Chapter 5-Storm Clouds
"Swing left! Parry right! Left block and-lunge!" Spitfire called out commands to the exhausted Wonderbolts on the training field. Soarin's coat glistened with sweat as he continued to strike and block against his invisible foe, imagining a sword coming at him. At last, the five o'clock bell rang, signaling that the Wonderbolts training session had come to an end. Soarin ripped off his armor and threw it aside, leaving it for the cleaning ponies to get.
"Hey Soarin, how's it going?" Surprise asked, half-flying over to where he was.
"I-I could be better. Some of us do-don't pick up on this as fast as you do."
"Well, what can I say? I guess I am just that good."
"Yeah, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever find something you were good at," chimed Fleetfoot from the side.
"Hey! I am great at plenty of things! How do you think I got to be a Wonderbolt?"
"Bribery?"
Surprise was about to shoot of a sharp retort, but was cut off by Soarin. "Come on, let's head in. No sense in wasting our off hours out here."
"What do you have in mind, lover boy?" Surprise said as she flashed a seductive look at Soarin. "Maybe you could buy me dinner?"
At this point, Fleetfoot joined in on the teasing. "Whoa-ho! Soarin, are you seeing Surprise on the side?"
Soarin rolled his eyes at the teasing if his friends. He started to head inside, Fleetfoot and Surprise beside him.
"But honestly Soarin," Surprise said, "how are you doing-you know, not being able to see Dash and all? I know you guys just started dating what, three days ago?"
"I'm fine. It's just a price I have to pay for somepony else's stupid action. Besides, it is only two days. Well, one day now."
"You gotta admit, it was funny to see you in the papers like that. I swear, your eyes had to be as big as dinner plates!"
"Hey, you would have been surprised too!"
"Yeah, but I think I would have been able to play it off," Surprise smirked.
"You?!?" Fleetfoot exclaimed. "You probably would have died on the spot!"
Soarin tuned out the two mares as best he could. He had acquired the ability as the three had become friends, with him often caught in the crossfire. Instead, he turned his thoughts to when he would be able to see Rainbow Dash again. After all, too much listening to Fleetfoot and Surprise would end up giving him a headache.
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"I GIVE UP!"
Rainbow Dash angrily stomped the cloud she had landed on. With Soarin unable to see her, she had found time to practice her Wonderbolt entrance routine. But she again was catapulted backwards time and time again, her mood turning sour with each failure. Eventually, she decided enough was enough.
"I am so bucking tired of this shit! No matter what I do, I can never get it right! Never!" Dash muttered a few more swear words as she pulverized a few more clouds before her anger lowered down to a simmer. She plopped back on the ground is frustration and started back towards Ponyville. It was not long before she saw Pinkie Pie bouncing down the road towards her. The energetic pink pony was the last thing she needed. After all, it was Pinkie's fault that Soarin was not able to come see her. Dash looked to the left and right, trying to find someplace where she could hide. She dove into a nearby bush, staying as still as possible as Pinkie hopped by. Dash exhaled once she was sure that Pinkie was out of sight.
"Whatcha doin' Dashie?" Pinkie's voice suddenly came from beside her, causing Dash to jump.
"Dammit Pinkie, don't do that!"
"Oh, okay," Pinkie said, a hurt expression creeping across her face as a result of Dash's outburst.
"Pinkie, I'm sorry, you just scared me that's all. It's been a bad day, and you caught me off guard."
"Maybe you should take a nap! Sleeping makes everything better!"
"Yeah, I will get right to that," Rainbow said sarcastically. But then again, perhaps some sleep was not such a bad idea. It would help pass the time, anyways.
-------------------------------------------------------------Changeling/Equestrian border--------------------------------------------------------------
Two pegasi in golden armor struggled through the rising winds and dust. The first, a pony with a regal blue coat and sliver mane, shouted over the wind at the second, a smaller, dark grey pony with a red mane.
"Come on Swordwind, let's hurry up. We don't want to be caught out here when the full strength of this dust storm hits!"
"Coming Dawnguard," came the faint reply. Dawnguard turned around and watched as Swordwind's form materialized out of the dust.
"What were you doing back there anyways?"
"One of our territory markers had been blown over, so I put it back up."
"Oh, ok. Next time, tell-" Dawnguard stopped as he saw a form of another pony in the haze. "HALT! In the name of Celestia! Identify yourself!"
No response came from the mysterious pony. Dawnguard nodded towards Swordwind, signaling to keep his guard up and stay back. Swordwind watched as Dawnguard slowly moved towards the figure, eventually coming alongside it.
"Hey Sword, it's just a dummy! Why is it out he-"
Dawnguard's sentence was cut off as the dummy came to life, plunging its horn into his throat. Swordwind stepped back in shock as it materialized into a changeling soldier. Others rose up out of the sand around him, sand pouring off of their bodies. Swordwind shot up through the haze, pursued by some of the changelings. He banked to the east, making a straight shot back towards the fort. He looked back, finding that the ambushers had turned back. Swordwind skidded to a stop in the middle of the fort, and ran straight into the commander's building. Somepony had to know about this.
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A lone figure, encased in black iron armor, strode past the changelings. He looked down at the fallen Guardpony, blood pooling towards his feet.
"Where is the second?" His voice rasped through the grille in his helmet. "There were two of them, no?"
A quivering changeling slowly stepped forward, staying low to the ground as if to avoid his master's wrath. "H-he kind of, uh, escaped, Lord Kharax."
"What? How could you let this happen?"
"He was t-too fast, my lord. We lost him near the bas-"
The changeling was cut off as Kharax smashed him aside with an iron-plated hoof. He looked over the remaining changeling raiders, each cowering before his gaze.
"Come, my subjects. The queen will not be pleased with this failure."
He took a last look at the fallen pony, which was slowly being covered by the desert sands, before glancing back to the changeling he had swatted aside. His horn lit up a blood red color, before shooting out a beam of magic that evaporated the unconscious changeling.
"Such is the price of failure," he said before turning back towards his homeland.
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Rainbow Dash awoke to a pounding on her door. She looked at the clock on the bed stand beside her. '7:30? Somepony better have a darn good reason for being here his early.' More knocks came from the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Dash said, still half asleep. She drowsily pushed herself up off her cloudbed, using her wings to keep her aloft. Another set of pounding hit the door, faster than the first.
"HOLD ON, I'M COMING!" Dash shouted. She opened the door to a rather distressed Twilight Sparkle.
"Hey egghead, what's up?"
"What do you mean what's up? Have you not seen the news?"
"Uh, no."
Twilight rushed inside the Dash's house and turned on the TV in the living room. Rainbow Dash followed her, curious to what could have been causing the trouble.
"...investigation into the mysterious murder of Sergeant Dawnguard of the Equestrian Guard on the Equestrian-Changeling border is still underway. Guardpony Swordwind, his partner yesterday, claims an attack by Changeling forces late yesterday afternoon. This has been denied by Queen Chrysalis, claiming no knowledge of the attack. Many ponies feel that this was no rogue group, and that Equestria should prepare for war..."
Rainbow Dash listened to the report fearfully. As the announcer continued on, she felt a weight in her gut get heavier and heavier. If Equestria went to war, so would the Wonderbolts. And that meant that Soarin could die. Dash burst out of her house and flew towards Canterlot. She had to find Soarin.
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"Holy shit!" Spitfire swore loudly as she watched the news play out. She was in her office, trying to plan out the next week's training schedule, when Wave Chill had rushed into her office and told her to turn on the news. Soarin and Fleetfoot came running in at the sound of her outburst.
"Spitfire, what's up?" Fleetfoot said as she barged through the door
"Are you ok? What's wrong?" Soarin asked at almost the same time.
"Spitfire swung her chair around to face the two Wonderbolts. "We might be at war in a few days."
"WHAT?!?" Fleetfoot and Soarin said in unison.
"A Guardpony was killed on the Changeling-Equestrian border. According to reports, his partner says they were ambushed by changelings."
"Those shape-shifting scum!" shouted Fleetfoot, "Let them come! We'll show them the might of Equestria!"
Soarin sat silently, staring at the wall. He knew if war came, the deployment of the Wonderbolts was imminent. That would mean he might not get to see Dash ever again. He had to tell her before it was too late.
"Ma'am, request permission to go see Rainbow Dash?"
Spitfire looked sorrowfully at him. "Sorry Soarin, but with the threat of war coming, we need to keep working on our combat training. I'm so sorry."
Soarin felt his ears droop, and bowed his head. He walked out of the door. The two mares watched him leave. "I hate seeing him like that," Spitfire said, "But this sword training is still new to us, and we can't lose precious time with this threat of war."
"Maybe there is something we can do? Like after-training hours, maybe we could fix something up?"
"Like what? We are almost to Canterlot. Unless you plan on flying all the way back to Ponyville, finding Dash, and try to get something together, then fly all the way back here."
"Well Soarin would do it anyways, so why shouldn't I?" I am a pretty fast flier, so I won't lose too much time. Besides, Ponyville isn't that far away."
"If you can get something to work, fine. But it still has to fit in with our schedule. Training right now is vital. Missing it could end up with him dead if things escalate any further."
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Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop outside the Wonderbolt arena. She started for the door, but was blocked by a Pegasi guard.
"Sorry ma'am, no entry on training days. Wait till the next show."
"But you have to let me in! I gotta talk to Soarin!"
"No admittance. You can talk to him next week, after the show."
"You don't understand-"
"No, you don't understand. Now go before I have to forcibly remove you."
"I am his fillyfriend for Celestia's sake!"
"You know how many times I have heard that line? If I believed everypony who said that, Soarin would be dating half of Equestria. Now GO!"
Rainbow Dash turned away, bowing her head. She spread her wings, but was stopped when somepony shouted her name.
"DASH! RAINBOW DASH WAIT!" Fleetfoot shouted as she ran towards the gate. "Rainbow Dash! Hold on!"
"Fleetfoot? How do you know me?"
"Doesn't matter. Anyways, Soarin really wants to see you, so go ahead and come on inside."
The guard turned to face Fleetfoot. "But Spitfire said nopony is to interrupt-"
"Don't worry, she's fine," Fleetfoot said, bumping into the guard's side. He turned away, his face tinting red. Fleetfoot motioned with one hoof for Dash to enter the gate.
"So what was that about?" Dash said as the two mares walked down the main entrance.
"What was what?"
"You being all flirtatious with that guard."
"Oh you mean Bladestorm? It's just some fun. He gets rather uncomfortable whenever Surprise and I do that to him. So whenever I get the chance, I just screw around with him to have some fun.....maybe I should put that another way."
"Heh, that might be a good idea. Don't want anypony to get the wrong ideas."
"Yeah." Fleetfoot led Dash through the seemingly endless maze of hallways. Eventually, she motioned for Dash to wait a little distance away. Fleetfoot slightly opened a door and peeked in. She silently motioned for Dash to come to her. Rainbow Dash flew to her. She looked in the door to se Soarin hunched over his desk, his frame lit by candlelight. Fleetfoot motioned towards him with a grin, and Rainbow instantly knew what she meant. Dash slowly snuck closer towards him, slinking across the ground. When she reached him, she slowly brought herself back up, peeking over his shoulder to see what he was writing. All that was on the paper was "Dear Dash." She waited for a minute, wondering if he would ever notice her. Dash turned back to Fleetfoot, who nodded, signaling for Dash to reveal herself. Dash turned back to Soarin, who was still oblivious. Fighting back a laugh, she leaned inches from his ear and whispered, "Hey, whatcha writing."
Soarin shot into the air, smacking his head on the ceiling fan. Rainbow Dash burst into laughter, falling to the ground as tears streamed down her face.
"That wasn't funny," Soarin said, rubbing the top of his head.
"Your right, that was hilarious!" Fleetfoot said from outside. She too was laughing so hard that she teared up.
Dash pushed herself back up, still laughing. "You-you should have seen your face! I shoulda brought a camera!"
"Dash, what are you doing here? I know you didn't fly all the way here to watch me hit my head."
Rainbow Dash instantly stopped laughing. "I saw the news. About the murder on the border. I was worried that you might be sent down there. You know, if a war starts."
Soarin pulled Rainbow Dash close, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. "Dash, nothing is going to happen. It was just an isolated incident. Everything will be fine, you'll see."
-------------------------------------------------------------------12 Hours Later----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two dark figures hovered by the bridge, illuminated by the half-moon. One was working on a small package placed on a support beam, while the other monitored the surrounding area.
"Come on, hurry up!" The first one said.
"Shut it," replied the one who was working on the box. "You can't rush these things."
"The train is going to be here soon!"
"Ok. Aaand done! Come on, let's go"
The distant rumble of the oncoming train started to get louder. It was going to be on top of them any second. Both flew to the bushes on the ledge opposite of where the train was coming from. It suddenly appeared from around the hill, roaring onto the bridge.
"Wait for it, wait for it, and NOW!"
The second figure's horn lit up a light green, the same aura glowing around the box. All was quiet for a moment, the silence pierced by the rumble of the train. Then, with a massive peak of thunder, a fireball erupted in the center of the bridge, incinerating the front quarter of the train as well. Secondary explosions followed as flammable cargo erupted in flame. The remainder of the train shot into the gaping hole, plunging to the river below. Both of the figures left their cover, illuminated by the orange glow of the flames.
"Wow."
"Damn that was good."
"Tell the Queen we were successful. Inform Lord Kharax that the reinforcements will not be reaching the border cities. We are ready to begin the attack."
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Soarin frowned at the orange glow on the horizon. It was only midnight. The sun wouldn't be up for several hours now. He turned back to the sleeping Rainbow Dash on his bed. She had been so tired that he had let her stay over, worried that she might fall asleep mid-flight. After all, it had happened to him. He looked back at the horizon, a strange sense of foreboding coming over him. Something was not right. Glancing around, he made sure she was asleep before flying out the window, headed straight for the light.
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Fire was everywhere. Fire and burnt meat. Soarin flew in low among the carnage, looking for anypony who might still be alive. The bridge was still burning, as were the bodies. Part of the train was on the other side, the actual locomotive thrown on the far bank like a toy. Unable to find any survivors in the flaming carnage, he flew down towards the river, where the rest of the train lay smashed on the bank or floating in the water. That was one ability he loved about Unicorns who worked the train yards. They could make the containers airtight and buoyant. He landed on top of the first one, and searched for the magical seal. Soarin found the purple rune by the door, and pressed it with his hoof. A mound of broken spears and armor greeted him. He flew to each car in turn, pressing the seal and examining the contents. So far, nopony had been aboard besides the ones in the forward cars. Soarin opened the last car, and immediately turned away, tears of rage swelling in his eyes. Inside the car lay two squads of Equestrian Guard soldiers, their bodies broken and bleeding. One by one, he picked each dead pony up ad placed them on the bank. Twenty five guardponies total, their blood staining the golden sands beside the river. Soarin rammed the broken spears into the ground at each one's head, before placing the pony's helmet atop it. He looked back once at the flaming bridge, before flying back to the Arena. 'This was no accident," he thought, anger flowing through him. 'This is war.'
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Rainbow Dash slowly woke up, bright sunlight blinding her. She looked around the room. This wasn't her house. She nearly started to freak out, before she remembered the last night. Dash rolled over in the bed, but Soarin was not there. 'Maybe he is at training,' she thought. 'But it's only 5. Surly they don't start now?'
Her questions were answered when Soarin flew in through the window, his hooves and chest stained red.
"Soarin! Soarin are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine," he said at almost a whisper. He slumped against the wall, his eyes wide, staring at the opposite wall.
"Soarin? What's wrong?" She moved closer to him, looking deep into his eyes.
He looked back at her, as if he had just noticed her. "They-they were all dead. All of them."
Rainbow Dash ran out of the room, shouting for Spitfire. Spitfire poked her head out of her room, wearing a annoyed expression.
"Spitfire, it's Soarin! Something's wrong!"
That was all it took. Spitfire was sprinting down the hallway, running straight to Soarin's room. She was greeted by the sight of him still against the wall.
"Dash, what happened?"
"I don't know! He just flew in here like that and said 'they're all dead.' What is going on?"
Spitfire leaned down close to Soarin. She made eye contact with him an asked in a stern voice "Who are all dead?"
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It was an hour before Soarin was completely out of his state of shock. He had cleaned himself off and was finally able to tell what had happened. He told Spitfire and Dash everything. About the train, the fire, the dead guards. A heavy silence followed the minutes after he finished his story.
Soarin was actually the first to speak up. "I don't think that these are just isolated incidents. The massive chunk torn out of the bridge-no accident could cause that. I think that the murder yesterday and now this are connected."
"Same here, but there is nothing we can do. Just don't worry about it. Princess Celestia will get everything straightened out."
"Yeah, I just hope she works it out fast."
"Hey, you better be on time for practice today. It is extremely important today."
"Ok, see ya."
Soarin exhaled deeply and turned back to Dash. "Sorry about that. I just lost it. I haven't seen that in a long time."
"It's ok Soar. You just scared me, flying in with bloodstains and unable to really communicate." She pulled him close, giving him a tight hug. "I thought I was going to lose you."
Soarin pulled back a little, a slight smile on his face.
"Who, me? Soarin of the Wonderbolts?"
"Yes you, ya goof. What time is-aw, I gotta get going. Hey, see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, If Spitfire will let me off. But next time I will come to you, eh?"
"It's a deal. Now you probably should get ready, don't want to get stuck here for another two days."
"Hey, that wasn't my fault."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Love ya."
She flew out the window, headed back to Ponyville. Even though the recent events had cast some shadows, her life was looking up.