Spike ran through the underbrush, his glowing claw clutching the wound on his side. The healing rune was keeping him from bleeding out, but the pain and injury was making escape hard. His growth spell shattered when the rockets shattered some of his scales that held the runes necessary for maintaining it. Now here he was, his normal size, wounded, running for his life through the Whitetail woods from a bunch of genocidal aliens... not his best day.
He could still hear his pursuers crashing through the brush. They weren't making any effort to remain undetected, but then they didn't really need to. All they had to do was chase Spike until he collapsed from exhaustion and either finish him or let him bleed to death. Whichever way this turned out, it wouldn't be good for the young dragon. Even if he escaped and was rescued, he would likely have lasting injuries.
He just passed a thick tree when it practically exploded. They found him. Redoubling his efforts, he ran as fast as his injured body would go. He could feel the shots pass less than an inch from his flesh, spurring him on further. There was no destination other than 'away from the bad guys'.
The wounded dragon cried out as one of the shots found his leg, passing through the scales and bone. No longer able to sustain his weight, his leg buckled and sent him rolling. When he finally came to a stop, his exhaustion set in. He lay there, the wound on his side opened back up, staring into the sky. The first of the Dratali stood over him, soon joined by a half dozen others.
Well, Spike, you tried. Sorry Dashie, Twilight. I guess I'm not coming home after all.
The first reptile smirked and brought his rifle up. Then, something very weird happened. The Dratali jumped back in shock. They started looking around as if Spike had vanished. As if that weren't enough, they suddenly got extremely scared, firing at the trees. One by one, they were knocked off their feet with a scream. Spike looked around as much as he could trying to figure out what was going on.
He didn't have to wait long before a familiar voice answered his questions, “It's amazing what one can do with illusions, wouldn't you agree?”
“Tr... Trixie? What...” Spike tried to speak.
“Hush now. Let me close up your injuries before you bleed to death.”
The blue unicorn pressed her glowing horn to the drake's side and began stitching the worst of the injuries. The spell was painful, but Spike toughed it out. It only took about three minutes before Trixie stopped.
“There,” she said, “Now you won't die. Come, I'll take you to a hospital where they can finish what I started.” The 'show mare' lifted Spike and placed him gently on her back, “Oof... ease up on the emeralds.” Spike chuckled at that. “You should be glad I saw what happened. Nice job with that... thing. Using brain over brawn is a rare trait in a dragon, but then so is being raised by a genius unicorn in a library I suppose.”
Trixie took off as smoothly as she could towards the nearest hospital in Ponyville.
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“We're getting hammered out here!” Cowboy hollered over the open channel, “Units five, six and fourteen are completely gone! Didn't Command say reinforcements were on the way?”
“They are. We just need to hold out until they get here.”
“God damn it! We're not going to last until they get here!”
“Quit your bitching Cowboy,” another voice came over the comm, “Firefly's here to save you ass!”
A silvery blur shot past Cowboy. It looked like an Ax, but it was too fast and had a few extra pieces. Firefly set her sights on a bomber and its four escorts. The quartette of enemy fighters moved into position to defend their charge from the approaching threat. She gunned it toward the small craft and quickly pulled up so fast it should have killed her... if not for the inertial dampening field surrounding the cockpit. In her wake was a dozen shimmering crystals that, without warning, shot toward the enemy fighters, tearing them to shreds.
“Ain't magic awesome?” chided the half-aviva pilot.
Without its guardians, the bomber was easy prey.
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Fluttershy was a mare with many fears. It was a well known fact that she was scared of everything from dragons to her own shadow, but one fear was stronger than the rest. It was a fear that sprang up around nine years ago when she and her friends were trying to convince a dragon to sleep elsewhere, and it was her greatest fear by far... the fear of losing her friends. It was this fear that drove her to confront dragons, cockatrices, chimera, and all manner of other beasts and monsters. Just like it was this fear that drove her to face down a being trained to use its powerful magic to kill as effectively as possible.
A wall exploded as the Archon's fireball struck it, instead of the yellow pegasus it was meant for. The pony was already halfway to the sorcerer by the time the attack passed her former position. Caught off guard by the pony's speed, he cast a slide spell and jumped back. He hovered slightly above the ground quickly as he fired fireballs at the charging native. He wasn't sure how, but she managed to dodge them all. Needing something faster than a fireball, the Archon fired a bolt of lightning. He quickly learned why not to use lightning against a pegasus when he barely erected his shield in time to deflect the returned voltage. The barrier dropped for another attack, but instead a hoof swung dangerously close to the Archon's face. Only his finely honed reflexes saved him, erecting another shield.
Fluttershy pressed her attack, driving her hooves into the shield. The Archon forced his shield outward, knocking the pegasus away. It wasn't something that would stop the pegasus. She just twisted, kicked off the expanding shield toward a building, and launched herself off the wall. The shield, spread as thin as it was, broke easily and she was back on the offensive. She was cut short, though, as an invisible force slammed into her, knocking her away. It carried her straight into the wall of a house. Luckily, it was already damaged and gave way before it could do and real damage, but it still knocked the wind out of her.
Fluttershy truly loved heritage and tradition. It was the reason she learned her families fighting style even though she hated fighting... okay, she loved sparing with fellow martial artists, but that was different. It was a style passed down from mother to daughter all the way back to her distant ancestor, General Hurricane. And she planned to teach her own daughter one day. That meant she couldn't let herself die here. She would teach this invader why it's called Storm Wing.
She struggled to her hooves, taking slow, deep breaths. Her wings extended fully, and started emitting a humming sound as every feather began vibrating. Fluttershy opened her eyes, the kind gentleness replaced by cold, hard steel. Like a yellow blur, she shot off toward the monster as tiny sparks arced between feathers. By the time she emerged from the dust of the collapsed wall, electricity trailed behind her. The Archon launched more balls of force at the enraged mare. Fluttershy leaped away, using the walls of the buildings around her as springboards. With one last powerful thrust of her hind legs, the yellow pony fired herself at her adversary, the lightning surrounding her wings moving to her right hoof. The Archon quickly threw up a force field a split second before the hoof struck. The electric strike seemed to drain the Dratali mage, and soon cracks started spreading along the barrier's surface. His expression turned to horror as his shield shattered. Fluttershy's hoof struck her foe's face, sending the lightning coursing through his heart.
Fluttershy released the attack when the smell of burning flesh hit her. The Archon fell in a heap of smoldering flesh that made the pegasus want to vomit. A realization of what happened hit her like a freight train. She had taken a life, even if it was necessary. She backed away, staring at what she had done before collapsing, curling up into a ball and crying.
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Technia pranced back through Canterlot with a spring in her step and an ember in her mane.
“That was so awesome!” she squee’d for the eighth time, “Best. Wednesday. Ever.”
She continued her jovial return humming a tune when she heard a pained groan. She dropped into a threatening stance, ready to defend herself if necessary. She scanned around until her gaze fell upon a terrible sight. A storm gray unicorn with an amethyst mane... or what was left of one. She was missing a leg, an eye, and had terrible burns all over her body.
“He... help,” the broken mare groaned.
“Oh my gosh, you're alive!” Technia gasped. Her hyperactive brain ran through exactly four hundred sixty-seven different possible treatments to potentially save this mares life. Most, like transplanting her brain into a mountain goat, were not quite perfected, others, like strapping her into a missile, were counter productive. One however struck her as a viable option inspired by Miss Sparkle.
“Hey, can you hear me?” The dying mare nodded. “Do you want to live?” Another nod. “Will you accept any treatment?” Yet another nod. The cinnamon maned unicorn lifted the mare gently “I can rebuild you...I have the technology.”
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“You're wearing your new choker?” Rarity asked as she walked with her younger sister through the town. The piece of jewelry in question was a strip of black fireworm silk, with a silver, four-tip star dangling in front. “I thought you were waiting to wear that for you first date after you asked Dinky out?”
“Shush!” Sweetie whispered harshly, “I told you that in secret! Geez, you just can't keep your big trap shut.” The younger unicorn sighed, “Besides, we could all die today. I'd like to wear it once just in case. After all, my favorite sister got it for me.”
“Ha, I'm your only sister.”
“No you’re not,” Sweetie Belle smiled. “I have Applebloom and Scootaloo, too.”
“Ah, of course. You three really are sisters in all but blood.”
“Unless you count the transfusions we've had to give each other on multiple occasions.”
Rarity could only laugh. She loved that her sister had two such close friends. She remembered feeling relieved when they had gotten their cutie marks and thought their shenanigans would cease. Oh, how wrong she was. They only got in more trouble because they weren't looking for cutie marks, only fun. The medical bills were ridiculous.
“I'm just glad you've calmed down a little,” Rarity chuckled. “Excuse me, I need to speak with Commander Hard Case. I'll be right back.”
Rarity trotted off to a rather large changeling and struck up a conversation. Sweetie wondered if the Cakes left any goods out. If so, they would certainly raise the moral of everypony in the shelter, and knowing them they would be more than happy to share. If not, her albums sell plenty to pay them back. With her plan made, she trotted toward her favorite shop, opened the door, and walked in.
Rarity watched Sweetie out of the corner of her eye as she spoke with the commander about the town’s security. She wasn't talking long when she heard something that made her blood run cold. Sweetie was screaming in fear. The fashionista ran as fast as she could, bursting through the door of Sugarcube Corner. She ran into the kitchen and froze. The pantry door was open and a Dratali soldier was standing just outside it with a bloody knife.
Sweetie Belle laid on the floor, gazing up at her sister with fear in her eyes as she clutched her bloody throat with a hoof. Her pleas for help coming out as nothing but gargles. Rarity's whole world fell to pieces, as she watched her little sisters eyes lost focus and her desperate attempts at breathing ceased.
It's a dream... It has to be... the town is clear... this can't be real...
She looked up at the invader just as the knife that took her sister, flew into her left eye. The alabaster unicorn let out a chilling scream as she fell back. Several black shapes darted past her, jumping on the monster. One, though, flew to her with concern in her eyes. The last thing Rarity saw before consciousness left her, was the changeling calling something to the others and leaning toward her with her horn alight.