//------------------------------// // Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters Part 1 // Story: Insanity War // by InsaneBatPony //------------------------------// The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters Part 1 The sun was beginning to rise and the now five elements woke from their unrest full slumbers. The mission would begin in exactly one hour and they were in a frenzy to prepare and make sure Fleetfoot and Fluttershy’s hawk were ready for the mission at hand. Rarity had completed the plans for the armor assigned to the Air Corps. She had delivered them to Spike’s lieutenant late in the night. He set to work on them right away. Applejack had begun to finish up the last of the land forces crash course training regime. Rainbow Dash was getting Fleetfoot ready for her first mission that was not a training session. “Remember Fleetfoot this is about speed and also about accuracy. It would be completely uncool if you were to come back without an accurate map for us to use.” She said with a tone of absolute authority and seriousness. “Yes ma’am! I will not fail.” Fleetfoot stated while saluting her commander. “And remember your small size is an advantage. You can maneuver a lot easier than most other Pegasus pony’s, and your small size gives you less wind resistance so you can fly much faster than any other Pegasus. Well, almost any other Pegasus. But if anything goes wrong you get out of there and use your speed and maneuvering capability’s to their fullest to come back alive. We’ve lost too many as it is.” She said with a hint of sadness in her voice as Fleetfoot was her favorite Wonderbolt flyer before the war started. She did not want Fleetfoot to perish in this war. “Now report to Spike, he said he had something for you.” Fleetfoot saluted and left the room to report to Forge Master Spike. When Fleetfoot arrived at the forge she saw Spike waiting for her. He stood up and had in his arm what appeared to be a newly crafted piece of chest armor. “There you are, I have something for you. It’s the armor that was designed for the Aerial Corps. My lieutenant made it when he received the plans from Rarity. It’s all he could manage in the short time he had to build it for you. Try it on and we’ll go from there.” Fleetfoot put on the new chest piece and it fit her like a glove. “It’s very light and fits extremely well. This shouldn’t hinder my flight capability at all.” She said with excitement in her voice. “It’s always nice to get a compliment. Now back to the topic at hand. The enchantment will keep Insanity’s influence out of your head for about four hours at most and even that is stretching it. You will need to be back before then. If you’re not then there is no telling what might happen to you.” “I understand. I’ll be back within the allotted time.” “Good. The enchantment will kick in as soon as you leave the barrier around Canterlot. Fly fast and fly strong.” The last sentence spoken were the words spoken to an Air Corps member when they flew on a mission or into battle. With the recon mission approaching a voice spoke through an intercom made of magic. “FLEETFOOT, PLEASE REPORT TO THE DISPACH HANGER. MISSION ‘FLY BY’ WILL COMMENCE IN FIFTEEN MINUTES.” The voice was Princess Luna issuing the final notice before the recon mission began. Fleetfoot made her way to the dispatch hanger; waiting for her there was her commander Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Princess Luna. She made her way to the exit point and standing there ready to fly, the three of them made some last comments for encouragement and good luck. “Look here, I want you back alive! If you sense any danger get out of there before you get yourself into trouble.” Rainbow said looking dead into Fleetfoot’s eyes. “Fleetfoot, my hawk Rialto will keep you company but he also had very keen eyes. Just tell him where to look and he’ll investigate.” Fleetfoot nodded her head in acknowledgement. “Fleetfoot you hand chosen for this mission do not let us down.” Luna spoke with authority and assertiveness. “Good luck to thou. Mission commence in three…Two…ONE! Begin mission Fly by.” Fleetfoot sped off at an unprecedented rate. The hawk following closely behind. As she flew away they all spoke in unison “FLY FAST AND FLY STRONG!” They then retired to the war room to await Fleetfoot’s return and to plan their next move. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ As Fleetfoot made her way to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters the General was putting her master’s plan into motion. “You three are too guard the chamber where Lord Insanity was imprisoned and attack any resistance fighters that get through to you.” Three of Insanity’s creations nodded in response and made their way down to the old chamber. The General continued her inspection of the surroundings and where the best places would be to set an ambush. “Ugh, Lord Insanity’s power has warped everything around this place. The trees are either floating or are in different seasons. The sky is either blue like normal or turning black for some reason, why black, why not purple or something. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the sun and moon cycles.” She continued to inspect the surroundings and placed creatures in the spots that would hide them well, mostly in shadowy places as Insanity’s creations were all a black or grey color depending on their time of creation. The grey monsters were a grey as they were under Insanity’s control to the extent that they would follow orders. The black creatures were all under his complete and utter control and would do literally anything he or the general would command. As she finished giving her orders she saw Fleetfoot fast approaching. She set herself in a ditch and was able to blend in with the shadows. She readied a magic bolt in her horn glowing a distinct red now instead of its original purple color. “I let whoever that is have a quick look around, then open fire. I’ll give them something to fear.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fleetfoot and Rialto had finally arrived at the castle. Fleetfoot’s armor enchantment would only last another three hours, giving a two hour window to scout and map the area. She flew over the forest and hovered for a moment trying to take in the surroundings as quickly as her mind would allow. Then she saw a glistening on the ground near the now ruined castle. “Rialto, go check there I thought I saw something.” She said while pointing to an area near the entrance to the castle. The hawk then flew down to the indicated location and investigated shortly. Fleetfoot still hovering in the same spot, continued to take in the surroundings. She decided that it was time to move to a different location. She went around the castle specifically and began to note where the structure could be penetrated so the investigation team could go in and look around. While she was doing this Rosa came back to her. “Did you see anything?” The hawk shook its head indicating that it saw nothing. With the hawks response given she decided that it might be time to go due to a bad vibe she was getting from this place. “It’s time to go. We’ve got what we needed.” Rialto shook his head in response. As they turned to leave, The General let loose. SWISH! A bolt of black magic went flying through the air and struck Fleetfoot in the shoulder. “AhhhAAA!” She screamed as blood came rushing from the wound. “What was that?! Ungnn, We need to go now!” Rosa and Fleetfoot wasted no time in turning tale and fleeing. “You! Don’t let her escape, not without a few more injuries” screamed the General to one of her subordinates.” With the order given a flying type monster took flight and began to chase the Pegasus. “This creature is three times the size of the previous types of flying monsters master created, the others were the size of an average Pegasus pony this one is three times the size! A..HA…HAHAHAH! Fleetfoot looked behind her seeing a hideous beast unlike anything they have seen previous. This beast of flight was about three times the size of Insanity’s original creations for flight. The beast had four massive claws and had a reach of about seven feet in front of itself. Its wing span was about forty feet from tip to tip, and its face looked like a pony’s skull mixed with that of a dragon’s, with charcoal black skin covering its body. It roared and began to catch the Pegasus. Fleetfoot could only try to fly faster but any time she tried she would wince in pain as the wound would shoot pain through her body. She was bleeding a little too much for her own comfort, and was losing blood fairly rapidly. The beast was catching up and quickly, she had to move faster. But it was too late the beast had caught up. It began swiping at Fleetfoot and trying to knock her out of the sky while she tried to get back to Canterlot. With one massive claw it swiped in an upward motion. Fleetfoot now ignoring the pain she felt was able to dodge but only by an extremely narrow margin. The beast tried again this time swiping in a downward movement. Fleetfoot’s wound took its toll. She was able to dodge the brunt of the attack but was clipped in the side due to her strained mobility. Her armor only covered her underbelly and was thin on the sides and on the back as the Air Corps would mainly be used for an aerial assault and would not be in direct danger by hoof to hoof combatants. The new wound was deeper than the first she had sustained and she was now bleeding from her left side. Her armor was rubbing against it a little causing it to hurt more than it already did. This time the beast went for an all-out blow to end Fleetfoot’s life. It proceeded to fly above her matching her now slower speed and dive bombed. Fleetfoot turned onto her left side to try to maneuver before the beast could hit her. She was not able to maneuver quickly enough. The beast came crashing down and a sickening crack was heard and Fleetfoot let out a horrid scream of pain. The beast had hit two of her legs shattering the bones inside and had also clipped one of her wings cutting a small chunk out of it. She was able to continue flying but not for very long. The beast had disappeared as quickly as it had come. She was now desperate to get back to Canterlot. Not only to pass on the info she had gathered but also for medical treatment that was necessary beyond all measure. Bleeding and in serious pain her body was beginning to give out and she began to sink in the sky not sure if she could make it home before passing out. She struggled on trying to keep herself motivated to keep going and trying not to pass out. The enchantment would be wearing off in thirty minutes and she had a forty minute journey ahead of her at her current pace. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ At Canterlot Castle the group anxiously awaited Fleetfoot’s return. “Its been over four hours! Where is she?!” screamed Rainbow Dash in an impatient tone. “You don’t think something bad happened to her do you?” Fluttershy asked in a quiet tone as not to try to sadden the mood. “NO WAY! Fleetfoot is the best flyer next to yours truly! Nothing could happen to her. She’s too fast and is not easily caught when flying at only fifty percent her usual flight speed!” Rainbow yelled in exasperation. “I think I can see something out yonder.” Luna said with uncertainty. “Is it Fleetfoot?!” Rainbow Dash said with hope and excitement. Upon a closer inspection of the object flying toward Canterlot it was discovered that it was in deed Fleetfoot. But something was wrong. Fluttershy looked through the telescope they had fashioned for keeping watch throughout the day and night. “She’s been injured and very badly!” Fluttershy said in a panic and in a much louder voice than what she normally speaks with. Rainbow Dash was horrified at the news and proceeded to rush out to help her get back to the hanger. She took off then and there making a rainbow colored trail behind her as she left. “Wait, come back! His influence, you’re not protected!” Fluttershy said but it was too late Rainbow was out of the barrier and rushing to Fleetfoot’s side, the others standing their mouth agape as she left. Rainbow Dash got to Fleetfoot just before Fleetfoot’s wings gave out and was able to catch her with her two front legs. Fleetfoot looked up at her commander. “Hi ma’am, nice of you to come. Haha.” Fleetfoot said weakly trying to lift her commander’s spirits. She had now lost most of her blood and was beginning to lose consciousness. “Hang in there! Don’t close your eyes! Were almost home! STAY WITH ME! DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES!” cried Rainbow Dash as she sped back to the castle, tears streaming down her face. But when they arrived Fleetfoot was gone. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ “How did stage one go my General?” asked Insanity with a grin on his hidden face. His grin only visible because of the red glow coming from his mouth. “I let the resistance fighter have a look above the castle, when she left I sent Agrarious after her. He did a number on the poor Pegasus. I felt her life force disappear when she reached the barrier at Canterlot.” said the General. “Good, very good. You impress me yet again my General.” He said in a dark tone and rumbling voice. “Thank you master” she said while bowing. “I wonder what their next move will be. I can’t wait to see. HAHAHAH! You have done well. I give you Agrarious as a gift. Use him well.” “Uh, Thank you Sire, Thank you.” The general said with delight. Insanity then sat back down upon his thrown and contemplated his next move. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ “We hath lost yet another.” Luna said with a deep sadness. “Yeah…RD’s not taking it well.” Applejack said in a state of concern for her friend. “I can’t blame her. Fleetfoot was Rainbow Dash’s hero after all” Rarity said in Rainbows defense. “So what did they do with Fleetfoot?” asked Fluttershy. “Rainbow presented her flight uniform to the Wonderbolts this afternoon.” Luna spoke. “They were very saddened by the loss as well. Her chest armor was sent to Spike for repairs so we can have it as a memento of her being here. It will be presented to Rainbow Dash in a ceremony when it is complete. Fleetfoot herself was cremated and her ashes will be presented to both the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash in remembrance of her. It also saddens thy as well. Thy can only imagine what good Rainbow Dash must be feeling right now. All of you are dismissed we will continue tomorrow. This loss has taken a toll on all of us.” They all left the war room and proceeded back to their respective posts. Applejack returned to the ground units training facilities in the Castle courtyard. Fluttershy went back to her room and mourned Fleetfoot’s passing with her animal friends. Rarity returned to her workshop. Spike continued to repair her armor well into the night, never ceasing. Pinkie could not smile that day when she heard the news. Even Celestia had a heavy heart when she heard the news while retiring to her chambers for the night. Rainbow Dash remained in her room the rest of the day and night humming the Wonderbolts old theme song to herself tears running down her face. “We will stop him. We have too. This has gone on for too long, and now one of my old heroes is dead. We WILL stop you Insanity. I will have revenge for this. If not on you, then on the monster that caused this to happen.” She said while crying profusely, her voice shaky and cracking. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ A funeral service was held the next morning; brief as it was, it was somber and respectful. The Wonderbolts were presented with half of Fleetfoot’s ashes and Rainbow Dash the other. Her armor was presented to Rainbow Dash as well. Rainbow Dash then proceeded to speak for a brief moment before their planning would need to begin again. She addressed the Air Corps as they were the main group in attendance, along with the other Elements and their Lieutenants. “My friends, comrades and fellow flyers, yesterday we lost a fellow Pegasus and dear friend to us all. We have had to add Fleetfoot to our list of casualties in this war. I do not wish to see any more of my friends perish in this war! And I will not allow it and neither will you! Fleetfoot sacrificed herself for the good of Equestria as did our other fallen friends! We will not let their sacrifices be in vain!” A cheer rose up from all in attendance. “Furthermore, Insanity used this act as a way to scare us into submission. We will not be afraid! He has inspired us to fight harder and to do our utmost to protect this place and rescue Equestria from his grasp! FOR OUR FRIENDS, FOR THE FALLEN!” The crowd raised their voices chanting “for our friends, for the fallen.” The chant was louder than anything heard previous by anypony in the castle. The entire Castle was chanting the phrase making the ground and the walls rumble as their voices became one. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The ceremony was over and they all resumed their assigned duties, with a new passion and fire in their hearts. The five and Spike went to the war room to plan their next moves. “What do we do now?” Pinkie Pie asked in a high pitched voice. “We squash them like the bugs they are!” Rainbow yelled. “Easy Partner, your sounding like Insanity now.” Applejack spoke with sarcasm. “We must investigate the Castle. After what happened to Fleetfoot I know that thou do not wish to send anypony there but we need to find a way to combat Insanity’s forces.” “I agree with the Princess. We need to know how to defeat them.” Spike said with something of an urgency in his voice. “If you can bring me back any plans as to their creation I may be able to fashion more effective weapons and armor for you.” “Fine. Thou will proceed to the Castle when ready.” Spike spoke up once again. “I have a new type of armor ready for a test run. I built them after the ceremony. They have a more powerful enchantment to keep Insanity’s influence out for a longer period of time. I’d try them myself but they weren’t designed for a dragon.” “We’ll try em out when we go to the castle, Spike” Applejack said with excitement at the thought of taking on Insanity’s forces. “Your all dismissed. Please prepare yourselves you depart when ready.” ________________________________________________________________________________________________ “They are going to try again. I can sense it. There are going to go to the Castle again. Make sure they find this.” Insanity handed a small package to his General. She bowed and left, going to the Castle to plant the package. “A victory in this pointless war. They must know that they cannot win against me. Why can’t they just roll over and obey me. If they continue on this path I will no choice but to eliminate them all personally, and I hate getting my hands dirty.” _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The small task force going to the castle was assembled. Applejack leading her small pack of ground forces. Rainbow Dash had a small group of her physically strongest flyers just in case there was another air battle. Pinkie Pie was coming along as well with her saddle bags full of her famous contraptions. They were clad in the newly designed armor Spike had built for them. They were ready to begin. Next Chapter The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters Part 2