.
Flash snarled and pushed Dust back, Dust returned the shove and got a harder one in return.
Lightning Dust punched Flash hard in the brow, her most damaged spot, enough to make Flash flinch.
Flash Bang growled and moved back to Dust to make a serious punch at her head. Dust cowled herself in lightning, automatically sidestepping the attack.
Flash Bang’s movements were different now. They were still beyond anything Dash could have hoped to achieve herself, but relative to before they were sluggish and clumsy. Dust had little trouble deftly dodging out of the way.
She shoved Flash Bang back with a hoof, causing the other pegasus to slide back on her hooves.
“Heh.” Dust smiled. “You know… I might actually be able to beat you when you’re like this.”
The two stared each other down in a long silence.
“You’re seriously doing this?” Flash Bang asked in a calm rage.
“If you keep disrespecting me like this, yes.” Dust nodded. “Rainbow Dash–”
“I’ve had enough of this!” Flash Bang turned to the pegasi standing by still after all this time. “Everypony! I order you to kill Rainbow Dash!”
They finally moved into action.
“Anypony who follows that order is dead!” Lightning Dust barked at them, louder than Flash Bang.
A few of them stopped hard, unsure of who to follow, but a good half moved to fire their guns or moved forward. Lightning Dust charged toward the forward-most attacker, grabbed his head, and slammed it down into the dirt hard enough to stall the remaining pegasi.
“I’m tired of you disrespecting me like this!” Lightning Dust kept eye contact with Flash Bang as she held the one pegasus’ head down on the ground. “The rest of you have to choose right now. Me or Flash. Pick wrong and you’re dead.”
“As if any of us would–” The lieutenant began.
Lightning Dust slapped him before he could finish.
“Flash Bang is through,” Lightning Dust warned the others. “All the S-rankers on her side betrayed her just now. You think she’s going to lead Equestria? Then you already got brain damage.”
None of them had much time to think it over, but Lightning Dust’s words cut even that lieutenant. Quick to show whose side he was on, one of the other stallions jumped forward and grabbed the lieutenant from behind, holding him in a choking position.
Two more ponies went for that stallion, while yet another went to fight them off.
Before long, the strike force had devolved into fighting one another. Dash could hardly tell which side was the majority or even who was on her side after a few moments. But one thing was clear now. Even if Flash Bang won at this point, it was over. She could never recover from this.
Lightning Dust pointed at the spectacle laughing before turning back to an enraged and broken Flash Bang.
“Think you can take me?” Dust asked Flash. “Bet you wish you gave me those ten seconds now, huh?”
“I don’t think you understand how far beneath me you really are.” Flash Bang moved back into a combat stance. “My family is the greatest lineage of pegasi. All of you are mongrels compared to me! You think even like this you can beat me?”
Flash spread her wings out farther than she had before, they glowed brighter with magic than Dash had yet seen. Then she fired her barrage at Dust. Her regard for the others had dried up. Explosions spread out everywhere, demolishing trees amidst the fighting pegasi. Even Grapeshot had to duck out of the way of one of them.
“Boss!” The lieutenant cried out. “Be careful!”
“Shut up!” Flash Bang fired off scores of such shots with no regard for anypony but Lightning Dust.
The fighting broke up as ponies scrambled to get out of the way.
Even with her electric cowl, Lightning Dust could just barely manage to dodge out of the way of the incoming barrage. Trees snapped like twigs and fire began to spread, but Dust just barely managed to dart in between the explosions.
Flash Bang growled, deeming it necessary to escalate the situation even further. She put her eyes instead on Dash and Derpy and soared into the skies.
From below, Dash could see Flash Bang’s wings growing much brighter. She’d been holding back before but no more. A barrage unlike anything up until now was coming, would obliterate the ground.
Dust and two other pegasi came to Dash and Derpy’s side.
“Get Derpy first!” Dash called out to the two of them, gesturing to her unconscious friend.
They didn’t hesitate to follow her orders, airlifting Derpy away.
Flash Bang’s wings glowed a second time. All pretense about sparing the other pegasi was gone now. They all scrambled to get off the ground.
“Uh.” Lightning Dust glanced at Dash then back at Flash Bang. “Sorry, bro. You might die now. I ain’t carrying you and fighting Flash at the same time.”
“Grab a crow!” Dash yelled.
Lightning Dust blinked but got what Dash meant when she cast the murder spell. Even that much was a strain, and the crows couldn’t fly, but Dust could carry one. Clenching a crow in her teeth, Dust soared upwards as the charges rained down.
The ground erupted into explosions, and everything below was obliterated in an explosion of light and fury. Not that there was much left in the ring where they’d been fighting. But the edges of the blast created a ring of fire.
Below them was nothing but fire. Dash remembered Spitfire and Deathblow were down there somewhere! Unless some other pegasus airlifted them too- There was nothing she could do for them at the moment but hope.
An unfamiliar green mare came in from behind Flash Bang and stabbed her through the wing with the tip of a bayonet.
“I’m with you!” She called out to Lightning Dust, trying to grab Flash Bang from behind.
Even that wasn’t enough. Flash Bang spun hard enough to throw this new ally off and down into the fire below.
She was still somehow flying after that, though just barely, lopsided toward what had been the weaker wing just moments ago.
Two more stallions flew to Lightning Dust’s side. There were two more ponies with Derpy, trying to find a place to set her down. They headed towards a patch of woods that wasn’t currently on fire. Other than them, the rest vanished one way or the other.
Dash couldn’t see that second-in-command guy anywhere. It looked as if only ponies on Dash's side remained.
The two stallions nodded to Lightning Dust and the three of them charged forward, Dust head-on and the two curving toward either side.
Flash Bang didn’t even try to aim for Dust at this point. She shot more explosive charges toward the stallion to her right flank. Her once dead aim had been degraded to the point she needed a barrage of shots to hit him, but she did blow that one out of the sky.
The remaining assailants reached Flash Bang and attacked him at once. The stallion grappled her while Dust began wailing on Flash Bang with her hooves, aiming for whatever looked the most wounded.
After seeming so invincible for so long, Flash Bang was finally showing signs of weakness, enough that Dash believed any one of these punches might be the one to finally knock her out.
Flash summoned another air blast that sent the pony holding her back, but Dust got one more electrified blow to the head just after. Flash Bang’s eyes rolled back, and her body went limp, falling.
Dash could feel the mouth that held her contort into a smile, too prematurely sure that Dust won. Dust pulled back, ready to hit her one last time on the way down.
Flash Bang regained her barring on the way back down and spun to drop-kick an off-guard Dust. And soon everypony was falling towards the ground.
At least they didn’t land in the burning part of the forest. Dash’s small, crow body took little damage from falling so she merely reverted soon after.
Dash found Derpy and those two ponies from before not far away. Lightning Dust had crashed off to one side but was getting up.
It looked like those two had been busy this whole time after all. They’d dragged out Deathblow, Spitfire, and four other pegasi from the spreading forest fire. Of those rescued, only Spitfire and a delirious mare remained awake.
Spitfire coughed, struggling and failing to stand up. She was borderline delirious herself and could pass out from the smoke at any minute. They needed to get out of there before the fire spread further.
It was just Lightning Dust left in the fight.
Flash Bang hacked up something, but still, her eyes went dead on Dash and Derpy.
The fire spread behind Flash Bang as she hobbled toward the three of them, her body glowing brighter and brighter. Flash Bang might only have one shot left, but it was going to be enormous.
One of the two spares panicked at the sight and fled.
Dust looked around, calculating her options. Dash couldn’t cast the murder spell again. There were only two ponies here who could fly. Not nearly enough.
“You know, if I just fly up and ditch you, I’m sure to win,” Lightning Dust looked towards Flash Bang fatalistically. “I won’t be able to save all of you and I know you won’t let me choose you over whoever that even is. But I kind of want you to live so my only chance of saving you both is to try and hit Flash Bang head-on. All of us are gonna die if I can’t match her. If I pull this off, we’ll just say everything is even.”
Dash nodded. That probably was the best shot any of them had now.
Flash Bang couldn’t possibly have enough strength left at this point, could she? Lightning Dust had to be able to match her by now!
Dust took a step forward and began summoning as much electricity into her body as she could manage. Both of them were winding up to throw everything they had at one another, neither attacking too early, until they had summoned every ounce of strength, in some silent agreement.
Whatever was coming would be intense. Just the backlash alone might be enough to knock Dash out. If she lost, she’d never know it.
Whatever hope Spitfire could offer vanished as she collapsed coughing on the ground, passing out a second time. Flash Bang sparing only a glance to make sure she was out of the picture before finally–
A gunshot!
A bullet slammed into Flash Bang's head, right to where her brow had already cracked. It bounced off her skull, but the force was just enough to make her clench her teeth. She took a step back, all the glow and momentum vanishing.
Dash had no idea who was even left to fire a gun at this point. Somepony standing right behind her? Dash turned to find Derpy back on her haunches.
Derpy was sitting back up, still bleeding from her brow and only able to open one eye. But that eye was all she needed. Derpy held the smoking gun and panted as she stared straight at Flash Bang! Had she just pretended?!
Lightning Dust’s eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t let that split second go to waste. She pulled back much farther to put everything she had in one wild attack.
Lightning Dust’s hoof glowed with the brightest blue, lighting up the whole area. The punch seemed to freeze time for the briefest of seconds as Flash too glowed blue. Then reality sank in. The other pegasus flew back so fast that any onlooker could have easily mistaken it for a massive lightning bolt.
As she vanished from sight, the realization sank in.
Dash… had done it!