"There she is." Halcyon said, pointing at a red dot on the tablet screen. It was getting closer and closer to their current location.
The royal guards had set up a barricade outside Rainbow's house.
Shining Armor brought a mega phone up to his mouth. "Val! Surrender now!"
"Why the buck would you say that?" Blaze raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Because it feels like a moment where you say something like that? You know, happens in movies and crap." Shining Armor shrugged.
"And they never really surrender in the movies either." Blaze noted.
Shining Armor shrugged again. "Blast her!" he yelled instead.
The car Val was in continued to hurtle towards them, a growing dot in the night; illuminated by the street lights behind it.
"Is she going to stop?" Blaze asked.
Shining Armor watched it for a moment, and saw no signs of Val slowing down. "Nope." he said. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" he yelled, diving to the side.
The roof of the car was ripped off and tumbled away into the night. Val leaped out, flipping back and out of the way of the car.
The royal guards dived to the sides as the car hurtled towards them, slamming into and denting the side of their armored truck. The truck tipped, and the car bounced up into the sky. It flew up into the air and tumbled into the second level of Rainbow's house, smashing a hole in the wall.
"Shotgun not telling Dash about that." Shining Armor called as he got up.
"Shoot her!" Blaze yelled, his horn glowing and a small flame appearing in his right hoof.
"Starshine! Did you evacuate the neighborhood?" Halcyon asked as the night was lit up by muzzle flares.
"I, uh, forgot..." a royal guard said sheepishly.
"You're an idiot! Evacuate them now!" Halcyon yelled.
"But why? It's just a small gun fight between one pony-"
Blaze sent a fireball towards Val, who darted away. The fireball hit the road and erupted into an explosion, lighting up the sky.
"Right. Forgot about that." Storm said, galloping off to get the neighbors out- but by this time they were already scrambling away in their pajamas.
Val darted towards Blaze, a knife flashing as she flicked it down into her hand from her sleeve.
Blaze unslung the rifle on his back with his left hoof, while sending a continuous stream of flame towards Val with his right.
Val leaped over the flames, the knife ready to be brought down.
Blaze flicked it away with the stock of his rifle, then spun it into his shoulder, pulling the trigger. The bullet grazed Val's face as she leaned to the left, drawing blood.
There was a gentle tap behind her as Halcyon landed on the gravel road, crushing a water filled canister between her teeth. The water spilled out, but levitated in the air as her horn glowed, her piercing ice-blue eyes narrowed in concentration.
The water morphed, turning into a super sonic stream. It jetted towards Val, who split it in half with the edge of her knife.
It turned out that the water was part of a much larger plan. Blaze's horn glowed, turning the water around Val into gas.
Blaze had cast a spell on the water, separating it into hydrogen and oxygen gases- two flammable and explosive gases.
Halcyon jumped back as Blaze ignited a spark.
The air around Val rippled, then exploded outwards violently. The flames towered high over the sky, and could be seen for miles. There was no debris, so the ponies outside the blast were safe. That is, everypony except Val.
They could see a dark shadow in the center of a large scorch mark through the smoke, and as it cleared; it truly revealed the horror.
Val had her entire face burnt off, left with nothing but a skull with small pieces of muscle and flesh still stuck to it. Her coat had burned away, and so did her skin. Her metal half had lost its shine, but the lights were still on.
Glowing pixels appeared out of thin air around her, then closed around her as she slowly stood up. The glow faded, and she was back to normal, without the slightest scar.
"Why won't you understand..." she bent down to pick up her knife. "Science is stronger than magic."
Blaze bared his teeth.
"I'm going to get what I came here for. And none of you are going to stop me." Val ran a finger along the burnt area of the knife, revealing the shine underneath.
Suddenly she was illuminated by two bright lights from an orange sports car, and disappeared with an orange flash as Rainbow drove the car straight into her.
Rainbow stomped on the brakes, turning the steering wheel. The tires screamed as they skid on the road, then slid to a halt. Smoke rose into the air along with the scent of burnt rubber.
Val got up to her hooves, her head at an odd angle and her right arm missing. She grabbed hold of her head with her left hand, and yanked it back into place with a sickening crunch. She then bent down to pick up her severed arm, which grew back into her shoulder with the help of pixels.
"There you are." she grinned.
Rainbow didn't reply. Instead, she whipped out her pistol and punched three rounds into Val's chest, five in the head. Then in one swift motion, she threw away the empty pistol and pulled out a metal capsule with a pulsing red light.
Val healed her wounds, then charged at her.
Rainbow brought the broad blade down, and Val blocked it with her tiny knife; bending it. The ground beneath Val cracked as she was forced to kneel. Rainbow ripped the cleaver away, then swung it back into Val's side.
Val blocked it with her mechanical hands, throwing the knife away. She forced the cleaver into the ground, but Rainbow had already kicked her in the chest, sending her flying back. Rainbow yanked the cleaver out.
Val tumbled across the road and hit a wall on the far end.
"You're going down." Rainbow said, the red crystal on the cleaver casting a crimson glow across her face as she walked towards Val.
Val leaped up, blades popping out of her knuckles. Rainbow tried bringing the cleaver up to defend herself, but Val was faster.
There was a loud bang, and Rainbow felt the air pressure around her change. Her ears popped and filled up with a constant ringing. Something disturbed her mane, then soared right into Val's skull, shattering it. She collapsed onto the floor, temporarily dead.
Rainbow spun around, looking behind her. There was a glint of light coming from the upper level of a house.
"You're welcome." Magnum winked, reloading her rifle. She then turned to a pair of scared ponies hiding in a corner. "Sorry. Just needed to borrow the window." she said, and jumped out.
Rainbow aimed a strike on Val's neck, but she blocked it. Even when she's in such a state, she's still able to move.
Val kicked Rainbow in the stomach, sending her stumbling back. She stood up, her face shifting back to normal as the pieces of her skull joined themselves back together. There was a bullet hole through the mechanical half of her face though, and the robotic eye didn't have its glow. The glass protecting it seemed to be shattered.
Val stumbled back up, blades popping out of her knuckles. Rainbow wondered what else she was hiding in all those mechanics.
Rainbow swung the cleaver down, but Val dodged right past it and aimed a claw at Rainbow's face. She tilted her head to one side, the blades grazing her face and making three shallow but distinct cuts.
They ran past each other, turning around and preparing for another strike. Their blades clashed, making a loud clang.
Rainbow swung the cleaver, lodging it into Val's mechanical hand. She then stabbed it down into the ground, anchoring Val to the floor. She let go of the cleaver, stepping forth and slamming a hoof into the left side of Val's face.
Val's hand was freed from the cleaver, and pieces of metal flew from the mechanical side of her face as Rainbow's hoof cracked into the metal. She swung a claw at Rainbow.
Rainbow grabbed her hand. That was the disadvantage- her claws couldn't move on their own. They were firmly anchored to her hand, and unlike Neon's; they weren't part of her fingers. Rainbow reached forth with her other hoof, slamming it into Val's side.
Val stumbled to the side, winded.
"This is for all the ponies that died because of your reckless plans-" Rainbow used the broad side of the cleaver and slammed it into the side of Val's face, knocking her to the floor. The mechanical side of her face was caved it, exposing wires and pistons underneath the metallic shell.
Val had glowing pixels forming around her already, but Rainbow already stepped forth.
"This is for Octavia-" she kicked Val two meters across the road. "And this- is for what you did to Melony." she swung the cleaver round in a wide arc. It broke the sound barrier, a sonic bubble of rainbows trailing behind it.
The bubble broke away and slammed into Val, sending her flying back and through a wall.
Rainbow jammed the cleaver into the ground, waiting. The royal guards were silent, their rifles raised and leveled against the hole in the wall. Shining Armor was peering through it, trying to get a look inside.
The dust began to settle, and Val clambered out; the glow on her wounds only just fading.
Rainbow yanked the cleaver out, small bits of gravel skittering away. She'll have to destroy the robotics on Val- that should stop the healing and disable her.
She threw the cleaver at Val, who swiped a claw and deflected it into the air. Rainbow leaped up, catching it and slamming it into the ground in front of Val's hooves at sonic speed. The shockwave from the impact rippled the road and cracked it, and sent Val stumbling back.
Rainbow grabbed hold of the handle of the lodged cleaver, swinging around and sending both hooves into Val's chest. Val flew back, landed above the hole in the wall and pushed off.
Rainbow yanked the cleaver out and ducked under Val's strike, then backflipped and cracked the cleaver into Val's claws.
Val landed on her hooves, sliding back on the gravel; her claws sending a myriad of sparks scattering as she used them to slow her to a stop.
Rainbow charged, pressing the tip of the cleaver into the road. She then kicked off the ground, swinging over and landing behind Val.
Val turned around, her claw a blur as she lashed out. Rainbow blocked it with her arm, the claw stopping inches away from her temple. She spun away from it, lashing out a kick into Val's stomach.
Val's hooves left the ground, her back cracking against the bottom half of the cleaver. The cleaver fell forward and the handle landed in Rainbow's hooves.
Rainbow brought it over her head, then slammed it back down, shattering Val's mechanical left leg. The metal pieces scrambled everywhere, nuts and bolts flying away.
And it didn't fix itself.
Rainbow pressed the tip of her cleaver against Val's neck, her eyes cold. Val stared back, her eyes unwavering. She wasn't afraid of anything. She was simply defeated- for the time being.
A large blob of water washed over Val, and froze into ice, locking her in.
"Bring her in." Halcyon said.
Rainbow lowered the cleaver, which was already folding back into a capsule.
There was a gentle rush of air as Scootaloo landed next to Rainbow.
"What is that..." she gasped at Val, frozen inside a large block of ice.
Rainbow shielded Sdootaloo's eyes.
"You don't want to know." she said, leading her away as the royal guards jogged past them.
*
Rainbow woke up to the chirping of birds in the morning, feeling unbelievably free now that the burden was taken off her shoulders. Val had been locked up, an EMP run through her robotic half, disabling it. Now Rainbow felt like she didn't need to worry about anything at all.
She felt pretty lucky today, so she decided to work on those formulas.
She started to panic when she didn't find them anywhere.
"Shuck..." she ruffled her mane in frustration and panic, ripping out drawers and running through the contents. "Where is it!?"
And then it occurred to her. There could've been a traitor in the squad of royal guards, and he might've just sneaked in...
"Dainty! Vinyl!" she yelled, walking around the civilian car in her house as she headed downstairs. She'll need to remember to talk to Shining Armor about that.
"Rainbow? Ah, you're awake." Vinyl greeted her at the bottom of the stairs. "You look beaten up though."
"I need to find this note book-" Rainbow said.
"Why? What's so important about it?"
Rainbow froze. She hadn't told Vinyl yet. But it seemed logical to do so.
"It..." she gulped. "It's basically a blueprint for a revival machine."
"Wow. That's really the worst joke I've heard from you." Vinyl said.
"No- I'm serious. Don't you see? We could bring Octavia back-" Rainbow said.
"How do you even know it's possible?" Vinyl raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"Because Dainty was dead." Rainbow whispered. "There are even official records, if you have the time to check them."
Vinyl's eyes widened.
"It's a long story. Just help me, will you? It has a brown leather cover."
For the next two hours they racked through the house, searching for the book with the help of Dainty. Of course, they only told her to look for a 'leather book'. They ended with a result that would've been identical to if they flipped the house upside down hours later.
"Where the buck is it!?" Rainbow exclaimed, exhausted.
Dainty popped up from under a pile of books. "I can't find it anywhere!"
They took it, Rainbow thought to herself.
She quickly scrambled over a few piles of stuff and got to the phone.
"Magnum! Did you see anypony entering or exiting the building?"
Magnum was still surveying, just incase there was somepony that was sent from the science faction to retrieve whatever was in Val's house. They haven't stormed it yet- they wanted to catch somepony with it as a bonus.
"Well... There was a delivery pegasus that came by and dropped a small package into the top floor window... But he left straight away." Magnum said.
"Shuck!" Rainbow yelled. "Keep an eye on that house! Alert me if anypony gets near it again! And don't let anypony touch that package- do you understand? Don't let anypony touch it."
"Will do." Magnum said, and hung up.
"Shining Armor!" Rainbow dialed another number. "Magnum reported a delivery pegasus dropping by the house. Listen- I'm certain it's an important package. We need to retrieve it."
"What is it, do you know?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yes. It's the blueprint for the revival machine, and if they get their hands on it- we'll have a big problem if they manage to bring Neon back. I only defeated her last time because of Melony- but since Neon died before Melony did, I'm not sure if they'll both come in the same package when Neon is revived."
"Shuck." Shining Armor exclaimed. He had heard of the revival machine- he was the one that sent the squad in to retrieve it, whom unfortunately all blew up but one.
"That's what I said!" Rainbow said. "We need to get there immediately!"
"Right. I'll get the squad together and-"
"No!" Rainbow yelled. "Not the squad! That blueprint was in my house, and Val was outside the whole time, right? That means somepony snuck in!"
Shining Armor paused. "Right. I'll get a different squad then. Meet me outside Magnum's block."
Rainbow hung up, and turned to Vinyl and Dainty. "I'll be leaving then."
*
The squad leader kicked down the door and stormed in, pointy his rifle around.
"We're in." Rainbow said to Magnum through the mic as the rest of the squad rushed in. She was wearing her dark clothes again.
"Don't see anypony approaching the building." Magnum replied.
"Where did he drop off the package again?" Rainbow asked.
"Second floor." Magnum said.
The squad's hoofsteps were awfully loud in the silence, echoing off the cold concrete walls.
The entire place was empty. There wasn't even a lightbulb here, so the room was only lit by natural light from outside.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Shining Armor said in a hushed voice.
"I don't see any lab equipment... Hell, I don't see anything here." the squad leader said.
Rainbow looked around. It was just a big empty concrete room.
They slowly proceeded up the stairs, their hoofsteps echoing. Other than that, there was absolutely no sound at all. The squad had to turn on the torch lights on their rifles in order to see properly in the dark.
"There's the package." Rainbow said, walking towards where a small box lay innocently on the windowsill.
"Careful." Shining Armor said, as Rainbow gingerly and slowly walked towards it.
She scanned the area for any trip wires, or hidden traps. Finding none, she continued.
The box was right before her now, slightly larger than the size of the book.
Rainbow opened it, and felt something tug against the lid. But it was too late.
She lifted the lid away, and spotted a thin thread connecting the lid to a mechanism in the box. There was no book. There were a series of clicks as the thread had been severed from the box, and an LED light flashed green.
"Shuck!" Rainbow spun around, hearing beeps all around her. The squad was baffled by the noises, but then they saw them.
On the walls, green spots started appearing- there were LED indicators inside the concrete walls, now all pulsing with the beeping.
"Damn it's a trap-" Shining Armor yelled. "Everypony get out! GET OUT- NOW!"